»You’re more or less living in a state of symbiosis?« Nuri asked.
Hassan didn’t answer.
»You don’t need to answer, I know it. I can see it in your aura, remember? A first, I thought your aura is coded, which is probably still true since the mechanical-technical part is deeply connected to your body and mind. I don’t think, however, that it’s just a simple interface method between body and implants. When I saw these sensor tentacles grow from your fingers for the first time, I knew that the connection was much more delicate and far reaching, all the way to your DNA.«
Hassan looked Nuri in the eyes making her feel as if he was looking deep into her soul.
»You also have very special abilities, but you’re still considered Human. I try to understand what’s going on with me and what this all means. Yes, I have changed, but I still feel Human. I hope you can believe me,« Hassan defended.
»Let’s go, we need to keep going,« Nok pushed, this discussion wasn’t going anywhere.
Her destination was the high security section of the base where the neuronal main frame and holographic memory banks were located.
They walked through the walls by means of Hassan’s abilities for over an hour.
»Why is this such a drag?« Nuri asked as they came to a food supply depot. »Can’t we move inside a temporal field and be faster that way?«
»That’s not so easy, Nuri,« Hassan admitted. »It takes a lot of mental energy to uphold three individual temporal fields. I’d be risking losing control and then suddenly we’re surrounded by Moxantans. At this point in time, I cannot pool my abilities or combine them. I cannot yet interact between the normal time and the temporal shifted time constants. Even if we’re inside a temporal field, a closed door or airlock would be a major challenge for me. I’d need to leave the temporal field to open the door, becoming subjected to normal time again with its dangers.«
Hassan fell silent for a moment and looked at the airlock, the only access to the room.
»They found us!« he announced aloud over the humming sound of the opening airlock.
»Take cover!« Nok commanded.
Together they quickly ran to the other side of the room and took cover behind a large piece of equipment.
The airlock hadn’t fully opened, though a group of Moxantans stormed through the widening gap of the door halves just the same. They rapidly took positions along the wall with confidence.
»We know, you’re here! A drone detected you! Come forward and we might spare you!«
»These are charges under the command of General Mindbreaker!« whispered Nuri in alarm to Nok. »Their auras …«
»… taste sweet-sour! I understand,« Nok replied. She signaled Nuri and Hassan to remain calm and then came out into the open from their hiding place. The Moxantans would find them anyway.
»I count five Moxantans,« Nuri whispered.
»Six! One is hiding behind a heat exchanger and is aiming his weapon at you, Commander,« Hassan corrected Nuri.
»We don’t know how you escaped the last time, but this time it will be different! Tell your companions to come out too!« a Moxantan snarled aggressively. »Throw out your weapons first if you have any.«
»They want to kill us …,« Hassan warned and began to concentrate.
»No!« Nok hissed at Hassan. »No temporal fields this time! We need to clean this mess up, once and for all. Their weapons, Hassan, deactivate their weapons!«
Hassan nodded and stepped away from the equipment he had been hiding behind. The Moxantans stared at him, suddenly their weapons dissolved into dust and smoke in their hands.
Shocked, the troop’s leader commanded through growls, »They’re using a secret weapon! They’re openly revolting against the Circle! Kill them!«
Quickly, the awkwardly looking Moxantans jumped forward and over large equipment with unexpected ease. Within seconds, Daralamai, Khalil and Jawa were surrounded. A hand-to-hand struggle ensued which the Moxantans visibly enjoyed to the fullest while bellowing their battle cries.
›These beings are ill!‹ Nok thought and dodged a trunk of one of the attackers, aimed at her face.
The Moxantans’ physical superiority became clearer. They were able to throw painful punches with their trunks while using their bodies like rams.
Hassan yelled a warning to Nok, who instinctively ducked, avoiding another trunk that swooshed over her head. Two Moxantans attacked Hassan, trying to throw him on the floor. When the Moxantans touched Hassan they instantly fell to the ground and began rolling and writhing in pain.
Nok received a strong kick and was thrown off to the side, just as she pulled her weapon. She slammed into the wall. Blood trickled down from a new cut on her forehead. Through dazed eyes she could make out an attacker rearing back an iron rod, preparing to pummel Nuri.
»HASSAN!« Nok yelled.
Khalil quickly followed Nok’s gaze to Nuri and realized the danger. Before the Moxantan could execute his attack, an energy shield formed around her head, field transparent, almost like a soap bubble. As the Moxantan followed through, hitting the energy bubble, a bright discharge flash occurred, travelling along the iron rod to his trunk, burning it to charcoal. Screaming with pain, the Moxantan stopped his attack, looked at his trunk stump and staggered away. Nuri stumbled from the jolt and was immediately attacked again by another Moxantan who slammed his trunk in her back.
›Defend yourself, girl!‹ Nok thought in irritation while trying to find her weapon on the floor.
A sudden flash made her freeze. A needle thin laser beam hit her in the left shoulder – a through-and-through! One of the Moxantans had found her weapon on the floor and figured out how to use it.
Nok felt weak and went down to her knees.
›Don’t lose consciousness, not know!‹ she thought in panic.
As Nok was falling into deep darkness, she saw Nuri standing, calm and fully concentrated, surrounded by Moxantans …
Fly my little babies
»If we ever make it back, I don’t want to see a single snow flake for months!« Bondifar cursed while finding a comfortable position on his sled.
»What’s wrong with you. Isn’t this a nice day?« Tiller Hosch mocked and pushed his sled forward down the slope toward the circle center.
The team made good progress following the tracks of the aliens and their robots through the snow. Their camouflaged suits made them nearly invisible against the white backdrop. Their sleds possessed silent propulsion systems, delivering a speed of up to thirty-five kilometers per hour. This time, however, they crawled at a speed of two.
»We need to get closer!« reminded Main as he watched his weather display. »The wind got stronger! I think a storm is coming in. Damn … I’d hate that!«
»We’ll get as close as possible, Boss,« Hosch announced.
The team stopped from time to time and allowed the snow to cover them up. As the robots moved so did they, keeping a safe distance all the while.
»I don’t get it, Boss,« Bondifar complained. »Why do we have to deliver the small packet on a silver platter? Isn’t there a better way?«
»Sure,« Hosch agreed. »They could’ve delivered it by air mail, together with a bomb, what do you think?«
»Gentlemen, people at a much higher pay scale where racking their brains over this problem,« Main countered. »We should be worried about what’s brewing above our heads.«
The men were looking up to the sky and saw a strange cloud formation, being fed form all directions. The clouds looked l like eddy currents, funneling downward, pointing exactly at the circle center.
»Hosch, this is not normal. Check this out with your computer,« Main suggested.
Tiller Hosch went to it scanning the clouds. He fed the information directly to his mobile computer and waited a moment for the analysis.
»I’m not a weather frog, you’re right, this is not normal!« he announced. »There’re high velocity air masses in the upper regions, which are descending fast. This ph
enomenon is uncharacteristic for this area. If it weren’t for the swirling clouds, we probably wouldn’t even see it. The funnel points exactly at the landing zone center.«
»What do they want to achieve?« Main asked puzzled.
»Look at the temp indicator on your wrist unit,« Bondifar suggested. »The temperature has fallen by five degrees Centigrade already!«
»They’re lowering the temperature in this region, much lower than we would find this time of year,« Main concluded.
»Are they manipulating the weather on purpose to suit their needs?« Bondifar asked worried.
»Seems that way,« Hosch replied. »I think that the spindles are triggering this change. They’re not only transporters, but also some crazy weather makers.«
»You don’t think that the bolide causes this?« Main inquired. »The ship is right above us in orbit.«
»I wouldn’t rule out an interaction between the bolide and the spindles, we don’t know enough about Frigonan technology,« replied Bondifar dryly.
»I don’t like it, what these pricklish people are doing,« Hosch grimaced. »They’re raping our planet! This will cause a major climatic chaos!«
»Pull yourselves together, guys. Let’s concentrate on our mission. I bet, our experts are on to it already, it can’t be missed,« Main reminded them.
Slowly, the men advanced toward the pyramid igloos, while columns of robots passed by at a distance, slowing down their approach. Sometimes they waited motionless until the strange work robots, which were moving on their thin spider-like legs with snowshoe feet, had passed.
»I’m losing it!« Bondifar announced. »They’re wearing snowshoes!«
The types of robots varied. Some were spherical others were squarish or rectangular with tools or long arms protruding from their torsos. Main wasn’t able to classify the different types of seemingly specialized robots.
»Boss, our mission parameters are improving. Just wanted to let you know that the wind speed decreases the closer we come to the village,« announced Hosch.
»Like in the eye of a hurricane,« Bondifar added. »The down drafts are stronger at the edge of the zone as compared to the center. I think, we’ve got a good chance now to place our objects.«
Sawyer Main sighed relieved and pulled out a small pressurized cylinder, while Hosch and Bondifar watched him attentively.
»That’s it?« Hosch asked disappointed. »That’ll take out the robots?«
»I don’t know,« Main replied. »Let’s hope it does the trick!«
Main opened the cylinder valve and pointed it toward the village. A slight hiss indicated that the cylinder discharged, but Main couldn’t see what it was.
Hosch and Bondifar became restless. Bondifar checked his instruments, but couldn’t detect anything.
»Boss, we came here for nothing?« remarked Hosch nervously.
»Everything is okay,« Main replied satisfied. »Our Fifth Column is on its way! One moment … there, look at your displays … you should see the picobot signatures … now.«
Main synchronized the teams’ display units.
Suddenly, a thin cloud of dots became visible on their displays which targeted the first robot.
»Fly my little babies, fly!« Main commented, through devilish laughter, as the cloud of the picoscopic army drifted toward the alien bastion.
»Picobots?« Hosch whispered fascinated. »I always thought they call them nanobots.«
»Our scientists at Uluru Station send their regards. This is a new generation of these beasts, smaller, more intelligent and much more dangerous,« Main explained.
The three men followed the flight of the picobots as they settled on the targeted robot to be carried into the inner zone, suddenly the signals died …
»What the fu …,« Hosch cursed.
Main understood the disappointment and tried to explain, »That’s normal. The picobots’ transmitters are limited in range. The robot is moving toward the core and will have contact with other ones in a moment.«
»What happens now?« asked Bondifar.
»We wait! It’ll take about an hour until we can see the results. These picobots are specially designed to cause as much destruction as possible; they multiply like mad and die off without a trace after the job is done. We can only hope that the Frigonans don’t know such warfare. If the picobots are unsuccessful, they’ll self-destruct,« Main explained.
»Alright, but what if they fail …?« Hosch inquired.
»… then we need to get our frozen asses out of here as quickly as possible,« Bondifar answered for Main.
Main chuckled for a moment before remarking dryly, »Somehow, I knew, you Merinians had a seventh sense …«
New orders from Friedberg
Jonathan Friese and Digamber Chopra waited patiently for the hangar gates to close before they entered the rotation module where the Hawk had docked.
»This Hawk looks much different than the old versions,« Digamber commented which caused Friese to grumble. »This is a sure sign that we’re out here for much too long and lost contact with the real world. Hmm, this must be a Nova Hawk. Better designed and equipped.«
The pilot saluted Friese from his cockpit and opened the airlock.
Three people disembarked and swiftly walked with their light luggage toward Friese and Chopra.
A young, dynamic looking man led the small group, saluted before Friese and said, »Scientific special team, requesting permission to board the ship.«
Friese smiled.
»Permission granted! This is my First Officer Digamber Chopra and I am Commander Friese. Welcome on board,« Friese replied, the friendly smile lingering on his face.
»I am Viktor Senitschko, the personal advisor to Admiral Friedberg who sends his regards.«
»Huh, the old brass ass made it up the ladder, eh?« Friese grinned. »Thanks for the greetings, much appreciated. My first officer and I are wondering why he sent you to me?«
Senitschko didn’t answer Friese’s question and introduced the other team members instead.
»These are my colleagues Teun van Velzen and Banduk Oodergoo from Uluru Station.«
Friese squinted briefly as he heard the name Oodergoo.
»I’ve heard about you, Mr. Oodergoo. You defeated the Globuster Lord.«
»You’re correct, Sir,« Oodergoo replied and extended his hand for a handshake. »This mission might be even more important for the survival of the Solar Union.«
»I’m astonished, Mr. Oodergoo. We’re at your service and especially to my old friend Friedberg. I’m just wondering how we can be of help with our old bucket. We’re understaffed, not combat ready, the ship has seen better days and is not really …,« Friese cleared his throat, »… up to the latest standards. Well … yes, my conventional comm-equipment is top-notch, but the rest …«
»That’s not our concern,« Senitschko replied quickly while Chopra sighed with relief. »How many crew members are on board the Paradise Bird?«
»Together we are twenty-two men and women on board. Most of them are space cadets. They’re either at their stations or in their quarters. We didn’t announce your arrival according to the security message,« Chopra explained. »The crew wondered, however, why they had to clean the ship top to bottom.«
»Perfect!« van Velzen nodded. »We don’t want to scare the bee hive.«
»There’s already a lot of excitement, »Friese clarified. »The cadets know what’s going on in the Solar System and are eager to throw out the intruders. I’m old and experienced enough to evaluate the situation correctly. Open warfare will only lead to our demise. I hope that your plan is of a different nature.«
Viktor Senitschko smiled,
»Friedberg described you correctly, Commander. I’m looking forward to working with you, but let me first inspect your equipment. We only have a very small window of opportunity.«
Oodergoo handed over a sealed holo cube to Friese, who looked at it surprised.
»What’s this?«
»Thes
e are your new orders from Friedberg. The Paradise Bird will leave its position immediately and fly to the coordinates contained in the holo cube,« Oodergoo explained firmly. »Time is of the essence. Read the orders and let’s hope that the Paradise Bird can perform as expected.«
»Well as a relay ship, yes, of course, what else do you think?« Friese looked at Chopra. »All my systems are go.«
»Well …,« Oodergoo scratched his head for a moment, »… please, interrupt all data transfers and let us use three terminals to interface with your main frame. We need to modify the computer for our mission.«
»What? You want me to interrupt the comm-links to our outer bases? Are you people out of your minds?« Friese complained.
»Exactly, Commander. Please, read the orders in the holo cube. I assure you that everything will make sense,« Senitschko assured.
Friese swallowed hard and resigned himself to the new situation.
»Digamber will show you the ship first, then your quarters. You can find me in the command central,« Friese excused himself, holding up the holo cube. He left the hangar cursing under his breath in Low-German.
Hungry parasites
At first, she felt a flood of pain then warmth before finally coming to. Nok Daralamai’s eyes focused. The heat came from her right shoulder, lapping like waves over her entire body.
She opened her eyes and took a deep breath.
›I’m alive!‹ she thought with relief.
Her eyes were still foggy. Moments later, she saw Nuri’s face above her.
»Please, try to relax, you’re not quite ready yet,« Nuri said and pushed Nok down softly.
»You pulled me back from the dead?« Nok asked weakly.
Nuri nodded, embarrassed.
»The shot itself didn’t harm any vital organs and went through your shoulder, but the shock almost killed you.«
»How do you feel?« Nok heard Hassan’s voice from off to the side.
NEBULAR Collection 4 - Second Reserve: Episodes 17 - 21 Page 31
