by Ken Pence
Better stay sharp and be happy I found the water. Seeing his Mem-dex on the examination table, he slapped it on his wrist. No one to call…no signal here… Something familiar in these surroundings helped take the bite of fear out of the air somewhat. He saw the broken belt on a small workbench with a strong light pointed toward it. Two units on the belt were exactly split to show the interior parts in their complex array.
Andrew leaned over to see the belt with its heavy buckle fastening and as he did, he heard something from the entrance. Jerking the belt up and testing the heft of the belt for a possible weapon, he ran to the side of the entrance hatch.
He saw and heard the alien approaching about the same time Rett noticed Andrew crouched in the entrance. Rett jerked a stubby cylinder, with a handle somewhere inside it, from his waist and pointed it at Andrew. Rett seemed to think better of shooting and lowered the obvious weapon.
The alien had no sooner lowered his arm until he bounded toward the entrance and leaped easily into the entrance. Andrew could see that the alien was off balance and he used this opportunity to attack.
Andrew took the borrowed belt and swung it toward the weapon hand that was rising toward his middle. No sooner had the heavy belt clanged into the weapon than Andrew noticed the fist-size hole appear in the decking near his foot. With a backhand motion, Andrew swung the belt to the alien's head and heard the dull thunk as the alien staggered out of the way to the side of the hatchway. Andrew squirmed past, jumped down and ran around the ship and toward the direction of his car.
Rett replaced the weapon in his holder and adjusted the covering on his already healing ear. Annoying but not incapacitating injuries, Rett thought moodily. Rescued, assaulted, and victim of a native…thoughtless to dissolve part of my own ship due to a native. It will be many years before I will tell any of my colleagues about this trip in its entirety. I will simply tell them that the solo interstellar craft I built was successful. At least, I still retain the primitive's knife and water container. These are odd enough artifacts to convince even my colleagues of my far travels.
Rett shut the hatch and then stood by the controls to prepare to leave the planet. He made quick mental calculations and checked the ship's clock.
Rett realized that his colleagues were right, at least in part. The Exploration Service would not like solo personal trips. Interstellar experimentation was best left to explorers. Established trips to civilized worlds with full indoctrination were the safest way to travel. Homemade or even the best solo traveling gear was stimulating but not conducive to long life.
Rett also knew the prohibition about unregulated contact with an intelligent race but rationalized that no damage had been done and no one would find out about this out-of-the-way trip to the spiral arm. His intent had been to avoid the authorities, who would otherwise have to approve new devices or improvements in older devices. Rett relaxed after setting the automatic directional device and activated the main drive field. He settled into the relaxed traveling state and thought no more on the subject as his eyes closed and his breathing deepened as the ship sped to his home world.
Andrew heard a low pitched hum behind him and stopped his run in time to see the craft become a translucent sphere. The craft appeared to wobble slightly, like a leaf in the wind, and then shot up out of sight so fast that it would even have been correct to say it disappeared. Explanations of the phenomenon could not be concise unless someone had experienced it for himself. Andrew looked at the slight depression in the dirt where the device (vehicle) had rested.
No one will believe this. I don't believe this myself, Andrew thought with little actual conviction.
Andrew then felt the water containers in his shirt and looked down at the alien's belt dangling from his strong hand. He then began the slow, plodding trek back to the university. His fingers, his hands, hurt like hell but there wasn't much he could do about it.
He came to a roadway with highway signs that showed he was very close to the car. Andrew continued his walk 'til he found his old Ford. It started easily but never passed any other vehicles on the roadway, since it was early in the morning. He noticed how the buildings still appeared the same as he drove closer to the grounds. The few students that were up at this hour looked so young and innocent…nothing had really changed but everything seemed different.
I'm the only thing that has changed, Andrew thought exhaustedly as he parked and walked toward his quarters. Heading to his room like a homing pigeon, only half conscious, he opened the door, took a luncheon packet from his shelf and downed the contents after gulping water for a minute. He had to refresh himself instead of immediately going to sleep and then went gratefully back to bed. There he took off his shoes and climbed on top of the sheets, still fully clothed. He trembled with teeth chattering for a minute or two as the adrenaline wore off and the fatigue and stress bore in and then fell deeply asleep.
"Andy. Andy. Wake up. What's the matter with you? Come on. Wake up!"
"Huh. What? What do you want? Leave me alone. Let me sleep, will you?" Andrew said as he forced open one eye to see, who the hell, was shaking him.
"Good grief, Susan, leave me alone. I just want to sleep," Andrew said, even though he was now awake enough to feel the pressure of nature and probably couldn't have gone back to sleep easily anyway.
"Why weren't you at the seminar yesterday? I called and still you didn't answer, so I came on by your room. You know how important yesterday was; we were supposed to narrow down our synthesist proposal. Everyone's angry and worried. How are we going to get our Synthesist degrees if you don't help co-ordinate our project?" Susan went on, "What's the matter with you anyway? You look terrible. What happened to your poor hands?"
All Andrew's ordeals came flooding back to him and he sat up in the bed as if struck. He bolted up to a sitting position.
"My God…Andy. What's the matter with you? Are you sick? Do you need me to take you to the infirmary? All the color just drained out of your face," Susan said anxiously.
"No. No, I'm OK. I'm just a little shaken up." Andrew really looked closely at this girl as a person for the first time. She was tall and slim with short brown hair and flashing green eyes. Cute but not what you’d consider pretty, but so alive and energetic that she had a stronger presence than he noticed before when she had worked with him briefly this year as a materials science specialist.
Andrew reflected, "Look, stick around 'cause I want to tell you something you won't believe. Let me go take a shower and clean up and then you can treat me to breakfast. OK."
"All right," Susan said slowly, "but it will have to be lunch because you slept through breakfast."
"Better yet. I'll meet you down in the cafeteria in a half hour after I'm presentable again," Andrew said and couldn't help smiling when he saw the concern written on Susan's face.
"OK. I'll also call off our group hunt for you. We thought you had panicked because you hadn't found the group proposal topics yet for our synthesist degrees. This had better be good," Susan emphasized. "You sure you're okay?"
She looked once more over her shoulder, he nodded, and she left.
Andrew began to feel alive again only with the refreshing sting of the shower against his skin. Removing his facial hair and clean clothes helped wash away most signs of his ordeal. He would have thought he imagined the whole affair if it wasn't for the severely bruised left arm and sore fingers. The arm was quite sore but still slightly mobile. Andrew rolled up his sleeve, and rubbed an athletic balm on the bruised area and then headed out to meet Susan.
When he got to the door, he noticed the belt and one of the remaining water balls on the floor near his hiking boots. Well, at least, I didn't imagine these. He picked up a water ball after deciding that the belt might be too conspicuous, tossed it up and caught it as he carefully shut the door to his room and his MemDex had it locked before they had stepped away. He was actually whistling on his way to the cafeteria though he was deep in thought.
They'll jus
t send me to psychiatric examination if I take this tale to the authorities. Andrew knew the mood of the world had turned inward after the influenza nightmare. Ironic that one quarters of the world's population had died from a wimpy, adaptive virus and not the nuclear holocaust everyone had anticipated. Populations became paranoid of people from a country or region where there was an outbreak and soon travel between many countries was blocked or severely curtailed. When deaths started occurring in the Western world the health care system in the U.S. and Europe was compromised for years. Travel and tourism suffered, and people, in general, became more insular. Later, when trade became restricted at the height of the influenza deaths, the World Government was formed as an offshoot of the World Bank. Nation states became local governments. Two thirds of the free nations joined and the rest became the “unaligned nations.” It had been the goal of the World Bank to make third world nations dependent on the Bank for loan service -- thus controllable. The reality turned out to be a bit different as there was little “control” yet many inherited problems. The World Government was inefficient, as most governments are inefficient, but the bit of oversight it provided was enough to add some competency where there had been none before. The reality of a distant, weak, slightly incompetent government actually worked. It didn’t work everywhere because culture and corruption were so endemic but that was the reality.
With all the world's problems, people looked to restoring their own areas and homes. Technology was hardly affected but it stopped progress in its tracks for a few decades. History tapes of the last decades were almost incomprehensible in their violence and contradictions.
No, this story of mine had better stay with a select few. Maybe we can use the power source of this belt for our group proposal because the project I had planned was too expensive – too mundane for others at the college. That field had to be produced with a ridiculously powerful power supply. Any power supply would be revolutionary plus that field kept the gray ghastly from touching anything – affecting mass and gravity like that ship would rewrite physics. Funny, how lack of motivation should prompt me to take a hike off my regular schedule. Look, where it got me, he chuckled to himself. Nobody is going to believe me, he thought.
He had only met Susan a year ago when the materials science specialist of their group had been forced out because his grating personality had eroded their efficiency. Susan had come in after an entire group she had been working with had dissolved. Now it seemed like she had been made for the group even in the few times they had worked together. Andrew hoped she'd, at least, accept his story better than any in the group. He was obliquely attracted to her. Of course, any super competent people are good to have around. He saw her waiting for him on one of the benches outside the cafeteria.
"Hi, Andy. You sure look better," she beamed with the transgression of his missed seminar seemingly forgotten.
"Hi. Let's eat first, I'm starved."
They went into the cafeteria and Susan eyed the water ball he carried. "May I ask what that is?" she inquired.
"No, you may not... yet!" he replied.
She was politely silent as they passed through the line and didn't even say anything about the voluminous amount of food he heaped onto his tray. She only raised an amused eyebrow when she saw the credit amount for the food he had to spend. He had relented and paid for the meal as he authorized his MemDex before Susan. He didn’t know she had no intention of paying for his meal but was preparing to pay for her own.
They sat down at a small table and before she could ask anything, Andrew had started into his food.
Picking at her food, she was silent as her amusement changed to amazement at the volume of food and drink that Andrew was inhaling. He ate so fast! Susan barely touched her food as she became absorbed in watching Andrew. It wasn't until Andrew had polished off every morsel of food from his plates that she broke the silence.
"Well… Out with it… Why did you miss the seminar? Do you have a workable group proposal for us? Why are you grinning at me like that?" Susan said, with all her frustration rushing out. She hoped he was going to live up to his reputation. She hadn’t seen too much special out of him since joining the team. Maybe that was changing, she thought.
"Here. Look at this," he said as he tossed the ball to her unexpectedly. "What do you make of this?" he asked as he got up and started toward the door without looking back.
"Hey, wait a minute, you!" she blurted; torn between close examination of the object in her hands and the retreating figure. "What is it?" She called as she jumped up after him, "What is this supposed to be? Is this the big secret?"
"'That," he said as she ran up beside him, "is part of our group proposal."
"But it's just an odd shaped container made out of ordinary...” Her voice trailed off as she held the ball for closer examination. After scratching at it with a little knife she had pulled from her pocket, she said, "OK. I'll shut up, you talk."
He led her to an empty bench by a nearby shade tree. After getting comfortable, he began describing his trials and tribulations of the weekend. She drew him out with questions but otherwise didn't say anything.
When he finished, he asked her, "Well, do you believe me?"
After a pause she answered, "I'm reserving judgment 'til I see that belt you got. Let me see your arm. Realize that your arm doesn't prove anything. There is more to this that you're not telling me isn't there?"
"Some, but not much," he answered slightly embarrassed, but pleased that she was as astute as he rolled up his sleeve and winced. "I'll tell you everything when we can get the group together again.
"Oooh...bad bruise," she said as she spread her fingers trying to match the weird, wide pattern of bruising on the arm and realized that it wasn't from any hand she had seen.
He had left out the function of the belt in his story other than as an escape weapon. "How about calling a meeting for our usual time this evening?"
"You want me to message everyone. That's your job," she stated.
"I'm going back to bed for a while," he said and left her staring at his receding back. “I’m crushed right now I’m so tired. Guess I’m out of adrenaline.”
"Okay. I guess," she said to herself as he was out of earshot anyway and she looked down at the ball in her hands. This had better be good. She realized Andrew was supposed to be a pretty sharp candidate for synthesist manager but so far he hadn't produced much...though he was kind of cute. She wasn't sure if he went off the deep end or not. She'd reserve judgment.
"What little puzzle are you here?" she said quietly as she looked at the sphere. "You aren't going to be a total mystery to me by the meeting tonight are you?" she said just as another student happened past, looking at her as if she were crazy. She walked briskly off to her lab.
Andrew had no sooner gotten back to his room and briefly reexamined the alien belt when he got a call.
"Hello," Andrew answered as he tapped the display to accept.
"Hey. Andrew. I heard you were back and wanted to meet tonight. Where have you been? Susan was really cryptic when I tried to pump her for information."
"Steve?" Nobody else would be so inconsiderate. "Look, I'm tired, I'll tell you everything at the meeting tonight," Andrew answered wearily.
"Can't you give me a little hint?" Steve asked.
"I'll tell you tonight. Goodbye," Andrew said.
"Okay. But just..."
Andrew cut him off in mid-sentence and headed toward the bed. He undressed, and slid under the sheets with the sunlight all but shut off in the window. He was fast asleep in minutes.
When Andrew got to the seminar room, he noticed everyone was already there, waiting for him. He looked around and made a second mental note of all attending, as was his duty as synthesist.
Susan, the materials science specialist… pretty when she smiled with a fit body and tons of smarts. Probably the most well-rounded of the group, save me…A whiz at everything…Fun to be around…Cute…Cute.
Steve, the
computer specialist… Little smart ass, Andrew thought as he looked over the little dark haired dweb...but there wasn't anyone better in the field…crackerjack at anything electronic…dresses like a ‘dweb’ too.
John, the chemical specialist… drab looking guy. Mister Invisible. You'd never know he was there until you needed something profound reasoned out… Witty guy… Always comes out with one-liners that get you smiling ten minutes later after you thought about what he had said.
Ling, the biologist and psychologist…fine, chiseled oriental features with an Occidental mouth that slipped in from somewhere in her family tree. No figure and her taste in clothes exhibited 20th century refugee prints but she knew her field.
Fran, the environmental specialist…little bit on the dumpy side but she could make orchards grow out of rock and knew environmental systems. She would help us be sought after by all the big industrials when she finished her schooling. She knew everything about “going Green.”
Tod, the physicist…looks like a football player but deep…pretty good in a machine shop too…probably the smartest of the group…sharper than me but then I only decide which way to drive.
Desiree, the mathematician and linguist…God…What a looker! Andrew sighed deeply. Grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth, as they say; but didn't seem to be spoiled by her rich upbringing. She had looks and brains.
Joel, the mechanical specialist…could make chicken salad out of proverbial ...well, anyway...he could turn an idea into reality…Knows his engineering but looks like a wrestler -- except one with deft, strong hands.
