The New World

by Toby Neighbors

  “There will be over forty ships departing soon,” Valtrix explained. “Any of which you could be hiding aboard. And there are places deep within Q4, hidden places, where you may rest free of fear.”

  “It would be a great honor to our people to shelter you, Daniel Brickman,” said Tran ‘aki.

  “The shuttle will have a very good chance of reaching your system before the Tolligarkians, and it will travel along a different trajectory. You will be safe in it, as well. It is for you to decide, but it must be done quickly. There are Tolligarkian ships in the Tridar System now.”

  Daniel wanted to scream, his leg ached, his emotions were in constant flux. He didn’t know what to do, but he knew he had to do something.

  Their ship docked with the Q4 station quietly. There was only a hiss of venting atmosphere as the ship connected to the long arm of the docking births. When the door opened, Valtrix helped Daniel through. Tran ‘aki disappeared inside the ship, and Daniel felt a pang of loss as he watched her go. She didn’t even say goodbye, he thought morosely.

  They entered a small room were a Tridarian stood waiting beside a table full of what appeared to be medical supplies. Daniel was still looking through the neuro amplifier and knew what most of the equipment in the room was, although it was all foreign to him.

  “May I see your leg, Daniel Brickman?” said the alien doctor.

  “Sure,” he thought. He leaned against the table and raised his pant leg. The wound was dark red and there was a grey colored fluid slowly seeping out. Daniel was embarrassed, but the doctor seemed genuinely excited.

  “I do not know your anatomy, brother,” said the doctor, “but the wound seems simple enough. It looks to have only passed through your muscle and hide. I’ve rarely seen newborns as hairless as you.”

  Daniel got the distinct impression the doctor was joking. For the first time, he considered how he must look to the Tridarians. He had always thought he was hairy, with dark hair on his legs and covering most of his chest and stomach. But compared to a Tridarian, he must look like a teenager trying to grow a mustache. He grinned at the thought, until the doctor squirted a bluish liquid into his wound.

  “Ahhhh!” he cried out. He ground his teeth, trying to control the pain. He could feel the liquid seeping into the burned tissue. It felt like a ravenous worm was eating into his leg. The doctor waited for a moment until the bluish liquid had seeped all the way through his leg and was dripping out of the small wound on the other side. Sweat had popped out on Daniel’s face, and he felt that he was on the verge of screaming again. Then the doctor sprayed Daniel’s leg with an aerosol that felt cold. At first the spray was cooling and eased the pain, but after a moment the cold set in and he felt the sting of it, like holding ice cubes in your hand too long. The ache of the cold was intensifying and Daniel wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

  “The wound should heal well, brother,” said the doctor.

  Daniel focused on the doctor’s voice in an attempt to distract himself from the freezing pain in his leg.

  “I’m going to wrap it in synthetic tissue to help it heal. It should ease the pain as well.”

  Daniel nodded as the doctor wrapped a strange, pink colored material around his leg. The wrap felt good, partly from the pressure and partly because the wrap seemed to lend heat to the wound. Daniel was finally able to relax.

  “Thanks, doctor,” he thought.

  “You are welcome, brother.”

  “What is your decision, Daniel Brickman?” Valtrix asked. “Will you stay with us?”

  “No,” Daniel said, surprising himself. “I am honored that you would risk your lives and standing within the Federation to look after me. But I feel I must return to my world to ensure that they prepare for the retaliation that is sure to come. I started this war, and I should be there when it comes home to my people.”

  That was partly true, Daniel thought. But the driving force behind the decision was the possibility, however slight, that he might know what became of Lana. He could not be with her, but he didn’t think he could live without knowing that she had been happy. He briefly feared that she might find that happiness with another man. He had to push past that feeling of nausea that rose up his throat as he thought of Lana with someone else, but he also acknowledged the fact that her happiness was what mattered most.

  “Then I shall escort you to your ship,” said Valtrix.

  “Keep your weight off that leg as much as possible,” said the doctor.

  “I’ll do that,” Daniel said. “Thank you.”

  “It was an honor, brother, I shall tell my children’s children.”

  Daniel, leaning heavily on Valtrix, continued past the doctor into a long, tube-like corridor, much like the docking bay on the space station that Daniel had sabotaged, only the corridor was lined with hooting and cheering Tridarians. They were waving their short arms, and the mental noise of their thoughts and well wishes blended into a roar. They stomped their large feet until the corridor rocked with sound. It was like being in a room with a thunderstorm. Daniel had one arm around Valtrix and one hand holding up the neuro amplifier, but he nodded and smiled. He didn’t know if the Tridarians were there because they truly considered him a hero or if it was just to see an Earth man, as they called him. It didn’t really matter what their motivation was, they were risking their lives to help him. For the two minutes it took him to limp to where the shuttle was docked, he forgot about his leg, about 400 years in suspended animation, about Lana living her life with someone else. He was surprised at how good the adulation felt and wondered briefly what his return to Earth would be like.

  He waved to the crowd before stepping into the airlock, and they erupted louder than ever. The airlock doors slid shut and the sounds of the crowd were lost. The fans blew and then Valtrix helped Daniel into a small vessel that reminded him of a small recreational vehicle. There was basically a center aisle that separated what looked like a tiny kitchen and bathroom from what looked like a large, mechanical coffin. Daniel and Valtrix were standing in the tiny entryway just behind the cockpit with large windows. Daniel saw Q4 for the first time and was in awe of the structure. It looked like a giant pinecone made of recycled metal. Beyond the immense structure was a grey world. The planet reminded Daniel of Earth’s moon, with its textured surface and different shades of gray. The planet was brightly lit by the system’s primary star. The twinkle of distant stars was almost drowned out by the reflection of light off the planet’s surface.

  “That was our homeworld,” Valtrix said, his voice sounded solemn even in Daniel’s head, and he could sense the alien captain's regret. “We did not resist, and have paid a great price, Daniel Brickman. Remember Tridar when you return to Earth. Remember what the Tolligarkians do to precious worlds that are not their own.”

  “I will,” Daniel said. “And I will not forget your generosity, support, and courage.”

  “You honor us too highly, Daniel Brickman.”

  “No, resistance begins with one act. You’ve started down that path.”

  “But there are very few of us willing to act.”

  “Perhaps, but maybe your courageous actions today have set an example that many will follow. It is not too late to fight back.”

  “I will remember your words, Daniel Brickman.”

  They spent the next ten minutes discussing the various parts of the ship. The flight back to Earth had been preprogrammed into the ship’s autopilot. All Daniel would need to do was wait for his leg to heal before climbing into the bunk and closing the hyper-stasis seal. When Valtrix left the shuttle, Daniel settled into the left hand pilot’s seat. He looked through the neuro amplifier and knew instinctively what to do. After flipping several toggle switches, the ship began to move very slowly away from Q4’s docking arm. He watched the space station grow smaller and tried to shake off the feeling of abandonment that he felt for the Tridarians. He was not the one to lead them, he needed to return to his own world.

  There were doze
ns of ships around his, all leaving the space station at various speeds and in differing directions. Daniel wondered how long it would take his leg to heal. He wished immensely that he could close his eyes now and go into the suspended state until he reached Earth. Looking at the controls, he saw a colorful display of strange characters. The thought poured into his mind that this was the countdown to the initial acceleration that would take him out of the solar system. There was another countdown that seemed very far off that would accelerate his small vessel through outer space toward his own world. Daniel wondered what that would be like, traveling at the speed of light. He had never paid too much attention in physics, and he doubted it would be like it was in the movies. He was hungry; he realized that he hadn’t eaten at all that day, and so he rose from his chair and limped to the kitchen. His leg still hurt, but it was a huge improvement from the pain before he had been worked on by the doctor.

  The kitchen was very basic, with everything from a dispenser for water with varying flavors, the neuro amplifier informed him, to a protein synthesizer that reminded Daniel of a microwave oven. He thought of a steak dinner and pushed the button. A brick-sized block of something slid into the machine as a light came on and a whirring sounded. After a few moments the machine beeped and Daniel found a plate to scoop the brick onto. It was white, and looked very much like tofu, but Daniel decided he would have to try it. He found a cup and filled it with water, which, after taking a sip, he decided tasted very metallic. The storage tank was probably metal, he thought, and after adding a fork to his plate, he returned to his seat.

  He was passing one of Tridar’s moons. It looked like a giant, frozen gumball. There were strange colors visible under the dingy white frosting of ice. In the distance, Daniel could see the transporter, but his ship was heading for what looked like another planet in the Tridar system. Valtrix had said something about Federation ships in the system, but Daniel didn’t see any. He stretched his leg out and jabbed his fork into the block of protein on his plate. The food was denser than he expected, but he was able to cut off a bite with the fork. He sniffed it and to his surprise, it smelled very much like grilled steak. He ate the bite hopefully, but was disappointed. He couldn’t tell if the flavor had been matched from an alien food, or if it was just the soy-like taste of the synthetic protein. It reminded Daniel of the hamburgers he had eaten in elementary school, bland, with a twang that just wasn’t right. But the food was hot, and Daniel ate it all and drank down his coppery water.

  He was tired and made his way to the bunk that would eventually be his bed for 400 years. His mind just couldn’t take that in. He found a blanket and stretched out on the bunk, happy to find it hair free. He closed his eyes as his ship slid silently through the freezing vacuum of space, and he fell fast asleep.

  Chapter 45

  The following days were an emotional roller coaster ride. His leg seemed to be healing quickly, with almost no pain, but his heart felt broken beyond repair. Being so isolated seemed to magnify his feelings of loss and grief. He wondered what was happening on Earth, were Jason and Scott successful in waking people from the plague? How had the Tolligarkians who were now stranded on Earth responded? And, like an ocean tide, Daniel’s mind rolled to Lana and back several times each day.

  In the cockpit, where Daniel spent most of his time, there were wonders that boggled the mind. He passed several planets and more moons than he could count. There were barren moons and others that seemed to glow with life, although looking at each through the neuro amplifier gave him the knowledge that none were hospitable enough to support life. He passed giant gas planets that were being mined by Tridarian vessels and others whose colorful rings turned out to be trillions of huge, boulder-sized asteroids. He watched as occasionally a huge rock would be sucked from the ring by the planet’s gravity and burn a blazing path into the colorful atmosphere.

  Daniel’s awe at the wonders was matched by his depression, and when his leg finally felt whole, he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and never wake up. In fact, the thought had been growing in his mind for some time now that perhaps the Tridarians had merely pointed him in a direction away from themselves and sent him off to sleep for eternity, his ship floating among the vast nothingness of outer space.

  He ate one last meal, a fake tasting block of protein that was supposed to taste like oatmeal. He had learned to use the alien bathroom and had even managed to clean his clothes after having worn them several days in a row. He had put off the inevitable as long as possible, and now he climbed into the bunk and prepared to close the hatch.

  Valtrix had told him to remove his clothing and all blankets and pillows before activating the hyper-stasis bed. He knew that the chamber would fill with a light sedative which should help him fall asleep. Once he was fully asleep, the chamber would basically flash freeze him for the long trip home. He had hoped to experience light speed before he needed to activate the chamber, but the readout in the cockpit still showed what Daniel took to be several weeks before the secondary acceleration would be made. So he took several deep breaths, and closed the lid.

  There was a slight feeling of claustrophobia as the lid hatches sealed. There was a hiss as the unit pressurized, and Daniel’s ears popped. Then he felt light, not weightless like he had in the escape pod, but like he was floating just the same. He grinned and even giggled a little. His eyelids grew heavy and he closed them without thinking.

  Soon he could see a cabin in the distance. The air was warm and the sky was blue, with bright white puffs of clouds drifting by overhead. Daniel started walking toward the cabin. It was up a steep, wildflower covered hill, but the cabin seemed like the only sign of civilization. Daniel moved toward it instinctively, it seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place it. Where had he seen the cabin before?

  Then, like lightning flashing and illuminating the heavy storm clouds hidden in the darkness of a night sky, he remembered. It was Lana’s cabin. He was home, and he could just make her out in the distance. He thought she was waving, perhaps even calling to him, but her voice would not carry in the thin air at this altitude. He had started to move towards her more quickly when something strange began to happen. He felt a chill, as if the wind had shifted and perhaps a cold front was moving in. He kept moving despite the fact that snow was beginning to fall. He ignored the foreboding that he felt and the fact that the snow seemed to be falling from a clear sky. He moved faster as the snow seemed to get thicker, but he couldn’t cover the ground fast enough. He was shaking from the cold and the visibility was dropping as the snow increased. Soon the cabin was merely a dark shade through the white snow, it was a flash blizzard and something told Daniel he wasn’t going to make it to the cabin. He knew deep down he belonged out in the snow. He kept moving forward as long as he could, his limbs stiff from the cold. He finally dropped to his knees and tried to crawl forward. He hoped Lana was safe and warm inside the cabin.

  “Don’t wait for me,” he croaked, his voice sounded strange to his frozen ears. “I can’t make it,” he said this last to himself. “I can’t make it.” Then the snow became a wall of solid white in every direction until finally it grew dark.

  ***

  His first sensation was heat. He felt warm all over and it felt luxurious, the way a hot shower feels as the water runs down your body, heating it from the outside in. The warmth, or his awareness of the warmth, faded in and out, almost like a thermostat was coming on and off. Before long the warmth changed to heat, almost scorching, but not quite actually harming him. His mind, still swimming in a sea of darkness, changed from welcoming the warmth to dreading the heat. Then his muscles began to seize, and he could feel his body jerking. There was rhythm to the seizures, and he could hear his mind counting them—one, two, three, then rest, one, two, three shocks, then rest. The word shocks came into his mind; he was being shocked, but he didn’t know from where or from whom. Then the seizures began to last longer and longer, still the same rhythm, but each shock was longer than the last. A
nd finally memories came, rippling images, as if they were reflected on water, appeared in the darkness.

  He remembered his home and his parents. He remembered school and friends and finally Washington, D.C. He remembered the plague and Norixum and the wonders on Tolligark. His final memory, just before a strange beeping captured his attention, was of being all alone in a space ship.

  The beeping grew louder, and then finally a hiss and Daniel felt his lungs inhale warm air. His body moved stiffly and his eyes wouldn’t open on their own. He reached up and felt a wet crust infusing his eyelashes. He wiped at the gunk with his fingers and finally his eyes opened. He stared up at the dark metal ceiling of the shuttle. His mind put the last piece of the puzzle together and he realized he had been awakened from hyper-stasis. His first thought was of his clothes. He found them right where he had laid them, but they were nothing more than dust now. He couldn’t quite understand what had happened to his clothes, and then the realization hit. He really had been asleep for over 400 years. Why hadn’t he thought of that before, he wondered? He moved to the cockpit and saw what looked like Jupiter in the distance.

  He was home. The thought flashed through his still disoriented mind, and he looked down at the shuttle controls. Sitting there was the neuro amplifier and Daniel lifted it to his eye. It still worked because he knew he had about a day before crossing the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars.

  Daniel went to the bathroom and was steamed clean. Then, finding a compartment with bags of sealed material, he fashioned clothes for himself. He went back to the cockpit now, but was soon looking for food. He felt as if he hadn’t eaten in 400 years. The protein synthesizer would not operate and he settled for vitamin water that had been stored in plastic bottles. He could hardly contain his excitement now that he was home, among other humans. He waited impatiently but not for too long. A gas mining platform on Jupiter contacted him after only a few hours.