by Gabe Sluis
“Thanks, Cress.”
“But, I am going to take you up on explaining things. I think I have about a million questions.”
“Jane?”
“To think I started to like you, and you lied to us the whole time. I’m going below.” Jane got up and walked out of the main room of the gunship and took the hatch in the back of the room down to the lower level.
“Don’t worry about her, she will come around,” Aros said to Crescent. “Lets start that pattern. I will set up the sensor search.”
***
About two hours into the search, Jane climbed up from below. She went silently to the sensor station and sat down. Both Aros and Crescent looked at her work on the station out of the corners of their eye. After a minuet she finally spoke up.
“You forgot to limit the parameters of the QuadDAR search from going over sections we have already passed though. You had it on total scan. This will save us time and prevent re-scanning areas.”
“Great.”
“The telescoping cameras might also give us a hit before the scanners get in range,” Jane said, immediately launching into her next thought.
“Things have been bothering me. I couldn’t even sleep, although I’m exhausted. I have to know how you were able to talk to the Scalies. What could you have said to make them not destroy the Prime? Instead they sent us both away using some advanced technology? You said you would answer my questions.”
“That is a big question to answer, but probably not the biggest you will ask me on this trip. You may not believe what I have to say, but I swear it’s the truth. I have come far and am tired. I will tell it all,” Aros began.
“I am a traveler. I am not from your world. This body was born there, but I was not. I am just like you, nothing more than a man. But, I was lost and have been searching for my friends and home for a very long time. You must understand that there are other worlds than these.”
“Other worlds?”
“Yes, other planets. Different versions of the same world. Versions of Tellus where the Roman Empire fell much sooner and the aboriginals of the western continents did not band together to keep out invaders from across the sea. There are ways to travel to different realms, dimensions and worlds. Existence is speckled with great powers or just simple cracks that allow you to leave one world for another. I have sought out these passageways, traveling up and down the levels of existence. Most of the time I had little idea where I was. Much of my knowledge comes from other travelers I have met on my way.
“Once I found myself on another human world, in your own galaxy. Piecing it together, I believe it was in the Perseus Arm. This world was taken over by the race of reptiles you call Scalies. They call themselves Chi-kashdta, which is not right, but the closest human equivalent of their word. The Chi took over that world, much the same way they attempted to do so on Tellus. It was suitable to them and they were in the habit of expanding, so they took it. The people were not as close to developed the way Tellus was, but they were intelligent and had a great capacity to learn.
“I arrived more than a century after it happened. The Chi had long since wiped the planet clean of humans, minus a handful of survivors. It was a great loss, which the Chi came to realize eventually. This clan softened from a hard nomadic group of youngsters and grew wiser with age. You see, the Scalies we saw on the Prime were young males, warriors and meat eaters. As they grow older, their teeth dull and they become herbivores. They transition to be the reproductive sex in mid-age and finally to asexual creatures in the last half of their life. As they age, they gain intelligence. By the time the invading young ones grew old, they realized the error of their ways.
“Humans were given great rights. They were allowed to live as they pleased and join in all walks of Chi society they wished. The children all grew up speaking Chi as well as their human tongue. The Chi treated the men with high regard. The humans had great talent as storytellers, musicians, poets, and oracles. But the thing that made the Chi elders change their minds about the humans and hold them in such high regard was some of the men’s skill in mediation.
“When problems arose, the Chi would hire a Mediator as judge. Much liberty was given to these Mediators and it kept their people living better than even some Chi.”
“So you learned their language from them at one of their schools, then,” Crescent said.
“No. Language was a gift I earned long before. But that is not this story,” Aros said. “Just now, I spoke with an elder Chi, who was on the planet and bargained for the lives of all of you, though you don’t deserve it.”
“What do you mean?” Jane asked in disbelief.
“Every version of your world I have visited seems to have their own group similarities. There are versions where the people are obsessed with pride of their groups, others that are overly political. But your version has this idea that they are the crowning achievement of existence and it is inconceivable to you that you are not the hero of the story.
“You assume that since one group of Chi attacked you, a minor attack on the grand scale of things, that they are the one great enemy of the human race and you must destroy them. I don’t know where this mentality came from. It is all over your popular culture, so many films and book about the big bad creatures from outer space that come to destroy humans. As a group, you had no idea that that was only a small clan of Chi-kashdta marauders, not one of the large clans you attacked. The ones that attacked Tellus used old, inferior technology to burn a passage into your Field. They came to trade with your planet. Trade. Make a name for themselves and grow. But your governments jumped to the defense and angered these young Chi. You people made yourselves the righteous victims and crossed the stars with that warped mentality and revenge in your souls.
“I know, I know, it’s not your fault. You were just acting on the information you had at the time. You didn’t even know what the Chi were saying to you on that first attack. and they reacted back violently. With the plethora of communication between myself and the Chi, that the Prime Meridian no doubt recorded, I’m sure the real intent will be discovered. Whether that changes anything will be the thing to see.”
“You make it sound like we are wicked and have a fatal flaw that has little chance of being corrected,” Jane countered.
“Maybe I am being too harsh. Maybe I have been too long from a society I fit into. Tellians are great by themselves or in small numbers. It is the same with all versions of your world, whether you call it Earth, or Tellus. It is when you get billions of humans together that the tidal pull of their collective personality can be seen. I don’t expect it to change, just something for you to think about. Maybe you can communicate this to your people, when you get back.”
There was silence for a moment as each processed what had just been said. Jane snorted and shook her head, fighting against every notion. She couldn’t believe the story, it was pure fantasy. But here she was, in another galaxy, with few other explanations to account for it. He was either mental or something else. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the swelling weight of all the things on her mind.
“You said there are other worlds. How many have you been too? How long have you been traveling?” Crescent said.
“I have no grasp on how long I have been searching. I have traveled through time, which complicates things. This is not my first body, and I have been to plenty of worlds. I just hope this path will lead me where I want to go.”
“Lets take a break, we have been going at full speed for a while,” Aros said. “I’m going to rack out for a dozen hours. I’ll see you guys later.”
Aros got up and walked to the hatch below. He didn’t look like the old traveler he claimed to be. He looked like a young, fit man in the prime of his life. Passing him on the street, no one would have thought twice that he was capable of so much. He dropped below and the room was quiet.
“What do you think, Ma’am,” Crescent said. “Do you think he is telling us the truth about the Sc
alies and ? It is kinda hard to wrap your head around.”
“I don’t know Cress. I just don’t know. I think I’m just as tired as he is,” Jane said. “And you can drop the Ma’am thing. I think we have passed those formalities.”
“It's just, you should have seen him on Sulva. He beat this arena fighter who was twice his size. And the way he spoke back there. How else did he get us sent way out here?”
“I heard about the arena. He must have gone easy on the guy compared to how fast he took out the two Scalies back on the Prime. And his hands… they were glowing this odd blue… I don’t want to think about it! Just leave me alone for a bit Cress. I am so stressed out.”
“Alright, yeah. I think we all need some sleep.”
***
The next ten hours on the Aurora were quiet. A few minuets after Aros departed, Crescent left his pilot’s chair, situated front and center of the bridge. He went to the lower deck of the Aurora to sleep off his own fatigue. Jane stayed awhile longer, sitting at the sensor station. She looked around the bridge at the four main stations surrounding the command chair, where weapons were also controlled.
She had so many questions, so many things unanswered. She was not sure if she believed that the quiet lieutenant was actually not from their world at all. The only thing that was firm in her mind, from looking at the astrometrical data, was that they were hopelessly lost, very far from home. That, and she felt grimy from the past cycles events.
Jane walked back behind the engineering station to the porthole connecting the two decks. Usually without gravity, one would just push themselves through to the lower deck. But now, the thin ladder used by construction crews on Tellus, came in handy. She gently climbed down into the dim room, as to not disturb the others.
The lower deck was a rectangle room with a high ceiling. On one end was a heavy door that slid open from both sides that held the engine room behind it. On the opposing end was the ships head. Jane walked quietly down the center of the room, avoiding the wall folded out cots where Aros and Crescent slept. She gave an especially wide birth to Aros’s cot.
***
Jane woke up in the darkness and immediately grabbed for her scroll. But it was not in its place, and she remembered she had changed clothes before she slept. She found her scroll clipped to one of the unnecessary sleeping straps that was attached to the edge of the cot. The only light in the room came from the open porthole that lead to the bridge. She fanned her scroll to check the time.
“That can’t be right,” she said, pulling off the thin but warm blanket and swinging her feat over the edge. Jane hopped down, bumping into the cot below her, as once again, the gravity had changed. Crescent lifted his head and sleepily watched. Jane, in undershirt, pants and barefoot, bound over to the light from the ceiling. She stopped at the base of the ladder and launched herself halfway up to the porthole. Crescent tore off his covers and followed.
“What is going on now?” she demanded when she reached the bridge. Aros was working on his scroll and turned around at the newcomers. “What’s with the gravity generator? Is it going out?”
“I just turned it down for a couple hours. Being a little lighter really helps you sleep. I knew you two needed it. Morning Cress.”
“Morning, Sir,” Crescent said, coming up to the bridge.
“We slept for fourteen hours,” Jane said. “You shouldn’t have let us sleep that long.”
Jane sat down at her station, looking over the data from the time she had been away. “So no hits while we were out, I take it?”
“None.”
“So, is it ripper if I break into the emergency rations?” Crescent asked.
“Go for it. We have food for at least five days.”
Crescent pulled out a tough box and began fishing around for the best meals. He tossed one to Jane and Aros. They all opened their packages and began to eat when Crescent spoke up.
“I’ve been wondering, Sir. Why us? Why not go alone? Of all the people on the ship, why did you take us with you? I can’t imagine we were a random choice. Everything you have done has been pretty purposeful. What is so great about us two?”
“Well, Cress, I couldn’t fly this ship alone. You know it inside out, and know how to fly it. I could have diverted you like I did with the other crew, that’s true. I figured that you would follow my lead with little question. I’m sorry if that seems heartless, but I needed someone like you with me. And, I like you Cress! You are a good guy. Plus, you owe me one, after saving you from that knuckle-scraper back on Sulva.”
Crescent let a faint grin cross his face and he nodded.
“What about me,” Jane said with a blank face.
“I needed Sensors and at least one more pair of hands.”
“And you thought that because of the way we talked the other night, that you would be able to manipulate me, as well?”
“No. No, I figured you would react like this. The truth is, you remind me of someone I once knew. Same strong will. Same demeanor. You even look similar.” Aros looked down at his food as he explained this to Jane. Jane was slightly taken back by this body language, as Aros usually had an unashamed gaze, using his eyes like weapons. A strong urge came over her. Her mouth opened before she knew what she was doing.
“What was her name?”
“Kya.”
Jane looked away. The name meant nothing to her. Just two syllables that stood for a person that she had no connection with. She could care less, but the name kept echoing around her brain.
“What about the star we are searching for? How did you find out about it? How are you sure it will work?” Crescent asked.
“I told you, I have been to many worlds. I have read libraries of books listened to many lyrical tales, seen hours and hours of films. On Tellus, I found something that really surprised me. Have you heard of a storyteller called the FarSeer?”
“I think so,” Crescent said, searching his memories. “Didn’t he write five or six books about a bunch of different stuff? I remember one about some gangsters in the desert…”
“That’s one of them,” Aros said. “There are six tales, all written is a mysterious tone with the author saying that he saw these stories happening, ‘far from here.’ It’s a good literary trick to excite your readers into believing they are reading something truly special. And it worked.
“His stories are all over the place. They do not fit into one particular genre. They are all written in slightly different styles. I thought each was done very well, but the most important thing about them is, I knew every one before I read them. The stories were new to your world, but not to me. That story about the two gangs fighting in the desert and a lone gunslinger that plays both sides, I heard it before. Each one was, to some degree, a known tale on some other world. I thought maybe this guy really could see to different worlds.
“It was his final book that convinced me. It was the story of a prisoner in a tower. I knew this story only because I had known that prisoner. In the book, there are two sentences, almost out of place with the rest of the story:
‘An arm of stars stretches away from the bulge of our galaxy, and at the end of this arm, sits a dim white star. This facade can take you where you desire; it is the gateway to other worlds.’
“I was convinced, so I tracked down the author. His real name turned out to be Miles King, and he lived on the northeast coast of North Colombia. I found out he had died when I was only twelve years old. I went to his grave before I joined the Space Service and found a huge black granite headstone with a small star carved on along with his name. That’s when I knew. This time, that star would be the way I escape your world.”
***
“Enough of this. You have told us all about how humans have terrible tendencies and everything that is wrong with us. You risked all of our lives on some stupid story you read so that you could get back home. You have been hinting all around it, so now I want to know, where did you come from, who are you really Aros Drogen?”<
br />
There was a brief silence as Aros took his time finishing his mouthful of food. Crescent, with full eyes, snapped his neck from Jane to Aros.
“It's just Aros. Drogen was a given name. I am a Tarkin, from a world called Yazos. We have no last or secondary names. I am just Aros.”
“You said you would answer everything. Don’t get bashful now. I want to know it all. Is that where you are trying to get back to?” Jane said. She felt on fire. The filter between her brain and mouth seemed to have just disintegrated. She noticed her hands were gripping the sides of her seat. She let go and took a deep breath.
“I’m not getting bashful. I was planning on telling you everything before we got there. So here it goes, here is my story on how I first left my world and began my wonderings. It is all because of the legend of the dark star.”
Legend of the Dark Star
Going home is always good, especially when you have been gone for a while. The feeling of returning to a safe place, one held dear in your memories, is one of the best feelings in the world. The prospect of seeing people left behind, sights and smells that have long been missed, a deep longing for the familiar; these are the things that Aros held in his heart as he returned home.
He walked. His feet fell softly along the dusty path. His way was flat and he walked with three tubes arranged as a pack, which were strapped to his back. Aros was not alone. Another boy, slightly taller, walked beside him. They did not speak. This trip had been a long time in coming and they both had plenty on their minds. Aros’s five years of service were over. He was free to pursue whatever he was inclined to do; the next question was where that inclination would lead him.
Rather than face the problem head on, Aros stared off in the distance, taking in the view. Across the plain of yellow grass, he could see an enormous emerald building. The main structure of the Dohit city was perfectly square, rising high into the sky, with a low angled pyramid completing the top. It was massive compared to some of the similarly shaped smaller buildings surrounding it. The whole area of Tapa Urkan City looked like a very regular formation of crystals, when viewed through the slight haze created by the distance. It was far enough that the two Tarkin could not see the base of the city from across the field.