by T. R. Harris
“It’s not like that, Admiral,” Sherri assured him. “He’s the one who killed the Nuorean leader and helped rescue Adam. And if anyone can figure a way of keeping the invaders out of the Milky Way, it would be him.”
“Fleet Command is going to go ballistic when they hear about this.”
“Sir, tell them we wouldn’t be this far along without him.”
“Is he fishing for some kind of governmental pardon for all the other crap he’s pulled?”
Adam laughed—a little. “I don’t think he needs one, sir, with all due respect.”
Olsen shook his head. “You’re on site, Captain—along with Mr. Smith; you call the shots. Just find that entry point. We have to turn the tide…somehow.”
“Yessir,” Adam and Coop said in unison.
********
“Adam, your Juirean friends have pulled farther ahead,” said Panur four days later. “J’nae and I are at the end of what we can do while under drive, and the engines are being stressed beyond necessity. Please have them slow down. The farther they get from the wave disturbance, the easier it will be for them to be noticed.”
“I’ll talk to them.” Most of the crew was in the landing bay of the D-4—including Manny, Pierre and Billy—working on the new flash weapons being welded onto the hull of the Fracker. It was a fast little ship, and if anything happened, it could be their lifeboat—a lifeboat with a punch, with the cannon installed.
It turns out Pierre’s cargo ship had been a D-4, so he and his men were a real help in keeping the junkyard ship running.
Sherri and Coop were inside the Fracker, having spent a lot of time together over the last few days. Adam could see the writing on the wall, and although he and Coop were getting along better, it was the fact that both men were alpha males to the nth-degree that had Adam spending more time thinking about the relationship than he had a right to. Besides…it was Copernicus Smith—the bastard.
“A situation has developed,” Trimen announced over the shipboard comm system. He was at the controls as the others worked on the Fracker. As the acknowledged master of understatement, the Formilian’s pronouncement could range from him developing a hangnail…to half the galaxy just exploded. The crew was in a mad rush to the bridge a heartbeat later.
It was the friggin Juireans. As predicted, they’d pulled too far ahead to be shielded by the wave disturbance from the D-4. A squad of Nuoreans was now locked onto the ship and in pursuit. The G-8 was fast, but the alien ships were just as fast, if not faster.
Another survey of the expanded scan area ahead showed they were coming up on a long cluster of Nuorean ships. This was different from the other formations they’d seen, which were all heading inward, toward the main part of the galaxy. These were on station.
Coop took over the controls and slowed the D-4. They were still shielded by the wave, but it wasn’t looking good for the Juireans. They’d steered the G-8 in a relative-up position, attempting to climb over the wall of alien craft. There were fewer Nuorean ships on the other side of the line, but they still had the five-ship squadron in pursuit. The G-8 cleared the main line and entered an area of empty space.
That’s when another squad of Nuoreans came in from the other direction, crossing the void on full power. The Juireans steered right, heading toward the outer edge of the Radis Spur.
“We’ve got to help them,” Sherri said.
“Why?” Panur asked. “They’re Juireans, your mortal enemy.”
“We have no enemies, except the Nuoreans.”
“A very noble yet naïve statement.”
Flash bolts shot out from the Nuorean ships, including their electrical-override balls. The G-8 was hit, but kept going. The aliens hesitated only a second before unleashing another round of plasma bolts, with word having circulated back that the allies had discovered how to protect against their overload bombs.
The ship was hit again, enough to knock out the shields and the engines. Another bolt would do it.
Then in a blaze of deep gravity-wells, the Nuoreans retreated, and not just ceasing their attack, but turning and bolting away on full drive.
“Safnos to Adam Cain,” a voice said over the comm.
Adam opened the link with the Overlord; his image appeared on the forward screen. There was lingering smoke in the pilothouse, but he could see all four of the Juireans in the shot. They appeared to be okay.
“What’s your status?”
“Engines are out, only chemical maneuvering. Life-support is functional at this time, yet we have lost atmosphere through several hull breaches. We are in the pilothouse, with limited air.”
“I can take the Fracker over and get them,” Coop offered. “It’s a lot faster than the Nuorean ships—and we do have some firepower.”
“That will let the Nuoreans know there are other units in the area,” Trimen said.
“They already suspect that,” Riyad said. He was looking at the area scan. It looked as if they’d disturbed a nest of fire ants.
“If you think you can get in and out.”
“The Nuoreans left them,” Coop said. “That seems to be their modus operandi. Let them suffocate rather than waste flash bolts making the kill.”
“All right, go.”
“I’ll go with him,” Sherri announced. “The Juireans may need medical care, and I’m the only one aboard with any training.”
“Both Panur and I are much more proficient than are you,” J’nae countered.
“I meant among normal people.”
“I don’t know, Sherri….” Adam said.
“I’ll be fine. We’re not going out to fight, just rescue.”
“I’ve heard that before. Be careful.”
She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and then she and Coop rushed from the bridge. Riyad took over the controls of the D-4.
“She’ll be fine,” Riyad said.
Adam nodded.
********
Three minutes later the Fracker burst from the landing bay and raced away from the D-4. It steered in the opposite direction from the Juireans to set a deceptive track before looping back over and bolting into the vast void between the lines of alien ships.
Adam thought it strange that no Nuoreans took up pursuit as they zipped over their positions. The Fracker now had a clear shot at the G-8.
Panur was huddled over the threat board, watching for any approaching craft. There were dozens of Nuoreans scurrying about the area. But then he noticed something. He sent the image to the main screen.
“Do you notice anything odd about this image?”
Everyone studied the screen.
“All their units are outside that void area, including all the ones looking for us,” Trimen offered.
“Yes, and look what happens when I project out even more.”
The image changed to a four-times zoom out. Now the pattern became obvious. It was a long funnel of open space, boarded by hundreds of Nuorean craft.
“Why are they avoiding that area?” Riyad asked.
“Because…that is their entry point into the galaxy,” J’nae stated without emotion.
Adam dove for the comm station. “Sherri, get the hell out of there! Reverse course!”
“No one’s following us—”
“You’re in the middle of the entry point. That’s why no one’s chasing you.”
“And I would make haste,” Panur said. “The other Nuoreans left in a hurry. They must be preparing for an event.”
“Got it; we’re on our way back.”
Adam breathed a sigh of relief when saw the small ship loop around and bolt for the edge of the void. Then an odd thing happened. All the Nuorean ships along the line fired up their gravity drives. But they weren’t pointed into the void, but away from it.
The D-4 was hit by an invisible wave of energy. It wasn’t electrical, but gravitational. The entire sector was experiencing erratic gravity tides and eddies, but nowhere was it more prominent than within the void area. The G-8 was mo
ving, but not by its own power. It was gaining velocity, heading away from the galaxy. Sherri and Coop had their powerful little ship also in a full gravity-well. They were making progress reaching the outer rim of the void, but slowing at the same time.
“They’re losing the well,” Riyad yelled. “Compensators are overloading.”
He had also fired up the generators in the D-4, turning the ship away from the void. They were far enough away that the effects were noticeable but not overpowering. That wasn’t the case for the Fracker.
“Sherri, get out of there!” Adam screamed into the comm.
“We’re trying! Losing the battle. The well just evap—”
The gravity signature of the Fracker disappeared; a moment later the tiny ship was drawn farther into the void.
It was as if all of space suddenly opened up, and what remained was a gigantic hole, half a light-year across where nothing was visible within or beyond the dark orb. The Juirean ship stretched out through the center of the hole, followed a moment later by the Fracker, leaving the void empty, yet surrounded by lines of alien craft, all on full gravity drive, yet going nowhere.
The effect only lasted ten seconds—maybe less. Then the Nuoreans shut down their drives.
Riyad did so as well, as the D-4 began to surge away from the void. He spun the ship around and began to close on the line of alien ships.
“They’re gone, Riyad,” Panur said. “Yet you should prepare for—”
There was a flash, not overpowering but covering a vast area all the way to the far side of the void. When the scene cleared, a fleet of Nuorean ships were moving in the void, hundreds of them and all on chemical drive, bunched too close together for gravity-wells. The ships began to spread out, creating space between the units. Once they were adequately spaced, the lead units engaged their wells and bolted away, in the direction of the Milky Way.
“We appear to have seen the entry point in action. Fascinating,” Panur said.
Chapter 17
“We have to go after them.” Adam paced the bridge, squeezing his fists together in fits of anger and frustration. He let her go, and right into the jaws of the beast.
Riyad had stationed the D-4 about a light-year from the void—it was a void again with nothing moving within—with the ship on minimal energy output to mask their location. The situation had to be analyzed before a plan could be formulated. Fortunately, they had two of the greatest geniuses in existence aboard to help.
“Following them would be ill-advised,” J’nae said.
“Are they still alive?” Riyad asked. Adam had refused to bring voice to that particular fear.
“Surely,” the mutant answered. “This is a two-way transit tube. The Nuorean units appeared at this end, just as the Juireans and the others arrived at the other.”
“In the Andromeda galaxy, two-and-a-half million light-years away? An amazing feat,” Trimen said. He sounded in awe.
“Dammit, Trimen, we’re talking about Sherri!”
“Forgive me, Adam. I’m sorry.”
“Can’t they just pop back over again?” Riyad asked.
“Possibly, during the next opening,” J’nae said.
“So it’s not open all the time?”
“No. A gravity-well that large would require several days for the generators to recharge after a linking. As posited before, it must be elongated.” She looked to Panur for confirmation.
“That’s the only way they could control it.”
“What are you talking about?” Adam asked, frustrated by all the talk and no action.
Panur was sitting at a console. He began to type on the keypad and a graphic image appeared on the main viewscreen. He placed a large dot at the center, with moving lines pointing in, toward the ball. “A standard black hole draws in space from all directions equally, yet with our standard drives we create a stretching effect by moving the singularity. This allows for the focusing effect of the well to forward and reverse directions. The generator—which is connected to the starship—is drawn toward a central point before the well dissolves and another is created farther along this line. Yet that is only one of the effects of the gravity drive.”
“We all know how they work, Panur,” Adam said, again displaying his frustration.
“Bear with me, my friend. As I was saying, the added effect is the compression and then subsequent release of space as each singularity is created and then destroyed. This is where the true movement is generated, as space is first drawn in and then springs back to normal.
“The Nuoreans have found a way to elongate a series of stationery black holes, creating the same compression and release yet without movement of the generators. This has allowed them to focus the gravity beams. And because the effect is limited to only two directions, the generators and containment facilities can be of enormous size and in close proximity to the singularity, allowing for truly large effects to be created. It is quite amazing—and a major feat of engineering.”
“So they’ve built a gravity generator capable of drawing in space over a distance of two-point-five million light-years?” Riyad’s mouth hung slack.
“More-or-less, whatever was required for them to link galaxies.”
“And when they link up again, Sherri and Coop can come back through?” Adam asked.
“Theoretically, assuming they are allowed to remain at the focal point during the recharge period,” Panur answered.
“But that is highly unlikely,” J’nae said, spoiling the moment. “The Nuoreans are staging vast fleets for each jump at the other end. Two small ships arriving unannounced would be immediate sequestered, if not destroyed.”
“Now J’nae, what have I told you about the sensibilities of Humans?”
“That I must take them into consideration before stating facts.”
“Exactly.”
“Forgive me,” the mutant said to Adam.
But the damage was already done. Adam stopped his pacing and sat down. Sherri was…gone. Blood rushed to his face. “We have to destroy the generators,” he whispered, “and stop these bastards from sending any more ships through.”
“That would be nearly impossible,” Panur stated.
Adam looked up and glared at the little gray mutant. “Impossible…even for you? I didn’t think anything was impossible for Panur the Great!”
“Not for me, but for you. For me there would be a good chance of success, but then such an undertaking would be a one way trip.”
“What do you mean?”
Panur referred back to his drawing on the screen. He created two spiral galaxies, with the ball he’d drawn earlier in the center between the two objects. He made the ball stretch, creating the elongated singularity.
“To build a generator complex capable of linking the galaxies it would have be located midway between the two locations. If we round the distance to three million light-years that would place the generators one-and-a-half million light-years from Andromeda.” The mutant shook his head. “Even I could not construct a modified gravity drive capable of covering that distance in less than two years. By standard gravity drive, it would take approximately twenty-five years. So the only way the Nuoreans could have reached that far into space would have been through steps.” He placed another elongated black hole halfway between the main generator and Andromeda, then another halfway from that point to the galaxy. “They would go out and construct a generator. This would allow them to double that distance and build another. Then so forth until they reached the midpoint where the galaxies could be linked.”
Riyad pointed his finger at the graphic and drew an imaginary series of lines in the air, pointing at the screen. “So to reach the generator, we would have to go through the main one all the way to Andromeda, then hook up with the one that takes us halfway out to the big boy.”
“And if the main generator is destroyed, the only avenue for escape would be back through the second link...but to Andromeda, not our galaxy,” Trimen concluded. “With the destr
uction of the midpoint generator there would be no returning. Whoever made the journey would remain in Andromeda for the rest of their lives—if they survive the mission.”
“And the Nuoreans could rebuild the main generator, and any other subsequent generators that are destroyed,” Panur pointed out. “But that would take many years.”
All the energy and willpower Adam once had was gone. He sat dejected in the seat, devoid of ideas. “So they can’t be stopped, not really,” he said. “Even if a team managed to get all the way to the main generator and set charges, the bombs would have to stay hidden for who knows how long, until the team could make it all the back here before blowing up the generator. That would be the only way.”
“As I mentioned, it would be a one-way mission, certainly for a Human. For J’nae and me, we would survive, yet where we would end up is the question.”
“If we were even willing to take on such a mission,” J’nae added. Adam expected nothing less from the Sol-Kor mutant; selfish to the end.
“Of course…” Panur began. “There could be a way of plugging the link rather than breaking it completely.”
Adam’s chin was in his chest; now he raised it and stared at the mutant.
“How?”
“That I’m still working on.”
“Dammit, Panur!”
“Please Adam, even I take time to work through problems. Yet if the link can’t be broken in a workable fashion, then it must be blocked. Since there are two ends—and we know where this one lies—it’s only logical that it can be plugged…or contaminated.”
“Explain!”
“We saw how the compression link is two-way. Anything on this end is automatically sent to the other side when it’s opened. What if we make it so that the Nuoreans themselves will close down the link to prevent whatever we place at this end from making it through to theirs?”
“Bombs—nukes?” Riyad offered.
“That is a possibility, yet they could match us, clearing the space on this side with nuclear fire of their own. And they still control the timing of the links. There is some warning, but not much.”
