A Collection of Science Fiction Gems

by David Scholes

  “The pursuit vessels have acquired the first migratory gateway as a target and will vector in on it. The programming will aim for the best angle of entry to the gateway but be prepared to override this manually as the Drorne computer taught us,” said Tlorthh.

  As we approached the temporary migratory gateways both were in site at the same time. If we missed one we might just possibly have a chance at the second. Which was projected to leave this dimension slightly later.

  Tlorthh brought up the rear. Now taking almost all of the offensive fire directed against us.

  I was taken aback by the speed of these two migratory dimensional gateways. It was really as if we weren’t meant to ever get back to the Earth dimension. Or perhaps even leave this brutal dimension at all. Though doubtless other migratory, hopefully not so fast moving, dimensional gateways might appear later.

  Joy was just marginally ahead of me and somehow made the first migratory gateway before it disappeared. I missed it and desperately steered for the second migratory gateway. The jolly thing seemed to increase speed as I approached it. In the end I just squeezed through right on the moment that it was about to disappear.

  I couldn’t see any way that Tlorthh could have made it.

  My belief was backed up when Joy and I both made it back to the Earth dimension via our separate gateways. We both ended up remarkably close to the exact physical location where we had left the Earth dimension. We waited for a time at that spot in case Tlorthh came through belatedly. He never did. For some time afterwards we looked for some form of contact from Tlorthh. Having expecting him to appear before us somewhere else on Earth. Or make contact in some way.

  The scary thing was I had the feeling that at least one of my pursuers may have followed me through to Earth. Joy it turned out had the same feeling. But then if the Earth dimension is interlaced with dimension gateways maybe these things that pursued us and others like them can come and go as they please? It’s a scary thought. If so there was no great evidence of them causing trouble here on Earth.

  The Drorne pursuit vessels were pretty beat up but apparently they successfully recorded everything that happened to us. I guess the authorities here on Earth should be able to make something out of all of that.

  Some months later Joy and I did receive a message from Tlorthh. A telepathic imprint – the exact same message on each of our minds. Why he chose that form of communication over others I do not know. It suggested to me that he had at some point arrived in our dimension. Unless it is possible to communicate in this fashion across the dimensions. I do not know.

  Tlorthh let us know that he was back in his dimension. There was more – he and a group of fellow dimensional travellers were going to come here. Help us with the Drorne technology in the two pursuit vessels and get us on the road to policing what he confirmed was a network of dimensional gateways that existed on Earth.

  It sounded pretty good to me.

  I was looking forward to seeing him again.

  End

  Universe Builder

  Our prime scientists laboured to avert the imminent collapse of our existence.

  All but one failed.

  An explosion he created led to a vast cosmic expansion far beyond known boundaries.

  “What is this?” I asked in wonder.

  “The beginning of what I call a Universe,” he responded.

  End

  Cold Case

  Canberra, Australia

  2151

  “Wiam Dlort n Dlell, owomaywebeofass?___”

  The two law enforcement droids faces looked expressive as if they were capable of emotion. I had the sense of their genuine desire to help us. I was intrigued as emotion capable AI’s of any kind were beyond the technology of my time.

  “They are speaking so fast it sounds like gibberish,” I communicated by sub audio to my partner Joy.

  “Everybody talks like that now, I mean in this time period,” Joy corrected herself. “Just switch on your slow down language program.”

  It still sounded like gibberish and there was something else to the communication. A non verbal component of some kind.

  “I find I’m also having to use an interpreter program to interpret all the lazy language, abbreviations and acronyms.” I sub audioed to Joy.

  Finally the droid communications made some sense to me. Joy of course had already interpreted them.

  It occurred to me that the droids should have been the ones making the adjustment for changes in language and verbalisation speed and not us.

  “Despite the droids apparent politeness we need to be mindful that we are just barely tolerated here in this time period,” Joy reminded me.

  As the droids escorted us to a prepared interview site we knew only to well, from our cultural briefing, not to engage any of the locals. None of whom gave us the merest hint of acknowledgement. Though they had possibly been briefed about us.

  The various figures moving up the plentiful gravity wells and elevated walkways seemed totally disengaged with each other. Heads down, scurrying along, and no two individuals together. Almost all were helmeted. I remember the briefing saying that these helmets provided endless audio, audio visual, other sensory and even direct to mind work material, news and entertainment. I could only guess as to how they didn’t bump into one another. Some form of radar perhaps?

  True to our inter-temporal agreement with the local authorities we got to interview everyone on the list we had provided. Though the locals didn’t make it easy. For example we didn’t come into physical contact with any of the interviewees. In every case we interviewed a hologram.

  It was clear to me that the locals were only just complying with the Time Authority guidelines for cooperation between designated time periods. In other words minimum cooperation. There was nothing beyond this

  The interview rooms provided Joy and I were large elevated transparent cubes. Solid on the inside and safe enough I suppose but totally transparent. Anyone walking below could see everything that was going on. Though the cubes were at least sound proofed. All in all though it was a most unhelpful environment to say the least.

  At the end of the interviewing process another couple of droids approached us. I couldn’t tell if they were the same droids that had escorted us here or not. By comparison to the earlier two they seemed emotionless. Perhaps someone had removed their chips.

  That was another thing too. The authorities in this time period only dealt with us through their droids. We could have sent our own droids but the droids from our 2055-2075 time period were not up to a full scale investigation. Certainly not up here.

  “I suppose at least the droids didn’t actually sit in on the interviews,” offered Joy.

  “They didn’t need to,” I replied “these people have the capacity to monitor everything that took place in the interview cubes. Not just what we say but even things like pulse rates and the degree to which we are sweating.”

  “Not telepathy though,” asked Joy hopefully “they can’t actually read our minds here can they?”

  I was slow to respond not being entirely sure on the matter. “I don’t think so,” I finally replied. Even if they could I was pretty sure the Time Authority would not allow of it. Though the Time Authority guidelines weren’t always adequate in dealing with the superior technology advantage held by the authorities of the higher time period

  “You have completed what your investigation requires you to do in this time period,” both droids asked speaking in unison.

  “Not quite,” I replied, now totally adjusted to the ridiculously fast, abbreviated and acronym filled language of this time period.

  We needed to access certain records of this time period. Including the records of certain criminal investigations.

  The droids looked like they were about to refuse us. Simultaneously. Then once again we received the minimum amount of cooperation.

  We could have received a mind implant containing all the details we needed. Or at the very least
a guaranteed accurate sealed comprehensive 3D audio-visual and sensory package Instead they plopped us down in one of the ridiculous transparent cubes again, with an ageing bio-computer hardly any more advanced than those of our own time. Extracting the full set of records we required proved relatively laborious.

  All but one of our numerous suspects were extremely long lived individuals spanning many time periods. This is one of the necessary requirements for an inter-temporal investigation. That and the fact that the case goes unsolved in successive time periods.

  In accordance with Time Authority rules the investigation is carried out by authorities from the time period in which the original crime occurred. Final sentencing and punishment. Well that can be more complicated.

  “Can I conclude that you have now finally finished that part of your investigation that pertains to this time period?”

  The voice was that of a human. It sounded condescending.

  I suppose we should have felt honoured that for the first time in this time period we were dealing directly with a human but we didn’t.

  “We have closely followed your investigation here and on the evidence it is clear that you should now pass the responsibility for charging, sentencing and punishing the guilty individuals over to the authorities of this time period.” A smugness had been added to the superior condescending tone. I saw also that the human came with considerably persuasive resources

  I wasn’t about to have any of it. I knew about this time period and its lax approach to sentencing. More than that in this future the guilty parties had already enjoyed decades of good living that they shouldn’t have. No I wanted their punishment to be retrospective. Back to Joy’s and my current time period.

  “It’s not at all clear,” I responded “as our investigation is incomplete. In order to complete it we have to move to the next time period where all those primary suspects are still alive. We have further enquiries to make there.”

  The human’s facial expression changed involuntarily. The smugness had gone from his face just as the condescension had gone from his voice. The droids looked angry. Perhaps their emotion chips had started working again. The enforcement resources that had accompanied the human and the droids dissipated even as we took our leave.

  “They can’t argue with that one,” Joy sub audioed “not with us taking it up time.”

  “It’s always the way to go,” I replied. “Any problems with the local authorities then take the matter above them. Inter-temporally that is,” I chuckled softly.

  I knew we ran the slight risk of the future time period wanting to do the same thing as this one. Yet it was unlikely. The authorities of that period, especially the judiciary, were well known for favouring retrospective punishment. Taken back to the time period of the original crime.

  It’s true of course that no time period’s authorities like being visited by those of another time period. Inter-temporal investigations are always a delicate balancing act and the more difficult when you are making enquiries up time in, almost always, a technologically superior environment. In the end it is only the quiet strength of the omnipresent Time Authority that keeps everything in delicate balance.

  End

  Other Side

  It was not quite as I imagined it would be. If indeed I had imagined it at all.

  I found myself swimming forever in a sea, perhaps more a morass, of predominantly negative emotions and under currents.

  Shock, anger, hatred, frustration, disappointment, despair, disbelief, among others.

  Overlaying it all was a sense of helplessness. Of the inability to do anything to reverse whatever had occurred. Though exactly what had occurred I was quite unsure of. Though I had some suspicions and rather hoped I was wrong.

  In the far distance was a vast barrier which carried an all pervading sense of impenetrability.

  I had no sense of relative size or proportion here and consequently no sense of exactly how far away the barrier might be. There was a vague sense that distance here was not to be measured in kilometres or miles but by something else altogether. I attempted to swim nearer to the barrier but no matter how fast I strove towards it I could get no closer. In fact slowly, inexorably I was being drawn further away from it.

  Time seemed eternal here and yet I felt no particular sense of boredom. I was still trying to grasp where I was and what had happened to me. All the while my recollection of who I had been was receding. Though I was trying desperately hard to hold on to vestiges of it.

  Eventually I began to feel an easing in the negative emotions and undercurrents. More than this I was able to discern actual figures apparently swimming like me in the morass. They were of all types and sizes. Not merely humans. The barrier, if such it was, was still visible but only just. I wondered if it too would recede into memory.

  In one major direction the negative emotions eased further and I had my first sense of lighter more positive emotions and undercurrents. Feelings of relief of joy and of acceptance though sometimes still tinged with sadness. In another major direction the negative emotions actually seemed to gather strength once again. Threatening to become overwhelming.

  For an indeterminate period I was flowing in neither of these major directions. I was just wallowing between them in what was now a morass of mixed emotions. Some positive, some negative. I felt more now than ever like an observer. With the main events passing me by as I simply watched on.

  It was during this time that I detected a narrow current going against the flow. Back in the direction of the barrier. With figures swimming in that current. I attempted to enter it but could not.

  While still wallowing in this no mans part of the morass I was finally able to hear and communicate with the many entities around me. I did not recognise the language used but understood it very clearly. At first it was overwhelming with every entity trying to communicate at once. It was also mainly unnerving. Entities yelling out in this universal language “I wasn’t ready”, “I’ve got so much still to do”, “It’s not my time” “Why me?” and similar remarks.

  It was quite a while before I was able to have an actual conversation with anyone or anything. Eventually something clearly non human engaged with me.

  “Where are we,” I asked “what is this place?”

  “You know,” he/it said “you just don’t want to admit it.”

  I feigned ignorance but I knew he was right. The evidence had been overwhelming.

  “That flow, the current taking some back towards the barrier, what is that about?”

  “You know,” it/he said “another chance, another opportunity for them back there where we came from.”

  I looked puzzled.

  “It happens, you know it happens. It always has and always will. The second chance thing or sometimes third, fourth, or fifth chance.”

  I still didn’t quite understand. Even as suddenly I found myself caught up in the current going back towards the barrier.

  He/it that I had been speaking to did not follow me in the back current.

  “I believe the world you once belonged to had a name for it. This second/third/fourth chance thing,” he called out.

  Reincarnation.

  End

  Archaeological Expedition

  I looked out over the wastelands of what might once have been a civilised world.

  “There’s nothing left to tell us of the nature of those who might have once inhabited this world,” I communicated. “Nothing of their science, their technology, their arts, their culture, their languages, even their physical appearance, nothing__nothing at all.” My telepathic communication trailed off, the disappointment in it obvious to all participating in our expedition.

  I could see, early on, that this small world was going to be the greatest archaeological challenge any of us had yet faced.

  Early on we had tried to take images of the past of this world using our time cameras.

  We had sent insta probes to every corner of the world but there was a down
time point about 10,000 solar orbits ago that our cameras could not penetrate. More recently than then the images of the past we captured were identical to those of the present moment.

  Except for a brief period just about 10,000 solar orbits ago. A past time image taken here showed large tracts of the surface where the ground was fused and far worse than this evidence of the use of a planet busting weapon. One that thankfully, didn’t completely live up to expectations. Though it still did a lot of damage. My suspicions were that faced with a planet buster the locals tried to defend themselves using thermonuclear weapons.

  Apart from this small window of time suggesting the use of thermonuclear and a planet busting weapon it was if someone or something had attempted to completely cover up what had happened here.

  Had our time camera discovery inadvertently picked up something that was supposed to have been covered over? Or worse still had this brief snippet actually been left as a tantalising clue or even a taunt of some kind?

  Even before we had arrived here we had wondered. Many worlds have a tendency to send out unmanned probes into interstellar space. We had detected nothing of this kind on our approach here. More significantly though we had encountered nothing in the nature of light speed communications emanating from this world. If they had been capable of such to have brought a halt to such communications spreading out through interstellar space would have been a formidable feat. Suggesting something on parity or more with us.

  In past archaeological expeditions we had occasionally come across races with a penchant for inserting secured capsules into particular secure physical locations for recovery in later time periods. These capsules had some capacity to resist the degradation caused by the passage of time and contained various artefacts and items representative of the time periods in which they had been buried. Time capsules if you will.

  Here on this world we had been reduced to this approach to try and learn something of this place. Trying to locate any time capsules that might have been left by the former indigenous civilisation. The relatively small size and obscure/unusual location of potential capsules could easily have been missed by our initial broad based scans of the planetary surface and even core.