The Planetsider

by G J Ogden

  Ethan was astonished. He tried to think of something to say, but could find no words.

  “It wasn’t spotted until it was too late,” Diana continued. “The ship was too small to cause any significant structural damage, but the orrum was atomised inside, and, well, you saw the result.”

  “How long ago did this happen?” said Ethan, still incredulous.

  “Oh, a long time ago,” murmured Diana, lost in her own thoughts.

  “The thing in there, the creatures we call The Maddened… it was once one of your people?” said Ethan, now beginning to understand. “How many more are in there?”

  “We don’t know exactly,” said Diana. “Probably fewer than a hundred now.”

  Ethan knew that even half that number would be a threat to everyone on the station. “Why have you not…”

  “Killed them?” interrupted Diana, turning to look at him with her sharp green eyes.

  Ethan was taken aback. “Well, yes! Surely they are a constant danger?”

  Diana sighed heavily. “After the attack, we knew that the people in this section would be exposed beyond our skill to heal,” she said, looking back towards the doorway. “The area was sealed quickly, and contained. But there were hundreds trapped inside. And they were still people then, Ethan.”

  Ethan could see melancholy starting to sweep over Diana. It had started to colour her speech, and even affect the way she stood. It was also written on her face, in the lines around her eyes that only appeared when her guard started to fall. He could see now that Diana had been just as distrustful of him as he had been of her. But now she was letting him in.

  “They were given a choice,” Diana continued, folding her arms tightly around her chest. “They would be helped to die, peacefully, before the change took hold and stole what remained of their minds and bodies, or they could live here, in the quarantined zone. And be allowed to become…” she paused, “...well, you know the rest.”

  “Maddened,” said Ethan, shaking his head.

  “We call it The Degradation,” said Diana. “But ‘maddened’ works just as well.”

  Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “This is unbelievable.”

  And then he had a thought. “But why did they not try it again? You said this was the only time they attacked in this way?”

  “They did try,” said Diana. “But there was an accident while they were loading the ship, or at least that’s what we believe happened, and a significant section of their own base was heavily damaged, and contaminated. We estimate that hundreds of lives were lost, if not many more. After that, it seems likely that they considered it too dangerous to attempt again; too much of a risk to themselves.”

  Ethan remembered the talk about off-limits areas on the UEC base and another piece of the puzzle clicked into place in his mind.

  “That’s why you made a point of telling me there was nowhere off limits, isn’t it?” said Ethan. Diana smiled weakly and nodded. “They told me you had attacked them in this way,” said Ethan, remembering, “by using this toxic ore as a weapon. It's why they said they needed the ship and medical equipment.”

  “Yes,” said Diana. “Ironic, isn’t it?”

  Ethan walked back to the balcony and looked down at the plaza, and the people going about their everyday lives. Just as the people of his settlement were probably doing, he imagined. He wished he could stand on a balcony and watch them instead, to see if they were talking about him. Did they miss him, he wondered? Were they safe? He felt a longing that he had not experienced before, a longing to be among the people who cared about him. Or, at least, used to. “I think I want to go home now,” he said, mournfully.

  Diana appeared beside him. Her mouth was more relaxed, not pressed into the thin, red smile he was used to, and her eyes appeared fuller, rounder. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Come with me.”

  chapter 26

  Diana led Ethan to an elevator on the other side of the balcony to where they had been standing. They passed several other elevators along the way, but the one they finally stopped at looked different.

  “Where are we going?” asked Ethan, genuinely curious.

  “To see your ride home,” Diana replied, with a half smile. She touched her security pass to the elevator door panel, causing the doors to hiss open. Ethan stepped inside, followed by Diana. She pressed a button on another panel inside and the doors closed. Shortly afterwards they began to descend rapidly. Ethan looked at Diana, standing calmly with her hands together in front of her. She was unlike anyone he’d ever met.

  “What makes you different?” said Ethan, almost thinking out loud. Diana cocked her head towards him and shot him a quizzical look. “Both sides have been fighting for so long that you’ve grown up knowing nothing else,” said Ethan, taking the cue to elaborate. “So why are you different? What makes you want something other than war?”

  Diana considered this for a moment. “It’s a good question, Ethan,” she said. “The answer is that I have to believe there’s something better; that we don’t just have to accept what we’re given. Does that make sense to you?”

  Ethan nodded. “More than you know,” he said, softly. “But maybe sometimes, it’s better to hold on to what you have.”

  “Perhaps,” said Diana, thoughtfully. “We’re alike, you and I.”

  “Oh?” said Ethan, now tilting his head quizzically back at her.

  “We both dare to dream,” said Diana. “And we’re willing to chase our dreams, even when it leads us to places that others fear to go.”

  Ethan stared back ahead at the blur of motion behind the glass. “Yes,” he said, “sometimes foolishly.”

  “What you consider foolish, others would consider brave, even noble.”

  “I don't think Talia would see it that way.”

  “Well, perhaps I can help her to see things differently when you introduce us,” Diana replied, smiling.

  Ethan did not respond. He admired Diana's conviction, and she was right that they were alike in many ways. But he still did not believe that Diana and her people returning to the planet was a good idea. He would need to find the right moment to tell her, to explain. But he didn’t want to. He didn't want to be the one to crush her dreams, as his had been crushed.

  The elevator came to an abrupt halt and the doors hissed open.

  “After you,” said Diana.

  Ethan stepped out into a large circular room that seemed to be the same diameter as the plaza. It rose five storeys, with the upper sections configured as what looked like offices or storage areas. The lower deck occupied around two-thirds of the total area and was divided into quadrants, each with an array of consoles and machinery that Ethan was now used to seeing. At the outer edge of each quadrant was an enormous viewing window, staring out into open space. Three of the windows gave an unobstructed view into the darkness beyond, but the fourth was almost entirely obscured by a massive object, attached to the station via a long umbilical. Ethan recognised it instantly as the ship he had been sent to recover for the UEC.

  “There’s your ride home,” said Diana, who was standing slightly behind Ethan.

  Ethan looked at the hulking ship through the window and shuddered as he remembered what had occurred inside. He approached the window to get a closer look and then noticed the unmistakable blue glow of the planet hanging in space, far beyond them, but so clear and vibrant that he felt he could reach out and touch it. The first time he had seen the planet from space he was too awestruck to appreciate it, but now, looking out at the shining blue orb, he realised how truly beautiful it was. And how, despite the dangers it still contained, and the hardships it required its inhabitants to endure, its preservation was vital. Whether it was the UEC or GPS, or what they had evolved to become in the generations after the start of the war, it didn't matter. The Planetsiders’ new civilisation had to be protected. Over several generations, the survivors of The Fall had, by necessity and choice, struggled and worked together to build a new so
ciety that was entirely separated from the civilisation that preceded it. A unified society. A better society. In contrast the survivors cut off in space had continued to feud with each other, passing on their hatred to the next generation.

  Ethan knew the price that Diana would ask in order for him to return home. She would want to return with him with a delegation of her people, and with Ethan as her envoy. But Ethan understood now that it was too high a price to pay. He would not risk everything that the Planetsiders had achieved in order to fulfil his own selfish desires. It was his selfishness that had led him to this point. And it was Ethan alone that must suffer the consequences, even if that meant staying on the base for the rest of his life. Even if it meant dying here, a casualty of their perpetual war.

  “You still mean to return with me, to the planet?” said Ethan, not turning to face her.

  “I do,” said Diana. “I was hoping we could return together.”

  Ethan turned and saw Diana standing as she usually did, hands clasped in front of her, red lips pressed into a thin smile. “Diana, I want you to know that I believe you and admire what you're trying...” he began, but Diana interrupted, quick to head off any suggestion of refusal.

  “Ethan, you don’t have to decide now, take…”

  “Diana, please, hear me out,” implored Ethan cutting across her. He looked pleadingly into her intense green eyes. Ethan could see that she was desperate to speak her mind, but she fought back her impulses and allowed him to talk.

  “I understand what you want, Diana,” said Ethan, “and I want it too. But the Planetsiders are not ready to accept you back. Not yet.”

  “Ethan, I mean no harm to your people…” said Diana, unable to contain herself any longer.

  Ethan held up a hand to stop her again. “I know,” he said, believing her. “But they are not ready. And, while this war continues, neither are you.”

  Diana opened her mouth to speak again, but her words were drowned out by the sudden blaring of a siren. Diana’s face hardened like stone. She ran over to the nearest docking quadrant and spoke to a uniformed man, who was staring intently at a screen. Ethan followed, but hung back a little so as not to get in the way.

  “How many?” Diana asked the man.

  “Three fighter craft, four kilometres away, heading straight for us and closing fast,” the man replied promptly. “Command has launched a full response from the upper ring.”

  Diana raised a clenched fist to her chin and stood there in deep thought. “What are they doing?” she said, addressing no-one specifically.

  “Are we in danger?” said Ethan, concerned.

  “No,” said Diana, but Ethan was far from convinced by the response.

  “Then why do you look worried?” he asked, beginning to feel more anxious.

  Diana moved over to the console nearest the uniformed man and started tapping at the screen. “Three light fighters pose no threat,” she said, while still watching the screen. “Even if our fighter response doesn’t intercept them, they would be destroyed by the main batteries before they even got within a kilometre.”

  “Perhaps they just want to test our response times?” suggested the uniformed man.

  “Perhaps,” said Diana still looking at the screen. “It’s unusual though. It’s as if they…” She stopped abruptly, mid-sentence. The panel in front of her started to beep frantically. Diana hit the screen and the display switched to an external camera. Diana squinted at the screen and then she saw it, the outline of a fourth vessel, cutting silently through space directly towards the lower docking ring where they were situated. It was completely powered down, with no engine glow, no lights and no electronic emissions, so it was practically invisible against the starscape. Ethan could see that Diana knew their plan. She looked up at Ethan, her eyes wide. “It’s as if they want to distract us from something else.”

  Ethan opened his mouth to respond and then it felt like an earthquake hit the station. He was knocked from his feet, and thrown awkwardly onto the hard metal floor. He saw Diana lying prone next to him, and pulled her towards him. An explosion erupted from the quadrant opposite, and Ethan shielded Diana from the blast. The lights went out. For a moment there was total darkness and then the emergency lights kicked in, bathing the area in a harsh, red hue.

  Ethan got up, and helped Diana to her feet. “Thanks,” she said, dusting off her grey suit, which was now ripped and blackened in places. Before Ethan could respond, she had rushed back over to the console. The other man lay on the floor, bleeding out badly from a wound to his head. Ethan went to help him, but Diana called out. “No, there’s no time!” her voice was urgent. “They’ve breached the dock. They will be coming!”

  “Who?” shouted Ethan.

  “The UEC,” said Diana. “They’ve come for the ship. We have to get to the auxiliary control room. We’ve got to destroy that ship, or they will take it and use it to destroy this station!”

  Ethan nodded. Diana was right; the ship had to be destroyed.

  “Follow me!” shouted Diana, and she ran towards a metal stairwell that snaked up to the balcony level, overlooking the four docking quadrants. Ethan followed closely behind. As they reached the first junction, Ethan felt another explosion rock the lower ring. He turned and saw that a hole had been blasted through the docking bay door in the quadrant opposite, close to where the initial explosion had occurred. Soldiers dressed in blue body armour and helmets charged through the opening and immediately began shooting. Each wore a full face shield with a dark visor; all expect one. As the soldiers charged in, filing to the left and right, shooting at anyone that moved, the unmasked man walked down the centre line, almost casually, carrying a rifle at the low-ready position. It was Major Kurren.

  “Quickly, we don’t have much time!” shouted Diana, who was surprisingly agile, and already several seconds ahead of him. Ethan set off back up the stairs to a background of weapons firing below, and the sickening screams and shouts of people being killed. They reached the balcony and Ethan followed Diana across the front of a long room, with darkened glass windows. She swiftly unlocked the door with her pass, pressed it open and motioned for Ethan to go inside first. Bullets ricocheted off the railing and walls nearby.

  “Hurry!” shouted Diana, as Ethan practically fell into the room. Diana followed close behind, closed the door and then held her pass to the silver panel until the rim around the panel turned red.

  “The lock will hold them for a while, but not for long,” Diana explained, through laboured breaths.

  “What are we doing here?” Ethan asked, looking around the room. “What is this place?”

  “It used to be a command centre used by GPS, but we've not had need of it for years,” Diana replied. “We can still remotely access the warship’s systems from here.”

  “To do what?”

  “To destroy it,” said Diana. “I can set it loose and overload its engines remotely. I just need to access the program and run it.”

  “What can I do?” asked Ethan, feeling helpless.

  Diana went to a metal storage cabinet next to a nearby console and, holding her pass to the silver square on the front, unlocked it. She opened the door, reached inside and pulled out a pistol. “Do you know how to use one of these?” she asked.

  “No, but I’m a fast learner,” said Ethan.

  Diana slid a magazine into the weapon, pulled back on the top section and handed it to Ethan. “It’s loaded and armed,” she said. “Just point, and squeeze the trigger.”

  “I thought you said you weren't a General,” said Ethan, surprised at how deftly Diana handled the weapon.

  “Long story, no time,” she replied. Ethan held the weapon in his hand. It was cold and heavy, but comfortable. He practised aiming at the door while Diana worked at the console. “Come on, come on!” she said to the screen, urging the text and numbers that were flashing across it to move faster. A second screen lit up nearer to Ethan. On it was a video image of the warship, still attached to the s
tation by the umbilical. He could see lights switching on across its hull, and its three giant engines begin to glow.

  The sound of heavy boots thudding on the metal decking outside drew Ethan's attention back to the door. He waved at Diana to get her attention, and then pressed a finger to his lips. Diana understood the signal, and slipped down low behind the console, making deliberately slower and more careful inputs in order to stay as quiet as possible. Ethan moved to the other side of the room, and hid behind a cluster of desks, weapon aimed at the door. Outside, he could see the shadows of two figures behind the dark glass. They were outside the door, trying the handle. Then he heard muted voices and they moved away. Ethan waited, his grip on the weapon’s handle so tight his knuckles were white.

  Moments later there was a sharp detonation and the door flew inward. The blast startled Ethan, but he quickly steadied himself and regained his focus. The two soldiers rushed in, scanning the room with lights fixed to the ends of their weapons. The first solider saw Diana and tensed. Ethan stood tall, aimed and squeezed the trigger three times in rapid succession. The solider fell. The second figure fired at Ethan and debris erupted from the wall beside him, showering him with dust and fragments of a stone-like material. He ducked lower and threw himself behind an adjacent desk. The solider fired again and Ethan stayed low as more fragments showered him from above. He reached over the desk and fired blindly in the direction of the noise, before crawling behind a second desk further into the room. He chanced a look, and saw the solider shifting away, looking, he presumed, for Diana. He took a deep breath, held it, and stood, raising the weapon towards the masked figure. The solider reacted quickly, shifted again and turned the barrel of its weapon back towards him. Ethan squeezed the trigger twice and the figure flinched instinctively, but did not fall. Ethan expected to be shot, but instead Diana appeared from behind the console and struck the soldier in the back of the head with what looked like a metal table leg. The soldier grunted and fell heavily to the floor. Ethan ran over and checked the body. It was either dead or unconscious.