The Unreachable Stars: Book #11 of The Human Chronicles Saga (17 page)

“I don’t sleep.”

“Seldom do I.”

“You appear to be tall for your age, and of a unique maturity level,” Panur commented.

“I take your observations as compliments. I thank you.”

Adam was shocked at how like her mother Lila was. She had a sensuality and flirtatiousness about her that had to be instinctive. But Adam wondered about Panur. He had never seen him like this, and either he had been drinking—a lot—or he was experiencing an attraction to another creature unlike any Adam had seen before. This wasn’t the Panur he knew, and knowing him as he did, Adam was immediately suspicious of ulterior motives on the part of the mutant.

“Where are we headed?” Trimen asked, breaking the awkward silence in the room.

“The Sylox system.”

“What is in the Sylox system? I do not know where that is.”

“It’s about ten thousand light-years from here.”

Trimen looked up from his computer. “That will take us over a month to cover. We are to remain here for all that time?”

“We’ll be there in three days.”

Now Trimen set the computer on the sofa and gave Adam his full attention. “A journey of that distance cannot be made in that time.”

“Yes it can,” Panur said, turning away from Lila’s dark eyes to focus on the handsome Formilian. “I built a new engine that can do that.”

Trimen studied Panur for several seconds before responding. “So you are the mutant everyone is looking for. They say you are five thousand years old, as well as some kind of genius?”

“That is correct, on both accounts.” He turned to flash Lila a thin smile.

“It is also told that you are responsible for the Sol-Kor’s ability to travel to other dimensions and to feed on countless intelligent beings. Is that true as well?”

The smile vanished from Panur’s face. “I create. What is done with my creations is none of my concern.”

“Even if entire species are made extinct by mindless creatures seeking food? Do you not take responsibility for your actions?”

Panur turned to Adam. “I do not like his tone. We need the interface devices from the females, yet the male serves no purpose to our mission.”

Adam snickered. “What do you suggest, that I throw him out the airlock?”

“It would conserve our shipboard resources, and I would not be troubled much if you did.”

Trimen stood up, the muscles of his tan arms flexing from balled fists. “I did my part in getting Arieel and Lila to you. Is that not enough of a contribution?”

Adam looked at Panur. “He’s right. Arieel and Lila are vital to the operation. I think you owe him an apology.”

“An apology for what? He did contribute, but that was then. Now he is dead weight, to use a Human term.”

“Just relax, both of you,” Adam said. “No one’s getting thrown out of an airlock. It’s obvious that the two of you aren’t going to get along, so I suggest you avoid each other for the next three days. Panur, don’t you have some more thinking to do about the detector? And Trimen, chill out. We’ve been on missions before, and I know you’ll come in handy at some point. Until then, get some rest. There’s still a lot to do before this is over.”

********

Adam was on the bridge, slumped down in the pilot’s seat with only the pale green glow of the wormhole tunnel lighting the room. He sensed Arieel as she came near. He sat up and turned around, only to find the Formilian silhouetted in the entryway, displaying the proverbial exaggerated hourglass figure of a long-haul trucker’s fantasy mud flap. It always took Adam a moment to recover from the initial sight of Arieel Bol, and as she entered and sat down next to him, her strong pheromones invaded his senses.

“I am so glad to see you again, Adam Cain,” she began, but there was no joy in her voice. “I have been conflicted for a long time regarding my feelings for you, and now we meet again in such dire circumstances.”

Adam reached out and took her hand. It was trembling. “Look, we’ve beaten the odds so far. All we need is proof that Panur’s detector will work and then we’ll be safe.”

“And yet to acquire the material for the detector you must achieve something that sounds impossible, and beyond the ability of creatures such as us to accomplish.”

Adam smirked. “That’s what I would be thinking, too, if I didn’t know that we’re currently traveling through the center of a wormhole using a device Panur built in a couple of days back at my house on Earth. He may be a complete jerk, but he knows his stuff. I wouldn’t even dream of doing what we’re about to do, but he treats it like a walk in the park.”

Arieel was frowning. “I see you have been spending more time among other Humans. I believe I understand your meaning, if not all the particular phrasing.”

“Sorry, I have been away for a while. Jym and Kaylor complain about the way I talk, too.”

“They are your two friends from the past?”

“That’s right. They saved my life twenty years ago and set me on the path I find myself on today.”

It was Arieel’s turn to smirk. “I can see where you could have conflicted feelings about such an event.”

“You’re right, except that I believe that what was going to happen—with the Klin and Juireans and everyone else—was going to happen whether I was part of it or not. It’s better to be in a position to do something about your fate than to just let it happen.”

“But that is what fate is, a series of events that were destined to happen. Like me and Lila being aboard this ship with you.”

“And what about Lila?” Adam asked, his curiosity and concern now on full alert.

“You mean about her rapid aging? She is indeed an oddity. In a way, taking her from Formil—possibly forever—could be a good thing. She was already attracting considerable attention—and worry—within the Order.”

“But do you know what happened to her? Why is she so different?”

“I do not know. Her condition only manifested itself three years ago. Since then she has aged the equivalent of thirty Formilian years—sixteen Human years. And her intellect has grown even faster. I have had her tested and she has the mental capacity of a full-grown Formilian.” Arieel stopped speaking, even as Adam sensed there was more she wanted to say.

“Go on. What else?”

Arieel took a deep breath. “She is actually beyond intelligent. Her recall is nearly perfect, which allows her learning to accelerate at an incredible pace. And another thing…she has never been sick a day in her life.”

Adam sat back in his chair, deep creases on his forehead. This was sounding all too familiar.

“I can see from your expression that we share the same thought,” Arieel said. “If so, then you understand my concern.”

“This could be the reason Panur was so anxious to meet her. They could be two of a kind.”

“Please do not say that.”

“It’s what you’re thinking, too.”

“Yes, but the idea of my daughter being a mutant is too upsetting.”

Adam squeezed her hand again. “Look at it in a positive light: she could outlive us all. And unlike Panur, she may actually do some good with her intellect.”

“You are being flippant. I feel responsible.”

“Things happen, Arieel. You and Trimen had no control over how your daughter would turn out.”

Arieel looked out the viewport and at the swirling green tunnel outside. “Yes, our daughter. I love her with my entire being. I only hope she can control her…uniqueness—at least better than Panur.” She turned back to Adam.

“Don’t you think it odd that both Lila and Panur should end up on the same starship together? What are the chances of two creatures with their strange abilities meeting, especially across dimensions?”

“Let’s not read too much into this, Arieel. Besides, with the two of us looking out for her—and Trimen, too—she’ll be fine. I’m sure her father won’t let anything bad happen to her.”

A tear escaped from Arieel’s eye. “Yes, I’m sure he won’t.”

Chapter 17

It looked like a special effect out of a science fiction movie, a computer-generated animation of what a black hole looks like as it pulls a thin stream of yellow and white gas from a nearby star. Adam had witnessed scenes like this before, but only on a handful of occasions, and never this close. And as the
Pegasus II
closed on the hundred-thousand-mile-diameter accretion disk surrounding the pinpoint of utter blackness, he could see the animation in action, the gas cloud swirling in a clockwise direction.

It was an awesome sight; however, as the name implied, most black holes were just that—black and invisible against the backdrop of space. Yet when one was encircled by a glowing ring of superheated gas, its presence was revealed. Adam shook his head, once again in awe of the tiny mutant’s incredible intellect. Not only was the black hole/white dwarf pair exactly as he’d described it, the arrangement seemed to be precisely what Panur needed for this phase of his plan.

The two celestial objects seemed to be in extreme proximity to one another, which made Adam wonder why they hadn’t merged long before this. It seemed like such a delicate balancing act that even the slightest nudge would upset the applecart.

And that nudge was already being maneuvered into position.

“Slave your engine and steering controls to the
Pegasus II
,” Panur commanded over the comm system. He was linked to the pilothouses of each of the nine pirate starships, as well as Kaylor’s freight hauler, having aligned them in a wide arc between the huge accretion disk of the black hole and the rather dim star that was the cold white dwarf. He would fine tune the positioning from the
Pegasus II
, which along with the six surplus pirate vessels and Riyad’s private flitter, lay off at a distance of two million miles from the black hole, with a top-down perspective on the system.

Looking down on the disk and star—connected by the curling stream of gas feeding into the black hole—what was being referred to now as the
gravity line
of starships. They would be situated closer to the singularity and somewhat north of the center point between the two bodies. The target location where the ten ships were to aim their gravity wells was a flashing red dot on Panur’s nav screen. Using back-wells to counter the forward force, the ships were to remain stationary, all ten applying maximum well depth at the appointed location.

The
Pegasus II
had been disqualified from joining the line because its gravity drive operated on such a high level of efficiency that it produced gravity wells of minimal depth. For Panur’s purposes, he needed ones that could create gravity points of staggering intensity, and the older ships employed by the Fringe Pirates did just that.

Riyad’s ship was also not part of the steering team, since his was to be used as the location of the portal detector. Again, the
Pegasus II
was disqualified from
that
duty as well because its DPS engines were a form of dimensional portal themselves, and would interfere with the readings coming off the device.

Kaylor’s
FS-475
cargo hauler was at the center of the line, as it carried the most raw power of any of the conventional starships. The craft was mostly engines, with no frills for passengers or crew, designed to tow long strings of cargo pods across interstellar distances. Its gravity well formed the apex for all the others.  

As he and Riyad stood behind the seated mutant and observed his fine tuning of the well locations, Adam was beginning to believe that the alien could actually pull this off.

Riyad wasn’t so confident. “From that tiny point you expect to create a well deep enough to affect that swirling behemoth? I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Panur didn’t look back as he responded, concentrating on the screen before him and the tiny control knob he manipulated with his right hand. “I welcome caution in believing claims for events that have yet to occur, yet you doubt the entire concept in general. You say you need visual proof before trusting in my plan? That should happen anytime now. I am engaging the gravity drives aboard the pirate starships. At that point you will realize I was correct with my projections.”

Riyad and Adam didn’t notice anything at first. Angar’s ship was part of the ten, and a view of his bridge—along with that of Kaylor’s—shared the split-screen display of the main view screen at the other end of the pilothouse. The pirate was seated in his command chair, looking worried as his crew reacted to the sudden vibrations infecting their ship.

“The conflicting forces of the opposing gravity wells are more severe than expected,” he reported. “How long do we have to maintain?”

“Not long,” Panur answered. “Do not attempt to disengage. The presence of such intense gravity influences in the area could be catastrophic to the mission and result in the destruction of a number of your vessels. The experiment is underway, and there is no stopping it now.”

“Experiment?” Riyad said. “That’s reassuring.”

Just then an alarm sounded on the bridge of the
Pegasus II
. Arieel and Lila were near the alarm and both of them nearly fell from their seats. Adam and Riyad rushed to the station.

“Contacts, closing from out-system,” Adam reported, switching off the obnoxious alarm.

“How many?” Panur queried.

“Still coming on-screen, but looks to be around fifty. Juireans, mainly, with a few odd ships from other Expansion worlds.”

“They must be stopped, Adam, and immediately.” There was real concern in Panur’s tone.

“They’re about two hours out.”

“Time is not the issue, but their gravity influence is. Even at great distances they could impact the trajectory of the black hole.”

“No shit?” Riyad said.

“No shit. I have it calculated for the black hole to begin moving—now, there, it has shifted position.”

The two Humans looked to the nav screen and didn’t see any change.

“It’s subtle, but there. As I was saying, the singularity will begin an orbital change that will result in a grazing hit on the dwarf star. If there are other gravitational influences nearby, the black hole could miss the star altogether, or it could collide full on…which would result in the nova explosion you first suspected, Adam.”

“How big of an explosion would that be?” Arieel asked.

“The resulting shockwave would be tremendous,” her daughter Lila answered. “It would promulgate throughout the system at nearly light speed. The ships of the gravity line would be consumed, as may we.”

Panur looked over at the young Formilian with undisguised admiration. Arieel’s was one of shock.

“How do you know this, Lila?”

“I have read of such explosions, and considering the mass of both objects and the fact that the white dwarf is spinning at sixty revolutions per minute, the released energy would be incredible. It would not rate as a supernova, yet it would produce a gamma ray burst that would be deadly outwards of five hundred light-years in the direction of its double radiating beams.”

Riyad turned to Adam. “I thought you said she was six?”

“Six in Human years. Even then, she’s advanced for her age.”

“I would say so.”

“Can I take the
Pegasus
out to meet the Juireans?” Adam asked Panur.

“In a moment. I must still monitor the trajectory of the singularity to make sure it is on the proper course. The gravitational balance has been disrupted already, yet I still have the opportunity to make fine adjustments by manipulating the location of the attracting well.”

“I’ll take the
Crescent Star
and the six extra pirate ships to head them off,” Riyad offered. “You join us when you can.”

“I will assist,” Trimen announced, then he and Riyad rushed out of the pilothouse, headed for the docking hatch where the
Crescent Star
was attached to the
Pegasus II
.

Adam slipped into the pilot seat and brought up the threat screen on his main console, all the while glancing at Panur’s nav screen for any sign of movement on the part of the black hole. He knew it
was
moving based on the data stream along the side of the screen, but so far it didn’t appear to be any closer to the white dwarf. Even though both objects were essentially touching on a stellar scale, they were still half a million miles apart, and governed by the laws of physics in the normal universe. It would take time to close that distance.

“Accelerating,” Panur said, as if reading his mind. “I am releasing the gravity ships. Have them vacate the area
on
chemical drive only
. This is imperative. We cannot allow their gravity drives to disrupt the path.”

“You heard him,” Adam said into the comm. “Chem power only. Take a zenith course to get above the plane of the system. Hurry…I can see the damn thing moving now!”

Indeed, Panur had managed to get something as large and deadly as a black hole to move. It was drawing closer to the white dwarf at an ever-increasing rate, and the mutant’s screen now displayed a dotted yellow line, showing where it had been and extending along the projected track. But there was definitely a change taking place. The two objects were getting closer, and all Adam could think about at that moment was whether or not Panur had his numbers right. A glancing blow would free up the diamond chunks they needed, while a near miss or full impact would mean the end of, well, everything: the portal detector, his chance to clear his name—hell, even his life, with the way things had been going recently.

He shrugged.
Yeah, why worry?
he thought.
It’s not like anything really important is riding on this.
 

“You may engage the enemy now.”

“Thank you very much.”

Adam gunned the engines, including the DPS, and shot off after Riyad and the pirates. The final count had the Juirean fleet at fifty-two ships, mostly Class-Two and Three battlecruisers. Adam had no idea how they’d learned of the location of the black hole/white dwarf pair, until he realized that there couldn’t be too many of these in the galaxy, at least not located within travelling distance from his last known location near Formil. The Juireans may have come here just to check it out.

A moment later, Adam was beyond the attackers and doubling back on their six. The Juireans reacted almost immediately by splitting their force, two thirds coming for the
Pegasus II
, while the other third continued into the system and directly at Riyad and the pirates. By now the Juireans should be able to detect the change of orbit of the black hole and know they were too late to stop the operation from happening. Yet as Panur had mentioned, they could alter the outcome just with their gravitational presence.

 “Riyad, you have eighteen ships headed your way,” Adam shouted into the comm. “Panur, when can the gravity line ships come in to help?”

“They are to remain on chemical drive for at least another thirty minutes. Even after that, no deep wells.”

“This thing won’t last thirty minutes. How long until impact?”