Terra

by Mitch Benn

  The znk had no idea what it was looking at. But it smelled fantastic.

  3.10

  Lbbp stared worriedly at the power level light on his gravity bubble. He’d brought a spare cell but he didn’t fancy trying to do a mid-air cell change. He’d only ever done it once. It was a long time ago, he was a student, there were girls watching . . .

  The field-scanner’s pip-pipping, which had been growing in strength as he got closer to Terra, had become more broken and hesitant, as if something was interfering with the signal. It was still strong enough to follow, though.

  In fact, now it was getting stronger and stronger . . . As Lbbp peered at the field-scanner’s display, he saw that the Ymn life-form was getting closer at a far faster rate than he was travelling. She was coming back! She was coming back to him!

  Overjoyed, Lbbp peered ahead into the darkness . . . did he see something? The shimmer of a gravity bubble? The moonlight reflecting off shiny blue fabric?

  As the shape became more and more distinct, waves of relief washed over him. He called to her.

  - Terra! Terra! I’m so glad you’re safe and I’m so, so . . .

  - gggggggggGGGGGOOOOOO AAAAAWWWwwwaaaayyyyy . . . said Terra as she shot straight past him. Confused, Lbbp spun his bubble around and set off after her.

  He could hear her shouting something. It sounded like - No secrets! No secrets, remember? We don’t need to keep secrets from each other?

  - Terra! Look, I know you’re upset, but . . .

  - Upset? UPSET? Terra stopped dead and swung round to face Lbbp. Their bubbles collided at speed and they bounced away from one another.

  - You lied to me! You USED me! shouted Terra as she hurtled back towards Lbbp. My whole life has just been one big experiment! What, are you hoping to win the Tnk Award or something? Leave me alone! She slammed her bubble into his, bouncing him further away.

  - The proposal was a mistake! cried Lbbp as he steered himself back towards her. I was angry! I was young and stupid! I knew nothing about Ymns then! We had no right to . . .

  - It’s just as well it was rejected, shouted Terra, surging away from him, or I might never have been born, and then you wouldn’t be able to conduct this little follow-up experiment of yours . . . As Lbbp pulled alongside her, she swung her bubble sideways into his and bounced him away again.

  - Did you see why it was rejected? Lbbp bellowed after her, as he regained control of his bubble. Did you read the rejection document?

  Terra slowed down. She stopped, hovering above the trees. The sun was coming up.

  - I withdrew it! I withdrew the proposal! It had to be signed by four Postulators; once I took my name off it, it wasn’t a valid proposal any more. I stopped it, panted Lbbp.

  Terra rotated to face him - Why? What changed your mind?

  - The FaZoon did. Just after we submitted the proposal they turned up again. Looking at the FaZoon, I realised just how primitive we must appear to them, and I thought what if they decided we were a threat or just an encumbrance? They could wipe us out without even thinking about it.

  Terra listened and hovered. The sun was peeking over the treetops.

  - I suddenly knew that the Ymns had a right to make their own mistakes, to grow as a people in their own way, and if they became a problem then we’d deal with it at the time. Maybe we could even help them. And then I found you . . .

  Lbbp reached his hand out. Slowly, so as to penetrate the bubble’s field.

  - And I realised everything I’d thought about Ymns was wrong . . . As a civilisation, they’ve got a way to go, but so do we all . . . As individuals, you’re every bit as smart, and decent, and precious . . .

  Terra reached out through the skin of her own bubble.

  -. . . as any creature in the universe. And yes, I’ve been fascinated to watch you grow up, but all parents are. And I love you as much as anyone on this planet – on ANY planet – loves their child. Please say you believe me.

  Terra took Lbbp’s hand.

  - I believe you, she said.

  - Thank you, said Lbbp. Thank you. He pulled her to him, and their bubbles merged.

  Terra looked into Lbbp’s eyes. Her expression changed.

  - We have to go.

  - I know, said Lbbp, it’s freezing up here.

  - No, we have to go NOW, and she turned and sped back towards the city.

  - Why? said Lbbp, his words suddenly drowned out by a low rumbling sound. He looked around but saw nothing.

  - Just take my word for it! screamed Terra. Don’t look back! Just move, now!

  Lbbp set off after Terra. She cast a glance back at him, her eyes full of panic.

  - What’s happening? shouted Lbbp, barely audible over the mysterious rumble.

  From nowhere, a tangle of threads enveloped his bubble and stopped him dead. He was being pulled backwards. He had been caught in a net, and was being reeled in towards . . . what? There was nothing in the sky except him and Terra. Looking across to her, he saw that she too had been netted.

  Terra called out to him but he couldn’t hear. As they were pulled closer together by the mysterious nets, her voice became clearer.

  - It’s the G’grk! The G’grk are here!

  A circular door opened in the sky, and they were hauled through it.

  Hands grabbed them and switched off their gravity bubbles. They dropped hard onto a metal floor.

  - I take it you were on your way to the city, little animal? asked the Drone Captain. It will be our pleasure to give you a ride.

  3.11

  The sphere travelled judderingly through the air, gravity engines grinding away.

  Lbbp and Terra sat on the floor, their wrists sealed in binding gel.

  The Drone Captain stood over them. He seemed glad of the company. G’grk drones are not bred for conversation.

  - Tell me, little animal, just what did you do to poor Z’ksh?

  - Did you find him? asked Terra.

  - We found some of him. Extraordinary. You don’t look capable of it. Still, I had something far worse in mind for him. He should be grateful.

  The Drone Captain bent to examine Terra. - What a fascinating, surprising species. I look forward to getting to know it better.

  - Don’t touch her! said Lbbp.

  The Drone Captain smiled. - That’s the spirit! If your compatriots show such defiance, who knows, there may even be some fighting left to do by the time we get there.

  Terra was confused. - What do you mean? she asked.

  The Drone Captain smiled cruelly. - Foolish child. Did you think this was the spearhead of the invasion? The front line? The first wave? This is the rearguard!

  Lbbp and Terra exchanged horrified glances.

  - Your friends in the city will have the honour of greeting the spearhead any moment now . . .

  3.12

  Preceptor Shm was not having a good morning. He’d been in the Forum until very late the previous night, and now, no satisfactory resolution having been reached, he was there again, far too early for his liking. The fact that Lbbp was nowhere to be found wasn’t helping his mood, either. Shm made a mental note to have strong words with Lbbp when he turned up.

  Meanwhile, he had strong words for the civilian government, and they weren’t going to like them.

  - Chairman . . . Chancellor . . . Senators . . . I can only reiterate what I told you yesterday. This war cannot be averted by any action we take. The G’grk may yet decide against invading Mlml but that will be entirely a matter for them. Nothing we say or do can influence that decision on any meaningful level. We have nothing to offer them which they do not believe they can take by force. We have nothing with which we can threaten them which they fear in any way.

  The assembled senators shuffled uneasily and low, discontented mumblings echoed around the floor. Shm went on.

  - The G’grk have been in complete control of Dskt for over a cycle. We already know that any invading army would vastly outnumber our own defensive forces and it is reason
able to expect that their weapons would be at least comparable to our own. If the G’grk attack, we cannot repel them.

  - So what then? asked a robed senator. We surrender?

  - The G’grk despise surrender, said Shm, and regard those who capitulate as beneath contempt. If we surrender now they would exterminate us on principle.

  Gasps of shock.

  - The FaZoon! Contact the FaZoon! The FaZoon will save us! cried another senator. Shouts of agreement from around the Forum. - FaZoon! Bring the FaZoon back!

  - Attempts have already been made to contact the FaZoon, said Shm. They have not been successful. Either they can’t hear us or they’re not listening. Besides, Shm went on, even if we could persuade the FaZoon to get involved, who’s to say which side they’d be on?

  Murmurs of discomfort. No one had thought of that.

  A pause.

  - Senators, I’m sorry if this isn’t what you wanted to hear. I know you were hoping we’d come up with some brilliant solution. That’s what you want from us, the clever ones, the thinkers, the Postulators, I know. And I could just make something up, something that sounds ingenious, and be hailed as the saviour of Mlml, and let’s face it, if I were wrong I probably wouldn’t be around long enough to have to explain myself. But I’m not a hero. I’m a scientist. I have to follow the evidence and form my conclusions, and then present those conclusions as honestly as possible. And that’s what I’m doing today.

  - Is there then no hope at all? asked the Chancellor, weakly.

  - One hope. Retreat, regroup, resist, said Shm. First, we evacuate. Get everybody out of the major cities and coastal areas. Remove or destroy anything that the G’grk might be able to use against us. Hide out in the hills and forests, reassign the military commanders to train all able-bodied civilians as resistance cells. Then fight back. Attack supply convoys, blow up bases, make life as difficult as possible for the invaders, until one day they decide that occupying Mlml is more trouble than it’s worth. There, you asked for my recommendations, senators, and that’s all I’ve got for you. I’m sorry.

  The idea sank in. It was a desperate plan, but it was a plan.

  - How much warning are we likely to get of a G’grk attack? asked an elderly senator.

  Shm was about to reply when he felt a tingle in his feet. The tingle grew stronger. The crystal lanterns hanging from the Forum ceiling started to rattle. The building was vibrating.

  Shm sighed. It had been a good plan. He’d almost been looking forward to it.

  - Not enough, he said sadly.

  The senators ran to the windows and looked out. With a great crackle of energy, hundreds of blue G’grk spheres deactivated their invisibility shields and appeared hovering above the city.

  One senator just had time to say - It’s the G’grk! They’re already— before the ceiling fell in.

  3.13

  - What was THAT?

  - Sit down, Fthfth, and come away from the window . . .

  Bsht had just got the novice class settled when the first explosions were heard. She didn’t bother trying to convince herself that it was an unscheduled quake, or a rogue thunderstorm. She knew exactly what it was. She’d hoped they’d get more warning than this.

  - Everybody stay in your seats, she said as she went to the window.

  Blue spheres hung over all quarters of the city. How had they got so close? Plumes of smoke rose from strategic targets; the Forum was already gone, the barracks at Gst-Fnchst, it looked like the fusion station was under attack, the information centre as well. They knew where to hit us, she thought.

  Occasional bursts of grav-rocket fire would issue forth from the ground and hit the spheres. It didn’t seem to be having much effect.

  - What’s happening, Bsht? asked Thnst.

  - Don’t be stupid, said Yshn, you know what’s happening. They’re here. They’re here and we’re all going to die!

  - Nobody’s going to die, said Bsht. Just let me think for a moment.

  The building shook. The children screamed. Bsht ran to another window. A G’grk sphere was firing what looked like small rockets into the side of the Lyceum tower. Why haven’t they just flattened it with light-cannons? wondered Bsht. They could destroy the tower if they wanted to. They don’t want to. Why not?

  The building shook again. Why hasn’t anyone given the evacuation order? wondered Bsht. Then she thought, Evacuate to where? and finally, Who’s ‘anyone’?

  There was no plan. You couldn’t plan for something like this. No one was in charge. It was up to her to save the children.

  From the corridor outside, the sound of pupils and staff fleeing for the exits. Everyone else seemed to have come to the same conclusion. It was time to go.

  The building shook again, and again. The children yelped and whimpered with fear.

  - Everybody listen to me! Bsht called out above the noise and panic. Listen to me! It’s not safe here any more. We need to get out of the Lyceum, maybe even out of the city. Now come with me and STAY TOGETHER. Pktk, Fthfth, wait until last and keep an eye on the littler ones.

  Bsht led the children out into the corridor. The building shook violently, seeming almost to lurch. They passed lectoriums and laboratories, all deserted. From a room at the end of the corridor, Bsht heard a frantic voice.

  - Can anyone hear me? There are children in this building! Cease your fire! There are children here! Anyone?

  Looking in, she saw Vstj yelling desperately out of the window.

  - Vstj! What are you doing! Get away from the window!

  - I’ve got to talk to them! I’ve got to find someone to negotiate with!

  - It’s the G’grk, Vstj. They don’t negotiate. Come with us.

  Keeping low and gibbering with fear, Vstj scampered out into the corridor and joined the line of children.

  - Get to the back, make sure we don’t leave any behind, said Bsht, leading the way once more.

  Vstj crawled to the back of the queue. - Fthfth, isn’t it? How nice to see you again. How’s your mother?

  Bsht rounded a corner. Ahead of them was an emergency grav-chute, down which – if it was working – they could slide straight to the main atrium on the ground floor. What they would find down there, Bsht didn’t want to contemplate yet. They’d deal with that in due course.

  She saw the grav-chute portal. On his knees, next to the portal, was Pshkf. He had a box of tools and was tinkering frantically with the chute controls.

  - It’s fried, he said, I reckon I can fix it, though.

  - How long is that going to take? asked Bsht, annoyed by the squeaky tone of her voice.

  - Why, do you have something you’d rather be doing right now? retorted Pshkf. Anyway it’ll be quicker if you give me a hand.

  Bsht sighed. - Everybody wait here a moment. Vstj, keep the children together. No wandering off, and that includes you.

  The building shook again. - We’ll be right here, said Vstj airily. Take your time.

  - What exactly are you doing? Bsht whispered, passing Pshkf a vibro-spanner.

  - Ripping out the fused circuits and bypassing them with circuits from the lights. Here we go . . .

  Pshkf touched the chute activation switch (which was now dangling from the wall on a bit of loose cabling) and the chute hummed into action.

  Bsht turned to address the children. - Right, listen to me. One at a time, and walk—

  The corridor exploded. Whatever those missiles were that the G’grk were firing at the building, one had hit the floor above them. With a roar of displaced matter, the ceiling collapsed between Vstj and Bsht. Vstj and the children were blown over one way by the blast, Bsht and Pshkf the other.

  Bsht was first back on her feet. - Vstj! Vstj! Are you there?

  Vstj’s voice came through the rubble. - Yes, we’re all right. But we can’t get through to you now.

  Bsht felt a sharp sting of despair and shame. She was cut off from the children, the children she was sworn to protect. Then Vstj’s voice came again, an
d it had a quality Bsht had never heard before.

  - It’s okay. I’ve got the children. I’ll get them out of here.

  - Vstj, I . . .

  - Go. Get to the ground floor. Bring help if you can. We’ll be fine, I’ll keep the children safe.

  Something in Vstj’s voice told Bsht that he believed what he was saying. And stranger still, so did she.

  - Good luck, Vstj, she said.

  - It’s me, said Vstj, I’ve always been lucky.

  Bsht turned to Pshkf. - It’s still working? she said incredulously, hearing the hum of the grav-chute.

  - When I fix something, it stays fixed, smiled Pshkf. Now come on, he said, picking up his toolbox, and a large bag which he slung over his shoulder. It took some effort; whatever he had in there was obviously very heavy. Bsht realised what it was.

  - Is that . . . oh, you have got to be crazy . . .

  - That’s what you do in a crisis, isn’t it? said Pshkf. Grab your most prized possession and run? Not my fault if my prized possession weighs a bit. He patted the bag containing his lovingly restored vintage thirty-first-era infralight drive, and stepped into the chute. Bsht shook her head and stepped in after him.

  3.14

  Security Chief Fskp had waited for a moment like this his whole life, and now that it had arrived, he was disappointed to find he wasn’t enjoying it in the slightest.

  It had been, by and large, a relaxing job being in charge of the Preceptorate Retinue. Policing a temple of learning and contemplation; keeping the peace in a place where the peace kept itself. There had been the occasional interesting moment, he supposed – that time when that skinny f’zft had turned up with an alien baby sprang to mind – but nothing you could base a thrilling memoir on, certainly.

  He’d been trained for battle and seen none; six orbits he’d spent in the Mlml Space Infantry with not so much as a scratch on him. Peace. Overrated.