All The Frail Futures: A Science Fiction Box Set

by J Battle

  'I don't think it'll take my weight.'

  'HEAVY. HEAVY.' The words in his head were slow and hesitant.

  'THE BOAT SHOWS CONCERN AT YOUR WEIGHT.'

  'I've lost a lot of weight since I arrived,' Dan protested.

  'NOT SUFFICIENT TO OUR NEEDS, IT SEEMS.'

  Another five aliens arrived and began to divest themselves of their body parts.

  When Dan tried again, the boat felt much firmer and hardly dipped at all. Still, when he was settled in the center of the little craft, he felt unsteady, so he lay back to distribute his weight more evenly.

  When Ardeenallwys joined him, there was barely a hint of a wobble from the boat.

  'We don't have any oars, or paddles.' Dan said from the bottom of the boat.

  'WATER WILL CARRY US TO DESIRED DESTINATION.'

  'Why are you coming anyway?'

  'WE ARE FRIENDS DANROBINSON, IS THAT NOT THE TRUTH?'

  'Yes; best mates.'

  Chapter 28

  When Jullie had been informed of the arrival of the spaceship, he'd sent a team to investigate.

  A short time later, the last surviving member of the team returned, wounded but able to give his report before collapsing. Jullie had called another team together and then led them to the ship.

  They were hidden behind a group of low tan rocks just to the north of the ship when the door high above them opened and two small round heads popped out.

  Jullie had just instructed his best shots to take them out when the heads disappeared.

  'Prepare for them; they shall return.' Jullie spoke without taking his eyes from the ship.

  He wondered if the arrival of the ship would change his plans completely. Perhaps he could forget about trying to build a viable community of Sherdlings on this unpromising planet, with the threat of the Hru-argh's response to the destruction of their fleet always hanging above their heads. If the ship had FTL capabilities he'd be able to escape before they arrived and travel to a more hospitable place, or even to blessed Dendra, the home of the Sherdling, where he could lead his people to freedom.

  The thoughts warmed his mind as he squatted behind the safety of the rocks. All he needed to do was take this ship, and then the future could be his.

  It was quite by chance that the auxiliary exit for Angel's Kiss was on the opposite side of the ship to the main airlock; mainly due to the constricted space in the engine room.

  This stroke of good fortune meant that, when they left the ship and took their first slow, heavy steps on TCE, Andreas and his son were not visible to the waiting Sherdlings.

  'Which way, man?'

  'Don't call me man.'

  'Sorry...Dad.'

  'We'll go this way. It's downhill and more or less the way we want to go.'

  'Okay, man. D'you need any help?'

  'No, I think my suit is doing KO.'

  Iron turned back to his dad. 'You OK?'

  'Sey.' Andreas looked around, as if unsure of where he was.

  ‘Tahw?'

  'Here, man. Take my hand. I'll look after you.'

  With no response from his father as he struggled with his wayward implants, Iron bent and grabbed his father's left hand. 'Come on Dad, I’ll look after you.’

  ‘Keep your hands to yourself, I can look after myself.’

  Iron merely nodded and stepped back.

  ‘Come on, let’s find your wife.’

  Together, they walked slowly down the slight slope, ungainly and vulnerable in the unforgiving gravity of TCE; totally unaware of how lucky they were, to have avoided the scrutiny of the waiting Sherdlings.

  **********

  They took their seats in The One, the ship that would carry them across the unimaginable distance between Galaxies.

  Arrow shaped and tiny by the star-ship norm, it was grown from a unique crystal and was almost completely transparent.

  ‘To display its absence of threat.’ Heldon had said, by way of an explanation.

  ‘Surely anyone capable of destroying stars would perceive any possibility of threat even behind conventional ship’s surfaces.’

  ‘Opportunity to offend must be reduced to a minimum.’

  ‘But you are still sending me?’

  ‘Jashna-del will know restraint.’

  Jashna had grunted at that. ‘I’ve heard the word, but its meaning escapes me.’

  Due to room constraints, the seating was arranged in a triangular fashion, with one seat at the front and two behind. It seemed perfectly natural that Clessy and Xlytes should take the rear seats, leaving Jashna to sit alone.

  ‘As the leader of this vital mission, I would like to say a few words to my team.’ Began Xlytes.

  Jashna saw no need to correct the Re-Dubb and kept his council to himself.

  ‘We will travel further than any other.’

  Jashna considered mentioning the members of the Second Intermodal Crescent, who had gone before them to their unknown demise, but there was little value to be had from interrupting, so he remained silent.

  ‘The very future of our Galaxy depends on the success of this mission, and it is absolutely critical that we three work closely as a team, and that we do not allow personal enmity to become a barrier between us and that success.’

  He nodded at Clessy, then he leaned closer to Jashna. ’Is that clear to everyone?’

  ‘Of course, dear leader.’ Clessy breathed.

  ‘And you, Jashna-del?’

  ‘As ever, Xlytes, the clarity of your words dazzles the eye.’

  'Pleasure grows at the prospects of our time together.' Xlytes' voice seemed to vibrate with pleasure.

  Clessy couldn't stop herself from reaching out to touch the silky fur beside her. Xlytes turned and gave her the benefit of a moment of his consideration.

  'How long will it take?' asked Clessy, even though she knew the answer.

  'Standard ships rarely shift in steps of more than four or five light years,' Xlytes liked nothing more than an adoring audience, 'but the One will shift in sets of 40 to 50 light years, so our journey will last no more than 10 days. Then we will be required to excel in each of our roles to have a chance of success.'

  'And are you now able to explain your role to us, Clessy?' Jashna just wanted a brief moment when Xlytes was not talking.

  She made no comment; merely smiling at Xlytes.

  'Her role is of vital importance to the mission; I can say no more than that, Jashna.'

  'Do you know more than that? Or does ignorance lap at your feet?'

  'As the honored leader of this vital mission, all necessary information is available to me.'

  'Forgive me, honored leader, for my limited intellect, but, was that a yes, or a no?'

  For a few blessed moments, the honored leader fell silent.

  'As we are going to be together for such a long time, with little to occupy ourselves with, perhaps benefit would be achieved if we each told the stories of our lives, so far.' It was never going to last.

  'We only have 10 days, Xlytes.' Groaned Jashna, turning slightly in his seat to give Xlytes the benefit of his frown.

  'Brevity will bring its own benefits, as they say. Who would like to start? Jashna, as this will be a new experience for you, perhaps you should be exposed to someone a little more articulate, and a great deal more entertaining, before you make your own attempt?'

  'Go on, Xlytes. I'd love to hear your story.' Clessy leaned her shoulder against him. 'I'm sure it will be fascinating.'

  Whilst they'd been talking, the One had begun its journey, shifting in giant steps across the immense gulf between The Milky Way and the Andromeda Nebula; the only indication on board of the technological miracle was the gentle sigh at 30 second intervals as the ship's shifters released their energy.

  As they shifted away from the safety and familiarity of their home Galaxy, they settled down to tell their stories; two of them with joy and anticipation; one, with a deep feeling of despair.

  Chapter 29

  Fragranc
e of a New-born Moon arrived in orbit above Tau Ceti E on time and in good condition. On board, things were not going quite so well. Moira had started by not talking to Jimmy, as she felt that he should be doing more to get her home. Then she extended her frostiness to her brother, who also wasn't being very helpful, and was even talking to Jimmy.

  Jimmy turned up the thermostat on the heating system just to alleviate the chill that was coming off her as she glared across the deck at him.

  'It's going to be OK,' he said at last, knowing that he was setting himself up for another tirade, but surely anything was better than this silence.

  She came very close to smiling at the opening the fool had given her.

  'OK? It's going to be OK, is it? I'd very much like to hear your definition of OK, because it can't be anything like what most people think. Because, if you ask me, and I know you haven't, but I'm going to tell you anyway, it's not at all OK; it's as far away from OK as it is possible to be.'

  'We're still...'

  'We're still...what? Heading towards a planet where everyone is dead, and there are alien monsters just waiting for us to arrive, and we've no chance at all of ever getting back home? Is that what you're trying to say? Really? Is that going to make things better? Well, thank you very much but it doesn't!'

  Whilst she paused to take a breath, Jimmy made another attempt.

  'I was just saying that at least we're still alive.'

  Nigel shook his head and mouthed 'shut up.'

  ‘Alive? Alive? Well, I suppose you could say that, if you were really, really stupid. This is being alive? We’re riding in our coffin, just waiting for someone to come along and bury us.’

  Jimmy could see the error in her logic, and he really should have let it go, but he somehow lacked the self-awareness, or even the natural instinct for self-preservation.

  ‘If someone comes along, they’ll probably rescue us, not…bury us.’

  Over a drink in a Martian bar, he might have got away with it. But not here; not now.

  Moira floated towards him, her fingers extended and crooked, as if she meant to claw out his very heart. The words she was about to snarl at him were halted before they were even formed by the announcement from the ship’s semi-sentient system.

  ‘Attention please. I have to report that we have received a signal.'

  Moira’s glide towards Jimmy continued, but her attention was on the speakers above and behind her. As she twisted her head round to get a better look, her body began a slow spin, which caused her course to change slightly so that she was going to miss Jimmy.

  As she slowly glided past him, Jimmy reached out and grabbed her by the waist, causing her to slow down and join him in a parody of an elegant dance. As they spun together, the touch of her body and her close proximity reminded him of the old days, when he was rich and she still knew how to smile.

  ‘Come on, Kids, let’s pay attention,’ Nigel laughed, ‘plenty of time for that kind of thing later.’

  Moira pushed Jimmy away from her, sending them both in opposite directions in curved paths across the control room.

  Only when they’d both gained some semblance of control of their bodies did the SS play the message.

  ‘Solar Union craft in TCE orbit, please identify yourself.’

  ‘I have replied with all requisite data, and requested the same information from the entity broadcasting,’ announced the SSS.

  ‘This is the AI of Solar Union private ship Angel’s Kiss.’ The reply came in a soft, Irish accent.

  Moira mouth dropped open at the name of her dead father’s ship. She turned to Nigel who merely nodded.

  ‘All TCE settlements have been destroyed by unknown but presumed alien forces. We have as yet no information on casualties but expect them to be high, if not total. We are currently investigating the situation on the ground. Until these investigations have been completed, we would advise that you remain in orbit as it appears that all of the alien spaceships have either been destroyed or left the system. You should be aware that there are armed alien forces on the ground, though we have no information on the scale.’

  'That was the end of the transmission.' Announced the Semi Sentient System.

  ‘When was this signal received?’ Asked Jimmy.

  ’45 minutes and 11 seconds ago, now.’

  ‘Why didn’t you inform us earlier? We could have spoken live to the ship.’

  ‘The delay was caused by two things. Firstly, I needed to check the veracity of the signal and data provided to ensure that we are not being manipulated and are not in danger if we remain as we are.’

  ‘And secondly?’

  ‘I didn’t like to interrupt the heated discussion between yourself and Moira.’

  **********

  Day by day, moment by moment, the fleet grew.

  Located close to the edge of the great Hru-argh Empire, it was spread over an area three parsecs across.

  An objective observer could not help but be impressed, amazed even, at the force that was being assembled before their eyes.

  Here were 25 heavyweight battleships from Esthana, led by the renowned and vainglorious Hedstone, famous both for his impetuosity and his flatulence.

  There were 32 elegant and fragile appearing cruisers, black and gold, with flashing lights and long sensor tentacles. Their commander was named in memory of The Great Humedil, the most successful commander in the Hru-argh's long history of military engagements.

  17 dreadnoughts crouched just at the edge of the fleet, as if they were too dangerous to be near. They were sent by the twin worlds of Archlie and Archlie (their names differentiated by emphasis on either the first or the second syllable - ARCHlie being closest to their home star, but ArchLIE having the better beaches). They were commanded by the uniquely unpleasant (to a Hru-argh, that would be considered a compliment) Suspiss III, who was said to have an uncanny ability to foresee what his enemy was about to do.

  There were thousands more, from snappy patrol ships to ungainly star-destroyers; from super-quick assault craft to slow and ponderous troop carriers. There were 17 command liners, each with its own cluster of support craft. And of course, flitting about all over the place and annoying all they met, were the media ships; ready to record every detail of this historic campaign.

  Last to arrive, but perhaps most important of all, were the 12 ships of the SDS, commanded by the masked commander, Captain X. No-one knew his real name or where he hailed from, but every-one knew enough to feel fear at the very mention of his Nom De Guerre.

  On board Argh-Argh-Argh, the largest of the troop carriers, there was a sense of expectation amongst the infantry already settled in their quarters. A squad of the most elite soldiers in the whole of the Hru-argh military was about to arrive, or so the rumor went. But, as with everything else concerning the SDS, who really knew?

  The SDS members were chosen from the best of the regular forces. Those chosen then underwent an extensive period of deep training and physical abuse. Any trace of sentimentality or gentleness (not features that are common in any Hru-argh) is ground out, along with humor, humility and feelings of self-doubt (again, not qualities generally found in great quantities in your average Hru-argh).

  The result is a lean, mean killing machine; ready to follow any order to the letter, no matter how vicious, unnecessary or stupid it might be.

  As a last resort, fast action force, the SDS went into action without their sub-dubs. Obviously; how could even the fittest sub-sub be expected to keep up with them? Using the latest technology, they were able to go into battle wearing a garment designed to collect, compress and store their effluence. Hence their name, the SDS; the Special Diaper Service.

  At last they arrived, and double-marched in single file along the narrow corridors of the massive troop carrier. If they came upon a lowly regular soldier who failed to get out of their way, he would be dispatched with absolute, silent ferocity, for no rules applied to a SDS soldier except those from within the force itself.
/>   Hurdurred stepped back out of the corridor into his quarters just in time, and watched in awe as they roared past him, resplendent in their glowing white diapers. He was so excited that he relieved himself in a noisy and noisome manner. He turned to call for his sub-dub, but there was no sign of the little creature.

  He called again, his tone turning stern; he shouldn’t have to call twice, not a soldier of his standing. He stepped away from the mess that was beginning to offend even his senses and saw the last of the SDS troops fly past. Leaving behind them a crushed bucket, a bent shovel, and a green mess spreading across the far wall.

  **********

  Helen dreamed of maggots, wriggling across the whole of her body; nibbling at her flesh; feeding on her as they tried to change her into one of them.

  She woke suddenly; her wide eyes stared at the high glowing cavern above her and her heart hammered in her chest. She knew that she was alone; just the sound of the lapping water to keep her company.

  Where was Dan? Off somewhere with those creepy aliens, she supposed. How he could let them cover his body with bits of themselves? She shuddered at the very idea.

  She knew she'd go mad if they tried that with her.

  Without thinking, she lifted one arm and saw the three glowing yellow bands that lit up her tanned flesh. She gasped and tore at them; first with her nails, then with her teeth. But they were resilient, and they clung to her as they sucked the humanity from her.

  With a sound somewhere between a grunt and a scream, she leapt to her feet. She ripped the dress from her body; tearing the seams apart with unexpected strength. They were all over her body; glowing and sucking as they tried to take over her body.

  ‘No!’ she screamed, ‘no!’

  Then, so loud that the words seemed to rip her throat, she cried.

  ‘No! No!’

  In utter desperation, she rushed across the dust free hard rock and threw herself into the water.