Ghostworld (Deathstalker Prelude)

by Simon R. Green

  It soon branched into two, and then in two again, with corridors leading off tunnels, and wide holes opening into vast, brightly lit caverns. Silence was soon lost in the labyrinth of underground passages that had been the home of the Ashrai and the outlaw Carrion. The last time he’d been down here, he and Carrion had still been friends enough that Carrion had led him back to the surface once their business was concluded. Silence wasn’t sure if that was the case anymore but it didn’t matter anyway. He had to talk to Carrion.

  Finally the outlaw stopped by a side passage and waved for Silence to go in ahead of him. Silence stepped forward without hesitating. He didn’t want Carrion to think he was intimidated. The passage widened out into a fair-sized cavern, lit by the ubiquitous glowing roots curling in the earth ceiling. Carrion’s home was large enough to give the illusion of space, yet cluttered with enough small comforts to make it seem almost cosy. There were two rickety-lookingchairs, a writing table, and a length of bedding. A banked fire muttered drowsily in one wall, the smoke rising up through a narrow chimney cut into the earth above. The floor was covered with some kind of woven matting, scuffed and stained with the marks of long use. Not much of a place to spend an exile in.

  Small, delicate Ashrai carvings filled discreet niches in the walls. Silence moved over to study the nearest, but its shape made no sense, and its twistings and turnings made his head ache. He looked away, frowning, and Carrion chuckled softly.

  “You’re supposed to touch them, Captain, not look at them. The Ashrai were a very tactile race, and their eyes were different than ours.”

  “Thanks,” said Silence. “I’ll pass.”

  “As you wish. Take a seat, Captain. Make yourself comfortable. I’d offer you a drink or a smoke, but I don’t have any.”

  Silence sank cautiously into the nearest chair, but it was tougher than it looked, and held his weight easily. Carrion dropped into the chair opposite, and the two men sat facing each other for a while. Silence couldn’t get over how little Carrion had changed. Ten years of living alone hadn’t put a single line in his face, or a dent in his composure. The outlaw was as infuriatingly polite as ever. After a decade of solitude he should have been falling all over Silence, desperate for the sound of a human voice. Instead he just sat there calmly, apparently quite happy to wait for whatever Silence had come to say to him. Silence stirred uneasily in his chair. He’d forgotten how cold and piercing Carrion’s eyes could be.

  “Nice place you have here,” he said finally, just to say something.

  “I like it,” said Carrion. He suddenly leaned forward in his chair, and Silence jumped a little in spite of himself. Carrion didn’t smile. “I don’t know what to say to you, Captain. It’s been a long time since I spoke to another human being.”

  “How have you managed to survive here on your own for ten years?” Silence asked.

  Carrion raised an eyebrow. “Is it as long as that? I’d lost count. I survived by changing, adapting. By becoming more than human.”

  “You look human enough to me,” said Silence. “You’ve hardly changed at all.”

  “That’s Unseeli for you. Appearances can be deceiving. You should know that. You never did understand the Ashrai. They’re what kept me alive all these years.”

  Silence looked at him thoughtfully. “Are you saying some of the Ashrai survived after all, hidden down here in the tunnels?”

  “No, Captain. The Ashrai are extinct. You were very thorough. All the Ashrai are dead, and none but I am left to tell the tale. I survived because I was afraid to die. I’ve had a long time to consider whether that was a mistake or not. Why have you come back, Captain?”

  “Things have changed since we last met.”

  “Not for me. The Ashrai are still dead, and the Empire machines are still burrowing away, tearing through the trees’ roots so they can be felled and harvested. The rape of the planet goes on, day by day.”

  Silence sighed wearily. “Ten years of solitude haven’t done much to change your arguments. You didn’t listen then and you probably won’t now, but I’ll try again anyway, for old times’ sake. The Empire needs the metals it takes from Unseeli. Each tree that’s felled can provide enough heavy metals to power a starship for a year. We even use the outer metals to make ships’ hulls and engine casings. It’s only Unseeli’s metals that made our recent expansion possible. But Unseeli is the only place where these metalscan be easily found, and we’ve become dependent on them. Without the regular supply ships these trees make possible, half our colonies would starve or suffocate or fall apart from lack of some essential need. Millions would die, the Empire would collapse, and humanity would fall back into barbarism inside a generation.”

  “To the Ashrai, we are barbarians,” said Carrion.

  Silence shook his head impatiently. “None of that matters anymore. It’s past. I need your help, Sean. Something’s happened at Base Thirteen.”

  Carrion looked at him steadily. “The last time we met I called the Ashrai to arms and led them against the Empire. I led them into battle for the sake of their world, and you butchered them. You maimed and slaughtered until you grew bored, and then you retreated into orbit and burned everything that lived.”

  Silence didn’t look away. “It was necessary.”

  “The Ashrai …”

  “Didn’t stand a chance. Rebels never do.”

  “And you expect me to help you now? After everything that’s happened, you expect me to help the Empire?”

  “I could get you Pardoned.”

  “I doubt that.”

  Silence smiled coldly. “Don’t flatter yourself, Sean. You’re not that important, or a bounty hunter would have taken your head years ago. No, you’re just another deserter who went native on some backwater planet. No one cares about you anymore. I can get you Pardoned, and I can take you off-planet. Take you anywhere you want to go. You could start again, start over with a clean record. Think about it. You wouldn’t even have to call yourself Carrion any more.”

  “Why not, Captain? It’s who I am.” Carrion shook his head slowly, and sank back in his chair. “Thank you for the offer, Captain, but no.”

  “No? Think what I’m offering you! You can’t want to stay here on your own. …”

  “Can’t I? I’ve found peace here.”

  “What peace? The peace of the dead, of the cemetery?”

  “The peace of the forest, Captain. You never did understand what you were destroying. The Ashrai and the trees were linked more closely than you ever knew. The trees are alive. I’ve seen branches sway when no wind blows, and heard voices on the wind and in the mists. The Ashrai are dead, but they are not gone. There’s a harmony, a strength that holds the trees together, and I’m a part of it.” The outlaw’s voice fell to a whisper. “Leave me alone, John. Please.”

  “I can’t, Sean. I need you.”

  “Why, Captain? Why does it always have to be me?”

  “Because you’re the best.”

  “Thank you, Captain.”

  Silence turned away from the bitterness in Carrion’s voice, and rose to his feet. “Up you get, Carrion. It’s a long way back to Base Thirteen, and we’ve a lot to discuss on the way.”

  Carrion looked up at him. “Are you so sure I’ll help you?”

  “Of course. You’re my friend. And it’s not as if you have anything else to do, is it?”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  * * *

  Ghost in the Machine

  THE esper Diana Vertue leaned back in her seat and glared moodily at the pinnace monitors. The AI was still trying to make some sense out of the garbled responses it was receiving from inside Base Thirteen, but as far as Diana could tell, it was getting nowhere fast. She supposed it was an encouraging sign that anything at all was coming through, but in her opinion the responses were nothing more than random data from a damaged computer. She had suggested as much to Odin, but the AI ignored her. She was only an esper, and therefore the AI didn’t have to listen to her if it di
dn’t want to. Even an Artificial Intelligence rated higher than an esper.

  Diana sighed, and stretched out her legs as best she could in the cramped confines of the cabin. She’d expected many things of her first official mission on an alien world, but boredom wasn’t one of them. She’d almost reached the point where she would have welcomed the two marines back on board, just to have someone to talk to. At least they had something to do, even if it was only keeping a lookout and second-guessing the Security system. All she had to do was sit and watch the computer talking to itself, and wait for something to go wrong. Not that there was a whole lot she could do if it did. She sighed again, heavily, and indulged herself in a pout. It wasn’t fair. She hadn’t been allowed to do anything ever since they touched down on this miserable planet. She ached for something new tohappen—up to and including a major catastrophe—just so long as she got to see a little action. Anything would be better than this.

  Well, almost anything. She hadn’t forgotten what had happened the last time she opened up her esp, on the way down. There was something here on Unseeli with them, and to hell with what the sensors said. And whatever it was, it was dangerous. She’d sensed a rage and a force beyond anything she’d ever encountered before, something so powerful it almost burned out her mind just looking at it. She’d kept her esp damped down ever since, and had no intention of raising it again, no matter how bored she got. She frowned slightly, unhappy at the direction her thoughts were taking, but unable to ignore them either. Captain Silence had known what the attacking force was, even if what he’d said had made no sense. When he got back, she’d get some answers out of him, one way or another. She could always run a quick scan on him. In and out, so fast he’d never notice. But of course she couldn’t. Just thinking about it was enough to make her break out in a cold sweat. The Empire conditioned its espers very carefully from childhood on, to ensure they’d never abuse their abilities. Except in the service of the Empire, of course.

  “Investigator Frost to pinnace. Acknowledge, and confirm your situation.”

  Diana sat up straight as the Investigator’s cold, calm voice sounded in her comm implant. “This is esper Vertue. The pinnace is still secure. Nothing’s happened since you left. Where are you?”

  “About two miles east of the landing field, map reference Alpha Tango eighty-eight. Has the Captain returned yet?”

  “No, Investigator. He hasn’t contacted us, and we haven’t been able to raise him. Something down here is affecting the comm system; it only works when it feels like it.”

  “I had hoped the Captain would be there, but we can proceed without him. This is an official log entry; Unseeli, Day One, 1543 hours. I have discovered what appears to be an alien space vessel, crashed some two miles east of Base Thirteen. The ship has suffered extensive damage, and there is as yet no sign of any pilot or other crew.”

  “An alien ship?” said Diana excitedly as Frost paused. “What type is it? What species?”

  There was another pause, but when Frost spoke again, her voice was calm and measured. “Unknown, esper.”

  Diana stared blankly at the comm panels, her mind racing. Space-travelling aliens were rare, even out here on the Rim, but a new, unknown species! This was the kind of thing careers were made on. A sudden thought struck her.

  “Investigator, could this be a representative of the species who originally created the metal forest?”

  “Possible, but unlikely. Any species intelligent enough to genegineer the trees would surely be able to land a ship without crashing it. Listen carefully, esper. You’re going to have to leave the pinnace. I need you here, with me, to examine this ship. The marines will accompany you, to ensure your safety.”

  “You mean, leave the pinnace unguarded?” said Diana.

  “The pinnace can look after itself. Odin, go to full battle readiness. Acknowledge.”

  “Acknowledged, Investigator,” Odin replied. Perhaps it was only her imagination, but Diana could have sworn she heard something like excitement in the AI’s invariably calm voice.

  “In the meantime, Odin, keep trying to raise the Captain.” said Frost. “I don’t like being out of contact with him for so long. That goes for you too, esper. You might have better luck once you’ve moved away from the vicinity of Base Thirteen. Odin; what’s your current status on repairs?”

  “Progressing well, Investigator. All main systems are back on line and operational.”

  “What about structure integrity? Could we lift off, if we had to?”

  “Unknown, Investigator. Theoretically, yes. As a practical matter, I could not reccomend it, except in the most urgent circumstances.”

  “Very well. Maintain regular contact with the Darkwind after the esper and the marines have left; keep them up to date on what’s happening down here. And be prepared to relay information from me to the Darkwind. I’ll want the data from this new ship compared with existing records.”

  “I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Investigator. I have been unable to contact the Darkwind from the moment we landed. There is nothing wrong with the comm systems, so I can only conclude it is either a result of natural conditions, or the interference is deliberate.”

  “What do you mean, we’re out of contact?” snapped Frost. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

  “You didn’t ask.”

  “Computer, once this mission is over, you and I are going to have a long chat about which of us is in charge here. In the meantime, you will report to me, or the esper, or anybody else available, on any changes in our circumstances that might affect our mission, as they happen. And if I have any further problems with you, I will personally reprogram your data banks with a shrapnel grenade. Is that clear?”

  “There is no need to raise your voice to me, Investigator. I assure you, I have only the best interests of this mission at heart. I exist only to serve.”

  “Blow it out your terminal.”

  Diana looked aghast at the comm panels before her. Being cut off from the main ship was serious; it not only meant they were denied the ship’s superior computer facilities, it also meant they were on their own if anything went wrong. Diana hugged herself tightly. She’d never been cut off from the ship from the moment she joined its crew. She was used to its protection as a given, only a call away. Now she felt alone, naked, defenceless. She realised Frost was still talking, and forced herself to pay attention.

  “If something is blocking our transmissions, Odin, can you determine their position in relation to ours?”

  “Not at present, Investigator,” said the AI. “Without further evidence, it remains only a hypothesis.”

  “That settles it. Esper, I want you with me as fast as you can travel. The sooner we check this alien ship out, the better. And, esper, keep your eyes open on the way. Investigator out.”

  The silence that followed Frost’s signing off had a pronounced feeling of uncertainty. Not to mention unease. The presence of the alien ship could explain a lot of things, but for the moment it raised more questions than it answered. And the thought of leaving the pinnace and travelling through the metallic forest was not a comforting one, even with the marines for protection. Diana got to her feet and then stood there dithering, unsure what to do first. She’d wanted a little action, a little excitement, but this was ridiculous. A thought struck her, and she turned to glare at the comm panels.

  “Odin, why didn’t your sensors detect the presence of the crashed alien ship?”

  “Unknown, esper. Either the ship is shielded in some way, or it and its crew are simply too alien to show up on my instruments.”

  Diana frowned. “I thought it was impossible for anything to shield itself from your sensors?”

  “Impossible for any technology I am aware of. The alien ship’s level of technology is unknown.”

  Diana growled something under her breath, and strode down the cabin to the airlock. Even when the computer was talking directly to her, she couldn’t get anything useful outof it. At l
east the Investigator understood her worth. Just let her at that alien ship; she’d show them what an esper could do. She’d show them all.

  The marines accepted their new orders with hardly any fuss. Secretly, Diana thought they were probably just as bored as she’d been. The news of an alien ship didn’t throw them at all. They just nodded, checked the power levels on their guns, and led her off the landing field and into the metallic forest. They walked on either side of her, studying the surrounding trees alertly, their disrupters drawn and ready for use. Diana looked at the guns and scowled. There was always the chance the aliens weren’t involved with whatever had happened at Base Thirteen, and were just innocent bystanders. The Empire’s usual reaction to a new species was to shoot first and ask questions later, if at all, but Diana was determined that wasn’t going to happen here. First contacts could be peaceful, and she was going to do everything in her power to see that this one was. The Empire wasn’t going to add another servant species to its ranks, another people to treat and exploit as second-class citizens. Like the espers.

  She didn’t like the way her thoughts were going, so she concentrated instead on her surroundings. The metallic trees were very beautiful, shining in the mists like frozen fireworks. Now that she was seeing them up close, walking among them, they didn’t seem nearly as imposing. Their warm glow seemed friendly, even inviting … Which was more than she could say about the entities that had attacked her on the way down. The day seemed suddenly colder, and she shuddered briefly. She’d never felt a rage like it, an anger beyond thought or emotion; a force in itself. A force strong enough to break through a pinnace hull built to withstand atomics. She looked at the marines walking with her, and her momentary feeling of security was gone, as though it had never been. Guns and cold steel would be little use against the kind of force she’d sensed.

  She thrust the thought out of her mind. She was on her way to an unknown alien ship and a possible first contact, and nothing was going to spoil that for her. She wouldn’t let anything spoil it. She lengthened her stride, almost skipping along in her enthusiasm. The marines had to hurry to keep up with her. Ripper studied her thoughtfully, and Stasiak gave her a dark look or two, but she ignored both of them. And then the smile left her face and the joy went out of her in a moment, as something moved in the trees, not far away. She stopped dead in her tracks, and the marines stopped with her. They looked at her enquiringly, and she tried hard to stop trembling.