The Survivors Box Set

by Nathan Hystad

  I supposed the Kraski would have been upset if they got their people on board, only to find out many would die before arriving because of a lack of supplies. Turned out they didn’t need them, because the mystery race called the Bhlat ended the need when they invaded and killed the whole planet’s worth of Kraski. They’d already left in anticipation, since the vessels were being stored deep in their system.

  Could I blame them for being an ornery bunch, wanting a new world? No. But I also wouldn’t let myself feel bad for killing the ones that had come to Earth. Karma and all that. I just hoped it didn’t come back to bite me, but if it did, that was the universe.

  “I can’t believe you guys are going to another planet,” I said to Magnus and Natalia as we approached General Heart and Clare, the other main engineer alongside Trent. She smiled widely at us, and it was nice to have a friendly face around. Heart seemed to have a perpetual scowl that wouldn’t lift.

  “Yes, my friend. I wish you three were coming with us. Maybe we can talk them into it. Won’t be the same without you all there.” Magnus smiled as he spoke.

  Heart looked extra perturbed and he motioned me aside.

  “Why don’t you all go ahead? I just have to speak with Mr. Parker for a moment,” Heart said, taking my arm in a light grip and walking me twenty feet past the door. When he spoke again, it was in hushed tones. “Dean, something is off about our guests you brought in. They claim they did have a part in the shooting, but it was intentionally not deadly. They wanted to escape and create chaos among us while doing so, but they also said they really just want to get their people, the hybrids, off-planet. There’s somewhere else they know out there that will take them in, and they don’t want to be a burden to us any longer. They feel like sitting in a prisoner of war camp, though we aren’t calling it that, but let’s call a spade a spade here, is a horrible fate. They understand now that they were brainwashed their whole lives, and they’re acting remorseful.”

  I held up my hand. “Wait now. General, if you saw the bloody corpses they left in their wake back in Long Island, you wouldn’t believe a damned word those psychos said.”

  “That’s the other thing. They say they had nothing to do with those deaths. When we brought them up, they genuinely looked shocked and upset at Clendening being dead. Leslie cried, saying they’d been lovers. I don’t trust them, but something doesn’t add up here.” Heart wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.

  The images of the dead guard on his bed and the other hanging in the loading dock office hit me, and I felt sick to my stomach. If they hadn’t done it, then who had? Could Skip have been off his rocker enough to do it, so he could blame the hybrids he hated so much?

  “We’ll keep it up, but I wanted to let you know. They asked me to tell you specifically that they’re innocent and just want to leave Earth. According to them, most of the hybrids from Long Island would leave willingly. They also don’t trust Mae.”

  I thought about this and didn’t blame them. She was the first one to help us, and without her, they would have succeeded in killing off the human race.

  “They just see her as one of us now,” I said, and Heart and I made our way to the hangar doors.

  “Maybe you can talk to them later? They asked for you,” he said, looking desperate for answers. I got the feeling that Heart was happy to have someone else there to divert the hybrid or alien business to. While I was sure he made a hell of a general pre-invasion, he looked older now than even the few days earlier when I’d met him, and much older than the interviews I’d seen with him on television months after we were returned.

  “I’m not sure what I can do, but I’m here to help,” was all I could think of to say.

  He looked relieved and together we walked into the building. Its ceilings must have been one hundred and fifty feet high, and inside were half a dozen of the Kraski ships. There was a charge of energy inside the room, causing the hairs on my arms to lift a little bit.

  Heart passed me a green pin, and I placed it on my uniform lapel. I was looking forward to someone explaining the technology behind these devices that allowed us to pass through a solid wall.

  The ship closest to us was black, not the silver-gray of the other Kraski ships.

  “What’s this?” Mary asked, running her hand over the smooth surface of the ship. Where the original Kraski ships were about eighty yards long, this one was almost twice that.

  Heart smiled wide but waved his hand over to Clare to take over the answering period. “This is our newest design. We took everything you know and love about the original Kraski ships, and we’ve integrated some great features for humans: toilets, Bluetooth speakers for music, and just the right amount of mix in the air.”

  “Why does the outside look different?” I asked, seeing not only a color difference, but a texture variance.

  “You know the technology we use to stay hidden out here in the dome? This ship has the same thing. It isn’t as effective in a closed building, but out in the sky or space, you have to literally run into the thing to know it’s there. We also found a way to block it from the Kraski and Deltra radars, and we’re hoping that means it will stay hidden from other potential threats out there.” Heart didn’t have to say that he meant the Bhlat, because it was obvious.

  Carey pulled against his leash and barked at a Kraski ship near us. It looked a lot less ominous on the concrete floor of a hangar than searching for us on our journey, ready to blast us into oblivion… if that had even been their plan. In the end, they were only trying to herd us to Machu Picchu to turn off the Shield. I wondered where the Shield was, guessing it was probably safely tucked away somewhere nearby.

  Magnus and Natalia stood to the side, and she slipped her arm around the large man’s waist and pulled him close. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head, and I couldn’t help but feel happy for the two of them. They would be among the first people to go to a new world, and I couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather have relish an experience like that than them. The fact that I’d miss them went without saying. The urge to call my old best friend James overtook me, and I shoved it down, deciding I’d ask for a way to reach outside the dome later. While I was at it, I’d call my sister, whom I also needed to talk to all of a sudden.

  “We won’t need the pins for this, but they might come in handy, like in your adventures.” Heart clicked a button on a keychain, and the ship raised up off the ground quietly, followed by a ramp dropping to the ground under the new ship. This way, you could bring goods on and off the ship with a dolly, and not need to float through like an alien wizard. The technology the Kraski had was cool, but not always practical.

  Carey hesitated on the grated ramp, but when he found his feet wouldn’t fall through, he ran up in excitement. Though Magnus and Nat were leaving us behind, I was grateful that Carey could stay with us, and we could stay an odd little family. Mary was ahead of me, her uniform hugging her curves, making the whole picture look far more flattering than my uniform on me. She’d told me it was hot, and passed me her aviators back at the room, slapping me in the butt and calling me Maverick. We’d laughed, and I couldn’t help but think of how lucky I was.

  I was the last up the ramp to the ship, and as I’d expected, we were in a small bay used for storage and supplies. The lighting was soft and less sterile than the Kraski ship had been. Essentially, we were in the middle of the ship; behind us were the crew quarters, which consisted of four rooms with bunks. Two rooms had four beds, and the other two had two each, making room for twelve to sleep at the same time, but with most crews, I imagined there would be shifts. The space was twice the size of the other ships, but the idea of sharing the space with twenty people over an extended period of time was enough to make me feel claustrophobic.

  Mary held up, and after a nod from Heart, she let Carey off his leash to explore. He barked in excitement and took off. “Quite the different experience, huh? I honestly hardly remember what the Kraski ship we flew in looked like, I was so investe
d in flying it and trying to stop what was happening. Basically a trip fueled by adrenaline, stress, and fear. I remember lying in those beds and talking to you. I think I started to fall for you that moment.” She said this, and I remembered it all vividly. The ship, the sterile smell, sharing that moment with Mary was when I’d really started falling for her too. I also remembered tethering myself up along with Magnus to find a vessel half-filled with dead people.

  “I fell for you too,” was all I could bring myself to say.

  Before we got back to the loading area, Heart showed us the small room that housed a dozen or so suits, designed specifically to fit human males and females, with built-in body fluid recyclers and radiation protection like the Kraski suits. They also had the thrusters attached to the hand controls, which would come in handy if you were floating uselessly in space. I hoped to never be in that position again.

  “These kick ass!” Magnus said, sifting through them, probably seeing if they had one large enough to fit his big frame.

  I noticed a cabinet, but when I tried to open it, I couldn’t pull it open.

  Heart put his thumb to it. It beeped, then unlatched. “We’ll get you guys set up on the system when we’re done here. You’ll have full access.” I caught an underlying sense of unease in the general at giving a civilian access to all of this, but Dalhousie had him sold on us working on the Earth Defense Unit. In time, I was sure he would grow to trust, and hopefully even like us.

  Inside what looked like a large custom wardrobe from a high-end house sat a line of weapons, each larger than its predecessor. Magnus nudged me and whistled as he saw the arsenal.

  “Not planning on meeting any friendlies out there, are we?” he asked as a joke, but it sat at the pit of my stomach. He was right.

  We continued the tour, crossing up to the front half of the ship, where we passed by an engineering room. Clare glowed as she explained the propulsion system. It was all over my head, but Mary looked enthralled; I’d ask her to spell it out in layman’s terms later. What I did understand was that each of the ships had FTL capability. When activated, the propulsion boosters opened from behind the ship, and it took hours to charge the drives, depending on how long your trip was. Otherwise, they could travel any direction with all the mini-thrusters we’d been using, and they were quite fast, from my experience.

  The bridge came next, and it was gorgeous. Instead of the small space we’d been in, with two seats and a computer screen, it was like something out of all the science fiction movies I’d seen. Large viewport front and center, with five seats, each with their own workstation. Fashion added to function, since it was the first model Earth had built themselves. Brown leather trimmed the swiveling chairs, reminding me a bit of my office chair at my old company.

  Heart and Clare showed us around, and I was only half-listening as they clicked controls and showed viewscreen options. I didn’t expect to be flying one of these ships myself, so I’d leave it to the professionals. As it went on, the walls felt like they were closing in on me, and before they were done, I slipped out, with the excuse I was going to find Carey. As I neared the ramp out, Carey found me, nuzzling into my leg. Together we walked down and outside – if I could call it outside, since there was a ceiling over our heads high above. They’d done a great job of having soft light, imitating the sun, and then I realized it was sunlight we were seeing. The canopy reflected and emulated the other side of the net they’d installed. I could even make out clouds. It was amazing.

  “Dean, they want to show us the newly renovated colony ship.” It was Mae. She’d approached so quietly while I was looking to the sky. When I turned to her, I could have sworn I was looking at Janine, but I pushed the memories away.

  “Sounds good.” It came out choked.

  She rubbed Carey’s head, which caused him to follow after her as we made our way to the modified transport vessel.

  I’d originally underestimated the size of the things when they’d first lowered to Earth, and though the news had given a solid estimate, they could realistically hold about a million people in comfort. The sheer volume cramped on them a year ago had been deadly in many ways.

  “How many people are you bringing on this first venture to Proxima?” I asked Clare, who in return beamed at me, running her fingers through her short bob-cut brown hair.

  “The plan called for around one hundred, but as we got deeper into it, with maintenance, construction, botanists, air and water purification, and all the other boxes, we needed about one thousand to check them all off. I wish you were coming with us. I mean, the hero of mankind and all. Would be nice to have you alongside us as we find a new home.” Clare turned a bit red, and I wasn’t sure if it was from her gushing to me, or because she might have let some secret information slip.

  Mary was behind me, rolling her eyes as soon as I looked back. She didn’t seem the jealous type, and why should she be? She was a strong, beautiful woman, whom I didn’t even deserve.

  “Wow, one thousand? Do all the people who are going know it yet?” I wondered how they would all take the news.

  “Most of them. Some of the roles, we asked for volunteers. Doctors, veterinarians, teachers…” She looked me in the eyes. “We need certain people to come, and most wouldn’t come unless their families were able to join. We want this to be a wonderful experience for everyone, and the future is there, so having families and schools will give us a foundation to build our new home on.” I could hear Dalhousie’s passion through this young woman.

  “It all sounds great. I can’t wait to visit,” I said. I had an idea. “My sister, Isabelle Parker, is a veterinarian in California. I think this is the type of thing she’d love to do. Can we pose it to her?” The last time we’d talked, she seemed so down, and she had always been more of a space nut than me.

  “Of course.” Clare beamed at me. “Anything for your family, Dean. Send me her number and we can contact her. Unless you want to make the invite?”

  “Sure, how about I call her and ask? I’ve been meaning to talk to her.”

  Clare smiled and walked ahead, talking to Natalia now, and I slowed, letting Mary catch up. “Oh, Dean, I wish you were coming with us,” Mary said in a light pouty voice, pushing her chest against my arms and giggling.

  “That’s enough. I’m sure it has less to do with her wanting to sleep with me, than it does that I’m some sort of idol. God knows I deserve their attention less than any of you guys do, but if all the women in the world now want a piece of me, then I suppose I’ll just have to make myself be permanently unavailable.” I blurted the words without thinking what they meant, and when it clicked, I surprised myself by not regretting what I said. After Janine had passed three or so years ago, if you’d have asked me, I would never even have looked at another woman. Mary had changed all of that in the most unbelievable of scenarios.

  “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Her joking tone was gone. “Or should I say, are you asking what I think you’re asking?”

  We were twenty feet back from the rest of the group by then, and I stopped her, holding her hands in mine.

  “Mary Lafontaine, would you do me the honor of being my wife?” I whispered beside her ear, my lips lightly touching it.

  She nuzzled in, and now her lips were on my ear. “Yes. Yes, I will do you the honor,” she whispered back before biting my lobe.

  “General Heart, you guys go ahead. We’ll be right there. We just… forgot something back at the room,” I called before we turned back, almost running to the hangar where a cart was waiting for us to borrow.

  As the rest of the group went for a tour of the colony ship, all I could think about was how much I wanted to see my new fiancée’s pants on the floor of our little room.

  ELEVEN

  The next few days were spent with me going over training plans, Mary getting lessons on the new ships as well as the old, and Magnus and Natalia helping organize the colony supplies’ loading. It was a busy time for all of us.

>   It wasn’t until day five there that Heart came knocking on my door early in the morning. Mary was already out, and Carey sat at my feet as I ate a light breakfast, hoping I would give in and share with him.

  Heart looked tired as I opened the door, seeing him outside his uniform. He shrugged when he saw me appraising him. “I’m supposed to be leaving today to see my family for the weekend. Before I go, I wanted to ask if you would visit the prisoners. They’ve asked after you, and frankly, we’re of two minds on them. If they are telling the truth, we’ll be doing something horrible. We don’t have a judiciary system set up for something like this. If they did kill those people, then we have to decide what to do.” He said the last sentence gravely.

  Against my wishes, I said, “Sure. I’ll stop by this morning.”

  Just like that, I found myself standing in the prisoner area an hour later, waiting to be let through a secured door. It was more than secure, it was like Fort Knox; steel doors two feet thick were the only way in, with thumb and retinal scans, as well as a passcode. They weren’t messing around. We had been given clearance for most things around the base, but not for this area.

  As I waited, I pondered my engagement to Mary, knowing it was what my once-broken heart wanted, but wondering if that was the most opportune time for such an announcement. We’d decided to keep it secret for the time being, and it wasn’t easy since we were surrounded by our closest friends.

  The door buzzed, and the guard on duty led me through. I saw myself on screens along the wall, being filmed as I walked.

  “You guys take this seriously,” I said to the guard, who just grunted his assent. In a moment, we were at the end of the hall, past six or so empty cells.

  “He’s all yours. Just holler if you need anything.” With that the guard was gone, back down the hall. Terrance and I were a few feet apart, separated by nothing but what appeared to be a thin wall of plastic. I knew better than that.

  A folding chair was propped against the wall, on which I flipped down and set before the cell.