Cycle of Life, the rise and fall of Tanya Vine

by Hannah Robinson

  Chapter 2

  Flight to a new world

  The Never Look Back’s control panel was now an array of purple lights slowly pulsing off and on, and while the view screens showed nothing but static, the one ‘real’ window on the ship was filled with the rainbow of ‘between times’ which meant that they really had launched.

  “What’s rule number one Caren?”

  “We will not panic, but I’m close to breaking it,” was the ironic reply from the now redundant navigator. The grey craft behaved as if all was going well, but the panel remained locked off and none of the override systems worked.

  “Activate shutdown sequence and maintain stasis point.”

  “SORRY, DENNY, THAT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE.” replied the Never Look Back.

  “Authority Sazgood, primera nueva, activate shutdown sequence.”

  The Never apologised to Denny but still maintained that it was not possible.

  “Never, what is our status now?” Asked Caren.

  “ON COURSE FOR TIME LOCK IN 17,32 SLIP HOURS,” came the reply in the ever calm voice of the logic core. The two friends looked at each other, mouths wide open in astonishment.

  “17 hours?” Exclaimed Denny. “How many ground years is that?”

  “3,400 PLUS OR MINUS 3,6 FOR TARGET DRIFT AT THIS DISTANCE. CORRELATION AND CORRECTION IN 15 HOURS.”

  An uneasy silence followed, then Caren said quietly, “How far can we get on these fuel cells?”

  “5,569 GROUNDSIDE YEARS BUT EFFICIENCY DETERIORATING.”

  “We’re not going home Denny, are we?” Caren stated in a voice that was calmer than Denny could have expected.

  “Never, what has happened to the original program for a 366 year reverse?”

  “PROGRAM OVERWRITTEN 9,73 HOURS AGO BY MASTER USER, MESSAGE FROM MASTER USER TO BE RELAYED AT 11,30 SHIP TIME.”

  “Master user?” Denny asked, “That would be your father, or Wilma?”

  “I don’t know,” replied Caren, “I just can’t think this through yet.”

  While waiting for the promised message, they spent their time checking the stores in the cargo space, opening the crates and boxes at random. They were only mildly surprised to find that all the equipment to be used for observing the fabled Halley’s comet had gone, and had been replaced by medical supplies, survival gear and books. Real reading books, not just computer wands, but genuine books printed on wafer thin plaz sheets.

  They returned to the cabin and the message started on the small relay screen promptly at the promised time.

  A white haired older woman addressed them. “I know you well, Denzil Sazgood and Caren Hummingbird, and I know what great things you will achieve in the years to come, but first you must put all your doubts and fears aside and put your trust in me and in my companions, as we put our trust in the Lady of the Night. The world is changing and you are going to help it through that change. You go this day to collect some passengers from a distant age, who will save humankind from the edge. They will not at first be willing partners in this venture, as they see their world destroyed around them, but together, and only together, you can restore the human race to greatness again. I know you both, and soon you will both know me. Hasta la vista.”

  The two unhappy travellers automatically mumbled, “hasta la vista,” in return as the screen went blank. “Replay the message please, Never,” asked Denny.

  “THERE IS NO MESSAGE, DENNY,” came the reply.

  “Oh Lady, I hate mysteries,” snapped Caren.

  They settled down to wait out the remaining hours before they were due to make groundside sometime around year 2200, and tried to imagine what they would find there.

  The Never came to rest on a hillside in front of a small cave. The vid screen came to life. It was that woman again. She gave them instructions to bury a certain sealed and numbered box to the side of the cave mouth. Querying the command brought no response, so Denny volunteered to go outside and carry out the burial.

  Job done, she reboarded the Never which immediately launched again, but forward in time and only by seven ship minutes.

  Invasion

  The solar system had been infiltrated somewhere around the year 2120, and the aliens, called the Stream, had been busy excavating and building for three quarters of a century on the side of the moon permanently turned away from the Earth.

  In February of the year 2200, the Hood (series 1 mining vessel) was returning from the asteroids to Earth with a full cargo of iron ore, nickel and other metallic goodies from the general direction of Orion, when the first alien craft emerged from the warp gate which had been built underground on the ‘far side’ of the moon.

  Surprise was complete and the defence satellites, mainly Italian, only accounted for 3 alien vessels before they were eliminated. Likewise, all comsats ceased to function within hours of the invasion and as the alien numbers increased and started to land ground units, the forces ranged against them began to lose cohesion. Army groups were decimated by unknown weapons and cities were left devoid of all life forms as the aliens swept across the continents.

  Then the Hood returned. Being a series 1 commercial, she had no heavy weaponry, only general mining equipment, but the crew were willing to fight, and, except for captain and navigator, were sent dirtside in the nine shuttles that were fuelled and ready to go.

  Seven unmanned probes were sent ahead to spread confusion amid the alien fleet, and all nine shuttles made landfall safely in Valencia, Spain. Could eighty eight miners make a difference?

  Captain Sorensen and navigator Thorson took manual control, and guided the great vessel towards the moon. Hood herself was dedicating all her logic to use the gravity loading system as a weapon, hurling her cargo in two tonne chunks at the alien craft which were trying desperately to intercept her. The aliens could not deflect her from her purpose, and no human eyes saw the Hood meet her doom as she crashed into the warp gate, destroying it and stopping the flow of alien craft from coming into Lunar orbit. The force of the impact imparted a slow rotation to the moon and the debris from the explosion gave it a ghostly halo. The Hood, Sorensen and Thorson were gone, along with the threat of alien reinforcements.

  At first, the groundside miners were thrown into the fray as medics and drivers, but as the months passed by, and their numbers grew less due to accidents, illness and war wounds, the last forty six of them found themselves equipped as front line troops, in the Jalon Valley to the South of Valencia.

  All over the globe, the alien machines rolled on, fewer now but still as deadly and they were ranged against constantly diminishing defence forces. After the battle of Jalon bridge, the able bodied miners numbered only twelve, but the tide of war's fortunes was turning and the miners were directed to hunt down the remainder of the enemy in their vicinity.

  Hind and Hawk were Hoods successors, series two miners, and cutting short their operations in the asteroid belt, had arrived in Earth orbit together. On their jo
urney home, there had been time to redefine the gravity loaders control systems, and they commenced to hunt and destroy the alien warships, then turned their attention to the alien ground forces, but it was too late for Hood’s miners in Spain.

  Last stand

  Gudrun and Marcus arrived last at the previously dug trenches between and beyond the two modified crawlers, which themselves were dug in hull down and lightly camouflaged.

  Ricardo looked at Walter and raised his eyebrows questioningly. “Late again. Wonder what they’ve been doing?”

  “We both know the answer to that one, and I would have been with them two months ago, but can’t be bothered now. Too much effort just staying one step in front all the time.”

  “Right you are Walt. But things will be different when Hawk and Hind get their acts together,” replied Ricky.

  Walter was silent for a moment, then cleared his throat and spat saying, “Sooner the better. Can’t come quick enough for me.” The conversation died away at that point as both men contemplated their position.

  They occupied the extreme left flank of the woefully short line, and were expected to stop the enemy reaching the ‘tank’ to their right before the crew had launched their one and only Squealer missile mounted on it’s cradle, crudely welded to the crawlers back. The same set up was in place on the other end of the line with the twins, Billy and Peppa in the crawler and Simon and Marcus in the trench.

  Gudrun joined the team leader, Margaret in the centre positions.

  “Was that for him, or you?” asked Margaret.

  Gudrun looked her in the eyes and said, “For him, naturally. You wouldn’t believe how calm he is now.” She paused and smiled, “But he’s so young, and energetic. It could be my last time.”

  “Don’t remind me sweetheart. It’s not good for morale.”

  They both laughed gently at the attempted humour. They all knew that their chances of survival were close to zero. If the aliens didn’t get them first, the blast from the Squealers would probably be the last thing they saw.

  They were joined briefly by Anton. On the Hood he had been the chief of security, but now, like the rest, he carried a blast rifle and grenade launcher, and took orders from Margaret.

  “Any news from the Dutch or the English?”

  Margaret shook her head. “Clutching at straws there. None of them can get here before dusk and the wee beasties will probably turn up before noon.”

  He took a deep breath and said, “no choice then, really, is there?” It was a statement, not a query.

  “No choice. Stop these here or do some damage and slow them down, then the rangers can take them out. It’s nearly over, Tony. One more day of this and we can start to pick up the pieces.” The big ex security chief shrugged his broad shoulders and moved back down the line to his position beyond Gudrun.

  Flymo and Graybags got the first indication of the aliens approach when two deer fled from the cover of the woods and sped off to their left.

  Ricardo, Walter and James were nearest that side. “Ware the nasties, left flank.” yelled Jimmy as half a dozen large figures in dark green body armour emerged from the trees.

  The miners started up a withering fire into the enemy group, but knew from experience that they could do little damage, only hope to slow them down. Where were the alien mechanicals they had been warned to expect? One armoured warrior toppled over on the rocky slope when two of it’s legs were damaged above the third joint, but after it had come to a rest, it still fired intermittently at the nearest crawler.

  A familiar voice sounded in Margaret’s head set. “Extraction in three minutes.”

  She looked briefly round at Gudrun. “What?” She demanded.

  “Retreat to cave, extraction in two minutes forty five seconds.” It wasn’t Gudrun speaking then.

  “Damn and blast, is this a joke?” She said, mainly to herself.

  “Extraction in two minutes thirty seconds.”

  She made an instant decision and screamed into the stick mike, “Set missile controls NOW, and all hands retreat to cave for evacuation.” She was shouting to be heard above the gunfire and whine of the alien small weapons, but others had heard the original message and countdown as well, and were already steeling themselves for the fighting withdrawal. Another alien was damaged and started to stagger round in circles, spraying it’s deadly flame at random.

  It didn’t go well for the crawler crews, who had further to go to the cave entrance. Billy was the first to fall with violet lightning playing round his lower back. His sister, Peppa stopped to help him and they died together in a flash of green light as three alien weapons targeted them at the same time.

  Four machines now rolled into action from the woods and Margaret gave the verbal launch command while Flymo and Graybags were still twenty metres away from the safety of the cave. The missiles were pre armed and sent out their defensive magnetic pulse immediately on launch which briefly stopped the enemy from functioning, and they detonated seconds later over the alien force, destroying the foot patrol instantly and damaging the mechanicals. Only one mechanical beast was stopped completely and the other three, although damaged, continued through the flames and up the slight slope towards the cave mouth over the burnt bodies of Flymo and Graham.

  Inside the cave, the eight remaining miners huddled together in a cloud of dust raised by a rock fall which covered the cave mouth. James was unconscious, his face covered in blood which was coming from beneath his helmet, and had been dragged to safety by Walter.

  “Extraction in one minute.” The only true soldier among them was Simon, one of Hood’s contingent of twelve marines, and he was the first to recover and check out their surroundings.

  All around the cave, by the light of his rifle’s flashlight, he could see nothing but cave. “Some extraction guys. Looks like we’re trapped.”

  The rock barrier blocking the entrance shifted as the aliens commenced firing again.

  “They’re still with us,” someone was heard to mutter, then they fell silent and wide eyed as a spectral glow surrounded them and a grey shape grew out of the cave wall.

  The Never Look Back was making it’s grand entrance, it’s front few metres in the cave, the rest embedded in the rock, which had been displaced ‘somewhere else’.

  There were to be lots of theories about it, but where that somewhere else was, no one would ever discover.

  Maybe Mrs. Zogblaster on the planet Zoom suddenly found alien rocks in her garden one morning and blamed it on Zip and Zap the neighbours kids? And then again, maybe not.

  A door opened in the Never’s hull and the loading ramp slid down to the ground as the voice of their unknown rescuer urged them to board quickly.

  “Sterilization in two minutes and fifteen seconds. Event slip at minus ten seconds.”

  Anton’s voice boomed out and roused them from their incredulity. “Get on board now! Leave the gear and move out.”

  Ricky and
Walter were the last to get up the ramp, and as they heaved James through the door it cycled shut, just as the rock fall evaporated under the alien gunfire.

  Never Look Back was still on it’s pre programmed course and the two pilots could do nothing but observe and calculate. Caren grimaced as she watched the passengers on the screen. “Ragged bunch, aren’t they?”

  Denny agreed, and suggested that Caren should go to meet them in person.

  “Why not you then?” Was Caren’s instant reply.

  “Because you’re a Hummingbird, it’s your job to greet guests, and they probably need a human to put them at ease and show them the recycler.”

  Caren still stared into the screen. “Mmmm. There’s eight of them. Wonder what that’ll to do to the housekeeping?”

  Denny’s words suddenly registered in Caren's brain. “What do you mean, they need a human? You’re human enough to show them the toilet. We all have the same body parts.” Caren hoped that Denny would back down and go through to the cargo hold, where their eight surprise passengers were packed together.

  “They need first aid, dear heart, and that’s your forte,” Denny replied calmly.

  Caren was still staring into the vid screen, “OK. I’ll go, it’s best you stay in command. Lock down when I go through, and if there’s any trouble, use the dream gas on us.”

  She rose and stood by the cabin door, and when it opened to Denny’s request, she moved quickly through. The seven conscious miners turned their heads at the sound of the door. Caren was first to break the sudden silence, “Chiggers, you stink!” and clamped a hand over her mouth and nose.

  “So would you girlie, if you’d been living rough with us, instead of cruising on this jolly boat,” was the bitter reply from Simon.

  “Who sent you, was it the English?” Asked Margaret.

  “Who? No. Someone else.” Caren looked intently at the prostrate form of Jimmy. “What’s wrong with her?”

  After a moment's confusion, Margaret replied, “A rock fell on his head.”

  Denny was watching the exchange on the screen, concentrating hard on the movements of the passengers, and her lips moved in a silent plea. “Ask her name.”

  Caren’s face took on a puzzled look for a second, “What name do you go by?” she eventually asked.

  “Valence, team leader Margaret Valence, mining company of Hood.” Caren’s hand fell to her side and her face bore an incredulous look. “Hood?” was all she could say.

  Denny leapt from the pilot’s seat, “not now angel.” Her commanding voice boomed out of the speaker plate startling the weary miners. “Medico first, theology later,” then she started ransacking her pack for her neglected copy of ‘Mother and Lady’.

  Caren recovered her wits and supervised as Jimmy’s prostrate form was stripped of clothing then lifted onto the medico. “Not a she,” she whispered in quiet confusion and changed the program that would start the auto medic, then gave the command, “analysis commence.” The medico began it’s diagnosis and Caren turned to Margaret, “you have a man.” It was more a statement of fact than a question, despite the querying tone of the girls voice.

  Margaret frowned in confusion, “Well, yes, we do.”

  Caren lifted her voice and called to the time machine, “Never, how long to landing?”

  “5,76 SHIP HOURS CAREN.”

  “What time groundside?” she asked, dreading the reply.

  “2,100,41 YEARS.” was the short answer.

  Caren closed her eyes and a single tear rolled down her cheek. “Denny?”

  “Be strong, sister of mine, be strong, and all will be well,” Denny answered, sounding calmer than she felt, thumbing quickly through the little book.

  Caren turned to Margaret and her voice was unsteady as she said, “less than six hours to journey’s end. You must prepare yourselves for a new life in a world different to your own. We are now all lost souls, and must be true to one another.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “It means, great leader, that we go where we go, at the whim of another, and I fear that I already know what lies ahead.” Caren didn’t need her prayer book to realise that they appeared to be re-enacting the cycle of life, and wondered if she could play her part to the full. “Come, let me show you the plumbing.” The wonders of the recycling toilet were duly explained and Caren returned to Denny in the cabin.

  Denny was sitting on the floor among the scattered contents of her pack, with her eyes closed and holding the little brown book in one hand, while the fingers of her free hand beat a slow tattoo on her knee. She didn’t move when Caren sat beside her. “Do you realise where we are going, Cas?”

  “Burned Wood, I think,” was Caren’s quiet reply, “Mother and Lady, about page eleven.”

  Denny’s eyes were still shut tight and she was close to tears as she reached out for Caren’s hand. Her grip was fierce as she turned to Caren with pleading eyes and whispered, “I don’t want to be the dark one.” There. The statement was made, and her tears came at last as Caren and her adopted sister wrapped their arms around each other. They clung together till there was quiet in the cabin again. Denny held Caren at arms length, “We’re in the cycle, Cas.” She gave a deep sigh and quoted from the book, “One of them was fair, and was the angel of light. That’s you I guess, so I must be the other.” She shook her head, “Best get on with it, I suppose,” She was getting back to her normal cold calculating self again.

  “We’ll be OK Den. The book might not be the whole truth anyway. We’ll get through this together,” was Caren’s inadequate philosophical reply.

  Jimmy the gunner was awake again after less than three hours in the medico, and Walter helped his disorientated workmate to dress again.

  “Queer state of affairs here Jimmy boy, and no mistake,” he informed the groggy James. “Seems like we’ve been picked up by two guardian angels, and we’re off to Utopia.” He nodded towards the two time pilots sitting in quiet conversation with Margaret and Anton. “Been getting the lowdown from the girlies there, and it seems like we’re going be popular with the ladies where we’re going. Need some new blood or something.”

  The quartet in conference broke up, and to the girls surprise, it was Anton who stood and addressed the rest. “OK troops, here’s the bottom line, and it’s strictly weird, so listen up and pay attention. You must have noticed that everything around you is technologically different to what we know. This vessel we are in is apparently a time machine from the year 5,600, and is going to run out of go juice somewhere around 4,300 or so. Our rescuers are probably going to be stranded, just as we are, but our future is already their past, and they know something of the local situation where they think we will land. At least, that’s as I understand the situation.” He paused, “we have to go unarmed.” As expected, several negative voices were heard.

  “Shut up and just listen. These weapons are used at our own risk, because any use of ener
gy or chemical weapons brings down a thunderbolt from above.”

  This brought laughter, but he raised a hand to quieten them, and continued, “it seems that Hawk and Hind have been on standing patrol for two thousand years, and are still throwing rocks at energy sources.”

  The company was silenced by the statement, each lost in deep thought, and Denny spoke up, “we have some simple weapons on board, and if what we believe is true, they will be needed as soon as we are groundside. The true warrior and the skipper must go out first.” Eyebrows were raised at this last part, but Denny and Caren refused to say more, only directing the opening of the crates and the distribution of the swords, bows and plaz armour they found there. Into the crates in their place, the unhappy troop packed their ‘modern’ weapons of war, and finding only two sets of armour and helmets, which fitted Caren and Denny, it was decided that the rest would keep their Sundown armour.

  Jimmy had immediately picked out one of the three bows, and sat examining it deep in thought. Denny went and crouched down with him.

  “You have been in the medico, and I think that the master user has put the knowing of this bow into your mind while you were under treatment.”

  Jimmy turned to her, still caressing the stave, “it’s like an old friend I haven’t seen for a long time.”

  She continued, “when you go out, go silent for all will be strange to you, and there will be beasts of the forest and they must be slain. Be like one with the bow and none can stand before you.”

  The Never Look Back came to her final resting place, and when the door was opened, they found that they were in the same place that they had left only six hours before, but with more than two thousand years behind them. Gudrun looked about the cave, waved the group out into it and when they were assembled, offered up a prayer.

  “Lord, hear me now, there were ninety brave souls on the Hood, and we eight are all that lived through the dark days. Now with Your good grace, we are ten, and we shall keep the law of Hood’s company and be true to one another. Bless us Lord that this might be so, amen.”

  The rest quietly murmured their response, “Amen.”

  Caren reached out and drew Denny close to her, whispering, “she said it wrong Denny. We know that one word for word, and it’s not like that, so the book won’t always be right.” Denny gave her a wry smile. “You’re probably right sweetie. Anyway, I’m over it now.” She looked away from her worried sister and moved towards the cave mouth through the settling dust.