THE GALAXYMBION ODYSSEY

What had started as a bad rev for Mar Tox Tolvis was certainly proving to get worse from one pulse to the next. He looked at this small child, perhaps seven or eight orbits old. “I see,” he commented. “You say that your parents boarded Canmark Soryah at Iclaan Central Spaceport. Then you got lost yet found your way onto our vessel by mistake, without being noticed? That is highly improbable of course, but even more so is your claim to be in synchronous existence with your own future self from precisely twenty orbits later than your time. Tell me; what were you and your parents doing on Iclaan, so far from home?”

“My mother is a healer and my father an explorer. They saw their visit like a working holiday; mother studied at your Global Medical Research Centre, and my father travelled across your planet making maps and topographical charts.”

“According to Central Galaxymbion Archive your parents are Jen Taro, healer, and Mirek Olara, explorer. However, you were born to them in 2743 Kolda-rian time. You should be around twenty-seven orbits old, young Mirek Taro.”

“I understand, Captain. This is due to catastrophic causal instabilities, one of which you are experiencing right now. This vessel has been pulled around three hundred orbits into the future.”

The Captain frowned and looked at Science Specialist Eburia with an expression of ‘what do I say next?’ before turning back to the boy. “And who told you that, exactly?”

“Nobody. I sense that we are all in an incorrect time frame; the frequency of inexplicable eventualities is increasing. This planet where we are now – Braagan – lies at an intersection between Elvakay, Ledara, Gelaymer and Thesa-X. Your Zindraxan navigator, Thtenbayex, has also worked this out, but what he has not yet calculated is that the axis between Elvakay and Thesa-X also points directly towards Andromeda.”

“Upon what foundations do you construct such theoretical architecture, young man?” Eburia asked.

“The same foundation as all Galaxymbion citizens base their theoretical architecture; knowledge, experience, sensory perception, extrapolation and direct evidence. I sense many things very potently and I believe your navigator is currently in your astrophysics lab. He is going to call you now.”

A ‘beep’ issued from Mar Tox Tolvis’s jacket and he took out his comm disc. “Captain here. Yes, Thtenbayex, and exactly what have you discovered?” The Captain’s eyes widened. “That is remarkable. Navigator, we have a stowaway on board; a Kolda-rian boy of about eight orbits old. He’s just told us the same thing but he added something. He says one of the axial lines points directly at Andromeda. Well check it and call me back.” The Captain looked at Mirek Taro and frowned again. “I don’t know how you know all this, young man, but you appear to have unique abilities. Tell us if you sense anything else interesting or useful.”

“This planet has the same size, mass and gravity as the Braagan you know. However, it supports life. Radiation is not just much lower than you would expect, even for its tricentennial temporal dislocation; it is non-existent. Captain, you and your crew are in considerable danger here. There are strong destiny fractures all over Braagan’s surface and indigenous life here is aggressive, powerful and malevolent. The sooner we leave the better, and you will need my assistance.”

“Your assistance?” Eburia asked. “How exactly can an eight-orbit old Kolda-rian help us escape this hostile environment? This indigenous life of yours – it has a name?”

“In a time when more is understood about it you will call it Letungexeva-C or The Elix or even The Time Guardians. It is a pernicious temporal virus related to other chronomorphs.”

“Chronomorphs? Well, that is certainly interesting. Exactly how would you know all about Braagan? Been here before?”

The child version of Mirek Taro then uttered something so completely unexpected that it caught Eburia off-guard. “Braagan’s magnetic north pole is its core; its south pole is the rest of the cosmos. This is why it is so difficult to navigate here. To the south west of our location nineteen recules away is a field of plasma geysers surrounded by boulder formations. These are layered with alternating soft and hard rocks sculptured curiously by erosion. Soils are fine, magnesium and lithium based sandy minerals mixed with volcanic ash. Beyond the plasma geysers is an acidic lava sea.”

The Captain’s comm pad beeped again. “Yes, Thtenbayex, I am here. It does? I don’t know how he knew, he just did. Okay, let me know anything else you find. One last thing; is Braagan’s magnetic north pole situated at its core? How odd! This child told me, that’s how. Run a long-range scan of this entire region, I want to know everything that there is to know out to about twenty recules.” The Captain closed the pad and holstered it in his jacket pocket. “It seems you have a great deal of knowledge and perception for your age, young man. My crewmates and I must go outside to evaluate damage to our hull. Do you want to come with us, have a look at this strange world’s geography?”

“I said before that you will need my assistance, Captain Tolvis. It is vital I accompany you outside in case some of the nearby temporal fissures distort; there are many dangers to be overcome on this planet and a paucity of logic that can be applied to this form of randomness.”

A junior officer approached the group, noticed the child and then delivered her announcement; “Captain, all repair teams report ready for external survey. If you will switch your shield-suits on and follow me to airlock five. And the child?”

“Is coming with us; get him an adaptive shield suit and a med-kit.”

“Sir?” the startled girl acknowledged, turning to fetch these items. She returned in a few lapses, handing them to Mirek. “Are you ready, Captain? This way, please. Teams four and five are already out there; team three is in airlock two, teams one and two are nearly ready. They had a lot of heavy equipment to collect. Now, if you can all enter the chamber and activate your shield filters; calibrate to 25-19-07 and visors to full electromagnetic spectrum. It’s rather wild out there, Captain, so be careful. Amplify your EVA boots for extra safety.”

Science Specialist Eburia caught up with Mirek. “You must read a lot or spend all your spare time in learning sphere booths. Do you have any favourite subjects?”

“Temporal physics, Miss Eburia. I am something of an expert now.”

“Oh, of course. I should have guessed that. What branch of temporal physics interests you most?”

“The differences between physionic and temporanic life, how they interact in Cosmic Liquidity Tensions and how they perceive evolutionary progress.”

“Rather specific for an eight-orbit old. What made you study such advanced concepts?”

“I was not always a child, Miss Eburia.”

“Exactly what were you, then, Mirek Taro?”

“An adult, of course. Your expression indicates you think I am either lying or insane. But I ask you this, Eburia; as a science specialist from Saara 2, working on an Iclaani space cruiser, with a Zindraxan navigator and a number of Pelmari crew, have you never encountered the unconventional? What makes each of our Galaxymbion species so good at working together? Our bodies or our minds and spirits?”

“Our minds and spirits, naturally. Are you telling me that you are just a spirit in a little boy’s form?”

“Essentially, yes. When I was eight I did become lost at Iclaan, and in what is to you the past. My family was travelling back to Kolda-ra on the Canmark Soryah. I, the living spirit of Mirek Taro, took that opportunity to stowaway on your vessel so that I could help you. You see my eight-orbit old self’s shell, but my thoughts are those of my adult form.”

“Indeed? Look, the outer hatch is opening. Stay close to me and activate your EVA shoes when we leave the ship. So, are you a Kolda-rian Niva, perhaps? If my Galaxymbion history serves me correctly Nivas were mythical spirits believed to co-exist with Kolda-rians. But those myths died out many millennia ago.” She pulled at Mirek’s left shoulder gently; he understood why. “You don’t feel like a mythical spirit. You feel like an eight-orbit old child.”

She began walking out onto the upper hull, Mirek tagging along behind her. “Tell me, science specialist. If it is our spirits and minds that work well together then those are what define us. Can one spirit connect agreeably with another from a different period in time?”

“Of course, Mirek; in art, music, philosophy, literature, knowledge and scientific concepts for a start. But the spirits are not actually meeting, merely interacting with each other; the latter spirit is encountering codified thoughts set down in writing or art by the former spirit. The connection is always retrograde.”

“That is no longer our galactic reality, Miss Eburia. Spirits, once separated by physical history, can actually meet in any time-frame now. They can move through time and there is no need for relativistic alterations at either end of their journey. My Niva from twenty orbits in my future has used the opportunity of my eight-orbit old self being lost in Iclaan Central, to be able to board Canmark Rarnimdi. And here I am. You will find the relevant equations and proofs in sub-nucleonic Pulsewave Theory, as elaborated by Mezal Voy Torondis of Bireldene 6 – affectionately known as ‘The Mezoy’ - and Faria Salddari of Kolda-ra.”

Eburia looked at Mirek with a smile. “You are a bright little boy; strange but bright. Well, well, well, look at that rip along our hull. Could take weeks and a large chunk of our energy reserves to repair.”

“I can fix it in a few lapses, scientist Eburia. It is no problem for one who has fused with their Niva.”

“Enough of your curious myths and legends, young man. This is a serious situation which will take round-the-clock hard work by teams of scientists, engineers and technicians.”

“Follow me,” the child said, matter-of-factly. “See this gouged portion of metal at the end of the damage? Stand back.”

“Very well, amaze me with your powers.”

Pink energy radiated from Mirek, cloud-like and semi-transparent, focusing on the damaged hull plating. Pulses later that energy was gone, along with the damage. Eburia stared in disbelief, and another technician who had noticed joined them. The Captain arrived, curious about this commotion.

“Fixed it, he has,” the incredulous engineer stated, surveying the repair with a molecular scanner. “Good as new, even shell-matrixed. Substructures, R.E.D membranes and Sensormesh layers all reinstated. How did you do that, lad?”

“I can control matter and time in a limited way. If you allow me I can fix all this damage in a few lapses. You will need to stand well back, though.”

“Captain?” the engineer asked. “We can leave this ghastly planet within a perchron if the lad can do a proper job of this repair. Sir?”

“Very well, get your repair crews far enough back to be safe. Afterwards you will all remain here to check that the repairs are good. Come on, Eburia, we must also be out of the way. It’s all yours, Mirek Taro of Kolda-ra.”

A much larger quantity of pink energy poured out of this child, floating over and partly shrouding the areas of ripped metal. The boy himself, eyes closed and arms outstretched as he manipulated the energy, stood still with concentration. There was no sound, no heat, no vibration or smell from this process. Not even a hum; just rippling pink energy. At times Mirek seemed to shift his arms like an orchestral conductor, crafting and directing these repairs. With abruptness that glowing energy evaporated revealing an unblemished hull. Mirek turned to face Eburia and the Captain. “I am rather tired now and need to rest.” He passed out.

“It’s incredible, never seen anything like it,” a technician commented.

“He has completely regenerated the Pulsewave signature of every quark, electron or other particle,” a scientist added, clearly awe-struck.

“Even shell-matrixed; everything just like new,” the technician continued.

“You would never know any damage had ever occurred,” a second scientist pointed out.

“Look, he’s waking up.”

“Stand back please, everyone,” Doctor Yantira said. “Now, young man, we have all had quite an experience, but you in particular. Your body is exhausted. How do you feel?”

“Better, thank you. Where am I exactly?”

“Starship Canmark Rarnimdi, Dorianu class, medical bay. Don’t you remember what happened?”

“My parents were boarding the Canmark Soryah, I think. We were separated going through Transition Control and I tried to call them to tell them where I was. Something strange happened, I’m not sure what, but I think I forgot everything and found myself hiding aboard Rarnimdi.”

“Alright, lay back and relax. You have helped us a great deal. Tremendously, in fact. Now you are depleted of all energy. Try to get some rest.” Doctor Yantira stood and turned. “Will all of you please leave med bay, except Captain Tolvis and scientist Eburia? I will notify our senior officers of Mirek’s recovery.”

“Diagnosis, Doctor?”

“Captain, his biological readings are different from earlier; much weaker. As far as I can tell he has expended a huge amount of energy; far more than he actually has available. There is something else. His mind scans are different from the Kolda-rian norm. Elevated exponentially. I believe he is indeed fully integrated with a Niva, as he claims.”

“Doctor, that is just ancient Kolda-rian mysticism.”

“Captain, he fixed our hull with his own power. That is not ancient mysticism, Kolda-rian or otherwise. Now, if you don’t mind I have a rather special patient to look after and you are taking up valuable space.”

“Well that told you,” Eburia laughed.

“I know when I’m not wanted,” Captain Tolvis complained.

“That goes for you, too, science specialist,” Yantira added. They both left, and Yantira turned back to her patient. “Well, when you feel strong enough you can tell me more about yourself, Mirek Taro.”

The boy looked up at her. “Doctor Yantira, everyone on this cruiser must understand why I am here. It is no accident. All sentient living things exert deliberate pressures on their environment and other life. Where those pressures are benevolent, transitory and confined to harmonious interactions, the effects are benign and reinforcing. But aggressive, selfish, destructive and warlike individuals cause a different effect. They exert harmful pressures that are cumulative and erosive; these coagulate, bind and magnify each other until a reservoir of negative energy builds up to overload the thought dimension. Such disturbances cannot be contained indefinitely and spill over into time, causing fractures and fissures.

“Doctor, this crew will learn much about how time is decomposed by destructive thought; I must help Rarnimdi return home unscathed, to its own time. What becomes of me is irrelevant.”

“Stop talking so much, Mirek. You will wear yourself out. If you refuse to rest willingly I will have to sedate you.”

“I will rest, doctor. Just tell your Captain. Time will continue to fracture as long as chaotic thought is permitted to continue adding inflammatory fuel to this dimensional inferno. Don’t let them go to the geysers alone.”

“Sleep, young man. I will speak with Mar Tox Tolvis.”

Mirek drifted deliriously into unconsciousness, mumbling. “Magnesium ash soil, changing and sifting, replaced, magnetic swamp, unbearable heat, many dangers, beware of oozing slime, Letungexeva ribbons, sensitive to sound, must not go alone. . . . .must not look at them, extremely sensitive to fear. . . . chaos..”

“Is he asleep?” the duty nurse asked.

“Yes, at last. Make sure he stays that way for now. I am going to speak to Captain Tolvis before he leaves. Call me if there is any change.”

“You all heard what Doctor Yantira said. Unfortunately, we need to re-energise our fuel cells and the energy we need is at those geysers. Mirek is still unconscious and regardless of his interesting abilities, just a child. We will journey across the rough terrain ahead by combi-truck. Everyone must have a med-kit, laser rifle, laser pistol, personal field generators and R.E.D discs. Cage your emotions in lead; even minor signals of a disorganised nature could alert these creatures, if indeed they exist.

“According to the boy the combined clashes of billions of wilful, primitive, abrasive thoughts have fuelled this temporal collapse, and these virus creatures are somehow a consequence of it. Exercise extreme caution, keep in constant ‘sleeper’ contact with each other and be prepared for anything we may encounter. Okay, climb aboard and let’s get moving.”

The first two combi-trucks rolled down their ramp from Rarnimdi’s forward hangar bay and advanced beyond the cruiser’s shadow. A few lapses later two more combi-trucks joined them. There were a few moments of conference and then all four trucks rumbled on through soft magnesium sands.

Mirek lay sleeping in the dark, his eyelids moving as if some thoughts or visions disturbed him. A gentle pink aura surrounded him, coalesced and seeped into him. He woke, detaching himself from the medic bed and its monitors. He could sense the danger; Mar Tox Tolvis and his four technical teams were heading out to the geysers and certain death near the Straits of Tarphon. If he left now the medic bed would register his absence and alert people. He telepathically altered its programming to continue registering his presence and biological information. His strength now fully returned he needed to get to those plasma geysers as quickly as possible. Only one logical solution presented itself; metamorphose into pure energy. It was unclear how this might affect his younger self’s physical form, or what might happen to his adult form back on Kolda-ra, fighting its own Letungexeva parasite.

Even the ground was hot here. The combi-trucks had been parked far enough away not to be damaged by stray jets of geyser plasma, but near enough to run to in an emergency. Rows of technicians built a shield generator to act like an umbrella, repelling lumps of plasma that strayed their way. Behind this force-field canopy they now prepared the fuel cells to ‘skim’ radioactive energy from their surrounding atmosphere.

Luvris and Larsis, the two Pelmari, were scanning for pockets of sequential stability where it could be reasonably safe to work. Torbix and Eburia, the cruiser’s Saaran scientists coordinated everything and organised the power collecting technicians. Captain Tolvis surveyed the grim, acrid desolation of this impressive geyser forest. Looking into a hell like that made it easy to believe Mirek’s warnings of dangerous entities living amongst these geysers. Two notions occurred to him; that Canmark Rarnimdi was being held hostage by time and that any ‘Letungexeva’ creatures were also temporal hostages. Pulsewave readings on his scanner were completely haywire – mental, even. If you looked close enough where the biggest disturbances were you could see the fractures; parts of an object looking quite different from the rest.

Feeling uncomfortable staying in one place only a short distance from a sizable temporal fissure, Tolvis walked back towards his teams of geologists, astrophysicists, astro-chemists and temporal physicists. Eburia strolled over to greet him.

“We are ready to go, Captain. I have enhanced everyone’s shield suits to counteract the additional heat and ionisation. A separate shield harmonic should keep these unpredictable instabilities at bay. Sir, perhaps a word of encouragement before our teams venture into hell’s forest?”

The Captain turned his communicator pad on and set it to ‘all’. “Everyone: take extreme care of yourselves and follow your route orientation from our control crews; anything you see in there, even just a scary scan reading, drop your energy collectors and get back here by the same route. Do not deviate from those paths, and remember it really isn’t that bad in there, though. Reminds me of parts of planet Dreena when I studied at their Central Physics Archive.” Laughter returned, particularly from a young Dreen. “Keep a sharp lookout for anything moving or alive, watch each other’s backs and stay safe. If any of you cannot bring yourselves to go in there, you don’t have to. I will be leading this mission from the front. May your Gods smile on you, if you have any.”

“I must protest, Captain,” Yantira’s voice suddenly shouted over polycom. “As ship’s doctor I recommended you to remain safe on Rarnimdi, not go sightseeing in a danger zone.”

“Too late, Doctor. We need these energy cells recharged or we will be stuck here in an uncertain future,” he replied, strapping field kits on and fastening his protective helmet. “Okay teams, follow me.” And with that he stepped forward as if out for a pleasant country walk.

Yantira looked at her monitor in horror as Tolvis strode confidently between the first two geysers, barely avoiding their fiery venom. His teams inched forward, fanning out into the forest of singed stone and boiling tar pits, geyser fountains spewing molten muck all around them. There were occasional blue flashes as molten particles hit shield suits. In a few pulses all four teams disappeared into an acrid wasteland leaving blue flashes as the only clues to their progress. She switched polycom to the control crews. “Bio-scans?”

“All as normal as possible, given the temperatures in there. Breathing normal, respiration normal, blood pressure slightly elevated. That could be nerves, though. Shield suits operating at 97%. We have green on the first energy cells; doctor, they are successfully harnessing everything we need. About ten more lapses and the fuel cells will all be reloaded with radiation.”

“That’s what worries me. Can any of our people be recalled yet?”

“Yes, the Captain and five others have almost full cells now.”

“Get each person back as soon as they have recharged their energy cells.” The technician mumbled an affirimative and cut the link.

In the midst of hell that young engineer of Dreen lineage, Maiden Olinvi, squinted her eyes ahead to try and follow ever shifting patterns of energy. Thick gaseous slurps bubbled out from boiling magma swamps all around her as she stepped forward toward her energy target. She steadied her mind, looking closely at her helmet visor’s micrographic display. Another step taken safely. With insufficient room to place more than one foot at a time on the few stable, still solid stones, she was straddling two like everyone else.

To reach her next stepping stone required a large shift of her left leg from behind to in front of her, a precarious manoeuvre at the recommended slow speed. Olinvi swallowed her fear and began pivoting on her right foot, an ungainly shift that threatened her right flank with a lost footing. Still checking her micrographic, she gingerly pivoted her left side forward to compensate for momentary loss of balance; with this increased momentum her left foot landed securely on its next stepping-stone, though a little heavily for her liking. She breathed a sigh of relief for not having fallen into the boiling lake of molten rock-tar and considered her right foot’s next move.

Up ahead the energy bubble remained stable, so she decided to choose her path extremely carefully. Something stirred below, awakened by that intense lunge for safe footing. Her suit scanner flagged a warning light on her visor and a steady bleep drew her attention to this hazard. Whatever it was had positioned itself behind her and was already a half recule clear of molten swamp; who knows how much more of it lurked beneath the surface? She carefully removed her laser pistol from its holster and thumbed its controls to maximum. She could not turn to look back at the apparition because of her awkward stance combined with fear, so lined up a backward shot under her arm, guided by a reverse image on her visor.

The creature was of a whitish hue, structured in segments and covered with a tough granular hide. It glistened from the tar and magma, some of which rolled like water off oil from its upper serpentine body. Flanges of skin unfurled from either side of its neck just below a sleek featureless head. It studied the physion in front of it. A weak, brittle creature with manufactured coverings and objects. It understood little about this creature except its cumbersome movements, frailty and lack of familiarity with this environment. The Time Guardian knew what it must do with this intruder.

Olinvi froze absolutely still; based on the advice of a stowaway child, Captain Tolvis had instructed everyone on how to avoid detection and confrontation with any Letungexeva life they might encounter. She fought to bring her heart rate down and control her breathing, keeping the pistol as a last option. Words from the control crew flashed across her visor’s micrographic, hopefully not in the creature’s line of sight.

YOU HAVE ELEVATED PULMINARY READING, TECHNICIAN. SIGNAL RED IF YOU REQUIRE ASSISTANCE

Without moving, Maiden Olinvi thought her response message into the autocom device: CONTACT: INDIGENOUS LIFE. RELAYING IMAGE. STARTING EVASIVE RESPIRATION. HOLD. She hoped control crews knew how to treat such messages, since further communication could ruin her chances of survival. Several tense pulses followed, then in her micrographic she saw the serpentine sink back into the pit from which it had risen. She waited a little longer, until its head disappeared completely, before gently moving forward. There was no room for error or clumsiness so, mustering all her self-discipline and grace, she judiciously holstered her pistol and moved her right foot forward to another stone. Intellectual composure, she thought to herself repeatedly. Breathe calmly. With excruciating slowness she completed the eight steps left to her allotted radiant energy bubble.

Checking her visor’s sensor readings for further signs of movement around her she was relieved to see that everything was clear. Vigilantly, without any provocative movements, she lifted the fuel cell to the radiant boundary and thumbed its scanners on; pure ultra-violet radiation, some low-level gamma rays, stray microphotons. Despite this microphoton toxicity – such fundamental particles theoretically cannot exist except locked up in the sub-nucleonic layers of other particles – the scanners confirmed the energy sample was adequate. She pressed ‘gather’ and a low hum indicated the fuel cell recharging. She hoped it was too low to attract unwanted attention.

The red-hot surface of the broiling vat around Olinvi broke marginally in several places behind her. Fractional portions of sleek white heads surveyed their quarry, which appeared to be stealing their power nutrition. Others were called to assist.

Olinvi heard a murmur; half-way between a click and whine. She checked her visor but nothing was visible. Probably just the wind, or noise from one of these geysers. Her arms were beginning to ache from holding her fuel cell in an outstretched position. The capacity indicator showed 89% full; just a few more pulses. Several click-whines sounded behind her, but she dared not look. There was a pattern to them, as if some form of communication, and the technician tensed reflexively. At last her fuel cell showed capacity 100% so she gently switched it off and turned on her own axis to attempt a return journey. Her visor showed nothing and she could see nothing ahead. Then she looked down at the boiling magma soup around her.

Five heads reared up slowly on arched tubular bodies until they were at the same level as Olinvi’s. Dreens have always been an extraordinarily sensitive species, and it is known amongst their kind when their moment of death is imminent. Olinvi understood this realisation now; whatever she did this was her time. She wondered if other members of the team were having similar encounters. There had been no panic messages, but that was not conclusive; these creatures may be capable of killing swiftly and silently. In her visor micrographic she saw more serpentine forms rising at her sides and behind her. There was no longer a tangible safety margin and there would be no return to Canmark Rarnimdi for her. Her destiny ended here on Braagan. Two thoughts crossed her mind; to get her fuel cell back to her crewmates and that only the Mirek could survive an encounter with Letungexeva.

With only meagre pulses to spare Olinvi consulted her visor micrographic, asking it to calculate with how much force and in which direction she would need to throw her fuel cell. It was possible. She thought into her communicator pad SURROUNDED: ELEVEN LETUNGEXEVA SERPENTINES. CONDITION CRITICAL. WILL THROW CELL FORWARD FOR YOU TO COLLECT. DO NOT ATTEMPT RESCUE. The white serpentines all unfurled their neck flanges and began a cacophony of clicks and whines. A web of green energy spread between each serpentine and its neighbour; all eleven of them rose further from their molten home, joining their green crackling web of lightning together above Olinvi’s head. She threw the cell with all her might, briefly piercing their web, and saw it land some distance away. She hoped that was enough.

Olinvi knew it was folly to touch that web, but she had to. She could not help herself. She stepped forward and lifted her arms to her sides, closing her eyes and tilting her head skywards. Her captors closed in swiftly. A scream rang out from within that fiendish circle, carrying the fear and pain of umpteen millions of souls from a hundred thousand planets; its volume broke the air beyond the crackling fronds of viciousness that engulfed her. She crumpled into a contorted heap on her last stone pedestal, engulfed by agonies of untold millennia and the descending forms of virus creatures. Amid white writhing serpentines Olinvi descended into the churning pit of fire.

Several laser pistol or rifle shots sliced through acrid smoke but either missed target or had no effect on Olinvi’s attackers. The Captain and three others arrived but nothing remained of their colleague. They grabbed her fuel cell and hurried back to safe land, jumping stones easily with strength of fear. “Get all these fuel cells loaded and board the combi-trucks quickly. I don’t want any more casualties.”

The control crews had already mobilised, reading the decaying situation from scanners and messages received from collectors under attack. “Captain, the drivers are already powering up, and most of our equipment is loaded.”

“Help get these cells on board. Anyone with laser rifles still working form a shooting line. Destroy anything weird that emerges from that plasma field. Set levels to maximum. Hurry.” As he ran to the nearest combi-truck, hauling one side of a cell with a technician hauling the other side, Captain Mar Tox Tolvis saw a pink-crimson cloud shape floating toward the geysers. It passed over their heads and landed somewhere behind them, coalescing into the Mirek child. Looking backwards as he ran, he saw the child say something to his riflemen, all of whom stood and began running to the combi-trucks. There was no further time to watch this unfolding spectacle. Everyone piled into the awaiting trucks with their fuel cells and strapped themselves into the nearest seats hurriedly. Drivers hit the accelerator levers urgently and their trucks and cargo rumbled back to their mother ship with all possible haste.

“How many did we lose?” Yantira asked over the polycom.

“Nineteen people and almost as many fuel cells.”

“Mirek is not coming back is he, Captain?”

“I don’t believe so; he has some affinity with those creatures. He did not seem to me like the suicidal type.”

“Indeed not, Captain. He did seem determined to help us, though. Who do you think sent him here?”

“My dear Doctor, nobody sent him.”