"Poet!" Addy whined. "Writing is boring."
He didn't look up from his notebook. "Boring for you maybe."
She groaned. "I have nothing else to do here. Shippy McShipface is tiny. And we lost all our games and books and movies when that damn gray blasted them out of the airlock. I'm bored!"
Marco shrugged, trying to focus on his writing. "I'm keeping busy. Also, our starship is called Thunder Road."
She tugged his shirt. "Let's make out."
He held up a finger. "One moment. Let me finish this paragraph."
She gasped and placed her hands on her hips. "You did not just choose your book over my lovely self."
He looked down at his notebook. He looked up at Addy. He put down his pen.
"Yes!" Addy said and began tugging off his clothes. "I knew I was better than some silly story about evil robots."
"Actually, Addy, The Clockwork Rose isn't about evil robots. It's about robots who are enslaved. Who are sentient and have feelings. Who rebel against their human masters, and—"
She silenced him with a kiss. "Be quiet, robot slave, and do your duty."
An hour later, Addy was asleep, sprawled out on the bed. The damn woman always took up the entire bed, never knowing how to share. Marco wasn't sleepy anyway. He entered the cockpit. The ship was still on autopilot, but he took over the steering for a while, just to feel the movement in his hands. He gazed out at the stars. Tomorrow they would reach their destination: the flooded planet Taolin Shi. The planet Baba Mahanisha himself had destroyed as a young warrior, melting its polar caps. The planet where perhaps they could still find the drowned mechas Kaiyo and Kaji, find these great weapons for Earth.
Marco sighed. He didn't want another war. All he wanted was some peace and quiet to work on his books. He was excited about The Clockwork Rose. He had gotten the idea on Durmia while studying meditation from Baba Mahanisha. When seeking to understand his own consciousness, he had realized that robots probably had a form of consciousness too. Did that make them slaves? He had only ever known one robot, the wisecracking Osiris, and she had seemed pleased enough with her lot in life. Yet what if someday the robots rebelled? In The Clockwork Rose, the robots were the heroes, slaves seeking freedom, the humans their oppressors.
And yet now Marco was being drawn into his own story, his own war.
"All I want is a quiet place to write," he said softly, speaking to nobody. "To be with Addy. To meditate. To be at peace."
Perhaps he should find a little planet, a place far from everything, and settle down with Addy. Be like Adam and Eve on a virgin world. He didn't even care if he never sold another book; Tomiko and her new boyfriend were entitled to half the earnings anyway. Yes, he could find a little planet, farm the land, live a happy life with Addy.
He sighed. But no. He knew he couldn't do that. He wasn't Baba Mahanisha, the last of his kind. His homeworld was still out there, and it needed him. He would not just flee to safety while the grays destroyed Earth.
I'll come back to you, Earth. I'll bring help with me. I spent the past decade fighting for you, and I won't stop now.
A few hours later, they saw it in the distance. A blue planet wreathed in clouds. Addy joined him in the cockpit, hair tousled, wearing her old Wolf Legion 2127 World Tour shirt.
"Taolin Shi," Marco said, watching the planet grow nearer. "Five hundred years ago, it was similar to Earth. Can you believe that Baba Mahanisha—our guru, the same wise old monk who taught us peace and kindness—flooded this planet? It's hard to believe he was once a warrior, a killer, a destroyer of worlds."
Addy looked at him. She raised an eyebrow. "Is it?" She placed a hand on his knee and spoke softly. "Poet, we destroyed the scums' planet. And we're nice."
"I'm nice," Marco said. "Just last night, you knuckled my head and gave me an Indian burn."
"You deserved it!" She poked his chest. "You ate the last frozen taco."
"Addy!" He rolled his eyes. "We had three tacos left, and you ate two for dinner."
She pouted. "I wanted all three."
They entered orbit around Taolin Shi. The blue planet spun lazily below, shimmering and ringed with a glowing band of atmosphere. Marco kept seeking some land, even an island, but saw only clouds and water. A mighty empire had risen here, a civilization that had traveled the stars, had conquered Durmia. It was all gone. All underwater.
"How easy do civilizations fall," he whispered. "Even the mightiest are but kingdoms of sand when the tide comes in."
Addy raised an eyebrow. "Shakespeare?"
"Emery," he said. "I just made that up."
She mussed his hair. "Smarty-pants. I have a saying too." She cleared her throat. "How easy do civilizations fall! All are like tacos when Addy's around."
How easy do civilizations fall, Marco thought with a pang. If his travels had taught him anything, it was that they fell quite easily. He only hoped Earth was not next.
He pulled out his tablet and opened Wikipedia Galactica. He brought up the entry on Taolin Shi. There wasn't much info. The planet had flooded centuries ago, after all, back around the time of the French Revolution. Yet blessedly, some intrepid graduate student had visited Taolin Shi a few years ago. The man hadn't attempted to dive into the ocean world, but he had charted it from orbit using sonar. His thesis was uploaded to Wikipedia Galactica, providing a map of what Taolin Shi must have looked like before the flood, including its cities.
"I reckon the Taolians would have parked their mechas in their capital city." Marco tapped the map. "Here."
Addy raised an eyebrow. "You reckon? What are you, a cowboy?"
He glowered at her. "It's a British word."
She snorted. "There are no cowboys in Britain. Even I know that."
"Well, you're right that—"
"That's where Vikings are from!"
Marco sighed. "Never mind."
They entered the atmosphere. The Thunder Road was still rickety, and Marco cringed as it rattled, but they made it through in one piece. They glided over the endless ocean. For a long time, they gazed silently at the water.
"It's sad, isn't it?" Addy finally said. "An entire civilization—drowned under the sea."
"Two civilizations," Marco said. "Taolin Shi, this flooded world. And Durmia, a world of ruins. Baba Mahanisha was the last of his kind, of that old war. Two worlds—gone."
Addy nodded. "It really makes ya think."
Marco scoffed. "What are you thinking about? Pillowmen? Pigmen? A pillowman and pigman having a baby?"
"Hey! I'm serious." Addy bit her lip. "God, Poet. Look at that world below—a whole civilization wiped out. Earth got close to this. Twice. Three times if the grays are already attacking. Even if we find the mechas, who's to say they can save Earth? They couldn't save Taolin Shi."
He patted her thigh. "They didn't have the famous Addison Elizabeth Linden, defeater of the scum, queen of the Resistance, slayer of marauders, devourer of tacos."
She didn't smile back. "I know who I am on Earth. I know I'm famous. But I don't feel like a heroine." She lowered her head. "Heroines don't wake up screaming from nightmares. They're not so afraid all the time." She looked at him, eyes haunted. "I'm just a woman, Poet. I'm ten years from youth, twenty scars from pretty, and thirty pounds from thin. I'm no legendary superheroine. I'm not who Earth thinks I am. Maybe not who you think I am."
He held her hand. "Addy, I know who you are. And you amaze me." He leaned over and kissed her. "You are fucking amazing."
"And amazing at fu—"
"Don't ruin the moment, Ads."
She grinned. "So hey, Poet, what do you think a pillowman and pigman baby would look like? A pig in a blanket?"
Marco sighed. He checked the controls. "What I think is that we're hovering over the drowned city now. Ready for some underwater exploration?"
She nodded. "Always. But are you sure Shippy McShipface can handle it?"
"Thunder Road can handle atmospheric entry and space battles. She can handle water
." He patted a bulkhead. "At least, I hope she can. Don't crumple and crush us like a tin can, dear girl."
"Hey!" Addy bristled. "I wasn't that heavy when I sat on your lap at breakfast! Just because I ate all the bacon doesn't mean that—Oh. You mean the ship. Never mind."
Marco could see it below: the vague, dark outline of the underwater ruins. They weren't deep. He lowered the Thunder Road until they skimmed the water, then plunged in. The ship creaked. For a terrible moment, Marco was sure the water would crush the hull and come rushing in, but the ship remained airtight. If the city had been any deeper, the weight of the water might have done them in. Thankfully, they only had to plunge down several meters before reaching the ruins.
"The ruins are beautiful," Marco said softly. "And sad. Like a symphony played at its composer's funeral."
Addy nodded thoughtfully. "Like the wrapper of a frozen taco, carelessly tossed into the trash while you enjoy the meal."
"Like the words of dead authors," Marco said, "echoes of their souls, forever immortalized on the page."
"Like a pillowman's baby," Addy said, "crying in loneliness for arms that can never hug him."
Pagodas rose across the city, many stories tall, each floor with its own tiled roof. Those roofs curled up at the corners, draped with seaweed. Mossy statues still guarded doorways, shaped as snarling lions. A colossal archway rose along a boulevard, and as the Thunder Road flew through it, Marco saw octopuses and snails clinging to its stones.
There weren't streets left. Sand and shells covered the seabed. Fish flitted everywhere. Forests of seaweed rose among the ruins, filled homes, and swayed upon the pagodas. Coral clung to the husks of homes. A massive starship lay fallen nearby, a hundred times the size of the Thunder Road, coated with coral of every color, home to countless fish. A raylike animal swam overhead, shimmering with blue lights, its fins flapping; it was the size of a swimming pool. Eels peeked from old windows, electricity racing across them. Statues still stood outside temples, shaped like the native Taolians—humanoids with lion faces. Some statues wore mossy armor, while others wore robes and sported long mustaches.
"Why do these animals look so much like Earth animals?" Addy asked. "Even the Taolians look almost human. Their bodies, at least."
"Ever heard of Panspermia?" Marco said.
"Poet, we get it, you're the smart, brainy one. Stop showing off."
He ignored her. "Panspermia is a theory that suggests that microbial life travels between planets, hitching rides on asteroids. An asteroid might hit one planet, collect some microbes, and glance off and fly back into space. The asteroid then lands on another planet, which it seeds with those microbes. Panspermia might mean that many planets have the same evolutionary ancestors. It's possible that we on Earth share a microbial ancestor with Taolin Shi and Durmia. We evolved separately but from the same seed. That's why we're similar."
Addy nodded. "Perfect! So that means they'll have invented a Hot Dog Shack too, right? Let's find one."
"Right after we find the mechas," Marco said. "Saving the world is more important than hot dogs."
"Says you."
He stared out at the city. "I still don't see mechas. They should be huge. As tall as these pagodas. Let's swim a little higher."
They rose higher. Below them, the roofs of the city rose from the forest of seaweed. Above them, the ocean surface shimmered with light. Marco scanned the horizon. Underwater, he couldn't see far, but he saw the distant outlines of large structures—perhaps more pagodas, perhaps the mechas he sought. He navigated toward them, the ship's headlights piercing the water.
"Aww, look, Poet!" Addy pointed. "That cute little fishy is coming to say hello."
Marco looked. A fish was swimming toward them, its fins long and blue. Barbels extended around its mouth, tipped with glowing lights, and sharp teeth filled its mouth.
"Um, Addy?" Marco said. "I'm not sure that fish is so small."
The fish swam closer. Closer. Closer still. Soon it was only meters away. It was larger than a blue whale—large enough to swallow their starship. And it was opening its jaws.
"U-turn!" Addy cried, leaned across the cockpit, and grabbed the controls from him.
They spun around.
"Addy, let go!" Marco shoved her aside. "Let me—"
A shadow fell across them.
The jaws engulfed them.
Marco cringed and hit the throttle, and they blasted out from the fish's mouth an instant before its jaws slammed shut.
The fish chased. Its jaws snapped again, missing them by centimeters.
"Faster!" Addy said.
"I'm going faster!" Marco shouted.
The fish chomped down. A tooth scraped against them, denting the hull. Addy screamed.
"Poet, damn it, let me drive!"
"Get back!" He shoved her away and gripped the yoke. He veered left down a boulevard, shooting between pagodas. The massive fish chased, roiling the waters, knocking into buildings. A pagoda collapsed, shattering coral beneath it. Seaweed and bubbles flew.
"Poet, turn left!"
"Will you stop backseat driving?"
He veered down another boulevard. The fish pursued. Its scaled body scraped against a pagoda, and the ancient tower collapsed, burying houses beneath them. Marco flew onward.
"Poet, not that way!"
"Will you stop?" Marco said, glaring at her. "I know where I'm going! I—"
"Poet!" she screamed. "Eyes on the road!"
He looked back ahead and cringed. The Thunder Road flew into a forest of seaweed.
The leaves tangled around them. Fruit the size of watermelons slammed against the windshield, splattering juice. Marco shoved down on the throttle but the ship slowed down, then jammed.
They were still.
Clouds of sand hovered around them. The forest of seaweed obscured everything. Marco shoved the throttle as far as it would go. Their engines rumbled, but the ship would not budge.
"Good job, Emery," Addy said. "Real good job! If only you had listened to me."
"I meant to do this," Marco lied. "We're concealed here in the forest. We're hidden. The giant fish can't hurt us."
"You should have just blasted it with our cannons."
Marco shook his head. "I don't want to kill the local wildlife. Remember what the baba taught us? Peace and kindness, Ads."
"I'll kiss every bullet before you fire it into that bastard, if it makes you feel better," Addy said.
"No need." Marco leaned back. "We're hidden in the seaweed for now. We'll just wait until the fish swims away, and—"
Jaws slammed down around them, tearing through the seaweed. Marco and Addy screamed.
The fish tore them free from the algae, along with a chunk of leaves. It began to swallow.
"That does it!" Addy said. "Fuck peace and fuck kindness!"
They were inside the fish's mouth. The teeth towered before them, a closed portcullis. As the Thunder Road began sliding down the fish's throat, Addy reached over and hit the photon cannons. A blue bolt blasted forward and knocked out one of the fish's massive teeth.
Marco hit the throttle, and as the fish opened its mouth to roar, they blasted out. The ship shot out of the forest, spun in the water, and raced back toward the city. The fish chased them. Its injury only seemed to enrage it.
"Poet, damn it, stop running away!" Addy tried to grab the controls from him. "Turn around and let's blast that fucker."
"Wait," he said. "I have an idea."
He dived lower until they skimmed the seabed, racing between pagodas and statues. The archway rose ahead, the one coated with octopuses and barnacles. The fish chased them down the boulevard, roaring. Its fins knocked down columns and houses. Marco grimaced and flew through the archway, barrel-rolling to protect their wings.
The fish followed . . . and lodged itself into the archway.
Marco spun the ship around. They faced the fish. It wriggled in the archway, stuck.
Addy burst out laughing. "That's r
ight, Moby Dick! You ate too many spaceships, you fat bastard." She spun around and wriggled her backside at the fish. "You lose! Eat our dust!"
"Addy, you don't have to gloat."
She bristled. "Gloating is a proud human tradition, our way of life! It's who we are as a people." She sat down. "Fine. But hey, you're the animal lover. You're going to leave the fish stuck in this archway forever?"
"It won't be forever," Marco said. "He'll lose some weight and free itself. By then, we'll be off this planet. Now come on. Let's find those mechas."
"It won't be in this city," Addy said.
"How do you know?" Marco said, guiding the Thunder Road alongside a temple. Thousands of statues rose in the courtyard, shaped like ancient warriors with lion faces, a mossy army. "We've only searched one neighborhood."
"Because the mechas were military machines," Addy said. "They wouldn't just stand around in the city. They'd be in a military spaceport. You don't see humans placing our best warships in the middle of a city, right?" She tapped the map. "Look. There's a spaceport just outside the city. That's where we need to go."
Marco frowned. "Why didn't you suggest this earlier? We could have avoided nearly becoming fish food."
She shrugged. "I was hoping to find a Hot Dog Shack."
"You—" He groaned and tugged his hair. "Addy, I saw a hot dog under that patch of seaweed. Why don't you go swimming after it?"
"Ha ha, very funny," she said. "I know you made that up." She glanced at the seaweed. "Pretty sure you made that up." She leaned forward and squinted. "Seriously, where? I can't see it."
Marco sighed. He rose higher and piloted the ship away from the city. They glided over the seabed. Fields of coral spread below, and thousands of fish swam around them, shimmering, creatures of all colors. As they flew, Addy sang a song, and even Marco was relaxing, enjoying the beauty, and humming along. But soon they fell silent. Below them they rose, row after row, thousands of them, maybe millions: tombstones.
They were old stones, coated with moss, barnacles, and crabs. But there could be no doubt: here was a cemetery.
"The cemetery is larger than the city," Addy said softly. "This is a military cemetery."
Marco nodded. "Millions of Taolians died in the war against Durmia." They kept flying, passing over the fallen. "Even Baba Mahanisha could not remember which world had started the war. So many died for nothing."
Earth Honor (Earthrise Book 8) Page 18