The Hertzog Effect

By T J Kinsella

Sequel to 'The Bergmann Protocol'.
After the crash of his ship, 'The Kolibri', Captain Gillitzer's luck seemed to be changing for the better. When his new craft becomes the first to travel beyond the fabled 'Minute Zero', he and his crew seize the opportunity to complete their ultimate mission, and restore his battered reputation. However, they soon find themselves locked in a life and death struggle against the forces of fate, when they encounter the 'Hertzog Effect’...

Follow the misadventures of the unluckiest time-travellers in history...before they change it!

• Language: English
• Publisher: T J Kinsella
• Release date: Mar 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370920969

Book preview

The Hertzog Effect

by

T.J. Kinsella

Copyright 2017 T.J. Kinsella

Smashwords Edition

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The Hertzog Effect

By

T.J. Kinsella

Contents

Chapter I: Once Upon a Time Machine

Chapter II: A Brief History of the Future

Chapter III: Planning for the Past

Chapter IV: A Stitch in Time Saves…Nien

Chapter V: Fate Fights Back

Chapter VI: To Die a Dozen Deaths

I

Once Upon a Time Machine

The crew of the Erloser barely noticed the first explosion as it crashed against the ship’s energy shield. The second and third impact made the craft tremor slightly, causing one or two of them to casually look up from their data screens. The massive barrage that followed, however, caught the attention of the entire crew, as the ship was buffeted violently by a flurry of huge blasts.

What the hell is that? yelled Gillitzer, from the captain’s chair.

Primitive Anti-aircraft fire, replied Commander Braal, as he activated the view screen, Just explosives and large calibre projectiles…nothing that can penetrate the shield.

That’s not what I’m worried about, said Gillitzer as he watched the strobe like barrage light up the screen, where, in God’s name, are we?

I don’t know, answered Braal as he stared at banks of data above him, the computer is still calculating the telemetry. It should only take a few more seconds.

What about manual control?

We’re on automatic re-entry...landing cycle…for some reason the ships systems are trying to scan for a beacon, said Braal, we won’t have control until the sequence has finished.

These new flight protocols will be the death of us, Commander, I swear to God! growled Gillitzer Can you override them, Ross?

I’m trying to, Captain, replied the young Lieutenant, but many of the automatic flight systems are hard wired… It may be possible to by-pass them, Sir, but it will take a little time

So, until then we’re going to be seen, and shot at, by every fool within a fifty-kilometre radius, said Gillitzer grimly, Cross reference the date as soon as we get it, Lieutenant, and pray to God that this is a recorded event.

Gillitzer’s concern lay not in the fact that they were being fired upon, but rather in the fact that they had been seen. One of the prime directives of ‘Operation Phoenix’ was to avoid any kind of detection when travelling in a previous time period. Failure to do so, it had been feared, could cause a change to the past, leading to a catastrophe in the future.

Ironically, on the previous occasions where Zeit Korp craft had been detected, this fear had proved unfounded. Each time one of their craft had been spotted or, in some cases, had even crashed, the event had been historically misinterpreted and recorded as a U.F.O. encounter. Although this had so far proven to be an excellent cover story, there was no guarantee that every future sighting would be a recorded event, and so detection was still to be avoided at all costs.

So Gillitzer nervously waited, as his craft drifted slowly across the night’s sky, brightly lit by searchlights and shell fire. If the encounter proved to be a documented U.F.O. sighting, they would have nothing to worry about. If not, the consequences for both his and mankind’s future, could be disastrous.

Location coming through now, Captain. said Braal, as the Erloser shook once more from a fresh volley of explosions, West coast of America, directly over the city of Los Angeles.

And the date? Gillitzer asked impatiently.

Braal didn’t answer immediately. His gaze was still transfixed on the streams of data before him, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. After a moment, he lifted his head and looked over to Gillitzer with an expression of shock etched across his face.

Twenty fourth of February, he said, soberly, Nineteen, forty-two!

Braal words had an immediate impact, not only on Gillitzer, but on the entire crew. Upon hearing the date, each one of them stopped what they were doing momentarily, before exchanging disbelieving glances.

Forty-two? repeated the Captain, with a tone of doubt, Are you sure, Commander?

Positive, Captain, Replied Braal, looking back to his screen, The data’s clean.

For a brief moment, despite the ongoing turbulence from the barrage, Gillitzer forgot all about the ships present predicament. He was temporarily stunned as the full gravity of Braal’s statement started to sink in. The Erloser had just become the first Zeit Korp ship to travel beyond the infamous, ‘Minute Zero’.

"Have you checked the