The Energy Shield (Caveman Chronicles)

The Index -|-

“Lights off,” Kanta said quietly.

The room became pitch black except for minuscule indicator lights that peppered the red-tiered consoles. Zara waited while the entire front wall began to glow. In a moment, the view clicked into sharp focus.

It was a view of the void, black as night with random stars poking through the curtain of the galaxy.

Zara waited for something to happen and then noticed a slight quiver off to one side that was gone before she could truly focus on it. She watched the region intently and after a few moments it happened again. A faint refractive shimmer appeared for a split second as if touched by a passing speck.

“I see it. Right there,” Zara said pointing.

“Exactly,” said Kanta quietly. “There is a bubble of some sort that circles a large part of the void ahead of us. We will approach slowly now, and analyze the perimeter as we approach.”

The Hsstak slid forward silently and imperceptibly. Nevertheless, very slowly after many long moments she noticed that the shimmering edges began to extend to the extreme edges of her view as if they were coasting into a dark and endless maw.

Concern overwhelmed her psyche all at once. “Stop!” yelled Zara, turning anxiously toward Viinox. “What will the barrier do to the Hsstak?”

Viinox tapped its console twice and then remained silent for a long moment. “It is merely an energy barrier of some kind that reflected light away.” It paused as if reassessing the previous decision. “I have probed the area ahead of the Hsstak with many wavelengths. None of them affected the surface of this… whatever it is.”

“Can you probe beyond the shield with anything that might pass through?” Zara shrugged. “You know, a way to feel beyond the barrier blindly to see if anything is on the other side. It just seems…” she raised her hands and then started her thought over. “Let us assume this is what we have come for. This is Nidix’s hiding place. If this is true, Xih ships must come and go through this barrier in some way.”

“It could be at a specific point where they pass through, or perhaps the ships are equipped with a special shield or a key.” Kanta’s flipper hands glided effortlessly over the console in front of her. A cloud of data fluctuated wildly in front of her. “Or it could be safe to pass through anywhere. The spectrum of energy that this shield reflects is amazing.” Her lips pursed in apparent concentration. “Nothing really gets through except neutrons.”

Viinox lifted its chin. “Based on the heat emanating from the shield, it’s possible that the Hsstak will be damaged if we pass through. Perhaps the kerflk will protect the vessel in some wau, but it would be unwise to gamble with our existence. This may be a plasma field, and if so, the solution will be to generate a sufficiently powerful magnetic field to bore a hole in the surface.”

Zara nodded. “Right, if it is plasma, it will be contained by magnetic fields.” She grinned with excitement. “Viinox, let’s try your theory.”

A laser shot out from the Hsstak and the point where it ended pinpointed the Hsstak’s distance from the invisible surface ahead of them. After a few moment’s work, Viinox looked up at the forward view and tapped silently on its console. The Hsstak moved forward slowly, and to Zara’s great satisfaction, the barrier began to deform ahead of them. Particles were shoved aside as the fields melded and morphed, some scattered, momentarily glowing like sparks blown in a summer wind. Slowly a depression formed, expanded, and then finally, a space opened into the void beyond.

Qon flickered unexpectedly on the edge of her vision in a way it had only done a handful of times. Zara ignored it.

“Hold us here!” she said quickly. “Capture all the information we can through this puncture, and then withdraw. I’ll take the lower wavelengths.” The Hsstak spat forth a tiny probe that jumped through the break in the barrier, and in seconds, clouds of data flooded into the air inside the command center. In a few long moments, Zara raised her hands and looked at Viinox. “We have what we need, and I’ve not yet seen an alarm raised, at least not yet. Take the Hsstak out slowly.”

###

Hours later, Zara stepped back into the command center with a grin on her face. “Let’s talk about what we’ve found!”

“We found Nidix,” said Kanta, turning from her console. “This great shield is the most incredible thing I have ever encountered. I have studied much of the Xi library regarding the nature of their universe and technology, but nothing I found was described like this.” She shook her head in amazement, and water sloshed in her helmet. “And to think, I was a dumb being a short time ago. Thank the deep that I can be here!”

Zara nodded in agreement. “The same for all of us, Kanta, and yes this must be Nidix. It matches the location we saw on Yefrtil and the shield itself has no explanation other than to protect the most important orb in the Xi empire. Nidix’s star is probably the shield’s power source. It boggles my mind to imagine the engineering to put this in place.”

Viinox lifted its chin slightly. “The shield is as reflective inside as it is on the outside, and the Xi cannot easily see out. I believe they must have sensors located outside the shield, at regular intervals. Otherwise, they would never know if there was a fleet of vessels outside waiting to attack.”

“I bet the defenses inside are also breathtaking,” muttered Zara thoughtfully. “But Xih ships can come and go in some way. Another interesting item to note: The aji are not affected by the shield, and Mangas’ Xih viewer can see through it as well. I tried the viewer earlier today and am still able to see our small probe, Nidix, and two vessels that appear to be located in its orbit.” She looked at Viinox, “and yes, I can see that there are sensors outside the shield. I don’t know what their capabilities are, but it is only logical to assume they were placed to have full coverage, which means they know we’re here.”

Kanta blew a small stream of bubbles. “We should probably leave then. Xih technology is quite amazing. There are many energy sources radiating from the orb itself. Many appear to be omnidirectional communication streams that must reflect off the inside of the shield.”

“Is there anything that we need to know before we can enter and land on Nidix?” Zara shrugged. “We can’t just go in unprepared.”

Viinox spoke. “I believe with only the Hsstak and Greki we might be able to make it to Nidix, but it would be especially wise to fully research every option before acting.”

“I agree,” said Zara thoughtfully. “We just don’t have enough information yet, plus I would not want to face the Predominant without my Da. Will our probe pick up any of the transmissions between Nidix and the ships there?”

“Those communications will be encrypted and may not be readable, but the probe will collect everything it can.” Viinox glanced down at its console. “Perhaps we should return to the nearest terminal and plan for our next visit?”

“I agree,” said Zara. “It’s time. Da will be excited to hear the news.”