Sonic the Hedgehog "The Temporal Syndrome" by Shawn Wolski [Prologue] The author will accept questions and comments via E-mail at the following address: n5una@mail.utexas.edu Sonic the Hedgehog and other associated characters are based on the creations of Service and Games (Sega), Archie Comic Publications, and the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons (Saturday morning issue) created by DIC and Sega of America. Bookshire Draftwood and Cmdr. Packbell are the exclusive creations of David Pistone (rotor@primenet.com). This work is protected under various copyright laws. The author grants his permission for free distribution, under the premise that the work retains its original format. No other utilization of the following work, monetary or otherwise, is permitted. 500 million years ago, on the planet Cassandra, a planet far from Mobius.... It was near dawn in Pandora City, capital of the continent Vulpecula in Cassandra's NW hemisphere. The light from the star Arcania gradually rose above the horizon with a yellow-red glare, casting it's color over the city like a thick blanket. For the fox citizens that lived in the city and the rest of the continent, it nearly time to go inside, away from the light that they would otherwise be enjoying. They knew that darkness was their sole sanctuary now, for the ozone layer over Cassandra had nearly been depleted. The continent Vulpecula and the other continent in the NE hemisphere, Vulpes Prime, had been at war for over 30 years. Operation Merger, the unofficial name of the war, was one to annihilate all prejudice between the Reds (red foxes on Vulpecula) and the Grays (gray foxes on Vulpes Prime). The intended ultimate result was to end the prejudice by destroying the other race. The basic philosophy was: no other race, no hate-crimes. Operation Merger started out in a rather primitive fashion (compared to the technology that was available at the time) with chemical weapons that wrecked havoc on the atmosphere's ozone layer and caused global chaos. Nearly all the arable land on Cassandra was lost to Arcania's increased radiation input to the planet's biosphere, leaving the people to starve and the biologists mad at work to find ways to alter the food crops for adaptation to the UV and IR rays. About ten years after the beginning of Operation Merger, the two superpowers agreed to use only advanced technology in the war, attempting to prevent any further losses. But not even the energy weapons could stop the chemical plague in the atmosphere. Work had begun in the 12th year of the war to revitalize the ozone layer, but to this day the procedures used had only been a partial success. However, today was not only a day of retreat to the sheltered coves. It was also a day of hope and expectancy. For this day was one that would go down in history for the Reds and the Grays. The two superpowers agreed to end the war and start working out their social differences in more peaceful ways. Prime Vixen Vala Andros of the Reds and Ambassador Falina Wren of the Grays agreed to begin the major series of peace talks after taking care of some unfinished business. The unfinished business in their minds was the removal of the ultimate weapon and the technical data required to construct and maintain it from Cassandra. The device would then be sent by an automatic probe into Arcania. The Red and Gray superpowers worked together to remove this devastating monster from Cassandra: the Reds supplied the weapon and technological data (it was their design), and the Grays supplied the ion drive system for the probe. To insure that the probe arrived to the star, an auxiliary dimensional warp drive was installed by the Reds. After the procedure was complete, the peace talks would begin. Vala stood naked by the East Sector window, in her executive habitation room of the Prime Lineage Home, located in the center of Pandora City. She scanned slowly over the visible areas that she could see of Pandora City. There wasn't much to see at this hour of the day, since it was right before dawn and her windows had the mandatory UV/IR filtering tint sheets on the window interiors and exteriors, but the Prime Vixen saw enough to set the mood for her day. The eastern area of the city was nearly halfway destroyed, since the major military technological factories and bases were located there. Reports indicated that the attacks on those installations were conducted by a large baryon particle weapons satellite from space. It was a small comfort that the weapons array was not aimed at any of the civilian provinces. So far. 'This war has been such a waste for both of our peoples,' Vala thought to herself. 'It will take decades, maybe centuries at least, to rebuild what we have both lost. But it will be done.' She put more determination into that last thought than she ever thought she had under the circumstances, but it didn't hurt to be hopeful in these trying times. She was startled from the universe of her thoughts to those of the physical universe by a soft whistle. It was from one of her personal communications panels on the wall. She walked over to it, noticing the video display showed her faithful Prime Family Aide, Marcus Devrom. Vala was about to press the "Return Access" key; however, after taking stock of the situation she was currently in, she pressed the "Audio TX Only" key. It wasn't exactly good form to present yourself to your aides when you weren't arrayed with the proper attire. "Yes, Marcus. What is it?" Vala tried to say in a calm, composed voice, but failed at the attempt. She knew that Marcus would understand the reason she decided not to acknowledge him with a video transmission from her node; it wasn't the first time. Marcus, however, spoke with a calm voice and a straight face that belied his humor in the situation. "Prime Vixen Vala, I have received a message from Ambassador Falina Wren's aide. The Ambassador wishes to speak to you about Operation Excommunicate and about the preliminary plans for the peace conference." "Very well, then. Send a message to Ambassador Wren's aide that I will be ready to discuss the matters in about fifteen minutes." Vala managed to regain her composure that time. "Yes, Your Honor." The video imager blacked out a second later. Vala let out a sigh of partial relief. Trying to stay as confident and commanding as possible isn't always easy under potentially embarrassing conditions. Not one to permanently harp on these subject matters, Vala put the incident out of her mind and set about making herself more acceptable for public view. The transmission would be broadcast on every conceivable communications frequency available on Cassandra, both audio and video. Vala walked over to her wardrobe, searching for something that would be "ambassadorial", giving her people and the Grays a feeling of power and reassurance. Let's see: the black, red, green, violet, or do I need new clothes? Good, found the right dress. Blue brings out my eye color. And, ouch! is hair cantankerous at times like these when you really have to look your best. Where are those medals? Under the bed, yes. Now for the.....did I forget anything? No. The fifteen minutes past faster than Vala had anticipated, but she was prepared to speak to all the Cassandrans a few seconds before one of her communications panels gave the long-awaited signal. Marcus was visible again. "Your Honor, Ambassador Falina Wren is now waiting for your reply." Vala pressed the "Return Access" key and said in her best Prime Vixen voice, "Reroute her transmission to this panel." Ambassador Falina Wren appeared on the video display about two seconds later. "Greetings, Prime Vixen Vala Andros." The Prime Vixen displayed her obligatory (but well-intended) respect toward her counterpart. "Greetings Ambassador Falina Wren. I look forward to initiating the main peace conference with you." "As do I with you, Prime Vixen. I have received a notice from Operation Excommunicate Coordinate Operations Corps that the weapon has been loaded onto the probe, and it's now in geosynchronous orbit. Are you prepared to commence your phase of the operation?" Falina looked at Vala expectantly. "I am prepared to do so," Vala decreed confidently. "Begin Phase Two of Operation Excommunicate." Phase Two involved the probe's ion drive prestart and ignition. Both ambassadors and their constituents watched their vidscreens with an intensity tangible enough to be cut with a phased neutron beam. About three seconds later, a brief discharge came from the drive exhaust. The ion propulsion system slowly accumulated the required energy to displace itself from its orbital position with Cassandra. Five long minutes later, the probe had sufficient thrust to exit orbital space and cross into interplanetary space in order to arrive at its destination. The planetary and orbital support crews made exacting checks on the heading of the probe, for the fate of Cassandra hinged on the fate of the probe. The crews were apparently in unanimous agreement that the probe was on course, for it kept moving in the same direction, unaltered by external command protocols. A collective sigh of relief spread throughout the Cassandran population. This was the first cooperative effort between the Reds and Grays for over 30 years, and they have nearly accomplished a common goal. "Well, Prime Vixen," said Falina, "up to now the operation has been a success. I think it's time to start considering what terms we should discuss." "I agree," Vala voiced with determination. "First of all, I wish to-" Vala broke off her statement in midsentence, eyeing the vidscreen with nervous and frightened intensity. And with good reason. For on the video displays accross Cassandra, the probe's ion drive disengaged without authorization from the support crews. Three seconds later, the dimensional warp nacelles had a more intense field of blue light around them. They flashed for a millisecond. The probe was off course, heading out of the solar system as fast as its dimension warp propulsion system could take it. On Cassandra and its artificial satellites, jaws dropped with shock as the event took place. Shock was soon replaced by anger from the Grays. Falina displayed her anger, as well as the collective anger of her constituents, toward Vala. "Vala! Did you think that you could insult my intelligence for so long?! How would I know that you were sending a long-range automatic probe to your military space outposts?! You have dishonored me, Vala! Just as you have dishonored yourself and your aristocratic people!" Vala tried to get a few words in, to soothe Falina and explain how it was all a mistake. However, the communications channel closed before anything could be said. Vala took a last look at the city with a dreadful resolve. For she knew what would take place in the next few seconds, and no power in the universe could prevent it. The ultimate reprisal had begun. Vala could almost hear the military satellites repositioning their weapons at major cities and other sites on Cassandra. Phased neutron beams flashed through the vacuum of space to the biosphere of the planet. All the molecules in the cities and surrounding areas were broken, their bonding shattered from exposure to the intense neutron bombardment. There was no time for any last words or thoughts; only time for destruction throughout Cassandra. In the exchange, a satellite malfunctioned, and increased its weapons power. The phaser plowed through the crust, mantle, and finally the core. This disrupted the core's stability, sending massive quakes through the planet. The instability increased until the core fragmented, sending hot metallic shrapnel through the overlying layers. What was a planet became a collection of planetesimals. Cassandra and its inhabitants were destroyed. Unknown to the Cassandrans, the accident on the probe was caused by a disrupted power transfer from the ion drive system. Apparently, the construction crews underestimated the amount of shielding required for the power transfer conduits. One of the ion drive conduits was too close to the warp drive power control system. When the conduit broke its shielding and arced, the warp power system received an unintended power influx. The information came too late for the Cassandrans. They were extinct long before the cause was recovered from a place far away, in both space and time. * * * Trials of time... Five-hundred million years later, the automatic probe remained as the only surviving evidence that the Cassandrans ever existed. Ironically, the very act of the probe (however accidental) saving itself from doom destroyed an entire race. If the probe had even a vestige of emotion for what its act had done, it might consider itself lucky. In a span of time that organic lifeforms have great difficulty in comprehending, the probe had left its home system and arrived at another place, far from the planet of lifeforms that wished to destroy it and its lethal cargo. The probe had, in its own way, accomplished a great deal, even if only for the sake of survival. However, survival didn't come without a cost. Over time, major systems that insured the proper operation and integrity of the probe were disabled by decay or damage from the primal span of space. After about two years in warp space, the probe's navigational shield generator lost the power connection to the shield array. What started at that point (and continued through the operational lifespan of the probe) was an incessant barrage orchestrated on the probe by the universe. The once pristine metaliceramic case became pitted by the bombardment of hydrogen ions, dust, and other interstellar material. The probe's computer decreased the probe's velocity to sublight (.05 c), but the pelting continued. The probe suffered other attacks besides dust. About 250 million years into its journey to nowhere in particular, the probe came a little too close to a supernova. The shockwave didn't rupture the hull, but it did commit severe damage to the aft sensor array. The probe engaged warp drive to escape from the anticipated carnage that would ensue, but not without becoming partially blind first. Unknown to the probe, engaging warp drive at this point would cause more damage than the supernova itself would. For the probe was still in the proximity of the leading energy wave, and a warp engagement here under any circumstances was hazardous. The lead energy wave intensified over the warp nacelles, to the point of rupturing the field control inductors. Plasma from the damaged nacelles funneled back toward the matter/antimatter reactant core, then back to the nacelles. Energy cycled back and forth through the plasma/energy transfer system. The result: an short-lived isostatic energy state. The probe shot away from the exploding star with a newfound speed, staying in warp space for about two days. Resulting damage: loss of maneuvering thrusters, moderate damage to the computer core, and warp power conduit coolant loss to space. After the probe's computers managed to regain control of the probe, the warp core and all associated hardware were jettisoned to prevent any unexpected warp engagement, leaving the probe with an ion drive as its sole means of propulsion and power. The probe was safe, but not for very long. Five million years ago, the probe lost its forward sensor array and the ion drive. It drifted through space, blind and powerless. The probe became the playtoy of gravitational forces that eventually aimed it toward an unassuming star system in an unknown region of space. The probe entered the system, being tossed about repeatedly by the planets. The probe apparently thought that it should take out its frustrations on the unseen offenders. On the next gravitational pull, the probe twisted so that it would be parallel to the enemy. The probe fell straight into the gravitational field, but this would be the last one to torment it. * * * [To be continued...]