A.R.: Beyond the Universe
Chapter 22 - A Reality Lost

Sara, Alex, Kate, and the other Travelers make their way back onboard the Ark’s control bridge, where Sara begins the process of introducing T1, T2, T3, and T4 to the rest of the crew. She first introduces them to the crew in the bridge, who are looking a bit nervous when seeing talking, floating vapors looking just like puffs of smoke.

Sara, Alex, and the other Travelers then go to the Complex’s TV studio and proceed to let the members of the Ark know they have new allies and friends onboard.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I have the privilege to inform you that we were very successful in establishing a barrier and preventing the Void from entering this reality. In doing so, we had the honor to aid those from this reality. These beings are known as Travelers, just like Alex is. It is their job to set up the barrier and stop the Void. Usually, these Travelers are automatically sent on to another reality. However, for whatever reason, they have not proceeded on to the next reality. I have asked them to join us in our quest to stop the Void, and they have agreed.

“Many of you remember that Alex, my husband, is part Traveler. He is both human and Traveler. The four new Travelers are one hundred percent Traveler, with no knowledge of humans, their quirks or social behaviors. As such, I ask that you please be patient with them make them feel welcome. The form that you now see them in is their natural form. It may take a little while for you to get used to seeing them. In time, I am sure you will learn to not only trust them but also to accept them as a part of the Ark’s crew.

“As you can see, the four Travelers all look the same. Since they have no other forms, they cannot change into something that looks like a person. With them looking like small fog banks, some of you may think you are seeing a ghost. Do not worry about them. They are here to learn about us and to help us. It may take a while for some of you, but we all need to welcome them as members of the Ark.

“Since they are not familiar with our customs, they do not have names. I have taken the liberty of giving them temporary names: T1, T2, T3, and T4. If they wish, they can choose their own names after given the chance to see what we call ourselves and experience what a name is and what it is used for. If requested, we can put it to a vote and let you decide. Either way, I believe these four beings will be a welcome addition to the Ark. If any of you are curious about the Travelers, we will be meeting on the hangar deck just outside the Complex for a welcome party in about 2 hours. I am sure many of you have questions for the Travelers. In asking your questions, perhaps they can also learn something of who we are. Thank you.”

“Excuse me,” T2 asks, “but you were incorrect on a point you made.”

“Point?” Sara asks him.

“You said we cannot take another form. We can take any form we wish. Would it make it easier for your people if we looked like one of them?”

“I forgot…we saw the other three Travelers change forms. Probably a good idea if it something that does not have an adverse effect on you. But if you choose a human form, please do two things for us. One: stay with that form while you are on the Complex. Switching forms with someone watching may not go over well. And two: don’t look completely human. That will give the people on the Ark an easier way to tell that you are a Traveler in case they need your help.”

“Very well. Do you have images of other humans which we can examine?” T4 asks.

“Sure,” Sara says. She goes to a wall and requests a monitor connected to the Complex’s database. A large monitor appears on the blank wall. Sara accesses files with images of many different people who have lived either in the Complex or on Earth at some point in time. The monitor begins to show one person after another--male, female, black, white, young, and old.

“As you can see, we come in many shapes and sizes” Sara tells them. “There are two sexes: male and female. Alex is a male and I am a female. If you wish, you can choose one of these as your human form. I am assuming you can revert back to your natural state if so desired?”

“Yes,” T3 answers.

The four Travelers study the monitor for several minutes.

“Can you make more monitors appear?” T2 asks.

“I can show you how,” Alex volunteers. He tells them the Ark’s system is set up for automatic scanning of thought wave patterns. Soon, the four Travelers each have several monitors they can use to study the different people. In a few minutes, they announce they have decided on their human forms.

T1 changes into a white male with blue eyes, brown hair, a muscular body, and a chiseled face. He chooses the name Adam.

T2 chooses a black female, 6’ 2”, tall and lean and chooses the name Kamsisha.

T3 chooses an older oriental male and the name Okara.

T4 chooses a young Native American female with the name Nakvara.

It is decided that each of the four, and only the Travelers, will wear a ring on the fourth finger, right hand. The ring will signify them as Travelers. The rings are gold with a black onyx face and a shining silver figure eight lying on its side, the symbol for infinity.

With new looks and identities, the four Travelers join Alex, Sara, and Kate on the hangar deck to meet the people of the Ark. There are so many people who want to meet the newcomers that a stage is set up to let everyone have a chance to see them and to introduce them to the people. One by one, each of the four Travelers walks to front of the stage and introduces him or herself. Each shows the ring that they wear as a symbol for being a Traveler.

The party lasts well into the night, with many people having the chance to either meet the Travelers or ask them questions.

The next day (according to the clock on the Complex), everyone decides to let the Travelers guide them through part of their reality. Using the folding generators on the Ark, Sara, Alex, and Dale determine that this new reality is not very different from the one the members of the Ark call home. There are minor differences, but most of it looks the same. Other than Alex, Sara, and Kate, the rest of crew of the Ark had never seen much of the universe they had just left, so there was very little for them to compare it with. Even Alex, who had traveled throughout several universes, had to admit that much looks the same.

They did, however, find a planet that is inhabited by beings similar to humans but much more advanced. They average over 500 earth years in age, with many standing over 9 feet tall. Theirs is a world of peace, where the arts seem to reign supreme. They have a method of painting using the mind, where artwork seemingly comes to life as they paint it. Music is everywhere; it floats in the air. When two different pieces of music merge, it is magic. Each note mixes with the others to form new notes, tones, and melodies.

Alex and Sara decided that this would be a great place to take a vacation. They log the location and the reality for future reference.

After several days of studying and logging worlds, planets, stars, and constellations, a vote is cast, and it is on to the next reality and the next battle with the Void. A probe, the size of a large battleship, is sent out into space. It will continue to collect data on this space. Alex gives word for Dale to use the scanners onboard the Ark to determine which realities either already have the Void in it or soon will. It does not take long before the alarms start to sound, indicating that the Void has been detected in four other realities.

Warnings are issued by Sara that the reality drive is about to be engaged and for everyone to prepare. With a single command, the drive is started, with everyone wondering what the next reality will be like.

They experience the same sensation as before when they first engaged the reality drive to bring them to this reality begins to come over them again. Everyone and everything in the Ark starts to glow, and then they get the feeling of floating. Darkness fills the Ark once again as it resets its systems.

As the lights come back on, Sara issues the command to see if there are any injuries or damages to either the personnel, Complex or the Ark. As with the first transition, no injuries or damages are reported except for one person, who was in the process of climbing a ladder when the drive was engaged. He fell off and broke his wrist when he hit the floor.

The lights have been on for about 2 minutes when alarms start sounding on the bridge. Sara calls Dale to see what the problem is.

“It seems we are under attack,” Dale tells her.

Sara orders four monitors on the wall in front of her so she can see the outside of the Ark and who or what is attacking it.

When the screens appear, she can see what appear to be 10 or so ships, each several hundred-foot-long, firing some type of energy beam at the Ark. The Ark is sustaining no damage, as the type of energy used by the attackers does not damage it.

It is not long before the communications officer relays a message to the bridge that the attackers wish to know if the ones inside the unknown ship will communicate to them and are asking for the one in charge to respond.

Sara asks for a channel to be opened to the strangers.

“This is the Ark. We are talking to the ones who are firing at us. Do you wish to respond?”

They hear nothing in reply. “Do you think that they can understand us?” Sara asks Alex.

“Remember, the Ark’s system is an intelligent one. It automatically knew what language you used when you first came on board. It also automatically translated their communication to something we can understand. I think it’s safe to assume the Ark can communicate to them in a way they can understand.

Sara repeats her reply. “This is the Ark. You have asked for the one in charge. I am that person. Who are you and why do you attack our ship?”

A sound of static comes from the speakers in the bridge, and then what sounds like a computer-generated voice speaks.

“We are Alterains. You have invaded our space. We must ask that you withdraw and leave immediately.”

“That’s not very friendly,” Kate says.

“This is the Ark. I must speak to the one in charge. Your worlds and your space are in immediate danger. We are here to help. We are not a threat.”

“Ark, you must leave immediately.”

“Dale, can you fire at them without hitting them? They must be made to listen. There is no time for playing games,” Sara asks.

“Sure, give me a moment,” Dale says.

Ten seconds later, an energy beam half the size of the largest Alterian ship blasts from the smallest of the Ark’s cannons, coming within several hundred feet of a ship, vaporizing a large asteroid floating nearby. When the beam hits the rock, it does not explode, it simply vanishes.

“Nice shooting, Dale,” Sara tells him.

She once again repeats her reply. “Alterains, this is the Ark. The weapon that was just discharged is a warning; it is the smallest weapon we carry. If you do not wish to communicate, I suggest you leave. We must be here to stop an invader from destroying you and everything in this space. This invader will not stop, and I can assure you, you do not have the weapons to stop it. Nor can you communicate with it. As you have seen, your weapons are useless against this ship. If you wish to talk, then you are welcome to come aboard. If you chose to continue to fire upon us, you will leave us no choice but to return fire.”

“Ark, you must leave this space now,” they reply. Then all the Alterain ships fire at the Ark again, causing no damage to the Ark. The Ark’s system has been completely absorbing the energy blasts and storing it, so nothing can be felt anywhere in the Ark.

“Dale, how many of the ship’s engines can you target?” Sara asks him.

“All of them.”

“Pick five ships and open fire, just the engines.”

“I don’t know, boss. Those ships are small. We can easily hit them. But I can’t guarantee what will happen when we hit one of them.”

“Do your best, Dale,” Sara tells him. “Open fire.”

She watches the four monitors on the wall and sees beams hit five of the fast moving Alterain ships. She watches as the disabled ships begin to slow their movements and then come to a stop, with sparks and small explosions coming from the rear of each ship.

The Alterains return fire at the cannons that fired at them, but it causes no damage to the Ark or the cannons. It seems the cannons are also made of the same energy absorbing material as the hull of the Ark.

“Dale, can you find a place in space that is clear of populated planets for at least 20 light years?”

“Sure, not a problem. What are you thinking?” Dale asks.

“I want you to fire one of the large cannons. Anyone who sees an energy beam that size ought to think twice before trying to attack a ship carrying such a weapon.”

“OK, give me a couple of seconds,” Dale says.

After a minute’s wait, Dale relays that he has found a place to fire the cannon.

“Will do. Thanks. Make sure it’s a short burst. We don’t want that thing taking out an inhabitated solar system 200 light years away,” Sara tells him. “OK, fire at will.”

Dale orders one of the upper end starboard cannons to fire and watches the screens in front of him. Like Sara, he has been watching the Alterain ships.

The large cannon discharges a short burst of energy, creating a beam many times the diameter of earth. The space surrounding the beam sizzles and boils as the short beam charges through uninhabited space.

Though none of the Alterain ships are close to the massive bean, the effect on the Alterain ships is immediate and expected. All firing from their ships ceases and a call for a cease-fire is sent to the Ark from the lead Alterain ship, which is one of the damaged ships that had been hit by the smaller cannons.

“We read you, Alterain ship,” Sara tells them. “When we open a hatch on the Ark, you and your fleet of ships, including the damaged ones, can enter and land. As soon as you have landed and have powered down your weapons and engines, we will be willing to meet with you. If your damaged ships need assistance, we can help. If you try anything harmful once inside the ship, you and your ships will be eliminated.”

“We understand, Ark,” was their reply.

“Dale, open a hatch to one of the empty hangar bays and have an armed military unit meet me there,” Sara tells him.

“Will do. One armed division coming up.”

Sara tells the people on the bridge to be cautious about the Alterains and to keep an eye on them.

“Come on, Alex, you’re coming with me. You too, Kate. Alex, have the other Travelers meet us there and to appear as Travelers, not humans. If they even try something, I want them to know we have no problems handling ourselves. Dale, tell your people to start scanning for the Void.”

Alex contacts the other Travelers and relays Sara’s message to them. Alex travels to the hangar bay with Sara and Kate and arrives there just as the other Travelers appear. It takes several more minutes before the armed division arrives, accompanied by their photon and sonic cannons.

Sara commands the Ark to create a platform high above the Alterain’s ships so she can get a better look at what they have.

Having done so, Alex travels to the platform, disappearing with Sara and Kate from in front of the ships and reappearing on the platform. From this view, Sara can see they have 48 ships, all long and sleek looking, tapering from the back of the ship to a needle nosed front. She thought they were very beautiful looking.

“Dale,” Sara tills him, “we’ve got some smoke here coming from the damaged Alterain ships. Can you turn on some ventilation?”

In a moment, she watches the smoke begin to dissipate as the air begins to move. Even in a space as huge as the hangar bays are, she is amazed she can feel the air moving.

She watches to see which ship will have the first of the Alterains to step forward. She does not have to wait long. It is the largest ship. A hatch below it opens, and a platform lowers to the deck. Walking off the platform is a being that resembles a cross between a blue lizard and a giant bear walking on its hind legs. They are covered with blue-tinted fur and are about 7 feet tall. They have great tusks curving upward from their lower jaw and faces with short, stubby noses. Their great eyes seem to have multiple eyelids, which she can see are constantly blinking. They have massive bodies with long, slender tails. They wear no clothing but have large, thick sandals on their feet. They have long, strong-looking arms that end with several tentacles instead of hands.

Sara guesses the one looking like it’s giving the orders must be the leader, and it is the one that she asks Alex to take her and Kate to, but not before asking Kate to get ready, just in case something goes wrong.

“Don’t worry, sis, I think we can handle them,” Kate tells her.

“Just don’t roast him until he tries something stupid,” Sara says. “OK, Alex, lets go.”

Alex pictures himself with Sara and Kate standing in front of the Alterain leader.

There is a definite look of surprise coming from the Alterain as Alex, Sara, and Kate appear from nowhere in front of it. There is another look, almost of fear, as the four other Travelers, in their natural state, appear beside the newcomers.

“Alex, do you think they will understand what we are saying? The Ark did the translating for us, but this is face to face,” Kate asks him.

“Just speak as you normally do and the Alterains will understand. The Ark will take care of translating.”

Sara, gets her nerve up, takes a deep breath, and does her best to not let any fear show. She knows fear can be helpful at times, but not here. She must be firm and in control. She takes several steps forward to let them know she is the one in charge.

“I am Sara. I am commander of the Ark. I want to apologize for the damage, but you left us with no other choice. Why did you fire on our ship?”

“You appeared out of nowhere in the flight path of our ships, which were on their way to defend one of our planets from being invaded by something we have never seen before. We did not know if you were responsible and apologize for firing on you.”

“In those circumstances, I can understand. Can you tell me anything about what is attacking you?”

“All we could gather was that it was all black and seemed to have no mass. It destroys everything it touches. If I am correct, we have already lost 20 of our planets.”

“Then we have a common enemy. The thing you are describing we call the Void. It is relentless and will continue to destroy everything in its path until nothing in your space, including every planet, galaxy, and star is gone. Does this look like what your people have described?”

Sara turns to look at a wall and imagines a large monitor on it about the size of several billboards. The monitor appears and shows the Void canceling out and entire galaxy.

“If what I see here is true, then we are all doomed,” the Alterain says to her. “We do not have what it will take to stop something such as what I see.”

“But we do and can. We have stopped it twice before and have the power to do so again. With your permission, we will leave this area to stop it and prevent it from coming any further into your space. The large cannon we fired is one of many weapons we use against it. You can remain on board the Ark, or you can stay here in space. Either way, you must not be allowed to prevent us from doing what we came here to do.”

“I must admit I felt that last weapon, even though I was not even close to it. Such power. Amazing. I chose to remain on your ship. We have much damage to repair. Can you help with the repairs?”

“That will not be a problem. Dale, can you get a repair crew to this hangar bay? Navigation, locate the Void and get us there, ASAP,” Sara orders.

“Sara.” It is navigation. “We have located the Void and it is heading this way. Do you want to stay here and wait for it?”

“No. Take us there. Are the folding generators charged?”

“Yes.”

“Go.”

“How long will it take us to get there? We were not anticipating on encountering it for several more cycles.”

Dale does the math. “Sara, if I read them correctly, that means it’ll take them 12 earth days to get there.”

“Navigation, are we there yet?”

“Yes.”

“What? Are you saying that we have moved that great of a distance already? What kind of ship is this?” the Alterain asks.

“Yes, we have moved. If I am correct, it would have taken 5.2 cycles for your ships to get to this point in space,” Alex tells him. “For moving in space, this ship is equipped with advanced technology you cannot understand. We can help with the Void, but we cannot provide you with data on the Ark.”

“I understand,” the Alterain says with a slight sound of disappointment in his voice.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” it asks. “Can your ship detect if there are any planets still out there that are populated and in its path?”

Sara looks at her PDA and asks the question.

“We cannot locate any populated planets in this area. There is just the Void,” Sara tells him.

“There were 45 populated planets here with millions on each planet! They are all gone? You say that this thing is responsible? You say that you can stop this…Void?” he asks her.

“Yes. If you want to watch, I’ll leave the monitor running so you can see. Alex, Kate, Travelers, we need to get out there. Do any of you sense the Travelers from this space?”

“No” answers Alex. “We can not wait for them. The Void has changed its tactics. It is moving faster than I have seen it move.”

Just as quickly as the humans and Travelers appeared in front of the Alterain, they vanish, leaving it wondering where they went and how they did it. Outside the ship, a plan is quickly formed. The four Travelers will locate and bring back the now standard items needed to stop the Void from advancing any further into this space.

Alex retrieves the altered barrier generator from the Ark and sets it in place directly in the path of the advancing Void. He wonders if the Void is advancing so rapidly because of its last encounter with the barrier.

“Does it have intelligence? Does it remember or detect the generator, the Travelers or the Ark?”

After setting up the generator, he does a scan of the entire space to look for the Travelers who should be there by now. But no sign of any native Travelers can be found. He alerts Dale to make sure all cannons are fully charged. They will be needed soon.

The other Travelers soon return with their supply of black holes and suns. One of the suns unexpectedly explodes early, causing a large shock wave to fan out. As soon as Dale sees the wave coming toward the Ark, he turns the ship to face the oncoming wave and engages the space-folding generator. His plan is to fold space just before the wave hits the Ark and then to re-emerge on the other side of it after the wave passes. He watches the wave and times it, so the generator is powered just as the wave hits the front of the ship. With little trouble, the Ark vanishes from space, only to reappear immediately after the wave passes. Alex does not have to worry about the other Travelers, Kate or Sara. In this form, they are immune to its effects.

The Travelers begin to arrange the black holes, with the smaller, less potent ones closer to the barrier generator and the strongest ones furthest away from it. No one notices a second ship appear from nowhere. It sits just off to the side of the Ark. It is a large ship, about one tenth the size of the Ark. As Alex turns to do a final check of the generator, he notices the ship and tells Dale to focus cannons on the new ship in case they are hostile.

As soon as the Ark targets the other ship, it vanishes from sight. Alex does not know if it has left the area or if it is still there and invisible. He asks Dale to move the Ark to the spot where the other ship had been. As soon as the Ark begins to move toward the location, the ship appears again. A door on the side of the new ship opens and a cloud like the Void begins to take shape. Alex watches as the cloud continues to grow larger, becoming a solid-looking gray mass. He is concerned because the mass is moving toward the Ark. He travels to a point between the mass and the Ark hoping he can determine what it is. At that point, his PDA receives a message. It is coming from the new ship. He is to let the mass pass. It is not harmful to anything but the large black mass coming this direction. Alex is getting very cautious about both the unexpected ship and its released contents.

“Alien vessel, I have received your communication. Please confirm we are to let the grey mass pass.”

“That is correct,” is the answer.

“We are here to stop the advance of the large black mass,” Alex tells them. “We have the equipment to do so and are already preparing to establish a barrier that it cannot penetrate.”

An answer comes back on his PDA. “Continue with your preparations but make sure the gray cloud reaches the Void.”

That person knows of the Void? Alex is surprised. He calls Dale. “Dale, can you see a gray mass floating between the new ship and the Ark?”

” Yes, I see it.”

“Can you determine what it is?”

“Give me a moment.”

“Alex, we can see it but not scan it. The scanners on the Ark cannot detect it,” Dale tells him.

Alex gets back on his PDA and calls the second ship once again. “If you know the Void is coming and what it can do, what is the gray mass your ship just released? We need to make sure it is not a threat to us or our ship.”

“OK, Alex,” is the reply. “I’ll be right out.”

Alex? He knows who I am? Alex’s curiosity and concern are growing.

A smaller hatch opens and a being like a Traveler emerges. As he moves toward him, Alex can see the person is glowing brightly like a Traveler, but is not translucent and vaporous, He is solid looking.

“Dale?” Alex says.

“Hi, Alex. It’s been a long time.”

“OK, now I am officially confused. Are you really Dale, the same Dale who is onboard the Ark?”

“Yes, I am Dale, just not your Dale. I am from another reality. In my reality, you also transformed from the human to a Traveler. You, Sara, and Kate were successful in stopping the Void from entering our space. I’ve scanned your data banks. In my reality, you, the four Travelers, Sara, and Kate left in the Ark and did not bring the Complex with you. For many years, we have been working nonstop on a solution to the Void. We have finally come up with something.”

“To fight to Void?” Alex asks.

“Yes, and to weaken it,” Dale responds. “It is, for lack of a better term, a virus that will attack the Void from the inside out. We’re going to make it sick.”

“And you know it works?” Alex asks.

“We’ve been using it for several years now. We go to another reality, drop off the virus in the path of the Void, and let it take the bait. Then we monitor any changes in the Void. The virus is making it weaker. But we’ll talk later. If you’re going to stop the Void in this reality, you need to get going. I’m going back to the Raven to monitor the virus and the Void’s progress.”

Alex has a million questions, like why Dale can be in space and glow like a Traveler. And where are the other Alex, Sara, Kate, and the Travelers in the other Ark? They will all need to have a long talk with this second Dale after the barrier is established.

“Alex.” It is his Dale calling. “Is that gray thing from the other ship safe?”

“As far as I know, yes. Or at least that’s what you just told me.”

“I did what?”

“I’ll explain it later. Where’s the Void at?” Alex asks.

“It’s about 15 light years and closing fast. Everyone ready out there?”

“Just about. The other Travelers almost have the black holes in place. I’ve got the generator set to go. But we may have a problem.”

“Problem?”

“Yes, the defense and control units normally accept commands only from the Travelers native to that space. I do not know if any of us can activate them. I’ll let the other Travelers know I am going in search of one of the control units. If I can find one and figure out how to start it, we’ll be OK.”

“And if not?”

“Then we cannot stop the Void in this reality and will have to leave.”

“Then get going. Let me know something as soon as you can,” Dale says.

Alex tells the other Travelers of his suspicions and begins scanning for any nearby control units. He finds one on the surface of a nearby sun and travels to it. Once there, he orders the unit to activate but gets no response. He moves the control unit to a nearby moon of a large uninhabited planet and begins to check out the circuits. He discovers the unit has been tampered with; it is set to not work if the command to activate it is received. Alex quickly fixes the problem but wonders if other defense units have also been tampered with.

This is an entirely new wrinkle. Never has anyone ever been able to access a control unit with the purpose of disabling it. He must find out if this is a one-time thing or if others have been tampered with. He quickly locates another control unit and travels to it. Upon inspection, he finds that it also has been tampered with. Now he must decide if they can stop the Void using only Kate and the Ark as the power source for the barrier. He knows what the Ark can do, but he is still not sure of how much power Kate really has. He decides it would not be a good idea to let Kate try; it may be too much for her, even though she won’t admit it.

He travels back to the others and informs them of his findings. It is decided that they need to leave this space and go on to the next, hoping for better luck. Everyone gets back onboard the Ark and Alex brings the altered barrier generator with him. That is when Alex springs his surprise on everyone by notifying that the second ship has docked with the Ark. Strangely enough, it looks as though the Ark was meant to have the new ship along its side. Docking clamps that already exist on the Ark match the new ship, as if the second ship was originally part of the Ark.

Alex informs the Alterains of his findings and that they cannot save their space from the Void. He gives them a choice to stay with their space or come with the Ark. Two of the ships decide to leave for home to warn everyone and to be with their kind at the end. The rest stay on the Ark and bid them luck and say their goodbyes. It is a sad end to what appears to be the end of a proud and noble people. The remaining Alterains will have to establish a new home in another reality when they can locate a planet to suit their needs.

Alex and Sara head for the bridge. As the Ark’s reality generator kicks in, the last thing Alex sees of this reality in his mind is the Void. He silently curses at it, vowing to stop it no matter what the cost. He will not allow another reality to be lost.

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