Chameleon by Otto Gramm (new reading .TXT) 📕

– It can’t be...! – Captain and pilot gasped at the same time and looked at each other: he – with surprise, she – with horror.

– What happened? – Shad finally turned away from the window.

– This star is... dead! – Vivy mumbled, as she rechecked the information.

– What do you mean “dead”? – MacNeil asked, standing between the navigator and the pilot chairs.

– With such indicators of iron, mass loss, and... – She hesitated. – Its agony lasts incredibly long time.

– Give me the helm. – Kyle interrupted her. Vivy instantly jerked away from her chair.

Askord brought to the screen all the indicators for the dying star. With his neck slightly stretched out, Alex tried to peer behind the Scotsman’s massive back what was happening at the panel. Diego beckoned Will to step aside, but Alex already had time to study the level of radiation and temperature overboard, as well as the composition of the atmosphere and the biosphere in the upper and middle layers of Fetv’khanna (their scanner did not reach the core in that burning heat). While captain flashed one screen after another, the newcomer again buried his face in the tablet. He felt a strong tension among the team and was concerned of what could threaten them inside a protected vessel. When he read he was dumbfounded.

– Supernova?!

– A very massive one. – Kyle replied.

– When? – Alex asked briefly.

– Nobody will tell you this. – Will intervened, as he realized that the moment was improper to distract the captain.

– Then why? – Another laconic question followed.

– Why what? – Scotsman didn’t get it.

– ...we are here?

– I should ask you this. – Captain muttered, his eyes were fixed then at the map with a strange signal, then at the hologram of the star. – But I think I can see the answer. – He relocated a weak source to the main screen and set the previous course.

– What exactly can you see? – Shad asked, leaning his elbow on the back of his chair.

– It looks like a stilath.

– Where?! – Several voices asked in amazement.

– Somewhere in this nebula. The signal is very weak. I’ll try to track it with atmospheric radar.

The ship emerged from the cloud and flew over a translucent carpet of milky color. Here and there, crests and caps peeked and then disappeared behind the stern. Small asteroids occasionally peeped out like tiny islets with black tails of even shadows that stretched behind them. Few times Alex tempted to get up and come closer to the window, but he was afraid that after all the impressions, his legs would buckle and he would crash onto the floor.

– Strange, but the signal is not getting stronger. – Vivy’s monotonous voice broke the silence.

– Um... Can anybody explain me what’s a stilath? – Alex asked quietly.

– A very important thing. – Kyle dropped. – Sorry Al, but it’s not a moment for explanations.

– A small pebble. – Spaniard smirked at him.

Alex uttered no more question and returned to staring at the landscapes, which somehow had already become boring and pale.

The ship went zigzagging, but the signal didn’t come a metre closer. It looked like that mysterious pebble could fly on its own and played with Kyle in catch-up game.

– Diego, take the mate chair. – Captain said after half an hour of strenuous and futile racing. – See if you can enter the coordinates Arkhanna on the gate.

Spaniard took the place, typed something on the panel and disappointedly spread his hands.

– We are too far.

– Then don’t take your eyes off Fetv’khanna. If it decides to pass away here and now we might miss the moment because of the time distortion. I hope, Al, you’re not on the fortune’s black list.

– Thanks for not throwing us to Quasar! – Diego snickered.

– I don’t know that thing. – Alex murmured.

– You’d better not! Believe me.

Kyle was absorbed in making a twisty path through the nebulae and small fragments of asteroids. A weak signal on the scanner continued to appear and then disappear. Captain’s eyes burned brighter each time the course was changed and the white rays lit the room. Everyone on the ship knew what a dangerous game they were playing with fate, but the tiny dot was too important... and too elusive.

– You’re looking for a needle in a haystack, Kyle. – Nicole uttered, as she stood at the stairs. – No wonder the Ancients couldn’t find it.

– Where’ tea? – He asked evenly.

– In India. – She answered unperturbedly, then turned to Alex. – And coffee is in Africa... – And again to captain: – First, you take us out of here, and then you order.

– No tips from me.

– It would be unfair if only you two had the last cup before we all die. And I’m too lazy to prepare for everyone.

Kyle chuckled and shook his head.

Alex was inwardly amazed with their courage in such a situation. He went back to reading; the manual gave him no information about stilath but he knew it was some term. The history of Maiteri and Rohin, two peoples inhabiting the ruined planets, was also not very extensive. In addition, the ignorance of local words and units was quite an obstacle. However, the article about quasars impressed him a lot. Indeed, they were lucky that he did not exile the team to such an edge of the universe. Alex paid tribute to Kyle: reading really distracted him.

Another captain’s loud exhalation let the crew know that the stilath had disappeared somewhere in the haze. Chameleon turned steadily toward the star. The light was dazzling white, but Kyle didn’t turn on toning anymore. Now the crew beheld the burning massive disk that filled the cabin with the brightest rays.

– We came too close. – Diego said in a low voice.

– Something tells me that we are being decoyed. – Will noticed, stroking his beard.

– Maybe. – Captain let go of the helm and turned on the reverse for a second. The ship stopped. – Alex, can you remember in detail what exactly guided you and how? – He asked, gazing forward.

– Hard to say... It was something strong. – Newcomer began uncertainly, as he put down the tablet. – I felt like I was connected to some vast knowledge. Perhaps, that’s all I can remember.

– I see. – Kyle tapped couple of times with his fingers on the panel and again took the helm. Chameleon fell on its left wing and rushed towards the gate. The signal appeared again and continued to blink, gradually disappearing from the map. Captain only once gave him a short glance before it went out completely.

– Pity! – Alex heard a quiet low voice above his head. Looking up, he saw Mitch, who was standing, leaned on his chair. – That would make a solid artifact.

– Who is Dr. Strange?

– A comic character. A wizard with a slightly arrogant attitude.

Alex said a quiet “uh-huh” and instantly forgot everything. He did not even understand why he had asked this question. Only one thought prevailed now in his head: he accidentally gave someone access to Kyle’s ship and captain would not tolerate a spy aboard.

Alex knew that the leader would not even need to stir to kill him. However, instincts dominated: his nails were dug into seat upholstery and his eyes caught the slightest movement in the crew. Every second was unbearably long to him and it seemed an eternity had passed before Diego announced that soon the gates would be within reach. Then it happened...

Alex felt inside a convulsive charge that almost tore his head apart. A fiery white veil fell on his eyes and a burning pain flashed through his whole body. With a howl of a wounded beast, he slipped from the chair and plopped down on all fours.

– Diablo!!! – He heard the shout of Spaniard. – Cap!

– We have two minutes!

Unable to look up, Alex felt someone stretching out his hands towards him.

– Will, stay away from him! – For the first time Koldoum heard Shad’s shout: hoarse, loud.

– I’ll take care of them later. – Captain’s voice sounded no less excited.

“No! I’ll take care of you!”

As soon as the pain and the veil receded, Alex with a growl dashed on the captain.

A shock wave scattered the crew throughout the cabin. Kyle, dodged, landed on the panel near the glass and immediately went to a retaliatory attack.

All of the following happened within few seconds: Vivy in all her haste pounced into the pilot seat and grabbed the helm, Kyle tried twice to catch Alex in an anti-gravity shield, but he couldn’t – the latter somehow escaped and again rushed into battle. Fireballs and black arrows fell upon captain from all sides. A dark shroud enveloped both men like tobacco smoke. The haze shivered with a frantic growl and then Alex rolled out from there. The captain was sitting on him, firmly twisting his hands behind his back.

– I can’t control the ship! – Pilot cried out. – We’re being carried away to the dust cloud!

– This is no more dust, Vivy! – Will, even more anxious, ran up, or more precisely, quickly crawled up, evading lightning strikes and started testing the system. – Almost all the particles are turned to bloody ashes, only red-hot matter remained. We’ll burn out there!

– We are burning! – Diego in two leaps reached the mate seat and pulled out of the panel a spare column control. His forehead was embellished with several fresh scratches. – And in a minute we will be overtaken by a shock wave and blown to molecules! – He yelled over his shoulder. – Kyle, can you pacify him, or knock him out? We are trying to escape from supernova!

– Enter the coordinates! – Cap shouted, pressing Alex to the floor.

– Can’t! – After a short attempt, Spaniard replied. – The system’s not responding!

Chameleon smoothly dipped into a yellow fog, more resembling a melted butter. Toxic glow was accompanied with hail of burning particles; it looked like the stars outside the window came to life and rushed into battle. Small pieces were burned in the upper layers of protection; more robust ones swam to the glass.

– Cap I have to agree with our new: that exam was really a very stupid idea! – Diego said ironically, once again trying to put the ship on a desired course. The sky outside the window was getting brighter – the wave was approaching.

– I doubt about it, but your stupidity needs no proof! – Empath shouted and, jumping off the bridge, he covered Alex’s head with an ice-cold cloth. Immediately, all the maps and holograms were displayed above the panel, including the portal copy. With a cheerful cry, Diego began to enter the coordinates, while Vivy drove Chameleon from the deadly cloud and sent it at full speed towards the saving exit.

Captain released weakened Alex, leaving him in the care of Shad, and immediately found himself at the helm.

– Kyle, no more than ten seconds. – Vivy said.

– Full gas. – He said quietly, as he bent over her chair. – Can you cope with?

– Watch the master!

– What’s gotten into him? – Will glared at Alex, who was lying on the floor, groaning.

– Migraine caused by the supernova. – Shad helped the newcomer up.

– Five seconds! – Vivy announced loudly.

Alex, clasping his head, staggered and leaned against the window. And immediately sobered up. Behind the glass, he saw a bright blue-white cloud smoothly growing like a ball from a tremendous nuclear explosion.

– Flash gave a powerful burst of energy. – Shad quietly explained. – But what follows...

– You mean that... – Alex began hoarsely.

– Three!

– I see the gate! – Diego hastily typed the right combination on the hologram.

In the distance, a tiny ring was already seen and it grew very quickly. Diego ran his fingers even