by Mark Tufo
“What if you knew you were going to meet the love of your life?”
“Serrot?”
“Who else? Ooh!” My eyes grew wide. “You have a thing for Porter?”
“I meant flying, creep.” She was smiling.
“Well, since we’re the only two up here, maybe you should run me through some of this stuff.”
“Really?” she asked excitedly. “No one else seems all that interested in it, but I really think it would help me learn it better if I had to teach it too.”
“Then let’s go ahead. I don’t think you should be the one to have all the fun.”
We spent the next six hours going over the controls, what they did or what they could do. It was exciting, but I was also happy when Porter came up and relieved Cedar so we could get some sleep.
9
Arrival
According to Porter, we had been traveling for seven days, though it was impossible for me to tell this without a sun rising and setting each day. One moment was as indefinable as any other when it came to telling time, anyway. Cedar was a patient teacher as I attempted to catch up to speed. When Porter would come up, he would make us go over everything we had been learning just to make sure we were doing it right and as a way to reinforce that knowledge. He was reluctant to discuss the Others, even when pressed. All we really knew was they were uncertain allies because the exterior threat was larger than the interior threat and that preparations were being made for once that balance changed.
“That’s a tough way to fight, having to always look over your shoulder at the man you are fighting next to,” Lendor said one night when we were talking about it.
“Really, how different is it from inside the Pickets?” I added.
Lendor had to nod at that. “It just seems to me that when you get to this grand of a scale, things would be better, not worse.”
“That is always the hope, hardly ever the case,” Porter replied.
“Still don’t know why we’re so important to them,” I said. Every time I even hinted along this line of questioning Porter would find something else to do or a way to divert the conversation. This time I held his gaze firm.
He sighed. “Humans are not constructed in the same way that they used to be.”
“Constructed humans? Wait…. What’s he talking about?” Tallow asked.
“Born you mean? Humans aren’t born anymore?” Cedar asked.
“As they have tampered with their DNA, most have lost the ability to reproduce. New beings are engineered in labs. People are created by machines that three-dimensionally combine genetic material, then they have basic memories uploaded into their minds. We call them blanks; they have to spend two years learning how to interact before they are allowed to begin living an actual life.”
“I don’t know most of what you said but it sounds horrible,” Tallow said.
“It is not pleasant; I have seen it. We were able to break into their surveillance systems. They would have everyone believe that everything is still operating as it should be.”
“That does little to explain what they want with us,” I said.
“I can only speculate; perhaps they want your genetic material to add to their stock, which makes sense. From what we have tested, they have very little variance from one person to the next. Their gene pool is significantly smaller than it should be, which is not necessarily a bad thing when you are simply making clones, but I’m thinking that at some point they are hoping to return to a more traditional existence; there could even be problematic evolutionary occurrences that they cannot ignore. Of course, another likely scenario is they want to offer you up to the Stryvers as a peace offering.”
“What!?” Cedar asked.
“We…took a human a few years back. He was injured from a battle, would not have survived anyway.” He gave this as a justification for their actions; I don’t know who he thought we were to judge them. “Humans are changing fundamentally, whether they want to or not. Eight percent of that man’s DNA could be traced to Stryver origin. Last month, we obtained samples from another human, a female, and the percentage was close to ten. This represents a significant increase, enough that the race is starting to exhibit not only mental shifts, but their physiology is changing as well. Her entire body was covered in thick, wiry hairs that closely resembled those found on Stryvers. At the pace they are changing, it may only be a matter of two decades before they are indistinguishable from the enemy they have been attempting to purge. Or they could be dying out; it is difficult to know.”
“Why now?” Lendor asked.
“They have struck a turning point, one which we believe they will not be able to recover from. At least not without an infusion of new DNA.”
“If that’s the case, no one on Earth will be safe,” Cedar said.
“They can collect DNA without killing the host,” Porter added.
“But at what cost? Death is preferable to captivity. We will not be their experiments,” Cedar said.
“Speaking as a species that suffered a similar fate, I understand completely.”
“We have to get home.”
“And you will, but first we need to get to Bristol.”
“Then what, Porter?” Lendor started. “If you haven’t noticed, we will be no match for them when they return. Are the Genogerians going to help us?”
“They cannot, not yet. There are treaties in place…”
“I know you’re not forgetting what they did to the Ogunquit.” Cedar was seething.
“My father was aboard that ship. I do not believe I will ever forget. We are simply not in a position to challenge their dominance.” And with that statement, he left the discussion and went to the front of the ship.
“I don’t like this at all,” Serrot stated. “We are missing great swaths of information. Each side seems to be giving us small pieces of what they want us to know, whether to protect us from the truth or keep us in the dark, or, in this case for our own safety. I do not know. The only ones I trust are right here and those we left back at earth. We need to get back to them at all costs.”
As one, we looked to the front. If this ship had the capability, we would have had a mutiny right there and then. Getting back to Earth in decades was not going to help anyone. We would have to wait until we were in a position to make a difference, and I told the others just that.
“That doesn’t make any of this any easier to swallow,” Serrot said.
“This is what we’ll do. Winter and I will continue to learn how to fly this ship, and even the bigger ones. If they don’t take us home right away, we’ll find a way to make it happen. In the meantime, there is a vast database that discusses all of the Genogerian weapons. I think we should all become very familiar with how they work and what their effect is. We are not going to win this war with swords, bows, and spears. Sorry, Lendor,” Cedar said.
“We are seven against armies, Ceed. How are we going to do this?” Tallow asked.
“I’m sure Michael had those same thoughts once upon a time, and for a while they won,” she told him. Cedar got the others to a small console before sitting down next to me. “I know what you’re thinking, sis.”
“I can’t help but think this is all our fault.” I was close to breaking down.
“We’re supposed to be here, right this very minute. Michael knew it or else we wouldn’t be. He could have destroyed the shuttle building at any point. If I don’t learn to fly, we never get discovered. It’s as simple as that. The Stryvers wipe us out and we’re just so much chattel in the annals of human history. We have a greater purpose; we have a chance here to make us who we once were.” She paused to think. “And I don’t think Earth was forgotten. I think maybe they did not believe it to be inhabited, at least not by people. We were found because of that ship.”
“You say that, but what about those men I encountered on the other side of the river? They were talking about other worlds; they must have had a ship.”
“Not sure, Winter. The
y might be people we want to talk to. They could have the ability to hide from those very sensors.”
“More people against people?” It hurt my head just thinking about it. I wasn’t as convinced as she was, but I knew one thing for sure: chance favors the prepared, and we were going to be just that. Porter had to know what we were up to, but he never said a word. Who knows, maybe he was on the side of not going through diplomatic channels but couldn’t say as much out loud. The answers to the hundreds of questions I had took a back seat to learning as much as we could. My home was in trouble from all sides and getting back and leading her defense was all that mattered. The rest would have to wait.
It was five days later when we made contact.
“Deep Onyx, this is the Bristol. You will respond with the appropriate codes or you will be fired on. You have one minute to reply.”
“Good thing we didn’t suffer damage to the communications array. Porter, you’re going to want to come up here quickly!” Cedar yelled. He must have heard it because he was moving fast.
“You don’t know the codes?” Tallow asked Cedar.
“Nope.” She seemed a little irked about that. Whether because she didn’t know them or because she never even knew there was such a thing, I don’t know.
“Bristol, this is the Deep Onyx, one zero two three five dash one zero three.”
There was a delay on the other side. “If you deviate from the coordinates you’ve been assigned, we will open fire without any prior warning.”
“These guys sound like oodles of fun,” Cedar said. “Um, Porter, you remember that time not so long ago where you were walking around in space?”
“I will have nightmares about it for the rest of my days.”
“Yeah, so sad,” Cedar said though she didn’t mean the words. “So, if I hadn’t worked my tail off finding a way to get you back in the ship, how would we have just convinced your friends out there to not blow us up into tiny bits?”
“It is regrettable that I did not factor that into my decision making.”
“Oh well, that’s alright…just an oversight on your part. An oversight that could have got us all killed, but, you know, it’s alright because you find it regrettable.” It was unusual to see so much anger from Cedar. He attempted to apologize a half dozen times; she rebuked every one of them.
We landed on what was called a tarmac—basically a huge, flat, hard-packed ground area. Three ships hovered above us and more than two dozen heavily armed ground troops and seven armored vehicles awaited our debarking. Porter was greeted cautiously as we exited; that turned quickly to suspicion and was rapidly heading to open hostility. We were a movement away from being wet splotches on the surface of this strange planet. Three moons, in varying stages of their cycles, were low on the horizon, and the sun, which was halfway up the sky on the opposite side of the world, was a dark orange, giving us a surreal coloring effect.
“If we weren’t about to get shot, I would tell you how good your tan looks,” Cedar told Serrot. He didn’t seem to care. Can’t say I blame him.
“You dare to bring the Others here, Portaliton? Our father would be extremely disappointed.”
“Graylon, these are not Others. They are from Earth. In fact, the two women are direct descendants of Michael Talbot.”
There wasn’t much in the way of oohs and ahhs or gasps, but plenty of the soldiers did look around at their brethren.
“And you have proof of this?” Graylon did not appear to be of a mind to believe his sibling out of hand. When Frost and Ferryn showed themselves, there was a shift, and it was difficult to tell if it was for the better.
“What have you done, Portaliton?” Graylon asked. “These are the beings Commander Breeson is looking for. If we do not turn them over, you will be bringing the might of the Human machine down upon us. We are not prepared for this type of war.”
“Prepared or not, Graylon, war is here. Commander Breeson fired upon and destroyed the Ogunquit with our father onboard.”
“This is not possible!” he roared. “Our ships showed up as the Iron Sides was battling a Stryver destroyer and another craft we have yet to identify. We forced them from the area at great cost; that was when we were told that the Iron Sides was helping the Ogunquit.”
“What you were told was a lie. Michael Talbot facilitated the escape of those I have with me. He brought them to the Ogunquit in the hopes they would be safe. We barely escaped with our lives.”
“When the rest of us were learning the subtleties of war, you were often found with your head in the clouds, Portaliton. It does not bode well that you still drift there. The time for fantasies has passed. Michael Talbot has been dead for centuries.”
“Is it so hard to believe that the man who manipulated time to defeat the Progerians and the Stryvers could have found a way to come back one more time? Perhaps I do enjoy speculating about the realms of that which isn’t, but have I ever walked in my delusions? Have I ever thrust them forth as truth?”
Graylon was staring at his brother, maybe trying to find some falsehood in his words. “Earth, Rhodeeshians, heirs to the legend, and now the legend himself. I am not sure what to believe.”
“Believe me, brother, these are all things I have witnessed myself.”
“If what you say is true, what do you propose we do with them? We cannot go to the high council and say Commander Breeson has declared war against us without proof.”
“You can check the Deep Onyx’s computer; all the proof you will need is housed there.”
“Excuse me, er, Graylon. Once you finally realize everything he has said is true, we need to get back to Earth,” I said.
Graylon swiveled his massive head my way. “Yes, we will go against our entire alliance to ensure your safe return.”
“Good to know,” Cedar said sarcastically when she realized that Graylon had not meant his words.
“Earth is no longer a safe haven; Breeson will tear the planet apart looking for you,” Porter said.
“All the more reason we need to get back there and defend it,” I said.
“Do you possess ships?” Graylon was curious as to what we could bring to the upcoming fight.
“Whatever you give us.” Cedar stood defiantly.
Graylon let out a low, growling grumbling sound that soon spread to the rest of the soldiers there. It was laughter. “I would no sooner let you go than I would willingly hand myself over to a Stryver patrol.”
“What is going on? Why are we so important? None of this makes sense. The Others have known about Earth, they could have done with it what they would for time untold. Why now? Why us?”
“Portaliton, from which lineage of Michael are they?” Graylon asked, ignoring my entreaty.
“Without tests, it is impossible to know.”
“What lineage? What does that mean? How many lineages can one be from?” Lendor asked.
“When Michael and his crew got stuck in time and subsequently found a way out, they inadvertently created another virtually identical series of themselves,” Porter stated.
“Wait…what? They made copies of people?” Cedar asked.
“They did not consider themselves copies; they were doubles of the originals.”
“Oh, that makes more sense,” Tallow replied.
“Any of this making sense to the rest of you?” I asked.
“The descendants of that original crew began to exhibit some special abilities. Most were negligible; some had the ability to lift very small objects, subtle changes to their surroundings, but others were able to manipulate time to a degree. But none more so than the offspring of Michael and Tracy Talbot.”
“Because they were both aboard that ship,” I said, putting it together. I was thinking on my ability to slow down time when I fought an opponent. I did not know it then, but it was a gift given to me long ago. And it could probably explain how Cedar had learned to fly a ship with the skill she had in such a relatively short time. Was she manipulating time to learn more? �
��There are others on Earth with ability.” I was thinking of Brody and even Haden, who, thankfully, was no longer a problem. And what of the boy that had crossed the country to be with my mother? Certainly, he wasn’t alone.
“And what of it? So we have some special abilities. What about that makes us so desired or dangerous?” Cedar asked.
“You admit to powers? Show me,” Grayson demanded.
“I’m not a carnival pony. Show him, Winter.”
“Gee, thanks. You have hand to hand training weapons?” I asked Graylon.
He grunted something in his native tongue, and within a few moments he had in his hands a ten-foot pole that was thick around as my body. The end was wrapped in some heavy looking material offering some padding. Didn’t matter, though; if he hit me with that, there was no chance I could survive the collision.
“A good old-fashioned sparring competition!” Graylon shouted.
“What are you doing, Winter? My brother is a combat teacher; he has never been beaten in training or on the field,” Porter said.
“You got something people-sized I could use?” I gulped.
“She wishes a child’s truttle!” His soldiers laughed again. Within a few moments, I was handed a five-foot pole that was roughly ten pounds heavier than my sword and difficult to wield. I swung it around a few times to get familiar with it.
“Come!” he yelled. “First, we will have a good meal. I have missed my brother. Afterwards, we will head to the arena.”
“Arena?” I asked Porter.
“It is a throwback to the days of the Progerian rule. Warriors of all races were sent into the terraforming arenas where they fought to the death. Now they are mostly used for training. Every once in a while, though, they are used to settle a grievance…even more infrequently as a form of justice.”
“Win, this is nuts! These beings are crazy. We need to get out of here,” Tallow said as we were being led to a supposed feast, surrounded by a sizable force of Graylon’s people, who now seemed downright jovial at the thought of the spectacle that awaited them.
