by C J Paget
Cal helped the young tech to his feet, checking his head. “Kid, you’re going to have a goose egg, but you’ll be okay. I need you to round up whoever you can find and get to a pod. I’m going to hit the alarm—that ought to get everyone going—and I’ll make sure all that precious equipment is shielded. You understand?” The tech nodded a little blearily and headed out the hatch.
Cal looked at the shambles all around him, blown panels everywhere and most of the peripherals deader than his first marriage. The Evolutionaries’ stealth ships had popped in from nowhere about ten minutes into the mission. Sanger Evolutionaries believed that when they died in a righteous act of wanton destruction, they would evolve into a god. Given that, they had no fear of using stealth shields that would kill you inside of a year. It was just another path to enlightenment. So far they had only used concussives in hopes of taking prizes, but if the battle went too long, there was no telling what they were capable of. “Shut down the listening posts, what a good idea,” he mumbled to himself, and continued to splice systems until he got readouts on the main monitor system. He looked at the chrono again: ten minutes left. An hour had seemed like such a short window for the mission when they had agreed to it.
* * * * *
The beings—if that’s what they were—became more numerous but kept their distance. The bubbles also became more numerous, and the aliens seemed to avoid those as well. As Linda drifted by, she could see two groups in the distance, one with red tendrils and the other with purple, as they ran into each other. There was much jerky motion, then they started whacking at each other until the incident became a full-blown melee. Tendrils were torn off, and something vaporous leaked from the many wounds inflicted. A herd of bubbles went whizzing past Cue Ball, barreling toward the rumble. Just as they were about to smash into them, the bubbles gave out a roar and swallowed up each individual fighter until there were none left.
Linda was horrified.
She couldn’t be sure of the meaning of all she’d just seen, but the violence shocked her. Yes, nature tended toward violence back in her world—eat or be eaten—but this place had seemed so tranquil. Her sphere drifted on, and she watched as the bubbles wobbled in place for several minutes. Then, just as the scene was almost lost behind a cloud, she saw the bubbles flow away, leaving the former combatants to re-gather into their groups and sheepishly drift away from each other.
Linda cleared her throat before commenting, “I can’t even guess about that incident… Weird, that’s my considered scientific analysis, weird. I’m going to try to initiate interaction, if I can get close enough to one of the native life forms. They may view Cue Ball One as just another bubble, so I will do what I can to draw some attention and let them know that they have a guest. I hope this is a good idea.”
* * * * *
As it turned out, it didn’t take much at all to attract their attention. With the next group headed in her direction, she activated the exterior speakers and began playing sequenced tonal pulses. The group slowed, so she increased the volume.
That seemed to get their attention.
They flowed around the sphere frantically, as if looking for something. One of the beings stopped right in front of her, looking her over with a keen interest. This was her first opportunity to actually observe one of them close-up and at rest. She gulped but started recording her observations.
“My first impression of this being is of an achingly beautiful eight-foot-tall butterfly with iridescent soap-bubble wings flowing gracefully about him. The wings are incredible, catching the light in ever-changing patterns, seeming fragile, almost insubstantial, but giving the body locomotion. On each side of their flattened, hourglass bodies, dozens of elegantly expressive tendrils move purposefully, individually or in unison, acting as arms, legs, feet, and hands. All of them are carrying objects of varying types. The tendrils are able to manipulate moving parts on these artifacts with incredible dexterity. They have graceful swan-like necks that blossom into beautifully shaped oblong heads with small mouths and tall, sensitive ears, or maybe antennae. They move with a grace I’ve never seen outside of a dream.”
The being cocked its head and seemed to smile at her. “But, it’s their eyes that are the most remarkable. They have two of them, just like humans, but much larger, covering the upper part of the head and wrapping around to each side. Their irises have an outer rim that starts as a Maxfield Parrish blue and moves inward with gradients of color that seem to reach into infinity. Their skin has a luster like a pearl and is translucent in intriguing places, giving the impression that they are as beautiful inside as out.”
Suddenly this being, who seemed content to stay still while she gave him a thorough inspection, was pulled away by his fellows. Linda rotated herself to see what all the fuss was about and saw that they had congregated at one of the almost microscopic microphone pick-ups. The one she had been studying, who seemed to be the leader, tapped gently at the mic to assure himself he had the right location. Linda was prepared for almost anything except the sounds that came from his lips.
“Hello, Linda. You’re looking very well. Say, would you mind turning that racket off? It’s awfully distracting.”
* * * * *
Three minutes left. Cal had donned his EVA gear and had another suit all prepped for Linda when she returned. The hull of the facility had been breached, and atmosphere was leaking like crazy. Only the emergency lighting was operating, and that flickered. Ten years’ worth of his life lay in shambles all around him. There was still some chance that he and Linda could survive this and start over, incorporating everything she might have learned on her journey.
They could use Cue Ball One as a lifepod. Something made out of nano-tubes was almost indestructible, and it had some maneuvering capabilities to escape whoever emerged victorious. Even if Ben-Iman managed to win the battle raging outside, their work would be co-opted by the military, weaponizing travel to other universes. He shuddered to imagine what the Evolutionaries would use this technology for.
He looked at his watch. “If that other universe looks any good at all, maybe you’d be better off putting in for a permanent Visa,” he whispered.
* * * * *
Linda opened the hatch carefully, trying not to bump into any of the Li’Cha—that was what the aliens called themselves. She wore a portable breather so the high oxygen wouldn’t start her giggling. She could barely restrain herself as it was. She had tethered herself to the sphere’s interior so she could be instantly reeled in through the automatic hatch in case a quick getaway was required. She was awed and delighted, not stupid. When she was clear of the sphere, Ja’al, the one who had spoken to her first, looped a tendril around her waist to steady her.
“Okay, let me get this straight, you’ve met me at this spot one hundred and fifty three times before. Then, after the subjective two hours that I will remain in this universe, you go back in time to meet me again, and each time you learn more from me. Isn’t that dangerous, what with paradoxes and all?”
Ja’al’s wings fluttered “Paradoxes! You always ask that! It’s so cute. No, what is cause and effect might be more of a problem in your universe, but here it barely translates. It took a lot of iterations before I was able to grasp your language, but since then I’ve learned more. This is the last time loop needed though, so I thought I’d give you the opportunity to ask me questions.”
Without Ja’all using his wings to impede their progress, the sphere and the entire group had drifted further toward the elusive center of gravity. Off in the distance, Linda saw a structure that must have been huge if the other dot-like shapes she saw were more Li’Cha. “So everyone here just travels back through time whenever they get the urge to shuffle the deck and improve their hand?”
Ja’al looked puzzled for a moment. “Ah, ‘Shuffle the Deck’… Your language is so flexible, and yet everything else about you seems so incredibly solid. To answer your question, no. Time traveling for more than a few seconds requires some very ex
pensive machinery.” He extended the irregular glowing shape he carried. “And a lot of training to use it. I was only called in just before your first appearance ended. I went back immediately to get this process started.”
As they got closer to the structure, Linda saw that it seemed to be a semi-rigid frame supporting dizzying patterns of strings winding their way through and around the more solid struts. It was huge. She tore her attention away to focus again on what Ja’al was saying.
“We finally figured out that your universe is expanding while ours rotates, even on the quantum level. I can’t even imagine the bizarre effects that an expanding universe would have, but a rotating one has always allowed for some form of simple time travel.”
She glanced at the approaching structure again and saw that hundreds of Li’Cha were ducking in and out of it randomly. She pointed over his wing. “Is that one of your buildings? It’s incredible!”
He looked behind him. “Yes and no. It’s a place where we can gather and tether those things we wish to be able to easily find again. It’s spatially anchored so that it doesn’t drift. It doesn’t provide shelter for us though, nor would we want it to. There are dangerous things in our world, and long ago we had rigid, enclosed structures, much like your Cue Ball One, but then we created what you call the soap bubbles.”
Linda was suddenly aware that there were a number of the bubbles lagging a good ways off, but obviously following them. “Yeah, I saw a bunch of them swallow some Li’Cha who looked like they were fighting.” She bumped her fists together to demonstrate. “Then, after a few minutes, they spit the Li’Cha out and drifted off. What are they?”
Ja’al stretched his mouth into a large grin. “They are small, semi-sentient universes.” Linda’s eyes got very big. “They were created, almost by accident, about a thousand life-spans ago. Up until that time, we could only create mini-universes that lasted for perhaps an hour or so before they would destroy themselves. Those were interesting but not very useful. Then, Alla’mor, the wizard of K’la, as he is called, changed one so that it was aware of itself.”
Linda looked back nervously at all the bubbles that had gathered behind their party. “Intelligent universes?”
Ja’al cocked his head. “I wouldn’t go so far as to call them intelligent, but they are certainly sensitive to all the aspects of our universe. As I was saying, it was aware of itself, so when it came time to self-destruct, it decided to split in two instead. Much to the alarm of some, the baby universes kept multiplying. One day, there was a completely unexpected attack by a herd of wild M’ir, and many Li’cha were caught out in the open. Sensing that there was danger, the bubbles engulfed the M’ir and transported them to a place where they would do no harm to us. I rather think that you saw something very much like that. Sensing the violent behavior of the youths—if they acted like that, they were probably still quite young—they simply pulled them apart and gave them a chance to think about their actions before releasing them.”
Linda opened her mouth but couldn’t think of what to say to this.
“I see that this troubles you. Perhaps these things impose some morally judgmental tyranny upon the Li’Cha?”
“Well, yeah,” she said quietly.
“They very rarely bother adults, though. They’re very easy to shoo away for a mature mind. Everyone gets angry or upset at some time, but an adult has learned to control these destructive urges and channels them into something more useful. This was the case long before the bubbles were created.” He gave a reassuring smile. “I once found myself in a bubble when I was very young and stupid. I was in a place of nothingness, no light, no dark really either, but it wasn’t frightening. On the contrary, it was boring, except for the occasional wave of concern from the universe around me. It’s difficult to maintain a good mad-on under those circumstances.”
She nodded, and the bubbles drifted a bit further back. “If you’ve been questioning me for such a long time, by your frame of reference, then you must know that I’m probably not the last of my kind who’ll find their way here. You must also know they won’t all behave like adults, and that they have some terrifying resources.”
“You have explained some unusual concepts to me; greed, war, bigotry, religion, and they do sound daunting, but we have many advantages over any treachery—time travel to name one. Change doesn’t frighten us so much as it does your people.” Ja’al smiled.
“Don’t underestimate us. You live in an environment that provides for your safety so you have no real gauge of what the combined stupidity of mankind is capable of. Individually, we can be wonderful, embrace high ideals, create great works of art and science. But get a bunch of us together and watch out.” She gestured to indicate the world around her. “I don’t want to be the one that opens the floodgates that will destroy all this!”
Ja’al released her from his tendril and, automatically, she was reeled back toward the sphere. “It’s time,” he said. “I know you have no choice in what will happen in your universe and have reason to fear the worst, but we are an optimistic people by nature, and I believe that only good will come from this meeting of minds.”
A tear formed in the corner of her eye as the hatch sealed behind her. “What universe are you living in, pal?” She climbed back into her rig, checking virtual readouts, and prepping Cue Ball One to leave this reality. The Li’Cha moved away and waved their tendrils at her, wishing her a safe journey. “Damn!” she yelled, and brought her fist down on a panel as the audible count down began. Ten—Nine—Eight—Seven—Six—and suddenly the exterior of the sphere was covered by bubble-shaped universes, slowly penetrating the nano-tube hull. She barely had time to react. “Shit—” and then the universe went sproing!
* * * * *
“Sweat dripped down Cal’s forehead, though the suit’s cooling system was functioning normally. Five—Four—Three—Two—One!
In the vehicle bay, the sphere was just there, but he couldn’t see Linda or much of anything else. Instead, it appeared to be full of bubbles, and they were multiplying at an alarming rate. Some seemed to ooze through the hull, but too slowly to accommodate the new ones. Then something happened that should have been impossible—the nano-tube skin of the craft ripped itself to shreds. The bubbles shot through the walls of the station as if they weren’t even there, causing no further damage to the cracked and tattered station. All that was left was the small, fragile figure of Linda Cline, struggling to free herself from the free-floating straps of her harness, gasping for what precious little air still remained.
Cal was stunned, but only for a second. He flung himself toward Linda and forced a mini-breather mask into place so she would at least have some air. His gloved fingers deftly released the harness latches until he was able to toss the whole rig away from his friend. She had gone limp—hopefully just passed out—which made it easier to get her into the suit and seal everything together. The sphere-as-lifepod idea was no longer an option, so he zipped her into an evac body baggie, tucking her limp form under one arm and made for a hallway. His hunch was right; it didn’t take long before he found a hole big enough for both of them to squeeze through.
Outside the sky was full of bubbles, passing like ghosts into the ships of both sides. It was eerie, in the silence, how the ships had just somehow stopped in place. The debris from the damage to both sides continued along its trajectory, ignored by the spell that had been cast upon the ships by the bubbles. Within moments, only a few bubbles remained visible. They seemed to congregate for a moment before heading off toward the sun and the inner planets at a speed that would have made Einstein uncomfortable.
* * * * *
Linda woke to a sky strewn with shimmering, undulating globes and drifting war crafts. It was as though some giant child had gotten tired of playing with her toys, deciding instead to blow soap bubbles “Oh—my—god!” she whispered.
“Are you all right, girl?” Cal saw her nod through her faceplate. “What the hell are those things? What have w
e done?”
In a rasping voice she replied, “I think it means that it’s about time we grew up.”
Another voice cut in “…vin is that you? Did you see what happened out there!?”
“Django!” Cal practically screamed the name.
Linda broke in, “Are the rest of you okay?” Django’s reply was more a whoop than an affirmative, but she got the idea. Wearily, she nodded as Cal gave her a thumbs-up, turning on his homing beacon. “Look, whatever you do, stay mellow, like that damned song Calvin always plays. Don’t worry; be happy. Trust me, and please, just come get us, guys. We’ll talk when you get here.”
Linda reached out a hand to Cal, who clutched it hard through his glove and the body baggie, a tear forming in one eye. “You always did like to make an entrance. Just tell me we can all survive this one,” he said, blinking furiously.
Linda was silent for a moment before she whispered a reply. “I don’t know, but I’m betting a lot of rules have just been rewritten. What worked over there might not go over so well here, but we had to hit puberty sooner or later.” Her voice trailed off in wonder at the faint lights glinting off the ghostly bubble-like universes that swirled around her.
After a moment more of silence she continued in a louder voice. “Whatever comes of it though, it looks like being an asshole is about to go seriously out of fashion.”
WHERE THE RIVER ENDS, THERE IS A LAND
by James Ebersole
“Where the river ends,
there is a land.
It is here, you come to me,
speak to me, take my hand.
We’ll build a house
on shifting sand,
shut ourselves inside