Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition (173 page)

*No. The
delivery system isn't ready yet. I think they'll use that mountain
because it's high enough to gather most of the energy of a storm
and it isn't too far from the portal. Perhaps the road's there to
transport their sphere once it's charged. I can't see any other
purpose in it and it ends at a solid wall that certainly doesn't
have anywhere a sphere could be moved through it very close.*

"Maybe the
road's a buried cable. Once covered the ditch would look like a
road."

[ It probably
is. We could cut the cable if necessary. It would be too much of a
problem to transport the sphere itself. Perhaps they intend to
charge a sphere in the mountain, then transfer the charge to the
three needed spheres near the portal. That would be the logical
way. ]

"What's the
purpose of all this?"

*You know where we derive all the power to run the ships
except for entering IDmode from your original studies
(
Flight of
the Maita
).*

"Yeah. From
interdimensional tension. Power's shifted back and forth through
the interplanal shunt effect. The power spheres are held in two
planes at once, both of which are power ... oh. They're going to
make an automatic funneling tunnel diode out of two portals. It'll
be self-sustaining once it's started. One the size they're building
here could run a whole world with plenty left over.

"It won't work.
The energy will reverse charge at the nexus if there's no inertial
drag. You can't work the system on bodies at rest relative to one
another."

[ What if your
energy base is a TTH plane with three or four force interstices
unbalanced? ]

"The charge
would build on the end with the most dimensions through angular
entrapment. It should work!"

*You don't know
enough about the math to realize what will happen. Our adventurers
don't either. They think they've found a neverending energy source
free for the taking.*

"I can see
it'll rapidly deplete the energy in this area of N space. It'll
kill off the people of this planet in a short time. I agree this
has to be stopped, but why not simply open the diode at the other
nexus point? There won't be as much energy available, but there
should still be more than enough. No one would be hurt, at
least."

[ Didn't it
even register on you that this would result in the accomplishment
of zero? ]

"I don't see
how," Z answered after a moment's pause to think.

*You don't have
the math grid. Neither do they. They're willing to kill off this
planet to have a lot of free energy, but they simply don't have the
math, yet. They haven't had to build a TTH drive, yet.*

[ They can't in
that plane. It wouldn't work. ]

"Wouldn't work?
Why not?"

*Because the
extra subdimesional stressed force angles – dimensions if you will
– would make it impossible to make a moder. The entire plane IS an
IDmoder! That's why the portal nexus points must be static for them
to come here.*

"I don't need
the math to know what happens if your moder dephases!" Z exclaimed.
"Great humping Zulians! The omniverse itself would become one huge
dephased moder!"

[ And would
instantaneously implode to a real point. A point with no
dimensions. ]

Omniverse in
Peril!

The clamshell
sat almost in exactly the same spot as it had before, a few meters
out from the base of the Jornian ship. This time the port was
standing open as Z and Thing approached. Froh and Nax came slowly
down the ramp to stare at Thing. Froh was using one of his little
sensor packs, but the shielding on the floater didn't allow any
readings.

"This is the
demon, Maybe, of whom you may have heard," Z introduced. "Maybe,
this is Nax Plea and Froh Kim.

"I have spoken
with the sorceress, Zaft. Your golem bird was there before me, but
I expected that. That is the purpose of using golems. I had first
thought that perhaps you used the Fromes, but know those beings
would not aid such as Zaft so I became momentarily confused, but
Zaft explained the golem, though I would deduce from her caller
that it was not a Frome.

"I noted the
energy fluctuations Kurk calls radio in the room with us there so
may assume you had a device secreted to spy on her. "I did not
inform her of it because had she the power she would detect it. She
has little power.

"I could show
you some interesting refinements where mechanical beings are
concerned. It is totally unnecessary that Zaft wear the calling
device if the machines are properly instructed when they are given
the life-mimicking force. It becomes more and more clear you are
not working here of your own free will. I can see this when you are
afraid to leave the immediate area of this ship of space. You
continually watch the ship and you seem to await orders as to how
to act.

"I am somewhat
puzzled as to what you are doing here with your overly large portal
control configuration near the mountain or what is the purpose of
the recruitment of the wizards, all of whom are working on simple
power spells. It is fortunate they also have little power in the
arts.

"I have studied
your portal and can tell that what you are doing is very dangerous.
The shunting of power in such a manner will open a portal to a
demon world where we cannot live. Those demons could not live long
here.

"The portal is
too large to move most things – while it is known to be most
dangerous to place material objects from one plane onto another
even if this was made to move objects that are small enough to
carry. Maybe and Kurk will tell you they may bring almost nothing
with them from their plane. Living tissue moves much more safely
and easily than nonlife.

"I must insist
you not use that wizard's device. Perhaps if you will simply
explain to me what it is you wish to accomplish I will relent and
will not interfere. You will have to demonstrate that you know how
to use these portals safely even in those cases I would allow their
use at all."

"We take no
orders from you, wizard!" Nax said with a sneer. "Your tricks can't
stop us! We know what we're doing.

"What makes you
think our demon bird was a golem?"

[ You have no
choice at all where the orders are concerned. Boss can easily stop
you. I can stop you while being no more than a student. You have no
concept of what you are doing. I sense a great evil from that ship,
Boss. Perhaps not evil, but it is very ... different. Your golem is
rather obvious, otherworlders. Boss has experience with golems as
you should know. ]

That was
Thing's way of telling Z the other-planal being was inside the
ship. The part about it being evil was meant to tell Z Thing's
empathic ability found much that was very disturbing about the
being – the reading was of an alien being so it may not be
accurate.

"There isn't a
thing you can do to us," Froh replied, also with the sneer. "That
ship isn't a magic carpet, it's a metal machine. Machines can't be
hurt by your magic!"

"As your ...
what did Kurk call it? ... heat laser couldn't be affected?" Z
asked.

[ Perhaps we
should remove some of their great power we are not able to stop?
Would that then convince them that to challenge Boss is not a wise
choice? ]

Z smiled, then
concentrated. Thing would add its abilities. They would soon know
if their spell would work. If TR could make it work – as it had –
they should be able to do something.

They did
something. The lights coming from inside the ship suddenly went
out. There was a crash and a lot of scrabbling around from the
interior, voices in several empire languages were shouting at the
same time, soon there were dull flashes followed by a long
ululating wail, then silence.

Froh and Nax
looked very frightened. There was some mumbling and argument about
starting the backup generators, then swearing in Jornian and Maitan
about not even having power left to use the automatic starter. Even
the hundred year emergency torches wouldn't light!

After a couple
of minutes there was the roar of an alcohol motor starting, then
some light, then the moan of servos as they moved the rods on the
fission generators, then full lights. Froh and Nax suddenly ran
back inside demanding in Jornian what happened to Nrkll and Krll.
There was a lot of running and shouting, then sounds of something
heavy being drug and rolled. The lights dimmed, which would
register on the clamshell sensors as a tremendous use of
energy.

Z and Thing
seemed to be forgotten for the moment so they went to sit in the
shade of a small spreading tree to wait it out. Maita sent a small
spy floater inside the ship, reasoning that the passengers would be
too busy to notice and the sensors wouldn't be activated yet.

"THAT spell
worked better than we hoped!" Z said. "We really depleted the
sphere!"

*Yo! To
absolute zero!* Maita agreed through the speakers on Thing's
floater. *There's no reading at all for a few seconds. None of the
standbys have anything left in them, either. TR said old Lordrum
had so drained Dale's ship that even the hundred year emergency
light system wouldn't come on. I think we might have done great
damage to the otherplaner in there. I didn't intend that.*

[ No. They have
no emotions whatever about us or about the peoples of Tlorg, only
for themselves. They must know the energy drain they plan from here
may well kill the entire planet. They didn't die, but they were in
terrible fear they would. They're either in stasis or have been
returned to their plane. ]

"They went
home," Z said. "That was moder drain that took the entire output of
the generators, I'd say."

*I agree.
There's a chamber inside the ship that's mostly a variable stasis
chamber. I'm sure it doesn't have.... It's just partial so they can
stay here for hours instead of minutes. I'm watching now. There's
quite a lot of activity around that chamber. The lights didn't dim
so the energy was from the other end this time. So that's what they
look like!*

"What?" Z
asked.

*Lots of
spikes. About the size of Kurk. Can't describe the color or the
true outline. I'll be quiet. The spy floater I can sneak out with
Froh and Nax, who are on their way. I'll withdraw from conversation
now. Keep them off balance, but be careful. They may attack in some
way.*

[ The
otherplaners are somewhat fearful and are very curious. They aren't
planning to kill us or to harm us at this point. I think we're safe
for the moment. They'll fear to attack us. ]

"They've seen
an enormous use of power from our magic so they'll try to recruit
us," Z agreed. "I'm curious, too! I want to know how much energy we
can ground with that spell. I want to know what the nineteeners are
like. I want to know how they grabbed that ship. I want to know
what methods of communication they're using and I want to know a
thousand other things!"

[ The
nineteeners? Really? I will want a good many questions answered,
too. ]

"How did you do
that!?" Nax cried when he and Froh came trotting up to Z and Thing.
"I don't care what Got says that was no coincidence!"

"We merely put
the energy in the round place beneath the center of your ship of
space into the ground where energy belongs," Z replied calmly.
"That is an easy thing and is enough, I think, to show you your
machines are not so invincible as you would like to believe?"

"Can you take
energy back from the ground?" Froh asked. "Can you put energy back
into the sphere?"

[ The place on
the ship is not a natural place for energy. It is far easier to
move a thing from a not-natural place to a natural place than it is
to do the opposite. That fact should be rather obvious to you.
]

"But CAN you?"
Nax asked.

"I wouldn't
know," Z answered disinterestedly. "I've never tried. I can see no
purpose to such labors."

There was a
short burst of digital noise from a small radio on Froh's belt. The
noise was run through a translator machine, that printed the
information on a small screen. Froh read it, then said, "We would
like for you to come into our ship. There is a demon there who has
heard much of the famous Boss and who would like to meet you. He
may have some spells to trade with you."

"I think not if
he can't counter the grounding spell," Z replied. "Perhaps we will
come to meet this demon of yours. I will admit to some small
curiosity."

*

Kurk headed for
the mines while Ehrak went toward the power storage facility. This
thing was a hell of a lot more serious than a couple of wizards
having a feud. If Maita was right, and he most likely was, this
could mean the end of the omniverse itself.

Crazy! But Kurk
wasn't in the least worried about it. The fact was, should they all
suddenly cease to exist – so what? It wouldn't really be like death
in one way and would be exactly like it in others. If one died he
might still have made some small locally important changes by his
existence, but if this nonexistence came about nothing that had
ever happened anywhere would have made any difference whatever. It
was a strange thing to contemplate. The omniverse has no
meaning!

Everybody died
at some time. There was no such thing as true immortality. The part
of the universe one occupied would eventually run out of energy so
it and everything in it would die. “Entropy” they called it on
Hades.

To think the
omniverse was really that delicate a thing! It was wild! To think a
planet like Tlorg could be the place where the destruction of the
omniverse took place was even wilder. Kurk loved Tlorg, its people,
the other peoples from other planes found here and these
otherworlders.