by Peter Ponzo
CHAPTER 1
Earth Plot
The picture window was at least twenty feet wide and as high as a man. Through it one could see a forest, green, almost blue. The trees were mostly white pine and the floor of the forest was covered in a golden carpet of needles. One could hear the blue jays' noisy chatter and the sweet and mysterious song of mourning doves. Although the forest was just beyond the window and occupied almost the entire panorama, a clear patch of sky was barely visible above the trees. A red tailed hawk, wings wide and stiff, wheeled lazy circles.
Jacob Cruder gazed out the window for a long time. The forest was too close, too confining. He reached for the plastic cube by his side and punched 039. The scene slowly faded and was replaced by a hill of wild flowers running down to a sandy shore. The sea, azure with occasional patches of deep blue, rolled onto the beach. Listening carefully, Jacob could hear the murmur of the sea and the cries of the gulls which circled endlessly above the shore. He leaned forward. He had never noticed the mountains on the horizon, faded mauve, topped in clean white snow. He must look for that again, the next time he chose 039.
He stared at the cube in his hand. Old Earth Inc. scenes from the past it said in gold letters on the black shiny surface. The door chimed and he punched 000, rose wearily from his comfortable seat and headed toward the door. Behind him the ocean scene vanished, replaced by a dark swamp, overgrown with grey moss and filled with black and rotting logs.
"Mister Jacob Cruder?" enquired the taller of the two officers. They were both dressed in dark blue outfits with matching hats covered in gold braid. They stood very straight, stiff, with arms tightly at their sides. The taller officer looked briefly at a card in his hand. He had pronounced it Crudder .
"Captain Jacob Cruder," said Jacob, pronouncing it Crewder .
The taller officer looked again at the card. "Yes captain," he said. "We have been asked to invite you to a meeting with Mayor Humple, this afternoon at 2 p.m.. Do you accept this invitation?"
Jacob Cruder looked at his watch. It was 11:17 a.m.
"Yes, we shall be there. Dost thou wish a written acceptance?" Both officers shook their heads simultaneously and the taller held out the card for Cruder. Jacob took it and the officers wheeled in unison and marched down the muddy path to the waiting vehicle. Jacob watched them drive off, stared for a moment at the dark swamp beyond the road with its grey moss and black rotting logs, then closed the door.
The invitation held the official gold seal of the Mayor's Office but the invitation was written by hand.
"Adrian Humple, why dost thou wish to hear it again?" said Jacob aloud. "I have told thee the story of our Afrian disaster, twice ... you always were a slow learner." He placed the card on a shelf, walked to the bathroom and leaned against the sink to stare into the mirror. He ran his fingers over the largest scar on his left cheek. It seemed larger today than yesterday. He was forty-seven and past the life expectancy of Earthlings. Jacob Cruder shook his head and began to wash his face; the water looked rather dark and oily.
______________________________________________________
Adrian Humple looked up from a cluttered desk as the door swung open. He was bald and short and fat. His face was white with pink patches - except for the grey scars which cut diagonally across his cheeks.
"Jacob, how good of you to come on such short notice," he said, rising and walking around the desk, hand extended. Jacob shook the hand vigorously. "Please sit down. Will you have a cigar?" Jacob shook his head. "Yes, you have no bad habits, right?" Jacob did not answer, but smiled weakly. Adrian returned to his desk, pushed back his chair, stretched his arms and placed his hands on the edge of the desk. "I have a favor to ask. You are at liberty to refuse, of course, but please hear me out before you answer." The Mayor paused, rubbed at a scar and continued, looking intently at Jacob.
"You told me that Galaxia was lost on Afria. It appeared that the planet had destroyed the ship. You found no evidence of genetic discoveries -"
"My ship did not land," interrupted Jacob. "There was no opportunity to seek such evidence."
"Yes, quite so, no opportunity ... and your ship was also damaged."
"We have already told thee that my return to earth relied upon the good services of a captain from Home planet."
"Aah ... Jacob, that is precisely what I wish to speak to you about, that ship from Home planet. As I recall, you mentioned that they were also going to Afria, for similar reasons, to seek evidence of genetic discoveries. Yet you say they showed no signs of genetic damage, no scars. They seemed quite healthy in fact. That leads me to conclude that their mission was simply one of curiosity, not of necessity. A perfectly healthy crew seeking knowledge of genetic discoveries. That brings me to my request."
The Mayor leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Jacob, I want you to go to Home planet, to determine whether that ship from Home planet was destroyed by Afria or whether it did, in fact, find something of interest on that planet. I want you to -"
"Adrian," said Jacob, rising from his seat, "We refuse thy invitation to go to Home planet. We are getting too old for this. My wish is only to -"
"Jacob, please sit down," said the Mayor sternly. Jacob continued to stand. "This is not a pleasure trip." The Mayor lowered his voice. "You know quite well that earth is destined for complete human extinction. If we don't find some way to avoid propagating this gene, this dreaded defective gene, we will all die. The purpose of this trip is not only to ask for genetic information but also to ... well, we would like - "
The Mayor lowered his head and shook it. "Jacob, I have been instructed to lead a fleet of battleclass space ships to Home planet ... and I need your help."
Jacob sat down. "But why? Adrian? Battleclass ships, why?"
"The Committee of Nations has been holding emergency meetings ever since your return. They have decided that the only hope for the future of mankind, on earth, is to establish a community of individuals without the defective gene - to isolate these individuals and encourage their propagation. One day they will be the future, they will become the future inhabitants of this -"
"But why dost thou go to Home planet with a fleet of battleclass - "
Jacob sat back abruptly and stared at the Mayor, then continued, very slowly. "Now we understand ... thy wish is to take prisoners ... to forcefully -"
"No Jacob, it is not my wish. It is the wish of the C.N. central committee. I cannot refuse, and you cannot refuse." Adrian rose from his chair and leaned against his desk.
"Why do they ask this of thee? Why of thee?" said Jacob.
"I am the Mayor of York Sector. It is the largest of the -"
"Adrian, thy words do not ring true."
Adrian sat again and lowered his head. "Jacob, I will tell you the truth. It is because you are in York Sector. The central committee must first establish whether Home planet has defenses sufficient to withstand an assault of battleclass space ships. To do this someone must visit the planet, as a friend. The only person on earth who has a chance of being accepted as a friend, a person who resides in York Sector, a person - "
"We understand," said Jacob. "Thy assumption is that any stranger to Home planet will be regarded as an enemy - as would be the case here on earth. And if we refuse?"
"If we refuse we will be placed on Purgatory Island. Jacob, do you know Purgatory Island, in the seas of Pacifica? It is never in the news, never in the telecasts - it is a place for nonessential citizens, it replaces prisons, it isolates the criminal element. Put them there and forget about them. No need to provide free room and meals as a reward, for criminals - just stick them in Purgatory."
Mayor Humple smiled inwardly. Poor Cruder was so gullible. There was no crime so severe that he, the Mayor of York Sector, would be banished to Purgatory Island.
"When do you plan to go to Home planet?" asked Jacob quietly.
"The week after next. Monday. You will go as a friend, renewing acquaintances. I will accompany you."<
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"Adrian, did we tell thee that we threatened to use force if they did not take my crew back to earth? What kind of friend dost thou think they would find in me?"
"Yes, you told me that. I think - the central committee thinks - you should go to Home planet bearing gifts. You come as a friend, bearing gifts, to undo the bad impression you gave them. You are an emissary of the planet earth."
"Did we also tell thee that they are indestructible? They have discovered the - the -"
"The regeneration algorithm," grunted Adrian. "Yes, you also told me that. I presented that argument to York Sector's representative on the C.N. central committee. He phoned me a week ago. Jacob, they were joking. There is no such algorithm. There is no way in which an object can be regenerated. They took advantage of your good nature and lack of scientific training to -"
"They were joking?" said Jacob, rising from his chair. "But their ship computer confirmed it. It provided the time for regeneration, thirty-five milliseconds. "
"That is one other thing we must do Jacob. We must bring back the android you spoke of, the robots which talk. And they want us to take some sensor records of the Phrinene sector, for some reason they didn't mention. Maybe to update their star maps. I understand that you took some readings when you last visited Afria and found that certain stars were missing. Perhaps your readings were in error."
Jacob sat down abruptly, staring at the floor.
"Joking? Thirty-five milliseconds? It was a joke?" he mumbled.
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THERE IS A TRANSMISSION FROM A TRANSWORLD VESSEL boomed DOC.
"Put it on the monitor," said Kevn, looking up with some surprise. There were no Home planet vessels in Waiser-sector, he thought. Except for that message from a passing vessel about one year earlier there were never transmissions from vessels. Kevn turned and stared at the monitor.
HAIL HOME PLANET.
WE ARE VISITORS FROM EARTH.
WE WISH TO LAND AND MAKE THY ACQUAINTANCE.
"Make thy acquaintance?" said Kevn out loud. "That sounds like Jacob Cruder."
He smiled and punched a tab on the console. Sal answered almost immediately.
"Yes? Sal here."
"Sal. This is Kevn. Guess who's coming for a visit? A vessel from Earth. Interested in being part of the welcoming committee?"
"You bet!" said Sal with enthusiasm. "When do they arrive?"
"Hold on. DOC? How far away is the vessel?"
Sal could hear DOC's booming voice.
THREE THOUSAND KILOMETERS
"They should be here -" said Kevn.
" - in about an hour," said Sal. "Shall I meet you at the exitport?"
"Yes. I'll round up some others," said Kevn.
"Somebody with a clean tunic," said Sal.
"Right!" Kevn laughed and punched a comtab on the console.
YES FIRST CITIZEN?
"Do we have any voice communication with that vessel - or must I send a script?"
WE SHALL ATTEMPT VOICE COMMUNICATION
There was a humming and clicking then: "We are Captain Jacob Cruder of the earth ship Andromeda. We wish to pay our respects to an old friend, master Kevn ... uh, Kevn ...uh, we are afraid that the second name escapes us."
"Jacob you old dog!" cried Kevn. "How the hell are you?"
"Master Kevn? Do we speak to thee?"
"You bet! Come on down. There is a landing pad about a half-kilometer from the Dome, toward the mountains. I'll flash all the landing lights; you can't miss it. I'll be there to meet you."
LANDING LIGHTS NOW OPERATING boomed DOC.
Kevn jumped up, straightened his tunic and ran down a ramp to the official supreme skooter. In about five minutes he was at the exitport. Sal was waiting.
"Hey! Where's the welcoming committee, the ones with the clean tunics?" shouted Sal.
"Not necessary. Guess who's the captain of that vessel?"
"Don't tell me! Old man Crud!" cried Sal with glee. "We can give him another story about continuous regeneration on Home planet and -"
"- continuous degeneration on old Earth?" said Kevn.
They both laughed. Sal climbed into the skooter, DOC opened the door and the skooter slipped down the ramp and across the plain to the landing pad. The transworld vessel K-47 stood on the nearer pad. Lights on the farther pad were flashing.
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The android leaned forward and stared out the port of K-47.
"LIZ, is that the first citizen's skooter at landing pad three?"
"Yes TOM," answered the ship computer.
"Why do you think they are there?"
"A transworld vessel approaches. It is currently thirteen hundred kilometers from Home planet."
"Is it one of ours?"
"No, TOM. It is a battleclass Earth vessel." There was a pause. "It is the vessel we encountered on our way to Afria."
The android walked quickly to the console. "Please put it on the televiewer LIZ."
The large screen shimmered and there appeared a black void filled with stars. At centerscreen was a silver disk with rotating periphery. TOM looked closely. "Does it have weapons?"
"Certainly TOM, but they are retracted. It is a peaceful mission. Captain Cruder wishes to speak to the First Citizen."
"How do you know that?"
"DOC told me."
The vessel hovered, the rotating periphery slowed and it began to descend. TOM could see lights from ports on the topside. "LIZ, that is not a friendly vessel. Please check our lasercannons."
"TOM, the First Citizen has invited Captain Cruder to the Dome. It would be a very unfriendly gesture to -"
"Captain Cruder threatened us once before." The android paused, staring at the screen. "The weapons on a battleclass vessel like that can destroy the Dome. One blast from their cannons and the Dome would burn up in a few seconds."
"TOM, don't you mean 'burn down'?"
TOM looked away from the screen, toward the ceiling. Did he mean burn up or burn down? Surely they meant the same - or were they opposites?
"TOM, the vessel has landed."
