Helium Fall

by Darren Robison

  Grant had to ignite the hydrogen. He had given Tayana every chance to get to cover.

  On a whim, Sam thought of Tayana and how she had entered his mind. He thought of where she might be, but nothing came into view.

  He must think hard enough to catch her attention.

  Within a minute she was there, in his mind. "We are safe, ignite the gasses."

  Sam broke the radio silence, "Grant, Tayana is safe, fire now."

  Without hesitation Grant pushed the button on the remote. What happened next was beyond their imagination. Grant, Sam, and Tayana witnessed one of the greatest natural forces they had ever seen and would likely never see again. Tayana and crew were instantly engulfed in flames. The dome rattled and shook violently. From space the whole planet became a giant ball of swirling fire.

  The spectacle was more than they bargained for, "Tayana, please survive this, please." For the first time in his life, Grant was terrified. He may have blown up the woman he loves, and destroyed a beautiful planet at the same time. Her death would haunt him forever, but there were other matters to deal with.

  The Anotokian ships were a short distance away, by space standards. Taking a risk and hoping for the same outcome as the planet below, he signaled Sam. "Fire on the ships, fire on the ships."

  Sam maneuvered the Terra Aurai around behind the Anotokian ships. "Firing now! Wasn't it the coolest things you've ever seen? I've never seen a planet burst into flames. You made it happen, Grant. Good job!"

  "Shut up and fire!" Grant was in no mood for games.

  "Firing!" Their missiles impacted on the Anotokian ships, and exploded. There was no damage. Both men freaked out.

  "What the hell do we do now, Sam?"

  "Uh, I don't rightfully know. I thought the missiles would do more damage, any damage."

  "Think Sam, we have less than five minutes before those three maneuver to firing positions. We have lifted the veil, so to speak, they know we're here."

  Sam stared at the Anotokian ships wondering what type of metal could withstand a direct missile hit and not have a scratch on it, and then it occurred to him, the alloy. Did they discover the same alloy and patch their busted ships with it? "Grant, crazy idea, you need to load some of the Ebony Belle's water tanks into an outer hatchway. Then jettison them in the direction of the Anotokian ships."

  "Sam, that's crazy, and insane. Why would we do that? We're not a mobile ship wash. They aren't going to back off because we cleaned their windshield, what the hell are you thinking?"

  "The alloy we created. Their ships look like they're made of same alloy. Just do it! If I'm wrong, well...good knowing you!"

  "Fine, last ditch effort, could work, could get us killed, I'm in." Both ran to their labs and located full water barrels. Sam poked a few holes in the top of his and advised Grant to do the same. He wanted it to explode easier once it hit their hull. Grant loaded his into the outer hatchway. "Sam, pressurize your compartment. When the hatch blows, the barrels will be forced out in a hurry. It won't be lethal, but it may buy us some time."

  "Good idea, Grant, pressurizing now."

  "I'm headed back to the bridge Sam, I hope this works."

  "Me too, it was my idea. This is going to be a close one, buddy!"

  "Dear God let this work!"

  They returned to their respective bridges just in time. "We must make evasive maneuvers captain."

  "They're moving faster than I expected, Eliot, thanks for the heads up. Move us forward five hundred yards. We need to launch the barrels before we get to their ship. We have one shot at this."

  "Sam, you've gotta get out of there, hopefully you loaded your barrels on the starboard side of the Terra."

  "Sure did." Making a quick run to stay out of their direct line of sight, they cannot see us, we're cloaked!"

  "I totally forgot, we just have to stay out of their way and hope the barrels hit the front of their ships."

  "I loaded six. I should be in firing position in thirty seconds."

  "Right with you, Sam. They know someone is here, but they cannot detect where we are. We could cat and mouse them for days, but we need them to go away, one way or another. Get ready to fire on my mark."

  "Oh, Grant, this is either going to be one of our greatest hours or sensationally, one of our worst."

  "Blow the hatch Sam, blow the hatch." Grant released the outer hatch. With an audible bang, the barrels launched on a direct path toward the Anotokian ships.

  Sam's experience was similar, but not the same. He had a situation. "Grant, um...I think I over pressurized the hatch."

  "What do you mean Sam, what happened?"

  "Well, there was a loud bang and then a smaller one right after it. I think I ripped the outer door off of the Terra. I need to do some damage control."

  "How bad is it?"

  "Not exactly sure, but my barrels are outpacing your barrels three to one."

  "Holy crap, you tore a hole in the hull, didn't you?"

  "Possibly, but we need to focus on not getting shot out of space. We can deal with the issue later."

  "So now it's an issue? There's always something with you. Your barrels should make impact, in three, two, one..., there was no explosion, no fire, and no major holes ripped through the side of the Anotokian ship. Just a slick spot running down the side of the ship.

  It was a direct hit. Sam had failed. "Car wash it is, let's get the heck out of here before they find us. We can try to out run them." About then the other barrels began having an impact on the Anotokian ships.

  "Sam, you need to look at this, their ships appear to be melting."

  "What? Are you kidding?"

  "Nope, where your first barrel hit there was a slick wet spot, but now there are holes forming, lots of them."

  "On my side too. Oh look, they're starting to veer off, they're running scared!"

  "I wish we had more water barrels, Sam. Those Junkers are falling apart."

  "But the next batch they send will be armored and packing. It won't take them long to return with a lot more fire power.”

  "Seven ships have dropped out of hyperspace two thousand miles behind us."

  "Holy crap, Grant, I meant they'd be back with better firepower later, like a week, or a month, not fifteen seconds."

  "Sirs, they are our ships."

  Eliot's clarification brought an abrupt halt to their conversation. "Our ships?" Grant was stunned, incapable of understanding the concept of "our" ships.

  "Your message got through, sir."

  "Thank you, Jesus! Whoo hoo!" Grant was excited and not so excited at the same time. The ships, the villagers, and he and Sam were saved, but Tayana was still in great danger, if she was still alive. "Welcome to the fight Gentlemen."

  "Captain Goodwine, this is Captain Park Lane aboard the Magnolia. We should have them out of here in short order."

  "When did you receive my signal, I sent it almost two weeks ago?"

  "The signal was received one week ago. We gathered men and supplies, and then made a mad dash through space to get here. I thought we'd arrive, shoot up a few alien ships, and be heroes. Looks like you had them on the run before we arrived. You didn't really need us."

  "Glad you received my message and glad you're here. We may still need your assistance on the planet surface."

  “We're spacers, captain, not landies."

  “I know, but we just obliterated the planet below. There may be survivors. We request an escort to the surface to check on some friends."

  "Friends? You mean there are more bad guys surface side?

  "Well, they are not bad guys; they are another intelligent civilization desperately needing our help."

  "First run out and you two hit the jackpot, lucky bastards!"

  "We need to be planet-side yesterday, Captain Lane, if you know what I mean. I'll launch my shuttle in five minutes, an escort would be appreciated.”

  "Yes sir, we will escort you to the surface, on your mark."

  "You might bring
a few fire suits, to be safe."

  "Captain Goodwine, this may be a dumb question, but where the hell are you? We knew you were in the area because of the radio transmissions, but have yet to locate you."

  Grant laughed, he had forgotten about the cloaking device. "I'll be there shortly." He ran to the engine room and turned off the cloak. The ship instantly appeared three hundred yards away from the Magnolia.

  "How in space did you do that? You popped out of the black like a pimple on a fat lady."

  "Something we will have to discuss when we return to the PSAD. First, we need see what we can do to help or who we can rescue."

  "What did you drop on the surface to ignite the entire planet?"

  "Long story, I'll fill you in later. Launching shuttle in three, two, one..., see you on the surface, Captain Lane."

  "Right behind you, Captain Goodwine."

  "Sam, stay put. Captain Lane and I, along with one of his platoons, are deploying to the surface as we speak. We need you where you are in case the Anotokian's return."

  "This is Captain Westboro of the Broadmore. They shouldn't be a problem, sir. We blew their ships into space dust about four minutes ago."

  "Thank you, Captain Westboro! My guess is they got a message off before it happened. We need to be on alert. They will return and they'll come back packing." Grant felt things were far from over.

  "We'll be vigilant sir, good luck on the surface."

  "Thank you, Captain Westboro, going to need all the luck I can get." Grant re-engaged the cloak on the Ebony Belle before departure, leaving Eliot instructions to move the ship to a safe location away from the planet and any ships, friend or foe.

  It was going to be hell when he landed, but Grant was not prepared for what he saw when he popped into the lower atmosphere. There were no trees, not a single bush, flower, or blade of grass. The planet was barren as far as he could see. He headed to the mining camp where the battle was fought. As he approached, his heart sank. The bunker, the mining equipment, even some of the rocks, had completely melted. He hovered over the sight trying to find signs of life, anything to give him hope Tayana was alive.

  Captain Lane and his platoon arrived and were also surprised by the barren landscape before them. "Captain Goodwine, I'm hoping this is how it looked before the battle?"

  "Yes and no. It was barren in places, but it was also very lush. There were tall trees, lush vegetation, and plenty of wildlife. I don't think anything survived."

  "I'm sorry to hear that Captain, let's keep looking, maybe we'll get lucky."

  "Thank you, Captain Lane. Let's head to their village. I hope it fared better. Its environment was different than the rest of the planet due to its location in a valley."

  "Then let's go see if we can be heroes." Grant appreciated Captain Lane's sense of adventure.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Tayana and her crew huddled close as the gasses ignited. It shook violently and all was engulfed in flames. When the fire dissipated and the smoke cleared, Tayana and crew uncloaked. Their village was safe. All the pods, trees, and buildings were intact. There remained a few smoldering tree stumps outside the dome. Steam from the super heated water around the village created wild patterns as it rose past the dome. It was surreal. Tayana and crew had not seen any Anotokian's for the last fifteen minutes. She decided it was time to remove the dome and venture out. She had no idea what the atmosphere was like now and she had no way to communicate with Grant. Then she remembered Sam, she could communicate with Sam. She thought about Eliot and wondered if he could tell if the air was ok to breathe.

  Sam moved the ship some distance away from the planet and had stopped close to another life sustaining planet nearby. A vision of Tayana crept into his mind and he began to concentrate on the vision. It was not clear and he could not make out what she was saying, but he caught enough to know she was alive. "Eliot, can you hear me?"

  "Yes, Sir."

  "Can you tell if the planet's atmosphere is breathable for Grant and Captain Lane?"

  "The gasses have burned off and the oxygen levels are at twenty-five percent. There are no longer trees to produce oxygen."

  "Can they breathe the air on the planet?"

  "Yes. It will be like breathing thin air on top of a mountain. They will be short of breath and recovery will take longer."

  Sam tried to contact Tayana to let her know it was safe, but taxing. He thought as hard as he could but there was no answer. "Damn it! I sure hope she understands what's happening."

  "Grant, come in, Grant."

  "I hear ya, Sam, what's up?"

  "Tayana is alive, I'm not sure how. She spoke to me in my mind again."

  "We're headed to the village, Sam."

  "Be warned, the oxygen levels are at 25 percent and it will feel like you're on top of a mountain."

  "Thanks, we'll be at the village in two minutes. I'll let you know what we find."

  Tayana pushed the button to retract the dome. The good oxygen she had inside quickly mixed with the thin, charred oxygen of the planet. They began taking quick breaths and thought they were suffocating.

  "Tayana, we need to get back in the dome, there is no oxygen left out here."

  "There is oxygen, but it is thin. We will have to move slowly and with purpose. The Anotokian rovers were just ahead of us in the clearing. We need to see if there are any survivors, and then dispatch them if there are." The crew made their way to the clearing and found nothing left of the rovers. There were no bodies to be found either. The heat from the flames turned them to dust and the wind blew them away.

  As Grant neared the village, there were no landmarks, or trees, with the exception of one clump in the distance. He located the now dry streambed that once fed the large waterfall in the village. The village came through the explosions and fire unscathed, but how? There was no sign of Tayana. The smoke was thick and Grant would have to land in order to search for her. Through the smoke he saw the tops of the village trees. He set the shuttle down as close to the village as he could. Captain Lane landed fifteen yards away.

  "Gentlemen, be prepared for anything. Do not fire unless it has four arms, four arms."

  Grant exited the shuttle. His nose was assaulted by the acrid smell of burnt everything. He became light headed and held onto the rail of the bay door to steady himself. He caught his breath and called out Tayana's name.

  She and her crew hid behind the large outcrop of rock in the middle of the village when they heard the shuttles landing. She was uncertain if the landing parties were friend or foe. "Shh, did you hear that?"

  "Hear what?" Her crew had not heard Grant call out.

  "Listen!" All were quiet and trying to refrain from breathing, but the low oxygen made it next to impossible, they felt faint.

  "Tayana, are you here, Tayana!" She heard her name this time and took off in the direction of the call. Through the mist she made out his outline and he made out her silhouette.

  "Grant, I am here." They walked faster. A full out run would have taken them to their knees, breathless as they passed out. They embraced tightly, Tayana kissed him, full on. Grant did not hesitate for a nanosecond, he kissed her back. The kiss was passionate. They felt each other's soul.

  As they pulled away from each other Grant could not help himself, "Oh my God, you're alive. But how? How did you survive the explosion and the flames? There is literally nothing left, except the village, how?"

  "When you went to the Ebony Belle my crew and I went to the caves and retrieved a device my father made for this occasion. He called it the protector, and protect us it did.”

  “Let's get you and your crew into the shuttle."

  "Wait, there may be Anotokian's who survived the blast, we need to dispatch them at once."

  "Tayana, nothing but you, your crew, and the village survived the blast, nothing. We'll go back to Ebony Belle and see what we can do later. It's getting late, night will be here soon. Let's get you out of here."

  "All right, let's go
, for now. We must come back and tend to the village. It will need care in order to survive. We will have to find a water source and ..."

  "Tayana, there is nothing left, no animals, no grains, no fruits or vegetables. This planet has lost its life. There will be no coming back here. You and the villagers have to relocate. Let's talk about this later. We need to get you to safety. The Anotokian's may return and if the planet is once again barren, they may leave it alone."

  Tayana had a different opinion. "We are going to discuss this later, but for now I need to see my people and I need to speak with Sam."

  Grant was puzzled that she needed to speak with Sam, but he let it go and they made their way to the Varizone.

  The trip back to the Terra Aurai was uneventful and Tayana was soon reunited with her people. She broke the news to them that the entire planet surface was destroyed and the village was the only thing left standing. There were tears and wailing as Tayana spoke about the possibility of having to relocate to another planet.

  "But this is our home, how can we live anywhere else?"

  "We can figure it out; they will return us to our home."

  Tayana, Grant, and Sam were all at a loss for words as her people dealt with the loss of their homes, the loss of their planet. "We will talk more later after I have some discussion with Sam." Tayana motioned to Sam to follow her and she led him out of the lab bay. "Where can we speak in private, Sam?"

  "We can go to my quarters, if it works for you."

  "It will be fine, it is private, and we will not be interrupted."

  Sam was becoming concerned as to her intentions but went along with her anyway. "Uh, what are we doing?"

  “I need to know what you know and what you've seen on this ship. It is of the uttermost importance, Sam."

  "Alright, what do I need to do?"

  "Be still and let me into your mind. I will view the ship through your memories. If I find what I'm looking for there may be hope for my planet and my people."

  "Sounds pretty serious, I'll do what I can to help." Tayana had Sam sit quietly at his desk chair while she paced around the room and gently entered his memories. Sam was not acutely aware of her presence in his memories, but he had a feeling he was being watched, only this time it was from the inside. The silence was enough for Sam to drift off to places he loved and missed. He missed the girls, the pool, and his home. He knew Tayana could read his mind as well as his memories but he was not bashful about any of it. She was in his mind on several occasions and it now seemed almost normal to him. He couldn't hide anything and she was good about not calling him out on what she saw. Sam drifted to a rather erotic memory of a night he shared with the girls before the battle began. The three of them were naked and oiled head to toe, and they were rubbing all over one another and—