by Rexx Deane
‘Why would that bother you?’
‘A, I don’t know how to shoot properly; and B, because I know what society would do to him. Regardless of whether he’s guilty or innocent, as soon as he turned up on the station, scientists and the media would pounce all over him. Nobody deserves to be subjected to that, regardless.’ Sebastian’s frown reinforced his stance on the matter.
Aryx still remembered the way he’d felt after his legs had been amputated. His friends hadn’t looked at him the same; everyone had pity in their eyes when they spoke to him. Some thought he was a fool, and others a freak. ‘Yes, I know what you mean,’ he said, nodding slowly. ‘And I agree with you.’
‘I’m glad we don’t have to argue over that one.’ Sebastian’s shoulders relaxed and he leaned forwards to inspect the console. ‘I think we’re almost at the heliosphere.’
The stars resolved into discrete points of light once again and the ship slowed.
Sebastian continued tapping away at the console. ‘I’ve got it!’ he said, punching the air. ‘I’ve locked the scanners on the radio beacon signal and set course for its origin. There’s a problem, though. There are no comms carrier waves from relays in neighbouring systems.’
Aryx’s stomach turned cold. ‘So … if we don’t find a node in this system to send a signal out through, we won’t be able to contact the station, and any mayday we send won’t get picked up for years.’
Sebastian’s mouth pulled to one side. ‘Too late now.’ He tapped away at the console again and the Galactic map zoomed in on their target: a moon orbiting the gas giant on the opposite side of the system. He rubbed his eyes and pulled his hands down his cheeks. ‘I think we should get some sleep. It’s several hours’ trip. The signal appears to be coming from the dark side of the moon. By the time we get there it’ll be daylight and I’d rather start exploring feeling refreshed.’
‘Do you want to use the bunk downstairs?’
‘No, I’ll sleep on the seating up here.’
‘Suit yourself.’ Aryx wheeled to the lift and left him to settle down for the night.
***
The next morning, Aryx woke bright and refreshed. Evidently, he was getting used to the makeshift cargo netting bed.
Sebastian was already at the piloting console when he arrived in the cockpit. The window was filled with a verdant green planet, spattered with isolated lakes.
‘We’ve arrived then?’
He didn’t look up from the display. ‘Yes. Did you sleep well?’
‘No nightmares since we’ve been away from the station. Perhaps I just needed a break.’
‘That makes two of us. The seats were a bit lumpy last night so I turned the gravity down. That made them bearable.’
Aryx laughed. ‘Always looking for the easy way out, as usual.’
‘So, you’d rather me grumble about a sore back all day, would you?’
‘No, I’d prefer you to not grumble about anything.’
Sebastian mumbled.
‘Ever again. Oh, look!’ Aryx gasped as a large orange and yellow gas giant peeked out from behind the turquoise crescent of the planet’s atmosphere. ‘So, this place is a moon.’
‘Just like the map showed. It’s a bit smaller than Earth’s, but according to the gravitometers, it’s high density, which gives it Earth-like gravity. Chopwood is somewhere down there, but I have no idea where the Folian homeworld is. The Paper Man said it was nearby, but the only planets in the system are the gas giant, which couldn’t possibly harbour life, and a volcanic planet too close to the sun.’ There was no satisfaction on Sebastian’s face as he looked up.
‘You never know, we might find something in Chopwood that tells us where they are. Did you locate the node yet?’
‘The solar radiation masked the signature initially, so it was difficult to find. It’s about ten AUs out, straight ahead.’
‘See? Good news already. It means we’ll get home before everyone’s died of old age.’
Sebastian brightened. ‘Heh, good one. I’ll take us down now. If I’ve timed it right, it will be early morning when we get down there.’ He began guiding the ship through the atmosphere, towards the beacon.
Lush green forests rolled beneath them, a mixture of conifers and deciduous interspersed with bright lakes and rivers. With no seas, the place seemed almost entirely covered in woodland. The furrows in Sebastian’s brow reduced a little.
‘Does this remind you of Earth?’ Aryx asked.
Sebastian smiled. ‘It does. I can’t wait to land. It’s been so long since I’ve been anywhere like this.’
‘It’s been a while for me, too. Although it also reminds me of where I lost my legs.’
‘I didn’t think …’ Sebastian looked away. ‘Sorry.’
‘It’s not your fault, Seb. That all happened before I met you, but I still get nervous when I’m reminded of it.’
The ship approached a large clearing filled with lots of little buildings. Aryx tried to take in the view as the ship glided over the settlement, but they were too high and moving too fast to make out any significant detail. One thing that stood out was the lack of people or movement – maybe it was too early in the morning for anyone to be about.
Sebastian brought them around for a second pass. ‘There’s nowhere to land near the buildings.’ He pointed to small clearing a short distance from the town, dotted with low shrubs and thin, felled trees like spilled cocktail sticks. ‘That’ll have to do.’
The ship hovered over the clearing and dropped down. Scrapes, cracks and the splintering of wood echoed from below. Aryx’s stomach twitched nervously, the change of scenery and prospect of coming across new varieties of plants overriding his previous anxiety, and he wheeled to the lift.
‘I don’t think this is going to be a wheelchair trip.’
‘I knew I was forgetting something.’ He retrieved the mobipack from the escape pod and took the lift down.
Sebastian followed moments later, wearing his old canvas rucksack. He had a big smile on his face for a change. ‘Nice breathable atmosphere, nineteen degrees centigrade, sunny with a light breeze. A perfect day for a stroll, so the sensors say.’ He gestured to the airlock controls with a flourish. ‘You may do the honours.’
Aryx reached up and pressed the button.
Sunlight streamed in as both the inner and outer doors opened directly onto the new planet.
Chapter 17
Golden light poured into the ship from a cloudless, pale blue sky and Aryx took a deep, appreciative breath. The air tasted crisp and clean, with the pungent zing of pine – nothing like the processed air of the ship, and even better than the atrium on Tenebrae. The light breeze was cool on his arms, but the sunlight warmed away the morning chill as he pulled on the mobipack and fastened the harness. After making a few adjustments and checking that it was on tight, he pulled out two short straps with tiny sensor units and attached them securely around the ends of his legs, just above where his knees would have been.
‘The weather’s too good for me to be wearing these,’ Sebastian said, unfastening the ziploks and separating the sleeves from his N-suit.
Aryx moved his chair away from the door and pulled the brakes on. He activated a control on one of the mobipack’s straps and the space between the ends of his legs and the floor filled with the orange, laser-laced lower legs. He braced himself against the wheels of the chair, shifted his weight forwards and pushed himself up. The legs took the weight, with his body supported by the harness, and he shifted from side to side, testing the movement.
Sebastian grinned and bowed, extending his right arm in the direction of the doorway. ‘You first.’
Aryx paused.
The felled trees and low bushes might provide a challenge for the mobipack, but the programming refinements Sebastian had made should handle it. He nodded and stepped out of the ship slowly, mindful of the low friction the fields would present. Threads of plasma discharged at the contact between foot and step. That was odd!
He shifted his weight forwards but he fell, arms flailing, until the harness stopped him with a sharp jerk, and he caught himself on the threshold of the ship.
‘Ow, my groin!’ He looked down to find himself standing on the ground with the prosthetic legs inside the step.
Sebastian reached out. ‘Are you alright?’
Aryx lifted a leg, but the pack began to drag him down as it tried to raise the prosthetic against the field generated by the ship. ‘I’m fine, but turn the damn step off!’ It vanished, and he moved away from the airlock. ‘The legs went straight through. Christ, it’s a good job there wasn’t much of a drop, or I’d have sliced myself up the middle. I’ll have to climb out of the ship if I don’t want to do that again. Now, where are we?’
The leaves of the tall, silver-barked trees around the clearing rustled in the breeze. The scent of pine intensified as the breeze turned, bringing with it the fragrance from taller conifers, deep in the surrounding woodland.
Brittle branches and twigs crunched loudly under his transparent feet as he moved away from the ship. He stopped and shifted his weight from side to side, marvelling at the crackling sounds it made. The sounds he made. He turned and Sebastian stood watching from the top of the steps. ‘Are you coming?’
He smiled back. ‘I thought I’d let you savour the moment in peace before I start tromping around as well.’
Aryx started to laugh, but quickly stopped; Sebastian’s expression had turned flat and serious, his head cocked to one side.
‘Do you hear that?’
‘Hear what?’
‘Nothing. No birds. Apart from the wind in the trees, it’s quiet. No animal sounds at all. Even in a desert you get the occasional sound, not just wind across the sand.’
‘That’s not to say there aren’t any other life forms.’ Aryx walked up to a nearby shrub and instantly found what he was looking for. ‘Aha, insects. I knew something had to pollinate the plants.’
‘Then where are the predators that eat the insects?’
‘I don’t know. Shall we ask them? Just stop worrying about it. I’m sure if there’s something here that’s going to eat us, we’ll know soon enough.’
Sebastian gave a lopsided frown. ‘You really know how to fill me with confidence, don’t you?’
‘If there was something nasty here, I’m sure your invisible friend would have told us about it.’ Just like the invisible gods that might protect them. Aryx bit his lip. ‘Just stop stressing.’
Sebastian shrugged. ‘What can I say? I work in security – it’s part of the job.’
Aryx threw his hands up and shook them. ‘You never chill out. Even when we’re at the club you’re on edge. I don’t know if you’re worrying about work, or about me. You’ve got yourself into so many situations over the last couple of days, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. If anyone ought to be stressed out, it should be me … Look, you’re good at your job. You don’t need to worry about it all the time. Yes, you’ve got the investigation on your shoulders, but trying to micro-manage everything isn’t going to help.
‘I’m an adult and I can take care of myself. I used to be in the military, remember? Yes, this is a bit limiting,’ he said, gesturing to his legs. ‘But I work around it. I know my limits now. You don’t have to feel responsible for me – unless I fall down a hole and die, and it’s your fault. Then you can feel responsible.’
Sebastian laughed. ‘Fine! I get your point. I’ll try to worry less, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling responsible while we’re on this mission. After all, it was me that dragged you along.’
‘I chose to come along, remember? I could have said no.’
His shoulders slumped. ‘I know. I’m not used to being responsible for somebody else like this.’
‘You’re not responsible for me. Now, are we going to investigate this place, or stand around all bloody day feeling sorry for ourselves?’
Sebastian secured the ship with his palm print, and when he turned back to Aryx, his eyes were closed, face turned up towards the sun. Sebastian cleared his throat. ‘Let’s go.’
‘Which direction?’
‘You decide.’
‘Uh … North.’
He folded his arms. ‘Which direction is north?’
Aryx pointed to his left. ‘Well, the sun’s coming up over there.’ He turned away from the ship and pointed straight ahead. ‘So I’ve decided the town must be to the north.’
Dead wood cracked underfoot as he picked his way through the scrub, trying to find a path. Sebastian followed behind, frequently grumbling about the branches that snagged at his feet. The clearing narrowed to little more than a felled channel in the surrounding forest as they progressed. It might once have been a regularly used route between the clearing and the main town, but now moss, grasses, and brambles grew over the path.
‘How long do you think this trail’s been out of use?’ Sebastian asked.
Aryx put his hand on the smooth, papery bark of the nearest tree. ‘Without knowing how quickly the trees grow here, I can’t tell. These look a lot like Betula.’
‘A what?’
‘Birch, you ingrate. If this place had seasons like Earth’s, I’d think that most of them were anything between fifty to seventy years old, at a rough guess. The spruce-like trees are bigger, and there’s no telling how old they are. And this one … I’ve never seen a birch with a trunk as wide for its height.’ He wrapped his arms around it, but couldn’t get his hands to go even halfway. ‘It’s enormous!’ He scanned the treeline for other recognisable species. ‘It’s odd, a lot of the trees look familiar. None are exactly the same species, but nothing here would look out of place on Earth.’
Sebastian stood next to him, staring back at the far southern edge of the clearing. ‘I wonder if it’s the same with alien plants …’
Aryx frowned. ‘If what’s the same?’
‘The way a lot of aliens look similar to Humans. Maybe when the environmental conditions are right, evolution takes a similar path, which leads to most of them having bilateral or radial symmetry.’
‘It’s possible. I wasn’t bothered about studying extraterrestrial trees when I was more mobile.’
‘Well, that makes two of us. I’ve only ever seen trees on Earth, and the ones planted on the station.’
‘Which came from Earth, too.’
Sebastian turned back to the overgrown pathway. ‘It’s odd this felled wood hasn’t been collected. It’s gone all funny. The Paper Man said the mission of the colony was to harvest resources to send back to Earth. Why would they leave it here for so long after going to the effort of cutting it down?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Maybe we’ll find out when we get to the town.’
They entered an area of younger trees that had grown on the old path where the leaf-littered ground presented little undergrowth. Fifty metres farther, the surrounding trees grew sparse, and the forest gave way to a grassy patch where it opened out to the east.
Sebastian jogged ahead and stopped, his mouth agape. ‘Oh, wow!’
A warm breeze tousled the vines and delicate trailing plants that hung from the branches of the trees surrounding the grassy clearing. The occasional creak emanated from the trunks of larger trees as they bowed in the breeze. Twenty metres from the tree-line, a wooden stockade of aged and silvery planks surrounded a low hill, penning in a collection of squat, wood shingle-roofed buildings. The log walls had split and cracked in the sun, and a thick layer of moss covered some of the more sheltered surfaces, softening the appearance of many of the structures. It reminded Aryx of pictures of plantations in colonial America, left unused and abandoned. All it needed was an old woman in a rocking chair and a toothless man playing a banjo, or a lumberjack with a huge axe to walk by.
They skirted the stockade, heading south-east following the tree line to their right and came across a gateway in the barrier. Its wooden hinges had long since collapsed, and the gate lay broken on the ground. A clear
path headed up through the middle of the buildings into the centre of town.
‘Shall we check out the bottom of the town first?’ Sebastian asked.
‘It looks as good a starting point as any.’
They entered the compound and headed up the grassy slope. The streets between the buildings were wide, and grassy with years of neglect. Several of the larger buildings looked like barns or mills, with arms extending out of gable-end walls, hung with block and tackle on decaying ropes.
Sebastian stepped up onto the veranda of a nearby building: a saloon from an old western movie. Something crunched underfoot and he looked down.
‘What is it?’
‘Broken glass.’ He picked at the nearest empty window frame with his thumb. ‘Hardly any of these buildings have glass in them anymore. Looks like the frames have rotted. This place hasn’t been lived in for years.’ He approached the double doors in the middle of the building and pushed. The aged wooden panel creaked open with a gritty scrape and stopped halfway. Another shove, and the decaying door tore off its hinges and fell into the building with a loud crash as a plume of dust rolled across the floor.
He wiped his hands on his legs. ‘Oops!’
Aryx climbed up onto the veranda beside him and went in.
A long, dust-coated bar stood to the left of the entrance. To the right, several round tables with crude seats reinforced the impression of a saloon. Other than a few scattered wooden utensils, there was no sign of any other equipment or fittings in the gloomy interior – even the taps had been removed, leaving several small holes in the bar.
‘It looks like this place was stripped of all the metalwork. Maybe the settlers moved on?’
‘No wonder it looked empty from the air … I wonder what would make them suddenly leave,’ Sebastian said, clenching and un-clenching his hands. ‘And how are we going to find the Folians? Why didn’t he say there was nobody here?’ He smacked himself on the forehead. ‘Damn it!’
Aryx jumped at the sound. ‘What?’
‘The Paper Man did say the place was abandoned. He said he’d taken a ship that was left, so the colonists must have already gone!’ Sebastian’s face reddened and he stormed out of the building, the few remaining pieces of glass falling from the windows as he passed.