cosmicshifts

by Crymsyn Hart

  He gestured for the others to follow. Once they were off the platform, it slowly worked its way back down. He found a luma stone and pulled it from the wall. He swept it across the floor; no footprints marred the blanket of dust. Herman thought back to what his mother had said about the tablet being ancient and coming down from her line. If that was the case, then somewhere in his past her people had been connected to this place. That meant he was tied to it in more ways than he could possibly understand. As they walked down the hall, he saw symbols carved into the metal on the walls, but he could not read them. He stopped and motioned over Elarna, hoping she might be able to comprehend the language. He focused and moved back into his hairless form so he could speak with her.

  “You know what these say?” Elarna glanced back at him and ran her fingers over the walls.

  “Yes.”

  “It’s an old Rovian dialect. I’m not sure about all of it, but from what I can make out, it tells how one of the leaders of our world came here. At first your people thought them to be gods. They taught the people here technology, building, etc. in exchange for males who were willing to go with them or mate with them here. Males from all over were sent here. They lived in harmony for several hundred years until a plague hit the Yetans. Unrest had been brewing for a while, and there was a revolt. The city was abandoned. Many were killed who could switch their shapes like the women who had come, but a few were spared because they could heal.”

  “That would explain a lot,” Alika said; her voice was soft in the darkness, still filled with some pain. Her damaged eye was healed.

  “What do you mean?” Hearing the history of his people it made some sense why there was a great distrust of him. People might not know now where it had originated, but it had lingered in the people’s memory. This tale had been written by one of his ancestors. He wanted to know more about what had happened to the ones who had left and escaped the carnage.

  “There are some on our planet that can heal with a touch. They don’t know why because it isn’t an inherent ability. It’s valued, because sometimes the healers find stuff that the computers can’t heal.”

  “Herman had asked me why they could mate with us, meaning why were our genetics suitable for one another, when we are entirely dissimilar species from different worlds. I wasn’t really sure how to answer him.” Elarna explained to Alika.

  Alika sighed. “I’m at a loss on that one to. I just know that we’re compatible with all the males that we have on the acceptable list that we’re given as procurers. If we happen to find another planet that we haven’t been to before, we try to gather a DNA sample to bring back and make note of the planet’s position. If we are compatible with the population, then we can go back and introduce ourselves. Although I’ve never come across a planet that I haven’t see in the database. Even Earth where I found Phillip. It’s at the edge of our sweeps, backwater as it is, and we can mate with the males there.”

  Herman nodded. “Thank you for the explanation. I’m sure there’s more to it than what you’ve said, but that is all we are going to learn here. Who drove them away?”

  “It’s too faded to tell. There is something, but I can’t make out the writing.” Elarna pointed it out.

  Herman brought up the luma stone and ran his fingers over it, clearing away the dust. When he did, he gasped and backed away. The design was crude, but it was one he was familiar with. It was sewn into everything he had ever worn. It was on his mother’s clothes and carved into the palace floor right at the main entrance. It was his family crest. Three chevrons at a diagonal all, their bottom points coming together. “I did this. My family was the one who was elected and drove the rest away.”

  “It was before your time. You didn’t do this. Come on. Let’s go see what’s down at the end of this tunnel.”

  As Elarna led him away, he tried to fathom what his ancestors had done. He forced his body to stay in its hairless form and walked to the end of the passageway. A large door blocked their way. There was nothing on the tablet indicating how to open the door. Elarna studied the smooth surface and when she touched it, a purple hand print was left behind. However, the door didn’t open.

  “Try yours. I think it’s DNA encoded,” Alika suggested. “We have them on our ships.”

  Herman placed his hand on the metal. It was warm underneath his palm, and when he pulled it away, a yellow handprint was left behind. It took a moment. The door shook, showering dust all around them. When it opened, the entire room lit up. The dust on the floor and the stale air told him no one had been in this room for a long time. Once his gaze got to the object in the center of the room, he gasped.

  “Oh my!”

  In the center of the cavern was a large spaceship. If it didn’t hold the four of them then there would be a problem. So many times he had thought about being among the stars. Anything to get away from his loneliness and the seclusion he had been forced into. Sometimes he saw lights moving in the sky. He had always wondered if those lights were intelligent. He grew up knowing the guard would examine anything that fell from the sky, but he had never really seen an alien until Elarna. He approached the ship slowly, feeling the fear building in him. He had never thought he would be scared of the prospects ahead of him.

  “This is amazing,” he heard Phillip say next to him.

  “Yes, it is,” Elarna replied.

  “I haven’t seen one of these since that field trip to the archives. This has to be at least five hundred years old.” Alika walked around it. Phillip was by her side to be sure that nothing happened to her.

  “Are you sure it’s one of yours?” Herman asked.

  Elarna nodded. “It is. It’s just ancient.”

  “At least it proves that it was your people who were the ones who were here and not some other race. The writing could have been a coincidence.”

  “True.” Elarna walked around it in awe.

  “Do you think it will still fly?” Herman asked. “Can you fly it? I — ”

  “Over here,” Alika yelled, cutting him short.

  They walked around the ship to the other side. Lying on the floor were several skeletons that appeared to have been racing to the ship, but they hadn’t made it. Instead, something had happened to them. He bent down and upon closer examination some of the bones had been burned. He didn’t know any kind of technology that would do this. They weren’t the bulky skeletons of his people and they didn’t have seven toes. Herman assumed they were female. Elarna knelt down next to Alika. Tears streamed down her violet face and darkened her skin. Seeing those falling ice crystals around her cheeks was something that never should mar her perfection. He brushed them away and held her close.

  Alika said something in a tongue he did not understand. It was obvious she was mourning the dead that hadn’t gotten the acknowledgement they deserved. They were there for a little while until the females stood and Elarna smiled at him.

  “Thank you,” she whispered. She pressed her lips to his cheek.

  “The hatch would be just about past here. I think they were trying to get to it when they were attacked. We should go inside. Look around and see if we can get this thing to run. If we can, then this is our ride home, and you’re going with us,” Alika stated.

  He walked over to Phillip who had become his Bigfoot self again and waited while Alika trailed her fingers over the smooth hull.

  The ship itself was made of the same kind of gray metal that was used in the palace and the tablet. It was oval shaped and domed on the top, but underneath it appeared to be flat and it hovered a foot off the ground. He didn’t see any engines on the undercarriage of the ship. How were they supposed to get on it? As he thought about it, a thin metal ramp descended. He didn’t see how it would support anyone, but the women walked up into the ship. As they did, he glanced at Phillip, and the other male smiled. Herman stood at the end of the plank, gazing into the dark interior of the ship and pondered what his next adventure would be.

  Chapter Nine

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nbsp; Elarna stepped into the craft, still amazed this was buried underneath the earth all this time. This was part of her history and Herman’s. This craft evidenced a time in their combined past that was important to both species. She had never been one for antiquated things and always worried about the future of the race. She had tested well as a pilot so she pursued it and then she was promoted into a procuring role. Elarna already had a ship so it was an easy jump. The craft before her might have been archaic, but as she took stock of the cargo hold, she could see some containers ready to go. If they were specimens, then they were all dead. However, what was more important was in the cockpit. If it was operational, then she and Alika could fly it. This behemoth was too large for only one person to fly at least until they got into space and could activate the auto pilot. Although, she wasn’t too sure how well she would trust it.

  “Do you remember where the deck was?” she asked Alika.

  Her friend turned, but she still wasn’t back to her normal self. Her emerald features were drawn, and her violet hair lackluster. They had met in school when they were children. Her skin coloring was unusual in their class so she was drawn to her because Alika’s hair was almost the same color as her skin.

  She forced a smile for her. “Through the door down the hall to the right. Engine room should be on the left. I don’t remember anything else. It’s been a long time. Let’s see.”

  Alika touched a panel on the side of the door, and it slid open. They walked down the hallway with the luma stones to see the way. It was cold inside of the ship because it hadn’t been fired up for a long time. She prayed that it would start so they could get off this rock. It was obvious Herman was coming with them. How would he adapt to being on their planet and having to be with other females? She could claim him for a mate, but it was their law he would have to couple with others. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to share him with other females. Elarna had never thought she would come to find love. Even though it had been a short time of knowing him, she realized she did love him. By the way he took in everything, he seemed overwhelmed. How can you blame him? In such a short time he’s learned that his shape shifting ability came from a union with our ancestors. His ancestors were the ones who had driven them back and had potentially killed the people that had brought technology and new skills to their planet.

  Outside the next door were several mummified corpses. Burn marks marred the door to the bridge. Weapons lay scattered around the hallway. It appeared the three were trying to break down the door and get inside. Herman knelt down before them. He sighed and then shook his head.

  “I don’t know how they died, but they are Yetan. What do you think they died from?” Herman asked.

  Elarna shook her head. “I don’t know. Some kind of gas maybe. It’s hard to say without getting into the log to see what actually happened.” She stepped around the bodies and placed her hand on the control panel. It took a moment, but the door opened. She went into the cockpit and discovered two skeletons in the pilots’ seats. Elarna studied the main helm. Comparing it with her ship, it was more spread out and some controls were further apart. It didn’t look too foreign for being antediluvian. She prayed the startup sequence and the levers to jump the engine were in the same place. Alika stood on the other side of chair, and they looked at one another.

  “This is a dual control system. They haven’t had this in three generations,” Alika stated.

  “Are you going to be able to fly it with me?” Elarna glanced at her friend.

  The other woman flashed her a smile and the twinkle in her eye made her look like her old self. “This old bucket of bolts? Of course I can fly it. This thing has to learn how to deal with us. How about we fire her up?”

  “We should move them first.”

  Elarna nodded. They were going to move them when the males came over and lifted the bodies from the chairs and set them down in the corners. Elarna trailed her fingers down Herman’s cheek and watched him shiver and return the smile. She focused her attention back on the helm and found the ignition switches. Alika did the same. In this old kind of system both pilots had to be working together. They had to be a team, and if they didn’t trust one another, they could never fly the ship. They pressed the normal initiation sequence and nothing. They looked at one another. Her hearts dropped into the pit of her stomach. They weren’t going to be able to get off the planet. The whole craft quaked, and the panels lit up on the helm. The whir of the engines was a glorious sound that made her hearts sing. The rest of the ship came alive.

  “Are you going to be able to go back to your home world?” Herman asked.

  She turned toward him. “There’s enough to get us home. All four of us.” She walked over to him and twined her arms around his neck before pulling him close. She kissed him gently and the sense of relief that she had overwhelmed her. “We have to figure out how to get out of here. I’m not sure how the cavern opens. I think we’re supposed to go up through the funnel of the volcano, but if we do, it might trigger an eruption. I don’t want that to happen.”

  “And if it’s the only way that we can get out of here?” Herman asked.

  She looked at control panel, hoping find a log to inform them what had occurred on the ship. Nothing.

  “Alika, why don’t you go through the ship and see if there is anything we can salvage. I doubt the supplies are going to be useful. There is an outpost a day from here where we can resupply. They owe me. From there we can make the run back to the planet. I need to find the log. It’s going to take me some time though. Herman, why don’t you and Phillip go with Alika? She can give you a tour.”

  She glanced at her friend, who rolled her eyes, but nodded. Elarna needed some time to figure out what the craft was made of and how they were going to get out of the middle of this volcano. The two of them went with Alika. She sighed and looked at the bodies. Elarna hadn’t wanted to tell Herman what had happened before. The ship was equipped with a defense system. It was triggered as a last resort. A lethal gas released within the ship had killed all that was on there. It looked like this was something that they had done in the past to prevent the Yetans from getting in and possibly taking over the ship. Elarna thought back to her control panel and pictured it superimposed over this ancient one. It was very similar. The buttons were in different order, but as she pressed a few of them, a holographic screen flickered on. She studied it. It was easy to understand the gauges and how much fuel they truly had. The levels were a little lower than she had first suspected, but it would get them off the planet and to the outpost so they could refuel.

  She studied the last plotted course and star charts. They had come from Rovan. She breezed through the rest of the star charts, and they had more planets in them than she had seen before. Whatever the reasons were, these worlds had been wiped from her database. If she read the charts right, the ship was older than she thought, over a thousand years; much could have happened in that time period. She swiped her hand over the holographic image, and it moved so she came across a video log. The woman sitting in the chair had green skin like hers, but her features were further apart and her hair shaved close to her head. She sighed and sat back in her chair before looking into the camera. It took a moment before she spoke.

  “All the negotiations have failed. The Yetans have starting killing those who have come here. War has broken out among the clans, and they are driving out anyone who is unlike them. Even those born with our genes and can shift. Any who have a different tint to their fur as well. We have offered to help, share with them any information they might want, but they don’t want our technology. They want us gone. They’ve chased us back to the ship. Others, if they haven’t been killed, they have been experimented on. We’ve waited as long as we could for the others to come and seek refuge. Only a handful made it. The Yetans followed them into the ship. Now they’re beating on the door. Serva was hit badly when I came on. She’s already dead. I could pilot the ship by myself if I needed to, but it would be problematic.
It would bring me to the nearest settlement so I could refuel and save the others, but the Yetans are already banging on the door. We just wanted them to understand that all we want to do is have children. It is difficult for us to claim one of them as a true mate, but sometimes it happens. They’re firing on the door trying to get in, but there is no way in. Their laser guns don’t have the power to get through the metal. All of it they have learned from us and yet…” She stopped and shook her head.

  “There’s no other way. The others will understand. I can’t let them overtake the ship. There has been too much death already. Over a thousand years of peace between us gone in just a few months. Maybe one day someone will see this and understand why.”

  The image flickered. The aviator reached over and pressed a button on the helm. The vision died when the captain slumped back into her chair and went silent. Elarna knew the gas had taken effect. She wiped the tears from her eyes. When they got home, she would finally put these women to rest. If there were others on the ship, they all required a burial.