Terra

by Mitch Benn

  She had no experience with other Ymns, she didn’t speak any Ymn language apart from a few words she’d picked up from watching Ymn movies (Ymn movies and TV shows were quite popular on Fnrr, now that everyone knew they were made up. Not only that, but some enterprising Fnrrns had started to make movies of their own. Terra hadn’t seen any, but she’d read some dreadful reviews). Never mind that, decided Terra, she’d address herself to those problems once she got there. Better to be a refugee than a laboratory animal. First, she had to turn her attention to the more immediate – and very perplexing – problem of how to get to Rrth in the first place.

  Could she steal a spaceship? Difficult. Each ship was biometrically linked to its owner. There was probably a way round that; she’d research it. Difficult without a slate (she was still annoyed that in her hurry to get out of the apartment she’d left it behind) but she’d figure it out.

  Mind you, even if you got hold of a ship – and worked out how to fly it – space travel was heavily regulated; you’d have to get past traffic control. They could immobilise and even board you if you attempted to leave the system without the proper permits.

  Stow away! That was it. Find a scheduled scientific expedition to Rrth and then sneak aboard. She could ask Lbbp when the next—

  Lbbp.

  Terra wept. She wept bitterly for the home she had lost, for the family she had lost. Not on Rrth, her home here on Fnrr. She’d thought she had a life, and love, and security. It had all been a lie.

  Salt tears streamed down Terra’s cheeks and splashed onto the rainbow sand. Terra was usually self-conscious about her tears; the sight of liquid gushing from her eyes had been so alarming to her Fnrrn friends that she couldn’t help but be slightly disturbed by it herself. But not now. Now she cried, and cried, and didn’t care what she looked like.

  There was a distant rumble. Terra fell silent.

  What was that? Tectonic activity? There wasn’t a quake scheduled, not as far as she knew (Fnrrns had mastered the science of easing the tensions in their planet’s crust; quakes still happened, but only minor ones, and always in controlled circumstances).

  There it was again. Terra, feeling exposed out on the sand, got to her feet and scampered up the beach to the tree-line.

  The rumble grew louder, or, rather, whatever it was that was making the rumble got closer.

  There was a roaring, splashing sound. At first Terra thought that something big had landed in the water, perhaps a meteor, but looking out to sea she saw that something big had in fact burst OUT of the water. A huge dark blue sphere, twice the size of a house and the exact colour of Fnrrn blood, was hovering just above the sea a hundred metres or so from the shore. With another roar of displaced water, a second sphere rose up beside it. Then a third. The spheres hummed with energy as they hung in the air. As Terra watched, cowering behind a thorny bush, the spheres glided up the beach towards her. They rose with what seemed to be some difficulty above the treetops and continued to hover inland. Scared but fascinated, Terra followed them.

  The three blue spheres scraped along the treetops as they progressed slowly through the air. Terra could hear the rustling of branches above the grinding of the spheres’ anti-gravity engines (that was surely what the sound was, although it was much louder than any GravTech device Terra had ever heard before).

  Following the spheres, Terra exited the forest and came to a stretch of meadow. She’d been here before; she and Lbbp had played with a bdkt in this place, throwing it back and forth, laughing as they ran through the wide open field.

  The field wasn’t wide open any more. In the middle of the space there sat a collection of squat hut-like buildings. They looked like temporary structures, sheets of rigid fabric slotted together. Around them were clustered vehicles and piles of objects. Edging closer, Terra could see that the objects were weapons: pulse-orbs, light-cannons, grav-rockets.

  The spheres landed on a flat stretch of ground in the middle of the huts. Tall, muscular Fnrrns clad in plate armour rushed out of the huts and formed themselves into ranks.

  Circular apertures appeared on the surface of the spheres and yet more Fnrrns emerged, also armoured. The Fnrrns on the ground let out a great hissing cheer, a guttural rasp of exultation.

  The G’grk invasion had already begun.

  3.6

  Lbbp was having a bit of trouble.

  His old field-scanner had been languishing in a case in his reading room for two orbits. It had been rendered obsolete when the Preceptorate had bought a set of the newer models, but Lbbp had been allowed to keep his. Or, rather, he’d pretended he’d lost it when they asked for it back, which amounted to the same thing when you thought about it.

  Now he was desperately trying to remember how to access its internal archive. Within its memory it should still retain a record of every reading it had ever given during all the expeditions and surveys on which Lbbp had used it. He needed to look back through its records, and was hoping that they went back a long way. Specifically, just over eight orbits. He jabbed at the controls and peered at the display, trying to read the tiny characters.

  The fact that Lbbp was doing this outside, in the dark, while flying at reckless speed several hundred metres above open country wasn’t helping in the slightest.

  Success! The scanner’s archives did indeed go back eight orbits, and beyond. Now he knew that, it should be relatively simple to locate the reading he was looking for. He remembered the date. He would always remember that date.

  There it was. That trace of life he’d detected inside the abandoned Ymn vehicle, on that deserted road on Rrth, all those orbits ago. The scanner had logged the trace and analysed its genetic structure. Every creature in the universe has a unique genetic profile, and here, recorded in his old field-scanner, was Terra’s.

  As the moonlit Mlml landscape rushed by beneath him, Lbbp activated the field-scanner’s sensors and instructed it to look for a match to that profile. It began scanning every living thing within range, dismissing all of them as non-Ymn. Lbbp hoped that its long-range sensors were powerful enough. He hoped that his hunch about where Terra would go was correct. He hoped he could find the words when he found her. He hoped she would be able to forgive him.

  3.7

  Terra scrabbled back to the trees at the edge of the field. Once she had some cover, she stood and peered towards the G’grk encampment. How was it possible that the G’grk were already building bases on Mlml? How had nobody noticed?

  Since the fall of Dskt, there had scarcely been a word spoken in Hrrng on any other topic . . . Will the G’grk come? Can we negotiate? Could we repel them? Could we resist? For the past cycle and a half the whole nation had been preparing itself for the G’grk attack – and now it had happened and no one had NOTICED?

  Those questions could wait, thought Terra. For now, someone had noticed. SHE had noticed.

  But how to raise the alarm? She had no slate, no comm . . . her bubble’s cell was exhausted and it was many days’ walk back to Hrrng . . .

  She dived back behind a tree as a G’grk sentry floated past.

  Floated past . . . ?

  So the G’grk did have gravity bubbles. That would have come as a surprise to some back in Hrrng, she thought. But they obviously had the use of some sort of GravTech – something had been holding those blue spheres up, even if it sounded as if the engines had to work very hard to do so.

  If the G’grk have gravity bubbles, they will have spare power-cells for them, reasoned Terra. If I could get in there and steal one, I could get back to Hrrng and tell them that the invasion has started. Or at least find some sort of communication device.

  Keeping low to the ground, Terra crawled towards the G’grk camp, reflecting on how this had seemed like it was going to be such a boring day.

  - Come on, come on . . .

  Lbbp knew his field-scanner was not voice operated; he also knew that thumping it in exasperation wouldn’t help it to function, but he couldn’t help himself.

>   He was over the inland border of the Rfk reserve now and the scanner had not yet detected any Ymn life signs. Lbbp had been so sure that Terra would have come this way. Every time she’d been feeling sad or worried she’d asked him to bring her to Rfk. The place was like medicine for her.

  Lbbp had no idea what he was going to do if it turned out he’d been wrong. No idea at all.

  Pip pip p-pip.

  Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes . . .

  There it was. That sound, the sound that had led him to her all those orbits ago. It would lead him to her again.

  Pip p-pip pip pip . . .

  Lbbp had no idea what he was going to say to Terra when he found her. No idea at all.

  3.8

  Terra crawled through the purple grass. She was suddenly very aware of how shiny her blue garment was. She looked up at the three visible moons. I’m probably lit up like a FaZoon, she thought. There was nothing to be done about that now. She crawled on.

  Ahead of her lay one of the G’grk’s huts. She could just make out an opening in its side. She waited until a sentry floated past and then scampered to the opening.

  Peering inside, she saw that the hut held rows of metal shelves. On each of the shelves a G’grk drone (that was how they referred to their warriors, she remembered having read) was lying flat on his back, sleeping silently. They sleep like Ymns, thought Terra.

  She crept inside. With extraordinary caution she examined a sleeping drone. He was asleep in full armour, she noticed. On his belt there was a holstered pulse-orb, what looked like a dagger or blade of some kind, and . . . a gravity bubble generator.

  It was exactly the same design as the ones Terra and her friends used. Perhaps they’d acquired them in Dskt; perhaps they’d been sold them illegally . . . it didn’t matter. Not right now.

  Terra reached out her hand. She felt for the release catch on the side of the pod. She pressed it as gently as possible. She felt the pod click loose. She pulled it slowly, slowly, free of its holder . . .

  The lights switched on.

  An alarm sounded.

  The G’grk drones opened their eyes and sat up immediately, ready for action. The one that Terra had been in the course of robbing blinked, saw the little Ymn and grabbed her arm.

  ‘Gkkh dkkh hrrg shk df?’ he barked in her face. Then he turned to his fellow drones. ‘Gkkh dkkh strrg shk df?’

  The other drones clustered round her and peered at her. Another spoke.

  ‘Nng, dkkh shk kkkh nkh . . . Z’ksh, shk df gkkh?’

  They don’t know what I am, thought Terra. They think I’m some sort of animal. If I don’t speak they might not regard me as dangerous.

  Terra stared round at the drones in dumb bewilderment. She thought about making some animal noises but didn’t want to overdo it.

  ‘Hkkh! Dkkh shk fssk sh’kst GHHH . . .’ said one drone to the others.

  ‘Ghhh, dkkh sk FSSK sh’kst . . .’ agreed another, smiling. He licked his lips.

  They eat animals, remembered Terra too late. The G’grk eat animals.

  She turned and scampered back towards the doorway. It was blocked by a tall G’grk warrior with shinier armour than that worn by the drones. He wore a sword on his belt and war-paint on his face. His appearance caused the drones to snap to attention. An officer, thought Terra.

  ‘Fsksh! Dkkh nkkh fssk sh’khhk, dkkh sh’ymn skhh. Gkkh sh’fsg-hh, T’r?’

  The officer held up a small metal cube. It bleeped. The officer spoke again.

  - I said, it’s a Ymn, and it can speak perfectly well if it wants to. Isn’t that right, Terra?

  3.9

  Terra was dumbfounded.

  - Give poor Z’ksh his gravity bubble back.

  Terra reached into her pocket, produced the bubble generator and handed it to the drone, who snatched it furiously and snapped it into place on his belt.

  - Foolish Z’ksh, allowing yourself to be robbed by an alien child, said the officer. You are G’grk! You sleep with your eyes open.

  - Apologies, Drone Captain.

  - No more rest for you, Z’ksh. Come with us. The rest of you, sleep! Tomorrow we march.

  The drones lay back down and seemed to fall asleep instantly.

  - Bring the Ymn, Z’ksh. The Drone Captain strode off across the camp. Z’ksh took Terra roughly by the arm and set off after him. The Captain entered another hut, in which stood a folding table. He put his little metal cube down on the table, then sat on the edge and turned to Terra.

  - You’re wondering how I know your name? You’re quite famous, little monster. The alien child who tells – what do you call them? St’rss? Your reputation has reached Dskt, you will be pleased to hear.

  Terra was a little too busy being afraid to be pleased or proud. The Drone Captain went on:

  - Actually, when we arrived in Dskt, there was also much talk about the Ymn who frightened the FaZoon away. Dskt seems to take delight in Mlml’s embarrassment. Just the sort of petty rivalry between nations which will soon be a thing of the past.

  Terra said nothing. There had been a time when the thought of being a laughing stock in other nations might have felt like something to worry about, but not now.

  - But that doesn’t matter. The real question is, how did you see us?

  Strange question, thought Terra. The translator cube was obviously not working very precisely. He must mean how did I find them.

  - I was on the beach when the spheres came out of the sea. I followed them here.

  - Yes, yes, but how did you SEE us?

  It’s not a mistranslation, thought Terra. He really means ‘see’.

  - I’m not supposed to be able to see you . . .?

  The Drone Captain thought for a moment, then laughed.

  - Those fools! So proud of their stolen light-bending machines!

  Of course, thought Terra. They’ve been in Dskt. Dskt, where they perfected light-bending camouflage. They’ve stolen the technology. This whole camp is invisible. That’s why no one in Mlml knows it’s here. No one can see it . . .

  -. . . Except you! said the Drone Captain, eerily completing Terra’s train of thought. You, with your little alien eyes! You can still see us! All that trouble we went to, raiding the laboratories in Dskt, persuading their scientists to help us (Terra winced at the thought of what form such ‘persuasion’ might have taken), even buying that detection suppressor field from those Kotari traders, then you just come walking along with your little blue eyes and look right at us. He laughed again. Remarkable. Annoying, but remarkable.

  So it was true what they said about the G’grk and technology, pondered Terra. They get hold of it through theft and conquest but never quite figure out how to use it properly. Mind you, the need to set up their invisibility shields to work on Ymn eyes as well as Fnrrns’ probably never occurred to them.

  The Drone Captain stood up. - I must inform the Grand Marshal of our discovery. Z’ksh! he shouted. The drone, who had been dozing against the wall of the hut, snapped to attention.

  - Watch this creature. Ensure that no harm comes to it. Yet.

  The Captain strode out, closing the fabric door of the hut.

  Z’ksh sat on the table and glowered at Terra. He was missing his metal bed and it was all this little animal’s fault.

  Terra sat on the ground and smiled at Z’ksh.

  Z’ksh did not smile back.

  Terra kept smiling.

  Terra yawned.

  Z’ksh watched Terra, unmoving.

  Terra yawned again. She smacked her lips. Another yawn.

  Z’ksh, almost without noticing, yawned as well.

  Terra gave a huge, theatrical yawn and a stretch.

  Z’ksh yawned. His head lolled.

  Terra closed her eyes, and waited.

  After a few moments, she opened them again.

  Z’ksh, his arms folded and his chin on his chest, was fast asleep.

  Silently, Terra got to her feet. She felt in her pocket for the gravity bubble pod and a
ttached it to her belt, wincing at the click it made as it snapped into place. Then she tiptoed to the fabric door and pulled it gently aside . . . The fabric made the faintest rustling sound as it moved . . .

  Z’ksh’s eyes opened. The instant it took him to remember where he was and what he was supposed to be doing gave Terra just enough time to run from the hut, hit the button on the pod and rise straight up into the air.

  Z’ksh staggered from the hut. His disgrace was now complete. Punishments that did not bear contemplation awaited him. Unless he could recapture the Ymn animal before anyone else knew it had escaped . . .

  Z’ksh ran after Terra . . . seeing her float upwards, he activated the gravity pod on his belt. The one Terra had given to him back at the hut. Her own pod. The one with the spent power-cell.

  Z’ksh rose into the air . . . a bit.

  He rose to the height of the treetops and then started to descend almost immediately. He hurtled downwards into the forest, tumbling through branches, leaves and undergrowth before crashing to the ground in a thorny bush.

  Z’ksh extricated himself from the thorns. He considered his options. Desertion? Suicide?

  His thoughts were interrupted by a rustling sound. The purple grassy mound in front of him suddenly sprouted eyes and teeth. It raised its head to stare at him.

  The G’grk are keen hunters, as you can imagine. For many eras they’ve hunted for sport and for food. Mind you, hunting has become rather less popular on the Central Plains in recent orbits. It’s not as challenging as once it was, as the G’grk have hunted all the really dangerous animals of their homeland to extinction long ago. There are no fearsome predators left on the Central Plains. Which is a pity, as had Z’ksh any idea about how to behave around fearsome predators, he wouldn’t have reacted as he now did.

  Z’ksh stared right back at the znk. - What are YOU looking at? he said in G’grk.