Teardrop From The Past

by Jason R. Hemmings

  Mofeya’s ship hailed mine to communicate, so I accepted. Moments later, his debauched face appeared on the bridge viewer screen. He was a smug as Lithius and as pompous; dictating to me that I was just where he wanted me. I ignored his order to hand myself over, then made a sarcastic remark about his tailor and that his lapdog was no doubt conjuring up some feeble excuse for his incompetence on the surface below. My comments seem to rile him as he blustered something about regretting what I had said. So I baited him further; if he thought the odds were in his favour, not to be so certain. He began snarling, overly confident of his certain victory. There was a smugness to his face, which would have disgusted even the vainest of mirrors.

  Of course, I had no intention of surrendering. I was merely buying time, whilst Lightstar was secretly navigating the Phoenix to dock with us. I had a surprise from Mofeya.

  Lightstar confirmed we were in the Phoenix, so I told her to reveal us to the president. The transparency of my deception became present, as the Phoenix's appearance wiped the smirk right off his ugly face. I told him he was dictatorial, arrogant, cruel and vindictive and that these were his better attributes. I look of rancour fell across him, as I vowed he would not take anything else away from my friends and especially me ever again.

  I broke off communications and the viewer returned to show the ships ahead of us. I could have cut a path through them with ridiculous ease, now that I had the Phoenix, but the painful memory of my late wife, Liberté only reminded me of Mofeya’s part he had played twenty years ago, with the demise of the Council of Light, made me want to end his destructive reign once and for all.

  This opportunity would not come again. I ordered Lightstar to charge the pulse wave and co-ordinated it directly at the Progressionalists ships. She queried my ethics momentarily, but I overruled her. Enough was enough; it ended here.

  2

  The Tree Of Regrets

  An eerie silence was present on the bridge, as I defied the Progressionalists. I told Lightstar to engage the wave. She obeyed, sending a tidal wave of energy from the Phoenix's wings which resonated like a watery band, spreading gradually as it flew towards the Progressionalists ships. They began to flee as they watched the wave building in magnitude, but their efforts were futile; they were finished.

  I had never used the weapon until now and its results were astonishing. As the wave reached the ships, one by one they were consumed by it, leaving only tiny pieces of debris drifting from its wake. Mofeya’s was the last, but it held no more resistance than the others. The wave dissolved itself moments after destroying his ship.

  I told myself it was for Liberté and for a few moments it felt gratifying to have ended the ruthless presence of Mofeya. But not long after, as I flew the Phoenix home, the giant teardrop reminded me of what I had done; somehow disgust and disgrace seemed to take its place. The Council of Light would no doubt have witnessed the scene and I knew I was not to be condoned for my actions. I was not proud of what I had done, but somehow Liberté’s memory seemed to justify my decision.

  On the way to the space station, Dream told me about the reactor’s analysis. My suspicions were well founded. There was only a few weeks of life left before the plant would explode. I thanked Dream and Lightstar for their valiant efforts, as the Phoenix docked and we disembarked the craft.

  Clemetia waited for me, as I arrived. Her long white hair framed the disappointing look on her face, as she ordered me to follow her to the Council of Light member’s chamber to discuss what I had done. She did not say anything else until we reached there.

  The other members were sitting behind a long white table with a silvery globe of the Earth at the centre. Waterfalls of light illuminated the room to one side and a window allowed a glimpse of the Phoenix through it on the other. Lorius, my old friend, sat at the head of the table. Clemetia sat next to him, along with Pisces, Scorpio and Florii. Lorius asked me to sit down. Each member in turn expressed their disdain for my actions; they went against the protocol of the Council of Light. They were concerned there would no doubt be repercussions from the Progressionalists, for destroying their ships and eliminating their president.

  To begin with, I tried to justify my decision, reminding them about the Progressionalists and what they had done to us, not to mention the lost loves who were merely leaves on the Tree of Regrets outside. Had they forgotten Mofeya and his destruction of the beautiful planet below, we all called our home once? I pleaded Liberté’s memory clouded my judgement, but in the end I dissolved my case to a simple apology. Indeed, what I had done was perhaps unethical, but I was tired of running away.

  There was silence in the room, as the members looked at one another in disbelief of my confession. I told them Earth was finished. I explained Dream’s findings. When I turned to Clemetia and asked her if she had told them about Nouveaux, she replied not yet. So I spent the next hour enlightening my friends about the brilliance of the future we could all have; the beautiful planet I had discovered and a new beginning to continue on. I told them of the landscapes, the oceans, the sunlight and serenity. I would be the first to admit my means were sometimes more liberal than theirs, but what we both sought was the same. I asked for their forgiveness and the chance to take us home after all these years.

  The members insisted my ship would be impounded, whilst they debated what action to take, which may include banishment from the Council of Light.

  So I left without another word, then shuffled along the corridor outside until I reached the Tree of Regrets. It was a large sculpture of an old tree made from cast metal. On each branch were leaves, gold and silver in colour. Every leaf had someone’s name on it and the dates of their lives. It was a memorial to all the loved ones we had lost twenty years ago when we came here, after the war with the Progressionalists. I found the leaf with my late wife's name on it, then reached out my fingers to touch it delicately. The leaf spoke a few words of love for me with Liberté’s soft voice.

  I noticed Dream watching me, not far away, so I went over to her. She put her arm around me for comfort and suggested I should retire to my quarters for a while. So I followed her suggestion and made my way there. It was funny. Dream referred to my home as my quarters, but to me it was my home. In the centre of the space station was the agricultural plain, where all the food was grown for our small population. On Earth, everyone lived on synthetics, while we preferred to continue on with old traditions, like wheat, fruits and other crops. I had a small cottage here that was one of the remnants of where my wife and I lived once from a place in southern France by the shore. I recreated the cottage to be the same, which sat amongst cornfields and had a small flower garden surrounding it. Roses and daisies grew here, along with bushes of lavender with purple blooms. My friends, Equualeus and Aries loved to play on them. They were robot bees I had made when I came here, to help propagate the crops and flowers on the plain. They were precisely detailed, the same as real bees used to be.

  I found them by the lavender as the hour reached almost five in the afternoon. When they noticed me they flew hurriedly to the garden, then hovered in front, wishing me ‘Happy Birthday’ and buzzing with excitement that they had a gift for me. With all the drama of the last few days I had forgotten it was my birthday. I started smiling at my little enthusiastic friends who wanted me to follow them. They led me to the table and chairs in my flower garden, where they had placed some fresh strawberries in a dish, they had brought from the orchard. That was twice in one week, I found myself laughing again. Strawberries were my favourite food. I loved their taste; like candyfloss in summertime. Equualeus and Aries said they had to go and finish some work they had to do; they would be home later at the usual time. I thanked them, then waved goodbye as they left.

  I sat down at the table and had Dream make me a pitcher of lemonade. I felt like being old fashioned this afternoon. I even had Lightstar play an old jazz song by Dave Brubeck called, ‘The City Is Crying.’ So I sat there alone, at the only cottage left by the last few
fields, eating strawberries and sipping old fashioned lemonade, with a view of the stars and the scent of lavender.

  I noticed Florii in the fields some way off. She waved to me, so I went for a stroll through the cornfields to her. A took a rose from my garden and carried it with me as I went. Florii was almost as old as me. We had known each other for a long, long time. She tended the crops here, as a lover of nature, much like myself. When I reached her, I gave Florii the rose as a gift to thank her for growing the strawberries; I knew she had not forgotten. She embraced me and wished me Happy Birthday, then told me I looked surprisingly handsome for my age. I just smiled. She took my arm and invited me to walk with her.

  She did not entirely approve of what I had done earlier, but she understood why. One less wicked person in the world was no doubt a good thing. Like myself, Florii was a little more liberal too with her views in private, away from the other members.

  She asked me about Nouveaux. Was it really as wonderful as Earth used to be? I nodded and explained that perhaps it was even better. Florii dreamt of sultry summer’s afternoons, like she remembered when she was young, growing up in Tennessee, America. She used to play in the meadows as a child, then when the rain would fall, she would collect flowers for her mother to place in vases on the table before her family enjoyed dinner. She touched the petals of the rose and spoke fondly of those days. The Progressionalists took the places away over time, but they could never steal the precious memories away. I pleaded with her to come with me to Nouveaux with the others and rekindle those times. She just smiled to me and said she would try to convince them.

  I invited her to dinner at my home. So we meandered there and arrived at just after seven. Lorius and Clemetia were waiting with Dream when I arrived, along with a cake frosted with icing which was ablaze with two hundred candles. Lorius wished me Happy Birthday, then Clemetia spoke the words I wanted most to hear. She said the members wanted to come with me to Nouveaux. I had been forgiven for my actions, just this once, but I must promise never to do anything like that again. I nodded my acceptance and thanked them sincerely for understanding. We could leave for Nouveaux in the morning. My friends agreed.

  So Dream made us dinner. There was one last vintage bottle of champagne I had left, which I saved for such an occasion. I always wondered if I would open it. The company of my friends was more than pleasing; their compassion and understanding were what made them my good friends. No one would ever own a moment like this on Earth; some things could not be bought. They stayed with me until just shy of midnight.

  After, I sat watching the stars from my garden and remembering my beloved Liberté. I had an old photograph of her that I had made into a hologram which Lightstar projected beside me. It was the only way I could have her next to me nowadays, when I was alone. Her face was still so beautiful, just like the day we met one summer’s afternoon, many yesterdays ago. Her long, soft brown hair flowed like a river and her eyes gazed tenderly at me. I still remembered her touch, even after all these years.

  As the day ended, I whispered sweet dreams to the sleepy little bees and hoped for a better tomorrow. Somehow, I knew there was at least a chance now of it being one.

  3

  Forbidden

  This morning held the wonderful expectation of returning to Nouveaux. The sun edged its way onto the station, then fell silently against the flower garden by my cottage, awakening the petals with its gentle touch. It was the day we had all dreamt of for so long; but at last it had arrived.

  I said goodbye to Equualeus and Aries before I left, then went to my friends on the Phoenix. They all wore expressions of excited curiosity, much like a child with a gift. Lightstar warmed up the engines, then announced we were ready to depart. The engines of the Phoenix glowed astern, as she began leaving the station.

  I plotted a course to Neptune, as Lightstar engaged mirage and we became like a shadow to the Progressionalists ships that had returned to take the place of the others, no doubt led by Lithius. During the early hours, there had been several attempts to retaliate by the Progressionalists to penetrate the space station’s shields, with laser fire from their ships. The Council of Light refused to respond with our weaponry, stating it would only cause further action. In the end, the Progressionalists gave up for the time being. But it seemed our departure from here was now even more necessary.

  My friends anxiously looked at me with regard to the fleet of ships we tiptoed passed, but I reassured them there would be no problem eluding them. I increased our speed to point nine glide and the engines surged with power as we proceeded to leave Earth behind. Lightstar confirmed our course was set and the light drive engine was ready.

  Lorius made a remark to me about hoping the light drive was safe enough. I told him he would barely know we were travelling just passed the speed of light. I had compensated the ride for just that reason. I asked Lightstar to engage the light drive. She said something sarcastic again and did what I asked.

  From the windows of the bridge, we watched the wings began to glow with a pale golden dust, which began to form into an energy wave of brilliant golden light training behind. Suddenly the Phoenix lunged forwards. It felt like she was resting on the crest of a wave as she increased her speed. Lightstar called out that the Phoenix was reaching light speed, as I watched the faces of my friends begin to develop smiles from the wonder of my achievement. As the Phoenix edged just over light speed, suddenly a serenity in the cabin became present. Despite her immense speed, I had designed the body the Phoenix to travel in elegant peacefulness. I told everyone it was safe to move around and offered to take them on a guided tour of the mythical bird. We would reach Neptune in a few hours.

  Lorius came across to me and put his hands on my shoulders. He seemed astounded. He said this was unbelievable; both the craft and the possibilities I had created for them. I encouraged him by describing the beauty of Nouveaux and to look forward to our arrival there. I took my friends on a tour of the Phoenix, while we continued on to Neptune. There was an observation platform on the top deck, where we watched the planets and the stars pass by. The Phoenix’s wings left a trail of rich golden light behind, as we flew.

  It was fascinating travelling the solar system, much like adventurers used to travel the oceans on Earth years ago. As we reached Neptune, Lightstar brought the Phoenix out of light drive and the large blue planet sat in front of us as we closed at glide speed.

  The entrance to the nebula appeared, so I banked the Phoenix gently into the opening and reduced to point five glide. Once inside, strands of coloured light mesmerised my friends and I as we followed the passageway through to the Andromeda galaxy. The nebula was stunning and mysterious to be a part of. Before long, we left it behind. I revealed the gem I had so longed to show my friends. Ahead of us was Nouveaux, still enveloped with its mysterious transparency, like before.

  I introduced everyone to our new home. They were as speechless as when I had first discovered it. In a way, it was like an illusion or a dream; the planet’s transparency was unexplainable. On the surface it seemed solid and yet up here it was like it had begun to fade from existence. I asked my friends to trust me, despite its unusual appearance. What lay beyond was a paradise.

  Not long after, we took the Phoenix to the surface. The sunlight was fading as we descended, leaving tones of cerise and pink through the sky. But as I brought us into land, I noticed there was something different. Instead of the lush vegetation and shorelines, deserts and rocky canyons took their place, along with dry river beds. At first, I thought perhaps I had landed at the wrong co-ordinates, but Lightstar insisted we were in the same place as before. It did not make sense. Where had the beautiful landscape gone?

  I continued scanning the planet’s surface, but only found similar scenery. What had become of Nouveaux? My friends were as disappointed as I, with the wasteland beyond us. Lightstar confirmed it was safe to leave the Phoenix, so my friends and I went to explore the surface. Lorius asked me to explain why I had brought u
s here, when obviously there was nothing about the place which could be of any use to us. I insisted it was not like this when I was last here. There was no apparent explanation for this transformation.

  So now, where I stood, sand, dust and rocks took the place of trees, meadows and turquoise coloured rivers. I conveyed my disappointment to my friends. It seemed our paradise was an illusion, like the planet itself. The sun began to fade and all at once the air began to cool, leaving a chilly reminder that the dream of a new life here was fading too.

  We were about to return to the Phoenix, defeated and despondent, when suddenly Lightstar informed us of an unusual shaped structure she had located, just beyond the canyons. I asked the others to wait on the Phoenix while I investigated. They reluctantly agreed. So I set off towards the co-ordinates Lightstar had found.

  Another one of Lightstar’s functions was a single person transportation. She could project a small energy field to stand on and fly just above the ground, almost like a magic carpet for one at quite a speed. It was faster than walking. The journey took only a few minutes. There was not much time as the temperature was dropping rapidly. The light was almost gone too.

  Soon after, we reached the clearing to find an unusual structure standing alone. It was shaped like a huge flower bud, which was closed for the night. Tall, smooth stones surrounded the object in the centre in a circular ring and made me wonder if this were some kind of ancient monument left behind by another race long ago. I tentatively entered the circle, then moved slowly towards the centre, where the flower shaped sculpture stood silently. There was an eerie presence to this place, almost like it felt forbidden to enter.