by F Stephan
“And this means?”
“That I have to go back to Earth. I will not go to Central Federation Training. My brother needs me until he comes of age.” Leandra understood immediately. Tasha could transfer the ownership of the corporation to her little brother as soon as he reached twenty-five. Until then, as the first heiress, she had inherited her father’s position.
“I understand. And you want me to explain this to Don Mariano.”
“Yes, Madam. You have worked with my people; you know our rules. I need to be back to get everyone in line. I have already sent the message back Earth that I will be back. As a starpilot and heiress, I can keep my family secure. No one will dare attack our position, and I can train my brother to manage the corporation.”
Leandra listened intently and said in a very soft voice, “You can run our business from space through the communication network. No one could attack you there and you could reach anyone on the planet. Your compatriots would respect these positions.”
Tasha straightened as if she had received a stab of lightning. She wasn’t used to this anymore. Then, she smiled back. “It can be a possibility. Anyway, Earth will need intrasystem space pilots soon enough, and Willfried and I will provide this. Emily will go on and leverage more political power for Earth. We don’t need more.”
“You have the potential to go much further and build a stronger merchant guild for Earth than this.”
“Not until Ilya can take over local affairs. Then I may apply back at Federation Core.”
So, this ends here with a tea and a pie, thought Leandra. She had heard the strength in the word. The frail, doll-like young woman wouldn’t flinch or change her mind. She was now heiress to one of the largest corporations on Earth, and that came before her future as starpilot. Leandra went immediately into controlling the damages.
“You will need to work also at the university to prepare future pilots and to help us negotiate with the Federation,” asked Leandra.
“I assumed so already.” Tasha’s voice was clear and determined.
“Well, in that case, why don’t we drink together?” Tasha pulled up a bottle of white liquor, and Leandra prepared herself for a massive headache.
Later in that week, Don Mariano met Master Reinkel in his quarterly performance reviews. He had already learned Tasha’s decision from Leandra and wasn’t surprised when the dean announced her decision.
“We have to respect her choice.”
“This is part of the charter. Her decision in this is final. Only she can revoke it.”
“I understand. What of the others?”
“Actually, this is what we truly need to talk about.”
“Who?” The question was simple, but truly Don Mariano didn’t need to say more.
“Leopold. He has reached his maximum and cannot go further.”
“Final decision?”
“Things can always change as time goes by, but I don’t think they will for him. Anyway, for now, it would be dangerous.”
“That’s the fourth.”
“Yes. Which implies that Emily and potentially Brian are still in the course?”
“Brian will also be confined to intrasystem flight when he returns.” Don Mariano was tired. “All this effort reduced to one chance.”
“Emily is a strong one. She’ll go far. And Brian may surprise us yet. I have had access to the report from Mistress Derantor, and he seems to have found something there in the stars.”
“Let’s hope so.” Don Mariano sighed.
“Ambassador. Look at the brighter side. With Tasha to run things and Leopold and Willfried as backups, you can have intrasystem flights running in no time, maybe even by next year. This is very good news for you.”
“I suppose we will have to make do.”
“Yes. The Federation will probably allow you a small transport to run for now until you find a ship for your own.”
“It will run an incredible cost.”
“Yes, but less than now. And you can bring more goods to and from the intersystem flights. This is not perfect, but nothing in life is. This gives a better chance than now.” Then, the dean decided to change the conversation. “How is the home front?”
“Bad, very bad. We had a series of tornadoes that spoiled our granaries in India, China, and Southern Africa. Without those resources, the food riots worsened again this year.”
“Any progress?”
“At last, all countries have adopted the single-child policy. In forty years, the population will drop naturally and return to bearable levels. The situation is horrible. We’re withdrawing individual liberties to preserve our species. What a cost.”
This was a story Master Reinkel knew well. He had lived through it many times now, and there was only one answer possible. “You don’t face it alone anymore. The Federation will help you and make sure those liberties are restored when the situation gets back under control.”
“Are you sure of it?” For once, the ambassador had lost his assurance.
“Yes. This is one of the few things I am sure of. I have seen it.” He met with a quiet determination the lost gaze from the Earthman.
78 Brian
The jungle was their enemy. It attacked them with small insects, carnivorous birds, or large reptilians. Ever-changing beasts prowled around them. The predators rushed in, going for an easy kill, and moved out before the humans could kill them. Before they left the crash site, Lanakar and Rendor had managed to rig weapons for everyone. They fended off the nightmare creatures with tasers, clubs, and one rifle. After three days and nearly forty hours of exhausting march, they were all bruised, scarred, and covered with bandages.
Sonter opened the link to Brian. “The jungle like a single-minded entity. This is not possible”.
“But, the attacks are coordinated. And the beasts stop the attacks before we can trap them”.
“Yes. This is not good. You see any other route?”
Brian sighed. “No. It would add too much time to our travel. I am not sure this planet would allow it”.
Reshu and Ishnam took turns warning them of potential dangers and finding potential food sources. On top of their worries, Ishnam had been the supervisor in charge of doctrine, and he loved to preach.
“You will fail. In your attempts to copy the technology from the Ancient, you will only accelerate your doom. The humans are not mean to use that much technology. They stop thinking by themselves and rely on the computers to live their life for them. The technology leads us to use too much energy for each individual and to bleed the planets where we live. What you do is an offense to the Gods and they strike at all of us to remind us of our failures”. Then he circled back to the same ideas just slight variation.
In the beginning, Brian had tried to argue. “We were not here when the disaster struck you. Why fault us?” But Ishnam would hear none of it.
“The Gods strike us all for what you do. Anywhere, Anytime. And both the innocent and the guilty suffer for your sins. You cannot contain the poison that runs in your blood. It will overwhelm you and kill us all”.
After that first time, Brian stood as far as he could from the man, often in the lead with Rendor and Reshu. Sonter was usually with Zertal in the back. Lanakar, hurt in the crash, walked with Nillaz; Venrom and Quilm in the middle. Most often, Ishnam rambled with them. Yet, Brian could see that his fellow compatriots were not really supporting the priest. They had been exiled by the Origin to the Research station and were not among the most devout.
Every lunch and evening, they all worked on antinanites exercises to strengthen their reactions. Reshu had the most trouble managing them. After his initial panic, Ishnam pulled his wits together and demonstrated a great proficiency in the nanites.
Sonter came on the first night to talk to Brian and Lanakar while they were on guard.
“Brian, I can hear what our priest says about technology but there is something fishy about him?”
“Why would you feel like this?” answered Brian
with mock seriousness.
“Maybe because he boasts an extremely rate nanites body enhancement?” said Lanakar.
“Or because he manages antinanites as well as trained marines?” added Sonter.
Brian nodded. “Our friends seem to have been hiding a lot on the planet. This needs reporting to the Federation whenever we have the opportunity.”
“Yes, and Ishnam may not want this. The Origin can be strange people.”
Brian had lived between different religious communities and knew well what could be done in their name.
“Lanakar, will you keep an eye on him?”
“Yes. We need to. And I will pass on the word to Nillaz for help.”
On the third day, Lanakar managed to rig with the spares from the shuttle a short-range detector. After that, their morale improved a little as they were warned a minute before the different attacks by the changing beasts.
On the fifth day, they came to the Old City. They could see, under the trees, excavations already covered in moss and lianas and a few concrete slabs. Nothing more than a meter up remained of the place. From the sky above, nothing could be seen below the dense canopy.
Rendor took the lead. “OK, everyone, now we cross as fast as we can. Whatever unleashed the nanites is here, so let’s try to be inconspicuous and leave before we get seen.”
“No, we should go around. If we move in, we will die. This is the den of demon. I forbid it”. Ishnam became frantic at the prospect.
Brian cut him short. “They are beasts behind us. If we go around, we will die”.
The murmurs stopped. They closed ranks and continued at a rapid walk. Progress was difficult in the jungle without a clear path until they found what seemed to be a road going in their general direction.
“The three beasts are again behind us outside our shooting range,” called Zertal after a while. “They were waiting for us to go around the city”.
“What are they doing?” called Brian.
“For now, only tracking and monitoring. Nothing more.”
“They are herding us toward the demon. We are doomed. We will fail”. Ishnam came back to the front with his preaching.
“Concentration is increasing,” added Lanakar.
Brian boosted his perception and quickly found shadows on his left. “Let’s move right, everyone.”
Five minutes later, Lanakar spotted another beast on the right. A few seconds later, it was Nillaz’s turn to find one the left.
To Sonter, he whispered via his link. “I fear Ishnam is right”.
“We have no other option for now. We walk into a trap so let’s keep our eyes open”.
Brian checked his map via the bracelet. “We are still moving forward but at an angle. Rendor, your advice?”
“We are going on the right direction. I agree with Sonter. We keep our eyes open and our weapons ready”.
The minutes tickled by as they moved on. They could now see more recent excavations, and the nanites concentration sky rocketed. The air was musty and damp under a gray cloud cover. Shadows surrounded them, changing shapes from second to second. Sweat rolled down their foreheads.
“If more gather around us, we won’t be able to fend off anything at all,” Zertal stated calmly on the link.
Rendor called at the same time, “Tunnel in front of us. The door seems open.”
“Trap?” asked Brian.
“This is the den; the demons will eat us all”. Reshu, Venrom and Quilm seemed on the verge on hysteria. Ishnam, still talking, seemed a lot more in control of himself.
“Listen all”. Rendor was again in the lead. “The tunnel is only one meter wide. So we can only be attacked front and rear. That would be better than now. Anyway, we have no chance of breaking from their group now.”
“OK. Let’s go then.” Brian’s word was final.
When they crossed inside, the beasts froze behind them. Before they could comment on it, Lanakar called on the link, “There’s a strong energy source in front of us.”
“We didn’t detect anything from the surface.”
“No. It’s heavily shielded. But the energy signature is now visible through the tunnel.”
“Do the creatures continue to follow us?” Brian voiced everyone’s concern. Silence settled around the team.
“Not anymore,” answered Sonter from the rear. “They stopped at the entrance.”
“Can wild nanites be remote controlled?” wondered Brian in the oppressive silence.
“Some books speak about this type of control. It seems to have existed. But this is a technology foreign to us.”
Brian called aloud, leaving the confidentiality of the cyberlink, “Ishnam, what did you find here? What were you looking for?”
“Nothing. We went looking for a primal planet without interferences. Don’t insult us, heathen.” Yet, Brian felt his voice less sure than usual.
Brian called for a halt.
“The digs are too numerous and too old. You have been excavating since you arrived. And then recently, what did you find?”
“You assume much young man. And I will not let you slander our mother church.”
Quilm intervened. “They were looking for an access door. But the place had been entirely sealed.” Ishnam threw him a look of pure hatred. “Until they found the tunnel. You were the one to unleash the demons. Not the pilots, not the Federation.” The bitterness in his voice washed over them.
“So we have been driven exactly to whatever destroyed the community on the planet?” Suddenly, Brian’s voice created echoes in the deathly quiet tunnel.
Ishnam didn’t look at him. Quilm, pale and looking down, finally confirmed his suspicion. “Yes. We are in the mouth of the beast.”
On the station, Taolel called Derantor to the bridge. The captain had been talking with the refugees, trying to understand more of what had happened but came back running.
“What now?”
“They went underground. I have lost track of them.” Taolel stammered her words excitedly.
“Tell me from the beginning,” requested the captain calmly.
“They had been walking in a more-or-less-straight path toward the main settlement since yesterday. They were slowing down for the last hour, often changing course, and then suddenly I lost their signature entirely.”
“Could they have been attacked?”
“No. Their signature wouldn’t move in that case. The only possible explanation is that they went under a heavy shielding.”
“Do we have that technology?”
“We do. Think of the Dome or the Headquarters on Alkath.”
“Five, ten buildings in the whole Federation have kept their shielding across the ages.”
“So we have another oddity.” Derantor pondered for a while. “We are going to send another priority. Red. This is way beyond us, Taolel. Keep tracking in the meantime. The shield will stop somewhere. And, while we’re at it, let’s redo completely the planetary survey. Someone blundered completely here.”
“Or not,” added Shaz’al’nak, who had joined them without a noise.
79 Brian
Step by step, the quality of the tunnel improved. The walls were now clean and in good repair. They had left darkness, earth, and stone for neon, concrete, and plaster. The air felt fresher and drier. Unseen, some ventilation system renewed the air regularly. Their anxiety grew as their surroundings became more familiar. The structure dated back from the Ancients. But most of the academy was hard to keep in good conditions. Brian remembered the blinking lights in front of master Heikert’s office. Here, nothing was broken. Nothing at all, despite the ages past.
From time to time they crossed collapsed corridors or jammed doors. Some doors had been forced but opened to stale and rancid air. They continued onward, following the best air. It was also the direct route to the energy source.
At last, they found a round double door marking the entrance of an inhabited section. Brian and Sonter recognized instantly the same architecture a
s in the academy. Rendor and Zertal looked at them and primed their weapons. The door had been forced and hung loosely on its hinges.
Sonter halted them. “When they reclaimed the academy, they sent one hundred marines. Only a few got out. Rendor, do you know anything about what happened?”
“No, this is above my security levels. But they faced at least ancient weapons and wild nanites.”
“And?”
“Nothing that can help us here. We are on our own.”
Brian turned to face him. “Do we have remaining syringes with antinanites?”
“Yes,” said Rendor.
“Distribute them. One per person. They have auto-injectors.”
“Yes,” Rendor was now subdued.
“Good.” Brian turned to face everyone. “Anyone feels an attack like the last, you inject. Now, go.”
Ishnam made a contrived-seeming prayer, and they moved on.
They crossed the door and moved in. They entered an old maintenance factory. They could not identify all the equipment but enough could be recognized to know what the section had been used for.
“This is not normal,” said Lanakar. “There should be robots all around us. Where are they?”
Sonter said, “We have light, energy. There must be a fusion reactor protected below. Maybe the robots are down there working”
“What did you find, Ishnam? What were you looking?” Quilm’s voice had become acid, violent.
“Nothing, we were not looking for anything”. The answer was short, subdued. Quilm launched himself at the priest before being caught by Rendor.
“Stop, we stay grouped, we move on and we try to find an exit.” Rendor didn’t leave any room for discussion.
Room after room, the silence followed them. Every step echoed loudly in the empty halls; yet no one talked, and no other sound apart from their own hearts could be heard. It soon became oppressive.
Then, the music started, breaking the silence. It was rather low in the beginning, from a distance. They knew the melody but could not understand the words. Brian recognized the type. It was a nursery rhyme. They followed the alien words across empty rooms and into a large central cavern. A thousand robots of all size and kinds were gathered in its center around a central console. The sound came from it. As soon as they entered, the robots moved and cleared a passage for them to the center. Brian was strangely fascinated by the assembly.