The Hundred Worlds

by J. F. Holmes

  “What is it?”

  “It’s a map, or more precisely, a tracking system. It tells me a date in the Karan calendar just over a thousand years ago, and it tells me the velocity and direction something was going. At the end, it predicts the current location of whatever this is. That’s why the last symbol changes. It’s moving. It must be a ship or a probe.”

  Save her. This just keeps getting weirder. Is this ship the ‘her’ he spoke of? “Can you convert the coordinates into our units?”

  “Of course I can. The Karan homeworld is their triple-zero point, and we know where that was on the date of the launch. The rest of this is simple math, converting Karan base thirteen to our base ten, and…” she stopped talking and scribbled on the notebook at breakneck speeds. “Here’s your coordinates.” She spun the notebook around to Rhys. “Remember, it’s moving, so I’ve written a little adjuster formula here. For every thirty hours that pass, add in this factor.” Sweat dripped from her brow as she sat back in her chair. “Now I need to rest. Come back to see an old lady someday, just to talk, will you?”

  “I will, I promise,” Rhys said.

  “Now go on, get moving. Lock the door on the way out, will you?”

  “Thanks, Bek. You’re the greatest.”

  “No lie there. Take care of yourself. That thing you’ve got there is unusual, if not unique. One thing I’ve learned about this universe is that unique means valuable, and if something’s valuable, there’s always someone who wants it.”

  “I’ll be careful,” Rhys said. He gave her a kiss on the forehead, and grabbed the cube and his notebook to return to the Belvedere.

  ***

  Rhys hadn’t been gone more than a few minutes when Bek heard another knock at her door. “What’s the matter, Rhys, did you forget something?” She ambled toward the door, but before she got there the door swung open. A UNCS citizen entered, laser pistol drawn. His hands shimmered in the light, the result of the clear, protective skin-sealant that insured no DNA or fingerprint evidence was ever left behind. His dark brown eyes squinted down the sight of the weapon, his face chiseled with military training and determination.

  “Listen to me very carefully. I know there was someone here with you just a few minutes ago. What did he want?”

  “Who the hell are you to burst into my home like this?” Bek waved a finger at him.

  “UNCS Citizen Davis Vincent.” He flashed an identity badge that showed his face briefly, then the words, “Full compliance required.”

  “That boy was lost. He needed to use my bathroom, then I showed him a good time.”

  “Cut the crap, lady. You said the name “Rhys” earlier. Was that Rhys Butler? We placed him near the location of a recent…misunderstanding.”

  “Never heard of him.”

  “Hmm.” Davis touched a control on his helmet connecting to the ultranet with priority search clearance. He spoke the commands, “Rhys Butler, Daegu station, full report.” Holographic data appeared in his vision. “Looks like he stayed here after school for several years, and his ship is leaving port now.” He brushed past Bek into to kitchen to see the paraphernalia on the table.

  “That stuff is none of your business,” Bek said.

  “The UNCS thanks you for your help.” Davis emptied the contents of dozens of capsules into the spoon, heating them to a liquid state, and filling the syringe. He grabbed Bek’s arm. She tried to kick him in the groin, but he simply batted her leg away, releasing a tiny laugh at her attempt. He injected her with the needle, pumping a lethal dose into her veins.

  Bek struggled, but she couldn’t break his grip. The liquid burned into her arm, and she fell to the floor, convulsing. “I can see…God,” she said just before her heart burst.

  ***

  Rhys programmed the coordinates into the Belvedere’s console, felt the yoke, tightened the collar another half turn, and initiated the clearance sequence. His first step was to get to an area of unrestricted space where he could initiate the fold drive. Ionic drives pushed the Belvedere until the ship’s computers registered adequate clearances for safety protocols. Why am I doing this? He pressed the button and the drive engaged. The universe twisted upon itself in an incomprehensible origami, allowing the Belvedere to traverse an impossible distance in what seemed like an instant.

  Rhys felt the familiar sense of vertigo when the Belvedere reentered normal space. Instinctively, he scanned all the controls and readouts to confirm the ship had survived the jump and wasn’t on a collision course with anything. None of the proximity alarms are wailing and I’m still in one piece. Another successful fold.

  He compared his location to the coordinates Bek had provided, to find he was within two-hundred-thousand kilometers of where he wanted to be. The ship’s computer recommended a one G burn for a little over an hour, then to turn about and decelerate at that same velocity. He accepted the flight-plan, and engaged the main cesium thruster.

  After turn-around, he started to watch the sensors for something, anything to appear. The countdown timer clicked away the minutes to end-of-burn, while Rhys nervously watched the scanners. Nothing appeared. For fuck’s sake. Is all of this a wild goose chase? Did I just burn my entire last paycheck on cesium for nothing? The thruster stopped. Well, I’m here, but it looks like I’m alone. His heart began to race. Get ahold of yourself. Check over everything. He checked the scanners again. Come on, just give me a blip. He turned up the gain control on the receiving array in the hope he could pick up an emergency beacon. He found nothing.

  Think, Rhys, think. The man said save her, and the coordinates led me here. If I were in trouble and the Belvedere’s power had been lost, what would I do? How could I send up a flare to get rescued? How could I send an SOS? I’d probably want to wait until I knew someone was close before I tried something. Rhys turned on all of the Belvedere’s spotlights, rotating them in random patterns. Let’s see if anyone is out there looking for me. He waited, he watched the screen. He fiddled with the control yoke. Am I loosening it? Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey…

  The main viewing screen lit up with a point of light in the distance. The point flashed three times, then repeated the pattern, but slower, then repeated it again at the original speed. S.O.S. I’d know that anywhere. Rhys manually adjusted the pitch and yaw controls until that flash of light was in the center of his screen. He had his target and adjusted the ship’s scanners toward it.

  With just one point of data he couldn’t tell the distance, so he accelerated slowly, with ionic drives only. After several minutes of thrust, he had a blip on the screen. There was something there, and he’d found it. He cranked up the ionic drives to their maximum.

  As the Belvedere grew closer, her spotlights began to define the outline of this thing. It was a ship of some kind, with a dark-brown skin that looked rough, almost like the bark of a tree. The ship looked asymmetrical on all axes, with bulges and pods randomly attached to it. That’s definitely alien. The ship rotated slowly as he approached, to display a flash of silver as the far edge came into view. That’s a salvager’s skiff docked to the side of this thing. It’s got no power, though. He circled the ship several times to get a good look at all its angles. I’m not seeing anything that looks like a port. Crap, I’m going to have to do this the hard way. He initiated an auto-anchor system to hold the Belvedere in a stable position related to the other ship.

  He opened a cabinet located next to the air-lock, removing a well-worn EVA suit with another man’s name stitched on the chest. I should have replaced this thing years ago. I hope its seals can hold back vacuum at least one more time. He struggled into the suit, which seemed just a little tighter than he remembered. Once inside, he powered it up to find all the gauges were within the green-zone, but some just barely so. He found a case the size of a large suitcase marked with “EMERGENCY AIRLOCK”, taking it with him into the airlock. He connected his tether and initiated the air purge. The EVA suit creaked as it strained to maintain atmosphere. I knew I should have bought
that EVA suit.

  The hatch opened to the emptiness of space, his helmet light showing him the alien vessel about twenty meters away from him. He gently pushed off against the airlock, watching as the strange ship grew to within touching distance. He used his arms as springs to absorb his momentum as much as possible, but he still felt a jerk through his entire body when he struck.

  He opened the case, turning its contents over. One side was stenciled with the word “OUTSIDE”, the other was marked “THIS SIDE TOWARD HULL”. He twisted until he got one corner of the inner portion touching the hull and pressed a button. Vacuum-epoxy glued the corner in place. He stretched the other three corners and likewise stuck them in place. A red button glowed with the words “PERIMETER SEAL – ENGAGE.” He pressed the button and foam sprayed along the entire perimeter, creating a seal. After a few seconds, the airlock unfolded to create a corridor, large enough for three people in EVA suits to stand in.

  He climbed inside to find the final button illuminated with the words “SHAPE-CHARGE ENGAGE”. He pressed the button and watched as a ribbon of highly-volatile chemicals burned a hole through the alien ship’s hull. A rounded rectangle of ship’s skin fell into the alien ship. Well, let’s see what’s inside. He disconnected his tether, hooking it on a loop in the airlock.

  The inside of the ship glowed with a yellow light that seemed to come from all the surfaces, creating an unearthly radiance. The EVA suit’s shoes were equipped with microscopic fibers designed to grip in zero G, allowing Rhys to walk slowly inside the ship. After a few steps, he knew how much he could push forward without overdoing it and slipping. He felt his hands shake as he rounded a corner. The light was dim, but he recognized that there was something big coming right at him.

  His heart pounded in his chest as his eyes took in the beast. It was bulky, probably half-again as large as he was, with a reptilian shape that stirred primal fears and the urge to run. He saw a huge, gaping mouth filled with long, spiked teeth and eyes like yellow slits that seemed to glow, and its arms and legs seemed to be adorned with dinosaur-like claws. If this thing is Karan, it’s the biggest damn one I’ve ever seen. Could it be feral? Rhys tried to run backward away from the creature, but he lost his footing in his panic and fell onto his back.

  The beast landed on top of him, its expression unchanging as Rhys screamed for his life, flaying his arms. The beast’s mouth opened with an unnatural motion, pivoting back further than it had any right to do so. Rhys raised his right arm up to try to ward off the attack, but the beast slapped his arm down. Rhys clinched his eyes shut, expecting pain. But the pain didn’t come. He forced himself to open one eye. What he saw surprised the hell out of him.

  The mouth had opened to reveal a sheet of clear glass, and behind that glass he saw the face of a woman. A beautiful woman, with long blond hair, and bright blue eyes that had a hint of purple in them when the light from his helmet struck them. She pointed to his wrist.

  Rhys looked down at his wrist to realize that she was pointing to his radio control. “Radio?”

  The woman smiled and struggled to work a hand into her mask, showing two fingers, then three.

  “Channel twenty-three. Got it.” Rhys thumbed his control knob until the display read 23.

  A woman’s voice squeaked into his earpiece. “Thank you, thank you, thank you Mr. McCord.”

  “What the fuck is going on here? You gave me a Code Brown! Do you know how hard it is to clean out an EVA suit? Who the hell is Mr. McCord? My name’s Butler. Rhys Butler.”

  “Sorry, I saw the McCord on your suit, and I assumed that was you.”

  “No, that was the unlucky bastard that owned this suit before I shat in it. I’m guessing he’s dead. If not, he won’t want this suit back,” he answered in a rush, still pumped with adrenaline.

  “I thought I was dead, but you came to save me! How did you find me?”

  “Slow down, Missy. First off, who are you?” Rhys said, trying to slow himself.

  “Sorry. My name is Raiden Christian.”

  “Nice to meet you, Raiden. What the hell are you doing in that thing?”

  “This is a Karan EVA suit. I had to improvise. I’ll be glad to explain everything, but first, can we get to your ship?”

  “Sure, Raiden. I couldn’t dock, so we have to jump. There’s a tether line in the airlock.”

  “You’re lucky,” Raiden said, her eyes lit up. “When I docked, my whole ship went haywire.”

  Rhys led the way back to the emergency airlock. Once they were inside, he reconnected his tether, sealed a flap over the Karan ship, and opened the outer door. He looked over Raiden’s EVA suit, but found no connection points. “You’re going to have to hold onto me.”

  “I’ll hang on for my life, hon,” Raiden said. Even over the radio, her voice sounded tempting.

  “Let’s do this,” Rhys said as he pushed off. The Belvedere’s airlock grew closer in his vision, Rhys let out a sigh of relief when his hand clutched a grab bar. Back home, for what it is. He made sure Raiden’s EVA suit completely cleared the outer door and pressed the close button. The door sealed and air was pumped back into the airlock. When the green overhead light illuminated, he released his helmet latch.

  Raiden did the same. As soon as her helmet was removed, she grabbed Rhys’ arm and pulled him in close, planting her lips on his. The kiss turned passionate as her tongue penetrated his mouth and played with his. She struggled to get out of her suit.

  “Wow. That was some thank you, Raiden. Look, I need to get a shower,” Rhys said as he opened the inner door and stepped inside the Belvedere. “The kitchen is over there, have anything you want. You can get a communications link at the node if you need to contact anyone. I’ll be back in a few.” Rhys waddled off to the shower. He stripped out of the EVA suit, leaving his clothes inside it. The escaping air reeked, so he resealed the helmet on the suit. I definitely should have bought that suit. Rhys climbed inside the shower, closing the door behind him. He was nearly finished when the door opened. Rhys snapped his head around and his jaw dropped open.

  Raiden stood before him completely naked, her long blonde hair flowed as she stretched her neck. She had a body a goddess would be jealous of, strikingly perfect, curvy, and sensual; the ghost of Hugh Hefner would approve. “I need a shower, too. Mind if I join you?”

  “Not at all,” Rhys said, stepping back as far as he could.

  “You can touch me. I won’t break.” Raiden smiled and ran her hand across his chest. Her eyes glanced downward. “I see you like that.”

  The adrenaline of a near-death experience for Rhys and Raiden’s sudden rescue made it the most intense sex either had experienced. After their release, they both gasped for air and laughed. I could stay here forever with her. But after a few minutes the air chilled their wet bodies, and they both decided it was time to dress. Rhys handed Raiden a towel while he wandered off to his quarters. He returned a few minutes later, dressed in comfortable civilian clothes. He handed her some shorts and a T-shirt. She put them on, and he realized how much better she made them look.

  They went to the kitchen, where Rhys searched through cupboards. “What do you prefer? Powdered eggs, freeze-dried scones, or maybe pancakes?”

  “Yes, please. I’m starving.”

  “One country breakfast, coming up.” As Rhys prepared the meal, he asked, “So, how long were you on that ship?”

  “Twenty-six days. I was certain I’d die there. But you saved me!” She planted a kiss on his cheek as he rehydrated the scones in a cooking module.

  “So, other than to scare me half to death, why were you wearing the Karan EVA suit?”

  “I had no choice. When my ship docked with the Karan ship, all my electronics were fried. I had nothing but my own EVA suit, with a few spare tanks, and a week’s worth of food and water. When I found the Karan EVA suit, I noticed it didn’t have any tanks for oxygen or scrubbers to remove CO2, but the inside of it was coated with a mat of algae or bacteria. Once my tanks ran dry,
I had no choice but to try it. It seems the bacteria activates when it encounters carbon dioxide, and it produces oxygen as well as a waste liquid that collects in a holding tank in the suit. I drank that liquid. It was a little gross at first, but after a while, I got used to the taste. It was kind of a yeasty flavor. It provided me with enough calories to live on.”

  “That’s amazing. You know how to think on your feet,” Rhys said.

  “I saw your lights, so I used the last of the battery power from my suit to signal you. How did you find me? Did Dad hire you?”

  “No.” Rhys’ face paled.

  “What happened to Dad?”

  “I don’t know, exactly. I was on the Bohr Transfer Station and heard a commotion. I found a man, he was…he was dying. He gave me a cube and said two words, “Save her.”

  “Oh, no!” Raiden’s eyes filled with tears. “They got to him. He insisted I leave the cube behind so he could come after his little girl. How did he die?”

  “He fell from an upper berth, with a laser wound in his back.”

  “Greedy UNCS fucks,” Raiden sobbed. Rhys wrapped his arm around her shoulder, squeezing her tight. “Thank you. How did you decipher the cube? If Dad didn’t tell you what it was, how did you find me?”

  “A friend of mine was able to figure it out. She’s pretty amazing.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to mess anything up…”

  Rhys laughed. “No, not that kind of friend. She used to babysit me when I was a little squirt. She’s like a grandmother to me. You didn’t mess anything up. You were perfect.”

  “Oh, good,” Raiden said.

  “Bek told me it was a map, or a tracker. But it wasn’t very accurate. I barely found you.”

  “That’s strange. It got me right there to the Karan ship. My ship exited the fold within a hundred kilometers of it.” She thought for a moment, then added, “But my docking was a little rough. I bet I affected its trajectory.”