by W Bradley
We were travelling no more than a half hour before Gheid announced our arrival. I had been speaking with Dia and Leyla, discussing our situation, analysing whether or not we had a choice in the matter of trusting the Sindenian. Between us we concluded that we had to trust him, if not for his space ship, then for his alien knowledge; we were literally lost and stranded without help and he seemed the most trustworthy of the races we’d heard of.
“Bad news.” Said Gheid following a moment’s silence in which he had been fiddling with various dials and screens. “I have reason to believe the Saerg are here.” He seemed calm but there was a hint of trepidation in his voice.
“The Saerg? …Are here??” I was far from calm.
“My ship is receiving a signal designed to warn others of the presence of the Saerg. This planet was arranged to be the meeting place for a great number of my race but I fear they have been either captured or killed.” Gheid turned from the ship’s computers to face me, Dia and Leyla. “I will not ask you to help me in this matter. But I am going down to the planet to seek survivors and to see if I can learn why the Saerg would do this; as far as I know, they do not know our supposed involvement with the Prooth.”
I could see where the Sindenian was going with his speech and had already decided I would go with him and when I opened my mouth to ask Dia and Leyla to remain in the ship, they told me they would be coming too.
Moments later we were following Gheid across a cool and dark desert. I could see less than a few metres ahead as we trudged slowly and quietly over the dunes; he had warned us to remain silent as we made our way towards the arranged meeting coordinates. The Saerg could less easily detect a quiet target, though it would be soon apparent that it was not impossible.
A sound like the beating of a monstrous heart was the first hint something terrible was close, a sound which increased in volume with every passing second until I felt it shaking my chest, echoing in my skull. The fear on Dia and Leyla’s faces showed me they felt as I did. It was a fear teetering on the edge of terror. Gheid however seemed unaffected.
“They have found us.” Gheid said under his breath and we came to a stop. “I am sorry. There is nothing we can do.” His voice definitely quivered as he spoke. I stared into the darkness and waited as the beating grew louder. Then there was a shape, taller than a car on its end and wider that two people stood side by side. Time seemed to slow as the thing approached but I had no time to react as a clawed hand took hold of Gheid’s head and tore it from his body with a twist. I heard his neck snap and Dia scream as the remains slumped forwards leaving nothing between me and the giant creature. I hesitated, unable to comprehend Gheid’s sudden death. It wasn’t right. He was the only one of us who knew what he was doing. By the time I was aware of the pistol in my hand, the creature’s face had lowered on a long neck towards me. I fell backwards, away from it and started to shoot in the direction of where the body seemed to be but the expression on its face told me the weapon was useless. Its eyes were centimetres from mine again and I tried to turn my head away. It seemed to be taking a long time to kill me for that was all I expected with each passing moment. Minutes seemed to pass before I was aware of how still the world had become, as if movement no longer existed. The sound of beating had stopped too. I realised I was then unable to move. Several more minutes passed before I heard the creature speak. It was an awful, rasping whisper.
“You are Jarl of Earth.” It stated. “You are too late.” The final word echoed horribly around my head. I had to gather my racing thoughts before I was able to form a response.
“What… Are you…?” I managed, my voice shaking badly.
“Saerg.”
“What is… Too late…?”
“The weapon is activated.” It said and I gasped, unable to stop my body from trembling.
“To… Kill…? …Everything?” I was barely able to get the words out.
“Every life form requires some form of energy production. The weapon will destroy the means.”
“The means?”
“In your species: Oxygen.”
“You… Are destroying… Oxygen??” My throat was dry; I was finding it harder to speak.
“Simply put, yes. And other elements required by other life forms. It will take hundreds of years to reach Earth which is why I cannot allow your return. It is undetectable, but it is possible to stop it.”
“Stop it! Please… I… Please!! It shouldn’t end like this. Life shouldn’t end like this!!” I felt tears in my eyes as my voice found a new desperation.
“Think of the new start. We can design life unable to cause pain, unable to feel hatred, unable to suffer.”
“No… No! It’s not right. It just isn’t right!”
“‘Right’? It is correct. It is the correct thing to do. The question is a simple one. Should we end all suffering?”
“But… All the suffering you’ll cause…? How can you ignore that?”
“There will be no suffering, only death. The weapon does not simply destroy particles; it breaks them down on a quantum level and reconstructs them to produce a molecule accepted by the life form in the place of the original molecule. On Earth, oxygen in gas form will become carbon monoxide causing all animal species to die quickly, without pain. Then moments later the same will occur to the oxygen in liquids.
“I will leave you now. There is little time before the weapon reaches this planet. You have until the sun rises-”
“Wait! How could there be happiness…? Joy? Without… Without pain and struggle?” There was some anger in my words then. The Saerg hesitated for a split second.
“… We will synthesise it.”
Then the Saerg was gone.
I remained motionless, uncomprehending for a long time. Then I was painfully aware of the sounds behind me. Dia was quietly weeping into her hands and shaking her head from side to side. Leyla was slumped on the sand staring, unseeing into the distance. Not really knowing what I was doing or what the point in doing it was, knowing I would soon be dead, I moved between them but as I brushed passed Dia, she let out a cry and shuffled away, shaking violently. I allowed her to go and gently pulled Leyla to me, putting an arm around her, squeezing her shoulder softly. I hoped it would provide at least a little comfort, though I knew it shouldn’t. I felt her arm move around my back, her hand to my waist and her delicate fingers closed against my hip. It seemed completely ridiculous but I knew then that I loved her. I could think of nothing but the tender pressure of her hand on my side, her arm against my back. I embraced her tightly and she smiled. It was the most beautiful smile I would ever see as her perfect skin glowed bronze.
Then a radiant gold.