The Andromeda Effect: Stellar Flash Book Two
by Neil A. Hogan
Chapter 7
Patel held his flash band to his cheek and began hurrying down the long corridor towards Ring Two. “Running to the rendezvous point. Can’t you just send it to me?”
Life had returned to normal on the station, and people had resumed their usual responsibilities. Patel quickly dodged a family of floating balloon-aliens, and continued on his way, the black ribs of the corridor quickly being replaced in his run by tourist stalls and viewing areas.
“Just flash here!” said a Japanese-accented male voice via the device.
“Too conspicuous. And besides, I need the exercise.”
“And running through a crowd of people is not conspicuous?”
Patel saw a group of joggers weaving their way on the other side of the wide corridor, and neatly joined in behind them. “Not in the slightest. Anyway, I think I’ve done enough flashing for today.”
A few minutes later he was at the construction area of Ring Three, barely out of breath. The curves of the rings were in shadow against the brightness of Saturn, lit only by the occasional flickering of light from the builderbots attaching new sections.
“Well? What’s the situation?” He slowed his pace as he approached the tall man with tanned, leathery skin and white hair.
Professor Hiro Watanabe pointed at the flickering holographic image which displayed a black triangular ship, floating near a large blue star. Three lights under each corner, with one large light in the middle, they both knew it was the Stellar Flash. “It’s a composite video from various satellites around the Solar System, and the Astronomical Society’s Higher Intelligence has taken into account time dilation effects of the light getting to us, but I think the scene has been slowed anyway, from the gravity curve of the blue star.”
“So, they might have only been there for a day, but the star’s gravity might mean we’ll be watching this image for weeks?”
“Maybe centuries. We’ve only just discovered it. This area of the sky hasn’t been monitored for decades!”
Patel looked annoyed at the image. They had to send the crew now, but they still had no further information. He had hoped to have given them some idea as to what to expect. “Any cameras focused on that area from one of the dwarf galaxies beyond Andromeda? I’d like to know what’s on the other side of that star.”
“Not yet. All our cameras are focused either inwardly from outside or outwardly from inside the Milky Way. We haven’t started that field of historical exploration. And with all the records from the Interdimensional Coalition. we thought we wouldn’t need to. But, I have found something you might be interested in.” Watanabe reached into the image, added a filter, and expanded a section.
“It’s just an asteroid,” said Patel, brow furrowing.
“Not exactly.” Watanabe zoomed further, then pointed at what looked to be a metal funnel of some kind sitting on the top of the asteroid.
“It has buildings?” asked Patel.
“Look closer.”
Patel peered at the screen, then stepped back in shock. “My God!”
Watanabe nodded, then indicated another celestial object not far away. “There’s another one over there.”
“I don’t know how this is going to help Jonathan, but send that image to him anyway. He’s not going to believe it!”
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?
Available now at –
