• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Putting a hand on his arm, Clarity offered gentle clarification. “We only saw you lying under the dome and its spectacular reaction to your being there.” She nodded in the direction of the corridor that led back to the landing deck. “When it became clear that you might be under for an extended period of time, Bran and Tru hiked back to the shuttle. None of its ranging instruments were able to take any readings beyond the airlock.” She smiled hopefully. “We couldn't tell what, if anything, was happening outside.”

Stepping forward, Truzenzuzex brandished impatient antennae at the tall young man. “Your comatose presence on the operator's platform spawned a great deal of impressive ancillary activity. Bran and I presume it was not merely for show. What, if anything, of consequence was accomplished during your period of unconsciousness?” A truhand gestured in the direction of the corridor. “We know only that we moved out of range of contact with your ship. Did you succeed in making contact with this artifact?”

It struck Flinx forcefully that his friends had absolutely no idea of the momentous events that had transpired while he had been, to their eyes, insensible. He considered how best to enlighten them.

“You could say that. Yes, I made contact. The situation we all face was discussed. The weapons platform agreed to a plan of attack.” He tried to meet each of their gazes in turn. “You're correct in assuming that our position changed. While I was—elsewhere—the artifact was not static. We took a little trip. In order to mount a maximum effort, the ship traveled through space-minus, or something akin to it, to a location outside the galaxy.”

“‘Outside’?” Tse-Mallory was staring evenly at him.

Flinx nodded. “It was very beautiful. Even under the circumstances I was able to look back and see—everything.”

“Outside the galaxy.” Truzenzuzex gestured a mix of awe and disbelief so radical that Flinx was unable to identify it. “The first humanx to travel beyond the Rim, and we have not even a crude image to commemorate the visit.”

“There may be nothing to memorialize.” Tse-Mallory was less given than his old friend to the need for memorialization. “You spoke of the ship mounting a ‘maximum effort.’ This was done?”

Flinx nodded again. “The artifact brought together the combined energy of all its weapons systems and unleashed them through a non-conforming variant of space-minus at the oncoming threat. I was able to observe the consequences in real time.”

Tse-Mallory did not hesitate. “And the consequences were—are?”

Flinx did not try to hold back or to minimize what he knew. There would be no point, and he doubted he could deceive either of the highly perceptive scientists in any case, even if he believed doing so might be to their benefit.

“I'm afraid there weren't any. No,” he corrected himself, “that's not entirely true. There were some corporeal consequences. The Evil was affected—a little. It was slightly damaged. An insignificant amount, I think. Insofar as I could tell, both its structure and its course remain intact.” He glanced down. “It's still coming this way.”

The two scientists conferred briefly. “You say it was damaged.” Truzenzuzex used all four hands to indicate their surroundings. “What went wrong? Could the great weapons platform not sustain the attack?”

“It could,” Flinx told the philosoph, “but it won't. It believes that any further assaults would be useless. It says that it can't effectively do battle with something that exists outside known physics.”

“Known Tar-Aiym physics,” Tse-Mallory pointed out. “Not that the distinction matters if it stated that it won't continue to fight. I presume that you did your best to try and convince it otherwise.” Flinx said nothing—and in so doing, said a lot.

“It's taking us back to the Booster system,” he finally announced. “That much it's willing to do.”

Tse-Mallory exhaled resignedly. “Well then, I guess that's that.” Raising his gaze, he surveyed