Incident with the dust cloud

The debut of Dusty - First appearance

(Adventures of rhe USS Tigershark - Chapter 08 )

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TheOther and the officers of the Afternoon watch arrived and I got up when SHIP raised alert. I plunged back in my seat and said.” All hands Battle stations. All station status report.”

Narth spoke.” SHIP raised alert because a drifting dust cloud of matter just changed course and accelerates towards us.”

“A dust cloud?”

Shea analyzing the sensor data substantiated Narth’s initial report. “A concentration of cosmic dust, composed of hydrogen, frozen gases. silica, metals, minerals and a host of organic base matter with a combined mass of 14 million tons spread over a roughly spherical shaped volume with a diameter of 2000 kilometers has just reduced its volume and thus density to less than twenty kilometers and changed from a drifting state to increase velocity and it changed course.”

Narth seamlessly added. “Fivcheer and I detect a presence. It appears similar to the living mountain we encountered in the Auriga XI system. It is a consciousness none of us telepathic gifted individuals have touched before. I do not understand it nor could I attempt to communicate at this state. The only somewhat familiar emotion is a sense of intense hunger and also loneliness.”

The Cloud had already reached the Red Dragon. Streaks of lightning like energies flickered over the ship’s hull. The Dragon fired but the energy beams hit mostly nothing and the shots of concentrated nuclear energy dissipated as if absorbed. The Red Dragon and most of the other ships accelerated with red lining engines, barely making it out of this energy leeching embrace.

More alerts rang and SHIP said.”Captain, the cloud entity has just increased the gravimetric conditions and created a gravitation sinkhole, we are caught in it. The engines of our simulated appearance are too weak to pull out.”

Red Dragon hailed. “Looks like I just made it out. Our sensors detect intensive gravitation well increasing in strength. Since there is no way I am going to risk my ship to get you. It was nice meeting you Velvet. Sorry, Brata, it was your shitty leak that got us in this mess, so deal with it!”

The Red Dragon still increasing velocity followed the others and went trans light.

Not even waiting for a response.

Shaka said. “Gravimetric pressure increasing. I am not sure if we are still able to escape with our TransDim Gravi Drive as it might feed the entity out there even more. Our regular ISAH drive is only a secondary unit and if my calculations are correct no longer enough to escape fast enough.”

The Executor was firing out of every weapon and each shot vaporized a few molecules but its energies increased the power of the cloud.

“Mao shut down Shields and any external drives.”

If we don’t emit Energies it might simply slip past us and then we can use a few graviton mines to gather it and destroy it with a TL load.”

Narth said.”Alice and I tried but it is difficult to get a hold of it telekinetically. It is as if you would try to hold water in your hands.

“Hail the Executor and tell those idiots to stop firing!”

Elfi turned.”Unable to raise them, their channels are open, but no response.”

Circuit raised his voice. “The fuel supply on the other ship is leaking again, affecting the Antimatter storage.”

The being lost all interest on us and is now focused on the Executor.”

Circuit had come on the bridge and activated his Engineering Station.

“Captain I give the other ship a maximum eight minutes before she goes. It looks like they abandoned their repair and containment activities to fight the entity.”

Suit arrived moments later.” I analyzed the entity and it clearly shows sentient behavior. I could try to extend my shields around the Ship to protect it.”

“No need Suit. We have very advanced shields as well but we can’t use them without compromising our cover. The Red Dragon might still be within sensor range.”

I leaned forward.”Keep hailing them, I would like to try to save the crew if possible.”

“I am not getting through Captain. But I am getting something from the Cloud on regular sub-light electromagnetic radio.”

Even in this situation, I felt pride in my crew. They worked together like a well-maintained machine. Elfi transferred her Data to Shea. Shea signaled with a hand sign she was working on it and SHIP’s screen image blinked at her console and I knew it was helping too, without being tasked to it like a regular Computronic. Tyron suit simply joined them to add its sensor data.

Narth suggested. “I think I can teleport 10 or 15 of them before it explodes, but not all.”

Starman Suit turned it’s open cowl and thus the robots head. “My sensors located the ego center of the being. It is a small dense mass of Matter with synaptic neuroactivity.”

The Executor ejected her Reactor Core but it was too late. The Core exploded still within the ejection port and ripped the entire aft section of the pirate vessel to shreds.

Narth said. “There are still survivors. I am getting as much as I can.” Our Delicate officer speaking over Intership said.”I can teleport as well and will assist.”

I nodded and Narth vanished.

Hans got up and ran to the IST alerting his Marines to receive the Pirates.

Har-Hi informed Sickbay as well.

Shea nodded to Elfi and then said.”Captain, I believe we can communicate now with the Dust cloud. the creature is indeed intelligent and responded to the mathematical sequence and now we understand it.”

“We can talk to it?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s try it. Make the connection if you can.”

Elfi said. “It should be able to receive you, Captain.”

“This is Captain Olafson calling the space-born entity. Can you hear me?”

At first, there was only a hissing sound crackling almost like wind.

Elfi said.” Sorry, these are radio wave statics I am trying to compensate. It is analog and not digital.”

Then a voice came through the statics. “Matter concentration speaks to I. I is not alone now there is other I.”

“Why are you attacking us?”

“Attacking ... not, no. I was hungry to far from heat light. Little Metal mass came has lots of food. Little mass gives much food. Unaware you have voice.”

Fivcheer interrupted via Intership. “Captain, I am getting more and more structure now. His thoughts become more and more structured in an understandable way”

I acknowledged and said to the entity. “We are many voices inside the Metal Mass. Your gravimetric alteration is keeping us and caused harm.”

“When I stop mass wave increase you will leave?”

“We must leave. We cannot remain here.” “Please not go. I am alone. So alone and now you speak. I am no longer alone.”

“If you would not be so big. We could maybe tow you across the Expanse.”

“Big? My size variable. Much mass can be discarded is only added mass. Please, I no longer alone. Will not cause harm.”

Narth almost sounded like out of breath as he re-appeared on the bridge and said. “It has no concept of lie or falsehood. It also has no aggressive thoughts, violence is unknown to it. It did not know our ships were anything else but dead matter. It never had any contact with another living being and thought it is the only sentient being in the universe. I see images now of stars and constellations from many million years ago. It is unable to travel faster than light. It feeds on energy and out here to far from stars it became weak and hungry and unable to reach the other side of the gap and slowly but surely starving to death.”

“How is the rescue operation going, Narth?”

“Brana and I have transferred 79 pirates. The rest is dead. Hans and his team are currently transferring the prisoners into stasis containers and store them.”

I had Elfi turn the radio wave channel back on. “We will remain until we find a way to help you.”

“I is so happy. Not alone and talk with other much joy! I will shed much matter.”

Shaka said. “Gravitational pull is gone. We are fully maneuverable.”

And Mao added. “The Cloud center, Tyron identified has separated from most of the other matter. I can easily target it and destroy it now.” He added. “Just in case of course.”

“Can we tow the rest mass across the rest of the gap?”

Shea nodded. “The Cloud center has approximately less than two tons of mass. We could load that in a big container for all that.”

Har-i kept an eye on the long range sensors.”The Red Dragon and the other ships have stopped at their maximum sensor range and scanning us. I bet they going to hail us soon.”

“Alright, I want to help that being if we can. Do we want to take in, can we contain it?”

Har-Hi shrugged. “I don’t see why not. It is only matter and some energy and only two tons of it. We can keep it in containment fields and destroy it too.”

“Well, I guess we take this galactic orphan along.”

Elfi opened the channel and I said. “ We will take you along with us. A door will open and you can enter our sphere. So we can take you across the void.”

“One is overwhelmed.”

“Shea would you go and make sure the thing is correctly contained and see if we need to feed it or something.”

“Aye Captain.”

“Shaka, once we got that dust thing loaded, get us going and follow the Red Dragon.”