Dark Beyond the Stars

by Patrice Fitzgerald

  by Patrice Fitzgerald

  “I want to see another planet before I die.”

  “Miss Blake—”

  “Jane.”

  “Jane. You understand that most of our recruits are in their twenties, and—”

  “I don’t give a fig if they’re all infants. I want to go. Now will you consider me or not?”

  “We will… we’ll consider you. But realistically, in light of your age—”

  “You already said that, young man. I’m healthy, I’m smart, and I’m willing to join your expedition. It shouldn’t matter that I’m seventy-two. You said you were looking for females, right?”

  “Well, yes, but—”

  “I’m female, and I’ll prove it.” Jane stood up and pushed the chair back with her foot. She reached for the hem of her shirt.

  The recruiter jumped up in alarm. “Please, Miss. Jane—you don’t need—”

  Throwing her head back to laugh, Jane lifted the bottom of her shirt, slid her hand into her pocket, and pulled out her Federation United ID. She handed it to her interviewer.

  “Here you are. Says I’m female right there on my ID.”

  The recruiter said nothing. His face was red.

  “I’ll expect to hear your answer by next week, young man. I need to say goodbye to my friends before I leave this Earth.”

  Fort Gamma

  “Roark, there’s an Animal approaching the fort! And it’s growling. Get up here, and bring your weapon.”

  Roark snapped to action. Reaching for the blaster, she jerked out of her chair and dashed up the stairs. When she got there, she gave a low whistle.

  “Look at that. It’s coming right to us.”

  “No kidding. What are you waiting for?”

  “Waiting to find out if it’s dangerous. I don’t think we have to shoot everything that moves.” She looked at Curtis. “Do you?”

  “Well, no. But I do think we need to shoot an Animal that attacks the fort.”

  “Who said anything about attacking? It actually looks pretty weak. I don’t see any aggression here.”

  “Yet.”

  “Right. So if it gets to that point, I’ll shoot.”

  “I just don’t want to take any chances. You’re Security—you have people to protect. And we know they eat humans—”

  “We do not know that.”

  “How do you explain what happened at the Alpha and Beta forts? The colonists just… got vaporized? No bodies, no skeletons… It’s pretty obvious.”

  Roark shook her head. “I’m not blasting this one until I think we have to. Maybe we could capture it.”

  “Capture it? What the hell for?”

  “So we can study it. Figure out what makes it tick.”

  “We know what makes it tick. It attacks humans and eats them. That’s why every other Animal that’s ever been sighted has tried to kill us.”

  “But of course we’ve killed them first.”

  “Damn right.”

  Earth

  Jane’s oldest friend, Delilah, raised a glass to toast the traveler. “Bon voyage, Jane. We’re going to miss you. But you’ll have that grand adventure you always dreamed about.”

  “Hear, hear!” The crowd of friends and family in the room raised their glasses high.

  “How long are you going for, dear?” Bertrand asked.

  The others laughed. Jane patted her older brother on his shoulder. “Let’s just say that I won’t be back in this lifetime, Bertie. At my age, this is a one-way ticket.”

  Bertie smiled ruefully. “It doesn’t have to be, you know. The ships are a lot faster now. You could come back for my eighty-fifth birthday.” He winked. “There’ll be cake.”

  Jane kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll miss you, Bertie. I’ll think of you often. And you can think of me, up there in the heavens—bringing humankind to the other side of the galaxy.”

  “So how’s the first bunch doing?” Delilah asked. “The ones who went up… what, ten years ago?”

  “Well, it takes a long time to send a signal back from the planet I’m headed for. But things were going well when they were last heard from.” She smiled. “The colonists are still alive, anyway.”

  Jane’s friends laughed.

  Delilah pulled Jane out of her chair. “Hey, this is supposed to be a party, not a wake! Let’s put on some tunes and dance.” She went over to the wall and punched in some music. Out blasted a loud anthem.

  Jane started swinging her hips. “Jenny, Rad, what is this song? You kids must keep up with all the latest hits.”

  “It’s called ‘Love Shuffle,’ Aunt Jane. Everyone knows it.” Rad and Jenny started to dance in fast synchronized movements. “We’ll teach you the steps. You can bring some culture to your new planet.”

  As the youngsters demonstrated the dance, Delilah pulled Jane aside. “Have you told them about the money?” she asked in a low voice.

  “No,” Jane said. “I don’t want them to feel guilty or think that’s why I’m going.”

  “Isn’t it?”

  “No ma’am. I’m going for the adventure.”

  Fort Gamma

  Curtis shook his head as he gazed at the Animal in the cage. “I can’t believe you talked me into this.”

  “Talked you into what?” Roark said. “Not killing the thing at first sight?”

  “Bringing it in here. What are we going to do when it wakes up from the tranquilizer?”

  “Nothing. It’s secured in there.”

  “So we think. You never know what it’s capable of.”

  “Why are you so scared of this beast? It’s no bigger than we are. In fact, it’s shorter than both of us, and I bet we both outweigh it. It’s just hairy and weird-looking, that’s all.”

  “I’ll say.”

  “Listen, before the tranquilizer wears off, I’m going to do a little examination.”

  “What? You’re going in there alone?”

  “No. You’re coming with me. Bring the blaster, and cover me if it wakes up and gets angry.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “Nah, just curious. Come on in. If it wakes up, I’ll make sure it eats me first.”

  Earth

  Jane stood in line with the rest of the recruits, all buff young men and women waiting to get onto the ship. Several of them eyed her with curiosity.

  She offered her hand to the tall kid in front of her. “Name’s Jane. And you are?”

  He looked surprised, but he reached out and shook her hand with a grip that made her wince. “Bryce. Specialty is weapons. Um…” He trailed off.

  “You’re wondering what the heck an old lady like me is doing here, right?”

  He grinned. “Pretty much. Yeah.”

  “I just wanted to get off this crowded planet and explore something else. Maybe help humanity survive. Seemed if I waited any longer, I wouldn’t make it.” She smiled. “Barely got in as it was.”

  His smile widened. “Good to have you along. What’s your line?”

  “My line?”

  “Your skill. What position will you have on Endrosa?”

  “Well, they tell me I’m a historian. I guess that’s my position. I sure do know a lot about things that happened before you were born. Though I’m not sure there’ll be a lot of call for that on the new planet. Endrosa? That’s what they’re calling it?”

  “Yeah. That’s where we’re going. Another planet that’s third from its sun, like Earth. Slightly less gravity, denser atmosphere, but breathable. Livable.”

  “Know anything else about it?”

  “I know we’re the second ship going there. The first one left ten years ago—it was one of the first deep-space trips. It carried maybe a hundred people altogether.”

  “How’s it been for the first contingent?”

  “Initial reports were great. The colony is growing, last we heard.”

  “Can’t be all rosy. What’s the downside?”

  “I heard there’s some kind of animal there. Aggressi
ve. Biped.”

  “Biped? What’s that?”

  “Two feet.”

  “Oh. That’s doesn’t sound so scary.”

  Bryce smiled. “I guess we’ll find out.”

  “What’s your position?”

  “I’m security.”

  “I just bet you are, honey. I’ll rest well at night knowing you’re on guard.”

  He smiled and turned as his name was called to go into the ready room. Looking back at Jane, he added, “See you in space.”

  Fort Gamma

  “Well. Will you look at that.” Roark shone a flashlight at the Animal. “Damn if this thing doesn’t have an autorecorder on its head.”

  “What? You mean, one of ours?”

  “Well, I don’t think the Animals are quite capable of making audiovisual recording devices, so yes, I’d guess it’s one of ours.”

  Curtis gave her a look and then noticed the hair and blood on the strap Roark was slowly removing from the Animal’s head. “Gross. How the heck did it get stuck like that?”

  “Must have put it on and worn it so long that it adhered to its pelt.”

  “My God. Do you think it ate the owner?” Curtis looked like he was going to gag.

  “Jeez, Curtis. No, I don’t.” Roark shook her head. “But if it did eat the owner, maybe we can watch the footage and see the precise moment when the recorder changed hands—heads—and the true owner was swallowed.” She stopped and thought for a moment. “Or maybe the whole human was chewed up and the recorder was spit out, like when you spit out a seed.” She smiled.

  “That’s disgusting. And get that recorder away from me. I don’t want that thing’s blood and gore anywhere near me.”

  Jane raised her eyebrow. “That thing—that Animal—seems to be a she.”

  “I don’t give a crap. Male or female, it’s vile.”

  Fort Beta

  Jane came to groggily, feeling like she’d been asleep for months. Which was the truth. A calming voice was coming from the speaker in the pod right over her head.

  “You have reached your destination. Trained personnel will arrive soon to assist you in recovery. Please do not attempt to disengage any of the medical equipment. Remain calm, and be aware that mild nausea and weakened muscles are typical after a voyage of this length. You have reached your destination. Trained personnel will arrive soon—”

  Jane stopped listening when the message began to repeat. She blinked and tried to clear her vision. She couldn’t sit up, because the pod was only just big enough to handle her body when it was lying down, and she couldn’t push the cover up by herself. Plus, there were wires and tubes everywhere. No wonder they sedated everyone before hooking them up to all these gizmos. Kind of crazy to trust these machines to keep you alive while you traveled across the galaxy. What had she been thinking?

  Well, clearly she’d made it, so no use worrying about the risks now.

  The lid of her pod opened, letting in a light so harsh she winced. Gentle hands helped her up and out of the contraption and eased her into a chair. She’d never felt quite so awful in her life. But after they hooked up a bag of something to her IV line, she started to feel more alert.

  “When do I get out of here?” she asked the man who had attached the bag.

  He looked at her and smiled. “As soon as you feel like you can walk, you’re welcome to try.”

  “I bet I can walk right now.”

  “Okay then, Miss—”

  “Jane. Call me Jane.”

  “All right, Jane.” He offered his arm and she pulled herself up. She was feeling pretty good. In fact, her muscles felt quite strong. “That’s great stuff you put in that zippy bag there.”

  “What?” The man looked at her as though he was worried that her mind might have been affected.

  “That bag of whatever you gave me. Makes me feel lighter than air.”

  “Oh.” He looked at the bag and laughed. “Well, the bag has nutrients, which help, but that won’t explain the zip in your step. We have extra oxygen here to help folks recover from the suspension stage. And if you feel light, it’s because you are—as compared to Earth. Gravity here on Endrosa is about eighty-seven percent of what you’re used to.”

  “That’s fantastic. I think I’m going to like it here. I feel like a native already.”

  The man grinned. “That’s the first time I’ve heard anyone say that.”

  “Maybe I’m the first native to arrive.”

  Fort Gamma

  “What are you feeding it?” Curtis asked.

  “I’m feeding her human food. That’s all we’ve got. Oh, and those berries that someone found. Have you tasted them? They’re the only stuff native to Endrosa that seems edible so far.”

  “I don’t eat anything that didn’t come in a package from Earth.”

  “Well, in about six months we’ll have exhausted all those convenient little containers. And by then, we’d better have some alternative means of sustaining ourselves.”

  “Fine. As long as it looks like something familiar.”

  “Curtis, you seem awfully unenthusiastic about being a colonist on a strange new planet. What made you sign up?”

  “Same as you. The big money payout to my family.”

  “Um… no. No payout for my family.”

  “What?”

  “First of all, I don’t have any family back on Earth. Mom died, Dad… long story. Anyway, I signed up as a volunteer because I wanted to help colonize another planet now that we’ve trashed ours.”

  “Wow. That’s… unbelievable. Sister Roark, crusader for human expansion.”

  “I’m not all that noble.”

  Curtis grinned. “Yeah. Yeah, I think actually you are.”

  Fort Beta

  Jane stood with a group of a dozen colonists at the top of the viewing deck. All around them was dense vegetation, very different from that of Earth. Most of it was brown, but there was some green at the tops of the trees, or bushes, or whatever they were.

  The air had a slightly acrid smell that she hadn’t yet gotten used to. Maybe she never would. On the other hand, Endrosa’s lower gravity was a gift to her joints. It had made climbing up the long stairs to stand on this high platform looking over the fortified wall much less difficult.

  She liked this place. It felt like home. Her new home.

  Bryce and Natasha, another member of Security, raised their hands for quiet, and Bryce addressed the group. “Today’s your chance to see a little bit of your new planet. Natasha and I will come along to keep you safe.”

  Jane winked at him. They were old friends now.

  “About time we got a chance to look around,” someone muttered from the back of the group. “We’ve been stuck in this fort for months. Everybody else from the ship has already been outside.”

  Bryce just smiled and kept talking. “I’m going to ask all of you to strap your recorders on and turn them to auto mode. We like to keep track of any encounters with the Animals—”

  There was a collective gasp, and Bryce raised his hands for quiet.

  “Don’t worry. Animal sightings close to this fort are rare. They’ve mostly been spotted only within a few kilometers of the first settlement, Fort Alpha. And that’s a long way from here.”

  A woman spoke up. “I heard everyone at Fort Alpha is dead.” There was a general muttering in response, and Bryce raised his hands again for quiet.

  “They’re not dead. They’ve just… they’re having some problems with their communication equipment.”

  Jane caught Bryce’s eye, and his gaze immediately skittered away from hers.

  Fort Gamma

  “So Curtis. I need your help watching the stuff from this autorecorder. It’s not like the ones we use. Older tech. Seems to turn on only in response to movement, to save space.” Roark turned the compact device over in her hands. “But still, there’s like… hundreds of hours, at least. You’d really help me here if you could put in some time.”

  Curtis sig
hed. “Is it interesting?”

  “Interesting enough. From what I’ve watched so far, a woman named Jane from the second ship wore this recorder. The first bits show that they took off from Fort Beta with a group to go explore the territory near them.”

  “Do they get eaten by Animals?”

  Roark shook her head and gave him a look. “No, Curtis, nobody gets eaten. If they got eaten, then how the heck would there be hundreds more hours recorded? You know, sometimes you’re an idiot.”

  “Maybe the rest of the recording is of the Animal wearing the recorder as she goes around doing Animal stuff. Now who’s the idiot?” He paused as if expecting an answer. “Anyway, what makes you think I want to watch some dull recording?”

  “Because you’re my pal.”

  Curtis raised his eyebrows. “I am?”

  “Sure you are. And I’m your pal.” Roark grinned.

  Curtis sighed and held out his hand for the recorder. “Give it to me. I’ll watch some, then give it back to you.”

  “Thanks Curtis. You’re a prince.”

  Endrosa

  Jane was tramping along in the middle of the small touring party when the alert sounded.

  “Animals sighted.” It was Bryce’s stern voice. “Bunch together and stay behind me.”

  A ripple of fear ran through the dozen people who were marching through the vegetation. They formed a tight group behind Bryce and Natasha. Jane looked around the bushes surrounding them.

  After a minute, she spotted them. Two Animals, looking similar to some kind of ape from Earth. But more upright. Very hairy. With weird paddles or flappers where their hands should be.

  Bryce raised his weapon, as did Natasha. The Animals stopped moving forward.

  “They must have figured out what blasters look like by now,” Bryce muttered to his companion.

  No one moved. The colonists stood nervously in a clump, the two Security reps keeping the beasts in their sights.

  After a minute the Animals turned and lumbered back into the brush. The tension released, everyone started talking at once.