Terra utopia, p.15
Terra Utopia, page 15
part #1 of Terra Utopia Series
‘We’re not gonna fix the beachball,’ Ty countered. ‘So what’s the point?’
‘You like to explore,’ Sergei responded. ‘Imagine if we could fly the ship off this island to see if there are other islands or continents. If we are to be stuck here, then at least we can make the most of finding out where here is.’
Serra was intrigued. Not having to rely on the ‘tree batteries’ would be good – for them and the planet. ‘How long would it take?’
Sergei perked up. ‘Only takes a minute. I can do it now if you like.’
‘Hang on,’ Ty interjected. ‘What if something goes wrong? We’re talking about an aetherium reactor that is never meant to be turned off. Can starting it up again cause it to… I don’t know – blow up or something?’
‘No. Is not going to blow up or something,’ Sergei mocked. ‘I am engineer. You stick with… what is it you do around here, again?’
‘All right, that’s enough,’ Serra said, shutting them down before it turned into a fistfight. ‘Just in case, I think we should evacuate the ship while you do it. That way if it does blow up only Sergei will get killed.’ Serra said this as a joke, but it was also a pointed signal to Sergei that she wasn’t entirely convinced he knew what he was doing.
Ty was right. A Yatoma reactor, once started, is never meant be shut down. The release of potential energy with suddenly nowhere to go does indeed cause the reactor to explode spectacularly. This happened many times in development of the technology. The fact that it didn’t explode this time was a first. No-one had ever re-started a Yatoma reactor.
Sergei might be right. The ship had been adapted in all other respects to work with the energy of this world, but could that be said of the aetherium at the heart of the reactor? Restarting the reactor might accomplish nothing, or it might restart with no problem at all. But Serra was thinking of the third possible outcome. They really didn’t understand what aetherium was. It was a mystery element trapped inside a sealed black box. They had worked out how to contain and exploit it, but what it was, how it worked, and more importantly how it interacted with other elements on a quantum level, was unknown. It was still in many important regards, entrapped Dark Matter. On the other hand, weaning the ship off the forest and getting it airborne again was enticing.
‘I’m staying with Sergei,’ Lindy said, clasping his hand in solidarity.
Serra sighed. Was it worth potentially losing half their crew to see if this worked? ‘No. If we do this at all, Sergei does it alone.’
‘It requires two people, remember?’ Sergei said. ‘Security protocols.’
On second thought, this was a bad idea. ‘I get what you’re saying Sergei,’ Serra answered calmly. ‘But this has never been done before. We don’t know for certain what will happen. Is there any way to do it remotely? We might lose the ship but at least no-one will die in the process.’
‘It’s not worth the risk,’ Ty said more firmly. ‘We’re doing fine. Leave it alone.’
‘We’re not doing fine!’ Sergei spat back with surprising bitterness. ‘We’re stranded on an alien planet for the rest of our lives. This was meant to be a short trip. A few weeks. Or don’t you want to be rescued? Don’t you want to get back home to Earth? What will be the point of all your discoveries, Ty, if there is no-one to write them down in history books. How will you be remembered then?’ Then he turned on Serra. ‘And no, it cannot be done remotely. It is independent control, no outside input. There is air gap for a reason!’
Serra hesitated. Lindy was still holding Sergei’s hand. Ty was shaking his head ‘no’ at her.
‘This is why you are not good commander,’ Sergei said, breaking the silence. ‘You are too scared to make a decision.’
Serra was about to declare it a bad idea and order Sergei to drop it, but then found herself saying: ‘What does Dave think?’
‘Good idea,’ Ty said supportively. ‘He’s part of the crew, after all.’
‘Why ask robot?’ Sergei complained. ‘He just does whatever Ty wants.’
‘That’s not true. Dave has a mind of his own. He can make his own choices.’
‘He is still robot.’
Ty headed for the door, paused and turned back to the others still seated. ‘I’m not bringing him in here. We have to go to him.’ Dave didn’t normally enter the ship because, although he was not much bigger that Ty physically, he was heavy and had trouble navigating the ladders and smaller hatches. The others rose – Sergei grumbling audibly – and followed Ty outside. When not on duty Dave could be found charging himself outside the shuttle bay.
Serra explained the situation to the robot. ‘What do you think? Should we try it?’
Dave thought for a moment. Sitting as he was on the grass, surrounded by daisies and looking like a Metal Guru, it was an odd scene, with the crew appearing as supplicants to his quantum AI wisdom. ‘It is a conundrum,’ he said at last. ‘The matter inside the reactor is not of this world, possibly not of this universe. And though it is trapped within its containment, it remains potentially active. I think the fact that it did not explode upon arrival indicates that it’s compatible. Just dormant.’
Sergei smiled.
Dave continued. ‘However, we know so little about aetherium that its true state cannot be determined. And as you know, we cannot simply look inside the box. The question is: is it still entangled with our universe? If so, what might drawing upon it now do? Or has it become disentangled and is therefore completely inert? In which case it will do nothing. We cannot know.’
‘So what should we do?’ Serra asked again.
‘There is a risk. But of what? We don’t know. It could be a small risk. It could be catastrophic. We don’t know. Let me ask you then, Commander: What is the benefit, if it should work?’
‘We have unlimited power for the ship without relying on the forest. We can get the shuttle airborne, assuming its reactor responds in the same way, and explore this world properly. Do a complete survey. Maybe find a better settlement area. That was our mission, after all.’
‘Yeah, for Proxima Centauri,’ Ty added.
‘And if the result is catastrophic?’ Despite his usually cheerful disposition, Dave was being robotically objective for once.
‘We lose the ship. We lose Sergei.’
Lindy squeezed Sergei’s hand tightly. She wasn’t leaving her man, no matter what.
‘…And Lindy. And everything else we’ve built so far.’
‘At the very least,’ Dave added. ‘It might even destroy the entire planet. Is it worth it?’
‘Is not going to destroy planet,’ Sergei argued ‘That’s absurd.’
‘It is unlikely,’ Dave conceded, ‘but possible.’
‘It’s not worth it,’ Serra said decisively. ‘We’re not doing it. Sorry Sergei. It’s too big a risk.’ She looked down at Dave, still sitting in the sun like a guru getting a tan. ‘Thanks, Dave.’
‘You are most welcome, Commander. If there is nothing else, I will continue charging for the day’s activities.’
Dave folded back into a rested state, as if returning to his meditations.
Sergei glared at Serra.
‘No point glaring at me like that. You wanted a decision, I gave you one. Now let’s set out the cables for the day and continue with the habitat constructions.’
⦿ I don’t like where this heading.
It’s all right. They’re not going to do anything.
⦿ If they try, I cannot allow it.
But you already know what happens, don’t you?
⦿ I can see many futures. None of them are good.
For us or for them?
Sergei grumbled and swore, but he respected the chain of command, so spent the next two hours setting out all the charging cables to once more drip-feed the ship’s battery from the forest’s free electrons. They only consumed a fraction of its charge during each cycle, but best to keep it topped up. What the others did not know was that Sergei had been diverting most of the drip-feed for the past several weeks to charge the reactor’s capacitor, prepping it for a reboot.
Serra and Ty set off in the rover to further explore the island beyond the hills. Dave was with them. He could lift the rover past any rough terrain they encountered, and his enhanced senses could spot any interesting or hazardous objects.
Lindy was again foraging nearby in the forest to collect and test food and plant specimens. Even after three months, she always managed to find something new. She returned around midday with another haul of fresh fruits and vegetables. She was testing them in her lab when Sergei entered.
‘I’m going to do it,’ he told her.
She knew what he was talking about, and that it was in direct contradiction of Serra’s orders. ‘Okay.’
‘If it works, no-one will complain. And if it doesn’t, they don’t need to know.’
‘And if…’
‘Then we will be dead, and it doesn’t matter.’ There was a strange logic to it. ‘Are you sure you want to stay?’ Sergei asked.
‘Absolutely,’ Lindy said without hesitation.
Sergei smiled. ‘I love you.’
‘I know.’
Sergei led the way to the engine room. He unlocked the transparent case and folded it back. Then he unscrewed the ten bolts from the panel cover, pressed it down and it sprang up, revealing the yellow and red buttons.
‘You need to press down on each of the yellow buttons on that side,’ Sergei told her. ‘I’ll press these ones, and then the red button to start the reactor.’
‘Okay.’
Sergei hesitated. ‘Are you sure you want to do this with me?’
Lindy nodded. ‘We’re a team, right?’
Then they heard the roar from outside. The beast had returned.
––––––––– ⦿ –––––––––
Serra, Ty and Dave were nearing the crest of the hill, about to explore the ‘eastern’ side of the island more thoroughly. The forest here was thinner so they were able to drive the rover most of the way, but the hill became steeper near the top, so they left the rover and proceeded on foot. Ty’s trusty crossbow was slung over his shoulder. He’d had no call to use it since making it, which was a good thing, but Serra could tell he was itching for an excuse to let fly a few bolts. He wanted to shoot something.
When they heard the beast they were several kilometres from the ship, but there was no mistaking the sound. They hadn’t heard it since that night months ago when it had flipped the Pioneer like a child’s toy and erased their first attempt at drawing power from the forest.
Looking down into the valley, they could just make out the ship in the clearing. They watched the trees in the forest opposite quake and tremble. The beast was moving swiftly through them on a direct path to the vessel.
‘It’s the middle of the day!’ Ty complained. ‘What’s it doing out in the middle of the day!’
‘What is it?’ Dave asked.
‘A monster,’ Serra told him. She got on the comms. ‘Sergei, Lindy, come in. The beast is back. It’s coming right for you. Sergei? Lindy?’ No response. ‘Come on!’
They raced back down the hill toward the rover, but she knew they wouldn’t make it in time.
‘Dave! Run ahead. Do what you can to protect the ship and the others.’
Dave started to sprint and tumble down the hill. For a hulking robot he could be surprisingly fast and crashing through the forest didn’t hurt him the way it would a mere human.
––––––––– ⦿ –––––––––
Sergei and Lindy disconnected the cabling and threw it outside, then shut the airlock door. They secured the interior airlock of the shuttle bay. The beast might decide to flip them about again, but it wasn’t getting inside. Sergei grabbed the sabre from his cabin – just in case. They climbed up to the bridge where they could see outside. Last time the beast came it was too dark to see anything. Maybe this time they would get a good look at it.
And they did.
Trees were ripped out by the roots as the beast cleared a path for itself. It emerged from the edge of the forest, dwarfed by the giant trunks around it but towering six metres high over the ship. A massive, black, leather-skinned, primordial monster. Something that would be more at home on a volcanic wasteland or ashen red desert than a lush valley. Something that didn’t belong on this world at all. Something out of a nightmare. Sergei’s nightmare.
It approached the ship, its dark eyes looking right at them through the window. It charged so fast across the valley both Sergei and Lindy ran to the rear of the bridge. If it hit the ship at that speed the force alone would send the vessel flying.
‘Grab on to something!’ Sergei shouted.
They each wrapped their arms around a secure fitting.
The beast loomed large in the window, its head low, still watching them through the glass as it charged. But it didn’t hit the ship. Instead, it seemed to phase, becoming no longer a thick black hulk but a translucent phantom. It passed right through the hull and was suddenly inside the bridge with them. Its massive hulk barely fit the space. Indeed, parts its body were meshed with the hull – passing through as if it didn’t even exist. Was this creature just an illusion?
But then it swiped at some consoles that were in the way with a casual brush of its paw and tore them out of their moorings. Chairs were ripped up and tossed aside as it cleared a path. It was real enough. It seemed to be able to phase between states – solid one moment, insubstantial the next.
The beast stepped forward, its dark eyes fixed on Sergei. It reached for him. Sergei drew his sabre and swung at the creature. Miss. It reached again, Sergei swung and managed to hit it across the paw.
It flinched.
It can be hurt, Sergei thought. That means it can be killed.
‘Hey! Over here!’ Lindy tried to draw the beast away from Sergei. She stepped clear of her cover and boldly positioned herself between the creature and her man.
‘NO!’ Sergei screamed.
‘Fuck off!’ she told it in no uncertain terms. ‘You’re not real. You don’t smell of anything. You don’t scare me!’
‘Lindy! Get back!’
Sergei moved to grab her and pull her back to safety, but he hesitated. He was terrified. In that moment the beast grabbed hold of Lindy’s head in one hand, her torso in the other, and casually ripped Lindy in half.
It tossed her head in one direction, her body in another. Blood sprayed across the bridge, some of it spattering on Sergei as he stood in horror, sabre still held ineffectually in his hand. He fell to his knees. Dropped his head. There was no point fighting back. It was too strong. What good was a stupid shashka sabre against something like that?
He preferred to die. He couldn’t live without Lindy.
But the beast didn’t attack him. Seconds passed and nothing happened. Sergei finally looked up and saw the creature standing poised in front of him. But now there was another figure between them.
Ben.
Ben had his back to Sergei and was addressing the creature. ‘This is wrong. This is not how we solve problems. You can’t just kill everyone you see as a threat.’
The beast didn’t talk, but Ben seemed to hear it respond.
‘I understand. But we talked about this. This …’ he waved at the beast, ‘is too much. You really need to learn how to pitch your reactions. You can’t go rampaging at every little thing … Okay, I’ll admit, this wasn’t a little thing. Still there are other ways… Alright… Alright. I’ll tell him.’
Ben turned to Sergei. ‘Sergei. Sergei, can you hear me?’
Sergei was confused. In shock.
‘Sergei?’
He raised his eyes slowly. ‘Ben? What are you doing here?’
‘Listen to me. Don’t turn on the reactor. I have it on pretty good authority it will not go well. Just leave it alone, okay?’
‘… Lindy.’
‘Yeah. She’s dead. Sorry about that. But don’t worry. I’ll look after her.’
And then they were gone. Sergei didn’t see them leave. He just remembered one moment they were there, and then they were not.
Alone, with Lindy’s body in two parts spread across the bridge of the ship, Sergei wept like a child, wishing to die.
CHAPTER 12
T
ime stopped. All eternity lived in every second, and every second blossomed into an eternity. I was surrounded by flowers. Trees. Life. More vibrant and colourful than anything I’d ever seen. It was beautiful. I’d never felt more alive. Something had changed. I had changed. I was home. I looked down – saw my body in pieces. I was confused at first, but I wasn’t distressed by the sight. It wasn’t me anymore. It never really was. I just carried it around for a while. I saw Sergei, crumpled on the floor, weeping. I could tell he was broken. But I remained outside of it all. Unaffected. I was gone and he was devastated. I wanted to reassure him, to reach down and touch his shoulder. To kiss his forehead and calm his mind. To let him know I was still here. But something held me back. Something was pulling at me and drawing me away from the scene. Then I felt others with me. One of them was familiar.
Ben. Am I dead?
‘fraid so.
Where am I?
It’s hard to explain. But imagine you’re in a train station somewhere between stops, and the station is usually infinite and eternal, but now it’s just a planet having an identity crisis.
⦿ You continue to underestimate the gravity of the problem.
That’s funny. Gravity. Another good pun.
Who’s that?
That’s the planet.
It can hear us?
It’s here. Which is to say, it’s both present and omnipresent. And I suppose ageless, being past, present and future. Though that’s part of the dilemma we’re dealing with. We’re not used to the limitations of a corporeal universe.
Who’s ‘we’?
