Dark Matter

by S. W. Ahmed

  “Good. My engineers have already equipped several of your Gyra-class ships with consar capability. So your delegation should be able to reach the Volo-Maree system within 2 hours, avoiding the infamous border barrier along the way as well.”

  Autamrin smiled. “I don’t know how to thank you for everything, Franzek.”

  “Thank me when the battle is over and we have won,” the Imgoerin said simply, as he boarded the shuttle with his bodyguards.

  Sibular and Osalya both waved goodbye to the Aftarans and followed the Imgoerin inside. Seconds later, the shuttle lifted off without a sound and flew straight up into the clear blue sky. It disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

  Dumyan stood next to his father, deep in thought. The battle ahead was inevitable. Only a miraculous intervention by the Creator would prevent it, and that was unlikely to happen. The only question that remained was whether the Creator would help them gain victory over the Starguzzlers. He thought about the new task he had just been assigned, and knew it was not going to be easy. Luckily Zorina had given him specific instructions on how to travel within the Empire without being detected by Volonan forces, how to connect to the Grid and how to get a direct audience with the Empress. But Zorina had also made clear that trying to get out of the Grid after being connected to it was going to be no trivial task.

  Autamrin put his hand on Dumyan’s shoulder. “Well, my Son, all we can do now is place our hopes on a Volonan fugitive and a being from a silupsal-covered world none of us know anything about.”

  Dumyan sighed and nodded slowly. “May the Creator grant them success. Otherwise everything else we are doing will have been in vain.”

  The Phyrax Federation covered the largest region of space in the Glaessan galaxy, with over 580 billion star systems in its jurisdiction. Although the overall population of the Phyrax was lower than that of both the Mendoken and the Volona, their adventurous, conquering spirit had caused them to travel far and wide from the very beginnings of their civilization, colonizing vast expanses and the farthest corners of the galaxy in their name before anyone else.

  Phyra-Keldax, a blue supergiant star with a diameter over 600 times, a mass over 70 times and a luminosity over 10,000 times that of Earth’s Sun, was located in one of the galaxy’s farthest corners, in a region humans on Earth believed was a part of the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy. Humans, of course, had no idea that the size of the Milky Way was actually more than 10 times what they thought it was, easily engulfing both Magellanic Clouds. And, as with all inhabited star systems in the galaxy, Phyra-Keldax was completely invisible to human telescopes, even with its sheer size. Phyra-Keldax was so big, in fact, that if it were to take the place of Earth’s Sun, its body would easily engulf the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth and even Mars.

  Due to its fairly unique size and luminosity, Phyra-Keldax always shone brightly in the sky in its section of the galaxy, more so than most other stars nearby. Marc didn’t know this, so when the scout ship he and Zorina were on emerged from the consar it had been traveling through, he was stunned by the dazzling splendor of the big sun that lay ahead.

  “Guess I forgot to tell you,” Zorina said, laughing at his reaction. “This is one of the largest stars in the entire galaxy.”

  “Incredible!” he whispered.

  “Isn’t it? Ironically, the largest stars also have the shortest lives. They can’t sustain their sizes for too long and eventually collapse in on themselves by their own gravitational pull. The result is a supernova explosion, often further leading to a neutron star or even a black hole.”

  The scout ship headed directly for the 14th out of a total of 36 planets in the star system, a gas giant by the name of Devoreef. At 3 times the size of the planet Jupiter, it certainly was huge, though easily dwarfed by the sun it orbited around. There was a multitude of rings around it, like the planet Saturn.

  “That’s where Jinser-Shosa lives?” Marc asked.

  “Yes. Now, how much do you know about gas giants?”

  Marc tried to recall some of the things he had learned in his undergrad astronomy classes. “They’re composed mostly of gas, obviously. A gas giant may have a rocky core, but the majority of its mass comes from gas, mainly hydrogen and helium. Essentially the entire planet is like one huge atmosphere.”

  “A very hot and inhospitable atmosphere, mind you, and it’s also filled with ammonia and methane. The Phyraxes love it, of course. For them, the atmospheres on our worlds would be totally inhospitable. Anyways, we’ll have to wear protective suits with oxygen supplies the whole time we’re there. We’ll also have to limit our physical movement. Because of the size and mass of the planet, the gravitational pull on Devoreef is, ah, shall we say, several times higher than anything you’ve ever experienced in your life before. The good news is that we’re going to be at a very high altitude, so the effects won’t be as pronounced.”

  Devoreef appeared in the distance to the naked eye. It was orange in color, like Jupiter and Saturn, with the many colorful lines and patches spread across its surface indicating a very stormy atmosphere.

  “Definitely looks far from inviting,” Marc observed.

  “You can say that again! Back when I was connected to the Grid, I always saw this planet as a paradise of lakes and pastures whenever I visited Jinser-Shosa. Certainly looks a lot worse in real life.”

  “Wait, so you’ve never actually seen any of this with your own eyes?”

  “Oh, I saw it alright. Just that the Grid translated everything I saw into what my mind wanted to see. And the Grid took care of all my body protection needs automatically, of course, because it sensed where I was going.”

  Marc shook his head in wonder. Even though he had heard so much about Volonan virtual technology by now, he never ceased to be amazed by how the whole thing actually worked.

  As they approached the planet, Zorina began slowing the ship down, and used the onboard communication system to send out a greeting signal to Jinser-Shosa. She also explained to Marc how the Phyrax had no coordinated system of defense or communication within the Federation, and only very loose border controls along the Federation’s perimeter. Phyraxes did communicate with each other individually and also shared information, but each individual was on its own for the most part. And if any individual had guests from outside, that was that individual’s business and not anyone else’s.

  It took almost a minute for a response to come through. The voice sounded raspy and full of excitement, and Marc couldn’t place whether it was male or female. It seemed to fall right in the middle. “Zorina! Old pal! What a pleasant surprise! See you in a few.”

  “In case you’re wondering, Jinser-Shosa is one of the few non-Volonans who physically saw me when I was still connected to the Grid,” Zorina said to Marc. “We Volonans generally don’t allow outsiders to see us.”

  “So I’ve heard. Although it seems you have single handedly changed all that. Now we all know what you Volonans look like. Personally, I think that’s a good thing.”

  She chose not to respond, focusing instead on carefully leading the ship through Devoreef’s rings and into the thick, poisonous atmosphere. The view outside was instantly filled with dark, stormy clouds on all sides. Their reddish and orange colors became visible whenever a periodic flash of lightning shot through the sky. Tiny droplets of rain kept landing on the cockpit windows, but were instantly squeezed out of sight by the ship’s high speed.

  “How can anyone live in a place like this?” Marc wondered. The only consolation he had was that this Mendoken scout ship was specifically designed to travel through hostile atmospheres on unexplored worlds. Its heavy hull was made of a totally impervious material, and it could remain perfectly steady even in the stormiest and windiest of environments. Ingenious Mendoken technology constantly kept adjusting the ship’s motion to compensate for external turbulence.

  After several minutes of descent through the thick clouds, Zorina pointed at an approaching blip in the navi
gation screen. “There it is! Jinser-Shosa’s home.”

  Another couple of minutes later, Marc could see a dark shadow ahead through the cockpit window, even darker than the clouds it was surrounded by. It almost looked like a cloud itself, but its edges were a little sharper and straighter, and there were lights glistening over its surface.

  As the scout ship came closer, it soon became clear to him how massive the structure was. The difference in size between it and the ship he was on was like that between an oversized elephant and a tiny ant. It was also amazing to think that the entire thing was made of gaseous material.

  Zorina slowed the ship down as a gate opened on the surface of the structure. The ship passed through the gate. Inside was a bizarre world that Marc wasn’t sure at first what to make of. The place was foggy but well lit, with windows along the surface providing views of the outside. There were no walls, no floors and no ceilings, just vast emptiness. It was like being inside the belly of a huge whale, a cloudy, misty belly. There were brightly colored objects floating around everywhere, however. Most of them looked somewhat like furniture items, and many kept changing shape. Some looked like comfortable reclining seats one moment and beds the next, while others switched between bizarre looking tables and shelves. There were also other devices floating around, some of which looked like weapons and different types of machines. They all had one thing in common, though – they were enormous, many almost as large as the scout ship itself. Zorina didn’t bother maneuvering the ship around them, choosing to fly right through them instead. They were made of gas, after all, and posed no threat to the ship’s hull. She finally brought the ship to a standstill in front of a red, blinking light.

  Behind the light, a figure became visible. At first, Marc thought it was just another item of furniture changing shape. But he quickly recognized the shape from his own visions and the pictures HoloMarc had once shown him. It had the overall resemblance of a fluffy cloud, but it did have a distinct head, main body and a couple of long, wavy limbs. Without a doubt, it was a Phyrax.

  “Must be taller than a giraffe!” he thought. It had to be close to 20 feet in height. The giraffe was also the right animal to compare to for another reason, thanks to the Phyrax’s yellow color and big brown patches all over its body. The body, however, was much wider than that of a giraffe, perhaps 7 feet in the middle. The face was also nothing like that of a giraffe. It was devoid of any features whatsoever – no eyes, nose or mouth, no ears or hair. It was, in fact, a perfectly expressionless face.

  “Come on, let’s go!” Zorina said, getting up from the pilot’s seat.

  They both put on protective suits supplied by the Mendoken. Several properties of the suits, including their heights, had been specially adjusted for Marc and Zorina before their takeoff from Meenjaza.

  As Marc sealed the transparent helmet over his head, he felt like he was looking out from inside a fishbowl. Three small screens appeared in his line of vision, displaying data about the current status of the suit’s internal and external environment. To his surprise, the Mendoken had even remembered to make sure his suit displayed data in English.

  “That’s what you call attention to detail,” he thought.

  Marc and Zorina tested the communication link between the two suits, and then Zorina opened the door to the outside. As they both expected, gaseous fumes immediately burst into the cabin of the ship. But the suits were not affected at all, allowing them both to breathe from the supply of compressed oxygen stored in slim tanks on their backs.

  “Now remember,” she said, as she got ready to step out of the ship, “leave all the talking to me. Under no circumstances should you open your mouth!”

  “What if I get asked a direct question?”

  Zorina tried to flap her ears inside her helmet. “Which part of my instructions didn’t you understand?” With that, she operated her suit’s controls and floated out into the gas and vapor filled world beyond.

  Marc followed a couple of minutes later, once he had figured out how to operate his own suit’s controls and had tried taking a few steps inside the ship. With the planet’s strong gravitational pull, every move he made would require a lot of energy.

  “This is definitely not going to be fun,” he thought.

  “How are you?” Zorina asked Jinser-Shosa. Her suit was working to keep her suspended in a stationary position in the gas filled emptiness of the Phyrax’s home.

  Jinser-Shosa was flying freely around her. “How? Horrible, that’s how!” Its voice was loud and rough, and translated into perfect English for Marc by his unfailing Mendoken translator. Its face remained completely blank and still while it spoke, as if somebody else altogether was speaking. Then it suddenly flew off into the depths of the cloud, sat on one of the moving seats for a few seconds, and flew back. “Life is disgusting!”

  “Disgusting? Why is it disgusting?”

  “Because you brought this, this… thing with you!” Jinser-Shosa pointed one of its limbs in Marc’s direction.

  Marc swallowed hard, wondering how the Phyrax could see without any eyes.

  Zorina laughed. “You mean Marc? He’s a good friend of mine.”

  “But not of mine. I want him dead, right now!” Jinser-Shosa lunged forward to attack Marc.

  “Stop!” Zorina shouted with defiance, immediately blocking the way. “You will not touch him!”

  The Phyrax pulled back, much to Marc’s relief. “I hate strangers,” it grumbled, “especially in my home.”

  Zorina seemed unperturbed, as if she had been expecting this. “Jinser-Shosa, we’ve been friends for a long time now, haven’t we?”

  “Why, yes, we have,” the Phyrax admitted.

  “And do you think I’d bring a stranger to your home without a valid reason?”

  “No, no, I suppose not.” Jinser-Shosa flew away again, and returned several seconds later lying on a bed. “So what does bring you here, my friend?”

  “Well, it’s a long story. We come from the Aftaran Dominion, where…”

  “The Dominion!” Jinser-Shosa screamed. “How dare you! You are herewith a sworn enemy of mine!” This time it lunged forward at Zorina, brandishing a weapon that had floated onto one of its limbs.

  But Zorina stood firm. “Stop this!” she shouted back. “Listen to me first, will you, before jumping to conclusions like this for no reason?”

  Again the Phyrax pulled back, and let go of the weapon. It flew off once more, only to return on a seat again.

  Marc realized Zorina had been wise to tell him to keep his mouth shut. Talking to Phyraxes obviously required a certain amount of skill and experience, both of which she seemed to have. If he had spoken, he would probably have been burned to ashes by now.

  Zorina proceeded to tell Jinser-Shosa the whole story of the Unghan conspiracy and the Starguzzler invasion. She also explained who Marc was, how they had met on the planet Nopelio, and related the series of adventures they had experienced together. Throughout the narration, Jinser-Shosa kept charging at Marc whenever the Mendoken and Aftar were mentioned by name, only to be pushed back again by Zorina every time. It also asked a lot of questions, especially whenever the Starguzzlers were mentioned. And at least once every few minutes it abruptly flew off. Every time it did this, Zorina stopped her account, after which it would come rushing back to hear more. Then she would patiently continue with her story.

  “Some attention span this Phyrax has,” Marc thought. He was starting to wonder how a creature as crazy and inconsistent as this could possibly help them defeat the Starguzzlers, and he hoped to high heaven Zorina knew what she was doing.

  Zorina finished telling her story, and Jinser-Shosa flew off again. This time it was gone for almost a minute, during which Marc cast uneasy glances at Zorina. To his surprise, however, Zorina seemed perfectly calm.

  The Phyrax flew back, holding what appeared to be a screen of some sort. “Well, Zorina, you know, those, those… things you mentioned.”

  “The Starguzzle
rs.”

  “Indeed! Nasty, aren’t they? Do they look anything like this?” Jinser-Shosa nodded at the screen, and suddenly a crystal clear image sprang to life.

  Marc’s jaw dropped in amazement, and any doubts he had about the Phyrax dropped as well. The image displayed a Starguzzler, spraying fire at a brown colored planet.

  “Yep, that’s them!” Zorina replied excitedly, trying to bob her head up and down inside her helmet.

  “These revolting monsters! That picture was taken an hour ago in the nearby Phyra-Roidax system. They’ve suddenly begun popping up everywhere across the Federation and wreaking havoc. I’ve been picking up reports and requests for assistance from other Phyraxes all morning, and I was just getting ready to go out and try to help my neighbors in Phyra-Roidax when you called.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Zorina said. “The Starguzzler invasion has begun. And believe me, they will leave no corner of the Federation untouched. It’s only a matter of time before they arrive here at Phyra-Keldax.”

  “Horrible! So do you know how to fight these behemoths? I hear they destroy everything in their paths in one sweep, and many Phyraxes have already been killed. It’s just ghastly! What to do? What to do?”

  Jinser-Shosa was about to fly off again, but Zorina stopped it short. “We are here because of the Starguzzlers, Jinser-Shosa, but we were hoping you would be the one to figure out how to fight them. No Volonan, Aftaran or even Mendoken will be able to, that much is for sure.”

  The Phyrax let out a deafening laugh. “Me? How could I? I’ve never seen them or fought against them before.”

  “Well, the renowned courage of your people aside, because the Starguzzlers are made of gas, like you. If anyone can find a way to destroy them, it’s you.”

  “But I don’t even know their chemical composure! And I couldn’t possibly get close enough to one of them to figure it out. I would be instantly destroyed, and then what good would that do any of us?”