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

  Unfortunately, this was not enough to arrest him. Nor did she want to.

  Everything he’s done so far is too obvious … concocted, Nok mused.

  McCord was being manipulated by an outside force, she believed, but he was not the agitator. Since she was also the Chief of SIS, the Space Intelligence Service, she worked to minimize the damage to the economy and to the weapons industry, of which Fosset Enterprises had been a great contributor and scientific source.

  He thinks that his strange decisions have caused e major uproar, but he’s wrong. Many of the personnel he had pulled still needed to be replaced by the military or other scientific resources from Earth, but that’s just a time delay factor. Nothing we can’t handle. The abandoned mining operations were picked up by the competition almost overnight; they’re pretty much back on track. He’s just a puppet on strings … but whose strings? Somebody’s trying to divert our attention from the real deal. Who is it and what’s it really all about?

  Nok had thought at first that McCord would lead her to the agitator, but now she doubted it. There had to be a central figure behind the conspiracy against the Union. The agitator had devised a clever plan to direct attention away from himself.

  His actions were prepared in the distant past. Somebody leaked information about the Neptune platform to Fosset, knowing that the philanthropist-adventurer would take the bait. It was just a matter of time before Fosset showed up over Neptune. The real agitator’s going to be hard to unmask, working in the background as he is – while he forges new plans to cripple the Union and Humanity. His moves are multilayered and well thought out.

  Deep in thought, Nok Daralamai was leafing through the recent Solar Union News binder, with headlines such as:

  Enraged Mars-Colony Workers Demand Answers … Fosset Enterprises Pull-Out Brings Research to a Grinding Halt … Union Fleet Reports: Increase in Accident Rates at Supply Companies … Fleet Shipyards Waiting for Much-Needed Supplies … Bleak Economic Forecast … Colony Projects Stagnating … Social Unrest in Colonies and on Earth … New Movement Founded, Demands Abandonment of All Colonies …

  The list was long …

  The agitator has a clear vision. He’s destabilizing the Union, attacking on a broad front. He wants to hinder Human development … but why?

  Her train of thought was interrupted as the command center crew returned to their work stations. Some of the crew were pleased to see her and greeted her with friendly waves.

  The scientists analyzing the current situation came to the same result. There was an unknown force behind the agitator, pulling the strings – a force that worked mysteriously over long periods of time, and included Humanity in its plans. It was still not clear why Humanity had been kept isolated from the rest of the galaxy.

  Was that done for our protection, or were we supposed to live like prisoners? Was this done deliberately to prevent us from becoming a galactic power? What is this Reserve all about?

  Nok Daralamai decided to put her attention on other, more important things for the time being. It was of paramount importance to learn if the Globusters were in stasis, inactive, or if they were preparing new attacks against Triton and Earth. That was one reason she had deployed the Blue Moon to Sedna. She was eagerly awaiting Petrow’s results. However, that wasn’t all: she was anxious for the return of Toiber Arkroid’s expedition. What had they learned? And Scorge would need to face some tough questions on his return to Earth.

  Nok frowned.

  Quo Vadis, Humanity?

  Black out

  The intermittent scanner echo came from the outer edges of the solar system. An object was approaching from the Oort Clouds, and even the most sensitive scanners had problems tracking it. It was incredibly fast … and aiming for the gap in the Globuster Matrix!

  The gap in the Globustershield had been created when Quaoar exploded. The Matrix had not yet been able to completely close the gap by itself.

  The gap was of special interest to the Union scientists, since it provided them with a window into the galaxy. Still, the shield protected the solar system from being detected by extra-terrestrials who might have more than just trade in mind, unlike Scorge. An accidental discovery of the solar system could not, however, be prevented.

  The approaching object had been detected by the recently installed Deep Space Radar system, and it had alerted the Triton Base via the comm-relay satellite Phoenix.

  That particular comm-satellite had been deployed to Quaoar’s former location to scan for signals outside the Matrix.

  When the warning was received at Triton Base, a Nova-Hawk was immediately dispatched to fly reconnaissance and identify the object.

  The pilot was Major Navis Joos, a Triton Hawks veteran with several hundred missions under his belt.

  Since surveillance of the sectors outside the Matrix had begun, a lot of false alarms, many of them target-echoes of comets coming in from the Oort Cloud, had caused the scanners to react, alerting the system defense.

  The tension in the solar system was high enough that each and every alert was followed up on immediately. At times several states of alert were in effect simultaneously, canceling each other, to be replaced by higher ones.

  Navis Joos approached the intercept coordinates, while the object flew unhindered toward the Neptune System. As soon as he was close enough he activated his close range scanners, but they only detected an electromagnetic anomaly. He wasted no time reporting his findings to Triton Base.

  »This is Major Navis Joos onboard the Poseidon,« he said. »The object in question does not seem to be a comet. It doesn’t look like a spaceship, as far as I can tell … seems to be a natural phenomenon. My scanners do not detect any significant mass, just a strong electromagnetic field. It could well be a plasma cloud, left-over particles from a sun eruption.«

  »Negative,« Triton Base replied. »Sun storm debris is not usually detected in this sector, Major. They’re unstable, and they would have been announced by the Solar Weather Bureau. Solar winds drift away from the system, not toward it like yours.«

  Major Joos accelerated, attempting to follow the fast-flying object at a safe distance.

  »I repeat, I can only detect energy,« Joos countered. »Maybe a magnetic storm or something else of a cosmic nature. It looks like Northern Lights from my POV. The phenomenon looks like a cube, about 2 kilometers at the edges.«

  Triton Base didn’t know what to make of this. A member of the New SETI Project picked up the thread.

  »Major, this is Longar Helikom, can you clearly see the phenomenon?« he inquired.

  »The energy cloud, if it is one, is moving toward Neptune. Could it be attracted by the planet’s magnetic field?« Joos replied.

  Helikom remained skeptical.

  »I can’t say that at the moment. We need more data about the field strength. We need you to fly closer to the cloud or whatever it is. Is that too much of a risk?«

  »I think I can do that,« Joos replied. He maneuvered his Hawk slowly closer to the object. The target echo was still intermittent and showed faint lines at the edges. The cloud changed its size and seemed to pulsate. Joos still believed they were dealing with a solar phenomenon and recorded everything he saw.

  »The neutrino emissions argue for a solar particle stream,« he suggested again.

  Suddenly, the scanners began to go crazy. He was about two hundred meters from the cloud.

  »Holy mackerel!« Joos breathed aloud. »The scanner values just jumped out of the console! Something’s wrong here!«

  Instead of an answer from Triton, he heard static crackle. The interference increased dramatically with staccato signal sequences. The Hawk’s neuronal computer reported malfunctioning devices all over the ship, including scanner and sensor arrays.

  The Hawk’s flight path and behavior suddenly changed without Major Joos’ help. The neuronal computer gave up trying to compensate. Ozone smell went through the cockpit. Joos’ neck hairs stood up.

  Extremely high electrostati
c charges! he thought. The Hawk must have flown into the extreme boundaries of the field.

  He slammed his fist on the emergency override button to take over control of his Hawk, ordering it into manual mode. The neuronal computer had been bypassed!

  He pulled at the choke and banked left to gain distance from the phenomenon. The Hawk didn’t react.

  »Poseidon … MAYDAY, MAYDAY … Poseidon … MAYDAY, MAYDAY!« he shouted into his microphone, not knowing if anybody could hear him.

  » Poseidon … MAYDAY, MAYDAY … I’ve lost control of my ship! Most onboard systems are no longer functional. Flight controls and navigational components are non-op!«

  With wide eyes, he watched the Hawk accelerate, flying directly into the center of the unknown phenomenon. Strange noises and cracklings came from the ship’s cell structure and support struts, causing Joos to twitch nervously.

  Then light blue flames came from his dashboard-styled console. Some of the control elements were burned.

  The Hawk’s going to blow up any second! he thought, panicking, and closed his spacesuit helmet with shaky fingers.

  He lunged to activate the emergency hatch release, but froze at the last moment.

  I’d only live a couple of hours out there. They can’t possibly find me in time, but that’s better than being fried like a chicken!

  A dull, rumbling sound changed his mind for him. The Ship’s hull was beginning to disintegrate and fall apart. His wrist analyzer showed the loss of atmosphere inside the ship. He had no other choice!

  A controlled explosion tore the canopy above his seat from the ship’s frame. Joos closed his eyes and clamped his teeth. A second later, he was catapulted into space – free from the tumbling Hawk as it kept losing parts from its hull.

  The ejection force was enough to black him out.

  Retreat

  Navis Joos awoke to find that he wasn’t drifting in outer space, much to his surprise. His body was suspended in midair, but his helmet was fogged up from the outside, making it difficult for him to see through his visor. In space? Impossible! He even felt some gravity pulling on him.

  I’m not inside my Hawk; where am I? He tried to regain some orientation. His spacesuit was still closed and he tried to lift his left arm to clean the helmet visor from the outside. He was successful – and what he saw then took his breath away.

  He’d never seen a room like this one. As far as he could tell, his body was floating between two energy poles, which were connected by a faintly glowing field. The winding band of energy held him where he was. It allowed him, however, some slight freedom of movement. He could move his body along the vertical axis and see the ceiling and walls, but there wasn’t much to see. Floor, walls and the ceiling were made of a rough, dark material. The roughness was due to grooves that resembled fractal patterns, meandering structures extending beyond his field of vision. The entire diffusely lit room looked the same. Joos couldn’t make out any light fixtures.

  Is the light coming from within the material?

  He activated his spacesuit’s outside microphone and heard a deep humming sound. It sounded like far-off machines working.

  He tried to free himself from the energy field, but it was no use. He realized that he could not get out of here without outside help.

  A new sound, much louder and closer, caught his attention. Then he saw something that made him gasp in panic.

  In the semi-darkness before him, he could see a movement. There were at least ten extra-terrestrials coming his way. Their slim-built bodies were swaying back and forth as they came closer, as if they had problems keeping their balance.

  Not in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined beings like these. Joos stared at them and they looked back at him with faceted eyes. They only possessed one eye each!

  There’s only one explanation! They must have rescued me! But where did these strangers come from all of a sudden? What do they have to do with the electromagnetic phenomenon?

  Joos had to pull himself together and suppress his rising fear. He had heard a lot about alien beings, like the one called Scorge. This was his first encounter with aliens, face to face! Despite his training, it was still hard for him to stay calm and self-controlled. He felt completely vulnerable in his spacesuit and in the suspension field.

  The aliens’ bodies possessed a spiral-like, leg-strong, wound torso, resembling a spring. The light conditions in the room made the muscles appear a greenish color. At the lower torso was a large bulge-like growth from which flower-like extremities were growing. Many such organs were located there, growing from a small circular spot like a blossoming flower. They were not, however, as lifeless as Human hair; they constantly moved around. The flowers seemed to have a high degree of flexibility. The organs at the lower torso formed a stand, while the ones on the upper torso twisted like seaweed in the ocean currents

  Joos stared breathlessly, and realized that the upper and lower torsos of the aliens were almost mirror images of each other. One of the symmetrically formed beings jumped in Joos’ direction by retracting and expanding the spring-like torso, performing half a somersault and landing on its head. It stood right before Joos, balancing its body perfectly. The erstwhile lower torso was now on top, leaning slightly forward toward Joos.

  Joos wiped his visor again, at which the being make a surprised backward movement. He noticed that his first impression had been wrong and that the aliens actually possessed two faceted eyes – one on the upper torso and one on the lower!

  Where the torso growths joined they were covered with a metal-like bowl, which Joos took to be brace supports or maybe even some sort of clothing. One thing was clear: they were intelligent!

  He could feel his pulse in his hair and his breathing was hard.

  Stay calm!

  He concentrated on the strangers, trying to observe as much detail as possible.

  Tentacle-like extremities grew from the torso and formed fine-fingered hands at the ends. They extended and quickly retracted at intervals. The hands were smaller than baby hands, but appeared able to perform very fine work.

  »Who are you?« Joos inquired nervously, his suit speakers transmitting his voice. »Where are you from and what do you want from me?«

  The other alien beings also somersaulted toward him now, encircling him.

  They move forward like caterpillars on a twig, he thought, as he watched them somersaulting about in the room.

  Suddenly, a spotlight flared up, focused on his body.

  »What are you going to do?« he asked, but didn’t receive an answer.

  Joos became angry at the way they were ignoring him. He wanted to be treated like an intelligent being. All of a sudden, Joos made a mental association to this room – it looked like an operating room – he was the patient, surrounded by doctors!

  He tried to free himself from the suspension field, but he felt strong pressure, rotating him onto his back. He breathed heavily and flatly from the pressure on his chest. A ton of bricks seemed to push him down. He felt absolutely helpless.

  »He’s a monolith, although some characteristics give a different perception,« he suddenly heard a fine and thin voice.

  »There’re two extremities for walking, two for grabbing … but they’re not compatible and can’t be interchanged with each other,« another voice commented from a different direction.

  »We don’t know that yet,« a third voice remarked. »The internal support structure seems strong enough to carry the weight of the body and to balance it adequately.«

  »If we cut this body in half horizontally, the two parts would not be able to sustain themselves, but what if we cut it vertically?« a fourth alien voiced.

  »Some organs are double, others not. How can both body parts survive then? There’re two air sacks, but only one blood pump, two blood cleaners but only one decontaminator.«

  Joos was getting nervous.

  Are they talking about my body? How do I understand what they’re saying? Do they have a universal tran
slation device? he pondered in pain.

  »I’m certain it’s a monolith! If we cut through the neuronal center, we’ll see the loss of control. The analysis shows clearly that the left neuronal side is responsible for the right body and vice versa. The same criss-cross control function can also be found with its optical sensors.«

  »Much more interesting is the DNA analysis of this monolith,« a voice from over Joos’ head sounded. »The DNA is almost the same as the DNA of the Protectors, but there are deviations, subordinating this monolith.«

  »How is it possible that a different species settled and developed in the Retreat?« another alien inquired.

  »Perhaps this branch of the Protectors has developed further. The Retreat has existed for a long time, long enough for evolutionary processes to take place.«

  »Do you understand me?« Joos asked loudly, huffing for breath.

  The strangers interrupted their discussion and seemed to listen into the room.

  »If you continue your examination like this you’ll kill me,« Joos explained. »Please remove the pressure from my chest, I can hardly breathe!«

  The strangers began to sway back and forth excitedly.

  »It’s a monolith and therefore far below our biological level of evolution. Why was this species selected to wait for the Great Tremor?«

  »We’re not here to discuss the actions of the Brotherhood. It is our task to find the Original Spark and complete the construction of the Dimensional Mirror!«

  The assembled aliens all agreed.

  »It is odd that the Original Spark is located in this solar system,« a stranger continued. »That should have not been the case!«

  Navis Joos swallowed hard. He knew the term Brotherhood!