Closer To The Core (25,000 Light-Years Book 1)

by S. Hansen

  ‘Tanika ilsh kraa trim nadis?’ [Tanika what are you doing?] he wanted to speak loudly to scold her but he kept his voice quiet for fear of being caught.

  ‘U triimant ark skuunta am slip tisma suuk slip ara truma. Tut trum rula drisma Idana.’ [I thought it would be more fun with more of us. And we can trust Idana.] Tanika smiled at him and reached back to grasp Idana’s hand.

  ‘Kir Idana ta umi iminav!’ [But Idana is my sister!] His voice still quiet, he tried to force out his frustration in his voice.

  ‘Tut tup ishma U sku am trima hundita tut umi iminav stila.’ [And one day I’ll be your wife and my sister too.]

  ‘U rula vam am klarpir stil am falatis suuk umi iminav Tanika.’ [I cannot be seen to be socialising with my sister Tanika.] Dantil looked at the faintly dejected expression on Idana’s face and he softened his stance as he continued. ‘Trim prink part.’ [You know that.]

  ‘Dantil, tar trum kraa turliman mund attim trim sku purlim uup pillim slip stil munstil stulp pars slum amis klarpir stil falatum suuk trima iminav.’ [Dantil, if we are caught down here you will have a lot more to worry about than just being seen to socialise with your sister.] Dantil looked from Tanika to Idana and back again while he weighed up the risk he was taking. But Tanika left him little time to consider as she pulled Idana towards the water’s edge and gracefully dove in. She emerged again after a few seconds and called to them.

  ‘Druma duk, ark ta ulasivarum atra attrim.’ [Come on, it is beautiful under here.] When Tanika motioned for Idana to join her she smiled and splashed into the water joyously before Dantil relented.

  ‘Pisma. U nud hunkip tu tiklampintarim.’ [Fine. I did promise an adventure.] He dove into the water causing a faint ripple and darted through the warm water with ease. In the warm embrace of the water he closed his eyes and his conscious mind emerged instead in Polly’s warm embrace.

  ☆★☆

  Sometime later Stark entered the bridge to find a surprisingly comfortable silence. Polly concentrated on piloting through the constant battering of pulses given off by the still unknown device and Dantil leant against the wall looking as though he were gazing into the vast wonder of space.

  'Have there been many time jumps up here?' As soon as Stark asked the question Polly's face began to redden and although Stark wasn't sure exactly why he took it as a sign that there had been at least one. He smiled half-heartedly at Polly and leant against the wall opposite Dantil leaving Polly sat between them.

  'We must be getting closer I think I skipped forward in time,' Polly said.

  'Me too, although that doesn't necessarily mean we are closer to fixing it. It could just be getting more dangerous,' Stark replied.

  Without warning The Asteria jolted sharply, once the crew had regained their balance they were shocked to see their new panoramic view. The empty expanse of space before them had transformed into a warzone with Drium as a back drop. The humans were able to easily recognise the planet thanks to their recent trip to it. Dantil stood in confusion watching the colours flash in front of him. Polly looked at Dantil with a mixture of shock and sympathy as a plume of flames fanned out across the surface of Drium. She stretched out her hand in a reassuring manner while Stark stood in awe of the science fiction unfolding before him.

  ‘What is happening?’ Dantil understood from Polly’s reaction that it was something that would upset him but as his ability to hear his surroundings didn’t work in the vacuum of space he could not see the barrage of weapon fire striking his home planet.

  ‘There’s some kind of a battle Dantil. I’m so sorry….’ A lump caught in her throat as she looked back at the besieged planet. ‘It’s Drium.’ Stark watched in amazement as the war raged between the two differing ship designs. The larger curvaceous ships that reminded him of the Dantan architecture were pitted against fierce, angular ships. Each side had hundreds of smaller ships zipping around firing at what Stark presumed to be weak spots, while the larger ships blasted away at each other relentlessly. When a massive plume of smoke and flames rushed across Drium Stark stepped towards Dantil in a calm manner and placed a hand on his shoulder.

  ‘Don’t worry this is probably just the past.’ Dantil looked at Stark in utter defeat.

  ‘Drium has never had an orbital battle. Our contact with other races has been minimal.’ Stark looked awkwardly around the room unsure how to continue. His head tilted as he moved closer to the window, his icy eyes focused on a large ship that seemed to be heading for them. He waved his hands in Polly’s direction and rapidly spoke.

  ‘We have to move now! That ship is definitely coming for us.’ Polly panicked and frantically grasped the controls, The Asteria was unresponsive. Polly looked up at a deep red light heading towards them, closed her eyes and prayed.’

  There was silence. Polly opened one eye and then the other when she realised all the other ships had disappeared. Drium didn't look the same and the star no longer shone the expected bright orangey yellow. The planet in front of them was softly lit by a star giving off a blueish white light. A faint whimper left Dantil's mouth and for the first time in a long time Stark harboured completely selfless feelings. He wanted to reassure Dantil but lacked the social skills to do more than return his hand to Dantil's shoulder.

  After a short while Stark turned away and determinedly began motioning for the holographic cube causing images to faintly flicker while he struggled to find information. Stark was defeated by the language barrier, he sighed as he flopped onto the curved bench and hunched over the table. He aimlessly began drawing the same symbol on repeat with his finger and using his tongue to fiddle with his split lip as he thought about the situation they had found themselves in. Meanwhile Polly had been studying the planet before them. She decided it didn't look very similar to the planet she had landed on before. However, she also understood that a lot can happen over time and she had no idea how far through time they had travelled.

  Dantil remained motionless, gazing out towards the vast expanse surrounding the seemingly desolate planet. He seemed to be muttering under his breath but Polly saw no signs of lip movement as she rose from the pilot chair and paced towards the curved bench where Stark remained, tracing the same symbol again and again. Polly gracefully sat at the table and attempted to construct in her mind the image that Stark was drawing. It was hard to determine when he had finished drawing the image and when he was beginning again but after some time she caught on to the pattern. He was drawing a star consisting of two triangles. She moved her gaze upwards until she was staring at his striking eyes, he was deep in thought and she wondered if that was what it was like to see a plan in the making.

  Stark was no longer thinking about how to better their situation, instead he aimlessly pondered everything he had left behind on Earth once more. Previously the device had forced him to consider Earth without him and now it encouraged him to think about his life without Earth. He hadn't been able to think of a reason for him to return to Earth before, his life had been empty and there was no one to miss him with the possible exception of his senior officer. But he began to think now of all those he wouldn't like never to see again. All the people who had positively affected his life, or even negatively. He began to understand Dantil's distress as he considered never seeing Anna again. He had been pushed out of her life but he still watched over her from time to time. He inhaled deeply and exhaled sharply as he refocused his vision. Stark stood up with determination and bounded out of the room.

  There was silence on the bridge for the next nine and half minutes whilst Polly pondered the star that Adam had been drawing and Dantil's vision remained fixed on the windows. Suddenly a flash of light outside the ship caught Polly's eye, she rushed over and watched with Dantil as a beam of cerulean blue sped silently towards the planet. It collided with the planet surface in what Polly determined to be either a cloud of smoke or debris. Stark re-entered the bridge, sat at the bench and relaxed with his ankle resting on the opposite knee.

  'Please tell me
that was an accident Adam.'

  'Why would I tell you that?'

  'How about because you just fired on Dantil's home planet?' Polly's eyes widened and her brow furrowed in exasperation as her hands spread in front of her to enforce her point.

  'Ah well, that is still up for debate. But either way we needed their attention, now we have it.' Half of Stark's mouth moved into a sly smile as he rested his hands behind his head.

  'And now we just sit here and wait?! Have you completely lost it?! In an emergency you fire a flare in the air, you don't fire it at your rescuers face!' She sat with angry force and glared at Stark. Stark slowly tilted his head to one side and nodded simultaneously in begrudged agreement.

  'Well that is a valid point but what's done is done, so now we just stick to my plan.' He returned Polly's glare, softening hers in the process. Neither one wanted to concede the argument and neither saw the point in arguing, so they both sat there studying each other’s faces.

  ☆★☆

  A short while later the silence was interrupted as Dantil turned from the window in fear, he leapt into the pilot's chair and shouted to Polly and Stark.

  'Somethings moving out there and its moving fast.' He clumsily grasped at the straps as he buckled himself into the seat. Polly who had broken the stare off when she diverted her eyes to Dantil looked again to Stark, she wanted comforting and reassurance but was angry that Stark had been so thoughtless. Stark latched onto the table with his left hand as his right hand clasped Polly's. The Asteria shook as she was hit and Polly's anger dissipated when fear took over.

  'Adam.' A fearful whimper left her lips as she gained strength from his grasp. Stark had been certain he knew everything there was to know about Polly, he was sure she would cry. Her lower lip faintly trembled before she composed herself and spoke with confidence.

  'We have to get out of here, this can't be Drium. We have to man the guns, we don't have time for me to take control of the pilot's chair. Dantil tell me you can fly this thing.'

  'I can’t see where I am going but as long as there is nothing space coloured out there we should be fine.' As Dantil spoke Polly and Stark unsteadily rose from their seats. The Asteria continued to take knocks, causing Polly to lose her footing. Stark caught her and gently helped her to her feet. Polly squeezed Stark's hand in thanks as they split up, each heading in the opposite direction to the other. They headed down the corridors steadying themselves against the walls and making fast progress regardless. Adam confidently prepped his gun room and pressed the button on the right, he could hear Polly fumbling with the unfamiliar headset.

  'Polly, just breathe calmly and listen to my voice.' She did what she was told and tried to relax, the ship began to move under Dantil's control away from the enemy fire. Stark continued to give concise commands to Polly but when she was ready to begin firing The Asteria was moving rapidly and being chased by the other ships. Polly's shots were inaccurate and poorly timed but they were a deterrent. Stark was far more accurate and dangerous with the weapons.

  'Adam this is pretty tricky and we don't seem to be losing them, what should we do?' Stark could hear the fear creeping back into Polly's voice but he had no idea, military intelligence had not trained him for space battles. Before he could try just comforting her with confidence the ship ground to a halt. He continued to fire furiously at the oncoming ships while Polly continued with what could be considered as suppressive fire.

  'Adam the ship has stopped moving.'

  'Yep... I'm quite aware of that.'

  'Why?'

  'I don't know, I'm not flying the ship.' Adam was struggling to keep the ships at bay with his accurate fire.

  'Should I check on Dantil?'

  'I think we both need to check on him in a minute, one just slipped past, I think we are about to be boarded.'

  'Shit! What do we do?!'

  'Well there's not much we can do when our only weapons are mounted on the outside of the ship. We surrender and roll with it until an opportunity arises.'

  'Sometimes I swear you come up with the worst plans, I am genuinely surprised you have lasted as long as you have as an MI6 agent.' Stark remained unconcerned as he had been trained for capture and he had nothing to lose so he confidently stood up, straightened his waistcoat and strode towards the bridge. Polly took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she shakily stood up and nervously walked to the bridge. There was a loud clang on The Asteria, it was a noise Stark had been expecting but it made Polly jolt in fear prompting Dantil to rise from his seat to comfort her. They could see a ship in front of them and another had begun heading back to the planet while the third could only partially be glimpsed on the port side.

  The trio waited for quite some time in silent anticipation. The invaders had no easy method of access to The Asteria and she was a stubborn ship providing no simple solution. Stark sat resting his elbow on the table and his face squashed slightly as it was propped up by his hand. His other began tracing the star once more on the surface of the table. Dantil was trying his best to reassure Polly but it certainly seemed to him that the calming scents he was creating had no effect on her. Polly ignored Dantil’s efforts and moved towards Stark.

  'Why do you keep drawing that star?' She faintly smiled as she implored him to give an answer. He looked to his hand and watched as he continued to draw the star. 'Adam?' Stark seemed confused as his gaze raised to hers.

  'I don't know, I didn't know I was.' He balled his hand into a fist to stop himself from giving any personal information away inadvertently. Although he wasn't sure what it meant, stars seemed to be becoming a large part of his life, symbols and celestial bodies alike.

  Finally the invaders were able to gain access to The Asteria, the trio heard very little until the thorough search of the ship reached closer to the bridge. Whoever they were, they were very efficient and clinical in their approach to the search.

  'Ooh, I need to go and get my coat. I am very confident I will look spectacular escaping the planet in that coat.' But when he stood up the invaders opened the door. Dantil wasn't sure whether to feel relief or further distress. These were clearly not Dantans but he couldn't say if they were on that planet because it wasn't Drium or because they had long since taken control of Drium. Until they stepped through the door only Dantil had been able to see them. They had to fold their legs to lower themselves through the low doorway.

  The humans rose to surrender and caught their first glimpse of the invaders. Stark shook his head as if to say of course, that's just bloody typical and exhaled sharply in a breathy laugh. Polly too recognised their soon to be captors. She pieced together all the information and gladly informed Dantil that although she couldn't explain the space battles above Drium she could confidently say that the desolate planet was not Drium. Her well organised mind flicked through her memories for the planets name. The towering blueish grey men entered the room while Polly exclaimed with satisfaction.

  'Renya!'

  Stark cleared his throat to remind Polly of their situation and she suddenly lost her wide smile when she looked at the intimidating Renyans. The image Hajeel had shown them at the observer’s station had not done the Renyans justice, they were far more unnerving and threatening in person. The double folding legs with hoof like feet meant every footstep stomped on the ground and the lack of facial features left them looking emotionless and imposing.

  A single Renyan stepped forward from the pack but he felt no need to communicate with the humans or Dantil. His legs lowered him and he arched his back to lean in close to Polly. The Renyan examined her intensely as she began to visibly shake, her heart was pounding and she instinctively turned to Stark. Stark once again put himself between Polly and an alien, his chest rose as he stared hard into the Renyans eyes. The Renyan ascended once more to full height as he turned to the other Renyans. The leader spoke in a booming voice that shook through the humans, Polly whimpered as she felt the vibrations in her throat.

  'Palsaar meyt, vert ulft yarls mey
t bi Renya'

  At once the other Renyans surged forwards and seized Stark, Polly and Dantil. Initially Polly and Dantil struggled but when they saw Stark made no such attempts they became defeated and surrendered helplessly.

  Chapter Five: A Dusting Of White Lies

  The Renyan ship seemed to rock and take a pummelling just trying to break the atmosphere, Dantil was quick and steady on his feet allowing him to avoid many of the bangs and scrapes that Stark and Polly could not. The ship was angular and intimidating with many harsh edges that caught and dug into the humans but as Polly lost her footing she clasped Stark's hand and he tried his best to help steady her. The journey continued and Stark became more sure footed yet he took as many knocks as before because he repeatedly put himself between Polly and the ships edges. Unsurprisingly the hardest impact came as the ship made a heavy landing. The prisoners were thrown forwards, Dantil caught a ledge and reached for the others to help but was only able to grab Polly's arm. As Dantil countered Polly's forward momentum she was able to steady herself but Stark hurtled on past and winded himself badly when the lower portion of his rib cage collided with a low wall, it stopped him crashing further on ahead but he was certain he had broken a rib.

  Shortly after landing the prisoners were shoved down the loading ramp and jostled past many tall, dark buildings with harsh architectural lines, the buildings reminded Polly of Arctic glaciers she had seen in her travels. Stark was struggling to soothe the pain in his chest as he took in his surroundings. There was no green life, everything seemed very industrial due to the general lack of colour. Stark had been to a few formidable places but none quite like this. Eventually they were hustled into one of the ominous buildings and on through a labyrinth of corridors similar to the interior of the ship, before being forced into a small windowless room.