A Paradox in Retrograde

by Faherty, John

  With the all stop the engines cut off and with the exception of the sound of the retracting metal hull, all around them suddenly went eerily silent. They were surprised but relieved by the fact that their arrival had not caused the type reaction they had anticipated. In fact looking out through the windows revealed to them that their presence there had caused no reaction at all. There was no angry greeting party. Grunhuf brushed aside the debris and loosened his harness and sat up to look out through the cockpit window. There was nothing of what they had before seen from the air. All that he saw were row after row of silhouetted ships and a ribbon of rose tinted sky cast against the dark jagged outline of the landing bays leading edge. "Where are we? It looks as if we've landed somewhere deep in the ground. We'll never get out of here." The crew with their heads tilting upward strained to see anything beyond the edge of what was in effect a great canyon of steel. Sensing the crew's anxiety the voice of Amida resonated in response. "It is well we have landed here well out of sight. Soon enough we will face your enemy now there is time for cautious preparation."

  "Yes but how are we to get out of here? That wall has got to be three hundred meters tall." Grunhuf retorted sharply.

  "That estimate is as good as any. But you must not worry. Here is where their ships make landing. Logically their must be a means through which goods and personnel are transported between here and the rest of the city. I have no doubt that the ships computer should contain a data base of such a route." Even before these words had crossed the room Landaus had begun the process. He entered the search parameters of his query into his control board keyboard. There upon the screen appeared a schematic highlighted in neon green that represented a means of exit from their current location. "Send diagram to main screen."

  "Do you see? It is just as I had suspected." retorted Amida Grunhuf from the beginning had distrusted and disliked Amida. Now he was growing increasingly tired of what he interpreted as his condescending attitude and so tried to turn the tables on Amida. "That's well and good Amida, but how do you suppose our friend Leif here is going to feel about being used in such a manner especially against his own kind? Is how you're controlling him and perhaps us as well not just like what your brother has done back on Earth?" For a moment there was silence as it seemed the spirit of Amida was for once, at a loss for words. Then he spoke. "I take no pleasure in any of this. My powers I have used I think for good. Influencing some controlling others, yes I have done these things. I hope for the day I am relieved of this burden. Perhaps tonight I shall get my wish. I hope for your sake, it is so." Landaus seeing that no good could come of such an argument took the lead and spoke in the name ofreason. "Please gentlemen this bickering is getting us nowhere there is much work to be done. I suggest we get to it. Grunhuf for this to work I am going to need you focus on the mission instead of on which little or nothing can be done about. Can youunderstand that? "

  Without another word spoken the crew unfastened their harnesses and began to make their way down the vertical access ladders. As they moved down through the sections they discovered that the walls and doorways were now floors and ceilings. Though they had not noticed it prior the space, though perhaps more cramped was just as serviceable. Adjusting themselves to the new ship configuration their tempers soon cooled and the work had gotten underway to make ready what supplies that were needed. Soon for all that were heading toward the palace most of what supplies needed were safely packed. All was set but for the explosive device. Though among them there was unease in the thought of attempting what came next, they were mostly in agreement in that Leif would have to be a hostage. Seemingly there was no other way. When the time came a plan was hurriedly hatched to surround and subdue him if necessary. Landaus however thought it right to first ask Leif for the sake of his dignity to cooperate. Leif who had until this moment had been cooperative sensed a change among the other crew members. He found himself suddenly surrounded by men with vacant expressions. Grunhuf held within his hands the harness containing the explosive device. Upon seeing the device it had suddenly became clear to him what was going on. Again they saw in the eyes of young Leif the raw anger they had before witnessed. Landaus spoke, "Leif look at me. I think you know what's coming next. I ask you to cooperate with us now knowing that our intentionis to merely defend ourselves while in the process returning youto your home.

  Leif attempted to make a run for it, but as the crew collapsed around him he was easily subdued. However In the process of attempting to apply the harness Leif found an opening and he struck a deep bite onto Grunhuf's lower arm. He letout a pained cry as Leif's canine teeth clamped deep into his flesh. In the heat of the struggle with their adrenaline surging he could not yet fully appreciate the severity of his wound. When the struggle was complete and Leif was thoroughly subdued. Grunhuf stood bleeding heavily from his arm. The site of the blood left him faint and he keeled over. Landaus called out to Xora, "Xora he's injured. Go and find a med kit we've got a problem down here."

  A moment later from the floor above she slid down the ladder with an emergency medical kit in hand. "I've got it." Upon opening the kit beyond the usual bandages, they saw it contained some unfamiliar items. As the crew looked on puzzled Ibsen stepped forward under Amida's control and removed from the kit an aerosol cylinder. He began shaking it vigorously. After a few moments of this he pointed the cylinder nozzle at the affected area and pressed down on the button. A fine opalescent mist projected from it enveloping the wound. Almost instantaneously the bleeding had stopped. They were amazed by what they had just seen. Amida spoke, "Do you see such technology? Is this the mark of an inferior race? I think not."

  "What is it?" asked a dumbfounded Xora. Amida answered with his trademark superiority, "Within that cylinder are contained millions of microscopic machines less than the size of a single cell. Each one programmed for its specific job. You would do well to make peace with these people."

  A moment later Grunhuf sat up to see his arm had already begun to heal itself. "That is amazing, never have I seen such a wonder."

  Amida again spoke "If this plan is to work Leif must walk of his own power. Anything else would draw suspicion that he was perhaps already dead. I shall control young Leif's body. As he finished speaking Leif was enveloped in the sphere of Amida's mind and paralyzed him to his own will. Leif's body was now under the influence of Amida's control. He could donothing as against his will. They with reservation released his bounds. Amida made Leif stand motionless as they affixed, secured and armed the explosive device to a vest it around his chest. There was among the crew a mixture of emotions associated with this act. Few of them dared look on him, as his appearance was truly pitiful. Despite their feelings all was now ready.

  Having obtained their bearings from the ships computer, they were prepared now to leave the relative safety of the starship behind them. The outer hatch opened and the internal pressure within equalized with the air outside. Strange unfamiliar smells entered their nostrils and their consciousness's, as the air rushed up past them through the hatch opening. Down the vertical landing ladder Landaus and Grunhuf accompanied by Leif and Amida in the guise of Ibsen carefully crept one by one. They entered unto the ground beneath the ship and could feel the intense heat still radiating from the engine. They had to move.

  Lex and Xora from the cockpit window looked on as the others made their way out into the landing bay. They watched as they disappeared one by one into the gun metal darkness, their only light the rose tinted reflection of the sliver of sky. As they left his field of vision he turned to Xora and said, "It's down to us now lady Xora, are you ready?" With her heart beating wildly and without saying a word she nodded to the affirmative. They both then made their way to the vertical ladders. Soon they were in what had been the below deck where the devices had been stowed. With great care Xora gathered up the wired set of explosives and began to loop them around one after another about Lex's head and shoulders. The delicate devices hanging precariously down over his chest jostled a
bout as he gingerly stepped onto the ladder. Xora held her breath as she counted his foot steps down the ladder. When he had cleared the hatchway Xora hurriedly gathered up the remaining tools and fuses together. She loaded them into the olive toned satchel that had been the med kit then slung it over her shoulder. She stood still for a moment catching her breath in an attempt at summoning courage. Before she stepped out onto the ladder she closed her eyesand tried to remember how she had gotten to this place. It seemed as if she was born anew on this day. She wondered aloud, "If I survive this how can I ever go home again?" The Earth seemed so far away indeed. In that instant sound of Lex's voice shattered her gloomy thoughts. "Xora are you coming? Have you lost your nerve?" That perceived challenge was all it took to end her hesitation. Following him down the ladder she stepped out into the darkness.

  In short order they were on the bay floor. By now the aft exhaust port had cooled sufficiently: they did not need as the others had to make a run for it. They looked around carefully taking in what little they could see through the darkness. There again the eerie glow was cast about a hazy half reflection of the meager light that managed to reach this depth. After a few moments their eyes began to adjust to these conditions and they began to see at first phantoms and shadows forming from the grey recesses. Soon these phantoms began to manifest as shapes now familiar to them. There the highly reflective surfaces of the ships mitigated the lack of direct light by diffusing what little that was available through out the space. Now as the sparing light was deflected its effect was like one of twilight.

  Though they took some solace in the fact that they were in a manner camouflaged by the darkness, they could not however stay there long. Their presence there would not go unnoticed forever. Lex looked to Xora and asked, "Are you ready?"

  "I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be. Let's get this done already. I'm about to throw up from nerves."

  "You're not the only one. I've never done anythinglike this before."

  "I don't know whether I should be reassured by that or not." "I just want to let you know that you're not alone here. We're in this together. Do you know what I mean?"

  "I think so." This short exchange had done much to soothe her nerves. At ease now with each other and their mission with stealth they then began to make their way out among the ships. Lex working as the technician and Xora as an assistant of sorts their movements seemed well in sync. As they roved beneath the standing ships they crouched unrolling as they went the long string of charges. Though they stayed below each ship for as little time as was needed each charge required some minor adjustments. Then sometimes using clips or magnets, one by one the charges were attached. It was determined in advance that the most likely target location should be to the main external heat exchange ports. These were located conveniently near the aft section of each ship well in reach from the ground. Upon completion of each installation Lex with care would activate the charges. For a long while they toiled. When all was said and done there were roughly fifty charges set.

  As the last of these charges were set, Xora asked "That's the last one will it be enough to stop them?" "One for every third ship the blast radius of these devices should be sufficient to disable the entire fleet. Let's hope this gives them their due." Though Lex spoke these words with convincing bravado he held his private suspicion that though it should be enough to cripple their fleet that many would in fact survive.

  Though they did not know how long it had taken them to complete their task, for Xora each heart beat seemed to last an hour. With nerves ragged, she watched in building anticipation as he prepared to insert the final lead into the receiverdevice. He closed his eyes and inserted the live lead into theharness. Carefully he tuned the control frequency to match thatof his long range hand radio unit. All was just about completed when the specter of doubt again reared up from the shadows. A bead of sweat rolled down along the side of his temple as his mind raced to quantify his potential missteps. This thought weighed heavily on him for once it was done it could not be undone. This caused him a paralyzing moment of hesitation. He held tightly onto the activator switch frozen by his thoughts. Xora sensing his doubts moved to reassure him. Careful not to startle him she whispered softly in his ear, "Go ahead what are you waiting for? I was with you the whole time and not once did you appear distracted or unsure of yourself. So why start now? The sooner you flip it, the sooner we're back within the safety of our own ship. Besides if you don't, someone else will have to. You did all the work you might as well have the glory." The sound of her voice soothed his shattered nerves. Lex turned to her smiled, knowing then he had done all he could have done. He flipped the switch. The indicator light now glowed a shade of neon green. He let out a great sigh of relief then turned again to Xora and said, "Thanks for the help; I couldn't have done it without you."

  The others by this time had made good progress. The landing bay at forty stories deep was a maze of shafts and corridors. Their torches cast so little light that their eyes seemed to fail on them. Their imaginations filled in the blanks as each bend in a corridor filled them with anxiety. Landaus was leading the way when they came upon something peculiar. There in the dim torchlight a strange mix fear and adrenaline painted before them a figure of a man moving about in the shadows. Landaus stopped dead in his tracks and the others instinctively followed his lead. Speaking quietly Landaus gave an order. "Stay here I'm going to investigate." Hunched over he crept toward the shrouded figure. As he drew nearer its appearance grew stranger and more pronounced. Now a mere meter away he shined his light directly on it. "What in all of heaven is it?" Freed from the darkness its image could now be seen that it was merelyan object, the figure of a man frozen in place. Amida in the guise of Ibsen came forward. Landaus turned to him and speaking softly asked, "Amida in the name of all that is sacred, what in blazes is this I find before me?"

  "Do you not have stories in your mythology of inanimate objects transformed by technology into something more, or perhaps a machine monster?"

  "I certainly do not recall any such mythologies. Perhaps you could enlighten me?"

  "What you have here before you now is the remains of a fossilized automaton. They were once in the service of a great fleet of cargo vessels whose trade brought goods between the know worlds. Here in this cargo bay these machines once toiled loading and unloading of these ships. Though they were primarily designed to serve as an army of robotic stevedores many functioned at higher capacities. It's unfortunate but by the looks of the place, he and this facility have not been functional for sometime."

  Landaus satisfied now that there was no threat urged them on, "alright let's move along there's little time for a history lesson." one by one they filed past each in turn for a moment they stared into its unyielding gaze. They continued on, and as they roved they would come upon again and again the hulks of these mechanical beasts lurking ominously in the half light. To their relief each time they would discover that they too were frozen in their final footsteps, fossilized where they had long ago ceased to function. They marveled at the level of technology that would have been required for such a massive undertaking. And they could little help wondering why such an achievement would go so neglected. Landaus whispering asked of Amida, "How long ago was this facility abandoned?"

  "It's difficult to say for sure, perhaps fifty to a hundred thousand years"

  "But that's impossible, how can that be?" "Still you ask the same question based on what you thought was true as opposed by what you see and feel with yourown senses. Haven't you seen enough yet to break that chain of thought?"

  "I'm working on it." Finally after long last they found the first corridor that was referenced also on the map. After having navigated their way through the dimly lit labyrinth, the map now would show them the way. From here on out the streets began to show signs of usage the others had not. From here their footsteps were easily navigated. From this point finding their way would be the easy part. For a good long while they traveled in relative silence.
So far through these of back alleys that lead from the landing site toward the main boulevard of the temple complex they had moved uncontested. Though they had tried to avoid any contact with their enemies, now as they emerged form the darkness out onto wide thorough fare things were going to be different. Their eyes soon adjusted to the acute rays of the sun. The first thing most of them now noticed was that their presence there had immediately begun to cause a stir. They watched as a group of individuals began to move toward them from the other side of the street. Landaus in an attempt to stiffen their resolve spoke to his team, "Alright boys it's all or nothing, so dig deep and squash that fear. It won't do you any good where we're going."

  The first to arrive was a retinue of royal guards. They easily recognized the face of the young prince and the symbolism of the white flag. They formed from their ranks a circle that surrounded them from all sides. A warning from the steely eyed head guard was uttered and translated, "If anything should befall the young prince I will personally tare your bodies to pieces." From merely his expression his intention had been made clear. This they knew even before they had stepped foot on Nibaru was a certainty. To confirm their understanding of his statement Landaus gave only a nod. Under the flag of parley they moved as one. Through the now clamorous streets of Nibaru the figure of the hostage prince was paraded by. To the populace,he was easily recognized so their every step now would be hampered by howling shouts for retribution from the growing mob. Despite the angry protestations of the mob, the royal guards ensured that they were afforded the safe passage that they had gambled on. Though terrified by the mocking displays of the natives, they walked onward. With every deliberate step they made sure their only weapon, an explosive devise tied tightly around Leif's neck, was prominently displayed for all to see. Landaus held tightly onto the dead man switch. Looking deeply into his eyes certain members of the crowd had scanned for any sign of weakness that could be exploited; the mob intuitively sensed that the device would blow if they were assailed and killed. Thusly all were warned to the danger to their young prince. It was this and this alone that kept the creatures at bay. For this gambit to work their adversaries could have no doubt that these humans would forfeit their own lives if called to do so. All pretense of a ruse would be eliminated. It was for this reason the charges were live. For any attempt at subterfuge like their naked fear was certain to be sniffed out. All or nothing then was perhaps their only play.