The Archer's Paradox - The Travis Fletcher Chronicles Page 32

  The communications channels were unusually chaotic by the time the repairs had been completed. More damage had been done to the old ship than had originally been estimated, with gaping holes left in the hull where the transmitters and receivers had been located. The weapons of the tiny fighters were more powerful than expected and the aged hull just could not take the punishment. Still only pinpricks in the hide of a leviathan, but the damage had been done. The repair and maintenance crews had had to build new arrays by cannibalising other systems. Níwlíc Éðel ships did not waste space carrying spares, which were always in short supply and spares for the old Eardgeard Cwellend were rarer than other ships.

  The Communications Officer had been sifting through the bands, trying to make sense of the confusion as Commander Lemphealt Wudubucca became more and more impatient.

  “Mostly calls for help,” he reported eventually, “failing life support, power problems, structural integrity, engine failure…” he summarised as he switched from one channel to another, keeping his tone neutral. “Many casualties...” he paused to study his console intently while he made rapid adjustments to the controls. “Wait…I have something…it is the Beorn…” he turned to look at his Commander with wide eyes and open mouth and temporary loss of his voice.

  “Well?” Lemphealt Wudubucca queried impatiently.

  The Communications Officer snapped to attention in his chair under the withering stare of his commanding officer. “It is your orders, Sir, from Fleet Commander Beadu Slecg.”

  “Well?” Lemphealt Wudubucca repeated, leaning out of his chair menacingly. “Let us all hear them.” he growled.

  The poor Communications Officer turned back to his console. His hands trembled and his armpits felt suddenly damp as he transferred the last transmission to the bridge’s open system. Silence fell as Beadu Slecg’s final words echoed round the vast space.

  “Annihilate them!”

  **********

  On the Xi Scorpii Interstellar Explorer, Vita Nyundo watched with uncharacteristic satisfaction as the flagship of the attacking fleet began to tear itself apart under its own forces, but the sight of so many bodies and parts of bodies floating in the debris and being ejected into space as compartment after compartment decompressed with explosive force soon brought him back to his senses. He silently admonished himself as generations of training and self-discipline seemed to slide away so easily in the adrenaline fuelled fog of war and the taste of victory. He had to remind himself that each body floating like a discarded children’s toy in the debris once had a life, a mother and father and maybe even children. How many thousands were dead and dying on the other ships he had disabled or destroyed? How many lives had been destroyed because he had killed all those warriors? But there again, what about the thousands of Xi Scorpii that had died to protect their home, their families and friends? There were casualties on board the ship, but also there seemed to be no survivors from the fighter squadrons that had led the attack. He had ordered them back in again and again, against all odds and had failed to back them up when they needed him. He replayed the battle in his mind. Arguments and counter arguments raged their own war in his head as he anguished over the dead and dying. Were there things he could have done differently? Were there things that he should have done differently?

  The bridge around him was nearly deserted. All torpedoes had been fired and the energy weapons were depleted, engines were inoperable and power levels were at critical, so they were unable to recharge even the meteor repulsors. The first order of business was to get back to Otoch, so he had ordered everyone to help with repairs. The skeleton crew that remained with him covered the communications, scanning for possible attack, not that they could do much about that anyway, and conserving what power they had left for life support and defensive shields.

  Two of the four massive nacelles had been launched with the non-essential crew on board and would be back on Otoch soon, but there was still a World Killer out there, hidden in the remains of Tocha. What would they do once they found their fleet had been defeated? Run, or retaliate? He could not take the chance that they would withdraw. The Children of Éðel did not seem to operate on the same level of logic as the rest of the Xi Scorpii and the consequences sent cold icicles of dread stabbing through his chest. A thought crossed his mind. He tapped a control and relayed some new instructions to the repair crews.

  **********

  Commander Lemphealt Wudubucca had no idea how he managed to make it into Otoch’s orbit without being challenged. Commander Beadu Slecg’s fleet must have knocked out the early warning systems that had betrayed their presence during the course of the battle. But still, he was wary and there was not a moment to lose. As soon as they were in range, he ordered a missile strike on the city. Wave after wave battered the protective shield over the huge city without so much as a dent, but the underground spaceport was not so well protected and was totally obliterated by precise missile strikes that penetrated underground before exploding. Secondary explosions had blown back into the City causing damage and mayhem to the surrounding area inside the dome, much to Lemphealt Wudubucca’s satisfaction. The inhabitants were isolated with no means of escaping the surface or striking back. Commander Lemphealt Wudubucca could now take his time.

  Ground analysis mapped the lattice of tectonic plates that showed the weakest points in Otoch’s crust. His specialists selected a route that he approved and the huge ship lumbered off on its pre-programmed course. This was so easy, just like a training simulation!

  Every few miles a huge black cylinder was ejected from the bays in the craft’s belly, each one over three hundred feet long, and ploughed through the atmosphere to the planet’s surface below. Before hitting the ground, cutting equipment in the nose powered up, adaptations of the disruption beams used by ships and warriors, which tore through the rock below like a high pressure hose through sand. The cylinders sank through the ground almost as fast as they fell through the atmosphere. Once at the programmed optimum depth they stopped drilling, clamps anchored the cylinders securely to the rock and began to send out very low frequency pulses and listened for responses from the rock surrounding them, searching and adjusting until they were vibrating at exactly the right frequency.

  **********

  Travis’ senses began to surface and he started to become aware of his surroundings. He was still in that contented drowsy state between sleep and wakefulness where dreams coalesced and became thought before they melted away and were forgotten. His body and mind had never felt so relaxed. If he was any more relaxed, he would be a pool of liquid on the bed. He murmured contentedly to himself as the image he had just created flowed across his mind. He started to remember what had transpired the night before. Was it last night? They were on a spaceship; therefore there was no night or day. But what a night it was! Never in his life could he have imagined...

  But there was something else. It insinuated itself at the back of his mind like a cat scratching at the back door on a rainy night, trying to get in; small but incessant and difficult to ignore. Scratch, scratch, scratch. He turned over again and opened his eyes. She wasn’t there and there was something else. Scratch, scratch, scratch. He sat up and looked around, slightly perturbed. Scratch, scratch, scratch. He stroked the bed where he had expected Star to be, but there was no way of telling how long she had been gone with no sheets or blankets to ruffle or retain heat. Scratch, scratch, scratch. He stretched out his senses and it wasn’t long before he found her. She was on the bridge, but did not respond to his touch. Scratch, scratch, scratch. She wasn’t ignoring him and she did not seem to be angry, she just didn’t notice him. Scratch, scratch, scratch. Fear. That’s what he could feel. It was fear. Not hers, but someone was very afraid, so afraid he could almost taste it, like a bitter tang in the back of his mind.

  He got up, put on a fresh jumpsuit and went looking for his Star. He found her standing at the apex of the upper level of the bridge, where they had made love for the first time. The memo
ry sent tingles down his spine, but he forced the feelings down and joined her. She looked as achingly beautiful as ever, even with her hair restrained in the tight, multiband ponytail that seemed to be as much a part of the ship’s uniform as the ubiquitous jumpsuit. She did not immediately acknowledge his presence but stared out at the planet that hung in the front view, as it had before, with her eyebrows drawn together in a worried frown. Apprehension curdled his stomach and he took her hand. Whatever it was, whatever he had done…

  “Something is wrong.” she said, without looking at him.

  “I know, I can feel it.” he replied.

  “They are afraid.”

  “Who?” he asked.

  “Everyone.”

  “Everyone?” he asked again, thinking he was starting to sound like an echo.

  “The whole City is afraid.” she finally turned to look at him. “I have tried to raise the shuttle port to find out where our shuttle is but no one answered.” she looked back at the planet outside. “I am trying to find Turix Dayak' but there is so much confusion.”

  “I’ll look for Rainbow.” Travis chipped in helpfully, but not hopefully. If Star was having difficulty locating her best friend, what chance did a beginner like him have? She smiled and nodded her thanks. Even if he had no chance, the effort was appreciated.

  He stretched out his mind and imagined himself jumping the space between the ship and the planet. While he was on the planet he had difficulty locating his friend in the next sector, but this was easier as the planet was hanging in front of him like a huge dried orange and he could visualise the journey. He then concentrated his mind on finding the City, which was surprisingly easy as well. With so much ‘noise’ it was difficult to miss. That was the first thing that struck Travis as wrong. The Xi Scorpii were normally very good at keeping themselves ‘quiet’. Millions of years of telepathic evolution tends to teach that ability, but Star was right; the City was alive with confusion. He had a chance in a billion of finding his friend in this cacophony.

  Let’s think about this logically, he thought to himself. How to find one mental signature in a city of a hundred million all milling around and shouting at once? It was not as if he could hone in on her address to see if she was there. It did not work like that and working through each one, one at a time would take forever with his skills, but he had made a promise, so might as well get started. He began to understand the frustration Star had talked about when she found him amongst billions of others on Earth. If it had not been for his fear and anger augmenting his latent abilities when he was in hospital, incommunicado with the rest of humanity, they might not have found him at all, or found someone else.

  Travis Fletcher. The thought pricked his mind. It wasn’t as if someone was calling him, it was a bit like being in a crowded room at a party and somebody mentions your name and you instinctively focus in on that one voice.

  **********

  Niji No Tori stood on her balcony overlooking The City. She was alone and afraid and the cacophony of sound and sensations that assaulted her senses felt like the whole city was trembling with fear in sympathy. She had cowered in her apartment as missile after missile had struck the dome high above her, silent blooms of colour flared and dissipated in random patterns. The Council had issued orders that everyone was to stay inside and that the dome was secure and could not be breached. She had looked in horror as black, oily smoke roiled up the side of the dome after a series of explosions over by the shuttle port. The Council had continued to insist that they were still safe, while asking for volunteers to help the City Guard with the injured. Niji No Tori had retreated to the far corner of her apartment and buried her head between her knees while chiding herself roundly for not being braver.

  To try and take her mind off what was going on around her she tried to imagine where Travis Fletcher was. She tried to picture him in one of the scenes she had seen of Sol 3; green trees, plants with animals flying in the sky amongst the clouds. Just like he had shown her in his memories. She imagined him sitting on the grass and drinking wine. He looked happy in her imagination, happier than he had ever been amongst the Xi Scorpii. She began to feel a little calmer. Would he remember their long talks on the balcony in the moonlight? Did he ever realise how she felt about him? Would he remember her at all when he finally got home or would he try and wipe the whole episode from his mind?

  So, how do you feel about me? Travis Fletcher’s unmistakeable humour brushed her mind.

  Travis Fletcher! She jumped involuntarily and looked around, expecting to find him standing next to her. Where are you? What happened? How can you...? You are supposed to be…The questions came thick and fast, too fast for Travis to cope with.

  Slow down, please. He pleaded. We are still here. He explained. We were attacked and the crew who were supposed to fly the ship were killed.

  [Gasp].

  Only Star and I survived…We’re stuck on the starship in orbit round the moon. What’s happening there? Star says everyone is afraid? Why?

  A ship. The thought not only carried with it an awful payload of awe and fear that sent an icy shiver down Travis’ spine, but also an image of something so large it eclipsed the sun as it traversed the sky over The City. It attacked us but…

  Travis Fletcher! Star’s cry, vocal and mental interrupted them.

  Xnuk Ek’! Travis could almost feel his friend bowing and deferring to her superior without question.

  I have found Turix Dayak'. She has taken refuge in one of the gardens. They have their own shield domes, in addition to the main one over The City. She explained to Travis’ query.

  She’s safe? Travis asked.

  Yes, but something’s wrong with the ground. It’s like…

  I feel it too.

  **********

  Deep underground, more and more of the black cylinders were finding the resonant frequency of the surrounding rock, which began to crack and shatter around them, sending tremors deep into the planet’s core. Slowly at first but increasing at a steady rate, as the rhythms from hundreds of cylinders joined in a massive daisy chain of destruction which ripped open the fragile fault lines between the tectonic plates, causing magma to force its way through fissures both new and old towards the dead surface. Pressure from the rising magma began to build up under the planet’s crust until one after another, ancient, dead volcanos erupted, spouting huge gouts of lava and rock into the atmosphere and tearing open the fragile bond between the continental plates.

  But still the black cylinders had not finished. Sending their deadly pulses deep into the planet, the whole of Otoch began to vibrate to their relentless rhythm of destruction.

  **********

  Emotions, images and thoughts assailed Travis’ senses from all sides. In addition to the confusion and fear and images of death and destruction he was getting from the population of The City, Dragonfly was petrified that the dome would give out and let in the deadly atmosphere and unfiltered sun from outside; his Rainbow Bird was totally alone and feeling insignificant in the face of aggression she did not understand and Star’s indomitable poise and self-control was slipping as feelings of helplessness and uselessness invaded every pore of her being.

  Although his life events had shaped him, pulling him in random directions for random periods like currents in the ocean, he had drifted where those currents had taken him. Right through school, work, his friends and lovers and all the events that had brought him to this time and this place. Hardly ever had he made a decision on which way to go or what to do, it had always been decided for him, either by others, or simply by inaction on his part. As he felt the universe crumbling around him, something snapped in Travis’ head. In that instant he realised what a complete waste of flesh and bone he had been with no purpose and no future. Then he remembered what Star had said about his dreams. She had said she had seen what he was, what he had become and what he could be. It was as if flood gates suddenly opened in his mind and all the ambitions, hopes and dreams he had boarded u
p in his mental prison had been set free to wash through his Mindscape. He was filled with a fresh feeling of purpose and determination. Possibilities and options suddenly laid themselves out in front of him. As he sifted through them, he discarded some, moulded others together and a mad, impossible plan, drawn from what he had learned since leaving Earth, formed in his mind.

  “We have to get them out of there!” Travis shouted at Xnuk Ek’. “That ship,” he declared, pointing in the general direction of Otoch, “is going to come back and finish the job!”

  “How? I cannot…” Star stammered, looking around at the unfathomable array of instruments around them. “I do not know…!”

  “The hangar!” he held Xnuk Ek’ firmly by her upper arms and stared intently into her eyes, willing confidence into her. “It’s full of ships. Can you fly one of them? I know you can fly a plane.” he sent an image of the small craft that she and Turix Dayak' had taken to the ruined city. “Can you fly one of those?”