Harvest End

by Max Dane

  A moment later space warped and bent around them as they returned to Madras, ground zero, the discovery place of the Nix Ma, and the first murdered world of the scourge. Finn forcing himself awake, said, “J-Julian, the shield, is it up?”

  “Yes, I think so. Yes, I see it now; the barrier shield is operating.”

  “Hold position; show me Madras.”

  Mr. Eton was rapidly adjusting the image on the view screen. He looked frustrated; everything on the display was blue. All the way around the bridge, in every direction, the normal space appeared blue.

  “Mr. Eton, reset the sensors and show me Madras,” said Finn.

  “I’m trying, Captain. I don’t understand what’s wrong. Everything seems to be working.”

  Moments passed.

  “Captain Holt, I think I understand,” said Julian. “May I adjust the view?”

  “Do it.”

  As Julian adjusted his control panel at the science station, the image changed to a three-dimensional model of the whole system. The planets and star appeared and began rotating in real time. Next, a highlighted point appeared with a tiny ship model beside it, obviously the jump and the Athena. “Hold on just a second,” he said, still working. Suddenly the blue cloud representing the scourge appeared around the planet, wafting out into space, billowing in an undulating arm that happened to cross the area by the jump.

  “Everything appears blue, because we are inside the cloud.”

  “Should I take us back, Sir?” It was Keating; he looked near to panic. Instead of answering him, Finn asked the real question, “How’s the barrier shield, Julian?”

  “It seems to be working perfectly, Captain.”

  In his calmest voice, he said, “Very good, Doctor, then let’s get started. Where do you need us to be?”

  “Please take us to an orbital position just past the colony, on the leading side.”

  “Captain, that will put us directly in the path of the cloud,” said Eton.

  “Mr. Eton, Mr. Keating, we are protected by the barrier field. Take us to the position Dr. Yates has specified, and keep your attention on maintaining that field.”

  “Yes, Sir.” Keating looked from Finn to Eton, and slowly moved the ship closer to the planet. When they reached an orbital point just past the colony, Keating said, “Coming to position, in three, two, one, all stop.”

  Keating locked the spot into the navigation system and turned to Julian. “We’re in position, Doctor.”

  Julian nodded, “Very good, Mr. Keating.” He picked up his things and prepared to leave. “Captain, with your permission, I am ready to begin the investigation, and I need to get to the lab.”

  “Permission granted, go!”

  Julian glanced at Micha and smiled on his way out. She thought he looked nervous.

  Finn turned to Alex, “Alex, take the science station and double-check that barrier field. Make me feel confident that it’s not going anywhere, not even for a second.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Alex took up position at the science station and began running a system diagnostic on the barrier field. “It looks solid, Captain; my results confirm Julian’s analysis. The shield is operating well.”

  Finn sat back in his chair, but couldn’t relax. The 360-degree view afforded on the bridge was working against them; everywhere, they were immersed in the cloud.

  It was unnerving.

  Finn leaned towards Micha, “This is going to be a long assignment.”

  Chapter 9

  “Vengeance is not the point; change is. But the trouble is that in most people's minds the thought of victory and the thought of punishing the enemy coincide.”

  - Barbara Deming

  Nearly a week had passed since their arrival at Madras. Finn didn’t see much of Julian and was surprised when he ran into him in the wardroom. “Julian, I’m surprised to see you here. I was just about to request a briefing on the state of the investigation.”

  Julian looked haggard, unshaven and wearing the same clothes for who knew how many days. He brushed sweaty hair out of his face and sat down at a table.

  “Actually, I’m here because I need help.”

  Finn sat down next to him and waved at a server, “Please bring me the usual, and another one for Dr. Yates.” The man waved and hurried off.

  “We’ve been here a week, Doctor. The crew is performing well, at least as well as anyone can be, sitting in the middle of the scourge. We all want to get out of here, please tell me you’re close to something.”

  “First, I need your help to implement a secondary safety system. I’ve directed Dr. Nath to build an EM transmitter to broadcast the EM signature of hydrogen around and throughout the ship. He’s built a working prototype, but it will take the ship’s engineering staff to install and power them.”

  “Julian, how did Dr. Nath build anything? I restricted his access to all ship’s resources.”

  “Yes of course, Finn. He generated a list of the components he would need and gave it to me. I gathered the pieces and let him work. Well, not me actually, Alex was interested in the project and asked if he could gather the pieces for Nath. We need his help, Finn.”

  Finn didn’t like the idea of Nath working unsupervised, but if Alex was in charge of retrieving the necessary components, then the situation was different. He needed to talk with Alex.

  “Very well, have the prototype delivered to engineering, and I will ask them to review and install the transmitters right away.”

  The server arrived with two plates and another with drinks. Finn said thank you, and they left as quickly as they came. Julian tore into his as though he hadn’t eaten in days.

  “Julian, I have to say that you look a little ragged.”

  The young doctor stopped and looked at himself, as if for the first time in a while. “I suppose you’re right, Finn. This is the greatest challenge of my life; I can see now how Layton let himself become consumed by it. I can tell you that they’re leaving Madras.”

  “What?”

  “Yes, by every scan and every visual, the cloud is growing thin around the planet and thicker along the trail that leads away. They are leaving.”

  “Do you know why they’re leaving?”

  “I believe they have taken every atom of the elements they’re programmed to search for.”

  Finn said, “The food supply is gone.”

  “Maybe. I just wish I could get a handle on where they’re going.”

  “Julian, they’re microscopic; how are they even moving?”

  “Oh well, yes, we’ve seen that,” he said taking another huge bite. “They waft up through the atmosphere carried on wind currents, and when they finally reach space, they cluster together forming tiny sails. You can’t see it without the proper equipment; they just appear as the cloud. But Finn, they’re actually tacking forward and back, against the solar radiation. Light and high-speed ejected gases from stars propel them on their way.”

  “That’s incredible.”

  “It’s clever, but it doesn’t make sense; it seems like such a very slow way to travel. I don’t understand how this would be useful to anyone.”

  “You still don’t buy that this is a weapon, do you?” said Finn.

  “It’s too complex to be a weapon.”

  “So how will it help, to know where they’re going?”

  “I think they’re going home. I’ll bet you that we can find answers if we know where home is.”

  “I suppose it would be safe there,” said Finn turning his plate around to reach his dessert.

  “What?”

  “Wherever home is,” he said taking a bite. It was chocolate, his favorite. “I bet it’s safe there. The makers of the scourge wouldn’t want it destroying their own worlds.”

  “Yes, that makes sense, but how would they prevent it?” said Julian, his mind racing through the possibilities. He shook his head, there was still too much data; they needed to narrow it down. “And how could we even find it?”

&
nbsp; “Well, maybe you could track the direction the cloud is moving and project it on out.”

  “I’ve been trying that. The problem is that the cloud doesn’t extend very far, not even a light year yet. It points in a general direction, but not much more. My best guess is somewhere in the upper right of the galaxy, relative to Earth of course.”

  Finn motioned to the servers. When the man arrived he said, “Could you bring us some of that coffee from New Brazil?” The man nodded and headed for the kitchen. Finn wiped his hands and placed his napkin on the table. “What about using the same approach in the other contaminated systems?”

  “Finn, what do you mean?” Julian dropped his fork and grabbed Finn’s arm. Startled, Finn glanced at his arm and then back to Julian’s face; he was the picture of a man obsessed.

  “Julian… relax.”

  Suddenly aware of his own reaction, he was embarrassed. He let go of Finn’s arm and sat back in his chair. “Yes, I’m sorry, Finn,” said Julian. “I haven’t had a full night’s sleep in a couple of days.” But judging from his reaction, Finn guessed it was probably more than that.

  “All I meant, was simply that each of the infected systems are light years apart. It wouldn’t take much of a navigator to chart a course based on the direction of the cloud in each location. Essentially, a simple triangulation using the cloud movement as a directional reference from each destroyed colony.”

  “Finn, you’re a genius!” Julian jumped up and ran out the door. He only got a few steps, before he stopped came running back. Grinning at Finn, he picked up his plate and took it with him. Finn could hear him running away, down the hall, “Thanks, Finn!”

  Micha walked in, just in time to hear Julian. “What was that about?”

  He laughed, “I think we’re about to leave.”

  “Well, it’s about time. This place has had me on edge since we got here.”

  Julian returned to the lab, running into Alex and nearly knocking him over. “Alex, I know what we’re going to do; get everyone together.”

  “Slow down, Julian; what’s going on?”

  Still balancing his plate, Julian took the last bite and set it down.

  “Get Micha and Finn. Oh, and anyone else Finn would like to bring with him, of course.” Then picking up his notes, he ran out and down the corridor.

  “Julian, what’s going on?”

  “I have a plan, Alex. I have a plan!”

  Alex found Finn talking with Micha on the bridge. “Ah, good, I found the two of you together. I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have a request from Julian. He seems to be quite excited.”

  “I saw him just a short while ago,” said Finn. “We were talking when suddenly he jumped up and left running full blast out of the wardroom.”

  “Has he discovered something?” asked Micha. “He’s been shut up in the lab. I haven’t seen him for a few days now.”

  “Well something has happened,” said Alex. “Now, he says he has a plan, and that I should collect you to join him in a discussion.”

  Finn stood up, “I think we could all use some good news. Mr. Keating, you have the bridge. Come on, Commander, let’s hear what he has to say.”

  Together, they left the bridge and made their way through the maze of corridors to the ship’s meeting room. Julian was already there and going over something with his assistant, Dr. Tellis. Finn was surprised to find Nath sitting with them at the far end of the long table. Julian jumped up, almost bouncing from foot to foot when they walked in.

  “Captain, Micha, thank you for coming,” he said, still looking disheveled but wearing a fresh shirt.

  “Hello again, Julian, I trust this time you’ll stay long enough to tell us why you’re so excited.”

  “Yes, yes; please come in.”

  Finn glanced around the room and sat far from Nath, his dislike for the man ever present. Micha and Alex sat closer, filling the gap between Finn and the rest.

  “Ah, very good,” said Alex, “I see that you brought Dr. Nath as well.” Then turning to speak directly to him, “It’s good to have you close by, Dr. Nath.”

  Nath nodded but didn’t say anything. He always seemed to look as if he’d just eaten something sour.

  Julian had brought his datatab; he quickly activated a sequence of files and said, “Computer, display video ‘J-9’.” The lights dimmed slightly, and the view screen above the table displayed a model of the planet below. The bluish representation of the great cloud still engulfed the planet and then seemed to trail off over the jump point and beyond into deep space. “I believe I’ve gained some insight into the behavior of the nanotech organisms. And I think it’s time we took action.”

  Nath was suddenly alert, “Really, what have you learned?”

  “I do not believe that what we are facing is a weapon. I say that what we’ve witnessed is a method of harvesting resources from the galaxy.”

  Nath dropped his notes and snorted derisively.

  “But we’ve been through this, Julian,” he said, looking very annoyed. “They arrive and destroy everyone and everything. They are the single most insidious design ever conceived of, for total annihilation of one’s enemy.”

  “I disagree, Doctor Nath. That is how you imagine them based on your perspective.”

  “And the perspective of a great many others, Julian,” said Alex. “I’m afraid I will have to agree with Dr. Nath, on this one.”

  Next to her, Micha grasped Alex’s arm firmly, “Let him finish.”

  Julian got up and walked to the screen standing before it; the image of the cloud played across his face. “I thought so too, at first. But the fact that I could never reconcile was the cloud. Why is there a cloud at all?”

  Nath pointed at the screen, “Because there are so many of them, they form a cloud. It is similar to the behavior of vample beetles or locusts. As they flourish, so too do their numbers. There is nothing more.”

  “Ah, but recall how my sensor modification works, Doctor. We are unable to show an image of the creatures themselves; at the atomic level they’re simply too small. Here what we see are the elements, they’ve stolen. We can scan for traces of target elements by looking for their EM signature.”

  Julian turned around to watch the undulating cloud on the screen. “It is a fact that they have disrupted the matter of the planet below and dislocated atoms of specific elements. It is a fact that they have taken them. Even now we see the trail of stolen elements leaving the colony of Madras, leaving the planet below, and soon leaving this star system.” He walked quickly back to his chair and sat down. “If Dr. Nath and Alex were right, the organisms would disrupt the local matter and then simply shut down. Annihilation of the planet would occur, but the cycle would end.”

  “What we’re watching is something different. They are designed to leave and take the dislocated elements with them. They are not a weapon; they are harvesters. Harvesters of metals, radioactives, and other galaxy-rare elements.”

  “Take them where, Julian?” said Micha.

  “Home; I think they are returning home.”

  Finn was trying to absorb what he was proposing. “So you think they just wandered into our systems looking for new sources of rare elements?”

  “Actually, yes. I don’t know how they first arrived at Madras. There is a lot of exploration out on the fringes of the colonized systems. It could be that either League ships or dissident ships strayed into a system targeted for harvesting, and accidentally brought them back. Or maybe the owners just set them free on the solar wind, and they drifted here.”

  “Who are the ‘owners’, Julian?” said Alex, growing more curious by the moment.

  “I don’t know who they are, Alex, but I think they are humanity’s first contact with alien life.”

  “And you think they want to kill us?” said Nath.

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying,” said Julian with a big sigh. “I don’t know their motives, but I think it’s possible that Madras was too close to their own worl
ds, and we have become harvested more by accident, than intent. Look Doctor, consider how advanced they must be to design and build the harvesters. By comparison, one of our colony farmers might build a robot to till the soil or bring in crops at harvest time. These beings have created harvesters that bring back the building blocks of any society. If they wanted to destroy us, they might have chosen a more direct method.”

  Alex tried to imagine the horror inflicted on the human colonies as a simple oversight, nothing more than one farmer accidentally reaping part of another man’s field. ‘Could it really be that simple?’ he wondered. It didn’t feel right; the number of deaths was too great for this to be just a mistake. “Perhaps,” said Alex, “but they might also be killing two birds with one stone: wipe us out and take our resources as well.”

  Julian nodded, “I agree that what you're saying could be true, Alex. But until we can find these aliens and ask them, we won’t know.”

  Finn recalled their talk earlier, “Julian, I’m also having a hard time believing the harvesters are here by mistake. But assuming you’re right, what are you proposing exactly? That we should simply find the aliens, and ask them to quit harvesting our systems?”

  Julian took a deep breath and let it out slowly. His arguments were predicated on the ability to perceive that what had happened was only an error, a cosmic accident between neighbors. Glancing around the table he realized that the level of pain in this room biased all of them towards war. These people all had reason to hate the aliens responsible, some maybe more than others. They wanted, or perhaps needed, an answer that brought some sanity to what they’d witnessed. They all wanted justice. If they ever actually made contact, this group would not be his first choice. But time was running out, and there were no other options.