Astra
The entire day was uneventful, and Delta was bored. Astra was on autopilot, and Emmeline was busy working. It made sense for her to finish her work so that when she returned to Titan, she could upload it to Titan’s computers. Although creating a holo projection of herself had been a good idea, it had limited programming capacity.
Emmeline was happy they’d gotten out undetected, but now the challenge was to find the device and get back in. A loud beep startled her, and Delta quickly checked the sensors. For a second, Emmeline thought that the patrol ships had tracked them down.
“We’re here,” said Delta.
Fear took over Emmeline. She’d wanted to find this device for a long time, but now that she was here, she wasn’t so sure.
Astra came to a halt, and Emmeline felt silence engulf her as the engines died out. They’d left their home behind, and now she understood how vacant space felt. With no other life around, they were alone, surrounded by white specks. It was barren. Lifeless. Daunting.
Emmeline began looking for the planet. It wasn’t in visual range, but she assumed it must be nearby. Her fingers danced on the console, moving faster and faster. “Oh, really?” she muttered and checked again. She sighed and sat back on her chair, looking at the stars.
“Well?” Delta asked.
“Nothing. See for yourself.”
Without a word, Delta started checking. After a few minutes, she shook her head. “Damn.”
“It was worth a try.”
They sat silently together, watching the stars. Astra floated in dead space, and the sun’s yellow glow fell over the cargo ship.
Delta leaned forward and admired the view. “It is beautiful.”
“Let’s go back,” Emmeline suggested unhappily. It was no use.
“I thought we had something . . .”
“Let’s go . . .” Emmeline’s voice trailed away. Without missing a beat, she turned to the console and fired Astra’s engines.
“What are you doing?” Delta asked.
Emmeline didn’t reply.
“W-what are you doing?” Delta repeated.
“Trust me, will you?”
Astra turned gradually to face the sun and then stopped. Emmeline left the cockpit. She returned with the plaque and placed it on the dashboard. “When the plaque came to life, the first thing it showed was the sun. Then the star chart appeared. Let’s hope this works.”
They waited. Nothing happened.
Delta eyed her.
Emmeline sighed. “I guess . . .”
Suddenly, the plaque came to life. A glittering yellow light emerged from it. It left the plaque and spread over the dashboard, then began to scatter throughout the compartment.
“Emmeline,” Delta said, getting up from her chair and moving away. “What’s happening?”
“I d-don’t know,” Emmeline replied as she moved away too.
The yellow light became brighter and soon engulfed the cabin. The plaque rose as if lifted by an invisible hand. It floated effortlessly and started rotating, at first slowly, then picking up speed. It spun faster and faster.
“Did your grandpa tell you about this?” Delta asked.
“No! No!” Emmeline yelled.
“Should we do something?”
Astra rocked.
The plaque was still spinning, and a bright flash blinded them. Emmeline scrunched her eyes shut. She thought she would feel warm, but she didn’t. Suddenly, it turned dark. When she opened her eyes, she saw that a beam from the plaque broke through Astra’s shields. It was like a short burst of light in space, disappearing into the distance. Then there was a big burst of light, and a bright spherical opening appeared. At its center, a collection of gases moved anticlockwise. The plaque fell back on the dashboard and became silent.
“What the hell is that?” asked Delta as Emmeline rushed back to her seat.
“I don’t know,” Emmeline answered. She began scanning.
“Is it a gateway?”
“Or a portal,” said Emmeline. “There’s heavy interference. I’m not getting anything.”
“It’s amazing.” Delta peered through the front window.
Emmeline looked at her. “It shouldn’t exist.”
“But it does! The plaque is the key.”
Soon, the clouds in the gateway cleared, and a tunnel appeared.
“What’s in there?” Delta asked impatiently.
“I don’t know.” Emmeline checked the readings. “This is unbelievable.”
Delta powered up Astra.
“What are you doing?” Emmeline asked.
“We have to go in there.”
Emmeline’s face filled with horror. “Are you crazy? We don’t know where it will lead!”
“What do the scans say?”
She turned back to the console. “The gateway is stable now. But it could be a bumpy ride. Beyond the clouds . . .” She paused as the numbers began appearing on her screen. “Oh my God.”
“What?”
“Oh, my God! I think we found it! There’s a planet beyond that gate. I don’t believe this. It’s incredible!”
“Awesome!”
The console beeped again. “Whoa. Wait. My scans show a lot of seismic activity on the planet,” Emmeline said.
“Earthquakes?” demanded Delta. “I hate earthquakes!”
Emmeline didn’t answer and continued looking at the data. “The planet is really unstable. I don’t detect any other planets. This could be a rogue planet.”
“What’s a rogue planet?” asked Delta.
“A rogue planet, also called a free-floating or orphan planet, is a planetary mass that orbits the galactic center directly. Unlike Earth and other planets in our solar system, these planets are not bound by gravity to a sun.”
“Wow. Can we call it Delta?” Delta suggested, smiling.
Emmeline’s face brightened. “Sure, it’s a beautiful name. Let’s find out more about it.” The cockpit became silent once more, and Emmeline continued working. “I detect a faint reading of an energy source.”
“Could it be the device?” asked Delta.
Emmeline looked at her. “I don’t know.”
“We have to go in and find out.”
“I’m not sure we should.”
“Emmeline, the plaque led us to these coordinates. It opened the gateway, and now we’ve found the planet. We have to go in.”
“What if it collapses and we can’t get back?”
Delta looked at her. “Emmeline. We found a way in; we’ll find a way out. Collect as much data as you can.”
Emmeline nodded. “Well, this doorway appeared from nowhere. Who knows? The data might appear and disappear, just like the gateway.”
Delta grinned. “You’re very optimistic, aren’t you?”
Emmeline managed a bleak smile. She wasn’t sure. In her day job, she analyzed spatial objects that didn’t appear out of thin air.
Delta brought Astra to face the gateway. “Here we go,” she said.
Titan, Deck 1, Bridge
Adrian returned from lunch and enjoyed his coffee in his chair. He didn’t know why he was worried about Delta; he was being silly. She was fine, and so was Emmeline.
He moved back and forth on his seat, watching the army of robots work on the perimeter. He enjoyed the soft aroma and relaxed. Then the console beeped. He leaned forward. He was getting a reading he didn’t understand. He glanced at Evan, who was busy working. The console beeped again. He didn’t like what he was looking at. Titan’s sensors had detected something they couldn’t identify. Adrian’s heart leaped to his throat. He placed the coffee cup on the floor and unlocked his console. He prayed it wasn’t the Orias. They weren’t ready. The perimeter wasn’t secured. His fears melted away when he went through the data.
“Oh? This is odd,” he said involuntarily.
“What?” asked Evan.
“Titan has detected an energy signature at the outer edges of our solar system.”
“Is it the Orias?”
“No,” Adrian replied with relief. “This is different. Hold on.”
For several minutes, he worked as Evan stood beside him, looking over his shoulder. “Oh my God. This can’t be possible!”
“What is it?” Evan demanded.
“Look for yourself,” Adrian said, transferring the image to the viewscreen.
The screen showed a bright light beyond Neptune.
“What the hell is that?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is it the cloud?”
Adrian shook his head. “No. Titan’s computers have been programmed to identify the Orias cloud. This is something different.”
“How far away is it?” asked Evan.
“About 300,000 kilometers from Neptune.”
“Can you zoom in?”
“Titan’s sensors are at their maximum capacity.” Adrian pushed a button and contacted the Crystal Lab. “Emmeline, this is Lieutenant Olson. Titan just detected an unusual energy signature beyond Neptune. I’m sending you the coordinates. Could you please have a look at it?”
“Sure.”
Adrian turned to Evan. “It came out of nowhere.”
“Just like the Orias.”
The Rogue Planet
Astra gradually entered the gateway. Emmeline and Delta looked at the dazzling spherical radiance enclosing them from all sides. A bright light surrounded the ship, and Emmeline shut her eyes. Astra jolted. Emmeline forced her eyes open to look at her console. The sensors were going crazy. Alarms blared. The cockpit was filled with so many sounds that it almost drove her to delirium. Astra shuddered, and they were pushed forward.
Abruptly, everything became silent. It amazed Emmeline. Astra was in a tunnel leading to uncharted space. It appeared as if the walls of the tunnel were made of billions of stars. They could see several galaxies and nebulas. They watched with amazement as a large comet passed over them. “Wow,” Emmeline muttered.
Suddenly, they were pushed off their chairs as if Astra had hit something hard. The peaceful picture surrounding them vanished. Astra accelerated, trembling, and shaking, and was thrown out of the tunnel.
Delta quickly took control of the ship and brought it to a complete stop. She and Emmeline looked at each other, both breathless.
“Are you okay?” Emmeline asked.
“Yes. You?”
Emmeline nodded and turned to the console. “Well, the gateway is still open, and it’s stable. I’ll keep a sensor lock on it just in case it closes. We’ll know.”
The planet sat right in front of them.
“Anything else we need to know about this area of space?” Delta asked, checking all systems.
“Astra can only do short-distance scans,” Emmeline replied. “I don’t detect any other solar systems, asteroids, interstellar objects, or ships.”
“How’s the weather on the planet?”
Emmeline examined her screen. “This is unbelievable. I don’t know what to say.”
“Just say it,” Delta said sharply. “Nothing surprises me anymore.”
“The earthquakes have stopped, and the weather is settling down. The planet is about half the size of Earth with two big continents, and the rest of it is water. Sensors show the planet has an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere. The oxygen levels aren’t that high, but the air is breathable.”
“Okay! It’s a smaller Earth.”
“This is weird.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” muttered Delta.
“The energy source is in the mountains in the northern hemisphere,” Emmeline continued. “There are two active volcanoes near the mountains.”
“Oh, this just keeps getting better and better. We have magical gateways, earthquakes, and now volcanoes. Anything else you want to add to the list?”
Emmeline just smiled.
“Where do we land?”
“You have to get me closer before I can be sure.”
Delta powered Astra ahead.
Titan, Deck 2, Crystal Lab
Adrian rushed toward the Crystal Lab. It had been over an hour, and people on the bridge were getting restless. Jacob wanted to take Freedom to investigate the phenomenon. Anastasia didn’t want to endanger any ships and was asking the admiral to wait.
The doors to the lab opened, and Adrian found Emmeline on her console. “Did you get it done?” he asked.
She turned to him, looking puzzled.
“The energy source beyond Neptune. I sent you the coordinates!”
“I checked. There is nothing,” Emmeline replied.
Adrian was astonished. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“That’s not possible. If we detected it, you should be able to detect it!” Adrian gritted his teeth.
Emmeline looked blankly at him.
At that moment, Dr. Kent stepped out of his office. “What’s happening here?”
Adrian updated him.
“It isn’t there,” Emmeline argued.
Dr. Kent glared at her. “Move aside.”
Emmeline hesitated but stepped away from the console.
“It should have taken you no more than fifteen minutes to figure out what . . .” Dr. Kent paused. “What the devil is this? What were you doing? Have you lost your mind? You were scanning the wrong region!”
“I was doing what I was told.”
“You ignored a request from the bridge,” Dr. Kent scolded her as he recalibrated the sensors. “There you have it. What the hell is wrong with you? This was a simple task.”
Adrian suddenly realized something. He reached for his pocket and removed a scanner.
“Emmeline. I don’t think you’re well. Go to the medical bay,” suggested Dr. Kent.
Adrian finished his scans and stared at the innocent-looking girl. “It’s not her,” he muttered, dejected.
“What do you mean?” asked Dr. Kent.
“It’s a holo projection of Emmeline.”
“W-What?” Dr. Kent reeled back in surprise. He put his hand on Emmeline’s shoulder, and it passed through the image. He looked up and saw the small holo projectors on the ceiling. “Oh, my God. Then where is Emmeline? What happened to her?” Dr. Kent reached for the console. “Emmeline Augury, report to your post.”
They waited.
“Emmeline, answer me!” Dr. Kent tried again.
There was no reply.
“Computer, locate Cadet Emmeline Augury.”
“Cadet Emmeline Augury is not on Titan,” answered the computer.
All the blood drained from Adrian’s face.
The Rogue Planet
As soon as they entered the planet’s atmosphere, it felt as though they had entered a battlefield. The ship shook vigorously, and the surface of Astra began turning red. Emmeline wondered if the planet was somehow resisting them.
Delta pushed the engines hard but was finding it challenging to maintain control. A jolt almost threw both off their seats. Suddenly, the scene changed, and they found themselves surrounded by black clouds. They relaxed as Astra slowly descended toward the planet’s surface.
“Wow,” Delta remarked as they passed through the clouds and the view became clearer. As far as they could see, the terrain was covered with massive mountains. There was some vegetation, but they couldn’t see any forests or tall trees. Most of the ground was covered with rocks and soil. Soon, the black clouds disappeared altogether, and the sun began shining.
Emmeline wondered how it was possible. She looked at the screen. When she had scanned the planet from miles away, this region had been under attack by dust storms and earthquakes. Now there were no earthquakes or dust storms whatsoever. The atmosphere was like Earth’s but thinner. She looked out her window. It was quiet, peaceful, and welcoming. She checked if there were any rivers; her scans revealed no sources of water. But Astra couldn’t scan the entire planet.
“Okay, where?” Delta asked.
“North, two hundred kilometers ahead.”
Delta nodded.
Emmeline scanned for signs of life. There were none. She bit her lip. Perhaps Astra’s scanners weren’t strong enough to detect them. Who did this planet belong to? Maybe life existed deep in the mountains. She had no way of knowing. She wished she had access to Titan’s far more advanced scanner.
Soon, Astra neared one of the largest mountain ranges. The computer beeped, indicating they had reached their destination. Emmeline looked at the cold gray mountains. They were much higher in the west than in the east. “The signal is coming from inside that mountain,” Emmeline said.
“We can’t land here,” Delta told her. “The deep valleys and pointy mountaintops make it impossible.”
Emmeline was already trying to come up with a solution. Astra flew above the mountains as Emmeline did her calculations. “Okay. About eight kilometers from here, there’s a flat plateau wide and stable enough to hold Astra. Land there. The signal is coming from a creek. We’ll have to hike and take this path to enter the mountain,” she explained, showing the map to Delta.
“It’s inside the mountain?” Delta asked incredulously.
“That’s what the scans say.”
Dust flew in all directions as Astra hovered over the plateau. A trained pilot like Delta had no trouble setting the ship down. She joined Emmeline in preparing the backpacks. “How much time do you think we’ll need?”
“I suppose a few hours at least. I’m worried about the portal. What if someone detects it?” Emmeline said.
“I’m worried about that too. It will be best if we get to this cave as soon as possible and then get out of here.”
“I agree.”
The hangar door opened, and they stepped out. The air was warm and dry. Now there wasn’t a cloud in sight. The sun shone high in the sky. Emmeline pulled out her scanner.
“Anything?” asked Delta.
“No earthquakes. Curious. The oxygen levels have risen since I last checked. There’s no sign of any kind of life.”
“This planet is weird.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Emmeline said with a hint of a laugh.
Titan, Deck 1, Bridge
Anastasia felt the weight of her responsibilities heighten. She tried to be sure of her feelings toward her crew and her duty as their commander. Was she to wait for the girls to return or drag them back home? Neither option was appealing.
At first, no one had been sure if it was Delta and Emmeline, but then they’d found an ion trail left by the ship’s engine. It was definitely an Earth ship, and Emmeline’s holo projections had come online about five minutes after Astra had left. The girls had somehow managed to get through the perimeter, but no one knew why.
Once he’d decided, there was very little Anastasia could do to stop Jacob. She knew Freedom could catch up with Astra within a day. The situation was getting out of control.
Helplessly, she watched the gates close after the Freedom left. She didn’t know what would happen to Delta and Emmeline. She just wanted them back home, but she had a feeling that the admiral wouldn’t be easy to handle. The only thing that comforted her was that Argon was on Freedom. She knew he would do everything within his power to bring them back.
“Anything?” she asked Dr. Kent, who was working on the science station. It surprised her that he had asked none of his other students for help. He seemed tense and worried. She didn’t know if he was worried about the girls or what they’d found.
“Not yet.” He answered.
The Rogue Planet
Emmeline had never missed Titan so much. After hours of walking, she felt as if the muscles in her legs were shredding to pieces. The sun shone above her head, and the breeze was cool. Although she could see and feel everything, she was having a hard time believing any of it was real. The hike down was treacherous, but once they were in the creek, the terrain was mostly flat and covered with a thick layer of rocks. The track snaked between the mountains that appeared to reach for the sky. Emmeline scanned and found that the mountain was over 1.5 million years old.
“Okay, here we are,” Delta said, puffing and looking up. About ten meters up was an opening in the mountain.
Emmeline nodded. “Good. Delta, I wanted to ask. Did you get a buyer for that bike of yours?”
Delta smirked. “Not yet.”
Emmeline turned to her. “I want the red one.”
“Ha! I knew it! Sure, you can have one. I left them in the storage locker on Titan. Take it whenever you want to.”
“Thanks. It was fun to ride. I really enjoyed it,” Emmeline said. “And I want the friends-and-family discount.”
“Hey! Come on!”
Titan, Deck 1, Bridge
Hours passed painfully, and the silence was suffocating. Anastasia put down the pad and thought about the consequences. Emmeline and Delta had broken the law by leaving the solar system without authorization. They weren’t the first ones. Many had tried and failed and had been punished for it. Only four men and two women had succeeded in sneaking through the perimeter. They’d wanted to be free explorers and plot their own way through space. But when their requests to leave the system had been denied, they’d broken free and vanished into space, never to return. Man was not born to follow the rules; he was born to push the boundaries, Anastasia thought.
But Emmeline and Delta’s situation was different. They had pushed the boundaries. Anastasia didn’t know why. But she knew they would return. Titan was their home. Emmeline had a family on Earth. Why the hell didn’t they just ask me? she wondered.
The doors opened, and Dr. Kent entered hastily.
“You found something?” Anastasia asked.
“A doorway.”
“I figured.”
Dr. Kent shook his head. “You don’t understand. It was a doorway built or created by beings more powerful than us.”
“Aliens?”
“Yes.”
“Hold on. Are you telling me that there’s a secret wormhole right under our noses, and we didn’t know about it?”
“No. This is not a wormhole,” Dr. Kent said. “It’s a portal or a gateway, whatever you want to call it. It was probably created centuries ago. The door might lead to another solar system. We don’t know!”
Anastasia leaned forward. “What?”
“I can’t explain it. We don’t possess the technology to explain it, and the distance doesn’t make it easy.”
“How did it open?”
“That’s a question only Emmeline and Delta can answer,” Dr. Kent said. “They probably opened it. We need to make every effort to keep that portal open. Who knows where it could lead?”
Anastasia picked up the pad and went through the data. “Looks stable enough. Any planets?”
“I can’t say.”
“Well, I’m sure Emmeline can keep it open.”
“That’s where I want your help.”
Anastasia raised her eyebrows.
“The admiral,” Dr. Kent clarified.
She placed the pad back on the table and held her head in her hands.
“He is a dear friend, but he suffers from tunnel vision,” commented Dr. Kent.
“I don’t understand him,” Anastasia replied. “He’s an explorer. How is this any different?”
“Anastasia, whatever he does, he does it with the rules in mind. Rules are integrated into his neurons. Anyone breaking them makes him really, really unhappy. The girls broke the rules, so in his book, they’re criminals. What he doesn’t realize is that if they hadn’t, we would never have found that doorway. We have to deal with the admiral, and we should work together.”
“Oh, so now you’re on her side?” asked Anastasia.
Dr. Kent looked hurt. “There are things I have had to do. I am not proud of that, but I have to keep the lab running. That won’t be possible without the support of the Imperial Command,” He paused, and Anastasia felt his pain. He was human, after all. “You should know by now; I would do anything to keep the Crystal Lab and my overenthusiastic students.”
Anastasia smiled. “The incident a year ago . . .”
He shook his head. “I get her. Whatever she does, she does it for science and to fulfill her curiosity. God knows she’s the most curious creature on this station. But she listens to me.” He paused, then refocused. “Just imagine. Imagine what we can achieve. We need to talk to the admiral. What is his plan?”
“He intends to enter the doorway and get . . .”
“No! He should not!”
Anastasia glared at him.
“Commander, anything we do could trigger its collapse or destruction,” Dr. Kent said urgently. “We must be careful. The admiral should wait for them to return.”
“Or we could send a probe,” Anastasia suggested.
“Now, that’s a good idea.”
The Rogue Planet
Emmeline was the first to climb. She pushed herself up, holding onto the small rocks poking out of the mountain for leverage. She was faster than she thought, or perhaps she was just happy that they were close. She reached the opening and looked into the dark, narrow cave. She pushed herself up and stood silently. Liquid dripped from the walls of the mountain. Emmeline took a few minutes to scan the interior of the cave as Delta caught up with her.
“Please tell me there’s no more hiking,” Delta said breathlessly.
“The terrain ahead is flat,” Emmeline responded. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Delta said, stretching her back. “Will this cave hold?”
“For now, yes.” Emmeline turned on her flashlight. Transparent liquid dripped down from the roof of the cave.
“Is that . . .?” Delta started.
“Water,” Emmeline confirmed.
They walked through the dark tunnel. It was cold, and the wind howled through the cracks and roared through the dark passageway. Minding her step, Emmeline tried to remain as calm as possible. Despite the drop in temperature, she was sweating. She moved her flashlight back and forth, examining the massive rocks that surrounded them. For the next few meters, the cave turned triangular, and they had to bend down to get through. Emmeline gave a sigh of relief when she appeared on the other side of the tunnel. But her relief was short-lived.
“What now?” muttered Delta.
They turned their flashlights into the void just inches away from their feet. It was so deep and dark that the light disappeared within just a few meters. Emmeline looked up and realized that they were standing in a dome inside the mountain.
“Is this possible?” asked Delta.
Emmeline was already scanning the interior. “The rock is natural, but did you notice that?” She pointed to a large piece of rock. “It was sliced to create this.”
“Wow. Someone or something made this.”
Emmeline angled her flashlight at a narrow rock bridge. It was no more than forty centimeters wide and was the same color as the mountain.
Emmeline held her flashlight in one hand and put her scanner in her pocket. She lifted her left foot, rested it on the bridge, and waited. She took her next step, then another. When she was halfway across, she gave Delta an approving look. She crossed the bridge and entered another narrow passageway. Delta was right behind her. They had to squeeze through, trying to dodge the sharp ends of the rocks poking out of the mountain. Once they were out, Emmeline felt enormous relief.
“You have got to be kidding me,” muttered Delta.
Emmeline bowed her head. The passageway opened into another structure, but rocks blocked the entrance.
Delta held up her scanner. “We can’t blast through it,” she said. “But we could move a few of those stones.” She pointed toward the top of the cave.
Using all their might, they moved two stones, creating a large enough opening to crawl through. Emmeline peered inside. Besides a small light in the middle, the interior was completely dark. She heard a soft tapping noise.
Emmeline crawled through the opening, and once she had emerged on the other side, she carefully walked over the stones.
Once she was clear, she scanned the entire cave. The walls were made of wet black stone. Water leaked through the roof. In the back of her mind, she was already thinking about their journey back to Astra and wondering if there was a way to shorten it. “It’s safe,” she announced.
Except for the small yellow light, their flashlights were the only source of illumination. They gradually made their way toward the light. At the far end of the cave was an oval-shaped stone-carved structure. It was about four feet tall and two feet wide. Inside the oval structure was the source of the dim light.
“Incredible,” Delta said, touching the soft surface of the stone.
Titan, Deck 1, Bridge
Anastasia stood with Dr. Kent, watching Jacob on the screen. Anastasia could tell he was angry. His face was stern, and she was sure she could see a vein bulging on his forehead.
“Commander, I understand, but we have to set an example,” he said.
“It’s not about setting an example,” replied Dr. Kent. “It’s about humanity’s future. Fine! She broke a few rules. Of course, disciplinary action should be taken. But not before considering all the facts. If you put away the only person who’s qualified to work on the portal, what the hell is Titan for?”
“Dr. Kent, I think you’ve said enough!” Jacob argued, his voice rising.
“I haven’t even started. I strongly suggest you wait, or the science committee is going to hear about this. Patience is the key, Admiral.”
“I know you know people in high places. That changes nothing,” threatened Jacob.
“I know you are in command of Freedom, but as the head scientist on Titan, I have to tell you, you would risk everyone’s life on Freedom, including Emmeline and Delta’s if you enter the portal without studying it. The best course of action would be to send a probe.”
“What will that accomplish?”
“It will give us more information,” Anastasia interjected.
“We are at war,” said Jacob. “I can’t just wait around. What if the Orias show up?”
“It would be just a couple of hours, and we can communicate with the girls.” Dr. Kent said.
“I’m sure Emmeline has a reasonable explanation,” said Anastasia.
“I don’t agree! We are entering the portal and bringing them home. Law will be enforced!” shouted the admiral. The screen turned black.
“Ahh!” Dr. Kent shouted.
Anastasia bowed her head. “You did your best.”
“Commander, we should stop the admiral. He’s not thinking straight, and I have a very bad feeling about this.” Dr. Kent walked up and down the bridge.
His reaction stunned Anastasia. Dr. Kent had never shown so much concern. For the last ten years, she’d thought he never thought of anyone but himself.
“What can we do?” Dr. Kent asked.
“I don’t want to send another ship, but I want the girl’s home safely and the portal investigated,” Anastasia replied.
“Well, Commander, we want the same things,” Dr. Kent said. “The science committee is going to hear about this. Are you with me?”
Anastasia thought it was best to play the power game. She nodded.
“Is there any way we can contact Emmeline?” Dr. Kent asked.
Anastasia looked at Evan.
“No. She’s out of range,” he replied. “Perhaps when Freedom gets to the portal, we can talk to her.”
The Rogue Planet
Emmeline’s heartbeat faster as she got down on her knees to look at the light. Suddenly, it became brighter, almost as if it sensed her. At the heart of the bright light, she saw a solid yellow object.
“How do we get it?” Delta asked.
Emmeline had already begun scanning. “There’s no force field around this stone structure,” she replied as her hand moved over the stone. Then she focused on the base of the structure. “I don’t detect any traps or mechanisms.” After a few minutes, she turned her scanner toward the bright light. “This is interesting. My scanner doesn’t detect the object at all.”
“What? But it’s there! It is the source, right?”
Emmeline put the scanner away and outstretched her hand. The object glowed brightly. Her heart was pounding. As her hand got closer, to her surprise, she felt cold. She slowly reached for it, but her hand went right through the object. “Ah!” Emmeline cried out, withdrawing her hand.
“Oh, damn. It’s not real!” Delta called out.
“It’s a reflection,” Emmeline concluded.
“If that’s a reflection, where’s the real one?” Delta asked.
Emmeline observed the small stone oval box from the inside. She looked up and saw no conduits or any kind of technology.
“Anything you can remember from the plaque?” Delta prompted her.
Emmeline tried to force herself to visualize the plaque. When she was unsuccessful, she got her pad out of the backpack and looked through the images of the plaque. A beeping noise echoed in the cave. Emmeline turned to Delta, who was looking at her communications device. “What is it?” Emmeline asked.
“It’s Astra,” Delta replied. “It has detected a ship approximately four hours away from the portal.”
The blood drained from Emmeline’s face.
“Oh, this is not good,” said Delta.
“Oh my God,” Emmeline murmured, feeling as if the entire cave was moving.
“What are we going to do?” Delta asked.
Emmeline held her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know. Maybe we can escape.”
“And go where? Titan is our home.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I don’t know. I’m sorry I got you into this!” Emmeline said sadly.
“No. You didn’t.”
“Okay. Okay. They know we snuck out. Maybe we can apologize.”
Delta looked at her.
“We have to do something! Can we just say we were curious?” Emmeline suggested.
Delta bowed her head. “That won’t do, and you know it.”
“What if we find the device, take it back, and explain to them what it can do?”
“That’s a good idea. Do you know what it can do?” Delta asked incredulously.
“Look, so far, the myth seems to be true. It can be a source of unlimited power. If we get the piece, we have proof that this device exists. That could be our bargaining chip.”
Silence engulfed the cave. Emmeline wondered if this could work. Delta’s communicator buzzed again. They exchanged worried glances. She looked at the device. Astra was transmitting the details of the ship.
Delta’s face paled. “It’s the admiral.”
Emmeline banged her head. “Oh no. Why the hell does it have to be him? We’re ruined! Damn! I’m so close. This isn’t fair! It’s right there!” she yelled, marching around in circles. “We have to do something! We have to get to Commander Waters and Argon.”
“Astra, come in. Astra, come in. This is Admiral Donavan. Respond,” Jacob’s voice rang through the communications device.
Emmeline banged her head again.
“As you said, we need a bargaining chip and a pretty good one.” Delta said, turning toward the yellow light.
Emmeline’s face turned stony. “I’m not handing over the device to anyone! No! Not to that damn arrogant admiral. Not to Dr. Kent! No! I’m not giving it to them. The plaque belongs to my family. It belongs to me!”
“I’m not saying that,” Delta drawled. “I’m saying we use it to our advantage and get ourselves out of this mess. Emmeline, at this point, it can save us. We can put in an appeal with our seniors. Then we can contact the science committee. But be ready to face some consequences. The admiral is a stubborn man. Do you think your father would help?”
The communicator buzzed again, and Delta silenced it.
Emmeline felt hope. “Yes. Yes. I know he’d be mad, but yes. He would help.”
“Okay. This is the plan. Once we get the device, we return to our space but tell the admiral we will only speak with Commander Waters. The admiral will threaten us, but as citizens of Titan, we have that right. We can directly appeal to be taken to Commander Waters. We will explain our situation. Give her the data and if no other choice, the piece. We’re not running. We’re going to stand our ground and work this out. Do you agree?”
Emmeline nodded. “Let’s hope we can find it first.”
As Delta anxiously walked around the cave, Emmeline looked through her pad and her notes about the mythical device.
“Did you find anything?” Delta asked her a few moments later.
“I’m so stupid,” Emmeline muttered.
“You missed something?”
Emmeline dropped her head. “I should have seen this before!”
“Seen what?”
“When I was running algorithms, it deciphered the star map.”
“Yeah.”
“But I never told the computer to stop. The computer kept running more algorithms and decoded an image embedded in the star map. I had programed it to save whatever patterns it found and then keep analyzing.”
“What image?”
The picture on the pad changed. The stars disappeared, and a diagram of the mythical device appeared. They could tell that there were seven parts of the device, as there was a bit of a gap between each. Six pieces looked like petals around a central round piece.
“Seven parts? Are you telling me there are six more pieces out there?” Delta said in disbelief.
“I didn’t know,” Emmeline said. “I just found out!”
“Okay. Where are those pieces?”
“I have no idea. I just saw this!”
“Could that be a part of the device?” Delta said, pointing to the glowing object.
“Yes. Yes. It is. The first part. Look it matches the image.”
Delta’s face turned white. “Where do we find the rest of them?”
“I don’t know,” said Emmeline. “But we have to start somewhere.”
“This is not good. Could this piece have any powers?”
“I don’t know! We have to get it before we can make any assumptions.”
Emmeline’s heart sunk. Without the complete device, there might be no way to prove that the mythical device had unlimited power. Time was precious, and she felt they were getting nowhere.
Emmeline marched around the oval structure, looking high and low, then sulked. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It’s all stone. There’s no technology, and if there is, we can’t detect it.” Then her eyes drifted away from Delta as if she had been transported somewhere else.
“I’ve seen that look before,” remarked Delta.
Emmeline walked past her and reached out to touch the wall. It was cold and wet. But that wasn’t what had attracted her to it. She hadn’t noticed it before because of the darkness. But there, carved into the stone, was a mark. A symbol she had seen before. There were seventeen small dots on the wall. Their shape and size were just like the markings that had appeared on the back of the plaque when she’d first found it. She smiled and turned.
“What?” Delta asked.
Emmeline picked up the pad and scrolled through the files. “Hold on,” she said. “Ah! Found it.”
The musical tune echoed through the cave.
The glow intensified. The girls moved away from the stone structure. Brightness engulfed the stone, then started spreading. The light spread throughout the entire cave and glittered. It was so bright that they had to shut their eyes.
Emmeline momentarily opened her eyes and was surprised. What she saw terrified and amazed her at the same time. Beautiful sparkling golden lights surrounded them. She looked to her side. Delta’s eyes were closed. She tried to tell her to open them, but she couldn’t speak. She tried again, but she had no voice. Delta didn’t move. Emmeline tried to call her. But she remained still, as if frozen in time.
Emmeline looked around and touched a string of glitter. It melted away. She wondered if she could walk and took a step forward. A large bubble appeared in front of her, then another. A group of bubbles, about twenty centimeters in radius, floated in the golden mist.
Emmeline stepped closer to them and noticed images inside the bubbles. She turned to Delta to show her, but she still did not move. Emmeline focused on one bubble. In it, she could see an asteroid field. It was enormous. She wondered what it meant. She turned to the next and could see an Earth-like planet. Then a third bubble floated in front of her. Carcasses lay on the ground, and a black dragon-like creature flew above an immense structure. It looked like a historic castle. She gasped. Suddenly, the bubble filled with blackness. She peered in. A pair of red eyes appeared and glared at her. She felt as if those eyes saw through her and knew exactly what she was doing. She gasped and stumbled backward.
The next thing she knew, she was on the ground. She quickly got to her feet and found Delta, who looked confused.
“Did you see that?” Emmeline asked shakily.
“Yes. The flash. It was too bright.”
“No.” Emmeline shook her head. “The bubbles.”
Delta eyed her. “Bubbles. What bubbles?”
Emmeline’s mind struggled to comprehend what had happened, but they had limited time. She had no choice but to focus on the problem at hand. She walked toward the stone box. The glow had disappeared. She got on her knees and peered inside the oval structure. She saw a hole in the ground where the piece had stood. She reached for her flashlight and illuminated the interior. A smile of satisfaction spread across her face as she saw the golden piece. It was about five centimeters long and curved. She slowly reached down, thinking of the risks she had taken, the things she’d had to go through to get here, and congratulated herself on a well-deserved victory. Even though she may not have found the entire mythical device, she still had a way of explaining all this. The piece, to her amazement, was cool and lightweight, and there were no markings on it.
Delta came over to have a look. “It’s beautiful.”
Freedom
Jacob had never thought he would be glad to see this anomaly, but he was. He was fascinated and curious. The eyes of every crew member on the bridge were glued to the viewscreen. The moment of awe seemed to last forever. When they had detected the portal, they’d never thought it would be so enchanting.
For a second, they all forgot what they had come here for. It was the admiral who broke the silence. “Any sign of Astra?”
The pilot, Eugene, suddenly realized his duties. “Yes, sir. Astra is on the planet on the other side of the portal.”
“Are there any other planetoids?” Argon asked.
Jacob controlled himself. He knew why Argon was here; it would come to nothing. Punishment was due for those who broke the law, and these girls were no different. No one would be left unpunished, not on his watch.
“None,” Eugene replied after a moment.
“Open a channel,” Jacob said.
Argon turned to him, and their eyes met. Jacob could feel his hatred. In fact, he could feel even his crew’s disapproval of his actions. But he was a man of his word, and he represented the Imperial Command. The law had to be followed. “Freedom to Astra, do you read me?” he said.
Everyone waited. There was no response.
“Emmeline and Delta, this is Admiral Donavan. Do you read me?”
Still silence.
“Is their ship intact?” asked Jacob.
“Yes, sir,” Eugene told him.
“Are they receiving our hails?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Can I try?” asked Argon.
Jacob’s face turned stony. “Go ahead.”
Argon tried a couple of times, but still, there was no reply.
“Sir,” said the communications officer. “Titan is hailing us.”
Jacob scowled.
“To be specific, Dr. Kent is hailing us.”
Jacob rolled his eyes and accepted the call. “Yes, Dr. Kent?”
The viewscreen split in two. On one side, they could see the doorway. On the other side, Dr. Kent’s face appeared. “Have you sent the probe yet?” he asked.
“You know I’m the admiral, right?” Jacob retorted.
Everyone on the bridge tried to hide their amusement.
“Yes. I am aware of that. Admiral, have you sent the probe yet?”
“No. I’m trying to contact Astra.”
“Well, while you’re waiting, why don’t you send it?” Dr. Kent suggested impatiently.
“Admiral,” said Anastasia with a warm smile. “Could you please send the probe? It would help us figure out our next move.”
“Sure,” Jacob replied. He nodded toward the tactical officer, Lieutenant Tessa Clark.
A couple of minutes passed, and Tessa announced, “The probe is ready, sir.”
“Fire away.”
A small flash of light left Freedom and approached the portal. The crew watched as it disappeared into the circular abyss.
“Okay. The probe is transmitting. Telemetry coming through,” Eugene announced.
“Transmit it to Titan,” Jacob ordered. Everyone was quiet for a moment. “Hail Astra again.”
“No reply, sir.”
Jacob did not like to be ignored. Who did these girls think they were?
Anastasia appeared on the screen.
“Yes, Commander?” said Jacob.
“We’ve never seen anything like this before,” she said. “As the probe passed through the portal, there was a disturbance on the planet’s surface. Dr. Kent informed me that he detected seismic activity in the southern hemisphere of the planet.”
“So, if an object passes through the portal, it affects the entire planet. Why?” asked Jacob.
“We don’t know. What we know is that this portal opens into another galaxy. We’ll need time to figure out which one,” Anastasia replied.
Half an hour passed without incident.
Suddenly, an alarm went off on Titan’s bridge. “What happened?” Anastasia asked.
Adrian’s voice rang out.
Anastasia turned her attention back to Freedom. “Admiral, the probe has stopped transmitting.”
Jacob turned to the tactical station.
“The commander is right. The probe has not only stopped transmitting. It’s vanished,” reported Tessa.
“What?” Jacob asked. “How can that be?”
“The probe was designed to go through the portal and orbit the planet. But as soon as it entered the southern hemisphere, it vanished. I can’t detect it any longer,” Tessa said. “Admiral, I suggest caution. There might be an alien ship, or an entity hidden from our sensors.”
“Hmm.”
“Sir, if there is an alien ship out there, we might be seen as an unwelcome guest, maybe hostile. We shouldn’t make an enemy of them,” Tessa added.
“I agree,” said Anastasia. “The Orias are enough.”
Jacob scoffed.
They waited again. Jacob walked up and down on the bridge. He glared at the portal again. It remained open and stable. “Has the probe appeared?”
“Negative.”
“Interesting. It appears that something really doesn’t want us to know more about this region of space,” Dr. Kent remarked.
“This is a waste of time,” Jacob said. “I think mine is the only plan we’re left with. We should go and get them.”
“No!” Dr. Kent protested before anyone else could. “We don’t know how that will affect the planet or Astra.”
“I’ve had enough of this.”
“Sir, I think—” Anastasia began.
Jacob cut her off. “Silence! We’re here to get them out. That is what I’m going to do! Now take us in!”
Argon took a step forward. The admiral gave him a warning look.
The Rogue Planet
Somehow, the trek back to Astra seemed faster. They had been jogging for the last couple of kilometers. Emmeline’s clothes were drenched with sweat, and she was breathless. But they had little time. Astra was so close. They’d be heading home soon. Emmeline reached for the rock over her head and climbed after Delta. Suddenly, the mountain trembled. Emmeline grabbed the rock tightly. Cracks began to form in the mountain.
“Emmeline move!” shouted Delta.
Emmeline looked to her right. She could see rocks crumbling and rolling to the ground. The flat terrain was disappearing fast. She grabbed the next rock and climbed hurriedly. Delta helped her. Both women stood on the edge of the mountain. The sky became dark, and thunder clapped. The mountains made loud groaning noises. In a matter of minutes, the entire terrain changed. The ground beneath them shook. They lost their balance and fell. When Emmeline looked up, she saw a huge cloud of dust in the distance. The tip of a mountain fell off and tumbled downward.
“Emmeline, run!” Delta shouted.
Freedom
Freedom’s crew members were stunned. They felt as if they had been miraculously transported to another universe. The enchanting white light captivated them. The ship shook, and alarms blared, but neither discouraged them from looking at the vast set of galaxies. Even the admiral was in awe.
“Sir, we have a problem,” reported Tessa. “As soon as we entered the gateway, the seismic activity on the planet doubled. It’s now mostly in the south pole, but I’m afraid if we go through the gate, it might destroy the entire planet.”
“Are you sure? We’re halfway through the portal,” said Jacob. “Once we get to our people, we’ll want to observe this phenomenon.”
Tessa took a few minutes to complete the scan. “Sir, I believe I am right. The closer we move to the planet; it appears to affect the planet. We don’t have the equipment nor the right crew to monitor such a phenomenon. Titan does.”
Jacob shrugged his shoulders and looked disappointed. He was right; he was always right. “Fine. Fine. Back off! We’ll wait for them, then!”
“Reversing engines,” announced Eugene.
“Any signs of the probe?” Argon inquired.
“It hasn’t reappeared,” Eugene replied.
“Any other life signs?” inquired the admiral.
“I detect two life signs on the planet, human. No other life signs detected.” Tessa reported.
Freedom shook and shuddered, and the engines roared. Freedom swung inside the portal. The engines screamed as all power was drained from them.
“Eugene?” Jacob asked.
“Sir, the engines aren’t responding.”
“What?” shouted Argon, coming to stand next to him.
“Full power! Reverse now!” ordered Jacob.
Freedom trembled as the engines pushed backward.
“Sir, the earthquakes have engulfed the southern pole,” Tessa said urgently.
“Pilot!”
“Sir, I’m giving it all she’s got. This is it. We can’t do anything more!”
Freedom shuddered more violently. Jacob gripped his chair.
“Admiral, the structural integrity of the ship is collapsing. Shields are down to fifty percent. There are hull fractures on Decks 2 and 3. If we don’t stop, Freedom will collapse inside the portal. We have to go through. We have no choice!” said Tessa.
Argon turned to the admiral, then spun on his heel without a word. His face red, he raged out of the bridge. Damn him, Jacob thought ruefully.
The Rogue Planet
Emmeline never knew she could run so fast. Like a ghost, the dust cloud emerging from the collapsing mountains was following them. Thunder clapped overhead, and the ground vibrated under her feet. Emmeline looked behind her as she ran up the small hill. The dust cloud wasn’t far away. She couldn’t see anything beyond it. They were nearly there. As soon as she reached the top of the hill, she was delighted to see Astra still intact.
Delta paused for a moment, breathing hard, and turned. “Come on!”
Emmeline had to stop for a moment. She felt like her legs were tearing apart. “Go! Go! I’ll catch—”
At that moment, there was loud, resonating noise, and the mountain below trembled. Emmeline lost her balance and fell forward. She immediately got to her feet and was about to run, but then she stopped. She felt as if a large animal was moving beneath her. She looked up. Delta stood near Astra, facing her.
Thunder echoed, and a crack appeared in front of Emmeline and began to widen.
“Delta!” Emmeline screamed.
Realizing what was happening, Delta ran toward her. The mountain broke, and its first victim was Astra. The ship tilted, then groaned as it fell into the abyss. The cracks in the mountain appeared faster and wider. Delta looked at Emmeline.
“No!” Emmeline cried, and she threw herself ahead, trying to grab Delta’s outstretched hand. Her fingers touched Delta’s, and she tried to grab her wrist, but it slipped from her grip. Emmeline fell on the rock’s edge. Delta screamed, waving her hands helplessly as she disappeared in a cloud of dust.
