Planets Falling (45 page)

Etch slaps the hull of his ship.  “It appears that our Institute and FRT friends have engaged in battle over access to the portal.  Gorian, you are quite the trouble maker.”

“Who’ll win?”  I ask.

“Depends on who wants to rule the universe.”  Grey shrugs, carrying Ferris toward the town gate.

Samuel helps father walk up the path.  I marvel how those cousins have diverged over the past year.  Father wilted while Samuel blossomed.  Iggy and his spawn are surrounded by village children.  The Yellow Stone kids have seen strange things during their short lives, but the naurons are a special novelty.  I wonder how Iggy’s babies will like the lake and playing with their new human friends.

I’m feeling guilty.  Part of me doesn’t want to reunite with Eliza.  Perhaps she’d be better off with Magarat and forget me.  That’s silly of course.  I can’t let Thresh take her away.  I approach the small house that’s been given to me by the village and swallow hard.  I enter to find Magarat and Eliza playing on a table.  Eliza looks up indifferently and goes back to drawing.

“Welcome back, Amy.  We’ve been drawing pictures.  Eliza, show your mommy what you’ve done.”

“My mommy isn’t here.”

My heart shatters.  I want to run away, more so than during any other time in my life.  “I’m your mommy Eliza.  We’ve got lots of time to get to know each other again.  See my eyes?”  She looks up.  “They look just like yours.”

Interest flashes briefly by Eliza’s face and then she resumes her drawing.  I look to see what she’s creating:  a woman in a red dress.

I run outside and vomit.

Magarat peeks out.  “Amy.  It will take time for her to adjust.  She’s a good, smart girl.  She’ll warm up to you.  I do promise.  I’m gonna leave now for a while.”

I want to plead for her to stay but know better.  I join my daughter.  “Eliza, let’s draw pictures together.”

The images that appear on the paper are vivid, beautiful, and often disturbing.  Grubs, bleeding bodies, and flames are mixed with glorious, detailed pictures of flowers and animals.  I hope, through time, that the gentle visions overcome the gruesome ones.  For now, she needs to let both flow out of her.

I draw a picture of my mother.  It’s been so long since I last put ink to paper at the lodge.  My nerves calm.  Eliza looks at the picture.  “She’s pretty.  Who is she?”

“That’s your grandma, sweetie.”

I spend the rest of the glorious evening with my daughter on my lap as I tell her stories of the garden, the xyn, and the wonders of the natural world.

After I’ve gotten Eliza to bed, I step out into the darkness and stare at the sky.  More streaks of fire rage silently as the battle overhead drones on.

Etch walks by.  “Good evening Amy.  Enjoying the starlight tonight?”

“Etch, how long do you expect them to keep fighting?”

“Perhaps a month.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No, I am not Amy Marksman.  Both sides of the conflict have considerable resources and will not stop until the other is defeated.  Gorian’s message brought the war’s front to earth’s doorstep.  Before this is ended, earth’s orbit will be littered with thousands of destroyed ships.”

“You knew this would happen?”

“Of course.  I have seen wars many times.  They must burn hot before the flames are extinguished.”

“Why aren’t the forces coming down here to fight?”

“Foremost, it is fear of the weapon that destroyed civilization on earth so many years ago.  Also, it makes no tactical sense to put your troops on the ground when they are vulnerable to fire overhead.  The victors will arrive with time as they become confident that the threat on the surface is gone.  I recommend that you continue your studies with Fromer and enjoy your time with Eliza.  When the winning faction arrives, peace will most certainly vanish.”

“Fromer, do you really think the terrorist weapon is gone?”

“I do not know.”

Almost a month to the day I conversed with Fromer, the explosions in the sky stop.  I am sipping tea and watching Eliza sleep when Magarat steps in quietly.  “Amy, you really need to go outside and see this.  They’ve returned.”

Lights again dot the surface of the new moon.  Theo rushes to me and holds my hand tightly.  “I guess this means we’ll be getting visitors soon Sprouter my love?”

I tighten my grip and lead him inside.

Gorian appears early the next morning.  “The message’s arrived. She shows us script on her tablet screen. We are to meet the Phobos at these coordinates in an hour.  I guess the Institute prevailed.”

We’ve long known that Etch, Grey, Bets, Ricard, and me would make first contact with the winning side.  Etch savors the opportunity to face the Phobos and likely Leo, its pilot, during our negotiations.

The Fuerst drops down next to the battle-scarred Institute vessel.  It’s suffered far more damage since its fight with us in the asteroid belt.  Leo emerges from the Phobos with three others.  Etch embraces him warmly.  “Hello, Leo my old friend.  We meet on much better terms now.”

“Hello, Etch.”  Leo’s a tall, angular man with dark features and a well-groomed beard.  He smirks at us.  “Let me introduce my distinguished companions, all from respected families within the Institute.”

Grey interrupts.  “I know them all already.”  He nods at a pale man with white hair and a terrible slouch.  “Hello, Vincent.  He comes from the Wilcoxin clan.  Last I heard he was governing some province on mars.”

Vincent smiles, “We wondered what happened to you Grey.  Good to see you well.  I am now Prime Prefect of the solar government.  You can feel safe with us.  No need to hide anymore.”

Grey hugs the woman next to Vincent.  “This is an old, old friend of my family and a distinguished diplomat.  Aunt Vanne, meet my friends and welcome to the land of my exile.”

Vanne looks genuinely concerned for Grey.  “We were worried sick about you after the accident at the Platform.  You’re so gaunt now.  What can you possibly be eating down here?”

I wonder why she mentions this place called the Platform and not the planet C9.  I wonder whether she knows the truth about Grey’s disappearance.

Sighing, Grey introduces the third member of the group, a beautiful young woman with striking red hair and dark blue eyes.  “This is Amanda Fuerst, direct descendent of the founding leader of the Institute and a key representative of the familial foundation.  As you noticed, Etch’s ship is named after her clan.”

She looks at Grey a bit too long and his face flushes.  I can tell there’s a history between the two of them.  “Hello, Grey.  I haven’t seen you since graduation.  We have much to discuss about this anomaly on the planet.  It looks promising for all of us.”

We leave the ships and walk to the great hall of the village.  Amanda, Vanne, and Vincent are mesmerized by their surroundings – this is the first time they’ve visited the true home of their species.  Leo and Etch chat energetically, as if they never fought in their lives.  They’re telling stories of battle with the FRT forces.

Seated at the table, I consider our guests.  Vanne is clearly in charge of the discourse, although Amanda is the source of power in the group.  I have yet to gain an accurate measure of Vincent – he seems to be inflated with a lot of heat and very little substance.  I suppose Leo has returned to his ship.

Grey starts bluntly. “So, the Institute won?”

Amanda blinks.  “Yes Grey, we won, at great cost.  There are bits of resistance from the FRT, but they will be mopped up with time.  Order has been restored to the alliance, thankfully.”

We sit in silence for some time, waiting for the next move.  Vanne speaks.  “On behalf of the Institute and allied governments, we want to assure you that we have peaceful intentions and seek your cooperation.”

It is going to be a long day.

At dinner, we talk of Institute politics and the status of Grey’s relatives.  Strangely, the Institute delegation has no interest in us natives.  Neither Ricard nor I have garnered much attention from the visitors.  For the first time in my life, I feel as if I’m a stranger in my own world.

Grey sips brandy while our guests pick at their food.

“So, what do you really know about the circumstances leading to our disappearance?”  Grey puts his hand on Gorian’s hand.  Amanda stares at her.

Vanne considers Vincent and Amanda for a moment.  “This, of course, is in all confidence.  We know about the incident on the terraforming planet called C9.  Enough information was provided to show that there was no accident on the Platform outpost as the official records suggest.  Rather, you and your crew were thought lost when the planet dropped into a singularity created by the vessel Raven on the surface.”

“Thankfully, you survived.”  Amanda smiles tepidly.

“We also know that some interesting activity occurred on C9 prior to your disappearance.”  Vincent finally speaks.  “It was consistent with sealed research findings we had in the Institute database, much of it generated by your father, Grey.  He knew that he was creating a portal on the planet, placing all of us at great risk.”

Grey shakes his head.  “My father was indeed trying to create a portal on C9 and he succeeded.  I reject, however, the idea that he meant harm.”

Amanda sips her wine.  “I knew your dad well, Grey.  I agree.”

He relaxes while Gorian bristles.

Vanne regards Grey critically.  “Regardless of intent, the portal opened and important technology, created by your father but ultimately belonging to the Institute, fell into the hands of an unknown species.  If we understand correctly, this threat almost destroyed this town and the entire western half of the continent.”

I stand, stretching my arms and back.  “Well, I am tired.  We can revisit these issues tomorrow when we’ve rested.”

After our guests have retired, I eagerly return to the house to find Eliza, Theo, and Magarat waiting for me.  Eliza jumps into my arms, which makes the frustrating day melt away.

“How’d it go?” Theo’s trying to seem nonchalant.

“These people spend all their time talking about nothing.  Grey tells me that this is diplomacy, where the one side tries to talk the other side into submission.  Somehow, this is supposed to get them what they want.”

“So, they haven’t told you they want to use the lake?”

“Nope.  They did have an interesting conversation about Grey’s dad.  No matter to us.  How was your day?”

“That Captain Leo is a sly one.  He’s been handing out toys, candy, and clothes to villagers all day.  If you thought you were popular after crushing Thresh, then you ought to see this fellow in his glory.  Oh, I have something for you.”  He produces a beautiful necklace adorned with rare gems.

“Where’d you get this?”

He looks guilty.  “Captain Leo.”

At mid-day of the second set of talks, largely among Grey and the Institute delegation about mostly nothing, Ricard stands up frustrated.  “When are we going to talk about the damn lake?  You people needn’t spend your time talking frivolities with us.  I’ve seen what your Captain is doing – buttering up my people.  Fattening them up like pigs before a slaughter.  If you want cooperation from us, then treat us with respect.”

Etch bellows with laughter.  “Vanne, Institute diplomacy is not going to work with my friends.”

Vanne regards Ricard for the first time.  “Yes, we do want to explore the portal on mutually agreed terms.  What do we need to do to begin accessing it?”

Ricard looks at me.  “Amy Marksman is the keeper and a pilot.  She will provide you with information about the lake, as you need it.  In return, Yellow Stone wants assurances that you will not occupy it.  And I want you to stop Leo from poisoning my people with material crap.”

Vanne looks at Amanda and Vincent, who nod slightly.  “Agreed.  Excuse me.”  She retreats to the end of the room and talks into a communication device.  She returns to her seat.  “Done.”

Amanda speaks.  “The Institute would like to build a small outpost on the lake for research and to house scientists.  We would like to include a teaching facility for your children.”

Ricard looks to Bets and Grey nervously.  Grey responds, “We’ll take that into consideration.”

Chapter 63: Progress

A sleek silver and glass building is perched on the shore of the lake, making the walls of Yellow Stone look old and worn.  I spend much of my days here with Eliza and the Institute scientists studying the miracles of the lake.  The scientists are polite but distant.  They do enjoy the information I provide.  But they have no interest in me or what I envision our future should look like.  Eliza has emerged from her shell, seeming happy and engaged.  She occasionally plays with other human children, but seems drawn to Iggy’s family.  Somehow, she’s learned to communicate with them through telepathy – something I have no clue how to do.  When I try to enter their minds, I’m floating in an uncharted sea of vowels and syllables with no cogent words.

Many of the village children come to the laboratory each day to learn from Institute teachers.  As their eyes open to the universe around them, I can see them grow restless with their surroundings.  The urge to build, to improve, to want more is mounting within them.  Their parents look to Ricard and me for guidance.  I can see both pride and worry in their eyes when we talk of the Institute presence and its influence on the younger generation.

Quite a clandestine market has developed for Institute wares, to Ricard’s concern.  Many of these items are relatively harmless – rare foods, liquors, and toys.  However, somehow weapons have begun appearing.  One of the villagers murdered another with a rifle.  When we asked Amanda, now the Institute governor, about this, she claimed it must have arrived with a supply transport and that they’d tighten security.  However, people, whether they come from earth or the stars in sky, are ingenious when driven by greed and desire.  This leads me to despair for Yellow Stone, and for that matter, the earth’s future.  Perhaps an answer lies in the depths of the lake.

My belly is distended with my second baby – Theo’s first- when I step into my beloved Raven.

“How are you coping with the morning sickness, Amy?” the ship asks.

“I’m in my third month now.  It’s gone.  Thanks for asking.”

“You are my friend and companion.  Your welfare is of the highest importance to me.”

“Let’s see what we can find in the lake today.”

We’ve spent the past year tracing the patterns of the lake.  I settle into the pilot’s chair and instantly perceive the many doorways opening in and out of reality.  Today feels different than other days, however.  Fromer appears in the void as he often does.

“Good morning Amy.”

“Hi Fromer.  What’s my lesson for today?”

“You’re finished.  I haven’t anything left to teach you.  I do, however, want to show you one more thing and then I need to leave.”

“Leave?  Where are you going?”

“Away from here.  I’ve got other places to visit and things to experience.  I won’t live forever.”  He smiles in that strange place.

“But, I need you.  I don’t know anything yet.”

“You’ve got your own strength, a wonderful family, and a future that only you can control.  Follow me.”

The Raven travels with us as we reach a part of the lake I’ve never visited.  I look down and see thousands of people milling about, talking, and laughing.  I look closer and as Fromer promised long ago, I see my mother.  She looks up and then we are together in the void.

“Amy, you’re pregnant.  How wonderful for you.”

I can only croak, “Mom?”

“Yes, it’s what’s left of me.  We have the rest of your lifetime to catch up.  But we’ve got work to do.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s time to learn how to patch up a hole in this continuum.  As Fromer told you, there are lots of them in the universe.  But, this one concerns the two of us and, of course, our world.  We can’t let them escape again.”

“Are you talking about the others?”

“Yes, the greedy ones that used the fog to overcome life on earth.  We need to work together to keep them out.  You see, the portals not only open to other parts of space and time, they also allow the energy we produce – our souls – to exist beyond your reality.”

“Heaven?”

“Sort of sweetheart.  What we can do is close the door to the others from both our sides and they won’t be able to come through anymore.”

“What happens when I die?  Will the door open again?”

She shakes her head.  “Then we’ll work with that baby of yours from over here to keep it shut.  It always requires one person on each side ... one living and one dead.”

“Mom, you have another baby already born - a grand-daughter, Eliza.”

“Joy of all joys.  That’s so wonderful.  Fromer didn’t tell me.”

We walk in the void until we reach what looks like a creaky, wooden doorway with rusted hinges.  “Amy, just push it shut.”

“It’s that easy?”

“Yes, it is.”

With a thud, the threat from the greedy lifeless ones on the other side pass from earth – at least while I am on watch.

“Now, the real work is ahead of us.”

“Mom, what do you mean by that?”

“The infection is spreading through the hearts of people on earth.”

“You mean, the Institute?”

"Well, people have always been greedy.  But the Institute's providing a temptation that's going to prove difficult for earth, and ultimately for all living beings.  You'll have some difficult decisions to make. And I can't make them for you."

"I thought our reunion would be joyful.  To be honest, this is a little daunting."

She smiles sadly.  "No matter what side you're on, you always have the burden of decisions and their consequences.  Your decisions just happen to affect an awful lot of people.  Let me show you the future of earth, with the Institute on it."

An enormous vista appears before me, with images morphing in and out of my reality.  I feel like I'm back in Troll's compound watching images of the cities of earth before the fall.  We’re floating above earth, except the surface has been transformed into vast expanses of buildings and geometrically exact sections of greenery.

"The cities are beautiful."

"Yes, Amy, they are.  Earth and humanity may return to its previous glory, for a time."

We fly to a dried lakebed, dust spinning in the wind.  "Where's this?"

"Yellow Stone."

"What happened?"

"The portals were overused.  Humans and their kindred species altered the climate to meet their needs with unintended consequences.  The lake simply receded.  You can't have both.  Magic exists either through technology or nature.  They aren't compatible."

"What can I do about this?"

"The Raven is receiving data as we speak.  You can use it as you like.  I must go now.  We'll talk again soon."  She recedes into the emptiness.  The beautiful, daunting images vanish.

I call, "Fromer are you still there?"

There's no answer.  I feel completely alone.  I return to the pilot's seat of the Raven and return to the Institute laboratory, where Eliza's waiting for me.

"Did you have a fun day mommy?"

"I saw your grandma.  She's happy and wants to meet you someday."

Eliza smiles and grabs my hand.

I consider our life here, now.  It's peaceful and exciting.  I think of our future and Eliza's after I'm gone.  The burden of the gardens is still there, belonging to my family, but now has shifted to a lake of many worlds and possibilities.  If I allow the future to happen as my mother showed it, then I would find myself betraying all that my family has worked for since the fall of the ancient ones- those people who have finally returned.  Still, I wonder what the future might look like without the Institute.  My mother failed to show me that vision.  I can only assume that our fate would be better.

I'm resting in bed staring at the beams on the ceiling.  Theo kisses me on the cheek.  "What's bothering you?"

"Do we really need the Institute?"

"They're teaching the kids and providing us with medicine.  I like the toys too."

"But we used to get by just fine with our knowledge of the land.  The gardens always provided.  We had trade.  I'm not so sure they're really worth having here.  Do they have our interests in mind?"

"Even if we didn’t want them, how do you propose that we get rid of them?  I'm thinking they be here to stay."

"I don't know yet.  And I wonder how our formerly exiled friends feel about this."

Theo rolls onto his stomach.  "We can always ask them."

We convene the exiles the next morning in my house.  I tell them about my vision of the future - the rise of humanity, renewed technology, and the loss of nature.

Grey sips his tea thoughtfully.  "Did your mom indicate how far in the future this was?"

"Does it matter?"  Bets is angry.  "Do we want them coming here, building more and more?  They'll impose their beliefs on us, take away what we've built for ourselves.  We've survived for centuries without them.  And your mom didn’t tell us what things would be like without the Institute.  I’d prefer to have a future we can control and shape in our own way – not the Institute’s."

"They exiled us for goodness sake."  Minns adds.  "We owe them no allegiance."

"True, but we've already begun to adopt their way of life.  Look at me and the Raven.  The kids are learning so much about the world and space.  Many are already talking about joining the Institute when they grow up."  I'm conflicted.

“Doesn’t that prove your point?”  Bets sips some tea.  “We don’t even know much about our own world and the children want to leave.  The Institute will poison us.” 

Etch hums.  "Amy, do you have a way to shield earth from the outside?"

"My mother and Fromer suggested it.  The answer lies in the Raven.  I plan to explore today."

"I have any real sympathy for you all.  I think technology is always preferable to ignorance.  However, Amy, would you like some company?  I’m curious about the solution." Gorian asks.

"Sure.  Theo and Grey can care for Eliza and Ferris while we're away.  I'm certain Magarat will be happy to assist."

Gorian and I enter the Raven and ask for the data.  The ship provides us with a set of coordinates.  Gorian squints. "This would have been a city called Frankfurt, a continent away from here.  I suspect your mother or Fromer wanted you to visit there.  It is a very specific location at the meter-scale, so we won’t be lost."

"Let's saddle up."  I lift us up into the wide sky.  The ship skims across the magnificent continent Gorian calls North America and then skips across a wide ocean.  We hover over a vast ruined city like all the rest.  We drop the Raven into a wide paved area with a concrete building in the center.

"Shall we take a walk?"  Gorian's already strolling out the hatch.

Like most of the ruined places, only birds, rats, and insects are present to watch us.  The closest human village is at least a hundred kilometers east.  The building has a large door with symbols I've never seen before.  Gorian pulls out a plasma rifle and fires, the door evaporating before us.  "After you.  Pregnant women first."

The interior of the building is filled with huge stacks of metallic towers and hundreds of glass rooms with tables and fixtures I don't recognize.  "What was this place?"

Gorian produces her tablet.  "The records are murky at best.  I think this was a large research laboratory.  The language is a mixture of German, Russian, and English.  We speak primarily English now.  I'll see whether I can translate some of it."  She fiddles with her computer.  "Ah, according to the coordinates, I think we want to go down to the next level.  They stored samples down there."

We're underground now and enter a large hallway lined with metal doors.  Gorian stops and reads the translations.  "No shit.  Really?"

"What?"

"This is it.  They really kept some."

"Of what?"

"The agent that crashed human society on earth.  It was bacteria - tiny organisms that live everywhere. These just had a taste for human-made materials. "

"Plastic."

"Yeah. I can’t believe it was a bioweapon – they scare me worse than anything else. We've got to get out of here.  We're in danger of picking these things up and of contaminating everything - starting the whole damn thing over again.  And it could get out into space.  Living organisms are notoriously difficult to contain once they escape."

"Wait, I want some.”

Gorian stares at me.  “Are you kidding or simply stupid?”

“This is the bargaining chip.  We hold this in front of the Institute, the whole of space.  If they don’t meet our demands, we release it.  We have nothing to lose.”

“Have you lost your mind?  We have something to lose - our ships, our transmitters, and our computers.”  She lifts up her tablet.  “Are you willing to give all that up?  The Raven?  Etch’s vessel?  The ability to travel beyond earth?  What about medical technology? The Institute doctors can extend your life and keep Eliza and your baby from ever getting sick.  For mars sake, you’d likely be dead or at least legless if it wasn’t for our evil technology.”

“Gorian, I lived a peaceful, healthful life before all of you came around.  We were able to make a good living from the earth.  With Thresh gone and the fog banished, we can return to that.  With the lake, I can explore other worlds and communicate with others like me.  Like Flip, there has to be others here on earth.  We can spread this knowledge to others of our kind.  The technology – it can come gradually and through our own design and progress.”