The Fifth Civilization: A Novel

by Peter Bingham-Pankratz

  “Should we stop them?” Roan asked.

  Kel laughed. “You want to tell the Prince he can’t drink? It’s going to offend him.”

  “Fine. But he’s not going to be the one to make first contact with the natives. We’re not going to screw this one up.”

  “Excuse me, but when do we plan to make contact?” David inquired. He was leaning toward the two, and a small stream of wine fell from his glass. Roan reached over and gently tipped his glass up to avoid this, and David’s head swirled fallow in embarrassment.

  “I figure we’ll do a few orbits, maybe for another twenty minutes,” Kel said. “That’ll give whoever’s there a chance to contact us. If we don’t hear anything, we’ll fly down to the surface and maybe land at a clearing somewhere. We should be able to see if there are cities or villages during one flyover—and if there are, we’ll land near one.”

  “And if there are any hostiles?” This question was from Roan.

  “We’ll fly to another continent or something.” Then Kel chuckled. “I’m sorry, I’m picturing what we’ll do to these local’s legends and cultures when we suddenly appear. In a way it’s frightening, all the change we’ll make.”

  “We don’t have to contact them,” David said. “We could land at an isolated area and study them. Perhaps run tests on the surface to determine if this planet was seeded by panspermia. That way, we avoid all cultural contamination. I believe that’s what Aaron would have wanted. In fact, as a scientist, it’s the only recommendation I can give.”

  David’s argument was the moral one, Roan thought. But he didn’t think that approach was going to solve the question of the theoretical inhabitants being related to humans and the other three civilizations. To answer that question, they had to at the very least meet with the natives. Damn cultural contamination. The Nydens sure as hell weren’t thinking about that when they made first contact with Earth on that post-nuclear night several hundred years ago. One radio signal and humans knew they weren’t alone in the universe.

  “We’ll see,” was all Roan could leave David with. His attention was focused on a long, thin, island on the planet below, and it appeared to be dark and rocky and volcanic. What a sight it must be to any sailor to suddenly come across a row of craggy mountains blocking their path. How many unlucky ones crashed against those rocks during the dark of night?

  Kel let go of Roan, which lulled him out of his thought. “You know, I should really go send a message out. Let any ship nearby know what we’ve found. The signal should reach Bauxa in a little over a week, provided it doesn’t run into any disturbances along the way.”

  “And if the Kotarans are following us?” There it was, the dreaded K-word, uttered in hushed terms over the past month lest it curse them and bite them in the ass before they reached their destination. Now that they were at Planet X, the word didn’t seem taboo.

  “We left them on Bauxa, Nick. As far as we know we killed a lot of them, maybe even their commander. And we know no one’s been following us.”

  Roan nodded. He hoped she was right.

  “I’ll be back,” Kel continued. “You guys enjoy yourselves, but remember we have a ship to run.” She jabbed a thumb at the Bauxens. “I don’t know about these guys, but you should report back on duty in a half hour. We have to start searching for a landing site.” As Kel brushed past Duvurn, His Excellency gestured to her and said something in his language, which made his fellow beings shout and cheer.

  This was the crew that was going to be remembered throughout history, Roan thought, returning to watch the planet turn below him. Books and holofilms were going to be written about them, and history was going to be taught with their names forever attached to it. If he were any sort of writer, he’d be recording everything he saw and heard on paper, for the inevitable tell-all story. But Roan was confident David was already doing those things, and would probably have a much better memory for what actually occurred on the voyage. Perhaps the Nyden could help him ghostwrite.

  Chapter 31

  Adjutant Annel jumped to her console at the first indication a transmission was headed their way. Without question it had come from the Earth ship, which the diagram on the Hanyek’s viewscreen indicated was just a few minutes in front of them. The ship had been stationary for some time, much longer than it usually took to rest its FTL drive. Annel quickly began the procedure for interception and jamming, which would stop the signal from getting through.

  “Commander!” Annel shouted. Grinek tensed in his seat. “There’s a transmission from the Earth vessel heading our way.”

  “Is it directed at us?”

  “No, it’s a general one.”

  “Intercept it! Don’t let anything they send out get through.”

  “Already done, Commander. I will play the message now.”

  Annel did so. The message was short and to the point, promising further details later, but it confirmed what Grinek suspected: the Earth vessel had discovered a new planet. Undoubtedly, this was Vertulfo’s hypothesized source of all life in the galaxy. The voice was of a female Earthman, and Grinek noted excitement in her voice. There was no caution, and no hint that they believed they were being followed. That would be their undoing. How did the axiom go? Do not leave the battlefield until there is no one left to twitch.

  “Excellent.” They were almost on top of the Colobus, according to the diagram on the viewscreen. For weeks Grinek had observed the Hanyek’s weapons drills, and the gunners were most adept at finding their mark. He felt an immense sense of pride as he contemplated the destruction he would soon witness, as well as the triumph that would come after. They were about to make history.

  “Weapons! Charge the cannons as well as the missile banks. I want us prepared to fire as soon as we can get a mark on that ship.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Helm! Prepare to end our lightcruise about seventeen klicks from that ship. I don’t want to collide with them…but I do want them to have a few seconds to realize who killed them.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Wait!” Grinek held up his finger to stop all movement on the bridge. Then he stood and walked to the weapons console. “I’m going to do this myself.” The crewman gladly stepped aside and let the Commander sit in his chair.

  History, Grinek thought. He surveyed the controls in front of him and noted which buttons fired which cannon, which targeting sensor controlled which missile tube. This was going to make up for all the missed chances, from Earth to Bauxa, which led to this tiresome chase.

  ***

  A few of the Bauxens had passed out. They were either sleeping on tables, thus bowing them in the middle, or on the floor. Duvurn was holding an empty wine bottle, singing a throaty ballad that not even the original Bauxen could save. Moira was checking the pulse of one while another Bauxen pointed and blabbered at the sloshed man, possibly fearful that he had a little too much.

  “Can you imagine what would happen if they tried to ban alcohol on Bauxa?” Roan asked David, who was surveying the carnage along with the ex-captain.

  “They tried once, two hundred years ago—it caused a planetary war.”

  “Another one? How many has Bauxa had?”

  “That was their last one, actually. The fighting ceased after they opened trade with the other species of the galaxy.”

  “I should really read up on the history of all four planets, David.”

  “You will likely have to read up on a fifth, Mr. Roan.”

  That was true. He was bound to have a lot of free time now, and a little reading wouldn’t hurt. Their conversation was interrupted by a squawk from the mess hall intercom. It was Kel, and she was screaming for Roan.

  ***

  What appeared on the Haynek’s screen was brilliant, a green and blue world that stung the eyes of all those who looked at it. For months, their Kotaran irises had been used to the ship’s dim lighting and the white and black dots of the void. Now before them were light and color.

  And silhou
etted by all that brightness was the Colobus.

  Automatically, the weapons’ sensors locked onto the hunk of metal and radiation they were programmed to scan for. The Earth freighter was moving quickly, but the Hanyek’s sensors were top-of-the-line. There was no escape.

  “Just press here, Commander,” the weapons officer indicated, and pointed to a yellow semi-circle on the counter, now blinking. Grinek put two of his scaly fingers on it and pressed down with relish.

  ***

  Roan didn’t reach the intercom before he saw the green burst fly past the mess hall window. The ship rocked. Glasses and bottles shattered on the floor. Tables and Bauxens overturned, and the mess hall was soon a deafening cacophony of breaking. In the hail of noise, Roan struggled to make out what Kel was saying, but he got the gist of it: they were being fired upon. He fell to his knees amidst the quaking. Deliberately, he crawled the extra few feet to reach the intercom, glass shards crinkling as he brushed them aside with his sleeve.

  “They found us!” Kel was screaming on the other end. Roan pressed the talk button.

  “Get us the hell away from the planet!”

  “It’s not from the planet! It’s the Kotarans!”

  Shit on a stick.

  ***

  One of the two shots missed. The other hit the Colobus’ port engine, and Grinek looked up from his console to the viewscreen and saw a small red flame on the side of the vessel. He was like a giddy schoolboy now, one who’d just been chosen to lead that year’s celebration of Emperor Yunyek’s theory of battle. Every laser bolt gave him a joyous thrill.

  “To calibrate, Commander, you must—”

  “Shut your hole!” Grinek screamed at the weapons officer. A crowd had grown behind the Commander to watch him as he fired. “I’m going to do this myself! Who cares if a few shots miss, it will terrify the Earthmen more.” Grinek knew he was inexperienced with a ship’s weapons systems, but if he unleashed salvo after salvo one of them was bound to hit the ship directly. Accuracy did not matter; this was not a training exercise. He pressed the button again as the targeting scanner settled directly over the Colobus. Burst after burst of laser fire flew toward the freighter.

  ***

  “Get everyone to the cargo bay! Take one of the Orion shuttles down to the planet!”

  Roan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was a direct order to abandon ship. “Kel, what about you?”

  “Just get the shuttle started! I’ll be down in a moment, I’m going to try and lose them!” Another green burst out the window, signaling more missed shots, but another direct hit as well. For every four fired, one got through. The lights flickered and everyone was thrown to the floor again, some head-over-heels. The Bauxens who had been passed out were conscious now, panicking and flailing, even more uncertain of the situation in their inebriated state.

  Static filled the com. David had crawled over to where Roan was, and seeing that his alien friend looked terrified, Roan felt a boost of confidence. He pulled himself up the wall to the com again, and once more radioed the cockpit.

  “Use the FTL, Kel! At least get us out of here.”

  “It’s gone, Roan! They hit it. Why aren’t you leaving?” She had reverted to calling him “Roan,” as she often did in times of stress. No time to reflect on that. He had orders to follow. He shut off the com with a jab. David held out an arm and Roan took it, lifting the bigger alien up and then pondering how he could get everyone out. The ship rocked again, and from the size of the explosion it seemed the laser had struck near the oxygen tanks. Outside, Aaron’s Planet flew by at a furious speed. Incredibly, Kel was managing to keep the Colobus in orbit.

  “Duvurn!” Roan shouted. “Get your green ass over here now! We’re getting off this ship!”

  “What’s happening?” The Prince yelled, struggling to maintain balance with his girth. His inebriated bodyguard, who was chortling, helped stabilize His Excellency and waddled him toward Roan. But with just about all the rest of the Bauxens rolling around on the floor, it was going to be tough getting everyone out.

  “Listen up!” Roan commanded, straining to be heard over the violent convulsions of the ship. “I’m powering up one of the Orion shuttles in the cargo bay! If you want to get off the ship—” A violent explosion interrupted him, so great Roan thought the hull would tear apart. Roan braced himself against a mess table. “If you want to get off the ship, meet me there! Do you all understand?” There were a few shouts in Bauxen and some of the drunken crew began to get on their feet.

  “What’s going on?” Duvurn cried again, and Roan believed there was little difference between the Prince and a helpless child.

  “What the hell do you think? It’s the Kotarans!”

  “B-But we left them behind on Bauxa!”

  “Don’t ask me to explain! Just get to the cargo bay if you want to live!” Roan turned to the door, which was already open from Doctor Moira, Sundar, and Joseph sprinting through it. David caught Roan’s sleeve.

  “Shouldn’t we help them?” David said, gesturing toward the slow Bauxens. In ideal circumstances they might, but the Bauxens were just too fat to be helped along.

  “David, we have to go. They’ll make it if they can.” David threw a concerned look at the Bauxens, but Roan grabbed his forearm and pulled him toward the door. “For the love of God, we don’t have time to help them!” David, against all the principles he believed in, followed Roan out, leaving Duvurn and his bodyguards limping behind.

  ***

  Even though laughing was anathema to Kotarans, Grinek could not help himself as he fired away at the Colobus. The ship was pulling some deft maneuvers to get out of the way of his shots, but with only one engine and the superior speed of the Hanyek, it could not possibly hope to avoid all fire. Again and again, Grinek pressed the buttons, missing many times but scoring about a fifth of his hits. One laser bolt struck the midsection of the ship, causing a brilliant fireball that may have been the killing blow.

  ***

  This time, the lights went out for good and the red emergency bulbs kicked on. Roan and David fell to the floor, hard. Roan’s cheek impacted with a metal grate and he was sure he drew blood. David was the first up and extended an appendage to Roan. The human latched on and the two continued their mad rush down the hall. Klaxons blazed. The methodic rhythm of the Hull Breach alert reverberated in their ears. This Colobus was going to disintegrate any second.

  ***

  Now the freighter was sinking ever closer to the atmosphere, skimming it and trailing a wake of flame. Why the ship wasn’t leaving the gravity-well of the planet—which caused it to act more sluggishly than if it was further out into space—was beyond Grinek, but he didn’t mind. It only helped his aim.

  “Sir, the Earth ship is running on auxiliary power!” It was a crewman behind him.

  “Good!” Grinek shouted. “We can finish him off soon enough.”

  “Sir!” It was another voice, from the weapons crewman. “I would recommend you use the missiles. We can finish him apart with one shot.”

  Grinek was too invested in the controls to berate the man, so he simply shouted his command back at him. “I’m going to chew him up with these cannons, is that understood? I’ll have no more questioning of my tactics!”

  “Yes, sir.” And that ended all banter. Grinek was focused on the controls, trying to get a moving target in his crosshairs. A simple missile strike would be easier, yes, but it would lose the fun of the chase. He was reliving those hunts of his youth in the jungles of Degmorra. So many scrapes, so many close calls, so many ankles tangled in the vines. So many times he was almost the victim of a sabermouth’s claws—but in the end, he always bagged his game, brining home the night’s dinner to his father.

  This time was going to be no different.

  ***

  They ran into the bay. Moira, who had taken some brief lessons in piloting, had the Orion shuttle all fired up. Sundar Kher leapt inside. It was a small craft, sleek, with a pointed nose a
nd a flattened cockpit. Meant to ferry around high officials, the shuttle could seat about ten comfortably, which meant it was going to be a tight fit if all the Bauxens were on board. Roan and David jumped through the gull-wing doors of the craft, taking seats and pressing their noses to the windows to watch the bay doors.

  Come on, Kel. Get down here. Roan pictured her frantically making her way through the Colobus. Was she really doing this to him?

  There was movement in the doors at the end of the cargo bay, and the bulbous shapes of Duvurn and his bodyguard came through the doorway, running as fast as their little legs could carry them. Sundar was motioning for them to come on, faster, and they were huffing and running, but judging by the sweat dripping down it was far too much exertion for the aliens. Once again the ship groaned and Roan knew the end was upon them. He closed his eyes and begged for it to be over quick. No prayers. Those would just be a waste of energy.

  Duvurn and the bodyguard jumped on board. Moira, at the controls and somewhat experienced at their operation, pressed her fingers on the keypad and the bottom thrusters began to churn. They were going to lift up soon enough. At the other end of the cargo bay, coming down the steps, were the rest of the Bauxens, though many of them were too drunk and too far away. Joseph was behind them, carrying a knapsack he must’ve collected from his quarters.

  Red lights began flashing. It wasn’t an alarm on the ship; the lights in the cargo bay were on a separate circuit. These were the lights that warned that the overhead compartment was about to open, and anyone better be cleared out of the bay because they were about to be sucked into space.

  Kel was opening the bay door so they could escape.

  Kel!

  Roan scrambled to find his com. It was somewhere, but he realized he had probably dropped it, or left it in his quarters. He was cut off from the bridge.