NEBULAR Collection 2 - The Expedition: NEBULAR Episodes 6 - 11 Read online

  Science-Fiction

  The Expedition

  Written by Thomas Rabenstein

  Nebular Collection 2 (Episode 6 - 11)

  Version: 2014-03-23

  Published by SciFi-World Medien

  Concept und storyline by Thomas Rabenstein

  URL: www.scifi-world.de

  © 2014 SciFi-World Medien

  All rights reserved

  Cover by Arndt Drechsler

  Michael Köckritz – Chief translator and coordinator (English)

  The following team has contributed to this issue:

  Norman Riger, Kevin Breen, Tim Anderson,

  Tom Norris, Elmer Margritz,

  Ben Stegner (Test Reading)

  Intro

  The appearance of an aggressive extra-terrestrial species, residing inside the Kuiper Belt, makes Humanity aware that other, entirely strange civilizations and life-forms, exist in the universe. The Soulwalker, also known as the Globuster Lord, is defeated and the Stinger is destroyed. After the Soulwalker’s demise, the Globusters are falling into a stasis and no longer attack the terrestrial colonies. Heads of the Solar Union are assuming that Humanity has become the focal point of a cosmic power which had influenced the development of the people on Earth for a long time. However, not all alien encounters are hostile. Scorge, a Shwakan, visits Earth and trades some much wanted technologies for bio-mass which he wants to trade with other Shwakan traders. In the Globuster aftermath, scientists find a strange object inside a sub-terrain cavern underneath the eternal Antarctic ice. It turns out to be a sarcophagus with a Human-like being inside. The sarcophagus is then transferred to Uluru, Australia for further tests.

  In the meantime, Scorge re-appears after his flight from the Globuster Lord. He needs Humanity’s help! In return for the aid he agrees to help Toiber Arkroid on his quest to undertake ...

  The Expedition

  The Expedition

  Four months after the victory over the Globuster Lord

  Donald Day returned from a difficult task – he had just informed Bill Davis’ relatives of his death.

  The Triton Base commander had returned to Earth with the Pentagon an exchange crew. The pain over the loss of lives was felt everywhere. So many friends had lost their lives in the Globuster battle. People like Banoma Tanomo and the promising young officer David Morgenstern.

  The commander had also arranged for the transfer of several Globusters to Earth for research purposes. The aliens were moved, processed and held under heavy guard. Among them some who had fallen into a state of stasis at the end of the battle. Based on previous experience, the creatures couldn’t be considered dead, but merely incapacitated. The bodies were brought to the highest security sector of the Uluru installation in hermetically sealed and isolated containment cells.

  One of the attacker’s lens-shaped spaceships had been captured mostly intact, and was the source of much excitement among the scientists and technicians. They had magnetically attached it to the Pentagon’s hull and brought it to Earth. An army of experts had been assigned to examine the enemy ship in a well-guarded dry-dock.

  Toiber Arkroid still suffered from the stress of the previous months. He had barely enough time to visit his family in his sub-sea home before returning to Uluru.

  At the twentieth, and lowest, level of the research station, DEA specialists had established an examination center for the extraterrestrial artifacts. Autopsies on the Globuster corpses were being performed around the clock with astonishing results.

  The Globuster organism was silicon based! In addition, the creatures contained a great number of implants. It became obvious that the Globusters were influenced and controlled far more than the scientists had previously suspected. It could safely be assumed that they were under the Stinger’s influence at least in the latter stages of the battle. Researchers discovered that some of the implants were directly connected to the Globuster brain by means of neurobiological interfaces and conductors.

  The specialists determined that one of the implants was responsible for the creature’s killing frenzy, and tagged it the ‘Aggression Module’.

  Arkroid slowly headed for the lowest section – the section where Humanity’s greatest secrets were kept. He had to pass numerous security check points. He submitted to a retinal image scan, which was compared to his counterfeit-proof ID card before Arkroid could enter the room. Then, finally, the heavy airlock slid soundlessly to the side.

  Lost in thought, the Merinian entered and approached a display case protected by armored glass. Inside lie the piece of alien jewelry Pilvi Leukonen had obtained during his escape from the Stinger. It seemed to have saved the researcher’s life. At the least, the scientists believed, the gold-hued comb-like clasp of indeterminable composition had saved him from being taken over again.

  There was another artifact inside the display case, which the rescue team had found kilometers away in the ice. Like the golden clasp, it must have come from the Stinger and had been thrown free by the explosion. Arkroid couldn’t find a blemish on the meter-in-diameter golden shield. Laser measurements of its surface showed that it had not received a single scratch. Nor was there any evidence of charring, though by all rights it should have melted. This was a genuine mystery considering the force of the thermonuclear explosion that had destroyed the Stinger. The shield’s concave back had a u-shaped handle with a contact and an integrated sensor. The researchers were still not clear about the contact’s purpose.

  Arkroid turned away and walked toward another security airlock. The door to the airlock opened automatically after it had scanned Arkroid’s ID card chip from a distance.

  The room was dark at first, the illumination slowly increasing upon his entry. Within lie the most astonishing find of all. It had been found hundreds of kilometers away from the Stinger location, buried under hundreds of meters of ice. Only the happenstance that the ice above the air bubble in which this artifact had been deposited had cracked open made it possible to retrieve it and bring it to Uluru. Immediately on hearing the reports about the find Arkroid had gone to the site and climbed into the icy cave. He still couldn’t believe what he had seen.

  The sarcophagus stood silently before the Merinian. That was what the DEA team called it, but the word failed to adequately describe the object. Its upper side was a transparent, gold-hued substance that permitted a full view of the interior. The container was decorated with alien writing, which resembled that on the golden shield, but seemed different from the symbols on the golden clasp. The sarcophagus’ material had so far shown no reaction to attempts at melting through or cutting as did the round shield. Metallurgists and chemists couldn’t explain it, but only suggested it was an alloy, processed by unknown methods to produce a hardness that couldn’t be fazed even with diamond cutters.

  Arkroid had forbidden using more aggressive methods such as a nuclear cutting torch. He didn’t want to damage the sarcophagus’ contents under any conditions. That would be a tragedy.

  He stepped as close as possible to the sarcophagus and looked inside. He saw a person, more precisely a woman, a fascinating woman, inside. He was mesmerized once again by the look of the fascinating, ethereal stare of her eyes.

  Those eyes! he thought. God, she isn’t Human. He corrected his thoughts. Not entirely, at least!

  Her golden eyes were wide open, staring into emptiness. Arkroid observed her tight fitting, yet magnificent outfit. The unknown woman radiated dignity, and anyone looking at her fell immediately under her spell, as Arkroid himself could testify.

  He had known at once that this
had to be the same woman whose image had been recreated from Sammy Atkins’ memory. The exotic tattoos on her temples were unmistakable. The Soulwalker had left fragments of his memory in Sammy Atkins’ subconscious. Arkroid could not doubt that this beautiful, unknown woman had been responsible for the Globuster Lord’s containment, putting Humanity out of his reach for a long time – almost exactly one million years!

  Arkroid didn’t venture to guess how this woman could have been preserved for a million years, and still appear as vital if it had happened yesterday.

  On close examination it appeared as if she had been frozen in time in the midst of a movement. Her open eyes expressed not only surprise, but also rage and disapproval. She must have been placed into the sarcophagus at the exact moment when she had awakened from her sleep. Arkroid could clearly see single hair strands which had followed a quick movement of her head, now adrift suspended in the air.

  Preserved for eternity, Arkroid thought uncomfortably.

  The researchers had tried in vain to obtain more information about the unknown woman from Atkins or Leukonen. Technicians puzzled over how the mysterious sarcophagus functioned. Some spoke openly about a time field or a time freezer, but these were no more than vague guesses.

  Arkroid had walked around the sarcophagus and come full circle. He stopped.

  She looks like she’s ready to climb out of the sarcophagus any second, he thought with a chill.

  A noise made Arkroid twitch and turn around.

  »This is a weird place, isn’t it?« asked a deep voice.

  »Pi! I didn’t hear you enter,« Arkroid answered reproachfully.

  The systems analyst smiled obligingly and bowed very slightly.

  »I didn’t intend to scare you.« Blinking his right eye, he added, »I’m sorry, Toiber.«

  Lai Pi silently stepped to Arkroid’s side and studied the sarcophagus intently for a couple of minutes.

  Arkroid considered Lai Pi a fascinating individual. His tattoo, resembling a snake slithering from his forehead and over his head and neck was striking enough. In addition, the specialist loved to wear orange clothing, inspiring many to immediately associate him with the Buddhist monks of Southeast Asia, although Lai Pi always insisted not to owe allegiance to any religion. If there was anything he was fully devoted to it was technology.

  Lai Pi had routinely achieved the unbelievable during the Globuster crisis. He had added much to their understanding of the creatures. Lai Pi had provided the key to deciphering the code of the first extraterrestrial message received by SETI, frightening as the resulting picture had been. Arkroid had ordered the specialist back to Earth and assigned him to Uluru. The Solar Union needed the best people on location to deal with their myriad of questions.

  »She’s a genuine beauty and, I think, surrounded by a terrifying secret. She’s without doubt a leader among her people. Seeing her like this, it’s obvious she was an outstanding and respected figure,« Lai Pi spoke softly, almost whispering.

  »Oh, and you can tell all that from your first, fleeting observation?« asked Arkroid jokingly, cutting off Lai Pi’s reaction with a quick hand movement. »Never mind, I’ve thought the same.«

  »I’ve thought about this preservation field. I believe she was enclosed in the sarcophagus for a definite purpose. It was planned from the start, to awake her at the proper time – or to free her from her stasis, as you might put it.«

  Arkroid nodded.

  »Agreed! It seems obvious. Look at her large eyes? They’re open and gleaming moistly. If someday the preservation field is turned off, then the million years in stasis would probably seem for her like a brief moment … blink of an eye, literally. I’m sure she’s alive and only waiting to be freed.«

  »Snow White!« Lai Pi commented dryly.

  »Who?« Arkroid asked astonished.

  »A fairy tale from the olden days. People told it to their children.«

  »Unfortunately, I don’t know that story,« Arkroid answered with regret. »Only one thing is certain – she’s not from Earth, but an unknown Human-like culture.«

  Lai Pi shook his head.

  »How much do we know about our own past? Anyway, it doesn’t matter right now where she’s from, she is here now! That’s what we have to deal with if we’re to solve this puzzle!«

  At the edge of the solar system

  The Blue Moon had assumed position over Triton and watched over the heavily damaged base. The new battle cruiser had relieved the Pentagon after the victory over the Globuster Lord. No further Globuster activities had occurred since then. The Globusters apparently slept on their planetoids once again and stayed out of sight. Even their characteristic trigital signals couldn’t be received anymore.

  The scientists on board the Ryan concentrated on catching extraterrestrial signals through the hole in the Globuster Matrix.

  At Donald Day’s request, the command of the Blue Moon was transferred to Maya Ivanova. She and the majority of her crew had then quickly moved to the new cruiser. Ivanova had personally supervised the armament tests of this new ship and received the oath of allegiance from her new and old crews.

  The two Hawks assigned to the ship, like the new Pulsar Class cruiser itself, possessed stronger armament than any of the older units. The new weapons were able to issue some significant kick, if the need should arise. Humanity would never again face alien invaders and lack defensive capability. There were more than enough reasons to be concerned, as the decoded video messages from the Sirius System clearly indicated.

  Maya Ivanova wore, as usual, her tight uniform as she entered the Blue Moon’s control central to take over the bridge. The officer in charge immediately reported: »The Blue Moon is maintaining a ten hour orbit over Triton. No reports from remote or short range scanners. Battle stations in force round the clock as ordered. Both Hawks are ready thirty. Weapons on standby and ready for action, Sir.«

  »Thank you, Major!« the commander replied with a firm look. »Good work. I’ll take over command – dismissed!«

  That was all the protocol required. Maya Ivanova took a seat in the commander’s chair and went over the log. No unusual occurrences!

  Since the Stinger’s destruction it had been nerve-rackingly quiet, too quiet for her taste. The Globusters were in stasis or lying low although the Matrix was still active. She wished she knew for how long.

  A day, or a thousand years, Maya thought, depressed. If we knew more about the functional principles of Globuster technology then maybe we could second guess them, but not at the present time.

  Triton rotated beneath the Blue Moon and the North Pole, the former location of the IRS, became visible. Many solidified impact craters reinforced to Maya the devastating effect of the Globuster weapons. Nothing was left of the antenna array. Worse was the loss of lives, all of them capable researchers who had remained in the installation to the last second.

  A brief flash of a target echo on the long range scanner screen attracted Maya’s attention.

  »Petrow, take a look at this!« she commanded her first officer.

  The first officer rushed to her side and replayed the data stored in the display’s memory buffer.

  »It’s too clear to be a distortion. The flight vector points toward us. Whatever it is, it’s coming from beyond the Kuiper Belt.«

  There it was again!

  »Commander, we’re receiving unusual impulses. Some of them seem to be reflecting from our ship’s hull. That could be an alien scanner – on frequencies we normally wouldn’t use.«

  Another target echo appeared on the screen and this time it remained visible for more than a minute.

  »Get the actual course vector of the alien object. Is it coming from one of the Kuiper objects? Maybe an active Globuster ship?«

  »Negative,« replied the officer. »The alien object is definitely approaching from interstellar space.«

  With a silent glance at Petrow, Maya pressed the alarm button. Sirens wailed throughout the ship as men and women stood ready
at their station.

  »Hawks ready for take-off!« a voice over the intercom reported. Maya ordered both Hawks into space a few seconds later. Almost simultaneously, ion signatures were detected on Titan’s surface. Two more Hawks climbed upwards from the base. These had also been upgraded. Within a few seconds, the four spaceships had formed an intercept squad, announcing combat readiness.

  »Hail, identify and stop the unknown object!« Maya instructed the squad leader. The cruiser’s propulsion engaged to maximum. The Blue Moon slowly left the Triton orbit, heading for deep space.

  »Set course for target object!« the commander ordered with a firm voice.

  The Blue Moon’s propulsion system thundered and the battle cruiser followed the Hawks at full acceleration.

  »Charge torpedo launch coils! Charge high energy laser accumulators!«

  A deep and growling hum filled the ship – the Blue Moon was gearing for battle.

  Riddle from the past

  »We proved it! The symbols on the shield are identical to those on the sarcophagus. That means that our beautiful stranger and the shield are related at least culturally. However, the clasp doesn’t seem to fit the picture. Not the slightest common denominator,« reported the leader of the examination team.

  Banduk Oodergoo nodded to Arkroid with a broad smile.

  »He’s repeating facts we’ve known for a long time, just to avoid admitting that his team can’t solve this problem.«

  Arkroid tried to remain serious. He knew that Hayes was watching them via the conference link, expecting results, but other than some rustling, nothing came from the receiver. Obviously Banduk had a free rein since the Stinger’s destruction. Lai Pi had trouble restraining his compulsion and offered an unsolicited projection of the decorated clasp.

  »While the team has been trying to make sense of those strange symbols, I’ve taken a closer look at the sarcophagus. Here … ladies and gentlemen, you see a jeweled clasp which perhaps isn’t one at all.«