Igniting the fusion plume turned out to be like facing an ultimate fear for most of the passengers and crew who had by then figured out what had been going on. Tension and fear showed up like an electronic specter shocking every living being on the ship with fear as the nuclear explosions in the reactor section went off. Then cheers grew into a loud celebration as the tank of hydrogen began to glow, then shine brightly, then grew into a brightly shining fusion plume. Deceleration energy now began successfully shooting in front of the ship to slow down the spacecraft still traveling .6 times the speed of light.
The Captain visited Adma every cycle to discuss things with Thelem the physician. They had figured out that something else had neutralized and deleted the quanta-nanocode virus. All Lockfreedow’s device would have done would be to destabilize its program. The virus might have even eventually adapted to that. Something else deleted the virus and returned centrifuge control back to them. The Captain sensed that it had probably been the ghost in the machine that did the rest. The Captain had before suspected the existence of this being on The Beyonder. He now sensed that the ghost in the machine brought good luck and good fortune, and would be regarded as an ally.
Several cycles into the deceleration process they intercepted header messages from the star Ea that were sent to reach the ship at that point in time/space. Crowds of passengers crowded the communication centers to hear messages by loved ones that come from the past. The communication center also recorded an unauthorized header for a message addressed to the Captain himself. The message had been brought to the Captain’s quarters for him to view it.
Captain Mynervood turned on the message, suspecting perhaps further secret orders from his partner Admiral Mull. His eye and ears instead beheld the message from the beautiful face of his wife Hagan Hiedalli. Captain Mynervood couldn’t help but think that she bore the marks of old age gracefully, and his eye found much entertainment by just looking at her.
“Joberk hello. I you never to from me again hear expected know, but I completely my husband and son where my blood lives not forsake can. I you this message to you that you in serious danger are warn am sending. Lenor Mull the great Admiral your friend Joberk not is. He the one to you kill trying is. He our child on mind control technology to your murderer be raised has. Please this message that I only you before these plans against you transpire receive hope. There information on this broadcast a quanta nanocode being named Beatarkameed is by. It the details of the technology against you used will explain be. It what needs to to the mind control devices from Adma’s brain without him killing remove be done explain. Please heed of this message take. I still you Joberk love do.”
Captain Mynervood started to cry from his single eye; still also in love with his stubbornly Negolim wife Hagan Hiedalli who, after all, didn’t love him enough to follow him on the hyper-acceleration path to extended life span. He felt sorrow over the fact he would probably never again see his wife Hagan alive, the mother of Adma. It wouldn’t be until after he and Dr. Thelem studied the details of the message to remove the devices from Adma’s skull that it would finally sink in that his best friend of thousands of Earth years, Admiral Mull, had really become his worst enemy. Adma awoke after surgery finally free of devices that were controlling him for most of his life. It really did feel like nothing he had ever experienced before. For Adma it had been as if he had never seen color before, and now his eyes were getting used to a new, more vivid reality.
Chapter 7
After approximately an Earth year of constant deceleration in relativistic time/space, The Beyonder finally came to a stop just a few million miles away from the distant gas giant Holdus-12. For the passengers that crowded the observation portals, the view of deceleration exponentially slowed down until the gas giant Holdus-12 suddenly appeared brilliantly on the orbit side of The Beyonder. Strek had been very satisfied with his work in bringing the ship to that point in time/space.
This location also served the practical purpose of replenishing the ship’s hydrogen supply by skimming the upper atmosphere of the gas giant Holdus-12, which happened to be unusually far away from the star Holdus. Strek had deliberately navigated The Beyonder here to take advantage of the early solar system shuffle that dealt this particular gas giant planet its distant orbit. After safely ejecting the fusion plume to burn itself away in deep space Strek moved The Beyonder deep into the gas giant atmosphere to scoop up the precious hydrogen.
Fortunately Nephapricans at this time had mastered gravitational mass with virtual particle technologies, which prevented the ship and crew from being crushed by the giant planet’s substantial gravitational influence. Virtual particle technologies made flying this close to a gas giant a casual maneuver, and a breathtaking unforgettable show for the passengers. The passengers crowded observation portals to marvel at the multi-colored show on display as the ship dipped deep into the atmosphere of different types of gas clouds; taking in the pure hydrogen that filled up storage areas of the reactor section.
Before long the giant kaleidoscopic atmosphere that filled up the observation portals shrank again into the circular sphere of a planet falling away from The Beyonder as it sped on towards the planet still formally known at the time of this story as Holdus-2. After a while as they continued towards the inner solar system of the star Holdus, Tyallor who worked communications and scanning the solar system reported a large squadron of solar fighting craft on an intercept course with The Beyonder. There had been an order to surrender that arrived through communications long before the war ships would finally intercept them.
Tyallor sent the communication received from the squad of solar war craft to the speaker by the Captain’s stool saying, “Captain I this transmission from the craft intercepting am receiving!”
The Captain pressed a tentacle on a blinking button next to him. Then the transmission began through speakers. “We in response to an accusation warrant from Admiral Mull of Ea and the Nephapricus Space Corporation to Captain Mynervood under arrest for The Beyonder mission sabotaging place come.”
Tyallor became appalled by the ridiculous accusation toward his Captain and responded himself. “The Beyonder by Captain Mynervood from sabotage was saved. You not him can arrest.”
Then Captain Mynervood stopped Tyallor his main assistant. “This Captain Mynervood Captain in charge of the safety of this vessel The Beyonder appointed is. I you to this ship back to Holdus-2 where I to the passengers of this journey safely to their destination see intend escort will allow.”
With that ultimatum the Holdus-2 solar fighting craft, which couldn’t easily get away with boarding or even do any good for saving the passengers by shooting at The Beyonder, agreed to escort The Beyonder on the rest of its journey to Holdus-2. The squad of warships had been operated by young, mostly Nephrican, space cadets of the Nephapricus Space Program Academy on Holdus-2 where Captain Mynervood enjoyed the respect and admiration as a living legend. They were pretty much going to do whatever Captain Mynervood told them to do.
The ship became docked at an orbital space station above the planet Holdus-2. The planet Holdus-2 thrived with unintelligent animal and plant life long before any Nephrican or Pripican ever journeyed the voids between stars to come here. From space some dryer areas of the planet exhibited a reddish rust color similar to Mars, but on Holdus-2 this rust-colored effect got more red toward networks of dried up rivers. The planet had been covered with these reddish dried up rivers because of unusual tectonic upheavals that altered all the rivers and seas on the planet sometime in the distant past. These reddish areas across the surface made the planet appear to have red veins. The planet Holdus-3 had also been discovered already thriving with unintelligent life, and a smaller colony had also been established on that planet that also orbited the star Holdus.
Arresting authorities from the planet closed in on Captain Mynervood as he greeted passengers that were getting off the ship. Expecting resistance, the authorities drew their weapons as they surrounded Captain
Mynervood. The Captain had still been able to carry out this job with some insistence toward that show of force. The arresting authorities were already feeling a bit silly for arresting the Captain against unanimous opposition from the passengers and crew. The Captain had been arrested for sabotaging a mission he completed successfully with only a couple injuries. Captain Mynervood had been able to say a last goodbye to Trunlio the seven-year-old Nephrican who now had grown to nine years old at the end of the journey, but also a fully grown Nephrican. Because of the hyper-acceleration phenomenon that causes rapid maturity, Trunlio had grown into an adult Nephrican by the end of this journey that only took a couple of Earth years on our side of relativistic space/time.
Captain Mynervood turned to his First Mate Geben Lockfreedow to formally relinquish his command of the mission to him. Geben swore to get all this sorted out and his command of the ship restored.
As authorities escorted the Captain to jail, the Captain’s First Assistant Tyallor Nudeowan asked the new Captain Lockfreedow, “What we now should do?”
The newly promoted Captain Geben Lockfreedow suddenly showed a determined and commanding look with his single eye. “A squad of Nephrican guards with some Eagolim to the prisoners from the brig secure get. We to them while I my case against Admiral Mull to the evidence court will make have charged are going. First I to Aineemadin contact am going. She the Captain again to see will want.”
*
Jaden and Fluisudal finished packing, and were ready to finally get off The Beyonder, and set off on a whole new world. Jaden stared at the coin-like object being left behind on the counter while expecting it to respond. Fluisudal just laid bags over Jaden’s horse-like back for her to carry out. Then the object started to fly as Begalius spoke. “I have just witnessed the Captain being arrested as the instigator of what almost destroyed this ship. We know that accusation is false.”
Fluisudal spoke. “This is just another example of Nephricans having trouble changing directions when they get rolling along on a volition. Just give them time. Let it sink into their brains that the ship is still here thanks to the Captain and his experienced crew.”
Jaden became ready to leave. “You have your orders Begalius, and you are on your own from here on out. Find out what this ship brings to Yat, and why. Fluisudal and I will follow the Captain, and help clear his name if we can.”
The physical form of Begalius flew up to stick discreetly on the corner of the ceiling. “I will stay with this ship and record its activities until I once again come in contact with a civilization of Pripicans to deliver my data to.”
“Goodbye Begalius.” Jaden trotted down the hall toward the place where they could get off the ship. Jaden felt ready to be done with this journey.
Jaden had been a Pripican that embraced a side of the controversy over inventing quanta-nanocode beings that considered them just thinking machines that merited no respect beyond that.
Fluisudal on the other hand, had been of the other side of this controversy, and felt more sentimental with his farewell to Begalius. “I have enjoyed working with you Begalius. May our paths cross once again in this story we both weave into these stars.”
“Goodbye Fluisudal my good friend. I will miss our stimulating conversations.”
“Come on Fluisudal! We have to go!”
“Got to go. Goodbye Begalius.”
*
Captain Mynervood had been held in the holding facility of the spaceport that orbited Holdus-2. Unfortunately the Agents of Ea, who he had arrested himself, were in the holding cell across from him separated by two invisible virtual particle force fields that were separated by a visitor hallway. The five Agents of Ea were taunting the Captain. “Ha ha ha ha. I we before you Captain Mynervood are released will bet. Then we you of us falsely arresting will accuse. Ha ha ha ha.”
Captain Mynervood just stared back at them with his single Nephrican eye hoping that the look might kill them. He actually expected to be released soon, although his handlers were telling him that he had to be extradited to the surface of the planet before he could be set free. The Agents of Ea, who really were not going to be released anytime soon, where still laughing at the Captain when the door to the holding cell area opened to allow someone in to the visitor area between the holding cells.
A humanoid guard covered with fur, who had been a second-generation Eagolim of Pripican decent that wore Pripican style clothing made out of plant fiber, entered the visitor area with a female Nephrican. Then the guard deactivated the virtual particle field that restricted Captain Mynervood to his cell. Even though this had been a Pripican guard he still spoke in the Nephrican dialect. “Captain Mynervood you on your own recognizance until your trial on Glokodox six planet rotations from now are released. Your release fee with release warrant by your wife Aineemadin Mynervood has been posted.”
Glokodox had been the single city on Holdus-2 at the time of this story. Glokodox sprawled eventually across the entire Venus-sized planet. At the time of this story they were already starting to call this planet Glokodox instead of Holdus-2 because of this enormous city that from space resembled a spiders web beginning to spread across the planet.
The Nephrican woman smiled at the Captain. “Joberk hello.”
“Aineemadin I to visit under better circumstances was going.”
“I Joberk know. Let us on come go.”
Aineemadin had already been one of the wives of Captain Mynervood for hundreds of Earth years at this time. She had been an Eagolim first generation, meaning that she looked Nephrican and not the 2nd generation humanoid form that began being born of both Nephricans and Pripicans as a result of hyper-acceleration. She had herself been on several hyper-acceleration trips between stars at this point of her life, and had already lived to be over 500 Earth years old. She looked much younger looking than his other wife Hagan Hiedalli, but like the Captain’s other wife, she also liked wearing tattooed skin cloth sewed into different fashions. Captain Mynervood always found the look of his wives to be the most refreshing part of life after long journeys through space.
Of course the Captain that never came around had not been the only husband Aineemadin enjoyed marriage rights with. After Lockfreedow contacted her she immediately began using her significant authority and influence on Glokodox to have the local court warrant by Admiral Mull suspended pending a trial of new evidence, and her husband Captain Joberk Mynervood would be released on his own merit. That had been granted on the condition that he didn’t leave the planet.
She flew Captain Mynervood in a stylish virtual particle spacecraft that looked like one of the cars from back on Nephrica except her car also had the capability to fly into space. The city of Glokodox spread out from a thick center like a spider with a million legs on the single continent of a planet that featured many seas but no oceans. The grays of this civilization complimented the rusty riverbed lines of the planet like other different colored veins that spread across the face of Holdus-2. The flying vehicle of Aineemadin produced wheels as it descended to the surface of the planet, and she landed on a city street to begin weaving through the traffic.
Aineemadin fiddled with controls on the dash of the vehicle. “I to the hologram function use want. I someone us is following think.”
*
Jaden and Fluisudal were able to rent their own car-like flying virtual particle vehicle at the spaceport to follow Captain Mynervood and the mysterious Nephrican woman who had just flaunted the authority to have the Captain immediately released. They were following behind the woman’s vehicle after both vehicles had landed on the surface of Holdus-2.
Fluisudal drove and Jaden navigated. “They just turned right up ahead. Take a right! Take a right!”
Fluisudal just turned right and said, “They couldn’t have got to the next turn yet.”
They stopped at the next intersection to see which direction they might have turned.
“We lost them!”
“Sorry Jaden. I don’t know where th
ey went.”
An old-fashioned fuel cell powered vehicle drove away from behind where Jaden and Fluisudal’s vehicle had stopped at the intersection. It had been a primitive combustion powered engine design that had no flying capabilities. The simple fuel-cell vehicle projected itself as a perfectly deceptive hologram disguise for the Captain and his wife. “They us whoever they are were following,” she said.
“I them as Pripican passengers that with me from Ea to here flew recognize.”
“Well they not where we are going can follow. I to you what I on have been working show want.”
She drove through the endless Glokodox sprawl to a special facility with large galactic broadcast devices that were towering above the building that she parked by. The clear sky of Holdus-2 began to dim in the dusk light that then premiered the coming stars of an always moonless night.
She gave the Captain an exclusive tour of a project that had been put together by Admiral Mull himself. Enormous microwave transmitters towered above them to broadcast subliminal messages all the way to the minds of intelligent life on Doldoria, which had been a tiny planet orbiting the far away star named Dol, which had just became visible in the Holdus-2 sky. The Captain still felt reluctant to reveal to his wife that Admiral Mull had appointed him to fly to Doldoria after the supply mission to Yat. Instead he questioned Aineemadin to tell him all she knew about this broadcast project.
She informed him that Admiral Mull already declared himself to be the first Nephrican to reach Doldoria, which became a shock to the Captain. This reminded Captain Mynervood that although he had orders from Admiral Mull to travel to Doldoria he had not been expected by the Admiral to even be alive by the time he reached Holdus-2. Subliminal messages were being sent to condition Doldorians to accept the peaceful arrival of Nephricans as their superiors. She had already been working to inundate the sleep of Doldorians with microwave broadcast dreams for many decades of years from Holdus-2.