Black Hole Witch
by
Paul Comstock
https://www.paulallancomstock.com
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PUBLISHED BY:
Black Hole Witch
Copyright © 2007 by Paul Comstock
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Black Hole Witch
Munji commanded the alien spirits that had come at her bidding, but the gigantic colony ship Endeavor continued to slip closer to the event horizon of the black hole. Unseen energies and forces emanating from the cold, dark, and massive body let nothing escape, not even the spirits of the long dead inhabitants of the countless alien worlds it had absorbed. The closer the Endeavor came, the less likely it would be that the ship’s powerful engines, capable of propelling it to nearly the speed of light, could pull them out of its deadly grasp. If the power techs couldn't get the fusion reactors back on-line soon the ship would be lost. Munji was tiring and could not hold the spirit’s attention much longer.
A clang and a whoosh interrupted Munji. Without thinking, she glanced over to the airlock door, her concentration breaking for the briefest instant. She glimpsed the silhouette of a young woman in her early twenties through the flickering and wavering emergency lighting that gave everything a ghastly and foggy look. It was Asrana, the only one of her Coven unfamiliar with the supreme effort that was needed to hold the spirits. Not her fault, and in truth, Munji’s own for not teaching Asrana better, but that didn’t change its bad timing. The distraction disengaged Munji for an infinitesimal and insignificant passage of time in the physical world, but an eternity in the spirit world. Time she could not afford to waste, and she shifted her concentration back as quickly as she could.
Tenuous bonds between her and the spirits stretched and strained, many eventually breaking as some of the spirits lost interest in her and the ship. With each departed spirit the supernatural forces holding the ship in place lessened in kind. The ship shuddered and creaked as the remaining spirits strained, just barely numbering enough to hold it against the relentless pull of gravity. Then the ship lurched.
Despair and desperation gripped Munji. I must not falter, she thought, and closed her eyes tighter, trying desperately to maintain the spirit’s interest. Munji pleaded and begged with the spirits to stay where they were, but it was already too late. Many no longer cared, and started to leave. Her heart sank. So many lives to be lost, and because of what? Nothing more than a failing machine with unfortunate timing. Chance some would say. Others, destiny.
She was tempted to let the remaining spirits go as well. To release herself from the terrible responsibility, at least for the few hours--or maybe just minutes--of life that would remain afterward. The effort seemed almost useless anyway, destined to failure. As her resolve diminished, so did her defenses. Images of her past life--secrets and embarrassments normally blocked from her thoughts--flooded from her mind, fighting for purchase. Now she had no choice but to share them with the alien spirits.
Surprisingly, the spirits regained interest in her as the thoughts and images flowed freely from her. A calm coolness came over her as the spirits drew closer, giving her renewed energy. It surged and invigorated her, tingling along her spine and caressing her soul. She smiled. I am not dead yet, she thought. Maybe I can hold just a little longer. Once again she focused on her task.
Another lurch, and a startled yelp coming from Asrana. Munji was ready for it this time, and ignored the distraction, focusing every bit of concentration on the remaining spirits. The effort was costing her, she knew. Munji was far from being young. Even more troubling, she could feel the energy within the spirits dwindling. The closer the ship came to the event horizon, the harder the spirits had to push, and the quicker their energy was sucked away. They were all weakening. The only question remaining was who would falter first, the spirits or herself. She feared it would be her.
Just as Munji felt the last of her strength failing, the dim lights of the emergency batteries turned off replaced by the bright white of the ship's main lights. The reactor had been repaired once again, and now she could finally let go of her tie to the spirits. She thanked them as best she could, some accepting it and others ignoring her as they were pushed away from the ship. She took no offense at their actions. Each had a unique personality, the same as they carried in life, and so each reacted differently. Munji was just thankful for their help.
Breathing a long sigh of relief, she opened her eyes and slumped over onto the deck, not having the energy needed to keep herself sitting upright. This had been difficult without anyone else’s energy to channel. Holding the spirits always drained her, leaving her feeling weak and tired, but this time she had done it alone. This time, she had felt her very life slipping away, her own spirit being drawn and stretched and almost breaking.
"Munji!" Asrana yelled, and grabbed her.
"I am all right, child. Do not distress over me." Munji smiled up at the young girl, fighting back pain, her head pounding. She did not like to mislead Asrana on her health, but for now it seemed the best course to follow. Maybe after the crisis had passed, but not now. Asrana hugged her close, and Munji could feel the energy that flowed through the young woman. So strong and so vital, and a good thing, too, for Asrana was the only other true channeler on the Endeavor, the only other witch capable of keeping the spirit’s attention and channeling the energy of the other Coven members. If Munji died, then Asrana would be the colonist’s only way to call upon the spirits.
"We were lucky, weren’t we?" Asrana asked.
"Yes. It was very close. I could feel the strength drifting away from the spirits with each passing moment." Munji looked at Asrana, and saw fear upon her face. The same fear she had seen in so many others. Fear of what everyone knew to be inevitable, but few had the courage to voice out loud. Asrana had never shown her fear before, and it troubled Munji. "Asrana, you know how important it is to have hope, don't you?"
"Yes, Earth Mother. It’s just… difficult."
"Then don’t give up. Life always finds a way. You will see." Munji decided a change of subject was called for. "Speaking of life, what of your young man? Have you seen him today?"
"Oh, he is doing very well. Chief Tatow told him that he would soon become a Master Tech." Asrana was suddenly alert and alive, all fears forgotten. Munji envied her the ability to turn off her fear so quickly.
"Master Tech Derwit. It does have a nice sound to it, doesn't it? And so, has he asked you yet?"
"No, he has not asked me to marry him, but he will," she blurted out. Munji smiled. Even while their chances seemed slim, she could see strength in Asrana as she talked of love and marriage. Many of the colonists had lost all hope. That was evident from the slack and dull looks upon their faces, and the way they shuffled from place to place. It was the look of death, and it hung in the air like a stifling heat, choking the very breath away, suffocating them all.
Munji sighed. "Asrana, tell your young man that he should not wait any longer. Now is the time to commit to your future, even the little that might remain."
"I know, Earth Mother, but he does not see it as you do. He fears for the future, I think. He says he wants to wait until we reach our new home on Freedom. Actually, I think he’s afraid we might not escape the black hole."
"So has even the irrepressible Derwit lost faith in his engines?" she said, smiling. Derwit had the same undyin
g faith as Asrana, but being a Fusion Tech, he had faith in machines and science rather than spirits. Asrana and Derwit would make an interesting pair. That was, they would if any of them escaped the black demon and it’s pull. Munji was determined to see to it that they did.
"Oh, no, I don’t think he would ever lose faith in his machines. He still believes in the power of the ship, and in science, and that we will break free of this pull, it’s just that he finds it hard not to give in a little with so much despair around him."
Munji tilted her head. "Perhaps he is right. If they get the reactor repaired completely, we may still break free. Do not discard machines because they have no spirit. They are simply tools bent to a task. The danger is in treating machines as flexible and living things. They can only do the limited tasks they are designed for, but within their scope, they have great power as well."
Considering her own words, Munji wondered whether she believed it herself. Was it perhaps because she only wished for there to be a chance using the engines? The alternative was to admit that only her and the Coven could save them, and the responsibility of that was almost too much to bear.
"I know Earth Mother, but it is difficult to believe in science and machines when they don’t work. I know that without the spirits we would have already fallen into the black hole and perished. So which is more powerful, machines and science, or the spirits?"
Munji bit her lower lip. It was a question she had asked herself many times since the discovery of the alien spirits. On Earth, the answer was an easy one. The power of the spirits there was muted and reduced by the shear lack of numbers. On Earth the spirits weren’t trapped by a black hole as they were here. There they were able to be reborn or even leave Earth itself, seeking out other places in the universe. Here the spirits had no choice but to stay, and no chance to be reborn.
Even with the greater power of the spirits here, they had been lucky to have discovered the spirits at all. The ship’s reactors somehow blocked the spirits from approaching the ship, as if it projected some kind of invisible force shield. By chance alone, Munji and the rest of the Coven had been in the circle when the first shutdown had occurred. She could still remember the explosion of voice and thought from the alien spirits as the field from the reactors had dissipated.
"Neither is more powerful than the other, Asrana," Munji said. "Things are what they are. Machines do what machines do, and the spirits do as they do."
Asrana frowned and gritted her teeth. Munji had seen the look before, and waited the explosion. "That is why we must convince everyone on board so we can channel their energy, too. Then we could call enough spirits to push the ship to safety."
The idea was not without merit, and Munji had considered it herself, but the problem was complex. "Have you forgotten that the ship’s reactors must be turned off or the spirits can not get close enough? Do you think the colonists will give up their last bit of hope for something a self-proclaimed witch tells them?"
"I… I, don’t know."
Munji reached out and put an arm around Asrana. "I promise you Asrana that we will do something, but we must be very sure before we act."
"All right, Earth Mother. For now, I will try to be patient."
Munji doubted Asrana meant that last bit, but she took it as a good faith gesture, anyway. "Good. Now go find Derwit and convince him that the future is far brighter than he thinks."
"As you say, Earth Mother." Asrana bowed, and Munji smiled. Asrana liked to make a big deal about Munji's position and power. A child's game, but one that showed respect for the Coven and for the arts they practiced.
###
Munji, being drained and tired beyond her ability to stay awake, stumbled to her bed after Asrana left. Just a moment’s rest, that’s all I need, she thought. Her eyes closed, and she found herself in the half-conscious state between sleep and wakefulness. Trained as her mind was, she recognized the shifting and murky landscape as the spirit world, but foggy and unclear. Within it, twisted and distorted alien spirits danced and sang around the Endeavor, their shrilling voices piercingly high, singing in a language she could not hope to ever understand. She moved closer to get a better look, and a lone blob of a figure separated, heading directly for her.
As the distance between Munji and the blob narrowed, the figure became more distinct. First as nothing but a fuzzy ball, then just barely recognizable as human, with two arms and legs, coalescing into a small young woman. A woman Munji knew well. It was Asrana.
With a start she awoke, hearing a banging on her airlock door. The sound confused her for a minute as the cobwebs of sleep left her mind. The door was left open so any of her Coven could come and go freely, so it couldn’t have been any of them. They would simply have entered. She swallowed, remembering the ghostly figure from her dream, and knowing something was wrong.
She jumped too quickly off the bed, and felt her knees give way beneath her. Pain shot up her legs beginning at her ankles and ending as a stinging in her chest. Her eyes blurred and she sucked in a quick breath. A searing shot of pain spread down her arm. Not now, she thought. I can not die now. Breathing deeply, she willed herself to stand, and the pain dissipated. Taking several deep breaths, she regained her feet and headed to the door.
When she opened it, her chest flared with pain again as she saw a tall muscular young man holding the limp form of Asrana in his arms.
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"Derwit, what…" she started.
"Munji, I found her this way. I wanted to take her to the ship’s doctor, but she wouldn’t let me. She said to bring her here right before she passed out. She made me promise. I think she took something. You’ve got to help her."
Munji reached out and grabbed Asrana’s wrist. She had no idea how to read a person’s pulse, but thought she felt a faint and distant throbbing. The ashen look upon Asrana’s face gave her no confidence. Why, Asrana, why? "Quickly, take her to my bed," she said, moving out of the way as Derwit pushed past her.
Derwit laid Asrana carefully upon the bed, holding her hands in his. Then he looked pleadingly up at Munji. "Is she going to die?"
"I don’t know, Derwit. For now she seems okay, but I just don’t know."
"Oh God, oh God… Why didn’t I call for the doctor? I should have, but she made me promise. She made me promise," Derwit said, then continued to sob.
Munji felt like doing so, too, but instead controlled her grief. After all, she had been included with the colonists because she was supposed to be older and wiser. She needed to think this through.
Asrana was a young girl, and impetuous, that was certainly true, but she was no fool. She also wasn’t suicidal. Some of the colonists had taken that route, but Asrana wasn’t one of them, of that Munji was certain. No, there had to be something else she was attempting, but what? As Munji tried to figure it out, she examined Asrana absently. She came across a note in the pocket of Asrana’s pants. It was addressed to her.
Earth Mother,
I know you will think me foolish for this, but I can not let everyone die simply because we will not act. I am only now beginning to see what kind of power I have, and I believe it is time to do something with it. I believe I can convince the colonists to believe in the spirits. I intend to enter their dreams from the spirit world. I have taken sleeping pills to keep me under. Hopefully not enough to kill me before I’ve completed convincing enough colonists to help. Derwit will help any way you need. Tell him I love him.
Asrana
"Curses, child," she screamed, standing up, still clutching the note.
"What? What’s wrong?" Derwit said, his eyes wide and face streaked with tears and anguish.
"Huh?" Munji said, now realizing that she had spoken aloud. "Nothing Derwit. She’ll be okay." With that, Derwit turned back to Asrana, and Munji tried to work things out.
It
was clear now that this was all Munji’s fault. If only Asrana would have come to her before trying this. Again, for the second time in a day, Munji’s shortsightedness in training Asrana had come back to haunt her. It was true that in her current state, Asrana could enter dreams. Munji had taught her that much, but what Asrana didn’t understand was that her spirit was limited while her body still lived, tied as it was to her living self, and would lack the power to visit enough colonists’ dreams to make a difference. Also, it was likely that without proper training, no matter how powerful Asrana was, that she would find it almost impossible to regain her body again.
Asrana’s selfless act would be wasted and useless unless Munji acted now, and there was only one way she could see to save Asrana and the colonists. Munji would have to die.
###
Asrana’s spirit was tied to her body, and her body was still alive, so she had stayed within the spirit world of the ship instead of being repelled from it. If Munji were to do the same, she might be able to bring Asrana back, but she doubted she could survive the experience. Such an act required great physical fortitude. She doubted her old and worn body had what would be needed, and if she died rather than being just close to death, then her spirit would be repelled away from the colonists and the ship by the engines, and unable to save anybody.
On the other hand, dying completely would allow her to do both--guide Asrana back, and to connect with the colonists--but was impossible with the reactor on. Of course, with the reactor off and Munji and Asrana both in the spirit world, there would be no one to channel the Coven’s energies, and no spirits would be called to keep the Endeavor from falling into the black hole.
But what else could be done? She had no choice but to act quickly. Asrana would be unable to help as long as she was lost in the spirit world, and Munji was the only one that could get her back. No matter what she considered, she knew that to be true. "Derwit, do you trust me?" Munji asked.
"Asrana said to," he said as if that was testament enough.
"Then you have to do something for me."
"If it will save Asrana, I will do whatever you ask."
Munji sucked in her breath. There was only one way to say it, up front and direct. "You must shut down the reactor."