»There’re still ships arriving in the Solar System. We’re doing our best to explain the current situation to them, which is not always that easy,« the space surveillance officer announced, almost apologetically. »There’re simply too many, and some don’t understand our messages. I fear that some units have already flown toward the inner planets. It’s a nightmare!«
Nok knit her eyebrows.
»Not all of the newcomers are following our wishes to remain in the Neptune System?«
»Most of them, yes, but there are crews out there who either can’t or don’t want to understand what we’re telling them,« the officer replied, shrugging his shoulders.
This man is overwhelmed and tired, Nok thought. No wonder, I can hardly grasp what’s happening to us right now. Overnight, we have become a lifeline and hope for many peoples. What will occur when the crews suddenly understand that it is quite the contrary? We’re not the safe haven, which they’ve hoped to have found. Will they give up and just take off again, or are they going and run wild? Either way, our world view has changed with the arrival of all these visitors. It will never be the same again.
»It’s okay,« Nok waved her hand. »Send a message to the Union Headquarters, all outer bases and the colonies. We can’t change it anyway. They have to prepare themselves for the unexpected arrival of visitors to Mars, the Moon, and Earth. Just send the message.«
»The tachyon radio communication is currently inoperative,« Hassan said with a painful grimace. Despite the pale shimmering body field that surrounded him like an aura, he could feel the energy of the nearby beacon, which transmitted the countdown with full strength. The Caravans Scouts must have tapped into tachyon space to achieve such high levels of broadcast energy. By activating the beacon they have literally paralyzed any faster-than-light communication within a wide radius around our system.«
Nok looked at Hassan
He’s tired and exhausted. He is sweating, is plagued by an incurable technological infection and yet accomplishes things that no one else can. Whether Hassan will be our downfall and the enemy’s fifth column or the knight in shining armor in the end has not been decided yet. When I look into his Human eyes, then I think I see what he wants to be.
»What is it, Nok? What are you thinking?« Hassan asked.
Nok twitched faintly and said sternly, »Why don’t you read my mind!« she bluntly suggested.
Hassan briefly hesitated, wiped his forehead and seemed to be thinking about her words
»I’m very sorry, I’m not a telepath. At least I don’t think that I can read your mind, even if I could, I wouldn’t do it.«
»Why not?« Nok inquired. Her eyes sparkled. She wanted to maintain an intense eye contact, but something in his eyes irritated her.
»Because of respect,« he simply replied with a wink.
Nok coughed mutedly; otherwise, she didn’t show how much Hassan had just dominated her thoughts.
»Could you not eliminate this beacon, wipe it from the face of the universe, the same way you did with the Original Spark and the Circle generals? Nexus Tor could bring you with the Dragon to the vicinity of the beacon ...«
Nok gazed worriedly at the central holo on which the radiant phenomenon was displayed. It looked as if a new star had risen, shining brighter as the core of a sun.
»I’m sorry. I want to help, but the close vicinity of the beacon makes me helpless, it could probably kill me,« Hasan explained. »I cannot approach this object or even manipulate it with my powers.«
Is he lying to us or is he really incapable? Nok thought and looked around. Her eyes fell on Nexus Tor, the white-haired giant, a hybrid with bright golden eyes. It was certainly not his charisma, which prevented the riots. He has the gift to suppress aggression, perhaps he can also manipulate emotions, but how does he do it?
»Is it possible to destroy the beacon?« Nexus Tor wanted to know who had caught Nok’s glance. »Maybe we need to take an unconventional approach, fly over there and shoot it to smithereens!«
Hassan vigorously shook his head.
»This is not a radio beacon you can just shoot down,« he replied harsher than intended.
For a second, a tuft of sensors grew between his hairs from the scalp and trembled in the air. While Nok, so far as she could, drew back in her seat. Scorch extended some of his tentacles with enthusiastic noises and crawled interested a little closer.
»I had no idea that Humans can also form extrapodes. You never stop learning! You are a strange people! But the man with the protective field is right! It’s an energy matrix, which draws its power from the tachyon continuum. Presumably it’s a man-made space-time defect which leads to a one-directional flow of energy to the beacon. Shooting at the energy matrix is as effective as shooting plasma at your sun.«
Hassan Khalil moaned softly. His extended sensory perception caused him pain.
»Scorge has described it appropriately. It’s an artificially created crack in the continuum, but we don’t need to worry. This galactic transmitter will not shine forever on our doorstep. I see sharp fluctuations in the energy matrix. The emissions become weaker with each cycle. The matrix will probably dissolve itself as soon as the countdown ends.«
»These things don’t last forever,« Scorge added ecstatically.
»A very fascinating and intelligent mechanism,« Nexus Tor admitted. »If the galaxy is actually shaken, then each additional warning is useless.«
»Unfortunately, we can’t receive any news from the outside anymore,« Scorge said nervously. »All communication channels are completely overpowered by the beacon. It is likely that this strong signal even increases the panic in the galaxy, at least on those worlds, where it can be received. What this message causes, I can only guess at. Inevitably it leads to an infinite number of tragedies, even before the actual catastrophe occurs.«
Nok frowned.
»The Caravan Scouts have acted irresponsibly! With a galaxy-wide message of impending doom, they only generate fear and panic. Chaos is the result! It wouldn’t have been necessary, even more ...«
A loud signal interrupted her abruptly. The arrival of a new vessel had been reported. A new identification signal was immediately visible on the space monitoring holo. It flashed dark red, with a course vector pointing at Triton.
»Another ship?« Nok asked.
The officer at the space monitoring console made an affirmative sign and just entered the new arrival into the data bank. A hastily drafted protocol went into effect and a message was sent to the new ship. But when the data from the remote satellite surveillance system was received, the crew became nervous.
Nok noticed the commotion and signaled a scanner specialist to come over to her.
»Does the new ship not follow our orders?«
»Ma’am, the ship follows the orders by the letter. It doesn’t deviate from the course or performs suspicious maneuvers. I’d suggest deploying a Hawk to identify it because the satellite data is confusing,« the officer replied.
Hassan closed his eyes and breathed slowly. He whispered, »I can see exactly what confused our satellites. This is an exceptional visitor.«
Nok anxiously waited for the incoming images and data. The newcomer broke through the solar protection field almost at the speed of light. The satellite data would arrive at the base only a few minutes, perhaps only seconds before the alien ship.
Then the central display lit up. The pictures caused some startling sounds by some members of the command central crew.
Nok jumped from her seat and stared at the alien ship whose shape and contours were not visible. Instead, it was surrounded and enveloped by a burning fireball. It looked as if a bright shining meteor was about to burn up in the dense atmosphere of a planet. A light blue, radiant bow wave of fire appeared in the holo. The ship was followed by a sparkling trail which lasted for a while until it subsided.
»Ma’am!« the scanner officer yelled. »This ball of fire comes directly toward us! What are your orders?«
Nok looked at Hassan, who was still standing, trance-like, in front of the central holo. Nobody paid attention to 40028 who was also coming closer to the holo.
»The burning ship!« 40028 said almost reverently.
»Do you know this ship?« Nok asked. Why does it appear like this? Is this an energy shield? What causes this strong reaction? Is the crew dangerous?«
40028 hovered up and down excitedly and said with a warm voice, »I know neither the crew nor their intentions. I cannot even say, of what nation it is, but I know its meaning! The ship’s appearance is placed as a temporal marker in my memory, as well as the arrival of the big fleet.«
»Can you be more precise, please?« Nok demanded, watching the ship come closer and closer.
»I think that 40028 wants to say that the arrival of the ship is a good sign,« Hassan explained.
»What kind of sign would that be?« Scorge asked. »The stranger should rather check his defense shields. His shield projectors must be functioning erratically. It seems to me as if the ship is going to explode any minute.«
»No, the shields are not malfunctioning. They rather work damn well!« Hassan rebutted and looked at Nok. »This hefty reaction is the result of annihilation!«
»What?« Nok asked surprised.
»You heard right, Nok. The illumination of the defense shields is caused by the impact of particle radiation from our sun and other matter that is distributed throughout space. Whoever arrived here … uh … his ship consists of antimatter!« Hassan concluded.
»The burning ship!« 40028 repeated himself, satisfied. »The timeline is stabilizing itself.«
That’s horrible
Astro-Archaeological Union Command on the Kuiper object Haumea.
It feels strange as if you are walking over a carpet of thin, fragmented, shattered pieces of glass. At each step, the foot sinks a few millimeters into the ground and crushes layers of ice crystals and tiny cavities, which are probably caused by outgassing. If there were an atmosphere on this desolate planetoid, then each step would cause splintering, breaking and bursting noises.
Jonathan Fitz went to his knees, brushed with his gloves across the frozen ground while gently wiping sand and granular stones aside. Directly beneath the thin surface layer of meteorite debris and comet dust a massive layer of ice appeared.
Methane and ammonia, Jonathan Fitz corrected himself. There are just a few places in the Solar System that are colder than this asteroid.
The scientist went about his work with due caution. The edges of the thin layers of ice were razor sharp and could slice through his spacesuit. A minute cut and it was over for him!
A few meters behind Fitz was Stephano Bruno, a research assistant at the University of Johannesburg. He dared to make his first steps on the surface of this large asteroid. Bruno had offered to join the flight to Haumea in support of his professor.
As the last member of the crew, the pilot of the Nova Hawk left the spaceship, briefly checked the propulsion system diffusers and circled the spacecraft. Finally, he sealed the airlock and stepped out of the hard shadows, which the ship threw on the surface. The mission specialist looked around, sought eye contact with Bruno and then tapped at ear level with the index finger against the helmet, indicating to the men to turn on their helmet radios.
»Professor! I think our guard dog thinks we don’t know where the comm-button is ... Professor? Professor!«
»I heard that,« replied Jangrun Tebitt, mission specialist on board the Dragon, assigned to the team by Nexus Tor. »You shouldn’t see me this way. I’m not your guard dog. I’m here to help, in case of unexpected difficulties.«
Bruno ignored the pilot’s words and, with three quick steps, tried to catch up to the professor. The momentum pushed him upward, after which the young graduate cried surprised, »Professor! Hold me! I’m catapulted into space!«
While Jonathan Fitz ignored the cries of his assistant, not even turning around, he kept examining the planetoid’s surface. Jangrun, however, reacted swiftly, grabbed the young man by the waistband, holding him with one hand.
»Lesson number one, particularly for impulsive people like you. On Haumea, you better be moving carefully, slowly and relaxed! The gravity of this cosmic egg, although considerably lower than on Mars or the Moon, is still high enough to keep you on the ground. Provided you do not jump over the landscape like a startled kangaroo! Otherwise, you’ll still fall and damage your suit!« Tebitt lectured.
Bruno apologized mutedly, landed back on his feet and was moving now much more cautiously.
»Professor? Don’t you hear me?« he said. It almost sounded as if he was afraid that loud spoken words might make him lose the ground under his feet again.
As Bruno reached the professor and gently touched his arm, the man paused astonished, turned around with surprise and grinned broadly. His face was clearly recognizable behind the protective visor of his space helmet. Bruno withdrew his hand.
What got into me to take along this klutz? There were more than twenty candidates who would’ve done everything to take his place, but I picked him, Fitz thought amused.
»Why are you tramping through the landscape and disturb this unique picture of silence with your nagging? Can’t you enjoy this magnificent sight, at least for a moment, and suck it up?« Fitz grunted at him. »Whenever Humans set foot on a new heavenly body for the first time, it was an occasion for a celebration of joy, at least a few profound words.«
»Is that right?« Stephano Bruno wondered. »What kind of words?«
Fitz looked up and into the sky of Haumea, where he saw the energetic aura of the solar energy field.
»Well, unforgettable quotes like: It’s a small step for me, but a giant leap for mankind. I think something like this, the first man on the Moon had said.«
»Why should the first step on the Moon have been so significant? It’s only 350.000 kilometers away from Earth. Every small shuttle is capable of ...«
Jonathan Fitz knocked against Bruno’s helmet and gave his assistant a scolding look. »You, however, could think of nothing better than: Hold me! I’m catapulted into space!« he mimicked his assistant. »This way you won’t make history, that much is clear already.«
Tebitt crossed his arms over his chest and followed the conversation of the two scientists in silence. He couldn’t believe his ears.
»You think we were the first intelligent beings to land on Haumea and explore its surface?« Bruno asked, startled.
»I said Humans,« Fitz corrected him. »I’m sure that the odd Globuster was here already.«
The breath of the research assistant was becoming a bit faster. »Fortunately for us, we can be sure that they’re not here right now. The monsters have all gathered on Sedna.«
Bruno paused for a moment.
»You’re sure, right … uhem … Professor?«
Fitz replied with a firm voice, »How can we be sure if no Human has ever placed a foot on this planetoid? Such a statement would be unprofessional and unscientific. I thought you have completed your studies with distinction. Did I teach you to draw such conclusions? Bruno, think logically or do you want me to revoke your diploma?«
»I am a specialist for archeological digs and have not been trained to wrestle Globusters,« rebutted Bruno and looked around insecurely, but there was nothing else to see than a dreary stone desert.
»You would certainly lose,« Tebitt threw in. The mission specialist sounded exhilarated. »Relax, both of you. We actually suspect that all Globusters have retreated to Sedna. Should there be an active Globuster cave around here then I’ll send a message to the Dragon and you make sure not to even come close to that cave. That was the agreement for this mission. I hope you still remember the fine-print and adhere to it. We take no risks. Your only job is to determine the real origin of extraterrestrial artifacts on the Kuiper-planetoids.«
Fitz nodded faintly.
»I didn’t forget, Jangrun. You’re in charge!«
»How can you protect us anyway
, you didn’t even bring a Globusterfist!« Bruno replied harshly, nervously looking around.
Tebbit drew a weapon from his pocket and raised it into the air.
»The newer models are much more manageable than the prototypes. As always, our most important motto is: Avoid a conflict! If we stick to the rules, then nothing will happen us.«
»Since this is clear now, could you please start with the terrain analysis?« Jonathan Fitz asked his assistant with a stern voice.
»What? Now? At once?« Bruno asked surprised.
»Exactly this moment,« Fitz demanded. »Please! This is not a picnic.«
Bruno shrugged and pulled an instrument from the side pocket of his suit. The spectroscope was capable of penetrating the surface to a depth of three meters. The young assistant looked at the display for a few seconds. He repeated his measurements at a location a few meters away and then drew a heavy sigh, before he remarked, »Low-density rocky, stony ground. Presumably, interspersed with countless gas pockets. Haumea is not yet in hydrostatic equilibrium. Its mass is too small. This is the reason why the planetoid has not yet formed a spherical shape and still appears oval. Large cavities underneath the surface are likely. We need to be careful not to break in.«
»Excellent,« Fitz praised. »I already found that out without your newfangled gadgets.«
»We have repeatedly circled the planetoid,« Tebitt reminded the two scientists and raised a holographic board in the air. »We created a raster image of the surface using the Hawk’s sensors. This terrain is relatively safe and just 800 meters away from our destination.
»You see, Professor. It was a good idea to use the technology to ...« Bruno stopped his movements abruptly at the same moment as a he broke through the surface. His right foot was stuck up to the knee.
Fitz ignored the mishap of his cussing assistant who frantically tried to free his leg. Fitz instead looked at the sky. The solar protection field seemed within reach. In fact, its boundary was hardly an astronomical unit away from Haumea.
NEBULAR Collection 6 - The Great Tremor: Episodes 27 - 30 Page 33
