by C. S. Harte
“Indeed I am, but also vitally important.”
Jonas nodded his head.
“If all goes according to plan, we would gain the formidable allies needed to defeat the Mimics.”
“That’s a good thing…”
Nume curled her lips into a half-smile. “Very much so. But there is a distinct possibility I won’t survive to see it through.”
A whirlwind of questions swirled inside Jonas’ head. What does she mean she won’t survive? Me included? What is she going to do? Why is she telling me this now? He considered the order of his questions.
The Zephyr dropped out of warp.
"Looks like we're at our destination. We'll have to continue this conversation later."
21
The Zephyr landed on an open, grassy field in the northern hemisphere of Forma Prime. At one point in time, Forma Prime was an ocean planet, with water covering 98% of its surface. After a collision with a massive meteor, the planet’s orbit changed, moving closer to its sun. In seconds, all the water on the planet evaporated into the atmosphere and eventually escaped into space. Left behind was a barren, rocky wasteland nonconducive to life.
Forma Prime’s harsh living conditions attracted Genko — more famously known as The Archivist among the Katok. He settled the hostile planet and established universal sanctuaries where he performed genetic experiments resurrecting animals and plants long considered extinct.
“Are you going to tell me why we’re here and wearing full combat gear?” Jonas said to Nume over suit comm.
“We’re here to make a trade with Genko, the genetic archivist. You and I are here for support only should Kovat need it.” Nume pressed the switch to lower the Zephyr’s landing ramp. “He alone will meet with him. Hopefully, Genko accepts our offer of technology for the genetic material we need in our plan against the Mimics.”
Jonas nodded and followed Nume and Kovat down the ramp. His visor’s HUD displayed an external temperature of 324 Kelvins with an atmospheric reading of 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, and the remaining a mixture of Argon, Carbon Dioxide, and other non-toxic gases. “The atmosphere on this planet is like Earth,” he said into his suit comm.
“That is by design,” Nume said replying for Kovat, who was not wearing an external suit. Katoks had a uniquely hardened physiology allowing for an exceptional tolerance of brutal environmental conditions.
They crossed the threshold of a pale blue energy field.
Jonas flinched as he heard the cooling system in his suit shut off. His HUD updated to show a comfortable, room-temperature 296 Kelvins. He bent over and plucked a blade of grass from the ground and brought it close to his visor. Using his eye movements as controls, he instructed the onboard suit computer to magnify the image before him. His visor camera switched from 25 times magnification, then to 100, and finally to 500. At that level of zoom, he saw the texture of individual plant cells. Jonas turned in a full circle, taking in the panoramic view of colorful vegetation on a planet where temperatures regularly reached the boiling point of water.
Nume knelt on the ground as she admired a delicate flower with multiple layers of small blue petals blossoming in the shape of a pine cone. “Everything is so beautiful here.” She plucked the flower and brought it to Jonas.
“They look like bluebonnets.” He took the flower and placed it in her hair. “Those flowers used to grow wild near my childhood colony.”
She looked up at Jonas and smiled. “You must have grown up in a wondrously beautiful place.”
“I guess it was.” Jonas’ mind drifted as an old memory resurfaced. He recalled a time during his youth when he and his brother would play holoball while Saera picked flowers and braided them into Mochi, the family’s long-tailed Shih Tzu.
“That’s a nice memory, Jonas. He was a cute dog.” She squeezed his hand. “Hold on to those happy moments. Keep them safe.”
Jonas raised his eyebrow. What prompted those statements?
Nume hummed a soft melody as she followed a trail of flowers, picking them as she sang.
She keeps talking like the end is near. She’s holding back something. If I’m going to be part of this rebellion, or uprising, or whatever they want to call this, Nume needs to be upfront with me. Jonas pursed his lips. His heart raced. “Nume?” He lost sight of her and Kovat. “Nume! Kovat!”
“Shhhhhh,” Nume said in a soft voice. “I’m still here. Walk toward the tree line to the North.”
Jonas moved toward a line of what appeared to be pine trees. “And where’s Kovat?”
“He’s inside, talking to Genko.”
Jonas spun around, searching for a structure. “Inside where?”
Nume laughed over the suit comm. “Keep walking straight, and you’ll see.”
As he neared the tree line, Jonas noticed a shimmering distortion in the air. “Um, Nume?”
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s some sort of energy field in front of me.”
“I’m aware. Walk through it. You are at the barrier between sanctuaries.”
Jonas hesitated. “I have a bad feeling.” He reached forward slowly as if dipping his hand into a liquid.
Nume’s arm came through and grabbed his. She pulled him forward.
The air rippled in a wave of iridescent light.
Jonas’ eyes opened wide at the change in scenery. In the previous zone, the landscape was grassy and filled with vibrant flowers. This zone was starkly different. Replacing the grass were brown and orange fern-like plants about a half a meter tall. Tall, skinny, white trees with wispy black branches stretched to the clouds. They were in a forest, with the zebra-patterned trees extending far into the distance.
Nume elbowed Jonas in the chest and laughed. “I take it you've never been to Dnucti before. It’s a lovely planet, just not for humans.”
Jonas looked at the atmospheric readings on his HUD. 30% methane. “It’s a good thing we have our suits on. This atmosphere would kill us.”
“This atmosphere is not for us,” Nume smiled. “Not everything in this universe was intended for human habitation.”
“I know. I was just… nevermind.”
They continued exploring the alien forest.
“Tell me more about your sister, Saera. You were thinking about her earlier.”
Jonas coughed. “I still have to get used to you reading my thoughts.”
“There’s a strange connection between you and me. It’s certainly odd and something for which I have no explanation. Even when we were in the Telmun system, when you were on the Endurance and I was on the colony ship Venture, I could hear your thoughts as loud as if you were next to me now.”
“Do other Entrents experience this connection too?”
“I have not met other Entrents.”
“Well, except for the one on Leonis Station.” Jonas narrowed his eyes.
“That was not a formal or wanted meeting,” she said in a quiet voice.
Jonas sensed he brought up a sore subject. “You asked me earlier about Saera.”
“Yes. I would like to know more about your sister.” Her voice perked up slightly.
“You have some of Saera’s mannerisms.”
“Oh? Like what?”
“You tug at your ear when you’re nervous or anxious. I’ve only ever known Saera to do that.”
Redness flowed across Nume’s cheeks. “I did not know that about myself.”
“Saera loves looking at flowers. She has countless shirts with flowers on them. And lots of shirts with puppies. That was Saera in a nutshell. She loved nature and dogs. I remember…”
A loud screeching echoed through the forest.
“That sounded close.” Jonas scanned for Kovat and Genko. “I don’t see the Katoks. Aren’t they supposed to be here?”
“They’re around here somewhere. I can feel their presence and occasionally hear their conversations.”
“You said these are sanctuaries.”
“Yes. The barrier you walked throu
gh divides each zone based on environments. Genko built thousands on this planet.”
“Sanctuaries for plants only? Or animals too?”
“Both.”
“But I don’t see any…” As Jonas spoke, he saw movement in the distance, something resembling a very sinewy creature that appeared part feline and part eagle. It had white and black stripes which blended seamlessly into the forest, making it hard to detect.
“That could be a fantoma. It is probably the only one of its kind left. The species died over a million sol-years ago.” Nume held out her hand and walked toward it.
Jonas pulled her back. “Are you crazy? That thing is the size of one of our shuttles.”
The creature unfolded its leathery wings and flapped them, blowing leaves directly at Jonas and Nume.
She laughed. “I don’t sense any hostility in its mind.”
The fantoma yawned as if understanding Nume wasn’t a threat. It turned and disappeared deep into the forest.
Jonas looked into Nume’s eyes and saw an ocean of blue. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s a shame so many creatures have died — so much diversity of life extinguished before we can experience their beauty.”
“Isn’t that the point of this…”
She quickly turned her head to the right. “Something is wrong.”
Jonas followed her gaze. “I don’t see anything.”
“No, with the negotiations. Kovat and Genko are arguing about something.”
“What?”
Nume shook her head. “They’re using concepts new to me. I should go help them.”
“I’ll come too.”
“No.” She held up her hand. “Your presence there as a human would only make things worse. Please stay here. I’ll be back.” Nume sprinted away.
Jonas dropped to one knee as he waited. With Nume gone, he noticed the total absence of sound in the forest. It was only a moment ago when he saw the fantoma walking past, but he felt like he was the only living creature in these woods.
Snap. The sound echoed throughout the forest.
Jonas unclipped his rifle and scanned for the source of the sound. I should head toward Nume and Kovat.
A long snake-like creature with white and black stripes lunged at Jonas, quickly coiling itself onto him, binding both of his arms to his sides.
Warning notifications flashed on Jonas’ HUD.
Suit integrity failing!
The serpent was strong enough to constrict Jonas’ breathing through his combat suit.
“Help…” he called out into his suit comm. Jonas tried to reach for his knife, but his arms were too tightly confined. He felt a tremendous pressure on his left forearm followed by a sharp pain. The next moment, a loud crack sounded inside his suit. Pain flooded his body. His HUD flashed another critical warning, a graphic of his body showing two significant breaks in his arm.
“Nume…” Jonas began losing consciousness from the pain.
“I’m coming!” Nume screamed over his suit comm. “Hang in there.” When she arrived, Nume placed her hand on the head of the serpent.
The creature immediately released and slithered away.
“Let’s get you back to the ship. Can you walk?”
Jonas navigated to his suit’s treatment systems and self-administered opioids and adrenaline. “Yes.” He pushed himself up with his good arm. “That thing caught me by surprise.”
Nume caught Jonas as he stumbled. “I didn’t know it was there. I would have warned you.” She looked away as she spoke.
The pain was intense, but dulling after the combat stimulants started working. Jonas leaned against a tree and took a moment to calm himself. “I’ll be fine after some time in the medical pod. Did we get what we wanted here?”
Nume shook her head. “It doesn’t appear so.”
22
Jonas peered through the blue-tinted glass of the medical pod to see a smiling Alyana against the backdrop of the med bay. A combination of lasers and robots repaired his shattered ulna and radius bone in his forearm.
Alyana squished her face into the glass leaving a print of her face.
A laugh escaped Jonas’ lips as he enjoyed the frivolity of the moment.
“That’s to keep you company while I’m not around.” She grinned.
Jonas nodded and sighed.
She glanced at the monitor attached to the pod. “You’ll be out in a few hours. Relax and enjoy opioids coursing through your veins as the high-powered lasers drill into your body while billions of nanites float around in your bloodstream.”
“Do you know what happened with Genko?”
Alyana shook her head. “The Archivist doesn’t have what we're looking for. About three years ago, a group of mercenaries broke into his laboratory and stole everything. Then the thieves decided to have fun and kill many of the animals in the sanctuary. We apparently brought up a sore subject.”
“That’s probably where things got heated back there. Looks like we wasted our time.” Jonas grimaced. “Where is Nume?”
“She’s in her Entrent tube.”
“Again?”
“Well, she is half Katok, maybe more. I don’t know the exact split.” Alyana shrugged.
“Was she hurt?”
“Katoks don’t sleep or eat. They regenerate whenever they feel tired in their regeneration pods. Since Entrents are part Katok genetically, they’re the same way. Newer Entrents need to regenerate more often than older ones.” She shivered. “As convenient it is to absorb your food, I think I prefer eating mine. Katoks are weird…”
Jonas watched as a line of nanites streamed out of his arm. “When can I get out of here?”
“Tsk tsk, Jonas. Let science do its job. You’ll be out in a couple of hours.” She tapped a button on the medical pod console. An orange liquid traveled into his IV line. “Since you won’t fall asleep by yourself, I will force you.” Alyana grinned. “I’ll be back to let you out. Sleep tight!”
Jonas immediately felt drowsy. Thieves visited the Archivist three years ago. The people that framed me are hundreds of steps ahead — ahead of Nume. The droning of the medical pod became softer like a buzzing in the background. I should let this go. Maybe become a farmer like my grandparents, on the opposite side of the Mimic invasion. I’ll probably die of old age before the invasion reaches me…
The blue liquids inside the Entrent transformation chamber slowly drained, exposing Nume’s body wearing only her undergarments.
Jonas watched as her eyes opened. They appeared bright yellow, like gold coins staring at him.
“Hello, Jonas.” She smiled. “Were you waiting for me?”
He nodded.
She exited the chamber and toweled herself dry.
Jonas handed her a flight suit.
“I sense doubt in your mind.” Her smile faded. “About our cause and path.”
Jonas looked down at his feet. “What are we going to do now? At every turn, we're being outmaneuvered.”
“Close your eyes, Jonas. Please. And keep them closed.”
He did as told. “OK. Why am I doing this?”
“Hope begins in the darkness. It starts off as something unseen, something unfelt. Only through the lens of faith can you experience it.” Nume took Jonas’ hands in hers. “For some time after Leonis Prime, my life, my mind, was surrounded by emptiness. I wandered, lonely and afraid, much like you during your confinement, struggling to make sense of the despair inside me. During those times, I would see you in the depths of my thoughts. I could hear your words as if you were next to me.”
Jonas heard the strain in her voice, felt the wavering in her breath.
“Many times, I sensed the sadness in your heart. That sadness, for your sister, your brother, and for yourself has morphed into rage. This fury is contorting you into someone you are not. Ever since we reconnected on Caldia Station, I’ve been siphoning this anger from you.”
“I didn’t know that.” Jonas shook his head. “You don’t have t
o keep doing it.”
“Are you aware Entrents are selected based on genetic compatibility with Katok physiology?”
“Yes.”
“When you were inside the medical pod, we tested your DNA. You are a 60% match.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“For many reasons, Jonas." She sighed. "I regret not telling you everything sooner.”
“Help me understand. Start from the beginning.” Jonas felt two warm hands on his cheeks. He opened his eyes to find Nume’s rainbow irises staring at him.
“Come with me to the briefing room.”
He nodded.
Alyana waved as Jonas and Nume entered the briefing room. “I’m excited to show off my presentation skills. I’ve been working on this all morning.” She activated the holographic table in the center of the room.
A three-dimensional representation of the Milky Way Galaxy came to life, floating and spinning above the table.
Nume hugged Alyana. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Alyana cleared her throat and took a deep breath. She paused for a moment then fanned herself with her hands. “Sorry, I don’t know why I’m nervous giving a presentation to just two people." Her hands started to sweat. "I knew I should have made notes…”
Jonas groaned.
Nume grinned. “It’s OK Alyana…”
“Oh, I remember.” She cleared her throat again. “This may go against conventional beliefs among all the humans here — which I guess is just Jonas — but we were not the first species to settle this galaxy. In fact, we were not even the first ten thousandth species.”
“If that were true, then where is all the evidence of other life forms?” Jonas interrupted.
Alyana gave him a cold stare.
“Sorry.” He looked away sheepishly.
“As I was saying, humans are a very young species on the astrological scale of time.”
The holographic galaxy spun faster. Stars expanded and died. Thousands of miniature ships zipped between planets.
Alyana took a breath and continued. “The forces of the universe exist as a balance. We experience this balance as a cycle. Light and darkness. Growth and contraction. Life and death. As life grows and spreads throughout our galaxy, there is a pull that takes it away. The Mimics have consistently been that force. They seem to act as a counterbalance to life in our universe, completing the cycle. Once a species becomes too prosperous, too vibrant, an unstoppable wave of Mimics will come to destroy it. This has been going on since the beginning of recorded history — ours and the Katoks, but mostly the Katoks. Humans are currently at the mid-point of a new cycle.”