NEBULAR Collection 3 - Morgotradon: Episodes 12 - 16

by Thomas Rabenstein

  Are they talking about our mysterious opponents? Why do they even let me hear their conversation?

  »I wonder about the structural weakness of the Matrix!« one of the aliens said. »The Matrix Architects will have to rectify this. In the past the odd Matrix point has occasionally failed to function. Maybe there was a collision between two asteroids and it will be necessary to close the gap again.«

  »That’s not our problem!« repeated one of the strangers. »There is time to repair the deficiencies, there’s no need to panic and if our mission succeeds then the Matrix may no longer be needed.«

  Navis Joos frowned. He tried to keep track of who was speaking.

  »Who are you?« he yelled via his suit speakers. The strangers ceased their discussion.

  This time, however, one of them replied, »You don’t know who we are? We are Dualytes. We have come to retrieve the Original Spark. Do not hinder us and we will leave your Retreat soon.«

  »Retreat?« Joos whispered irritated. »What Retreat?«

  Invasion Alert

  »Why wasn’t I informed about the sighting?« Nok raged. »We’ve lost a ship and a very good pilot! Somebody here will bear the consequences …!«

  »… Commander …,« Longar Helikom tried to explain. »We thought that it was a cosmic phenomenon, Ma'am. Major Joos suggested repeatedly that it probably was a natural phenomenon.«

  Nok Daralamai gave the scientist a bitter look.

  »Pro-ba-bly?«, she stretched the word. »It looks to me like you erred in your assessment, Helikom! I just can’t understand how a scientist of your caliber could have misinterpreted these indications. I’d give you more leeway, if Scorge hadn’t demonstrated his disguising technology to us …«

  She ended the discussion abruptly.

  »We’ll sort that out later. All new phenomena will be reported to me at once from now on. I hope that was clear enough. Where is the interference located at this moment?«

  Longar Helikom frowned, then he stated, »We’ve lost contact with the phenomenon fifteen minutes ago. It seems that it disappeared!«

  Nok squinted.

  »You’ve lost the anomaly along with our Hawk?«

  »There’s no evidence to even suggest the anomaly ever existed,« Helikom acknowledged mournfully. »If it was a ship behind a disguise shield then they must have increased their shield strength.«

  The space alert sounded suddenly before Nok was able to continue the discussion. The wailing sirens were unmistakable. Specialized command center crew members rushed to their consoles, replacing less experienced people.

  Nok walked quickly to her command console.

  »Status Reports!« she demanded.

  She had to wait a couple of long seconds until she received answers. Enough time to ponder the threat.

  Is this a Globuster attack, the Neptune platform or even the new phenomenon? What caused the alarm?

  »Local system scanners caused the alarm, Ma'am. This strange energy phenomenon just materialized inside the Neptune system – without warning!« a scanner operator reported with a trembling voice.

  »Be precise, please!« she insisted. »Where exactly is it?«

  The scanner officer verified his data then reported, »Commander, the energy field is larger than two cubic kilometers, location … right above Triton Base!«

  Nok Daralamai clenched her teeth.

  »Alarm start for Triton-Hawks! Extend laser cannon turrets base wide! Execute!« she commanded quickly.

  A large shadow darkened the sky over the base, blocking the view toward Neptune.

  »Unknown spaceship has deactivated its disguise shield!« a panic-filled voice reported from the scanner section. »It’s … huge! Base diameter over 2,000 meters across!«

  The ship appeared threatening. Its underside was flat and rough. Lines under the hull indicated closed openings or hangars. Hangars big enough to harbor Pulsar Class cruisers! The basic understructure followed a slight elliptic line with intermittent ragged edges. Several antenna-like superstructures extended from these edges into space. The measurements taken by the scanner section said: 2,300 by 2,100 meters.

  The ship’s upper side was even more fantastic to view. It resembled a snail house with an approximate height of 1,600 meters. Compared to the Triton Base, this ship was a mountain, rotating slowly clockwise around its vertical axis, but not exactly standing still in orbit.

  Nobody inside the command center doubted that they were witnessing an encounter with an unknown species.

  Nok looked at the tactical displays – speechless.

  »Triton-Hawks … do not engage alien spaceship! I repeat … do not engage! All Hawks maintain a safe distance from the object. Secure Triton Base and retract turrets! We will remain passive! Non-essential personnel retreat to the underground bunkers!«

  Breathlessly, the command center crew followed the ship’s maneuvers.

  There’s nothing we can do to these visitors, Nok had realized. I just hope they don’t mean business and we can talk to them.

  Nok looked around and saw fearful and uncertain faces. Nobody had ever expected to encounter a ship of this size. The Solar Union Fleet’s biggest ships were dwarfed compared to this giant.

  If we have to defend ourselves, we wouldn’t have a chance at all! It’s like a swarm of mosquitoes against an elephant!

  The base personnel hasted through the corridors according to their alarm plans. Airlocks closed and sealed entire sections hermetically from each other. Weapons were issued and Base Security personnel took their strategic positions.

  Nok was hoping not to have to go through the same ordeal as with the Globuster attack. The base had suffered great losses, and even today some positions had not been refilled yet.

  The alien ship’s crew hadn’t wasted much time in introductions; they simply flew right to the closest Union Fleet outpost. With it this close to the base, it was not a good idea to open hostilities from Nok’s point of view. The base would certainly suffer major damages.

  Nok looked over to the scanner- and radio-comm section, anticipating a call from the visitors any moment.

  »We’re being scanned by an unknown energy field!« the scanner section reported. »We can only make out some stray energy – but we’re getting checked out!«

  Nok had an irritating, ticklish feeling slowly crawling up her neck.

  Nerves, or is an unknown energy scanning my body? she wondered.

  »Our local fusion cell power generation is fluctuating!« the power plant reported via intercom.

  »Large amounts of data are being transferred from our control computers! We’re being tapped! They must be gauging our potential!« the Computer and Information Center reported.

  »I can’t believe this … how can they get into our multi-layer secured computers?« he wondered.

  »Shut the systems down, before they obtain all our information!« Nok commanded.

  »How, Commander?« the CIC chief complained aloud. »I’m talking about the main neuronal computer! It’ll take hours to shut down the system securely … it has to be done sequentially …«

  »Emergency shutdown! Cut the power and the backup to the computers!« Nok commanded in a cutting voice.

  Moments later, most of the displays and lights in the control center went off, replaced by the bluish hue of the emergency lighting. Essential readouts and consoles switched over to backup power, which would supply the necessary energy for a couple of hours..

  »Central power shutdown completed!« the CIC chief reported angrily. »Most automatic functions of the base are now shut down as ordered! I just hope we can get the neuronal back on line later. Our survival systems are also affected!«

  »I’m aware of that! I’m not open for discussions, Chief Taylor. Is that clear?« Nok snipped back at him, swiftly losing her patience with the chief.

  »Extraterrestrial scanners are no longer active!« the scanner section reported. »But hundreds of small energy spheres are leaving the alien ship and descending to the sur
face. The visitors are coming in person!«

  Nok Daralamai paled.

  »Invasion Alert!« she announced in a calm but stern voice. »Nova-Hawks, standby! Everybody get ready to defend our Base!«

  Dualytes

  »What do you want from me?« Joos yelled at them.

  The force field still held him in place, restricting his movements. The Dualytes didn’t seem to care about his well-being and had not reduced the pressure on his chest. Joos felt like he was in an invisible straight jacket.

  »We want to know you better,« one of the Dualytes announced. »We’re as surprised finding you outside the Retreat as we are to find the Original Spark signature in this solar system. The Matrix gap helped us locating the trans-tachyon signature. Without this weakness in the shield, we would have never found it.«

  Several holos activated, displaying some warped images.

  Joos, barely able to move his head, could not understand the pictures and looked away after a while. The holos irritated his visual perception, leaving him dizzy. It was obvious that they were not meant for Human visual perception.

  »The Matrix? I don’t understand!« Joos replied with a trembling voice. This went over his head. »I’ve never heard the term Original Spark before!«

  »That’s impossible,« a Dualyte answered. It sounded harsh and firm. »It is in your system and located at the gas giant you came from! The signature is unmistakable! Now that we’re within the Matrix our sensors are being flooded with tachyon energy from all directions, and it’s difficult to pinpoint its location, but it’s just a matter of time until we determine the source.«

  The Dualyte paused and seemed to reflect.

  »We have traveled far and wide collecting the missing components. It’s not always easy to find the pieces scattered throughout the galaxy. Cosmic phenomena sometimes trick our sensors. Some galactic peoples even try to hide the Original Spark from us!«

  Then it resumed talking to Joos.

  »Tell us what you know! The Original Spark is not for you. It serves a higher purpose. You of all people, safe in the Retreat, should have a vital interest in the completion of the Dimensional Mirror!«

  »My people?« Joos whispered, not understanding. »What’s a Dimensional Mirror, anyway?«

  »I have my doubts,« one of the Dualytes interrupted. »This being is not of the Protectors. It looks the same but does not possess their knowledge, as we expected! The Matrix Architects would have never allowed Protectors to hide an Original Spark from us, nor that the Matrix itself be damaged. It’s illogical! And isn’t it strange that the guardians of this Retreat have not yet contacted us? We need to observe and get more information. It seems that the Brotherhood has neglected this galactic sector for too long.«

  The other Dualytes began to murmur.

  »The Brotherhood is our enemy!« Joos spoke up. »They’re suppressing us! They locked us inside this Globuster Matrix! We live in a prison and we opened the gap ourselves. Unintentionally, maybe,« he felt compelled to add, »nevertheless, we did it!«

  The Dualytes seemed to freeze for a moment, then the murmuring became stronger.

  »He talks like a Looter!« one of the Dualytes screamed angrily.

  »The danger is not yet eminent. How can he be a Looter?« a Dualyte objected.

  »Perhaps they infiltrated the Retreat. We know that dimensional slaves exist in the galaxy!« another Dualyte warned.

  »The anomalies that have occurred before the expected Great Tremor gave them the opportunity to send their scouts! We should preserve the Human in a temporal field and send him to the Brotherhood for interrogation!«

  »No … no, are you crazy? I don’t want that!« Joos replied despairingly, and tried again to free himself from the force field. Tears of anger and exhaustion ran over his cheeks.

  His spacesuit helmet was torn from his head with brutal force. The magnetic clasps had opened mysteriously all by themselves. None of the Dualytes had touched him, yet his helmet floated through the air and then down to the floor. Then they stripped off his spacesuit and underwear – leaving him hanging naked in the air, embarrassed and humiliated.

  Directional force fields! Joos thought, as if it was the most common thing in the world.

  As soon as they took off his helmet, he had taken a deep breath. He had resigned himself to the inevitable death if he was unable to breathe the onboard atmosphere. He had totally forgotten to run an atmospheric check with his suit instruments after he had come to. He had been too busy with the Dualytes. He cursed himself for it!

  It appeared that the atmospheric pressure was the same as on Earth; only the slight pinch in his ears indicated a minor difference. He fought the urge to breathe for nearly two minutes before he took his first breath without his helmet. He realized, relieved, that there was enough oxygen for his lungs to function in this environment.

  »He’s wetting himself from his optical sensors and his blood pump has increased its pulsations,« a Dualyte remarked unemotionally.

  »Analyze the secretion, and also check the color of his eyes! They are different than we expected!« a Dualyte commanded.

  »Perhaps a Protector mutation?«

  »I’m not a Protector or a Looter … I’m a Human! We are peaceful people and don’t want war with you. At least, give us a chance! This may be a big misunderstanding!« Joos interrupted.

  He gnawed on his lower lip. His voice sounded squeaky, like in twentieth century cartoons.

  Helium! There must be a high percentage of Helium in this air!

  »We will investigate conditions in this Retreat,« the Dualyte leader announced, »but only within the framework of our mission parameters. It almost seems that the Protectors can’t live up to their destiny! They have changed over time and developed backwards in technology. Park the ship over the base of this moon and leave the dimensional tunnel. We need to learn where the Protectors, the system guardians and the Original Spark are!«

  All of a sudden, the Dualytes changed into shimmering energy fields and sank into the floor, right before Joos’ eyes. He thought he wasn’t seeing right. The beings disappeared, one by one, through the floor. Like ghosts walking through walls. Navis Joos was a realist and ghosts or imaginary beings had no place in his mind.

  These Dualytes must be very high developed beings! Maybe they’ve developed a technique to partially change from matter. Going through walls and floors is just a practical application of Dualyte technology.

  A high-pitched, disturbing sound made Joos twitch, distracting his trains of thought. His spacesuit sounded an alarm! The suit’s air supply was depleted. He must have been unconscious for several hours before he found himself in this strange room. He was grateful he didn’t need the suit’s air supply to breathe.

  The Dualytes actually did me a big favor when they stripped off the suit! he realized. I would’ve suffocated in a hermetically sealed suit!

  Joos still didn’t know what to make of his situation.

  Where the Dualytes friends or foes?

  Protectors

  Nok Daralamai received her weapons belt and strapped it around her hip. At first only unintelligible reports were received from several sections:

  They’ve just come into the base and the Star Hall! Four totally strange looking beings were observed in the Triton Hawks hangar! We don’t know where they suddenly came from! Spheres penetrated the ceiling in the crew quarters! Four aliens came through the wall of the CIC …

  Nok listened to the reports, not believing her ears. She switched all comm-channels to a common network.

  »Are there any damages? Do we have casualties?« she demanded over all channels. »Did the intruders take the sections by force?«

  There were a couple of moments of comm. silence before further reports came in.

  »Negatory, no use of force! Unbelievable! They came right through the walls, ceilings and floors.«

  Daralamai watched the control displays of the different sections. Were her crews suffering from mass hysteria? No
, that couldn’t be!

  There was no fighting in the sections. The crews were too surprised to offer any resistance to the intruders. The strangers themselves seemed to avoid any conflict, but their massive presence alone was perceived as pure provocation.

  A scream made Nok turn around. Several of the aliens penetrated the command center’s ceiling while she watched. Before the energy spheres touched the floor, however, they changed into their real forms. Within seconds, the strangers had swamped the room without a fight.

  Nok Daralamai tried to calm the command center crew, but didn’t let the strangers out of her sight. She activated the intercom and said calmly, »Commander Nok speaking … as long as the strangers don’t attack us, we will remain calm and controlled. Secure your weapons! Do not stand in their way. We want to establish a peaceful contact with them!«

  Fascinated, Nok observed the way the aliens transformed into spiral-like torsos. When the strangers moved around by somersaulting through the room, she was reminded of gymnasts in a sports event. The slim beings rebalanced themselves after each jump, then swayed like grass in the summer wind.

  »Keep your cool, people! No fighting!« she reminded the crews over the intercom. »We’ll remain passive, use your weapons only in self-defense!«

  Nok Daralamai pulled herself together and approached one of the aliens. She had no idea how to communicate, but raised her right arm in a greeting gesture. If the strangers were able to see visually she hoped they understood her gesture of peace openness to a dialog.

  Nok concentrated on the center of the upper torso, which she took for the eye.

  »They’re positioning themselves around our neuronal computer … the computer has activated itself … should I interrupt the booting sequence?« Chief Taylor yelled excitedly. »The neuronal cells can’t take this up and down!«

  »Remain passive!« Nok commanded.

  The strangers made no response. They were more interested in the consoles and technology than in the people.

  They’re ignoring us!

  »The alien spaceship has taken position above the base. If they rain down bombs on us, we’re history!« a scanner officer whispered filled fearfully. Beside him, one of the visitors stood observing the data streams.