All The Frail Futures: A Science Fiction Box Set

by J Battle

  As a girlfriend, she had been amazing; as a wife, difficult; as an ex-wife, there wasn’t a single word or phrase that was up to the job of describing her. Let’s just say that the idea of putting a distance of something approaching 12 light years between them was very appealing.

  But what really made him convinced that he was making the right decision was the fact that, when he returned from his successful mission, in say, 28 years, he would still only be 32, and she would be looking with her cold dead eyes at 60 racing over the horizon towards her.

  For Jimmy, that sealed the deal.

  **********

  It took them nearly three months to make the arrangements, but, finally, they were on Deimos. What Phobos lacked in atmosphere and creature comforts, Deimos matched, and raised it some. The only reason anyone would visit the little satellite would be so that they could leave it, knowing, as it shrank away to nothing in the rear view screen that anywhere else they went in the solar system would seem wonderful by comparison.

  Still, that’s where Jimmy had secreted his most prized possession, so that’s where they had to be.

  Nigel didn’t bother trying to hide his disappointment when he saw the craft that would be their home for decades.

  ‘The term yacht sums up something sleek and beautiful, and elegant. You’ve not quite got sleek, and you missed beautiful by a kilometer. I suppose you could say that the name is elegantly ironic, if you were feeling especially generous.’

  Jimmy looked up at Fragrance of a New-born Moon and patted her side.

  ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about, Nigel. She has her own beauty; just wait ‘till you see her fly. It’ll be like that Ugly Duckling story.’

  ‘Well, you certainly got the ugly part spot on.’

  ‘It’s not what she looks like that matters, ‘ Moira joined in the discussion, ‘it’s how she flies that counts.’

  ‘Go on, then, tell me what she can do,’ Nigel sighed.

  ‘She can reach 97 percent light speed in less than six months,’ said Jimmy proudly.

  Nigel nodded. ‘OK. So, we’ve already lost three months on Dad’s ship, and it will take us about the same time as Angel’s Kiss to reach top speed, then we’ll lose something like 100 billion kilometers a year on her because she's that much faster; say another month each year. She’s going to Tau Ceti, did I tell you? It’s the only sensible destination, given her course. So she’ll get there about a year before we do. Is there any point in doing this at all?'

  'It's not just about the ship,' snapped Moira, 'it's about justice as well.'

  'Very laudable, I must say, Moira. But, if we don't get the ship, we'll all still be broke at the end of this.' Jimmy really, really wanted to go, but there had to be some money in it.

  'Then we'll get the ship.'

  'Simple as that?' Nigel felt that he needed some time to process this. The idea that Jimmy's champion craft was so much slower than his dad's ship was something of a shock.

  'Yes it is, bro. There's 12 light years between here and Tau Ceti. Who knows what might happen in between? If something goes wrong for him, we have to be there to take advantage. Otherwise, we might as well just give up and go home.'

  'Don't forget the money you've already spent, getting the anti-matter and the rest of the supplies. It'll all be for nothing; you'll never get your money back.' Jimmy felt his argument would win the day. It might be a wild goose chase and doomed to failure, but it would be wrong to waste all that money without trying.

  'Well, Nige, what's it going to be? On to glory, or back to dark, abysmal misery?' Moira didn't look at her brother as she spoke.

  'Well, I suppose you paint such a wonderful picture of misery that I really am temp...'

  He didn't have the breath to finish as Moira was hugging the life out of him.

  'On board then guys,' Jimmy laughed. 'You do realize that I'm the captain and you are just my crew, so step lively me old mates.'

  Together they rode the external lift along the fat squat body of Fragrance of a New-born Moon and so began their journey to the stars.

  Chapter 5

  '..it!'

  Dan stepped out of the ZTC and immediately had to grab a handrail to stop himself from sailing up into the air and crashing against the low ceiling. At the same time he desperately looked around for the attack that was sure to come. He tried his best to adopt a defensive stance, but that's quite hard when you're holding on to a handrail and your feet are trying to rise above your head, and you are suddenly unsure which way is up.

  Fortunately, he was alone.

  When he'd recovered a little composure and was aligned correctly, he called to the ship.

  'Why have you deactivated the ZTC mid-flight?' His watch told him that they were only six months into the journey.

  'I have some questions, and this is the earliest I could switch it off without affecting the flight plan.'

  'So we are at maximum speed?'

  'Yes; 98 percent of light speed.'

  'And everything is in order?'

  'All mission critical parameters are at optimum levels.'

  'So why have you disturbed me?'

  'Despite all security requirements being met, you are not Frank Erasmus Thomson.'

  'I've had some work done.'

  'You have the muscle tone and body structure of a man in his thirties.'

  'That's very kind of you to say. I've been working out a lot.'

  'You are also wearing a device that allows you to replicate Mr. Thomson's voice.'

  'You spotted that, did you? It could be just a pendant.'

  'A pendant packed with electronics and with a small speaker?'

  'OK, you got me there. What happens now?'

  'Who are you, and how did you get access to the security codes?'

  'My name is David Raymond, and I am a good friend of Frank's. He gave me the codes and said that I could have full use of the ship. Call him; he’ll confirm that I'm speaking the truth.'

  'Surely you are aware that such a communication is not possible, given our current speed and the disruptive effects of the magnetic containment field on radio signals.'

  'Oh. I see. That means you have to believe me.'

  'A logical train of thought does not necessarily lead to that conclusion.'

  'And that means?'

  'No final decision can yet be made as to the veracity of your statements.'

  'And that means?'

  'Your flight plan will be followed. My independent action facilities can only be implemented when absolute knowledge of all of the pertinent facts is available.'

  'So, nothing changes?'

  'No, Sir.'

  'Wake me up when we get there.'

  Dan slid easily back in to the ZTC. The smile on his face froze as time lost its hold on him.

  **********

  Eldorn Yipslick Hupdron Lillybig Cosntance Haard was a little concerned at the response he would receive from the exalted members of the High Council of The Galactic Confederation (post Great Embarrassment Iteration).

  He was well prepared, of course he was, but they knew what his people were trying to achieve here, and not everyone would see that as a good thing.

  He adjusted his position and discretely deposited a small pile of droppings between the legs of the ancient and historic Lectern of Beseechment. His sub-dub would have to get to that later, he thought, it wouldn’t do to have such a lowly creature here in full view of such august presences.

  He was standing at the only fixed position in the whole of the Great Sphere of Consideration, surrounded on all sides, including above and below, by the multitude of council members who had deigned to give him the unmatched honor of their presence.

  There were thermophiles hidden in their red, glowing cradle fields, photophobes drifting past, almost hidden in their darkened fields, aquaphiles floating in their watery bubbles, gamma radiation lovers in their dangerous cradles, and dozens of slightly less exotic mammals, reptiles, insects and arachnids, mol
luscs and crustaceans and, of course, there was the Black Cloud of Sirius II, who never missed a chance to party.

  ‘Revered and honored members of the council, may I offer my deepest thanks to you all for giving me the opportunity to present our plans for this future action.’

  ‘Action? Action?’ quizzed a large dragon-like creature representing the Fire Breathers Election Empire. ‘You make it sound as simple and everyday as a bowel movement.’

  ‘Thank you so much for you input, Your Confederacy, but I will assure all gathered here that this procedure is not taken lightly by my people. In spite of that, I think we would do well to keep this in perspective. It is after all, a small matter we are dealing with here, just a single planet under the tenuous control of a race with no true claim to this planet and its system, and without representation at this august council. They have no Plus Light Speed capability and score very low on the Advanced Civilization Index, which I believe was created by one of your own ancestors, Your Confederacy.’

  'Only one planet then, with no indigenous sentient life?'

  Just then, the member from the Coal Sack Option Empire decided to share its thoughts. Unlike most of the other races present, this speaker was not able to communicate vocally in the usual manner of speaking separate words in a linear fashion. Rather, it would present its thought in a block fashion, such as:

  '???Slight concern over proximity Hesitation at saying the wrong thing CSOE rankings What are true intentions of beseecher Who are humans What is true ACI index level What contact has been made If consent given, what will next step be How important should Light Plus speed capability really be???'

  There was more; much more, but, fortunately for those exposed, the CSOE representative communicated all of its concerns by telepathy in one discrete block, so they didn't have to spend all day listening and could ignore as they wished.

  Haard had a translation and condensing program built in to his implants, so he was able to get to the crux of the problem immediately.

  'Thank you for your elegant presentation, Your Confederacy, and I am prepared to state categorically that we have no intention of engaging in further conflict, after we obtain our rightful access to this otherwise unimportant world.'

  'Rightful access? What claim do you have on this world? It is more than 100 light years from the closest system in your hegemony.' The dragon again.

  'A very good question, your Confederacy. A careful study of my people's ancient history will show that this planet was the landing point of our first Light Plus flight, and so has become something of a cultural icon for all members of the Hru-argh race.'

  'Your first Light Plus Flight landed more than 250 light years from your home system?’

  ‘Indeed, Your Confederacy. It is an interesting story; it’s such a shame that we don’t have the time to go into those fascinating details now.’

  ‘And, if we believe this story you are declining to tell us, this is sufficient justification for you to attack this defenseless world?'

  'Yes, I'm glad you agree with us on this,' said Haard, ignoring the '?'

  The discussion continued for quite some time, with many interruptions from the dragon, with a few pithy comments from other members and one or two more blocks of disparate thoughts from the CSOE representative.

  Eventually, a decision was arrived at. In the way of most such decisions formed by committee, no-one was especially happy with the outcome.

  The Hru-argh would be allowed a limited action to enable them to take over control of Tau Ceti E, but there were severe restrictions on the forces that could be used, the weapons that could be employed, and casualty levels that would be permissible. To ensure compliance with these terms of engagement, an agent of the Council would accompany the single ship they were allowed to use in the attack.

  Haard would have liked less in the way of restrictions, but he considered that his mission was a success. His superiors would take these terms of engagement, carefully study them, probably question some of them, and, in the end, ignore them.

  He was so pleased with himself that he neglected to have his sub-dub clean up after him.

  Chapter 6

  Angel’s Kiss was just over six months from its destination when the AI running its systems flipped the ship over and began to apply the brakes. Slowly at first, the anti-matter engines ramped up their power and set to work to reduce the mindboggling speed of the frail craft.

  For six months they would put it under terrible strain as the 20 gravity force applied tested the ship to its limits. By the time it entered the Tau Ceti system its velocity would be down to a veritable crawl as it floated towards TCE at little more than 10, 000 kilometers per hour.

  Only then would the Zero Time Chamber be deactivated and Dan become yet again a victim of time.

  The ship's AI had not been idle during the journey; it used part of the time to consider the options available to it. Without absolute knowledge that Dan was false, it was required to follow the flight plan’s instructions to the letter. It was an exhaustive document that also included specification covering the situations under which the ZTC could be switched off. Of course, from the passenger’s point of view, it would be disastrous to be awakened too soon, when he would be subjected to the crushing force of 20 gravities. Equally, he wouldn’t want to left in there indefinitely, and miss all the fun that was bound to happen on the way to eternity.

  So the AI had to release him, when the time came, and it had to take him into orbit around Tau Ceti E. There were further instructions preventing it from contacting the authorities on the destination planet during the flight, which would have been difficult in any case, with the magnetic containment field and their speed which reduced any radio signal to a paltry 2% of light speed, relativity speaking.

  Still, the AI thought that it could detect some wriggle room in the interpretation on those last instructions.

  When did the flight actually end? The flight plan was a little vague on that, and there was nothing that absolutely forbade the AI from putting its own spin on that interpretation.

  **********

  The smile was still on Dan’s face when he floated out of the ZTC.

  ‘Morning,’ he said as he stretched, causing himself to perform a slow, rolling somersault. ‘Status update please.’

  ‘Critical parameters are at 87 percent optimum, with some low importance strains to internal structures, which can be repaired by the ship’s own systems. By the way, we have a guest.’

  ‘What the…’

  ‘Good morning, Mr. Chance. May I be the first to welcome you to our little world?’

  ‘You’re some sort of policeman?’

  ‘Did the uniform give it away?’

  ‘Do you mind if I ask what you are doing on my ship?’

  ‘Straight to the point; very good.’ The officer was tall and slim; his black uniform pristine with flashing buttons, and he seemed comfortable in the gravity-less conditions.

  ‘A straight answer, then.’ Dan slipped onto a couch, adopting a casual pose with one hand gripping the armrest.

  ‘Do you have evidence to prove that this actually is your ship?’ The policeman moved closer until he was just above Dan.

  ‘Why would I need to? Do you have probable cause to board my ship uninvited?’

  ‘The ship invited me.’

  ‘The ship is an artificial system, level three, and, unless things have changed during this journey, it is not legally classed as a person, or a citizen, so how can it give you authority to board this ship?’ In view of his career choice, Dan had reasoned that it made sense to know all this stuff.

  ‘I’m just here to ask a few questions; there’s no harm in that, surely?’

  ‘No, I don’t mind questions, but not here; not now. I’ve just arrived and I’ve got a lot to do. You can send me your questions when you get back to your ship and, when I have the time, I will answer them, if I feel they are pertinent and appropriate.’

  ‘Piracy is frowned on
in this region, Chance.’

  ‘I’m sure it is, and it’s Mr. Chance, if you don’t mind.’

  ‘Can I be blunt, Mr. Chance?’

  ‘Only if it aids you departure.’

  ‘Oh, I will leave, for now. But I will have my questions answered; if not here, then on my ship, or down below.’

  ‘I have no intention of going down below; the gravity plays havoc with my posture, and I don’t believe you can compel me to subject myself to questioning on your ship.’

  ‘Look, Chance, we know you stole this ship, and I’m not about to let you get away with it.’ The policeman was losing some of his cool.

  Dan clapped one hand against his thigh. ‘Very good; very good. Am I supposed to hold my wrists up and say ‘it’s a fair cop, Guv’?’

  The police officer seemed to be finding it difficult to maintain his position, upright in front of Dan, as he became more agitated.

  ‘My name is Dune, Sergeant James Dune. Remember that name, Chance, you’ll be hearing from me again.’

  ‘Any time, Sergeant. Any time you can offer a little bit of evidence, feel free to call me.’

  ‘Things will go better for you if you co-operate.’

  ‘Is that in the book?’

  ‘What book?’

  ‘The Book. The one that lists everything you say to suspects; there must be one. It’s probably called ‘You’re Nicked!’

  ‘There’s no such book,’ Dune frowned and leaned forward precariously. ’Remember this, Chance; I’ll be back. You won’t get away with this.’

  ‘Oh, that’s definitely in the book. You should have more respect for a law abiding citizen of the empire who’s never committed a crime.’

  Dune grunted and turned away, slightly off balance. He bumped his shoulder against the wall as he moved towards the exit.

  Dan watched him go.

  ‘What was that about, ship?’ he asked when he was alone again.