The Decade Worlds

by Patrick McClafferty

  The scent of the dock met him as he and Chiu descended the ramp. The sea-smell was strong, but beneath that lurked the scent of fresh pies from the bakeries, and roasting mutton. Someone nearby had been smoking a pipe, and the sweet tobacco aroma still hung in the air. A babble of voices filled the air, as well as the tramp of the soldier’s feet on the hard cobblestones. The door to the carriage swung open and Kiang, Chiu’s father, turned to help his wife Shaw out. They turned, a little hesitantly toward the shuttle and froze as Gareth and Chiu descended the ramp.

  “Chiu, Gareth?” Shaw and Kiang said in unison. “What is this?” Kiang finished, waving a hand at the shuttle.

  “This, Senators,” Gareth said, addressing both Kiang and Shaw Sai-Bo. “is a combat drop vehicle, designed to carry people to and from orbit and into a hostile environment.” He grinned. “It’s also all we had.” At that moment, the company of soldiers arrived, panting, and raised their weapons at Gareth and Chiu. Gareth’s good humor faded as a florid-faced Major approached him with a drawn sword. His mustachios were long and waxed into elegant curls, and his brilliant red uniform draped with golden accoutrements that made Gareth’s eyes water.

  “Stand back, Senators!” The Major boomed in a huge voice, stepping between the Senators and Gareth. “I will protect you!” He said with a grandiose sweep of his sword, bringing the tip back to point at Gareth’s heart.

  There was a loud whine from the shuttle, and Gareth didn’t have to look to know that the rear weapons ports had opened. “Stand down, Shyrrik!” He said to the air.

  “But you and your wife are in danger, Gareth.” The voice that came from within the shuttle was hard.

  “Not from this clown I’m not. Please, Shyrrik, stand down.”

  There was a whine and he knew the weapons ports had cycled closed. “I am standing down.” Shyrrik said with a note of anger in her all-to-human voice. “But I am watching him. If he threatens you I will vaporize him, and his little band of hoodlums.”

  Gareth smiled at the Major. “As you wish Shyrrik.”

  For a moment he thought Kiang Sai-Bo was going to explode. He’d never seen someone turn so red in the face before. Shaw tried to hold him back but Kiang shook her hand free as he stepped up to the Major. “Do you know what you have done, Lieutenant?”

  The florid-faced man turned to the Senator. “I am Major Moy Yingpei, Senator.”

  “You were a Major, Lieutenant. You were threatening an Operative of the Nine. Gareth Köhler is my son in law, and Chiu, the young woman beside him is my daughter, and his wife. They are operating with the full approval of the Nine, which is more than I can say for you.” The tip of the sword wavered and fell, and the former Major’s face went from florid to white in the space of three heartbeats as the man suddenly saw his career evaporate.

  “I… I didn’t know, Senator.” The Lieutenant stammered. Sweat beaded the brow of a face the color of chalk as Chiu went up and embraced her mother warmly. The rifles of the company wavered as the soldiers saw their officer so thoroughly dressed down.

  “Safe and sling your weapons.” A thick-shouldered Sergeant growled. “There’s no danger here.”

  “But…” A private began, looking at the sweating Lieutenant.

  The sergeant glared. “Are you questioning me??” He asked quietly in a voice that could have flayed skin.

  The private was both experienced and smart. “No Sergeant.” He snapped, slinging his weapon.

  Seeing which way the wind was blowing, the sergeant turned to Gareth. “Can we be of any assistance, Operative?” It was to both men’s credit that neither smiled as Gareth replied.

  “You can stand your men down, Sergeant Major.” Gareth said calmly. The former Sergeant’s eyes widened slightly at the unexpected promotion. “There will be other marines arriving on the Spray momentarily, and you can all return to the barracks together. I will be taking two with me for extended duty, and I would like a dozen more, on a volunteer basis, for exploratory work. It could be very dangerous.”

  The sergeant major didn’t hesitate. “I’d like to volunteer, Sir. I’ll get you eleven more good troops.”

  Gareth almost said no, and then he thought of all the times his sergeant had saved his ass when he was but a lowly private. “Find a good replacement for yourself, Sergeant Major. You and your men can stand easy until the ship arrives.” The sergeant major snapped a quick salute, which Gareth returned as promptly, spun on his heel and headed back to the formation of men.

  “You can’t do that!” The lieutenant barked, his mustaches quivering. The red complexion seemed to have come back to his face with a vengeance. “I am in charge. I was personally appointed by Senator Jin Minzhe himself.” The officer’s chest expanded, and Gareth shot a quick glance at Kiang. Chiu’s father simply rolled his eyes, and gave Gareth a noncommittal shrug, in effect telling him that he was free to do whatever he felt best. Beside him Shaw stood glaring at the officer.

  Gareth smiled at the lieutenant. “Thank you, Lieutenant.” He said calmly. The officer frowned. “When we evacuate Oseothan I will make sure that neither you nor your sponsor leave this world. I sincerely hope that you enjoy each other’s company.” The man’s eyes widened, his lips drawing back from his teeth in a soundless snarl.

  Gareth! Athena’s warning hissed in his mind. His blood pressure is skyrocketing, and he’s going to attack you.

  Really? He replied with a slow laconic thought as the lieutenant reached for his sword. As the sword cleared the sheath Gareth pointed a finger and murmured a single word he had waiting in the back of his mind. The sword shimmered for a second before it began to glow red. The blade sagged and bent, and the Lieutenant dropped the weapon with a shriek, staring at his blistered hand. Gareth caught the sergeant major’s eye. “Take this man into custody, Sergeant Major. The charge is assault on an Operative of the Nine.”

  The sergeant made a curt gesture at two other soldiers who stepped forward. “He tried to kill you, Sir.”

  Gareth’s smile was feral. “He couldn’t have killed me with ten swords. Take him into custody, tie him and gag him. When you leave to return to the barracks you can untie his feet. Letting him walk will be easier than dragging him.”

  The sergeant snapped a salute. “Aye, Aye Sir.”

  Gareth turned back to Chiu’s parents as the struggling officer was half dragged away by his grinning troops. Shaw stood, her arm around her daughter’s shoulder, one eyebrow raised. “This is going to be a very good story, I can just tell.”

  Gareth let out a small laugh. “Not so good that I want to tell it twice.” He looked up to where the SS Spray was just pulling up to the dock. Men on the ship were tossing lines to the dockworkers, who quickly affixed them to heavy bollards on the dock to the accompaniment of good natured shouts and taunts from both sides. Standing on the deck, Lyndra, his other partner, and Mairi his daughter were watching him with wide eyes. Gareth looked on, saying nothing as the marine contingent aboard the steamship straggled out onto the dock to stand milling about aimlessly. Gareth crooked a finger to the sergeant major and then turned, making a bee line for an NCO he recognized. The sergeant’s uniform was dirty, and he needed a shave. He looked up with bleary eyes as Gareth approached. Saying not a single word, Gareth calmly tore the stripes from the man’s arms. “You may join the rest of the platoon, Private Masato.” Glancing over the former sergeant’s shoulders, he tossed the stripes to a young man. “Corporal Xianliang, these stripes are now yours. Give your Corporal stripes to PFC Yong. Corporal Yong can give her privates stripes to Private Masato.” He nodded to the young woman standing beside him. “When you have done that grab your kit and wait for us in that.” He pointed to the shuttle and grinned. “Don’t take one of the front two seats.”

  Sergeant Xianliang and Corporal Yong threw him a quick salute, which he returned just as fast. “Aye, Aye Sir.” They replied in unison, wide grins on their faces. Picking up small bags at their feet, and with their weapon in their other hand they headed
for the shuttle at a jog.

  Gareth turned to the sergeant major. “Take these people,” he said the word with a certain amount of disgust, “back to the barracks. Do whatever you see fit, including firing the ones you think are unsuitable, but make them into marines I can be proud of. Make them into a team that can trust each other. I will have no bullies. Am I clear?” He asked, with a little more anger in his voice than necessary.

  The new sergeant major looked over the slovenly troops, the scowl imprinted on his face foreshadowing months of coming agony for the unlucky troops. “Aye Aye, Sir. I’ll make them marines, or I’ll break them.”

  Gareth smiled. “Very good, Sergeant Major Chihu. If the politicians try to pull your strings let me know and I will take care of that little problem. I’ll be in touch for those volunteers.” He glanced at the soldiers milling about the dock in front of the SS Spray. “None of these get to volunteer.” The sergeant major returned a cold smile before he turned away. Gareth watched the sergeant’s retreating back for a moment or two, before turning back to Kiang and Shaw. He put his arm around his wife. “Why don’t we all go on board the SS Spray, and I’ll tell you all a story, and answer any questions I can.

  Gareth looked at the stunned faces that regarded him across the galley table in a room that still held the flavor of fish chowder in the air. “So that’s the way it stands at the moment.” He finished the recap of his most recent adventures. “The whole moon scenario was a ruse, but led to a real chance for evacuation… if we can find a habitable world.” He smiled at the faces around the table. “That’s my job. Kiang and Shaw need to get the word out, and start preparing. Since the people of Oseothan are the closest to The Yeugate, they will go first—just as soon as I find a suitable world.” He smiled at the young elven woman sitting at the far end of the table. “Eriato Southorn, you will do the same with your people.” His eyes swung to a swarthy sea captain standing by the door. “Captain Evvos. You will have to set your ship up to transport people. We have limited gates available, and I want to evacuate as many as I can. In order to do that we have to get them here to Puasheehchester. Small boats can be conscripted to transport them closer to The Yeugate.”

  The weathered man rubbed his bristled jaw. “I can do that fer ye.”

  Gareth sighed. “For us, my friend. You and your crew will probably be the last to go through the gateway.” He looked around the now silent room. “If we thought we were busy before, we were mistaken.” He chuckled dryly. “I have two young marines in the shuttle already, and I’m taking Lyndra and Mairi. Sergeant Major Chihu of the Oseothan marines will provide me with another dozen volunteers for exploration.” He gave them all a level look. “We need one habitable world; anything more than that is a bonus. The first people through will need to be the pioneers; people well versed in survival skills. They will pave the way for the others.”

  Ria’s head tilted slightly to the side, and her smile was thoughtful. “Elves make good trackers and explorers. Elf teams could go in and find suitable spots for an encampment.”

  Gareth gave her a hard look. “There have been hard feelings between elves and other races.” He said bluntly.

  Shaw interrupted his train of thought. “The people of Oseothan are a bit more tolerant than you think, Gareth. We’ll take all the help we can get.”

  He smiled his thanks at his mother-in-law. “Thank you, Shaw. Send runners to everyone you can, and remember to let the dwarves know.” He chuckled to himself. “I’ll let the dragons know myself.”

  Kiang looked up; concern written on his lean face. “What about those who do not wish to go?”

  Gareth shut his eyes. “I will force no one to leave, but if they stay, they will die. It’s that simple.” He slapped his hand to his forehead. “Have your botanists begin preparing seeds and cuttings for transport to the new worlds. If we’re lucky, some of those worlds will already have a Terran ecosystem, but if not…” He shrugged. “We have to go now. It’s still a few hours to The Yeugate, and I want to get a good night sleep before I set out tomorrow.”

  Shaw and her daughter exchanged a quick glance, and Gareth knew they had been having a heated discussion. Shaw spoke up. “How will you handle things tomorrow?” Her voice was calm, but her blue eyes were intent.

  Gareth smiled. “Ell is working on a device called a deadman switch. It activates if someone releases it. I will go through the gateway to the first world tomorrow, holding the deadman switch. If, after fifteen minutes I do not return one of the two marines will follow, also holding a deadman switch. He or she will return immediately to report. If neither explorer returns within thirty minutes the world will be deemed dangerous, and struck from the list. Explorers will be armed and wearing EVA suits.” He gave her a sad look. “This situation is too important to trust to just one man or woman. I’ve taken all the safety measures I can think of, but if I fall someone else HAS to explore the next world. The fate of all that live on Eldenworld depends on it.” Shaw’s face was bleak, but she slowly nodded her head. “In a few months we will have several aircraft available to us, and we can set up a daily shuttle service to and from The Yeugate.” He stood, and gave the others a crooked smile. “We’ll be in touch.” Without further ado he turned to the door, Chiu, Lyndra and Mairi on his heels.

  In the shuttle sitting beside the marines he found Kuan Yang; a thin ferret faced man with long lanky black hair, tied back with a simple leather strap. His small dark eyes darted about, and his long nose twitched, adding to the man’s weasel-like appearance. He spoke with diphthongs and “musical” intonation of an Irish brogue. Releasing him from incarceration on an unspecified charge, Shaw had arranged for him to be their local guide, at least for the initial journey to The Yeugate. Since then he had been their companion, sometimes guide and their friend.

  “What are you doing here?” Chiu asked, stopping so quickly that Gareth actually bumped into her.

  “Why…” He added with a slow smile. “Ye’ll need a guide where yer going, I’m thinking.”

  Chiu glared at the small man. “Do you have any idea where we’re going?”

  Kuan’s nose twitched in mirth, and his intelligent eyes sparkled. “No. Do you?”

  Chapter 3

  XOLIA

  The shuttle banked gently as it slid into the Transit Terminal of The Yeugate. Through the glass walls the setting red sun had turned the sky the color of blood. Gareth stopped for a moment as he exited the shuttle to stare at the red sky. He found that he missed the yellow sun of his Earth, thirty-eight thousand years in the past, before the war with the Ecothiax had fatally damaged the sun beyond any hope of repair and sent the continents drifting to result in shifts that should have taken millions of years, rather than tens of thousands.

  Mairi, his adopted daughter, touched his shoulder. “We’ll come out of this all right, you’ll see.”

  He smiled at her, putting his hand on hers. “Ever the optimist.”

  “I have faith in you, father.” She said in a sincere voice.

  “I hope it’s not misplaced.” He murmured as a long conveyance that looked similar to a caterpillar with open sides, slid to a stop beside him.

  “This will take you all to your rooms.” The voice of Ell said quietly out of the air. “All your friends have individual rooms, while your daughter has her own bedroom in your suite. Is that acceptable?”

  Gareth glanced at Lyndra, and gave the woman a quick wink. “As long as the master bed in the suite will accommodate three.”

  “It will by the time you get there, Gareth.”

  “Thank you, Ell.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “Ell, please keep the speed reasonable. We’re not trying to break records here.”

  There was actually a quiet laugh from the air around them. “As you wish. While you were away the dining room was returned to full operation, if you care to make your dining a social event.”

  Gareth glanced at his fellow travelers. “That would be pleasant. Why don’t you g
ive us an hour to clean up, and have the transport meet us in front of our rooms?”

  “Very good. I will provide clean clothes, if you would like.”

  “You think of everything.” He chuckled.

  “Someone has to.” Ell replied dryly.

  Most of the company spent their evening gazing out of the transparent wall at the stars as they appeared over the mountainous skyline. Conversation was hushed, and Gareth summoned the transport as soon as desert was finished, so that all would be fresh in the morning.

  The next day the newly promoted Sergeant Xianliang stood looking up at the top of the shining gateway, his mouth hanging open. Standing beside him in her new uniform, Corporal Yong gasped. “It’s so big!”

  Gareth nodded. “It’s designed to let a modest spacecraft through, something larger than the little shuttle.”

  “Oh!” She squeaked, in a very small voice.

  Gareth snapped on his EVA belt, and looked up at Sergeant Xianliang. “Are you comfortable with your belt?” He asked.

  He saw the young man swallow nervously. “Aye, Aye, Sir. I’m comfortable enough with the belt, but the thought of stepping across lightyears gives me the willies.”

  Gareth chuckled. “It gives me the willies too, Sergeant.” He pushed the single button, activating the EVA suit, belted on his Colt and finally picked up the deadman switch. Chiu, Lyndra and Mairi were standing a little apart, their arms about each other. They’d all said their goodbyes earlier that morning, in the privacy of their room.

  “You be careful.” Chiu said in a voice barely above a whisper.

  Gareth gave her a quick smile, and turned to the gate. “Ell activate the gateway, and since we don’t have any idea which world we’re going to, select one of the ten coordinates at random.”