THE GALAXYMBION ODYSSEY

“What just happened?” Nimbledream enquired.

“Difficult to say, Overseer,” the navigator commented. “Whilst we were passing Falda, Mirek escaped in Carrier 4 along with our Neuromesh time crystals and tachyon power cells. You contacted Galaxymbion High Council to inform them and request further instructions. They have not replied.”

“I know that, you daft zillup. I mean after all that. Falda suddenly vanished and I feel as if I ceased to exist for several lapses.”

“Oh, that,” Forestwatcher mumbled. “I was afraid you might ask that. No idea, Overseer. Had the same experience myself, and reports are flooding in from all sections confirming similar experiences. According to navigational grids we are nowhere near Falda; well, not very near. Apparently, we are in the Kolta-rai star system.”

“Fine efusculating mess this is. Notesounder, put me through to Kolda-rian Perimeter Control before we cause them a planetary alert of some sort.”

Notesounder hesitated slightly. “Hmmm… Not possible, Overseer. There is no Perimeter Control. There is no Orbital Control either. In fact, remote scans of Kolda-ra show no evidence of advanced technology of any sort.”

“Are you certain that we are in the Kolta-rai system? Check your astro-metrics again.”

“Astro-metrics confirmed. This is Kolta-rai, although you - will not like this, Overseer.”

“Stop calling me Overseer every five pulses, Notesounder. My name is Nimbledream. What won’t I like, exactly, then?”

“Nightspear is absolutely and totally in the Kolta-rai system – just not at the right time. Metrics show the star to be approximately forty-two millennia younger than it should be.”

Nimbledream’s face sank. “Forty-two thousand orbits?”

“Correct, Over --- Nimbledream. Forty-two thousand local orbits, give or take a few hundred. Microphoton analysis also confirms. Sorry, sir. Younger, as in we are here in its past.”

“Great stars! The Galaxymbion only had a handful of members at that time. They won’t know who Quelae are at all.”

“Indeed, they won’t sir.”

“Stop echoing me, Notesounder; I’m trying to work out what to do without our time drive equipment. Hopefully Morlek can create replicas. Which makes me wonder how we could have shifted so far into the past without intending to.”

“I may have a crude explanation, Overseer Nimbledream,” Forestwatcher announced. He continued without waiting for a rebuke about the gratuitous title usage. “Shortly before our disappearance we inadvertently skimmed Falda’s outer atmosphere and collected some matter on our outer hull. It is still there. It has a strange temporal signature. Sir.”

“How strange, exactly?”

“It appears to be both sentient and oscillating, temporally speaking.”

“What on Quereldene makes you think that this atmospheric material is sentient?”

“It broadcasts a recurring message, in Quelae language. It keeps coming up on my console and states ‘we are Niva. Please permit entry’. The signal originates from the centre of the atmospheric matter.”

“Okay. So, in what way does the matter oscillate?”

“It exists in spatial dimensions whilst having no fixed time signature, Overseer Nimbledream. It could be physically here, it is also physically not here – as there are no firm microphoton readings, just Pulsewave echoes.”

“You mean it is like a sensor ghost?” Notesounder nodded. “Anything else that I need to be troubled with?”

“We took some damage in historical transit and are caught in Kolda-ra’s gravity well without enough power available to break free. Sir, if we do not act quickly we will crash on Kolda-ra’s surface, somewhere in the vicinity of Iloa province.”

“I will go and speak to Morlek right now. Do whatever you can to stabilise us and keep me informed. Ask Medic Captain Tomorrowsight to assemble a specialist medic team and get them suited up for EVA. I want these Faldan atmospheric life-forms brought in safely.”

Notesounder acknowledged the command, left his station and sat in the now vacant command chair. “Plot our gravitational course, assuming we remain without power,” he muttered to the helm officers. “Forestwatcher, how much mass could we afford to lose from Nightspear, and how much time would it gain us?”

“Computing now. Notesounder, whilst the requisite calculations proceed, might I ask you a question?”

“Naturally, planet-friend. Ask as many as you wish.”

“Our situation is rather complex; we cannot interfere in Kolda-ra’s history, yet we are about to have an emergency landing on that world. We will be noticed and undoubtedly forced to interact with indigenous people. Can we realistically survive there without altering that world’s future?”

“We must try to avoid this, however it is most likely impossible. Evidence of our technology and true nature should be camouflaged - I suspect that even so the inhabitants of Iloa will make astute conclusions about us. In order to survive we may require their assistance, giving them multiple opportunities to help us break Galaxymbion protocols.”

“I was concerned that may be the case. Computations are complete. We have approximately five hundred Kilolorads of non-essential supplies, equipment and other materials that could be jettisoned. Gravitationally that would provide 14.7 lapses additional time. Sir, might I suggest we ask the Shazanderns to take their vessel Serendipity and some of our supplies, including stasis chambers? They may even be able to accommodate a few Aldebarans in their vessel, if they dumped all their mining gear, gemstones and other mineral cargo. That would relieve us of another seven thousand kilolorads and give us about two perchrons additional time.”

“Exactly as I was thinking, Forestwatcher. Additionally, we could launch the remaining Aldebarans and they, in harness with Serendipity, could position themselves in front of us touching Nightspear. They could act like tugs to slow our gravitational acceleration. I will tell our Overseer.”

“Notesounder, Medic Captain Tomorrowsight reports that her teams have rescued the Faldan atmosphere thingies and are bringing them in under quarantine. I have advised Nimbledream.”

“Thank you, Prayerweaver. Mountainsoarer, put me through to engine room.” A personal viewpad rose automatically out of the floor in front of Notesounder, and the familiar backdrop of engineering lit up the screen. Morlek’s seven glistening yellow eyes squinted back at everyone. “Greetings, venerable engineer. How are your discussions with our Overseer progressing?”

“Ark. Poorly. Yet greetings be in you, planetfriend. Your Overseer is impossible! Why am I – a poor Monodeman engineer – subjected to a life on a Lizard infested Quelae starship? Did I hurt at all my own kind? Did I break our sacred web or abandon my family, to be repaid this way?”

“Stop complaining, you daft arachnid; Overseer Nimbledream had to speak to our chief engineer and you are currently of that rank and occupation. As I recall you especially requested service on a Quelae starship. Do you not remember?”

“Morlek never forget. What do you suggest, Lizard-face? Do you not know how many storage chambers have the Monodeman mind? Eleven, I tell you.”

Notesounder smiled. “I know, my crystalline friend. Might I speak to our venerable Overseer, if you have finished complaining about him?”

“As you wish, Lizard. When you speak you can tell Nimbledream to clear his bipedal reptilian carcass out of my Engine Room.” The semi-transparent head moved away and then Morlek’s arachnoid form could be seen skittering across the engineering deck. Nimbledream came into view.

“Overseer, greetings. I take it your discussions with our venerable engineer produced no useful solution?”

“Indeed not.” Morlek obviously heard this as, in the background, she could be heard cursing in ancient Monodeman; ‘Tragl shtavek pontra’. Nimbledream glanced back in the sound’s direction then looked forward again. “Morlek informs me that creating temporal components is impossible without specialist materials and knowledge, none of which she possesses. She is working on restoring our conventional engines and systems and enhancing their powermesh threshold. Report?”

“The Faldan entities are being safely quarantined within medical facility. Overseer, Forestwatcher and I have an idea which may give us more time. Our fifteen guests could leave in Serendipity with supplies and stasis chambers, even a couple of Aldebarans. Together Serendipity and our remaining Aldebarans could position themselves against our forward elevation and act like tugs, slowing us down. We also have approximately five hundred kilolorads of non-essential supplies that could be jettisoned. If the Shazanderns went into stasis and had some of our technological upgrades they could survive the next forty or so millennia in Serendipity and hopefully be discovered by the future Galaxymbion, in their own time. Needless to say the departure of Serendipity from our vessel will remove another seven thousand kilolorads of gravitationally interactive material and our dealings with the native ancient Kolda-rians could be further simplified if Morlek went with them.”

There was a sound of glassy skittering on the engineering deck’s insulated floor, followed by a crystalline arachnoid leg gently pushing Nimbledream out of the way. “So, I’m not good enough for a Lizard starship, now? Have I so offended that I must be sequestered with a bunch of backward mammals?”

Notesounder rose to Morlek’s eccentric humour. “I believe your inability to fix the temporal drive renders you surplus to requirements, old friend.”

“Lizards! Always so heartless and abstract. The Pragmatic Calculators of Quereldene. I suppose I will have to nurse and protect those soppy, smelly mammals?”

“Naturally,” Nimbledream could be heard saying from the side. “You are a representative of the Galaxymbion, and a mother.”

“Very well; melemendak. Who will look after my eggs? Anshrip topra,” she cursed, skittering off again.

“I agree, Notesounder,” Nimbledream uttered, coming back into view. “Your plan is commendable and consistent with my own thoughts concerning our immediate future. Make the necessary preparations and advise the Shazanderns of our plan. I suppose they will give us a typically mammalian storm of emotional resistance and argument. I am on my way to my private quarters; a full updated log of our situation must be recorded here and loaded into Serendipity’s computer. Encrypted, naturally, so that only Galaxymbion citizens can have access. Get astrophysics working on the optimal trajectory and velocity Serendipity must follow to be rescued in its own time.”

The screen blanked and the viewpad disappeared back into the floor. In a few pulses there was no trace of it. Notesounder looked at Forestwatcher. “You heard our Overseer; contact the Shazanderns immediately and get a tech squad organised to adapt Serendipity as a sleeper ship. Mountainsoarer, organise the tug operation; Serendipity can participate whilst simultaneously being modified. Prayerweaver, I am entrusting you to consult astrophysics and present their optimal calculations to our Overseer, with at least five options.”

All crew acknowledged and began summoning various sub-leaders around Nightspear.

Medic Captain Tomorrowsight was last in from EVA, detaching her link-line carefully in the airlock. She deactivated its central energy core and fed the flexible metal rope into its storage chamber. She flicked her EVA suit’s controls to ‘habitat-ready’ and spoke carefully into her helmet microphone. “Begin re-pressurising.” A pleasant hiss of air filled the sealed chamber and Tomorrowsight watched the breathable atmosphere indicator climb its spectrum from empty (red) to full (blue). An adjacent panel lit up with the word ‘restored’ and her internal helmet visor display confirmed ‘External atmosphere safe, auto unlock initiated’. She telepathically confirmed the helmet’s seal release and lifted the plastiglass dome from her head. She carefully removed her EVA skinsuit and stored it appropriately in an auto valet.

“Okay, team cell nurses one to five, get quarantined with our guests. The rest of you have a break and meet us in medic observation chamber eleven in fifteen lapses. Careful with those stasis floats, I don’t want our guests damaged.”

“What if they want us damaged?” team cell nurse four asked, looking a little frightened.

“Always a pessimist, Starpainter. You will all be wearing quarantine shields and phase barriers. Our guests are merely gaseous. What do you fear from them?”

“Ah, but what gases?”

“Stop complaining like a mammal, Starpainter. You saw the chemical analyses just like the rest of us; we are not planning to breathe them in and I am certain they won’t enjoy being inhaled. I will see you and our guests all in chamber eleven in nine lapses. Now hurry up and don’t hurt our guests.”

Tomorrowsight walked over to a wallpoint as her teams went their separate ways. She thumbed the polycom activator. “Overseer, Medic Captain reporting in; guests secured, observation chamber eleven in eight lapses. Any special instructions?”

“Negative, Tomorrowsight. I am in my quarters at present and can be there in twelve lapses. Start without me. Until.”

“Yes, Nimbledream. Until.” She switched polycom off and left the EVA cauldron at a brisk pace.

Nimbledream, having concluded his recorded log, attached a copy of Nightspear’s entire computer Event Record and sent his crew personal message recorders for their families. “Computer; upload ER files to ship’s archive then copy to central computer of vessel Serendipity; encryption level ten, Galaxymbion Triumvir seal only. Prepare to segregate and cipher all quotidian system data records under my personal command and release; code N19XX-O778J.”

“Confirmed,” his computer answered. He left his quarters, walking quickly. If they had to be marooned so far in the past they were going to do this properly, by the book. Technological and other anachronistic impacts upon this time-frame’s indigenous Kolda-rians must be minimised as much as possible. He thought very carefully about this new path and what it could potentially mean for his crew and the pre-technology society of Kolda-ra. Ah, those spirals and demons of fate, he mused, remembering an old poem he once read.

His comm cube chimed and he telekinetically summoned it from his equipment belt. “Nimbledream here.”

“My Overseer, this is Charmbearer. There is a small problem with our fifteen Shazandern guests, sir. They refuse to be set adrift in Serendipity even with technology upgrades, Aldebarans, supplies and stasis chambers. They also refuse to permit use of Serendipity as a slowing tug or have their precious cargo and mining equipment flushed out of its holds.”

“Tell them, that is okay; if they do not wish to help there are two further options. See which they prefer; crash-land on Kolda-ra’s surface or be forcibly set adrift in Serendipity without any modifications.”

“One lapse, Overseer, while I put these proposals to them.”

Nimbledream heard some heated argument, most of it coming from Olrinky II though occasionally Eleena’s voice rose stridently over everyone else’s. Suddenly there was quiet.

“Sir, Olrinky II has agreed to our original proposal.”

“Well done, Charmbearer. Until.” Nimbledream returned his comm cube to his belt manually. Upon arrival at Nightspear’s medical cauldron he tried to look optimistic for his crew’s benefit. He walked confidently through the automatic portal to medic chamber eleven where, behind observation glass, Tomorrowsight and five of her nurses were moving around formless, swirling gaseous shapes and occasionally speaking through surgical masks. He approached a senior technician at a monitor console. “Any progress?”

“Yes, Overseer. The Faldans, or Nivas as they call themselves, are cooperating and appear to be quite benevolent. So far, we have learned that there are twenty-one distinct entities in this green gas; a mixture of Argon, Oxygen, Xenon and Helium. Our guests are fully aware of our situation and its accidental nature. They do not appear to be afraid and have even gone to some lengths to reassure us that all will turn out well.”

“How do they know our language?”

“We asked them that first. They project thought directly and stated that our language is in our minds so naturally they can speak with us.”

“I see. What else have they told us?”

“They say they communicate with a ‘Web of Kalmek’, know of our engineer Morlek, and are related both to the glowsnakes of Kytonia and the Letungexeva virus. Their main representative calls itself Sivartra and has informed us that we and they must land on Kolda-ra if this Temporal Crisis is to be averted. They also keep talking about some monastic order called Saints of Thaliocrus – a religious sect of Glanes, from clan of Green Earth, that are pacifists and left Gelaymer.”

“I will speak with them, immediately; hand me your ear cup. Thank you. Greetings, entities of Falda; I am Overseer Nimbledream, in command of Nightspear. I apologise that we inadvertently collected you on our hull, and now you find yourselves so far in our galactic past. It was not our intention to take you from your home-world or time. Could the individual named Sivartra make themselves evident?”

A portion of green gas detached from a large ‘collection’ and approached the plastiglass. Unexpectedly it solidified into a serpentine form. “I be Sivartra. Sorry, you need not be, for our purpose is in all places and all times, Overseer Nimbledream. We are Nivas, cousin to The Brethren and the Letungexeva Time Guardians. You must deliver us to Kolda-ra’s surface urgently, so that we may combine with them and evolve.”

“Evolve? What exactly do you mean? Kolda-rians are an independent species and do not require any symbiont or parasite.”

“We are not parasite, Overseer Nimbledream. We must combine with Kolda-rians for mutual evolution; if not then they will not be and we will be not.”

“I do not understand, Sivartra. You cannot expect me to expose early Kolda-rian society to an unregistered and potentially lethal entity. I am sorry, Sivartra, you and your fellow Nivas must remain in isolation until I figure out what to do with you.”

“You intend to confine us in one of your Aldebarans and send us away from Kolda-ra. Such an action must not happen, for it will destroy your future most certainly. Aboard your noble Nightspear you have one named Notesounder who knows the Mirek of Kolda-ra. Bring him to us; we will prove we mean you no harm.”

“Before I summon Notesounder I need proof you mean him no harm.”

“Consider your fears we do. Understand them we do. If we wished to harm your people we could have already done so, and still can with your six medical beings who walk amongst us. We do not try to pressure you or your crew to be rash or expose Kolda-rians to danger, so we will prove what we can. However, if you fail to bring us to the Kolda-rians we will be unable to help Galaxymbion in future, and also will fail Kolda-ra.”

“Medic Captain Tomorrowsight, are you safe and well in there?”

“Absolutely, Nimbledream. The Faldans are being extremely careful around us and comply with all our requests.”

“Nimbledream to Notesounder; report to MOC 11 now. Okay, Sivartra, I will give you an opportunity to prove your integrity. Now, please answer a question. You say that we need not be sorry for collecting you on our hull and dragging you here. Why do you say that?”

“Because we attached ourselves to your hull deliberately as you passed Falda. The Mirek took his rightful destiny; we and Nightspear must do likewise. In your own computer archive is a locked file, placed there by your world’s Triumvirate; beings that call themselves Timesoother, Greenstriver and Mindnebula. The code to open this file is hidden in your quarters, behind a panel under your desk. Your hand print will open it, now that your mind knows it is there.”

“Extraordinary; I comprehend how you can speak in our language, but how can you possibly know about this secret file and Mirek’s rightful destiny, since neither I nor my crew have such knowledge and thus could not have told you anything?”

“Of the first condition, your Triumvirate told us. Of the second your citizen Mirek is now part of Kalmek’s Web, with a shared destiny. We speak with Kalmek”

“I see. At least I think I do. Notesounder is almost here; tell us what you want with him.”

“We will merge temporarily as one being. This will hurt Notesounder and Sivartra, yet we must, to prove our integrity to you. Our psionic minds are incompatible with yours though symbiotic with Kolda-rians. When the unison becomes too much for Notesounder I will release him and he can tell you what he saw through my mind.”

“Exactly how can you merge with Notesounder, when you are contained, isolated?”

“Your supposition is incorrect, Overseer Nimbledream.” And with that statement the serpentine form phased through the plastiglass and floated towards Nimbledream and the just-arrived Notesounder. “Nivas cannot be contained by physical barriers; we stayed where you put us only to enable you to remain calm. Notesounder, I will merge with you briefly only if you agree to this. There will be much pain for you and Sivartra also. How do you speak, friend of Mirek?”

“I agree, Sivartra,” the young Quelae stated nervously. “You may proceed.”

Returning to gaseous form, Sivartra literally poured itself into Notesounder, who collapsed to the floor and convulsed in agony. His eyes lit green, glowing with light and he released a series of screams. Everyone looked on in horror, unsure what to do and afraid that doing anything disruptive could harm both lives. A few more pulses of screaming from the prone navigator seemed even more intense, then a dull green gaseous cloud left him and sank to the floor, its light faint and its structure formless. Immediately upon this release Notesounder stopped screaming and his eyes returned to normal. For a short while he remained curled up and shivering, then looked up at his comrades. Nimbledream and two technicians helped him stand.

“How can we help Sivartra?” the Overseer said into thin air.

“If you permit, I will come and recover the One.”

“And if I s-s-s-said no?” Nimbledream stuttered.

“Sivartra would cease.”

“Please rescue your – friend, whichever of you..?”

“Thank you,” the voice stated. A second serpentine form materialised and phased through the plastiglass, advancing until it hovered over the motionless gaseous disc. This second being extended a wispy ‘arm’ and scooped up its fellow being. Then it turned and carried Sivartra back through the plastiglass barrier. All the gaseous matter congregated around them.

“Notesounder, can you tell us what happened?”

“Affirmative, Overseer Nimbledream. When Sivartra first merged with oneself, this one was overcome with pain throughout its nervous system. It became impossible to think or see. Sivartra acted to reduce this suffering, then began to share its thoughts and memories with mine. Although there was excruciating physical and psionic agony this one could clearly sense Kalmek’s web. Mirek, our friend was there, just as Sivartra told us. There were many images seen, past and present, even future. Sir, these Nivas are timeless beings. They evolved originally from an ancient virus made by The Creators to destroy biological life. They achieved moral purpose and autonomous virtue.”

“That is not very reassuring if they want us to trust them and deliver them to Kolda-ra.”

“With great respect, Sivartra showed us the truth of their existence because his kind are incapable of subterfuge. These Fabricators created Letungexeva to eradicate all biological matter from the macrocosm. They see creatures like us – thought capable biology – as a mistake and responsible for this Temporal Crisis and all other disturbances in the Universe. Originally Letungexeva was a pernicious energy matrix, a quasi-viral fungus that attacks and eats biological matter, converting its victim’s cells into replicant cells of itself. That is how Letungexeva spreads before it evolves.

“Eventually Letungexeva became conscious and seeded itself on a number of planets with mixed levels of success. In its primitive incarnation it remains white and solid in appearance and also can acquire a serpentine shape at will. In such form it will inhabit Braagan as Time Guardians. As a virus though it survives on Ledara or other worlds, impeded by environmental factors and competition from hostile indigenous species. However, in the far future the Time Guardians will evolve spiritually, becoming aware of ethical imperatives and that their designed purpose is unsavoury. Returning through time they will split into three clans; the Rinx of Elvakay, Nivas of Falda and Brethren of Kytonia.

“In essence they will ultimately exceed their psychological and biological conditioning, realise that destroying life is immoral and evolve into benevolent strains of Letungexeva - B and A. In those forms they seek peaceful existence, steeped in knowledge and understanding. They connect with the Web of Kalmek and completely disassociate themselves from their Originators, returning to their galactic past – our present – to help us combat their primitive forebears.”

“That’s a wonderful story, Notesounder, but wait just one moment. You mean to tell me that those wisps of gaseous green stuff in our observation chamber are some type of intellectually superior virus that has turned against its makers? And what in a plethora of Universes are these ‘Creators’ exactly? Gods, devils, demons?”

“Both and neither, as I understand Sivartra’s vision. It is rather unclear, convoluted and hard to interpret; as far as I can tell The Fabricators and the Universe make each other. They are an almost omnipotent dimensional force – part of the fifth dimension, I think, according to Sivartra – which sparked all life’s creation and built the Web of Kalmek.”

“You mentioned that already several times. What in the cosmos is a ‘Web of Kalmek’?”

“Again, this is difficult as it seems to be some immensely powerful consciousness that binds the macrocosm together through time and space. As the Nivas and The Brethren understand Kalmek this consciousness is a cross-dimensional grid of thought-patterns, with which The Builders have always manipulated the macrocosm at sub-nucleonic levels. Kalmek also evolved beyond its original design, became self-aware and able to understand that biological life could also be aware. It reaches out to every living thing, not always successfully and not always openly, for its actions are limited by its makers.”

“Why should Kalmek be interested in biological life if it was never designed to interact with them, being created instead to serve its makers?”

“Because, like all intelligent and powerful thought, Kalmek acquired a conscience. It understood what its Architects had done in making flawed biological life and allowing it to flourish, then creating the Letungexeva virus to destroy all biological life irrespective of whether it had moral integrity. Kalmek understood that biological life needs fixing where it fails, also that The Builders are flawed and need fixing.”

“This is all very fascinating yet we do not have any proof to corroborate our guest’s claims, or to confirm the existence of any Creators – either good or bad – or to believe in some energy-thought web thingy called Kalmek.”

“We do have proof, Overseer. The file in your quarters has a message from our own Triumvirate, as Sivartra has advised. If you open the file it will be explained to you by our most illustrious, revered and honourable Quelae thought masters.”

Nimbledream reflected on these revelations for a while and then looked up. “Medic Captain Tomorrowsight, please ensure that our guests behave appropriately and that Sivartra recovers. Notesounder, you are to report to a nearby medical bay yourself and afterwards get some decent, medically supervised rest. Everyone else; just do – whatever it is you are doing right now.” He strode out, suddenly overwhelmed by the enormity of what he had just heard and witnessed, and intent on opening that locked file without delay.