A light blinked on the wall next to the reflective steel door. The alien glanced towards the light. “Please remain motionless.”
A metal claw extended out of the wall and zoomed towards Kirk’s face. Kirk screamed. The device grabbed his nose.
Kirk cried in a nasally voice, “No, I don’t want to die!”
The alien growled. “Will you stop it! You’re not going to die.”
The device yanked out one of his nose hairs. Kirk yelped. The device released his nose and retracted. The alien put the hair in a round transparent case and placed it on a table. “It will be just a few yemnars while we analyze it.”
“Why did you do that?” asked Kirk.
“A biological scan detected a flaw in two percent of the human population of your industrialized countries. Due to exposure to electromagnetic waves in recent years, the cellular structure of these humans has weakened. Our analysis indicates these humans will begin to break down genetically within ten years.”
“What will that mean?”
The alien leaned against the wall. “Their cells will drift apart. In theory, it could cause an atomic reaction, but they would die before it reached that point.”
Uh-oh. That was what he got for using the computer twenty hours straight. “Do I have it?”
“We don’t know yet. That’s why we’re running the test on your nasal hair. We’re close to coming up with a digestible cure that should eliminate the disease before it actually develops. Your governments will place it in your water supplies. The disease will be cured before anyone knows they have it. One of your computer makers sent out a software patch that changes the power settings to limit the damage.”
“Whoa. So you’re working with the government and the computer industry?”
“Of course. The computer companies sent us a hundred thousand bushels of hemp. They know what type of lawsuits this will cause if we fail.”
Wait a second. “You’re getting paid for this?”
“Yes. Hemp is a valuable product we use in construction on my world. When we return home, we’ll sell it to the building industry, who’ll sell it to consumers.”
What? Had he been captured by Ferengi? These cold-blooded capitalists would do anything for a buck. “And what would you do if we couldn’t give you any materials that you needed?”
The alien licked the area above his mouth. “If you didn’t have any materials we needed, you also wouldn’t have been advanced enough to get yourself into this predicament.”
“But you should be doing this for free!”
“Where do you volunteer?”
“Um, well…nowhere.”
“Why should we? We’re saving six million of your fellow Americans from splitting apart into tiny pieces, and we’re just asking for plants. I think that’s a fair exchange. Besides, it’s very hard to put eleven children through college on volunteer work.”
Didn’t he get it? Where was the enlightenment? “Surely not every alien race is a bunch of capitalists out for profit.”
The alien sat at the end of the table and pulled a small cube out of his pocket. A 3D image of a tiny red alien with green eyes appeared on top of the cube. “This is Kunichita. I give thirty qindels a month to help him. On his world, there’s no money, no trade, no merchants, only a state that will take care of the citizens and serve as their benefactor while it seeks to build a perfect world.”
“That sounds more like it!”
“If you like absolute poverty. That’s how they live. Without the help of sponsors like me, Kunichita has no food, no nothing. All the well-intentioned drivel in the universe, and none of it can compare to the results of diligent hands working to build for themselves.”
“Oh, come on. There has to be some advanced race that’s not so greedy.”
“Tell me. You have something on your planet called communism, don’t you?”
“Yeah, the communists were portrayed in Star Trek II as Khan and his men. Though Reagan also referred to the communists by making a reference to Star Wars—”
“I care not for your games. Has this system ever made a people wealthy?”
A news image of the bread lines in Russia flashed by Kirk. “No.”
“Then why would it work on another planet?”
“But what are you going to do with all that money?”
The alien looked at the cube of Kunichita. “I’ll fly to his planet and make him my son.”
“But you shouldn’t interfere with another culture. Who are you to judge?”
“According to your own logic, who are you to judge me? What idiot would object to intervening when there’s a poor little male without a father?” The alien ran his hand across his barren scalp. “You know what I really want to do? I’ll be able to retire next year and spend more time helping the poor churches on my world.”
“Wait, you have churches on your planet? But they’re not Christian churches. They’re like temples, right?”
“No. They’re Christian churches.”
Now this was too much. “Whoa. Jesus was born on Earth.”
The alien turned his head sideways. “Yes, the Prophet Melnish had a vision of Christ. Many thought the Prophet Melnish was dead and placed him in a tomb. When the Prophet Melnish emerged from the tomb, we believed his message. Though mockers scorned us for centuries, the discovery of Earth has caused a slight relaxation in skepticism.”
At a beep, a metal slide fell out of the wall. The alien got up and grabbed it. “Good news, you don’t have the genetic flaw and are unlikely to ever develop it. Unfortunately, that makes you of limited use for our study, but we may find some useful anti-bodies in your blood sample.”
No way did a species become this advanced without more than this. “Come on, you’re holding out on me. Tell me the secrets of the universe.”
The alien sat on a stool. “I’m so glad you asked. According to the Prophet Melnish, the secrets are as follows: One, serve God with all you have. Two, love your family and care for them. Three, work hard, labor with diligence, for the diligent hand shall prosper. Four, save ten percent of what you earn and give ten percent of what you earn and you shall be blessed. Five, rest one Zannon a Yavlock. For you, just rest one day a week. Six, eat moderately and exercise. Seven, aim for peace with all. Eight, be compassionate to the poor, the needy, and the stranger.”
Kirk’s jaw dropped. “That’s it? I could have gotten that off a box of tea.”
“Yes. Melnish Tea is delicious indeed and teaches the lessons that all creatures must learn to have a good life. Now, let me release your bands, and I’ll take you back.”
After the alien had released Kirk from the table, Kirk jumped up. “Wipe my memory!”
The alien blinked. “Excuse me? That’s really unnecessary and could cause vomiting.”
“You’ve ruined my life! I finally get to meet an alien, and you tell me that you’re flying green WASPs.”
The alien looked up. “There’s no insect on the ship, I assure you.”
Kirk grabbed the alien. “I want the blue pill! I don’t want to remember this. I want hope there are better aliens out there. You’re lying about them! The secrets of the universe can be found. You just don’t want me to know them!”
A dart of pain shot through Kirk’s body.
The alien shook his head. “I don’t understand you, Kirk Skywalker. Why would you live in a fantasy world when you know the truth? But as you wish, I’ll wipe your memory. I shall keep you in my prayers.”
The room spun into darkness.
~}~~~{~
Kirk sat up in bed. The clock read eleven a.m. Man, he had to get up earlier if he wanted to find a job.
He padded to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Terry had left it almost full. He had enough food to last a couple weeks, but then what? He strode into the living room.
Life-sized Luke Skywalker smiled, with his light saber drawn. For some reason, it seemed less important this morning. If worst came to worst, he could sell it,
but he had a lot more he could get rid of before he got to that point.
He swung open the front door, scooped the paper off the step, and brought it inside. He pulled out the comics and the TV guide and reached for a part of the paper he hadn’t touched in years—the classifieds.
Maybe he’d take a look at them in the afternoon. Kirk plopped on the couch, picked up the remote, and turned on the television. A better world of space aliens and pirates emerged.
For some reason, he found it harder to believe than he did yesterday.
~}~~~{~
Tok rumbled a laugh. “All things age. But some grow up too… eventually.”
“They don’t always become what you expect,” Gizile said with a smile.
“Very good. You will be an excellent teacher someday.”
Gizile turned to him. “I do not want to teach. I want to fight.”
“And who will you fight?”
Gizile looked at the tidal pool, thinking of the previous vision. “I don’t know anymore. I’ve hated them for so long…but, they’re just people, aren’t they, Master? They’re like us.”
“Some, yes.”
“What should I do?”
Master Tok extended his arm to the pool. “Learn.”
Gizile turned back to the crystallizing ice. “What is this? A strange chariot flying through the heavens?”
“Learn,” Tok said again.
~}~~~{~
Weapons of War—R. L. Copple
“Target in sight, Captain,” announced the lead ship as they dropped out of inner-space. One-seater Shadowbird fighters flew in front, forming a V-shaped line. Captain Dan Roundtree, in his roomier Rioter fighter, held the quarterback position.
Their target, a twenty-kilometer, cigar-shaped cruiser of the Kulugans, glowed with starlight against a colorless backdrop.
Dan’s ship boasted a new weapon dubbed the Acid Ray. Metal-eating acid extracted from the Caustic Nebula would ride a shield-penetrating plasma beam. Their cruiser wouldn’t last an hour once hit. But he had to fly within twenty-five meters to deliver the knockout punch.
“Sir, the Kulugan fighters have exited the cruiser’s bay, but are holding position behind it.”
“I’m smelling a trap.” He gripped his flight stick tighter. “But what exactly, I’ve no idea. Proceed as planned.”
As they approached, the enemy cruiser emitted flashes along its port side. Waves rippled toward Dan’s squadron, as if someone had thrown a rock into a pond. Dan realized too late that a strange new weapon raced toward them.
His heart skipped a beat. The greatest fear of man, the unknown, now flew at him. His last thought before impact: One good secret weapon deserves another.
~}~~~{~
Dan awoke. His head pounded. He forced himself to focus on the viewer through the pain—a gray screen stared back. He pushed the button for the view port to open—nothing.
He sighed. Great, their weapon drained the power. Not a bad idea. Powerless targets make for easy prey. But why am I still alive?
Dan pulled a pole from an enclosure, which folded open to a crank. He struggled with the rarely-used device; the view port doors ground open. He sat and scanned the spinning stars.
There. He saw rays shooting around a large ship off in the distance. Surely one of them will break off to tow me back. Yet no one came to his aid. The fight receded into the stars.
He checked his oxygen level, luckily a mechanical dial. He had enough for two hours. Then it would be a slow, agonizing death.
After spinning through space for an hour, Dan arose and stared out the window. Rolling past the port, a cruiser emerged from the void.
That’s the Kulugan cruiser. But how can that be? Have I come upon another battle? A squadron of Shadowbird fighters in a V-shape approach formation with a Rioter ship behind them dropped out of inner-space. This had to be the same battle—though it made no sense.
Dan figured the Kulugans would blast him. Yet, he drifted by the Kulugan cruiser, within the twenty-five meter range, ignored by everyone. He pulled the trigger, just in case. Nothing.
Dan saw his squadron approaching, except now he watched from a distance. The cruiser next to him flashed and the same rippling wave shot out toward the oncoming squadron. Is this another wave of fighters? Or… he didn’t know if he should even think the thought.
As he watched, the wave reached the squadron and scattered the lead ships. As it hit the back ship, Dan’s world went black.
~}~~~{~
Dan awoke. His head pounded. He forced himself to focus on the viewer through the pain—a gray screen stared back. He paused. What happened? He glanced at the oxygen meter, and it showed just over two hours of air.
He scratched his head. So the rumors of the Kulugans’ experimental dimension weapon were true. By throwing ships into an interphasic shift, they would lose their power. But it sent me too far in and now I’m stuck in a repeating loop, invisible to their eyes. That’s why no one came after me.
He arose, engaged the crank and opened the view port doors. As before, he watched a dwindling fight. An hour later, the fight came back into view. Again, he flew in close to the cruiser. It shot the wave at the oncoming fighters and when it hit the back ship, he blacked out, then awoke and rode the same ride.
He cycled through ten trips. Each time he studied the scene and planned his attempt to escape the dimensional trap. On the eleventh pass, he initiated his plan.
He locked his helmet into place and disconnected the oxygen tank from its fittings. Using the manual release, he opened the hatch. A rush of air flew into space. He anchored the tank on the hull with the outlet pointing outward. When the Kulugan cruiser rotated under him, he fired the makeshift thruster. Several blasts of air later, he had adjusted course to collide with the Kulugan ship. Contact with an unaffected object should break him from the interphasic shift.
After closing the hatch, he attached the tank to his suit. The V-shaped line approached again, as did the battle. The cruiser filled the view port as he rotated around. He strapped himself into the chair and braced.
The two dimensions collided. Pops reverberated through the cabin like ripping bubble-wrap. Dan vibrated with his ship, and everything warped like a flag whipping in the wind. As the sensation passed, he heard metal scraping as his ship rolled across the cruiser.
Power returned. With expert hands, he stabilized the rolling ship, spun it around, and fired the Acid Ray. A tightly focused beam tore through the shields and bored a hole into their ship. A glowing red infestation widened.
He fired thrusters to escape. Cheers rolled over the com. “Sir, how did you—”
“No time now, Sergeant, just turn your tail and run. Now!” They complied without another word. A wave shot came from the cruiser, but it dissipated before it could reach the receding ships.
Dan scanned the cruiser; the hole enveloped a quarter of the ship. Mission accomplished. But at what cost? War has always been Hell, with no winners.
He peered into the view port of the ship next to him. His own face stared bug-eyed across the near vacuum at him.
“This won’t be easy to explain to myself.”
~}~~~{~
“No winners,” Gizile said. Her mind drifted to her parents and the last time they were together.
“We won the battle,” Tok said softly. “But the cost was high.”
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I don’t want to go on, Master. These truths are too difficult.”
“Yes, they are.”
“May we leave?”
“No. We are not done here.”
“I don’t think I can…”
“The pool, Gizile.”
She turned back to the new ice. Lights. Explosions. War. “No more… please…”
~}~~~{~
A Small Sacrifice—Mike Lynch
A flash of light discharged in the sky, followed by multiple explosions so strong, every window within a twenty-block radius of a place the locals
called McDowell Park lay shattered.
Errant bolts of electricity darted out of columns of smoke as they rose above patches of lawn now covered in a thin layer of black. A soft breeze carried the ashen plumes away, leaving a lone figure—Kelsic 5—standing before a grove of box elder trees.
“Systems check,” he said into his headset display, his weapon at the ready.
“Working at optimal preset limits,” came the reply.
He looked down at his arm and checked the energy gauge affixed to his sleeve. Seventy-one teraquads of power left. Less than expected, but still enough to defeat his foe and leave him with a sufficient amount of energy for a successful jump off the planet.
The contrails from a distant airborne vehicle drew his attention upward. A blue sky set before a solitary moon. It had been a long time since he landed on a planet with a blue sky.
“Blue sky,” he repeated into his headset. “What planet am I on?”
A series of clicks and beeps preceded the comset’s response. “Accessing. Earth—third planet in the Sol System. Presently inhabited by an indigenous species known as humans. Global population now stands at—”
“Cease report.” Humans. A survey study made of them some time back came to mind. Kelsic 5 made a three hundred and sixty-degree sweep of the area. Arboreal class life forms, terrestrial access ways, above ground dwelling units. A most primitive and inferior species, he concluded. Not worthy of restrictive engagement protocols.
The air around him stilled. Subtle at first, it grew in intensity, to the point where his polyphasic suit compensated for the pressure differential. His senses heightened with equal measure.
The white-hot bolt of an ion blast shot through the air, detonating a short distance away.
Kelsic 5 dove behind a stand of trees and returned fire. Multiple explosions from his pulse cannon lit up the sky, and then faded. Despite a modicum of protection offered by the thick foliage, he still felt exposed. Making a visual assessment of his surroundings, he opted for one of the nearby human transportation devices and crouched down behind it.