The Archer's Paradox - The Travis Fletcher Chronicles Read online

  So. He thought, looking at the huge blip overshadowing the rest of the fleet on his screen. How does it feel to be hiding in the middle of your last atrocity? “Communications, have the Commanders prepare for a strategy and readiness conference in two hours.”

  “Yes Sir.”

  Beadu Slecg stood and left the bridge in the hands of his Second.

  In The Council Chamber on Otoch, K'an Aayin looked at the worried man before them. Vita Nyundo had been put in charge of preparing Otoch for war. There had not been a war since The Fall and the very mention of the word was repulsive to the four races, but since the appearance of The Children of Éðel, The Council had erred on the side of caution and prepared for what they prayed would never happen. Otoch’s two Interstellar Explorers were primarily science and exploration vessels, although they carried significant armaments, but only enough to defend themselves, not a whole planet. Otoch itself was also ill-equipped to defend against an attack, with most of their resources being used to keep the population alive under the dome and searching for a cure for their disease. Vita Nyundo’s task was to retrofit the ships, press them into service as warships and equip the City for a ground assault, all without panicking the population.

  “We have completed the refit on one ship.” Vita Nyundo began. A tall, proud native of Xi Scorpii D, his smooth black skin glistened with sweat, his bright golden eyes were dulled by the stress and fatigue he was feeling and his high forehead was creased with anxiety. He was acutely aware of the dishonour of Wingu Kanzu and was making great pains to distance himself from the traitor. “The fighter squadrons have been installed as well as offensive weaponry, the defensive batteries have been upgraded and all non-essential equipment has been removed.” He paused for a long moment to gather his thoughts. “The problem is that we have not fought a war since The Fall. We have only a few warriors trained to fly the fighters, but we are training volunteers as fast as we can, using simulators we have built from archive records. We are also increasing the numbers of the City Guard but I fear that they will not be enough to repel a sustained ground assault. They are keepers of order, not warriors”

  “What about the second ship?” K'an Aayin asked.

  “It is still in orbit above Phaqsi.” The Interstellar Explorer had been relocated to Otoch’s moon as a precaution in case of a pre-emptive strike or sabotage attempt by The Children of Éðel. “The arms and fighters are installed but there is still work needed to commission the weapons.” He reported.

  “What of The Children of Éðel?” K'an Aayin asked.

  “They are secreted amongst the remains of Tocha. They have one hundred and eight warships, ranging from light cruisers to dreadnought class, but no close support fighters and their technology appears to have degenerated since The Fall. Our weaponry, shields and sensors far outclass anything they have. We have a ship gathering information about them from right under their noses and they do not even know they are there.” He finished with a proud flourish.

  “Does the thought of another war excite you?” Njano Mamba asked.

  Vita Nyundo hung his head submissively for a moment. “No, but we have to know the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses.” He explained. “They have strength in numbers, but we have the advantage of superior technology and if we can surprise them they may back away from a full scale assault and be more willing to negotiate without an all-out war.”

  “Negotiate?” Haḷadi Mosaḷe challenged.

  “It is obvious they want The Original and that they are afflicted with the same mutation we are.” Kiiro No Wani reminded everyone of the recent meeting with their representatives.

  “And they also have a World Killer with them.” Vita Nyundo interjected.

  A stunned silence fell on the chamber as each member looked at each other in horror. K'an Aayin felt sick as his stomach knotted. He had not heard that phrase except in the archives of The Fall. The World Killers were ships that could tear a planet apart and were responsible for the destruction of Tocha and Éðel. The one that was sent to destroy Éðel was the first to be cannibalised to build the dome for The City after The Fall. To think that The Children of Éðel were still in possession of one of these monstrosities was terrifying. Out loud he declared, “I will not be responsible for completing the genocide of the Xi Scorpii started by The Fall.”

  “One ship against one hundred!” Njano Mamba exclaimed. “It does not matter how superior our technology is, we cannot hope to prevail.” He finished, adding weight to K'an Aayin’s statement.

  “You forget the fighter squadrons.” Haḷadi Mosaḷe reminded him. “If it is safety in numbers you seek, then we outnumber them.”

  “Insects against a pack of predators!” Came the explosive response. “Plus they are hardened warriors, our crews are volunteers who have never flown in battle before.”

  “Many insects can bring down a large animal,” Kiiro No Wani reasoned, “but your point is well made; we cannot win against such a foe, and to send our citizens against them without the hope of victory is madness. We should discuss and instigate a number of strategies.” He suggested.

  Travis Fletcher paced his apartment, still furious and with no outlet for his frustration. He guessed that it had been nearly a month since the old doctor had finished her treatment and he had expected that now he was ready, that The Council would want to get their hands on the cure he carried as soon as possible. All he knew was that something big was happening and that he was effectively under house arrest until it was all over. Something to do with the kidnap attempt. There was a lot more activity in the City and he could see shuttles taking off and landing all times of the day and night beyond the dome. It seemed that whatever it was, it was getting serious. At least he had access to the City’s computers. His friend, Rainbow Bird the nurse, had finally been assigned, at his request, as his guide and teacher after much stamping of feet and tantrum throwing on his part. She had the patience of a saint, as he told her so frequently, plus they enjoyed each other’s company. She enjoyed his stories and descriptions of Earth and he was learning about the history of the Xi Scorpii. While he was alone he would trawl through the City’s archives, now he could use the computer terminal, and thanks to Niji No Tori he had found out why he was so important. He had pushed her so far and it had almost wrecked the only real friendship he had. The rest he had filled in himself.

  Niji No Tori and Travis had been sipping a nice bottle of red the previous evening. Now that all the data that had been gathered from Earth had been assimilated into the City’s systems, Travis had been able to choose his own food, drink and even clothes. He had dressed himself in jeans, trainers and a white t-shirt and was beginning to feel more relaxed.

  The Xi Scorpii, she had told him as they looked out over the moonlit city, had lived in peace for millennia. They collaborated on trade, science and exploration and had fleets of star ships that travelled all over the galaxy. There was no central government or treaties but, because the stars were so close together, they had to get along with each other. In addition to the inhabited home worlds, each star also had planets and moons they used for mining raw materials and energy. As they explored further and wider, they encountered races in every stage of evolution that shared similarities and even DNA with them. They also found hundreds of worlds where the dominant race had suddenly and inexplicably destroyed itself, usually by war. The eminent scientists and philosophers of all the Xi Scorpii worlds decided that every effort should be made to discover why most of the galaxy appeared to be human and why some races died prematurely.

  What they discovered was astounding in its simplicity; the evolution of a human race always followed the same basic pattern and, running through the whole process, was religion.

  “Religion!” Travis snorted derisively.

  Niji No Tori nodded patiently. She was used to his outbursts. “Religion.” She affirmed with a nod. “Every civilisation the Xi Scorpii discovered, including their own…”

  “Hang on, you said ‘their
own’ and not ‘ours’.” Travis interrupted.

  “This was millions of years ago, I cannot think of us,” she waved at the City around them, “in the same context.”

  Travis considered this and thought of the old civilisations of Earth like the Romans, Ancient Greeks and so on and could only agree with his friend’s logic. “Hang on, did you say ‘millions of years’?” His brain had just caught the implication of that statement.

  Niji No Tori nodded again.

  “Shit. That puts the human ra…sorry, Earth, into perspective.” He corrected himself, remembering their previous conversation on the ship. He apologised for interrupting and asked her to continue. “So, religion.” He prompted.

  “Yes, every planet evolved its own religions to explain natural phenomena like wind, rain, death and so on.”

  Travis nodded. He had no truck with religion himself, mostly because most religions were against drinking and sex outside marriage, but also he could not reconcile the contradictions in the Christian religions, especially Catholics. He could not stand the bowing and scraping to a man in a dress and a funny hat waving incense about, that preached about the evil of worldly possessions, but was part of the richest organisation in the world, let alone the bowing and scraping to a being that obviously had no interest in the welfare of its subjects, but he could understand how people could cling to the hope that there was something more than their pitiful existence and it did not all just end in death.

  “Yes, religions gave primitive people simple explanations and even hope.” She had picked up on some of Travis’ thoughts. In most cultures they were also responsible for the beginnings of education by teaching people to read and write.”

  She paused for a moment to savour the wine Travis had chosen. This one was completely different in colour and taste to the last. She liked its rich red colour and big round flavours. It also gave her a different buzz in her head which warned her of the headache that always followed an evening with Travis Fletcher. But she was getting distracted as the alcohol in the drink was starting to take hold.

  “But there comes a point,” she continued, “where religion clashes with science.”

  Travis nodded agreement and mentioned a couple of instances in Earth’s history that illustrated such cases.

  “The simple fact is that if religion wins, then the race will wither and die, either by disease or war, because religion will always stifle free-thinking and the exploration of self. After all,” she added, thoughtfully, “how many religions want their followers to achieve the same level of consciousness as their gods?” She paused for a moment, looking at her distorted reflection in the wine glass. “Also, religion will always be a point of conflict between people.” She finished, quietly. She had meant it as a general statement, but the meaning could easily be expanded to include The Fall.

  Again, Travis had to agree. The number of wars that had been fought because one religious group did not agree with another or, as in the second world war, someone wanted to annihilate particular religious groups just because of who or what they worshipped or setting neighbour against neighbour as in Northern Ireland. Even the word ‘worship’ made Travis cringe. Why should any man bow down to anyone or anything?

  “So how does this relate to what you told me on the ship and to The Fall?” He asked, dragging himself back into the present.

  Niji No Tori contemplated her glass a moment. She had read and reread the texts surrounding the experiment on Sol 3 in anticipation of her friend’s questions, but she was not sure if she could go through with it because she knew it would rock her friend’s perception of reality to the core. She took a deep breath. “The scientists and philosophers of the time got into a big debate that went on for years about what the ideal model for the evolution of a race would be. Each group had its own ideas and its ideas were always better than all the others, and without facts there could be no conclusion.

  Travis smiled. This seemed all too familiar, all too…human. “So what happened?” He prompted.

  “The arguments raged for generations, until the idea of a compromise was formulated.” She answered. “A Grand Experiment that would furnish the data they needed to answer the questions.” She spread he arms expansively, spilling some of her wine on the floor. She giggled a moment then all humour drained from her face and she looked Travis in the eye. “Promise you will not hold me responsible for what I am about to tell you.” The wine slurred her speech slightly but she managed to maintain her centre.

  Travis was starting to put two and two together, but he wanted to hear it for himself so he nodded.

  “An expedition had found a world by accident, well away from any other inhabited systems, that was inhabited with primates that were uncannily similar to our own primitive ancestors. It was the earliest signs of human evolution that had been found, so it was divided up between each of the Xi Scorpii suns.”

  “You’re talking about Earth, aren’t you?” Travis’ tone had turned accusative.

  Niji No Tori nodded and made to continue, but Travis held up his hand. In silence he refilled both their glasses, sipped and stared deeply into the ruby red liquid. Two plus two suddenly equalled…

  “So you divided the Earth up between you to see which of you had the best plan for the evolution of a civilisation?” The emphasis he put on each ‘you’ was like a slap round Niji No Tori’s face and she winced each time, but Travis had not finished. It was as if a floodgate of knowledge had just opened in his head. “You,” he pointed at Niji No Tori, “you look Japanese, Chinese, Asian, sort of. Your boss, the doctor she looks Indian. Whatsername, the bitch that tried to kill me she has a distinct South American look and the bastard that tried to kidnap me, he looks African. And those people with him, they looked like, well ME!” Travis’ head reeled and threatened to explode. “Oh, fuck! We’re all literally descended from you! WE were your ‘Grand Experiment’.” He got up and staggered to the edge of the balcony and looked down at the streets far below. “That’s why you came to Earth. Not because we were similar but because we ARE you, literally.”

  “You told me on the ship that life on Earth was started by your ancestors, not that you had actually altered the natural development of Earth and you never said why.” There was a long pause while Travis tried to make sense of everything. Eventually he broke the silence. “I think you should leave now.” He said quietly, through gritted teeth, as he stared out into the night refusing to catch her eye.

  “No!”

  Travis wheeled round to see Niji No Tori standing foursquare in front of him with her legs apart. Her cheeks were reddening, her eyes narrow and lips pursed in anger. “I thought you were my friend, Travis Fletcher and you promised not to hold me responsible.” Her dark eyes flashed dangerously. “Did you lie to me?”

  Travis immediately regretted his remark and his heart sank. Out of everyone he had met, she was the only one who had not tried to kill him, involve him in a conspiracy or look on him as nothing more than a commodity. He had watched her change in a couple of months from a wide eyed and enthusiastic girl, bouncing through the corridors on the ship, to the self-assured woman standing in front of him now, but she had always treated him with respect and even as an equal. He bowed his head in genuine shame. “I’m sorry, Rainbow. That was totally out of order. Please forgive me.” He was about to justify himself by saying that it was a lot to take in when he saw his friend looking at him with her head cocked to one side and an eyebrow raised.

  “Why did you call me that?” She asked.

  “What? You mean Rainbow?” It was a reflex and he had not realised what he had said until she pointed it out. She nodded and smiled. “That’s your name isn’t it, Rainbow Bird?”

  “Yes but…”

  “It came to me in a dream,” he adlibbed quickly, “and I can’t pronounce anyone’s name without upsetting them or getting laughed at so…”

  “I have never laughed at you.” She countered, maybe more harshly than she meant to, but she was still
angry at him.

  “That’s because I never tried to pronounce your name in front of you.” He explained, trying to lighten the conversation a little.

  She played with the unfamiliar syllables and smiled. “I like it.” She affirmed. Her anger was draining away slowly.

  He caught the change in her mood. He put his glass on the balcony wall then took hers from her and put it next to his. He took her hands in his and looked straight into her eyes. “I really am so sorry for what I said. Please forgive me. My honour is in your hands.” He finished, looking at the floor.

  Niji No Tori gave a little gasp, too quiet for Travis to hear as she felt his sincerity brush her consciousness. She too had seen him change from the pathetic broken form in the Healing Tank, railing against the universe with all his might, to the man in front of her now; so far from home and trying desperately to come to terms with his new environment, but with a wealth of friendship and compassion missing from many of her fellow Xi Scorpii. Still so young and naïve, but at the same time, so old and wise. She smiled and nodded. No words were needed between them.

  He leant forward and kissed her cheek tenderly and hugged her. He pulled away and looked back over the city, taking a long swig of wine so she could not see his face, but she felt the wet patch he had left on her cheek.

  She sat back in her chair and left him alone with his thoughts. After a while he turned away from his contemplation and sat back down in his own chair and turned the conversation back to small talk. It was obvious to her that he did not want to jeopardise their friendship any further by pressing her for more information, so she was happy to let it slide.