Human life seemed particularly fragile and short-lasting by contrast with the stunning immenseness of the Space. There one could even get a deceptive feeling of self-eternity and then, all of the sudden, here comes a flash…

A flash of explosion in total silence followed with scattered debris flying apart, instant, or sometimes prolonged and painful, death of crew, and, eventually, a dead ship losing its orbit. That was all left after an attack. Fight in outer space was like no other: an impetuous approach of a missile or laser ray took just seconds as compared with eternity of Space. Therefore, people serving in the Aerospace Forces were fearless, cool-headed, with a specific way of thinking. These were nobly referred as the "Star Guard”.

Chapter 6

(“Ares” cruiser, Earth’s orbit)

Have you ever considered the following coincidences and figures?

Are these just mere coincidences?

<<Atoms resemble Solar Systems; large-scale structures of the Universe are similar to neurons in the human brain; and let’s take a few other interesting coincidences: the number of stars in the Galaxy, the number of Galaxies in the Universe, the number of atoms in a cell, and the number of cells in a living being are almost the same (from 10^11 to 10^14).

And all of these beg the question: what if we are merely cells within the brain of some immense creature of planetary dimensions, who hasn’t yet acquired self-awareness?

Would you believe that the total amount of everything in the Universe constitutes a rational creature of the finite being – Eternity! And if so, what shall we tell each other?>>

“Oma, orbit transfer protocol. What’s your opinion?”

With a motion of thought, she put away the text of her future book into the archive and projected an image of the current situation in front of her.

“Commander, I’ve got a suggestion. Orbit trimming. We’d better stay in this wreckage cluster. It’s close to us. Here are the details.”

Before the control post glass, appeared an enlarged holographic image of space orbit debris, or rather what had previously been a group of cruisers.

That event made it into the Planet’s Chronicles as the Orbit Battle. The cluster of combat ships and orbit stations wreckage stretched along a vast area. The destroyed ships were a sad view: ragged iron uncovered curved bulkheads of sections, hoses and wires drawn like torn arteries out of a breathless corps. Dozens of tiny fragments were drifting nearby.. And all those remains were moving, occasionally bumping into each other, and producing new shatters. Some of them were slowly rotating, revealing their open wounds with remains of smashed equipment.

Out of superstition, pilots always avoided such places, but now Oma and Raju were carefully examining the remains.

Some of them were slowly rotating, disclosing their insides with debris of torn down equipment. Wrecks still featured bright squadron emblems. Some of them could have still held their crews’ bodies. Reactors with leakages and emissions were a common occurrence at such places. All those iron structures still preserved residual impulse of the energy that had once torn them apart. Still following that impulse, they occasionally collided with each other, lost their speed, deorbited, burned in the upper atmosphere and then fell down like bushy flames, as though saluting the perished ships crews. For that reason, pilots of patrol ships chose to steer away from such dangerous and somber place. There was no room for living beings there, but still it was the ideal place to disguise the cruiser on the orbit.

“Radiation?” briefly asked the commander.

“Admissible,” replied Oma. ”There is a slight exceedance, but not critical for us.”

“Them locate us close to that large fragment so that it does not overshadow the horizon. And one other thing, try to accurately synchronize its rotation with ours. Then we’ll be seen as one object.” Raju pointed at a massive, torn up ship body that was slowly rotating in front of their windscreen. “What about the communication satellites?”

“We’ll have to hang a couple of new ones nearby.”

Military communication in outer space was quite simple: through direct laser ray any amount of information could be transmitted. Radars were unable to detect it, but to be on the safe side, pilots chose to transfer data through in-orbit satellites, or mediators, many of which remained on orbits and were considered consumable material.

It was always possible to launch a new one and hang it in any point. Those satellites also conducted security functions, tracing down scouts and homing mines, plenty of which were drifting on the orbit in standby mode.

Having spotted such a "gift", satellites would immediately shoot it down with lasers. Oma always put security satellites around the cruiser that she called “Hanumans” for their flexibility and efficiency.

“Oma, where does the Orbital Colony locate now?” asked Raju.

“Beyond the Planet’s horizon. Do you again suspect them of espionage on behalf of the Coalition?” she peered at Raju.

“Yes, I have never believed them and thought them to be capable of anything. They tell us and the Coalition that they “have full neutrality and have nothing to do with the war”, while exchanging new engineering designs for materials and Planet’s resources.”

“Raju, you have always been suspicious of scientists!” Oma continued the conversation, while putting the cruiser on a new orbit. “Science is beyond war and politics.”

“Should the Orbital Colony have not been established, this Earth would have been deprived of all its scientists. Indeed, mankind rescued the Planet’s intellectual asset!

And I supported them at the general survey when they declared independence of us and the Coalition. The war had fully destroyed science on Earth. How else are they supposed to earn their living, if not through the use of their brains? However, mostly they work for the Second Colony and Mars. You are again nagging at scientists, aren’t you?” Oma said and steel notes were heard in her voice. Raju decided to cut short the argument.

“All right, Oma. I agree with you.” He nodded. “Still, it’s best not to deal with them and to steer clear of their "Smart Doughnut" beyond the horizon. By the way, all of these “independent scientists” are armed to the hilt! You have always supported them because they made your body. At first, they designed it for a beauty contest and then decided to give it over to you.”

“What do you mean? Oma asked in bewilderment as she failed to get Raju’s joke. “How come I didn’t know that!”

“They didn’t tell you for fear that it may undermine your self-assessment balance and kept it secret,” Raju blurted out, trying not to give himself away. “I have a feeling that we’ll pay one more visit to their Station. Would you like to be there again?”

“Of course!” Oma exclaimed and noticeably cheered up. “It was there that I for the first time felt like a sentient being and realized who I was! Actually, it’s my birth-place, if you will.” The cruiser was smoothly approaching the cluster of wreckage. It remained only to adjust its position on the new orbit. Keeping up the conversation, Oma stabilized the spacecraft’s position and put up full information on the surrounding space on a projector.

In front of her emerged a variety of flexible holograms featuring the ship’s position, orbit’s characteristics and complete information on the surrounding objects.

“There are neither traps nor mines. The radioactive background is slightly exceeded. The “Hanumans” have taken the whole orbit under control. Aria, maintain the military alert mode. Commander, the orbit transfer protocol is complete,” Oma reported and, tipping back in her armchair, looked at the chief pilot.