A wildly irregular light flux flashed in the black vacuum of space. The star freighter Lightchaser careened out of hyperspace. Its six cylindrical pods whirled around the ship cylinder like a crazy roulette wheel.
Inside the ship the crew and passengers were stunned by the sudden wrenching out of hyperspace. The only lights in operation were the deep red emergency lights. The only sounds heard were the blaring ship alarm buzzers and the crackling of burning electronic components. The acrid smell of the burning components filled the air and the failure of the autograv unit left everyone and everything floating above the floor.
After another dead still minute the backup system's were engaged. The normal lighting returned, the hum of the ship's systems was once again heard, and the autograv unit activated dropping everyone to the deck. It sounded like it was raining sacks of potatoes.
Captain Kevin Morgan pulled his six-foot frame slowly to his feet. Shaking the cob webs from his head he yelled, "Damage containment, plan alpha!" He got to the command chair and scanned a general status of the major systems. The first system he checked was the hyper-drive. The antimatter activator gave out. By all calculations the ship should have vaporized. He was quite happy that it was still in one piece, but he wasn't sure why. He shook his head and cursed himself. Daugherty had told him several times to put into space dock and to have the hyperdrive overhauled. It was almost a year overdue. There was always one more run to make. The black haired brown-eyed captain was sick about what his procrastinating had done. Lightchaser was his life. He sank his military pension and his life savings into it. He talked ten investors into backing his business. If he had got the bonus on this job, he could have bought them out, but it was not going to happen.
Doctor Cynthia Kirshner picked herself up off the conference room floor. Tia was presiding over a construction planning meeting when the failure occurred. She was an astrophysicist and director of the Cent. Gov. project, Orion Watch. The Central Government of Humanity had commissioned a research station to be built and staffed at the edge of the Orion Nebula. Once construction was complete, the scientists would study the formation of stars in what was known as the galaxy's stellar nursery. She called out, "Is everyone all right?" Everyone groaned in the affirmative.
Construction Crew Chief J.D. Hayden looked up at Tia, "What the hell was that?"
"I don't know," Tia growled, "but I'm going to find out. J.D., you check our people and our equipment. Get me a damage assessment. I'm going to the bridge." She turned on her heel and her long blonde hair flashed over her shoulder like a yellow wave. Her slender form did not minimize her strength of will and when her hazel eyes were set, there was no doubt who was in charge of the project.
When Tia entered the bridge, she couldn't believe the chaos. In the best of times Lightchaser's bridge was nothing more than a gloomy gray semicircular room. On the front wall was the view screen. At the moment it was dead black, and inoperative. Three system consoles faced the screen, helm/sensors, navigation, and environment/pod control. The command chair sat on a slightly elevated pedestal behind the control stations. It had a ship wide access console, and the communication system. Tia looked around and saw the lower covers off the helm and navigation consoles. The crew members responsible for the stations were in them up to their elbows. There were components and wires strewn across the floor, and the smell a burnt electronics still hung in the air.
Doctor Richard Flores had just completed his report to the captain. Amazingly enough, he had been treating only bumps and bruises. Next Kevin got a run down from his engineering chief, Terence Patrick Daugherty. Tia stood quietly and listened. "The good news is, if we can find a handful of terra-byte PROM chips I can probably have the hyper-drive up in about an hour. The bad news is the abnormal transition out of hyper-space has made spaghetti out of our sensor antennas. The helm is sluggish and navigation is questionable. Our sensor measurements will be fragmented. It will take some work to make sense of them. I suggest we patch up the hyper-drive and nurse the old girl to the nearest space dock. Based on our last heading it should be the Talandian's Aboria Space Dock."
Considering the situation, and how they got there, the last thing Kevin was going to do was to ignore his chief's suggestion. "That sounds like our best bet. Scavenge the chips anywhere you can. Getting the hyper-drive up is top priority."
At that point Tia spoke up, "I can get you the chips, Chief, Contact my crew's chief, J.D. Hayden. Tell him to pull them from our reserve stash, but I expect them replaced when we get to Aboria."
The muscular sandy-brown haired Irishman gave the scientist a half salute, "You bet Doc, thanks a lot. You saved me a great deal of work."
Tia then turned to Kevin, "Captain, what the hell happened? I thought this crate was space worthy?"
Kevin was feeling bad enough already. He could take criticism of his actions, but not of his ship. "Excuse me Doctor. The fault was not with the ship. It was with me. I'll take full responsibility for the incident. I'll write a report to Cent. Gov. and explain the situation, but right now I must get my ship back together."
"Reports are fine for bureaucrats, Captain," Tia snapped, "but they won't get my station built."
"Excuse me Doctor, "Terry interrupted, trying to be as pleasant as possible, "but I believe you required us to leave Earth space dock before we could overhaul the hyper-drive. I don't want to sound picky, but that point is documented in our logs."
Tia grumbled, "Point made Chief. Let's forget about finger pointing. What can I do to help get this ship back on schedule?"
Kevin was about to answer when he was interrupted by Ann Benson at helm control. "Captain. We're in big trouble. We didn't just fall out of hyper-space. When the drive failed, we were yanked out of hyper-space by Merkel's Pit."
Kevin looked at his helm officer in amazement, "Are you saying that we are caught in the gravity well of a black hole?"
"I'm afraid so sir," Ann answered, "and we're going to have a hell of a time breaking out. Its tough to get proper measurements with the sensors, the way they are, but I would say the ship will experience strain from tidal effects in about twelve hours."
Kevin looked at Terry, "You had better get that hyper-drive up as soon as possible. We will try to buy some time using the sublight engines." Kevin caught the deep look of concern in Tia's hazel eyes. "Doctor, your expression tells me that this may be even worse than it seems."
Tia didn't know how to say it, so she just came out with it. "Captain. I am afraid it may already be too late. In order for a black hole to affect a ship in hyper-space the ship must lose power and the ship must be within the Burtrum Distance."
Kevin Morgan was no idiot when it when it came to interstellar navigation and hazards. He knew what Tia was getting at, and he didn't like it. "The Burtrum Distance is the point of no return."
"That's right," Tia said grimly, "A ship engaging a hyper-drive within that distance will disintegrate."
Kevin turned back to his helm officer, "Ann, double check your analysis, just to make sure the damaged sensors are not giving us faulty readings. I don't want to start getting desperate if I don't have to."
Ann checked her calculations one more time. Then she answered, "I'm sure the results are accurate. The ship was definitely in the gravity well during the transition out of hyper-space. In fact, the external force may have kept the ship in one piece. Captain, if we can't use the hyper-drive, how can we escape the black hole?"
All eyes went to Kevin Morgan. Kevin was no quitter. He limped several ships home during the Earth / Talandian War, "OK, we've heard about Merkel's Pit, and we have heard about the Burtrum Distance, now you're going to hear about the Morgan Maneuver. What is the one assumption that is made when the destructive effects of a black hole are calculated?"
Everyone shrugged, not sure where the captain was going. Kevin answered his own question, "The assumption is the ship is either not moving at all, or its trying to pull away. What would happen if a ship moved toward a black hole faster than the gravity was pulling it?"
Tia caught on, "You would negate the effects of the gravity. Since the tidal effect is just a derivative of the force of gravity, you could safely enter hyper-space even within the Burtrum Distance. That's rather clever Captain."
"Yes it's clever." Kevin responded, "but what's the chances of it working?"
Tia thought about the details for a moment. Then she answered, "It's going to take precise adjustment of the sublight engines. The gravitational force will be increasing at an exponential rate. We must be sure the tidal effect is canceled out when the hyper-drive kicks in or we will be vaporized. We have a remote programmable rover with a long range stellar antenna. We could have it attach itself to the ship's haul. J.D. can interface the remote's signal input to your sensors. That should help us balance our engines."
Kevin slapped the armrests of the command chair and stood, "That will be a big help. OK, let's get to work."
Tia had one more question, "We must engage the hyper-drive while we are moving toward the black hole. Where will the incredible combination of forces take us?"
Kevin shrugged his shoulders, "Since there is no worse place for a ship than near a black hole, anywhere will be an improvement. Let's hope we're around to figure it out."
He got full agreement from the bridge. During the next three hours the crew worked frantically to get the hyper-drive on line. During the same period Tia's crew-chief programmed the remote and sent it out of the ship's air lock. He figured out how to interface the input to the sensor control system. J.D. stood over Ann at the helm station. Ann adjusted the system controls and suddenly the main view screen came to life. The black hole gaped ahead of them like the jaws of a mythical beast. Ann looked up, flashing her big brown eyes, and smiled at J.D. She called to the captain, "Captain, we now have 80 percent sensor capability. I'm tying the new input into the sublight engine control. We should be able to negate the pull of the black hole. Of course, we will be racing toward the black hole. Eventually its gravitation force will overwhelm the engines."
"Let's hope the hyper-drive engages before then.", Kevin answered. Then he contacted engineering, "Terry, we've got sensors, and we're about ready to negate the black hole's gravity. What's the status on the hyper-drive?"
Terry Daugherty puffed as he answered. It was clear that he was working in the tight hyper-drive cylinder, "Just give me five more minutes. I want to make one more test. Reentering hyper-space is going to be a wild ride. I suggest you tell everyone to hang onto something."
During the next five minutes all stations rechecked status. The word was passed to prepare for a rough ride. Finally Kevin gave the order, "We need a major burst from the sublight engines. We got to stay ahead of the gravitational pull long enough to get into hyper-space. Do it."
The freighter's sublight engines fired up and the ship shot toward the black hole. The ship groaned and protested under the sudden acceleration. The autograv wasn't quite keeping up with the sudden burst of speed. The g-force made the people feel like they were in a runaway train. The creaks and snaps made it sound like the ship was coming apart. Ann and Tia were monitoring the gravitational pull when the remote sensors gave out under the strain. Ann yelled over the noise, "Captain, the sensors are gone again!"
Kevin yelled back, "Have we negated the pull?"
Tia answered, "We can't be sure. Based on the last readings, it should be negated by now."
"Good enough for me." Kevin yelled knowing anytime would be a guess. "Ann, engage the hyper-drive."
The young officer held her breath and pushed the panel. A massive jerk knocked the systems and the people out once again.
For the second time in one day Kevin picked himself up off the floor. He looked around at the bridge. It was in worse shape than it was before. The red emergency lights were still on and a white flashing warning message was on all consoles. He got to his chair as the rest of the crew made it to theirs. They all read the bad news together, "LIFE SUPPORT FAILURE." Kevin got on the com. link to engineering. "Terry, what's the status of life support?"
Chief Daugherty did not cheer him up, "Captain, it's dead. There is a melted piece of junk where the life support unit used to be. If we close off unneeded areas and use external equipment to circulate the air, we may last a week."
Kevin looked up at Tia. His question was so obvious that Tia answered it before he spoke. "Captain, we can dig all appropriate equipment out of the storage pods, but they weren't designed to be used in this manner. My best guess is that we may be able to add two or three days to our time. I hope that we are traveling toward a space dock, or at least a life-supporting planet."
Kevin looked at Ann, "What about it Ann? Do we have any idea where are, or where we're going?"
The young officer looked up. Exhaustion was dragging on her pixie features. "I'm sorry Captain, at the moment we are flying blind and deaf. Navigation, sensors, and communication are all down. I can't promise any kind of report for at least three hours."
"It will be longer than that." Kevin said. He turned to Tia for support, "Doctor, would you not agree that we are safely in hyperspace?" Tia nodded and Kevin continued, "Would you also agree that we are stable as long as we remain there?" Tia nodded again, then Kevin gave his order, "We did a hell of a job escaping from the black hole. We are all tired. I suggest we all get some rest and tackle our new problems in ten hours."
Kevin got no objections and the bridge was set on automatic. Kevin dragged himself back to his quarters feeling completely depressed. Forty-three people were flashing through hyper-space in a broken tin can, and it was his fault. Worries about his ship and his investment had long since disappeared. They were replaced by thoughts of the danger to his crew and his passengers. He shook his head as he reached his door. He thought to himself, "How could I be so stupid?"
"You haven't been stupid Captain, and this disaster is not your fault."
The female voice seemed to enter the conversation he was having in his mind. Shocked, his head jerked up and looked around with wide-open eyes. Standing just ahead was Engineering Technician Sharlisa Cantrel. Sharlisa was a stunningly beautiful woman with mahogany skin. Her green jumpsuit highlighted her slenderness. Her high cheek bones and bright brown eyes made many men take an extra breath. At the moment her bright eyes were darkened with concern for her captain. Kevin looked at her still surprised by her statement. "Sharlisa, how did you know what I thinking?"
The young tech was not deterred from her course. "Captain. You cannot blame yourself for this. The failure was in the activator. The subsystem is never expected to have problems. They are only checked once in ten years. There must have been a defect in the unit when it was installed. Even if we did spend time in space dock, it's likely that no one would have checked it close enough to spot the problem. The fact is Captain, if the ship was overhauled the system still would have failed, and, from what I hear, if it had happened anywhere but within that black hole we would all be dead now. It turns out. We were lucky that our schedule wasn't delayed by an overhaul. I just thought you should know." Sharlisa put her head down and began to walk away.
Kevin called to her, "Sharlisa, please wait."
Sharlisa stopped and turned toward Kevin. Kevin reached her and smiled. The relief in his eyes was what Sharlisa was hoping to see. She waited and Kevin spoke, "Thank you very much for your words. You don't know how much I needed hear that, or maybe you do. I'm not letting myself off the hook that easy, but at least now I can deal with it. Sharlisa, you answered a question that I was specifically thinking to myself. Did you read my mind?"
Sharlisa suddenly became embarrassed, "I'm sorry Captain. Sometimes I can't help it. When feelings are strong enough, my empathic capability can become telepathic. I didn't mean to intrude, but your feelings were so strong that I felt I had to help. I hope I didn't offend you."
"Not at all," Kevin answered, "I heard of people with some telepathic talent. You know, card tricks and such, but I never knew anyone who could actually sense people and read their minds like you did. It's amazing. How did you find out that you had this talent?"
Sharlisa lowered her head again and quietly answered, "It's a long story, and it's not very exciting. You must be exhausted after all that's happened. Maybe we should discuss it some other time."
Kevin sensed her reluctance and didn't push her further, "OK, but I am very interested, and I like to hear about it. Thank you very much. I didn't think I would be able to sleep, but now I'm sure I will." Kevin waved as Sharlisa left. He turned back toward his quarters ready for eight hours of solid sleep.
Sharlisa returned to the quarters that she shared with the Mary Competti. Mary took care of the ship's inventory, crew's roster, and environment control in the cargo pods. She was already in bed when Sharlisa came in, but she bolted upright at the sound of the door opening. Mary was not one to miss a news worthy event. With sparkling eyes and a big smile Mary started her questioning, "Did you see the captain?"
Sharlisa told Mary of her meeting with Captain Morgan, and how thankful he was that she approached him. When Mary then asked, "Did that make your funny feelings go away?"
Sharlisa pulled off her jumpsuit and sat on the bed. She stared off, as if her mind was trying to grasp something, and answered her roommate, "No, its still there. It's only barely noticeable." Sharlisa slapped her hands down on her mattress and tears came to her eyes. "Why do these things happen to me? People tell me I have a gift. The way I see it, I've been cursed. I couldn't have a military career. Anytime I'm in an area with more than fifty people the odds are someone's personal tragedy will come crashing into my mind. On large military ships I would be barraged with feelings. I wouldn't be able to function."
Mary came over and sat next to her friend. She patted her shoulder and tried to comfort her. "You do have a gift. You just have to learn how to control it. Didn't you tell me you had gotten a position on Home World?"
Sharlisa answered, trying to calm herself, "I thought I had found the perfect work setting on Home World. My older sister is a good friend of Regina McPherson. As you know, Regina was one of the original discovers of the Home World Legacy. I was going to spend my career studying the gifts left by the mysterious aliens. I was there about three weeks when I started hearing things. I heard the sound of children calling out from the forest. I couldn't understand what they were saying, and I knew they weren't really there, but I kept hearing them. Then I started having the same dream every night. I dreamed I was in the Hall of Unity and the aliens were there. They were small and horribly thin and their skin was pale to the point of being translucent. It reminded me of the underside of a fish. Their big black eyes seemed to be wet with tears as they removed one of the three pedestals from the testing area."
"Wait a minute," Mary interrupted, "I thought the testing area in the Hall of Unity only contained two pedestals. A representative from humanity and a representative of Talandia had to be tested. It was a requirement that had to be satisfied before the hall and the gifts were turned over to both worlds."
"That's right." Sharlisa answered, "Regina McPherson represented humanity, and Ambassador Raul represented Talandia. The test proved that humans and Talandians originated on Home World and were transplanted to Earth and Talandia when the planet became endangered. Which in turn proved that humans and Talandians are siblings of sorts. How a lieutenant from the science ship Stephen Hawking ended up representing humanity is a story in itself. You may ask why I would dream of a third pedestal being taken away? If the images in my dreams are somehow linked to this talent of mine, and that's a big if, it would seem that humanity would have another sibling in the stars that the aliens decided not to make us aware of."
Mary thought a moment then pointed out, "From what you said about their sadness it would seem it wasn't a decision that they enjoyed making. Maybe something happened to our other sibling?"
Sharlisa gave up on the speculation, "This is all silly. There was no third pedestal. The Talandian's found the sealed hall five years before I saw it and there were only two pedestals then. It doesn't matter anyway. The voices and the dreams force me to leave Home World. I took this job because it would involve contact with a small number of the people on a regular basis. The odds of getting bombarded with people's problems were small. Until we escaped the black hole, it was working well."
"That's when you started getting that nagging feeling." Mary asked.
"That's right. After that I felt the captain's depression. If he isn't the source of the nagging feeling, then I don't know who is." The women stood up, Sharlisa pulled back her blanket and climbed under the covers as Mary returned to her own bunk. Sharlisa spoke one more time to her friend and shipmate, "Mary, thanks for listening," then their quarters became quiet.
When Kevin returned to the bridge, he took charge of the effort to repair the major systems. Life support was first priority. Tia and Ann worked with the ship's computer. After two hours of work Tia turned to Kevin and announced their findings. " We used to the computer to make some projections. We are trying to get an idea of where we might be. I'm afraid we have bad news and bad news."
Kevin shook his head weakly and looked at the women, "Of course, it seems to be the only news we have. Well, give me the first bad news."
Tia took a breath and started, "The first bad news is sort of obvious. The computer projects a 99.9 percent chance that if we dropped into normal space right now, we would be at least five light years from any star."
"That is obvious, "Kevin responded, "in fact those odds are probably too low. Stars, planets, nebula, and all other matter makes up a tiny portion of the area even in the densest part of the galaxy. To randomly appear out of hyper-space near a star is just about impossible. So what's your other bad news?"
"Well," Tia answered, "Ann and I did some careful calculations. We applied all of the forces in play when we entered hyper-space. The computer projections we come up with indicate that we passed through a phenomena created by the black hole. This is all speculation of course, but it is likely that we traveled through a hyper-space tunnel. If we did, we could be more than two hundred light years from any known inhabited world."
Kevin sat in his chair and rubbed his chin. "How can we verify this theory of yours?"
"There is only one way without sensors," Tia answered, "we have to drop out of hyper-space."
"OK," Kevin answered, "the long range sensors are working well enough to do interstellar navigation." He got on the com. link to engineering, "Terry, will be going to space-normal, are the sublight engines operational?"
Terry looked over to Sharlisa and she nodded affirmatively, and he reported and he and Sharlisa began preparing for the switch over. When the bridge initiated the switch over the systems responded smoothly, but Sharlisa clamped her hands on her ears and sucked in her breath. She stumbled backwards and fell against the equipment racks. Terry ran to her side, "Sharlisa, what's wrong? What's going on?"
Sharlisa pressed her hands to her ears and cried, "Please make them stop. There're too many. Too many!"
Terry eased her down to the floor and ran back to the com. station, "Captain! Captain! There's something wrong with Sharlisa! She's in some kind of pain!"
Kevin contacted Dr. Flores, "Doctor, get down to engineering on the double. Sharlisa has had some kind of seizure. Give me a report, when you are able." Sharlisa appeared out of nowhere when he needed help. He wished he could help her now, but he couldn't leave the bridge.
Ann reported, "I'm getting sensor data. The input does not correlate to star patterns on the normal trade routes. I'm mapping in the star chart database." A few seconds later Ann reported again. This time her voice was tinted with fear, "Captain, I'm afraid is just as Dr. Kirshner and I expected. We're 214 light years from Earth and, in this direction, Earth is the closest inhabited planet. Captain, it will take us over a year to get back even if we choose the most efficient hyper-space jumps. What do we do now?"
Kevin knew he had to sound decisive and positive if he was to keep his crew going. "Well, if we can't get home, we'll have to go somewhere else. Scan the star field for star systems. Find a planet within a week's transit to support us while we make repairs. Doctor Kirshner, I'm afraid we may have to disassemble some of your equipment for parts. If you have your staff assist us, it would help. We must keep life support working as long as possible."
"Of course, "Tia answered, "I'll have J.D. work with Ms. Competti to identify equipment that may be of use. We do have one more remote rover. It can help with short range sensors, but I would suggest saving it until we are approaching a star system. I do not believe it would survive hyper-space transitions."
Ann looked up again. By the look on her face Kevin knew it was more bad news. She began to report, "Captain, the sensors can only give us sketchy information about the stars around us. I estimate that there are only three stars containing solar systems. The closest is four light-years away. We can only reach one of the three solar systems. We cannot reach two within a seven-day period. The problem is, we can't tell if any of them have an Earth type planet. The calculations indicate that we can cruise at sublight for a day before making a decision, but after a day's time geometry, and the life support system, will make our decision for us."
Kevin looked at Tia, "Doctor, can your rover help with analyzing the star systems?"
Tia shook her head, "I'm afraid not, Captain, the rover's range is extremely limited. We have long range detection equipment in the pods, but one day is not enough time to get it out, put it together, and have it operational. Our best bet is to work on the ship's sensors. Maybe we can dig a parabolic dish out of the pods and interface it to your sensor array. That my boost the sensor input."
"Excellent," Kevin responded still trying to sound positive, "we'll stay at sublight. Ann, analyzed the geometry. Try to plot a sublight course that may give us extra time if we need it."
The bridge became quiet as everyone concentrated on their tasks. After an hour Kevin took a brake and left the bridge. As he entered sick bay, he saw Sharlisa sleeping peacefully in the ward. Doctor Flores was in his office staring at his computer screen. Kevin saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face. "From the look on your face Rich, I would guess that Sharlisa's problem was not minor."
Doctor Flores looked up. He was clearly frustrated and agitated, "This is driving me nuts. I have her completely sedated and still her brain is processing input at an incredible rate. None of the senses are active. Where is the input coming from?"
Kevin had an idea, but he didn't know how or why, "Did you know that she is both an empath and a telepath?"
"She is not just an empath," a female voice answered from behind Kevin. Kevin turned to see Mary Competti enter the office, "I'm sorry for breaking into your conversation, but I thought you should know that Sharlisa's empathic talent is an order of magnitude higher than any other ever recorded. It's allowed her to help many people, but it has also made her life miserable in many ways. I suggest you look into her career. Wherever she was, she always impressed her colleagues with her talent in engineering, but her empathic sensitivity would fill her mind with the pain of people around her. She had to resign from several good positions, including a peaceful position on Home World."
Mary told the men about Sharlisa's experience on Home World. They were amazed and a little bit skeptical. Doctor Flores asked, "Do you think it's possible that her mind created these voices and dreams to give her empathic senses something to work on? If her talent is that sensitive, it might be possible that she would suffer from empathic depravation if she was too isolated."
Mary shook her head strongly. She defended her friend, "Sharlisa would know the difference. She has been on Lightchaser for over a year. During that time she did not hear any unusual voices until now. There was something on Home World. Something only her empathic senses could detect, and there is something out here. From what Terry, I mean Chief Daughtery, told me, her seizure occurred just as we came into normal space. Whatever Sharlisa is sensing it is reaching her over light-years of space."
Kevin stared at Mary for a second then responded, "Are you saying that Sharlisa is sensing a life forms somewhere in space?"
Mary nodded and Kevin rubbed his chin. Doctor Flores spoke up, "This is a bit difficult to comprehend. How could the type of emotion that empaths sense be transmitted into space?"
"I don't know, doctor, but Sharlisa screamed about hearing so many at once. Maybe it's the power of hundreds, maybe thousands of suffering people. Maybe the power of desperate emotions is additive. I don't know."
"We've got to help them." Sharlisa voice was weak, but steady.
"Sharlisa!" Mary ran to her side. "How are you?"
"Tired, but ok." Sharlisa answered, "They have realized that they made contact. They are now passing all of the energy through one being. I sense only his pleas. Captain. We must go to Belnora!"
Kevin shook his head, "Sharlisa, I believe you have a genuine need to answer this call for help, but frankly we are in no shape for a rescue mission. If we do not find help ourselves, we can be in major trouble. We have no idea what Belnora is or where it can to found."
Sharlisa answered giving her captain another reason to find Belnora, "Belnora is a planet. It's in the star system ahead of us. It's the fourth planet from their sun. The planet can provide sanctuary for us, if we can answer their plea."
"I don't know," Kevin speculated out loud, "If all the impressions are correct these life forms must be in serious trouble. That planet may not be as hospitable as we may think. Believe me, Sharlisa, I hate the idea of ignoring the pleas suffering life forms, but we have only one chance to find a safe planet or space port and we do not have the right to risk the safety of our passengers."
Sharlisa's face cringed and her eyes shut tight. A moment later she responded to Kevin's statement. "Captain. Belnora poses no danger to us. The people do not need to be rescued. They just need peace!"
Kevin took Sharlisa's hand and spoke softly, "Sharlisa, we have 24 hours to decide on a course. We must be in hyper-space, on our way to a viable planet by tomorrow or we could all die. Right now, Belnora sounds both challenging and encouraging. We may well choose it, but I have to be sure it's the right choice for us. That's my job. Do you understand?"
Sharlisa smiled and nodded her head, "Of course captain, and you understand that I am sensing thoughts and emotions from the Belnoran. The information that is passed in this way cannot be fabricated or manipulated. I sense that Belnora is very Earth-like. Captain. I've never been wrong."
Kevin patted her hand and released it. "I do indeed, and your talent may have saved our lives. I'll let you know more as soon as I can. Now I think you better get some rest."
Kevin stopped in his quarters to do a little research, then he returned to the bridge. Everyone was waiting to hear about Sharlisa's condition. Kevin told them that she was better then he related her information, "
Tia dug for more details, "You seem quite certain that Ms. Cantrel has been contacted by these aliens. It's quite a far-fetched idea."
"Not for Sharlisa Cantrel," Kevin answered, "I've had personal experience with her gift, and I've also done a little checking. Sharlisa is a 100 percent certified amazement. Every psychic institute, organization, and corner stand wanted her to join, but she refused them all. She out scored every other person claiming psychic ability by at least an order of magnitude. There is a mile long list of statements from people who swear that Sharlisa helped them through a rough emotional time, and you can add my name to that list."
Tia was impressed, but she was not finished, "If all that's true, and Sharlisa claims that this Belnora is a very Earth-like planet, then why the hesitation? Why don't we set course for Belnora?"
"Because," Kevin answered, "the alien life forms that contacted her are in extreme distress. The planet may be Earth-like, but something is causing them great suffering. Maybe their star is becoming unstable, maybe the planet's crust is shifting, or maybe a plague is sweeping the planet. Whatever it is, it may not be good for 43 humans in a crippled ship to show up there."
Tia continued to question, "Didn't the alien relate that there would be no danger to us."
"Yes, but" Kevin responded, "They could have meant that the life forms themselves would not hurt us. They may not have been speaking for what is killing them. Let's use this day we have to gather as much information as we can. It will not hurt to wait to the last minute to make a decision."
The crew worked to gather as much information as possible. The parabolic dish was interfaced to the sensor system. It boosted the long range sensor information by 10 percent. Within minutes one of the three solar systems was ruled out. Ann Benson reported to the captain, "Solar system number three contains no terrestrial planets. Sensors indicate only four gas-giants orbit that star."
"That's one down." Kevin said as an acknowledgment.
The remaining time produced some additional information, but not enough to rule out either of the remaining two systems. The final hour arrived. Kevin knew he had to make a decision. Does he choose Belnora an almost guarantied Earth-like planet with a mysterious and devastating problem, or does he go to a solar system with two terrestrial planets with no idea of their atmospheric compositions? Kevin decided to return to sick bay. Sharlisa was happy to see him and she anxiously awaited his decision. Kevin started, "Sharlisa, I need more information. Have the aliens given you any details about their suffering? Can you feel what kind of pain they in?"
Sharlisa concentrated for a moment. She explained, "They have learned not to constantly bombard me, but when I reach out, there is always a life form there to touch." Kevin stood silent as he watched her go into her mind. He was amazed by what she was doing. His amazement was suddenly tempered by sympathy as tears appeared in Sharlisa's eyes. She sobbed softly as she concentrated. After a few minutes she opened to tear filled eyes. She wiped her face, "I'm sorry for the blubbering Captain."
Kevin handed her a nearby towel, "No problem Sharlisa, your talent is incredible. They must have been relating some really terrible things."
Sharlisa used the towel then tried to tell Kevin what she was feeling, "You must understand, Captain, I'm not actually talking to the life forms. I am getting feelings and yearnings that manifest themselves into images. I'm seeing mothers crying for their children, men angry over the disaster they could not control, but mostly I'm getting a question."
"A question?", Kevin asked.
"Yes," Sharlisa answered, "If the question can be answered it seems all of the pain will ease, and they will be at peace. All they want to know is why."
"Why?" Kevin said while thinking he wasn't being much help.
"That's what I get Captain, why. I still get the impression that the planet will be very hospitable to us. We can repair our ship while we help the aliens."
Kevin got down to it, "Sharlisa I have to make a decision. I want to know if the alien's problem can become our problem. You know we cannot handle another major problem."
Sharlisa looked Kevin straight in the eye, "Captain, I don't know if you can believe me. I know I have no evidence to back me, but with all of my soul I feel that all of their suffering is happening at a level that we won't experience. Don't ask me to explain it, but that is what I feel."
Kevin took Sharlisa's hand for a moment and made his decision, "That's good enough for me. We will set course for Belnora. Are you feeling good enough to come to the bridge?"
Sharlisa smiled and agreed.
With Sharlisa on the bridge, she was able to quickly confirm the system's course to Belnora using impression of the direction of the psychic messages. Lightchaser went into hyper-space one more. In four days they approached Belnora. Tia's rover was in position on the hull of the ship. Everyone studied the planetary data as the ship entered an orbit. Concentrating on the sensor data, Ann gave a running commentary of the planet in the view screen. "There was definitely fairly advanced civilization here once, but that was a long time ago. The sensors are picking up remnants of structure all over the planet. They are in small bits and pieces. There is evidence of road systems and cities, but it's all overgrown by natural vegetation. Not being an expert in this sort of thing, I couldn't tell how long it's been since the civilization died out, but it has been a very long time."
Tia reviewed the data on Kevin's console and gave her estimate, "The civilization has been gone for at least four thousand years, probably longer. It's also no mystery what killed the Belnorans. They died of their own stupidity. Several of the population areas show slightly higher than normal radiation levels. I'm quite sure that those levels indicate that the cities were targets of nuclear strikes. These people committed the final crime. They destroyed themselves in a nuclear holocaust. Fortunately for us that was several thousand years ago; the planet has remade itself, and it is perfectly safe.
The bridge became silent and solemn for a moment then Kevin announced, "Looks good."
Everyone gazed approvingly at the beautiful blue-green planet below them. Tia was still a little troubled, "I wish I could resolve this one set of data from the rover. I have one reading of some kind of unusual weather pattern."
Kevin was about to chalk the data up to a hardware glitch when a new face of the planet moved into view. Instead he pointed to the view screen. "Maybe that has something to do with it." Everyone stared at the thin dark gray strip that ringed around the planet from north to south.
Tia looked over Kevin's shoulder and announced, "That's it. It's some kind of a dead zone. It's only a mile wide, but it circles the planet at ground level. It is consistent across all climate zones, and over the oceans. Wow. This is amazing!"
Everyone stared at Tia waiting for her to explain her exclamation.
"The dead zone, its cloud cover, and its climate just plan stops at its edges. There is no gradual clearing. Within a fraction of an inch the area goes from being totally dead to being totally alive. I've never seen anything like it, nor do I know any physical laws that would explain it."
Kevin got on the intercom and called engineering, "Terry, could you ask Sharlisa to come to the bridge please." A few minutes later Sharlisa entered the bridge. The dead zone was now in the center of the planet on the view screen. Kevin began to address her, "Sharlisa I was wonder . . ."
Kevin didn't have a chance to finish. Sharlisa moved up to the view screen and started weeping, "There they are; those poor souls. They're in there. In the dark area, I must get to them."
"That's impossible," Tia snapped preferring the provable to the metaphysical, "all indications are that the area is a dead zone. It must be some kind of freak weather belt. Nothing lives in there. The land is barren to the core. The life forms that lived on this planet totally destroyed themselves thousands of years ago."
Sharlisa turned to Tia, "Dr. Kirshner, I know you find this very hard to believe, and I can understand why. All I can tell you is that the anguish that I sense comes from that zone. It's like a ring of despair around the planet. The rest of the planet is as I predicted. You may use it as sanctuary while the ship is being repaired. The ring of despair need not concern you. I will find a way to give them their peace."
Tia was embarrassed. She did not mean to react so harshly. "Forgive me Ms. Cantrel. I had no business lashing out so. I'm sure several of us will have time on our hands while the ship is being repaired. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we will be happy to support your effort."
Kevin acknowledged Tia's assessment and made the final decision. "Ok. We'll examine the areas close to the dead zone, first with sensors, then with scouting parties. I would like to find the optimum area fast. We only have a few days of life support left, and I would like to save some for the repair crews."
The assessments went quickly. There were thousands of miles of comfortable living area within walking distance of the dead zone. A choice was made, and the people and equipment began their trip to the surface. Lightchaser was a freighter. It was designed for planet-fall loading and unloading. The five cargo pods detached from the central ship's cylinder and were ferried to a planet by a shuttle that was stored in pod six.
This unloading job would be a little different. Any pod that was ferried to the surface would remain there. There were no booster rockets available to return it when it was unloaded. Equipment and supplies were rearranged to put the needed supplies in the number one pod. Mary Competti took charge of this task and completed it in record time.
The pod was transported to the surface. Once the pod was down, the shuttle was used as a ferry to bring down the crew. It returned to the ship to be used for emergency transport. Terry Daugherty, J.D Hayden, and Ann Benson remained onboard Lightchaser with a team of ten maintenance personnel.
The basics would not be a problem. They had enough solid dried food supplies to last for several years, and the giant storage pod was a ready-made shelter. The thirty-three personnel on the surface spent the first day rearranging the pod, unpacking equipment and scouting the area around their new home.
In was early summer in the local area of the planet. They had chosen and camp area in the southern temperate zone. The area was warm, but not extremely humid. The temperature had been ranging from the mid sixties at night, to the low eighties during the day.
Sean Seegars led a surveillance party back to camp after scouting the area between the camp and the dead zone. He was a powerfully strong black man with a keen eye and a military mind. Sean had spent ten years in the space marines. He was decorated twice during the Earth / Talandian War for heroism and leadership. Kevin had immediately made him in charge of camp security when the first shuttle run touched down. The terrain he and his party scouted was beautifully pure. They walked through miles of tall emerald green grass speckled with wild flowers. The flowers exploded in bright yellows, blues, and reds. The trees were tall, strong, and full of rich deep green leaves. The air was warm and fresh. This was something Sean really appreciated. He had never quite gotten used to spending months in ships breathing circulated air.
Sean looked up at the azure blue sky and told his squad, "I think we should rename this place Eden. It's perfect."
One of his team pointed to the black curtain of the dead zone, "Then that must be the land where Cain dwells, east of Eden."
Sean eyed the black curtain suspiciously. He didn't like barriers he couldn't see through. He got all of the sensor information on the zone, but it still made him nervous. As he released his gaze, he spotted a woman standing alone at the edge of the camp. He waved for his team to go in and he went to her.
Sharlisa had completed her duties and stood at the edge of camp in a sadly puzzled state. Sean could see that she was troubled. He walked up to her purposely making noise so as not to startle her. Sharlisa turned toward the noise and Sean spoke softly, "Excuse me Ms. Cantrel. I noticed you standing out here alone. I'm Sean Seegars. I'm in charge of security for the camp. I have been working with Mary Competti quite a bit lately. She told me how you found this place for us. It's quite a remarkable story." Sean paused then started again, "You look troubled, can I help?"
Sharlisa lowered her head almost embarrassed to be seen in her state. She answered softly, "I'm fine, Mr. Seegars. Thank you for your concern."
Sean didn't give up that easily, "I don't mean to intrude, but a blind man could see that you are bothered by something. I am head of security. Considering your talent, if something about this place is bothering you then I think I had better know about it. Please talk to me. I am seriously interested in telepathy as a form of communication."
Sharlisa's eyes brightened a bit as she looked at the strong x-marine. Then she spoke her mind, "Well if Mary has you up to date, and, if I know Mary, she has, then you know I have had actual two way communication with the inhabitants of this world." Sean nodded and Sharlisa continued, "Well the communication stopped when we landed. I can sense the pain and their misery, but no one is there to link to. They have turned me off, and I don't know why. Maybe we are not what they expected, or maybe I have done something to frighten or insult them."
Sean's mind scrambled for a comforting response. After a minute he found one, "Maybe they are surprised that we actually came. They may be wondering what to do next. I'm sure you will be contacted soon. We are the first visitors to this planet in thousands of years. We may be the first off-worlders ever to visit Belnora. They're probably scared to death. Give them time."
Sharlisa smiled a bit and thanked Sean. They returned to camp together.
Everyone had a standard dinner and settled down for the evening. Most people opted to sleep around a campfire outside as opposed to making a berth in the pod. There were plenty of materials to use for sleeping blankets. The first night seemed like an exciting adventure to everyone. As darkness closed on the camp, six campfires were lit. People looked up at the new set of stars and began creating a new set of constellations.
Sean returned to camp after checking his motion detectors. The units were normally used to guard the cargo pods against tampering. They served well as a perimeter defense. He scanned the campfires and found Sharlisa right where he expected her. While everyone stared at the sky, she kept her distant eastern vigil. Sean went to her and interrupted her gaze, "May I sit down?"
It took Sharlisa a few seconds to respond. She smiled at her new friend and made room for him. Sean sat and asked, "Still waiting for contact?"
"Yes," Sharlisa answered as she stared off eastward, "but I'm sensing something different from that place. The misery is still there, but there is also a guarded hope building in them."
Sean offered to help, "Tomorrow, I could ask the captain if I could lead a contact party to the dead zone. Maybe if we searched them out, they will be convinced that we want to help."
Sharlisa was genuinely warmed by Sean's offer, "I really appreciate the offer, but I've thought about that approach. I feel I had better wait for them to contact me."
As if on a cue an icy cold wind blew into camp. It flared the campfires and chilled the humans to the bone. Sean jumped to his feet and yelled to a tech assigned to his security group, "John, get some sensors on, I want to know what's going on!"
The wind suddenly whirled itself into a tight violent funnel that roared in front of Sean and Sharlisa. It stood directly over the campfire which was snuffed out by its force. Everyone backed away except Sean and Sharlisa. Sharlisa wouldn't go and Sean wouldn't leave her.
Kevin Morgan and Tia Kirshner alternated from watching the events outside and reading the sensor data coming in. John Thomas manipulated the security sensor net. He let out a yelp, "Wow, that ain't no normal windstorm!"
Tia studied the figures and graphs and added, "You can say that again. There's some kind of trans-planer action going on in there. It has some relationship to the energy generated when matter moves from normal space to hyper-space. It's akin to that, but not exactly that."
Kevin looked out at Sean and Sharlisa and asked, "Are they in danger out there?"
Tia looked at the captain seriously, "Captain, if the energy in that mini- tornado is released violently, we'll all be reduced to our separate molecules. I'd say we're all in danger."
The violent wind whipped at Sean and Sharlisa. They warded off dirt and debris. Their hair and clothing were lashed and they squinted through tear-filled eyes. Through it all, they stood firm.
After two minutes the eight-foot funnel emanated an eerie green glow. An image appeared in the glow. It was a male humanoid about seven feet tall. Its face seemed longer and thinner than a human's. There were other differences, but it was hard to decipher which were racial differences, and which were the results of its deteriorated state. The creature looked like it was in the advanced state of some fatal decease. It was there, but it was not real. It had no physical form.
The violent wind calmed when the alien was in full view. The humans' feelings swung from pity for the poor suffering creature, to revulsion at its sight. The rags it wore had no identifying markings of any kind. Open sores covered his hands and face. Only small patches of hair remained on its head. Its large sunken eyes were filled with tears as it raised its skeletal hands and began to speak. Sean and Sharlisa were amazed to hear the creature's raspy voice speak in Earth Common, "You have come. We have waited such a long time. Please, you must help us stop the march. You must give us peace."
Sharlisa stepped forward. She had so many questions. Now that they had arrived on Belnora it seemed that the aliens preferred verbal communication to telepathy. "We want to help. Tell us how. How can we give you peace? When my mind was touched by you, I sensed the word 'why'; do you need to know the reason for something?"
"Yes," the creature answered, its voice echoing its suffering. "Before we can sleep, we must know why. Why did we have to die?"
Sharlisa took in her breath. She had assumed she had been talking to some type of holographic image transmitted to them in some fashion. Even the creature's dreadful state didn't convince her it was otherwise. She now realized that she was talking to was not an image, but an apparition.
"You are spirit only then?" Sharlisa asked.
"We all are," the creature answered, "our lives were ripped from us in the unspeakable violence of a nuclear holocaust, and in the agonizing suffering that followed. That was several millennia ago. Our souls are trapped on this plane in an endless death march. More than a billion are trapped. You must tell us why we died. Why did it happen?"
Sean was not convinced by the statement, "Can't the souls of your military answer your questions? After thousands of years I would think they would have bared all."
"They did," the creature answered. "We have all heard the details. Our nation was called Matsura. We were the prime military power in the northern hemisphere. Kerazaw held the southern hemisphere under its influence. It was a complicated political situation. Each power influenced countries that were on the other's continent. Many crises had come and gone. The last crisis arose over a clash of naval battle groups at sea. We were at the edge, but the crisis was resolved and the military alerts were ended. Two days after the crisis ended Cappora, a city that was not far from this location, was destroyed by an unprovoked nuclear strike apparently from Kerazaw."
Sean puzzled, "You say apparently. Didn't your military track your enemy's missiles and bombers?"
"Yes, yes," The creature answered, frustration showing in its voice, "We considered our early warning system fool proof, but there were rumors that Kerazaw had developed a stealth technology that could hide their missiles and bombers from our detection devices. We considered the rumors propaganda until Cappora was destroyed. Cappora was the site of our central military command. With the central command destroyed, and the possibility of unseen Kerazawan missiles on the way, the ruling body ordered full retaliation. That was the beginning of the end."
"In the uncounted years since to last of us died and the march began, we have found out many things. The first thing we have discovered is that spirits cannot lie. Questions rippled through the long march and answers came back. When the question of why the Kerazawans destroyed Cappora was asked, the response was that they did not attack the city. Year after year went by, every possible nation, criminal organization, and terrorist group was sought out and asked. No group or individual on this planet knows who destroyed Cappora or why."
The wind once again back to pick up, and the creature called out over the roar. "I must return to the march. I was the first to leave the march. You empathy brought me to you. I do not know if I can ever leave the march again. Go to Cappora. Tells what happened to it; then come see the march. On a dark night, come to the dark area to the east. There you will see the march. Fear not. The misery is our own. You will not be affected."
The image slowly dissolved into the whirlwind and the wind died away. The camp was left in a dead silence. The warmth on the night flooded back in comforting the shivering humans. Many rethought the idea of sleeping by the campfire and began moving back into the pod. Sean was furious. He stomped toward the pod yelling for information on the creature. His fury settled down when he ran into Kevin coming out of the pod. He firmly addressed the commander, "Captain, may I officially submit my apology for the event that just occurred."
Kevin couldn't understand what was making Sean so angry, "Sean, exactly what are you apologizing for?"
Sean refused to let himself off the hook, "Captain, the security of this camp was breached. My methods of protection failed totally. My ineffectiveness has endangered everyone. I can only request another chance to right this failure. I would not blame you if you relieved me of duty, but I respectfully request another chance to clear my record."
Kevin turned back into the pod. He motioned Sean to join him. They moved to the camp's security sensors. Kevin pulled up the analysis of the whirlwind and the creature. He pointed to the graphs, "Look at that energy. It was being driven by a distinctly unnatural force. I know, you hate excuses, but in this case you will have to admit what no space marine ever wanted to admit. Sean, my friend, this time we were just out muscled. It would have been far easier to block a real tornado from entering camp. In my opinion, you handled the situation expertly. When we were still thinking it was a cold breeze, you were calling for sensor data on the phenomena. Relax, it worked out. Sharlisa got the contact she was waiting for, and we're all in one piece."
"This time," Sean responded, "what if we can't answer this creature's questions? What if it reacts violently? Could we stop it? We do have data on it now. It will be my job to devise a defense against the possibility."
"You're going to defend us against a ghost?" Kevin asked, in amazement.
Before Sean answered, Tia spoke, "Mr. Seegars, I understand your need to protect us, but it is really unnecessary. The creature had no solid form. It can't hold a weapon or even take a swing at you. The powerful whirlwind contained more energy than could be contained in the space it took up. Most of the energy was generated when the creature moved between to planes of existence. It was like moving from normal space to hyper-space. It had no more control over that energy release than we have over the light flux created by ships entering and leaving normal space. The plain facts are, we cannot in anyway affect the creature's state, and it cannot affect ours. Your defenses were not breached because, for all practical purposes, the creature wasn't really here. Consider it an unusual form of hologram communication."
"SEAN!" Sharlisa yelled in surprise, "What are you doing?"
Sean turned to see the young engineer standing behind him shooting daggers at him with her eyes. "Mr. Seegars, need I remind you that this is not a war. These people are in agony. They only want our help, but instead of thinking of how to help them, you're thinking about how to destroy them."
"Look, Sharlisa," Sean was in no mood for a lecture, "you've got your job and I've got mine. I hope we can find the answers for these creatures, but I have to think of the humans on this planet. Protecting them is my responsibility. I do not mean them harm, and from what Dr. Kirshner says, I couldn't hurt them if I wanted to."
Sharlisa wasn't satisfied. She saw the anger in him, "I saw your eyes, Sean. You were not thinking of protection; you were thinking of destruction."
Sean would not let Sharlisa walk away angry, "It is my job to protect this camp. In this position it is natural to become angry when ones defenses are breached. That doesn't mean I plan to kill everything that moves. I respect life just as much as you do."
Kevin interrupted the discussion with a peace offering, "Sharlisa, if you are going to search for information that will help these suffering souls, you are going to have to travel beyond the limits of this camp. Sean has done an excellent job securing the area around the campsite. I believe he should provide security for your expedition."
Sharlisa calmed down a bit. Her mind went back to the task of helping the people of the planet. She agreed then asked, "Captain, may I get support from someone on Lightchaser? We have to find the exact location of the ruins of Cappora. The spirit said it was nearby, and that was a military headquarters of some kind. The military may have had some operational areas deep underground. If any detailed records have survived, they will be there. The easiest way of finding the location of the city and any subterranean areas is by the matter probing sensors."
"Agreed," Kevin responded, "I'll contact the crew in Lightchaser, and have Ann work on it first thing in the morning. She can find a location while you and Sean are organizing the expedition. I thought I was going to have trouble finding things for everyone to do. I guess I was wrong."
While Sharlisa slept, she found herself in a dream. She was walking in an old style graveyard, but the graveyard was not on Earth, it was on Home World. She wore the clothes of mourning, a straight black dress and hat with a black veil. She came to a fresh grave. A funeral dirge played in the background.
While she stared at the grave, a middle-aged Talandian man walked up beside her. His golden skin seemed to shine next to his deep crimson mourning tunic. He looked at her with a tear in his eye and spoke softly. "Our brother's suffering has ended. He may now rest. Come, let me take you home." Sharlisa's dream faded before she could speak.
Just after sunrise Sharlisa and Kevin relayed their request to Ann Benson in Lightchaser. Sharlisa stepped out of the pod and stood for a moment staring at the black curtain that defined the dead zone. Sean slowly walked up, "Good Morning Sharlisa."
Sharlisa smiled, "Hi Sean," then she lowered her head a bit, "I guess I was a little rough on you last night. I'm afraid I'm a bit sensitive when it comes to these people. I felt their suffering, and I led us here. If their fate became worse because of me, I would never get over it."
Sean smiled back, "Its OK. I've been trained to take a little punishment. Besides, you were not wrong when you said I was angry. If I had the power, I would have driven that spirit off last night. I'll make you a deal. Since you can sense their feelings, I will count on you to tell me if I should worry; how does that sound?"
Sharlisa smiled at the big security officer and reached out her hand, "Sounds like a good deal to me."
Their firm handshake of agreement slowly turned into a tender holding of hands. Sharlisa could sense Sean's affection for her and her own growing affection for him. Sean didn't need empathic talent to feel Sharlisa's warmth. He just had to look into her beautiful brown eyes.
Sharlisa's voice softened when she spoke again, "Thank you, Sean. Thank you for understanding. You didn't have to give me this kind of control over you on this, but I want you to know how much I appreciate your understanding."
Sean looked down at Sharlisa and tried to make his voice as soft as he could, "I'd like to say that I would have done the same for anyone, but I know that's not true. You are special; maybe in more ways than you know."
They continued to hold hands and moment longer.
Kevin discussed activity options with Tia. "If you don't mind," Tia quipped, "I'd rather explore the planet with Sharlisa." Tia paused for a moment, then with a smile and slightly different tone in her voice she asked, "Are you coming along?"
That was the best invitation Kevin had in a long time. Kevin was happy Tia didn't have Sharlisa's talents. If she had, she had easily noticed the pleasant feelings her smile was giving him. "Yes, I do believe I will. The camp and the crew in the ship are stable. There isn't any reason for me to hang around here. Ann said it would take her about an hour to compile and transmit a map to Cappora. That will give me time to hunt up a picnic lunch for us. . . . I mean, for everyone."
The com. link buzzed in the pod. Kevin was surprised to hear Terry Daugherty's voice come through the speaker. He was clearly depressed, "It's no use Captain. We have tried everything we can think of. Life support cannot be replaced. The ship cannot be made space worthy. I'm sorry sir."
Kevin's eyes widened in shock; the same shock registered on every face in ear shot of the com. link. Kevin almost lost the ability to respond, but he pulled himself together, "OK Terry, gather your people together and prepare to come down. Set the ship's main communications to transmit a continuous MAYDAY. After you get here we'll all get together and discuss how to proceed."
Emotions in the camp were strong and mixed. They were relieved to have found a habitable planet, but they couldn't imagine being stranded forever. Sharlisa could feel it all. All the sudden yearning to see someone left at home, all of the fear of being trapped on an alien world, and she could also feel the guilt rush back over her captain. She rushed into the pod to where Kevin was standing, "NO, no stop that. This is the same incident. The cause of the incident hasn't changed from last week. You are still not at fault! Captain, it just happened."
"Maybe I didn't cause the initial problem," Kevin responded, almost annoyed that Sharlisa ease dropped on his misery, "but it was the Morgan Maneuver that destroyed the life support system."
"No," Sharlisa countered, "it was the Morgan Maneuver that saved our lives. We would have been crushed to our subatomic particles if you hadn't saved us. We're here and we're alive. We can build here. We have the tools and the materials. We owe our lives to the Morgan Maneuver and to its coolheaded creator."
Kevin grabbed Sharlisa and hugged her, "And to humanity's most sensitive creation. Your empathy found this planet, and it will calm its troubles. You have once again turned my darkest time into a new beginning." He then released her and straightened. "Well I guess solving the spirit's problem may be more essential than we thought."
"Then Terry's news has not changed your mind about the expedition?"
"On the contrary," Kevin answered, "the expedition is now more important. If this is to be our home, its former residents most have their peace. Even if I had no feeling for their plight, I would still want a resolution to their problem. If they don't find peace, I'm sure you won't find peace."
Sharlisa smiled, "Thank you, Captain. This somehow doesn't sound like a compliment, but I couldn't think of a better commander to be stranded with."
Kevin laughed as he walked back into the pod.
Sharlisa called after him. When he stopped, she almost wished, he hadn't. Her nerve to bring out one more metaphysical mystery was fading, but she had the captain's attention so she let it out, "Captain I have a feeling, and this isn't anything to plan on, but I have a feeling that we won't be here as long as we think."
Kevin smiled and said, "Sharlisa, if you have a feeling, it probably is something to plan on."
Ten minutes later Ann contacted Sharlisa. When Sharlisa picked up the com. link Ann's voice was strained, but business like. Ann asked, "Did you say that Cappora is supposed to be somewhere in the local area?"
Sharlisa could feel Ann's turmoil and she admired the woman for keeping her mind on her work. Sharlisa answered, "Yes, that's what we were told."
Ann puzzled, "That's very interesting. The sensors do not indicate the presence of any residual radiation within a hundred miles of your location. Maybe the place is not a close as your friend thought it was."
"How about material such as plastics and petroleum by-products, can the sensors find indications of those in the local area?"
"There are plastics buried in many areas around your site. The heaviest concentration is on the edge of an impact crater about twelve miles south of your location. There are also indications of partial standing structures in the area. I would have mentioned this area first, but I thought you were looking for a nuclear strike site."
The realization hit both women at the same time. Sharlisa spoke up, "Oh my God; could it be that horribly simple? Could, the city of Cappora, been destroyed by a random meteor strike? Could such a strike have been mistaken for a nuclear attack? Could a whole world have died because of a misinterpretation of one event?"
Sean had heard the conversation and grimly answered Sharlisa's rhetorical question, "Yes, it could have happened just that way. I have studied some military history. In the late twentieth century Earth was sent to the brink of nuclear war several times. During those times, fingers were poised above the launch buttons. If Moscow or Washington had suddenly exploded in a great fireball, missiles would have been launched. For all of those tension-filled years Earth had no meteor tracking system at all. They didn't even know they needed one. It could have happened on Earth, and, it looks like, it did happen here."
Ann spoke through the link, "That's awful, but it does provide an answer that will give the spirits peace. I'll transmit a map of the area with a route to the impact crater."
Sharlisa and Sean both thanked Ann for continuing her work in the light of Terry's news and the link was closed. Sharlisa was embroiled so much in her own emotions that, for once in her life, she had blocked out all of the empathic messages around her. She did not sense Sean's rising jealousy over the scene he witnessed between Sharlisa and Kevin. She paced back and forth speaking more to herself than to Sean. "OK, this could be the answer; we've got to get the map to them. If they can confirm that Cappora lies under that impact crater; we'll know were right. We must go to the march."
Sean reached out and held her shoulders and tried to calm her down, "Relax, we were planning to go there anyway, remember?"
"Yes, yes I know." Sharlisa grumbled as she tried to reach out with her empathic senses. She wanted somehow to communicate that there may be an answer soon. Her efforts failed and she frowned in disappointment.
Sean mistook her disappointed for annoyance and he released her shoulders. Sean's disappointment was clear, and he made it known verbally, "Captain Morgan seems to have far more success comforting you, than I do. Maybe I should call him over."
Now Sean had her attention and his jealousy rang like alarm bells on her empathic senses. "No, Sean no, it's not at all what you think. Captain Morgan and I were just dealing with a situation. He hugged me out of appreciation. The reason is private to him; please don't ask me to retell his private thoughts." Sharlisa reached out her hand and took Sean's and continued, "Please don't pull away from me now. I need you."
Sean held her hand for a minute; then looked around at the people sitting close and walking by. He just smiled and whispered, "We have a serious problem with privacy in this camp. You can be sure that problem will be remedied soon."
By late morning the sky had turned gray. It seemed to sense the sadness in the newcomers and tried to respond accordingly. Terry Daugherty and J.D. Hayden brought their crews down from Lightchaser. Everyone gathered in the pod just as light rain began to fall. Kevin started the meeting. "Well I guess everyone has got the word.; Lightchaser can't be fixed. It looks like this planet may be our home for a very long time. This is not going to be easy for any of us. I know many of you were looking forward to returning to family and friends on Earth. I'm sorry that this has happened to you. I'm sure we will all shed more than a few tears in the next few days. There is a chance that some ship traveling at the edge of human space may pick up our distress signal, but rescuers would be some long ways away. I'm afraid that our stay on this planet will be for years, if not forever. The plan right now is summed up in one word, survival."
"Thanks to Sharlisa, we seemed to be stranded on a very hospitable world. Sensor data and our own experience indicate that it may provide everything we need. Of course, we haven't eaten, or even seen, any appetizing native plants or animals. The stores of dried food that were bound for the Orion research station will sustain us for quite awhile, but not forever. We must learn about this environment and how to exist in it."
Kevin paused for a moment then he continued, "OK, the way I see iy; the first task will be to look over everything we have. Thanks to Mary, we have excellent inventories of the contents of the transport pods, and the items in the ships hull. We now have to study the data categorize everything based on their utility in our present situation. We will want to bring down items in quantity, but we do not want risk damage or spoilage to items. If they are not needed, they should stay in the pods. We should use the shuttle sparingly. Its fuel won't last forever. Mary, you know the inventory, please take the lead on this task. We're all at your disposal." Mary nodded sadly. Her usual bright smile was washed away like the dust in the rain.
"Since we are not in the transport and research businesses anymore, we will need input about everyone's secondary skills. Ann, could you please coordinate that effort."
Kevin listed several other tasks and appointed leaders. When all bases were covered and everyone was tasked he adjourned the meeting. Sharlisa volunteered to help Mary with the inventory, but Kevin insisted that she concentrate on setting things right for the original residence of the planet, "Like I said before. If they don't have peace, we won't have peace."
The sky began to clear as the sun set. Sean met Sharlisa at the camp's eastern perimeter. They stared at the dark wall of the dead zone. Sharlisa stared at the black curtain as she talked, "You know I am more than a little scared of that place, but at the same time I feel I already know it. The curtain will not harm us. I'm convinced of that, I just don't know if I can take viewing what's behind it."
"You are not alone in that feeling." Sean answered, "I'm not used to dealing with things I can't control, but it's got to be done. You heard their pleas. Now you will give them peace."
Sean picked up the backpack containing their gathered information. Before they could start off; they heard Kevin calling to them. "Hey, wait for us."
They turned to see Kevin and Tia walking quickly to them. When they arrived, Kevin explained, "We completed all we could do for one day. We hoped you wouldn't mind if we came along."
Without a moon, or light from cities, the group walked along in total darkness. Beams from their flashlights guided their way. Only the stars told them that the universe still existed. No one spoke. The darkness seemed to demand silence. Only the insects defied the decree, buzzing and chirping as they went about their business.
After three hours of marching the group came to a sudden stop. Their flashlight beams bounced back to them off a thick wall of fog. They stared for a moment at the barrier before them. "Well there it is." Tia announced, "All our sensor data tell us that nothing lives inside this fog. Not even a roach will break this curtain."
"A bit of a moment of truth I would say." Kevin remarked.
Sean simply stated, "If Sharlisa is saying it is safe; than that's good enough for me." He adjusted his pack and marched forward. Sharlisa was right with him. Kevin and Tia fell in behind them.
As the entered the dead zone, they could feel its icy fingers drag across the bodies. The insect chatter was gone. There was dead silence. "Brrr." Sharlisa involuntarily blurted out.
"Thirty-two degrees," Tia announced, "its the same temperature all around the world. This zone defies the nature. There is no physical law that can justify the existence of this place."
"That's because," Sean answered, "this place is not natural. Like the spirit, it may not even be technically on the planet. It may be another cross plainer anomaly."
This sparked Kevin's interest, "Are you saying that we may have entered an entirely different universe?"
"Not another universe," Sharlisa answered, "but a transition point. We may not be in a viable universe at all. Oh my," Sharlisa suddenly put her hand to her head and she stumbled for a moment.
Sean was quickly there to support her, "What wrong Sharlisa, what's going on?"
Sharlisa stood again and patted Sean's hand, "Its OK, I just had an incredible rush of empathic images. They know were coming and they are very hopeful."
They marched for ten more minutes; then the fog cleared. Up ahead a tremendous pale green glow radiated from behind a small hill. The group knew that they had reached their destination. The vast image waiting behind the hill was the march. Slowly they climbed the hill, wanting to see, and not wanting to see at the same time. When they reached the top Sharlisa spoke the only words that anyone dared utter, "My God, look at all of them!"
Before them were the spectral images of millions and millions of people. They were, as they died, starved, deceased, dress in rags. Old people hobbled along, parents wearily carried small children, and couples held onto each other. It was an unending procession of misery that ringed their world.
So much suffering, so much sadness, not even the space marine could keep a tear from his eye. From the northern horizon to the southern horizon they marched. Over land and water, nothing stopped the march. Sharlisa reached out to find one of the multitudes to talk to. After a minute a spectral image of a young woman emanated an orange glow. She broke from the ranks and glided to the shocked group of humans. She spoke with effort as if she were in pain, "You have come. Please, oh please tell me you have found an answer."
"I believe we have." Sharlisa answered. As the image's dried and sore laden face stretched into an anxious smile Sharlisa explained what they needed to know to confirm their theory. "If we showed you a map. ; could you tell us if we are correct in the location of Cappora?" The image nodded and Sean brought the map. All lights shined on the map as Sharlisa pointed to the location of the meteor impact.
"Yes," answered the image. "That's where Cappora would be. I lived in Cappora. I think that's why I was chosen to break ranks." Part of the smile disappeared from the poor creature's face. "Then you have not found an answer. You have just located the Cappora."
"No, no," Sharlisa anxiously explained, "this map shows that location was struck by a rogue meteor thousands of years ago. From the material around the crater it seems that the city was standing when the meteor hit. The answer to your question is Cappora was not destroyed by any country or group. Cappora was destroyed by an act of nature. There were no stealth weapons. The war was an accident. Do you understand? The war was an accident!"
The shock clearly registered even on the ravaged face of the image. Even as she protested she knew what Sharlisa was saying was true. "But we had astronomers and telescopes; how could no one know?"
"It was a rogue Sharlisa explained. Rogues come out of the darkest part of space. If your culture did not possess specialized meteor tracking equipment; it would not have shown itself until it was streaking through your atmosphere. By then it would look like a missile."
The image's sunken eyes opened wide as if she just had a great feeling rush through her. She began to pant. She talked through her breath. "You've done it my friend. You've ended the march. The gateway opens. I cannot express in words the gratitude that my people are feeling. The block on our feelings will be released so that you can feel the gratitude for yourself. Farewell, be good to Belnora and it will be good to you."
The female's glow changed to white and she drifted back to the march. As she touched the march more, the green glowing images turned white. The white glow erased the green glow from horizon to horizon. Each horizon and the line itself began to pulsate a blinding white light. The wind blew into a gale as the humans turned away from the light. They dropped to their knees and hung to each other. The wind roared with incredible force. It sucked the stagnant, frigid air from the planet leaving the warm air of early summer around the huddled humans. As the light intensity eased and the wind died down, Tia looked out from under the huddle. She gasped at the amazing sight, "My God, look! Everyone look!"
As they watched, a great ball of white light rose into the air. Two beams of light trailed slowly were drawing the ends of the march into the great sphere. The sphere then collapsed onto itself and it was gone.
Only darkness and silence remained. The humans could hear their own heavy breathing in the night air. Suddenly another sound was heard. "Listen," Kevin whispered. They all began to hear the chirp and buzzes of the local insects. It was only then that Kevin noticed Sharlisa lying on the ground, "Sharlisa!"
All three of her friends knelt next to her. Sean took her in his arms and rocked her, "Sharlisa can you hear me. Please hear me."
Sharlisa slowly opened her eyes and smiled at the big security officer, "I'm OK." She said softy holding on to him for a moment longer. Then she slowly came to her feet and told her story. "I watched them pass; such joy, such beauty. Their images were healed of their diseases and injuries. A billion smiling faces rushed by me, but even though they were going at great speed, I could still see each one of their happy faces. I'll never forget it."
Sean hugged her, "You did it, babe. You performed the greatest liberation of all time, and you did without firing a shot." Kevin and Tia joined Sean's hug of their hero. Tia said as she hugged her friend, "I'll never be so close minded again. We sometimes get a little cocky when we think how far we have come, but we really know very little about this universe."
Lights again appeared in the night sky. The group watched them approach from the east wondering what would happen next. After a minute or two they heard the familiar sound of the shuttle's engines. The shuttle set down on the barren land and Terry and J.D jumped out. They rushed over to them J.D. spoke first, "We saw this great light rise out of the dead zone. It looked like the entire area took off into space. We thought we had better get out here in case you needed help."
Kevin thanked them for their concern then Terry gave him the other reason they came for him. "Captain; there's a ship on the way! It should arrive tomorrow."
Kevin couldn't believe it, "A ship! How! Our first distress call won't reach habitable space for months."
"It's Talandian right?" Sharlisa asked with a smile.
"Yes!" Terry answered surprised out of his socks, "How did you know?"
"It was coming here, because there is a middle-aged Talandian on board. He felt these people's pain the way I . . "Sharlisa's voice trailed off.
Sean held her closer, "What are you thinking?"
"It's them," she said. "It's the lost children in the forests of Home World. It's the pedestal the aliens took away. Sean, these people were also our siblings. There were supposed to be three pedestals for the sibling test on Home World. In my dream I saw the aliens take one away."
"Then," Kevin said, "you have brought peace to our own people."
When the humans boarded the Talandian frigate Branz a middle-aged Talandian named Gerosk told the story that Sharlisa predicted. He convinced the Talandian fleet to send the Branz here in search of another sibling, "We found the third pedestal packed away on Home World. We knew something must have happened to them. When we came out of hyper-space near the system I could feel their suffering,; then I felt their hope and then their incredible joy. Our brother's suffering has ended. He may now rest. Come, let me take you home."
