EarthBound

by D M Arnold

  Yasuko opened the door, stepped in and faced Suki. “I'm sorry for your father's behavior.”

  “I'd rather Daddy was sorry for himself.”

  “He did consume a bit too much sake, I'm afraid.”

  “No, Mom. He had just enough.”

  “I should've warned you -- the stock market was down big today and you know that never does his mood any good.”

  “We'll both get over it,” she replied. “We always do. Just watch -- tomorrow he'll treat me like a princess.”

  * * *

  Nyk sat on the sofa in the apartment. Suki leaned against him as he stroked her hair. “Suki, there's something I must tell you. I'm returning to the homeworld in a few days.”

  “No!” Suki said and pulled from him. “I won't let you go.” She brushed tears from her eyes. “I won't let you. You promised me. You know I can't do this alone,” she sobbed. “Nykkyo, you promised me!”

  “I'll keep my promise. I'll be back.”

  “Why must you go? How do I know you'll come back?”

  “Seymor told me he'll authorize my return. Suki, I have a duty to my people. Zander's up to something -- something no good -- and I may have the key to stopping it. I must do this.”

  “What if something happens to you? What about your duty to me?”

  “This is part of the path Destiny's tracing for me.”

  “Destiny! Don't you think it's possible we're responsible for our own destinies?” Nyk stood and reached for her. She jerked away from him.

  “I will do everything in my power to return to you. And when I do, I'll be here to stay.” He took her hand. “I wish I could take you with me.”

  She walked to a cabinet, opened a drawer and removed an object. “How long will you be gone?” she asked as she returned to the sofa and sat beside him.

  “I don't know. Tomorrow I make another run to Oklahoma City. Then, I'm sure I'll be asked to make a transit from Wisconsin. I'll return to the homeworld after that. I don't know how long I'll be there -- a few weeks -- I can't imagine longer than a couple of months.”

  “Two months!”

  “At least it's not two lifetimes.”

  “But still -- two months. I've gotten used to having you around. What'll I tell Mom and Daddy?”

  “Tell them I'll be back after I complete this assignment. Seymor has given me his assurances.”

  “Do you trust him?” she asked.

  “He's a Floran, and a Floran's word is his bond. Do you trust me?”

  “Yes -- but I don't know if I trust Seymor.” He slipped his arm around her and she cuddled against him. “I suppose a couple of weeks wouldn't be so bad. I wish you didn't have to.”

  “So do I.”

  She handed him the object she had been holding. It was the silver Kyhana crest pin she had worn at the university. “Take this with you -- to remind you of me.”

  “I don't need this to remind me. You haven't left my thoughts since the day I laid eyes on you.”

  “Please take it.” He took the pin from her. “Now, you're obligated to me. You must come back, so you can return the pin. Who knows -- maybe it'll bring you luck.”

  He slipped the pin into his pocket. “I'm sorry I have nothing to give you. Floran culture isn't materialistic -- I have no possessions. All I can give is my word that I love you and I will return -- or die trying.”

  “That's what I'm afraid of. You'll be careful?”

  “Of course.” He kissed her cheek. “Let's get ready for bed.”

  Nyk slipped under the covers. Suki slipped off her robe and slid into the bed beside him. He switched off the light. “I love you, Suki.”

  “I know you do. I love you, too.” She ran her hand along his shoulder and arm. She leaned to him and kissed his lips. “I want you, Nykkyo. Family line or no, I want you. Incest or no, I want you!” She began kissing and caressing his body.

  “No, Suki, no!” He switched the light on.

  “Why not? It's not incest to you, and I don't care if it is or isn't. Why can't we have each other? I don't think of you as family. You don't even look like family. No one would guess we're related. What if something happens -- what if you don't come back? At least let's have this.”

  “You once said you wanted me for me, not for you. Now I must say no to you for you. I know how ingrained this taboo is to your culture. I want this as much as you do, Suki. We mustn't do something you'll wake up some morning and regret. I love you too much to allow us to do that.”

  “You love me too much to make love to me. I never expected to hear anything like that.”

  “I don't want to say no to you. I want you -- I want desperately to share the gift of pleasure and intimacy. But we mustn't take the risk of poisoning our love with an act either of us might regret.” Nyk switched off the light. He coaxed her beside him, slipped his arm around her and stroked her hair until he felt her drowse. He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.

  * * *

  Nyk stepped from the taxi upon returning from Oklahoma City. He placed a vidphone call. “Zander, I must return to Floran. I'm needed there on a family matter.”

  “Is it anything serious?”

  “No, Senta wants me there to help plan a celebration. Her stepdad's fiftieth anniversary with the Service is coming up.”

  “Fifty years! That's quite an achievement. You're in luck. Exo 327's making a pickup in a few days. I was planning on handling this one personally, but if you're headed this way, you could save me the trouble.”

  “What day?” Nyk asked.

  “Let's see ... This Thursday.”

  “That'll work fine,” Nyk replied. “I'm happy to help.”

  “Will you need transit back to Earth?”

  “No. Going native's not what I thought it'd be.”

  “No, it's not. I didn't think you had it in you, Nyk. Stop by once you're on the homeworld.”

  “I'll plan on it.”

  “Before I forget -- if you want to get on the good side of the boys on the scout, bring along a couple bottles of whiskey.”

  * * *

  Nyk sat in the house in Wisconsin, fingering the photoimager. The panel van pulled into the driveway. He photographed the van, then he directed the driver to put the crates on the porch. The van departed and he watched it head down the street.

  He took pictures of the stack of crates. With a screwdriver he pried up the lid on the first box, then folded back heavy paper and removed some cushioning material. The sight of the contents made his jaw drop.

  Inside were firearms and ammunition. The first crate contained assault rifles -- about a dozen. He photographed them and opened the other boxes. The second one contained handguns. Inside the third was what looked like a mortar and rounds. A fourth contained hand grenades. Nyk closed up the crates.

  Nightfall came and he backed the shuttlecar from the garage and loaded the boxes into it. These were smaller than the first set but just as heavy. He loaded all of them into the shuttle, piling the smaller ones onto the passenger seat. He stuffed his travel case into the cockpit and pulled his door shut.

  He headed out of town to his launching site and began preparation for transit. Nyk pressed the launch sequencer. The shuttle nosed up and settled back to the ground. A power overload indicator flashed on the control panel.

  Nyk restarted the prelaunch program. The overload indicator cleared. He pressed the launch sequencer and again the shuttlecar nosed up and settled back. A touch of the control panel initiated low-level diagnostics.

  The car's vidisplay signaled an incoming call. He pressed his wrist to the scanpad and saw Zander. “Nykkyo, where are you? The scout's waiting.”

  “I can't lift off. I think the shuttlecar's overloaded and maybe low on power. These are heavy boxes, Zander -- awfully heavy comm gear.”

  “You'll need to gang the two main power cells. Open the access panel to the left of the controls.”

  Nyk flipped down the panel. “Okay, it's open.”

  “Do you s
ee a shunt for the number two power cell?”

  “Yes...”

  “Pull it out, turn it ninety degrees and push it back in. That'll gang the power cells and give you enough to lift off. You won't have enough for a return trip, but you're not headed back to Earth, are you?”

  “No ... but I'm not comfortable making a transit with no reserve power. Maybe I should offload some of this gear and make two trips.”

  “If you don't have enough power to gang them how will you have enough for a trip out, back and out again?” Zander asked.

  “I suppose you're right ... Okay, the shunt's in ... I have a 'go' panel.” He pressed the launch sequencer. The shuttlecar lifted off and shot into the sky. “I'm on my way!”

  “I'll tell the boys on the scout.” The vidisplay went dark.

  * * *

  The craft rolled into the comm relay station's shuttlebay. Nyk went through decontamination, dressed in Floran clothing and fastened Suki's pin onto his sash. He slipped the photoimager's datacel into a fold of his xarpa, inserted a fresh one, dropped the device into his case and walked toward the shuttlebay. Thoughts about the object in his sash began to trouble him. He stopped and returned to the workroom.

  Nyk reached into his sash, withdrew the datacel and regarded it, turning it over in his fingers. He inserted it into one of the station's vidisplays. A touch on the screen accessed his comm cipher and he transmitted the images into his private database. He stored the datacel in his personal effects locker and headed to the shuttlebay.

  The bay decompressed and he pulled the car into space. The vidisplay began signaling him and he answered a call from a crewman on board the scout. “Where are you? We're on a tight schedule.”

  “I'm about to subjump from the relay station.”

  “What are you doing there?

  “I had to go through decontamination,” he replied. “You don't want to get sick, do you?”

  “We have decontamination onboard. You could've done that here.”

  “Now you tell me.”

  “You'd better hurry. The skipper's getting edgy.”

  Nyk terminated the vidphone, set the navigation coordinates and triggered a short subjump to meet the cruiser.

  The windows and windscreen darkened for the jump and the warpcoil fired with a bang. Transparency returned to the windscreen and Nyk saw a spinning star field. He grasped the unistick and attempted to recover from the spin. The shuttle refused to respond. A low power indicator flashed on the panel.

  Nyk opened the access panel, removed the number two shunt and pulled on the stick. The craft continued to spin. The vidisplay signaled him again. “We see you. Control your spin and we'll pick you up.”

  “I have no power,” he replied. “The inertial sink won't respond. I have communications and life support, that's all.”

  “Divert your number three power cell to the inertial sink.”

  “That's auxiliary power. I'll lose life support.”

  “You're only metres from the ship. We can't pick you up until your spin's under control.”

  Nyk grasped the number three shunt and pulled it out. The control panel and vidisplay went black. Darkness and silence enveloped him -- his own heartbeat and breathing were the only sounds. He felt for the shunt socket. The spinning star field was starting to blur from moisture fogging the windows. He found the socket and inserted the shunt. It slipped from his fingers and centrifugal force from the spin sent it to the floor.

  He began feeling around his feet for the shunt. His finger touched it, but it was lodged beneath his seat where he couldn't grasp it. Perspiration begin to bead on his brow and the air was beginning to taste stale.

  He felt inside the access panel and pulled the number one shunt. Nyk counted the socket holes and plugged it in -- no response. The fog on the windows was turning to frost.

  Nyk was beginning to shiver. He pulled the shunt and moved it one position to the right. The control panel lit up. He grabbed the unistick and began to neutralize the spin. The stars slowed and stopped, and he saw the approach lights to the cruiser's shuttlebay. With the heel of his hand he wiped frost from the windscreen.

  The cruiser moved toward him, her forward shuttlebay door open. He pulled on the stick to turn the shuttle to face into the approaching bay and rolled it to align with the deck. The bay loomed before him, a yawning mouth about to scoop up its prey.

  The car crossed the threshold of the spacedoor and encountered the scout's artificial gravity. It hit the deck with a thud and rolled toward the rear of the bay. He pulled back on the stick. The car slowed, then the panel went dark again. Through the windscreen he could see the bay's rear bulkhead fast approaching.

  He threw his arms over his face and braced for impact. An inflatable crash barrier deployed. The shuttlecar plowed into it and he was thrown against his safety restraint. He could hear the bay repressurize. The pressure door opened.

  A crewman approached the shuttlecar and pulled open the door. Nyk stepped out, took a deep breath and wiped his forehead. He looked at the crumpled nose of the shuttle. “Are you okay?” the crewman asked. Nyk nodded. “That'll never fly again. Why didn't you stop?”

  “I ran out of power.” He grabbed his case, opened it and handed two pint bottles of Wild Turkey whiskey to the crewman. “Zander said you might like this.”

  “You're all right!” The crewman slapped him on the back and set the bottles down. “What else is in the case?”

  “Nothing but my travel gear.”

  “Let's see.” The crewman took his case. “Do you have any Earth food?” He popped it open and saw the photoimager. “Taking pictures?”

  “I wanted some to show my wife.”

  “Hey, Zaggo!” Another crewman approached him. “Stand by our passenger.” The crewman snapped a photoimage. “Now you take me.” The two crewmen tossed the camera between each other, taking pictures of Nyk and themselves, making funny faces and goofing with it until a non-commissioned officer entered the bay and interrupted their horseplay.

  “What's going on in here?” The sergeant took the camera, removed the datacel and inserted it into a vidisplay. “Not a smart thing to do.” He ejected the datacel and snapped it in half. “Oops. Sorry.” He tossed the photoimager at Nyk and smirked. “Maybe he took other pictures. Check his case.”

  The crewmen dumped the contents of Nyk's case onto the deck and rifled through them. “Nothing, chief,” Zaggo said.

  “Frisk him.”

  The crewman removed Nyk's xarpa and shook it out. They patted him down. “He's clean, chief -- unless he has one stuck up his butt.”

  “If you think he's got one there, you'd better check.”

  “I was kidding, chief. You don't mean...”

  “It'd serve you both right. We're about to get underway. Get those crates unloaded and the breakable gear stowed. On the double!”

  Nyk picked up his belongings, packed them into his case and belted himself into a jump seat. The crewmen stowed the bottles and took their seats.

  He felt the warp jumps. Zaggo beckoned him to the aft shuttlebay. Nyk heard the bay repressurizing and the pressure door opened to reveal a tender shuttle. The tender crew unloaded supplies and transferred them to levitating pallets. One of the crew motioned to him and he climbed aboard. Soon he found himself on the transit platform awaiting the final inbound shuttle to Sudal.

  He boarded the shuttle, sat by a viewport and fastened his safety harness. The airlock closed and it lifted from the pad on the transit platform. Nyk felt weightlessness as the craft left the influence of the platform's artificial gravity fields. The shuttle drew toward his indigo world.

  The craft changed orientation to enter the atmosphere belly-first. Weightlessness was replaced by intense gravity as the shuttle lost velocity. There was a quick maneuver, a brief burst of weightlessness and the shuttle became an aircraft flying toward Sudal.

  He could see the enormous mons in the distance to the west as the craft lost altitude and headed southward.
Below were the older agridomes, some a thousand years old. He could look further south and begin to make out the newer domes.

  Nyk felt pride in the agridomes. They were Kyhana domes, named after his father who had developed an innovative means to construct them. The domes were enormous -- each covered an area of ten by ten kilometers. Inside were grown food and fiber crops of Earth plants -- vegetables, grains, legumes, cotton, flax and ramie. The domes provided growing conditions approximating those of his people's world of origin and isolation from the incompatible biosphere of their adopted planet.

  The shuttle began its initial approach to Sudal. Nyk could now see the small city -- his home town. He watched through the viewport as the shuttle swept down over the row after row of modern agridomes, deployed its landing gear and touched down at the Sudal shuttleport. He debarked the shuttle and ordered a groundcar, specifying the Residence as his destination.

  Nyk stepped from the groundcar outside the Residence. The place was shuttered. He pressed his wrist against the scanpad, opened the main entrance and climbed the spiral staircase to the second floor living level.

  He switched on a vidisplay, accessed his Agency data store and made copies of the photoimages. He started to place a call to Seymor when he heard a noise from behind. His heart leapt into his throat. “Hello?”

  A check of the second-level guestrooms revealed no one. Something moved and he caught it out of the corner of his eye. He spun around but saw no one. “Who's here? It can't be you, Senta!”

  Nyk looked into the storage room. He heard footsteps on the spiral staircase as he walked from the kitchen. He climbed the stairs to the third level -- the bedrooms his parents had used were here. The door to one of the bedrooms was closed.

  He approached the door and pulled on it. It was locked. He sprinted down the spiral staircase to the lower level and into the house's workshop. There he rummaged through drawers of tools, parts and junk until he found a door latch releaser. By the time he reached the third floor, he found the door open and the room empty.