NEBULAR Collection 3 - Morgotradon: Episodes 12 - 16 Read online

  Morgotradon

  Nebular Collection 3 (Episodes 12 - 16)

  Written by Thomas Rabenstein

  Issue: 2016-12-23

  URL: www.scifi-world.de

  © 2016 SciFi-World Medien Verlag

  Contributors

  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)

  Editor's note

  This book has been revised and numerous small changes have been implemented.

  Among them: human, humanity, human-like, now written as Human, Humanity, Human-like; however, humanoid will still remain according to conventional spelling regulations.

  Reasoning: Since Humanity is seen by extraterrestrials as one Nation, we applied a different convention and capitalized these words as one would expect with words such as: American, French, German, Japanese etc.

  Certain words and terms have been written as one word, although American English would separate these terms. Words like: Air lock, space suite etc. have been combined to airlock, spacesuit because they are in a direct relationship with each other.

  The Terms: home-world, home-planet etc. have been hyphenated.

  Thoughts have a single quotation mark at the beginning and at the end and are printed in italics.

  Reasoning: A thought is a mental form of speech (self-speech, mindreading or mental conversations with telepaths etc.) and should be enclosed in quotation marks to differentiate thought from explanations which are usually written in italic format.

  All the best … to the stars!

  Michael Koeckritz

  Preface

  The Yax K’uk’Mo’s expedition team has learned the coordinates of a central Portal planet from the Myzel. Flying to this mysterious world, though dangerous, is vital because it seems to have a connection to the Dark Brotherhood. Arkroid and his crew fear that another portal is secreted somewhere in the Earth’s solar system – one that the unknown enemy could use to invade Earth and its colonies. Unknown to Arkroid, Triton Base’s new commander Nok Daralamai is facing this very threat. It is up to her to penetrate the veil of the hidden base in Neptune’s atmosphere. Simultaneously, she must watch out for agitators in the system as well as the Globusters, who are suspected to be hiding within the Kuiper Belt.

  Maya Ivanova and her new friend Paafnas are in Morgotradon’s hands in the Crystal Palace. The Pleunatan’s fate is unknown and Maya is faced with an almost hopeless situation. Morgotradon, whom the Treugolans call: The Lord of the World, has revealed his identity to Maya, and seems attracted to her. The Dark Brotherhood’s agent is a near immortal, pursuing strange plans of his own. He wants to make Maya his companion and partner, whether she likes it or not. Maya Ivanova is not very amused ... Morgotradon

  12 - Morgotradon

  Written by Thomas Rabenstein

  He’s insane

  The Crystal Palace

  Maya Ivanova was still in shock. Her new domicile was more comfortable than the Treugolan fortress, but she was still a prisoner. She felt desperate and vulnerable and at a loss to judge her charming captor.

  The Lord of the World had revealed his identity and deactivated his disguise shield.

  Cold showers ran down her spine as she remembered the moment when she saw his cold eyes.

  Golden eyes! The Lord of the World is a Progonaut! But how is that possible? she pondered.

  Like all leading fleet officers, she had been briefed about the Progonauts.

  Unlike Vasina, who had survived inside a temporal sarcophagus, Morgotradon seemed to have bridged the million years differently. Despite his longevity, he appeared young and dynamic; only his eyes displayed a maturity which could not be earned in a Human lifespan. Unfortunately, he didn’t use his experience for good causes. His rhetoric was well constructed, but his actions were cold, unsentimental and devoid of Humanity.

  If he’s really that old, he must have gone insane over the years. There’s no other way to explain his behavior.

  Maya was lying on her back. The bed was big and comfortable. She tried to hide her emotions, the raging volcano of despair that boiled inside her!

  How do I get out of this? How can I warn our people? Are Paafnas and Fosset still alive, or has Morgotradon killed them already? What does he have in mind for me? How am I supposed to take his suggestions?

  Maya Ivanova had trouble concentrating; she felt like she was losing control of her thoughts. Defiantly, she pushed her chin forward and looked around.

  He’s probably watching me. I won’t give him the impression that I’m his weak, insecure concubine or sex-slave! she thought in rage. She got up. It’s high time to inspect my new cell!

  She looked around the luxuriously furnished room. Other rooms, as well as a hygiene cell were connected to this big bedroom, but there was only one exit!

  The luxury reminded Maya of the old castles of Russian Czars. Everywhere in the room she saw expensive looking artifacts and pieces which were probably supposed to give this room a warm atmosphere. The barely visible energy field at the room’s exit spoke a different story. The wall hangings were made of a velvet-like fabric, embroidered with golden glyphs and symbols. Strange looking sculptures of exotic beings in bizarre postures were symmetrically arranged around the room.

  Why did he put all these sculptures into this room?

  Subconsciously, she made connections between the sculptures and the alien world they must have come from.

  Morgotradon calls himself Lord of the World. Is he possibly also the Lord of many other worlds?

  Deep in thought, she walked through the room and touched the walls of her new cell.

  Fine crystal dust! It’s covering the entire room! That’s the same crystal dust the prisoners have to sift from the desert dunes. What’s the secret behind it?

  She couldn’t find a reasonable explanation.

  Maybe it’s just a tick, like the things rich and powerful people do to show off. She clenched her fists. It suits him well. The prisoners don’t mean anything to him!

  Maya intended to ask him about this. She remembered the dead bodies in the other rooms – crystallized. Her co-pilot had met the same fate! Intuitively, she pulled her hands back.

  Perhaps the crystal dust carried an unknown disease? No, I’m sure that Morgotradon has been using these poor beings in the desert fortress for his own ends. It doesn’t make any sense!

  Systematically, she inspected the room, even the hygiene cell, but she could not find any listening devices or other bugs. Nevertheless, she was convinced that Morgotradon was able to watch her without having to resort to such primitive means.

  Once, briefly, she approached the energy field without touching it. Instead, she took a small metal-like cube from a nearby table and threw it into the energy field. The cube evaporated with a flash.

  »You shouldn’t have destroyed the memory cube!« a voice filled the room.

  Maya quickly turned around toward the direction the voice had come from. There was nothing, except an empty holo where the voice seemed to have originated. »The cube could have told you anything you need to know about me and my past.«

  Maya turned toward the energy field and looked at the floor. All there was left of the cube was black dust.

  »Why should I be interested in your past?« she asked loudly.

  »Well … if you’re going to be my partner for the next few thousand years, you should also know my pa
st and where I came from.«

  Almost at the same time, a rotating energy field expanded, producing a copy of the destroyed memory cube.

  »I’ll die before I’ll be your concubine!« she shouted angrily at the energy field and the holo. »I don’t think you understand the situation!«

  »No, it’s you, my dear Human woman, who doesn’t understand. You have no choice in this matter. I can and will make you obey me!« Morgotradon said coldly. »I’d appreciate it, though, if you’d join me voluntarily. Study the memory cube, look at my past and consider well, if the future life I’m offering you is better than today’s.«

  »Why all this then?« she asked guardedly. »If you can force me against my will, then why this effort?«

  »This is how I understand courtship,« he replied softly.

  He’s insane!

  At a distant past

  »Fleet Commander … are you alright?« asked the young Moktuum, interrupting Morgotradon’s train of thoughts. He smiled at the Progonaut, then turned away from the tactical display.

  »Don’t I get a report? What’s happening with the fleet?« Morgotradon asked curtly. He ignored the looks of his command central crew.

  »The emergency jump was successful, Raghoon. The enemy fleet followed our virtual target echo and has probably left the tachyon trail several lightyears away from us!« a Peukoom of the scanner section replied.

  »Then take the Persia and the rest of our units closer to the unknown sun. I don’t want the enemy to find us!« he commanded his pilot, pointing to a flaring sun on the display. His orders were followed swiftly and without delay. The small fleet accelerated under the protection of their disguise shields.

  Morgotradon commanded the fleet of the House of Persia and his flagship. He was desperate, but didn’t reveal his feelings to the crew. He had to remain cool amidst the catastrophe. That was the only way they’d survive.

  Survive this, that’s all! Morgotradon thought. No counter offensive … that’s suicide!

  »Do we know anything more about the weapon they used against us?« he inquired, but the science section only repeated what they already knew. It had been devastating!

  »Our tachyon-based defense shields failed miserably. The unknown weapon penetrated them effortlessly. Nevertheless, we were able to learn …«

  Morgotradon straightened.

  »What did you find out?«

  »The bright light emission which destroyed our ships was caused by antimatter reactions. We could not detect enemy ships firing at us in any conventional sense, so the antimatter charges must have been launched and directed to the targets by different means.

  Means beyond plasma launchers and the like … That kind of technology is far advanced over anything we have! Morgotradon thought, depressed.

  »Have you heard the rumors that were circulating recently?« he asked provocatively.

  »What rumors do you mean? There’re a lot of them making the rounds right now,« one of the scientists asked.

  »Well … the one that says the Dark Brotherhood’s carriers can merely think the bombs into the targets,« Morgotradon replied bluntly.

  »But … but, Raghoon, what do you want me to say to that?« the scientist replied hesitatingly.

  »We know it’s a load of crap,« Morgotradon interrupted the scientist rudely, »but that’s what it looks like! I want to know how they’re doing it … and fast! Without a useful counter measure, we can’t face a new battle … then we might as well fly right into the sun over there!« he pointed at the sun again.

  Mandatt, Morgotradon’s second in command and highest ranking Peukoom, stepped beside him and whispered, »I hope you’re wrong, Raghoon. If they can really send an antimatter bomb by mental power via the tachyon trail into any target they want, then we’re doomed. There’s no defense against that.«

  Morgotradon pulled Mandatt harshly toward him by his arm.

  »Every tactic has a counter tactic and every weapon a counter weapon! We need to understand this technology and develop a superior weapon! It looks like most of the fleet no longer exists and our home planets are under attack. Time is tight!«

  Morgotradon realized, he had momentarily lost his self-control, but breathed slowly and calmed down.

  »Vasina of Atlantika was smart. She left the united fleet just in time. We should have listened to her. It was a perfectly set trap!«

  Mandatt nodded briefly.

  »You’re right, Raghoon!«

  Raghoon … Fleet Commander … I don’t deserve the rank anymore! I was only able to save 2,000 ships from total disaster while I let all our other units be destroyed by the enemy!

  He pulled himself together and looked around.

  »Did you execute my orders? You know that it was the last wish of the Ruler of the house of Persia!«

  »Yes, Raghoon! A small courier ship brought the Jamal-Comb to an unknown solar system and deposited the artifact there. The memory of the two pilots was erased and the ship, together with the onboard computer, was destroyed. Nobody can ever find the Jamal-Comb!«

  Morgotradon looked into Mandatt’s doubting eyes.

  »What do you think, Mandatt?«

  Mandatt cleared his throat before he answered, »Raghoon, don’t we have more important things to do than to hide a piece of jewelry somewhere in the galaxy? I don’t understand it.«

  »It’s okay, Mandatt. I understand what you’re thinking, but rest assured the mission was important and justified. The last words of our ruler were very clear and demanding. He ordered us to save the Jamal-Comb from the Dark Brotherhood. His final orders before he perished with his crew and ship … he sacrificed himself for us!«

  Mandatt briefly closed his eyes. The final battle against the Dark Brotherhood was still fresh in his memory.

  »Yes, Raghoon,« he replied and silently retreated.

  »Let’s concentrate on now and today!« Morgotradon suggested to his crew. »Do we have any details about this unknown solar system we’re visiting, so far?«

  The astronomical section replied almost instantly.

  »This is a very young star, very bright, enveloped with a dense matter cloud. Further out, we detected a gas giant, there are two planets at an orbit close to the sun and in between, we found asteroid rings, dust clouds and proto-planets at a very early stage of development,« a scientist replied.

  »What about the two inner planets?« Morgotradon wanted to know. »Are they suitable for us as a hideout?«

  »Both planets circle the sun on almost similar orbits and have a diameter of about 13,000 kilometers. Their orbits are unstable, and will alter drastically in the relatively near future. They might even collide with each other, or change their orbits due to shifting gravitational forces,« the same scientist concluded.

  »The development of higher level lifeforms is very unlikely under such conditions,« Morgotradon commented. »Send two cruisers to have these planets checked out. The rest of our fleet takes position near the sun!« he commanded. »A small contingent of five ships will take position near the gas giant and scan tachyon space. We don’t need any surprises!«

  His orders were quickly executed. He was still a Raghoon, a fleet commander of the House of Persia. Morgotradon wasn’t willing to give up that easily.

  The Present

  The conference was held at Triton Base under the strictest security measures. The number of participants was restricted to Nok Daralamai, Igor Petrow and his first officer and Karl Jörgmundson, who was linked via a secure comm-link from the Ryan. Some additional key members of the science section and high officers of the fleet base on Triton had also been invited. Nok Daralamai had ordered the conference to be recorded, but not transmitted to the Solar Union Government. It was unclear to Petrow why Commander Daralamai had issued such a restriction.

  Nok Daralamai was leafing through the holographic foils before she placed them on the round table. She briefly looked up into Petrow’s eyes.

  »I see that the Blue Moon is still maintaining radio silen
ce. That’s good, Petrow. I’m very satisfied with your crew’s discipline.«

  Petrow nodded respectfully.

  »I can understand your precautions under the current circumstances. Everyone onboard my ship will follow these orders to the letter, even though the radio silence procedure has caused some concerns among crew members … but they will have to deal with it.«

  The new Triton Base commander allowed herself a satisfied smiled before her face became serious.

  »The holographic material shows a clear picture of the situation,« she said, formally opening the conference. »An enemy bulwark is located inside Neptune’s atmosphere … directly in front of our doorsteps, so to speak.«

  A large holo display showed the visual data which the remote controlled Hawk had obtained on its reconnaissance mission.

  »We detected energy emissions at the center of the disk or platform. The associated light phenomena cannot yet be explained. A close-up shows a column of strange beings who are currently establishing a foothold on the platform. They seem to represent a species we already know. They’re Shwakans, without doubt. They’re well-armed and supplied with heavy equipment. We can assume that they were responsible for the Hawk’s destruction. This leads to only one conclusion: the Shwakans are working for our enemy! Perhaps we should re-evaluate our relations with Scorge: he might be an advance agent.…«

  »… wait a minute!« Jörgmundson interrupted. »That’s not a given. I don’t think that Scorge or his people have anything to do with it. Our specialists on the Ryan have found similarities between the Shwakans and those beings down there, but they also found differences. What concerns me more at this stage is how they managed to hide this platform inside Neptune’s atmosphere right before our eyes?«

  They didn’t need to! thought Petrow.

  Petrow cleared his throat.

  »I believe that the object has been there much longer than we know. It might be as old or even older than the Stinger! I think that our recent activities brought these beings in on the plan …« he added to the discussion.