Hope

by John Stevenson

the Drakken it was hard to accept that it could do the things he claimed, but then seeing it again: at the keep. I began to believe the Marshal really had powers beyond any that could be fought.” He looked at Reigel. “Yet now I see it is only a machine… an incredible; marvelous one, but a machine even so.”

  “And controlled by men just like you.”

  Nicholas shook his head in wonder. “This is beyond men like me.”

  “Flying is not instinctive, but it becomes natural. Come I have more to show you.” Reigel strode over to the tunnel wall. “Your friends lived in this place but never realized this was here.” Reigel reached out a touched a section of wall. “I say that not as a criticism; it was intended to remain hidden. It is what I know of as twoH.”

  Nicolas stared in incomprehension as Reigel continued to move his hand over the scratched and discolored Crete.

  “TwoH: two dimensional hard hologram, and it’s a very good one, well comparable to any I have seen before; and I have never known one to operate for so long; usually the power source fails and obviously it fades, somehow the solar panels and wiring has kept functioning.” Reigel hesitated. “Sorry, I suppose much of what I’ve just said means nothing to you, but it still impresses me. You know your ancestors were remarkable people.” He looked at Nicholas. “A hologram is… It is a projected image, in this case of something solid, an image that is not real.” He again patted the wall. “Though as you see this appears to be very real. The first H refers to hard.” Where I stand.” He gestured his arm up and around. “This part of the wall feels and looks no differently to the wall either side, but it is an illusion to all: including me, and even thought I had information that brought me close, I could not locate it exactly: but that was my mistake. I was looking for a hidden entrance, not twoH. Not till the tunnel was abandoned could Isla locate it for me.”

  Nicholas listened in confusion. Still all he could see was the tunnel wall.

  “This may be counter intuitive, but you can walk straight through it. There is a limit in which the molecules that make it up with allow passage. Below and it retains the hardness and feel of a solid wall, above and it is only a hologram.”

  Reigel stepped back smiled at Nicholas and then walked straight at the wall, and through it. Nicholas gasped and stepped back in shock.

  “See?” came Reigel’s muffled words. “Now you.”

  Nicholas reached out and touched the cool, hard Crete. He shook his head. “No. It’s unnatural.”

  Reigel appeared back out again. “There is nothing unnatural,” he said reassuringly. “It’s just a picture, and created by a machine: a machine no different to the Warrior.”

  “I can’t... it’s just...”

  Reigel grabbed the youth by the shoulder and thrust him forward.

  “N…” Nicholas’s protest died in his throat as he fell through. He stood rigid and then slowly turned. This side the wall glowed with a green sheen. He stood transfixed. “The footsteps…” he at last muttered. “They ended at the rock face… so this was how it was done?”

  Reigel had gone on. “What rock face?”

  “The night at the cave… the very first night we met?’

  “Oh… actually no,” he called back. “But that wasn’t what I brought you to see.”

  Not sure what was next Nicholas followed and stepped cautiously through an open door. Beyond were machines and moving paintings similar to those he remembered from his half-conscious state; covered the nearest wall. What was on the others he could not see as occupying the central and bulk of the room; was a large red object. That was all he could call it, other than the fact that it was wedge shaped; a segment of flattened cheese came to mind, otherwise he had no word to describe it.

  Reigel was stood between it and him looking back with pride. “Well what do you think?”

  “About what?”

  “This?” Reigel proudly indicated the red object.

  “Of this?” Nicholas twisted his body to face the thing.

  “This is Basilisk.”

  “Basilisk…” Nicholas spoke slowly trying to think of an appropriate answer. “It’s a not a weapon. I thought it was a weapon?” he said, not sure what else to say.

  “Well…Yes and no,” Reigel sounded a little disappointed at Nicholas’s apparently unenthusiastic reply.

  Nicholas was not sure if he was disappointed or not. “I imagined a weapon that would be… a monster... Terrifying to the eyes?”

  “It’s not a monster, it’s a machine,” said Reigel irritably.

  “A machine?”

  “A machine; exactly like the Drakken.”

  “It’s smaller; much smaller?”

  “Yes: like the Drakken but smaller.”

  That was too obvious to Nicholas. “It’s tiny in comparison?”

  Reigel was exasperated. “Size is not important: in reality it’s just like the Drakken.”

  Nicholas’s voice showed he didn’t think so. “This is the secret weapon?”

  “Yes,” said Reigel forcing his patience.

  “The secret weapon that can fight the Drakken?” Nicholas doubted it could.

  Reigel breathed deeply. “It’s what’s packed into it that counts.” With less enthusiasm than intended, he began the introduction he had practiced. “Basilisk is a piloted; larger, and more advanced version of the scorpion. That was the unmanned fighter used by... the fighter that almost caused the total extinction of your past civilization. Thousands of scorpions were in battle: most were destroyed, but some were forced down. One; this one was secretly brought here and the scientists were instructed to scale it up, and make it as lethal as possible…”

  Nicholas listened as he moved back along the craft. It was somewhere in the region of fifteen meters long, and about five wide. The rear third was enveloped in wing like structures that curved over the top as if it joined hands above its head. There were no windows or doors only a black stylized dragon painted on its side. The craft was sideways on, and from that angle Nicholas could see no means of support: it just hung knee high above the ground in total silence. He realized Reigel had stopped talking. He was smiling, apparently enjoying the belated expression on Nicholas’s face.

  “So what do you think?”

  “It’s quite… beautiful: in a strange sort of way.”

  “Beautiful?” said Reigel in surprise. “Basilisk isn’t supposed to be beautiful.”

  “Commander?” said a voice reproachfully.

  Nicholas twisted around searching for the source of the new voice. “Reigel there is someone else here?”

  “Sorry Isla, it wasn’t meant to be personal.”

  Nicholas’s shock has turned to Reigel in curiosity, “Who are you talking to?”

  Reigel tilted his head a little towards the red object.

  Nicholas looked at it and back at Reigel.

  Reigel smiled in a slightly embarrassed way.

  “Hello Nicholas. I was told that you had fully recovered, but I detect a new wound on your left inner thigh?”

  Even though it was soft and feminine, the voice still startled Nicholas; he looked around expecting to see a woman, but they were alone.

  “Nicholas seems surprised commander. Surely you told him about me?”

  Nicholas realized he wasn’t hearing the words in the accepted sense; they seemed to be coming straight into his mind.

  “I thought it best to keep all the surprises for the one time?” muttered Reigel.

  “I see…” The voice sounded slightly hurt.

  Before the voice had chance to speak again Nicholas spoke. “It seems opportunity misses us both, as I am often in the dark. Please I would appreciate you showing yourself so that we have the benefit of being face to face.”

  “That is difficult, as there is no specific part of me that serves that purpose as it does for you; though I do have what can be termed as a nose.” Silently the machine in front of him was turning. The flat apex of the wedge slowly spun until the craft was pointing
directly at him. “There,” the voice said in a satisfied tone. “In the circumstances this could be termed face to face.”

  Nicholas looked at Reigel, his jaw slack, and his expression uncomprehending.

  “I do believe Nicholas is a little overwhelmed at meeting you,” said Reigel with a smile. “Nicholas we are talking to Isla.” He swept his hand to the red craft. “Isla is the… I suppose pilot is an inadequate word, and Basilisk, the last space craft built by the scientists of planet Earth.”

  Nicholas stood staring in disbelief.

  “Nicholas,” began the feminine voice. “As the commander has said, I was assembled during the final period of the annihilation war, and before this day is gone I will reveal to you: as the descendant of my builders, some of the wonders that they created, and that have lain forgotten for many generations. So please ask all you wish.” Suddenly a portion of the hull disappeared. “Please step aboard and we will begin the tour?”

  Reigel seemed eager to enter and Nicholas, still wary, let him go first. “Who’s the commander?” he whispered to Reigel when they were close together.

  “I am.”

  “The human race enjoys its creature comforts so I will quickly show you the accommodation before we get to my operational workings,” Isla said chattily.

  Reigel led him into a narrow passage and Nicholas saw there were three doors; one of them split and slid either way. Reigel moved a little further in so Nicholas could look through the gap

  “Sleeping quarters: a bit cramped.” Began Isla. “Basilisk was never intended for long duration flights: it also doubles as sickbay. There are four sleeping capsules