Last Night on Earth

by James Peters

  I started to say something, but before I did, Rhuldan waved at me and raised a single finger toward his mouth.

  Fayye pocketed her device. “I had to make sure there weren’t any bugs. We can talk freely now.”

  I leaned my head to the side. “I don’t like bugs. My horse Leroy used to draw nasty, big flies. Stung like fire when they bit.”

  Fayye’s lips tightened. She glanced at Rhuldan. “He’s not from around here, is he?”

  Rhuldan smiled a toothy grin. “No, he’s not.”

  Fayye’s gaze went from Rhuldan’s feet to his face and then back to his chest. “My apologies, Shade, but I must insist.” She opened a tall cabinet and retrieved a long black cape and the finest hat I’d ever seen. Krenshaw would have paid a hundred dollars for that hat, and it might have even made him look good. “Put these on. I find it disturbing to watch you constantly fade in and out like clouds of black smoke.”

  “Klektian silk,” Rhuldan said, taking the garments. “This much is worth a lot of trilatinum. I will accept your gifts.” He put them and became a lot easier to focus on, as only his hands and face were now ethereal.

  “That’s a fine-looking hat. You wouldn’t happen to have another, would you, ma’am?”

  “Sorry. If I come across another, I’ll keep you in mind,” Fayye said. “Now allow me to explain a few things. The arenea probably don’t care what we do in our war room unless it meant hurting their profits. The migrun, though, would love to know what goes on in here.”

  I imagined horseflies listening in on my conversations with Leroy. I’d probably get sent to an insane asylum if anyone heard me. “You think they might have a deal with some bugs to listen in on you?”

  Rhuldan leaned toward me, raising his palms upward. “She’s speaking of electronic listening devices. They’re often called ‘bugs.’”

  “Kind of like Bell’s telephone.”

  Rhuldan’s face went blank. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  Fayye rubbed her forehead with a paw. “Now we have that settled, allow me to explain why I’ve brought you here. My people have had something of value stolen from us, and we’re going to get it back.”

  I sighed. “I swear to God if after all this you’re planning a train robbery, I’m out of here.”

  Fayye looked toward the ceiling. “Considering I don’t know what a train robbery is, I think you’re safe.”

  Rhuldan leaned back in his chair. “Are you going to tell us what was stolen?”

  Fayye nodded. “My cousin-kin have a mine on a small world known as Hylak. They discovered a vein of nearly pure element zero, more than has been discovered in centuries. Somehow, word of their discovery leaked, and within days, a squadron of migrun commandos stormed the base, who killed anyone who got in their way, prior to stealing twelve hundred pounds of the stuff.”

  I raised a finger. “Element zero? Wait, I’ve heard of that. Something about it being used to create gravity, right? The old E.Z. trick.”

  “Correct,” she said. “The bottom of this asteroid has a layer the thickness of a single molecule of it. Once charge to the proper level, it creates our gravity, which makes life here feasible.”

  “How many asteroids like this one would that mother lode cover, spread thin like that?” I asked.

  “Thousands, probably tens of thousands.” Fayye shook her head. “The migrun won’t need that much for another hundred years.”

  “Yet they stole it,” I said. “What else can it be used for?”

  Rhuldan’s gaze turned upward. “I’ve never heard of any other uses.”

  “One thing I’ve learned is anything good can be used for bad purposes. If they were to connect a big dynamo directly to twelve hundred pounds of element zero, what would happen?” I asked.

  Rhuldan sighed. “We haven’t used anything similar to a dynamo in centuries.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you call it. Whatever is used to charge the bottom end of this asteroid. Pretend you hooked that up to the entire chunk.”

  “It’s a fusion cell, and it seems they could use it to create a black hole.”

  “Ah, yes. A black hole,” I said. “And that is?”

  Rhuldan cracked his knuckles repeatedly. “That would be bad. Very bad.”

  I studied his face. Waves of shadow formed and faded. I got the nerve and asked, “Are we talking dynamite bad?”

  “We’re talking wipe out an entire planet or system bad.”

  “That is bad. How do we stop them?”

  Fayye place her hands on her hips and hissed. “If you were listening, you’d know we’re planning on taking it back.”

  “But how?”

  “I happen to know the migrun have taken it to a processing facility on Khutanga. That facility will be well shielded and guarded, and only a surgical strike team has a chance of getting in and out alive.”

  “So where do we fit into all of this?” I asked.

  “You two will be a part of that team.”

  “Us two?” Rhuldan and I spoke at the same time.

  “Of course. That’s why I saved you from Mother, remember?”

  Chapter Seven

  Dream Team

  Isat on a hard rock shelf dug out of the wall in a room the Grinkun called guest quarters. A single oil-lamp hung from the ceiling, and a roughly cut door made of a black hardwood hung partially open to allow some air movement. My stomach hurt, I was hot and I felt miserable. Rhuldan knocked on the doorframe of my spartan quarters in the grinkun mine. I glanced up at him from my bunk. “Hi.”

  “I don’t know much about your species, but from what I have learned, you look terrible.”

  “I feel terrible. I think it’s the grinkun food. I eat it, and it spends all of about ten minutes inside me before demanding to escape from one end or another.”

  “I’d wager it’s not the food.”

  “The water then?”

  Rhuldan leaned in to study my face. He got close enough it made me uncomfortable. “When you hatched out of that egg, what was the first thing you noticed?”

  “Besides the huge spider’s butt above me?”

  “Yes.”

  I thought about it for a moment, reliving the moments right after getting here. “The intensity of all the colors and sounds. Everything seemed to be more vivid.”

  “The process you went through does more than basic healing. It also strips away anything that isn’t you or supposed to be there. Such as the bullets in your body, any cataracts on your eyes, and unfortunately, any helpful biotics in your gut.”

  “What are you saying? I didn’t have any bi-optics in my stomach.”

  Rhuldan backed away several inches. I was glad he did. “Biotics. In many species, they are tiny microbes that help in the digestion of food. I think you are missing them now.”

  “I’m missing something. How do we get them back?”

  “I’ll talk to the grinkun. I think they can help you. Meantime, Fayye wants to see to us. She’s ready to introduce us to the team.”

  “Let me put my boots on, and I’ll be right there.” I stood up and swayed. Rhuldan grabbed my arm to steady me, and I felt the time waves as if I were standing still and running all at once. The sensation made me even more sick, so I pushed his hand away. “I’m good.” I followed him to the war room.

  “There you are.” Fayye welcomed us. “I’d like to introduce you to the team.” She pointed to the polished black table where three strange looking, six-inch-tall creatures stood.

  I leaned in toward Rhuldan’s ear to whisper, “They’re a little small, aren’t they?”

  “They’re holograms, Idiom.”

  “They’re still likely to get stepped on if I need to run to the latrine. Is Fayye serious? This is the best she can find? A fat house cat could make a meal out of these boys.”

  “They’re not physically here. That’s just a projection. In reality, they are about the same size as we are.”

  “Oh. Hollow grands. Never mind.”
/>   “Are you two done?” Fayye’s eyes seemed to cut us down.

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” She made a motion with her paw, and two of the tiny creatures disappeared, while one seemed to grow to twice his size. He looked like an iguana had mated with a knight in armor, wearing shiny metal plates over green-scaled skin. A forked tongue danced between sharp teeth. “Gorthul, please introduce yourself and tell us your specialty.”

  “I am Gorthul. Captain of the ship, Onyx Infiltrator, perhaps you’ve heard of her?” His mouth opened unnaturally wide, displaying dozens of ivory points as he laughed. “Of course not, because she’s never been spotted despite thirty-six successful retrieval missions against tougher bases than this one. My job is to get the team in and out without being detected or shot down. In all the galaxy, there does not exist another ship with the active and passive stealth systems as mine.”

  “Thank you Gorthul.” Fayye waved her paw. Gorthul shrank to nothing.

  Another creature appeared. This one had a metallic sheen across his entire body, and a flat, rectangular head with no face, just a line of black circles where I’d expect eyes to be. “My designation is Dreydus Seven Oh Six. I am an unrestricted cipher-droid, with direct quantum connection to Penseur.”

  “Pinch her? I’d advise against that. She’s got some powerful guards,” I said.

  “Penseur is the most powerful dark-computer in the galaxy. My job is to hack into any system, door or computer needed. I can crack the toughest migrun passcodes in milliseconds.”

  “That sounds important,” I said, even though I had no clue what any of that meant.

  Fayye moved her paw again, this time I saw a six-limbed beast with a face reminding me of a rhinoceros, complete with golden horn. Muscles flexed and bulged as this thing did nothing more than breathe. If I had to guess, he was the enforcer of this operation.

  “I am Jekto. I bash heads and haul loot. Mostly, I like bashing heads.”

  I nodded. “That’s what I figured. It sounds like we have a good team here.”

  “The best trilatinum can buy,” Fayye said. She motioned until the iguana-guy reappeared. “Gorthul, how far out are you?”

  “We’ll be overtaking Panadaras in approximately twenty hours. Our approach will be invisible to the migrun authorities. Can you provide us a docking bay left open?”

  “Bay D496 will be waiting for your arrival. We’ll meet you there.” Fayye ended the connection, and the tiny aliens disappeared into nothing. “Any questions from you two?”

  “I have a question,” I said. “Why do you need us? These guys seem to have it all figured out. What can we do to help?”

  Fayye poured three glasses of something dark, handing one to Rhuldan and me, keeping one for herself. “Have you ever worked with mercenaries, Idiom?”

  “Hired guns, yes.”

  “Did you trust them?”

  I crossed my arms. “Not for a moment.”

  “There you have your answer. These hired guns, as you call them, are loyal up to the point of getting their share of trilatinum. The moment they think they can make an extra credit selling us out to the migrun, they will. I want you two there to keep them honest.”

  “And how are we supposed to do that?”

  Fayye raised her paws to the air like a snake-oil salesman about to tell you the miracles of his elixir. “Idiom Lee, the Migrun Pounder and Rhuldan, the Angel of Death! Your images are all over the dark networks. You two are anti-heroes, and your reputation grows with the day. Did you know one time you punched your way through an entire formation of migrun shock troopers, unarmed and outnumbered thirty to one?”

  I shrugged. “I punched one birdman in the face.”

  “Not according to the legends I’m hearing. And you, Rhuldan! A single touch of your finger can kill a soldier and his entire lineage, as if he never existed.”

  Rhuldan looked away from Fayye and sipped his drink. “These stories are not true.”

  “Truth is nothing compared to reputation,” Fayye said. “These mercenaries might believe about half the stories they’ve heard about you two, and that’s enough for them to behave as long as you are part of the team.”

  “So why do you trust us?”

  “I know the truth, and if you double-cross me, I’ll turn you in to the migrun for the bounty on your heads.”

  I tried the drink. It tasted like almonds cooked in kerosene, so I assumed it was strong. “Sounds like we don’t have any choice in the matter.”

  “None,” Fayye said. “At least not until you’ve retrieved and returned the element zero to me. Then you’ll have lots of options.”

  I looked at Rhuldan. “Do you have any better ideas?”

  “The best I have is to enjoy our drinks. This stuff is pretty good; what’s it called?”

  “Industrial degreaser,” Fayye replied.

  Rhuldan brought me some undercooked grinkun bread, explaining their preparation process would likely be able to introduce the needed biotics to my gut. I didn’t want to know the details but was willing to try anything to fix my stomach problems. The bread had a damp, yeasty flavor, and I kept it down for almost a half hour. A minor victory. We had some time to kill before the mercenaries would arrive, so I taught him how to play poker. I was glad we weren’t playing for money because he learned way too quickly. That or he was better at cheating than I was.

  After my third meal of grinkun bread, I began to gain strength and was able to keep food in my stomach for a while where it belonged. I explored the area around my room and found a grinkun community going about their daily lives. Young ones played and chased each other with pure joy as a few adults watched over them. I imagined the adults to be grandparents lovingly caring for their kin while their own children worked. A pup rubbed against my leg in a friendly manner. I stroked its fur to the sound of a pleasant, rolling purr. Several others joined in, and before long, I was at the center of the pack and was enjoying myself.

  Rhuldan’s called out from behind me. “I hate to break up the fun, but our friends are arriving. We should go meet them.”

  “Hear that pups? I’ll have to play some other time.” I had to shake my legs to make room to walk. Several of the young grinkuns tried to follow me, but I told them to stay. And to my surprise, they obeyed.

  Rhuldan wore a long orange cape, keeping his face and hands covered. He handed me a similar one, but mine was white. “Here, put this on.”

  “Why are we wearing these?”

  “We need to move through the public sectors to get to the docking bay. Some of the more private races wear these in public. Stay close to me, and everyone should think we’re a couple.”

  I rubbed my brow. “Dare I ask which part of the couple I’m supposed to be?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “I guess not.”

  “Then follow your husband, one step behind and on the left. Keep your head down and let me do the talking.”

  “Why can’t I be the guy? I’m a migrun pounder, remember?”

  “If we get stopped, they won’t ask you any questions if they think you are my property.”

  “Yes dear.” I donned the cape and followed him through a passage that opened up into a public hallway. I couldn’t see much more than the ground, but I noticed all kinds of alien feet, hooves, wheels, and slimy slug bellies passing by. None seemed to notice me. We arrived at a door just like the one Slowhand had shown me with the warning “Red means dead.”

  “Here we are.” Rhuldan opened the hatch and stepped inside. I followed, closing it behind me.

  “Hey look, it’s the new guys,” Gorthul said. In person, he was slightly shorter than me, but his head was twice the size of mine. I bet he could bite my arm off with a single snap.

  Rhuldan removed his hood. “I am Rhuldan, and this is Idiom.” He nudged me with his elbow.

  I pulled my hood back and nodded. “Good to meet you.”

  “Jekto! Come here. Look, it’s the Migrun Pounder.”

 
The floor vibrated as Jekto approached. Walking on just his back legs, he towered above me by at least a foot. His body was covered with heavy, bony-looking plates, and his horn shined gold. His four upper limbs ended with hands large enough to crush my skull, and by the look of the muscles in his chest and arms, he could do just that without trouble. I’d say he weighed over a thousand pounds. No wonder this guy carried the loot and bashed heads.

  “Migrun Pounder! Ha, you look as tiny as one of them,” Jekto said.

  I’d better play it tough. “Don’t let my size fool you. Have you heard what I’ve done?”

  “Beaten up a formation of migrun bare handed.”

  “I’ve never seen anyone get up after one of his punches,” Rhuldan said.

  “Then it’s true?” Jekto asked. His breath reeked as he stuck his golden horn close to my face. At this distance, I noticed where it had been broken off at some point and replaced with the yellow metal, like a gold tooth.

  “I’ve got time if you want to find out.”

  Jekto laughed. The motion made the floor vibrate. “I like this guy, Gorthul. He’s got knots.” He turned toward Rhuldan. “I’m not touching you.”

  “You made a wise decision.”

  Jekto called out, “Hey, robot, meet the new guys.”

  Dreydus Seven Oh Six disconnected a cable tethering his chest to their ship. His steps were perfectly timed and balanced to be silent on the hard floor. “Acquaintance recorded in registry.”

  “A pleasure,” I said. Their ship was a thing of beauty, black and streamlined like a fish, with what looked like massive cannons mounted on its wingtips, top, front and rear. Compared to Sarge, the only other ship I’d seen, this thing was a work of art.

  “That’s the Onyx Infiltrator,” Gorthul said. “You’re lucky. Not many have seen her and survived to tell the tale.”

  “She’s quite a beauty.”

  “That she is. But we’re not here to admire my ship. Let’s discuss the mission.” Gorthul walked toward one wall. The robot projected an image of a planet on it from one of the circles on its “face.” “We are heading to Khutanga. The planet has twelve military satellites in orbit. These satellites are equipped with long range scanners to detect any incoming ships, as well as countermeasures to defend against attack.” Several red dots appeared above the world, moving in various orbits.