by F Stephan
“Yes. But in their new world, we will be nothing, isolated out here. We won’t have any control.” His voice was not entirely sane anymore. She hadn’t realized he was so far gone. “We have to get out while we can. We have to take back what is ours.”
They hadn’t talked enough while he’d spent his time locked in his lab. She had thought research would help him get over everything. She saw it hadn’t and became adamant. “No, we have to keep the station for their return. The fusactor will last for ages. We have water, hydroponic farms, and deep sleep. They will need us still when they rebuild. Builders know the Imperium has left plenty of traps everywhere. We will guide them better this time.”
“Sister, how many millennia before they come back here?” His voice was desperate. “We are so lost here.”
She understood his need for action and atonement but couldn’t accept it. “Maybe enough for us to expiate our sins! We are the ones who let loose our nanorobots, the ones who brought the plague and the madness on all worlds. We killed them.”
“Yes, we did.” His voice was decisive, something else in it, something she couldn’t decipher. “But, I won’t be forgotten. I will go.”
“How?”
“I have rigged a slowboat with a deep-sleep module.” Sanity had returned. He was still the most brilliant scientist of the Imperium. How futile their fight at that time seemed!
“Ullemar?” she exclaimed, guessing his destination. He nodded. With the distance, he would have to travel at a fraction of the speed of light to reach his destination. “It will take you a millennium at least!”
“So what? I’ll be in deep sleep the whole time. So here or in the boat? I’ll guide them back to the stars and to the station. I’ll be their leader, and we’ll fight our way back home, without waiting any longer.”
“We shouldn’t lead them. Not after what happened. And we’ve been exiled. Maybe for good reason.” She was afraid now, afraid of their dream, of the builders’ reaction, of losing her brother, the last proof of those ages long gone. “Anything can happen during your sleep. I don’t want to lose you.”
“I won’t be harmed, don’t worry, little sister. I’ll become mad here, don’t you see? I’ve got to go. Will you come with me?”
She thought quickly before she shook her head. “No. I’ll stay. I refuse to lead. But I will help as I can.”
He nodded. He had always wanted to act, take control and lead. She had always been the listener, the nurturer.
A day later, his ship left the station. It was a tiny shuttle, fifty meters long, with an ion reactor for propulsion and an isotopic chamber for energy. On its side, it dragged immense hydrogen nets to gather free hydrogen for the ion reactor. It wasn’t fast, but it could go on nearly indefinitely. In the last hours, she had reviewed all his detection and evasion gear to update it to the best of her abilities. He had no weapons. At his speed, he would have to predict rocks on his path years in advance to avoid collisions, and she did her best to help ensure he would stay alive. They had further shielded the ship with an ice ring. It would melt once the ship reached its destination, but by that time, the speed would be back to normal and the pilot would be in command once again. He was a brilliant engineer, she was a better code spinner. He had the best algorithm ever written to protect his sleep. Overall, he stood a fair chance, she thought.
She watched, tears streaming from eyes, the tiny blip on the console until he cleared the asteroid field and engaged the orbital transfer around the sun. She had refused his call for action and she was alone now, all alone. Later, when the signal disappeared, she went down in the heart of the station, programming her own deep sleep. Lexia would wake her regularly, tracking all communications in the meantime. They would speak, and she would teach the AI to grow.
Brian
Blanel system, 2140 AD, August
After two weeks of travel, they gathered on the main bridge for the last jump of the trip. Looking around, Brian saw that many of his colleagues had red eyes. They had partied late into the previous night, one of the many traditions of space travel, the whole crew celebrating its return to Alkath and the center of the Federation. One of the members of the crew belonging to Rebirth had led an ecumenic mass in the afternoon; the crew had then cooked for hours, the warm odors filling the small ship, and gathered for a great feast in the main hall. Brian had loved the atmosphere of that day.
Today, the crew members had returned to their habits, all students taking turns to help the crew in with their various tasks. This was one of the largest ships recovered by the Federation. One hundred crew members, two hundred passengers. With its size, aligning the ship for space jumps was a nightmare. Brian was responsible for today’s jump, and he was dreading it.
The voice echoed in the large cave they were in. “Bigbadboys, this is Alkath Control. You’re cleared for jumping toward us for the next hour.” The voice came out of the central console, artificial and metallic, reminding Brian of the AI he had met on Fizhert. A shiver ran down his spine. It had been crazy, a homicidal maniac, and yet so desperate for company.
The captain’s answer brought him back to the task at hand. “Alkath Control. We’ll jump in thirty minutes. See you soon.”
Brian whispered to Emily, “We’re one system away from Alkath. How are they able to talk to us like this?”
The captain turned to point his finger toward Brian. “Good question, son of the Evans. I’d have preferred if you hadn’t waited until the last moment to do your research. But still, better late than never. Any answers? Son of the Namek, you aren’t allowed to answer.”
Sonter smirked on one side while Shanak rolled his eyes. Illoma looked at the three of them before clearing her throat. “Brian, the Federation has been able to reactivate hyperrelays to connect Alkath with Ullem. This allows the main control center to coordinate jumps and avoid collisions. It’s a heavily trafficked area.” Her voice was rich and vibrant, mellowing Brian’s heart as it usually did.
“But we cannot avoid the jump any longer. It’s too late to change our course?” Emily was as intrigued as Brian was.
Illoma didn’t answer. The two of them still couldn’t stand each other. Shanak laughed and took over. “If you hadn’t buried yourself this morning in the astrogation chart with Brian, you’d have been here for the initial contact while we could still change our course. That was six hours ago, in case you’re curious.”
The captain cleared his throat, bringing order back to the laughing group. “Now, I want you to check all jump parameters one last time. Then, you’re allowed to use your nanites to monitor this jump.”
Half an hour later, Brian had finished his checks and given his own green light. He wasn’t sure how much the captain relied on his advice, but it remained a good practice. He had had to redo his calculation three times, considering the size of the ship, and he was sweating heavily now.
He stopped to watch the ship approach the jump point, and he activated his nanites at the last minute to avoid any overuse. He had become overly cautious in his use of the little buggers, lest he suffer a new incident.
The jump is clear, everything is normal. We enter, the singularity is heavy behind us and drags us back toward Blanel. We’re so heavy. I feel the drag. What is it? We’re out.
Brian blinked and brought his 3-D up and used his nanites to recalculate the parameters he had submitted.
“Jump clear,” intoned the copilot.
Brian deactivated his nanites at that word, in a newly formed habit. Two times since Volpre, he had felt his control of the nanites slip, and this had scared him.
He quickly called up a chart in front of him. There were more than a hundred ships in the Alkath star system. In Adheek, the most he had seen at the same time was four. In Volpre, he knew there were often twenty ships gathered. This was the center of the Federation, and the number of ships was stunning. In the vastness of space, it was a small number, but Brian quickly plotted four routes out of the star system. It meant twenty-five on avera
ge in narrow lanes. Welcome to the bigger world.
While all students cleared the bridge, the captain caught him by the elbow. “What did you feel, son of the Evans?”
“Sir, in the jump, there was a pull. I can’t describe it any better.”
The captain looked at him for a few seconds before nodding. “Jump points change over time. This one is destabilizing. We may not be able to use it in a hundred years from now. You've got a fine sensitivity to this. That is remarkably interesting. Derantor was right. Go and grab something to eat before you faint. You’re pale.” He pushed Brian toward the main cafeteria, muttering to himself. Brian followed his advice. Heikert had told him to keep his abilities quiet, but he was betraying himself at every turn.
Brian
Alkath, 2140 AD, August
“Honored travelers, you are about to enter the space elevator on its ways down. Your safety is our first concern. Pregnant women, children under twelve, and anyone with cardiac weaknesses are not allowed. Do not attempt to board if you fit those categories. The Federation cannot be held responsible if you die." The warnings continued in an ominous loop while Brian waited, seated in the departure lounge.
They had reached the main starbase above Alkath on the previous day, where they had been caught up in a rush of medical exams and Federation checks. They hadn’t even had time to visit the station itself, an amazing structure built around two cylinders revolving around another. In the morning, a shuttle had transferred them to the space elevator’s topmost satellite ten thousand klicks above the planet. “Top” was misleading in this case, as the counterweight was thirty thousand klicks above the satellite. This close to the planet, as they were, the whole structure remained impressive. Brian was about to embark on a space train running on a diamond cable anchored below on the planet. The train would accelerate downward for an hour and then break for another hour to reach the atmosphere, forty klicks above the planet. Then, there would be twenty minutes of chaos until they reached the ground. Brian had gone over the theory a dozen times since Emily had explained it to him, but he didn’t feel any better. There were precious few recorded incidents, far less than with space shuttles riding in free space, but he hated the thought of being anchored to a fixed cable, dropping to the ground. He knew the cable guided the train much better and that, if worst came to worst, the shuttle could fly on its own, separating from the cable. He just couldn’t stand seeing the cable disappearing into nothingness a few hundred meters below the deck where he waited.
Beside him, Shanak exulted with joy. He whooped at each new message and began a war song when the operator talked about the risks of vomiting during travel. On the other side, Emily and Leandra seemed undisturbed. Brian shook his head. Farther down were other students from Adheek, friends from the last three years, and if they were nervous, they didn’t look on the verge of panicking, either. He thought Illoma’s face might be a bit greenish, but it might have just been his imagination.
“Stop fidgeting. Oddoril and Illoma are still at the same place since you last looked. The door also. Everything will be fine.” Emily’s voice was a soft amused whisper in his ear. She laid a comforting hand on his arm.
“I hate this,” he mumbled.
The lounge shook slightly as the inbound train reached the station and sealed it to the airlocks.
“I know. You’ve already said that. At least fifty times since this morning.” She continued in her most reassuring voice. “This is the most secure of planetary landing. It’s also one of the marvels of the Ancients." The elevator awed her, and as a former engineer, Brian could understand why, but her tone only grated on his nerves.
The diamond cable was constantly checked and repaired by nanites. It had withstood meteoritic rains, solar flares, the fall of the Ancients and the rebirth of the Federation. It would withstand their trip. “You’re right.” He found her extremely pretty on this day, dressed in a white travel gown. “But I hate it nonetheless,” he said stubbornly.
“Everything will be fine. Just like an amusement park. Look, they arrive!” She nearly shouted in excitement. Brian reflected sourly on the only time his father had taken his family to such a park, he barely tall enough to go through the gates, and the terror he had felt on the main roller coaster.
People streamed out of the airlock. They hauled themselves awkwardly on the railings that surrounded the waiting lounge. All had different clothes, denoting their work or culture. Many were gagging as they exited, and station personnel helped a few out. Brian felt nausea rise. After ten minutes of cleaning the cabin, the operator motioned them in. He was quietly nibbling a weed cake.
“What happened?” Brian blurted, now definitely scared.
“A lot of turbulences down there with a tropical storm. It creates waves on the line and some people get seasick. Rest assured. This is nothing out of the ordinary. You didn’t eat this morning, did you?” he said all seriously with a pinched expression.
“He hasn’t eaten since yesterday,” replied Shanak with a laugh. “He can confront space pirates and mad robots but not an orbital train.”
“In that case, please take this tablet.” The operator handed Brian a box full of white pills. “This will help." Brian took the pill quickly and gulped it down at once. The operator offered the box to the others around him and he could see a lot of them following his example. With Emily looking at him with an amused expression, he took a deep breath and walked inside.
The cabin was a cylinder, eight yards wide in diameter, with all seats on the side, facing downward toward Earth. He judged it could seat fifty easily, maybe more. This was twice as many as the standard earth to orbit shuttle managed. Below them was another compartment for goods moving up and down. He could hear from the creaking noises that it was now loaded. On the outside, two propulsion modules sat on either side of the cylinder and a ring connected the train to the rail.
“Don’t stand gaping, Brian." Emily nudged him toward a seat, buckled his harness around him, and sat in her own seat beside him. The train had existed for millennia; yet the leather seat was so smooth, it felt brand new. He also felt Emily’s closeness, and he sat up straighter.
“You’re going to love it. All warriors do.” Shanak’s confidence was a bit unsettling as Brian wondered if his otherwise brilliant friend understood how fast they would be dropping toward the planet. “I wish we could ride all the way on the observation window.” Just the thought of riding facing downward in the small cockpit below the shuttle made Brian nauseous.
In the middle of the cylinder, a brilliant sphere held the controller chair. It could swivel in all directions and look at all of them when needed. All piloting was done remotely, from the command center on Alkath, and the position was mostly to reassure human passengers that someone was in control.
“Look, Brian, at his control helmet.” Emily pointed at the operator who wore a dark helmet protecting his whole head. The Ancient device was supposed to allow a spherical vision for the wearer, giving him a better ability to watch both his ship and his passengers.
“And what happens if he faints?”
“Stop fretting. Everything is backed up. They can run it from the ground control station.”
The loudspeaker cut their discussion off.
“Honored travelers, we will depart in five minutes. Please confirm on the console in front of you your name, title, and your acceptance of the risks related to the space elevator. If you don’t accept, you have three minutes to leave the train. There’s no dishonor in leaving and countless travelers have done so in the past. Travel is a bit rocky, but we should land safely in two hours’ time.”
Brian had a surge of hope at these words but a quick glance at Emily and Shanak revealed them to be bending to complete their forms. He looked up and saw Illoma, his former girlfriend, looking in his direction and nodding toward him. She took the time to flash him a smile and a thumb up. Thirty seconds later, he had filled out his own form.
“Five, four, three, two, one. Engaged
. Release. Drop." Brian’s stomach lurched upward before two gigantic hands slammed him downward. He kicked in his nanites to withstand the pressure but doing so proved to be a mistake because he could calculate suddenly very precisely how fast and how far he was dropping. He deactivated his nanites instantly, feeling the brute force pressing upon him.
At his side, Emily was talking soothingly to him. Since she was mostly repeating what they had read together, he wasn’t truly listening to her words, focusing only on her voice. “Alkath has three small continents and many islands. The space elevator is anchored to an island, part of a large archipelago that hosts the entire Federation enclave.” To fight nausea, Brian called up the image of the downside station. It was built inside a large granite crater, filling it entirely. All the travels from the train had entirely vitrified the floor. A steel ring surrounded the crater. The telescopic bridge was currently retracted and set on the crater’s side. On the other side of the bunker, a cable car dropped over a cliff half a klick high. There were clouds currently but Brian had seen the city below surrounding the old volcano.
Besides him, Emily continued. “The whole planet is an example for us of a neutral footprint. Each year, it uses only the resources it can deliver, and nothing more.” Brian enlarged his vision. The Federation archipelago was surrounded by an exclusion zone of three thousand klicks. Brian could see the rings of the sea farms around the different islands.
“Warning, incoming wave.” The message broke his focus and brought him back to the train, which rocked slowly under the swell.
On his other side, Shanak snorted. “They’ve two-thirds of Iliken landmass, or your Earth, for that matter. The planet had so many oceans they use them primarily for harvesting food. We’re in for a lot of fish and algae.”
“Maybe it’ll help us become brighter?” interjected Emily, laughing.
