Black Swan Planet

by James Peters

  I lost track of time. I napped, relaxed, ate fruit, and for the first time in a long time, actually felt ‘safe’. I tired of all the fighting and struggling. I really hoped that these friends of Marco could be an answer to our prayers. I daydreamed that they could fix everything and I could just return to Gina. My daydream quickly interrupted by another knock on the door. This time a baboon. He handed me a card: ‘Follow me.’

  I followed and it was clear that he had never led a human before. He moved in ways I couldn’t copy; grabbing handholds and swinging over the obstacles that I had to go around. Because of this, I lost sight of him more than once. He’d finally stop, double back, and point to the card emphatically.

  I said, “I can’t do what you can do. You’ll need to lead me by walking.”

  His eyes rolled upward and his lip curled into a snarl but eventually complied. He opened a door and nodded.

  Pythagoras sat in the center of an arena, surrounded by four guards. Marco sat to his right. I scanned the room to find it filled with what looked like hundreds of each of the primates. While I saw pockets that were mostly one type, it looked like a random grouping for the most part. An orangutan acted as an usher and guided me to the front of the room, pointing out a chair for me, facing Pythagoras. As soon as I sat down, he started.

  “By the power vested in me in accordance with ISLF law and jurisdiction, I hereby call this hearing to order. I have received the testimonial statements of Marco, reviewed the logs of the shuttle, hence renamed Black Swan, as well as the auto-log of the Dissolute. The judgments issued on this day are conclusive without recourse. My first order of business is to announce the fate of the non-officers of the Dissolute. As none of you actually know our location our plans, you are not a threat to us. We will keep all your weapons and find you transport into Imperial space. You may choose to tell the authorities that you were overtaken by a ship full of primates without getting a shot off if you like, however, this course of action has a high likelihood of getting you brutally killed by the Emperor. I recommend you keep your mouths shut and consider yourselves very lucky.”

  A sigh of relief was heard through the ranks. Several men bowed their heads in a gesture of thanks.

  “Now, for the officers. Please deliver Ms. Briggam before me.”

  A pair of guards; a gorilla and a baboon escorted her in front of Pythagoras. “Ms. Briggam.”

  “Yes,” she said, her voice cracking.

  “Yours is a problematic case. Based upon your profile and history, you are deserving of the death penalty.”

  Natastia gasped. “But…”

  “Allow me to continue. While you may well be deserving of the death penalty, we also witnessed your actions once you comprehended that Mr. Smiles was cognizant of his situation, and you released him without incident. I had also conferred with Mr. Smiles, and I am convinced that he is concerned for your well-being. You are too dangerous to release back to the Empire as you know too much about us, the location of this planet, and our plans. Mr. Smiles will require someone to look after him as he convalesces from his surgical procedure as well as freedom orientation. Therefore, I sentence you to be his caretaker for the rest of both of your lives. You may not return to Imperial Space again, but you will be allowed freedoms here based upon earning them.”

  “Thank you. I’ll prove to you that this was a wise decision,” Natastia said as she led escorted out.

  Pythagoras turned to the doctor. “Doctor Mitch Sorren. From my research, you signed up for this mission to earn credits to pay for certain enhancements. Would you mind explaining yourself?”

  “You are correct. Doctors are expected to have all the latest equipment to make a diagnosis and a treatment plan, immediately upon seeing a patient. That requires implants. My corneas are the latest offering, and I have an encyclopedia chip installed. These aren’t inexpensive. Ms. Briggam offered to pay for the procedures if I served as the ship’s doctor on this trip.”

  “While you made a mistake in the company you keep, I see no example of you doing any harm during this mission. However, there is one special request that Marco has made of you as an act of repentance.”

  “What is it?” Dr. Sorren said.

  “Return with him to the local planet and heal a subject of his choice.”

  Marco said, “Gina.”

  Pythagoras cleared his throat. “Her name is Gina. Then you can return to us and can make a choice. We are in need of a good doctor and you would be rewarded well. Or you may return to the Empire.”

  “Thank you, Pythagoras. I will travel with Marco and treat this subject with the best medicine in the Empire.”

  My heart raced, tears of joy filled my eyes, and I couldn’t help but interject a loud ‘Thank you!’ at the news. My prayers were being answered, right before me, by furry angels.

  “Now we come to Perry Tremblan, the ship’s statistician and navigator. Mr. Tremblan, please step forward.”

  Perry stood up and approached the bench. “Your honor.”

  “Mr. Tremblan. I understand that you are quite a statistician, however, you failed to predict this turn of events. Care you to predict what your verdict will be?”

  “Based upon the previous judgments, I can predict with over eighty-two percent confidence that you will allow me to live, but due to the nature of my job on the Dissolute, and the fact that I know precisely how to get here, I’m too dangerous to return to the Empire.”

  “Your statement is factual, Mr. Tremblan. What are we to do with you?”

  “I would expect that my services would be just as valuable to you as they were to the Empire.”

  “I believe I would find it agreeable to debate stratagem with you, Mr. Tremblan. We’ll make sure you are well cared for. Now, Denton Morrow, you are next.”

  Denton slowly approached the bench. “Yes?”

  “Denton, I’ve reviewed your case in some detail. I understand that you never really wanted to enter the imperial service, is that correct?”

  “Yes, it is, sir.”

  “What was your principal selection of vocation?”

  “I wanted to be a poet.”

  “A poet. Truly? Would you mind reciting one of your poems for us?”

  Denton eyes looked upward. He cleared his throat, then started:

  “Of all the things I’ve lost, there’s one that stands out,

  When I stop to think about it, it makes me want to pout,

  The thing I miss the most in the darkest of night,

  It’s not my mind, although that’s up there too,

  It’s the way I used to smile before I met you!

  I hope you get your head caught in a mining drill,

  Buzz, whirl, splat! Don’t stop until,

  There’s nothing left, you evil horrible bitch! Die! Now! Do it!”

  Dead silence fell upon the room. Eyes darted back and forth until one lone bonobo stood up and started a slow clap. Bonobos from all over joined in, until every one of them clapped, screeched, called and jumped in their seats.

  “Mr. Morrow, it appears that you have quite a talent for bonobo poetry. That’s a very rare talent indeed. I believe we’ve found a career for you with us.”

  Denton Morrow beamed. “You mean I can write poetry all day long?”

  “You’ll have to do some recitals, sign autographs, and speaking engagements of course.”

  Denton Morrow chuckled as the bonobos cheered him on. “Wow. Just wow!”

  “Maven Blackheart.”

  Maven stood up silently.

  “You have shown no love for the Empire and have served us well. You are free to go as you please.”

  Maven bowed, and disappeared almost immediately. “Thank you.”

  “As for you, Raka Varoule, Marco here has told me a great deal about you. He explained how you were willing to sacrifice everything to protect Earth. He’s also convinced me of the importance Earth could play in our fight for freedom.”

  “I don’t want Earth involved,” I said. />
  “We will not bring Earth into the battle. But ultimately, the conflict will reach there. We will be here to help defend it.”

  I could never have hoped for as much. “Thank you. Thank you so much!”

  “We would prefer that you be our connection on Earth.”

  “I would be delighted.”

  “Now, that should conclude all of the deliberations.”

  I had a terrible thought. “But…”

  “But what, Raka?”

  “What about Magnus Aldis? What happened to him?”

  “Who?” Pythagoras said as a chill ran down my spine.

  Chapter 40

  Sacrificial Swan

  After a brief explanation of who Magnus was and his capabilities, Pythagoras dispatched his guards and troops on a search mission for the man. With three ships docked together and untold places to hide amongst them, we expected the search to take some time. Pythagoras insisted that I wait inside the room they had provided for me until had been found and captured. I had my instructions: keep my door locked, and a guard would be posted outside, just in case.

  I waited nervously, wondering how long it would take them to capture Magnus. I knew that could kill without remorse, and possibly with glee. I went from hoping that they had captured and killed him, to maybe he found a way to escape, to thankful I sat behind a locked door and an armed guard. Being trapped, my mind raced. I tried to relax, and luckily found a bottle of wine in the refrigerator, pouring myself a tall glass. The wine tasted strong and a bit sweet, but good enough for my needs. I heard a knock. My heart skipped a beat as the knock repeated. “What is it?”

  “All clear. Open the door.” The voice said.

  “Who’s there?”

  “Just one of the apes. Let me in.”

  My butt immediately clinched tight enough to turn a lump of coal into a diamond. I recognized Magnus’s voice.

  “Open the fucking door!”

  I didn’t answer. I had to find something to protect me. I grabbed the wine bottle. I’d break it over the counter top and I’d stab the bastard right in the chest; at least I’d try. I slammed the bottle on the counter. It failed to break, bounced back and hit me in the forehead. I screamed, my head throbbed, and hand stung from the strike. I turned back to the door as the doorknob flew off it. The door flung open. What I saw would torment me for the rest of my days.

  Magnus Aldis entered. He had killed and skinned one the gorilla guards and wore the skin as a mask. Blood dripped from the neck and eyeholes, the vision a grotesque mockery of a once living noble creature. He had the gorilla’s armor and ax. I had nowhere to run.

  Magnus peeled back the gorilla face. “And I thought they smelled bad on the outside! That thing’s still hot. Nasty-ass gorilla. Anyway, you, Raka... you’re my ticket out of here.”

  “Me?” I said.

  “Don’t be stupid. You found a barbarian world, you know where it is, and you’re going to get me there in your shuttle. When we get there, with what I know and can do, I’ll be a king. Always wanted to be a king.”

  “I won’t do it.”

  “Don’t pretend to be brave. I’ll skin you next if you cause me any trouble.” He crossed the room in a few quick steps and grabbed hold of my arm. Before I could react, he had spun me around and had both my arms behind my back. He wrapped what felt like wet strips of gorilla skin around my hands and tied them tightly. “Try anything at all, and I’ll chop off your head and crap down your neck.”

  “I believe that you would.”

  “Now, I need to do something about the lights.” He pried a control panel off the wall, looked inside, and pulled out a handful of wires. “These freighters have a fatal flaw. All l I need to do is connect the main to the ground and circuit breakers will trip all over the ship.” He fiddled with the wires for a moment, cursed as a spark arced and stung his hand, and the lights went out. Backup lighting came on, but I could only see a few feet ahead of me. “Let’s go.”

  We marched at double time through the halls of the Theono, then through the portal to the Dissolute. He shoved me aboard and we made our way to a control room. He threw the main breaker and the power shut down on the Dissolute as well, but this time everything went silent. Piercingly loud, warbling klaxons indicated that life support had been shut down as well. The crew of the Dissolute ran to battle stations and someone ran directly into me, knocking me to the floor. Magnus picked me up and as he did, I felt something poking into my leg, stabbing me like a tiny knife. I struggled, realizing again that I couldn’t move my arms.

  Magnus shoved me face first on the floor. I turned to see him keying in an access code on the docking barbs and then manually turning an emergency seal to close off the shuttle door. As the barbs released, I felt the shuttle being pushed away from the Dissolute. He hadn’t bothered to seal its door, so when the barbs released, the Dissolute’s air vented to space. The shuttle pitched at an odd angle as he sprayed a foam into the puncture holes from the barbs. He grabbed me by the arms and pushed me into a chair in the cockpit, then tied me in place.

  He took the controls and piloted the shuttle away. “You move, you die.”

  I caught a brief view of the Theono and Dissolute as he piloted us away. The atmosphere escaping through the hatch had thrust the combination into a peculiar spin, putting additional pressure and the barbs holding the two ships together. After the fourth awkward spin, I saw them come apart at the seal, air escaping both ships rapidly. Magnus jammed the thrust control to maximum. I dropped heavily in my seat as the other ships disappeared from view.

  “This planet you found. They got girls, right?” Magnus said in a creepy tone. “What am I saying? Of course they do. They’re gonna’ love me. You got a girl there, Raka? I betcha’ do. I’ll make her mine first. It’s the least I can do for ya’.”

  Impotent rage grew inside me, gnawing at my mind and poisoning my thoughts. I’d do anything to prevent him from getting to Earth. Anything at all.

  Days passed on that shuttle, we accelerated hard toward Earth. Magnus tormented me with descriptions of the things he’d do once we arrived. I don’t believe a more vile man ever existed, and I am responsible for leading him to the one planet that still had some good left in it. Luckily for me, he found a hidden stash of drugs on the shuttle. Magnus tried everything and ended up on a bender that kept him awake and wild for forty hours straight. Then he finally passed out.

  I worked against the ropes until my skin turned raw and blood oozed from my wounds. Whatever stuck me in the leg had left a puncture wound, evident by a large red spot on my pants. After hours of trying, I got loose from the ropes holding me to the chair. I stood and stumbled as my legs had gone numb, but I managed to back up against the ax he had propped against the wall. I cut through my bindings and stared at the weapon.

  Could I kill him with it?

  I imagined myself swinging it with all my might. I started to pick it up and realized its weight. I could barely swing it. If I missed or just injured him, he’d surely kill me. I set the ax back down and felt another sharp pain in my leg.

  I reached down into my pocket, retrieving the painful object, recognizing it immediately as a detonator, just like the one Maven had given me when we first arrived at Earth. This one had been too powerful and would blow us all up, so she handed me the other one. She had kept it pinned in her top, and the pin had been sticking me. Maven. She ran into me as Magnus led me off of the Dissolute, knocking me to the ground, and in the process giving me the way to solve this dilemma. I don’t know how, but she knew I would need this.

  I would have to make the ultimate sacrifice; blow myself up and take this evil creature with me. I activated the detonator just like I had the previous one so long ago. I set the timer as short as possible, but it wouldn’t take any entry less than five minutes. With a deep breath, I pressed the commit button and pinned it to Magnus’s chair. I stared at the timer. My mind raced: I’m going to die out here in space. They’ll never find me, there’ll be no bu
rial, service, or casket.

  The caskets!

  Maven said that the ship had been outfitted with two caskets; single person escape pod designed to survive a crash landing into stone. I had one chance and had to try it.

  I ran to the casket. I found it larger than I imagined, but when I swung the door open I realized it was because the casing contained a thick layer of nanocarbon. I climbed inside and the door closed. I heard a computerized voice.

  “Welcome to the CSK nine-thousand personal escape device. Your first choice for survival when things go wrong in space. The CSK nine-thousand is designed to protect you in case of crash landing, sudden decompression, unexpected explosion, or other catastrophic anomalies in space or atmosphere. The CSK nine-thousand: Saving lives for all that can afford it. Please say ‘engage’to begin lock down procedure and stasis system.”

  I yelled ‘Engage!’ as a ball of fire approached the tiny clear faceplate. The detonator had gone off and everything went black.

  Chapter 41

  Pythagorean Theory

  Official log and historical record of Pythagoras, Log Entry CR3T4402-A

  To the historians that will undoubtedly chronicle these events, I apologize for the tardiness of this entry. The operation took an unexpectedly dreadful turn of events, and we’ve been in emergency mode for the past fortnight. Our crew has done a yeoman’s job of repairing the Theono, but sadly, we determined the Dissolute unsalvageable. Some of her crew did make it aboard the Theono before she lost all her atmosphere. Those crew members have now vowed an oath to our cause.

  The Dissolute has been reduced to nothing more than a minuscule moon, now orbiting Sol-7. We detected an anomaly within the system; sadly, our sensors lack the focusing capability to process detailed information, just a general location. Maven Blackheart believed that it had to be the shuttle exploding, certain Raka had detonated it. She and Marco insisted that we search the area in case he had somehow escaped. We searched for days and found nothing. This freighter’s sensors are designed to avoid asteroids from light-years away, not to find a tiny object in space.