Time Flights

Joshua Shaw
I
Science Commander Michel log,March 12, 3100 8:30. My research team and I have found an anomaly precisely 12 light years away from Higud headquarters on Earth. We have been sent to investigate this phenomenon. What we had detected from Earthwasthat a nebula had begun to form at the location I mentioned earlier. The nebula seems to be stable thus concluding that gravity has its gripped on the large gaseous formation, yet it has a reverse electrical charge. We have theorized that the nebula is composed of antimatter. Although this has not been proven, we are to proceed with cushion thus we have brought a long an electromagnetic shield that will (hopefully) deflect the antimatter around our vesicle.
Our ship is a Phoenix Exploration Class Ship called the Finder. The ship runs off of the theory that small traces of energy spontaneously become particles of matter and antimatter. These particles are known as Hawking Particles in reference to Stephen Hawking, who in the 20th century theorized their existence. Because of the opposite charges,Hawking particles would usually annihilate each other, and become energy again. The engines on the finder are composed of very large and extraordinarily powerful electromagnets that generate an electromagnetic field that controls the Hawking Particles to create a form of a warped space field which allows the ship to travel faster than light although the ship is not actuallytraveling a very great velocity.
The shield is a bit of a modification to the warp engine. The difference lies in how it controls the particles around it. Where the engine causes the particles to create a gravity field change the shields only deflect particles with like charges while the opposite charge lies in the interior of the ship preventing. This setup prevents the charged particle from coming in contact with object being protected in this case the Finder. The shield is not affective against neutral particles, such as neutrons and mesons, nor does the shield work against pure radiation.
At this point I will end my log at this point seeing that we are approaching the anti-matter nebula. I will continue my log after the mission has concluded.

II
At 9:00 the Finder reaches the anti- matter nebula which is emitting an exquisite blue green spectrum of color that dazzles the eyes of the beholder. The Finder’s massive electromagnetic shields are activated to prevent contact with the gaseous material around them.
“Do you have any idea how much resources had to be used to even begin this research?” asks Captain Rachly.
“Are you aware of the value of antimatter to any civilization in the Milky Way?” responded Michel rhetorically. “The Higud command has allowed me to find the source of antimatter and possibly recreate the conditions that allow the spontaneous creation of antimatter. In compensation they have allowed the extraction of some of the material to experiment on, and become an accessible resource to use for more common use other than the largest vesicles.”
“I still do not appreciate the idea of transportingvolatile material on my ship risking my crews’ lives and the ship itself.” “Even if I agree to transport this material what would I get out of it?”
“For one you would be allowed to keep a large portion of the antimatter for your ship’s engines…”
“My ship doesn’t run on antimatter!”
“Actually, it kind of does. Your reactor absorbs gamma rays like a solar panel to create electric energy which powers the engines. The next thing that guaranties that you will transport the antimatter is that when you signed the contract with the Higud you allow your vesicle to be used for scientific purposes which includes the transport of rare materials.”
“Cadet”
“Yes, sir” said a young man, no more than 23, who was on the bridge of the ship.
“Have the log contract checked for any indication of this statement” ordered the captain.
“You might want to check article 237. It should make the search a bit easier” Advised Michel.
“Yes sirs” Replied the cadet.
The conversation continued like this for some time. The shields were at full power and the ship was now fully submerged in the antimatter nebula. Suddenly, the gravity sensor began to detect a slight, but apparent gravity flux in space time. Michel begins to analyze the data being displayed on the screen while explaining to Captain Rachly that space time was like a sheet of crocheted fabric that when a mass is placed on it the fabric bends to create a gravity field.
“So it really works like that?” asked Rachly.
“No, but if it helps…” responded Michel.

III
After nearly an hour of analyzing the data Michel and a few other scientists determined that the gravity field was being generated from a central point in the nebula. The decided to scan the point to determine what was generating the gravity at the point. When the signal was sent the signals pattern was distorted indicating that space at the point was larger in the point than it was outside of the point. Soon after the signal was picked up again, this time the signals had more complex structure as if it were a communication signal. Michel directed the signal to a visual screen to try and translate it. The screen came on with the image of a young woman who gave a striking image of a girl Michel had known from a few years earlier. He began transmitting a signal back to try and talk to this other person.
“Michel?” exclaimed the woman.
“Nersey?” replied Michel
“How did you survive?” asks Nersey
“I could ask you the same question.”
“I asked first.”
“Survived what?”
“From being killed when your ship crashed three years ago.”
“Wait, are you talking about the Chrysler?” he asks confused.
“Yeah.”
“You died were on it when it crashed not me.”
“What?!”
“You were on the Chrysler when it crashed. A more pressing matter is where are you?”
“I’m on the Phoenix. Where are you?”
“On the Phoenix. We are investigating the spontaneous growth of a nebula made of anti-matter.”
“My team and I are investigating how a nebula made of matter is disappearing.”
“This could be an odd question, but what is the charge spin of the charge of the nucleus of the atom.”
She replies in an answer equivalent to that of a negative charge.
“Great.”
“What?”
“Did you receive a signal a few seconds before you began transmitting the communication?”
“Yes, we determined that it was coming from the gravity flux point.”
“I sent that signal.”
“That would mean that you are in the gravity flux point.”
“Not necessarily. I believe it means that I’m on the other side of the gravity point.”
“Are you meaning that it’s a space rift?”
“At least something to that affect. It could be an anomalous link between to time lines although that would not make a lot of since due to the difference in the composition of matter. A more likely explanation would be that it is a link between to universes.”
“Yet you sound like that is impossible.”
“Not anymore”
“Why’s that”
“I just splashed myself with water”


IV
Their conversations continued to the point when they began to plot how they could transfer one or both of themselves to the others universe to talk face to face, and possibly continue the relationship that they had lost from the death of their opposite. Michel decided to conduct a test using the matter transporter on each of the ships to yet the occupant on the initial side would not be dematerialized as would be usual in more normal situations.
The test began smoothly. The scanner ring ran itself over Michel’s body. The dematerializer did not engage thus his body would remain on this side. He went to the computer screen to see how Nersey’s side had held up.
He began to see the construction of his body on the other side as it slowly formed into what he hoped would be a living being. Moments past. He know that the machine had to take every individual molecule, control it using powerful electromagnets, and place it precisely where it was before it dematerialized, and it could not allow any of the matter to move off its earlier trajectory while in transport otherwise the object would be distorted. The body finished being constructed. His alternative self was standing. The only difference between him and the other him was that he had a full two minutes more of memory. His alternative self was identical to him even in the minute detail of his jerkin.
The body of Michel stood there for a full minute than fell over dead. Nersey screamed in horror. Michel could not have known the devastating affect this would have had on Nersey. She had crouched down over the body crying.

V
Less than half an hour had passed when an approaching asteroid began to annihilate itself by the anomaly allowing the asteroid on both sides to come in contact with each other.
“Nersey does your ship have any shielding from gamma rays?”
“No, we did not expect to use them, so never brought them.” she said as a person who was still recovering from shock.
“Can you try to out run the gamma rays from the asteroid?”
“Our sub light engines cannot reach even close to the speed of light. Our warp engines are not able to be activated for another…”
“Nersey!”
Michel was watching the screen as it went blank. This most likely meant that the gamma rays had reached their ship and were jamming their signal. He felt a form of anxiety as he waited for them to reestablish a signal.
Nearly half an hour later the signal was brought back. Nersey was waiting. Several of the electronics were fried around her and she seemed to have burn marks. In the time they had waited Michel had been working on how to transport myself over to the antimatter Finder without dying. He had also been working with a few other people as to how to stop the “rift” from expanding any more. Now nearly twelve people from both ships were all huddled around the communication terminals to discuss the situation.
“So what would happen if we didn’t stop the ‘rift’ from expanding?” said a young scientist on the other side.
“Well the rift would encompass all space time destroying everything in reality.” Said a young scientist on this side, who was the same person just made of matter.
“So how can we fix it?” asked the antimatter Captain Rachly.
“I have been working on how the ‘rift’ may work. It appears to have a positive gravity surrounding with a negative gravity core.” replied Michel. “This prevents the gravity from collapsing forcing the ‘rift’ to from a star. If we could adjust our warp engines to force the core to collapse we should be able to force the rift closed.”
“Our ship just sustained heavy bombardment by gamma ray. If we tried to activate our engines now we could risk destroying the Finder.” exclaimed antimatter Captain Rachly. “There are no other vesicles in the vicinity. You are asking me to put my crew in jeopardy.”
“There is a way out of the Finder. I have been working on how to transport your people to this side without them dying.”
“Michel, you died last time.” said Nersey in a mournful voice.
“That was because my soul was not transported with the rest of me. My very essence staid here while a copy materialized on your side.
“I’m sold” replied Captain Rachly who was standing by Michel.
“Fine, we will commence transport as soon as both transporters are operational.”

VI
By now many of crew from the antimatter Finder were on the matter Finder. Both ships had begun to power their warp engines and it seemed to be causing the ‘rift’ to ‘shrink’. There were three people lift when the Captain from the antimatter Finder appeared on the transporter.
“The Finder has lost the capability of transporting anymore people.” He said as he left the pad.
“What?!” asked Michel worrying about Nersey, due to her not being transported.
“The scanners detected that the ‘rift’ was becoming too small to send a signal through.”
“Than how did you get here” asked a cadet who was about to usher the captain to his quarters.
“Like this.” the alternate captain said pulling a hand gun out and aiming at the cadets head.
The feel of defeat and regret began to boil in Michel as the alternate captain shot the computer to the side which controlled the transporter. The cadet faints. Michel gets from his char and pummels the captain with the chair that he was sitting in. This he had no regret.
VII
Two days had past and the last of the ‘rift’ was closed. Michel detects a signal still flowing from the ‘rift’. He turns on the communication computer (which was also the temporary transporter computer.
The transporter screams to life as the physical form of Nersey and an elderly women scientist appeared on the pad.
“Fixed it!” said Nersey as she and Michel embrace each other.
THE END