The Andromeda Effect: Stellar Flash Book Two
By Neil A. Hogan
Chapter 2
A black triangular shape, a kilometer long on each edge, turned slowly above Saturn’s north pole, its white dome center making it look more like a giant chocolate than a state-of-the-art interfrequency flash ship.
Inside, a whitish-green caterpillar-like alien with a metallic band wrapped around it between four of its upper prolegs, inched its way quickly along one of the outer corridors of the Stellar Flash, looking for someone.
Multiple windows on his left displayed the eclectic collection of personal escape ships in various Hangar sections, and multiple door shapes with the occasional decoration passed quickly on his right.
As he passed a corner airlock, and turned to one of the central corridors in the triangular ship, his prolegs waved in recognition. Several meters ahead, a large, round, spiked, purple alien was moving away from him, heading for the Center of the ship almost half a kilometer away.
He called out. Several wet glottal sounds quickly translated as “First Officer Spiney! You’re in charge!”
Spiney had already stopped moving, sensing the communications officer coming up behind him. “Officer Cuddly. Are communications still down?”
“Yes, sir. But we’re not detecting further gravity waves, so they should be back online soon.”
“And Captain Hogart?”
“Still missing, sir.”
“Thank you for your update. Are the other senior crew on their way?”
“I checked with both Officer Geo and Officer Torus on the way here. I assume Officer Puppy is coming from the other side of the ship, and both Officer Josie Tonderai and Doctor Amy are already at their stations. As far as I am aware, none of them have been able to find any evidence of the Captain.”
“Thank you, Officer Cuddly.” Spiney recommenced his slapping and rocking movement, and they inched and slapped their way to the Center, making small talk as they passed many crew quarters and research windows.
About fifteen minutes later, the privacy door to the Center dissolved in front of them, just as Puppy, a giant, green, hairy, twelve-legged alien, made his way through from one of the other entrances.
Geo, a purple sphere with drop shapes on its surface rolled in, and Torus, an electrical entity in a toroidal shape, came together near their stations.
Both Amy, a greenish liquid in a humanoid female form, and Josie, a greenish-brown half-human half-plant alien waved at both Spiney and Cuddly as they entered.
Cuddly quickly swiped a proleg across the panel on his white stand. “Communications are back online. No further gravity waves expected. Station X-1a has flashed safely to another point in its orbit. No messages from the Captain.”
“Officers,” began Spiney, taking his position towards the entrance they’d come through, “finding what has happened to Captain Hogart is our top priority. Do what you can to track him. Check frequencies, last known position, previous communications and anything else you can think of. We cannot go to the Andromeda Galaxy without him.”
An official looking Japanese woman in a traditional Yukata, the avatar of the ship’s A.I. system, formed near the center of the Center. Near her were the standard ceiling and floor columns of the flash drive, like oversized stalagmites and stalactites, awaiting their command to activate.
“Welcome back, everyone.” Her voice echoed slightly. “First Officer Spiney. If the Captain is not found within the hour, you must action Operation Ex.”
“Understood,” replied Spiney, and the AI disappeared.
“X?” whispered Josie to Amy.
Amy moved her green goo shoulders up and down. “No idea.”
For several minutes the alien crew explored every avenue, while serenely and surreally, the hexagonal-tattooed north of planet Saturn filled most of the surround screen, watching the hive of activity closely like an ancient god.
“All I can determine is that Captain Hogart left the station at the correct time.” Geo closed one of his many flipped-open droplets, indicating there was nothing further he could do.
“The flash jump location had been activated, but the Captain did not materialize in Corridor 3 as allocated,” said Torus.
“I can’t sense him on any nearby frequencies,” said Puppy, towering above all of them. “He has not shifted out of this reality as far as I am aware.”
“A.I.?” began Spiney. “Transition status of Captain Jonathan Hogart?”
The Japanese avatar appeared again. “Not transitioned. No further information available.”
“That’s it then,” said Tonderai, her bark-flecked arms flung wide. “He’s still alive somewhere. Officer Spiney. Now that X-1a’s emergency is over, can we contact them about this? Permission to call the Admiral?”
“Proceed.” Spiney continued to focus intently on his screen, purple spines flicking back and forth across it.
Tonderai connected with the space station’s communications system. Admiral Heartness’ connection opened moments later. “Sorry to disturb you, Admiral, but there’s still no sign of Captain Hogart. We can confirm he’s still alive somewhere, but everything points to him not being in this sector of space.”
Seconds later, one of the surround screen areas lit up with Admiral Victoria Heartness’ worried visage, her hands moving fast in front of her.
“Thank you, Josie. We’ve been investigating a flash mass difference and have just confirmed it was Captain Hogart. Linking Stellar Flash systems to my outlet. Accessing station security cameras.” She briefly looked at something behind the camera and nodded, then turned back to them. “Captain Hogart activated his flash band to materialize on the Stellar Flash, just before the first gravity wave hit, but the readings say he never arrived.”
“Flash band fault?” asked Amy, slumping back from a humanoid shape into a dark green blob after speaking.
Heartness’ image frowned as she flicked her fingers at the screen, sending a file.
On the surround screen above the aliens, a section lit up to show a ribbed corridor inside the space station.
The security camera record zoomed in on a tall, muscular man in the standard skin fitting dark blue material of his rank. Long, brown hair and brown eyes, a face slightly lined, but with a smile that suggested life was one big adventure, Captain Jonathan Hogart checked the address on his flash band, then pressed it. He was briefly surrounded by a spherical isolation field before disappearing, lightning-like sparks flickering for a few moments where he had been.
“It looks like a standard flash out,” said Torus, his coruscating ball of energy flickering as his translated voice reverberating slightly around the room. He separated and reformed closer to the screen.” Admiral, can you feed all the relocation vibrations to me through the surround screen panel?”
Heartness swiped her fingers towards the screen, and a stream of energy sparked from it to Torus. He flickered slightly, then sent a spark back to the screen, changing it to a thick cloud of numbers. “A minor vibrational change was applied to the Time and Localization signal, the moment the captain’s isolation field formed.” He highlighted a section of numbers.
“A.I?” asked Heartness.
The avatar flickered for a moment. “T.L. corresponds with a location on the homeworld of government 838, sector 63.”
“Florans,” said Heartness, her eyes wide, “As if the day couldn’t get any worse.”
The Andromeda Effect. Stellar Flash Book Two by Neil A. Hogan
Now Available in Digital and Print
Sent back 2.5 million years in time to the Andromeda Galaxy to investigate why there’s a record of them having been there, the Stellar Flash crew encounter a creature so powerful that it has taken control of the entire galaxy by thought alone.
With most of the crew unconscious, Captain Jonathan Hogart is in a race against time to defeat the plant-planet, save the galaxy, and find a way to return to 2133.
But another force is attempting to take control, to use the power of the creature from the past to take over the Milky Way Galaxy in the present. And, for this, Hogart has no defense.
How is the creature controlling an entire galaxy?
Who has the technology to transmit the creature’s power from the past to the present?
And will the Stellar Flash crew and the Space Station team be able to save both galaxies?
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