by Tony Healey
“But why attack us in the first place? No questions. No introductions. Just hostility.”
King shrugged. “I wish I could tell you lieutenant.”
Although it bugs me too, she thought. They don’t know us. We’re completely alien to them, and yet they attack us on sight.
“Gaining some distance,” Banks said.
“We may be shielded by the charged particles within the nebula itself. Perhaps it’s clouding their sensor readings,” Chang explained.
“Stop corkscrew, and correct our course. Aim for the other side of this nebula, lieutenant.”
* * *
Commander Greene moved aside for several crew members to make their way off the deck. “Get to your stations. Help where you can,” he told them.
“All clear,” Lieutenant Rourke said.
“Every compartment checked?” Greene asked.
Pressure steadily fell to dangerous levels. Enemy fire had pierced the hull outside, but there just wasn’t time to locate the hole and patch it. Not with the Defiant bucking like a bronco beneath them.
“Yes sir,” Rourke said.
“Then seal the deck. We can deal with the hull breach later,” Greene told him.
“Do it,” Rourke told two officers. Greene and Rourke stepped back and watched as the two men pressure sealed the deck. They activated the environmental controls for the deck from a panel on the wall to bleed out the remaining air. No point wasting it to the dead vacuum of space.
“Right, boys, on to the next,” Greene said and led the way.
* * *
“Visual on the other ship?” King asked.
“On screen now,” Chang said. The viewscreen changed to show the enemy vessel receding behind them into the milky white haze of the nebula. “They’re falling back.”
As Jessica watched the ship disappeared completely.
“Can we maintain sensor contact?”
Chang shook her head. “Too much interference. But it does work both ways.”
“Understood. Banks, continue on to the other side of the cloud. Maintain present speed. Work with Rayne to follow the star chart of this area. Ensign Boi, keep your eyes peeled,” she ordered.
King opened a direct channel to Commander Greene. “Del? How’s it going?”
“Just sealing compartment four of deck seven now, Captain,” Greene answered.
“Very well. We can deal with the problem areas later,” King said.
“My thoughts exactly.”
Just keep our people safe, Jessica thought.
“Uh … Captain?” Banks said.
Jessica looked toward the viewscreen. The enemy were right in front of them.
“Firing all batteries!” Boi yelled, his fingers flying over the controls.
The enemy vessel launched a barrage of green fireballs at the Defiant.
“Helm, hard to port!” Jessica shouted. Banks threw the Defiant into a sudden lurch to the left. She gripped the sides of her chair so hard she felt her knuckles pop.
“Brace for impact!” Chang called over the sudden scream of the collision alarm.
There was a loud flash, an eruption of sound. Jessica closed her eyes.
4.
Never a break, Jessica thought. The bridge looked to be still intact. Thank God we’re still here.
“Hull plating down,” Chang said, running her hands through her hair. She looked frazzled. “Absorbed approximately seventy percent of the blast.”
“I’m packing quite a wallop, but she’s not slowing down,” Boi reported. He continued to fire. King wasn’t sure he’d stopped even for the explosion.
“Power?” King asked.
“Unaffected,” Chang said. “But it won’t stay that way we keep taking hits like that.”
“Lieutenant Banks, bring us about. Collision course,” King ordered.
“Wha - ?” he half-asked as he turned to look at her.
“Do it!”
He did as he was told. The Defiant turned.
“Ensign Boi. Lock and load all tubes. Fire on my command,” King said.
She unbuckled herself, got up and stood behind Banks. The Defiant turned until the enemy came into view. They rushed to meet the other ship.
Now they’re wondering what I’m up to, she thought.
“Captain -” Banks said, cringing in his seat as they looked certain to plough straight into the hulk of gleaming metal.
“Drop our nose! Evasive action! Take us down,” she ordered. “Boi, fire all tubes.”
“Aye sir!” Banks yelled back. He threw the Defiant into a sudden nose dive. Jessica’s feet lifted from the deck. Her grip hardened on the back of Bank’s chair.
“Firing,” Boi said.
The Defiant shook from the shockwaves behind them. Chang switched to show the aft of the ship. The enemy vessel had suffered serious damage this time. Half of its front end had been blown away, hull fragments and debris drifting away from it like shattered teeth from a good, solid fist.
“Jesus!” Banks said as he glanced up at the screen. He held his chest. “For a minute there …”
“Get us out of here,” Jessica said, ignoring him. Up on the screen the other ship turned to follow them.
She strapped herself back into the captain’s chair.
“We only hit them good. Any other ship would’ve been destroyed by a hit like that,” she said.
“Enemy vessel closing,” Chang said, deflated.
“Understood,” Jessica said. She considered her next move.
“Oh.”
She turned to Chang. “What is it?”
The lieutenant looked up from her screens. “Sensors show three smaller ships headed our way.”
“Forward viewer.” The screen showed three ships emerge from the nebula ahead of them and tear past. “Track them.”
The camera changed in sequence. The three ships raced towards the larger alien vessel and bombarded it with what looked like energy bombs. With each hit the other ship visibly weakened. The attack went on for several moments, and then it started to turn away.
“Licking its wounds,” Jessica said under her breath.
She took a deep breath. The three ships sped after the bigger ship, and then returned seconds later to hold formation just behind the Defiant.
“We’re being hailed,” Rayne reported.
Jessica licked her lips. Could anything more happen today?
“Yes?”
Ensign Rayne waited for the computer to translate. Then she smiled. “They simply say, ‘Hello.’”
5.
“They want us to follow them to their home planet. They’re offering assistance,” Rayne said.
King weighed her options. They were few. She had no reason not to trust them, considering what they’d done.
“Request coordinates. Banks, follow that lead ship,” she said.
Olivia listened for a reply, then waited for the computer to crunch it into something she could understand. “Captain, they would also like to come aboard.”
Eyes turned to Jessica.
“Inform them of our atmospheric composition,” she said.
Olivia did. It was a close match to what they breathed themselves.
“They’d like to dock along our port side,” Rayne told her. “Their connector is adaptive. They’re confident it will fit our own.”
“Tell them yes. Do it. Banks, slow and keep her steady,” Jessica ordered. She hit a button. “Del, where are you?”
The reply took a moment. “Deck eight.”
“Meet me in the port docking chamber. Bring an armed guard. I’ll explain when you get there.”
* * *
A thud against the hull, and then the hiss of air pressures equalizing. Captain King and her first officer stood in front of three armed security officers awaiting their alien visitors.
“Weird. Why help us like that? Don’t you think they’re over-friendly?” Greene asked her. He’d thrown his uniform back on in a haste, and hadn’t yet got a cha
nce to wipe the dirt from his brow.
“I don’t know. But they must have a reason. There’s more than simple charity going on here, of that I’m certain,” King said.
The doors started to beep.
“Bloody strange if you ask me …” Greene said.
Jessica nudged him in the ribs. “Here they come. Best behaviour.”
The doors parted, revealing a single alien. Bright purple and masculine in appearance. He had a muscular frame, two arms and legs, and was humanoid save for the feline characteristics of his face. The whiskers finished the look.
In its hand was a simple metal hoop.
King raised her hand. “Greetings.”
The alien nodded. “And to you. May I come aboard?” it said, in perfect English.
She glanced at Greene. “Please,” King said.
He crossed the threshold from his own ship. “Thank you.”
“Welcome to the Defiant. I am Captain Jessica King. This is my first officer, Commander Greene,” she said.
“I am Praror,” the alien said. “Captain of the Ishana.”
Jessica took a step forward. “In our culture it’s customary to shake hands. Will you permit me?”
Praror smiled. It reminded Jessica of how a cat she’d had when she was a young girl used to yawn. “Certainly.”
They shook hands. Jessica noted that he possessed three fingers and one thumb. And his purple hand was covered in a fine, silky fur.
He then shook hands with Commander Greene. With that done, the Commander asked him what the hoop was.
“It is a translation device. This is a portable model. On our ships, we have these everywhere. They’re essential for relations with other species. But for now this mobile option will do.”
“Incredible,” Greene said.
Better than what we have, Jessica thought.
“If you’ll accompany me, we’ll go somewhere we can talk,” she said.
6.
Praror sipped a glass of water.
“Sorry we can’t offer you something more. We’re quite low on supplies,” Jessica explained. “I wasn’t sure you’d like tea or coffee.”
“I do not know these things, but water will be fine. I’m sure that when we reach Krinu we can re-supply your vessel, Captain,” Praror said.
Greene leaned forward. “Do you know of a material called Ditaron?”
He accessed a screen and showed the molecular composition of it to Praror.
The alien shook his head. “No but I’m certain we have something like it.”
“We could use some. And we’d be happy to trade,” Jessica said.
“I’m sure we can provide you with all that you need, Captain,” Praror assured her.
“So, Krinu. Is that your homeworld?” Greene asked.
“Yes. Not far from here. That was how we detected your presence in the sector … and your attacker.”
“Who are they?” King asked.
“A species called the Naxor. An insectoid race of beings. We have been at war with them for over two centuries,” Praror said.
“I see,” Jessica said.
“And, sadly, it is a war we are steadily losing …” Praror said with a hint of sadness and regret in his voice. He sipped from the water again.
“How come?” Greene asked.
“They outnumber us. Their ships are bigger, more powerful. Our defences have been weakened from continuous attacks. The outer worlds of our system have fallen to the Naxor invasion. Now we fight to hold onto what is left. We’re a strong, proud race, Captain. But there are limits to how much even we can take.”
“Sounds familiar,” Greene said and looked at Jessica.
She nodded. “It does. Well, you’ve helped us. Anything we can do in return, we will do.”
Praror smiled. “Thank you. We may indeed ask for your help. But first we must go to my world and get your ship repaired. I’m sure we can manage some supplies as well.”
“I’d be pleased to call you our first ally in this galaxy,” King said.
“And on behalf of my race, I accept,” Praror said. This time he offered to shake her hand. They shook. “Forgive me, Captain, but what is your story?”
“We are not from this galaxy,” Jessica said.
“How did you come to be so far from home?” Praror asked.
King explained to him all that had happened. About Sepix, and their fall through the singularity. And the discovery of Captain Nowlan, and General Carn. The destruction of Sepix’s ship, and their experience on an alien planet where they’d discovered ancient technology. Praror’s eyes widened at the mention of the black pyramid, but he didn’t comment on it.
Yet.
“You have been through a lot,” Praror told her.
“Well, we -“
“Captain, this is the bridge.”
“Excuse me,” Jessica said. She got up and accessed the comm. panel.
“Yes?”
“We’re approaching the planet, Captain,” Banks told her.
“I’m on my way.”
* * *
Captain King, Commander Greene, and Praror arrived on the bridge in time to see the planet Krinu come into view. Two suns beat down on a huge planet, lush and green.
The bridge crew turned to look at the purple alien until they caught the eye of the Captain and went back to what they were doing.
“Big planet,” Greene noted.
“About the size of Jupiter,” Chang said. “Or Calamar. Tropical rainforest environment, Captain.”
As King watched the screen she noted a series of small white moons circling the massive world.
“Ma’am, the other ship is requesting we return their Captain. They’re about to uncouple the docking arm,” Rayne reported.
King looked to Praror.
“Inform them I will stay aboard the Defiant. If you will permit me,” he said.
“Of course. Relay the message, Ensign. Tell them to undock as soon as they’re ready,” Jessica said. “Lieutenant Banks, follow their lead.”
“Standard orbit?” Banks asked.
The Captain deferred to Praror. “We have an orbital station on the other side of the planet. We’ll dock there.”
King nodded. “Banks, standard docking procedure.”
7.
Praror hadn’t exaggerated when he said the rings were incorporated into everything. King could see them in the walls of the station the moment she stepped onto the deck.
“Is our air suitable for you, Captain?” Praror asked her.
“More or less the same composition as ours, in fact,” she said.
“Good. Ah, here they come,” Praror said. A group of Krinuans approached from another airlock down the hall. The one in front seemed to be a leader of some kind, he wore a tall headdress and had long trailing robes flecked with gold.
“Your Excellency,” Praror said. He bowed, and Jessica did the same.
“Rise, friend Praror,” the other Krinuan said.
“This is Captain Jessica King,” Praror said. “Captain King, this is Overseer Oblix.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” King said.
“Welcome to Krinu,” Oblix said.
He turned and started to walk in the opposite direction. It was made clear by the rest of his entourage that Jessica was meant to walk beside him and talk. Praror followed behind them both.
“Tell me, what species are you?” the Overseer asked.
“Human,” King said. “We’re not from this galaxy.”
The Krinuans eyebrows rose in surprise. “Oh.”
She proceeded to relate the same story she’d told Praror. The Overseer listened, then when she was finished he nodded. “And so you come seeking refuge.”
“In a way, we do. My ship is in desperate need of supplies. And we could use some help in repairs. We had quite a run-in with that Naxor ship.”
Oblix drew himself to his full height. “Any enemy of the Naxor are our ally. We will help you in any way we can.”
She bowed her head. “Thank you, Lord Overseer.”
“I’d be happy to liaise with the Captain in this matter, Your Excellency,” Praror offered.
“Indeed. See to it that the Captain is provided with whatever she needs,” Oblix said.
“Yes sir,” Praror said.
“We shall have refreshments and talk, Captain. But first you might be interested to see something. I heard mention of a blank mountain or pyramid, in your tale?”
King cocked her head to one side. “Yes?”
“Then you will find this most … fascinating,” the Overseer said with a smile.
* * *
“You have many of these stations?” King asked him as they rode a shuttle on a track to their intended destination. The shuttle was constructed entirely from glass, with only the very bottom made from some kind of metal. They passed through layer after layer of the station.
“This is our twenty-fourth and our largest. Eventually we will have hundreds in orbit, each one linked to the other like a -“
“- necklace,” she cut in.
The Overseer bowed his head. “Indeed. You have something like it where you come from?”
“Yes. Our homeworld, a planet called Earth, once had a necklace of stations. Ours was more like a ring, though. And it was partially destroyed by an errant meteor a couple of centuries after completion. But they rebuilt it,” she said.
“We have several systems in place to prevent such an accident,” the Overseer said. “Ah, here we are.”
The shuttle slowed and the doors opened. They walked along a long corridor, to a circular room at the end. It was dark in there.
“What is this?” Jessica asked.
“A Hall of Knowing,” Praror offered her. All of our space stations have them. And every major city on the surface. It has … I don’t know if you’ll understand the word. Meaning.”
“I think I know what you mean. Like a religious connection.”
“Yes. Exactly,” Praror said.
Oblix strode forward to a central pillar of glossy black material and pressed his hand against it. Immediately the room filled with swirling yellow light. It roiled like thick smoke. Jessica stepped back from surprise.
“It’s all right Captain. Just a projection,” Praror assured her.
