Unfolding Skies

An intriguing puzzle arises when we consider that the laws of physics treat matter and antimatter almost symmetrically. Why is it that the stars, dust, and everything else we observe are made of matter? If the cosmos began with equal amounts of matter and antimatter, where is the antimatter?

The Deathmobile approaches Faber College's reviewing stand:
Otter: Let's take the cheese.
D-Day: Ramming speed!

1.

Tuesday 21 May, 2030. 0930 hours. A Space Corps conference room at NASA Headquarters in Cape Canaveral:

Professor Justin Hemsley waited until his Advanced Astrophysics class of NASA and Space Corps veteran astronauts settled in their seats and ceased their chatter. He pressed a remote and a holographic image floated over a table in front of his desk. It formed a structure suggesting a stemless champagne flute lying on its side. "Any thoughts, officers?"

A dark haired slender man rose. "Colonel Alan Haynes, sir. It's a model of the accelerated expansion of the Universe following the Big Bang singularity. At the narrow end, we see its bright flash, followed by initial inflation stage, then expansion from the initial event. Circa 13.8 billion years ago, until today. Representations of forming and formed galaxies fill the rest of the glass."

"Excellent, Colonel Haynes. We know now from returning FTL drones that the expanding rim is not uniform. Why is that?"

Another officer stood. "Variable and unpredictable effects of dark matter and energy, sir. Some regions show slower advance, occasional recession and other rim irregularities due to factors as yet undetermined."

"Another excellent observation, Commander Anderson. Now, who can tell me where the effects of antimatter fit into this model?"

Silence.

A young woman officer cautiously arose. "Nobody knows, sir. The so-called antimatter universe is either nonexistent or unproven so far."

"Again, an excellent response, Lieutenant Commander Vickers. The reason for this meeting is this. You are all to undergo screening preparatory to Space Corps choosing a specialized team of astronauts. The project will investigate the instability of the Universe's expanding rim with respect to any possible dark energy and matter effects. You know that two unmanned faster than light Lynch Drive drones have returned from the rim. These have given us invaluable new data related to its instability. A third, however, is unaccounted for and presumed lost."

2.

Monday 14 April 2036:

Space Corps Commanding General Marcus Aurelius Millay's office:

The General scratched an ancient kitchen match across the sole of one boot and lit up an illegal Cuban Monte Cristo cigar. He tapped a key on his board to kill the smoke alarm, then inhaled and smiled with satisfaction. He perused sheets of hardcopy for several seconds while the officers stood at attention. "At ease, people. Please sit."

Colonel Alan Haynes and Major Caitlin O'keefe, a green-eyed, red-haired woman of Irish descent, relaxed and took chairs in front of the General's desk.

General Millay set the Monte Cristo aside in a green glass ashtray on his desk and smiled. "Congratulations, Officers. You have been chosen for the proposed FTL jaunt to the rim of the known Universe. Your familiarity with the Lynch Gravity Propulsion System was the deciding factor, Colonel Haynes. Your prior years as a U.S. Air Force test pilot cinched it."

"Couldn't have done it without my partner, Major O'Keefe, General. She figured out that new tachyon ultra long range communication system in less than a day."

O'Keefe's face reddened in a faint blush. "I detected some problem areas we must be aware of, General. In those areas where there is slower expansion or recession of the rim, interference by unknown factors could block or delay messages. Also, video or photos cannot be transmitted via tachyon relay, only voice."

General Millay nodded. "I've read your report, Major. Well done. On board electronics for monitoring possible dark energy and matter, effects will be activated immediately on your departure. You two are volunteers. Triple hazardous duty pay and promotion to your next highest ranks on your return."

"You have done dry runs within our Solar System on the prototype Lynch Drive starship Edwin P. Hubble. The improved Gravity Stabilizing Stasis Bubble will help keep you from being squashed flat on the jump to FTL speed. It will buffer you from other faster than light disturbances as well. The chronometer within it will remain at Greenwich Mean Time throughout your mission. Your destination is gigaparsec sector Bravo-858, a prominent area of changing rim stability."

Haynes said, "I will encode all Bravo-858 celestial navigation data on an info chip. It will be entered in Hubble's NAVCOM system before we launch from Space Station Echo Foxtrot Zulu. Major O'Keefe will do additional testing of the tachyon relay after our departure."

"That will be on or about 2100 hours Wednesday, 16 April, depending on the strength and interference of possible dark energy and matter effects. Go with God. I'll be watching," General Millay told them.

O'Keefe crossed herself, mumbled a short prayer. "We'll be in His back yard, sir."

3.

Thursday 17 April, 0400 hours Greenwich Mean Time, approximate:

There was a muted beep tone. Colonel Alan Haynes stood up from the pilot's seat of the FTL starship Edwin P. Hubble. He yawned and stretched, then nudged O'Keefe, who was curled up on the narrow bunk abutting the cockpit. "0400 hours. Your turn at the wheel, Major."

She sat up, rubbed her eyes. "Already? Seems like I just dozed off. She tucked some flaming red tresses behind an ear. "Gimme a sec, sir. I must look a mess."

Haynes handed her a small foil-wrapped white chip. "Bon appetit, partner. Finest galactic cuisine. Your required hi-carb boost."

She unwrapped it, took a bite, made a face. "Fake Chicken Kiev, fortified. Yech. Tastes like sawdust. Want the rest of mine, boss?"

A smile. "Mine was chili bean burrito flavor. Not too bad. Here's your update. We're entering our assigned sector Bravo-858. Rim sixty percent stable, about what they told us. No black matter or energy effects as yet. All systems nominal. Lynch Drive at monitoring speed. Stasis Bubble in cover mode."

"Lucky you" O'Keefe grimaced and swallowed the remainder of the noxious power chip. "First thing I order when we get back will be a large Shakey's pepperoni and mushroom pizza, thin crust and extra cheese. You don't get one bite."

She assumed the pilot seat, adjusted its contour and tapped her Space Corps password into the command computer, then pressed Status Report. All readings were nominal. "Anything on long range scans, on your watch, sir?"

He nodded and pressed a key. More streams of data flashed to the screen. "Asteroid in our six, diameter eighty thousand kilos, devoid of life forms. Sixty billion light years aft, moving away. No significant effects of dark matter and energy elements. These have not seen fit to reveal themselves to us as yet. The advancing rim shows increased slowing in sector Bravo-858 as predicted. I'm going to grab a bit of sack time."

4.

1836 hours GMT:

The sudden explosive burst of rainbow-hued light was blinding. Colonel Haynes bounced from the narrow bunk, shielded his eyes. "What the hell was that, Major?"

"Unknown," she responded. "Can't be a nova. Primordial forming galaxies only this far out. None in our immediate proximity. Commencing local scans."

O'Keefe read from the screen. "Discrepancy in closest rim border as we expected. Distance six hundred twelve thousand light years, plus or minus ten thousand. Damn, that's close. I'll commence monitoring."

A sudden audio alarm sounded: PROXIMITY ALERT. ANOMALY BEARING DUE CELESTIAL NORTH.

"Gotta be a glitch," Haynes said. "Check NAV input, please."

O'Keefe pressed keys, brought up a computer image. "This is where we are, partner." She pressed another key. The image enlarged one ten thousandth fold. "No formed galaxy within five hundred-fifty million light-years in this sector. What's to collide with?"

Haynes punched the ALARM CANCEL switch. "Damn, it's bright out there. Fix it, please."

O'Keefe tapped the Viewport Polarize key. The radiance faded to dark sepia overtones. "Running close range scans per threat evaluation protocol."

Haynes reached for the alarm abort key, but stopped, gloved hand poised in midair as he viewed the Command Computer's screen. "Good God. Where did that come from?"

O'Keefe gasped as she inhaled in a double lungful of recycled air. "Spaceship. Damn, that sucker is huge," she noted. "No way we could have missed it. Initiating sublight drive now, emergency power."

There was an eerie low-pitched whine as the Lynch Drive shut down. "Turning port to 350 degrees to avoid collision." She pressed Full Reverse. "Range to anomaly two hundred thousand meters. Slowing to stop. Whew. Close call. That ship just popped up out of nowhere."

"Well done, Major. That flash must have overrode the scanners. Let's find out who she belongs to."

O'Keefe brushed wayward fiery curls from her face and scrolled known Space Corps and NASA starship configurations. "I don't have a match, sir. Nothing even close. I've got a good up-to-date video chip for all Space Corps vessels, all sublight craft except ours. I'm drawing a blank."

"Please boot up the tachyon COMM transmitter, Major. Send this."

She entered the new data, pressed Transmit. "Good. No interference. Let's hope Space Corps knows something we don't."

5.

"It's a monster, General Millay," Haynes reported. "I can't give you a good sense of magnitude without video. Cylindrical, thirty kilos long, fifteen kilos wide. Flat battleship gray in color. Single viewport forward. Tapered forward, series of baffles aft. Some hull graphics in black, look somewhat like Arabic or Farsi, but not either."

"Are they carrying?"

"No armament that I can identify, sir. It's just sitting there, stationary. No apparent hostile intent."

"Can you see anything inside?"

Major O'Keefe said, "I tried LaserVision through that big forward viewport but it was blocked, General. Bioscans are equivocal."

"Results of communication attempts, Major?"

"I've run through all epsilon and theta-band frequencies, sir. Nothing. No luck with FlashCom. I even rigged up some old radio carrier band frequencies. Zero. Zilch. Nada."

"Keep trying. Can you say their propulsion system, Al?"

"Negative, sir. Just a series of integrated baffles aft."

"Interesting. Any unusual gravity readings?"

"We're having some fluctuations on our artificial gravity monitors. Unusual but not causing any problems."

"Those would explain a lot. Our propulsion people were working on a gravity drive system a couple of years back based on redirection of ion streams. Two prototypes blew up on the launch pad, then Hubble was the breakthrough."

"So these folks have it. But who are they?"

"Unknown. I'll get back to you after I clue in the Joint Chiefs. They may have something ultra-classified that we're not privy to." He signed off.

6.

"See if you can edge us a tad closer, Major. There are some small pitting defects in the alien ship's hull I didn't notice until I switched to higher magnification."

She hesitated. "Suppose they have some weird weapons technology? We don't want to piss them off."

"Not to worry. I've got the Lynch drive cycling in standby in case we have to split."

"Roger that. Maneuvering thrusters on line." The Hubble inched closer. "I see what you mean, skip. Obvious pitting in several areas. Meteorites? Maybe they've got a shield problem. Could they have been in combat?"

"Valid possibilities, but I don't recall any hull defects before. Let's check. Back-skip the video chip."

She did so. "You're right, sir. Smooth as single-malt Glenlivet scotch. They must have some strange attraction for micrometeorites."

"I don't think so." Haynes pressed a series of keys on the command computer. A graphic showing a number of dots with a time stamp for each one appeared on the screen. "This is a recording of meteorite hits on our shields. What do you think?"

O'keefe eyed the screen for a few seconds. "I agree. No hits in the last ten minutes. Those on the intruder are occurring as we speak. It's gotta be something else, but what?"

7.

1922 hours GMT:

"Hubble, this is General Millay. Joint Chiefs drew a blank. Al. Space Corps Command wants you to initiate first contact protocol. Continue communication efforts. EVA with close inspection for entry ports is approved."

"General, their hull is deteriorating. Large areas of pitting, unknown cause as yet. Hubble has no such defects. I believe we should back off and observe. Wait one, something's happening."

Haynes covered his eyes as another bright flash overwhelmed the polarized viewport. "There goes another one. It's like a Fourth of July fireworks display."

"Copy. This is from the top, Al. They overruled me. Give me fifteen-minute updates. Millay out."

O'Keefe's eyes glistened, wide with excitement. She raised clasped fists over her head. "EVA. Oh, wow. First contact. I'll go. This is one of the reasons I joined Space Corps."

"More guts than brains, Caitlin. What do you want etched on your tombstone?"

"I'll split the first contact bonus with you, skip. A million bucks a year for life."

He nodded. "Carry a sidearm."

8.

O'Keefe snapped the EVA helmet faceplate down. "Testing intercom, sir. How do you read?"

He gave her a thumbs-up. "Five by five. Got your tether attached?"

"I'm four-point-oh on EVA simulations, Colonel Haynes, boss, sir. Depressurize the airlock, please."

He did so. O'Keefe floated to Hubble's forward viewport, gave Haynes a wave, performed a gymnastic somersault. "CO2 thrusters A-OK. I'll look for entrance-exit hatches first, then check viewports."

"Roger that. No closer than 25 meters until I say."

Another flash of diffuse brilliance, then a rolling motion rocked the Hubble. "Whoa! Good thing I had the faceplate polarized. What was that, sir? I felt it out here."

"A space quake. Instruments are registering seismic activity concurrent with light event. Recommend terminating EVA."

"Noted. Please don't, Alan. Gotta take a close-up look at this big lady. I'm okay. All systems green."

"Approved against better judgment. Closure to ten meters approved. Emphasize no hull contact. One more cosmic event like that and you're back here on the double."

"Copy. How about reeling me out another hundred meters of tether? This could take a while."

He did so. "I want running verbal commentary and video. Ten meters only."

"No problemo, skip. Video on. Moving closer, slow approach."

9.

"Surface looks metallic with some crystalline elements. You should get a load of this, partner. The pitting is taking place as we speak. Multiple sites, each accompanied by a small flash, like a little spark. Some areas are worse than others, with some defects a centimeter deep. Sending to your screen now. I could get some samples."

"Negative. That's an order, Major. I repeat, do not touch the ship. Check that big forward viewport. Try close-range scan from ten meters."

"Copy. It's oval, about fourteen meters across. Opaque. LaserVision on. Wait one. Think I've got something. Moving closer. Stand by."

A sudden burst of static.

"Oh, no . . . "

The spacesuited figure of Major O'Keefe floated away from the alien craft with inexorable slowness, twisting, tangling in loose coils of tether.

"Major O'Keefe. Caitlin? Respond, please."

Silence.

"Status please, Caitlin. Are you okay?"

O'Keefe's vital signs on the biomonitors remained in the green. "She's alive. Thank you, God. Reeling you in, Caitlin. Hang on."

Haynes removed her helmet. Her eyes were wide and staring. Pulse, blood pressure, and respiration remained normal. He laid her gently on the deceleration couch, brushed tangled fiery locks from her moist forehead.

"You're okay now, Caitlin. Back on board Hubble. This is Alan, your favorite astronaut."

No response.

Haynes grabbed his seatback for balance as brilliant light filled the cockpit, overwhelming the polarized viewport. A major seismic event rocked the small craft, rattling loose gear to the deck. When he looked back, O'Keefe was sitting bolt upright, blinking, shaking her head. Her stare was vacant.

"Caitlin, please talk to me."

10.

Caitlin said, "I am translating through Major O'Keefe's cerebral speech centers and laryngeal vocalization capability. I command the crew of the spacecraft VICTORY, located off your starboard quarter."

Haynes stared in disbelief. "Major O'Keefe, assume your station."

She pressed a fingertip to her lips and raised a hand as if in greeting.

"There is not much time, Colonel Haynes. It is of utmost importance that you understand what is transpiring here."

"What the hell went wrong out there, Major?"

Haynes backed off, shielding his face with a hand as a quick piercing green flash from O'Keefe's eyes blinded him.

"We have little time, Colonel Haynes. Please listen."

"Who are you?"

"I come from the other side of the Great Barrier. A gross miscalculation."

"Major O'Keefe, is she all right?"

"She will have no memory of our intrusion."

"You have faster than light drive. Is it based on gravitational fields like ours?"

"That is of no importance now. You have noticed the hull deterioration of this vessel, yes?"

"We thought it was micrometeorites."

"Every elemental particle striking our hull destroys an atom of the metal. If your Major O'Keefe had attempted to board us, she would have been destroyed. Our matter is antimatter to you, as yours is to us. The tear we have created is not confined to this segment of the Great Barrier. It will spread."

"Antimatter? How can you know that?" Haynes asked.

"Advanced computer models created by our most prominent astrophysicists. The Great Barrier is an unfixed border between our universes. Different sectors show advance and decline of the Barrier. You refer to this process as dark matter and energy. We just say factors present but unrevealed. We impacted the rim at faster than light speed. A regrettable lapse of judgment on my part. If not for the VICTORY you would have penetrated the rim yourselves. "

Haynes took a deep breath, exhaled slowly as he pondered his next query. "You have saved us."

There was a long pause. The response was quiet and respectful. " Very likely, for now. Your small segment has slowed to a stop but will continue to expand, as ours recedes. We have both reached the final rim, unstable as it is."

"I understand. But why did you choose to disregard the Barrier?"

"We are explorers like you. In my world, a discovery such as this would have meant long lasting honor and prestige. We ignored the disappearance of our experimental drones. They were too small to affect the Barrier, but the size of VICTORY has created a rift. The light and seismic events you are experiencing are a window into our universe. We are sustaining identical events. We are doomed, as are you."

"Then we have no recourse?"

"None. You, Major O'Keefe, and we are fellow explorers. It is unfortunate we could not have met in an area of neutrality. Pray to the single divine entity you worship. With great regrets, I say farewell. Perhaps we will meet in a common hereafter."

Haynes felt a wave of sorrow wash over him. "I wish you the same."

The VICTORY vanished in a cloud of silvery vapor and stroboscopic flashes. Radiation readings hit the top, and then stabilized. The Hubble cartwheeled in the blast. Haynes floated in the cockpit as artificial gravity failed. He held O'Keefe cushioned against his chest.

Flutter of eyelids and a coy grin. "Hi, Alan."

"Caitlin. Thank God you're back."

They settled to the deck as the artificial gravity system rebooted. "Why am I dressed for EVA? Oh. I remember. That alien craft? What happened? Did my recordings show anything?"

"They are gone, Caitlin. Antimatter reaction, total destruction. You were EVA for about an hour, lost contact. Their commander was in your brain, speaking in your voice."

"Telepath?" She pressed fingertips against her temples and massaged. "Can't remember a thing, but I've got one heck of a headache."

Major O'Keefe sat in stunned, gaping silence as Haynes gave her the narrative. "Antimatter. So, it's real. Good God. If I'd have touched that ship . . ." She hugged herself to control the tremors. "I recorded with LaserVision through that big viewport. Anything?"

Haynes loaded the recording chip and pressed PLAY. There was only snow and static. "I tried to enhance it but got the same."

"Their C.O. was respectful and apologetic. They were explores like us. He knew they were doomed, as are we."

"Alan, we're sitting in the middle of chaos. Right next to a cosmic tear in the rim with their deadly universe leaking in. Let's try to get outta here."

"Lynch drive on line. Strapped in, Caitlin?"

11.

The tachyon line beeped. "General Millay here, Al. What's with the celestial fireworks display?"

"You can see it, sir?"

"Weird lighting effects. Like the Aurora Borealis on LSD. The whole damn sky looks like it's trying to unfold itself. Weird radiation readings. Cosmic particles, unknown type. Seismic tremors. Off-world stations reporting similar. Space Corps on red alert. Alliance folks going to DefCon two. What can I tell them?"

"We have reached the final rim of our universe as well as theirs. Areas of advance and slowing are common to both. No further excursions are required. Know that further attempts to cross will result in chaos."

There were seconds of dead silence when Haynes concluded his update. The General's voice was low, restrained, betraying shock. "I have a clean copy. I am streaming it to the Joint Chiefs of Staff as we speak. What's your status, Colonel?"

"We are sustaining severe buffeting. Light phenomenon cuts right through our polarized screens set at maximum. We're getting Lynch Drive on line, sir."

"Any antimatter effects?"

"Not as yet."

"Colonel, you are to remain on station. Top priority. Keep the tachyon COMM channel open. Five-minute updates. Sorry about this, but you and Major O'Keefe volunteered. I'm meeting with the astrophysics people in five. Stand by."

12.

"I hate this," O'Keefe muttered. "I'm for shagging out. Take my chances with a court-martial. Beats the heck out of my molecules being disassembled."

"You heard General Millay. We're volunteers, Caitlin. You knew that when you signed on. Hold on." A cosmic tornado of light and sound engulfed the Hubble while they scrambled for handholds. The cockpit went dark, illuminated only by faint emergency lighting.

"Oh, no. We've had it," O'Keefe whispered.

"Not yet. We've still got NAV. Location, please?"

O'Keefe scrolled NAV star chart views. "We're ten billion light years from our previous location. An approximation, Alan."

"That's not too precise, Caitlin."

"You'd better look at this, Alan. NAV computer can't find a match. It's like the whole damn universe is unfolding, coming apart. Every time we get one of those sound and light shows, the configurations get scrambled by more billions of light years."

Their faces were ashen in the pale glow from the cockpit instrument displays. "Oh no. Look at this, Alan. Port beam shield monitor."

"Pitting defects. Antimatter. We're outta here. Strap in. Lynch Drive coming up." Haynes punched FTL START.

No response.

"No cold fusion boost. Fuel cells read empty. Caitlin?"

"Impossible. Checked them out myself. Enough for another fifty jumps. Must be an indicator malfunction. Let me pull up the internal monitors."

She read the screen with a gasp of dismay. "All gone. Tritium reserve tanks got zapped by one of those space quakes."

She was interrupted by a loud klaxon and red emergency flashers.

HULL BREACH. DON EVA GEAR NOW.

13.

"Do we still have sublight engines?" Colonel Haynes asked.

"Couple of seconds burst only."

"I'd be grateful for any suggestions, Caitlin."

"I took a few advanced subatomic particle physics courses at the Academy, Alan. Suppose we drive through the rift? Our matter is antimatter to their universe. Sounds far out, but perhaps we could equalize its effect."

"You mean, like stitch up the tear?"

"Something like that. Farfetched, right?"

"I don't have any better ideas, Caitlin."

She grabbed Haynes in a tight embrace. "Let's go for it, partner."

"You wanted to be a hero, Caitlin. Head for that big flare. Steer ten degrees starboard."

"Damn. There goes our million dollar first contact bonus."

"Ramming speed, Major O'Keefe."

14.

"Colonel Haynes, General Millay here. Our situation has stabilized. Cosmic phenomena have ceased. Radiation readings approaching safe levels. Star configurations returning to normal. We're back to DefCon four. Well done. Commendations forthcoming. Return to Echo Foxtrot Zulu for debriefing. I'll be there to meet you."

"Colonel Haynes? Major O'Keefe? Respond, please."

THE END

Bio: Stories by E. S. Strout (M.D.), a.k.a. Gene or Gino, have appeared in Planet Magazine, Anotherealm, Millennium F&SF, Beyond-sf, Jackhammer (Eggplant Productions), Static Movement, and Bewildering Stories. And, of course, many of his stories have appeared in Aphelion (Immunity, May 2014, Current Events, October 2014).

E-mail: E. S. Strout (Humanoids: replace '_AT_' with '@')

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