Authors: Steven Brockwell
Jeramaya and his crew were lost for answers, it seemed impossible, that this could be the same planet that Sonard had found, which brought about the only conclusion they could think of, Time.
Since it was once thought that depending on how far one would bend space, to achieve space warp, time zones could vary. Gale calculated their speed, and warp drive confirming the
y were in the correct time zone as to when Sonard’s probe had left earth’s galaxy, almost twenty-eight days ago.
However, the radioactive levels confirmed, that the whole scenario on earth took place at least 8 to 10 years ago
. How could that be possible unless Sonard for some reason had achieved time travel, which was forbidden by his people? They knew the consequences that came with it, and had abolished all research in this field, they knew one small amendment made to the past could seriously affect the future, even create a different time zone around any distinctive mass, or even being lost in the past itself. However, their first objective was to confirm this theory, and to try to establish what year they were in according to earth time.
Gale be
gan scanning the planet’s orbit for any electronic devices she could find; Sonard had mention that the earthlings did have some sort of primitive space travel, saturlight systems of some kind. All they really needed was to locate one of these devices, and hoped it was still operational, which in technical teams it should be, since the most obvious way to power these primitive probes would have to be solar, and that there seemed to be plenty of.
Jeff slowly retrieved their own surveillance probe, the data they had collect would be stored in a miniature storage device similar to the one Carl had found
. Jeramaya retreated to his quarters troubled by what they had discovered, his dream of a new planet had begun to diminish, the world Sonard had discovered for some reason unknown to them had become a toxic waste ground. He thought about his son and his wife Laya, the only real thing he had to comfort him in his moment of despair.
Jeff however, had his mind on other things; gale had located a primitive probe of some kind and had transported the whole thing inside their holding bay
. Jeff, being their electronics technician, began to analyze the probe trying to figure out how it worked.
They needed to siphon whatever they could from its computerized systems, hoping to establish a timetable, a date
that could tell them what year it was according to earth time. However, gale had already established this, the probe was still transmitting, and she was carefully analyzing its transmissions, breaking down the alien code until finally she found what they were all looking for.
According to the probe’s data banks somehow they were in the year 2030, which confirms their theory, which not only did Sonard travel through time, he had also tried to deceive his superiors?
Sonard must have reached planet earth a long time ago, since ten years had elapsed bringing earth’s present time way into the future, although correct, it still leads to the conclusion on how come the data Sonard had sent, was out dated.
Not only did Sonard somehow establish time warp; he had also mastered it
, being able to travel through time to the precise date, year that he wanted to. He had also programmed his probe to appear in his own galaxy at a specific date, as not to raise suspicion. However, one thing he did not bank on was someone else operating the spearhead, activating his probe way before it’s time.
The probe showed it was activated during the year 2003, Sonard had been gone for ten years, meaning Jeramaya, and his crew should be in the year 2013. However, Jeramaya had just discovered they were decades into the future
. Meaning Sonard’s probe was activated years in the past, and was programmed to travel through time to try to deceive his superiors. He knew if they discover what his intentions were to travel through time, and to try to establish something that was not meant to be, he would almost instantly be stripped of his title, degraded never being allowed to travel through space or time ever again.
Jeramaya and his team collected and stored all the evidence they needed, to show the governing council what they had found; explaining why Sonard was somehow trapped in time, was another thing
. No one knew as to why he had found it necessary to follow the path he had taken, and most of all why he had not returned.
The journey home would be a silent one; they all had their own assignments to complete before they arrived back at their own planet
. Jeff continued to analyze the earthling’s ancient probe, while Jade their ships physician, monitored their progress traveling at the immense speeds needed to reach their homeland, across the galaxies in just four days.
Only this time no one wanted to enter his or her capsules, during space warp
. Since there was no concrete proof that space warp could damage the body, or even the brain for that matter, everyone decided to take their chances outside a suspended animated state, and so far they were all doing fine.
“E.T.A. approx. four hours,” said gale. Jeramaya still had a lot of documentation to do, he wanted to finish entering all the data he could, and even give his own explanations as to wh
at they had found on earth before they arrived at their home base. He knew his superiors would be eager as to why they had returned back home in as little as two weeks, when such an expedition of this kind would usually take at least a few months. Although, on planet earth there was nothing really left of it to document.
Their cruiser came to soft judder, slowing down as gal
e disengaged their warp drive; they began to enter their own solar system. In a matter of minutes, they would start docking procedures, returning to their families and friends who would be forever glad they had returned home safely.
Jeramaya strolled over to the control room, the steel shutters opened and there stood their own planet, it was dull, gloomy somehow it reminded him of the dead planet called earth they had just left
. However, he was glad to be back. Gale began to maneuver their ship, steadying her as they approached the docking bay, Jeramaya constantly tried to contact their control room where he often worked, however, there was no reply. Jeff stared over to Jade who also had the strange feeling that something must be drastically wrong, Since the control tower was always manned whatever the circumstances, and for some reason no one was answering.
Jeramaya instructed gale to contact their mother computer Clare, if anyone could explain what was happening it would be her, she had the knowledge, capability to control everything in their underground city
.
Gale silently contacted Clare, and instantly pulled their ship back steering her away from the docking bay, returning to their planets outer orbit. “What the hell is going on gale?” asked jade.
“I have just been informed by Clare to retreat, it seems the entire colony has become a restricted zone,
quarantined,” replied gale.
“By whose authority?” asked Jade?
“By Clare’s”
Jeramaya thought how this could be possible and contacted Clare his friend and
companion their mother computer. She explained to Jeramaya how the entire colony had become infected with a dreaded virus called Paraglictic Spouriteus. “Clare isn’t that the same virus you identified as harmless?” asked Jeramaya. “Affirmative, however, the virus mutated to become what it is, a killer virus!” Jeramaya thought how this could be happening, to return to his people to find that tens of thousands have been infected with a virus, when his own very mission was based in saving his people. He had been gone for less than twelve days, how could any virus become so destructive in such a short period.
Clare continued to explain the whole scenario that had taken place, it seems the virus was air born constantly mutating; it affected the lungs, starving the hoist of its oxygen supply
. When the virus arrived on the probe Sonard was thought to have sent, it lay dormant, frozen due to the extreme sub zero temperatures endured in space. Once the virus was in a warm, moist, atmosphere it began to breathe again, multiplying until finally it mutated and found its way into their main ventilation systems, which fed the entire underground city.
Since Jeremy’s people had lived for so long in sterile conditions, their body’s immune systems had dwindled, not offering any resistance at all. The virus infected house after house, continuously multiplying until it totally infected the entire colony. Sonard’s dream had finally come true; he had succeeded in created the ultimate virus. However, the only people he had infected were his own, destroying the very thing he had worked for all these years, now suffered under his arrogance. Although he had no idea what had happened, or where the virus originated from, however, that was soon to dorm on him.
“Clare is there anything we can do to try and rectify the problem?” asked Jeramaya.
“Yes! The only solution would be to stop the probe ever reaching our planet”,
Replied Clare “
Clare, the only way to do that is to travel back to earth, through time itself?”
“Affirmative sir, gale has all the information you will need to lead your expedition to the New World.”
“Clare you are forgetting one thing! I am not authorized to retrieve these files or conduct any type of time warp.” Replied Jeramaya
“Negative sir! You are now t
he only highest ranking officer alive, you also have full authority over everything, you, and you alone are now the governing council,” replied Clare. Jeramaya paused, realizing the entire governing council must have perished in the plague, he thought about his wife and son, were they still alive? He paced up and down the narrow passageway thinking how all of this could be happing.
Thinking, what could be done to reverse the problems that his people were enduring, also how could he stop the probe from ever leaving earth in the first place?
Jade, Jeff had heard what Clare had to say, and discussed the issue with their friend and their new leader. Clare could not have picked a better person for the job, and they were glad she had made the right chose.
As time slowly passed by, they knew the only solution to their problem could only be found on earth itself
. Jeramaya and his crew would have no option but to return to earth to try to find Sonard, to try to stop the probe from ever leaving planet earth.
Since Jeramaya was now considered, the
highest-ranking office within his colony, he and he alone would now be able to access the files that his superior’s had hidden, stored in the secret, inaccessible memory banks in their mother computer Clare. Jeramaya would now have the superior knowledge of space warp, and the capability of time travel,
Which he would need to try
to locate the only person whom could help, in stopping the probe from ever leaving earth, Jeramaya had to find Sonard.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Through time
A
fter their encounter with the terrible plague, which had engulfed their entire society, the journey back to earth would never be forgotten, the unimaginable scenes they never witness could only be left to one’s own imagination.
Jade analyzed a specimen of the dreaded virus, which to their standards coming from a highly complex society, where such things where virtually no existent, on earth the whole matter would just have been another parasite
. Humans had evolved amongst the very living organisms that nature had created, enabling humans to fight these germs, viruses off through their own immune systems. As to where Jeremy’s people had created a germ free world, hoping it would be for the better; however, they never realizing that one simple disease could have such a drastic effect.
Jeff, their technician, was silently going about his business in the holding bay as their ship flew across the skies
. He had succeeded in slightly, modifying the earthling’s probe to function more effectively. If they ever did gain access to traveling through time they would need something that was able to calculate, guide them, letting them know what year they were in, the earthlings probe seemed to be the ideal solution. Once they arrived in earth’s outer orbit, they could release the probe and set it back on course, circling the planet once again. Jeff had included a communication, system which allowed them direct contact, transmissions to establish the date and time, Instead of having the endless task of transporting the probe back into their holding bay every time they needed to verify what year they were in.
Jeramaya on the other hand, had the privilege of accessing the top-secret files that had been buried in Clare’s memory banks
. She had transferred all the information they will need to her sister computer Gale. Jeramaya was at this minute trying to understand some of their top scientist theories on the subject, that included space warp and time travel. It was proving to be quite a complicated subject, most of the calculations and theoretical ideas had never acutely been tried, or no one ever returned to verify if their theories were correct or not. Sonard somehow achieved time warp, on what bases he succeeded was yet to be know, since what happened to Sonard is what happened to most of the time seekers, they became lost, disappearing without a trace. The whole thing in some way worried Jeramaya, would his fate be the same as his pre assessors? Disappearing into the past, being lost forever in some never ending time lapse or repeated zone. However, when one weighed the odds, Jeramaya, and his two companions Jade and Jeff did not really have much to lose,