THE GALAXYMBION ODYSSEY

“What you tell us is of the severest gravity. If your touching of minds with Kalmek has revealed to you alone levels of understanding not yet available to us, then our missions are incomplete. They will fail to provide lasting resolution to The Crisis,” Amryk-Em-Kovy replied.

“Yes, these revelations must be addressed urgently,” Anavar stated firmly. “I need to search your mind, Margon Rozzerian of Belquedron.”

“Of course,” the seer acknowledged, closing his eyes. Anavar reached out telepathically, seeping into Margon’s mind and soul. Anavar also closed his eyes as he pushed ever further into Rozzerian’s recent memory, recovering all that he needed. Presently he opened his eyes. “We must speak with Kalmek.”

“I was only able to do so on Saltarzhin, your eminences. Elsewhere there are too many distractions in existence; it becomes exceedingly difficult to locate the web and initiate communication with it.”

“All four of us will establish contact together, working as one mind. Do you agree, noble seer?”

“Of course, Triumvir Prime. To bring Kalmek simultaneously to all four of us we should touch fingertips, one to another in formation, to establish a combined synaptic link. The experience could be a little unnerving at first, though I am certain you will adapt quickly.”

“My colleagues need to decide this for themselves.”

“We must know more from Kalmek if we are to utilise your information wisely,” Kendras Arion commented.

“I also agree to this,” Amryk-Em-Kovy confirmed.

”We should delay no further; please summon Kalmek,” Anavar added. The four of them joined fingertips and focused on obscure junctures in space-time, Margon leading them in thought.

For several lapses nothing noticeable occurred. Then, with peremptory unfolding, space and time and sound merged in a blur of incandescence. Four joined souls floated in nowhere and everywhere, without body or limitation.

Who visits Kalmek?

Margon Rozzerian

Anavar

Amryk-Em-Kovy

Kendras Arion

Why do you visit Kalmek together?

To talk collectively of our galaxy in crisis.

You know of this? The Brethren know also. It is a failure of my Makers. Do you bring a cure from the Mirek?

Mirek is not with us. We are evolving a plan to cure The Crisis and have no contact with Mirek. Can you join us, Kalmek?

Kalmek will be with you and the Mirek; Kalmek will help. Kalmek is the web binding all consciousness throughout the macrocosm.

You will travel with us on this quest?

Kalmek does not need to travel; Kalmek is everywhere already. The Brethren must bond with Rinx, with Nivas, with Letungexeva, with the Elix Time Guardians. They must complete THAT circle. Mirek and Imari must merge in Thirdlife. Your learning spheres; they are ready to repair the damaged minds of Gelaymer, Ledara and similar worlds?

They are ready, Kalmek. We are sending Andromeda Super Citadels to deploy those cures.

Mirek and Imari will magnify my web; you must bring THE CUBE, SEED-SHIP and KULNIDARO to your galactic hub. There together we can reset dimensions and restore natural order to existence. This event is best described as reverse melting; temporal order and conscious order are both decaying. We must re-shape their cohesion and rebuild the natural equations of eventuality; for your kind – biological life – this is not without hazard. You are ready to do this?

We understand, Kalmek. Everything will change when natural order is restored to the equations. Some of us may no longer exist after The Solution. Everyone else will find existence different. It must be. All Triumvirates have agreed to mend the dimensions, even if it removes or alters our existence.

Then you are wise and courageous. We have much to do. The process you envisage invoking is correct, mostly, but requires expansion and modification. There are many additional tasks, and the risks of initiating reverse melting are both sublime and potent. Be warned; The Creators must trigger Kulnidaro’s Chrysalis Command if time and thought are to be reset successfully. You can make this happen, I think.

We may go forward or backward in time, Kalmek. We may find ourselves in a different galaxy or even a different photocosm, with neither will nor warning. We may do all four, in which case we most certainly will die. You must see me as a narrow, foolish creature, blessed with a feeble mind compared to yours, Kalmek.

Not at all, Margon. Your insights are most intelligent, as are those of your three companions. We will speak again.

The audience ended as abruptly as it had begun. Margon opened his eyes and focused on the Inner Chamber. Anavar was first to disconnect fingertips from the group. “I believe we all know what must happen now. I will contact The Interworld Triumvirate Unison. Amryk and Kendras, you must accompany me to Ledara. Margon, we will need your connection with Kalmek on Maidenquest; do you concur?”

“I understand, Anavar. I will go to Maidenquest of course.”

“Good. You will meet Ula Longarchive or Commodore Zelispra in less than one perchron. Help them establish their missions using your wisdom, foresight and interaction with Kalmek. Fruition to us all.”

“Forgive Anavar’s abruptness. We must leave at once to catch up with the mission to Ledara. Our usher will help you meet your transportation for rendezvous with Maidenquest. Peace and success, Margon Rozzerian of Belquedron.” The three of them disappeared in a crack of blue light that opened up in the fabric of space. Margon had heard that some of the oldest member worlds of the Galaxymbion were so advanced that their inhabitants could control time and volume, gravity and dimension, but he had never witnessed such ability in action before.

“If you will follow me, please,” the usher said having entered from the hallway. As Margon left, walking alongside the usher, he thought about his previous communions with Kalmek. He did not perceive any danger or subterfuge from The Web, and had never done so, yet knowing Kalmek as he did he sensed a different aura today than previously. It seemed that Kalmek was inattentive and brusque, perhaps even stressed or apprehensive.

The usher brought Margon Rozzerian to a tube pod. “Place your palm on the plate or use the psionic interface. The pod will take you to launch port seventeen where you will be able to board the correct Aldebaran. You can obtain coordinates for Maidenquest from the Launch supervisor, if there are no flight officers available. Maidenquest has been contacted concerning your assignment; it will meet you at your destination coordinates. Have a smooth journey, eminent planetfriend.”

“Thank you. You have been extremely helpful, usher. Until.” The seer stepped into the pod and broadcast his instructions through the psionic interface. Smooth plastic doors sealed and the pod began accelerating within its tube. As it sped along its single passenger tried to reach out to Kalmek on his own. It proved impossible, notwithstanding several attempts. Time passed unpleasantly for him as he thought more and more about Kalmek’s deteriorating condition.

When the pod stopped he disembarked and entered launch port seventeen, where an Aldebaran 7 was waiting. He thanked the port commander and boarded the Mid-interstellar shuttle, surprised to find he was the only passenger. Even more surprising was that there appeared to be only one crew, an exotic young Pelmari woman wearing a smart light blue suit of heavy winter material. Her rank was clearly that of Commodore. She seemed familiar.

“Welcome aboard, honoured Seer. My name is Zelispra. We will be rendezvousing with Maidenquest in less than a perchron. Please occupy a seat and make yourself comfortable either using manual or psionic controls. Safety restraint cushions will activate automatically when you are seated – there you are - and will retract once we have exited the solar system and achieved interstellar velocity.”

Margon Rozzerian took the advice and reacted with an expression of alarm when the Commodore took the seat opposite and settled into her comfortable safety cushions.

“There is no cause for alarm; this Aldebaran is quite automatic, operating under my commands via psionic interface. No crew required.”

“Might I ask why you did not let me pilot this A7 myself and return it to Albascade via the Pathfinder directive?”

“It is necessary for me to return to my duties aboard Maidenquest, and this Aldebaran is registered to that vessel. Well, we are ready for atmospheric exit, Margon Rozzerian.”

“Fine; why are we not moving, though?”

“But we are moving, on an atmospheric elevation. Atmospheric exit from Albascade will be in two lapses.”

“Curious; I sensed neither movement nor inertia. Will we be meeting Maidenquest at the solar system perimeter?”

“No, Margon Rozzerian. Maidenquest is currently on deep space assignment and cannot journey here. We are going to meet it at a more convenient and distant location.”

“In an A7? But this is only a Mid-interstellar shuttle.”

“It has enhanced technology with Menkorian systems throughout and a Temporal drive. Its range is quite impressive.”

“In such a small vessel? How is that possible?”

“Monzarl,” was all she said, smiling.

Margon Rozzerian laughed and relaxed. “Apart from snippets of information I have heard since leaving Saltarzhin I am not familiar with the current projects under construction there. And ten orbits passed on Saltarzhin during my retreat; enough time for several new technologies. How does this temporal drive work without making The Crisis worsen?”

“How much of a physicist are you?”

“Enough to understand universal concepts, but it is not really my speciality.”

“Well, I will try to explain this plainly. Conventional drives manipulate matter and space at sub-nucleonic level, using a variety of different approaches. Those mostly fall into one of three categories; Pulsewave refraction, microphoton fission and microphoton fusion. These conventional drives also power R.E.D and other systems like Sensormesh, Powermesh, Hypermesh and Multimesh. Temporal drive actually does not use up any energy cell reserves at all. It rides the time signature of its own domain – the starship and everything within it – and superimposes that signature on everything beyond the starship. If there is a discrepancy it harnesses that chronological energy differential and as a consequence of aligning the starship with external conditions generates almost unlimited energy. If there is no differential it creates one, enabling the starship either to travel through space-time or matter or both simultaneously. Differentials can also be used to skip dimensional tangents or transcend alternate temporal harmonics.”

“You mean we can visit alternative universes and time frames?”

“Indeed.”

“What happened to the Galaxymbion Charter Directive against inter-dimensional or causality tampering?”

“You refer to Article forty-nine? ‘Galaxymbion citizens, governments, scientific establishments, research centres, engineering facilities and social directorates must not unilaterally, or in concert with others, develop or deploy technologies that alter temporal or dimensional evolution. This prohibition includes investigating, developing, testing, establishing, or otherwise contributing to viable methods or devices that can tap, manipulate, recreate, destroy or redirect the time stream’.”

“That’s the one; has it been discarded? There seems to have been a shift in contemporary affairs, whilst I was on retreat.”

“No, it has not been discarded. Now, before you protest about that, please review our Charter holistically.”

“You mean that forty-nine can be overlooked, using other Articles?”

“Not overlooked, Margon Rozzerian, but acted on uniquely and specifically.”

“That would make this vessel and Maidenquest creatively illegal. As for Nightspear and Kulnidaro, their very existence is to break Article forty-nine, surely?”

“Not at all. The Crisis is a collapse of dimension five which is consequently eroding dimension four. Time is no longer discrete and these new technologies are designed with that in sharp focus. They were developed to correct temporal aberrations, set cosmic evolution back on course, cure its decay and repair interdimensional fractures.”

“I may not be a professional physicist, Commodore Zelispra, but our brave new experiment does tap, manipulate, alter and redirect causal and dimensional evolution. In so doing our scientists, citizens and governments needed to investigate, develop, test, establish, deploy and apply this new technology, contrary to Article forty-nine.”

“It corrects evolution; there are safeguards built into the technology which prevent its application to non-anomalous phenomena. So, it cannot be used to subvert anything natural. It can only be activated against anomalies, and only in a way that corrects them, returning them to their true course.”

“That deals with the deployment and application, what about our ban even on creation of such technology? How did The Galaxymbion decide to pursue something it had forbidden?”

“Corrective technology is not forbidden under Article 49. However, it is actually required under Article 51. I quote: ‘The Galaxymbion guards and honours an ongoing responsibility to preserve Temporal Sequence, Temporal Stability and Dimensional Integrity. In pursuit of Galactic stability across all dimensions and in all time frames The Galaxymbion will take all actions and decisions necessary to repair and prevent breaches, cure ruptures in Temporal fabric, avert decay and re-align aberrations. This duty must be pursued without limit, for the protection of all existence, all life and all consciousness both within and beyond the Theliss-Zekadu galaxy’.

“Additionally, Article 52 specifically states ‘The Galaxymbion both in its entirety, and via individual citizens, institutions, governments or member worlds, is not permitted to ignore or fail to address breaches in Multi-dimensional Cosmic Geometry, Cross-time eventualities, or natural cause and effect sequences. This duty applies even when, to discharge this duty it is necessary to disobey Article 49 in part or in its entirety’.”

“Are those new?” Margon asked, with a rueful smile.

“Honourable Seer, you know very well that all Articles up to 200 were incorporated by Albascade and Aldascan at the Grand Inauguration. That was over a Nebulan ago and the Charter has been subsequently adopted in its entirety by all one hundred and eighteen additional member worlds. Only Articles 201 to 300 have been added, and that was more than twenty thousand Galactic cycles ago.”

“What about amendments?”

“Margon, Article 51 is not an amendment.” They both laughed.

“Are you going to debate policy with me for this entire journey, or can we spend this time more pleasantly?”

“What do you suggest, Commodore?”

“Do you enjoy music?”

“Yes. What is available?”

“As with all Galaxymbion vessels a complete catalogue of musical art from all one hundred and twenty Galaxymbion worlds, and several hundred hostiles. Do you have any preferences?”

“I miss my home planet. Our folk music traditions are exquisite.”

“Kraan it is, then. How about ‘Songs of Waterfalls’ by Delon Almirian?”

“You are familiar with our folk music? That is extraordinary. You are a very unique woman, Commodore Zelispra. Kraan do not usually export their arts, so I wonder how you discovered Delon Almirian. I have a special fondness for this composer.”

The restraint cushions retracted. “Ah, that is better,” the Commodore said, standing up. “Wait here one moment.” She walked towards the Aldebaran’s aft compartments and returned a short while later carrying a large triangular plastic case with rounded points.

“Is that what I think it is?” Rozzerian enquired.

“Since I have no idea what you think it is, I cannot answer your question.”

“A Balandeon Resonance crystal.”

“Then yes, it is what you think it is. In answer to your puzzlement my parents were musicians. They specialised in collecting musical instruments and folk music from numerous worlds, Galaxymbion and otherwise. My mother always loved stringed instruments, so when she toured The Galaxymbion as a young woman she always tried to find some new example to bring home. As it turned out she remained on Belquedron for several orbits before returning home with a whole consort of Balandeons. This one is the bass-treble. She gave a series of concerts across Pelmarin to introduce her people to her collection of interplanetary musical instruments and the folk music played on them. That is how she met my father; he was a music professor in one of the villages in which she gave several recitals. When I arrived it was obvious they would both specially encourage my interest in music.”

“Do you still play?”

“What a question to ask. Of course. Songs of Waterfalls, you like. Songs of Waterfalls you shall have.” Zelispra set the triangular case down, carefully opened it and removed the triangular green crystal it contained. Pressing fingers to the correct nodes on the crystal she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and started to transmit her thoughts through the neural pathways of her arms, hands and fingertips. The crystal began to throb with oscillating light as she set up its performance parameters and started the resonance sequences for its strings.

And so this impromptu concert began; a senior Transplex officer performing an ancient folk song from the home world of her audience of one. Notes flowed, delicate and sweet, complex harmonies and contrapuntal melody lines folding and pouring over each other. Margon relaxed, allowing his memories to wander back to a world that gave him birth.

Augment each phase of Kulnidaro, being named Rozzerian. Creators cannot continue, for they are chaos minds; their fabric is cold, aloof from the cosmos. Their time must end as must their tyranny. Release the learning spheres, Rozzerian; release them in the centre of my web so that I can carry them forth across all time, all space, all fabric – through every dimension. Tell the triangle it must be this way; Kulnidaro cannot succeed only as they have planned it. You will see this, as have The Brethren, The Nivas, The Saints of Thaliocrus and Monastic orders at Sarkron and Seppra. So has felt this need, The One named Mirek Taro, and his son Rilmuta. So has felt The Triangle. Use the Resonance crystal, cure the Macrocosm. Balance will channel through the Resonance crystal. Equations of Reality - Reason, Love and Purity - natural order. Remember the girl you dreamed of long ago – she is now with the crystal. Her love has brought me to you.

“Her love? Resonance crystal?” Margon was saying. He became aware of a gentle hand shaking his left shoulder.

“Margon? Margon? What happened? What have you seen? I also saw images but they were faint. Can you hear me?”

The seer’s eyes focused and he looked into Zelispra’s eyes. “You are the girl in my dreams?”

“You remember. Yes, I am the girl, Margon. Your dreams lost me many orbits ago, but I never forgot you from mine.”

Telhyra-En-Rarm stood stiffly in Maidenquest’s minor hangar bay, looking at the Aldebaran 7 with dismay. She was annoyed; the occupants had switched off their communications array making it impossible to follow protocol for approach and docking. This had wasted valuable time as Maidenquest went through defence profile 2 involving a full sub-nucleonic scan of the Aldebaran. She had not been amused with the result. Then Maidenquest had to override the vessel’s command code and bring it in by automated remote control.

“Alright,” she said finally to her mandatory security detail. “You can wait here. I will call you if I need any assistance. Stand by and only enter the vessel if I am not out in ten lapses.” The five Event Squadron Members acknowledged her directions and waited calmly, laser stunners at the ready. Telhyra placed her palm to the door release panel so that it could read her biological and Pulsewave signatures.

‘MECHANISM LOCKED INTERNALLY: OVERRIDE CODE SEQUENCE REQUIRED’ flashed up on the panel.

“53-908-JHQ-7R-DLP-1701D; physical retraction, lockout override, Telhyra-En-Rarm, Captain.”

‘DOOR RELEASE ACTIVATED ON PHYSICAL RETRACTION MODE’

The panel slid aside, disappearing into the vessel’s side frame, and a walkway ramp slid down, moulding itself into rubberised steps. Telhyra climbed them and advanced through the seemingly empty craft towards the sleeping cabins at the aft section. Stopping at the first cabin’s firmly locked door she again placed her hand on a door plate.

‘AUTHORISATION OVERRIDE’ appeared followed by ‘COURTESY ALARM DIRECTIVE?’ There were already interesting sounds from within the chamber. Telhyra decided not to add to them.

“53-908-JHQ-7R-DLP-1701D; physical retraction, alarm negative, reduce corridor lighting,” she whispered. Obligingly the door slid into its receptacle and mild light gently seeped into the cabin. A lightweight thermo-blanket fell to the floor as Zelispra turned her head with shock at this interruption. She stood up, quite naked, and faced her captain. She was clearly embarrassed.

“Margon Rozzerian, I presume,” Telhyra fumed, looking at a man standing behind Zelispra who remained motionless. Sheepishly the Kraan male, also naked but trying unsuccessfully to conceal himself, bent slightly and grabbed the blanket for modesty. He covered his embarrassment though not before it became clear what had been occurring. “Clean this cabin, shower, get dressed; both of you then report to my Captain’s bureau in ten lapses.”

“Affirmative, Captain,” they chorused as Telhyra-En-Rarm walked away decisively. When she left the Aldebaran she coded the entrances to lock themselves and dismissed her security detail, smiling to herself as she left the minor hangar bay.