Demon Star

by B. V. Larson

  Cybele walked close to me and lowered her voice.

  “Do you really have this matter in hand, Captain?” she asked.

  “Don’t worry. You’ll see.”

  She gave me an angelic smile of relief and squeezed my hand.

  I felt a pang of guilt. Sure, I was making her happy, but I wasn’t being truthful. Still, the look on her face was almost worth it.

  She took another step closer. I felt her warmth. She looked like she might even kiss me. I was mesmerized for a moment, unable to move.

  Suddenly, Adrienne stood up from her post. Her chair was left spinning behind her. I avoided her gaze as she came uncomfortably near.

  “Thanks for coming up and visiting the bridge, Cybele,” Adrienne said evenly, “but don’t you have work to do below decks?”

  “Yes, of course,” Cybele said, and she retreated.

  Adrienne watched her go with hate in her eyes. “She’s been coming on to you lately. Why do all these Elladan girls have to be so sexy?”

  “It’s just a cultural thing, Adrienne,” I said. “You don’t have to feel threatened. Uh…where are you going?”

  Adrienne trailed Cybele off the bridge.

  “I’m going to make sure she doesn’t strip down and climb into our bunk,” she said over her shoulder.

  Hansen came up to me laughing after the two women had left. “Two girls, double the trouble! You’re just like your old man, you know that Riggs?”

  “Far from it. I’ve stuck to Adrienne since we left Earth—well, almost.”

  “Well, it hardly matters now,” Hansen said. “In my opinion, we’re screwed anyway. Discipline will hold for a while, Captain, but once the crew realizes their promised paradise is likely to be destroyed, they’ll start to waver.”

  “Then we’ll have to stop that cloud, won’t we?” I asked. “Let me get off the bridge to think and grab a meal. When I get back, we’ll start work.”

  “You’ve really got a plan to fight a god?” Hansen asked.

  “I’ve got a plan to come up with a plan,” I replied. This seemed to amuse Hansen. “Astrolyssos is big and powerful,” I continued, “but he’s not a god. He has his limits, otherwise we’d be dead by now. All we have to do is figure out where he’s vulnerable and exploit that area.”

  With that, I left my XO standing on the bridge. There’d be plenty of time to explain later. Besides, I didn’t have it all worked out in my head yet.

  I dumped my suit, showered and stuffed my face, then returned to the bridge. I wanted to talk to Marvin, but he’d vanished again. Greyhound was nowhere to be found. I had the feeling he knew that if Astrolyssos could find him, there’d be hell to pay.

  Frustrated, I decided to make an all-out attempt to reach Marvin. I used the ansible system, and I pumped it up to maximum power.

  “Marvin,” I said, hoping my voice was booming into whatever passed for the auditory portion of his mind, “I know you can hear me, wherever you are. Talk to me.”

  I waited a dozen seconds. Then a full minute. There was no response. Not even static.

  “Okay then,” I said, “I’ve got no choice other than to reveal Valiant’s projected estimate of your current course and position. Astrolyssos might take that information as part of a bargain to let us off the hook. It’s up to you, Marvin, if you—”

  “That would be a most unwise and unjust action, Captain Riggs.”

  I allowed myself a grim smile. “Ah, there you are. I thought you might be listening.”

  “This conversation must end. I feel it likely that Astrolyssos is also listening, and he might be able to pinpoint my—”

  “If you don’t help me, I’m going to feed you to him, Marvin. So help me I will!”

  There was another pause then he finally spoke again. “I find this newfound hostility toward my person both disturbing and baffling.”

  “It’s not all that new,” I said. “I’m angry because you stung this monster in the ass and ran for the hills.”

  “You’re analogy is weak in several respects.”

  “Please don’t detail them. What I want from you is a plan. How do we defeat Astrolyssos?”

  He hesitated again. That bugged me. Was he coming up with a lie, or deciding exactly how to twist the truth? It could be either one with Marvin.

  “The best approach is to outrun him,” he said at last. “As I’m doing now. The poison is in his mass—but he’s so big, the effects will take time to fully be realized.”

  Frowning, I tried to puzzle out what he was talking about—then I had it. “You mean he’s dying? You killed an Ancient?”

  “Recall, if you would, your precise words. They indicated in no uncertain terms that any course of action I might undertake to stop Astrolyssos from destroying Earth would be acceptable.”

  “That’s not exactly what I said—but never mind. How long will it be before he dies?”

  “That’s an interesting question that requires a theoretical answer. For example, can a cloud of star matter really be considered alive? That part of the—”

  “I don’t care about that,” I said. “How long?”

  “Several days at the least.”’

  I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. We could hold out for days. Even Farswimmer’s planet could survive that long. I was immediately entertaining plots to distract the monster and get it to chase us until it died.

  “Of course,” Marvin went on, “there are opposing views. It might take a week—or two weeks. Maybe even a month.”

  “Opposing views?”

  “I ran the predictive analyses through several of my hind-brains for comparative results. They created several scenarios, each of which presumes a given set of values representing the total mass of the entity and its exact composition. After running these simulated models and observing the outcomes, I’ve compiled the output. Depending on a list of variables, the date of Astrolyssos’ demise varies widely.”

  Frowning again, I dared to ask the next, obvious question.

  “What’s the worst-case estimate, Marvin?”

  “Approximately two point one years. I must caution you, however, that result is as unlikely to prove accurate as the two-day scenario.”

  “Shit,” I said, “averaging out that span, we’re looking at a couple of months.”

  “Well summarized,” said the robot.

  I took a deep breath and shook my head. “It’s too bad, you know? I liked you Marvin. All these years, you were like my pet robot. You’ve been around since I was a kid. I’ve always found you entertaining and informative.”

  “I remain both of these things. But why, Cody Riggs, are you speaking of me in the past tense?”

  “Because I’m going to have to go with my original plan. To save my fleet and billions of lives on these planets, I’m going to have to deliver you to Astrolyssos. While we’ve been talking, I’ve had Valiant pinpoint your position and course.”

  “You’re talking about treachery, Cody.”

  “I prefer to think of it as a sacrifice. A very regrettable thing, but my hand has been forced.”

  “I fail to see—”

  “Think about it, Marvin, does it make sense for me to endanger every being in this system? Or should I allow Astrolyssos to chase you around these stars, dying all the while, until he sates his revenge upon the single being that poisoned him?”

  Marvin fell silent. I thought perhaps I’d lost contact, but then he spoke up again.

  “I’m returning to Valiant,” he said. “Please don’t speak to Astrolyssos until I arrive.”

  For the first time all day, my smile was a real one.

  “For you, old friend, I’ll wait a few more hours,” I said. “But hurry, please!”

  -32-

  Astrolyssos made the next move.

  I was relieving myself when the call came. It felt like a jolt of current had struck my ansible.

  “What the hell…is that you,
Marvin?”

  “You seem to be obsessed with that creature,” said a voice. It was a familiar voice.

  Numbly, I staggered out of the ship’s head.

  “Astrolyssos?” I asked. “How’d you get my number?”

  “There are millions of active communications channels in this system,” the alien said, “but only one that connects the two of us directly.”

  “Right,” I said, regaining my composure. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “My final actions. They will be drastic.”

  I felt a chill but remained stoic. When dealing with powerful beings, my dad had always insisted you had to be confident and stay on an equal footing. Now that I was in the middle of just such a negotiation, I could see what he’d meant—but it wasn’t easy.

  A lesser man might have been awed. He might have fallen to one knee or begged forgiveness. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to do those things. But I held firm, and I kept my tone breezy.

  “Sure thing,” I said. “What can I do for a friend?”

  “You and I are not friends, Cody Riggs. You are my nemesis, my sworn enemy.”

  “What did I ever do to you?”

  “My body is polluted. My being is consumed and turning to waste. I can feel the rot. Have you ever been diseased, Riggs?”

  “Not lately,” I admitted. “My people have defeated our diseases.”

  “You give me an idea…” Astrolyssos said. “Perhaps, at the end of my long list of vengeances, I shall design and release a microbe capable of exterminating your kind alone.”

  Another chill rippled through me, but I refused to be intimidated.

  “Suit yourself. I thought you were calling to negotiate. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

  There was a pause. That was the hook, sinking in to this giant fish’s mouth.

  “What negotiations are possible?” Astrolyssos asked.

  I grinned. This time, it wasn’t a smile. My expression was a dirty grin—the look a man wore when he’d cheated at cards and won the jackpot.

  “Well,” I said, “come on, Astro. You don’t think I’d release an agent without having a cure for it, do you? But never mind about that. I can tell you’re a creature of conviction. You’re not interested in a cure—you want your righteous revenge.”

  “You claim to possess a cure? I’ve not found one…”

  “Naturally not. Don’t take that as some kind of slight against your intellect, by the way. It’s easier to make the key when you’re the guy who designed the lock.”

  “You didn’t design this plague,” he said, “your robot did. That damnable, evasive machine…”

  “You must be talking about Marvin,” I laughed heartily, and crewmen in the primary passages looked at me as if I was insane. “You describe him well. If he wasn’t so useful, I’d have dismantled him myself by now.”

  “Let’s discuss this cure…”

  “No!” I boomed. “Don’t even go there, Astro. I’m telling you, that’s a bad path. If you let me get the upper hand on you now, who knows where it will lead?”

  “You dare to suggest—”

  “I’m not suggesting anything. I’m just saying that when one creature admits their life depends on the actions of another, well, that relationship becomes servile real quick-like. That’s why I’m urging you to avoid the temptation. After all, you’ve had a long, entertaining lifespan. Time to go out in a blaze of glory! Show us measly humans what it means to—”

  “Cease your prattle, human!” boomed Astrolyssos. “I demand that you give me the cure!”

  For about ten seconds after that, I walked up and down the ship’s central passage, saying nothing. I wanted him to sweat.

  “Is your receiver operating?” he said after several seconds.

  “I demand an answer, Riggs! I know you’re there, and that you can hear my—”

  Grinning so hard my face hurt, I started talking again.

  “Oh hey, you still there?” I asked. “I thought you’d made your decision.”

  “I have. I want the cure. Immediately.”

  “Ah…” I said. “Then let me lay out my terms.”

  “Terms?”

  “Yes. This is a negotiation. A bargain. A peace treaty with material benefit to both sides.”

  “Ancients do not negotiate—”

  “Hey, could you hold on for about twenty minutes, Astro?” I asked. “I’ll call you back. I’m kind of hungry, and I need to—”

  “The unimaginable insults you heap upon me. To think that a miniscule creature such as you would dare to consume food while the great Astrolyssos dies in space… I can’t think of a being I loathe more than you, Cody Riggs.”

  “Uh huh, that’s very interesting, but I’m low on time. Do you want to listen to my terms or not?”

  He was quiet for a time, and I started to get worried. What if I’d gone too far? What if I’d tormented this megalomaniac cloud into a wrathful fit?

  “Describe the nature of this deal,” Astrolyssos said at last.

  My impossibly wide grin returned.

  I laid out my terms. He was to leave the three planets in this star system alone, and he was forbidden to harm any human anywhere. In return, we’d give him the antidote to his plague.

  “I have an addition to the deal,” Astrolyssos said as I ended my carefully worded proposal. “If I agree to this, I want to consume the creature that I most hate.”

  My mind went into overdrive. He could only mean me.

  It had all been fun and games, but I’d gone too far. Perhaps old Astro was smarter than I thought he was. Perhaps he’d realized that I was as vulnerable as he was.

  How could I say no to self-sacrifice in the face of the loss of billions of lives? After all, I’d awakened Astrolyssos, and I was therefore at least partially responsible for the situation. Could I, in good conscious, refuse his demand to eat me?

  Troubled, I heaved a sigh.

  “You drive a hard bargain, Astrolyssos,” I said at last. “But I’ll do as you ask. To save twenty billion innocents, I’ll die in their stead.”

  “Admirable, but wrong-headed. I want the robot. I yearn, with all my being, to consume that thing you call Marvin.”

  “Ah-ha,” I said, blinking and thinking hard. “I understand the sentiment…but that’s going to be a tall order, Astro my boy.”

  “You will comply, or I’ll devour this fat planet near me. I have the strength to do so and perhaps the second, hotter world as well. After one planet is gone, perhaps you’ll be more amenable to my terms, slave.”

  By this time, my pacing had carried me to the aft observation deck. Any crewmen present had retreated and left me to talk to myself in private.

  Beneath the frosted windows in the floor, the coffee-and-cream disk of Trinity-9 floated. I stared at it, pondering my next move.

  I’d tormented these Whales so much already, but that was nothing compared to what would happen to them, in their billions, when Astrolyssos drew close. The Ancient would begin sucking the atmosphere right off the gas giant, distorting the world with a fantastic tidal shift.

  I began thinking of ways to trick Marvin into Astrolyssos’ grip, and I felt sick doing it.

  -33-

  “Marvin?” I called out into the void.

  I was met with silence.

  “Marvin? I know you can hear me. I have something here I don’t understand. Something that needs investigating. Can you help me?”

  Nothing came back. Not even static. The ansible systems were eerily silent at times.

  “It’s a piece of Astrolyssos, Marvin. A portion separated from the main mass. It’s here, but I can’t get close.”

  Marvin had told me he was coming back to Valiant the day before when I’d summoned him—but he hadn’t shown up yet.

  I was worried. What if he’d somehow gotten wind of Astrolyssos’ terms? He’d never come close to me again.

 
“It would be highly inadvisable to come into direct contact with the star-matter, Captain Riggs.”

  “There you are,” I replied. “Like I said, I need your help.”

  “Where is this star matter, Captain?”

  “Right here, near Valiant. If you’d only return—”

  “I’m already here.”

  I stopped breathing, then resumed again.

  “Do you have your stealth system on?” I asked.

  “Obviously so.”

  “Why have you been so quiet? You didn’t—”

  “I know about the enemy’s terms, Captain.”

  “Oh,” I said, feeling ashamed. “I’m sorry, Marvin.”

  “What was the plan? The plan to get me all the way into Astrolyssos’ grasp, I mean?”

  “There wasn’t really any plan,” I said, “he was going to extend part of himself for you to infect with an antidote—you do have an antidote, don’t you?”

  “Naturally.”

  “Right. I figured as much. He was going to extend part of himself, and when you flew out to administer the dose, he’d grab you.”

  “Ah,” Marvin said. “You’re right, that’s not much of a plan. So, what are we going to do now?”

  “That’s all up to you. You must make a choice, a moral choice. I’ve made them before and so has my father. You’ve seen us go through these things. In this case, you must weigh your continued existence against the fate of every being in this star system.”

  “That’s a difficult decision,” he said.

  “Yes, it always is. Do you know what you’re going to do yet?”

  “Yes. I extrapolated this outcome. I’ve gamed the scenarios. I know what I must do. Tell Astrolyssos I’m bringing the antidote to him. Ask him to extend his hand.”

  “Are you sure about this, Marvin?”

  “Yes. Very sure. Oh, and Cody, you’ll find a memento from our past in your quarters later. I hope it pleases you.”

  “A gift?” I almost choked. I felt like such a heel. Like a master coaxing his pet closer to the gun barrel. “You didn’t have to do that.”