Seeder Saga

by Adam Moon

  It was a male voice, but it wasn’t the right male voice. It certainly wasn’t the ship anymore.

  It said, “I am not a threat. Are you a threat to me?”

  Jason looked around at Jack and Sarah before responding. “We mean you no harm. But if we’re attacked again we will destroy your planet.”

  The last part was a bluff. Jason knew they didn’t have weaponry that diabolical.

  The ship said, “Good. I apologize for the missile launched at your vessel. I had no idea any of those were still operational.”

  Jason said, “I don’t know if I believe that, but we’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”

  The voice said, “I have scanned your ship’s computer. I have learned your language and habits. I understand you are humans from a dying planet called Earth, on a mission to colonize a new world. I would like to come aboard and introduce myself personally.”

  “Forget that,” barked Sarah.

  But Jason said over the top of her, “That will be fine, but you’ll have to get here yourself. We won’t waste fuel on a landing and another launch.”

  “I will be in close proximity in less than one minute.”

  “We’ll open an airlock for you. If you arrive armed or pose any threat to us, you’ll be killed immediately.”

  “I understand.”

  Jason held his hand out at Sarah, and when she failed to understand what he wanted, he whispered, “Give me my gun back.”

  The ship said, “That won’t be necessary, Captain Rodriquez. If you could open the airlock, I’m here now.”

  Sarah said, “Shit.” If she were still in control, there was no way they would be picking up an alien creature that had just fired upon them.

  Jason grabbed the gun from Sarah but he didn’t holster it. He led the way to the airlock.

  For the first time, Sarah looked at Jack. Rather than showing any sign of fear or apprehension, he looked positively excited by the prospect of meeting the alien.

  Alien

  The first thing that confused Sarah when the airlock was opened was the fact that the alien was humanoid. That wasn’t what scientists imagined when they set about trying to figure out what an alien might look like. Humanoid aliens were for the movies, not reality. But more surprising was that the alien wasn’t wearing a spacesuit or breathing apparatus of any kind.

  Jason’s gun was raised as the creature strode from the airlock.

  It was as tall as a man, but its skin was so black and shiny that it looked to be made of polished obsidian. Its head was featureless, with no eyes or ears or mouth or nose to speak of. And it wasn’t a mammal, as its skin was perfectly smooth and hairless.

  It was naked but there was no sign of genitalia, male or female.

  Then it transformed before their eyes. Jason’s hand tightened around the gun. His finger twitched towards the trigger, but he didn’t discharge the weapon just yet.

  Its head transformed the most. A wide slit appeared where the mouth should be. Eye sockets sank in and a mock nose began to protrude. The transformation was quick and precise. Within thirty seconds, the creature looked like a human being, sans male genitals and body hair.

  It opened its mouth and said, “I have taken on your likeness to help put you at ease.” The voice was deep and calming.

  “Thanks,” said Jack.

  Jason said, “You’re not biological, are you? Only a construct could do what you just did.”

  “I am biological, Captain Rodriguez. But I was constructed too. I was created by the long-dead peoples of the planet below. I was able to survive while they all perished as I can adapt to any environment very quickly. But I am a living organism.”

  Sarah joined the conversation despite the fact that the creature made her skin crawl. “So you were genetically modified in a lab?”

  “Well, not exactly, but something like that.”

  “Why did you want to meet with us?”

  “I was rather hoping I could hitch a ride to the seed planet with you.”

  Sarah was about to ask how it knew of the seed planet, but then she remembered it had interfaced with Molly, the ship’s computer, and had scanned all the files.

  Jason said, “We’re not giving out rides, buddy.”

  “I can be very useful. I’m infinitely strong, incredibly industrious, and I don’t need a stasis pod because I don’t age. I can fix the exterior of the ship if it receives damage without the aide of a suit. I can monitor you as you sleep, and make certain you get to the planet alive. I understand you’ve experienced some difficulties so far in the mission. If I had been here during those troubles, none of them would have come to fruition.”

  Jack said, “Huh? Immortal and indestructible? Those are some attributes we could definitely make use of.” He was clearly pondering the benefits of having this creature aboard.

  Jason said, “Let’s go sit down in the command station where it’s comfortable.”

  But if he really wanted to comfort the alien he would have lowered his gun.

  The alien said as an aside, “That weapon is useless. I can not die.”

  Jason said, “The gun stays out. We don’t know you enough to trust you.”

  “Of course.”

  As they walked, Sarah asked, “What’s your name?”

  “You can call me whatever you like. I’ve been given many names, but none that would roll off your tongue very easily.”

  Jack said, “Then I vote to call you Crusoe.”

  The alien smiled, but the smile had no warmth to it. The alien had probably never had to smile before.

  It said, “Yes. As in Robinson Crusoe. I understand the comparison. As he was stranded on an island for a long time, I too was stranded on my planet.”

  Jason asked, “How could you possibly know about Robinson Crusoe? Does Molly have that book in her database?”

  “The ship has many books, plays, movies, and anecdotal histories in her stores. That is why I speak your language and look like you. That is also why I know you’ll take me with you.”

  Crusoe

  They all got as comfortable as possible in the command station. Jason gave up the captain's chair to Crusoe.

  Jack asked, "How did you get here so quickly after talking to us through the ship’s computer?"

  "I was already headed here by the time I opened up that line of communication. The vehicle that propelled me out of the atmosphere has already fallen back and burned up."

  "What if we'd told you ‘No, you can't come aboard?’"

  "Then I would have gone back to my planet."

  "You would've burned up on reentry though, right?"

  "No. I told you, I adapt quickly to any environment. That's why I was able to withstand the vacuum of space. It's also why I'd be able to withstand reentry."

  Sarah interrupted. "What makes you so sure we'll take you with us?"

  "I think if it was up to you, I'd be headed back home right now. In fact, I might not have been permitted entry to this vessel in the first place. You don't trust me. You want the mission to resume as quickly as possible. But Captain Rodriguez is intrigued by me, and Mr. Mayberry would struggle internally if he had to send me back, to live on that planet all alone for eternity."

  Jack nodded, although he had no idea how Crusoe had ascertained that about him. Maybe there were hints of his compassionate side in his psych profile stored in the ship's computer.

  Jason said, "I'm curious about you, but I'm not stupid. If you're a threat in any way, my mind can be changed in a heartbeat."

  Crusoe nodded, and as he did so, Sarah saw subtle changes in his appearance. His eyes got big and doe-like. His face became more rounded at the edges, and his posture relaxed. He was hunched over with his head tilted slightly down, staring up with his new soulful eyes.

  She yelled, "Cut that shit out. I know what you're doing. You're adapting by making yourself appear less threatening. That behavior in and of itself could be construed as a threat."

  Crusoe put his hands
up defensively and said, "I don't always have control over what my body does. It's trying to put you at ease so you come to trust me."

  "Well, it creeps me out."

  "I'll try to limit the physical changes while I'm on board."

  "We still haven't decided if we’re going to let you stay. A missile was launched at us from your planet. I hold you responsible for the attack.”

  “That was a defense mechanism put in place eons ago. I thought they had all been rendered useless by the passage of time. I apologize for that and I regret that it happened.”

  “Yeah, well, for a first contact it sure seemed aggressive.”

  “For that, I’m sorry.”

  Ancient Catastrophe

  The alien explained to them that the indigenous people of his planet were bipedal and intelligent, but inherently flawed. They were a proud and fearful race.

  None of them had ever figured out how their planet had been dragged away from its parent star. One theory was that a wandering black hole had nudged it or caught them in its wake. Or perhaps their sun's gravity had fluctuated for some unknown reason, thereby shucking them off like a dog shakes water from its fur. Maybe one of the gas giants had come too close and given them an invisible push.

  The reasons weren't as important as the situation though. Without sunlight, the plants immediately began to die, followed by the animals. Without the sun's gravity, the weather ceased altogether.

  They mined the hot inner core for a while, just to use its heat, but it was futile. They tried sun-lamps to grow vegetation, but the rewards were meager. They tried to eat what little did grow in such a frigid and sunless environment, but the nutritional value was poor and the quantities were paltry. Despite all of their technological advances, they had no answers to the problem. Within less than a decade, everything on the planet had withered and died. Everything except Crusoe.

  He alone had seen it all unfold.

  The tale broke Jack's heart.

  Jason asked, "So you can subsist on little to no food, no sunlight, and no liquid water? That's impossible."

  "I can and I do. I need nothing in order to prosper. But I do so miss mental stimulation. I've been alone with my thoughts for too long now."

  Sarah said, "How can we be sure that the isolation hasn't driven you insane? Solitude can do that."

  "Even if I did begin to lose my mind, I would adapt to stave off the encroaching insanity."

  "You have an answer for everything, don't you?" she said disgustedly.

  "I guess that too is part of my adaptability. But I don't have all the answers."

  Jason said, "As acting captain, I say he stays. But I'll leave it up to a vote."

  Jack raised his hand and said, "There's no way we put Crusoe off the ship. This is first contact, guys. This is big."

  Sarah knew her lone vote of dissent would now carry no weight, so she pretended to agree, with a simple nod of the head. Of course she could wake Jane up and have her cast a vote, but she’d just side with the new captain anyway.

  Crusoe said, "Thank you all so much. I will make myself as useful as possible."

  Trust Issues

  Jack gave Crusoe a tour of the ship even though it was probably useless. If it had read the files in the computer, it knew more about the ship than all of them put together. But the alien graciously allowed him to lead him from one room to the next.

  Before they left the command station, Sarah noticed that Crusoe’s gait was odd. It was too fluid and easy. It was as if the alien was mimicking them and doing what they did, but even better. She would bet money that the walk somehow conserved energy or something.

  Sarah whispered to Jason, "If it can survive in space, and it can survive entry through a planet’s atmosphere, why does it even need to be on board a ship? Couldn't it just launch itself at the seed planet and then wait in some kind of hibernation for thousands or even millions of years until it arrived?"

  "I guess he could. But why would he? He doesn't need a hospitable planet to thrive. He was doing just fine down on that ice ball below us. Plus, let's say he did just launch his body at the planet. If he got his calculations wrong, he would be screwed. Space is mostly empty, so it could be millions or billions of years before his path crossed that of another planet. He’s adaptable, but I bet he can’t just grow thrusters out of his feet to help him change direction in space if he goes off-course. Or worse yet, if he crossed paths with a star he would be trapped by its gravity and burn forever."

  Sarah fell silent. She didn't know why she didn't trust Crusoe, but she was starting to realize that maybe she was being unfair.

  Jason added, "I don't think Crusoe gives a shit about the seed planet. I think he just wants someone to talk to."

  She sighed. "I suppose that's understandable."

  Jason said, “Molly, have you checked out the planet for signs of life?”

  “Yes, Captain. I have detected no signs of life on the rogue planet.”

  Sarah was surprised to hear that Jason still had his doubts; he was checking to see if Crusoe had lied. That gave her some hope that he wasn’t some reckless cowboy who made decisions on a whim.

  Jack was all smiles as he led Crusoe back into the command station.

  Crusoe was wearing clothes now; his shirt had the nametag “Jack Mayberry” attached to it. The pants were too short, but otherwise the alien looked pretty pedestrian.

  Jack said, “Crusoe here has been all alone for two million years. He’s older than some mountains back on Earth.”

  Crusoe nodded and smiled. The smile looked far more natural this time. He was learning quickly.

  Jack then walked over to Sarah’s stasis pod and opened it. She’d almost forgotten that the surviving colonist was still in there.

  He came out of stasis slowly, probably because he was also coming back to consciousness.

  Jack draped a warming blanket over his shoulders and helped him get dressed.

  The colonist said weakly, “What did you guys do to that bastard who tried to put me off the ship?”

  “He’s locked up in the oven in the kitchen.”

  The colonist looked stricken. “It’s not safe with him here. He was smiling like an angel when he shut the inner doors of the airlock on us. He has no conscience. He’s demented.”

  Jack said, “Don’t worry about him. He won’t be on this ship for much longer.”

  The colonist said, “If he’s already in the oven, why not just turn the damn thing on?”

  Crusoe gasped, but he quickly recovered. Jack laughed and said, “That might be a tad cruel. But trust me, I considered it.”

  The colonist had to wait for three hours before he could safely go back into stasis. He was given Michael’s pod to replace his damaged one. Pretty soon Michael would have no use for it.

  Sarah made sure to disconnect the oven before allowing the colonist to wander around freely. Michael didn’t deserve much, but he deserved to die quickly for his crimes.

  Hidden Agenda?

  Jason asked Sarah to walk him to his pod. He was done for now, so she was back in command of the ship and the mission.

  Before she left the command station, she said, “Molly, take us out of orbit as soon as we can set course for the seed planet again.”

  The ship’s computer replied, “Yes, Captain. We will resume the mission in twenty-four minutes.”

  As Sarah and Jason walked, she asked, “Why did you want me to accompany you down here?”

  “Because you deserve to know as much about this ship as possible and you’re clearly out of the loop.”

  Before she could ask him what the hell he was talking about, he said, “Molly, open the hatch to Pod Bay Two.”

  Sarah hadn’t heard of a second pod bay. She was about to ask about it when a part of the wall moved outwards and then slid to the side. It was seamless.

  She’d never once suspected that it was right there this entire time. But it explained why she’d never even heard of Jason Rodriguez: he’d been hidde
n behind a secret wall for the duration of the trip.

  The inside was dark, but what she saw took her breath away. There must have been as many pods in that hidden chamber as there were in the official pod chamber she was standing in.

  She said, “That’s impossible. Why would they keep that a secret from me? I’m the captain.”

  “I don’t know. But I figured you deserved to know about it.”

  “Who’s in there?”

  “Military personnel and select civilians who bought their way on board.”

  “That makes no sense. There’s no way they would send non-essential personnel.”

  “You have to remember, the people who put this mission together were scumbags. You know that firsthand. Are you surprised that they broke the rules for a bigger profit?”

  Now that she thought about it, it made sense. The program only feigned altruism for more government funds. But what was with the soldiers?

  Jason must’ve read her mind. “The troops are mine. Don’t worry about them. I won’t wake them unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

  As soon as she wrapped her mind around it, she said, “I guess it’s not so bad. We only had two thousand colonists as far as I knew. But it looks like that number has grown by double. For a colony to thrive you need numbers and now we have them.”

  “I like your enthusiasm. It’s a good fifty-fifty mix of men and women too. But I must warn you, I don’t know anything substantial about any of these people. I’m a little worried they might have an ulterior agenda.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “I guess I’m just being paranoid. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Well, now I am worried. Please explain why you think that.”

  Jason said, “Come inside for a second. I’d like you to meet someone.”

  Old Boss

  She followed him through the hatchway and walked along the bank of frosty pods with increasing trepidation. He stopped at one and rubbed the frost away with his sleeve.