Space Runners #4

by Jeramey Kraatz

  “We’re actually basing our hypothesis on something that Pito and several other scholars came up with in the past,” Jasmine said. “You may remember Vala mentioning that Commander Tull had a life mate once.”

  “Right,” Benny said. “I mostly remember Vala saying she was bigger than Tull, but she was a scientist, right? She tried to blow up the sun or something?”

  “Nothing so barbaric,” Pito said. “Our star is expanding because it’s out of fuel. This is the natural course of such celestial bodies, though we had incorrectly estimated how long ours had. Your sun, too, will one day meet a similar fate, billions upon billions of years from now.”

  “At least we don’t have to worry about that,” Hot Dog said flatly.

  Pito continued, circling the desk. “Our theory was that by providing a new, temporary source of energy, we could return our sun to normal, at least buying us another million years or so to come up with a more permanent plan. But . . .” He trailed off.

  “It didn’t work,” Jasmine said. “At least, not the way they tried it.”

  “The theory is sound,” Pito said, and Jasmine nodded in agreement. “We’ve spoken to Elijah about it, and he agrees. He’ll be down to help us any moment now.”

  “So,” Benny said. “What went wrong?”

  A few moments of silence passed before Pito spoke again. “We are a species of creators. Curators, even. Minerals, elements—these are things we understand. Calam is powered by energy harnessed from the sun, from renewable sources found on our planet. What we tried to do was out of our realm of knowledge. We have never split atoms or worked with subatomic particles because it has never been necessary. We tried to advance too quickly into forces we did not fully understand. What you would call fusion and fission. Nuclear development. We were desperate, and . . . we failed.”

  “They tried to send a bomb of sorts into their sun,” Jasmine said, “but all it did was explode, causing massive solar flares which . . .” She hesitated. “Destroyed most of the ships that were on the mission.”

  “Many were injured,” Pito said, the end of his tentacle rubbing over the gold plate, scar tissue peeking out from under it. “Many more were killed. Tull’s life mate, Jarm, was one of them. It was her plan, in fact. As the brightest among us, she led the failed mission. Zee’s parents were on a ship that was destroyed, too.”

  “Oh my gosh,” Hot Dog said, raising a hand to her chest.

  “So that’s how Vala ended up looking after him,” Benny said.

  Pito nodded, and quiet settled on the room. Finally Jasmine spoke again.

  “But they didn’t have our understanding of science,” she said. “Together, we think we can figure out a way to make that old theory work.”

  “Okay, Jazz,” Benny said. “But how?”

  “I’m getting to that.” She swiped her fingers across the table and the hologram changed to Dr. Bale’s superweapon. “I’m definitely not an actual scientist, but that’s okay, because a real one already built something for us to use. Their sun needs energy. A lot of it. And this right here has enough destructive power in it to destroy a planet. Or . . .” She raised her eyebrows at Benny and Hot Dog.

  “Or save it,” Benny whispered.

  “That’s a really simple way of putting it, I know,” Jasmine said. “But, yeah. Basically.”

  “Cool. Let’s just shoot this sucker into their sun!” Hot Dog said. “Super easy.”

  “It wouldn’t work,” Pito said. “The energy must be contained somehow so that it’s released over time, not in one bang. We want to feed the sun, not add to its volatility.”

  “Think of it like this,” Jasmine said. “Right now we have a bomb, something that lets all the power out at once. What we need is more like . . . a battery. Something that will let energy flow in small increments over a long period of time. That’s what we’re working on. And we’re getting there!” She paused. “I think. If the Alpha Maraudi are experts at anything, it’s imbuing minerals with different properties and energies. We’ve seen it ourselves. The way their ships move, how their lights work, even the way they make explosive asteroids.”

  “So, we use the Maraudi tech to make a battery using our power,” Benny said, the words coming out slowly as he tried to understand, knowing that the reality of this situation was far more complicated than simply throwing some jumper cables onto a hunk of alien stone and charging it up.

  “Precisely,” Pito said.

  “It’s hard to believe that something like Dr. Bale’s weapon would have the power to fuel the sun.”

  “Ours?” Jasmine asked. “Not a chance. But Calam is a completely different situation. The planet is far closer to their stars. That, added to the fact that the suns are all much, much smaller than ours means we might just be able to pull this off.”

  “I’ve got faith in you, Jasmine,” Hot Dog said.

  “What’s your next step?” Benny asked.

  “Now that we’re at the Taj, we have the equipment we need to test this on a small scale,” Jasmine said. “But it’ll take some time.”

  “How much?” Hot Dog asked.

  Jasmine bit her lip. “That depends on how good our calculations are.”

  “So the fate of our planets rests on . . . math?” Benny shook his head. “Maybe I should’ve paid closer attention to some of those edu vids my dad and grandmother were always downloading for us.”

  Hot Dog stepped to Jasmine’s side.

  “What you’re doing is amazing, and I only understand, like, two percent of it,” she said.

  “Thanks, Hot Dog. I just wish I could do more.”

  Pito let out a laugh. “Young human, if I had a dozen Alpha Maraudi as clever as you on Calam, our sun would never have been a problem to begin with.”

  “Is there anything we can do to help?” Benny asked.

  “Yeah,” Jasmine said. She gave him a wry smile. “You can let us get back to work.”

  Hot Dog clicked her tongue, pretending to be shocked before she flashed a grin and pulled Benny toward the door. “C’mon,” she said. “I think you were right. We should leave this to the brains.”

  “Anything you need,” he called over his shoulder, “just let us know.”

  “Thanks, Benny,” Jasmine said. “Oh! Actually, you can do something for me: keep Drue out of here. At least until we’ve had some time to settle in. I made the mistake of mentioning the bomb to him and he’s convinced he needs to test out any explosives we create. I already had Pinky mute him.”

  “You got it, Jazz.”

  In the hallway again, Hot Dog and Benny walked toward the stairs.

  “You ever wonder what would have happened if Jazz hadn’t been in the EW-SCAB class?” Benny asked.

  Hot Dog shuddered. “I don’t want to think about that. Or Ramona. Or you, either, obviously.”

  “Right back at you. Drue, even.”

  Hot Dog smirked. “He has his moments. I’d even go so far as to say he can be charm—”

  “Guys”—Pinky’s voice rang through their collars—“Elijah’s office. Now.”

  “What’s wrong?” Benny asked, already quickening his walk into a jog.

  “We’ve got an incoming call,” the AI said.

  “From Earth? Who is it?”

  “No,” Pinky said. “Ramona’s porting it from Vala’s ship.”

  “So it’s . . .” Hot Dog started.

  “Yes. It’s coming from an Alpha Maraudi source.”

  7.

  Benny and Hot Dog burst into Elijah’s office, panting from the run up the stairs. Elijah was in front of his desk, staring at the wobbly blue line that floated above it. Griida stood in holographic form below, a foot tall, his twin tentacles slightly raised above his head in heavy arcs and swinging in the air, Vala’s bridge a blur behind him.

  Trevone and Drue flanked Elijah, who drummed his fingers together.

  “What’s going on?” Benny asked.

  “We don’t know,” Trevone said. “Ramona said they got
a communication from somewhere in space. Now we’re just waiting for it to connect.”

  “Can we track it?”

  “Your girl is trying,” Griida said, and Benny realized it was the first time he’d heard the alien speak English. His voice was raspy, deep, like the elders of his caravan back at home.

  Somewhere in the background, Benny heard Ramona say “woot.”

  “Where’s everyone else?” Hot Dog asked.

  “I told Pinky not to inform them,” Elijah said. “Jasmine and Pito need to continue their work. And it’s imperative that Ricardo and Kira finish inspecting the EW-SCAB wing and make sure the children are settled, in case . . .”

  The wobbly blue line shivered, and suddenly a figure stood on the desk, eclipsing Griida by several feet. His body was massive, muscles bulging beneath his crystalline armor. His two tentacles were slick and black, arched and raised above his head like horns. Benny could see light leaking out from the gold mask that covered the upper half of his face.

  Commander Tull.

  Elijah took a step back, though if it was to get a better view or an instinctual reaction to seeing the Alpha Maraudi who’d kept him captive, Benny wasn’t sure. He certainly found himself intimidated, even knowing that the alien was nothing but a hologram. Though he’d faced this commander twice before and had somehow managed to escape him both times, it didn’t make him any less scary.

  Tull looked around slowly, taking in his audience. A smile spread across his dark lips, and Benny could just make out the gray of his teeth.

  “I should not be surprised,” his voice bellowed. “Griida, a traitor of my species, and a group of humans who would destroy us. You have chosen to live next to each other on Earth’s Moon. Why not answer my call together as well?”

  “Tull,” Elijah spat.

  “I take it Vala, ever the disappointment, is still unable to lead,” the commander said. A dark tongue slid over his lips. “Tell me, does she even live?”

  Tull seemed to take extreme pleasure asking this question, drawing out the words.

  “He must not know exactly what happened on the dark side,” Benny whispered to Hot Dog.

  “Our commander thrives,” Griida said, and then followed with a harmonic bark.

  One of Tull’s lips curled up in a snarl. “And that’s why it is you who has been sending groveling messages to our elders, begging them to reconsider their orders, that there might be some way that we could live among these beasts. I have intercepted these disgraceful communications. I have watched them. An old one like you; I thought you would have more sense. But it seems that everyone on that ship has lost their way.”

  “You’re speaking in English,” Elijah said, his voice firm. “So I assume you have something you want to say to us.”

  Tull’s tentacles twisted together, until they were a knotted spike atop his head. “I have nothing to say to any human. Why you even stand before me, I do not know. But know that I have spoken to Calam, and they have given me free rein to continue with our occupation of Earth, just as soon as my storm is ready.”

  “You mean the killing of humanity,” Drue said.

  Tull’s head nodded to the side slightly. “Nuisances are not killed. They are exterminated.”

  “Then you called us to gloat,” Elijah said.

  The alien bellowed a deep laugh. “I do not need to gloat. I am here to bring the Alpha Maraudi currently on the Moon a warning. Vala’s crew follow their commander’s orders without question. That’s what makes them worthy soldiers. But when leadership fails, it is up to those in the lower ranks to rise up and replace it. Calam has relieved Vala of her duty. They understand that she has turned her back on her people. Griida, if you have any particle of love for our home in you, you will leave Earth’s orbit. I have no wish to spill the blood of my own kind, but I will not let that stop the ruin of our entire species. The humans will fall. They were destined to, always. Do not sacrifice Vala’s crew because these children of Earth have poisoned your mind.”

  One of Griida’s tentacles moved, draping itself over his shoulders like a scarf. The other reached up and removed his gold mask. His eyes shined a paler blue than any Benny had seen among the aliens.

  “I follow the orders of my commander,” Griida said. “That is not you.”

  Benny stepped to the edge of the desk, wedging himself between Drue and Elijah. “We’re so close!” he said. “I was just talking to your scholars, and our own. We have an idea, a way to stop your star from expanding. We just need a little more time. If you’ll hear us out—”

  Tull bared his teeth. “We do not have time to suffer the plans of fools. This will be easier if you accept your fate.”

  “It’s not actually our plan,” Benny said. “It was Jarm’s.”

  At the sound of her name, Tull actually flinched, as though Benny had somehow reached through the hologram, across the vastness of space, and struck a blow. Benny wondered what his eyes looked like under his mask in that moment, and understood one of the reasons why he wore it in the first place.

  When Tull spoke again his voice was so low that it was almost impossible to make out.

  “You will not speak her name,” he growled. “Keep it out of your barbaric mouth.”

  “He’s just saying,” Hot Dog said, joining Benny’s side. “We heard she was the smartest Alpha Maraudi. Don’t you think you should give her the respect she deserves? Wouldn’t you rather her idea saved your planet? She’d probably want you to do that instead of wipe out a ‘barbaric’ species across the universe.”

  “Whoa,” Drue whispered. “Uhhh, maybe don’t try to make him any madder?”

  Tull stomped forward, growing larger on the desk with such swiftness that everyone in the room took a step back.

  “Jarm gave her life so that our people could survive, and it is for that reason that I will stop at nothing to ensure they do. Your entire history is shorter than one of our eras. Your lives are a handful of days while we live for years. What do you know about respect? About loss?” He thrust a finger forward. “When I am equipped, I will rain fire down upon your planet. Everyone you know and care for will be wiped away. And do you know what the rest of the universe will do? Nothing. There are species in distant galaxies who will look upon my deeds and heap treasures at my feet, congratulating me for saving the Alpha Maraudi and taking a planet on the verge of self-destruction and turning it into a new paradise. For solving the human problem.”

  “Bring on your asteroids,” Drue said, tightening his fists. “We’ve stopped them before and we’ll do it again.”

  Tull let out a deep, resounding laugh.

  “I have no doubt you will try. Which is why I’d be a poor commander if I attempted the same attack twice, knowing what a nuisance you children on the Moon are. No, I’ll save those weapons for when I’ve made sure you are no longer there to put up a fight. You fare well against asteroids, but I wonder how you will do against something with a brain.”

  “That doesn’t sound good,” Hot Dog whispered.

  Tull turned to Griida again. “Get off the Moon. Save our people. Or you’ll end up ash like these animals you’ve allied yourself with.”

  The hologram blinked out and Tull was gone.

  “Griida,” Elijah said, “how long would it take for him to amass a storm large enough to wipe out Earth? Assuming we fought against them. You’ve seen our abilities.”

  Griida shook his head. “A few more days. Maybe. Your planet is quite fragile.”

  “Did we get a lock on the signal?” Trevone asked. “Do we know where they are?”

  “Let me work,” Ramona yelled from offscreen.

  “We’ll be in touch,” Griida said. “I must . . . check on the commander.” And then he was gone, too.

  “Come on, Griida,” Benny whispered. “Don’t bail on us now.”

  Behind them, the door flew open, slamming against the wall. Benny jumped, turning, half expecting to see Tull or enemy Alpha Maraudi.

  But it was jus
t Zee.

  “Oh, sorry,” he said as everyone stared at him. “I’m not used to doors with these . . . binges? Is that right?” He bit into a candy bar. “Do you have any idea how good these things are?”

  “Seriously, Zee?” Drue asked. “And they’re . . . You know what, never mind.”

  “Huh?” the young alien asked. “Why does everyone look so mad at me?”

  “Guys,” Pinky said, appearing before them, her face flushed with worry. “We’ve got incoming. Two objects from deep space.”

  “Why didn’t we see them before?” Elijah demanded.

  “They were cloaked. We just picked them up on Dr. Bale’s radar. We still don’t have much of an extended range on it and . . .” Her eyes flashed. “Based on their trajectory, they’ll land a few hundred yards from the edge of the courtyard. In twenty seconds.”

  “Asteroids?” Benny asked. He turned to Elijah. “What would the impact of something like that do the Moon?”

  “Depending on the size and speed—” Elijah started.

  “They’re slowing down,” Pinky interrupted. “These objects aren’t following the same patterns as his previous asteroid attack. It seems more likely that whatever Commander Tull sent is . . . landing.”

  “Something with a brain,” Trevone whispered.

  “Wait. Tull?” Zee asked, dropping the remainder of his candy bar.

  “We have to protect the Moon Platoon,” Benny said. “They need to be prepared to move, and I bet half of them are asleep.”

  “Pinky, sound the alarms,” Elijah said, rushing to the huge window looking out from his tower. “Be ready to take them underground if necessary. Ricardo and Kira should still be down near the garage. Get them to help. I want everyone on high alert.”

  “The Taj can withstand an attack, right?” Hot Dog asked. “I mean, the only reason they got in last time is because they used Dr. Bale’s weapons against us.”

  “The building is made of a reinforced titanium alloy,” Elijah said. “But without the Grand Dome . . .” He cursed under his breath. “Coming back may have been a stupid idea.”

  Benny and the others crowded around the window, eyes to the sky, looking for any movement, any sign of destruction that might rain down upon them in the next few moments.