A Paradox in Retrograde

by Faherty, John

  Ananda by now had already gone on the offensive. He easily matched their speed and outmatched their sword play. Moving with lightning speed, he was hunting the enemy within their midst. His blade he wielded fast and true. Soon others among the crew that had emerged from the ship joined the battle. Guardsmen as if having leapt from the ship in numbers were following behind him. They instinctively formed a column behind Ananda as he cut a wedge through their ranks. There they met the enemy with their muskets, pistols and swords. Despite the fearsome appearance of their adversaries, the men were spurred on, encouraged by Ananda's blind courage. Soon they were all engaged. The thunder of shot piercing the air was followed closely by the din of crashing swords. After this short but intense engagement a signal of retreat was given as they moved back into defensive positions nearer to their ship. Soon defensible lines were formed among the tangle boulders and fallen trees. The creatures, many of who had become wounded in the hail of lead and steel would make this onslaught their final stand. Though most of their number had now been wounded by pistol and rifle shot, they would continue to stand their ground.

  Despite Ananda’s expressions of fevered exhilaration in the face of such resistance he knew this assault would be costly. Such concerns for him were secondary. So as the last ofthe ready shot had been expended the men now were given the order to advance. At pace akin to a mad dog they rushed forward headlong with sword and bayonet into the jaws of death. The minutes seemed to turn to hours as blow was traded for bloody blow. Landaus summoned all his strength as he fought back the wave of fear as he led the attack. As if in frenzy, with sword and dagger he engaged them one after another. Killing two as they stood only inches away, he watched as the light of life slipped from their eyes. It was here though that the creatures showed their true mettle. For their skill with the sword was matched only by their bravery. Here the men learned their bloody lesson as the creature's weapons found their marks. Men were now falling to the steel. Despite this late surge in the battle the dye had already been cast. Ananda sensed their better than anyone his enemy’s desperation and so planned to exploit it. He waited patiently for the right moment. He sensed just at the height of the melee that the moment to strike had arrived. Then he and a handful of guardsmen attacked from a position on the enemy’s right flank. Forward they pushed meeting the surprised defenders with a frightening speed. Soon the two pincers met in the middle. There the last of the creatures had fallen by way of a bayonet to the gut. His anguished wail was the last sound they heard ground fell silent for as quickly as it had startedit was over.

  One by one the creatures had fallen, over come by superior numbers and brave action. The men though they had prevailed had suffered in equal numbers. Those who survived stood for now, exhausted yet victorious. The creatures lay about the ground dead and dying still clinging tightly onto their weapons. Their victory had came at a heavy cost for

  Included among this number was Grunhuf, who sustained a superficial blow to the head. The wound looked far more serious than it was as blood streamed down over his face. Landaus had found him knocked unconscious and bloody, but very much alive. Grunhuf who fancied himself a swordsman had gotten involved and now found himself among the wounded. He was however lucky though he would not admit it, as Ananda had saved his life at least once during the height of the close contact fighting. Among the others, nearly all had been wounded in some fashion, of these five were dead outright and thirteen had sustained mortal wounds. The rest would limp back to Baldur to fight another day.

  As the last of the fog had lifted Ananda returned toward where the men had assembled. He was quite a sight to behold. His long dark hair and his silk robes were drenched in their coagulated blood. The whites of his eyes seemed to glow from behind the curtain of gore that he wore like a veil. He stood before them and sheathed his sword. "Do you believe me now? These creature that we defeated here today will become unstoppable en mass. We must prepare for the inevitable." All but the youngest of the fighters were doubled over in a combination of exhaustion, anxiety and exhilaration for being alive. This was for most a baptism of fire. They had fought hard for their very lives and for the most part survived it.

  Landaus ordered some of the troopers who had been trained in first aid to set up a makeshift triage inside the gondola of the airship. Grunhuf who had by now awakened had been wounded only slightly joined to help as these men carried thewounded back aboard the ship. The remaining able bodied men then began a careful search of the landing site. There about were crates of varying sizes marked with strange unreadable lettering. Abruptly their movements stopped as before them appeared a deep gash in the earth. They came to recognize they were lookingupon a newly excavated trench. Landaus estimated by eye the dimensions to be roughly, two meters wide, one meter deep, by perhaps a hundred meters long. Landaus commenting on his observations said, "Our friends have been busy. By the looks of things it appears like we caught them in the midst of something. There is no doubt in my mind that this trench has been excavated for the obvious purpose of burying this cargo for safe keeping. Now let's see what's so important that they would need to bury it here far on a hillside."

  They thought it logical to check first within the ship. They did not know what they might find, so with arms ready they moved toward it. In hushed tones Ananda noted to Landaus, "This ship can not be the one that crashed, this one is intact, and it's not even damaged."

  "I agree it certainly is not. The one we found was shattered and flattened. This one came to a perfect three point landing. Landaus and Ananda cautiously walked up the metal ramp that protruded downward at angle of forty five degrees frombelow the open hatchway. Once at the doorway, Landaus was careful as he tilted his head inside. Satisfied there would be no sudden surprises, they entered into the long cylindrical fuselage of the ship. For a quiet moment the men with weapons ready, searched up and down the length of the ship for they could not be sure if some one had stayed behind to protect the cargo within. One by one the teams reported back that there was no one else aboard.

  As the others checked for stragglers Ananda followed the dull sound of plasma motors that grew louder as he advanced down toward what he perceived to be the forward section. Soon he found himself inside what he imagined to be the vehicles nerve center. There he saw a control panel bristling with lights and switches. Behind which there were arranged a pair of a pilot's seats. The engines were still running and the indicator board's lights were blinking go. He ran his hand over the controls fooling with some of the toggles and switches. Strangely he seemed to intuitively understand their mechanisms.

  Landaus along with the other men was examining the remainder of the ship. With a hand held recording device he began to dictate a description of what he now saw there withinthe cylinder. "Here along the walls of the interior were arranged the niches in which the creature must have used to secure themselves during flight. There seems to be a seating capacity for thirty six individuals. However they could fit many more if need be in the center. What is currently here arranged is a collection of items that must be weapons, the likes of which I have never before seen. Some appeared to be guns of a sort, while others were obviously bladed weapons of all varieties. There are no other supplies present such as food and water." Ananda returned to join the others but Landaus had not noticed his arrival there. Ananda interrupted his dictation and said "To what conclusions are your assumptions leading you to? I am of the opinion that what we have discovered here is not a raiding party. This is more likely an intelligence or logistics team. We caught them in the act of embedding a strategic weapons cache. They truly are as shrewd as they are brave." He paused a moment to catch his breath and to contemplate the fates of those dead and dying strewn there about the hillside. He dropped the one sword he still held onto the floor and continued. "It truly was a brilliant stroke of luck to be so sheathed in a blanket of fog as we were. I can only imagine how different our results may have been if they had not been surprised so. We can however be thankful that w
e need no longer to question the truth. It lays here about us. They are already planning the coming battle. We have been fortunate to land here and find what we have found. They will not now, be able to use these weapons against us. May the Gods be willing to see our continued good fortune? If it is his will, we may yet use these weapons against our enemies."

  Landaus turned off his device and responded, “That of course remains to be seen. We'll have to get this lot back to the citadel first. I fear however that if we don't move off this hill soon, we may not get back before we lose the light. Darkness will make dangerous of our descent."

  "We'd better get a move on then. Oh there is one more thing. Landaus you can go on without me in the Airship I will be piloting this vessel myself."

  Landaus paused for a moment and contemplated his predicament. He did not like the Idea but what else could be done? "If you think you can fly it ? Alright Ananda bring it home in one piece. Good luck." Landaus exited the ship then set himself to task. He Split the men into details and their orders were given. One group was ordered to collect the remaining cargo on the ground and begin to load it into the airship's hold. The others were sent to locate and prepare the crashed ship. Ananda having some familiarity with the ships systems would stay back to prep the intact alien vessel for its return trip to Baldur.

  Ibsen having witnessed the bloody melee now then felt it safe enough to come down from his hiding place. He wandered carefully from the ship to where the men had gathered. His heart raced as he stepped bewildered over and between the shattered bodies. He came upon the men of the guard from behind, as they had been distracted with their plans. Landaus had not seen his son approach. When he was in sight of those who faced him all talk stopped and attention was drawn from their conversation towards him. Landaus turned and was shocked to see his son there among the carnage. He ran to him and then embraced him. There would be time to scold him later. The sight of seeing him there left him able only to protect and comfort him. Landaus could not yet tell if his young son had in some way been traumatized by what he must have seen. "Ibsen, are you alright?" He nodded his head to the affirmative then buried his head in his father's chest and began sobbing. "However did you find this place? Were you aboard the air ship?" He responded silently by nodding his head that he had, and then he spoke. "I stowed away outside of the airship" Landaus eyes widened and his voice rose in both concern and anger. "Why do know how dangerous that stunt was? You could have easily been killed. Do you know how I would have felt if you had fallen to your death? I would ask you; just what you think you are doing here?" He looked at his son with a steely eyed glare as he awaited an answer. With a new found pluck he tentatively spoke his mind.

  "Father you have made a promise to me that my discovery, would be just that. You seem to have given my possession to these men without so much as a word to me, your son."

  "Ibsen I told you when we took it off the beach that it was too valuable for one man to hold. That is why it has been entrusted to the government." Seeing he was hurt He put his hand on his son's head and apologized. "I am sorry, for what it’s worth. But you don't understand what we are up against. If that object out there can help us then we can't afford not to use it." Looking around he could see that all eyes were now on them. He suddenly realized that they were making a spectacle having said more than he wanted to, he would put an end to it. So then his tone changed and he told him rather sternly "Now Ibsen I’ve said all I’m going to on this now it is time that you do as you are told. So, I want you on the deck of that gondola and find a spot. I want you to sit there. Don’t you move one inch from this spot until we are in the air. Do you understand me young man?" Seemingly Ibsen had gotten the message for he nodded his understanding and without another word spoken he made his way up the rope ladder.

  Not long after Landaus had exited the vessel, Ananda returned to the control center of the ship. He was alone on the ship and so found the pilot's seat and sat down. He could not recall how or why but it surprised him when he discovered that he somehow possessed knowledge of this ship's workings. He intuitively ran through the system checks as it he had done it before. It would seem like an obvious conclusion he thought. He however could not fathom a reason why or how he would have. One by one he checked the switches and the each time he received an appropriate response from the computer.

  From where Ibsen stood within the gondola he climbed up onto the chair to take a look. There pressed against the glass he could watch the goings on from the window. He held his breath as the pilot made the difficult maneuver to reposition the ship over the sight of the wreck. Only moments before it had been discovered by the men, merely a few hundred yards from where they had originally touched down. Once the ship was carefully positioned, the crew busily lashed the main body of the wreck, securing it tightly onto the makeshift frame. In brigade fashion, the remaining cargo that was on the ground was carried up and loaded into the airship's cargo hold. By then it was now late in the afternoon nearly evening when the guardsmen returned to the ship, their energy all but spent from the previous fighting and their labor. Aboard the ship most men collapsed exhausted to the floor. The airship was unsecured from its moorings and the hovering motors began to hum. The last to enter the ship just before liftoff was Landaus. He had manned the ladder to guard against any unknown threats. The ship was now airborne. He rose up out of the portal into the hold, shutting the door behind him. Once safely aboard he stowed his gear and sat down in a vacantchair next Ibsen. He put his arm around his son's shoulder and spoke to him. "Ibsen if I spoke too sternly to you earlier, then I'm sorry. It's just that since your mother passed it has been just you and I. It has been difficult for me to balance my many responsibilities. Beyond being your father there is much I am held accountable for. So for the time being I think you should stay close to me, at least till this situation sorts itself out. Would that be alright with you?" The boy still enthralled in the goings on around him nodded his head in agreement and said, "Yes Father." His attention was otherwise tuned to the view outside. Staring downward he watched as the ground below them slowly slipped away. Suddenly something else now entered his view. The boy turned to his father excitedly and said, "Father the other ship, it is rising!" Landaus turned and leaned down toward the window with his son. While the airship steadily rose to a hovering height, they watched through the window the alien ship struggling to match its pace. "Why is it flying, so Father?" His father smiled and said, "I think that's what's called pilot error."

  Aboard the alien ship, Ananda wrestled to control the thrusters as it rocked to and fro. He imagined that one need obviously to be a master pilot to handle such a craft. As far as he knew he possessed no such special knowledge. The controls however though unusual were as he had earlier noted, not as alien as he would have imagined them to be. Though he was heavy handed with them, they soon responded to his touch. The alien ship for several awkward moments moved haphazardly through airspace just above the tree line. However Ananda quickly seemed to develop some rudimentary mastery to the controls. Soon the ship began to level out. He was flying.

  High above Baldur's green hills the Air ship and its precious cargo made the precarious trip homeward. The balloon straining from its burden floated gracelessly, as its white linen surface was seemingly ablaze with the light of the afternoon sun. Like a great wounded beast it lumbered precipitously within feet of the jagged peaks and tall trees. Slow and steady with the sight of the high tower of Breideblic in the distance as his beacon, the pilot skillfully guided the ship and crew away from danger. Moving methodically, the alien ship followed closely. Ananda flew his craft in formation and at a tandem speed with the airship. He swore he could sense an energy coursing through the controls into his nervous system. He could literally feel the power of the ship as it were speaking to some remote part of his mind. This experience was such that he could not tell if it was a delusion. He longed now to feel the expression of the vessel's true power. Aboard the airship the speakers of the communication cha
nnel came alive with Ananda's voice. "I will join you shortly; there is something I want to see first." Then the voice cut out. Ibsen watched as the alien ship broke off from formation. It raised high into the air to the point to where it was difficult to see. Then there was a flash of bright light and a cloud of smoke. Shortly there after, the air was filled with a thunderous roar. Then it was gone.

  The arrow headed cylinder piercing the sky, glowed a fiery red hot as it broke the plane of the heavens. In an instant it had leapt in one motion, into the black abyss of space.

  Ananda peering through the pilots' canopy watched as the clouds and sky almost instantaneously gave way to the deep gulf of black space. He rose from his chair free from the bonds of Earth. Floating, no longer encumbered by the pull of gravity, he looked out onto the great arc of the Earth shining below him. Through his eyes he drank in its unfathomable beauty. Adrift in the quietude he peered out again toward the familiar stars that beckoned him onward. Suddenly he found himself stymied by a strange sight. There amongst the other bodies was something that seemed both out of place and at the same time vaguely familiar. The body was bright, glowing in colorful shades of red and green. He thought to himself, could this be where the vaunted halls of Nibaru stand. He pondered it for a moment as a wave of memory again rolled over him. The look of wonderment that graced his face had abruptly disappeared. It was replaced by one of another sort as he remembered something. He knew it must be Nibaru, for he had been here long ago.