FSE

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Weird Space

“He’s human,” said the doctor of the ship short, after diagnosing Richard. “Everything about him is human, even the skeleton structure, the face, internals, and such. It’s…astonishing. I know werewolves can transform into their lupine form and back, but their internal organs remain the same. This is a new phenomenon.”

“You mean, he’s a human? Through and through?”

“Through and through,” repeated the human doctor. “We’ve also finished checking up on the dragon. He’s also the same, with all traces of him being a draconian gone as he transformed back into a dragon.”

“Is it because of the portal? My crew changed into draconians when we went to their World, and returned to their proper forms when they passed the portal. You mean, they…”

“If this is their original form, then it is possible. Still, this is all wild theories. We have no idea how this happened, and everything seemed so impossible it’s like magic.”

“Magic’s an old art.”

“Yet this looks like it. I wonder…”

Leaving the doctor alone to ponder and talk with Richard, Dairyu walked out the med-bay to meet with Palesa and Kalesa, who, along with Selis and a handful of their crews, were stranded with the St. Vincent when they ship crossed a tear.

“How’s your fleet?” asked the Orient.

“They are fine. We are lucky this ship’s comm system can reach them. We had our first officer take temporary command while we try and regroup with them,” said Kalesa.

“Say, how’s your trip beyond the tear?” asked Palesa. “Anything worth mentioning?”

“It’s pre-space. Not very appealing to you guys.”

“But it’s in another universe! Everything there is…”

“Palesa!”

“What?”

“Read the situation, will you? We have two stranded travelers and Dairyu is trying his best to assess the situation! Calm down.”

Palesa then went silent.

“So, Dairyu. What are you going to do to them?”

“Right now, they are lost here, and we need to give them our support the best we could. We cannot use my ship for a moment as it is being repaired, and without zero matter, this ship will take a very long time to get to a nearby colony with one. How much time we need?”

“One day or two.”

“Yes…so the best we can do is let this ship’s crew do their job. I’ll go talk with the dragon.”

Dairyu then left Palesa and Kalesa, and walked towards the hangar bay.

One of the pads was given for Raithorakh, now a dragon, to recover and rest while diagnostics were done on him. The dragon was cooperative at best, and was quite curious on how many things worked on a higher level, giving the engineers a good time for discussions. They thought that the dragon would be surprised by everything so futuristic, but they were amazed by how his knowledge of machineries and stuff was typical of an engineer, so they were comfortable talking to him.

While Raithorakh was talking, Dairyu approached a Scyllan engineer who was looking at the dragon’s cybernetic parts. The Orient draconian then asked, “What are those things made of?”

“Nano-construct,” said the Scylla short. “Quite contemporary in our time, but this one is very experimental, like it was installed on him in a hassle. The Nano-construct that formed his limbs, however, is quite advanced, but…destructive.”

He looked towards the ruined bot.

“So, this is nothing new for you?”

“We used Nano-construct for crops and repair, with prosthetics being developed. This one is an experimental form used in military, and is powered by zero matter.”

“Won’t that be dangerous? I mean, zero matter is…”

“Poisonous, yes, but his body reacted positively to it, and his body was powered by it. My speculation is that his organic parts were damaged and he was on a brink of death, but the zero matter-powered Nano-construct helped reconstruct his body and powered his heart with it. But, if the control’s dead, then it will go haywire, and open a tear.”

“That dangerous? I never knew zero matter is…”

“That’s the basic concept of FTL speed, Dairyu Tsukasa,” said the Scylla. “We don’t open tears to another universe, but we still use wormholes for it. Same thing. Still, I’m surprised he’s able to restart his heart after it was damaged. The Nano-construct helped him escape death and repair his already artificial heart.”

“So, it explains a lot. I thought I cheated death by a miracle, but it was all science,” said Raithorakh as he turned towards them. “Still, it has no importance with my current situation.”

Dairyu knew what he was talking about. Now that Raithorakh’s form was draconic, there was a matter of provisions for the crew. As the ship’s zero matter mysteriously lost after their own ordeal, they could not take on too much power for their trip to a space station near their position, which would take one or two days. Even if Raithorakh was a cyborg in many aspects, he still had to maintain his organic part, which had gained mass.

Richard, on the other hand, never felt lighter for 30 years. He had practically given up and accepted his new existence as a draconian, and one trans-dimensional incident reverted him back to his original body. He would be very happy if it wasn’t for the fact that he had given up human life. He still had a draconian family to care for, and he wanted to return to his own body. Richard still wanted to enjoy his old body while it lasted, however, as there was no other way to return except this unexpected turn of event.

The ship, the Wind of Change, retained its add-on dimensional gate generator, but it needed repairs after the components degraded due to age. Fortunately, the replacement components were not hard to find, but to ensure the whole ship’s fully operational and optimal in their journey, they needed to find a repair shop with necessary equipment. Due to that fact, the ship was grounded in St. Vincent until it could be repaired and its zero-matter filled, the same situation with the ship.

Sector N52 was a Scyllan space, which made things easier for them to find a technician with sufficient skill and knowledge to repair their ships. The only problem was that they were practically in the middle of nowhere, and without FTL, they could not travel optimally. They maintained contact with the Scyllan space station as they also sent rescue ships to tow St. Vincent towards them. The ships were not equipped with warp drive, so it took them equally long time to pull it towards the nearest space station.

Due to this, there was nothing much to do in St. Vincent, a rarity as they had been involved in so many situations that were extraordinary and weird. The crew were still busy maintaining many delicate operations, but they had considerable reduced work load, as given permission by the captain in command of the ship, Pritchard.

The crew of the Wind of Change, and the St. Vincent in particular, were interested in the two visitors from another universe, who were clearly peculiar in their own way (Richard carried an old-fashioned sword while Raithorakh was a dragon). They talked with these two until they were exhausted, but was glad to be able to help. Raithorakh took this chance to hack into the ship’s bank and download as much thing he could from it, but was discouraged by Dairyu, who berated him for being a ‘spy’. Raithorakh had assured him that he would be wise, as he was a dragon, but Dairyu doubted it.

While the Orient was talking to Raithorakh, Rose, taking this chance to catch up with Amhyr, tried to contact her husband, trying to find if he’s still in Luna base. He did not, sadly, but there was an interesting news about a hate group of humans who preyed on werewolf families were given a prison sentence with no chance for parole, as they were apparently guilty of ‘voluntary manslaughter’. Rose knew these people were scared because of the Werewolf Crisis, but it was as if they were framed, and she knew someone who could do that.

She tried to find anything about Amhyr and her sons, until she found out that he was on a ship bound to Adonis III. She then remembered that it was the current planetary government base after the original planet was ridden with past civil wars that re-emerged. The leader of that government was Renziletis. It was easy to contact him, so she did that. With a slight delay, the sub-space communication link was established, and she saw Renziletis’s hologram in front of her.

“Hello, Let,” said Rose. “I’m glad you’re still holding on.”

“I’m the Kaf’rak. Of course, it’s my duty to hold on,” said Let. “I know why you call. It’s about Amhyr, isn’t it?”

“And the boys. How are they?”

“Peacefully living their lives in a temporary unit. I urged him to let his sons continue their education on Adonis III, and he agreed, so right now…he’s helping us with diplomatic situations.”

“With whom?”

“The Rendloks of the past, the original colonists of this planet,” said Let. “You may have an adventure across the stars, but we have our own fun.”

“I bet you are. So, may I speak to him?”

“Certainly. He misses you.”

Let transferred the call to Amhyr’s apartment, where he was playing with one of their children, Ben. His other son, Barlen, was watching some show on the holographic screen, which was near where Rose’s projection came out. As soon as he turned towards her, she waved her hand and smiled, to which he exclaimed, “Mommy!”

Amhyr, hearing that, walked with Benedict towards the hologram. Amhyr looked concerned, but nevertheless glad that she was okay.

“I’ve not heard from you for a while,” he said. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“And you too, dear,” said Rose. “I’ve tried to contact you on Luna Base, but you weren’t there, and you cause mayhem.”

“Mayhem? I’m trying to protect our children.”

“By putting a dozen or so in bars for a crime they may or may not do?” Rose sighed. “Still, at least if it’s found out, you can testify that they were trying to attack Let.”

“Either way, they’re toasted. So, how’s work?”

“Nothing much. We got a lot of things that are bizarre in its own ways. We got turned into draconians, went back, then get our savior turned into a dragon. Everything seemed so…weird. Now, St. Vincent is going to a nearby Scyllan space station.”

“I’m glad you’re alright. Just wondering, though. Are you…”

Rose knew what he was talking about, but she did not want to raise concern to her children. She simply said, “No, I’m not.”

“That’s great news. Ben, Bar, say hi to mom.”

They both were enthusiastic to see their mother again, which was the same in Rose’s case. They talked about getting new friends at school who liked their hybrid appearances and the fact that they were Terran. Barlen also helped Amhyr with holo-game ideas, which he appreciated.

After both talked for a while, they said goodbye when they were called by their friends to play outside, leaving Amhyr and Rose alone.

“You bought a new home in Adonis III?”

“Temporary,” said Amhyr. “I still miss our townhouse, though, but this one’s good, in a way. I got myself a new job as Let’s envoy, so it might take my mind off things.”

“At least he’s there to help you. But…where’s your home located?”

“Inside Let’s compound. Technically, I’m his housemate. We are still free to go anywhere in Adonis III, so it’s not a bad thing. Still…our problem with the Rendloks are quite a hassle….”

“I heard it from Let. Are they solids?”

“They were here hundreds of years ago, so technically, they are the original colonists. But, since they are Solids, they are considered ‘alive’ and the situation with the Scyllan colony was heated. It died down somewhat after we took care of rogues, but paperwork and such are still in play.”

“When did this happen?”

“A month or so. Not to worry, though. I’m not doing this alone. How about you? What happened to you in the past two years? Nobody heard about the Wind of Change and the St. Vincent for two years before suddenly you guys showed up out of nowhere.”

“We had a slight…time travel mishap we did not know. When we returned, two years had passed.”

“Weird…”

“Yes. It’s weird if you think about it.”

“Everything’s weird nowadays,” said Amhyr with a sigh. “And most of those weirds end up trying to kill you.”

“You have a point there.”

“Still, nothing’s as weird as being visited by the goddess of wolves every night, chatting about trivial matters, and exchanging riddles.”

This caught Rose’s attention.

“You saw her, too?”

“It still weirds me out. She told me that by marrying you, I’m a child of the Hunting Grounds. I know a little about magic and supernatural from my mother’s roots, and I’m clearly not going to get in there and hunt with them.”

“No, that’s not right at all. If you’re invited to the Hunting Grounds, you’ll be hunting with them in your beast form. Which means…”

“I’ll be the biggest, meanest, apex predator there is. In other word…I’ll be a dragon in there.”

“And we had someone who turned into a dragon right before our eyes, and the other turning into a human. Both were draconians.”

“Things are getting out of control there,” said Amhyr with a sigh. “But…will you be alright? You’re a science gal, after all.”

“Yet I am a werewolf bearing the name of Van Helsing,” said Rose. “I cannot deny the fact that my ancestor partakes in supernatural, yet I cannot let it bias my views. Our planet, Terra, has a long history, and many paths to follow. My family is included.”

“I see…. Tell me, Rose. Your ancestors were vampire hunters, right?”

“It’s an unfortunate thing, but the vampires were making more enemies than friends, and they paid their price for it. My family was one of many whose lives had been wronged by these night creatures, and they were hunted to extinction. More specifically, hunted until the disease that caused the infliction was no more, and they could no longer infect others. The last death served our purpose, and from there…you know what happened.”

“The historic reformation,” said Amhyr. “I cannot deny that. Still, it holds on right until the Praxis effect threatened to cause the humans to go.”

“That’s why this journey is started. We all have our own stories to tell, and I hope…I hope we can live to see it through, and tell our sons about it.”

“And they tell it to their own children,” said Amhyr, chuckling. “It’s almost like the old days.”

“Sometimes, old tech is best tech.”

“And marrying a two hundred years old wolf girl is one of many things,” said Amhyr, smiling. “Stay safe out there, Rose.”

“And you as well, Amhyr.”

They both waved their hands towards each other before they closed the link, ending the call. Rose sighed, knowing that she was expected home.

As she walked out, she felt a tingling sensation she was familiar with when establishing a telepathic link with a Rendlok. She accepted the link, and another familiar voice came.

“How’s he?” said the voice.

“He found your people, Atho. Solids, in fact.”

“Solids, huh? I wish they are just underground instead of dead people coming back to life. That’s one of my jobs, too.”

“And the reason you’re here?”

“I’m merely a mediator for the Rendloks here. Unlike me, most don’t have the privilege to freely open telepathic links with others. Also, our form does make some uncomfortable.”

“Just so you know, some also have this thing called formicophilia. Look it up. You’ll understand what it means.”

Atho did so, and expressed his surprise by clicking his mouth.

“I don’t think that has anything to do with size. I’m a gargantuan, human-sized, Terran ant. From what I know, insects… ‘bug’ them.”

“Oh, bloody hell, Atho,” said Rose, putting her hand over her head. “I’d maul you if you’re Terran, but I hope that’s not intentional.”

“What? I thought you Terrans love a little pun-related jokes.”

“Not everyone, and certainly not me. Office jokes were overused back in my time, and it’s even worse here, even if it’s considered old-fashioned, thank god. Just…keep it under control and you won’t gain my ire.”

“As you wish,” said Atho, though he was clearly disappointed.

“Still, if someone enjoys it, you can do it to them. Not me, however.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Say, about the dragon in the hangar bay…”

“What of him?”

“He…well, he asked permission to dismantle one of our shuttles.”

“What?”

***

In the shuttle bay hangar, Raithorakh, under supervision of both Richard and some St. Vincent engineers, dismantled a shuttle’s engine, which ran on cold fusion, reducing excess energy due to reduced heat discharge mostly seen in thermonuclear fusion. The dragon was fascinated in how it could be done, as it was still experimental in the Draconian World.

The others who oversaw him were more surprised and bewildered that a dragon could dismantle a shuttle safely, with some assistance. Given that Raithorakh’s front legs possessed claws and opposable thumbs, and the fact that parts of his body were cybernetic, it was quite extraordinary. Given that dragons were considered feral cousins of draconians, it was very extraordinary.

Richard did not have get as much attention, which did not bother him. Now that he was no longer draconian, it made him somewhat ordinary in his eyes. Moreover, he looked like a middle-aged man with slightly grayed hair, an equivalent to his age in draconian, which was also middle-aged. He had never envisioned himself growing up as a human, so seeing his adult self as a human seemed so weird at first, but he grew on it after a while.

What troubled him, however, was the state of the world itself. Either he was a universe hopper or not, he could feel something’s not right. It’s like something’s out of sync or things that were supposed to be something turned out not becoming something, much like a failed cake.

His concern was felt by Raithorakh, who stopped his tinkering and said, “You felt it too, didn’t you?”

“What does that mean, Ray?”

“I do not know. I may be a dragon, both in the past and present, but my knowledge does not extend to multiverses. Right now, we are in its whims.”

“I just hope it does not have anything to do with our appearance here. Also, why didn’t we just take their escape pod and go back? It’s near our position.”

“I was straining to hold my transformation and concentrate on opening the dimensional gate. If I stop there, their ship would be in two places at once. Thankfully, the ship’s intact, and the dimensional gate generator is still installed. We can have another go to go back home.”

“I know, but, the longer we are here…”

“The worse this place will be. I know, but right now, we can’t do anything. The best we can do is help them.”

“How about us? Our home?”

“We’re hardly the only people who can make sense of this. Just before we go through, I contacted your agents to use whatever means necessary to defend the World until we go home. I don’t think we will be able to return safely or soon, so it’s a precaution.”

“And those are my agents.”

“You are not doing your job well enough, I suppose,” said Raithorakh with a smile. “Now, let’s not think about them…”

“I’m thinking about my family, Ray.”

“I asked one of your brightest. Orthan, wasn’t it? He agreed.”

“Seriously, how did you manage to do all those? Convincing them?”

“One of the perks of being a celebrity, I guess.”

“Come on, really? Don’t do to your partner.”

“Dragons do like hoarding their ‘gold’, after all,” said Raithorakh with a wide grin. “In fact, most of them are in many investments. I’m a smart hoarder.”

“And a smug bastard, too.”

“Can’t help it. I’m a dragon.”

As Richard sighed, the PA speaker went on.

“Attention. We have contacted the tug ships. The St. Vincent will enter FTL shortly after refueling. That is all.”

After hearing that, they both looked at each other, before Richard approached one of the engineers and asked, “What should we do?”

“Nothing,” she said. “There is a bit of jolt when the engines start, but there is no need of concern.”

“Any sickness for first-timers?” asked Richard. When he saw the engineer’s puzzled look, he looked away and said, “Sorry. I watched a lot of sci-fi things.”

“I’m not sure, either. Virtually everyone in this era has travelled in FTL speed one way or another. You might want to check in the doctor if you feel something different. Even Lunarians like me don’t have any side effects.”

“Lunarian?”

“Luna-born, hence the height.”

Richard noticed that the woman was clearly far higher than him, roughly 7 or 8 feet to his human-sized 6 feet. He knew the term ‘Lunarian’ as it was a staple in science fiction, but he had never seen a real one in his life.

Curious, he asked about her life, and if it was true that she could never step on Earth (or Terra). The engineer just laughed.

“You might wanna ask our first officer, Richard. He never stepped foot on Terra. Me? I’ve been stationed on the Red Planet for a while, so I’m not that brittle.”

“Oh…”

“You’re an interesting fellow, you know that,” said the human. “I mean, we only knew one time-displaced person before, but she came from the mid-22nd century. You came from the early 21st century.”

“We’re not...actually from that world, either, so we’re stranded either way,” said Raithorakh.

“Oh? Why don’t you go home, then?”

“We don’t have anyone back home we personally know. Friends, yes, but…I chose my family a long time ago.”

“You’ve made your choice long ago, huh? But no matter. I don’t like talking about someone’s history. Anyway, wanna see some cool thing?”

“What is it?”

“The FTL vortex,” said the engineer. “Come on. You too, Raithorakh.”

Richard and Raithorakh looked at each other, thinking about what she was on about. She gestured them to follow her, which they did. Raithorakh tried not to bump on the delicate shuttles as he walked to the runway, while Richard followed the human.

At the same time, the tug ships delivered the zero-matter charge, and the ship became FTL-capable in no time at all. The helmsman then put in a command for FTL jump, activating the sequence before he increased power. He then pushed a button, then the ship quickly achieved FTL speed.

In the hangar, the three looked on as the star field on the window slowly became straight lines, before the whole thing started to show colorful assortment of color, almost hypnotic. Both Richard and Raithorakh looked on, astonished.

“I like to go here and see the vortex dances in front of me whenever I’m stressed out,” said the human. “I don’t know how to explain it, but seeing those colors dancing around like that…calms me.”

“It’s beautiful,” said Richard.

“It is, especially if this is the first time you ever see it. For me, it’s a good way to unwind along with classical music. Also, people say if you stare towards it hard enough, you might see a vision of your future.”

“You believe that?”

“No, of course not. It’s a child’s thing. I don’t wanna see my future laid in front of me. Kinda make the whole thing boring, you know? I like surprises. But, that aside, it is beautiful in its own ways.”

“Imagining it is another thing, but looking at it…, well, that’s one hell of a vision.”

The vortex quickly disappeared, revealing the black field of stars and planets. Suddenly, the ship rocked violently, throwing both Richard and the engineer off their feet if not for Raithorakh holding them both, himself holding onto a crevice on the floor near him.

“What was that? I thought you said there’s no need for us to hold on to something.”

“That’s not supposed to happen. Something happened to the ship.”

She quickly ran to the nearest console.

“Hangar bay to bridge. We experienced a violent turbulence. Did something happen?”

The answer appalled them.

“Bridge to every section. Battle stations. I repeat, battle stations. We are being attacked. The space station is attacked by Solid enemies.”