Hellas turned around with a Progonaut curse on his lips. He could only wait for the impact. The opponent had prepared his attack tactically well. The projectiles, which now reached the Atlantika, hit a weakened deck area.
»Impact!« the space surveillance sector announced.
With dull, metallic blows, the warheads hit the ship’s armor, attaching themselves to the ship.
Disbelieving, Hellas looked at the tactical assessment.
»They went through the deck shields like butter! Alien weapon systems are cutting through the ship’s hull at five locations!«
»Hellas!« Vasina shouted alarmed. »This are not bombs! They’re trying to infect our ship!«
»Kulatos! I need your fighters at the focal points of the impacts! Quickly, before the opponent’s battle drones have worked themselves through the ship’s hull!«
The Neo-Sapien spoke some commands into his communications device and directed his heavily armed landing units into the deck area of the battleship.
»Paranas! Let’s put an end to this cat-and-mouse game and stop this enemy! Activate the drives and perform a high-speed flight around the ice giant!«
The navigator acknowledged the command and executed it emotionlessly.
Yes, Vasina thought approvingly. Let’s celebrate! Kargash!
The glowing city
»I need to go out there and look at it closely,« Atilla Scott exclaimed enthusiastically. Nothing was holding him back. »This underwater facility is absolutely incredible and shines in a bright light! As if there were innumerable sources of light installed on the alien underwater habitats.«
»Just a moment, my impatient friend,« Hunmoos dampened Atilla’s temperament and grinned broadly. »We’re a team, and we’ll explore this underwater city together. I agree with you that the find is beyond all expectations. Even if this moon seems to be abandoned, I wouldn’t have expected such a settlement on the edge of this system.«
»Okay, then. We leave the landing boat together and explore the underwater city. Polamus is waiting for us at a safe distance. Are you with me, Zedos?« Scott wanted to know.
The Progonaut rose silently from his seat and signaled agreement.
»Somebody has to keep an eye on things and save lives, if necessary. This underwater city is enormous and lays brightly lit below us. Why do you think it’s not inhabited?«
»Aside from the fact that we can’t detect any active sources of energy and receive no signs of life from this city, a reception committee would surely have long since appeared to greet us,« Hunmoos speculated.
»There’s certainly an explanation for the light emissions. We’ll find the underlying cause of the matter,« Atilla nodded, examining his special suit. The oxygen-permeable suit allowed the Merinian to make contact between his skin and the seawater by means of microscopically fine membranes. His decontamination chip provided for a corresponding filtering of incompatible or dangerous substances. Atilla Scott was known for having conducted a spectacular genetic self-experiment. He was also called the only real Merinian, the only Human capable of absorbing oxygen through his skin when under water.
»Don’t forget the high outside pressure,« Zedos warned. »We are about 2,500 meters below the surface of this quiet ocean.«
»The external pressure is within the acceptable limits. In fact, I’ve dived into greater depths,« Scott replied, nodding gratefully. »Don’t worry, I know exactly what I’m doing.«
»If you want to go out there without the usual protective field, then that’s your decision. I’m interested in how we keep in touch. Can you speak underwater?« Zedos asked with a trace of nervousness.
»At this depth and with the high oxygen content of the water, my lungs fill up quickly with carbon dioxide. With a few restrictions, I can speak short sentences. My suit collar has a small projector that produces a small acoustic field directly above my vocal chords. Everything I say is being recorded, equalized, and transmitted. You’ll hardly notice a difference,« Scott reassured the Progonaut. »If we have a longer conversation or the oxygen content of my blood drops too much, my protective field and the respiration system will automatically activate.«
»Where do we want to start our mission?« Hunmoos asked casually as they entered the airlock room and the doors closed behind them. »Our time is limited. They expect us back in less than two hours.«
Scott raised his right arm to his chest and activated the navigation system attached to his wrist with a touch of his left index finger. A holographic map appeared, hovering over his fist, showing a schematic representation of the underwater city.
»I’d suggest we take the big dome-like building. It’s not far from our current location, just a few hundred meters. There, we’ll surely find more detailed information about the builders.«
He signaled Polamus via the communications system and asked his colleagues, »The airlock chamber will be flooded in a few seconds, are you both familiar with underwater excursions?«
»Of course, this is part of our drill to become a guard of the Royal House of Atlantika. It includes, as you would call it, a Seal training. Please, don’t worry about me,« Zedos replied, activating his protective field as the water began to flow into the airlock chamber.
»How about you, Hunmoos?« Scott asked.
»I volunteered for this mission, remember? But I hate water! If I had known that there was a Merinian with a death wish on this mission, who planned a deep-sea excursion, I would have stayed on board the Atlantika. There, my comrades will surely be very amused about me at this moment.«
»We have a communication ban, already forgotten? No one on board the battleship has a clue as to what we’re doing right now,« Scott replied. At the same moment, the airlock chamber had filled, and the outer gate opened slowly. Atilla Scott formed a circle with the thumb and index finger of the right hand and looked around.
»What do you mean by that?« Scott heard Hunmoos voice via his ear piece. Hunmoos seemed confused and slightly angered. »To ask with a gesture, whether I’m willing to mate, is not only inappropriate but also improper in this situation!«
Embarrassed, Scott lowered his hand.
»It means, in the sign language of divers, With me, everything is all right and with you?«
»Within Progonaut culture, this gesture is a swear word, so ugly that no one wants to say it,« Zedos intervened. »The best thing is to use our comm-connection, that saves us from those embarrassments. Otherwise, misunderstandings might arise.«
»Okay, then we do it in the old way, and only by radio,« Scott said, pushing away from the airlock wall, into the deep and endless ocean. He moved smoothly like a dolphin, but his Human physique set certain limits on his mobility. Cursing, Hunmoos followed, using his Diver Propulsion Vehicle or DPV, a fin-like propulsion unit, which he held with both hands in front of him and thus moving through the ocean. Hunmoos compensated Scott’s swimming skills with technology.
»If you should break out a sweat, then just hold on to my arm,« Hunmoos commented with a loud laugh.
Scott’s reply was just a loud curse.
Zedos was wearing a modern space combat suit, which had an integrated jetpack. A small and powerful turbine between his shoulders provided the necessary thrust.
»And you’re absolutely sure that there are no sharks here?« Scott asked jokingly to test his communications device.
»If you mean sharp-teethed predators that feed on the flesh of other fish, then an encounter would just suit me well. At home, I catch these delicacies with my hand. I know some good recipes,« explained Hunmoos, feigning great enthusiasm.
»This ocean is sterile,« came the humorless reply from Zedos.
The group of three slowly sank deeper toward the brightly-lit city. The water didn’t appear clear in this depth, rather cloudy. Algae or plankton did not cause this, but swirling and floating particles.
»Can you breathe in this soup, Scott?« Hunmoos asked worriedly. »I hope you’re alright!«
»I’m all r
ight,« Scott replied, taking a short moment to fill his lungs. »The water’s oxygen content is acceptable.«
»Why do you do this?« Zedos asked without understanding. »You’re risking your health.«
The Merinian laughed softly, activated the respiration support, and then replied, »Can you even imagine how it is to swim in the ocean without using technical aids, to have direct contact with the water, and to feel that freedom, this lightness?«
»I don’t know what this is good for,« Zedos said rationally. »I was born on land.«
»Then I’ll put it another way,« Scott tried again. »I couldn’t resist to explore an ocean of an alien world.«
Attila Scott deactivated the respiration support and closed his eyes briefly.
»This is fantastic!«
»Didn’t I say it already? A fish with two legs,« the Hunmoos stated dryly.
Right under the three men it was bright as daylight. Countless light sources illuminated a city that was floating freely in the water as if snatched from the darkness of the deep sea.
Atilla Scott stretched both arms wide forward, pulling them forcefully back, and increasing his thrust by paddling leg movements. Hunmoos steered his DPV down, descending with him. Zedos followed them with apparent ease and a minimum of physical exertion.
»Some of these strange underwater buildings look like huge jellyfish. I think they used organic materials in the construction of the city, which can be stimulated to emit light.«
»You mean bioluminescence?« Hunmoos suggested.
»Yes, it must be,« Scott reassured, admiring the strange underwater architecture. »The glowing city, a fitting name!«
»Bluena Olfoor,« Zedos added emotionlessly, and continued, »The previous inhabitants must have been like you, Scott. This unknown form of life was accustomed to living in the water and on land.«
»I take this as a compliment,« Scott said amused. »Down there is the central dome, whose location, I entered into the navigation computer. Can you see our destination?«
The Progonaut used a special sight with variable energy lenses, which established in front of his eyes and automatically adjusted the visibility. »I see it!«
»We Neo-Sapiens have eyes like the winged raptors on Equinox, but only on land,« joked Hunmoos. »I’m just following your lead into the depth and count on it that I don’t end up in the fangs of a deep-sea monster.«
»This ocean is sterile,« Zedos said for the third time.
The three needed a further twelve minutes to reach the dome and floated above the orange glowing structure.
»This dome is semi-transparent and appears to be much more impressive than on your holo map,« Zedos said to Scott dryly. »This building measures about three kilometers, using Human standards. This entire city is star-shaped, extends fifty kilometers and seems to float in the sea. The only fixed points are those narrow, spiral-shaped towers, which reach down into the great depths. They are everywhere in the sea of this moon, but also mark the outer boundaries of this submerged metropolis.«
»From which we could conclude that the shining city may not be the only one of its kind on Taachlar Mar. Have you ever seen something like this before, is there anything similar on Earth?« Hunmoos wanted to know from Attila Scott, but he denied it.
»Although our underwater cities have almost the same proportions, the individual underwater habitats are, however, significantly smaller. We colonized the sea beds. This city is floating halfway between the surface and the bottom of the ocean. If Zedos is right with his previous assumption and the builders were indeed land as well as water dwellers, then this large jelly-shaped dome is surely an important building, perhaps, their cultural center. If the builders of this town were to follow the same principles and philosophies as our architects, the entrance would have to be below the dome.«
»Let’s take a look,« Zedos replied determined, floating further down to investigate the lower section of the habitat. After a few minutes, he said puzzled via the communication channel, »Down below are differently sized sections in the dome’s outer walls, which could be taken for entrances. However, the dome doesn’t appear to be under atmospheric pressure, and is filled with water.«
»How old might this impressive city be?« Atilla Scott wondered aloud but didn’t receive an answer.
»We’ll go inside,« Scott said. He led the team with long strokes while Hunmoos followed quickly.
»I wonder whether our plasma weapons work underwater at all?« Hunmoos said mutedly. »Just in case, we have to defend ourselves.«
»I wouldn’t try it out,« Scott advised cautiously and swam under the edge of the jelly-shaped dome. Zedos had passed Scott and was already waiting at one of the openings, pointing with the extended middle finger upward. Evidently, he wanted to indicate that he had found a way to enter the building.
Atilla Scott was startled for a moment and then remarked sarcastically, »How was that, with the suggestion of not using underwater gestures? We should pre-warn the next mixed team before we send it on a mission.«
Hunmoos had also reached the entrance and pushed, »Forward! We don’t have much time to explore this underwater dome. Let’s move on.«
They swam, one by one, through a tube of about two meters in diameter, and finally reached a room which had undoubtedly been under pressure before. Around the former exit there was a ring-shaped area that might have once served as a preparation area where, upon arrival, the inhabitants could get rid of their diving equipment.
»Zedos is right, the air pressure has escaped, possibly a long time ago,« Scott speculated. »If this habitat is completely flooded then many traces of the former inhabitants are lost. Well, let’s see!«
The black death
Hellas directed his space soldiers to the invasion areas and systematically closed all the airlocks and bulkheads behind the advancing teams. Heavily armed, the Neo-Sapiens were spearheading the advance, ready for everything. Due to their genetic immunity against parasitic technology, the Neo-Sapiens were predestined for the fight against the Looter-drones, attached to the ship’s hull. The Equinox warriors had experienced similar situations on their home-world.
The battle commander was prepared to defend the ship with everything he had available, but he didn’t lose sight of the enemy carrier. The ice giant was still between the opponents, which both ships tried to circle. On direct command, the first navigator flew the Atlantika at a very high speed around the planet to follow the carrier and attack it head on. The Atlantika appeared like a fiery meteor because there was no longer any consideration for friction losses within the atmosphere. Hellas was excited.
Vasina stayed behind in those moments, thinking only, I can rely on Hellas and his crew. This is the hour of the battle commander!
»Breakthrough in Deck Section Roddon!« came the disturbing news from the command central crew while the Atlantika continued the direct approach toward the enemy, continuously firing her plasma guns. Still, the enemy ship was not visible even though it was already under heavy fire. The complicated fire and target tracking measures around the planet was almost entirely executed by the central computer.
»Where is 40028?« Vasina shouted.
»The Techno-Cleric left the command central when the fighting started,« Nexus Tor replied.
»Violence contradicts his Cosmic Morals.«
»So be it! Split the central display and show the areas where our troops are fighting!« Hellas commanded. He let out an angry curse when he saw the strange objects that were forcing themselves through a hole of the ship’s hull. The atmosphere of the affected ship section escaped with a bang. The section was immediately sealed by the central computer.
The Neo-Sapiens, who were advancing in their protective fields, immediately took the intruders under heavy fire, disregarding eventual damages to the ship’s interior. Hell, had broken loose.
The shape-variable Looter drones recognized the danger and divided into smaller units, moving across the ceiling, walls, and floor toward
the defenders to attack them. Some of them shot clusters of thorny projectiles at the space soldiers to infect them with parasitic technology.
»Form an attack line! Progonauts to the back!« the Neo-Sapien leader, an experienced Looter fighter shouted, turning the vestibule in front of the attackers into ashes.
Among other things, heavy plasma blasters and plasma grenades were used, the only probable means against the self-acting, aggressive cyber units.
Vasina was horrified when she saw the devastation caused on her ship by the attackers. The Looter drones created nightmarish-looking and claw-equipped creatures, which jumped the Neo-Sapiens, drilling themselves into their flesh. With furious screams, the defenders tore off the infectious invaders from their bodies, hurled them to the floor, and incinerated them while the Equinox fighters mostly ignored their own wounds. Their fighting turned into a battle rage, which made Progonaut elite-soldiers pale.
»Enemy carrier appears over the planet’s horizon!« the space surveillance kottan announced.
Hellas whirled around in his seat and commanded, »Fire a full broadside with plasma weapons and self-homing missiles!«
The battleship’s hull shook when the whole arsenal of annihilation came into play. The droning of the guns could be heard in the command central. Glowing plasma spheres and fast advancing missiles attacked the enemy ship, not letting the black giant drift from the target tracking sights.
»The carrier is initiating countermeasures. Missile defense weapons are being launched! The enemy is executing accidental-seeming course changes and tries to escape our weapons range. We’re going after him! In close-combat, we’ll smash the carrier ship!« Hellas exclaimed euphorically.
The battle inside the ship raged on, pushing toward a new and cruel climax. Several Progonauts had been infected by the Looter drones and collapsed. They just sat on the floor, stared into a void, and fought their last, inner struggle against the infections – but the end was inevitable. Vasina’s eyes were moist. She felt compassion for her troops but knew for certain that any help would come too late.
NEBULAR Collection 7 - Guardians of the Continuum: Episodes 31 - 34 Page 40
