Space Hoppers - Dance of the Guinea Pigs

by Jayne Bartholomew

  In the basket Monty twitched, lost in rabbit chasing. Occasionally his lip would curl up or he would “wuf” quietly.

  Sarah sat down next to the basket and stroked his head, remembering the day that she had first seen him in the animal rescue. He had tilted his head and given her a look that said, “I’m yours and I’ll follow you anywhere if you let me,” and that was it. The partnership had been sealed. It would have made things easier if the keepers had actually let her take him away but they had said that she was too young. There had been a brief moment of guilt when she used wire cutters to break into the centre but she was so quiet the other dogs didn’t make a noise and then there was Monty, sitting alert by the door of his cage. Waiting.

  He had been an adult male back then so she really didn’t know how old he was. “Still a puppy, aren’t you, boy?” She brushed a hand over his head. “Don’t go to sleep on me when I need you, Monty, please. If I’m going to be stuck out here I need you with me. I can’t do this on my own.”

  Four

  As a bright new day started on board the ship, Derek, Brelt’s “friend” from the flight deck and the best pilot in the Academy, held his hand out to her as they walked towards the Slider room on level four. This is my moment, he thought. I’m going to impress her so much she’ll be begging me to take her out.

  Brelt allowed herself to be led, wondering why he hadn’t just asked if she wanted to go for a drink. Heavens only knew she’d given him enough hints and left him enough opportunities to work it into the conversation. She knew that Derek had been taking lessons in sliding after she’d said that it was quite fun but this wasn’t the right leisure activity for someone who could fall over putting his socks on in the morning. While sitting down.

  The game Slider had really taken off in the last few years. The idea was that there were hoops on unseen energy rails in the ceiling and players had to use the movement of their body to go from hoop to hoop picking up points by sticking to a colour code. However, if the player should move their body too quickly they risked causing a power surge which would jerk them in the opposite direction. Brelt had been playing the game with increasing skill and dedication for months and could move around the “board” with the elegant finesse of an ice skater.

  Derek helped Brelt into her safety belt, which would connect with the ceiling and stop her from falling. He turned down offers of help in attaching his own belt with a smile of bravado. Brelt, who already had a pretty good idea of how the game was going to go, tried her best to look impressed and was lifted up. Gently taking hold of her first hoop she smiled down encouragingly.

  Although Derek was doing his best to show off, his stomach was a mess of butterflies and his palms were starting to sweat. He hooked himself on and was also lifted up. Giving her what he thought was a confident, manly grin he said, “I hope you’re prepared for a tough game, I can be quite competitive, you know.”

  As he moved forward for his first hoop his sweaty palm slid off it triggering an energy surge that jerked him backwards. As he was flung back, his safety belt, which he had put on wrongly, tilted his body upside down. In shock he started to move his legs, which caused another energy surge, and he sped into one of the padded walls. Now totally disoriented Derek began to wave his arms around.

  Watching Derek move faster and faster around her, screaming and flinging his body around like someone having a fit, Brelt wondered what it was exactly that she found so attractive about him.

  Lieutenant Garth had a secret. He had been given a package before he left his home planet and had been saving opening it until he had time to savour and appreciate the contents. Now the box was on the table in his pod, teasing him with its brown packaging and jaunty address label and he could stand the tension no longer. His hand trembled with excitement as he ran a sharp-edged knife down the side of the box and drew out a small wrapped container. It opened easily and he sat, horrified, as he realised that the company he had ordered from had sent him the wrong colour wig. He threw the box across the room in anger at the same time as the intercom on the wall sounded, notifying him that his presence was required elsewhere. Storming out in a strop he completely failed to notice something move into the box.

  Deep in the bowels of the remaining quarter of the ship, Sarah wandered around trying to find a crew lounge or somewhere that she could meet people in. It took quite a while before she finally admitted to herself that she was lost. She knew she had to be somewhere near the engines as she could hear a whirring, the corridors were wider and badly lit and it was getting warmer. If she actually knew where the engines were in relation to the rest of the ship it would have helped. Sarah tugged off one of two sweaters she was wearing, having woken up chilled, and moved forwards, aware that she could see a green glow at the end of the corridor.

  The corridor opened out into a vast metallic circular hall, and around the outer wall was a balcony. In the middle were three glowing green orbs suspended in the air. They were humming quietly and although not seemingly connected to anything that she could see, they moved together in a set pattern. Sarah stood and for the second time since she had been on the ship, was overwhelmed. The orbs’ beauty captured her completely.

  Beautiful, are they not? This is one of three such rooms. They power the ship although I have never ascertained how.

  Spinning around she saw Sornath standing in a corner.

  “Oh, you startled me, I didn’t know you were here. Sorry, can you hear me if I speak out loud? It’s just more familiar.”

  Speech is not something that I may join you in but yes, I can hear you. Are you lost?

  “A little,” she admitted. “It’s a bit of a labyrinth here, isn’t it?”

  How long do you think you’ve been lost for?

  “I’m not really sure, probably about half an hour?”

  Maybe longer? The voice was soothing. Sarah felt something drop onto her cheek and when she put her hand up she was surprised and embarrassed to find that she was crying. Are you close to what you are looking for?

  “I…I don’t know. I just wanted a little company and Monty was asleep.” She tried to get a handle on her emotions and rummaged in her pockets for a tissue.

  Someone like yourself? So you wouldn’t feel so alone any more?

  The Cadovoan didn’t move but Sarah felt a warm glow surround her, enveloping her. She felt a sense of belonging stronger than she had ever experienced back on Earth. Memories flooded back so quickly that she couldn’t experience each one; moments in time flashed past and her head experienced a sudden rush that almost knocked her off her feet.

  “What are you doing to me?” she gasped. The memories faded instantly, her head settled but the warmth remained.

  Forgive the intrusion. I was not expecting you to feel my curiosity. Now I understand and apologise. This is most surprising but at the same time most delightful. If you will permit me I would show you what you cannot see.

  Sarah stared at him, the warmth not letting her feel anything but comforted and secure. She opened her mouth and would have spoken but she became aware that the orbs were moving faster. As she turned to look they stopped moving in their set patterns and glided erratically in a circle. Red lights flashed and a siren sounded. Sarah felt the warmth around her leave and she shouted to Sornath to get out. She felt rather than heard his understanding and together they headed for the exit.

  “All security and engineering to Engine Room One. There is a fault in Engine Room One. Repeat, all security and engineering to Engine Room One.”

  The orbs were now moving quickly over their heads and followed no pattern at all. One hit the balcony and ricocheted back onto the opposite wall. As it crashed down the room vibrated like a bell and the vibrations and noise brought Sarah and Sornath to the floor. Sarah was the first to get up and finding Sornath inert, pulled his heavy form towards the corridor outside, which somehow seemed miles further than before. Another orb dropped from its position and hit the ground causing the floor to shake and the balcony
on the wall close to the couple to come crashing down. Weeping with fear, Sarah desperately pulled at Sornath, terrified that her arms would not be strong enough. The final orb dropped down and Sarah was once more flung to the ground. She cried out as a ripple of pain flooded through her left arm. With her right hand, she grabbed Sornath’s cape and using her whole body as a lever staggered backwards; she felt a wave of warmth and knew he was still alive. Looking towards the corridor she was heading to, she screamed out in frustration as she saw large metallic doors slowly closing, blocking the exit. She pulled harder, using both arms and every ounce of energy and muscle until her left arm felt on fire and her legs threatened to give way.

  As she pulled Sornath through the closing door she heard an orb smash on the other side. The heat was terrific and Sarah flung herself over Sornath to protect him. The door shut seconds later and Sarah raised herself looking anxiously at the body underneath.

  Once more I must ask your forgiveness... I will be unable to guide you in your journey, but perhaps I will be able to assist you in some small way? The voice in her mind was weak and faltering and as he spoke, Sornath raised claw-like hands from his cloak and reached out to her.

  Sarah moved closer, wanting to see if he was injured. “Are you hurt? Can I run to Med-crew and get someone to help you?”

  I fear that there is not enough time… the vibrations and noise… too much. There was a pause but before Sarah could speak the hood turned towards her and it fell back revealing his face for the first time. There was some form of skeletal frame covered by a thin skin but it was purely to accommodate a mass of sparkling matter that was contained within. There were no eyes but as his face turned to her she had never felt more exposed or seen before in her life. As she looked she could see places where the glow was already starting to fade.

  Do not mourn me. Life is nothing more than one stage in a long journey and I am prepared for the next stage. To you I would advise that you must go into the future with courage for things are not always as they seem and many will use trickery to confuse. Sarah, remember that nothing is ever lost if it is kept in the heart. Take my hands. As he turned to her she could see the remaining sparkling matter begin to dim and she knew he was dying. She held out her hands to him trying to think of some way to be of help. Sornath reached his claws out to her and she willingly put her hands in them but screamed again as they closed like a vice. Heat flooded through her body and colour exploded like fireworks in her mind. The whole ship seemed to be full of noise that beat in her eardrums until they felt they should explode with the pressure and when she was almost mad with the sensations, there was stillness.

  Sornath’s arms fell by his side, the sparkle faded out completely and his spirit moved on.

  When security arrived they found a human sitting inert next to a deceased and well respected Visitor. They had been told that Engine One had been inexplicably shut down and they were under orders to arrest anyone acting suspiciously. The leader of the security detachment commanded Sarah to be taken to the hold, and as it was clear that she could not understand him and was insensible, two crewmen bodily dragged her away as their main suspect in a possible murder investigation.

  Xander had been alerted that there was a major problem with Engine Room One just as he was about to attempt to get on top of some paperwork that now littered the surfaces of his quarters.

  He marched in and took in the area of devastation; the Engine Room was completely destroyed. The orbs had created huge craters in the walls and floors and all light was dead in them. The maintenance balcony had been torn off and hung, precariously, from a few strands of metal. Scaffolds were already being erected to contain the orbs and mend what could still be saved in the hall itself.

  Crew members scattered in front of Xander as he walked through. The engineer in charge told him that Booker had already gone off down the wall cavities to investigate and would see him personally once he had ensured that there was no danger to the rest of the ship. Xander nodded, looked around once more and moved off towards Med-crew.

  He didn’t expect engineering to find a crew member at fault. Booker ran his section with an iron rule and if things weren’t triple checked and checked again he was liable to get sarcastic. No one liked it when Booker got sarcastic.

  Med-crew was a level up from Engine Room One and he quickly made his way up the stairs into the quiet, antiseptic atmosphere. Nurses, arms full of supplies, busied themselves with the sick and healing. One such nurse was fussing over Lingor, who was now conscious and leaning over the bed, one hand hugging a bucket, the other holding his head. Martyn and Garet had gone.

  Xander went in search of the doctor, eventually finding him in a side room examining the dead Cadovoan. The doctor was a plump man with grey speckled hair and small round glasses. The stubble on his chin and tired eyes were witness to the fact that he and his team were stretched to full capacity. He had his hands in the pockets of his white smock and was staring at a monitor on the wall. When he heard Xander’s approach he turned to greet him but decided not to speak first when he saw his face.

  “What was the cause of death?” Xander asked curtly.

  “We’re unsure at the moment; there appears no sign of internal injury. Bruising certainly, but not enough to cause death.” The doctor moved around to a screen on the wall, which showed the Cadovoan’s skull. “If you look here and here,” he pointed, “you can clearly see that the brain has undergone enormous stress, obviously there’s no actual matter to investigate but there is bruising in the inside of the skull.”

  “Could another life form have done this type of damage?”

  “You’re thinking of the human?” The doctor pursed his lips. “From my limited studies of humanoids I would have to say no. Cadovoans have extremely sensitive systems and the external damage that a humanoid is capable of would not cause this level of internal brain stress. I understand they were found just outside the damaged Engine Room?” Xander nodded. “If one of those orbs had so much as touched something else, the vibrations in the air alone would have been enough for a Cadovoan to be knocked unconscious.”

  Xander looked at the body on the table. “We found the Engine Room completely destroyed. The orbs had fallen and there were dents in the walls that must have been caused by a massive force. But he was discovered outside in the corridor.”

  “I’m not about to play detective,” the doctor said, “but the damage the orbs did to the room would certainly have done this to a Cadovoan if he was in the hall at the time. Could he have been dragged out?”

  “It would have taken a lot of strength. He’s more than twice the weight of the human found with him. How could she have picked him up?”

  “There I think I can help you.” The doctor moved the covering sheet and pointed to bruising around the thin neck, shoulders and underarms. The scant covering of skin and muscle showed the bruising up clearly. “I wondered about these marks when I saw them. When he was brought in he was wearing his cape and these marks would certainly be consistent with being pulled. Much easier than lifting, although you’d need good upper arm strength.

  “One other aspect to consider is that Cadovoans are mind communicators so he would have been able to pick up if she had meant to hurt him.” The doctor replaced the covering sheet and then put his hands back into his pockets. “This is the first time I’ve ever examined a Cadovoan, what knowledge I have has been from bookwork but I believe I’m correct. I’d love to examine the human later if at all possible.”

  “Didn’t she come up after the ship separated?”

  “I didn’t see her; it’s possible she was attended to by one of the nurses though. There were bodies everywhere and we were busy enough with the wounded without checking that the paperwork had been completed. Sorry.”

  Xander thought back to the planet when Sarah was trying to hold Monty back on his lead. She certainly needed strength to be able to control a big animal like that. “Well, thank you, Doctor. I think you’ve answered my first que
stion about cause of death. Now we need to work out why Engine Room One collapsed in the first place.”

  Booker led his team down one of the narrow energy routes in the wall that ran alongside Engine Room One. The orbs had transmitted power down a multitude of these small tunnels and it was now the Engineer’s job to check each one for signs of potential wear that could have caused the damage, or any signs that might indicate sabotage. He looked down at his clipboard, made a small mark against one of the rows and tried to work out how long it was going to take. He just knew this was going to be a long voyage. Booker had every member of his team who could be spared checking each wire and to prevent mutiny he had reluctantly promised a barrel of his treasured Nisp’chan brandy for the first one to find the cause.

  There is an unwritten rule that security areas must be minimalist in decoration with a rather drab, grey appearance. No one quite knows why. However, once the security team had boarded the ship and taken up their posts they had looked around at the uninspiring décor and asked themselves - why?

  The Head of Security, Charley, had been in middle management before becoming involved in a rather messy divorce and an even messier mid-life crisis. Finding himself alone in a family sized house with no family, the voices had started. You are youthful and vibrant, they whispered; he bought himself a Hurley Davikson land bike. You are strong and virile, they crooned; he joined the gym and found a girlfriend with a room temperature IQ. You would look really sexy in a uniform, they lied, and so he found himself chatting to one of his friends who happened to be an admiral, and was on a fast-track promotion programme the next day.