Danger rises
In light of the recent advances made in the field of sub-space travel, we must consider the consequences. General Melton saw fit to release information concerning the project, and the contents astounded many. I won't bother recounting them, but we must ask ourselves, Just how far are we willing to break the laws of nature before they break back?
-excerpt from "protecting nature", a short article by Johnathon bard.
The Comitan had just finished refueling above jupiter. Today was a great day; the day they would test sub-space travel. Now there were several complaints surfacing about the method used to travel in between dimensions. Most of these complaints come from critics who have their head too far up their ass to know anything, but they roused the public nonetheless. And in looking off the bridge of the Comitan, Admiral Servick remembered he was sent here for the express purpose of disproving these theories.
He had to admit, the Idea of traveling through the sup-space method was unnerving. He continued thinking about what would happen if they traveled to a universe they couldn't comprehend, a true materialization of Lovecraftian folk lore. A universe filled with random buildings of non-euclidean geometry and monsters that could drive a man insane from looking at them. This was absurd, of course. Such a creature couldn't exist without us knowing. Still, the much more rational belief came up that; what if instead of finding horrible monsters, we found a civilization far beyond our technological comprehension?
These thoughts were dismissed as anxiety by high command. If such a civilization came up, good ol' american ingenuity would see them through. Hell, maybe we could offer them some apple pie and a nice game of baseball?
"Sir?"
Servik's X.O. interrupted his train of thought, and he began to reprimand him. Upon turning around, however, he found general melton staring back at him, next to the nervous X.O. Had he been a civilian, he would have said something regarding the General's appearance on his ship. However, Servick saluted, keeping to military tradition
"At ease, admiral. I am not like the generals of old. I wish to see through this project, whether it should save me or kill me."
So he saw the surprise in Servick's face. As Servick spouted out monotone reply, he wondered if the General had some sort of natural face-reading ability.
"Shall we start up the ripper, sir?"
General melton must have sensed his anxiety, or he was being sarcastic, because he calmingly replied; "Whenever you're ready"
Servick barked out a few orders, and in moments rumbling from the bowels of the ship could be heard as The Ripper roared to life. As Servick monitored the heating levels, thoughts forced their way back in. Doubts about the safety of such an operation. He quickly forced them back down and ordered the final process begun. Several minutes later, a large device slightly resembling a missle launched towards a pre-defined location. When it was a safe distance away, it fantastically exploded. From the outside, it looked as though the ship was being sucked into a black hole. And these last thoughts passed through his head as the tunnel closed behind him.
Sorry it was so short.
Changing weather
In response to the outrageous claims by the Commonwealth government; I have not, am not, and will never have possesion of thermo-nuclear waepons. This is a field banned by the union, and is only acceptable for traveling through tunnel-space. And rest assured, Unlike my russian brethren, I do not go back on my word.
- October 2057 State of the union address
Autumn was in the air. It was present in shape more than form, as it never got cold enough in Deluth. It was never cold enough, at least not cold enough to kill the kudzu patches growing in random spurts Along the dirt road Garret resided on. As he drove further down the road, moving through the rough spots of sunlight filtering down through the trees, he wondered if it had ever gotten colder than ten degrees in Georgia. Cold enough to snow, but not more than once a year.
As he came into view of the city square, he began to wonder what it would be like to live in upstate New York. Those places always seemed like a requiem to him. Snow drifting down silently as people go about their buisness. But not in Georgia. In georgia, there were two sections of the year; when it was hot enough to melt the very fabric of your being, and when it was cold enough to freeze hell several times over.
Further thoughts were interrupted by a quiet chime coming from the phone. Upon answering, he was greeted by a cold, effecient voice.
"lieutenant Garret?"
"Yes?" Garret answered, sounding non-chalantly as possible.
"Your presence is needed at the Pentagon. Further briefing will be given upon arrival."
"Understood"
His thoughts began to wander as he pondered how he was going to get to such a location, but he remembered that president Noland always figured these things out. There was still the issue of just what would be urgent enough to require his services at the Pentagon. Of course. he thought, It's that bastard Servick.
Admiral Servick was the commandant of the "Sub-space exploration fleet", A group of ships commisioned to map out the tunnelways between dimensions. This would mean that either; Servick went to far, and discovered something he shouldn't have, or the more likely option, he needs military support because he is about to do such a thing.
Pansy marines, He thought brashly, They need the army to help them accomplish anything useful.
-_-_-_-_-
Garret finally arrived in the conference room fifteen minutes late. Not that it mattered, his status in the army meant he could slide past security easily. As he looked up from the tablet he was jotting down some notes on, he saw the biggest smart ass in the entire chain of command.
Admiral Servick.
They had a run in during the second civil war of '56. Garret was his CO, and all of the memories he has of Servick is of him Mocking him. Now, however, the shoe is on the other foot. Isn't that what most drill Sergeants encouraged? Rising up in the chain of command so that you could spit in your worse enemy's face?
"Punctual as usual, Lieutenant."
In his pondering, he hardly noticed Servick walk up to him. And i the perfect monotony that every soldier has beaten into him, Garret snapped to and saluted.
"How's the wife?"
Garret did not budge.
"At ease. Now hows about that wife?"
"don't have one sir."
"ah... Right... Must have gotten you mixed up with someone else..."
"Sir, if I may ask, why are we having this meeting?"
Directing him to a chair, the Admiral replied; "Sit down, let me explain."
Admiral Servick brought up a map on the giant screen present in the conference room. the screen was split into levels, each level connected by a thin string of lines.
"This," Admiral Servick pointed to the middle level, "Is us. Our dimension. Our home. These thin tunnels are what connects all of the different dimensions."
"alternate dimensions" Garret pointed out.
"Yes, alternate dimensions. Now, when we use the Ripper to open the hole to one of the tunnels, there's always a chance that we open up the... In between space."
"Void-space?"
"Exactly. There's always a chance we might accidentally tear a hole into a void. Do you know how many times this has happened, Lieutenant?"
"None?"
"Seven. We've torn a hole into the void seven times. One of these was in the tunnels-
"Death space."
"Yes, Nether space was the first time it happened. Since then, we have opened six dimensions to the onslaught of the void denizens."
"Aryans."
Goosebumps ran up Garret's skin simply mentioning the winged monstrousities. They tore apart the S.S. Gettysburg like it was cardboard, using weapons far beyond our scope of technology.
"Not just Aryans, Eldritch abomonations of geometries that can't exist. Our fist and only foray into the void was eaten by a giant space squid. The void isn't just dangerous, Lieutenant, It's downright deadly.
Then it clicked inside of is mind. "You opened a hole into the void, didn't you?"
"See, Lieutenant, That's the real question."
One more part incoming for chapter one.
Author
Topic: Gambit- a story based off of a universe in my head. (Read 1013 times)