Voyage

by C. Paul Lockman

  There was a slight shaking which indicated engine start-up. Before long, Daedalus was speeding away from Numkli and her seven moons, on our way to Jakalzzi. Things were fluid, and I had to keep up to speed. But I had other things to deal with too.

  *****

  I spent over an hour on the Net, synchronised my communicator, and went for a run. Daedalus was well-appointed for the fitness enthusiast, and I had seen people using the outer rung of atriums as a jogging circuit. I gratefully left my gear in the cabin, threw on some loose clothes, and set out to the atrium.

  The view was great. Daedalus was on the fastest leg of her journey now, accelerated already to 0.2% the speed of light. The size of this massive solar system meant that, even at these speeds, a journey of several more weeks was required to reach the Outer Rim, and we had lost time during the stop at Numkli. At this speed, exterior objects appeared to move as we sped through the beginnings of the outer solar system. We passed several asteroids, some the size of small moons, which could be seen from the atrium’s massive windows. Although we were not close enough to any of the system’s other planets to see them with the naked eye, the ship had to compensate for the gigantic gravitational pull of the biggest gas giant in this system, the 8th planet, Gaj (The Captain pronounced it ‘Garrrr’ but Falik reckoned this was merely his Bephran accent run amok). With its orbiting swarm of two hundred moons, many of them larger than the earth’s moon and two actually bigger than earth itself, it would make a fantastic stop. But not on this journey,

  I pondered the size of all this while I began my run. So much to take in recently. So many things on my plate. Without Falik I’d be completely lost, I thought to myself, settling into a rhythm. How could I think about leaving her? All the turmoil since my arrival, the weirdness of my celebrity, not to mention the fact that I’m from a different planet… none of these things seemed to bother her. She just loved me. And I had to come all the way across the galaxy to find her.

  I thought about the debate, the Raptors and their bold plan. I didn’t love their solution. It smacked too much of over-reaction, using technology as an easy way out. But then, I didn’t have their perspective. After a thousand years of exile and stalemate, perhaps some lateral thinking was in order.

  And this coup on Jakalzzi… those Raptors really were something. How the hell had they arranged it? Temptation is a powerful tool, and men are weak.

  The path opened out into a garden flanked by towering ferns. I followed it through, over a bridge, and out into a broad meadow. This is where one realises the true scale of Daedalus, I chuckled to myself. It has its own ecosystem.

  What was really needed was a concession. If the Gaspirian insistence on holding trials for the Elders on their return could be mollified, we might make progress. Besides, it was inhumane, like trying a modern-day Spaniard for the crimes of the Inquisition. Once that was retracted, we could move on to opening up trade, or a cultural exchange, or something. Mutual tourism. Reinstate scheduled space transport, maybe collaborate on something, like Apollo-Soyuz…

  I thought about home. Garlidan was working on almost every element of what I needed, and the Science Ministry on Takanli was bending over backwards to help. That gave me the ship, the equipment and the transport method. Now I needed the time travel system and the resources once I got there. And, even if I did get to earth, how would I keep the alien technology secret? If any of this got out… I remembered the sci-fi movies I watched as a kid. They always said that the world would go crazy once we realised we weren’t alone in the universe. It seemed a stupid sentiment now – alone? You must be kidding! There are eight-foot musicians with blue balls out there! – but I had to bear it in mind. The reaction of the church, of governments, of scientists. They would all freak the fuck out. No, I wasn’t ready for any of that. Softly, softly. Mum’s the word.

  I started a third rotation of the atrium. Wow, did that mean nine miles already? I had barely broken a sweat, I noted, thanking Carpash and his team for their treatments for the thousandth time. I briefly wondered how he was doing. Probably busy right now cooking up a fresh batch of emotional vaccines to calm down those idiots in the Outer Rim. Ach, enough of that, too.

  Time passed, and distance was covered, all in that repetitive, reassuringly rhythmical way of the long-distance runner. I passed a small grove of trees at the centre of which was a fountain and an ornate little plaza. The floor was a mosaic which produced a 3-D pattern that altered as I ran past it. Following it with my eyes, I noticed a figure standing in the centre of the grove, smoking a pipe. Garlidan.

  “Hey, that stuff will kill you!” I called over. He waved at me to be quiet and I jogged over, cantering to a stop and sitting on the edge of the fountain.

  “Are you out of your mind?” he rasped. “If I get caught smoking this stuff they’ll haul me behind the ship in an EVA suit until I promise never to do it again!” We chuckled together. He took another puff on the pipe, exhaled the fruity, aromatic smoke, and tapped it out into a nearby trashcan. “We all have our vices… one need only search on the Net to find yours.”

  I winced at the low punch. “What the hell are you doing out here, anyway? Finding somewhere quiet to pollute yourself?”

  Garlidan bristled. “Yes, as a matter of fact. Also, I was fairly sure I’d run into you here. Or, vice versa, as seems to be the case”, he observed, glancing down at my sneakers. “We need to talk. Are you done running?”

  I looked at my watch. I’d been going for nearly three hours and covered the better part of 30 miles. At a very relaxed pace. “I guess so. I just don’t get tired any more so there’s no way to tell”. Garlidan led me into the dining hall. “Hey, you know, I’m in here all the time.” I thought for a second. “Let’s go up to the Captain’s lounge. Its normally empty and the views are great. I know the barman.” He stared at me. “Come on. Relax.”

  We took an elevator up sixty floors to the top of the ship, where I used a palmprint system to gain access. “Falik and I did a couple of favours for the Captain, and he’s just been oh-so-grateful… You know the TV debate thing was basically his idea?” Garlidan shook his head as we sat down by the windows. “Got him a container-load of kudos and made him trade connections that will make his retirement very comfortable. Ah, there you are, George!”

  The uniformed barman was one of the Captain’s perks. “You won’t believe what this man can do. They’ve got a reproducer machine back there – one of the new ones – and…well, just order. You’ll see.”

  I grinned in anticipation. “Got a single malt scotch menu, George?.” Garlidan ordered something made from a Gaspirian fruit. George left to make the drinks.

  “How’s it going? I’ve been thinking it through again. In fact, I can’t think of anything else.”

  Garlidan nodded. “Well. The Ministry is on board with the plan and they’re dispatching the fuel today. One consignment will meet us at Gaspiri, to top up the tanks for our initial burn. The second, larger refuelling will be provided by the scientists at Holdrian, to help Daedalus get back. We can really move it along if the tanks are full when we leave.”

  “Excellent”. George arrived with our drinks. “You, sir, are a marvel.” I took a deep inhalation from my glass. “Somehow, and don’t ask me how, George can replicate the Balvenie Founders’ Reserve Doublewood. The taste of home. Well, of Scotland, anyway. Try some?”

  Garlidan politely refused and made a start on his fruit concoction. “That takes care of the fuel. I’ve asked them to send the two pieces of equipment you’ll need with the ship. They’re refitting a Cruiser right now. I told them it is unlikely you’ll be departing from Holdrian immediately.” I nodded. “There will be a lot of preparation there, but the Cruiser shouldn’t take longer than a month to get to Holdrian. It will need to be refuelled, that’s all. I know they can handle that. Are you going to be OK there on your own for a couple of weeks? The Captain is desperate to get Daedalus turned around…”

  “That’s fine. I’ve read about t
hese people. They are a little wary of outsiders, but Falik is sure I can win their trust.”

  “Good. Now, as for your plan…” We brought out our lecterns. “I’m sure you’ve thought of this, but the easiest thing to do would be to have the whole thing constructed in Takanli orbit and take it with you. We could fold down the solar panels to save cargo space and it would be operational almost immediately you get there, as soon as a ground station could be built. Instant, massive solar power, ready to be beamed down from orbit. ”

  I sighed. “We can’t.” Garlidan began to protest. “Look”, I tapped the table, “I know these people, alright? This absolutely must look like humans solved the problem. Conspicuous alien involvement is completely out of the question. You cannot imagine how much worse that would make things. Let’s just keep this nice and quiet.”

  Garlidan flicked to another section of his lectern. “OK, well in that case… you’re going to need to build the whole thing yourself, on earth, and launch it piece by piece with your inefficient rockets. Even the largest commercial booster can only loft about 20 tonnes, so you’ll need a couple of hundred launches. Terrific for your carbon footprint...”

  I stopped him. “Try this.” I unfolded my lectern and showed him my newest plan. He studied it for twenty minutes, adding equations to my calculations, transferring data from his lectern and from the Net, fine-tuning the workings.

  “Dear boy. This is inspired.”

  I drained my scotch. “I know. All I need is a really big rock.”

  *****

  Garlidan and I met in the Captain’s bar every day for the next two weeks. We hammered out every element of the plan and established an open channel with the Science Ministry. Their resource in the area of Earth, such as they were, could be re-tasked virtually at once, they told us. Anything else we needed?

  The technicians at Holdrian began to come out of hiding, too. Our initial email exchange, which was put in place by a gifted and tenacious team consisting of Raptors, Takanli diplomatic officials, the Captain, Falik and, when things appeared to briefly stall, two Council members, had blossomed into daily video-conferences using the latest subspace communicators. Our arrival was scheduled and preparatory work could begin. These people were unbelievably smart.

  After 19 days of blackness, punctuated only by passing asteroids and a single comet, the sight of Jakalzzi appearing in the atrium windows was a welcome change. Tomorrow, I knew, was the final negotiating session and, once more, I was moderator. I couldn’t wait to get it out of the way, say farewell to the Raptors on Gaspiri, and get my ass to Holdrian. Falik sympathised.

  “Half a day, and we’re done. Nobody wants to stay long. In fact, a lot of people are staying on board.”

  I was surprised. “What about this coup? Aren’t things changing down there?”

  Falik shook her head. “It takes generations. These people aren’t going to stop being paranoid rednecks overnight.” I smiled at the Earth expression. “Just do what we came to do and let’s get you homeward bound.”

  We spent the evening having delicious zero-G sex in one of the spacious hangars. Naked and entwined, we performed an inadvertent ballet throughout the cavernous space, spinning gently as I slipped in and out of her. Falik’s long, black hair went its own way in microgravity, splaying out in all directions. It made a beautiful sight. Before I could come, she gently withdrew me from her cunt and took me into her mouth, stroking me with increasingly skilled hands. As my orgasm began she freed my cock and watched as the heavy, fat, circular droplets of sperm spilled forth. She caught some in her mouth, others landed on her body or in her hair. The rest drifted silently away.

  Chapter XXVI: Revellers

  The morning was absolute madness. I had more emails than I could count, people were trying to interview me even before breakfast, and there was a vital, hour-long conference call with Holdrian. By the time we were in the shuttles and on our way down to Jakalzzi, I was already exhausted,

  “They’re having to move the site of the meeting”, Falik reported, tapping at her lectern. “They apologise for the short notice, but there are major security concerns. An angry mob surrounded the Exhibition Centre demanding an end to negotiations. They want to go back to war.”

  I sighed deeply. “Why the fuck?”

  More tapping. “They claim that the new government is illegitimate and does not represent the true will of the people. They claim the interim party is going to sign away the results of a millennium of struggle because they’re pussy-whipped by the Raptors, just like the Elders became”.

  “Shit.” I was sick of this whole charade. “The Raptors are right. These people need to take a chill pill”.

  Falik finished reading the article on her lectern and turned to me. “They have a point, though, right?” I shrugged. “The Raptors are coming in here and altering their very DNA to get what they want.”

  I raised a finger. “But what they want, remember, is peace! Isn’t that worth a little modification?”

  She shook her head. “Surreptitious and under-hand.” She snapped her lectern closed. I had never heard her talk like this.

  I let a minute pass. “You’re right. It is pretty uncool, what we’re allowing them to do. It is invasive. If this were Star Trek, we’d have grievously violated the Prime Directive. But if I go out here and fail, achieve nothing, how much support do you think Takanli will give to my trip home? I can’t do it without them. I know they’ll try not to look disappointed, and try to carry on as if nothing had happened”, Falik was nodding subtly, “but you know what would happen. I’d never be given another chance. I’d sink into obscurity.”

  She took my hand, ever her reassuring self, as our shuttle approached the surface of Jakalzzi. “And think about this, too… this ridiculous fame I seem to have garnered, largely by shagging pretty girls on video, for Christ’s sake, I’ve only ever put that to use to do good. And how much good can I do if I’m discredited? They’ll make a few bad jokes about me, and I’ll be forgotten. I’ll never get home, and all my friends and family will be condemned to live in permanent hell-on-earth.” I looked her straight in the eye. “I’d rather die than let that happen. Do you understand?”

  Falik hugged me. We were near to the new site of the meeting, a kind of ranch way out in a rural area near some mountains. “Yes, I understand. There is an expression from your planet about making an omelette.” I smiled, nodding.

  “’You can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs’. I’d always thought that was a stupid sentiment, but it seems true. And look, these eggs can be put back together again. I bet you all the Frejudium on Gaspiri that, should the whole thing be revealed to them in a hundred years, they would get over it. Look how peaceful and prosperous Takanli has become with this treatment. You’ve learned all the methods of operating a safe, successful society without worrying about selfishness, violence or fear. You’ll cope, when those things come. So will they.”

  As the craft landed, I took Falik’s hand and we stepped out into a waiting throng of security men. They were similar to Takanli’s guards, tall and slightly reptilian, carrying long, shimmering sticks. “What do they do?” I whispered to Falik.

  “10,000 volts. Not a nice way to go”. I shuddered slightly and followed the Captain of the Guard into a two-storey, non-descript building. We could have been anywhere, even a Home Depot warehouse. I thought it was a little bland. Falik heard my thoughts. “Stick to the plan, Earth Boy. Half a day, I promise. Get this right, and I’ll blow you in Zero-G again”. Her voice silently filled my head, and my cock jolted at the promise of her lovely, soft mouth on me once more.

  At the end of the hallway we were met by the three Jakalzzian delegates I had met during the debate. They looked stern, somewhat ashen-faced. We exchanged pleasantries about the trip and my first impressions of Jakalzzi (I lied freely) and then they explained what the hell was going on.

  “We have been replaced as the delegation to Gaspiri by the new interim government.” He almost
spat the words. “They have decided to adopt a far more moderate path, which is inconsistent with the wishes of the public. No-one”, he glanced around, “expects them to last.”

  Shit. So now, not only have I got to hammer out an agreement with the interim government, it has got to be good enough to keep them in power, and pacify the rebellious masses, or they’ll get kicked out, probably strung up, and we’ll be right back at square one. Way to make things easier.

  “Come this way. We have the handover to complete, and we will be on our way.” He seemed both relieved and very angry to have been pulled out of the situation. We walked together into an adjacent room where three younger, rather idealistic looking types were waiting for the handover. Documents were exchanged, and key-codes on tiny Red Cubes. Then the three bowed to us, perfunctorily to their successors, and left through a side door. Within moments we heard their glider power up and depart.

  I looked at the three. The middle delegate, a tall, handsome young man in flowing robes, strode forward and extended his hand. “Dema. I am chief of the delegation appointed by the interim government. We hope our relationship will be fruitful.” He shook my hand warmly, making strong eye contact. First impressions, and all that. The others, both women, introduced themselves as Klani and Vaira. I learned about their backgrounds while staff poured juice and coffee (brought for my benefit by the Captain, I was told) and Falik began making notes on her lectern.

  Their position had altered radically. They no longer demanded trials of the Elders, and were prepared to renounce violence and sign a non-aggression pact. They welcomed the destruction of the Frejudium cannon, and were warm to the idea of cultural and trade links, including the re-establishment of direct Cruiser transport.