They may not be able to escape the dome itself, but perhaps he could get a message to the UN. Then OPDEO might not be in such a hurry to torture them. He concentrated on how he could escape from the cell. He visualised the tumblers in the combination lock embedded in the door and controlled his thoughts to spin them round. He could move the discs and slide the toothed pin through them. Sorted! But there was a barred gate outside his door with a different sort of lock. It was electronic, operated by a remote controller. He telekinetically moved the armature in the relay against its spring. Both doors open. Shall I make a break?
There would certainly be surveillance equipment in the corridors. It was a shame Securopa had taken away the jamming device he and Maura had used in the bath. He could probably smash the cameras, but only if he could identify where they were, and that would be difficult. They would be small and well hidden. He had to find a way of disabling them; he already had an idea that might work. No point in waiting.
Thirty seconds later, he was outside in the corridor. He focused on the nearest fire alarm button and smashed it by thought alone. He gasped as he was hit by a monsoon of water, jetted from the sprinkler system. Once, on Earth, he’d walked on a ledge behind a waterfall. This was just as noisy, but a lot wetter. The sprays were so fierce he could hardly breathe. But at least the cameras won’t see me.
He steeled himself to feel his way along the wall, his clothes hanging heavily on his body, clammy and cold. A door shut off the end of the corridor. He applied telekinetic force and ripped out the wiring from inside the electronic lock. That’ll keep Securopa busy for an hour or two. He retraced his steps to the other end of the passage and opened the door there.
Two Securopa officers appeared in the fog. They pulled out their tezla pistols and ran towards him. He smashed the next glass-cased alarm to set off the sprinklers. He’d wanted to disorientate them, but they were on him in seconds. Electric arcs snaked over the body of one of his assailants. Don’t they know they shouldn’t use pistols if they’re wet?
The other officer gripped Geoff in a bear hug. The guard kneed him in the groin, forcing him to the ground. He felt his wrists locked together. He calculated quickly. About seventy-five grams, make it a hundred. He applied pressure to his assailant’s carotid sinuses, and the guard went limp.
‘Have some of that, you fucker!’ Did I really say that? It must be the adrenalin. Geoff ripped off his handcuffs. So far, so good.
He worked his way along corridors and up stairs, setting off the sprinklers ahead of him. Each time he encountered a locked door, he passed through, shut it again and disabled its wiring. He assumed there were enough linking corridors for him to find an exit from the building.
Up to Level E, corridor c. I’ll be Maura’s saviour. I’ll have rescued her from imprisonment and torture. She’ll be grateful!
He reached her cell, forced open the gate and then the door, went in, and . . . shit. There with someone else with Maura – a young man with a shaven head.
‘Hiya, Geoff,’ said Maura. ‘We were expecting you. This is my friend Kai. We share our thoughts together.’
Geoff sagged onto the bunk and sat shivering. Sod it! he thought – and then, I hope they can’t read my mind.
‘Geoff, you are very wet,’ said Kai. ‘Dry yourself with Maura’s blanket. I have a thermal suit in my backpack. Put it on and get warm again.’
‘Forgive me, I was forgetting my manners,’ said Geoff, rising to his feet and shaking Kai’s hand. ‘I had quite an exciting time out there. But if you’re a friend of Maura’s, I’m pleased to meet you.’
‘I do not want to rush you,’ said Kai, ‘but we should not spend long here. I can lead you to an exit from the Unidome.’
Maura turned to face the door so Geoff could preserve his modesty as he changed. Kai busied himself typing instructions into his com-phone. ‘I have disabled the cameras and turned off the sprinklers,’ he announced. ‘If you are ready now, please follow me.’
He continued to tap in commands, and gaps opened in the walls of corridors in places where previously no door could be seen. Geoff assumed the joints were so tight fitting they were virtually invisible. Kai led them down unmarked passageways, eventually arriving at the Topography Department’s hangar. Waiting in one of the bays was a vehicle bearing some resemblance to a huge black bullet, with short stubby wings and mounted on skis.
‘Wow, this isn’t Hesperian. Is it yours, Kai?’ Geoff asked.
‘No, it is Thiosh technology. But it has been adapted for use by us humans. He made a sign like the parting of curtains and a hitherto invisible hatch opened in the side of the vehicle.
Kai waved Geoff forward. He climbed into the passenger compartment where he was met by a familiar figure: a tall, very upright woman with blue beads in her hair.
‘I believe you know Leona?’ said Kai, as he followed Geoff aboard. ‘Without her, your escape would have been impossible.’
‘Thank you,’ said Geoff, and kissed her on both cheeks.
‘You might need this,’ she said, giving him a new com-phone. He was totally bewildered by the turn of events, but it clearly wasn’t the right time to ask questions.
‘Sit down quickly and strap yourselves in,’ Kai told them. ‘Geoff, come and sit by me in the cockpit.’
The hangar door opened and they blasted out, skimming just above the rough ice terrain. Geoff was fascinated by the craft’s technology. He peered through the windscreen, the surface features of the ice blurring as the craft accelerated. He heard a sharp crack and glanced through a side window in time to see a cloud of ice crystals stream momentarily from the stabilisers as the rocket-sledge passed through the sound barrier. Geoff noted the phenomenon was evidence of a thin atmosphere.
With the vehicle on autopilot, Kai turned to Geoff and smiled. ‘Okay, we can talk now. We are on our way to a base on Jupiter’s side of the moon. As you will have guessed, I am Khitan and the Thiosh brought me here, together with my two crewmen. You and Maura have also been invited by the Thiosh. I hope you have no objection. I can assure you that Thiosh accommodation is more comfortable than an OPDEO cell.’
So much had happened in the space of a few hours; Geoff’s head was spinning with questions. ‘I’ve seen Maura telepathise with the Thiosh. Is that what you do too?’
‘It was a skill I was given while I was still on Earth.’
‘How did you get through Unidome security?’
‘Leona has friends in the right places,’ said Kai. ‘She gave me the location of your cells and a zapp that opens security doors. It was a bonus you escaped from your cell yourself. It saved us a lot of time.’
‘Is Leona one of your telepathic contacts?’
‘Yes, she is an adept. But please accept my profound apology, Geoff. I regret I cannot share my thoughts with you directly, as I can with Maura and Leona. But I know you have been granted a different skill, which gives you great power, and I congratulate you on this distinction.’
Geoff paused to consider what Kai had said. He’d felt left out ever since Maura had made direct contact with the Thiosh, but Kai was clearly trying to make him feel included. Geoff reached out and shook his hand. ‘Nominally you’re my enemy but I’m beginning to think my own side is much more dangerous.’
‘I agree with your analysis,’ said Kai. ‘When we reach our destination, I shall tell you all I know. But for now, if you want to swap seats with Leona, it will give you the opportunity to talk to your friend Maura in relative privacy. I know she has something she wants to say to you.’
Geoff returned to the passenger compartment and relayed Kai’s invitation for Leona to join him in the cockpit. He settled back into the passenger seat next to Maura, and noted how the upholstery automatically contoured itself to fit his body. His companion reached out and put her hand on his arm.
‘What a whirlwind! It’s such a relief to get away from that place. But thank you, Geoff, for trying to help me. Ever since I arrived on Europa I’ve been in trouble, b
ut it’s always been you who’s come to my rescue.’
‘It’s been my pleasure. But d’you know where we’re heading? You could have gone back to Earth and avoided all this.’
‘I know no more than you do but I haven’t any regrets. Not so far, anyway. What’s happening is too amazing for that. It’s like you once said – we’re pioneers on a new frontier.’ Then, to his surprise, she leant over, kissed him on the lips and grinned.
The rocket-sledge slowed down almost to a halt and everyone peered through the observation windows. There was nothing to see except the Europan tundra until, suddenly, they found themselves alongside an illuminated pagoda. Geoff looked at Kai quizzically.
‘The upper structure is a projected image,’ said Kai. ‘The real base is below the surface.’
‘That figures,’ said Geoff. ‘I dare say we’ll be lying low for a while now.
The Caves
The rocket-sledge came to rest inside a subterranean hangar at the pagoda hologram. The occupants disembarked and Kai led the group into the lounge. He told them to relax and make themselves comfortable. The new arrivals erupted in a storm of noisy chatter. Geoff appeared to add up the number of seats and spoke directly into Maura’s ear. She replied behind a cupped hand, tilting her head towards Huang and Chen.
Kai summoned their attention. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to extend a warm welcome to you all.’ He looked around at his audience who gazed at him expectantly but, of all the members of the group, he knew his own crew members Huang and Chen were the most bewildered and confused. He’d overturned their world and left them with no explanation. In the present company, they understood the least about their current circumstances. He needed to reassure them.
‘This place is our home for the time being and I can recommend it as a good hotel,’ he said. ‘But Huang and Chen, you have explored our surroundings in detail. I think it needs a name. What shall we call it?’
‘Sorry to disappoint you, Kai,’ said Huang, rising to his feet, ‘but this is no hotel. It is self-catering. The accommodation is okay, but I am worried about what we must pay for it.’ The others nodded in agreement.
‘I do not know where we are. I do not know why we are here,’ said Chen. ‘But Kai save our ship from Hesperian missile. So, this better than before. But I think we hide now. This place is our “Khitan Caves”.’
‘Thank you, Chen,’ said Kai. ‘I have the privilege of telling you the caves have been constructed by beings known as Thiosh. Their robots continue to visit regularly to bring supplies and carry out maintenance. The service equipment is housed at low level, accessed by robots from under the ice. I think you will agree, the caves have been designed to make us comfortable. We owe our thanks to the Thiosh for their generosity and hospitality.’ He paused as an acknowledgement from Saazat Mettravar flashed into his mind.
‘It was also the Thiosh who enabled us to rescue our Hesperian friends Geoff, Maura and Leona,’ Kai continued. The trio from the Unidome smiled at each other, nodding in agreement.
‘Excuse me, Kai,’ said Huang, standing up again. ‘Can I ask a question please? Why have you brought our enemies here, people you call your friends? And another thing, Kai.’ Huang’s voice rose in pitch. ‘To use some Hesperian English, who or what the fuck are these Thiosh?’
‘Trust me, Huang. These Hesperians . . .’ said Kai, raising his arm towards them. ‘They truly are our friends. From now on we must work together. I will tell you all I know, and Geoff and Maura will fill in the gaps. Thiosh are an indigenous life form, which has inhabited this moon for hundreds of thousands of Earth years. I discovered their existence through an experience I had in a Buddhist monastery. You may be surprised that for centuries men and women have shared thoughts with other intelligent beings in the universe. Hesperians and Khitans from ancient times up to our present epoch have interacted with beings from other planets through mystical experiences, which all traditions on Earth have interpreted as “enlightenment”. I do not pretend to know what Thiosh look like or how they live. But Geoff and Maura are scientists. They have had their own encounters with the Thiosh. Maura, tell us, please, what you have discovered.’
Maura stood up and, addressing the group in a loud, confident voice, she explained about the Thiosh, emphasising that they had saved her and Geoff’s life and given them paranormal gifts – in her case the ability to telepathise and in Geoff’s it was telekinetic power. ‘You call it TK-force, don’t you?’ she asked him as she sat down.
Geoff stood up and cleared his throat. ‘It’s a skill humans can learn and is used, for example, by warship pilots. They wear sensors that pick up their brainwaves and send signals to transducers and relays to operate equipment. It gives them an almost instant response. But Thiosh telekinesis works without the need for sensors. I think they use their thoughts to manipulate gravity in some way, because the forces involved are greater than human strength. I haven’t got the right skill-set to do telepathy, but I have acquired some of the Thiosh’s remote handling ability. I used it to get out of a cell in the OPDEO detention centre. I think it’s possibly a knack the Thiosh chose to give me because of studies I’ve carried out in the field of artificial intelligence.’
‘I hear many stories like this,’ said Chen. ‘Men walk through walls or jump over houses. In my village, we have lot of magic but not much to eat. Here we have food, gym and swimming pool, all very nice. But we share this moon with clever fish and – sorry to say, Kai – thousands of Hesperian devils. This is dangerous place and we hide. Tell us please, why are we here?’
‘It is a good question, Chen.’ said Kai. ‘I know you and Huang did not come here voluntarily, but the task ahead of us is greater than the needs of any individual. We must work together to accomplish a mission. For a long time, the Thiosh have been saddened by the conflicts that have afflicted the human race. They want to help us find a better way of living. This is more urgent now, because our hostilities directly threaten their own existence. The Hesperians have built a base on the other side of this moon, and their military arm, OPDEO, is constructing a fleet of warships that will roam the oceans below the ice cap. Sooner or later, conflict between Thiosh and humans will be unavoidable, unless a treaty of coexistence is negotiated.’
Huang put up his hand. ‘The Empire is not afraid of conflict. What is this mission you speak of?’
‘Peace is better than war, Huang,’ said Kai. ‘We have been selected to act as intermediaries, representatives of the two rival factions on Earth. Our task is to speak for the Thiosh, who are offering humans knowledge and expertise in return for guarantees of non-interference in their way of life. Our responsibility is great, but the opportunity for humankind is greater.’
The meals available from the omniprinter in the kitchen bore some resemblance to junk food on Earth, but served to satisfy their hunger. Geoff, Maura and the Khitans had chosen to sit together at the dining table and Leona said she’d join them later.
Chen was telling Maura how they’d been attacked by a Hesperian destroyer and had outrun a missile. ‘We shot past Mars with no way back. But, by miracle, Kai brought us here.’
‘Was it all prearranged, Kai?’ Geoff asked.
‘Not really. When I was a monk, I became aware my destiny was to come to Jupiter, and this is close enough, I think. But I did not know how it would happen. Our escape from the Hesperian destroyer was, in a sense, engineered by the Thiosh, just as they designed and constructed this accommodation.’
‘So did the Thiosh make the Hesperians attack you?’
‘That is a question that has troubled me. I have asked the Thiosh to explain, but they have not given me a clear answer. They said it was part of the bigger question of whether or not we have free will.’
‘I’ve wondered about that myself,’ said Maura. ‘It feels like we’re all being pushed along by an unknown force.’
Kai smiled in agreement. ‘Regarding the attack, I am convinced the Hesperians were waiting to ambush the next K
hitan transport that came along, and it happened to be us.’
‘Are you saying the Thiosh used a chance event for their own purposes?’ asked Geoff.
‘Yes, I think you are right. But the consequent course of our escape must have been arranged by the Thiosh. I believe you could say it was orchestrated by them, using telekinesis and control of both the Hesperian and our computer software.’
‘So, are they manipulating us?’ asked Geoff, frowning. ‘Are we their puppets?’
‘If you take into account their motivation and their ultimate goal, I do not think they have behaved unethically, according to either Hesperian or Khitan traditions,’ said Kai.
‘These are some smart fish, to be sure,’ said Maura. ‘Have you seen the e-books in the library? They have advanced technology but they’ve been careful to minimise its impact on ecology. They’ve had an industrial revolution that hasn’t harmed the moon. I’d like to know how they did that.’
Geoff had more questions for Kai. ‘Did you know the Thiosh had built a refuge for you on Europa? What happened after you were attacked?’
‘I had assurances from the Thiosh we would be safe. Perhaps you could call it intuition. I knew I had to come to Jupiter. Then after we landed here on Europa, I was contacted by the Thiosh leader, whom they call their Saazat.’ Kai gave Huang and Chen an apologetic smile. ‘I am sorry I could not explain this to you at the time.’
‘I am glad you did not tell us,’ said Huang. ‘We would have sedated you and locked you up!’
‘You needed time to adjust,’ said Kai. ‘I thought it best to leave you resting here in the caves while I took the rocket-sledge to the Unidome. You would not have understood the need to rescue our Hesperian friends.’
The Hesperian Dilemma Page 6
