The Terran Representative (12 page)

Into the light I fell. The light bathed me, and I felt a heaviness that I hadn’t realized was there lift away and dissipate. I continued to move forward, and the light began to recede to the edge of my peripheral vision.

I awoke on the ground inches away from a puddle of slime.

The slime reached out towards me. I pushed myself away from it in a panicked rush and ended up on my hands and knees. The slime retracted back into itself, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I looked around my surroundings and found myself in a dripping, mist and tentacle filled corridor with a door behind me. There was no humming nor sounds of angry colonists rushing to get me. The tentacle growths from the ceiling swayed back and forth in the air currents. My suit registered the same atmospheric readings as when I’d first entered. With a brief mental glance I stood and noticed nothing seemed to be tugging at my mind.

Perhaps I was free from the mind games.

The door behind me opened. It squelched and squealed as it moves on rusted and soggy tracks. Water dripped off the doorframe and formed a large puddle just on the other side of the threshold. I raised my arm cannon and reached out with one foot. I put my toes down then the balls of my feet and last my heel. The rest of my body followed when I didn’t see anyone in the room.

I straightened and saw what my suit told me was the bridge. I gazed across the room. View screens covered the walls and showed the battle raging outside. Consoles with flashing lights and readouts surrounded the outer areas. A large chair on a dais sat in the middle of the compartment. Its back faced me.

My arm cannon whomphed and struck the back of the chair. It exploded in a cloud of plastic and leather. The filler rained down around the room like snow. It clumped and packed together in the wet and damp of the room. I ran over and kicked the chair. It toppled onto the ground with a loud clang. No one had been sitting in it.

“They sent the Representative.”

I jerked my head up and looked around the room. My arm cannon was raised and aimed as I spun looking for the source of the voice. Kaur had spoken as clear as day. It wasn’t a recording or an intercom. She was in the room with me.

“Thought I might have a better chance given the circumstances,” I said.

Kaur laughed. It sounded wet and rough. “They must have been desperate. I remember seeing you lowered into the facility in your cryo-chamber.”

“I remember shaking your hand,” I said, gritting my teeth. Kaur sounded like she was right next to me, but I couldn’t find her. I stalked around the room kicking open panels and looking behind consoles. “Seems you’ve changed a bit.”

“And you’re still stuck in the same situation doing the bidding of those more powerful than you.”

My frustration rose. I didn’t want to listen to her anymore. I wanted to be done with my grisly business. “You seem to be doing the legwork for someone,” I said. “This isn’t your doing.”

Kaur sucked in air. Her voice gained an edge of anger and displeasure. “We would not be in the stars without help. We would not be in the position of power that we are in now without assistance. I am merely repaying the debts our race owes.”

I straightened. Kaur’s voice sounded like she whispered in my ear. She sounded like she believed what she said. Her tone was one of anger that I didn’t understand. Her mind must have been so warped that she didn’t recognize what had happened to the colonists. In that moment, for a split second, I felt sorry for her.

Something hovered over my shoulder. I turned as fast as I could and lashed out. My fists connected with a soft lump. Kaur flashed before my eyes, and I grasped at her. She screamed and disappeared, but I still held her in my hands. Her body felt like a sack of twigs. It felt insignificant like at any moment it would turn to dust and blow away in the wind.

She appeared again, writhing and bucking in my grip. Her lips parted and tore with a bloody froth spilling from her mouth. Pus and blood and gore splattered against my visor, but I held tight. I reached one hand up to and around her throat, and she disappeared again. My grip tightened. She appeared once more.

Her cloudy eyes looked at me. I could just make out her iris and pupils through the film and pus. She stopped struggling and stared at me. I didn’t know if her eyes still worked, but I felt like they plead with me, spoke the words of apology her mouth couldn’t handle. She looked so lost and frail in my grip. Her demeanor had changed: sickly, delicate, weak.

I screwed my eyes shut and turned my head. My other hand came up to her throat. She began bucking and screaming once more. My howls matched Kaur’s in tone. I didn’t know if she visually disappeared again, but I held her tight with my legs wrapped around her body. I tightened my grip around her throat. At the same time I squeezed my legs together. My suit kicked in and added its strength.

Her bones crunched. Her tendons snapped. Her muscles turned to pulp. Her screams stopped. My hands met and formed a fist. My knees knocked together.

My eyes opened, and I looked at the gore. I hugged a pile of human pulp. Bloody viscera, if it hadn’t been mashed, spread about me. It looked like I’d fallen from the sky and landed on a person. I rolled to the side and flipped my visor open. The humidity hit me like a wet towel in the face, and I began to sweat at once. A damp rotten smell mixed with death assaulted my sense of smell.

I added to it by vomiting on the floor. Stomach acid burned the back of my throat. I heaved until there was nothing left, and then I heaved some more. Spit dangled from my mouth and snot hung from my nose. The turmoil in my stomach passed, and I began to cry. My body shook. I had trouble keeping myself upright and not sprawled out on the floor or curled in a ball because I’d seen death, but I’d been hopped up on pain killers or it’d been an act by someone else or a figment of my imagination. At those times it’d been out of my control. This, though, had been up close and personal. I had done the deed with my own two hands. There was no distance in which I could separate myself. A life and death struggle didn’t bring solace to the fact that I had literally wrung the life out of someone.

I’m sorry.

I crawled away from the remains of Kaur. My visor clacked back shut and sealed. Gore was splattered across it, and I tried to wipe it off with my hand, but that only succeeded in smearing as my gloves were covered in Kaur. I clenched my jaw against another wave of nausea. By the skin of my teeth I held back and didn’t vomit in my suit.

You need to get off Kaur’s ship.

The Hive had returned to my brain. It didn’t feel like Kaur or her benefactor. They had a kind of sliminess that left a nasty feel to my thought. The Hive was just there, hanging out. I sighed. If it wasn’t one entity in my thoughts it was another.

“I know,” I said and stood.

Blood dripped off my suit. Chunks slid off and hit the ground with a plop. I tried to wipe my hand off on my thigh as best as I could and then wipe as much off my visor. My efforts succeeded in that I could kind of see out of the visor, but everything was tinted red.

Without Kaur’s control the colonists have lost cohesiveness. Kaur’s flagship has gone dead. The Vantagax are pressing.

“And now that you’ve returned that must mean the entity is retreating?” I said.

An image of Kaur’s ship appeared to me. The tentacles on it didn’t move. The rip between dimensions began to shrink. Some of the colonists’ ships flew back through it while others continued to attack the Vantagax. Some of The Hive’s ships flew about engaging here and there with the colonists. A small ship of The Hive’s pulled up alongside Kaur’s. A tube extended from it and attached to the side of Kaur’s ship. I exited and walked through.

“So you’re going to come pick me up?” I said.

Yes.

Kaur’s ship rocked and sent me stumbling. I figured it was the Vantagax attacking. The Hive confirmed it with another image sent to me.

“Give me a minute,” I said and looked around the room. I flipped my visor up again. The stench and wetness hit me once more, but I wanted to see the bridge once more through clear vision.

I walked over to a view screen and watched as the Vantagax, with fewer ships, took advantage of the colonists’ disorganization. They concentrated on the remaining colonist ships putting up a fight but at the same time took shots at Kaur’s flagship. The battle wasn’t over by a long shot, but it looked like a matter of time before the colonists lost.

My steps squelched as I moved to the next view screen. The sound angered me. Something inside of me broke. I punched the console. My fist went through the top, and I pulled it out with a handful of wires in my grip. I punched with the other one then kicked the console. My fury destroyed this console, and I moved on to the next one and the next until most of the bridge was destroyed.

I breathed heavily. My chest rose and fell in exaggerated motions as I clenched and unclenched my fists. I stared at the pile that had been Kaur then stalked over to it.

“Why?” I screamed. Angry tears blurred my vision. “Why did you do it? Why did you give in?” I began to stomp on anything that looked solid. “Why?” I screamed every time I stomped. My voice went hoarse, and my throat burned.

Kaur’s remains were liquefied. Her bones turned to dust from my efforts. If they wanted to identify her they’d need a test tube and some lab equipment.

My feet ached. The muscles in my legs burned from the exertion. I noticed that my entire body hurt. Limbs felt like lead. Breathing seemed like it took all of my effort. I shuffled away from Kaur’s remains towards the door off the bridge. It squealed and squelched as it opened when I approached.

First left. Follow it to the end. I’ll be there.

I nodded not caring if The Hive could pick it up or if it knew I’d understood from my body sending messages to my neck muscles to nod.

The hallway looked the same. The mist still oozed out of the vents. The slime still sat in puddles on the floor. The growths still hung from the ceiling. As I shuffled past though the tentacles didn’t reach out for me. The slime didn’t move either. The life had gone out of them.

At the left I took it. An airlock door opened at the end of the hall. A member of The Hive stood at the end waving me forward. It didn’t seem to be bothered that I moved at the pace of an old man or that Kaur’s ship shuddered and swayed with every hit from the Vantagax.

Another member appeared as I neared and the two of them rushed out to me. They grabbed my hands and pulled me towards their ship. A third came out and moved behind me. I felt it pushing me forward. With stumbling steps I went through the airlock and into the tube connecting the two ships.

There were no windows, so I didn’t get to see outside, but I didn’t really care. Kaur was dead. The entity’s connection to our world was severed. The Vantagax would be fighting back. Mad colonists would be fighting. If they weren’t doing that they’d be fleeing to the other dimension or out into the emptiness of space.

We crossed into The Hive’s ship’s airlock. The door closed behind us. The connection tube retracted into the ship with little thumps behind the airlock walls. The green light cycled, and I had a brief moment of panic. The door opened, and I expected Kaur to be there with her colonists ready to fight, but no such thing happened. My alarm ebbed away and the tiredness returned.

I moved forward and stumbled. The wall kept me from falling over in a heap of exhaustion. I pressed my helmet against its surface then turned and placed my back against it. My legs gave out, and I slid down the wall to sitting position on the floor. I didn’t think I’d be able to move from the spot.

“I need to rest,” I said. “And take a shower.” I put my head in my hands and began to cry.

I sat in a chair on a black sand beach. The wind rustled the umbrella that provided my shade so that I didn’t roast in the midday sun. I dug my toes into the sand and stretched, creating furrows that were washed away when the next set of aquamarine waves lapped at the shore. The palm tree analogues whispered in the wind. Small creatures that looked like a cross between a monkey and a sloth jumped from branch to branch. They hooted and hollered to each other. My presence seventy feet away didn’t seem to bother them.

An exceptionally large wave washed up and over my feet. It tipped over my drink which had been sitting in the sand. The contents spilled and soaked into the ground. I sighed and reached over to pick up the glass. If this was the worst that was going to happen today I couldn’t be mad.

A group of small figures, no more than two feet tall and seven in numbers, walked towards me. The air wavered from the heat making them look like a mirage, but I knew they were real. The Hive had been tickling at my brain for the past hour. Why it hadn’t spoken with me hadn’t weighed very heavily on my mind.

I waved and the seven waved back in unison. They picked up their pace. It didn’t seem necessary for me to get up and meet them halfway. I hadn’t invited The Hive to come see me. It’d done so upon its own volition.

“Hello,” called out the members as one. They spoke in perfect unison, their voice strengthened by seven speaking at once.

“You found me,” I said. I smirked as they arrived at my spot and lined up in a row. The Hive had dropped me off on this planet about a standard year ago. That was approximately a year and a half in Earth years. I still had to do the calculations in my head to convert. It didn’t come naturally yet.

“Yes,” said The Hive. “I came to check on your progress.” All the members wore their exosuits. The planet’s atmosphere didn’t have high enough oxygen content for them to breathe.

“I’m good,” I said. I took in a deep breath. With therapy the nightmares had gone away. I’d learned about events that would trigger my flashback and how to handle them. Outbursts of anger had become almost non-existent. My depression had been overcome. Overall, I felt better than I had in a long time and that included before my time in the cryo-chamber. “The therapists here have been really good.”

The Hive members nodded and said, “Good. I’m glad to hear it.” The members squatted in a sitting position. I guessed their suits supported them because otherwise it didn’t look comfortable.

“I’m guessing you didn’t come to have an in person chat about my mental health,” I said.

“No,” The Hive said. It looked at me, and I felt it rummaging around. If they’d try that even a few months ago I might have lashed out. “I did wait until you could handle me being around, but I also figured you wondered about the going-ons of the galaxy.”

It was right. The Hive paid for my therapy and part of that therapy for me was being sequestered from the outside world. It was the world that had given me troubles and the therapists had decided cutting off contact would aid in my recovery. Some thought that I needed to be reintroduced to the galaxy a little bit at a time. It didn’t really matter to me as it wasn’t like I left any family behind.

I rubbed my chin. “I’ve been meaning to start reaching out and examining the current climate.”

“The war between the Vantagax Republic and the Confederacy is over,” said The Hive. “The colonists’ assault broke the back of the Vantagax.”

“Just like the Confederacy wanted,” I murmured, looking out to the ocean.

“They lost a lot of ships and soldiers coming to Braxa’s aid.”

I started. “Braxa’s alive?” The General wasn’t someone who would let something go. I didn’t need her coming after me for retribution.

“No,” said The Hive. “She died early on. About ten of her crew survived after being captured on another colonist ship.” The Hive paused, their antennae making rapid back and forth movements. “They will need a lot of help.”

“What about the colonists?” The optimistic side of me hoped some could be saved even if they might never be what would be considered normal. The pessimistic side of me said my optimism was stupid.

“Some have been caught and are in institutions. Some have disappeared, maybe gone back to the other dimension. Others are still prowling about. They attack and retreat,” said The Hive. “They’re like marauders. The news stories have a field day with the Terran Threat every time there’s an attack.”

I wiggled my toes in the sand and looked down at my hands. “Have any other…” my voice trailed off. Since killing Kaur I’d tried not to think too hard about being alone. My therapists told me I wasn’t singular. We’d worked on coming to terms with my situation, but it didn’t make asking The Hive any easier. “Have any other non-colonist Terrans been found?” I blurted out the question because if I didn’t say it fast I wasn’t going to finish it.

One of The Hive members reached out and touched my arm. “No,” they said.

“Could there be some kind of cloning program?” I remembered Wards telling me about finding remains in the Sol System. “Clone out a viable population or something.”

“I doubt the Vantagax would do it because they blame the Terrans for their loss to the Confederacy. The Confederacy is too busy patting themselves on the back. I’ve heard that internally they have no desire to resurrect the Sol System culture because it will gain them nothing.”

I sighed and nodded. My hands played with the hem of my shorts. They needed to do something.

“Publicly they have expressed sorrow at what happened and offer you their condolences,” said The Hive, “but they’re not going to do anything.” The Hive said nothing but watched me and waited.

“So, what now?” I couldn’t stay locked away forever. At some point I had to leave. Earth wasn’t an option unless I desired to be the loneliest garbage man cleaning up the debris left behind. Who knows if I had any marketable skills that I could use. My future stretched out in front of me as a long road of nothingness. I felt myself starting to sink into the black again.

“There have been reports of wildcatter settlements,” said The Hive. “Rumors of Terrans trying to colonize.”

“Right,” I said. “Probably nothing but stories to scare children.” I waved my hands in the air in mock fright. “Look out kids, here come the crazy Terran colonists. If you don’t behave they’ll take you away to their cities and force you to eat your sister.”

I glanced over at them for some kind of reaction. The Hive didn’t seem to understand. They stood still and waited. When I dropped my hands back to my sides they spoke.

“I’ve seen one settlement. Terran DNA all over the place,” said The Hive. “Before I brought it to your attention I wanted to see it for myself.”

My stomach jumped into my throat. I swallowed to force it back down. It didn’t help and my words came out in a hoarse whisper. “It’s not Kaur’s colonists?”

The Hive members shook their heads as one. “No,” they said. “At least I don’t think so. There were crops and play structures and communal dining areas.” They looked directly at me. “I don’t think Kaur’s people have settled down let alone set up an actual community.”

I agreed. My fingers tapped in a staccato rhythm on the beach chair armrests. The waves lapping at my feet seemed boring and lackluster. My surroundings had lost their appeal. Their colors muted and dimmed.

“Do you want to investigate?” said The Hive.

My chair tipped over backwards because I stood so fast. I grabbed the shade umbrella and pulled it out of the sand. It was time to leave this place and move on, time to go forward. Every fiber of my being screamed for action.

“Yes,” I said.