Reality: The Struggle for Sternessence

by Daniel A. Liut

  Foxso’l’s silence was interrupted by a signal beeping on the Kervian’s communication device. “Sorton.”

  “Lieutenant Brot, sir. We’ve found forty-four capsules—correction, forty-eight . . .”

  “What’s your location, Brot?”

  “Section A34, Commandant.”

  “On my way.”

  In no hurry, Sorton put away his communicator and turned to Foxso’l. “So, Captain,” he gloated, “how about a little tour that includes section A34?”

  9.

  On reaching section A34, Sorton and his detail found Lieutenant Brot waiting at the entrance to the central hangar. “Fifty-six containers, Commandant, all sealed but one.” That particular container was not only unsealed, but open.

  Sorton stepped into the hangar, while Zor Foxso’l—closely watched by two Kervians—poked his head hesitantly through the hatchway. The sight was the complete opposite of the incriminating scene he expected to find: there was no trace of O’sihn’s team.

  Sorton drew near the open container. It was one of the landing pods to be used in the operation. At the last moment, O’sihn had ordered his team to get in the ejection capsules, or E.C.s, and sealed them for launch. This would make the pods both very difficult to probe with standard sensors and impenetrable for conventional weapons. Each capsule had its assigned occupant, except for the captain’s, which Laida and O’sihn were forced to share. Unlike the rest, Laida’s capsule had been left open, with fake cargo inside, to induce the Kervians to think (if they came across it, as they did) that the rest had the same content. Sorton picked up a handful of the powder from the open container and let it sift through his fingers.

  “It’s thomellion spice, Commandant, and there is more in those cadres.” Lieutenant Brot pointed at some storage containers stowed in the back of the hangar.

  “What about the sealed pods?”

  Brot shook his head. “Neither our scanners nor our weapons could get through their hulls.”

  The commandant looked around intensely. He remained silent for a moment, until he finally sighed, with a contained chuckle. “Typical . . .”

  A signal started beeping on Sorton’s communicator again. “Sorton.”

  “Lieutenant Sobrumsom, sir. There is a large meteorite cluster twenty minutes C.R.S.16 ahead of us. It seems to be an offshoot of a local C.P.M., sir.”

  “Plot a new course to our next patrolling zone. I’ll be back momentarily.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  Sorton and his men began heading back to the aft hangar. Foxso’l followed them, flanked by the two soldiers.

  “Regarding your E.C.s,” Sorton said with a knowing smile. “They are not in compliance with chapter three, section thirty four of the General Norms for Cargo Ships and Private Vessels. You seem to have made some innovative use for the one you forgot to seal. A full brosh should be a good incentive to help you comply with regulations in the future.” The fine was almost as expensive as the spice the rest of the pods would have allegedly contained.

  “If I may explain—”

  “Captain, we are short of time today, and you probably want to keep your cargo—I mean, your safety pods.” Sorton walked a few more steps and turned back. “Though you do seem to be in need of rest, Captain. You may want to consider our penal colonies as an alternative to spending time and money in more bureaucracy and costly fines.”

  Foxso’l shook his head politely. “Work and duty first, Commandant. We will gladly pay the required compensation for our carelessness.”

  “As you wish, Captain.”

  When they reached the aft hangar, a signal started beeping on Sorton’s communicator again. “Sorton.”

  “Lieutenant Sobrumsom speaking.”

  “Yes?”

  “The C.P.M. cluster is quite dense and widespread, Commandant.” The comment implied a potential hazard for their ship and the safety of the boarding party, as long as it remained on Foxso’l’s vessel.

  “Make ready to receive us.”

  “Aye, Commandant.”

  Sorton made a sign with one arm, and his boarding squad started leaving the vessel. Escorted by three troopers, he stepped on the rising platform that would take him back to his ship through a hatchway in the overhead of the hangar.

  “I may have been rather lenient today, Captain,” Sorton added, as he ascended on the lift. “For your own sake, I trust you will be complying with all Establishment regulations on our next inspection. It will take place soon enough.”

  “It was an honor having you on board, Commandant,” Foxso’l added, bowing mildly.

  With the hatchway finally closed, Zor Foxso’l hurried up to the bridge. There, on the main display, Cruiser Vastitas covered most of the screen.

  An abrupt bump made everybody on the bridge stumble. The Angel Spark had been released from the gravitic grip of the Vastitas. The Kervian ship dashed away along a standard hyperbolic course.

  _______________

  3 The peculiar gleaming that radiated from the core rock was linked to the power source that held the hovering mountain high above the surface. The base of Royal City was a gigantic rock comprised of countless microscopically thin interconnected crystals. Cryna—the mineral that made up those crystals—is a highly conductive substance, which under high pressure and temperature conditions, crystallizes in strong hexagonal films with a beautifully complex three-dimensional snowflake type of structure. This mineral has a small density, and at very high temperatures, it becomes lighter than air, at Realitas’ surface pressure.

  A flat reactor in the lower regions of the city’s mountainous base heated the rock, inducing a low-density air circulation in most of the countless inter-crystal receptacles. The result was a lighter-than-air massive structure capable of rising up to a few thousand feet above the surface.

  On occasions, some volcanoes would release naturally formed overheated cryna rocks of different sizes, which could stay floating among the clouds for many weeks.

  4 The Realitas Royal Navy was organized into tactical teams trained to perform a wide range of operations. There was no such thing as the captain of a ship, or of a division, or of any military unit in the Royal Navy, but the captain of a team, or Team Captain, who might or might not have command of a ship. Someone holding a Team Captain rank was commonly referred to as the Captain, a rank that was independent of the actual commanding rank (such as major) the person would hold. On the other hand, a formal Captain rank could be a permanent assignment, like for example, the captain of a ship, or a temporary or in commission assignment, such as when someone was assigned to command a particular mission. A similar military organization was found on many worlds of the Realdom.

  5 With respect to military ranks, although not always consistent among the different worlds and armed forces of the Realdom, they often were. That was the case between the Realitian and Veritian Navies, for example, including their Marine Corps, which were part of these Navies. We chose to render their officers’ ranks as —junior officers: Spacer, Ensign, (2nd) Lieutenant, and 1st Lieutenant; —senior officers: Major, Lieutenant Commander or Sub Commander, Commander, Commodore, and different ranks of Admirals. Spacer was a rank assigned only to the fledgling graduates from a naval academy; they had an extra rank than those who joined the Navy through other programs, but they would ordinarily go faster through the rest of the junior ranks.

  6 Non-technological and pre-industrialized cultures were referred to as young cultures.

  7 C.P.M., or Celestial Proto Material, is cosmic material related to a stellar nursery, in this case, of the star cluster to which Althea belongs.

  8 SERI, the Space Exploration Realitarian Institute, was a branch of Realitas Royal Academy.

  9 Realitas Standard Time.

  10 Yik’s Space Fleet. The term Yik’s is a contraction from the old Realitarian language standing for “Their Royal Majesties”.

  11 Realitarian expression, neutral in gender, whose closest translation would be ladies and gentlemen.r />
  12 a) Realitarian is a term used to denote something or someone belonging to Realitas, the planet where Duncan had first arrived, and from where his voyage from Earth had been organized.

  b) Realitian is a broader term referring to someone or something belonging to the alliance that was fighting against the Establishment. This alliance was commonly referred to as the Realdom (a term avoided in Establishment circles) of which Realitas was a founding member. Something or someone that was Realitarian would also be Realitian, but something or someone that was Realitian would not necessarily be Realitarian. For example, Veritians, those born in Veritas, are also Realitians, while not being Realitarians. Veritas and Realitas are two different planets of two different star systems, both of which belong to the Realdom. They will be referenced often in this narrative.

  c) Realitic is another term that will occasionally surface in this account. This is a word used by the Realdom to refer to something that belongs to the Realdom’s (and Establishment’s) universe. It can also be used as referring to a particular universe or in relation to two or multiple universes, as in interrealitic or transrealitic. Realitic is close in meaning to the English word universe or universal, although realitic conveys a strong connotation of referring to a particular universal reality.

  13 Like ships, spaceships do not have ceilings or walls but overheads and bulkheads, respectively.

  14 Galactic Navigational Space Register (Establishment regulations).

  15 Preliminary Registration in the (Establishment) Bureau of Commerce.

  16 Current Relative Speed.

  CHAPTER 3

  Veridiawa

  10.

  That night, Seidy was covering the northern post, outside the village. He had always preferred night watches. That was not too surprising; after all, he was a wuol.17 Seidy felt proud to be an all-Veridiawan wuol. Sometimes he wondered what would have become of him if he had been born a Creption. When he had little to do, during the long hours of patrols, he would explore the gloomy image of himself as a Creption citizen flying with his head bald for life—the Creption way. Seidy was on duty, but he was not alone. Veridiawan warriors were never posted alone. Close to him, more specifically, beneath him, was Boldowa—the keiro18—who did not like to be on duty during the day or during the night.

  “How long is it before dawn?”

  “Any moment now, Boldo.”

  “Seidy, you know, don’t call me Boldo. My name is Boldowa.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” said the wuol, shaking his head. “I’ve been thinking,” he continued. “What good ones are the newones, aren’t they?”

  “Yes, they are very good newones,” answered the keiro with his peculiar gravelly tone. “They’ve been here for but a crop, and they already go out with us to fight the Creptions.”

  “Yeah, and the girl-Captain . . .” Seidy tilted his head to one side. “She has sort of magic powers, you know?”

  The keiro frowned. “How do you mean?”

  “Didn’t you hear what happened to Citrina’s daughter last week?”

  “Oh . . . no, no,” Boldowa said.

  “Citrina’s daughter—Aquiri—along with Soruri’s daughters,” Seidy continued. “They were playing at the flat cave, close to the river. All of a sudden, a graspy19 bites Aquiri on her right leg. One of the kids runs to the village and tells her mother that Aquiri has been bitten by a graspy, and that she’s very . . . very badly ill. People rush to the cave, and there they find her, still and gasping for air.” The wuol paused and raised his eyebrows with an air of mystery. “And then, Boldo . . .” The wuol stared piercingly at his companion.

  “But, but Seidy?” The keiro frowned. “You know, don’t call me Boldo. My name . . .”

  “. . . is Boldowa,” Seidy completed the sentence. “D’ ya wanna hear the rest of the story or not?”

  “Oh, yes, Seidy, yes.”

  “The girl-Captain, she was coming from the riverbank. So she looks at the entrance to the cave, and she sees lots of people, and Soruri’s daughters crying. She runs towards ‘em and asks ‘em what’s goin’ on. And Soruri’s daughters tell her everything about the graspy. So the girl-Captain runs into the cave and kneels beside Aquiri and takes her right hand. Her face is all pale, and her right leg is very badly swollen. The girl-Captain uses a magic potion on Aquiri’s leg, but still, Aquiri stops breathing.”

  Seidy jumped off Boldowa’s back and flew to the top of a pole in front of the keiro.

  “But then,” the wuol continued, widening his eyes, “the girl-Captain opens a little box on her belt, and picks out a healing dart—a heart-quickening-dart, she calls it. She pricks Aquiri’s right arm with it and . . . foo! Aquiri starts breathing again.

  “The girl-Captain then picks another healing-dart, but this one is different—all yellow—its point like a long needle. She pricks Aquiri’s arm once more, and sooner than an arrow, Aquiri is talking and breathing like every day again. Her swelling is gone, and her face turns warm like the dawn.” The wuol paused, staring at Boldowa with a mysterious gaze.

  “Were those magic darts?” asked Boldowa.

  “Of course, silly! That’s how Aquiri could start breathing again and all.”

  “That was mighty good what the girl-Captain did to Aquiri. And, and, people say she fights like a mighty warrior, too.”

  “Sure she does. And this Major Shoshuar, and the lieutenant . . .”

  “Lieutenant Saigtin,” Boldowa said.

  “Yeah, they make fine warriors themselves,” Seidy asserted.

  “They sure are good newones, but what I don’t understand is where they come from. Do you, Seidy?”

  “I sure do,” the wuol stated with a self-confident expression. “The girl-Captain told me that personally. They come from one of the skylights, a sky-light so, so high up in the sky that it cannot be seen—not even from the top of the village tower.”

  “Gosh!” Boldowa uttered. “But how can that be? How can they live inside a light?”

  “With the girl-Captain’s magic powers,” Seidy continued, with sharp, open eyes, “they sure can get themselves inside those tiny skylights—just like a sunray gets all the way into a tiny drop of water.”

  “You’re so smart, Seidy.”

  “Boldo, I know that.”

  “But, Seidy, please, don’t call me Boldo . . .”

  “My name is Boldowa,” the two said in unison.

  There was not much talk for a while. They were very tired after the long night patrol. Seidy looked at the stars thoughtfully. How distant might those tiny lights up there really be? They most certainly were further away than the abandoned Creption village of the east. They might even be further away than the ancient creepy ruins of the south. Well, that would really be far, perhaps too far away . . .

  A strange phenomenon suddenly woke Seidy from his thoughts. “Look at the sky!”

  “What do you mean, Seidy?”

  “Can’t you see?”

  In a dull voice, the keiro answered, “Oh, yes, it is a wonderful tiny-lighted night.”

  “You short-sighted keiro, can’t you see what is goin’ on up there?”

  Boldowa looked up puzzled, squeezing his eyes towards the heavens to no avail.

  “Wow . . . it’s so beautiful!” the wuol exclaimed.

  “What is beautiful, Seidy? What is going on?”

  “It is fabulous, Boldo! It is the most beautiful shower of lights I’ve ever seen in my whole life.”

  11.

  Making an atmospheric reentry inside a transparent20 metallic capsule is the only way you can rightfully claim you understand the experience.

  Within seconds, from floating freely inside the cockpit, one’s weight begins pulling down strongly. All external skin temperature displays skyrocket as the vehicle plunges into the atmosphere. However, its hull remains unscathed, with a reddish-blue glow radiating from the external skin. At some point, a high-pitched chime—like a crystal glass vibration—reverberates all over the cockpit,21 but onl
y for a couple of seconds. As the air density increases, all vibrations vanish almost completely.

  Capsule-reentry, or piercing, was a very popular sport in many cultures of the Realdom. But that night over Althea 8, it was not an occasion for recreation. Along with the squad of fifty-six tactical pods, thousands of meteorites were hurtling towards the surface of the planet, significantly increasing the risk of the operation. The spectacular beauty of the blazing trajectories was easing the tension of many a pilot, yet for Duncan, the experience was hardly pleasing. Even if he had dreamed of someday going into space, he had never imagined this could and would happen so soon, in such a vast expanse of space, and in another completely unknown universe.

  Suddenly, a burst of light flashed from the back, signaling the start of the final deceleration stage. Each capsule, which had an ellipsoid of revolution design22, had a small box built into the hull that would be positioned one hundred and eighty degrees with respect to the vehicle’s reentry direction. For that particular mission, each vehicle’s box had a device whose purpose was to cut a hole on the hull to allow for the release of a phase-parachute.23

  Duncan was struggling in vain to see his parachute. It was as if it had detached from the capsule. The thought filled his eyes with panic. But almost immediately, he started feeling the sharp pulsating deceleration generated by the fast development of its opening stages. His pupils relaxed.

  Suddenly, everything turned foggy as the capsule pierced through a few layers of clouds. The fog vanished, and very soon after that, the capsule hit the ground.

  Duncan bumped against the front of the cockpit, tumbling out onto the planet’s surface. The vehicle had automatically opened in two halves.24 Within seconds, a disintegration process25 began taking place. The two oval halves were rapidly defoliating into thousands of flakes, which were swiftly dispersed by a tender breeze.

  It was a fair night, with a few slender and very tall clouds that conferred a solemn beauty to a sky populated with myriads of stars. Milky branches stemmed from a wide starry trunk, almost as brilliant as Earth’s Moon. But beyond the spectacular beauty, it was the sheer number of stars that impressed Duncan—vastly more than he had ever seen on Earth. As he looked at the sky, his eyes gleamed. He suddenly experienced the intense realization of being on an alien planet, in an alien universe. The quiet loneliness and the surrounding beauty gave him, for the first time, the strong sense of having accomplished something he had always dreamed of.