GALACTIC UNITY
By: Mark J. Hadley
* * * * * * * * *
CHAPTER
10:
“Journal”
The four of them stood just within the entrance to the Hkratth Library. The ancient building had wide marble floors, rails, and columns, each of them artistically carved. Windows high above allowed the light to shine in from outside, casting rays of reddish light across the scene. Several exotic-looking plants lined the edge, and a grand fountain with a carving of a Hkratth sat in the center.
Despite the obvious age of the structure, everything was kept in almost perfect condition, and there were large computer terminals set into the walls. There was also the presence of several armed Hkratth standing guard with laser rifles. They watched every movement of the four as they gazed about the hall.
“Stunning,” Xianea remarked. “And to think, we’re the first outsiders to view this library in centuries…”
“It is beautiful,” Bubbles agreed, admiring the carvings in a pillar as they passed by it.
“Well, we have work to do,” Blossom reminded them. “We need to find that journal. Where do we begin? We don’t even know the name of the guy who wrote it…”
Xianea crossed the hall towards the doors on the opposite end, with the girls following her close behind. She said, “We’ll just have to search. It may take some time, but the journal will be in there somewhere. In the meantime, I will want to see if I can view their central database…even if I don’t have the time to read everything it contains, I can at least have it imprinted into my genetic programming like any of my other memories, to be extracted later at Centraxia.”
They opened the doors, and entered into a long archive. There were aisles along each side of it, but they didn’t contain books. Instead, they contained small, flat crystals. At the end of the aisles were devices containing a place to sit and a headset. They looked eerily to Buttercup like electric chairs, although she knew they probably weren’t.
Experimentally, Blossom flew over and lifted one of the crystals from its holder on the aisle. She peered closely at it, then flew over to the device. As she sat down in it, she noticed a small opening in the arm of the chair that looked about the right size to hold the crystal. She inserted it, and the headset lowered down, planting firmly on her head. The others watched as she did this.
Everything around Blossom seemed to instantly change. She found herself floating in the middle of an open field. The ground beneath her was covered with plants similar to grass, although slightly different somehow, more alien-like. She heard a tremendous thundering noise, and saw two large armies, both consisting of Hkratth, charging towards each other. Each army wore a different uniform, and they were armed with curved bladed weapons that kind of looked like swords with a blade at each end.
Blossom hovered closer with interest, and suddenly, another battalion charged from directly behind her towards the conflict. She threw her hands up protectively in front of her, but the warriors just ran right through her. She was momentarily confused, until she realized it was just an illusion.
Wow, she thought, watching the armies clash. They’ve created a visual history…amazing! What a way to study history, it’s much better than reading it… She watched the armies fight for a few more moments, then thought, Okay, now how do I leave?
No sooner than she had thought this, but she suddenly returned to the chair…she felt like she had just woken up from a dream. The headset rose up and off of her. Bubbles and Buttercup were right in front of her, and Bubbles asked, “How was it?”
“You have to try this!” Blossom exclaimed, pulling the crystal free from the device, and flying over to replace it back in its holder on the aisle. “It’s incredible! Hey…where’s Xianea?”
Buttercup pointed over at one of the other devices. She was fixed in the chair with the headset on, sitting very still. “She said she’s checking the index,” Buttercup said, “trying to find where that journal is. So, what are those things like?”
“It’s like a dream,” Blossom said. “I was floating above a field, watching a battle from their history take place below me. This is the way to learn…I’m sure they probably use stuff similar to it for things like math and science.”
“So there’s no reading? You just watch everything?” Buttercup asked.
“That’s right,” Blossom said.
Grinning, Buttercup said, “Kinda like watching TV, then. Only better!”
Bubbles grinned, “Cool! Lemme try!” She picked a crystal up from the nearest aisle and sat down, putting it into the device. The helmet lowered onto her head, and she went still, as she viewed the visual record that the crystal contained.
Xianea, in the meantime, finished her own ‘reading’, and got up from the device, she called out, “Girls! I believe I know which one contains the journal. As soon as Bubbles is finished there, we should head down and take a look for it.”
“Okay!” Blossom called back. They didn’t have to wait for long, though, because Bubbles’ headset rose up from her head that instant. She wasn’t really smiling, though, but rather, she had an expression of nausea. “What’s wrong?” Blossom asked.
“Ughh…” Bubbles said, getting up from the chair. “I got some medical thingy, showin’ how to do some kinda stomach surgery.” She shuddered.
“Eww, yech…” Buttercup said, “Bad choice. I don’t blame ya. Well, c’mon, let’s get going…where’s the journal at, Xianea?”
Xianea replied, “It’s on the fifth floor. Follow me.”
The four of the headed towards a lift on the far end of the archives. As they went, Blossom said, “This could be it…this thing could tell us exactly where the Omega Particle is located. Maybe…maybe if we hurry, we can get to the particle and get the Earth back in only a day or two! Maybe even today!”
“I hope you’re right, Bloss,” Buttercup nodded. “I really do…”
* * *
Xianea sat in the device, viewing the crystal they had located. The other girls waited next to her expectantly. The journal was rather long, and so she had been watching it for more than an hour now. With no sign of feedback from her, the girls could only wait.
Finally, Xianea became alert again, the headset rising from her head. The girls immediately flew forward a few feet and said together, “Well?”
Xianea popped the crystal out of the device and told them, “There is good news, indeed. Let me play back the relevant portion of the journal for you, so you won’t each have to sit through the whole thing.” She got out of the device and moved over to a terminal on one wall. Sliding the crystal into it, she quickly manipulated the controls.
The girls watched as a short creature appeared on the display. It was only about three feet tall, and hunched over; its skin was green, and its features were almost toad-like, with large bulbous eyes and a wide-lipped mouth. He also looked like he was old, and perhaps slightly ill. He was speaking, “…but more importantly, we decided to conceal the location of the Zadron’s greatest treasure. It was once called the Omega Stone, but now only a mere particle of it exists, so it is hardly a ‘stone’ anymore.”
I can’t believe it, Bubbles thought, trying to contain her excitement. This guy’s gonna tell us where it’s hidden! I can’t wait! I can’t wait to go back home again…
The Zadron continued, “It only has a single ‘wish’ left upon it, so we did not want to squander it. Due to the nature of its energy, it can never be replenished, not even through its own power. Wishing for another Omega Stone will be fruitless, and wishing to return back in time to use the stone when it was larger will merely undo all previous uses from that time forward. No, it must be saved for a worthy purpose.”
He coughed a few times…he was definitely not well, they could see. He said, “One of the eldest of our race, Ghoraan, was entrusted with the exact location of the Omega Particle. Long ago, the Omega Stone had granted him ‘a long life’, so it is likely he will live for many millennia, or perhaps even to the end of time. Thus, there will always be a member of the Zadron to guard this secret, and should a trustworthy soul come along that needs to use it, he would be willing to give them that information.”
The playback completed. Buttercup seemed a little startled, “So…this Ghoraan’s still alive, I hope…right?”
Xianea nodded, “He’s supposed to be nearly immortal, thanks to the Omega Stone. Now that we know his name, he shouldn’t be too difficult to find, especially if he has passed through any checkpoint stations recently. They’ll have recorded his name there if he did.”
“That’s assuming he’d use his real name,” Blossom reminded her.
“I think he would,” Xianea said. “Even perhaps his real species name. An earlier part of that journal claimed that truth was something the Zadron valued highly.”
Bubbles smiled, “So let’s start asking around, then, and find this guy!”
“We’d better be careful,” Blossom cautioned her. “If we draw too much attention, it might cause a rush of people looking for the particle also. This is something that’s probably best not to fall into the wrong hands, you know…”
As they were discussing this, Xianea turned back to the computer console and laid her hands on it, closing her eyes. A white aura surrounded her hands briefly, and the girls looked over, puzzled. Buttercup said, “Xianea?”
A few more seconds passed, and Xianea took her hands off the panel. She opened her eyes, and said, “It’s done…this terminal had a link to the main archives where all the data that are on the crystals were being stored. I just copied it all into my genetic programming.”
“That fast?” Bubbles asked.
Xianea nodded, and said, “It’s kind of like how I learned your language when we first met. I slowed the process down that time, however, so that I could store it in my main memory also instead of just my genetic memory. Copying only into genetic memory is much, much faster.”
“In that case, we have everything we came here for, then,” Blossom exclaimed, “so let’s move out! Before we wear out our welcome with the Hkratth.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Xianea said, starting back for the lifts once again. Although she maintained a calm appearance, inside she was ecstatic. This is one of the largest single collections of information a Centraxian has ever managed to acquire, she thought. The others will treat me like a hero! I hope they don’t have me stay on Centraxia for too long, though…I really want to follow the girls back to Earth…
* * *
Their ship was escorted out of Hkratth space uneventfully. They were able to dock back at the Adarian Trading Post to begin their search there. They came onto the station in their disguises that they wore there once before. Xianea, in her Kallesonian disguise, was hoping to find Belor again…his information didn’t come cheap, but he seemed reliable enough. However, after a quick search of the station, they found that he had departed earlier that day.
“I’m sure there’s someone else that can get us the information we need,” Xianea said, walking along the outer ring of the station, where the various merchants set up shop. “We just need to find them.”
“Why don’t we just go for the checkpoints, like you said?” Blossom asked, hovering next to her.
“As you said, it might draw unwanted attention,” Xianea answered. “We’ll try that method if this one doesn’t work out.”
Buttercup flew along side of the others, watching the crowd as they passed by. “Yeah…’sides, if Ghoraan is laying low, we’d probably have a better chance to find out from these guys where he is.”
“Lookin’ for someone?” a voice spoke out. They all stopped to look in the direction of the voice. There was a man leaning up against the wall they had just been walking past, with his arms folded across his chest. He was humanoid…probably the closest thing to an Earthling the girls had yet encountered out here. He looked like he was in his late twenties, and had somewhat long hair that was a medium green color…most of it was tied into something almost like a ponytail in the back. He wore a long, baggy jacket and dark pants, plus a metal headband around his forehead. His facial features seemed a little more bony than a human’s, with extra definition around the bridge of his noes, the sides of his eyes, and his cheeks.
“Who are you?” Xianea asked.
The stranger smirked and said, “My name’s not important, Kallesonian. What is important is that you’re looking for some information. Well, I have information, so maybe I can help you out.”
Buttercup was a little skeptical, and said, “What’s your price?”
“Depends on what you’re looking for,” the stranger said, matter-of-factly.
“We’re trying to track down someone named Ghoraan,” Xianea said.
“I see,” he said. “Any particular reason?”
Xianea shook her head, “It’s not really important.”
“Hmm…yes…” the stranger said. “Well, I’d be more than happy to check with my connections. We can discuss your fee later, once I discover how difficult this ‘Ghoraan’ is to find. If you’ll accompany me to my ship, we can contact them from there.”
Xianea nodded her okay. The stranger started towards one of the docks, and they all followed him. As they went, Blossom said, “My name’s Aiya, by the way. These are my sisters, Treeka and Reilee.”
“A pleasure,” he said, nodding. He lead them to the docking bay where his ship was located. He opened the tiny airlock leading into his ship, and frowned, “There’s only enough room for two of us at a time…well, all three of you little ones can go at once, but the two of us will go first. I’ll open the door for you once we get inside.”
“Okay, hurry up though,” Buttercup said.
Xianea stepped into the airlock, and the stranger stepped in directly behind her. They closed the door, and through the small window on the door, they could see Xianea smiling back at them while the stranger keyed in the airlock sequence to open the door into the ship. As soon as the door opened, however, he pulled something from his jacket in one fluid motion and placed it against Xianea’s back. She was surrounded briefly by streamers of electricity and tensed up, then collapsed, unconscious.
The girls gasped, and Blossom shouted, “Xianea!!” Before they could do anything, though, the stranger quickly slid her into the ship, closing the door behind him.
Buttercup pushed the other two girls aside and yelled, “Stand back, I’m blastin’ the door open!” She powered up her eyebeams, preparing to fire, but again, it was too late. The ship must have already been ready to depart, because it disconnected from the airlock before she had the chance. She quickly powered her eyebeams back down, since a blast now would open the station up into the vacuum outside, and the three of them leaned up against the window, helplessly watching the ship pull away from the station.
“No! Xianea!” Bubbles cried out.
A small screen next to the door lit up with a transmission from the ship. The stranger’s face appeared on it, and he said, “So, you three are the Earthlings I’ve heard so much about.” He was replacing an emblem on his jacket where he must have removed it before…the symbol of the Gyahembu. “So nice to meet you at last. My name is Drax, by the way. Drax Kanard.”
Buttercup gritted her teeth, “I swear, you do anything to her and I’ll…”
“Relax, she’s fine,” Drax replied. “I only incapacitated your Centraxian friend. We need her alive, after all. Besides, we know you’ll want to come and rescue her, won’t you? You’re more than willing to try. We’ll be waiting for you, though.”
“You…” Blossom began, but the transmission cut off. They stared as the ship made some distance from the station, then made a singularity jump. Even after it had left, they continued to stare at the empty space where it once was.
Finally, Bubbles said, “Now what are we gonna do?! We’re…we’re alone again…”
“Yeah…” Buttercup said, angrily. “Man, I can’t believe it, he tricked us! How could we be that stupid?”
“We’re stuck here…” Bubbles cried. “W-we can’t go after them, can we…”
Blossom tightened her jaw, remaining firm, and said, “There’s still a chance. I can fly the ship, so maybe I can still get us there.”
“I know you can fly the ship,” Buttercup said, “but what difference does it make if we don’t know where we’re going?”
“He’ll probably take her back to his boss,” Blossom guessed. “And where are the Gyahembu located?”
Bubbles’ face lit up as she remembered, “Paradise Fringe!”
“Exactly! So that’s where we’re going!” Blossom said, nodding confidently. “But also, maybe we can find someone here that can help us. Or at the very least, we can see if we can get in contact with Alyxk. I’m sure he’s still around this area somewhere. Ghoraan can wait for right now; we need to get back Xianea first safely! Agreed?”
Bubbles and Buttercup both nodded and said together, “Yes!”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” They hurried towards the center of the station once again, to begin their search for help. They hadn’t planned on a rescue mission when they came here, but all three of them were prepared for one anyway…it was, after all, the heroic thing to do. There was only question now that remained on each of their minds…since Drax was expecting them, and the odds were all against them, would they be able to pull it off?