»What does this enemy who can transfer galaxies through the dimensions look like? What does he want? What’s his objective?« Arkroid interjected quickly.
He tried to concentrate on the facts, even though his mind was spinning.
»We don’t know the enemy, but we know his objectives. He’s looking for loot, organic resources he gathers by means of degenerated technology. Right after the dwarf galaxy materialized and the fist shockwave subsided, ships of the Looters will come over us like a flood, assimilating all intelligent lifeforms they encounter. The Looters are billions strong!«
Kuster~Laap looked at Vasina as he continued, »The Dimensional Mirror is a defense shield consisting of 400,000 Original Sparks. It is able to prevent the transfer and repel this parasite galaxy. But the Trox have stolen a great number of Sparks, rendering the Dimensional Mirror ineffectual. The Dualytes have been trying for hundreds of thousands of years to recover the Original Sparks, but they will not be able to finish their work in time. The five galactic keys entrusted to the Progonauts are lost. The Jamal-Combs were constructed according to the plans of the Creators … intended to interrupt the transfer of the parasite galaxy. The message from the Kokraders clearly states that the combs can only work on the enemy’s own space potential level. And if all these measures failed, the Protector Guardian Fleet would be the last line of defense against the Looters to protect the galaxy.«
»Why have you come here now, and not a lot sooner? Who else would have been able to inform us? Where was the Galactic Brotherhood all these years? Why didn’t you know anything about the enemy’s counter plan?« Maya Ivanova interrupted Kuster~Laap angrily. »Now it’s too late and you are responsible, not us!«
»The construction of the Dimensional Mirror and the aid missions to the other side of the galaxy required all available resources,« Kuster~Laap explained. »The Progonauts were supposed to protect the people on this side of the galaxy, but the enemy was able to infiltrate this galaxy with combat troops. The Progonauts were defeated and their survivors, and other people, thrown back into the Stone Age or manipulated by agitators. The game becomes clear if you understand the entire counter plan. The people of this galaxy are meant to be assimilated by the degenerated technology. They will not be killed or exterminated, but slowed in their development until they can offer no resistance after the Great Tremor, and can be harvested like fruit from a tree by the Looters.«
»How long do we have?« was the only thing left for Toiber Arkroid to ask.
»The Retreat has almost reached its optimal position relative to the other side of the galaxy - and the calculated transfer point,« announced Kuster~Laap. »That is the time when the transfer will occur and the Looters flood our galaxy with their ships.«
»Ancient Gods of Atlantika don’t forsake us!« Vasina said.
»That won’t help us much, Vasina,« Arkroid hissed between his teeth. »What we desperately need is a counter-counter plan. The question is: Do we have enough time?«
18 - Second Reserve
Written by Thomas Rabenstein
Visiting Triton Base
The mixed group of Humans and extra-terrestrials was walking without obvious protection across one of the landing fields at Triton Base. Looking like a gigantic drop of mercury, the Techno-Ferry hovered above the ground with Neptune in the background, a truly breathtaking scene. The outside temperature was near absolute zero, but the team wasn’t impressed. Their invisible body defense shields, with integrated survival systems, protected them from space.
Toiber Arkroid, Vasina of Atlantika and Maya Ivanova led the team, followed by Lai Pi, Voit Masgur, a.k.a. Abraham, Paafnas, Kuster~Laap and the two ZyClonians, Naad and Nood, who brought along a heavy object.
Vasina was carrying her golden shield on her back. The archaic-seeming object had once belonged to a shield bearer, a guardian trained and educated to protect the leaders of the House of Atlantika.
The four Human members of the group, Voit Masgur included, were wearing silver-gray suits. Even Paafnas had a similar suit, especially designed for him by the Techno-Ferry but far lighter than the other suits. They were all wore the Solar Union symbol as well as a stylistic golden galaxy patch on their chests. The team walked toward a large airlock to enter the base. As soon as they emerged from the airlock, Nok Daralamai walked toward them and greeted each member with a heartfelt handshake … save for the Prophet and his companions, who didn’t understand the gesture, while Paafnas had learned some Human customs in the meantime.
»Unbelievable! The Techno-Ferry’s abilities are like magic. You left Earth three days ago and now you’re standing here,« she remarked excitedly.
»Ahem … sorry it took so long,« Pi replied, grinning. »We stopped to visit the Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus bases before we came here.«
»We have something we need to install for you,« Arkroid declared , pointing at the heavy object the ZyClonians had carried.
Nok hadn’t paid attention to the ZyClonians yet, as they were standing silently beside Kuster~Laap as usual.
»A device to install?« she asked cautiously. »Something I should know about?«
»We want to enhance your base communications system. I had the Techno-Ferry built this interface. Nood and Naad will install it and tune it to your needs. After that, we’re gone,« Arkroid explained with a smile.
»I understand. A new expedition?« Nok inquired.
Arkroid nodded.
»No other choice. We need to find the Second Retreat. Its vital to us as well as to Kuster~Laap. We need to see what’s going on there before we can decide our next move,« Arkroid explained.
Nok had been briefed in advance on the team members and what they looked like. She didn’t need special introductions.
She looked at the assembled team members and then addressed Voit Masgur who had joined the team upon Arkroid’s personal request.
»It must have been difficult for you … your first journey through space, I’ve been told?«
Masgur looked perplexedly at Arkroid but then he smiled at Nok.
»You’re very well informed, Commander. Yes, this was my first space flight. It was easy, though; the ship made it very comfortable for me. No special training necessary.«
Nok Daralamai grinned and took Arkroid to the side.
»Wouldn’t it be better to take along a battle-hardened commando?« she whispered. »Nobody knows what you’ll find in that strange solar system.«
Arkroid shook his head slightly.
»The Techno-Ferry would not allow that,« Arkroid made clear. »As I mentioned before in my message to you, we’re only on a reconnaissance mission. According to the Chiropter’s information, there are Humans - Human-like beings at least - there. We’re hoping to find allies or friends.«
»… said the seaman who ended up in the cannibal’s stewpot,« she countered dryly. »I hope you won’t act too naïvety when you arrive there.«
»We have no other choice,« Arkroid replied. »We’re facing a galaxy-wide catastrophe. There’s no time for sentimentality. Ivanova, Pi and Vasina have been on difficult missions already. With the Techno-Ferry’s help, we’re up to this challenge too.«
At this moment, Naad and Nood stepped forward. Their heavy, two-by-one meter cubical object was hovering above the floor and following the ZyClonians. Nok gave a hand signal to one of the officers who then led the two aliens to the comm-central.
Nok’s eyes followed the ZyClonians until they vanished behind a corridor corner.
»Are you sure we can trust them, Toiber?« she asked seriously.
»No question in my mind, « Arkroid assured her. »They’re installing a tachyon comm-amplifier that’ll let you to communicate between the bases out here and Earth in zero time, with no more propagation delays. You think that might be useful some day?«
»Like when the Conceptor on Sedna switched over the Globuster Matrix?« she hinted.
Arkroid frowned and pressed his lips together.
»The Globuster Matrix wi
ll be reestablished for its original purpose, and transformed into a dimensional shield to protect us from the expected shock wave.«
Arkroid didn’t go into detail. He knew Nok had been briefed previously.
»I’m assuming the former detection shield will also be a thing of the past. We won’t be isolated any more,« she supposed.
»Exactly!« Vasina picked up the thread and stepped beside Arkroid. »The Matrix will, nevertheless, still provide safety. Its structure cannot be penetrated by spaceships traveling on the tachyon track. Any ship that tries will be slowed down on the standard track and thrown back into normal space. Unfortunately, the Matrix does emit stray emissions, faster than light – and therefore detectable. That means that this solar system is no longer hidden, in fact it actually acts like a weak beacon. Other galactic peoples won’t take long to notice this.«
»That’s why the new Union Fleet Supreme Commander, Admiral Friedberg, is deploying all available combat units to the outer ring,« Arkroid explained. This was news to Nok. »The Hawk units and modified cruisers will arrive shortly. Friedberg issued the orders on our departure from Earth.«
»I know Friedberg. He was commander of the Berlin Space Academy. I’m looking forward to working with him,« Daralamai replied, gratified.
»You can tell him that in person. The tachyon amplifier should be ready soon. We’ll stay here for a test anyway,« Arkroid suggested.
As ready as can be
Captain Jack Higgins, the on-duty comm officer, just shook his head as he watched Nood and Naad with their nanopods. Clouds of the nanopods were drifting through the comm central and shoving the cube through the room and into place. Then they disappeared behind the consoles and the hollow walls, returning moments later. He had no idea what went on behind the scenes, but he was told that everything was in order.
He asked Vasina about the transmit and receive antennas and how they would be implemented but just received a side glance. Vasina clearly didn’t want to waste her time explaining a technology nobody in the comm crew understood anyway.
»The tachyon radio technology is based on different physical fundamentals than the technology you’re using,« she sighed.
Arkroid grinned and invited Vasina with a wink to be a bit more precise.
Bored, she explained, »Communication via the tachyon track has been common in the galaxy for a long time. A tachyon carrier wave can transmit a message via the normal tachyon track faster-than-light. Like photons, tachyons also have particle and wave components.«
Higgins looked at her open mouthed, encouraging her to continue.
»Every comm-unit establishes a transmit and receive spike – like antennas – that enters the tachyon continuum and lets the comm-unit transfer messages through tachyon space. Obviously, you have to imagine this antenna as part of an invisible energy structure. You could be sitting on it sitting on it without knowing.«
Higgins jumped from his seat, trying to find this mysterious structure, only to realize that was making a complete ass of himself. Arkroid and Vasina were holding their bellies laughing, while the rest of the comm-central crew were giggling.
Higgins looked around irritated and groped for words. He tried to redeem himself by asking an intelligent question, »Are there any dangerous side effects? Radiation or anything? I can’t believe this box can handle the distance from here to Earth! Doesn’t it need a lot of energy?«
»It’ll work, don’t worry,« Vasina assured him. »Since we don’t need a system-wide network at this time, just communication between Earth and the bases, this unit will be enough. The Techno-Ferry designed the amplifier interface to work with the old technology.«
Higgins swallowed hard.
»Old technology? Triton Base has the latest tech available, the best comm in the solar system!«
»… well, it’ll work a tad better now,« Arkroid interrupted and laughed quietly.
After another ten minutes the fine-tuning was finished and the nanopods returned to the ZyClonians.
Nok Daralamai looked at the tachyon amplifier skeptically. Spikes and little studs stuck out from the device and connected themselves with the consoles. The object now seemed an integral part of the comm-system.
»What if there’s a problem with this amp? There’s nobody around here who can repair it,« Nok wondered aloud.
Arkroid shook his head.
»The Techno-Ferry assured me it’s completely maintenance free. Same as the inertia dampers,« he replied.
Nok shrugged and gave her comm officer a sign.
»Well then, let’s call Earth!«
Higgins looked reserved but then moved and transmitted the Triton Base ID. Normally a radio message would take about four hours to reach Earth. This time, however, the receiving station answered the call immediately. The holo display showed a smiling staff officer.
»This is Fleet HQ, Major Dunninger. Greetings to Triton Base. We were expecting your call. I’ll transfer you to the Supreme Commander.«
Nok Daralamai was still skeptical. This new way of communicating was going to take some getting used to. Seconds later, the link to Friedberg’s office was established.
The admiral’s face in holo was as crisp and clear as if it came from a room away. Karl Friedberg was 64 years old, from Berlin, the capital city of the province of Germany in the Europe canton. His eyes showed wisdom and years of experience. The holo displayed his head, chest and shoulders. The two meter tall man wore his thick, white hair at a length just below his shoulders, arranged with two golden clips at the temples. His rank insignia in gold was placed on his left breast, while the right displayed the wings of Fleet Tactical Command.
As he recognized the faces on his holo, he produced a broad smile.
»I’m pleased to see that the comm connection works well,« he began in his slight northern German accent, nodding at Daralamai and Arkroid.
»Same here, Admiral,« Nok replied happily. »Congratulations to you on your new position. I never thought I’d be able to send my regards in this manner. It’s amazing! We’re talking over a distance of thirty astronomical units with no time delay. This technology is unbelievable!«
Friedberg smiled, satisfied.
»Actually, the connection from my office to the comm-central here is slower than the tachyon link to Triton. Unfortunately, we only have a limited number of these amps available. I’d put these things on all our ships if I could! … Well, the Techno-Ferry has produced enough units that we can communicate with Mars, the Moon and the most important outer bases. All other comm-links will still be run the conventional way. And by interfacing the new technology into our general comm-systems, we achieve much faster throughput. The efficiency has increased exponentially,« Friedberg explained, displaying some smaller holo insets of the new connection routings.
Arkroid stepped a bit closer to the camera.
»Admiral, since the comm-link has been tested successfully, my crew and I will continue our mission toward the Second Retreat. As long as the Dimensional Shield has not been reactivated, you’re pretty safe from detection by galactic outsiders. This will change as soon as the Conceptor activates the shield – as will the security situation in the solar system,« Arkroid warned.
»We’re as ready as we can be, Mr. Arkroid. All available Hawks have been deployed to the outer ring,« assured Friedberg. »It’s just too bad that we don’t have combat cruisers available at this time. The Solar Wind won’t be combat ready for a couple of weeks. The Blue Moon will remain in the Neptune System until further notice while the Dust Devil will be revamped as a torpedo carrier and ready for duty ASAP.«
Nok Daralamai thanked Friedberg for his assistance.
»I hope we won’t really need the battle cruisers, at least as long as everything remains quiet here.«
»I agree, Commander,« Friedberg told her amiably and disconnected the link.
Only in standby mode
The Techno-Ferry habitually changed its size and accommodations to meet the needs of the m
ission. With the increased crew, it had adjusted and expanded.
Nautilus, as the Techno-Ferry was now called, had become a perfect sphere that slowly ascended into space.
»I have received destination coordinates from Kuster~Laap, and I’m preparing to enter the center tachyon track,« the ship announced, waiting for the execute command from Arkroid. »We are virtually invisible on this track – most civilizations cannot detect us there.«
»Very good, thanks,« Arkroid replied, leaned back and looked around.
The control central had changed into a larger room with a circular command desk. Everyone could see each other and could communicate directly. The desk’s center had a built-in holo display with flight information and other important data constantly displayed. Nautilus picked up speed and Triton fell behind swiftly.
Arkroid was well aware that he was only the ship’s commander, not the pilot. Steering the ship and navigating it through the galaxy up to the ship’s soul.
Kuster~Laap didn’t pay much attention to the ZyClonians who were as usual standing beside him. He watched closely the ship’s preparations to enter the tachyon track.
›I’d like to know how these three guys teamed up,‹ Arkroid thought.
Vasina was sitting beside Voit Masgur. It seemed that she felt close to Masgur, with his golden eyes and Progonaut lineage. Paafnas was sat beside Arkroid but was talking excitedly to Lai Pi. He seemed pleased to tell him everything he wanted to know about Pleunat. Only Maya Ivanova sat silently, pondering, at the round desk. She seemed depressed.
»Everything okay?« Arkroid asked worriedly.
»No!« she replied sharply, and nodded toward the Chiropter. »Since Nautilus is handling the flight, I think we should talk.«
Kuster~Laap turned his head to Maya. He seemed unsure of himself, as his flattening ears and unusually deep voice showed.
NEBULAR Collection 4 - Second Reserve: Episodes 17 - 21 Page 8
