Burnt Worlds (43 page)

“Yeah,” she nodded.
 
“I vaguely remember saying that.”

Cho forged ahead.
 
“Okay, so we’ve been mapping all the worlds we come across, and we’ve also been mapping the dark energy.
 
We’ve been talking about how the nav computer insists it knows where we are, but nothing matches.
 
So, I started with the assumption that the nav computer is correct.”

“Except everything is missing.”

“Well, yes and no.”
 
He pointed to the screen.
 
“See here?
 
Computer said we were at the Palani homeworld.
 
No world, but a big blob of dark energy that shouldn’t be there.
 
Then we went to Planet Bob—”

“I can’t believe we called it that.”

“—and there shouldn’t have been a planet there, but there was.
 
And there should have been a huge dark energy blob, and there wasn’t.”

“Yeah,” said Atwell, then she paused.
 
“Uh oh.”

“Exactly!” said Cho.
 
“See this map?
 
This is our normal dark energy map, from our own neighbourhood.”
 
He gestured at the screen.
 
“That was where we found Planet Bob.
 
This other map?
 
That’s the planets and systems we’ve mapped since we arrived in this neighbourhood.”
 
He slid a finger across the display, and one map was superimposed on the other.

“Wow,” said Atwell.
 
“They match up pretty good.”

Cho quickly shook his head, pointing to a smaller window full of numbers.
 
“Not just ‘pretty good’.
 
Exact, perfect, a hundred percent, no exceptions.”

She leaned back a little, staring at Cho, her eyes widening.
 
“So you mean—”

“So then,” he interrupted, “I did the same thing again, but the other way around.
 
Compared the real-matter planets that should be here, with the dark energy we’ve mapped.
 
Again, it’s perfect.
 
Totally perfect.”

“Oh my God,” said Atwell.
 
“You need to tell the Captain.”

Cho smiled.
 
“No, Atwell.
 
Look, we need to be working together.
 
This came from your idea.
 
It’s a team effort.
 
We both tell everybody.”

-----

Dillon leaned back against the wall of the tech suite.
 
“Okay, I clearly should've paid more attention in theoretical physics.”

Saparun put down his empty mug on the corner of a console.
 
“I have heard this idea; it was one of numerous theories being proposed by Dosh physicists.
 
Debate and experimentation have been ongoing for many years.”
 
He smiled.
 
“How amusing, to think I now know which theory is correct.”

Chief Black shook her head.
 
“Sorry, sir.
 
Someone please run it by me again?”

Cho looked at Saparun, who nodded and stepped forward.
 
“As I understand it, Chief Black, the idea is this:
 
the universe, as we know it, exists in the same place as a second universe.
 
The two are superimposed on each other, and they leave shadows on each other.
 
What we see as dark energy in our universe is actually the shadows of objects in the other universe.
 
Likewise, all the stars and objects in our universe appear as dark energy shadows in theirs.”

“So,” said Black, “this is a real thing?”

“We don’t know,” said the Mechanic.
 
“It is just one of many competing theories.
 
But at the moment, it fits the available facts very well.”

The Captain rubbed his eyes.
 
“Is it only based on mass?
 
So, heavier stars make bigger shadows?”

Atwell shook her head.
 
“Not just mass, sir, although that seems to be a big part of it.
 
Some of the systems we’ve visited — particularly Planet Bob — appear as larger dark energy shadows than their mass would suggest.
 
We’re wondering if the amount of jump activity plays a part.
 
Planets, like Bob, where we assume a lot of jumping took place, have much larger shadows than expected.”

The Tassali was standing behind everyone else, quietly listening.
 
“What do we do?” she asked.

Dillon glanced at her, then looked down at the maps on Cho’s terminal.
 
“Okay,” he began.
 
“In our home space, one of the largest dark energy concentrations is only a few light years from Earth.
 
If this theory is correct, there must be a star system at the corresponding location in this universe, perhaps with a large mass and a lot of jump activity.”

“A homeworld,” said Cho.

“Yeah,” said the Captain.
 
“A homeworld.
 
And that’s where Project Fulcrum is being built.”
 
He saw several confused faces.
 
“A permanent jump gate.”

“What?” asked the Chief.
 
The Tassali looked dumbfounded.

“Yes,” confirmed Dillon.
 
“It’s real.
 
The other end is on a big dark-energy blob near Dosh Horrin.
 
It’s supposed to be a secret, but if we can’t get home then secrets won’t matter.
 
I’m hoping the dark energy at that spot will allow us to make a jump with our available power, and maybe pop us through into normal space.”

“But,” said the Chief.
 
“We still don't know how we got from normal space to here.”

Saparun looked at the Chief.
 
“At Iralan, we made a jump at maximum power.
 
As we entered the jump point, the pursuing cylinder fired a gravity wave at us.”
 
His eyebrow ridge twitched.
 
“It is my… best guess?”

“What happens,” said Amba, “if this permanent jump gate is activated?”

“I have no idea,” said the Captain.

“I do,” said Saparun.
 
“The gate will probably function as expected, creating a tunnel through to Dosh Horrin.
 
Or it might, if you will, ‘break through’ to this space we’re in now.”

Atwell raised one hand.
 
“Right next to someone’s homeworld?”

Saparun nodded.
 
“Possibly, yes.”

“The homeworld,” continued Atwell, “where we’re headed?”

“Yes,” said the Captain.
 
He turned to Cho.
 
“At current speed, how long to get there?”

“We’ll be in the neighbourhood in five days, sir.”

Dillon nodded.
 
“Okay then, I’ll show you the exact location.
 
You’ll set a course and get us headed that way.
 
Sap?”

“Yes, Captain?”

“We’re going to want all our remaining capacitors fully charged, and our jump drive tested and ready to go.”

“It will be done, Captain.”

“Right,” said Dillon, looking at the people standing around the tech suite.
 
“This is our best bet so far.
 
This is our most promising way to get home.
 
All we have to do is fly into that system,” he pointed at the screen in front of Cho, “that corresponds to the Fulcrum site back in our own space.
 
This system might very well be the homeworld of the cylinder ships, or the Horlan, or someone else.
 
They might not like us showing up out of nowhere and starting to fire up a jump drive.
 
So, everything on this ship that still works needs to be as good as we can make it, in five days.
 
Any questions?”

The five other people in the suite were quiet, looking at each other or lost in their own thoughts.

“Okay,” he continued.
 
“If anything comes up, don’t keep it to yourself.
 
We’re all in this together.
 
I’m going to go think of how to explain all this without sounding insane, and then I’ll tell the crew.
 
Five days.
 
Carry on, everyone.”

The hatch to Engineering closed behind Dillon.
 
He paused to check the time display on his wrist; less than five minutes to go.
 
As he walked down the corridor, he double-checked the seams on his pressure suit, and began to pull on his gloves.

Five days had gone by in the blink of an eye.
 
The crew had jumped in with everything they had, working around the clock to get every system working and tested and retested.
 
Someone had even managed to fix the ventilation fan in his ceiling, which warranted a medal, but no one would own up to it.

He’d been to every department and compartment on the ship, and had spoken to every member of the crew.
 
No lengthy morale-boosting soliloquy, just a few brief words as he inspected their preparations.
 
He mounted the steps and began to climb.

He came off the top of the stairs and walked calmly past the wardroom.
 
Everything was stowed and secure, with no loose items to fly about if the ship moved suddenly.
 
Particular care had been taken to protect the last few bottles from the wardroom’s liquor cabinet.
 
He turned left and stepped through the bridge hatch.

“Captain on the bridge,” snapped the Chief.
 
As one, the crew stood from their consoles, turning toward him and saluting.
 
He stopped and looked at them.
 
Unable to suppress a grin, he returned his very best parade-ground salute.
 
“As you were,” he said.

As he climbed into his chair, a damage-control team came onto the bridge and began to check the crew’s pressure suits.
 
Seaman Amoroso gave Dillon’s suit a quick once-over, then retired with a brief thumbs-up and a salute.
 
Amoroso hesitated, but didn’t offer to check the form-fitting white suit of the Tassali, who stood next to the Captain’s chair.
 
Dillon looked at her for a moment.
 
“You all set?”

She nodded.
 
“Yes, Captain.”

“Okay,” he said.
 
He swung his chair to look toward the Chief and her bridge crew.
 
“Chief of the ship, what is our status?”

“Sir,” she replied, “all departments and stations report ready.
 
All bridge crew suits ready.
 
The ship is good to go, sir.”

“Thank you, Chief.
 
How long until we exit light speed?”

She didn’t even look at her terminal.
 
“Fifteen seconds, Captain.”

“Very well.
 
Let’s see what’s going on in the Fulcrum system.”

“Aye aye, sir.”

Dillon leaned back in his chair, picking up his favourite pen.
 
He watched the last few seconds tick by on the timer.

The engines suddenly relented, the deck giving the slightest quiver.
 
With a feeling like a sigh, the
Borealis
dropped below light speed, coming to a halt inside the system.
 
No planet appeared nearby; the system’s star and several of its planets were brilliant lights in the heavens around them.

“All stop,” said Dillon.

“All stop, aye,” replied the Chief.
 
“We are inside the system, between planetary orbits.
 
Hundreds of contacts so far, sir.”

Dillon nodded.
 
“Okay,” he said as calmly as he could.
 
“Show us what’s here.”

“Aye aye, sir.”

The display over the front windows began to light up with information.
 
It showed a star system, viewed from above, with the star in the centre and circles depicting the orbits of the planets.
 
Dots marked the positions of the planets, the second of which was surrounded by clusters of contacts.
 
A thin line of contact dots led away from the second planet, stretching to mid-system, where the line abruptly ended next to a question mark.

“Captain,” began the Chief, “second planet is the primary.
 
Four thousand contacts, each a kilometre or greater, orbiting the planet.
 
I see massive space stations, shipyards and other facilities.
 
Dozens of satellites around the second planet, more around its moon as well as the other planets.
 
Looks like a massive fleet is here.
 
Something like two thousand cylinder ships, orbiting the second planet in rows.
 
Some of them are moving, sir.
 
Leaving their parking spots and headed in-system, in single file.
 
They’re headed to an anomaly near the first planet, but our computer doesn’t know what the anomaly is.”

“I’ve got radio traffic!” said the communications tech.

“What?” said Dillon, leaning forward.

“Confirmed, sir,” said the tech.
 
She stared at her console for a moment, concentrating on the sounds in her earpiece.
 
She looked up at the Captain.
 
“They’re ours, sir.
 
It’s coming from that anomaly.”

A great weight formed in the pit of Dillon’s stomach.
 
“Let’s hear it,” he said.

After a few long moments, the bridge was filled with voices.
 
“— to
Spruance
, fall back to our position, over.”

“—
Vikrant
reporting:
 
Viraat
is disabled.
 
We cannot hold our position—”