Garden at the End of the Universe
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Captain Edith Tan lost no time in joining the Clarity Space; she was already waiting outside the airlock by the time we had got all the berthing clamps secured and the access tube connected up. Clearly the Captain was in a hurry. The Clarity Space undocked in the usual way and set off for the Constellation, the navigation systems having no difficulty whatsoever in plotting a suitable course so that Michael merely had to monitor the progress. I kept my eyes on the screens which reported the operation of the inertia suppression systems; everything seemed normal, parameter-centred. "Can we step on it a bit?" Captain Tan asked. "Yes, Ma'am," Michael reported, reaching for the appropriate controls. The subdued roar we were all familiar with grew louder; the indicated acceleration increased smoothly, with a corresponding increase in the operation of the artificial gravity. Suddenly there was a pressure on my chest, like a giant hand forcing me back into the padding of my seat. "What's going on?" Michael demanded, sounding distinctly alarmed. "The inertial suppression's not working," Adele said urgently, "We're feeling the effects of the ship's acceleration." With some effort, I reached for the inertia controls. The screens showed that all systems were reporting normal operation, aligned precisely with the increased acceleration. But that was not what I could feel - the telltales and readouts were not reporting the actual physical effects. "All systems are reporting normal," I said, "I don't know what's going on. I can’t explain it." It was only Captain Tan who seemed unsurprised. "Back off to three Gees," she commanded. Michael complied; things reverted to normal almost immediately. I breathed a sigh of relief as the effects I felt reverted to the system operation reported on my screens. "Unfortunately, I do know what's going on," the captain said, sounding resigned. "What is it, Captain?" I asked, still frantically checking the displays for some clue as to the unexpected behaviour. "It's those damn Gods, again," the captain snarled. I had never heard such an inarticulate noise from the normally composed Edith Tan before. "They've broken the inertial suppression mechanisms, deliberately, I'm sure," she went on, "It's another one of the bars in our cage, keeping us in the zoo. Maximum artificial gravity, 3.1 Gees. Enough for in-system exploration, especially if combined with G-suits. But nowhere near enough for inter-stellar travel, at least in timescales like to be acceptable." Tam took a deep breath, clearly attempting to regain some of her usual composure. "It was all part of the briefing that Captain Alan Chun sent through earlier," she went on, "An overlapping system of limitations designed to keep us here, permanently. I was just confirming what he told me." A thought occurred to me. "Captain, do you think this 3.1 Gees limitation is related to the appearance of the Maw on the Endurance? You'll remember that, even with huge amounts of reinforcement, this was the maximum acceleration we could achieve after that crack appeared." Tam thought for a moment. "Are you suggesting that the Maw the result of an attack?" she demanded. "I am suggesting that," I answered carefully, "And I personally am questioning everything we were told, or just assumed." The captain looked at me sharply. "I never did ask or even attempt to find out whether Henry's sacrifice to send a message was the reason that the Yelcho had arrived," I sighed, "I guess everybody just assume that the Yelcho was from Earth and did not question their motives." Adele had been following my remarks closely. "And then there's the coincidence of their ship's name," she said. "What do you mean?" I asked. "The original Endurance was a sailing ship which sank exploring the Antarctic ice, centuries ago," she explained "The crew was rescued by a tug called the Yelcho." Captain Tam frowned. "I didn't know that," she muttered, "So you think the whole situation was a setup, from the beginning, to get us all here?" Adele and I looked at each other. "Yes," we said in unison.
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Part 2