Chapter One
Exodus
As I tossed and turned in my sleep I was stunned by my revelation. I had seen my death.
My immediate thought, "I will not let this come to pass." I am Karl Koswell 1st officer of the starship Pegasus. We've been on a long and stressful mission.
We originally were sent out by Admiral Dokove to investigate a distress signal coming from planet Valir. Valir is a gas planet, the atmosphere is not breathable and the temperatures vastly cold.
The Yown Research Station is located here. The gas is full of Hydrogen and Argon both of these are natural resources for water and energy. The Yown Research Station (abbreviated YRS) had reported a dome breach and the air in the station would only last a week. Admiral Dokove gave us simple orders.
Locate Valir
Secure the civilians
Return to Galactic HQ
No casualties
I wondered what would happen when we arrived. I've never left the Solar System so I was worried. Captain Thell has always been my friend and the friend of the crew. He has always been calm when in combat situations so I was worried when he spoke on the intercom.
"Attention everyone but there is a massive singularity less then a lightyear from our current position we need to evacuate the people in the YRS now move move move!!!!"
Instantly the ship went to red alert. Rescue pods went away I saw at least sixteen rescue pods go down to the planet.
I then immediately hurried to the bridge. I went to my station next to Captain Thell, I am in charge of the inventory.
"How many pods went to the planet?" Captain Thell asked.
"Thirty sir." I replied.
"Alright" said the Captain, "Keep me posted on their position every twenty minutes.
" "Yes sir"
I replied. After about two hours of reporting to the Captain every twenty minutes I began to notice something strange, two of the rescue team weren't appearing on our scanners.
"Captain" I said. "What is it Karl?" "Captain two of the rescue team have disappeared from our radars." "I'll have Ensign Powers run a diagnostic on our scanners." said Captain Thell. After an hour of monitoring the singularity I noticed something odd about it's speed.
"Captain" I said, "The speed of the singularity has increased by four hundred kilometers and it's current speed it will reach Pegasus in about…….thirty minutes sir."
"Alright" said the Captain "order the teams to double time the rescue, get everyone out of there in ten minutes."
"Yes sir." Replied Ensign Young.
By the progress we were making I was certain we were going to get all of the civilians and our crew back to the Pegasus until I noticed something strange.
"Captain" I said "The singularity…..it's….here."
On the main view screen the rift appeared right before our very eyes. It was a beautiful shade of blue. For a moment the whole ship seemed in an eternity of silence.
After what seemed a year the singularity pulled the ship and the planet. The ship immediately went to red alert. The Pegasus started being rocked by the force of the singularity.
"Report!!" yelled the Captain, "The ship is losing reverse thrust, the YRS crew is dead, the singularity has a complete hold on the ship….we can't escape it."
"That's it then." said the Captain, "It's been an honor serving with you."
The ship was pulled into the singularity. Everything seemed to have stopped, time ceased to exist. I was everywhere I could see the exterior of the ship. Every planet, every star, every individual I was a god.
Instantly the ship rumbled and shook with violent force and I fell forward and hit my head.
I think I passed out.
I awoke in the infirmary with Medical Officer Stone right in my face. "Well Commander" said Stone, "You suffered a small blow to the head and it caused you to lose conciseness but your better now."
"Stone" said I "Where are we?" "Well we've jumped out of the singularity to the…..other side of the galaxy."
"Are you kidding me?" "No Commander I assure you we're on the other side." "Well how long will it take for us to reach Galactic HQ." "Chief Engineer Wilson has predicted that it will take about 255 years at top speed."
"Madre de dios" I said.
After my conversation with the good Med Officer I proceeded to the bridge to resume my station. As I entered I was greeted by Captain Thell. "Karl are you alright?" "Yes Captain but what happened to the scientists on Valir." "I'm afraid we've lost contact with the YRS station 3 hours ago." "Are they alive?" "Like I just said Commander we don't know!!!"
A large beep started coming from the ships computers. "What is that noise?" said the Captain, "It's a subspace signal coming from the YRS." I replied, "On main screen" ordered the Captain.
The image was distorted. The man talking YRS was Chief Scientist Miller, it was clear that he had sustained a head injury. "Captain Thell." Miller said, "We were monitoring the singularity and it appears to have taken this planet and your ship to the other side of the galaxy, approximately fifty of your crewmen are dead a hundred more seriously injured we must evacuate my research staff and your crewmen to your ship."
"Agreed" said the Captain, I'll send twenty rescue shuttles to the station and load your people and mine aboard and make it quick we've predicted that the planet's temperature will be blazing within the hour move it."
The transmission ended and I made my way down to the shuttle bays to oversee the shuttles departure. The shuttles made down to the station but then as I returned to the bridge I found out that a different ship not human but something else had arrived, the enemy ship was much smaller than the Pegasus but it had a green luster to it's hull.
"Hail them" said Thell, "No response Captain" I said, "They're powering their weapons" "Commander what's their weapons inventory." "Captain they've got some sort of superior laser and plasma power and if I'm not mistaken they've also got a shield system."
"Alright Commander thanks, Lieutenant Goss." "Yes sir" said the Lieutenant, "Arm our Gemini missile bays, and our Aries nuke and fire missiles on my mark." The lieutenant then loaded the missile bays and then the nuke.
"MARK!!" yelled the Captain. The lieutenant fired the missiles. Many of the missiles missed their target as the enemy ship changed positions. When the remaining missile impacted the enemy ship their shield flickered and flared and held steady.
"Report" said the Captain, "enemy ship has sustained no damage it's shields are intact, Captain they are firing their lasers."
The enemy ship fired lasers of a dark crimson at the Pegasus it took hardly a second before the lasers impacted. The whole ship shook as in a seizure. "Report" yelled Thell, "damage on decks 5-21, structural collapse on deck 6 imminent, our weapons systems have been disabled we can't fire anything."
"Damn, alright Ensign Young get us out of here." The Ensign laid in a course and the Pegasus zoomed out of the region.
"Uhhh Captain bad news." said Young, "the enemy ship is following us." "Ok Ensign it's a fight they want it's a fight they'll get, bring us around Ensign."
"Captain" I protested, "That ship has firepower capabilities greater than our own you can't possibly think we can win against that ship." "Silence Commander" yelled Thell "We will have the Prometheus fighters distract the ship while we configure our nukes."
"Whatever you say sir."
The Prometheus fighters have firepower much less greater than the Pegasus.
The fighters have 500mm armor piercing bullets and 80 Dual Gemini missiles, they're fifteen ships in all. The Prometheus fighters all launched successfully and reported in.
"Command this is P1 we're proceeding to target over."
"Roger" said Lieutenant Goss, "Engage target with everything you have." "Confirmed" said P1. Instantly the Lieutenant configured the nukes in the launch bay to explode by timer.
"Lieutenant" said the Captain, "Launch the 1st two Aries nukes at the enemy ship." "Ay sir." The Lieutenant launched the missiles at the ship and set the timer for 3 minutes. "P1" said Goss "return to the ship and brace for the nuke's explosion."
"Delay that order" said the Captain.
"Sir if those guys are still out there when the nuke goes off they won't stand a chance."
"If we bring them in now then the ship might see the nuke and run we can't risk that."
"But sir they'll die."
"Casualties of war Lieutenant leave them there, they will have died for their race."
"Yes sir."
The Prometheus fighters weaved their way through laser and plasma fire. One ship blew up the others returned fire. A plasma turret's shields gave way and the fighters destroyed the turret.
The nuke exploded. It was dead silent in the room as a large flash blinded as all. When we our vision returned we saw all of our Prometheus ships gone and the enemy ship damaged severely a large hole in the ship's hull.
"Now's our chance" yelled the Captain, "fire the last twenty Gemini missiles." The Lieutenant obliged the Captain's request and fired the missiles.
The missiles impacted and then the ship exploded as in a flash of fireworks. The Captain breathed a great sign of relief, they had just defeated an enemy that they've had no info about. The room's emotion was of joy an sadness they just lost their best pilots but their sacrifice has proven to defeat a powerful foe. "Everyone let's find a way home now!" the Captain said. The whole ship was tinkering away plotting the best course to reach Galactic HQ.
After that exhausting effort I retired to my quarters and instantly fell asleep.
I had a dream unlike any I've experienced I was in dark room I could fell that the walls were made of rock. I heard war cries but I could not see where they were coming from. I heard gun fire then felt a bullet whiz through my hair. I froze for a second.
I heard what sounded like hot plasma. I wasn't sure until I felt a blazing hot sensation on my back. I tried to scream but I couldn't. I felt another blaze of pain, I suffered severe agony. Before I knew I was going to pass out I saw a tall figure with a mandible and it had to be eight feet high it held what looked like a blue flashlight to my face, but unlike any other flashlight this felt burning hot.
The creature fired it's weapon, instantly I awoke drenched in my own sweat.
"What was that thing, and what was it's weapon." Assuming of course it was just a dream I went back to sleep. I awoke the next morning and a celebration was under way.
"What's the occasion" I asked. "Come on Karl" said the Captain, "don't you know today is it's the New Year we are now in the year 2345 two hundred fifty-five light years from home, take in this moment Karl for we are the first crew to celebrate the New Year so far from the Solar System." So I did as the Captain said I had a great time I stuffed myself full of food mainly full of sushi and pizza.
I definitely drank too much I drank 5 cans of beer and then I passed out. I awoke a few hours later the party was still going on and the alcohol had passed out of my system so I felt rejuvenated.
I saw the Captain was getting stoned I decided not to pull Galactic HQ protocol on him. I went to the buffet and found a new dish of buffalo wings, I immediately grabbed the dish and took to my quarters.
I turned on my HV (Holovision) and watched archived episodes of Quantum Leap while chopping down my buffalo wings. After a bit of watching Quantum Leap I read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. I've always heard this book was an inspiration to many great scientists.
After reading the first page I fell asleep. I had the same dream as last night only this time it was a different being this thing had to have been at least twelve feet high. I could tell that it had orange skin and blue armor and something large attached to it's right arm. Like before it stood over me and fired, like before I woke up drenched in my own sweat.
I looked at my clock, 7:30 a.m. Crap I'm late for my patrol on the bridge.
When I got to the bridge I looked like everyone had gotten wasted. Everyone was asleep. I didn't what to wake them so I just took my station I opened the main view screen and nearly crapped myself when I saw what was before us.
A planet like earth in every way: plants, animals, air, water. It was perfect. Then I immediately turned on the intercom I suspected that every one else was still asleep so I turned the volume to max.
"Attention every one" I said "We've spotted a planet like earth in every way so I recommend we send the crew to the surface for collection."
At that moment the crew scrambled to their positions and prepared for going to the surface. Just then a large shockwave shook the entire ship. On the main view screen there was another ship just like the alien vessel we destroyed only it was accompanied by 7 other ships just like it. "Madre de dios" I said.
"Battle stations" said the Captain, "Battle stations."