* * *
( About 1,200 years earlier )
Rintar stared ahead. It failed. There was no wyrm hole. Critical mass was already surpassed. Meltdown was inevitable now. The unforgiving brilliant light of the metals shone upon him.
“My God! What have we done?”
The compound was abuzz with police but he disregarded them. He walked back to his station and sat. Defeated, he looked at nothing, the nothing that would soon be everything. All of his hard work had ended in failure and the people that would pay would be everyone he knew, good or bad.
Realizing how tired he was now he leaned back, closed his eyes and tried to shut everything out…
Like the wailing screams of the tempestuous snows
The life of a world blown asunder as the leaf of a desert rose
A fissure that runs through the heart of all that was good and pure
May all that was ever known, not run through times obscure
Like the wailing screams of the tempestuous snows
The life of a world blown asunder as the leaf of a desert rose
A fissure that runs through the heart of all the corrupt and vile
May all that was, be released in the absolution of heavens righteous reconcile
(Bippit…bippit…bippit…)
He looked down at his view screen. There was a message for him. It was from Render. It was too late now but he figured he’d read it anyways.
He read it again.
He got up.
* * *
The omnipresent white shroud slowly faded from its crescendo and light fell again upon all that is. A light-headed Render Bulwark rose from what seemed to be an endless slumber. He felt his head to make sure it was still there. Shaking off the cobwebs he looked over to see his companion still sound asleep in his bunk. He looked around the cabin.
The austere metallic interior was still filled with its collection of clean rectangular lines and odd knick-knacks accumulated from years of space travel. Nearby the bay window furnished enough light to see by. They were planet side. Render walked over for a glance to the world outside.
The view was startling. A shining sprawling city was gleaming in the resplendent morning sun. A thousand commoners walked the orderly and immaculate streets and byways. A people who seemed determined in their ways, who had places to go and, it appeared, things to accomplish. Far overhead transports streaked the skies leaving their own brand of cloud in their wake while a bright sun shone through warming far and wide. For the next several minutes Render just stared.
He walked over to his computer terminal to determine his exact position. Harnak 429! The same wasteland they had been confined to just moments ago, although it felt like ages. Maybe it was. It worked! Render rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t dreaming and once again went to behold a panorama which had not previously existed.
“Brok!” he began rustling him awake ”Brok get up, you have to see this!”
Brok stirred up from his sleep ”Aww man! You just woke me from the worst nightmare I’ve ever had. We were trapped in the ship and being attacked by the Feds while being irradiated by this…”
“Shut up you idiot! That actually happened. Get up and take a look at this.”
They both walked over to the bay window.
“Where are we Rend?”
“This is the same planet we’ve always been on. Remember the place you thought resembled the time you threw up your lunch. This is Harnak!” His eyes were filled with exhilaration; Brok hadn’t seen him like this before. “The only is difference is that we are now on a different stream of time!”
Brok blinked several times to make sure the reality that stood before him wasn’t going to fade into dream.
“How is this possible? What happened?”
“I’m not really sure myself to be honest with you. But I sure as hell am going to find out. Come on grab your stuff and let’s go!”
Once again Render deployed the survey drone to make sure the surface was safe to traverse on foot. This time the read-outs were all in the green.
“Looks like they even breathe air, wow! The only thing we have to watch out for is the heavy gravity again, we will get tired quickly. But hey, it’ll give us a chance to work on our physiques right. We don’t wanna let down the ladies!” Render smiled.
“Are you sure you’re feeling all right Rend?”
The bay doors opened to a bright new day and fresh air for the first time.
“Never better!”
They walked out into streets and some things struck them immediately, firstly the buildings they saw were extremely intricate and statues interlaced what were colossal structures. This was something neither of them had seen before. Secondly, the apparel of the common folk was in a style they had also never seen before. Scarves and shawls draped around beautiful multi-colored abayas. Each commoners design was unique and original and captivated the observers.
Like children lost in the forest, Render and Brok didn’t know where to go.
“Do you think they speak our language Rend?”
“Well, Common Core is the universal language of the galaxy. If they don’t speak it directly, they should at least speak an offshoot. I think we ought to give it a try.”
“OK you go for it. I’ll watch” said a slightly intimidated Brok.
They waited for the least dangerous looking passerby, an elderly lady, and Render said “Hi this is Brok and my name is Render. I was wondering…”
The lady started laughing, put up her hand and kept walking.
“So far so good Rend. Keep going.”
He stopped a scholarly looking fellow. “Excuse me sir. My name is Render and I would…”
The man interrupted with his guffaw. He looked over the two newcomers and apparently determining that they weren’t for real, kept walking.
“Keep right on at it Render, we’re making good progress here.”
He saw a younger man. “Sir I was wondering if you could help us find our way. My name is Render and this is…”
The boy laughed! “Rhundar! Acht! Rhundar mach Skoen.”
Render was starting to be become disheartened. If they couldn’t communicate, they would remain lost and eventually the problem of food and trade would present themselves. They had no information to go by.
“Hold on Rend, I think I’m starting to detect a pattern here. If I may..”
Brok walked up to the next pedestrian and stopped them. He pointed at Render and said “Hi this is Rhundar!”
The man laughed and walked on.
“Oh my God I think this is just about the funniest thing that I have ever witnessed Rend! It would seem that your name is some sort of swear word. Perhaps it means dumbass? And with everyone we’ve stopped thus far, the very first thing out of your mouth is you pointing out that you’re a dumbass.” Brok burst into laughter. “Oh man! Finally a people I can identify with Rend. I think these guys truly understand you.”
A rankled Render tracked down the next city dweller and spoke to him, keeping his name out of it. “Excuse me sir, we are lost. Could you point out the directions to the nearest library?”
The man seemed a little confused, but after a moment pointed down the adjoining passage leading to the heart of the city. Render could see a massive building saddled in architecture that complemented its setting. They made their way towards it, all the while entranced by the view.
When they finally arrived they inspected the structure. Whilst the towers they had encountered as ruins were themselves impressive what they witnessed now was grand enough to make the Gods weep. Both Render and Brok had reached their physical limit as the trek had been a much longer period of time than they anticipated given the sheer size of the building in the distance.
They willed their way inside and found an atrium that seemed to reach into the heavens themselves. Many people were sitting at computer terminals lost in study. Finding an uninhabited cubicle they trudged their way over to a pair of seats. Their mere
presence seemed to activate the terminal. A list of languages presented itself as the default welcome screen.
Brok pointed. “There! Ancient Common Core.”
“Oh praise God Yes!”
He selected it and just like that thousands of years of information was now at his fingertips. The name of this civilization was Speros, that was what they called themselves. It was a people rich in culture and technology. Speros appeared to be one of the local powers in this sector of the galaxy.
Render pointed out. “It looks like there is no mention of pirates Brok, it would appear that they police these trade routes well. Also their commerce is strong and based on rewarding production and honesty and so business between worlds is in constant activity. It would appear few are wanting, making piracy almost irrelevant in the first place as people all have what they need.”
“Very interesting.”
“Hey Render, use the translator, I wanna know what Render means in Speros.”
Render typed it in and had it translated. ‘Render’ or more accurately, ‘Rhundar’ meant the same as ‘dunce’.
“Oh that’s beautiful! Thanks Rend.”
The terminals definition also displayed the etymology of the word. The word originated 1,200 years ago when a scientist by a similar name accidentally caused the collapse of a major scientific government project involving the study of radiactive chemical elements and radiation. There was a link which gave a more detailed account of the scientists life and biography, a man named Rintar Bul-Wark. Render clicked on it.
“Oh my God! Look! Here it is!” They were both entranced.
Rintar Bul-Wark From 1,245 Years to 1,211 Years Ago. A leading scientist during his age who came to ruin after several experiments failed due to the accidental neutralization of the radioactive compounds he was experimenting with. Once deemed a brilliant mind in nuclear physics, several accidents, including which lead to his premature aging and excessive exposure to radiation, lead to his early demise. Survived by his family, Rintar upon his death was deemed the laughingstock of the scientific community and the progress he generated was matched by the cessation of advance, ridicule of which his wife and children had to endure for the rest of their lives.
“It doesn’t say specifically what he did to screw things up Rend.”
“Incredible, if it wasn’t for him and his actions none of these people would even be alive. And they look at him only with ridicule, if only they knew. He was ahead of all of them. If only they knew.”
Together they spent the next several hours perusing the history of the timeline which was theirs now. Nearby civilizations which Render had never heard of before had a chance to grow in the face of Confederate suppression and so were allowed to thrive and eventually become powerful, leading to a much more exciting existence in general. It appeared that both games and the arts were the watchwords of the day, rather than the toil and destitution of his own stream of time. Commerce between sectors was strong. Interestingly enough, it seemed the chief export of Speros was entertainment and comedy.
Gradually they made their way back to the ship. All along Brok took great pleasure in pointing out to everyone they met that the man he walked with was named Render.
“Will you stop that please?”
“Oh come on Rend. This is the opportunity of a life time, these people speak my language.”
When they made their back to the ship, the bay door opened and yet another surprise greeted them. There were communications addressed to Render that he was to answer. They were from his parents! They were recorded visual messages. Render pressed play and watched, his face transfixed onto the screen, he physically reached out and touched the screen as two figures, much resembling himself spoke as if they had known him his whole life. The message was brief, wishing him good luck in voyage to Harnak. They wanted him to be safe in his travels and his adventures to uncover the interesting relics of the past. They suggested he bring them back a souvenir and not to miss the shows by performers Render had never heard of before.
“Incredible! THEY ARE ALIVE! And they have no idea as to what happened at all. We could spend the next several weeks explaining and they may not even believe us! Brok we may have to keep this between us for the rest of our lives. People are gonna think we’re crazy!”
But then the miracle of miracles happened. Render looked again at his missed messages. There was one more. It was from someone name Rachel, his wife. It was not visual, but it was a caring message asking him to be safe and wondering when he would come home. It would seem he actually had a home to return to now! Previous to this he was a vagabond. In this time stream he was married!
“You said it Rend. Especially the part about the Bolbod maidens, huh?”
EPILOGUE
It had been a week since beginning their new lives. Render seemed like a completely changed man. Existence itself seemed a little bit lighter, a little bit simpler and overall more meaningful. And it turned out Rachel was even one hell of a cook.
Overwhelmed by curiosity, Brok woke in the middle of the night. Carefully, without waking Render, he walked over to the computer and started it up. Typing the password to get into his files, which he had known for years unbeknownst to Render, he opened the folder entitled Top Secret which had odd time stamps in its meta-data, and finally read the messages that had been sent through time…
Time stamp: 1,215 Years Ago Sender: Rintar Bul-Wark Addressee: Unknown
This is a general SOS. My name is Rintar Bul-Wark and my people are called the Speros. I am a scientist in my era. A few years ago my team had devised a way to enhance our mensuration equipment to include the observation of various micro band wavelengths in the radioactive ranges. We detected an anomaly on the far side of the planet and so we sent a survey team to investigate. They discovered a new substance which proved both highly radioactive and dangerous. It is with this substance I am able to send this message forward into time in the hopes that future generations will be able to save us from impending destruction. I have lost contact with our near future and it would appear we will destroy ourselves soon using this unstable and powerful metal. My Government has failed me. I am the only one working to counter the inevitable. Our rulers only care about power.
In the event of nuclear catastrophe, I will be depositing a strong box at ground zero containing a deposit of Temporilium which will tune itself to my own stock so that I may communicate with someone from the future who is wiser in the ways dealing with these highly unstable substances than I. Please, whoever gets this, we are a good people. In our sector we protect the weak from tyranny and strengthen those elements which make life worth living. Despite being run by a foolish government, we need to live. The timeline would weaken greatly in our absence. If you have gotten this general SOS then please find the strong box in my home world and proceed to send communication back with instructions.
So this was the original message to Renders parents which lead to their death. It was also the same message that Render got when he turned 18. It was interesting that it took him several years to actually pinpoint Harnak. It seems that the chaotic gravitic pulls from planet to sun to stars to galaxies had thrown the planet into different coordinates, but it did explain why Render did all his treasure hunting in this particular area of space.
Time stamp: 1,214 Years Ago Sender: Rintar Bul-Wark Addressee: Render
Please find the strong box at the following coordinates so that we may commence communications. Coordinates: 50’ 5’ 26.41”N 14’ 24’ 0.92” E
Time stamp: 2 Weeks 3 Days 19:21 Hours Ago Sender: Render Bulwark Addressee: Rintar Bul-Wark
If you have received this communication please acknowledge and address your subsequent communiques to the following time stamp ( 3,656 AD July 9th 16:20 hours ) Additionally, please address your previous message to myself Render Bulwark, your namesake and new partner in time. My parents named me after you, sorry to be confusing as I couldn’t help it. ;) I hope to hear back.
So this was the m
essage he sent that prompted the pirates and Feds to come after us and harmonized the Temporilium between times.
The next several messages were very technical and involved several theories of how to save the people of Speros. It seemed after several trials and errors the one they finally agreed on was to rid the early time of the Temp by sending it forward in time thus erasing it from existence on Speros. This would create a paradox wiping out the timeline leading to catastrophe. Brok knew they would fail. But his interest overcame him and he cut to the chase, what was the final message that resulted in their astonishing success?!
Time stamp: 2 Weeks 3 Days 19:21 Hours Ago Sender: Render Bulwark Addressee: Rintar Bul-Wark
We failed! You must sabotage the remaining experiments now by whatever means necessary! Harmonize all remaining deposits and place them in an absolute -273.15C stasis field to keep them from emanating across any and all wavebands. If that doesn’t work then we can only try dousing them with water. Godspeed my friend, we tried our best.
Brok looked over at Render who was still sleeping. He then looked out of his porthole at the scintillating city filling the landscape of the planet below. A tear welled in his eye.
“So let me get this straight. Two men in two separate times, by risking their lives against absolutely hopelessly impossible odds between radiation, Confederate soldiers, nuclear fission and God knows what else, finally won in the end with what looks like sheer luck, and thereby resurrected an entire civilization.. No! no, an entire sector out of the depths for no more exchange than the contempt of their peers while no one will ever know just what they had done, even their own families. Did I get that right?”
Brok stared again down at the city.
“Not bad.”
Mia’s Epitaph
“Come on! Come on! I have to show you something!”
Epic Page 20
