Alien Shadows

by Daniel Arenson

  "Enough!" Riff said. "Listen to me, everyone. Earth has not yet fallen. It's under attack. So might be other planets. But we haven't lost this war yet. We're not floating through a desolate cosmos, no safe haven to be found. I promise you. We're sending out signals as we speak, trying to find the nearest Humanoid Alliance planet where it's safe to land. We know that the ghosts have been attacking Ashmar, Gruffstone, and other major worlds, but they haven't yet reached the outposts. The forest moon of Oranin looks like our most promising destination. We can fly there, find shelter, and—"

  "No." Lenora stepped through the crowd toward Riff, and a cold hardness filled her eyes. "No, we will not waste even an hour flying to safety. Safety?" She tugged at her woolen skirt. "How can we hide when our base, our world, our entire civilization is overrun? When beings from a higher dimension slay all that our species has built? So no." Lenora shook her head. "I will not run. I'm no gunslinger like you, Riff. I don't have a sword like Steel or Giga, no pitchfork like Romy. I'm a scientist. And I will fight these creatures with science. With knowledge. I will continue to study them."

  Riff took her hands in his. His voice softened. "Lenora, the base is overrun. The labs, the telescopes—the entire planet of Kaperosa—gone. My team and I are Alien Hunters. Pest controllers. Not an army. This is war on a cosmic scale, this is—"

  "I don't mean we should return to Kaperosa." Lenora stared steadily into his eyes. "We made an error there, Riff. For years, we studied irregularities in the black hole. For years, we could not comprehend why our equations were failing. But I understand now. I know. Our equations failed because we were calculating them in three dimensions, while all along . . ." She shook her head in wonder. "These creatures were lurking in a dimension above our own, one we could not see. A Dark Planet floats inside the black hole, the homeworld of those creatures that attacked us. I've been so blind. I should have seen it. It took Nova's message to finally let me see." Tears flooded her eyes. "And now people are dead. Because of my failings."

  "Lenora!" Riff pulled her into his arms. Her tears dampened his shoulder. "I've known you for many years, my friend. And I've never known you to fail at anything. This was not your fault. Do you understand that? It was nobody's fault. We're going to make this right."

  Lenora nodded, rubbed her eyes, and stepped back. "We are. And not at Kaperosa. There's a man who can help us. The greatest expert in the universe on four-dimensional beings. A genius who can help us fight them . . . who can help us rise into their very plane of existence." She raised her chin. "My brother."

  Riff blinked. "You mean . . . Dee?"

  He remembered Dee Rosetta from years ago. A scrawny boy, a couple years younger than Riff, with huge glasses and messy hair. A boy the neighborhood bullies had loved to torment, tugging up his underwear, breaking his glasses, shoving him down. Riff remembered a bumbling, awkward youth who had spent most of his days reading science fiction and playing Damsels & Dragons.

  "But . . . Lenora." Riff lowered his voice. "I heard that, well . . . a few years ago, that . . ."

  Lenora nodded. "That he was sent to an insane asylum. Yes. I'm not ashamed to say it. But did you know why he was committed?"

  Riff thought back to the news reports. "The media reported that he invented a weapon that could wipe out the universe. That they had to lock him up."

  "He invented a four-dimensional engine." Lenora placed her hands on Riff's shoulders. "He invented a way to rise into the higher plane. He came back speaking of ghosts, spirits, gods, and dark queens."

  Riff shuddered to remember that land he had glimpsed—a higher plane of existence. A black realm. A swirling dark sky. A rose on a dark hill. An evil presence lurking in every shadow.

  "And Dee visited that world . . ." Riff whispered. "It's enough to drive any man mad."

  Lenora nodded. "Our father indeed thought him mad. When Dee returned, speaking of what he saw, our father locked him up. Dee still languishes in The Holy Knights of Sol Asylum, a prison for the mentally ill." She sighed. "The prison my father himself runs."

  "Your father . . . is the warden?" Riff stared into her eyes with shock.

  She lowered her gaze. "And this does shame me. Yes, Riff. My own father keeps my brother locked up. After he stripped off Steel's sigil, Lord Kerish Rosetta left Earth, opened a prison on the planet Athemes, and became the most notorious warden in our galaxy. But that is where hope lies." She raised her head again and stared into his eyes. "We must speak to Dee. We must free him from his prison. And then . . . then we must build his four-dimensional engine, fly into Yurei, and burn down the alien world."

  * * * * *

  Nova wandered the Dragon Huntress like a ghost, invisible to all, mute, unable to even touch the ones she loved.

  "I can't even eat the damn food," she muttered.

  She stepped into the kitchen. A few of Kaperosa's scientists sat at the table, eating cereal. Nova tried to grab a bowl of her own, but her fingers kept missing. She reached for a box of cereal, but it felt like trying to perform surgery while standing upside down and staring into a mirror. She succeeded only in knocking the box over, startling the scientists at the table.

  "It's no use, Nova," Twig said. The halfling stood on the counter, trying to open a pack of hot dogs, but her fingers kept missing it. "We'll have to tighten our belts. We can come back when everyone's sleeping and try again."

  Nova groaned. She felt as if walking through a hall of mirrors. Not only was everything distorted, the damn reflections were everywhere. She couldn't decide if there were fifty survivors on this ship or fifty thousand. Every time somebody moved, they left a stream of reflections like holograms.

  They left the kitchen: an ashai warrior, clad in a golden catsuit, a whip in her hand, her pointed ears sticking out from her blond hair; and a halfling girl, screws and bolts jangling in the pockets of her cargo pants, wrenches hanging from her tool belt. Their own reflections stretched out all around them.

  Twig yawned. "I want to sleep, but there are people in my bed. And on the couches. And all over the floors. And in the escape pod. And I think I saw somebody sleeping in the hallway closet on a pile of coats."

  "We'll crowd into Riff's bed," Nova said. "I sleep there anyway and there's always room left on my side. You're small enough to squeeze in. Like a baby between her parents." Nova paused. "Wait, that's wrong. I'm sorry, Twig. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said that. You fought bravely, and you fixed this ship, and you saved our lives. I'm being an idiot."

  Twig sighed. "I'm used to people thinking I'm a baby. When you're three-foot-five and sound like you're on helium, not everyone treats you seriously. It's all right, Nova."

  "No, it's not." Nova shook her head and knelt before the halfling. She held Twig's shoulders and stared into her blue eyes. "I know that I never acknowledged you much. You or Piston. For so long on this ship, I stayed on the higher decks with Riff, with Steel, with Giga. And . . . I never even said hello when I passed you in the corridor, Twig. I never even realized what important work you were doing down in the engine room. I thought of you as a kid. But you're some kind of genius. And even braver than I am. I am a warrior, and you earned my respect, Twiggle Jauntyfoot. Forever. You aren't just my crewmate now. You are my sister."

  Twig's eyes dampened. "Sisters," she whispered.

  They walked down the hall and entered the captain's quarters. Riff was sleeping in his bed. Nova winced to see an old, faded reflection of herself lying in bed with him, wearing one of his old Space Galaxy T-shirts. She remembered that night, remembered snuggling up to him, whispering in his ear, kissing him, and falling asleep holding him.

  But that's only a reflection, she thought. Only a memory. She watched Riff's chest rise and fall as he slept. Will I never kiss him again?

  "Riff," Nova whispered. She leaned down and tried to touch his shoulder, to rouse him, but her fingers passed through him. "Riff, can you hear me? Wake up, Riff. It's me. It's Nova."

  He stirred in his sleep. "Nova," he whis
pered.

  Hope leaped in her. "Yes! It's me, Riff. Can you hear me?"

  His eyes opened, but they were full of pain.

  "I miss you, Nova," he whispered. "Come back to me."

  "I'm here." Her voice choked, and her tears fell. She tried to touch his cheek but could not. "I'm right here. I love you."

  "I miss you," Riff whispered, staring right through her, seeing nothing. "I'm going to find you, wherever you are."

  His eyes closed and he slept. Nova lowered her head, tears stinging her eyes.

  After a long moment, Twig padded up and patted Nova's arm. "I'm sorry, Nova. He'll see you again someday. I know it. We're going to find this scientist they're all talking about, this expert on dimensions. He's going to fix this."

  Nova nodded. "I'm glad you're with me, Twiggle Jauntyfoot."

  Twig climbed into the bed first, barely taking up any room. As soon as the halfling's head hit the pillow, she was asleep. Nova stood for a moment, staring down at the little mechanic.

  Are you my last companion in the cosmos, Twig? Are we to remain like this forever, just the two of us—and that blasted demon who can see us?

  Finally Nova climbed into bed too. Gently, she lay down right where her older reflection lay, so that the two Nova—past and present—overlay each other. Lying like this, Nova could almost imagine that she truly held Riff, that her breath truly tickled the back of his neck, and she thought that she could almost feel him against her.

  "I love you, Riff," she whispered.

  "I love you too," he whispered back, half-asleep.

  Before she could say more, Nova slept.

  * * * * *

  As the Dragon Huntress floated through hyperspace, Steel knelt in the escape pod, gazing out at the lights and praying silently.

  Please, light of Sol, guide my way. Let me find my strength. Let me be strong for Lenora, for my family, for my ship, for a cosmos drowning under shadow.

  The round windows of the escape pod showed streaming lights, floating orbs of color, and coiling clouds of space dust. Here in hyperspace, with the fabric of spacetime warped around him, Steel could not point out Sol, the distant star of Earth, his beacon. Perhaps he would have to seek a light inside himself, a light inside his ship.

  "A shadow falls," he whispered. "And Nova and Twig are gone. And I don't know if there's enough light inside me to fight back this darkness."

  Steel thought back to the visions the shades had shown him. A nightmarish land. The Dark Queen. A realm with no light, no hope. A realm that would claim the cosmos, drown these lights outside, unless he could fight back.

  Steel wanted to stand strong, to raise his chin, to cry out like a warrior, like Nova, to speak of victory and honor. Not to feel this fear, this doubt.

  "Doubt has filled me since I lost you, Lenora," he said, speaking to the lights.

  The door creaked open behind him. Steel turned to see Giga enter the escape pod. She held a mug of steaming soup.

  "Sir?" she said. "There's food in the kitchen, sir, and I thought you might like some chicken soup. Piston cooked it." The android hesitated. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you. I know it's hard to find privacy in a ship full of survivors."

  "It's all right, Giga." He reached out his hand. "Thank you. I would love some soup. Would you like to join me?"

  She smiled, stepped forward, and handed him the mug. "I do not require sustenance, sir."

  "Call me Steel," he said.

  "Happy to comply, sir! I mean, Steel." She stood beside him in the escape pod and gazed outside into space. "They're pretty, the lights. I often like to stand and watch them."

  The escape pod was small, barely large enough to contain both of them. Giga's lavender kimono brushed his hand, and her scent of jasmine filled his nostrils. He thought back to that day the Singularity had possessed her, driven her out of the Dragon Huntress and into battle. He had donned a space suit then, flew after her through the fire and light, grabbed her, and pulled her home. He remembered how her eyes had gazed into his, alternating between love and hatred, between the woman she was and the creature she had become.

  I'm glad you're back with us, my lady. I'm glad to have you with me.

  They stood together in silence for long moments, watching the streams of light. Finally Giga spoke softly.

  "Do you wish she could stand here with you, Steel?" She lowered her head. "Lenora? Do you still love her? Do you think that . . . that you will marry her?"

  Steel sighed, a deep sigh that ran through him, clanking his armor. "I still love her. I don't think a love such as this can ever die. But it's a love from my past, Giga. A love that will remain in memory." He shook his head. "My duty is here, on the Dragon Huntress, fighting with my friends, defending the stars. Hers is with her people, studying the secrets of those stars." He turned to look at Giga. "Our relationship ended for a reason, one that we cannot mend. Too much time has passed. Too much pain. We have both moved on."

  Giga gazed up at him, her dark eyes large and damp. Her hand reached out to clasp his.

  "But I still see love in you," she whispered.

  He nodded. "There is still love."

  Giga lowered her eyes, then looked back up at him, and now tears flowed down her cheeks. "I once loved a man. I once had my heart broken. I do not have a heart of flesh and blood. It's a heart of metal, yet it too feels pain. A pain I cannot forget. How do you move on, Steel? How do you heal?"

  "With my friends," he said. "With new meaning to life. With new people to love."

  Giga embraced him, pressing her cheek against his breastplate, and closed her eyes. He kissed the top of her head, marveling at how soft her hair was.

  "I'm scared, Steel," she whispered. "I'm scared for Nova and Twig. For all of us. For the cosmos. For you." She held him close. "But I love my friends. I love you, Steel. That will give us strength."

  They stood together in the escape pod, holding each other as the lights streamed outside.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN:

  DUNES

  Overflowing with survivors, the Dragon Huntress limped toward the planet of Athemes.

  Riff sat on the bridge, staring at the distant world. The planet was mostly desert, beige and lifeless. A single river wrapped around the equator, halving the planet, and lush rainforests spread along its banks. It looked like somebody had taken a golden ball and encircled it with a green and blue ribbon.

  "So here it is," Riff said. "The penal planet of Athemes. The most infamous rock in the Milky Way. Every criminal's nightmare."

  Giga sat beside him. She tilted her head. "Planet Athemes has a rich history, sir, going back a hundred thousand of years—long before humans opened a prison here. It was fifteen thousand, four hundred and seven years ago that the Kafra dynasty first built a system of irrigation along the Ereef river. The eighteenth dynasty currently reigns in the rainforest, sir, and they worship a rich pantheon of gods. The sun god, Tarach, is the current dynasty's house god, though many other deities still fulfill roles in the natives' daily lives, guiding everything from beer making to funerals. Of special note is the goddess Mikana, the hawk goddess, who—"

  "Gig." Riff placed a hand on her arm, silencing her. "It's all right. We're not here to spend time with the natives. We're here to visit The Holy Knights of Sol Asylum, speak to Lenora's father, and see if we can talk to Dee."

  Giga's eyes widened. "But . . . sir! The Knights of Sol did not build the prison. They only rule over it. The native taweret race built a complex labyrinth in the style of their most ancient temples. You see, sir, the natives believe that the Knights of Sol are themselves deities. They are an Iron Age society, sir. The Knights of Sol, who flew here from Earth on great starships, are seen as sky gods. In fact, it was King Dahatek of the seventeenth dynasty—he was the son of Queen Zia, whom many believed a goddess herself, daughter of Mikana—who first wrote that—"

  "Giga, it's all right." Riff knew that the android, when excited about a topic, could speak for hours and even days about it.
"Just stay near me and give me nuggets of information on the fly, not all at once."

  As he watched the planet grow nearer, sadness welled in Riff. Until now, on every new world they reached, Nova always walked at his side, whip ready to fly. For the first time, Riff would visit a planet without her—without her strength, her love.

  He thought back to last night. Not long after falling asleep, he had woken for only a moment, and lingering in half-slumber, he had almost thought that Nova lay beside him. He had almost felt her breath on his neck, almost heard her whisper, "I love you." Perhaps he was like Romy, imagining things in his grief.

  The Dragon Huntress kept flying toward the planet. The atmosphere was rich and warm here, similar to Earth's. As they plunged through it, fire flared around the Dragon Huntress's hull. The hula dancer swayed on the dashboard, nearly dislocating her hips. The plastic bulldog bobbed his head. Riff clung to his seat. A piece tore off the ship's nose and flew through the air. The hull clanked, loud as gunfire. Riff winced, sure that Piston's quick repairs would collapse, scattering them into countless pieces.

  He exhaled in relief once they were past the stratosphere. Giga brought the ship to a gentle glide. Riff wiped sweat off his brow.

  They were still high above the surface. Riff stared down at the land. The desert spread below, endless dunes and rocky mountains. Through it spread the Ereef river, gleaming blue, the planet's single artery of life, circling the equator. The rainforest spread along its banks for several kilometers, two green ribbons encircling a blue thread.

  As the starship kept descending, Riff saw that cities rose from the greenery. At first, he noticed pyramids soaring into the sky, a kilometer high. Among them rose columned temples, obelisks, and palaces of sandstone capped with gold. Statues rose among them, large as skyscrapers, depicting men and women with the heads of animals.