Dark Firmament

by Ezra Manes

Cssyza agreed to convey the message. It had a better chance than Joqi of doing so in a nonthreatening manner while getting the message across.

  Cssyza indicated its superiors wanted much more information regarding the capabilities of his spaceship.

  “I know you will not reveal much more about your ship,” Cssyza said. “I have told my superiors its hull is made of an exotic material like none known to us. It has an advanced propulsion system, considering how easily it accelerated the combined mass of our two ships. Our scientists think it can jump through space-time, and this is how you came to our system. It has powerful weaponry, which I observed when it destroyed the incoming asteroids near the large planet. And the extensions of your ship, the robots, are amazing. Is there anything else I can offer them?”

  “Give me time to interface with my ship,” he said. “Then I will provide an answer.” He was impressed by Cssyza’s observations, but didn’t correct the misunderstanding about the Horizon Quest’s ability to jump through space-time. Let them believe that.

  I see what you are considering, Dawn conveyed. They will surely see the significance of it.

  “Tell them my ship can deflect or destroy asteroids as massive as the ship is,” Joqi said, after a few minutes of silence.

  “I understand,” Cssyza said. “I will communicate this.” After a pause, it then asked, “How do you communicate with your ship?”

  Joqi smiled—the szswn had noticed there was no visible communication between him and the ship.

  “We have a private channel.” He offered no explanation and Cssyza didn’t press for one.

  He wondered just how far Cssyza would go in answering questions now that they had shared “closeness”.

  “May I share personal information and then ask you a related question,” he said.

  “Yes,” Cssyza replied.

  Joqi explained the procreation cycle for humans, and by Cssyza’s lack of reaction, he sensed the szswn already knew about the human process. Then he popped his question.

  “How does the szswn reproduction cycle work?”

  Cssyza gave a short answer. The szswns had no separate genders like humans. Only one szswn was involved in their reproduction cycle, their “regen” cycle, from start to finish.

  Remembering how he sensed contentment in Cssyza when he first arrived for the meeting, Joqi had an epiphany of sorts. Cssyza was pregnant; it had started a regen cycle.

  “Are you undergoing regen,” he asked.

  Cssyza tensed up for a moment, and then relaxed. “Yes, I initiated regen after my ship was damaged.”

  Joqi sensed he was getting the truth, but not all of it. But Cssyza refused to provide more information about the szswn regen cycle.

  Cssyza had remained cordial, if that was the right word for it, throughout their meeting. It again expressed great gratitude for the rescue by Joqi and his ship.

  This brought the meeting to an end. To his surprise, Cssyza requested they meet in person weekly until arrival at the home world. This was good for several reasons, one of which he hoped the szswn never became aware of. He needed to practice functioning outside the smart plasma command pod.

  CHAPTER 12

  Four szswn spaceships intercepted the Horizon Quest and its attached ship a week out from the home planet. They stayed their distance and tracked along with the Quest as it entered orbit around the planet. Apparently the captains of the ships were aware of Joqi’s ship destroying several asteroids almost simultaneously.

  Cssyza advised Joqi to stay in his ship until word was passed to detach the Horizon Quest from the damaged ship. This would be done at the appropriate orbital time to facilitate having a shuttle pick Cssyza and Joqi up, and then enter a short glide path to a spaceport on the surface.

  When he received word from Cssyza to proceed, Joqi climbed into an exoskeleton robot and transferred to join the szswn. He instructed the robot to leave and join the other robots. The robots were detaching from the damaged ship and heading back to the Horizon Quest, which was moving slowly away. Joqi wore a spacesuit that contained backup oxygen and other supplies necessary to last a week on the surface. Of course, it would be a foul existence after a couple of days in the suit.

  Once the Horizon Quest and the robots were clear of the damaged ship, one of the four szswn ships approached and docked with Cssyza’s ship at the airlock chamber. Four szswns joined Cssyza and Joqi in the ship’s control center. Each carried what looked like some type of weapon; they were taking no chances with Joqi.

  The lead guard said, “Come.” It then motioned for Cssyza to follow as it turned and headed toward the airlock chamber. Two of the other guards took up positions behind Joqi, and the third stayed behind in the command center.

  Joqi and Cssyza were escorted unceremoniously through the airlock into the larger ship. No one greeted them. They were marched to another level in the ship where they were told to enter what looked like a shuttlecraft. Joqi hesitated for a moment until Cssyza motioned for him to follow. Four more guards were already in the craft, and motioned for them to strap into seats well back from the cockpit area.

  Dawn, can we communicate?

  Yes, Joaquin, we can as long as your communicator works. The other alien ships have taken up positions around our ship, each about five kilometers away. All is well here. Be ever alert and cautious during your visit.

  No response was necessary. Dawn knew how he was feeling.

  It wasn’t until the shuttlecraft was launched into space that Joqi really began feeling withdrawal symptoms. He yearned for the comfort of his command pod!

  • • •

  It was a long trip from the spaceport to the council meeting building. Joqi regretted his decision to make landfall wearing only a spacesuit. The gravity became intolerable by the time he boarded the transport that waited for him at the spaceport. An exoskeleton robot would have helped tremendously.

  The transport vehicle had a clear material covering the top half, and in the center of the compartment was a large, flat padded bench. Joqi felt like lying down on the bench, but resisted the urge. He needed to look as strong as possible in an environment that felt more oppressive as time wore on. It was obvious the vehicle was modified to show him off as it traveled through cavernous streets. The driver, and what Joqi surmised were guards, rode out of sight in the lower half of the vehicle. It was just as well; they became agitated when close to him.

  His suit sensors showed the air was very acrid and it had an oxygen level about three-fourths what he needed to survive. It would be unwise to remove his suit helmet; he couldn’t survive very long without auxiliary oxygen and the filters he wore in his nostrils.

  Szswns lined the streets and more looked down from balconies, many pointing and gawking at Joqi. He stared right back, amazed at the sight of thousands of szswns along the way. Word apparently traveled fast among the general population. He had to turn his translator off to stop the loud din created by the multitude of szswns raising their voices. He could still hear them, but more as noise than as shrill words.

  The structures along the streets had no visible windows, although many small balconies protruded outward. He looked straight up expecting to see the sky, but all he could see was a strip of bluish gray haze above the tops of the structures.

  Something looked odd among those gathered along the way; all were of similar size and color. Were their young ones kept hidden? How could you tell a mature young adult from an old one?

  Many more questions came to mind and Joqi wished Cssyza was beside him to answer them. He didn’t know what to make of his friend being placed in a lower compartment at the rear of the vehicle. The last words from Cssyza at the spaceport cautioned Joqi to show great deference to the szswn leader, who, if angered, could react viciously.

  The crowd noise hushed as the transport vehicle stopped in front of an imposing, deep violet colored building in the middle of a large open area. The guards motioned for Joqi to leave the vehicle, and then nudged him toward a long ramp that s
loped upward to an imposing terrace jutting out from the front of the building. Guards stood beside intricately carved columns equally spaced along the terrace.

  Joqi stopped at the foot of the polished rock ramp. A closer look revealed thin horizontal slits cut into the ramp about every half meter. Was this some kind of stairway?

  His question was answered when one of his guards climbed quickly up the incline and onto the terrace above. He was shoved from behind, and fell forward to lay prone on the ramp. He started climbing as best he could on all fours. He had crawled no more than a couple of meters when two guards scurried up beside him. They grabbed him roughly under each arm and carried him to the terrace.

  The two guards deposited him at the top of the stairs, and then pushed him toward a huge gaping opening from which a putrid smell emanated. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust at the entryway. He could see guards positioned along a circular wall that appeared to extend completely around the huge chamber. He could barely make out an elevated structure directly ahead in the back half of the chamber. There were no visible monitoring devices, even though Cssyza told him the session would be transmitted live to the general population.

  One of the guards stepped close from behind and pushed him on into the chamber. Joqi stumbled to a halt a few steps into the imposing structure. Remembering Cssyza’s caution, he kept his head slightly bowed and eyes downcast as he moved slowly closer to the elevated platform, which was now bathed in light projected from above.

  He sensed high anxiety among those present in the chamber, much more so than that detected earlier in his escorts from the spaceport. No, it wasn’t anxiety. It was raw fear being covered by outward bravado. They were afraid of him—or of what forces were at play in getting him to their planet.

  He had good peripheral vision and kept a wary eye on the guards along the walls as he moved cautiously to the middle of the room. Suddenly he heard a shrill squeal, causing him to stop. Was it a command, a warning, or a welcome? He had forgotten to turn his translator back on!

  He reached for the translator control at his waist and in his periphery vision detected a flash of metal. A guard near the platform pointed what looked like a weapon at him. Joqi instinctively crouched and crossed his hands in front of his face as the weapon fired.

  Time slowed for Joqi. What looked like a laser or ion beam was projecting out toward him from the guard’s weapon. In the flash, Joqi saw the largest szswn he could have ever imagined stand up high on its eight appendages on the elevated platform, all its visual sensors glaring at him. Death was surely on him now!

  A sphere of shimmering energy suddenly enveloped Joqi as the beam closed in. The sphere glared brightly as particles impinged on its surface and were immediately diffused and reflected around the room.

  It was all over in an instant. Joqi was amazed to see all those in the room lying quivering where they had stood, including the huge szswn on the platform.

  He turned and walked on shaky legs toward the chamber entrance. He was dazed and confused. Where had the protective shield come from? Could his EM field have activated and protected him? He tried to focus his thoughts, grasping for an explanation for what had just happened.

  As he walked out of the chamber, several guards jumped on him before he could react. They pinned him down and held his arms so he couldn’t reach his utility belt. One of the guards forcefully removed his suit helmet, scraping the side of Joqi’s face and head in the process. The pain was intense, but he smelled a strange chemical and crumpled into deep darkness.

  • • •

  Cold…shivering…wet…burning—pain in all extremities. Joqi cautiously cracked opened crusted eyelids and was rewarded with severe burning pain. But the brief glimpse revealed he was in a metal cage partially submerged in churning liquid. Caustic liquid!

  He licked his lips and tasted salty, gritty wetness that burned his tongue. He tried to salivate and spit to relieve the pain, but could not. Pain in other sensitive areas of his body was becoming unbearable. He took quick breaths through his nose trying to get enough oxygen into his lungs. Dizziness and nausea added to his discomfort.

  In his quick look he saw a topside cage door that had some sort of lock on it. He was imprisoned and there was nothing he could do about it. He was in the surf of one of the planet’s large oceans!

  He shuddered as he remembered what Cssyza said about the high, rapidly changing tides on the planet. He had the feeling the tide would be coming in soon.

  The szswns had stripped off his clothes and taken all his equipment. Fortunately, they left the filters positioned deep within his nostrils, or he would have already succumbed to the caustic air laced with bitter, salty mist from the dark surging sea.

  Something slithered across his legs and, without thinking, he opened his eyes again. Through searing pain, he saw black, shiny creatures snaking through dark, breaking waves, and in the distance a burnt-orange sun dipping toward the horizon. He clamped his eyes shut, suffering through the intense eye pain. Right now any means of death would be welcome to end this nightmare, the quicker the better.

  Oh, Granpeda, I’ve done it now.

  A dull throbbing ache of despair started deep within; his survival while exposed in this environment would be short-lived and extremely painful. The harsh seawater was literally chafing his skin off and would continue until his soft body tissue was dissolved. It was no consolation to know he would likely pass out and drown before that process ran its course.

  Imagine a man trapped in a cage

  sitting in the edge of the breaking waves

  caustic seawater eating his flesh

  dark creatures waiting for what is left.

  The ditty came from nowhere and repeated in his mind. He laughed hysterically, or was he just imagining he did. The line between reality and dream state was blurred as he sank to the bottom of a deep abyss of despair.

  He began praying, dwelling on every word in the Zilan Prayer of Deliverance. It was customary to offer this prayer for someone who had just died, to ease that person’s transition to the spirit world. It was his fervent hope that it would speed him along that path now. He had said the prayer three times when another thought intruded.

  Meditate, my Joqi.

  Startled, he gasped for air, and searing pain forced a hoarse scream from his burning throat.

  A vision of his grandpapa formed in his mind, much like what happened when he meditated in the smart plasma aboard the Horizon Quest.

  Come, join me grandson.

  Granpeda, if only I could.

  You can, my Joqi. In your mind you can, you must to survive! Now, concentrate and dream of better things.

  His grandpapa was clearer now, extending a hand to encourage him to come along down a path to a grassy field near a clear, cool, flowing spring river. Ecina was sitting on the bank of the river on a carpet of green grass, smiling and waving. Two small children played by the water; a boy and a girl, and they looked like twins—he had fathered twins.

  Joqi took his grandpapa’s hand and rose to follow. Even if this was a dream, he welcomed it. All pain and worry dissipated as he embraced Ecina, and then turned to hug the children he was seeing for the first time. He loosened his hug and the twins ran to splash around in the shallows. He took Ecina by the hand and they went to join the rambunctious pair.

  • • •

  Consciousness came slowly, up through a deep well of pain. When the pain became unbearable, Joqi retreated, dreaming again. But these were bad dreams, not of grandpapa, Ecina, and their children, but of dark things, hungry things, pursuing him at every turn.

  The cage banged and clanged as something cut open the door on top. He passed out when rough appendages slid under each arm and pulled him forcefully from the cage.

  Raw, inflamed flesh protested and rubbed off as he slid back and forth on the black, sandpaper surface of whatever was carrying him.

  He passed out again as he was placed in a compartment that vibrated with raw energy.<
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  • • •

  He felt cold, colder than ice and in a place as dark as the farthest reaches of space.

  I will look after you.

  Joqi regained semi-consciousness, only to experience searing pain in every conceivable part of his anatomy. He could feel small creatures eating away at his flesh. He visualized hordes of small black bugs chasing him as he receded into unconsciousness.

  CHAPTER 13

  Joaquin! Joaquin! A strong female voice echoed in his ear.

  He swam upstream in the familiar, cool waters of the Avili, against a stronger current than he remembered ever encountering. Nevertheless, it was very refreshing to slice through the cold water with strong arm strokes. The aches and pains he felt earlier melted away and he yelled with joy.

  He swam tirelessly against the current until he heard a low rumbling sound coming from behind. The sound increased steadily in volume, so he stopped swimming and looked downstream. Chill bumps rose all over his torso, and it wasn’t due to the cold spring water. The river ended about 200 meters downstream!

  No, the river continued. Mist rose over the jagged edge of a large waterfall, sending water tumbling into a gaping canyon. He couldn’t see this, but he knew it was there. He turned and swam as fast as he could, but soon realized he was losing the battle. He changed his strategy, swimming at an angle to intercept the shore before spilling over the waterfall.

  He was tiring and knew he wasn’t going to make it to shore. A thin thread of reason touched his thoughts. He grasped mentally at the thread, pulling himself up out of the river just as he reached the waterfall’s edge. He settled into a dimly illuminated place that felt velvety soft, where caressing undulations relaxed his mind and body.

  • • •

  Joaquin! Dawn had never dared invade this far into Joqi’s mind. It exposed his inner self to her and she felt like an interloper. But she was desperate, having tried all other possible avenues to revive him. The smart plasma was taking care of his physical wounds and had induced a deep meditation, a very deep coma. She searched for signs of activity and a way to stimulate him to revive and begin healing his psychic wounds.