Space Unicorn Blues

by T. J. Berry

  “I’d be delighted to attend,” she said, taunting him with her cheerfulness.

  “Human achievements speak for themselves. They don’t need me there to witness some slideshow on our progress,” Jim said.

  “What exactly do you think the Summit is?” asked Lady Nashita, with a raised eyebrow.

  “We’re gathered here to prove to the Pymmie how much progress people have made in the last hundred years. We survived all kinds of catastrophes by using our wits and the resources available to us.” He looked around the stadium. “Look at this. We made a whole new Earth for ourselves way out here. We have planets full of people to show them.”

  Lady Nashita sighed patiently.

  “You, like so many others, have completely misunderstood the purpose of the Century Summit. One hundred years ago, the Bala extended their hand in friendship as you fled your dying planet, with the caveat that you would gather in a century and show the Pymmie that you are able to live in cooperation and collaboration with non-human species.”

  Jim scratched his stubble.

  “Is that true?” He looked toward Gary.

  “It is. You didn’t quite do that, did you?” replied Gary.

  “I don’t reckon that we did.”

  Laughter burst out of Jenny as she realized what was about to happen.

  “We are so screwed,” she said, with half a mind to make a run for it before the Summit began. The only thing that stopped her was that it was kind of hard to hide from omniscient beings. She was mortified to have to face the Pymmie and account for her actions. The necromancers she’d killed, the half-unicorn she’d imprisoned, and the catalogue of a million little ways in which she’d been complicit in harming the Bala. It all weighed on her like an anchor. She fought her instinct to run and reminded herself that she’d intended to make amends to Gary. Maybe she needed to expand the scope of her atonement to the entire Bala civilization. Kaila draped a branch over Jenny’s shoulder.

  “Well I’m not responsible,” said Jim. “I just did what everybody else was doing. And I lost my wife in the process.”

  “It’s not for me to say who is responsible,” replied Lady Nashita. “The Pymmie would like to meet with all of you.”

  Jim and Gary began speaking at the same time. The Reason officer in the headscarf raised her hand.

  “Hi, I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’m just here with a quick question about a dream I had.”

  Lady Nashita pulled the woman’s hand and pressed it to her chest as if she was reuniting with an old friend.

  “Lakshmi. We were unsure until a few moments ago whether you were going to join us. The future is so cloudy when it comes to your part in things.”

  “I’m not going to see the Pymmie, right?” asked the woman.

  “No. Not yet.”

  “What is this dream I keep having about killing this unicorn?” she asked.

  “I had the vision as well. In the Sixian parrot,” added Gary. “Only in my vision I was killing her.”

  Lady Nashita dropped the woman’s hand.

  “That is a critical moment in the future. It determines the course of so much that is going to occur afterward. As you both saw, one of you is going to take the life of the other. What is still unclear is who will kill whom.”

  Gary and the woman looked at each other in disbelief. Neither appeared hostile toward the other. In fact, they were downright friendly for two people who didn’t know each other before today.

  Lady Nashita clapped to clear the tension in the air.

  “But that’s still a ways off. Today, you helped Gary out of the harvesting center and that was the first step toward a positive outcome for everyone. You have increased the chance of success by nearly thirteen per cent just by showing up. You have a lot of influence on what is to come.”

  “Thank you, I think,” said the woman, looking completely perplexed. “What do I do now? Will I still have the dream?”

  “You will have that dream… and others. They are a window into the choices you will encounter. My best advice is to examine those visions and carefully choose how to proceed. Your future is largely unwritten, Lakshmi Singh. I hope you make the best of it. Go back to your office and tell them you were released by the fugitive Gary Cobalt. They will accept your explanation. What happens after that is up to you.”

  Gary gave Singh a nod.

  “Thank you for your assistance,” he said.

  “Sounds as if I’ll be seeing you around,” she replied.

  “I look forward to it,” he said, and Jenny saw a flash of expression on his face that she had only ever seen when he was with Cheryl Ann.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Awakening

  The cargo boxes pinged and Lady Nashita waved the Sisters toward the center line.

  “Two minutes,” Lady Nashita announced, beckoning Gary closer. “Come right up front, little Gary.”

  He took exception to being called “little” at a hundred and two years old, but he wasn’t going to argue with the reverend mother.

  The boxes chimed as the timers hit zero. The rigid plastic melted away, drooping like hot wax, and puddled in the grass. Tiny blue flowers sprouted where the liquid sank into the soil. A curious mix of Reason technology and Bala magic.

  Beneath the boxes were two enormous stasis tubes. The readouts were too far for Gary to make out, but whatever was inside was much bigger than a human. The tubes pinged in unison. They hissed and vented coolant in white clouds. Everyone stepped back except the Sisters. The first tube burst open and the halves fell apart like a cracked eggshell. Gary looked up as the creature inside reared up on its two back hooves. It was his father, Findae Cobalt. Gary’s breath caught in his throat.

  “Is that a–” asked Jim. Lady Nashita shushed him.

  The unicorn was as dark as obsidian and dotted with silver flecks like stars. His horn rose half a meter from the center of his head. He galloped around the remaining tubes, then came to a stop as the second tube fell to pieces. A white unicorn emerged. He stepped into the sunlight and looked directly at the assembled humans, several of whom did not meet his eyes.

  The unicorns greeted each other with nods and nuzzles, clearly relieved to have arrived at their destination. It took a moment for them to notice Gary, but when they did a stillness came over them both. Gary stepped toward the dark one. There were a thousand things he wanted to say, but all of them seemed wrong, not enough.

  “Hi Dad,” he said, feeling as if he was a child again.

  “Gary.” Findae brought his head close and Gary rested his cheek on his father’s muscular neck. It was still cold and damp from stasis, but it made Gary want to cry.

  “I thought you were dead,” Gary said, stepping back and suddenly feeling quite underdressed without his own horn.

  “That is the story we sent into the world,” said Findae. The white unicorn trotted up to them.

  “Unamip. It is an honor to see you again,” said Gary, bowing low. Jenny’s mouth dropped open. Unamip turned to her, staring at her from the side with one large eye.

  “You did not think that I was real,” he said.

  “I thought…” She trailed off. “I mean, I tried…”

  “Don’t worry. I know what’s in your heart,” said Unamip, with a knowing smile. Gary couldn’t tell if it was a warning or a consolation, but Jenny looked aghast.

  Lady Nashita stepped forward and waited to be recognized. Findae walked over and shook out his mane.

  “My lord, I am Lady Nashita Naveen, Reverend Mother of the Sisters of the Supersymmetrical Axion.” She bowed to him.

  “Nash. When last I visited the abbey, you were one of the newest Sisters, and a terrible one at that.” A Sister behind them snickered. “It’s good to see that you have kept the order strong.” He nodded to the assembled Sisters, who also offered their respects.

  “Indeed, my lord. I remember your visit,” Lady Nashita replied.

  He chuckled, and the hair on Gary’s arms stood on end. T
here was an ominous quality in that laugh. A caution that he’d heard many times as a child.

  “I imagine you would remember. Did they ever rebuild that section of the castle?” asked Findae.

  “No. It remains in ruins as a reminder of my folly and a warning to others who might follow in my footsteps,” replied Lady Nashita, with far more glee than the words seemed to merit. She looked downright pleased.

  “You are not the only cautionary tale here today,” said Unamip, turning to Jim, who looked up defiantly.

  “My lord, the Sisters are at your service. We are prepared to escort you and the other invited guests to the Summit,” said Lady Nashita.

  Gary’s father seemed to notice their surroundings for the first time.

  “How they’ve changed our world,” said Findae. “A river used to run through here. Are the others here yet?”

  “There are no others. All are captured or deceased except you two. And Gary.” It was a kindness for Lady Nashita to include him in the count.

  “Humans always think they’re the center of the universe,” said Findae, letting out an outraged snort that reverberated throughout the stadium.

  “I fear this will not go well for humankind,” said Unamip. “Let us proceed to the Summit.” He reared up and galloped toward the exit. Findae followed at a trot so the bipeds and Jenny in her chair could keep up. Gary walked at his side just like he had a thousand times before. It was as if the years had never passed.

  “Dad, I want to introduce you to someone,” Gary said, waving Jenny to come up next to him.

  “This is Jenny. Jenny, this is my father Findae.”

  “Kia ora… sir.” Jenny raised a hand in an unconvincing wave. His father sniffed her hair.

  “There’s enough of my son’s blood in you to make an entire unicorn,” he said, disapprovingly.

  “Stop,” Gary interrupted before his father could go further. “I gave it to her. Humans are fragile, as I’m sure you recall.”

  “And how do you know each other?” asked Findae.

  Jenny took a big breath.

  “Well, first I shot your son in the chest, and then I held him captive for two years so I could use his horn, and then I had him arrested for murder, and then I got him caught and taken to a harvesting center.”

  “And I ate Jenny’s best friend, turned her co-pilot against her, and I’m leading her to a meeting with the Pymmie which will probably lead to some kind of retribution for her entire species,” said Gary.

  “Oh, you found your sense of humor, mate,” said Jenny approvingly.

  Unamip laughed. “Gary, you’ve made a friend. Your mother would be proud.”

  “It only took a hundred years,” said Gary.

  Unamip bent down to nibble at the foliage.

  “Why is this grass so short?” he demanded.

  Jim stood behind Jenny. The still-unlit cigarette hung from his lips. He didn’t look the least bit interested in meeting the two unicorns, particularly after the look Unamip had given him. Gary made a cursory introduction.

  “Everyone, this is Jim.”

  Jim leaned away as Gary’s father craned his neck over Jenny toward him.

  “You are James Bryant,” Findae said.

  “Your son ate my wife,” complained Jim, waving his homemade cigarette and dropping tobacco leaves all over Jenny and the king of the unicorns.

  Lady Nashita clapped her hands as if bringing a class of school children to order. “Time to proceed, everyone. Two lines. Sisters in the front and back for protection.”

  Jim stepped to the sidelines, watching the group form up. Lady Nashita called to him. “You also.”

  “I’m not going to that circus,” said Jim. Jenny moved closer and sat up straight as if she had something to say. She reached up and slapped him. Jim held his face. His mouth dropped open as if he’d been shot. Kaila gasped.

  “You’re going and you will behave yourself, or God help me I will end you,” said Jenny.

  “I will not help you,” said Unamip, through a mouth full of grass bits.

  “First Gary hit me, now you hit me. I see how it is around here,” said Jim.

  “Now, everyone. Please. No violence necessary. Get in line. There will be snacks,” called Lady Nashita.

  Jim followed, but he trailed everyone, even the Sisters. No one bothered to move him. It was not as if he needed protection from the Reason.

  They walked out of the stadium like a funeral procession. Those who spoke did so in hushed voices. As they came into the open street, officers and civilians stopped to watch. Bystanders who were familiar with the Sisters were easy to spot. They backed away slowly or fled the area entirely.

  As they walked, the crowd swelled. People called their friends to come out and see the strange group walking down the main road. Most of them had never seen a full unicorn with an attached horn in their lifetime – at least not one that wasn’t attached to an FTL drive. As more humans gathered, they became bolder, yelling at the party as they passed. Gary was surprised that no one tried to cut off his father’s or Unamip’s horns. There was enough energy there to power several dozen FTL ships for years.

  Kaila bent down and whispered something to Jenny, who nodded. Kaila stepped behind the wooden wheelchair and began to push, resting her longest fronds on Jenny’s shoulders. An empty bottle sailed into the street and shattered in front of the group.

  “Can you make us invisible or something?” asked Jenny.

  “You are safe with us,” said Findae.

  The Sisters kept onlookers at a distance as the group walked through the crowded streets. Rescue sirens blared from the direction of the harvesting center. A couple of the Sisters peeled off from the group and returned a few minutes later soaked with sweat and blood in various colors. They passed hand signals between themselves and continued walking in silent formation.

  The street sounds shifted slightly, from excited chatter to terrified screams. The Sisters tightened their blockade. The human crowds parted as the redworm came tearing down the street, dribbling acid onto the pavement.

  “I like this redworm. She reminds me of your wife,” Lady Nashita called to Findae.

  “How so?” the unicorn asked incredulously.

  “She eats like crazy and brings down every obstacle in her path.”

  Findae snorted.

  Gary wondered about Lady Nashita’s actual age. His mother had died in what passed for middle age in humans almost seventy years ago. He guessed Lady Nashita would not have been born yet, but she spoke as if they were contemporaries.

  One of the Sisters broke away and walked into the street, planting herself directly in the path of the worm. Humans and Bala streamed past her like water. She extended her hands out from her sides. The group stopped behind her.

  The redworm zigzagged down the street, crashing into windows on one side and then veering back in the other direction. It spotted an easy target standing still in the center of the road and headed straight for her. Gary held his breath.

  The Sister shouted a series of sounds that were somewhere between words and a song. Her body stretched and morphed into a five-meter redworm. She swayed in front of the worm and let out a bloodcurdling screech. The first redworm stopped short. It pointed its mouth hole at the newcomer and spat a wad of acid that sizzled on the pavement. The transformed Sister continued to sway and spat her own gob of acid. It sat there, inert. The redworm let out a roar, then lay down in front of the Sister.

  “Move out,” said the tall Sister at the front. They continued on toward the Summit.

  “Will they fight?” asked Gary. The tall Sister turned around.

  “She made herself into a potential mate. The worm will be completely absorbed in watching her until she indicates that she’s ready for sex.”

  “I feel you, redworm,” Jenny said, with a laugh. Kaila smacked her playfully on the top of the head.

  “Ow, not there. I got shot. Twice,” said Jenny.

  The Sisters routed everyone
around the worm. They had hardly moved twenty paces when another dryad covered in papery white bark held his branches out to block their path. Birches were known to be aggressive, and those who’d spent time in harvesting were rumored to have developed a taste for blood. Kaila ducked behind Jenny’s chair.

  “That’s Litvin and he’s mean,” she whispered.

  The birch reached out to grasp one of the forward Sisters. She unsheathed a knife and sliced off the end of his branch. He howled and drew it back, but did not move out of their way.

  “Move it, birch, or I’ll weave a basket from your limbs,” said one Sister.

  A second Sister held out a fireball in her palm. Gary couldn’t tell if it was Bala fire or not. The birch threw out a low branch, trying to trip her up. She hopped up onto the branch and ran at him up the wood, landing at the top of his canopy. Fireballs rained down into his leaves. He tried to pull her off, whipping at her neck and shoulders with flexible fronds. Other Sisters pulled out weapons and took aim at his thicker branches. An arrow stuck into his trunk, oozing sap down the papery bark. The Sister perched on top of the birch found what she was looking for and started pulling.

  “There go your memories of your parents.” She tossed a flower over her shoulder. “And the name of your first love.” A second flower went over her head onto the road.

  “Stop,” he cried, waving his branches frantically. “Please stop.”

  The Sister paused mid-pull. She looked to another Sister, who nodded, and then she hopped down onto the road.

  “You may pass, birch, but don’t let me catch you accosting anyone again,” she said. He apologized and waddled down the street, trailing broken and singed leaves behind him. The procession walked past a landing platform surrounded by armed soldiers. The ship that perched on it was spindly and tall. Some of the spindles had broken off in the planet’s gravity and come crashing to the ground. Soldiers scattered every time one started to sway. This ship was not designed to enter an atmosphere.

  “I’ve never seen a ship like that,” said Jenny. Gary’s father slowed to match her pace.