The Perfect Moment in Peril

by Kenneth Preston

  She turned to David, seated next to her at the back of the cockpit, and smiled affectionately. David returned the smile and took her hand. His smile was warm and sincere. His expression was devoid of the confusion that had furrowed his brow when her voice had cracked an hour earlier.

  “Déjà vu,” Emily said as Encounter ascended toward the atmosphere. It wasn't lost on either of them that this was their first journey aboard Encounter together since their fateful expedition to Eden.

  David chuckled nervously. Did she have to say that? His smile faded. “Right. Déjà vu. Well, let's hope...” He caught himself, the words teetering on his lips before he pulled them back. “Never mind.”

  Emily squeezed his hand. “Don't fret. I am coming back with you this time,” she softly reassured him.

  David nodded, forcing the smile to return to his face. It was for his own sake as well as Emily's. But the smile wasn't genuine. It didn't quite reach his eyes. He wanted to believe that they would all be coming back together. He wanted her to believe it. If she believed it, and was able to convince him that she believed it, he would muster the confidence to believe it himself. He had faith in her judgment. How could he not? She was a highly evolved being of pure consciousness. Who was he to question her judgment? But there was that doubt, that lingering doubt that the warmest smile couldn't eliminate completely, that prevented his own forced smile from being sincere, from reaching his eyes.

  Emily saw the doubt lingering in his eyes, and she felt for him. He had little reason to have faith in her. From his perspective, she had let him down, regardless of the necessity of the actions she had taken on the expedition to Eden. She let go of his hand and touched his cheek in a futile attempt to wash away the doubt, the fear. David instinctively closed his eyes and hummed softly.

  A wave of blue light washed over them. They were passing through the atmosphere. David and Emily turned their eyes away from one another to peer through the viewport. It was a familiar sight for both of them, but they had only taken in the sight from that vantage point, sitting side by side at the back of Encounter's cockpit, once before. It would only last a moment before they were awash in a sea of star blanketed darkness.

  The moment passed as they cruised gently from the atmosphere into the spectacle of space.

  “Connect the warp rings,” Elexa commanded.

  “You got it,” Deanna replied informally.

  Encounter approached the ship's dual warp rings floating in orbit. Three beams connected each of the rings to the sleeve, a single frame that, after a few quick adjustments from Deanna's console, would attach itself to the ship's body.

  Deanna eased the vessel through the sleeve, brought it to a halt and tapped the console. There was a faint clank as the sleeve encased the body of the vessel.

  As a mere formality, Deanna announced, “Ready for warp, Captain.”

  “All right,” Elexa replied. “Take her out, and get ready to jump.”

  Deanna eased Encounter forward and made some last minute adjustments on her console in preparation for the jump to warp speed.

  Emily took advantage of the few remaining moments to take in the scene beyond the viewport. A sea of tranquility ahead of them, an infinite mystery...and something more, something unnatural, something that didn't belong there, something frightening―in the distance but moving in their direction. Emily sensed it. She stood, gaping into the distance.

  David looked at Emily, and what he saw in her expression brought terror to his heart. His mild discomfort with the mission ahead surged to the brink of panic. He had no idea what the next few moments had in store for them, but the potential for danger inherent in those next few moments was evident in Emily's eyes.

  “Em,” he said nervously, his voice trembling, “what is it?”

  “There's something out there!” called Deanna, confirming the fear that was evident in Emily's eyes.

  David's sense of foreboding was heightened by the fact that Emily's expression was unaffected by Deanna's announcement. She already knew that there was something out there, something that had yet to be picked up by the naked eye, something so frightening that it brought Emily to her feet to stare vacantly into the distance.

  “What is it, Commander?” Elexa asked.

  Richard, appearing at Emily's side, said softly, “What is it, Emily?”

  “Unknown,” Deanna replied to Elexa's question. “It's moving. It could be―”

  “A vessel,” Emily interjected.

  All eyes shifted to the viewport as if Emily's confident declaration would bring the object within visual range.

  “How do you know?” asked Elexa.

  “She's the Amazing Kreskin,” Deanna scoffed. “She knows everything.” She looked down into her monitor's view screen. “But I believe she's right. It's on a definite course. Seems to be controlled. It isn't natural, whatever it is.”

  David stood and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Em, you're scaring me.”

  “You're not the only one,” Richard remarked.

  “Something's got you spooked. Talk to me.”

  Emily hesitated, her mouth opening slowly, eyes fixated on the unseen object in the distance, before whispering, “It doesn't belong here.” She paused before adding, “They don't belong here.”

  David and Richard looked at one another, searching for confirmation in one another's eyes.

  “Who?” Richard said, looking back at Emily. “Who doesn't belong here?”

  Emily blinked, clarity settling into her eyes. She turned her head to look at Richard. “You wouldn't believe me if I told you.”

  “Try me.”

  Emily returned her gaze to the viewport. “You're just going to have to see it for yourself. Don't worry; you won't have long to wait.”

  Seeing the futility in trying to get more information out of Emily, Richard looked toward the dual helms to find George leaning over Deanna's console, his hand on her shoulder.

  “I can do this,” Deanna protested.

  George took a step back. Deanna peered down into her monitor. “Too early to tell,” Deanna said, responding to a question that Richard hadn't heard asked. “It's too far away.”

  “It's intelligently designed,” Emily said soberly.

  Richard looked at Emily, his eyes wide. “How do you know?”

  Emily looked at Richard, tilted her head and furrowed her brow. Richard took the hint. “Right,” he said, feeling foolish.

  “Well, you seem to have the inside scoop,” Deanna said, her head bowed over her console. “How about sharing a little of that info with us.”

  Elexa added, “Emily, if you have any information that could help us, now would be the time.”

  Emily turned toward David. His eyes were pleading, but she didn't know what they were pleading for. She knew full well what was out there but felt that the best course of action was to wait. The situation was already dire. Her knowledge of the situation, and any action she took as a result of that knowledge, could either help or exacerbate the situation. The situation was unprecedented. The effect of any action they would take would be unpredictable. They were aware of the vessel ahead, and she was certain that those in the vessel ahead were aware of them. It was too late to run. Telling her crewmates about the nature of the vessel in their path would only send them into a state of panic. There would be plenty of time for that.

  “Emily!” called Elexa.

  Emily looked at Elexa before turning her eyes to the viewport. “There it is.”

  All eyes turned to the cosmic field beyond the cockpit window. A white dot stood out, distinct from the sea of stars that surrounded it. It seemed to be growing, its edges expanding as the two vessels converged upon one another.

  David's jaw dropped as he watched the indistinct, fuzzy, white dot morph and take on a familiar shape―a frighteningly familiar shape! He instantly knew what had gotten Emily so spooked and what had gotten him so spooked by extension. This was a different kind of dread. This was the kind of 'what if' scena
rio he had seen in science fiction movies. Every choice going forward had to be evaluated, scrutinized and second-guessed. The wrong choice could result in their annihilation before they realized it was the wrong choice.

  “Is it?” David asked, hoping for the answer that would contradict his eyes.

  “It is,” Emily replied solemnly.

  George wasn't ready to accept it. “It can't be.”

  Deanna sighed and rolled her eyes. “If anyone should know, it's you, Uncle George.”

  “I mean, it looks like...but it can't possibly be...”

  The all-too-familiar vessel closed the gap, slowed to a crawl and stopped a half mile out. It was fully formed before their very eyes. The vessel's name tag beneath the darkened panoramic cockpit window was illegible from this distance, but the ship's distinct features stood out loud and clear, leaving little doubt as to the nature of the vessel that hovered before them.

  Deanna looked to her captain. Elexa's eyes were wide. She looked as if she were in a trance.

  “Captain?” Deanna said softly.

  Elexa's eyes fluttered. She shook her head as if throwing off the cobwebs. “Right," she said, struggling to get her bearings. "Full stop."

  Encounter slowed to a crawl before stopping a quarter mile from the mystery vessel.

  Silence permeated the cockpit.

  “Suggestions?” Elexa's soft-spoken question was like a firecracker, startling the crew from their silent ponderings. “I'm open to―” She chuckled and threw her hands in the air, gesturing toward the cockpit window. “―just about anything.”

  "Acknowledgment," Richard said bluntly. The one-word statement was focused specifically on George. He knew that his husband was struggling with what he was seeing. He would attempt to maintain his state of denial until there was no room left for denial.

  George turned toward Richard. He looked defeated, his lips parted, his eyes questioning. He needed that last bit of encouragement to accept the unacceptable, that last bit of encouragement that only Richard could provide. He found it, closed his mouth, set his eyes and nodded his assent. Richard returned the nod.

  George turned back to the viewport. "Acknowledgment. The next step is to analyze the situation. How and why are...we―” He gestured toward the vessel. “―over there? The most immediate and obvious answer would be the...anybody, anybody?”

  “The wormhole,” Elexa and Deanna said simultaneously.

  Deanna smiled. “Jinx! You owe me a Coke!”

  Elexa sighed and shook her head, a reluctant smile curving her lips. “Sure, just steer me to the nearest Coke machine.”

  Richard left Emily's side to stand next to George. He placed a hand on George's shoulder. “The wormhole,” Richard said contemplatively. “It sent them...us...back early. I mean, that's the working theory anyway.”

  “That's the working theory,” George agreed. “How it happened is important, but it isn't pressing at the moment. They're...ugh,” he paused. “This is bizarre. I'm referring to us in the third person.”

  “Just go with it,” Elexa suggested. “As a matter of distinction, it will just make things easier.”

  George smiled. “Right. So as I was saying, they're here, and they're probably in the same boat that we're in.” He laughed nervously. “Figuratively speaking, of course. They're as confused as we are, trying to figure out what to make of us, what to do about us.”

  “They're getting ready to blow us out of the sky,” Deanna quipped, a mischievous smile touching her lips.

  Elexa gave her a sideways glance and chuckled. Leave it to Deanna to find humor in the most bizarre of circumstances.

  George said, “The question is, do we change course, go about our merry way and pretend that we never saw them, or do we stay and contact them?”

  We run! David opened his mouth to speak, but Emily's voice blocked the words before they had a chance to leave his mouth.

  “We stay.”

  That was not the response that David had expected, that any of them had expected. All eyes turned to Emily.

  Richard said, "Not a good idea, Emily. We're opening the doors to a paradox. The more contact we have with...them, the more polluted the timeline becomes. But I'm sure there's a method to your madness, so please explain."

  A faint smile touched Emily's lips. "There is indeed a method to my madness. First off, they're here. The doors to a potential paradox have already been thrown wide open. The timeline is already polluted. We're not going to repair the damage by running away from it. We can, however, use this encounter, no pun intended, as an opportunity to repair the damage if that is possible. Secondly, perhaps their coming back wasn't an accident. Perhaps they are here for a reason. If that is the case, all the more reason not to run."

  “Wait,” David said. “If I'm reading you right, and I hope I'm not, you want us to communicate with them?”

  “Does that surprise you, David? But to be precise, no, I don't believe that we should communicate with them, but I believe that I should.”

  David lowered his head, pondering her words.

  Richard stepped away from the helms, taking a few steps toward Emily. “If anyone should know the potential pitfalls and possibilities of communicating with...us...on the other ship, it's you, Emily.” He raised his hands as if pleading. “However, the fact remains that you, despite being a non-corporeal being, are on that ship as well, and the fact remains that you and your community were not able to see our future, something that is, as you described it, unprecedented for your community. Perhaps the very action you are planning to take is the reason why. Perhaps communicating with those, us on the other Encounter is the very reason you were not able to see a future for any of us.”

  Emily smiled confidently. "At this point, we can't afford to start second-guessing every move we make. Remember, Richard, that the future for all of you that we were not able to see did not include me. I was not originally going to partake in this mission. You said it yourself. I am a non-corporeal being. I am not bound by the laws of physics that you are bound by. I am not hindered by the filters that you are hindered by. My community transcends the limits of this dimension. My community transcends time and space. Perhaps this is exactly why I'm here. I have an advantage that may transcend the danger of a paradox. I am non-linear." She paused, gazing at the vessel in the distance. "Or at least I'm supposed to be."

  David took Emily's hands in his. “Emily, I love you, so please don't take this the wrong way.”

  “I'll try not to,” she said with a warm, reaffirming smile.

  “You're contradicting yourself.”

  Emily's smile widened. "Well, I am a walking contradiction.”

  “If you were truly non-linear, or supposed to be as you just put it, you would know everything from the vantage point of your other self over there. But the future is still dark, isn't it? You don't know what's going to happen.”

  “Mmm. The future is dark, David, but the fact remains that they are in our space, in our time. Flying away without contacting them won't change that. It's already happened. However, communicating with them affords us the opportunity to put the pieces of this puzzle together, to hopefully find out why they've come back early and to take whatever steps may be necessary to either reverse the damage or prevent further damage. Knowing what they know―”

  "Will pollute the timeline, Emily," Richard interjected. "You know that."

  Emily turned toward Richard. “I was going to say that knowing what they know will give us a chance to avoid the potential calamity we have before us. If they don't know why they're back, they must at least have a clue. They know that they've traveled back through the wormhole, so they must know, or at least suspect, that they are the ones who have breached the timeline. The wheels in their heads are turning right now, formulating theories based on their experiences, and we need to know what they know. As I've already said, their very presence has polluted the timeline. The damage is already done. Running away won't change that."

  The
cockpit remained silent. All eyes, with the exception of Emily's, were lowered. Emily's eyes swept across her crewmates. The future may have been dark, but her basic instincts were still intact. She was able to predict what their decision would be. She knew that her words carried weight. They knew what had to be done. And she knew which member of the crew would give voice to that decision. That wasn't a difficult prediction to make. That person would be the crew's leader.

  Elexa said, “All right, Emily. Make the call.”

  Chapter 10

  “Hello?” the unmistakable female voice came over the inbound Encounter's cockpit speakers for all to hear.

  They all turned their eyes toward Emily, standing expectantly at the back of the cockpit. They had been discussing contacting the outbound Encounter. With the exception of Emily, all had come to the conclusion that they should open communications with the outbound vessel, and with the exception of Emily, all had come to the conclusion that Emily should be the one to contact the ship. The latter point was a moot one as Emily had rejected the idea of reaching out to the outbound Encounter, to begin with. She wasn't opposed to communicating with the vessel, but she knew her companions well. A quarter mile out or in the cockpit she was standing in, she knew her family well, and she knew herself well. She knew what was coming. She knew that the outbound Encounter would be contacting them momentarily. In her former corporeal state, the sound of her own voice coming through the cockpit speakers might have freaked her out, but she was long past the point of being freaked out by just about anything.

  “This is Encounter,” came the voice over the cockpit speakers. A short chuckle followed. “Ironic, isn't it?”

  The inbound Emily laughed as the others gaped at her, the extreme irony of the situation momentarily warping their sense of reason.

  Deanna stood slowly, holding onto the back of her chair for support. “Did you just laugh at your own joke?!” She was astonished, a smile pulling at the corners of her gaping mouth. She let go of the chair and gestured toward the outbound Encounter with both hands. “I mean, you just...laughed...at your own...joke!”