The past future (EXO-TERRESTRIAL-FORCES 8) E-Book

Jens F. Simon

• Herausgeber: S. Verlag JG
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Sigurd takes the place of Commander RReggchrah. He flies to Earth with the mother ship KO and the entire crew. Accompanied by two special agents, Lieutenant Colonel James Maxwell and Major Rooster Cogburn, he takes up the fight against the hostile alien aggressor. In the former AREA 51, Sigurd encounters strange aliens. Faces that somehow weren't faces. Movements that seemed stiff and awkward. They looked like the undead from a scary movie. Their heads were wrapped in black, very crudely made linen cloths, literally bandaged. Only the bloodshot eyes were still visible. They were recreating the 'space of dimensions' to change the past. In another, alternate world, the giant statue of the monkey god comes to life in the Honduran rainforest in the La Mosquitia region. The figure is made of primordial Xxiin. Nobody notices how the ship Paurusheya, buried under the Teide-Pico Viejo volcano in Tenerife, receives a telepathic-magical impulse via the figure whose corpus still has a residual amount of 'magical energy'.

Leseprobe

EXO-TERRESTRIAL-FORCES

Legacy of OUTER-SPACE Nanites

Volume 8

The past future

© 2025 Jens F. Simon

Illustration: S. Verlag JG

Publisher: S. Verlag JG, 35767 Breitscheid,

All rights reserved

ISBN: 978-3-96674-764-6

The work, including its parts, is protected by copyright. Any exploitation without the consent of the publisher and the author is prohibited and will be prosecuted under criminal and civil law. This applies to electronic or other reproduction, translation, distribution and making available to the public.

Newton claimed that time is absolute and runs the same everywhere in the universe, independent of an external observer. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, however, time cannot be separated from space.

Table of content 

Prologue

In the earth system of 2269

Ishtar City Planet Venus

Black holes

Reincarnation

The spaceship Paurusheya

The monkey god is alive

Cella's Legacy

Paranormal magic

Takaarrath’s decision

One soul, two lives

Takaarrath

Commander RReggchrah's End

The new commander of KO

Change of sides

Change of power

AREA 51 combat zone

Shadow on earth

The final battle

The 5th column

'Room of dimensions' times 2

Not of this world

Space-time turbulences

Aliens of the Apocalypse

Set off for GAR

Alethea's arrival

The Xxiin spaceship

The search begins

Hardened sides

Extraterrestrial Possibility

Extraterrestrial Alert

Unidentified flying object

Sigurd's death

Prologue

A special vibration permeated the entire organic spaceship. Intense, rhythmic sounds made the nanites euphoric. For ages, the call had sounded again. The ship's brain was jolted out of its lethargy.

Energy began to flow through the disused conductors. The ship's control center was showered with floods of daylight as all the lighting activated one after the other.

In seconds, the ship's brain had determined where the call from the 'Old Ones' had come from. Then it realized the quasi-presence of two entities.

It took only a fraction of a second again, and the ship recognized in one of the two the mental imprint of its former avatar, Alethea.

The hadronic-positronic ship computer showed neither astonishment nor fright. According to its alts, it was just a contact over a very long distance. "I greet you Alethea and also you stranger. What is your desire?"

"Start immediately," it still lingered in Paurusheya's quasi-consciousness.

Then the holographic image of Alethea, her former mental imprint and avatar, and the strangers had vanished again. The destination of the flight should be a small solar system at the edge of the remaining core of the former dwarf galaxy Omega Centauri, also listed as NGC 5139 in the star catalogs of the earthlings.

The distance to it was 15790 light-years.

The exact coordinates were already processed and ready for retrieval in the database of the control system.

The distance to the Earth system was not much of a challenge for the Xxiin ship.

The organic spacecraft immediately went on emergency launch. The urgency of its mission had been clearly defined from the beginning.

All energy piles and storage units were set to the highest possible energy output.

Suddenly, there was acoustic chaos inside the ship, which only slowly receded as the Paurusheya ship lifted about two meters off the steel floor inside the hangar.

The hangar door began to open far too slowly, and the ship's brain was already considering blasting the door with aimed fire.

However, the collateral damage to the MAITRI station was out of proportion to the time advantage gained.

A short radio message went to Calgulla, the chief of the new MBF, as well as to Elrik Merkler, acting chairman of the small human community within the Xxiin station MAITRI.

The spaceship shot through the hemisphere of the mages with increasing speed and went into overlight still within the former Zetschn'cha half-world.

The urgent radio call of Calgulla, who was heading for the spaceport MIRACLE on Venus with the MBF-ship RECON, went nowhere, as did Merkler's attempt to contact Paurusheya.

The Xxiin spacecraft was already on its way to Alethea.

Alethea still looked into the broken eyes of the old Krsutner. Cella had died while she was still talking to Paurusheya in her mind.

The connection had broken down instantly.

Alethea suddenly felt more than uncomfortable in the small cabin on Mullokk's flagship.

The MOOR was one of a total of 13 ships still owned by the independent merchantman. The fourteenth ship, MARSCH, had been destroyed in the battle for the star ziggurat.

There, deep below the planet's surface, in the catacombs of the huge, tower-shaped structure, Cella had been found.

She was the last living member of the ancient Krsutner species.

They were considered the ancestors of the Ur-Xxiin and the organic space nanites.

Alethea was still staring at the same spot when Cella's body had already completely dissolved.

He had crumbled to dust in minutes. "Launch immediately," was the last thing Cella said to Paurusheya.

It was the last, real hope Alethea had now. The hope that the Xxiin spaceship intended to carry out this last instruction of the old Krsutner.

Hope dies last," she thought wistfully. That was a saying of the people.

So she sat for a while completely motionless, staring ahead of her.

Her thoughts seemed to have dissolved, floating freely through space and time. At some point, the cabin bulkhead opened.

Two crew members of the MOOR stood in front of it but did not enter. They looked a little nervous.

"The patron wants to see the stranger. You are to accompany her. Now!"

Alethea's thoughts came back slowly, as if from far away. She remained completely calm. Her stay here on board was only temporary anyway.

When Mullokk had wanted to hand her over to Saviier, Cella had prevented this with her mental powers.

Cella was no more and how it went on with her now, she could only guess.

"Cella has passed away. Even Mullokk won't be able to bother her anymore!"

Her answer did not seem to please the two Maul'aaf at all.

"I guess you didn't understand us. You two will come with us instantly!"

One was still speaking when the other already poked him lightly in the side with his fist.

"She's actually alone in the cabin, can't you see?"

He cautiously took two steps further and peeked around the corner of the cabin bulkhead.

"Just as well, then only she will come along!" His colleague was more the pragmatic type.

"The patron will be displeased!"

"What can we do about it? There's only the one here, so we can only take her!"

Alethea, meanwhile, had stood up and watched the two during their brief dispute.

They were not the brightest, she had noticed immediately. On the way to Mullokk's study, a bad feeling came over Alethea.

She only hoped not to run into the Akkattarian Saviier again.

Why did she let him treat her like a prisoner? After all, she had already done Mullokk a service several times.

Now, as they reached the corridor bend outside the study and several crew members approached them, Alethea decided to defy the trader's instructions.

Dodging, she jumped with lightning speed through the just-closing cabin bulkhead, from which a Maul'aaf had just stepped.

Her two companions suddenly found themselves standing alone in the corridor, not having noticed where she had disappeared to. The room that opened before Alethea was devoid of any furnishings.

Only two more bulkheads showed that this was probably a passage room.

She quickly noticed, however, that the two passageways on the wall side in front of her were specially secured.

A special code display was in the center of one bulkhead. She had no choice but to turn back.

On the other hand, she was safe from Mullokk here for the time being. Deciding briefly, she lowered herself to the floor against the right-side wall and remained sitting there with her back leaning against the wall.

She closed her eyes and tried not to think about anything.

She must have fallen asleep, because when she opened her eyes again, she was lying on her side with her upper body slightly bent over. Suddenly, loud sirens sounded in all departments.

In the MOOR headquarters, the lights dimmed and gave way to a somber red.

"Collision alert! Alien spacecraft just exited faster-than-light with a residual velocity of 112,000 kilometers/second. Distance to bog 520,000 kilometers. Collision alert! Evasive course being set!"

The calm voice of the positronic brain of the MOOR did not fit at all to the current danger situation.

All energy piles were ramped up to full load, disregarding safety.

It took a full three seconds for the ship to begin to respond, but it was still too slow in trying to avoid the course of the approaching alien vessel.

Less than two seconds remained to avoid a head-on collision, and that was far too little.

Mullokk gazed with an iron gaze at the holo-screen hastily stabilizing above his desk, which vividly displayed the full extent of the looming disaster.

His eyeballs began to water as Paurusheya reduced speed to extremes of 1200 kilometers per second squared and simultaneously initiated a small slew that brought the Xxiin starship directly to port to MOOR.

Even for a member of an alien species like the Maul'aaf, they bore some resemblance to Earth's baboons, it was a more than disconcerting sight to see octopus-like tentacles detach themselves from Paurusheya's hull and rush whip-like toward the MOOR.

"Contact is being made. Please reverse course so the passenger can be taken over!"

The alien, female voice was transmitted to all compartments of the MOOR. It came directly from the alien ship.

Mullokk suddenly found himself on the defensive. However, before he could get any stupid ideas and take defensive measures on his part, the bulkhead to his workroom opened and Alethea entered very confidently and unprompted.

"I'm being picked up, you heard. I won't have to take advantage of your hospitality any longer!" 

In the earth system of 2269

Alethea was on the return flight to Earth.

Everything seemed like a dream to her at first. She would see Sigurd again in less than 25 hours. That was all that mattered.

She wanted to contact the MBF as soon as possible. After she entered Paurusheya through one of a tentacle's makeshift airlocks, the Xxiin spaceship immediately went to overlight.

Alethea entered the control center just a few minutes later.

"A subspace link to Earth will not be successful for at least 20 hours," came the ship's brain response to Alethea's first question.

The ship had not been able to answer the question about Sigurd's whereabouts. That was already unusual for Alethea.

Of course, she had expected that he would contact Paurusheya immediately after his arrival.

Something in her reasoning was rotten. So, she had to be patient for another 20 hours or so.

This was devilishly difficult for her. After the long time that had passed after Sigurd's disappearance, the last hours until the reunion seemed to drag like rubber. She had to distract herself.

"What is the situation in the Earth system? What is the political, economic situation? How are things on MAITRI?"

The ship began to transmit a whole jumble of data to her.

Alethea literally pounced on the information. She did not even notice that she unconsciously hoped to find Sigurd's name somewhere in the messages and explanations.

Calgulla took a short, deep breath. After the Xxiin spaceship Paurusheya had left the MAITRI station on the moon Serk without giving an explanation in a kind of 'night and fog action' as the humans would say, more than a day ago, the radio call now came more than unexpected.

Alethea reported as naturally as if she had never left the Earth system.

"Calgulla, I am glad to see you back safe and sound. I am on my way to Earth's solar system and will arrive in about five hours. May I speak to Sigurd? Unfortunately, the ship's brain of the Paurusheya could not give me any more information about Sigurd's whereabouts. I assume you are better informed about this."

Calgulla furrowed his brow. This was a habit he had picked up from humans.

With his hairless skull, however, it seemed very exaggerated.

"I, too, greet you, Alethea. It is good to know that you are well. However, I cannot logically place your question about Sigurd. He was lost with you after the massive explosion of the Mages' Hemisphere, and I assume you know better about his whereabouts."

Communication was going on via the central screen of the MBF ship RECON, so Calgulla could clearly see Alethea's now oversized forehead, which was also crinkled.

"You don't know anything about Sigurd's return to the solar system?"

"No, why should I? What's going on here, Alethea? I thought you were going to be on the Paurusheya together."

It took a while for Alethea to digest this information and regain her composure.

Calgulla could clearly see from her facial features that she was downright upset.

"Paurusheya will be landing at the MIRACLE spaceport. Please be so kind as to meet me there. We need to talk urgently. Sigurd fell through a black hole and has apparently been missing ever since."

The connection was broken from their side, the central screen of the RECON had gone dark for a moment before it lit up again, reflecting the building front of MIRACLE where the ship was currently located.

In Calgulla's mind, her last words still linger.

It seemed that while Alethea and Sigurd had escaped the dastardly attack of the Living Program, after that she had expected an odyssey that probably had not ended so smoothly, at least not for Sigurd Westall.

"We're going to put out a new edition, even if that Mellran with the strange name of Calgulla objects!"

Francis Eron Fuller, editor-in-chief at SORAYYE Publishing, thundered his fist on the desk made of light metal so that it resounded loudly and audibly throughout the room.

His office was in the highest tower of the capital of the central continent of Ištar, Ishtar City on the planet of the Earth Union called Venus. Fuller was a typical choleric.

He abruptly jumped up from his chair, stomped both feet firmly on the floor and moved jerkily toward the window front.

The office was on the 36th floor and thus in the upper third of the building.

"Betrayal of secrets, my ass. After all, the adventures of Sigurd Westall had already appeared in the 1st edition. The MAF series had been a complete success. And now the best was yet to come; unpublished manuscripts had surfaced. Apparently, the then owner of the SORAYYE publishing house had not had a good grip on her editors. For the reissue, however, the find was an extraordinary stroke of luck."

Fuller's thought processes were running at full speed. Unfortunately, he had not been able to find out where the author was now.

There was also no information about the MbF, and the head of this association seemed to be stonewalling anyway.

In the meantime, he had already sent twenty-two reporters after Sigurd Westall, but even after two weeks still without any success.

He drummed with both hands, which were clenched into fists, several times against the energetically reinforced windowpane.

"I'm not going to let a deal like this just slip through my fingers."

A picture call slowed him down. It was Kreztma, a very capable reporter who was particularly devoted to him.

Immediately, there was a flash of hope in Fuller's eyes.

"Yes, what is it?"

"I have received information that the former spaceship of Sigurd Westall has landed on the spaceport MIRACLE. The only passenger is said to be a certain Alethea!"

Fuller listened up. This Alethea, wasn't she Sigurd's partner in his stories?

"Hold on. I want you to set up an interview with her. Maybe we'll find out where this Westall guy is staying."

Things were moving in just the right direction.

Calgulla met Alethea at the lower one-man airlock of the Xxiin ship.

When Alethea recognized him, she stopped short and took a big breath.

"Calgulla, you wouldn't believe how happy I am to see a familiar face!"

Calgulla nodded briefly. He had picked up this gesture from the humans.

"We were all very affected after the attack happened. We didn't know what had happened to you and Sigurd in the first place."

"Yes, it's a long story. Unfortunately, their outcome doesn't seem to have turned out happy, at least not for Sigurd. I guess he's gone missing. I'll have to digest that first. I had so much expected to meet him again safe and sound here in the Earth system. But when I think about it carefully, the facts were against it from the start, only I didn't want to admit it."

Alethea was downright devastated, Calgulla could clearly read that in her body language.

"We should talk about everything first. Come with me over to RECON. There you can tell me about your shared experiences. We have good scientists in the MBF organization that we can put on Sigurd's trail, if there are any."

Calgulla pointed with an outstretched arm to the MBF ship standing about 250 meters away.

Alethea followed him silently. Normally, crossing the landing field by foot was not allowed.

However, Calgulla enjoyed a special position, and he was also considered very responsible. After all, he was the head of the MFG in this solar system.

The walk did Alethea good and the fresh breeze on the landing field promoted her well-being.

About a kilometer to the east, a passenger spacecraft was landing.

The resulting vortex of air reached her only a few seconds after the ship touched down. It was not without danger, but then they were already in the slipstream of the RECON.

The walk had been silent.

As they stood at the lowest airlock of the MBF ship, Calgulla said, "The RECON is currently serving as headquarters for the organization. The office wing in Ishtar City is being remodeled, which is another way of saying upgraded."

The outer bulkhead opened, and they entered the ship.

"What do you mean?"

"After a whole series of attacks on the MBF office last year, our physicist Doctor Ravel came up with some technical gimmicks to better protect the staff."

Alethea had stopped short and looked at Calgulla in irritation.

"There have been attacks. Who, how...?" Calgulla interrupted her even as she started.

"That's water under the bridge. But I would at least invite Doctor Isaiah Ravel to join our conversation, if you don't mind. He might even provide valuable physical data. Also, my deputy Saalbuck should be there as well. All right?"

"Yeah, yeah, no problem!"

Alethea's mind was not on the matter, Calgulla noticed immediately.

He was now more than eager to hear what she had to report, especially about Sigurd's whereabouts.

Calgulla's office wing was located directly on the deck above the bridge. From here there was also an emergency connection that could immediately transport him by antigrav down to the central control console.

Just outside the entrance bulkhead, they encountered MBF agent Severin Kotchesko.

She immediately greeted them respectfully and replied to Calgulla's astonished expression, "Saalbuck asked me to join you!"

This was already waiting in Calgulla's study for those entering. Also present was Doctor Isaiah Ravel, a scientist and physicist.

"May I ask you to take a seat."

Calgulla pointed to the seating located in the room next to his desk console, which was grouped around a holographic protection panel.

The holo-projector was deactivated so that all presents could look each other in the eye.

"The occasion for this meeting, which was called on short notice, is briefly the information from Alethea about the disappearance of Sigurd Westall," Calgulla opened the round of talks.

"I know it sounds like wishful thinking, but Sigurd is alive, of that I am quite certain. We just must find a way to get to him!"

Alethea's thoughts were again very erratic now.

Calgulla first tried to get common basic information for all to understand.

"Alethea, the best thing will be for you to first give us a rough account of the events of your disappearance."

While the MBF agent and Calgulla's representative only listened intently to the explanations, Doctor Ravel began to take notes on the digital memory he had brought with him after only a few minutes.

For him, the described physical processes were uncharted territory, and he did not want to lose a single piece of information, no matter how small.

"This so-called Gravo designer actually created a black hole artificially, and in his lab?"

Doctor Ravel was downright stunned when Alethea reported Saviier.

"Yes, he did. I think in this respect he was decades ahead even of the scientists of his people. That was also one of the reasons why we accepted his statements without contradiction!"

"That is inconceivable. What kind of energy did he use to contain the extreme gravitational pull? Surely the gravitational pull must be so immense that the black hole engulfs everything around it."

"There was some kind of energetic protective field, that's all I can say about it!"

Alethea looked from one to the other.

"And Sigurd actually just entrusted himself to such a juggernaut?"

Saalbuck couldn't believe it. After all, it was immediately obvious to any common sense that a black hole was a serious source of danger. No one would voluntarily put themselves in such danger.

"We were desperate. Sigurd's body was on the verge of exitus, you must understand. His body nanites were disintegrating. They could already no longer properly perceive important organ functions. It was only a matter of hours before Sigurd would inevitably die."

Alethea tried to present a justification where none was needed at all. Calgulla immediately made that clear as well.

"I think that in such a situation, one no longer acts rationally, but clings to every last straw. After all, it wasn't just about a transfer to a new location, but also about the preservation or renewal of Sigurd's body, or am I completely wrong about that?"

"No, you're hitting right at the heart of the issue. I think Saviier also raised exactly this hope in us, that after passing through the black hole, Sigurd's body would stabilize again."

Alethea's statement caused goosebumps on Severin Kotchesko's back.

"Then wouldn't it be appropriate to fly back with the Paurusheya and talk turkey with Saviier?"

Calgulla looked questioningly at the agent.

"I meant talk straight with him, straightforwardly address him about the situation at that time to get more information regarding the black hole," she added to her casual remark.

"Yes, that would be one way to get more knowledge," Doctor Ravel affirmed.

"What good would that really do? I don't see any added value in this to clarify Sigurd's whereabouts. Besides, Saviier won't volunteer any more information to me than he already has. The relationship between us is so fractured that no reasonable conversation would be possible. On top of that, we would hardly be able to verify his possible explanations and would be right back where we are now."

Alethea looked around. But no one seemed to have any further suggestions.

The dismayed faces of all presents spoke volumes.

"I don't think there is any doubt that Sigurd has not arrived on Earth or anywhere else in the solar system. Thus, the whole problem of his disappearance stands or falls with the passage through the black hole, that is, with the physical nature of the black hole used," Severin Kotchesko summarized again.

"I'm sticking with it, Alethea. You need to go back to Omega Centauri and get more information from this Saviier regarding the black hole he artificially created."

The discussion began to go around in circles. Alethea, however, was distracted by another side. Paurusheya reported directly into her mind via the mental-telepathic genetics that existed between the two of them.

"Contact has been made by Princess Xyaala. She requests to speak with you."

Alethea immediately thought of Sigurd. Did the Xxiin perhaps know where he was?

Had he contacted them because he was in a predicament and only, they could help him? Her imagination began to run away with her.

"Tell her we will meet in the ship in half an hour Earth time," she gave the mental-telepathic instruction.

None of those present got anything out of the short communication on the mental level.

They were even more surprised when Alethea unceremoniously declared the conversation over and stood up.

"Are you giving up so easily? Alethea let's look for other possibilities. I think there are bound to be other ways. We just need to try a little harder and think through every little detail."

Calgullas had also stood up and his fixed gaze briefly brushed Severin Kotchesko. "No, we're not going to get anywhere like this. But I agree with you. There must be other ways. I just haven't found them yet."

Ishtar City Planet Venus

Near the capital of the central continent Ištar was New Paradise, the largest recreation area of the planet Venus.

Here also stood the fortress TRISHARANA. It was by now completely populated by the Xxiin people.

When the spaceship Paurusheya returned to the native solar system of Earth, its arrival was of course immediately reported to the former Xxiin stations TRISHARANA and MAITRI, including Alethea's presence on board.

Thus, the Xxiin Princess Xyaala also received this information.

She was eager to learn more about the experiences of Alethea and Sigurd.

In particular, she was interested in the events surrounding Ish'all, the Keeper of the Incomprehensible Force, as Sigurd was still called by the Xxiin stations and likewise by the resident population of Xxiin.

He had once given them a new home here in the Earth system, together with the space nanites, after their home planet Xelio had been devastated by superior enemies.

Now it seemed that he himself was in great danger and needed help.

The Xxiin people were still in his debt, and now was the time to repay at least part of it. Princess Xyaala immediately contacted the Paurusheya.

Alethea had rather a split relationship with the Xxiin and this even though her body was made of organic nanites, as were the Xxiin. She had just re-entered the Paurusheya when Princess Xyaala arrived. Alethea unceremoniously began to recount once again, albeit in a slimmed-down form, her experiences in the ANUN'HA planetary system.

"So Ish'all went through the black hole and disappeared," the Xxiin summarized without further ado the narrative that lasted almost half an hour.

"What makes you think that an artificially created black hole, could mean a direct path to this solar system?"

Princess Xyaala's question caught Alethea completely off guard.

"This assumption was based mainly on the remarks of Gravo designer Saviier, a renowned Akkattarian scientist."

The assumption of a stranger was enough to expose Sigurd's life to a completely unknown danger?"

"No, not only. Sigurd was almost in despair when his body nanites began to die off. They gradually ceased important bodily functions. The passage was meant to counteract the deterioration."

Alethea saw herself more and more cornered, as if Princess Xyaala wanted to blame her alone for the disappearance or possibly the death of Sigurd.

"Again, just an assumption, isn't it?"

"There were no other options left to him in the short time he had."

Alethea had to try to get off the defensive. She was wondering by now anyway why Princess Xyaala sought her out at all, when all that came from her side were accusations.

"Can the Xxiin help me? Are there any reliable data sets, analyses, or other scientific sources that can provide more information about how a black hole works?"

Alethea expected a clear statement from the princess and was more than surprised when instead a comment rang out from the entrance bulkhead, "Kohraoll, a renowned astronomer of my people may be able to tell you more about this. He is currently on Earth and lecturing at various universities. I have invited him to RECON. His specialty is black holes."

Calgulla had entered the control center unnoticed and now continued toward her seat.

It was a small recess next to the commander's control panel.

Here, light beige seating was grouped in a semicircle. Alethea and Princess Xyaala sat there opposite each other.

The Xxiin ignored Calgulla's appearance and in turn replied, "The Xxiin people have never been concerned with such mundane matters. Rather, our strengths lie in spiritual, mental dimensions."

For her part, Alethea ignored Xyaala's remark and turned to Calgulla.

"The MBF can always be counted on. Thank you, Calgulla. I want to learn more about black holes as soon as possible."

She was glad that Calgulla had not let up and had taken the initiative on his own, and of course that he had appeared here and now.

"That's wasted time you'd better spend. I don't think you'll find Sigurd that way. You should put much more emphasis on the fact that there are special abilities inherent in his mind that guide him. Only these abilities can save him from his final downfall. Here is the starting point for a possible approach to finding him. The black hole is meaningless."

Princess Xyaala had risen from her seat while still speaking.

"I will first accept Calgulla's invitation," Alethea replied. With that, the fronts were settled. The Xxiin left the room without a greeting.

Kreztma, reporter of the SORAYYE publishing house, was on his way to the administration building of the spaceport.

From the long, floor-to-ceiling windows of the foyer he had just entered, he could already make out the starship Paurusheya.

He had, of course, read up on the Xxiin ship beforehand. Its typical tentacle-like appendages were still clearly visible even when retracted and rolled up.

"I urgently need information on the whereabouts of the pilot of the Paurusheya starship!"

The human employee behind the information desk looked up in astonishment.

"What do you want? Who are you, anyway? What authorization do you have to obtain such information?"

Now it was Kreztma's turn to look astonished.

"I didn't know this was a restricted military area," he tried to joke, then showed his digital reporter's badge.

"I'd like to speak to the Xxiin Alethea!"

The employee behind the counter raised her eyebrows. "That's not so easy. She's been taken to RECON. I guess the MBF has taken the initiative here. I can try to make contact, but that's about it. Wait, please!"

Kreztma puffed somewhat resignedly.

He knew that the head of the MBF was not an easy man to deal with. This was also confirmed to him immediately.

"I'm sorry, but the MBF is declining to meet with Alethea at this time. Tell them to get back to us in a few days!"

The SORAYYE Publishing reporter, however, did not give up so easily.

Kreztma quietly grumbled to himself several times but was already going over other possibilities in his mind on the way out to get to Alethea after all.

Editor-in-Chief Fuller demanded that he give him a success report.

"Just a little interview," as it had been put.

He had no choice at all but to bend the legality a little. In any case, he now knew where this Alethea was.

He immediately went to the operating facility of the spaceport's 'supply engineering' department.

There he knew a technician whose help he now intended to use.

It would be ridiculous if he did not get on board the RECON without an invitation.

Mark Slowak, the technician, could provide him with everything he needed. It didn't take an hour and he had the workwear including all the equipment of a technician of the spaceport facility on his body, of course with the corresponding ID code.

This was an integral part of the workwear and a prerequisite for him to be able to move freely within the spaceport premises.

In fact, he was now able to pass through the digital access barrier to the landing field without any problems.

From the tower, the central administration building, the landing field had been well to overlook.

Now, however, after he had taken the first steps onto the launch and landing field, the real extent and size became apparent.

The average size of the ships in parking position here was about 250 meters long and 150 meters wide.

There were also spherical shapes with flattened poles, hulls shaped like cylinders, and cone-shaped ships.

Just then, one of these conical ships set down for landing. Kreztma did not know which species had built such a ship.

In any case, it did not belong to the Terran fleet, he knew for sure.

The takeoff and landing field was taboo for him. It was much too dangerous there anyway. His eyes roamed over the huge spaceport area, while he tried to orient himself.

The RECON had to be on the separate parking field.

It was one thing to know what the ship looked like on a digital monitor and what its dimensions were.

The other was reality. These spaceships reached an average height of over 250 meters.

He had to put his head in the neck already from two kilometers, in order to regard such a ship from the ground.