by Doug Farren
"I have no idea," Ken replied. "But I have this awful feeling that we will never see them again."
"I wouldn't bet on that," Doug replied as he turned and walked off the bridge.
26 - Retirement
The leader's clawed fist slammed into the table top with an earth-shattering crash. The other members of the council growled in agreement of their leader's anger. "Three planetary assault platforms destroyed with one shot to each!" he raged.
"These Kyrra are indeed the ones spoken of in our legends. If the legends predict the behavior of the Kyrra accurately then they will come here next to destroy us. The legends tell of how the Kyrra attacked and nearly destroyed the ancients. Despite the incredible power of their weapons, the ancients massed all their strength and overcame them. I am ordering the immediate recall of all ships. While our forces gather, we will develop an attack plan to stop the Kyrra."
"Why did they not destroy the Alliance fleet when they had a chance?" a question came from the table.
Another answered back, "They destroyed our planetary assault platforms as a show of force to the Alliance to keep them in line. It is obvious that the Kyrra have recognized us as the stronger force to be reckoned with which is why that are on their way here. The Alliance has been under their control the whole time."
"We defeated them once before and we will do so again," the leader regained control of the meeting. "We will not leave this room until a plan has been finalized."
* * * * *
The crew of the Komodo Dragon were welcomed to Almaranus by as much celebration as could be achieved in a domed city. The atmosphere of the planet was inhospitable to life and thus all cities and structures were either domed or air-tight. Stricklen attended several banquets before he finally, but politely, told the officials that he had had enough. Throughout all this, Stricklen kept in touch with the strategic situation. Amazingly, all Chroniech ships had withdrawn from Alliance space. The damage they left behind was considerable.
Eleven planets, two of them heavily populated, had been laid to waste. Nearly three thousand Alliance ships had been destroyed. The total loss of life was still being compiled but so far the number had risen beyond 115 million. It was believed that only twelve hundred or so Chroniech ships had been destroyed. The Alliance had been hit hard and it would take years before it fully recovered.
The Kyrra had refused to respond to any attempts at communication. Stricklen had no idea what they were up to and he could not keep them out of his mind. Several times, he had sent personal messages toward the worldship but had never received a reply. By now, the Kyrra were outside the communications range of even the Hess provided transmitters.
After a week of celebrations, banquets, and speeches, Tasha convinced Ken that they needed to take some time to themselves. Ken applied for and received a months leave. Being Tasha's superior office, Ken also approved her leave request.
A prominent local businessman heard of their plans to take a vacation and, in appreciation for ridding the Alliance of the Chroniech, allowed them to use one of the company's small superluminal Leer's. Ken tried to refuse but in the end gave in. At long last Tasha and Ken had some time to themselves. Their private ship spent most of the three day trip on autopilot.
Their first stop was a Tholtaran world fifteen light years from Almaranus known by Humans as Oceanus. The planet consisted of thousands of small islands dotted around the planet's equatorial region. The vast majority of the world was covered with water.
Tasha had suggested the location. She had done so for a reason. After their second night on the planet she asked, "So what do you think of Tholtarans now?"
Ken had not forgotten her suggestion to spend time on a non-military Tholtaran world. He had found the Tholtaran people to be proud, honorable, and decent. He was actually starting to like them. He told her so which gave Tasha an inner joy of a job well done.
"Tell me," Tasha whispered into Ken's ear as they lay together in a hammock. "Have you decided if you're going to put in your resignation?"
The two lover's had not discussed their future since beginning their vacation. They had been too involved in enjoying and exploring each other. Ken looked up at the clear star-studded sky and took in a deep breath. He knew this question had been on Tasha's mind for some time.
He adjusted his shoulder a bit then replied, "I have been in the military since I was eighteen. My father and my father's father were all in the military. It's in my blood. Do you think I would be happy being retired?"
Tasha reached down and touched him where only a wife could and said, "I think I could keep you happy!" Relaxing her hand she continued, "Seriously, I don't know. The decision is yours to make, not mine. Whatever you decide though, I want to be able to see you more often than once a year. We will either stay in the military together and remain assigned to the same command or you will have to think about retiring. You did mention your father's sailboat back on Earth."
"Yes I did, and the more I think about it, the better retirement sounds."
"How far is Earth from here?" she asked.
"I believe it's just over seventy light years. We could make the trip in under two weeks — why?"
"I have a deal to make with you. Talk to your superior and ask for a leave of absence. Take me to Earth and show me this boat you keep talking about. After two weeks you can decide if you want to retire or not. I will respect whatever decision you make."
Ken thought about it for a moment. He then rolled out of the hammock and took a drink from his rum which had been patiently waiting for him on the table. He looked at his lovely wife and said, "I'll call the admiral in the morning — if he approves I'll tell Mr. Taylor that we will be keeping his ship a little bit longer than originally anticipated."
Tasha rolled out of the hammock and embraced her husband. "Great! Let's celebrate," she said in a voice Ken had grown to love.
"Again? You're going to wear me out before my time," he said jokingly.
"Maybe," she said, leading him into the cottage. "But at least we will have fun doing it."
In the age of advanced communications, nobody was more than a phone-call away. Ken, however, was still surprised to find a message waiting for him in the morning. Tasha was still sleeping so Ken decided to go ahead and play it without her. It was from Admiral Singth.
"Sorry to bother you on your honeymoon captain, but a situation has developed which has forced us to issue a recall of all available military personnel. I cannot give specifics over an unsecured channel so you will have to be in the dark until you arrive.”
"I have dispatched the Komodo Dragon to your location to pick you up. She was in the area and is the fastest ship in the fleet. The Dragon should be arriving at your location by 0800 local time. Someone else will be responsible for piloting your private ship back to its owner. Sector command out."
Stricklen uttered an explicative and glanced at the clock. It was already 0740. Cursing under his breath he turned around and almost collided with Tasha. The look in her eyes told him that she had overheard the message. "What does he mean by — a situation?" she asked.
"I have no idea," Ken replied. "But, it must be bad if they are issuing a recall. The Dragon will be here soon, we had better get packed."
Ken and Tasha were enjoying an after-breakfast cup of coffee when a knock sounded at the cottage door. The couple looked at each other and Ken yelled out, "Come in!"
The door opened and Doug Scarboro strode into the room. "Your taxi is here!" he announced.
Ken stood up and shook hands with his friend. "We were beginning to wonder what was taking you so long. Why didn't you call us as soon as you arrived?"
"I thought you two could use the time together. Besides, we still had to send a shuttle down to pick you up. A good old-fashioned knock on the door works just as well as a com-link."
"I thought you and Cheryl would be going on a honeymoon together?" Tasha remarked.
"We decided to wait until you two returned," Scarboro r
eplied. "I did not want both the captain and the XO to be away from the Dragon at the same time. Speaking of a honeymoon, did you enjoy yours?"
"Too short," Ken answered. "But relaxing never-the-less."
"I'll bet!" Doug replied with a sly look in his eyes.
"As long as you're here," Ken said finishing the last of his coffee. "Why the recall? What's happened?"
"There's a transport outside. I'll explain as we load up your things," Doug said picking up a waiting suitcase.
As they loaded the transport, Doug quickly told Ken all that he knew. Ever since the Kyrra had left, the Alliance had been sending probes into Chroniech space using a string of them to act as communication relays. Two days ago contact with all the probes except two had been lost.
The data collected by one of the operational probes seemed to indicate that all of Chroniech space has simply ceased to exist. It was not known if this was some sort of Chroniech deception to hide a massive attack or some other phenomenon. As a precautionary measure the Alliance was recalling all military personnel and was putting the fleet on high alert.
As soon as they had transferred their bags and boarded the shuttle, Ken asked to see the data from the probe. Doug activated a computer terminal and said, "Display probe C189 data from time index previously marked as event one minus sixty seconds."
One part of the screen showed a star field as it was observed through the electronic eye of the probe while the other part of the screen displayed a series of graphs and numbers representing the non-visual information which the probe collected. Suddenly, the star field shifted — several stars seemed to grow brighter and others vanished entirely. The effect was so fast that it was difficult to see.
"What was that?" Ken asked the first time he saw it.
"Hard to see, isn't it?" Doug replied. "Watch this — computer, loopback replay of event one over a five-second interval at one-half normal speed."
Once again, Ken watched the stars shift. This time the computer repeatedly displayed the shift over and over again. Ken could now pick out which stars had disappeared and which ones had brightened. He stared at the computer screen for thirty seconds before turning away. "What the hell is it?"
"We don't know," Doug replied. "There is something else. Computer, isolate energy spectrum spike associated with event one and display."
The screen now showed an energy spectrum. The complex series of graphs reminded Ken of something but he could not quite make the connection. The time-line showed that the spike lasted a mere ten millionth of a second. Shaking his head, Ken asked, "Which stars brightened and which ones vanished?"
"Now that is the most interesting part of this entire mystery," Doug replied. He glanced out the window of the shuttle to take a look at the Komodo Dragon which had just come into view. Still staring out the window he continued. "According to the computer, all of the stars which have disappeared are those located within Chroniech space. Those which have become brighter are located beyond Chroniech space. It's as if all of Chroniech space has ceased to exist and the rest of the universe has shifted to close the hole."
"That's impossible!" Stricklen said not believing what Doug had just said.
"Not according to Falnath," Doug replied turning around.
"Falnath has seen this?" Ken asked incredulously.
"You can ask her about it yourself after we dock. She's aboard. We were actually on our way to her home planet in Rouldian space when we got the order to return. Since the Dragon is the fastest and most powerful ship in the Alliance, we have been tasked with investigating this phenomenon. We'll be leaving as soon as we dock."
Stricklen sat in his seat in silence. Scarboro loved to spring little surprises on his captain now and again, but this was too many too fast. Nothing he had just heard seemed to make sense. Stricklen was still trying to make heads or tails of it all when the shuttle docked with the heavy-cruiser. Before he had even exited the shuttle, Ken felt the familiar sensation as the ship engaged its stardrive.
Falnath was waiting for them on the bridge. Ignoring her for the moment, Ken took his place in the command chair and said, "Status!" He needed to get up to speed on what was going on with his ship.
The officer he had just relieved replied, "All systems on-line. Course has been set for the heart of Chroniech space. Ship's speed now nine-kay-cee and accelerating. All sensors clear. ETA to Chroniech border is roughly six days."
After looking over the status screens, Ken finally felt comfortable enough to address Falnath. Turning to the Rouldian he asked, "Explain to me how a piece of space over twelve hundred light-years in diameter can simply vanish."
Falnath maneuvered her considerable bulk until she was closer to Stricklen's command chair. "The Kyrra have most likely erected a hyperdimensional field around the Chroniech. This would explain why their area of space has appeared to vanish."
Something clicked inside Ken's mind and a connection was made. He now remembered why the energy spike recorded by the probe looked so familiar. It was basically the same as that seen when the Chroniech were attempting to form their transdimensional matrix field. "How could they generate a field that big? Twelve hundred light-years is one hell of a big force field."
"Not in hyperdimensional space. A thousand light-years of our three-dimensional space can be crossed quite easily in a short distance if you exist in multi-space."
"I don't follow," Stricklen said. "Can you put it into simple terms. All I want to know is what happened. What will we see when we get to the Chroniech border? A force field? A hole in space? Nothing?"
"If we had never mapped this area of space," Falnath said after a moment's reflection. "We would never have known that a part of it was missing. It is very difficult to explain in physical terms. It is much easier to explain mathematically."
Falnath paused for a moment and Ken could tell that she was trying to come up with some way of explaining what was most likely unexplainable. Finally, she reached out and formed a cup with her clawed hands. "Let us say that this area of space is enclosed within a hyperdimensional field. Normal space flows around the surface of this field. To someone traveling in normal space, this curvature cannot be detected and it appears as if that person continues to travel in a straight line. This supposed straight line curves around this area of space and thus that area no longer exists."
Ken thought he was beginning to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. "So what we are seeing is actually the surface of a hyperdimensional shape? Doesn't this affect stardrive fields?"
"Stardrive fields affect normal space much like a hyperdimensional field does. However, there are differences. A stardrive field is also affected by the hyperdimensional field and thus the area within the hyperdimensional object is unreachable and undetectable."
"A perfect cloak," Ken said to himself.
"Not quite perfect," Falnath explained. "While the hyperdimensional field itself is undetectable and it renders everything inside undetectable, the gravitational effects of all the objects contained within the hyperdimensional field's boundary are still present meaning there is a way to detect that such a field has been employed."
"I'm not quite too sure I follow that but it's good enough for me — no need to explain further. Do we understand enough about hyperdimensional theory to be able to create such a force field?"
"Technically it is not a force field. It is a field-induced curvature of space. To answer your question, no we do not. Our understanding of hyperdimensional physics is limited and not complete enough for us to develop the field emitters required to generate the proper fields to fold space into a hyperdimension."
"If we can't detect this phenomenon, and we can't understand it then what do we hope to accomplish by the trip toward Chroniech space?"
Falnath cocked her head to one side in her people's expression of puzzlement. "We cannot detect the field but we will be encounter some incredibly odd gravitational readings as we approach it. Gravity is unaffected by the field.”
"
Also, since we have access to star maps of the affected area of space we can verify that the stars on the other side of the now vanished section of space are now closer to us. If this is found to be true, then we will know for certain that the Kyrra have encased the Chroniech within a hyperdimensional prison."
"And themselves along with them," Ken said. "Thank you Falnath."
Stricklen sat in his chair and thought about the Kyrra, their worldship, and the friends he had made during his stay there. The more he thought about it the angrier he became. He felt as if the entire situation was his fault. If he had not offered to take the Kyrra home then the worldship would not be where it was now. Admittedly, they had done the Alliance a great good by removing the Chroniech threat, but at what expense.
"Tell me Falnath," he suddenly said. "You said that this hyperdimensional field requires a constant source of power to maintain it. Is there any way at all that we can breach it?"
Falnath turned from her science station to answer the question. "The field is artificial and will collapse as soon as the generator is turned off. As far as I know, there is no possibility of penetrating the barrier from either side. We do not have the knowledge to even detect the presence of the field. If we were in possession of Kyrra technology, we might be able to detect the field but I do not believe that it can be penetrated."
"Captain," the communications operator spoke up. "Urgent message coming in from Almaranus."
"On the main," Stricklen ordered.
The tactical plot of the main viewscreen was replaced by the image of Admiral Singth. The link indicator showed it to be a live feed with a round-trip delay of less than half a second. "Captain Stricklen here Admiral, how may I help you?"
"We've just received a message from the Kyrra," the Admiral replied. Ken's interest instantly increased. "It's from an automated beacon which was set to send a message on a time delay. It's about to repeat so I'll pipe it through to you."
Ken could see the Admiral manipulate something below the camera's field of view. The image shifted and a Kyrra appeared. Ken immediately recognized Trel'mara. The image was frozen for a few seconds and them suddenly came to life, "Attention Alliance! I am Trel'mara of the Kyrra. By now you may have discovered that all star systems belonging to the Chroniech have vanished. Be assured that they are still in existence.”
