by Kevin Groh
He heard a loud rumble, then felt a biting pain at pelvic level. When he looked down, his jacket and pants were full of blood. It hurt so much that tears shot into his eyes and veiled his vision. Kelly’s crying penetrated his ears, followed by a knock, and then something hit the floor.
»Finally she keeps her mouth shut. Stupid girl, why is she shooting at us instead of just staying down?«, a rough voice asked.
Shortly afterward a kick in the hollow of the knee forced him to the ground and he had to put his hands behind his head. A rifle was pointed at the back of his head.
»Now you don’t feel so strong and brave anymore, do you? For a recruit, you’ve got a lot of guts, kid, but enough playing for today.«, said a soft, pleasant voice.
A woman at some distance now talked to one of the guards.
»What was that all about? You just had to give up, then it wouldn’t have come so far. Your people would not have had to die. We fight against the system, not against brave soldiers who only fulfill their duty. Because of your senseless resistance we had to kill almost all of you.«
There were only five men left in the convoy. When Carter saw that and the fortunately only unconscious Kelly, massive feelings of guilt came up in him. He was responsible. He had all these people on his conscience. His instinct had advised him to act, but his abilities had not been enough.
The woman held two fingers to her helmet and heard a radio message, then she ordered out loud: »F4zzer says we should take the goods and disappear. In a few minutes, this place is overrun with soldiers and he can only buy us a few moments of time. The rebellion must continue!«
The man behind him lifted his gun and five seconds later millions of twitching pain signals shot through his entire body. He fell forward and fidgeted uncontrollably. It took a moment to stop, although there were residual twitches for hours afterward. For a felt eternity he lay face down on the street. He didn’t know who was still alive, who was dead or what was going on around him. He heard the trucks driving away and then nothing more. He had plenty of time to think about his mistake until the military arrived and collected the survivors.
At the base, he and Kelly were patched up by a doctor. Both gunshot wounds were in harmless places as the shooters seemed to know their profession. She was by no means angry at his behavior, as none of them had learned to act properly in such a situation. Yet he felt guilty. He learned that the attackers belonged to a resistance movement that had been sporadic in recent years and had caused trouble for the military. They stole weapons and supplies, but only killed when it could not be avoided. The leader was a guy named F4zzer, whom Henry knew as the best hacker in Utopia.
While Kelly had quickly forgiven him, Leena seemed to be interested in this hacker. She was always curious when someone resisted the system. Carter and Kelly were given the following day off to rest and heal quickly with a stimulant.
He should have been happy that he could spend a day off with her, but his head was working without interruption. He swore to himself that he would never again act so rashly. He wanted to get better so that the next time he got into such a situation, he wouldn’t act wrong again. The moment he had to watch Kelly beaten unconscious with a gun to his head, kneeling and crying, followed him. It was all due to the instincts and premonitions he sometimes had. They always proved to be correct, but apparently, they only helped when he was able to put them into action. He decided to analyze these moments carefully as soon as they came back. He also vowed to do everything he could to become a damn good soldier. He wanted to have the strength to master such situations.
Back in their daily lives, the two survivors first had to answer heaps of questions and describe their experiences to their comrades in detail. Of course, they kept a few things to themselves.
Despite this memorable experience, normality continued at some point. In theory lessons, they had dealt with the allied aliens in the meantime, so the current contents were about the neutral Vindurans who lived in the Dark Sea. Their homeworld Nunak was a radioactive rock planet without any flora and fauna. As the most intelligent species of the known galaxy, they aroused enormous interest, but unfortunately very little was known about their way of life or their past. Their intentions and goals were a mystery to the peoples of the Initiative, but as they had played a crucial role in the founding of this alliance, this was accepted.
The little and controversial information about the Vindurans kept the group busy for the rest of the day, and even on Friday, they continued to philosophize about what else there might be in the Milky Way. »A planet full of naked Amazons idolizing every man who enters their world.«, Billy dreamt.
Tim said: »You probably mean humanoid or human amazons. Jellyfish Amazons would be far less attractive.«
Carter interjected: »You know that Amazons are warriors? They’d rather cut your head off before they would lower themselves to blow you.«
Kelly smiled: »Imagine the title of this story: Billy, the horny astronaut looking for a blowjob. That sounds more like a bad porn title.«
They laughed and Billy left while they talked.
Leena said: »If you think about it, there really aren’t many species we know at the moment. Who says that in an adjacent system there aren’t other aliens we haven’t met yet.«
Jimbo threw in: »And think about it: The galactic maps they show us are all two-dimensional. But even if a galaxy, like a star system, moves its contents in circles around the center, a galaxy cannot entirely be represented on a flat plane. There are nebulae that lie above or below other systems. In space, there is no above or below. You actually need a three-dimensional representation.«
Henry asked: »What about a four-dimensional representation? There are theories about other dimensions.«
»You mean the multiverse theory? Well, maybe that’s a bit far-fetched. Before you think about that, there would have to be evidence.«, Jimbo said.
»Okay, can you two stop doing that? My head is already spinning ...«, Jane complained and hid the face in her hands.
After they started to do weight training with Jazzir in order to increase their strength as well as their mobility, the weekend began with aching muscles. Carter had to be at the hangar at six in the morning. A shuttle brought him and Leena to the New Denver military spaceport, where they were equipped with a pistol and assault rifle and put into a standard military uniform. It was reddish and consisted of soft and comfortable pants, clean boots and a thick, tight top. The sleeves could be rolled up optionally. Carter hoped that this service would be quieter than the last one.
The two were guided to the spaceship. It was a medium-sized, elongated model with flat, triangular wings at the sides and several fins at the stern. It looked like an old-fashioned, but much wider and thicker aircraft of earlier times. The people mostly oriented themselves to proven designs. The ship had flat disc turbines, propulsion nozzles, which could only be seen as narrow and circular from the outside because the rest was hidden inside. The turbines emitted a kind of blue energy during operation, thanks to the T’zun technology.
Carter and Leena entered the ship through the stern ramp and were taken to their positions by the security guard. They were assigned as guards in front of the meeting room. From the ramp in the hold, they climbed upstairs to a lounge with sofas and a minibar. Adjacent to this was a room separated by frosted glass windows. Inside was a table with holographic surface projection and several screens and swivel chairs. To the left and right of the door, they had to stand guard. A while later they heard voices coming closer. A military adviser with the name ›Hale‹ on the sign and a diplomat in a noble outfit came around the corner. The dignitary looked at the two recruits condescendingly and meant in passing to Hale:
»I really don’t know why your people keep giving us these beginners. The girl is so skinny, I don’t even know if she can lift her weapon to eye level at all!«
Carter noticed how Leena involuntarily strained herself and her facial expression was stony. He nodded to he
r not to be angry at the arrogance of the man. They stood still for two hours, staring aimlessly around after the ship had lifted and flown off. Due to the artificial gravity fields on board, there was no need to buckle up or remain seated. They were bored to death, but that was the fate of a recruit. Guard duty was always boring.
»What is supposed to happen here? The biggest danger is my slipping trigger finger if this idiot passes here ...«, grumbled Leena.
Carter warned her: »Come on! You’ve already received four warnings because you don’t follow the rules and have been noticed negatively. Banes also punished you several times. You can’t afford any more attention! Just ignore the idiot!«
He knew she was too proud and too stubborn to actually do it. Accordingly, he was glad that the diplomat named William Grant didn’t come back. He had gone up the spiral staircase to the captain’s quarters and had not been seen since. After standing there for almost seven hours and gradually becoming aware of the strong desire to sit, the captain came and brought the relief. Apart from the cockpit and the captain’s quarters, they now had free access to all areas of the ship. Since the rest of the day was free, they first wandered around and took a closer look at the rooms.
In the loading zone, there were several crates and a few metal barrels, all of which were lashed down with straps. From there one could reach a small medical station, a prison cell, and the machine rooms. There was also a corner with armor and weapon cabinets in the actual cargo area. At the top, there was nothing more besides the lounge and the meeting room. The cockpit was adjacent to the lounge so that the pilots could rest during their breaks. If one went up the spiral staircase, one reached the captain’s quarters and the crew’s bedrooms. Carter and Leena sat down in the lounge, where a few other soldiers talked muffled. At first, they sat next to them and chatted with them. They learned a lot about what life was like in the military and what their colleagues had already experienced. One knew Banes from his own time in Osilon and cursed the sadistic son of a bitch. A female soldier had several scars on her face and talked about her mission on a planet called Igo, where the Initiative troops had fought some fights with the Lorgans. She described how her unit was torn apart with bare hands by the big lizard-like aliens and how their rough weapons caused enormous damage. It had been an early operation against the new enemy and they had been expelled shortly thereafter.
»It is the worst feeling there is. To watch your friends and comrades die, to be wounded yourself, and then to learn that all of this was in vain ...«, she said bitterly.
Leena seemed more angry than compassionate, but Carter was very upset. As soon as the soldiers had to go on duty, the two of them sat down on a sofa at the viewing window. From there they could watch the stars and dream of the vastness of the universe. Since the distances in space were enormous, it seemed as if they were standing still even at full speed. The auxiliary engines were only used when traveling to other sectors.
»Would you have thought that you would end up here?«, Carter asked Leena.
»In the military? Absolutely not. I’ve always hated the whole system. In my opinion, the government is completely wrong, corrupt and incompetent. On Earth, it has failed and on Utopia, it is even worse. Greed is the biggest problem. Greed for money, power, and fame will always drive people to want to rise above everything else. Perhaps we are simply doomed to perish ...«, she returned.
»That’s a dark point of view. Mine is somewhat different. I’ll leave Earth out of it because I’ve only been there twice and can’t really judge the situation there. First of all yes: People are often stupid, anxious or greedy. And yes, as things are developing on Utopia, serious problems will eventually arise. Nevertheless, I see it as an opportunity. Every small change for the better is a success.«
»Your point of view is quite naive. What are a few small things supposed to do? We will certainly never achieve more than a few little things.«
»Why not? How do you know if one day you won’t have the chance to bring about a big change for the galaxy?«
»Realism. Probability. You pick.«
Carter had to smile about her negative nature.
»You know, I think people are like that because we were turned into that by a few. The T’zun don’t know greed. They share everything and if something breaks, they repair it together. No one rises above the others.«
»Yes, their bodies wouldn’t feel Ki any more otherwise either.« She held on to her critical point of view ironically.
Carter leaned back and looked at the distant stars where there was possibly life that was completely different.
»I don’t know ... I think I want to spend my time exploring the galaxy. To see things no one has ever seen before. And maybe one day I’ll come across a solution to this problem.«
Leena made only »Pfff« and crossed her arms. »The Vindurans are right to keep out of everything and to stay amongst themselves. To engage with the people would only bring them trouble.«
Carter came back to his original question: »If you didn’t want to be in the military, what’s your plan after the three years?«
She replied: »Honestly? I don’t know. I like working with computers and I’m good at making plans. Maybe I would be suitable for the business world, but then I would again support a system that I condemn.«
»There are hardly any professions where you don’t play into the hands of the system. It is very sophisticated. You can’t get around it.«
She looked over to him: »Maybe it is my destiny to find a way around it. If you don’t resist the system, it will never change.«
Her statements were always similar and Carter had the feeling that this unbending and radical kind would one day take her to jail or the grave. But there was nothing he could do about it. He still tried to keep her from maneuvering into more trouble while he was with her. The captain came to them and suggested going to sleep soon. In space, there were no times of the day and one slept as the services allowed. In ten hours they had the next guard, this time at the cockpit door. The plan was to be in the room above Kunaz until then. There a diplomat ship of the Salvani would dock and lead a discussion with Grant about the increase of import taxes. Of course, Leena didn’t like the subject and to be used as a guard for such a purpose was particularly displeasing to her.
Carter waited while she went to the toilet, but it took almost half an hour for her to return. They strolled into the bedrooms, which were actually a long corridor with small capsule-like beds. There they lay down to sleep.
As soon as the alarm clock rang, they got ready and went downstairs. From the window, they could now see the dark green world of Kunaz, and behind it, you could see a part of the big moon Zahkar. Other smaller moons were also visible. In the distance, they discovered the silhouette of a space station and directly beside the lookout one saw the front area of a ship of the Salvani. It looked like a metal wasp. A halfway large oval with longish folded wings and a long, curved spine downwards. It was so compact that it had to be a private vehicle. They stood at their posts and saw Grant enter the meeting room with a small, bent, brownish Salvani. Not much happened for quite a while, except for the occasional passing of a soldier, and once a pilot came out and got himself a bottle of water. Then at some point, the voices became louder and you could hear the echoing sound when the Salvani talked with his speech device.
The door blew open and the old alien diplomat stomped away while Grant hurried behind him. »... Congressman, please! I see these figures for the first time today! We are renegotiating and finding ...«, he was heard begging.
Carter wondered what had happened in there and when he saw Leena’s slight grin, he realized she had something to do with it.
After the ambassador’s ship detached and flew back to the planet, they also turned and set course for Utopia. Their guard duty was only half over when the captain called all crew members except the pilots into the loading zone. They were to line up and Grant walked up and down the railing.
»Many of y
ou will have noticed that my meeting with the Salvani delegate was anything but good. The purpose of this meeting was to lower the import taxes on Salvani products on Utopia so that we could purchase more goods for the military at lower prices. All this should strengthen our entire infrastructure and make life easier for all of you in the long run. Unfortunately, for some reason, our financial structure was openly thrown onto the monitors, along with the more critical uses of those goods. Someone exchanged the file of the adapted data for official uses and costs with this general file, which sets us back at least a year in the negotiations! I don’t know if this was a bad joke or planned sabotage, but you can count on us to investigate. Whoever is responsible will feel the consequences!«
He marched away foaming and everyone returned to his post whispering. As soon as silence was restored and Carter stood guard again with Leena, he hissed towards her:
»Are you crazy? What were you thinking? They will catch you and then you will be prosecuted!«
She grinned gloatingly: »We’ll see about that. Anyway, these cheaters don’t screw the Salvani that fast anymore.«
Since soldiers were constantly passing by, they could no longer talk about it without being heard.
On Sunday evening they came back to New Denver and were brought back to the base. They argued in the room for quite a while, but they would never agree. Carter liked to play within the rules against the system and Leena didn’t give a shit about the rules. One day this attitude could get her into real trouble, he knew that much.
