NEBULAR Collection 6 - The Great Tremor: Episodes 27 - 30

by Thomas Rabenstein

  You just let her go?

  A clear thought shot through his mind … but it wasn’t his!

  He looked around and now focused his thoughts toward the unknown source.

  Yes! Because, she’s as unreal as everything else around me. I’m going to find out what’s wrong with my world!

  They’ve doubled in numbers

  Through a thick window, Nok, watched the rescue team unloading the “medicine balls” into the hangar. Instead of carrying them, the team rolled them through the hangar. As soon as all of the alien objects had arrived inside the hangar, the team leader closed the gates and began establishing the pressure equalization process.

  Scorge had attested that the Fronites were able to survive under a minimum of ten percent of oxygen supply. The normal base pressure and oxygen mixture must be like a stimulant to these beings. The first Fronite reactions occurred after the pressure equalization had reached Mars level. Several loud bangs followed each other, which made Nok think that explosions had happened inside the hangar, but there were no explosions the loud sounds came from the balls which seemed to burst open.

  »They’re bursting!« Nok shouted surprised while Nuri Jawa smiled.

  »Scorge was right. It’s something like a safety suit. Look! There are extra-terrestrial beings inside these suits … and they’re alive.«

  Nok held her breath as she saw the first Fronites crawling from their suits.

  Humanity had slowly adapted to seeing different galactic beings, but this was still a bit strange.

  The extra-terrestrials were about knee high, standing on three tentacle-like, flexible legs. These legs formed a single pliable strand at the top which supported their icosahedral torso.

  The Fronites gathered in a strange formation which resembled a hexagon, where at the edges, they all kept the same distance from each other. Moments later, they began staggering, following the same rhythm as if dancing to a mysterious musical composition.

  »What are they doing?« the hangar chief asked. »Is this some sort of a square dance?«

  Nuri smiled and watched them attentively.

  »Don’t know. Maybe that’s the way the say thanks.«

  Nok stared at the aliens and tried to make comparisons. Somehow these bodies seemed familiar.

  »They look like overgrown phage viruses. Don’t you think,« Nuri suggested. »Their bodies resemble a capsid. Nature plays in mysterious ways. It’s pure coincidence, I think.«

  Frowning, Nok, pondered for a moment.

  »Regardless, I want the hangar to be isolated from the base. The Fronites will get what they need, provided they can communicate with us. Maybe the Trox scientists can help us with the communication.«

  »You don’t want to be present when we establish the first contact?« Nuri asked.

  »My place is here inside the command central. There are thousands of ships out there that need my attention. I think, I can trust you with the Fronites. I just wanted to make …«

  »… sure that the base is safe.« Nuri completed Nok’s sentence.

  Nok nodded.

  »Do we know more about Hassan?« Nok quickly asked before Nuri went.

  Nuri’s eyes wetted. Hassan’s fate was close to her heart.

  »He fell into a self-induced coma. We can trust him. I think he fights an inner conflict from which he will come out on top when he wakes up.«

  »Inner conflict?« Nok asked surprised. »You like him very much. I know that. Don’t forget, however, that Hassan is no longer a true Human. There’s another side to him, something we don’t quite understand yet.«

  »You mean that side that makes sensor wires grow from his fingertips or when a heavy steel airlock suddenly vanishes in fog?« she asked. »Is this why he’s under heavy security instead of being in the sickbay?«

  Nok noticed Nuri’s scolding, but didn’t respond to it.

  »I mean that part inside him that is probably stronger than his Human side,« Nok explained instead. »I’m still trying to make sense of what he wanted to say before he collapsed.«

  »He sensed something. He wanted to warn you. It is somehow connected with the Great Tremor. I wish you were able to taste his aura; it was like a bright warning sign.

  »So, you also believe that this catastrophe, which the Chiropters warned us from, is eminent?«

  Nuri didn’t need to answer. Nok could read the answer in her eyes.

  »Sorry, Ma’am,« the hangar chief interrupted. »I think we have a problem with our visitors.«

  Nok looked over her shoulders and looked at the hangar scene with wide eyes. The rhythmically moving Fronites seemed to have doubled in numbers. They occupied the same space, but the distances between each of them had filled with extra bodies.

  »Count them!« Nok commanded.

  The hangar chief nodded and checked his terminal

  »They’ve doubled in numbers. We recorded the event. It went so quick, that we couldn’t follow it with our eyes. All I know is: they don’t waste time when it comes to replication!«

  Nok became tense and turned to Nuri.

  »I need to talk to Scorge about this matter and get an overview of who else has arrived in our sector. Try to make contact with the Fronites and let me know when Hassan awakes.«

  Show me … all of it

  Ramir walked into the library, determined to end this charade. He ignored the grim-looking warrior statues and went right to the study carrels. His usual place was unoccupied as were all the others.

  Strange, he thought and activated the holo projector. Since, he was alone; he selected the speech interface for his queries. Normally, the study hall was always quiet. This time, however, his voice filled the big room.

  »Show me a list of all extra-indian visitors who are currently on the planet,« he commanded.

  »There are no registered visitors in Kalmot or the other cities on India,« the terminal replied via the speech interface.

  Ramir rubbed his nose.

  »You’re wrong! Your data lacks consistency. I saw the stranger myself today … two times!«

  »There are no visitors registered on India,« the terminal replied monotonously. »My data was never inconsistent. I can locate every person at all times.«

  No, you can’t, he thought defiantly and tried a different approach.

  »Find the following extra-Indian species: Tall muscular build, strong hair growth, partially in the face, upright walk, slightly protruding forehead, archaic looking armor, possibly made of organic materials.«

  The terminal needed a second to supply the answer.

  »The description partially fits to the Gnobodans, however, they possessed four arms and walked in a stooped way.«

  »Gnobodans?« Ramir said mutedly. »I’ve never heard of this civilization. Why are you talking about them in the past tense?«

  »The Gnobodans were annihilated by the Croxon supernova 1,024,893 years ago,« the terminal responded.

  Ramir shook his head.

  »I’m not interested in archeological data. I’m looking for a stranger who almost looks like a Progonaut and lives amongst us.«

  »There’s nobody on India who fits your description.«

  »I’m no longer trusting your omniscience!« Ramir raged. »I think you can’t help me!«

  »I was built to answer and solve complex and sophisticated problems. Your questions overwhelm my knowledge base.«

  Ramir huffed.

  »I need to get my answers somewhere else. You can end this session.«

  Before the terminal shut down it replied, »Perhaps it is because I haven’t received any useful entries over the years. My databanks are re-generative, I don’t lose data or knowledge, however, missing data exchanges denotes stagnation. I was created to learn and to forward my knowledge but not to fall into lethargy,« the terminal explained.

  Ramir drew a long breath.

  »What do you mean by that? You are receiving millions of data quants every second from Kalmot, the entire planet and the colonies …« />
  Ramir paused and remembered the erratically functioning machines he had encountered in the morning. He became suspicious.

  »Tell me the time stamp of your last received entries and also tell me what they were about!« he commanded.

  »The last entries received came from Shanthier a sovereign 987,000 years ago,« the terminal replied within two seconds.

  »There we have it! You just acknowledged that there is something not in order with your central processing unit. Shanthier is ruling today, not in the past!«

  »The time stamps of my holographic data entries are correct and exact,« the terminal replied.

  »All right then,« Ramir accepted. »I’ll show you that there has been an error. What was the topic under which the data of our ruler was archived? It should be a current report as you can see.«

  This time, the terminal needed ten seconds to supply the answer.

  »I’m sorry about the delay. Some of the data had to be restored and defragmented. The last entries by Shanthier dealt with the Great War against the Dark Brotherhood, the elimination of our fleet and the fall of India. One entry contains the speech to the people of India before the fall.«

  Ramir straightened abruptly as he heard the words.

  »Nonsense! What war are you talking about? Our fleet was never destroyed. India hasn’t fallen; on the contrary, there’s never been a threat. Everybody can see this with their own eyes. Just look around outside the library.«

  »I possess documentation and picture material regarding India’s last day,« the terminal revealed. »Do you want to see it?«

  Ramir paled. His worst fears seemed to come true. Something appeared really wrong with his life and the planet. A deep fear tried to overwhelm him.

  »Show me … all of it!« he bellowed and slumped in his seat.

  He couldn’t believe what he saw.

  They owe you one

  »Let me give you some advice … free of charge,« Scorge snorted as Nok entered the command central. »Lower the oxygen supply inside the hangar or the Fronites will flood your base in no time.«

  Nok squinted and walked over to the space surveillance console. Hundreds of ships had landed on Triton, scattered around the base. The different ship types were still distinguishable. The small moon had quickly become a makeshift space port

  A space surveillance specialist was standing beside Nok. She was about two meters tall and had to look down on Nok as she addressed her, »We were able to distinguish between fifty-four different classes, not considering differences in size. There seem to be different ship classes among the same people. Our observations are based mainly on construction features and anomalies. Most of the ship cells possess complex structures, much more exotic than our Pulsar Class cruisers. It took a while for our main computer to establish a catalogue and data base. Each ship has been issued an ID tag and number. We’ll know immediately when new ships arrive. We counted 31,236 ships in the Neptune Sector including the ones on Triton and the other moons around Neptune.«

  Nok scanned the holo-foil and then stepped before the main display. The holo was still showing Scorge’s abode. She was certain that he could see her. A universal translation module had been interfaced to enable a good conversation between the pyramid ship and the base.

  »It looks as if were dealing with fifty-four different species?« she asked Scorge.

  Scorge was sitting on his seat pillow, slurping and mashing some mushrooms; he took his time answering Nok. He seemed to be brooding over something.

  Nok was irritated and didn’t know if Scorge was ignoring her or if he was absent minded for a moment.

  »Where are these ships coming from?« she tried again.

  Scorge finally reacted and sat up.

  »There are probably less than fifty-four species, maybe more, who knows? Why is that important? Do you boney duopeds have some sort of urge for tidiness? Is that an evolutionary trait? Did your early females always count berries and fruits and with that put down the foundation for this genetic mould? Is this the reason that you still need to categorize and group items?«

  Nok gasped and wanted to reply harshly, but Scorge continued, »It’s your fault! You caused this fleet to follow me to the Solar System.«

  »Our fault?« Nok asked not believing her ears.

  »Not you or the people on this tiny moon,« Scorge corrected. »Toiber Arkroid asked me to bring the prisoners of Morgotradon’s world back to their home-worlds. Because of that, your name and deeds became known throughout the galaxy. The message of the freed prisoners was simple: A civilization of duopeds is revolting against the Dark Brotherhood, which is threatening our entire galaxy!«

  Scorge chortled and looked like an oversized serving of wobbling jello.

  Many of these freed individuals were dignitaries of their respective people. As we brought them back to their home-worlds, we noticed that twins had been put in their places in most cases. These cloned twins had usurped leadership roles of their civilizations.«

  Scorge paused for a moment to slurp more mushrooms.

  »There were the odd disputes. Some were violent and ended in the deaths of these usurpers. The freed ruler of the Hosposans, usually a very likable reptilian leader, skinned his doppelgänger and threw him into a hot sulfur geyser. Not a pleasant sight, believe me …«

  »You’re talking about agitators,« Nok injected quickly, »identical copies of people which served as a fifth column, as we would say on Earth. Morgotradon tried to do the same with us.« We were able to find his agent and arrested him. He now serves his sentence inside a high security prison on Ceres.«

  »They were conditioned clone-twins, which acted on behalf of these unknown invaders,« Scorge explained with disgust. »This happened on many worlds. It didn’t need much more evidence to alert the affected people. However, this fleet only represents a small number of civilizations enslaved under Morgotradon. Not all of them were able or wanted to leave their home-worlds and follow the Shwakan lead to this solar system.«

  »I think, we were lucky then,« the scanner officer murmured sarcastically, only to catch a scolding glance from Nok.

  »Even though, I can follow your stories, it still doesn’t explain why so many ships ended up here with us,« Nok pushed.

  Scorge seemed to have plunged a little in surprise.

  »Uh, Human females are so insistent,« he criticized. »Not all people wanted to wait out this catastrophe that the Klonk-Priest were whispering about for generations. As much as these galactic quacks and End-Time prophets always limited my happiness hormones with their prognoses, I must admit that they heralded an upcoming event of grand proportions. Many people were concerned about the numerous bad news from the other side of the galaxy.«

  Scorge re-arranged his seating position with a wave-like movement before he continued, »Recently, a Caravan Scout ship appeared in the Trikolum Sector and deployed tachyon radio buoys. The messages demand to leave that sector immediately. This sector is inhabited by five advanced civilizations! I don’t want to forget to mention that your dimensional shield is emitting strongly into the tachyon frequency band like a beacon. It almost looks like a Jodfosian stingerperkel trap! Even pre-tachyon civilizations can detect the shield via secondary emissions. They’re probably wondering what this is all about.«

  Speechless, Nok shook her head as Scorge paused briefly to emphasize his next words.

  »Some came here to help you in the fight against the unknown enemy. There are several reasons for that, depending on which people we’re talking about. It is also based on feelings, many intelligent beings share such as honor, gratefulness even guilt – all that because you Humans freed their respective rulers, despots, chairmen, almighty dictators or kings from Morgotradon’s yoke. How do you say on Earth: They owe you one! Some of these species are taking this very serious and more than that.

  Others joined the fleet because they have no answer to the threat and don’t know how to react; perhaps they’re just fearful and want to avoid conflic
ts. Some of them see you Humans as role models. Most importantly, they’re looking for a safe haven, advice, leadership and support. Some want to assist you, others will just become a burden.«

  Nok leered kindly and thankfully nodded at Scorge, who in turn, began screeching.

  »What a rude habit showing your white, calcium chewing ridges!« he complained about Nok’s teeth. »Schlorian wanderslymes are not far from well tasting multup mushrooms!«

  »What’s he saying there?« a comm-officer asked perplexed.

  »I think, it’s a likeness. He probably wants to say: Where there is light, there is shadow or something like that,« Nok speculated.

  »There’re definitely people inside the fleet which you would categorize as unpleasant. They might still be acceptable as trading partners, but there’re certainly not considered brothers so-to-speak.«

  Nok raised an eyebrow.

  »Why are so many Shwakan ships here?«

  Scorge jumped from his seat.

  »To protect our most important treasure!« he screeched aloud. »Our females!«

  Instinctively, Nok wanted to laugh out loud but maintained her composure

  »I assume that there’re probably envoys of the respective people who want to talk to us or is there somebody who speaks for the entire refugee fleet?«

  »Yes and no,« Scorge replied. »Some could probably take on this role, but won’t and others want to but can’t.«

  »Regardless, I want to welcome an envoy of each species inside our Star Hall. We need to come to an arrangement. There’s a lot to talk about. Can you transmit the invitations to the ships?« she requested.

  »I appreciate the Human desire to take matters in their own hand, to sit together and talk about everything. I had the pleasure to travel with two of your species. The outcome is quite useful at times,« Scorge replied hopping on is seat. »However, it also tells me that you’re still unexperienced when dancing on the galactic parquet, otherwise you would not make such a proposal. It’s bad enough that you took in the Fronites. By the way: did you already reduce the oxygen supply to the hangar?«