Keeper and the Planters part 3

Copyright (c) 2020 by Randall R. Peterson ALL RIGHTS RESERVED This is a work of fiction. All persons, locations and actions are from the author's imagination or have been used in a fictitious manner.

Keeper and the

 PLANTERS

Part 3

“The new-species acquisition ship Centurion, with a crew of ten-thousand, eight-hundred and sixty-seven-thousand, four hundred thirty seven and one-half life-forms is hurtling at reverse light speed times nine toward the inescapable event-horizon at the center of the Enubus 14 Galaxy,” an orange-tinted cadet with a giant pumpkin-shaped head blurted after raising one of his vine-like hands. “So why should we be concerned with infinity and the advanced laws of physics?”

“One-half life forms?” a girl-android from Mateuse 17 focused the twin aperture lenses imbedded into her metallic head on the student with the huge orange pumpkin-like head.

“He’s talking about you, half-screws,” a boy snickered.

The android girl cocked her head to one side, a programmed human gesture, but the light in her camera-like eyes never flickered. Flushing a deeper shade than pumpkin head, the boy cowered away. 

Teuth, the ship’s navigator, ignored the banter. “Yes Clarence,” he said. “Flying around the inside perimeter of a black hole is dangerous! So we may never get another chance to enlighten our minds.”

The land-adapted cephalopod continued. “The closed-structure laws of infinity where the end becomes the beginning apply not only to dark and light matter … but to analytical things such as size and weight.”

            “That’s why unchecked accumulative mass eventually becomes a black hole or less than nothing,” one student said.

            “Exactly,” Teuth agreed. “And the largest thing in the universe … is also the smallest.”

            “I don’t understand,” a bewildered student who looked like a walking plant said. Several students, who resembled earth hyenas, laughed. One lifted his leg. The plant girl was obviously embarrassed; her naturally green skin-color took on a crimson tint.

            “What is the largest thing?” Teuth asked. There was a long pause as the students searched for the correct answer.

            “The sum of all galaxies and gasses in the universe.” the girl android answered.

            “Wrong,” Teuth said. “It is the expanding ball of dark energy that these galaxies float upon.”

The girl android appeared to faintly vibrate. An almost indiscernible wisp of ionized smoke floated from one of her audio receptors.

            Teuth glanced at her and made a mental note to suggest that she have her circuits cleaned. “And the smallest?”

            “A sub-atomic particle diminished to the power of four-nineteen … called a zilch,” Pumpkin head answered.

            “And what is a zilch made of?” Teuth asked.

            “According to hypothetical-physics a very, very, I could very for a year, tiny-ball of … dark energy,” the plant girl said smiling at her classmates. Suddenly her mouth fell open. “Oh!” She once again turned red and the hyena-looking students howled.

            The Centurion’s First Officer, Jeff Bland, appeared beside the teacher. “Keeper needs you on the control level … now!” he said.

            “Class dismissed,” Teuth told the students.

-------2-------

            Keeper was standing under an exterior hologram showing thousands of battle ships rapidly overtaking the Centurion. “We were wrong about the Gorwat coming out to meet the Planters; it’s us they want!”

            “No! It’s me they want!” Leika stepped out of the transporter and marched toward Keeper, Jeff Bland and Teuth. “I received a personal message from Gorwan. He will destroy us all … unless I submit myself to him.”

            “I thought lovers were supposed to die of a broken heart,” Jeff quipped. “That lizard, warlord-king must not know the rules!”

            “We were never lovers!” Leika glared at Jeff. “I did what I had to, to get us out of a tough situation.”

            “Will they catch us before we reach the event horizon?” Keeper asked Teuth.

            “With a few alterations to the laws of physics, hopefully I can get us there before they do,” Teuth said. “The problem is … when we enter the event-horizon they can keep us from coming out.”

            “I’ll inform Gorwat … that I’ll shuttle myself to his ship.” Leika sighed.

            “No!” Keeper said. “The Gorwat have discovered a way to render all Porosities species powerless. Once he gets you aboard his ship you won’t be able to resist his matrimonial plans.”

            “The captain is right,” Jeff said. “Tell that lizard to catch his flies somewhere else!”

            “Flies?” Leika smirked. “That’s not what you said when we were in the showers.”

            “I was pleading for my dignity,” Jeff argued. “I would have said anything!”

Teuth had his tentacles in the light array and was moving them with furious precision. “By switching all power to the engines and creating a time vapor-lock we should be able to achieve Reverse Light Speed to the power of twelve.”

            “Time-lock? I like that,” Jeff said. “I don’t like waiting around for something bad to happen.”

            “Do it,” Keeper told Teuth.

            “Shall I inform the crew?” Jeff thought Keeper would at least consider other options before doing something so radical.

            “No,” Keeper said. “They’ll know what happened … when they awaken.”

            “Maximum power to engines and time-vapor in ten seconds,” Teuth said.

Jeff looked at Leika and she smiled. He thought he saw her mouth the words I love you … then he held his breath.

The Centurion seemed to glisten … just before a tremendous acceleration. Inside the vast multi-level starship all life-forms, as well as machines, became grey, misty-statues, frozen in time without power or thought. All the ship’s electrical and photonomic control systems paused. Millions of beams of multi-colored light, some now visible for the first time to the human eye, hung suspended in mid-air and the flow of electrons in millions of miles of circuits stopped … waiting for eternity … or just a split-second to continue.

-------3-------

Jeff Bland felt pressure in his ears and his eyes once again focused. Keeper looked much like he had before … a shimmering-hologram of a humanoid with unfinished legs. Teuth blinked his bulbous and octopus-like eyes. “Looks like we made it,” Keeper sighed his relief.

Teuth looked stunned as he examined the light array. “According to our data … we didn’t.”

The holographic display floating above them showed thousands of Gorwat ships covering all possible escape routes as they entered the black hole.

Teuth continued. “According to our data, the Gorwat actually arrived here before we did … we should have been vaporized!”

            “Wait a minute,” Jeff said as he looked around. “Where’s Leika?”

            “I should have thought of that,” Keeper said as he shook his head. “Porosities are not affected by time-vapor the same way other species are. She would have awakened some time before we did.”

            “There!” Teuth pointed a tentacle toward the exterior hologram. A small shuttle craft could be seen being pulled by a tractor-beam into the largest warship.

            “She can’t do that!” Jeff yelled.

            “But she did.” Keeper hung his head.

Gorwan’s lizard-like face suddenly replaced the exterior hologram. “I’m happy that at least one of your allies shows some reason.” He smiled … and his long tongue licked his wide lips.

            “We have entered the event horizon,” Teuth reported without looking up.

            “Keep us just inside the horizon line,” Keeper told him. “And conserve the power we’ll need for escape velocity.”

            “I thank you for your gift.” Gorwan laughed. Leika could be seen struggling behind him and being stripped naked by dozens of Gorwat warriors. “I must give you something in return!”

A tremendous blast of photon energy came from the largest Gorwat ship and several others. The Centurion, without adequate shielding, was slammed far inside the black hole at the center of the Enubus galaxy. With impossible velocity and acceleration the interior of the spacecraft began to blur. For almost a second, Gorwan’s face and laughter could be seen and heard … and then it faded.

Jeff Bland felt at first weightless and then as heavy as a planet. A roaring sound volumed to infinity and then became deathly quiet. He looked across the rippling control level and Keeper and Teuth both appeared to be swelling and then pulling apart as well as all the matter and dark-matter machines on the ship. There were suddenly two captains and two navigators staring at him. He heard a gasp and turned … and he was looking at … himself.

TO BE CONTINUED …