The Questor 9 passes by and so far nothing out of the ordinary has happened, apart from the fact that neither of the sets of passengers and crew have waved to the other. The tension and sense of expectation too high to Merritt any interest in their fellow space travellers.
Some considerable distance apart now and still nothing out of the ordinary. Patiently they traverse onwards, increasing the distance between the two craft, as if they have now given up all hope of anything happening and they now head off in their separate directions. After some many more minutes, heading towards an hour and considerable distance apart now, the decision is taken that both craft turn around and repeat the exercise, but this time it shall be attempted at greater speed.
There is no let up in tension aboard either craft, both teams still as alert as before.
Now both craft travelling at more normal travelling speeds for interstellar flights. The time counts down slowly, until the point of cross over. No-one knows when or even if the anomaly will appear, making this an even more nail biting experience. Here are both craft deliberately trying to create their own doom scenario. For all any of them know, both craft could be sucked into the anomaly and they could all be heading towards the end of their lives, or exploring an unknown area of space, like the early explorers.
The not knowing, was what made it so painful.
Thirty minutes into the journey and at this speed, probably only four or five minutes before the cross over point. Ed suddenly notes on the starboard side of their craft, there is a disturbance in the star patterns, at first ever so slightly. If it were not for the fact of his star gazing hobby, he probably would not have noticed it. The instrumentation was not aware of anything as yet. As Ed studies the area more closely, he is sure that there is something and that it isn't his imagination. Ed tells the Captain, who in turn notifies the commander.
There is stepwise change, from being a slight shimmer to the familiar ripple image that Ed has seen before. Ed confirms that this is what he has seen before. The commander says that they are getting confirmed gravity wave readings and what is more they are aimed right at the Jasteritan.
Fedioaux contacts the Captain of the Questor 9 and says, "Well sorry but it looks like this one has our name written on it. What is the plan, are you following us in or staying this side?"
The Questor's Captain informs Fedioaux, that the plan is, that they stay this side and should remain ready to mount a rescue if it looks like the Jasteritan runs into trouble.
Fedioaux says to Ed, "Well at least we know where we stand."
Ed asks if they should put up any pretence of trying to escape the gravity wave. To which Fedioaux replies, "No we will just head straight in and see where it takes us." She then comms the Commander and puts him in the picture.
An announcement is put out over the craft's tanoy system by the Commander, he tells everyone, that this is what they came to do and he wishes them all good luck.
With that, Fedioaux tells Ed to change course and head straight into the centre of the anomaly.
Ed can feel butterflies in his stomach, he never thought he would be nervous. This was what he had come out here to do, to find out what lies beyond that thing, to see if they can rescue Kevin and the others. Now that they were actually facing going into that thing, he wasn't quite so confident and sure. The 'what if...' questions are all coming to mind.
Fedioaux asks if Ed is alright, would he prefer it if she takes the craft in?
Ed snaps out of his doubts and concentrates on the job in hand. The Jasteritan slows and gradually turns to face that shimmering series of ripples, that is the anomaly. As they face it full on, Ed can see the faint outlines and colours of things in or the other side of those ripples. The centre is opening up, like the iris of a large waking monster. No, probably more like a mouth, preparing to swallow them up. Swallow them up, never to be seen again, or would it be like a bad taste and whatever that thing is, it will spit them back out like a sour berry.
Ed steadily takes the Jasteritan in closer and closer to that thing.
The Questor 9 can be seen clearly now off the port side, to the rear and it is gradually heading closer to the anomaly, assuming the same position that the Cosmos 3 had done when Ed and crew watched the Geshbelhaus slide into the previous. It is turning to observe as the Jasteritan enters the anomaly.
The Jasteritan is now heading at some speed into the anomaly.
Ed watches carefully as they head closer and closer to those rippling concentric rings. There are patches of colour showing up, clearer now than he had seen before, when the Geshbelhaus had headed into this thing. The patches reminded Ed of one of those jumbled up puzzles, where you slide the squares around to try and get the picture's pieces back into their correct order. These pieces look like shiny metal, as they glisten with the ripples. As impossible as it seems, this is almost like looking at the reflections off of a pond as the ripples traverse across it. But for this to be the case the objects concerned would need to be this side of the 'pond'. The whole was an impossible situation. Going also by the number of colours involved, there must be more than one object involved, unless it is a multi-coloured item.
As the Jasteritan gets even closer, Ed recognises some of the shapes, they appear to be parts of craft. Ed sees one of these parts and his heart skips a beat, as it appears to be like the lower rear end of the Geshbelhaus, the sweep of the bottom of it's stern, or rear end, is unmistakable, especially given the last three digits of its identification number 089 are visible.
The sideways pull on their bodies is quite strong now, they find that it takes a good deal of effort not to be dragged into the nearest wall towards the bow, or front, of the craft. Ed catches sight of Fedioaux bending down and he wonders for a moment what on the moons of Regenis she is up to, then he realises that she is changing out of her high heels into her regulation gripper flats. She is obviously concerned about the build up in gravity wave. Ed thinks this a good move, so decides that he will change into his grippers also. He cautiously makes his way to the locker and retrieves his pair and then awkwardly changes out of his normal shoes into the gripper ones. As he does so he can hear Fedioaux's announcement over the tannoy system as she suggests that the passengers and crew also change into their grippers. She warns the crew that all breakable items should be stowed safely away. Ed can imagine the flurry of activity throughout the craft now as things are being hurriedly put away. It is almost as if the internal walls of the craft had momentarily became transparent and Ed could see the activity throughout the craft.
The Jasteritan is now well and truly in the anomaly's tunnel entrance, its own shape and colours reflecting off of the sides of the rippling tunnel walls, as if it were falling into a whirl pool of water.
According to the instrumentation readings the craft is travelling at vast rates of speed, yet from the screen it appears as if they are just gently sliding deeper into this tunnel.
The gravitational pull now is becoming painful, even with gripper flats, Ed can feel himself losing the battle and he is gradually sliding towards the main screen. He glances round at Fedioaux and finds that she is gripping onto a control surface with all of her might, determined to move no further. The craft is shaking violently, the noise is becoming unbearable. Ed wonders if the craft be ripped apart by these forces.
It feels as if they are on the path of doom, of no return. Ed wonders if he should fire up the engines and at least try and resist these forces, or will that just make matters worse? He attempts to ask Fedioaux, but the noise is too great to make himself heard, let alone understood. Ed resumes his silence.
~~~~~~~~
Chapter 25 - Am I?
Conscious that there was pain, yet there seems to be none now, also that the force that Ed had felt before was gone. He feels alone, yet how can that be, surely he is still on the craft? There's a clinical feel, like a hospital.
Feel, a strange thought, there is no feel a such
, just the strong thought that there should be some, some feelings, some awareness of the touch of things around him, yet there is none. Also Ed cannot see anything, he does not have the sense that he is in a dark place, yet there is nothing to see, just an awareness of nothing. What a stupid thing to think, to feel, to sense.
The question comes to mind, he is awake, isn't he?
Ed wonders if he has ended up back in a hospital like before, after the Geshbelhaus? Is he recovering after another 'episode' or whatever these things are called? This feels like a dream, there again that word feels, there are no feelings, no sensations, Ed is sensation-less. His brain searches for any sensory input, but there is none. He should at least be aware of his temperature, the touch of sheets, or bedding of any kind. Yet there is nothing.
Ed searches his recent memories, the last thing he remembers is what? Yes that was it, should he try and fire up the engines to resist these forces, what forces, there is nothing now, not even the touch of the floor, the wall, the bed. Is he.....?
No, the mere thought, he refuses to accept, let alone shape into his mind, he cannot be. He thinks, yet he cannot feel, he cannot see, is this, what it is like to be....? Again his mind refuses to accept the word, the concept, the thought.
Surely he would have some last memory of how it happened? Yet he does not. Did it happen so fast that every cell of his being had not the slightest chance to be aware of what had happened to him? He refuses to believe it. Instead he turns his mind to what has happened to the others, surely they must be with him, at least some of them. Even if he were.... at the final place. He resists the temptation to name the state, let alone accept that he is there, here.
No, no he cannot be, not he, it cannot all be over, just like that. Yet there is something after....
He thinks, yet he does not feel, is this what it is like?
Ed must get off of this treadmill somehow, but how.
Senses, that has to be the answer, he must somehow reconnect with his senses. That is, if he still has a body to reconnect with. There those thoughts again, he refuses to accept that he is at the end. Is total denial that your life is over, that you are finally here, is this normal? Maybe there is some adjustment time needed and this is it.
Ed has the overwhelming thought, that he has not come to the end, something within him refuses to accept that this is the case. He MUST try and reconnect with his senses, maybe he is just in a hospital bed and there are nursing staff out there waiting, hoping that he is putting up this fight, to live again, to be again, to feel again to sense again.
A flash of something, almost like before. He is in a hospital bed and they are using that equipment again, that must be it. Ed struggles to see the light again, but nothing, no light, no other senses. No other senses, what is he saying? He can hear those noises. There's that flash again, brief but unmistakable. Then suddenly a warm cosy feel, not a touch, but a feeling of temperature, like that warm cosy glow that you get when snuggled up in bed. He is in hospital after all, but why can't he feel the bedding and what on the moons of Regenis are those noises. If only he could see what is going on.
Ed tries to move his fingers. There's a sensation, of small movement, but something is resisting him, nothing that is touching him. A force field, that's it, a force field, you can't feel it, but you can't resist it. He must be suspended in a force field.
Why would they be using a force field? They want him to remain still, his injuries must be pretty bad for this, maybe he suffered really bad burns, maybe.... no that doesn't bear thinking about.
Ed turns his attention back to the others, how are they, Richard, Fedioaux, the commander, Jiash, Toljev, yes Toljev, from the cafeteria, the others, did they make it also?
Make it, make it where? The last he could remember, they were well into that anomaly. Perhaps the Questor 9 had managed to rescue them?
Or... perhaps they have actually made it to the other side and the peoples of this side are taking care of them?
Questions, questions, but no answers. Ed must find answers. To do that he must sense more than his own immediate surroundings. Those noises tell him that there is something else out there. Let's start with that. Anything identifiable, like any voices?
Ed waits and listens.
~~~~~~~~
Chapter 26 - News
Paul cannot believe the message; he reads it for the third time. Clearly from a reliable source, if the screen can be believed. Just how is he going to break this news to Mum and Dad?
To think that the event itself must have happened a good two hours ago at least, given the time it takes for messages to reach from that region of space.
How is he going to tell Jenny, she is distraught enough anyway at the thought that Ed was out there in space, deliberately putting himself in the path of the unknown and now for this to have happened.
Paul grabs himself back from despair. He knows his brother would not want that. There has to be hope of a rescue. If there had not been, Ed would not have gone out there and put himself on the line, so to speak. Its Paul's job now, to be strong, for the family, for Ed and come to that, for Richard. At least they are together. If anyone can succeed to survive, to try and get back, it is those two; both strong and determined. Ed had described the mission as being a group of strong individuals, determined to make it through and bring back their colleagues and friends. With such determination, they cannot fail. Yet Paul has an overwhelming feeling that they could do with some determined people this side also. Paul is not thinking, of people just being at home, but closer to Ed and Richard. Yes, there is that other craft out there, waiting for them. What did the message name it? The Questor 9, sounds like a scientific expedition. Surely they need something stronger than a bunch of scientists? Ah here it is, although he had read the message three times, Paul had failed to note that the Questor 9 is a military craft, a battle cruiser. Paul had heard about these, just the right thing to have around if there is trouble.
Paul wonders, if Sylvie's attempts, to raise some sort of rescue mission, will actually carry any weight, when surely this was what Ed and the others had gone out there to do, to disappear into that, that anomaly. Paul feels kind of guilty now, about his involvement in this matter, for without his research into that other disappearance and military craft. The whole mission may have been scrubbed; had he not come up with evidence of the military craft, as it would have been thought that the whole basis and theory, that they were out there to prove, was flawed.
The thought crosses Paul's mind, that Ed had succeeded though, he went out there to prove the theory and Ed was right. Ed may have, in so doing, saved countless lives, but at the loss of his own? That thought, must be disregarded at once, Ed will make it back, Paul is determined on that point. Perhaps Sylvie was right in trying to mount a rescue mission. There should be someone from the family there, on this side of that anomaly thing, trying to do their best to get Ed and the others back. Paul wonders if Ed has found Kevin and the others and if at this very moment, they are not mounting an escape plan and preparing to come back through.
Just how is Paul going to break the news to Mum, Dad and Jenny? He wishes that Carina was here, she would know what to advise him, at least be supportive of him, as he carries out his family duty and delivers the news.
Paul feels guilty about speaking over the dramacast, disturbing the folks. They seemed so wrapped up in what was going on, on that 3-d stage that is the entertainments screen. Maria pauses it and everyone listens.
Jenny has been staying, ever since Ed had disappeared, she could not bear to be away from the family, in-case the news that Paul, now guiltily delivers. He dreads the reaction, but he knows, it is his duty. He prepares himself for the onslaught. Like someone preparing for a tidal wave, to crash down on their house. Just what do you try to protect first, who is going to react first to this crashing wave, as it hits.
Maria starts to cry before Paul s
ays another word, she can see from his face that the news is not good. Jenny quickly looks across at Maria, not knowing what to do, go and comfort her or wait for the news that she is also dreading, to be delivered. Whilst Edward, just looks impatient to know the worst. Paul starts to say that he has had a message from Sylvie, but his Mother's pleas of "Tell me he isn't dead, tell me." are just too strong, for the structured approach that Paul was planning.
Instead Paul just says, "I can't Mum, all I can say is that he and Richard were right, they have made it into that anomaly thing. The theory was right about cross over flights."