The Long Road Home

by Max Swan

  He hit a button and said, “Attention all crew. I just heard from Major Goddard, and he seems OK for the moment. Nadir out.”

  Dexter’s face abruptly appeared on the main monitor on the Bridge smiling. “That’s good news, Colonel. Is he still in the hands of The Pedigree?”

  “Yes, Mr. Crimpson, he is,” Nadir said, “How’s the Captain going?”

  “She’s rallying. The wounds are closed, and the antivenin is doing its job, however, severe cellular-level damage has occurred. It’ll take her quite a while to recover completely, if she ever does.”

  Nadir slumped back in his chair and sighed deeply. “I’m relieved to hear that, keep me informed.”

  “Yes, sir, what of our plan?” Dexter asked.

  “The Vaman is dead, but the Professor remains alive. I think the Major has it in hand.”

  An alarm sounded behind Dexter making him look down at his console, then he looked up, saying, “Sorry, I have to go.”

  Nadir nodded, and the main monitor returned to its regular display of the status of Ships systems. He rubbed the side of his chair aching to meld with his beloved Ship. To feel her comfort but he couldn’t. He wondered whom he should feel sorry for the most. The Major on Earth trying to get his hands on the Professor, or them waiting for Blake to kill them when he ignited the qdrive.

  *****

  The plutonium needed to be prepared, which took several hours grinding it into the correct sized particles without exposing it to air. Air makes plutonium swell, and turn in to a highly flammable white powder rendering it useless, and the refit a failure. Blake pushed himself hard, though he’s still recovering from injuries he suffered mining the xelion crystal sphere. Blake’s tiredness made him as grumpy as a grizzly bear, even snapping at Colonel Nadir sometimes. Lijuan had to contend with the worst of Blake’s moods, but she endured it knowing the pressure he felt.

  Blake and Lijuan heard Nadir over Ships PA say, “Attention all crew. I just heard from Major Goddard, and he seems OK for the moment. Nadir out.”

  Blake looked over at Lijuan to see her smiling, and wiping tears away with her sleeve. “See, I told ya that SOB always lands on his feet.”

  “Yeah I suppose. He’s still down there, though, he’s not outta the woods yet,” she replied glumly.

  “If he survived that Vaman there’s nothing those idiots can do to him,” Blake said. “Now get outta here so I can get started,” he ordered and began sealing his radiation suit.

  Lijuan leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Good luck,” she said making Blake blush.

  Leaving the housing, she sealed the door tight behind her. While radiation certainly is a risk for Blake, the worst danger they faced is the potential for a massive nuclear explosion. The biggest risk being a few neutrons of element115 splitting an atom of plutonium. The worst-case scenario involving multiple neutrons splitting atoms, and causing what engineers of qdrives referred to as a ‘nuclear cascade’. Normally, casting a qdrive core is never done on a Ship, but in the depths of space where accidents don’t hurt anything except the background radiation. However, the crew of Ship had no such luxury, so the dangerous operation could only be done in Enginelab.

  Lijuan watched Blake fiddle around with the portable console, nervously checking the connections and settings again. Eventually, he settled himself behind the controls, and a soft metallic hum began to reverberate around Enginelab.

  “I’m ready to start, Li,” the intercom crackled on the station near Lijuan.

  She pressed a button, and said, “We’re all with you, Captain.” She hit another button for the Bridge, saying, “Sir, Captain Blake is beginning the first stage.”

  “Thanks Lieutenant, I’ll be there when I can, I have a few things to attend to. If there’s any problems let me know straightaway,” he replied.

  Lijuan chuckled, and said, “I think you’ll know before I can tell you, sir.”

  Nadir paused. “Received and understood. Nadir out.”

  Paul’s right, the old boy has no sense of humor whatsoever, she thought.

  Casting the core of a qdrive is a delicate operation. Basically, a mixture of element115, a liquid made of diamond and xelion dust particles called aggregate, mixed with plutonium while the contents are spinning around inside the previously hollowed out xelion crystal sphere. Qdrive engineers often joked that making a core is like trying to mix and bake a cake simultaneously, only the ingredients of this cake could vaporize a planet. The mixing is done bit by bit, to prevent premature clumping of the particles, and to form a consistent mixture. Blake sweated profusely inside the radiation suit as the particles swirled inside the hollow xelion sphere. He checked the outputs, and turned dials to adjust the feed of ingredients. The mixing takes time, usually about five hours if all goes well. If I fuck this up the Major won’t have a Ship to come home to, Blake thought. He’ll be alone down there facing a Garan invasion. He shook his head to force his concentrated on the job at hand.

  “Since when have you become soft over a Greeter, Gordon Gregory Blake,” he scolded himself under his breath.

  *****

  Marcus’s day got worse and worse, first the disastrous discussion with the alien called Paul, and now news that Nadir had threatened to vaporize Berlin if Paul isn’t released by tomorrow. After a long call to his family in Australia, where he said goodbye them in case the aliens held to their threat, he found himself walking the corridors of the prison not really sure what to do with himself. Octavian had said that if it came down to it, he’d evacuate Marcus when he did. However, he had tried to call Octavian several times now and got no response. Finding himself near a control center in the prison, he walked inside looking around seeing the alien’s possessions on a table at the back of the room, except the pistol.

  “Can I help you, Herr Doctor?” a guard said looking over at him.

  “I’m looking for Prince Octavian,” he said.

  “I’m sorry, a helicopter picked him up an hour ago and took him away. I thought you were with him,” the guard said.

  Marcus went pale, and swayed on his feet like someone about to faint, prompting the guard to say, “I’m sure he’ll be back before long, Herr Doctor. May I suggest you go and rest in the staff lounge?” The guard stood saying, “I can take you there, if you like.”

  Marcus raised his hand, saying firmly, “No. No, that’s all right, I know where it is.”

  He walked out heading toward the staff lounge, feeling numb all over. Octavian had left him here to die, never to see his family again. He passed a corridor and looked down it. He recognized it as the one the alien’s cell is located, so he walked down it.

  Stopping in front of the door to Paul’s cell, he said the guard, “Open it.”

  “Sir, I have been given strict instructions…,” the guard began.

  “I don’t give a fuck about your instructions. Open the fucking door,” he shouted at the man.

  The guard looked at Marcus suspecting he were half drunk, but decided to comply because he had seen him with Prince Octavian earlier. Marcus walked inside the cell saying to the guard, “I want to talk to him alone.”

  The guard sighed, and closed the door. Marcus stood before Paul whom stood there in a deep frown wondering what he is up to. “Is something wrong, Marcus?” Paul inquired.

  “Wrong?” Marcus laughed almost hysterically. “Octavian has deserted us, so I think your CO has his answer. That means we’re all gonna die. Even you,” he said pointing at Paul.

  Paul shrugged. “So? What do you want me to do about it?”

  “He said if we let you go he won’t destroy Berlin. Can I trust that he’ll keep his word?” Marcus asked, almost wringing his hands.

  “Worried about your wife and family are you, Marcus? How’s Kerry going these days?”

  He needed to be careful because Marcus looked desperate and if he pushed him too hard, he might kill him thinking it would protect his family.

  “Will he or won’t he keep his word
?” Marcus shouted in Paul’s face.

  “Of course he will, but you first have to release me.”

  “I don’t know if I can trust you, Paul. That’s the problem here,” he said reaching into his jacket and pulling out a revolver pointing at Paul. “I mean what kind of alien name is ‘Paul’ for fucks sake. That’s a human name, so what’s your real name?”

  Paul decided to tell Marcus the truth, hoping it wouldn’t get him killed. “Paul is my real name, because I’m not really an alien. I’m human like you, but I’m not from this dimension.”

  “What’re you talking about? Not from this dimension?” Marcus said his gun shaking in his hand.

  “My Ship is marooned in this dimension, and badly damaged. We stopped that alien vessel firing on Earth, and have been trying to repair our Ship so we can get the fuck outta here before the Garan fleet arrives.”

  “Garan? What?” Marcus looked confused.

  “That’s the race who attacked Earth three months ago,” Paul said. “They have a fleet of space vessels coming, and they’ll be here anytime now. The Garan’s won’t negotiate with Octavian either, when the fleet arrives human civilization will end.”

  “Why did you try to scare Octavian into letting you go? Why didn’t you tell him what you just told me?” Marcus said holding his pistol out and waving it around.

  Paul watched the pistol. “I wanted you to catch me so I could get close enough to kill Professor Starr, I still plan to do that.”

  Marcus laughed, and said, “He nearly killed you.” Pointing the gun barrel to his chest, he said, “I stopped him, I saved your life.”

  Paul’s eyes bulged slightly, and he said, “I thank you for that, I owe you one so why not let me help you.”

  “If what you say is true, how the fuck can you help me? You’re as fucked as the rest of us,” Marcus said lowering his gun and sitting heavily on the bed in the cell.

  “I can take you with us, you and you’re family. My Ship should be repaired by now thanks to the plutonium,” Paul said putting his hand on Marcus knee as he squatted next to him. “You could escape.”

  Marcus looked at him and Paul noticed the tears running down his cheeks. “How can I leave knowing people here are being slaughtered by alien monsters? No, if humanity is going to die, I’ll die with it.”

  Paul stood and walked to the fountain and took a drink when he had an idea. The thought of leaving human civilization to perish in this dimension had troubled him for months now. All the people he had met pretending to be the Professor were not dissimilar to people back home. It grieved him deeply what would become of them, and while they couldn’t save them all maybe they could save some. He turned to Marcus, and said, “What if we took a few thousand people with us. There’s many Earth like planets in the galaxy, we could set up a colony. Human civilization could survive, maybe even take back this planet one day.”

  A silence fell on the room as Marcus considered what Paul offered. “I don’t know if I can trust you. What do I give you for this?”

  “You help me get outta here and get the Professor. I’ll take you back to Melbourne where we can gather all the people you want to evacuate,” Paul said feeling excited by the idea. “This chance is all you have to save humanity.”

  “Why not help us fight the Garan’s instead?” Marcus asked.

  Paul sighed deeply. “Our presence here is an accident. My Ship is a fucking wreck, and in no condition for combat. We’ll also be outnumbered one hundred to one. Our choices are to escape, or self-destruction so our technology won’t fall into Garan claws. We want to escape.”

  “You’re asking a lot for me to trust you.”

  “If we mean you ill, why would we give you quantum-relativity and the GFM,” Paul said quietly.

  “You gave us those things to try to get plutonium from us,” Marcus said with a slight smile.

  “And you sold me out to the press, to make money from those discoveries,” Paul shot back.

  “Touché,” Marcus said. He sat and thought about what Paul had told him. If what Paul is saying is true then what choice have I, he thought? One of those spaceships nearly wiped us out, what will a fleet do? Finally, he said, “I’ll do it for my family.” He placed the gun back in his jacket.

  “If you help me, Marcus, I promise I’ll save you, your family, and anyone else you want, except Professor Starr,” Paul said.

  Marcus nodded and stood, shaking Paul’s hand. “So what do we do now?”

  Paul stood next to the cell door. He said to Marcus, “Call the guard in.”

  Marcus did, and the guard unlocked the door and entered the cell. Paul lunged at the man, and with a few hard whacks across his head the man fell to the floor unconscious.

  Marcus went to leave, but Paul stopped him, “The Professor.”

  “Oh, he’s down there,” Marcus said pointing down the corridor. “They imprisoned him after he killed those soldiers. I’m afraid he’s gone crazy,” Marcus said gesturing him to follow, so they went running down the corridor and stopped about fifteen cell doors down from where Paul was held. “This cell is the one,” he pointed.

  Paul grabbed the keys and opened the door and Marcus entered before him. “What do you want? I have nothing to say to you.” Richard said.

  Marcus rolled his eyes. “I’ve learned that you’ve withheld information from us.”

  Richard laughed coldly. “As if I give a shit what you’ve learned.”

  “Oh? I’m sure you’ll give a shit when the Garan’s get here,” Marcus said. When Richard’s eyes widened, Marcus knew immediately that Paul had told him the truth.

  Paul groaned and stepped toward Richard saying, “I really don’t have time for this crap.”

  Richard backed up gasping in fright at the sight of Paul. “You!” he screamed.

  With one firm punch to the head, Richard went down very easily. Paul turned to a wide eyed and pale looking Marcus and said, “Are the items they took off me somewhere you can get them? Especially the cell phone.”

  “Yes, they’re being kept in a control room nearby.”

  “I need you to get me that phone. We’ll need help getting out of here, and a shuttle to get away. Can you do it?”

  “I think so,” Marcus said growing even paler.

  “Then get it, I’ll wait here with this sack of shit,” Paul said.

  Marcus nodded, and left the cell still wondering if he’s doing the right thing.

  Chapter 19

  Paul looked at his watch again, followed by a glance down the long corridor in the direction Marcus went. He sighed deeply shaking his head, and looked at his watch again. Finally, he saw Marcus running down the corridor, clutching something to his chest. Marcus kept turning and looking behind him. Paul gestured to him with his arm to hurry, and when Marcus reached Richard’s cell he bent at his hips trying to suck air in. He held up the cell to Paul who took and turned it on. Looking at the breathless man, he said, “What took you so long?”

  Marcus gasped, trying calm his breathing and racing heart. Eventually he said, “They… wouldn’t… give it up.” He pulled out his .38 revolver and held it up. “Had to… persuade them.”

  Paul looked at the gun and at Marcus, smiling slightly at the man. He tapped Nadirs icon on the cell and Nadir answered immediately. “Status?”

  “I’m free, and I have the Professor. Have you got my location?” Paul said watching Marcus recover.

  “Yes, there’s a door at the eastern end of the corridor that leads outside. The door will be gone by the time you reach it.”

  “On our way now,” Paul said.

  Putting his cell in his pocket he picked up the unconscious Professor like a rag doll, and flung him over his shoulder.

  “Come on, let’s get outta here,” he said to Marcus, and they headed down the corridor toward the exit Nadir had told them about.

  As they approached the door it began to glow white, making Paul put his hand out to stop Marcus for a moment. The door disappeare
d, and a fair portion of the wall around it as well. You could see outside into the prison yard through the hole in the wall. An alarm went off, and they could hear guards running and shouting behind them.

  “Come on,” Paul urged and they began running toward the opening.

  “Halt, oder wir schießen!” a guard yelled in German.

  A soldier appeared holding Paul’s disruptor pistol, and he raised it to fire but with a sudden puff of smoke, the guard started screaming in pain. Nadir had activated the IEH Protocol so the weapon self-destructed in the soldier’s hand. Marcus looked horrified as the soldiers arm began dissolving. Other soldiers and prison guards stood around the stricken soldier, looking at his dissolving limb, and at each other with wide-eyed helplessness.

  Paul grabbed Marcus and pushed him onward, making him jump out of the side of the building and landing on the remains of a stairwell. They ran along an asphalted yard, when a noncamouflaged shuttle landed in front of them with the back hatch opening. Gunfire raked across the ground around them, but they kept going. They ran inside, Paul dumped the Professors limp body on a seat, and headed to the cockpit. Working the console the Shuttle silently lifted off, and disappeared in the sky.

  After entering the coordinates for Melbourne, he said, “I’ll have you home in around thirty-minutes.” As Paul turned to look at Marcus he said, “Meanwhile you might….”

  He stopped at the sight of Professor Starr pointing a disruptor at Marcus’s head. He had the biggest ‘shit eating grin’ on his face Paul had ever seen. Paul slowly stood saying, “Put the weapon down, Professor, or you’ll go the way that guard did.”

  “You’d like that I’m sure, but I seem to know-how to deactivate your IEH protocols,” Richard said with a smile.

  “Richard, this isn’t helping anyone,” Marcus said. Especially me, he thought.

  “So you’ve switched your allegiances now? The Pedigree not good enough for you anymore? I wonder how Julius will feel when he learns of your treachery,” Richard said.

  “They’ve offered us a chance to survive what’s coming. Why don’t you stop this and join us?” Marcus begged.