The main tasks began once the robots reassembled themselves from their stored configuration and confirmed their operational integrity. A good deal of time was devoted to the evaluation of the diet and physiology of these people to determine if they could be maintained within the confines of the Outward and, as that seemed to be the case, to collect sufficient food to enable them to survive the first adaptive months. Targets were identified, mostly younger adults and older children, but a problem arose during the observation period. It seemed that the lives of these people were unduly dependent on a large, but less intelligent, four-legged species. The ObLaDas were surprised and dismayed by the possibility that this might be a symbiotic relationship. These furry creatures accompanied the intelligent ones wherever they went, helped gather food, caught prey. The two species ate, slept, and played together, and the four-legged ones could understand the other’s language to some extent. If this were so, some of these beasts must also be collected to assure overall survival. It would cut down the number of humans to a dangerously low level, however. The mission might be in peril if there were many fatalities during the return crossing. It was necessary to obtain a large number of genetic samples and reproductive organs would be needed in order to manage the procreation of such an inadequate population sample.
It was a terrible thing that happened. I can hardly think on it even now. Eudovig, his new wife Cilar, his younger sister and brother, Ursilet and Lothar, as well as two foreign men of the Red Brigitae’s crew, had left Lindisport to spend the winter on Eudovig’s lands north of Nehdun. The group should have been large enough to travel safely, but they had gotten started late in the day for womanly reasons and progress was slow once they were on the muddy, rutted road. They could not reach the halfway shelters by the time night fell, so Eudovig called a halt. His wife had recently become pregnant and he did not wish to see her over tired. They made camp in a copse of birch off the side of the road. They would be fine he thought. They shared the abundance of bread, ham and wine that Ursilet had packed, built up a good fire and settled around wrapped in their plaid wool blankets and talked, as fine a night as Eudovig could remember.
When Eudovig woke, both Cilar and Ursilet were gone, their blankets and packs were still there, though tossed aside, and covered by the fresh snow. The snow was undisturbed. They must have been gone for some time. Eudovig called for the dogs, there was no response; the four dogs were also missing. Brush around the camp had been crushed and wheel tracks, some quite deep, crossed the campsite, the ruts easily traceable beneath the snow cover. Other tracks joined from deeper in the forest and all led back to the silver ship.
Woodsmen were out as long as there was light searching the forest, streams and trails around the camp. With the evening came the worst of news. Cilar had been found. Her body was not frozen, in spite of the lowering cold. It had not been there long. She had been dumped in the forest, her body naked. She had been cut from her throat to her sex; all of her organs were removed and missing. Wolves, thought Hogarth, the old hunter, sometimes they do that, just eat the soft tissues, but no, Cilar had been sliced with a sharp blade in one long cut. The bodies of two dogs were found the next morning. The wild pigs had gotten to them, but you could tell they were badly cut up before that. Ursilet was never found as far as I know. The men gathered from all the villages and farms to see to the murder. They were convinced that something in the ship had done it. Many more tracks were found around the machine now. It was becoming more active, but what could we do about the vile thing?
More troubles began soon after. People all over the area were being cut. Some were set upon in the dark while they slept. Others saw the flying things come toward them, they felt a sting, and fell suddenly asleep. All awoke with cuts around their sex. Sometimes a piece of flesh was taken from the lower abdomen, just above the hip, where the leg bent. Some women had deeper cuts into their lower abdomen and men had a testicle cut off. The cutting caused a panic. My mother and I stayed in our hut day and night with the window holes covered; only the cows came and went during the day. The cutting went on for two days and nights. Then it suddenly stopped. Gradually people came out into the open to gather and talk of what they had seen. Most would not admit they had been hurt and hid their wounds. At least they did not take sick, and strangely, the cuts did not fester.
We heard a terrible bellowing from our barn late that night. Loboc was in an uproar and all but tore down the door of our hut. I was afraid for him, but could not hold him back. Gunthar lit two torches and I took down father’s short sword. Mother wanted us to stay, but we went anyway, cautiously afraid of what might lie outside the rim of our feeble light. Loboc was still barking furiously, but he had moved off into the woods. Two of mother’s cows were down, one had been cut to pieces, and the better part of her hind leg lay across her gut. Dagobert came running into the barn. Attacks were happening all around the village, he yelled, and went running off again. All through Feldland, heavy raids were being made on granaries and livestock pens. The silver machines were still out in the woods with some of the dogs after them. The food thefts continued, in the day as well as the night, but without enough fighting men, we could not do much to stop them. Forest animals were also being taken, Hogarth said, then our dogs were shot down, not all, but most of them. They died, but Loboc was safe. Then suddenly the killing stopped and the spaceship sat, as it had before, motionless and silent.
It happened two weeks after the dogs were killed. I decided to go out. We had heard nothing of late from the other villages, no one traveled from one place to another anymore, but it was quiet in Feldland and there was work to do. I could not stay forever hiding in our gloomy hut. I called Loboc and we headed toward the village to muck out the communal icehouse. The old vault was in a low hill beyond the edge of town. It was far from the ship, so I thought it would be safe to go there. I pulled the heavy oak doors open and waited a bit to let the moldy smell roll out. The cave, supported by ancient wooden beams and slats, was mostly empty then, but soon fresh ice could be brought in and the winter slaughtering completed.
It was mid-day when they came. I was taking an arm full of wet straw outside when I sensed that something was wrong. No one was running, or yelling, or working, but there were some unusual grinding and buzzing noises coming from behind the hut across the path. I went to look. They were moving around Feldland, both were nearly the same, as big as mother’s cows and as heavy, it seems. They were self-moving wagons with complicated tube shapes sitting across their flat tops. Large flying things, very fast and aggressive, came and swarmed around them like hornets about a hive.
I saw two bodies lying on the ground near the center of town. I called Loboc, who had been waiting for me to toss him some spoiled meat. He was running toward me when his legs seem to melt and he slopped helplessly into the dirt. Only his eyes were alive. He looked at me in confusion for a moment, and then he looked away. Something was coming.
Before I could go to him, three small, fast bug flyers came directly at me, I managed to stop one by throwing my load of straw into the air and trapping it, but the other two came through and stung me. I turned to run back into the ice room when my legs turned weak and I fell forward onto my face. I could not move anything, completely helpless. I did not fall asleep, but I wish that I had. The silver-white carts came up the path from the direction of town. They gathered around the fallen bodies, probing them, pushing them around. The odd thing was, I lay there wondering how they found their way around because they didn’t have any head, or anything that looked like eyes, and how did they moved by themselves? Still, they knew what they were doing. One robot rolled past Loboc’s motionless body and came right toward me. I tried to scream, but I could not make a sound. My arms and legs were equally useless.
A hard-skinned arm poked my face and then it rolled me over onto my back. I could see the white clouds; it was a clear sunny day. The robot paused a moment as if waiting for instructions before moving again. It reached under me and put me fac
e down into its bin and then it cut off most of my clothes and through them aside. As it carried me away, another bot moved toward Loboc, but I could not see what it did. I was taken through the town as the robot moved from body to body. Everyone that I could see had been put down. The machine chose another person and put him mostly on top of me. I do not know who it was. I was pressed extremely hard, but could not shift around or even move my head. We bounced around through the trees. Birds were singing and insects were dancing in the bright sunlight as if nothing had happened. I remember this so well, because it was the last time I was to hear birds sing or see them jump from branch to branch among the green leaves.
I was afraid. No one had been inside of the lander before. Strange flyers and rolling things were going in and out of that body, which was not alive, but not dead either. Who would want to be dragged into the mouth of such a thing? I was moved beneath the ship, its silver surface blocked out the sky, and was lifted into the body, far inside, as well as I could tell. I remember being placed on a flat hard surface where I was scrubbed, shaved, and then sprayed repeatedly. A tube put some foul tasting syrup into my mouth that caused me to void every fluid that remained in my body through every place fluids could come from. It was becoming harder and harder to stay awake. Only a bright light and the arms holding tubes that reached toward my face remain in my memory.
There was no way to tell how much time passed after I was taken into the ship. When I awoke from a dream filled sleep, there was no sun, but no night either. The space was very small, a white wall inches was from my face. I had no clothes. Every vestige of Earth’s presence had been taken from me, tubes had been attached everywhere; a soft thick light-blue water was slowly filling the box I was in. I had a sense that there were others nearby, but I could not see them. I think that I had slept again for some time when the thumping and banging woke me. The thick liquid was up to my chin now, it had stopped rising, but held me tightly, there was little light and I was alone. A rumbling began far away and the room seemed to vibrate, it then began bouncing hard, moving with great power from side to side, suddenly the vibrations stopped, but the roaring noise continued, and I began to feel very heavy, on my feet, no longer floating. The sounds increased and I became heavier and heavier. Still alone, I could not avoid the feeling that I was moving farther and farther away from everything. I was not dead.
Chapter 12 Acclimation
I hovered beneath the surface of a warm pond. From time to time, when my mind cleared, I could see light through my closed eyes. I was deep in an ever-warm pool, too weak to move, without any need to breathe, hearing harsh sounds in the distance, always suspended in a thick, viscous fluid where I floated helplessly on and on.
Somewhere in her mind, I knew that I should try to reach for the surface and rise from the sustaining depth, but I could not. After a long while and without effort, it came about on its own. The surface touched me, slowly my body rose out of the warm liquid, and I could feel the chill air as the thick slime slid from my skin. I could move now, a little, my arms and legs responded weakly, but each motion hurt as if my body was already exhausted. I was frightened when I felt things touching my skin, Something hard and cold put me on my back and began poking and pulling, suddenly there was a tearing pain in my throat as a long rasping tube was dragged out through my mouth. I panicked, I desperately had to breathe, but each breath was a hot tear in my lungs, each swallow seared with pain. It kept me there as other tubes were pulled out. I was unable to do anything to stop it and was so afraid, but somehow I must have fallen asleep again.
Air moved over my naked body, I felt strange and so cold. Breathing still hurt, but not so badly. I began to feel stronger. I should not say that, for I could hardly move, but it seemed so to me. Fingers moved, I could make a fist though my muscles screamed as I did so. I was determined to fight through this. I had never liked being weak, if I could only get my eyes open. I seemed to have forgotten how to do it. Nothing worked. I tried to drag my arm to my face so that I could pry my eyes open. My eyes seemed filled with paste, but they worked well enough, but hurt to keep open. The bright light was not the sun, as I had long thought, this light seemed to come from everywhere, from a place of trees and sky, now there were only smooth white walls, white light. I stared at the white trying to make out where I was, but it was difficult to keep from drifting away.
Gradually, as the drugs wore off, I suppose, I was able to move my head and look around. For some reason, I was lying on the floor of a white room on a bright blue mat, there was a table higher up, other mats lying about on the floor, but no one else was there. Pipes and tubes hung from the ceiling, shining, motionless, there was a constant hum, and vibrations came and went, but no voices, no animals calling. Alone in this strange place, I began to cry. It was all too much wasn’t it?
I was dreaming of a snow-covered lake in the cold white winter landscape, when I sensed some movement and came awake. The peace and quiet of my dream slowly gave way to the nightmare of my new reality. I began to cry again, but I stopped suddenly frightened. There was a rustling sound close by, very close, it was once so normal, but now it was startling and caused me to jerk my head around. A thin shape covered by a white cloak sat with its back to me. Its round head covered by a frizz of straight brown hair, but it turned and spoke to me.
“Oh my dear, you have joined us at last.”
“Mildryth can it be you? What happened to your hair?”
“Ho, after all that has become of us, you ask me about my hair. Does it look so bad? Let me just say that it is the same as yours.”
“Oh, I remember, they shaved me after I was taken to the lander, but leave that, I am so glad that you are here. I thought that I was alone in this place. Where are we anyway?”
“Gwynyth, you have as many questions as any and we have few answers. A number of us were taken into that ship and brought to this place, not many perhaps, but some you know. Enough for now, how do you feel, are you numb anywhere, that would be bad, can you sit up? I am so happy that you are here even though I wish that neither one of us was here at all.”
“I feel as if I have not eaten in a month. Do you have something?”
“That may actually be true, I think. I have water and some curdled milk. You will not want to have any solids for a while yet.”
While Gwynyth was trying to drink, Mildryth told her about their situation. “When you are able to walk, we will go to the great room and you can meet the others.”
“You will not leave me alone will you? I was so afraid when I was alone.”
“No Gwynyth, I won’t, I remember well, though when I awoke there were others in the room, but they were in a panic, crying out. Some bodies were lying there as if they were dead, naked, with tubes stuck in them. I was as frightened as everyone else that day. You do not need to worry about being alone, though I may go a get some things you may need, like clothes perhaps. I will only go when you are asleep, so worry not.”
One by one, the force suppression chambers were taken from the lander and set in a series of recovery rooms for processing. One by one the new species were processed, the four-legged ones had been done first as they were in poor condition and the two-legged ones. The ObLaDas monitored all of them, two had died during the return, and they were anxious not loose anymore. The automated treatment appliance did most of the routine work, pulling the bodies free from the force suppression tanks, washing them, retracting the catheters, and feeding tubes. Five or six bodies had been laid out in each of the small recovery rooms that were strung out along a single long hallway. It took three days to treat them all and several more days would be needed before they would be able to survive without assistance. The ObLaDas only needed to intervene with a few who had obstructed breathing. They tried some of their recovery drugs, none worked very well in this new species, but they seemed to have a hardy constitution and did well enough once they started to eat and drink for themselves. They helped each other, not like some aliens. The ObLaDas liked tha
t. Perhaps they would do well. Already these people were using the large plain room that would accommodate them until the support facilities came into place. Only a few were left in the treatment rooms now. The insertion phase was almost complete.
Merwyn was the one who found me. She was struggling to keep Oswald upright. She had his arm over her shoulder and a good grip around his waist, but his legs were like rubber, not much help at all. She should have left him more time to recover, but she had gotten him started and was not going to give up, no matter how tired she was. They were slowly making their way down the narrow pipe filled corridor toward a large open space when I saw them. I tried to call out, but could hardly make a sound. Even so, Merwyn heard my whimpering, but she could not see me and could not stop anyway, not with this bulk to move along. Kunigunde saw Merwyn sagging against the wall and rushed to help her. Together they got Oswald onto one of the blue mats that they had dragged from the recovery rooms.
Merwyn went back through the hallway looking into each of the empty recovery rooms. She did not see anyone or hear any crying and was about to give up when she saw my naked body lying curled up in the corner of the last room. I had rolled off my mat and had not yet been given a blanket. Even in sleep, I was shivering in the unaccustomed draft. In spite of my discomfort, the room was not actually cold. Merwyn was pleased, however. This body looked well and would likely survive. Seeing that I was asleep, she set off to the big room to gather some blankets and water, but she had recognized me and knew that I was Mildryth’s friend.
“Welcome to you,” Mildryth called as she came into the room. I woke with a smile this time. “I have a beautiful gown for you, never mind that it looks exactly like the one I am wearing, that everyone is wearing. It is made of the finest, softest fabric that you ever felt, although plain and thin.”
Outward Borne Page 12