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

  »Nonsense!« Nok replied sternly. She turned to a different stranger.

  »I know that you might not understand me, but somehow we need to talk … fast!« she began in a calm voice. »It might be difficult, but we don’t want to make mistakes understanding each other.«

  The tension inside the command center rose by the minute. Nok couldn’t hazard a guess when her crew would lose their self-control under the stress. Once the first shot was fired, a peaceful communication was over.

  While most of the aliens occupied themselves with the consoles, the alien Nok had addressed leaped forward in a perfect somersault and stopped directly before her.

  Nok saw now that the lower torso also had an eye. The upper eye seemed to be active all the time, no matter which torso side was up. The lower eye was closed with a thick layered lid when it changed position from top to bottom.

  »Communication with your species is very easy,« a faint voice filled the room, »but not necessary. We did not come to establish contact.«

  Nok Daralamai looked around, irritated. She hadn’t expected that answer, especially in her language and intelligible.

  »Are you using a universal translation device?« she asked in surprise.

  »We have our means to communicate with others,« the stranger replied briefly. »Your language was analyzed before we came here.«

  The stranger turned around and slowly wobbled toward one of the consoles.

  Nok wanted to keep the conversation going and stepped in front of the stranger, blocking his path.

  »Who are you and why did you occupy our base?« she demanded in a stern enough voice to warn the stranger not to go too far.

  »We are Dualytes!« the stranger replied, then performed two somersaults and stopped before the space surveillance console.

  Major Friedmann, a strongly built European, was unwilling to surrender his place. He stood like a statue before his console, grimacing at the stranger. His hand was set on his weapon’s holster, indicating his intentions.

  Nok shook her head slightly. She didn’t want a confrontation in the command center. After several attempts to move past Major Friedmann, the Dualyte changed to a sphere and went right through him.

  Startled, Friedmann cursed aloud.

  Nok couldn’t tell if the major cursed in pure surprise or if the penetration was painful. Then Friedman rolled his eyes and fell to the floor, where he hit his head hard, probably causing a slight concussion, blood dripping from his right eyebrow.

  »Medic to the command center!« the scanner officer yelled into the intercom.

  Nok rushed over to Friedmann and checked his pulse.

  »He’s alive, but unconscious!«

  Daralamai’s face went hard, reflecting her anger.

  The neuronal computer was up and running again according to the status indicators. The Dualytes must be probing the databanks. Why was still anybody’s guess.

  »We just lost comm-link to all our ships in orbit!« a comm-technician reported, while a Dualyte observed her dispassionately.

  Nok warned the Dualytes, »If you interrupt communication between this base and our ships, they will assume that something has happened to us, and attack your ship!«.

  With two quick somersaults, a Dualyte jumped over to her.

  Nok could see the fine finger-like organs expanding and retracting from the greenish shimmering torso of this stranger.

  … like snail eyes! she thought uncomfortably.

  »Attacking us with your ships would be illogical and useless. Do not hinder us, Protectors!« the stranger told her flatly.

  Nok Daralamai held her breath.

  What did he just say? Protectors?

  »We don’t understand why you’re at the edge sectors of the Retreat. Were you not warned by the Matrix Architects to stay away from the outer regions, so close to the shield?« the Dualyte added. »You should not be here when the Matrix becomes active during the Great Tremor!«

  »I don’t understand!« Nok replied truthfully. »This is our solar system. We live here! What do you mean by Retreat? Who are the Matrix Architects?«

  Then Nok’s eyes widened as it hit her like an asteroid shower.

  »Do you mean the Globusters?«

  The Dualyte did not deign to answer her question.

  »We would like to know why you’ve changed so much and technically degenerated, but we cannot stray from our mission. We have to follow our mission parameters … we cannot disappoint the trust vested in us.«

  »What is your mission?« Nok inquired.

  The answer was muted and almost sounded like a chant. Nok realized that these beings’ lives were focused solely on their one mission.

  »We must find the missing Original Sparks before the Great Tremor occurs and darkness falls over the galaxy. If we fail, then you alone stand between life and death!«

  »Us?« Nok’s beautiful lips trembled.

  »Yes, you! Because you are the Protectors,« the Dualyte replied softly.

  Immunized

  The invisible force field moved him into a vertical position and put him softly on his feet. Navis Joos looked around. Used as he was to the tight spaces on Union spaceships, he was surprised to see such a wide and spacious room. It seemed to waste a lot of space.

  If this is part of a spaceship, then the ship must be gigantic! Way bigger than what we’ve ever built.

  He remembered the mysterious interference zone he’d been sent to investigate.

  That interference was only an energy field, surrounding this ship – a disguise field!

  Joos pulled himself together. Most of what the Dualytes had suggested was incomprehensible to him. He took it from their conversations, though, that they wanted to fly to Triton.

  His hopes returned. Maybe, he’d be able to transmit an emergency call, and let the base know he was here on this ship.

  Uh … the spacesuit’s emergency transmitter! he remembered and groped around in the suit lying at his feet. The transmitter was gone! With quick movements, he opened the suit fully and checked the suit-interface to the transmitter … severed!

  Shit! They must have taken it out … bastards!

  He held the suit for a couple of seconds then let it fall on the floor. He pulled his light fatigue coverall and his boots from the suit and dressed himself. At least he wasn’t naked anymore! The suit was now useless to him, though; it would just hinder his movements.

  Joos began to pace through the room and along the walls to find an exit. He found nothing … no doors, hatches or airlocks.

  How did I get into this room? There must be an entrance … or was I transported through the walls? That seems to be the normal way of moving on this ship. If the Dualytes can walk through walls by manipulating the molecular structure of the matter, they really don’t need doors and airlocks. This room is a perfect prison cell!

  He kept looking around for an exit, gave up after a half hour.

  Like a hamster’s cage! They would never have left me alone in this room, if I could just roam throughout the ship … well, at least they didn’t kill me right away!

  »Where are you?« he shouted into the room and laughed a moment later at how grotesque his voice sounded. The air’s helium composition made his angry shouting sound ludicrous.

  As if they had heard him, a Dualyte sphere appeared before him, penetrating upwards from the floor. Joos watched breathless as the Dualyte transformed from the sphere into the spiral-being. When the energy aura disappeared, the Dualyte somersaulted toward him. Startled, Joos stepped back toward the wall behind him.

  »I was sent to look after you,« the being announced. »Our analysts have determined that loneliness is not good for monoliths and could affect their neuronal well-being. We don’t want to hurt you.«

  »That’s very nice of you,« Joos stammered.

  »It is an honor to meet a Protector,« the Dualyte continued. »According to my sources and calculations, a Dualyte experiences such a thing only once every 500,000 years.«

&n
bsp; »Then this is your lucky day!« Joos replied sarcastically. »I think, however, I’m not what you think I am. We call ourselves Humans and I certainly don’t know about any “Protectors”.«

  »I don’t know what “luck” means,« the Dualyte replied softly, »but you can’t deny your heritage … it’s in your genes!«

  Joos pondered over the word “Protector”. Maybe the word meant something else and it was a translation error. The translation device might have used a term which came close to the real meaning of the alien word for protector.

  Anyway … what did he mean by Protector? A civilization of guardians or saviors?

  »You are a Protector,« the Dualyte assured Joos.

  »Allrighty then,« Joos replied calmly and resigned himself to the fact that he couldn’t convince the Dualyte anyway.

  »What about Looters then?« Joos asked instead. He watched how the Dualyte’s spiral torso began shaking. »You’re here because of the Looters, right? That’s the only reason, right?« Joos kept poking. »Who are the Looters?«

  »I don’t know,« replied the Dualyte quickly.

  Joos shook his head. Something told him that the Dualyte was telling the truth. He seemingly only knew the name of the Looters and either was afraid of them or had a hell of a respect for them, no other way to explain his reaction. Was fear the driving force behind the Dualytes’ mission?

  Joos wanted to find out more. He tried to keep the conversation going.

  »Why did you come to us? What do you want from us?« he inquired.

  »We’re not here to contact you. We’re on a mission,« the Dualyte repeated what Joos had heard before. »Much depends on our success. Tell me where we can find the Original Spark and we will leave here as soon as possible.«

  Joos shrugged.

  »I already said before to one of you that I don’t know what you mean by Original Spark.«

  Suddenly, he had an idea.

  »Maybe it would help if I could see one of these sparks? Perhaps I’d remember then.«

  The Dualyte stopped his finger movements for a moment, and flipped topsy-turvy till his lower torso faced Joos.

  »Your request is reasonable. I’ll lead you to the storage chamber. There you can see for yourself. I’m certain your memory will return then!«

  »We’ll see,« Joos replied and hid a smile.

  The Dualyte is going to help me leave this room. That could lead to more opportunities!

  »How do you want me to address you?« Joos asked.

  »Address me? What?« the Dualyte replied, seeming confused.

  »Your name? How do you want to be addressed?«

  The Dualyte didn’t seem to understand what Joos wanted from him.

  »I don’t have a name!« he replied.

  He had just finished saying this when Joos was enveloped by an energy aura, the same aura he had observed with the Dualytes. It didn’t hurt, but his vision became blurred. Uncertainly, he looked around and saw that his legs had begun to penetrate the floor! A soft drag carried him deeper and deeper into the floor.

  »What’s happening to me?« he asked, startled.

  »We’re transferring into a different sector of the ship,« the Dualyte tried to calm Joos. »Didn’t you want to see the Original Spark?«

  »Yes … but I thought we’d be walking. This is scary!« Joos replied with a trembling voice as he sank further into the floor. He didn’t feel any pain, though, during this strange form of transportation. »How do you do that?« he asked, only his head and neck remaining in the room. He wondered how thick the floors were.

  They can probably see my legs and torso dangling from the ceiling. No, that’s not right, I’m surrounded by the sphere … enclosed in it!

  »The potential transport was originally something our species was born with, but we can no longer do it naturally. We lost the ability. Nonetheless, we can technically reproduce this kind of transportation and transfer.«

  Joos shut his eyes briefly as his head disappeared in the floor. This was a chilling moment for him. Seconds later it went black before his eyes only to make way for the light from a different room below.

  The new room was brightly lit, and Joos saw rows of rows of six-sided parcels covered with transparent lids. Some of them were glowing from the inside. The parcels reminded him of honeycombs in a beehive.

  »Where are we?« Joos asked mutedly.

  »This is our living and breeding space,« the Dualyte replied without hesitation.

  »Breeding space? You were born here? Is this a generation ship?« Joos kept asking questions.

  »This ship is our home and our state – a colony of our people,« the Dualyte explained readily. »Certainly we were born on the mothership, where else?«

  »Yeah … where else?« Joos replied dryly, nodding.

  They touched the floor of the room and Joos could see some of the cells opening, releasing more Dualytes.

  »We will now go to the retainment chamber, where we keep four Original Sparks,« the Dualyte announced.

  »Original Sparks,« Joos asked cautiously, »is it your mission to collect them?«

  »They were stolen a long time ago and scattered over the galaxy. We need to find them – time is running out!« the Dualyte replied.

  »You mean because of the Great Tremor?« Joos hazarded.

  He had heard the term before but didn’t understand its significance.

  »Exactly!« the Dualyte responded in awe and in a tone of great respect. »The Brotherhood created the Original Spark for all our good.«

  Joos frowned.

  If the Original Spark came from the Brotherhood, it could not be good for Humanity!

  As they penetrated the next wall, he felt a change. A slight ticklish sensation overcame him, increasing by the second.

  »What’s going on? I feel weird!«

  »The Original Sparks’ emissions are very powerful. The retainment chamber has special shielding, yet they still affect our potential fields. That’s why you feel discomfort during transfer. Your body may be losing a few atoms due to the interferences. The Original Spark is enveloped by dual tachyon-barricade shields, but the emissions can still be fatal to many lifeforms. Some beings are attracted, others flee the emissions.«

  Joos was suddenly not so certain that he wanted to inspect the Original Spark.

  »Is the emission dangerous to Humans?« he asked anxiously.

  The Dualyte hesitated.

  »The Brotherhood genetically immunized the Protectors, as well as Dualytes. Both peoples need to be able to work and manipulate the sparks and their components.«

  »Genetically immunized?« he asked quickly before they entered the chamber.

  What he saw took his breath away – again!

  Ten energy spheres

  Nok Daralamai was well aware of the tension between the strangers and her crew. It was just a matter of time until somebody lost their self-control and the first incident occurred. She had issued clear orders to stand down, but most of the base members had never been face to face with aliens. Many of the original crew had been replaced after the Globuster invasion. Latest estimates had put several hundred Dualytes inside the base, all snooping around everywhere – reason enough for crew members to get nervous. Among other places, the Dualytes occupied the main computer center and the command center, where they curiously observed the Triton-Hawk pilots who had stayed in the hangars after Nok had revoked their launch orders.

  The Dualyte mothership was still orbiting Triton, above the base.

  Longar Helikom watched suspiciously as a group of Dualytes gathered before the large central holo display. Information and data segments scrolled very quickly across the holo, far faster than usual. The displayed information was skewed so much that it hurt Human eyes.

  »What are they doing?« Nok inquired in a low voice.

  »They’re scanning our data banks, and increased the output of or neuronal computer to better suit their visual perceptions, maybe,« Helikom replied with a hoarse throat. »I
have no idea how they do that!«

  »They’re searching for special information,« Nok reiterated. She stepped beside the Dualyte who had been the most communicative so far.

  »I want you to end these procedures … and … I know you can understand me!«

  The Dualyte looked at her with his big eye.

  »We have not yet found what we’re looking for!« he replied.

  Nok angrily put her fists on her hips and glared at the being. At 165 cm, he was barely as tall as she was. »I am Commander in Chief of this base and will no longer tolerate your intrusions into our data banks! We’ve been overly patient and cooperative so far, but if you won’t cooperate with us, we will use force to keep you from stealing any more of our data!«

  As Nok ended her tirade, all the officers and sergeants in the command center got up simultaneously, reaching for their weapons, adding weight to her words. One officer pushed a Dualyte away from a terminal; the being just moved aside and somersaulted to a safer distance.

  »To disturb us in our search is illogical,« the Dualyte replied.

  »Occupying our base against our will and stealing our information is something we perceive as a hostile act!« she insisted, her voice cutting. »You have exactly one minute to explain yourselves and cease your activities, or we will have to defend ourselves!«

  The Dualyte seemed to consider and remained silent for a moment.

  »I do not understand your time units. Is one minute long or short? Can you express yourself in the pulsing frequency of the nearest pulsar?«

  Some officers laughed out loud at that, despite the serious situation. Nok, however, decided that she was being mocked, and pulled her weapon.

  »I don’t want to demonstrate the seriousness of my request! Our peoples should make contact in peace! Espionage is not considered a friendly action, and goes against a peaceful understanding between us.«

  Just then the central holo display flashed with a brilliant light. The Dualytes surrounding it shrieked.

  »They found something!« Helikom commented.