Planetfall

by L. E. Howel

  Karla started to get up. "It's almost lunchtime, sir," she announced, "are you coming down to the dining hall?" Birch grimaced; the memory of breakfast was fresh in his mind, but he was hungry enough to try again.

  "I guess I'll risk it," he smiled wanly as he rose to his feet, "I'm not convinced though that this food isn't some kind of cruel torture designed to break us down. I'm sure there must be something in the Geneva Convention about this kind of thing." Karla’s smile was her only response.

  Birch munched his way mechanically through another insipid meal. Of course there was a reason for it. Part of the process of acclimatizing them to their new surroundings was to introduce foodstuffs gradually. They were being cautious. According to Edwards the modern diet could be injurious to their system if it was adopted suddenly. Time might have changed things in subtle, but important ways, and so the food they had been given was basic, safe, and quite disgusting.

  The others ate quietly. No one seemed in the mood for conversation. They had spent the past few weeks speculating on their future and there seemed to be nothing left to say. Jane wasn't there; presumably she had made the wisest choice and missed the meal altogether. Birch pushed his half-empty plate to one side and got up, muttering a good-bye to the others, he left the dining hall and headed for his room.

  He spent the rest of the day in his quarters. Time passed slowly, and his mind continued to race through all the possibilities and what he could do about them. He hated being manipulated like this, not knowing what was happening, and having no choice in it anyway. He felt like a monkey on a chain. There wasn't much he could do just now, but he was determined to find out as much as he could and be prepared for a time when he could take control of his own life again. Whatever those wonderful things were that Gibbs had spoken of, Birch was sure it was for their benefit rather than his. For now though all he could do was just wait and see.

  The slow afternoon gave way to evening and finally the time for the meeting arrived. Birch made his way to the lounge again. The others were already there, except for Karla. Birch sat down and looked across at Jane. She raised an eyebrow in recognition.

  "Well," Birch began, "I guess today we find out what all this is about. At least we can hope so. It seems like they enjoy keeping us in the dark about what they plan to do with us. I’ve got a bad feeling about it.”

  "It's just traditional military secrecy, Major," Jane responded coolly. "There's nothing sinister or mysterious about that. It's no different to anything we’ve done during our own service. People who don't need to know things aren't told. Obviously whatever they have in mind for us they don't think we need to know, at least not yet. I can't say I blame them, after all, on your orders we haven't told them anything about our own mission. If we can't trust them why should they trust us?"

  “Shut-up, Jane,” Birch snapped. He bit his lip hard. Sometimes Jane's eternal desire to contradict him on all points went too far. This was important and all she could think of was her petty little point scoring system. He was sure there was more to this than military secrecy, and he was certain Jane felt that too. They had all seen the way important questions had been evaded in that first meeting. They had been told the absolute minimum. They still didn't know exactly where they were, they had been told very little about how life had changed in the world during their absence, they hadn't even been told exactly what year it was, and, most worrying of all, was their unwillingness to speak about their future. This went far beyond military secrets and Jane knew it too. This was a clear attempt to keep them in the dark; the question was, why.

  Karla waved to the others as she took a seat, soon after the uniformed figures of Konik and Edwards appeared. Commander Konik moved brusquely to the podium at the far end of the room and the lights dimmed. Through the skylight Birch could see the silent stars in the darkened sky above.

  "I'm sure you've all been interested to know what the next stage of your return to Earth will be," Konik intoned. Quite an understatement, Birch thought to himself. "I have the duty of telling you what this next stage will be and to guide you on it," Konik's voice was gruff, that of a military commander rather than the smooth, reassuring tones of Gibbs. "Special Operative Edwards and I have been assigned to assist you and see that you complete this task successfully.

  "You are in a privileged position. When Area Commander Gibbs promised you wonderful things in your future he didn't exaggerate. The orders which came through for you are exceptional. You asked to see a representative of our civilian government at the last meeting. Well, you’ll get that and more. You’ve been called back east for a personal conference with the head of the government. I don't expect you realize how rare an opportunity this is, but President Michaels is a very private man and rarely receives personal visitors."

  "I take it he hasn't had much trouble with re-election then," Birch remarked sourly. Konik ignored the comment and continued.

  "It will be Special Operative Edwards' and my duty to make sure that you get to that meeting safely. I'm not going to lie to you, there will be some obstacles on our way, but you are all military personnel and you'll be able to handle it. We will be accompanied by twenty of my best men, and S.O. Edwards is an expert on the terrain and wildlife in the area so you will be well protected."

  Birch looked over at the others; even Jane looked worried by this revelation. "Wait a minute," Birch interrupted, "I've heard you say what we're going to be doing, but I haven't heard anyone asking what we think about all this. You can't expect us to go on some mission with you into some unknown danger without us having any say in it."

  Konik smiled coolly. "That’s exactly what is expected of you, Major Birch. Orders are to be obeyed, not questioned. You are all still registered on the active personnel list, even after all these years. I believe that was the standard policy with all the Hypnos missions since it was known that cryogenic storage would greatly increase your lifespan. That means that President Michaels, as the commander of the military, does have the power to give you orders. I'm sure things haven't changed that much since your time."

  Birch glowered at Commander Konik but said nothing. He was right. What could he say?

  "Now, I need to show you some of the mission details," Konik continued. A map appeared on the wall next to him. Birch recognized it as North America. So he had been right, he was sure they had come down somewhere off the west-coast of America, but the people in this place had always been evasive about their location. "We are in this area," Konik was gesturing toward the north-western part of the country but was not being specific, "and we need to reach Washington in the next couple of months before the weather breaks. It's late August now so it should be easily achieved if we keep to schedule."

  Jane leaned forward in her chair, "A couple of months?" her voice was incredulous. "How were you planning to get there, walking?"

  “Maybe we’re following the Oregon Trail,” Birch added. “Haven’t you guys ever heard of flying? It’s a lot quicker and you get free peanuts!”

  Konik shrugged, "Flight is not permitted, nor is it safe. Our world today is a different place to the one you once knew. There are those who want to bring change, disorder, and chaos, through their violent actions. Their success has been significant. Many flights have been shot down and you are far too important for us to risk in that way. We’ve got a better chance getting through on land. Maybe then you can help change all this.”

  “Doesn’t sound like much has changed,” Birch muttered. “Same old world and same old hopes that maybe tomorrow we’ll be better. We never will. We tried to do our bit in our own time. It doesn’t seem like it helped much.”

  “Why don’t you use that device you used to save us when we landed?” DeSante asked. “Wouldn’t that work?” He had sat quietly through the meeting to this point, but like the others he wanted an easier option.

  “That won’t work at all,” Konik’s voice was growing impatient, as though he was explaining the obvious to a group of dim children. “The field would gu
ide the ship, but it can’t protect it from everything they could shoot at it. If we were shot to pieces the wreckage would be guided safely to where we wanted to go, but since we all would be dead it would hardly help, would it?”

  “Why not by sea?” Birch suggested.

  Konik sighed. “Mines. We might get through, but again it’s a high risk. We don’t want to lose you.”

  “That doesn’t sound very encouraging,” Jane commented. “Just how much control do you actually have? It sounds like you’re pretty badly pinned down if you can’t even run flights or ships without fear of losing them. How did things get this bad?”

  “I’m sure it all seems very confusing to you at this point,” Konik continued with deliberate evenness, “but you should understand that we are fighting to make this world a better place, and it’s working too. Our air, our water, our soil are all cleaner. We have eliminated hunger and ignorance in our domain. We are more content than your grasping generation ever was. We don’t see the need to run across this earth like ants on a hill seeking happiness in things we might gain. We are at war, but it’s as much a war of the mind as the body, and in both causes we will win.”

  "A soldier and a philosopher," Birch remarked ironically, "quite a combination."

  “Maybe that sounds stupid to you, Major Birch," Konik snapped, "but we're working to try and make a perfect world here, which is a lot more than anyone of your generation managed to do. But then I wouldn't expect any of you to understand something like that."

  "I guess it all depends on your interpretation of perfection doesn't it," Birch responded. "Who decides?"

  Konik shook his head silently, glaring menacingly at Birch. "I see I'm not the only philosopher here," his voice was angry now. "Don't criticize what you don't understand, Major Birch." The map behind him dissolved and Commander Konik turned to face the others.

  "We need to begin our journey as soon as possible and so we'll be leaving in two days at 0600 hours. That will give you one day to prepare yourself in any way you see fit. Special Operative Edwards and I will see you then." Konik nodded to Edwards and they both left without further comment.

  ELEVEN

  The long night had finally passed. The light of morning came as a relief to Birch. Sleep had not come, but he was ready for the day. He pulled himself out of bed and moved toward the shower. Turning the faucet he stepped under the scalding water and tried to stretch away the aches from a night of sleepless thought.

  This was the day. Finally, after so many countless years he was going to be back out there, back in the world. He might almost have been happy if it wasn't for his worries about those unspecified dangers Commander Konik had spoken of at the meeting two days ago. As it was Birch had a strange sense of dread about the future. He and the others had placed so much hope in the future. It had been their only hope. Would it all end in disappointment, as their mission had?

  Birch's thoughts drifted back to those glory days when he had been selected as the second-in-command on the mission, a Hypnos mission. They had been the great hope for the next stage of human development, and they had all been treated accordingly. In the year before the launch they had been global celebrities with television appearances, autograph signings, even action figures. It had all gotten out of control. NASA had encouraged it all because of funding issues. Lt. Colonel Ratliff, the mission’s commanding officer, had lapped it all up. He was a natural at it, but Birch had hated every minute of it, the way important events had been trivialized. Ratliff had done it all with gusto, even appearing on game shows. “The celebrity-guest-panelist-from-the-stars” they had termed him. The thought of it even now brought an involuntary snigger from Birch. For some time now it had been impossible for him to think of Ratliff with anything more than feelings of anger and sadness, but the memory of his proud commander on those shows provoked quite a different response.

  Despite it all Birch had loved being a Hypnos astronaut. The Hypnos missions were all about the future of mankind, and while he had never counted himself a true believer in any such cause, he at least had the feeling that he was doing something significant.

  Their mission had been a simple one, but filled with danger. It had also called for the greatest personal sacrifice. They were the exploration vanguard, sent out to probe the distant parts of space and find suitable locations to colonize. No longer was humanity content to await the exhaustion of mother-world’s resources. What had happened for Mars would be taken to the wider stage and humanity would spread its influence across the stars.

  The crew of the Hypnos III had been just one of many scattered through space. They all had the same goal, to seek out suitable locations, to begin the process of terraforming and building across the galaxy. They were the pioneers, the beginning. Engineers and colonists would come after them to finish the work. Then the people would come and benefit from the seed they had planted. This alone was enough to make the Hypnos missions heroic, but it was the personal cost of the missions that gave them their status.

  The Hypnos crews all signed up with the certain knowledge that, because of the distances involved and the time it would take, they would never see any of their friends or loved-ones again. When they awoke from cryogenic sleep their former lives would be dead. Everything they had known would be dead. That was the irony and heroism of the Hypnos missions, that, while they were working for the future of humanity, they lost their own. It was a high price, and it had made them legends.

  Birch had always known that it was worth it. There hadn’t been much for him to regret leaving behind anyway. But more than that; he saw it as a chance to do something. There was so little left to do anymore. Everything on earth had already been categorized, pasteurized, and sanitized by the time he had been born, and so the only thing left to do was sleep, eat, and breathe. The only way to escape it was to escape earth altogether. He had snatched at the chance. This was history. Going out to find hospitable planets suitable for colonization, they were the Lewis and Clark of their generation. They would discover and prepare for all that would follow.

  The funny thing was that things hadn’t turned out like that. For all the hopes of freedom and achievement, they found instead that their mission led only to failure. Orders were orders, but circumstances had him by the throat from the very beginning. Things hadn’t gone to plan. Now here he was back on earth feeling much less than the historical hero.

  Whatever had happened here in their absence, he had the feeling that the Hypnos missions hadn't made any difference at all. From what he could tell it seemed like nobody even remembered them. This came as both a disappointment and a relief to Birch.

  The hot water continued to pour from the showerhead and Birch held his neck under the scalding stream. Today was the future and he knew that once he stepped out from here his life would take on a new and unknown course, a course that he, again, seemed to have little control over. He hesitated, wanting to stay at this point a moment longer before he stepped out into the new beginning. Finally Birch sighed and turned the faucet off. He was ready.

  Stepping out of the shower, Birch dried himself and walked into the other room. He took his new uniform out of the closet. They were all now officially members of the new Earth Armed Forces, all because they had continued to be listed as active service personnel during their years of cryogenic storage. That made them answerable to whoever was the head of government now. Birch looked again at his crisp new uniform, then at his old NASA flight suit in all its tattered glory. It was old now, but it had represented something he had believed in. The new uniform meant nothing to him; even the American flag had gone, replaced by some world emblem. Carefully he folded the old uniform and placed it at the bottom of his backpack; he wasn't ready to lose that small part of his history yet. He put his new uniform on and walked out the door.

  Breakfast was a quiet, hurried affair. The food was up to its usual low standard, but everyone was too engrossed in their own thoughts to pass comment. Birch's hands were sweating and his stomach
was churning, even before he had taken a bite of food.

  Having forced himself to eat as much as he could stomach he got up and went back to his room to pick up his bag before heading toward the lounge to wait for Konik and Edwards. He was the first one there. He sat in a nearby chair and leaned back to look up at the sky. It was peaceful.

  Jane and DeSante entered together; they had been talking but fell silent at the sight of Birch. Jane frowned for a moment and moved to sit on the other side of the room. DeSante followed and sat beside her, waiting in uncomfortable silence. Karla and Lauren entered next; their conversation was loud and filled with hope for the future. Their excited voices broke the tension of the room. Soon the others joined in and were speaking of their favorite earth memories and their own dreams of a golden promise ahead. Birch listened thoughtfully, but his own thoughts were less optimistic.

  The room fell silent again a few minutes later as Konik and Edwards entered. Konik glanced around at each of them, fixing his piercing eyes briefly on every person there.

  “Well, here we are,” he observed abruptly. “I see you’re ready, so let’s go.” He motioned to the door and turned to leave. Birch and the others rose slowly to their feet and followed him.

  Commander Konik strode through the doorway. His heavy footsteps echoed as he lead the group down a gray corridor much like the one Birch had been dragged through weeks ago. The memory of that early treatment was still raw in his mind and it had left Birch unwilling to trust anyone in this place. Things had gotten better since then, but all their smooth explanations had done nothing to dull his anger. In Birch's mind they had all been treated no better than animals and he resented that. That simple fact had made him question all of their claims. He could see that the others were more placated by the explanations, but he wasn’t.