Dreams among Stars

by Pirx Danford

  Fortunately I was not put back into the white room, but into an actually rather comfortable large cell, even with an own toilet, a table and a shelf with some books.

  Mostly the books were works by authors from the ship, but also a few earth classics were among them. Back then on earth printed books made from real paper had become a luxury commodity. Of course it was pretty cheap to just print a book for oneself, but elaborate hardcover works had comparable prices like paintings, especially fancy ash trays or about any other piece of art. Yes from a once everyday item they had become artistic expression. Aboard the ship a development into the other direction must have taken place after the technology started failing. When shuffling through some of the books I saw that quite some of them had been handwritten, supporting my assumptions.

  Angrily I paced around and stood time and time again before the barred tiny window opening, but there was absolutely nothing of interest to be seen on the outside. I drank a bit water and then tried reading a book. I was completely unable to focus, which didn’t matter as it turned out I had picked a trivial romance novel. Some crude mixture repeating the Romeo and Juliet theme, albeit the Romeo was more like a Zorro and there were substantively more dead people than in the original works. There was no discernible connection to any real events on the ship.

  Filled with malcontent I went to bed.

  Back on back we stand, grime our enemy attacking relentlessly with literally dirty tricks. Bygone since long are the filters of my basin, so together we improvise.

  I slow down the flow so the larger chunks of dirt amass on the ground and my comrades-in-arms screen only as little as possible, so the filters hold for as long as possible. This way we provide an acceptable extent of quality.

  Hello? My brothers, I do believe we are not alone anymore!

  This had been - interesting. Could my dreams be making a real contact? The regulatory sensor of the treatment plant seemingly had noticed me, was it possible for me to start a dialogue?

  A sparse breakfast was provided, only a cup of coffee and a slice of bread with cheese. After breakfast I was walked to one of the four treatment plants under very close guard. The maintenance console nearly completely consisted of red lights. As start I shut down the complete facility, as all pumps had died long ago the water level fell only very slowly. I exclaimed that I would need a working fabber or other means to access replacement parts.

  There actually was a fabber in the maintenance room, but it was defective, although its raw material reserves were filled all the way.

  Around noon the soldiers delivered a fabber that was actually working. Obviously the danger of the manufacturing possibilities were well known, as the soldiers were accompanied by a small nervous guy, who reminded me of a weasel and was introduced as Gustav the technician. Almost apologetically he explained that he was not much more than an archaeologist, he was able to discern the purpose of the devices from the ancestors, but the controls remained a mystery to him.

  Attentively he watched my work, as I had the functioning fabber create replacement parts for the defective fabber, when I was finished repairing the treatment plants fabber he had the other fabber be transported away.

  Together we placed filters, sensors and pumps. Replaced drainage, pipes and cabling. Weeks of work laid ahead of us for this plant alone.

  So I got to get to know Gustav much better in the next days, sadly he was well aware what kind of power Marple could provide me with. So the first try to talk him into getting me Marple remained the only try at that.

  The resistance on the other hand did not cease its attempts to get to me, once there even was a downright onrush on the water treatment plant, but the Benefactor had been informed beforehand it seemed. I only heard the noise of battle and was happy not to see what was going on. Later though the Benefactor had me fetched for a shared meal and bragged about the number of resistance members having been caught by only my mere presence.

  When I asked if he had already won the war in the middle decks he frowned and had me sent back to my cell.

  One early morning a whack against my cells bars wakened me, as my sleepy gaze embraced the scene playing out before me I was instantly wide awake.

  A body streaming with blood laid sprawled out before my cell, it was a woman whose fading gaze fastened on my eyes. “T t aaahk” she gargled and I saw that she held out Marple through the bars to me. Quickly I stepped up to her and grabbed Marple, when her body shuddered from yet another arrow penetrating her side. Hastily I pulled some books to the front and hid Marple behind them, then I stepped to the dead woman and held her hand. Was there a smile on her lips?

  It had been nobody I knew, but that made it not any easier, so I sat there sobbing, while the soldiers removed the dead resistance fighter.

  In moments like this I rued that I had decided to meddle, as everywhere I went death followed in my footsteps. On this day I scarcely talked with Gustav and I nearly fell from the ladder in the second water treatment plant, which we had just started to work on.

  I decided to stop work early, by now Gustav was able to create the treatment plant spares with the fabber on his own. He had a hard time replacing the parts, still the position indicators of the status consoles were helping him, so he was able to continue without me. Another three technicians had been send to speed up things and the pace of repairs had significantly increased.

  However this evening I was early in bed with a book and I just couldn’t wait for supper to pass and the night to fall. There was a seedy stew and dark bread to dip. By now I had read half of the books and was pretty certain these trivial novels had been a deliberate selection. After the guards had went by on their last round I fetched Marple and hoped she would be intact.

  I put the glasses on, a scratch in a lens troubled me, but when Marples warm voice greeted me with “Hello Helen.” I was barely able to stifle a sob of joy.

  “Marple!” I whispered “So much has happened, we are imprisoned. Are you able to connect to any devices around here?” Marple was silent for a long while and I already feared her to be defective as she replied “Negative, no controllable devices in the close vicinity. However I am able to receive the signal of one of your locating devices, it is the device that you handed the boy Mark a while back.”

  As it happened since arriving here I had been asking myself if the boy could be close by. He was supposed to serve his duty and work for his freedom after all. In my talks with Gustav I had learned that there was a multitude of offenses that would extend the compulsory service time. Especially severe crimes would result in being sent to the arena. As gladiator if one was lucky, else certain death waited for those that had to fight against the more monstrous beasts the ships changing fauna had brought forth.

  I stashed Marple away on the shelf, somehow I had to smuggle her to the treatment plant and hoped she would find a controllable hatch to the maintenance tunnels somewhere near.

  In my dreams I had begun an exchange with the sensor chain, it was located in the nearest plant, the only one that was still able to get the water clean by a small measure. Somehow the sensors had gotten access to a data archive from which the inspiration for the improvised work flow stemmed. Also that was where they got their overdose of The Three Musketeers from, over two hundred different variations had been loaded in their storage. Now they played their own variation “The Three Musketeers Against Filth”, our technology became ever more human-like. I had to think of the human that might still be captured in that small maintenance room - the computers even became psychopathic.

  Full of zest for action I awoke this morning, back in the beginning of my imprisonment it would have been nigh impossible to smuggle Marple out, but by now I was allowed to wear my mechanic work vest with its many pockets even back in the cell.

  So it was easy to stash Marple away and when Gustav went away with a replacement part I put her on.

  Not before long she displayed a route to a hatch which responded to her hails. This would be a t
ough one, the access was between this and the next plant, so amid the city.

  My eyes halted on the fabbber and upset I facepalmed, who needed secrecy? With Marple I would be able to manufacture everything I needed to overcome my guards.

  As there was only on exit from the plant there were two guards permanently posted, but another eight guards were stationed in one of the rooms. I had a weapons belt created and after that four shield generators fitting for the belt. I wanted to create not only a pistol but also some stun or even fragmentation grenades, but this was where everything went south. As soon as the pistol was being assembled an alarm flared up from the fabber. “Helen, there is a security protocol active, the fabber is not cleared to manufacture weapons.” Damn! “Are you able to bypass the protocol Marple?” I asked with constrained voice. “I will need at least one, maybe even two minutes.” “Okay I’ll make that time available!” With that I put Marple beside the fabber and dropped the belt on the ground behind me and ran out on the hallway. There I ran into two rushed on guards. “Look out there is a malfunction!” I hailed and looked with feigned nervousness behind me. The guards looked at one another and seemed out of their wits. After a short discussion they decided to fetch the troop commander, one of the two remained with me and the other moved towards the treatments plant exit. After a much too short one and a half minute Gustav appeared red headed and panting rushing towards us. Oh yes, he knew about the signals meaning, that much I could see from the gaze he set upon me.

  I had no time to lose, with pretend excitement I ran towards Gustav and drowned out his “Stop her!” yells with even louder screaming “Watch it, everything will explode! Malfunction! Malfunction!” Then I vanished into the maintenance room, half expecting a spear or arrow to appear in my side.

  I ran to the fabber, grabbed the finished gun, barely managed to switch it to stun and then Gustav was already rushing on.

  Numbly he sank to the ground before me and I put Marple on, grabbed the belt, stunned the guard that appeared in the door frame and stepped on the hallway. Nobody else to see yet, so I pull the guard into the room and close the door.

  Then I create a second pistol, two reserve energy cells for the guns and eight stun grenades.

  I hesitate a moment, but then have two explosive charges being made.

  Somewhere the Benefactor had hidden an armory with advanced weaponry, that was a realization I had come to over the last few days and I had to locate and destroy these.

  Then I turn on one of the shield generators, open the door and shoot down the four guards that laid in waiting, on stepping out into the hallway I catch sight of the five remaining guards. With a grim smile I pick each of them while their spears bounce off my shield.

  Then I just walked out into freedom.

  For a moment I pondered turning around, not to deliver myself back into imprisonment, but to chain the stunned guards. But I hadn’t stunned Gustav’s helpers and they surely had climbed out of the basin to check on the ruckus and to find out why Gustav hadn’t returned back to work.

  The city had been established all around the treatment plants, it were the dwellings of the poorer folk, which were leaning against the large basins sides, so curious looks were following me as I left the plant all alone.

  I was known by now and when I was not escorted by the usual throng of soldiers it was evident that something was wrong. So where should my escape lead me now? How would I be able to find the few remaining resistance fighters as quickly as possible? Around me frightened faces vanished in the shadows and a look behind me revealed many locals that had snatched their belongings and were getting the hell away from my location. To search the tunnel entrance surely was not the best plan, as I was certain the Benefactors soldiers would know the tunnels between the city inside and out, as they were much too obvious hideouts for schemers. Still it was the only target I was able to beeline towards without no time to plan anything else left, so I hurried along the narrow lanes. Not before long warning bells resounded and soldiers started swarming.

  I moved from shadow to shadow of entrance doors and only slowly neared my goal. The slums already left behind, the houses here did not show any evidence of prosperity. To move slowly and undetected appeared to be the smarter choice as I doubted to find many allies among the residents. Already with the entrance within close reach all which was left was to cross the main street, which seemed to be pretty tricky. A tough ten minutes long I monitored the street from the shadows of a small entrance, as suddenly the door opened up and before I was able to pull my gun I was dragged into a dusty corridor.

  Catching sight of my attackers face I froze on the spot. The features left no doubt in my mind that the woman who had handed me Marple would have had to look exactly like this. I barely was able to utter a surprised “But you are dead!”, as the stranger hissed at the same time “What the hell are you doing?”

  She had heard my exclamation though her face became instantly pale and she looked like I had punched her in the gut, then she drew a deep breath and explained with a sad face “My sister.” I only formed an “Oh” with my lips and we both were quiet, as she collected herself. I had the blood smeared face from my memory floating before her indistinct face in the dark floor.

  “I am so very sorry.” I said after a while, but she waved her hand as if pushing away irritating memories. “It was her choice. Everyone was opposed to the plan, as all previous attempts had failed, so it was the last attempt to get to you.” While she spoke she regained her composure and with fresh indignation she demanded to know what I had been planning. When I explained that I had planned to use the tunnel entrance on the other side of the street, to find a hiding spot and make plans on how to proceed, she gave a way a bitter laugh. “You would have been caught again right away, if not for a worse fate. Everything below there is full of traps, clear as daylight!” I sighed as that was exactly what I had been thinking and yet I had went there straight like a bee to the honey-pot.

  Loud steps resounded outside and we heard the door of the opposing house being smashed in. “Gotta get. Pronto!” To my surprise my savior pulled me up the small stairs and then onto the roof by way of a ladder.

  She murmured “The roofs are likewise obvious as the canalization, but we do know a few safe routes. Stay close behind me.” With that an adventurous hike from roof to roof began. It was broad daylight and so we had to wait for strung-out minutes, before passing to another roof unobserved of the many gawpers, who were watching the soldiers activities on the streets.

  We only had moved a short hundred meters, when the way was blocked. On the next roof a whole family had decided to combine watching the spectacle with having a barbecue on the roof. Below us a loud discussion erupted, obviously the tenants of the house we were on just had decided to pick a quarrel with the soldiers. “Those are sympathizers.” My rescuer explained with a downward movement. “Originally I had planned to get on the streets here, right over there is our hideout.” And she pointed towards a shabby and probably vacant building. I had an idea and pulled out my gun. With the question “A small explosion should keep these soldiers busy for a bit I assume?” I explained my intention and set the ammunition on explosive setting. When the woman gave me a baffled look I suddenly realized that I did not even know her name as of yet. As I set my sights through a plughole in the roof on an opposing wall I asked “Hey whats your name? I am Helen.” “Yes I know, my name is Irene.” While she was speaking I pushed the trigger and the small explosion punctuated her sentence.

  Instantly the heated debate below us faded and the soldiers rushed towards the explosions origin. We stealthily used the skylight to get into the house and Irene waved at the inhabitants and pushed me through a back exit.

  The gap between the houses was barely wide enough for one of us, but our target was only three houses away.

  Irene was fumbling around on the ground and a well hidden hatch opened up. She gestured me to wait and went down, faintly her silent voice sounded from below, the
n she called me to follow on down.

  Carefully I climbed down, instead of rungs there had been slots carved into the wall. Arriving on the ground a lean man pressed by me to climb up and close the hatch behind him.

  With a sly grin on her face Irene explained “There is no way down here from within the house. When it is inhabited it even is a much better hideout.”

  The uncertainty nearly tore me apart by now and so my most urgent finally burst out “Irene I have to know. How is the war going?”

  Her expression grows cold and the joy of having successfully gotten away is gone. I feel guilty, as if I had been kicking someone already gone to the floor.

  The moment passes and Irene impersonally replies “Let me introduce you to Richard, then I’ll have to catch up with Ernest.” While she gesticulates upward to the hatch. “Richard will explain our situation to you, while we are preparing the escape.”

  The room we enter is filled out by a massive man, who only barely would be able to fit through the hatch. He stood in front of a city map, but turned to greet us jovially, yet I was able to detect a deep sitting sadness in his gaze.

  With a slap on my back Irene takes her leave and hastily leaves the room.

  “Not only Irene lost dear ones.” Richard explains with a warm and deep voice. “We don’t know for certain, but as such an amount of villages and tribes fled here, there probably was a number of resistance members changing sides. As well as the war may be going, as badly things went for us here in the city. They knew all our hiding spots and it took only hours for our numbers to dwindle from nearly hundred to one or two handful remaining in the resistance.” Frightened I ask “Have they all been killed?” “Oh, no only a few have died while being captured, most have been imprisoned, but I doubt that it is such a good fortune.” A shudder shakes me as I have to think back to the white room, but then I get back to the topic on top of my mind.