Unwilling From Earth

by Andrew Maclure

  “What are you talking about?” Mike asked him.

  “I was making ironic comments to the effect that you shouldn’t be allowed to interact with normal people. You need therapy.” Mark grumbled.

  “Yeah, whatever. Get your arse into gear, Sally wants a team meeting.”

  Mark walked to the synthesiser and got the mug of tea he ordered before moving to the front where the rest of the team were and found that De’Nesh had joined them again.

  “Enjoy your sleep?” Simon asked him.

  “Until shit head there,” Mark said, gesturing to Mike, “frightened the crap out of me.”

  “Yeah, she makes a bad alarm clock.” Simon said with a grin.

  “Glad you’ve joined us, Grumpy.” Sally said. “We’re in the closing stages of the campaign now. The enemy forces are in complete disarray with no central command and control. The base we took out was their fall-back command and communications centre, so the great job you all did of trashing it was well worthwhile. There are still a lot of their soldiers out there but they have fragmented into small groups which we are hunting down on foot, or tracking and dropping off squads by lander to contain and eliminate them before they re-group. De’Nesh is coordinating that and will stay on the ground here. Any questions?”

  “Yes, I may have missed something when I was asleep, but you were worried about something last time I spoke to you, and the enemy army seemed to be confident. Things seemed to have changed now. What happened?” Mark asked.

  “It seemed the only two reasons they could be so confident and relaxed were that they either had some kind of secret super weapon they were about to deploy or, they were expecting enough reinforcements that they would overwhelm us. We know they’ve got about one million followers, though they aren’t all combatants, so they have numbers on their side. Alan assured me they had no new weapons but there had been a lot of activity from their various bases, with craft of all kind assembling at a wormhole with direct access to the one serving this solar system. To remind you, the exit for it is only four days from here. Bloody People. I don’t think you could fart in this galaxy without them knowing, but it worked in our favour this time.”

  “Are you saying a massive invasion fleet is about to arrive here!” Mark said.

  “No, that threat has been averted.”

  “Sorry, averted? How? Did you put up diversion signs?”

  Sally sighed and shook her head. She wished Mark would be more serious. “Alan detected the wormhole was active - don’t ask me how. Just another bit of secret People technology they don’t tell as about. Anyway, he took Mother close to the wormhole gateway with his instant travel and we sat waiting for them. He cloaked Mother so they couldn’t detect us and we watched them coming out. I have never seen so many ships in one place at one time. It took hours for them all to come through. We had seriously underestimated their strength and it looks like they had thrown everything at us. Our best estimate is that as well as hundreds of weapons platforms and a huge amount of supplies there were well over six hundred thousand troops in their carriers. We couldn’t have held off an invasion that size with our resources. Anyway, we stayed put, watching their fleet growing, waiting for them to finish coming through, wondering what Alan was planning. He wouldn’t tell us what he was going to do. He wouldn’t talk to me at all, the arrogant bastard. When they were all through and they were taking up position to move onto Gnn'Ath, Alan turned off all the screens and killed all external communications. After a couple of minutes, he turned them on again. We looked out and saw the wormhole gateway and everything else, but there was no enemy fleet. It had disappeared. Alan won’t say what happened, he just said they won’t trouble us again.”

  “Did he send them back through the wormhole?” Mark asked.

  “It took over six hours for them all to come through. The screens were down for about two minutes. There wasn’t even time for them to turn round, let alone leave. We’ve used our AI’s to analyse what happened, and they have come up with theories, but they really have no idea. The enemy forces command on the ground realised that their salvation had disappeared and just ran for it. All of their landers took off, we shot them all down. We believe all of their senior commanders were on board.”

  “Wow. So it’s all over.” Mark said.

  “Not quite.” Sally responded. “De’Nesh has still got a big job clearing up the remains of their army, that won’t be quick or easy, but he will get it done. Then there are the other three front lines. I’m having many of our less fatigued soldiers sent to reinforce them, but with the enemy command structure in tatters and no resupply or reinforcements they won’t last long. Meantime, the Government of Taurakan contacted us, they are the largest country in the southern continent and the dominant political power on the planet, saying they have a problem in their capital. They didn’t say what but have asked if we can help. We’re going there to find out what the problem is.”

  “So the team’s back together to sort out their problem?” Simon asked?

  “First, we’ll find out what the problem is, then decide what, if anything, we will do about it.” Sally answered him. “That’s it now, De’Nesh. We’re ready to leave. Carry on.”

  “Thank you Sally. I’ll give you my first report in fifteen hours.” With that, he stood up and left.

  “Mark, you’re going to stay awake now. The rest of you, get something to eat and grab some sleep. The flight to the capital will take seven hours. If you’re still asleep when we get there I’ll wake you. I won’t let Mike wake you, but if you’re still asleep Mike, Mark might want to wake you.” Sally said with a grin.

  Take Me To Your Leader

  Mike pulled a blanket out of an overhead locker marked Medical Equipment, laid across a row of seats and settled down to sleep. Simon and Orange got hot meals from the synthesiser and sat at the back of the lander to eat. Ti’rrk folded her feet under her body and went to sleep

  “So.” Mark said. “How come I got a shot of sleep suppressor while everyone else sleeps? Was that Mike’s idea or yours?”

  “Mine.” Answered Sally. “We could all need sleep but I wanted to spend time with you. See how things are going for you, find out what went on while you were on the front line. Just you and me, together.”

  “Just the two of us? Are you forgetting the Ant, the sociopathic reptile, a large manic-depressive mammal and - whatever Orange is.”

  Sally grinned. “That’s pretty much as private as we’ll get for a while and anyway, they will all be asleep soon.”

  “I need another tea.” Mark said, standing up. “Would you like your usual vodka?”

  “Coffee please. I got a taste for it on Earth.”

  “Is there a toilet on here?” Mark asked.

  “Yes, right at the back. There are a variety of facilities for different species, the landers are a standard design so have to cope with anything that might get on board. Your AI will direct you to the one most suitable. I’ll order the drinks when you are ready.” Sally answered.

  Mark strode to the back of the lander, exchanging grunts with Orange and Simon as they sat eating, pausing at the synthesiser to collect the toilet roll he had ordered. He was beginning to adjust to this new existence and make it a bit more comfortable.

  He soon returned to Sally with fresh mugs of tea and coffee.

  “Why are there so many reptiles in your army Sally? Do they make the best soldiers or is it just that they are more warlike than other species?”

  “They are no more or less warlike than any other species type. The only reason there are more reptiles than anything else is because there are more post emergent reptilian species than any other. About forty-five percent of our troops are reptiles, twenty-five percent mammals, fifteen percent avian, ten percent insectoids and five percent that don’t fit into any of those categories, like Orange. That matches almost exactly the distribution of post emergent species.”

  “Wow. Only twenty-five percent mammals. I thought it would be much high
er than that.” Mark said.

  “Remember if it wasn’t for a comet hitting Earth sixty million years ago, reptiles would be the dominant species type there, and humans would never have evolved.”

  “Yeah, I hadn’t thought of that. So five percent of species are like Orange?”

  Sally laughed. “There are no other species I know of like Orange. There are some really strange ones out there though. Some of them are pretty creepy too, but they generally keep themselves to themselves, and they are mostly harmless, but there a few out there who want to be part of the galactic culture and join with us.”

  “Any fishy post emergent species?”

  “No, the path to advanced technology always starts with fire, then electricity. Both of them are tricky to master underwater. There are intelligent water breathers, but they will never develop the kind of technology that you need to get off planet, and as you may know, advanced civilisations almost never pass their technology on to less advanced civilisations.”

  “Almost never? So there are exceptions?”

  “Did you make any friends down on Gnn’Ath?” Asked Sally with an abrupt change of subject.

  “Er, yes. The Krendor, Fen. Corporal Kar Fen. We seemed to bond. There were a couple of soldiers in his platoon who impressed me. Renall, a reptile and an insectoid called Bai Reah. I saw her fighting and I’d like to have her with me if I get into close combat again. Not too close to me though. I made an enemy too, that Sinth Captain. I can’t remember his name.”

  “Ah yes, Captain Re’an Mazur. Or ex-Captain, I should say. He is being held on Mother awaiting a court-martial by the Sinth army. If he was one of ours, he would have lost his rank, been given a good bollocking from one of our Lieutenant Colonels and booted out of the army. The Sinth are a bit up themselves with their bureaucracy and processes though, so he’ll be given a tough time before they boot him out. Probably give him enforced re-education too. I almost feel sorry for him, but someone like that in authority is dangerous.”

  “So I need to watch my back in future.”

  “No, you needn’t worry, you’re a Friend of the People. In time you’ll become as untouchable as they are.”

  “Really? In what way?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not an expert on the People. I’ve got no time for them. Especially Alan. Why did it have to be him that got involved in this? Anyway, it’s common knowledge that Friends of the People get special privileges from them. It’s not something I would want, but you are pretty lucky to be made one. Satan knows why you were chosen. I’ve never heard of a pre-emergent being honoured like that.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t use that expression.” Mark told her. Sally shrugged.

  They sat for a while, sipping their drinks, until Sally said, “Look, I know you’ve had a sleep suppressor, but I really need to sleep. Would you just sit there with me while I sleep? I’ll feel safer if you do.”

  “Of course I will.” Mark answered, thinking that if something bad happened, he would be the one least likely to know what to do. He stood and reached up to the overhead locker marked Medical Equipment, got a blanket out and handed it to Sally. While he was up, he saw that Orange was asleep and he heard Simon snoring.

  Mark sat down wondering what to do by himself for next five or so hours. If he had a book, he could read. If he had a laptop, he could play a game. Or he could play I Spy by himself, but that wasn’t much fun because he usually guessed the word quite quickly.

  “Kate.” Mark addressed his AI. “I’ve got nothing to do for the next five hours and bloody Mike shot me full of sleep suppressor. Any idea’s?”

  “I can read you something if you would like me to.” His AI replied.

  “If it’s the lander user manual or how to disassemble and reassemble a Mark Eight, I’ll pass on that thanks.”

  “I was thinking of Lord Of The Rings, or Harry Potter or something else if you would prefer?”

  “I forgot you’ve got Earth’s archive. I’ve been meaning for years to read Homer’s Iliad.”

  “You want me to read you Homer’s Iliad. That’s fine. Settle back and I’ll begin.”

  “No, there’s a reason I haven’t read it yet. Lord Of The Rings would be great.”

  Mark settled down to listen to the Lord of the Rings read by his AI, who was great at doing the voices of the characters and the hours passed swiftly.

  Sally woke up an hour before they were due to arrive. As soon as she started to stir, Mark got her a coffee, which he handed to her as she woke up.

  “Thanks Mark.” She said as she took the mug. “But can I have a vodka instead?”

  Mark took the coffee back for recycling and fetched a vodka.

  “I’m sorry about that Mark. You must have been really bored by yourself.”

  “Not at all, my AI has started to read an old story to me, full of strange creatures - Orcs and Elves and Hobbits. There was a character in it who reminded me a bit of you too.”

  “Really?” Sally said, yawning. “What was her name?”

  “Shelob.” Mark answered.

  “Was she beautiful, brave and clever.”

  “Er, yes she was a great beauty. And very brave. Clever too.” Mark lied, hoping that Sally never found out that Shelob was a giant spider.

  Sally punched him on the arm and said with a grin: “You forget that I have access to the human archive too. My AI just told me that Shelob is a large evil arachnid.”

  Rubbing his arm. Mark realised he would have to be more careful in future when making unflattering comparisons to Sally in human literature.

  “And Elves?” Sally said. “I didn’t realise humans knew the Elfen had been on Earth.”

  Mark laughed. “Yes, and the dwarfs, fairies and goblins.”

  “I don’t think anyone else had an Earth colony, just The Elfen.”

  “Are you serious? Elves are just fairy tales, myths. For children’s stories.”

  “You were being read a children’s story?”

  “Yes. No. I mean, it’s an allegorical story. It can be appreciated by children on one level and adults on another level.” Sally was seeming more like Shelob by the minute.

  “And what level were you appreciating it at?” Sally asked, smirking.

  “Haven’t you got anything important to do?” Mark asked, changing the subject.

  “No. I’ve got some time free to sit here and tease you.” She said with a grin.

  “About the elves? You were teasing about those?” Mark asked.

  “No, the Elfen really did have a colony on Earth. They were there for about a hundred thousand years. The last of them left fifteen thousand years ago because human civilisations were starting to get established. They wouldn’t have left any physical evidence of being there, but they may have left traces in legends. They used to be a very friendly, open species, but they changed after they withdrew from Earth. They became quite introverted. It wouldn’t surprise me if they started building Dyson spheres.”

  “I don’t think that’s in Alan’s Earth archive.”

  “I’m sure it is, the People are very thorough. It’s probably in an appendix as they aren’t really part of human history.”

  “I’ll check that out next time I have five hours to kill while everybody else is asleep. So, what are we seeing the Taurakan government about?”

  “I have no idea, but it didn’t seem to be urgent. That’s why I decided to take the slow route to let everyone to get some sleep.”

  “Except me.”

  “Yes, well, I had planned to stay awake, but I have been taking too many sleep suppressors, and although they keep you awake, you still need to sleep sometimes or you get psychotic.”

  “Does Mike take a lot of sleep suppressors?” Mark asked.

  Sally laughed. “She’s not that bad. She puts on a front to keep her distance from people, that’s all. You may have noticed that apart from Ti’rrk, everyone else in the team has - certain problems.”

  “You mean they’re all fucked up in t
he head?” Mark asked.

  “That’s one way to put it. Including you.” She said with a smile. “Being in the team is a sort of therapy.”

  “Are you fucked up too?” Mark asked.

  “I might be.” Answered Sally, suddenly serious.

  “And that involves Alan somehow?” Mark probed.

  Sally sighed and looked down at her lap. “It’s a long story. I don’t talk about it.” Mark saw that she looked very sad, almost like she might cry. Then she suddenly looked up, with a forced smile on her face. “I’m going to freshen up and wake the others. Did you want to wake Mike?” She asked, now with a genuine smile.

  “I think I might.” He answered.

  Mark ordered the drink that Mike always had in the morning and collected it from the synthesiser. It was hot and cloudy and smelt of herbs. He sat next to her and put the drink down. Mark gently shook her shoulder until she stirred.

  “Just a few more minutes mummy.” Mike mumbled, not awake properly yet.

  “Oh shit.” Mark thought. He shook her shoulder again and said softly “Come on Mike, time to wake up.”

  Mike suddenly sat bolt upright “What. Oh - I thought you were - never mind. Is it time to wake up now?”

  “Yeah. I’ve brought you a drink.”

  Mike picked the mug up sniffed it, then took a sip. “You are a strange fucker.” She said to Mark. “I kicked you awake and gave you a shot of sleep suppressor and you pay me back by waking me up gently and bringing me a drink. What sort of weird bastard does that?”

  “My sort.” Mark answered. “We’ve got less than an hour before we land, Sally wanted you all awake now.”

  As he walked back to the synthesiser to get himself another tea, he smiled and thought “Revenge is sweet. Maybe I shouldn’t mess with her mind…”

  Sally told them all to get breakfast and gather at the front of the lander.

  “This should be a nice quiet day, away from the danger and stress of the front line. A sort of rest and recreation day. You’ll get a chance to look around the city and meet some members of the government. On second thoughts, that might be stressful. Mike, Simon, I want you on your best behaviour.” she said sternly, but with a smile on her face. “We’re meeting the First Minister of Taurakan just outside the city, then we’re travelling in together. Tidy yourselves up in full military dress uniforms and weapons, I want to impress them with what a well armed and disciplined team we are.”