A New Reason To Fight: An Intergalactic Romance

by T. J. Brandow

  As John sat on his bunk trying to prepare himself mentally for what lay ahead, his thoughts traveled back to Smithville. Waves of guilt began to wash over him with regards to his parents. He had made no mention of the mission to them knowing that his mother would be worried about him the whole time. Of course, they would be angry with him once he returned and told them about it, but John felt that this was a better alternative.

  “Alright, buddy let’s do this!” Phil said, breaking John out of his daydream. As he packed his bag, he looked at the empty notebook and pen that he’d brought with him. When he first began basic training, John had hoped to do some writing in the evening. However, mental and physical exhaustion had contributed to an extended case of writer’s block.

  The recruits met up at the meeting room adjacent to the launch pad and were directed to an extended briefing session to flesh out the mission. Sergeant Miller was going along to head the mission- he would give all of the orders just as he had through all of the training. After the briefing, each recruit was given his own, lightweight Kevlar suit. Since the early days of space exploration, suits had come a long way- they were comfortable, form-fitting and allowed more freedom of movement. Finally, Phil and John came out of the room and walked towards the launch pad where a sleek silver rocket stood before them gleaming in the desert sunlight. It was forty-six feet tall and terminated in a sharp silver spire. Rockets were no longer built to come apart in several stages any longer. Now, they were more efficient and more spacious.

  As John sat there in the capsule staring out of the window at the desert stretched out before him, he tried not to think about the dangers that awaited him. Phil, who was right next to him patted John on the shoulder reassuringly.

  “Hey dude, it will be just like the simulator- don’t be so nervous. We got this,” Phil said. John smiled.

  “How touching,” Jay said sarcastically. “Honestly, you two girls better not slow us down on this mission,” he said.

  “Maybe it’s you that we need to be worried about. Missions like this need level-headed thinkers, not hotheads that think with their muscles,” Phil remarked.

  “Watch it Deadrick,” Jay warned.

  Soon the rumbling of the thrusters beneath them began and the countdown ensued. The desert receded beneath a thin layer of cirrus clouds. John closed his eyes and prepared himself for the intense forces as the Earth beneath became a small, fragile cerulean ball. Finally, things calmed down and the vast emptiness of space opened up before them like a black curtain.

  The lack of gravity proved to be a fun novelty for the first few days, but the necessary muscle training was intense. John took to a morning routine of running up and down the length of the training module beneath the main capsule and did his best to avoid Jay throughout much of the trip. The endless possibilities that the surrounding stars provided began to stimulate John’s creative juices again. Soon, his journal was full of everything that he witnessed. Most of John’s fiction in the past concerned characters that had very little to do with John and his own life. Now, his writing began to take on a diary-like quality giving him the idea to write about his own experiences with the aim of getting it published one day.

  After the first two weeks of relative calm, the passengers entered the last stage of the journey and neared the most treacherous part of the trip to the Keltnor galaxy, a spiral that dwarfed the Milky Way by comparison. The galaxy was now in full view ahead of them beyond a vast region of pockmarked asteroids known as the Keltnor belt. Some of the rocky formations were much smaller than the ship and others were as large as small moons.

  “Strap yourself in tight, ladies. Things are about to get a little, eh, rocky,” The sergeant said.

  “Is there no other way to approach the galaxy?” John asked.

  “No Norman, you’re just going to have to hold tight and try not to stain your undies,” he replied, garnering a snicker from Jay.

  The rocket began a series of tight maneuvers through the diving asteroids, weaving and diving to avoid collision with even the smaller ones that could inflict serious damage. John felt his heart move up into his throat as the rocket plunged in between two massive asteroids that collided with one another shaking the rocket violently.

  “It’s alright- they’re colliding with each other, not the rocket,” The sergeant said. Now there was a notable change in his tone, reflecting his own nervous fear. In just a few minutes, the asteroids receded into the background and the bright light of the two large suns of the Keltnor Galaxy practically blinded the passengers. It was then that John caught a glimpse of the planet, Harignot. It was not at all what he had expected. He expected an ominous green hell, treacherous as any place in the universe. Instead, he saw intense green layers of color that danced and swirled like a Van Gogh painting- it seemed calm and beautiful somehow.

  “So that’s the dreaded planet, Harignot. Doesn’t look so awful from here,” he shared with Phil.

  “You know you’re right- it‘s almost, well, pretty,”

  “Boy you two really are girls, aren’t you?” Jay remarked, shaking his head prompting Phil to shoot him a glare.

  The plan was to land the rocket on an abandoned launch pad on the far side of the planet near an old mining settlement that was supposedly also abandoned. The Harignots mined the gases that fumed up from the planet’s restless core such as methane. In fact, these gases powered all of the cities and settlements. The planet now loomed large below them as they prepared for a landing. To help keep the landing a secret, the sergeant engaged the rocket’s cloaking device. There was a nervous moment when a spy satellite seemed to be headed right for them, but at the last minute the sergeant realized it was only a exploration satellite that was headed out to some other galaxy.

  “My sensors show that it’s a unmanned satellite and it doesn’t appear to have picked up on us. It’s hard-wired to gather data in some far off place- more than likely they are sending it to Earth to spy on us.”

  “Shouldn’t we shoot it down just in case?” Jay remarked. Sergeant Miller looked at Jay as if rats were pouring out of his ears.

  “Yeah, that would be a great way to alert them to our presence, numb nuts. Why don’t we just send them a communication now asking for a welcome mat?” Jay looked at the ground, feeling too ashamed to meet the sergeant’s eyes.

  Soon the swirling gases below began to look more like the reputation that preceded them. They looked like shades of gaseous serpents intertwining, swirling and looping through one another. Every now and then, an especially high plume would shot up and then fall back down in a huge arc. As the g-forces began to pull at their faces, the recruits could see a launch pad set up below on a large rectangular, crystalline platform that had been built miles above the swirling gases. Walkways that seemed to go nowhere radiated out from the main platform like the spokes of a wheel. As some of the acidic-looking clouds parted, John could see that some of the walkways went over to what appeared to be an abandoned dome and some mining equipment that was beginning to corrode.

  “Well, it sure looks like no one’s home. Let’s hope that’s the case. Several men died to bring us the information we needed to safely make this landing, so let’s hope it’s worth it,” The sergeant revealed.

  Within minutes, they had made a rough landing as the thrusters fought to keep the rocket from making too forceful an impact with the platform. Everyone took a deep breath as the rocket came to a standstill. The recruits put on their helmets and oxygen packs. The suits were also designed to protect them from the hydrochloric acid that often rained down on the planet. The doorway of the capsule lifted up and a large ramp came down and made contact with the crystalline surface of the platform.

  What struck John the most was the silence that was only disturbed every once and a great while by a gaseous explosion far below.

  “Almost as quiet as Smithville,” he said to Phil as they walked over to the edge of the platform and looked down.

  “Can you imagine what it must be like
to live like this? I wonder how often people fall over the edge of these platforms?” Phil mused.

  “Alright everyone- time to set up watch and make plans. No time to take in the view. A spy ship could come around at any moment. The rocket is cloaked, but we are sitting ducks. We’re headed east towards that old mining dome. We’ll set up camp there for the night.”

  The walkways between the large platforms were narrow and vibrated in an unsettling way from time to time as the restless gases below churned and belched.

  After an unsatisfying meal of rations, John and Phil climbed into some abandoned bunks within the dome. The doorways in the doom structure were taller than the doorways back on Earth, indicating the taller stature of the Harignots. The rooms were spacious and devoid of any decoration or affectation. It looked as if it had abandoned for many years.

  John did his best to try and sleep, but his thoughts traveled back home to his mother and father.

  You did the right thing despite where you are now- this is the only way to pay for school he told himself, finally drifting off to sleep well past midnight.

  Chapter 4

  “Wake up dude, it’s your shift,” John heard Phil say in his ear. It felt as if he had just dropped off to sleep and his legs were reluctant to move.

  “Alright, alright, I’m up. Anything happen during your shift?”

  “No, but those gases freak me out. You’ll be sitting there quietly dangling your feet over the platform, and suddenly a gust of gas will make a loud noise and scare the crap out of you.”

  “I can handle that I guess,” John said. Phil wasted no time climbing up into one of the bunks and seemed to be asleep in seconds. John took a deep breath and went out to the walkways surrounding the dome.

  For a couple of hours he walked about seeing no movement on any of the surrounding walkways, his thoughts again returning to home.

  “I suppose dad would be proud to see me engaged in a worthwhile mission,” he said quietly to himself as he sat down on the edge of the platform. For a moment, he felt admiration for the ingenuity of the Harignots with their beautifully sculpted buildings carved form crystal and their system of dwellings and roadways that made an otherwise inhospitable planet livable. The relative silence made his eyelids heavy, and he had to fight to remain awake.

  A few minutes later, John awoke with a start, realizing that he had drifted off by mistake. As if that weren’t enough, he saw some movement off towards the west. Without hesitation, he took out a pair of high-powered digital binoculars. Clearly, he could see a group of about eight creatures making their way across the distant platforms, heading towards the mining camp. John wondered what the creatures were- they didn’t resemble the Harignots that he’d been told about. These creatures had blue skin, not green, and they weren’t awful, monster-like creatures with sharp fangs. In fact, they appeared both strong and fair with slightly pointed ears and large, keen eyes. For all intents and purposes, they were human-like only more elegant- as if God had improved upon the design of humans with these creatures. The creatures were dressed in dark grey jackets and pants with helmets that allowed a space for their ears to project. They all appeared to be holding some type of weapon and watching their surroundings intently. He couldn’t tell their gender.

  Without hesitation, John ran back towards the dome to warn the others.

  “Wake up everyone! There’s some sort of patrol headed this way!” he said. The sergeant sat up immediately and began asking questions.

  “Where, Norman? How close are they?”

  “They are west of here- just a few miles. They are moving really quickly.”

  “Come on everyone! Get your asses up!” Sergeant Miller yelled.

  Jay, Phil and Steve woke up with a start.

  Jay clutched his weapon as an eager smile crept across his face. Being someone whose always spoiling for a fight, he was anxious to see some action.

  The recruits all filed quickly out of the west entrance of the dome. The approaching patrol was now close enough to be seen by the naked eye as tiny blue dots. The sergeant took out his binoculars and looked at the group of marching blue beings.

  “A scouting patrol. Let’s get out of here,” the sergeant said.

  “Why don’t we just wait here in ambush and blast ‘em?” Jay suggested.

  “Harris, you must have more rocks in your head than I ever reckoned. Why would we put ourselves in harm’s way unnecessarily? Harignots are very quick shots and there’s always a chance that one of them might escape or at least have time to alert their base before you blast them to smithereens.”

  “Wait, those are Harignots?” John asked. He was completely confused.

  “Yes,” The sergeant said, knowing he was going to have to explain the discrepancy eventually.

  Phil looked through his binoculars as a look of puzzlement crept across his now stubbly face.

  “Yeah, what gives? They’re the wrong color and they don’t look like the slobbering critters in the simulation lab,” Phil said.

  “You can’t believe everything you hear and see,” the sergeant said, not willing to give a fuller explanation at that moment. “We can talk about this more later. Right now, we need to get the hell out of dodge,” he said.

  The five of them took off down the walkway that led away from the dome. None of them were sure if they had been spotted by the patrol, but they managed to put some distance between them and the advancing Hariignots who stopped to examine the dome. After what seemed like hours, the group stopped for a rest. John dangled his legs over the side and attempted to catch his breath.

  “We can’t wait here long. We didn’t have enough time to cover our tracks back at the dome. They likely know that we’re here now,” The sergeant said urgently.

  John and Phil were last in the line. Phil would turn around from time to time to see if the patrol was advancing. At first, he saw nothing.

  “I don’t understand. Why would they want us to think the Harignots were these awful nasty creatures? They didn’t even get the color of the skin right,” Phil said.

  “Well, in the military they want you to be a fighting machine and to hate your enemies. Maybe they wanted to give an image that was easier to despise,” John said.

  “Hmm,” Phil said. Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a hovercraft approaching from the east.

  “Quickly, make for that building down there- it’s our only hope. I think they’ve been alerted to our presence,” The sergeant yelled. John could see a crystalline building with a single tower with several walkways radiating from it. There were several flights of stairs and walkways leading down to it. The group ran as fast as they could until they reached the building. Luckily, the tall, arched doorway had been left open. They got inside and looked around them. There were a few empty racks that looked as if they once held weapons, and a desk-like structure to the left of the doorway.

  “We have no choice but to fight them if they attack us. If we continue to run, they will capture or kill us for sure,” The sergeant said, quietly.

  The sound of the hovercraft grew closer and closer.

  “What was this place?” Phil asked.

  “It’s a guard house- looks like it’s been abandoned for some time,” the sergeant said.

  “So why don’t the Harignots mine this area anymore?” John asked.

  “Don’t worry about all of that now, look sharp and be ready if they try to enter the building,” he said, trying to hush them up.

  John looked out of a window-like opening and could see the craft approaching them- it appeared to be made out of the same material as the walkways- shiny crystals polished to a shiny white color. There were two large oval-shaped wings protruding from the sides and a large, clear oval on top where the passengers stood, looking down on the guard tower.

  Sergeant Miller took a small, hand-held device out of his backpack and set it down on the ground. He pushed a couple of buttons and looked up at the others who were watching him.


  “Join hands!” he said.

  “What? I’m not holding hands with these goons,” Jay said.

  “Do you want to be captured and tortured until you confess the nature of your mission?” he asked.

  “Fine,” Jay said, taking Phil and Steve’s hand. John took the sergeant and Phil’s other hand, and soon they had formed a circle.

  “I’m switched the frequencies on our laser packs to form a temporary energy screen, but it will only work for a few minutes. Should be long enough to cloak our presence,” he said.

  The hovercraft came lower and a beam of light projected from just below the oval observation deck. It scanned the guard tower and then moved on. The ship moved off into the distance as everyone inside took a deep breath.

  The sergeant switched the energy frequencies with the device in his hand, and John looked at his laser cannon strapped to his back. The site glowed red indicating that it had been re-charged.

  “Thank God that worked. The suits in the weapons development division haven’t perfected hand-held cloaking devices yet,” the sergeant said. John was starting to gain more of an appreciation of the sergeant although he sensed that his leader knew things that he wasn’t telling them.

  After a while, they set forth again across the platforms. They stretched on and on for miles across the top of the massive gas giant, sometimes staying level, and other times going up and down a series of staircases. Here and there, the platforms were damaged and had holes in them from the action of the corrosive gases from below. Two days passed by with no patrol sightings. Finally, when they were beginning to grow weary of their travels, John sighted something large off to the east. A series of lights and distant towers appeared some miles away, higher up than the platforms they’ve been traversing. The towers all ended in decorative spires that sparkled, each one distinctive and different from the rest. They could see huge lines of hovercrafts moving below the buildings creating traffic jams.