Human Starpilots

by F Stephan

  Again, they nodded. Brian felt that he was facing more a lawyer than a jailor, but the attention to detail was reassuring.

  Each day before dusk, Brian and Emily descended the stairs, with the few others condemned to civil service, to the hangar where they retrieved the reclaiming cars. Each checked his equipment and radio with the station master and the support team. Then, at dusk, they drove to their designated part, far away to block any radio contact between them. They would process as much red soil as they could, drop to the ground frequently to clear obstacles or fallen trees or to repair their car. During those nervous interventions, they were protected by a guard armed with a power rifle and perched on top of their ground vehicle. One day in two, the crater was drowned in a thick orange fog. On the second day, Brian saw the fog getting a blood red color when touching the ground; he vomited and shook for several minutes. That night, Sonter, who had listened to it all, came to him quietly.

  “What is it down there?”

  “Today, we drove in a sea of blood. The fog took that color, you see”. Brian was still white faced. “Shadows are always moving at the limit of our perception”.

  “Have you tried the nanites? To dispel the shadows?”

  “Yes, even with them, the shadows linger”.

  Emily had joined them in silence. “And there is the smell. Everything is rotten down there. Not sweetly rotting like in a swamp. No, something worse than that. The earth itself is rotting under the wheels”.

  Sonter was silent for a while pondering what he had heard.

  “And you?” asked Emily.

  “I work all day on the cars. Whenever a car is broken I have to check every feature: all the mechanical parts, all the electric wiring, everything. And I listen to you. I have always a security console with me and I have to remain alert for any sign of trouble anywhere”.

  “Seems tough but quiet”, said Brian.

  Sonter looked at him. “You do not understand. I hear you screaming, retching, or talking frightened all the day. I have to perform very detailed tasks, which are thoroughly controlled, while remaining alert for anything that can happen to you. When a scream is beyond normal and requires bringing back the car or sending the intervention team”. Brian looked at him, with sudden understanding. He could do nothing but bear the consequences of sending Emily on the run without supporting her directly.

  Then, they would go to the research center, at first, to learn about the Brotherhood with Rendor who doubled his role of Station Master with a teaching activity.

  On the third day, Brian had found a ramp to a former commercial-center parking lot. He had radioed the location to the station, and a car had arrived from the station an hour later. A specialist team of archeologists had arrived with four guards and had disappeared into the basement. Brian had managed to catch a picture of the underground facilities and had regretted instantly the glimpse. There had been corpses down. After the time, they should have been reduced to skeletons. Instead, protected in the basement, they had been mostly preserved and stayed in the position forced upon them by the blast. There had been families with children down there. And the place reeked of malevolent rot. (What did they use? This was no dirty nuclear bomb, he thought, this was far worse.) Fortunately, he had managed to keep Emily from that sight. The next day, the whole place had been documented and dynamited, allowing him to clean the rubble. For the following weeks, they found old broken objects, gathered at the back of his car for removal, and all too often bones.

  That night, he went to see Rendor for their teaching session. “Sir, what happened? This was no normal nuclear bomb. How did it come to that?” The teacher looked at the three students, while other moved to their designated activities, and motioned them to sit.

  “How did it begin? Sum up what you learn”. He raised his hand to Brian. “Patience. I will answer”.

  Emily was the first as usual. “They started out as the trade guild. This was the time of the prince cities. There were a lot of guilds but Netikal really specialized into the trade and attracted scientists to help improve their capacities. They built new ships, similar to our caravels, riffled the guns to improve the security of the guards. For several centuries, they continued to build trade routes both on sea and land with secure enclaves everywhere. They invested in science and were the first to use fossil energy”.

  “And they were called by the princes for support in crushing their enemies. And most of time, they came and stayed in power”, continued Sonter. “After four centuries, they controlled half the world in a benevolent manner. Until, Vretelan, the Prophet, became the Guild Master for Netikal and edicted the Rules of Enhancement”.

  “What were those rules about?” asked Rendor.

  Brian continued. He had studied that part. “Vretelan was crazy about the Ancient and wanted Adheek to regain everything that had been lost at all costs. This was such an effort he created the Brotherhood of Man. He engaged offensive actions to conquer the rest of the planet and launched huge research projects. At first, it had very positive effects on agriculture, life expectancy. But quickly, the pollution levels increased and the fossil resources disappeared. To continue the drive forward, the Cult, which had taken over the Guild, increased the control and created a form of Inquisition”.

  “Rebellions started but were crushed one after another. No prince city had the capacity to withstand the might of the Cult. Not enough men, not enough science. The blue bot became the sign of oppression,” said Sonter.

  “Blue bot”. Brian stopped him with a sudden recollection.

  “Yes, the Origin has a red bot as an opposite to the Cult. But read their doctrine and what remains from Vretelan, and it is the same. Only in reverse”. Sonter’s hate for the Origin was overpowering and his words were scornful.

  “This is another debate. Now to your question, Brian. In the end, the Rebels found an Ancient Device in a dig of their own. They were faced with an impossible choice. They could detonate the device and released its energies but they didn’t know what it would do. Or they could wait and let the Cult fall on its own. But, the Brotherhood became completely crazy. The exaction went beyond reason. So, the last rebels decided to act before it was too late. We have a few transcripts of their last meetings, you know”.

  “But they did the right things, didn’t they? They couldn’t let it continue and do nothing?” Emily was shocked.

  “When they attacked, they obliterated millions of people in Netikal, they sent the planet into a warm age that will last millennia, and they released an orange cloud that rolled over the planet for two years. The sun was masked and the agriculture dropped. Whole areas were burned by the rains that came from the Cloud. Millions died in those years and during the rebuilding. Reclaim is our last project but we have spent the last five hundred years cleaning our world”.

  “The corpse, they were still intact? This is not possible, sir”.

  “This is what happened under the Earth. And although we do not know why or how, the Devices created this. We are here to clean the mess”.

  Brian, Emily and Sonter stayed silent for a long time after. Rendor rose and went to his tasks, letting them ponder what they had heard.

  The days continued and settled into a routine. They would work like this for eight nerve-breaking hours every day and then return to the station, where they would eat slowly in silence. Then, they would go to the research for an hour. Everyone usually returned the mess for a little while after. They talked quietly or played a few Adheeken games, often the Old Game. Some read. Emily, Brian, and Sonter went to the warehouse and worked on landing and taking off with the shuttle. They usually worked in silence together, still hard pressed to talk; yet they were efficient together, and they continued to improve.

  One day, a detail on the road struck Brian and he lingered after the session to talk with Master Rendor.

  “Sir?”

  “Yes, Brian?”

  “Why don’t you use robots to clean the mess? Wouldn’t it go faster? I haven
’t seen any robots anywhere on the planet but today I saw the carcass of something that was a robot. You know how to build them”.

  “Yes, we do. We have had the technical knowledge for the last five hundred years. But robots were badly used by the Second Renaissance. They have a bad press now. And, they use way too many resources. We can’t afford many. We run a few still under the seas or in some places no man can live. But here, we don’t need them. We just need patience”.

  “But the Reclaim project will last much longer?”

  “Yes, it will. We just can afford to go faster. I know how hard the conditions are on your planet now. But, sometimes, you have to take the longer view. We learned it the hard way when we blew up the city here”.

  48 Brian

  On the fourteenth day, the fog was even thicker than usual, and the cars only rolled into the crater two hours after dusk. Brian drove carefully under Emily’s supervision and signaled his arrival to Sonter at his area immediately. The signal was weak, but he got the acknowledgement and a special message from his guard, Yuil, allowing him to return if the fog thickened again. The morning was slow, but on a clear patch of land Brian and Emily could at least see some progress. Then they cleaned a new patch showing a few degenerate trees and immediately blocked the car on a hidden submerged wall.

  “I’m down with the axe and the laser. I’m going to see if I can clear the obstacles and get us out,” said Brian.

  “Clear. Move quickly. I don’t like the place,” agreed Yuil. While he equipped himself, the guard reported, as usual, the action to the station. Emily sat herself at the command of the car.

  Brian opened the side door and dropped to the ground. He increased his perceptions to the maximum allowed and quickly went to find the hurdle. Yuil went to the top of the car to patrol, humming a song. Brian worked on the wall alternating axe stroke and laser shot to clear the patch that had blocked the wheels. From time to time, he asked Emily to try and turn the wheels, but that didn’t work. Uneasiness rose as the fog chilled. Yuil had stopped humming, probably to rub his hands together against the cold. Brian felt certain drowsiness come over him.

  Then, he heard a loud bump, a cry, and a corpse dropping to the ground. Brian rolled out from under the car, closed his eyes a split second, and activated his full nanites.

  Shadow to my left. Move, turn, no, there is movement on my right, duck. Pain. My back. Whatever this is, it’s fast. Up into the car. Too exposed. Back to the car. It can move under. Too exposed.

  Suddenly, my vision splits in two. I am down and up on the car. I hear instructions coming from Emily.

  Zigzag to the clearing on your left between the trees and turn on yourself.

  One shot. I have only one shot.

  Turn, turn. Shadow on the left. Drop, turn, and fire.

  At point blank, I fire the laser at full strength while lifting my axe. The beast drops.

  I roll away and check for other shadows.

  No shadows. The fog clears a little, and the air warms a bit. Whatever this was, it seemed to be a solitary hunter. Deactivate your nanites and come back.

  The connection breaks, and I am alone in the clearing with the huge beast in front of me. I tasted blood in my mouth.

  “What’s happening? Brian, talk to me.” Sonter’s voice was clear now on the radio but an edge of panic had crept into it.

  “Yuil down. Attacked by a beast. A kind of tipol but much larger.” Brian gasped trying to draw some air.

  “Two meters high, fast? Huge forepaws, more like arms? Felt chill in the fog? Blocked you on an old wall? Dead?” The station master had suddenly taken over Sonter.

  “Yes.”

  “Brian, run to the car. Now. Emily, you open and close only a bare minimum.” Brian was already on the move, but the urgency in the voice sent him an electroshock. He boosted his nanites again and jumped into the cabin in the short opening provided by his mate.

  “We’re in and locked,” confirmed Emily. Brian noticed her nose was bleeding.

  “Good. I have cleared an air carrier for intervention. Do not move your ground car. Do not try to get Yuil. The carrier will get him at the same time it grabs your car. While you wait, go to the center of the cockpit and take the backup pistol in the security locker. Do not activate your nanites again unless you have a breach in the cockpit. Confirm.” They moved to obey.

  “We’re back to back in the center of the cockpit. I have the pistol and it is primed. Brian has the axe. We aren’t activating nanites for now,” Emily said. Brian breathed slowly.

  “You have fifteen minutes to wait. Now, breeze slowly and describe your location to Sonter.”

  “Sir, the other workers, what of them?”

  Sonter took over the communication.

  “This is me again. We’ve recalled them all. I monitor their progress at the same time. Now keep focused and talk to me. Tell me what you see around you.”

  Brian and Emily carefully described their location. A thousand burning pins pushed through Brian’s body. Brian felt it harder and harder to remain awake, and his voice slurred regularly. Emily didn’t seem real. He tried to stop talking to sleep to hear shouts in his ear. “Brian, focus and talk”.

  Progressively mutant tipols appeared around the ground vehicle and looked at their fallen alpha. A small group guarded the car. Minutes went by, and the air felt chiller. The beasts surrounded the car and began to climb on top.

  Then, a mechanical noise tore the sky above them, with the strident noise of bullets hitting all around them. With that, the beasts disappeared quickly into the fog. A dark ovoid copter appeared out of the mist. It had two sets of blades front and back and huge machine guns on the side. Focused search lights on his side illuminated the area. The helicopter opened its belly to grab Yuil’s corpse via a pincer and the car via a magnetic grappler. Inside, two guards in armored suits checked the loading. Five minutes later, the car was loaded into the copter and a third rope dropped to load the corpse of the mutant beast. Later, the cockpit opened, and Brian collapsed. Until they were safely loaded, they never stopped talking to Sonter.

  49 Brian

  When he woke, Brian was in the white room of the station infirmary. He recognized Dr. Nilse at his side.

  “Hello, Brian. Aren’t you the lucky one?”

  “Sir?” rasped the student.

  “We haven’t had attacks such as this one in the last ten years. Only your nanites saved you. Both of you, actually. We sent two teams of marines to track your horde and exterminate it. The government has a very strict policy against them, but only trained marines are immune to their psychic contamination. The zone is safe again.”

  “How is Emily?” asked Brian. The memory of the attack came flooding back, sending him into near panic.

  “She is fine and left the infirmary earlier this morning. She used fewer nanites and was protected by the cockpit from the psychic attack. She asked me to call her when you woke, and she should be here soon.”

  “What were those beasts?”

  “You may have recognized creatures similar to tipol. The official line is that they mutated with the radiations.”

  “And?” prompted Brian, sensing that the doctor wanted to say more.

  “I wouldn’t want to think what would have happened if, on top of the Device’s explosion, a nanite container had been buried under the city and blasted in the crater during the explosion. Or how local beasts could have adapted with it.” Brian gulped. Tipol were close enough to human that the nanites could have inserted themselves in the genetic code and enhanced existing traits.

  “And the guard, Yuil?”

  “He was dead before he hit the ground. He should have alerted the base when the chill enveloped the ship, and he has paid the final price for his slow reaction.” The tone from the doctor was cold and clinical. He checked the monitors attached to Brian and smiled.

  “I have a peak in your nanites usage while you were on the ground. What were you doing? Both you and Emily have the same peak.
”

  “We were connected, sir, like we were in space. I had to use nanites, sir.”

  “Very interesting this link, I’ll run a few more analyses on this. You have been cleared for the nanites used during the attack. Without them, you would be dead, probably both of you. Killing the alpha bought you time. You’re fit to return to duty by tomorrow now that the poison has been neutralized. The time in the infirmary has been counted as time serving your punishment.”

  “Do you have news of the other students from our promotion?”

  “You will see them in three weeks, when everyone gathers for the midyear break. I’m not authorized to talk about them during your punishment. Now here is the lady; come in.”

  Emily came in, and the doctor signaled her to sit in the chair next to the bed.

  “Now, a few words with both of you. You are both alive, but you cannot continue this. Not if you want to live. The nanites need energy to help you. To get this energy, they feed on everything they find.”

  “They feed?” asked Emily.

  “Yes, at first on the nutriments in your blood stream. Easy and fast to process. Then on your cells, and you get bruises and you bleed. After that, your cells and you cannot control your shape. And last, you dissolve into goo. If you stop early enough, eat correctly and give them time, they will repair anything and prolong your life. But you need to give them time for this.”

  “How much time?”

  “You cannot use your nanites for more than simple senses enhancement for at least for a month. Or you will die.” The verdict from the doctor was final. And then he left without another word.

  Emily brought him back to his small room. He was still a bit shaky when he reached it. When they came inside, she whispered, “We are alive,” and kissed him. Their night was short, and their lovemaking was intense. They activated a small amount of nanites, enhancing every sense, and celebrated their survival. Much later, when they woke up, Emily smiled at him.