Strange New Worlds 2016 Read online

  “No,” came the hoarse reply. “But my scans can’t penetrate the rock. I don’t know what’s going on inside.”

  “Understood,” Eve replied. It was now or never. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped into the rock face.

  When she emerged on the other side, before she opened her eyes, she heard a familiar voice, one from many years ago. It echoed through the cavernous room as if on loud speaker. It wasn’t talking to her, though. It wasn’t even aware of her. She opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. She’d managed to conceal herself against the wall and underneath the shadow of one of the platforms above.

  In the middle of the room, where the holographic star had once stood, was a new image and the source of the familiar voice: James T. Kirk. Standing on the bridge of the Enterprise in his admiral’s uniform, he was giving an overview of the Genesis project and discussing the destroyed Genesis planet. His image wasn’t the only one. It was sharing the holographic display with image records of experiments, results, formulas, equations, and enough classified Starfleet material to make a room full of admirals blush. Staring her in the face was the sum total of everything Genesis—all the contents of the data crystal, which was sitting below the holographic display inside a data reader. She couldn’t believe her luck. Would it really be that easy?

  She looked around the cavern. There was no sign of Portal. She took a hesitant step forward, out of the shadow. She looked around again. Still nothing other than the thrumming and blinking of machinery. She took another step forward and then another, until she was walking at a brisk pace toward the data reader where light beams were scanning the data crystal and transferring its information to the holographic emitters. It would be a simple matter to lift the old crystal from the circular pedestal and replace it with the new one, which would corrupt any Genesis data once it was scanned.

  She was close enough to touch the crystal when it felt like she was broadsided by a Rigellian ox. Her body went skidding across the rock floor. Once she stopped and was able to stagger up into a kneeling position, the room went spinning again with another impact that sent pain shooting everywhere in her body. She was thrown through the rock veneer and into the dreary environment outside the cavern room.

  This time, instead of trying to get back up, she remained splayed out on the ground, her battered body unwilling to move. She’d be lucky if all her bones and organs were intact. She looked down her body, toward the cliff face, and saw Portal. He was carrying a halberd in his right hand. She pulled the phaser from the loop on her belt and, aiming as best she could through the pain-induced haze around her head, pulled the trigger. The blue beam screamed toward its target but then peeled off at an impossible angle. It ended up striking one of the tall, singing crystals, whose luminescence increased as it absorbed the phaser’s energy.

  “Eve, what’s going on?” Harry’s voice crackled over the communicator. “Who are you shooting at?”

  “Portal,” she coughed out hoarsely. “Aren’t you detecting him?”

  “I’m only detecting one life sign,” said Harry. “Yours.” Eve’s blood ran cold. So was he a ghost? Or was he another hologram? She only knew there was nothing fake about the bruises and cuts all over her body or the axe blade glistening under the lightning flashes.

  “WHY HAVE YOU RETURNED?” demanded Portal, speaking with the godlike resonance that seemed to come from every direction.

  “I can’t leave you with the Genesis plans,” she said. “They’re too dangerous.”

  “Only dangerous to enemies of the Empire. Are you an enemy of the Empire?”

  “No. Your empire has been dead for six hundred thousand years. So are its enemies.”

  Portal’s face became a mask of rage. “Liar! The Empire is forever.”

  “Eve,” Harry said again, “there’s someone else coming out of the cliff. It’s definitely human. Oh my God, I think it’s—” The communicator went dead.

  Taking the halberd between both hands, Portal began walking toward Eve with a menacing step. A second figure came up behind him, emerging from the cavern room just as Harry had reported. The figure rushed toward Portal, waving her hands and screaming, “Portal, wait! Stop.” The long black hair that trailed behind her as she ran was a phantom from Eve’s distant past. Once the woman’s face came into view, Eve knew beyond any doubt that the two of them had shared the same life a lifetime ago.

  “Ruth,” Eve whispered.

  “I left Herm a few months ago. Just couldn’t take it anymore,” explained Ruth Bonaventure. Eve was sitting on a surprisingly plush couch inside one of the back rooms she couldn’t see into earlier. She was drinking a cup of hot tea, letting its warmth soothe her aching body.

  “I’m sorry,” Eve said. Even in her current beaten state, she was sincere. Ruth looked every bit as broken and beaten down as Eve felt. Her exotic beauty was still there, but time and circumstance had hardened it.

  “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. I’m the one who stayed with him for twenty years. As bad as he was, I guess he was better than the backwater farming planet I came from and all the flea-ridden ports and stations Harry used to drag us to. At least Herm was rich.” Ruth cradled her teacup between two hands, sitting on the opposite side of the couch. Her legs were folded up underneath her.

  “When did Herm change?”

  Ruth laughed a joyless laugh. “Oh, sweetie. He never changed. He was always that way, even back when he and Ben were working together on Rigel XII. It got worse whenever the Venus drug would wear off and we couldn’t get a replacement shipment in time. Once the Federation really cracked down on the drug, the supply dried up completely. The drug disappeared. That’s when things got really bad. I wonder how many other women suffered. Unintended consequences, I suppose.” Ruth took a sip from the cup. “How did you and Ben keep the supply going?”

  “We didn’t. We talked about it, discussed what we were really looking for in a relationship, and never wanted it again.” Eve at once regretted her words. She should’ve found a more tactful way around the question.

  “I guess some of us are luckier than others.” Ruth gave a wan smile, but her eyes betrayed deep pain.

  Eve needed to change the subject. “How did you wind up here?”

  “It’s ironic, really. Herm was obsessed with the Tkon Empire. He attended seminars and conferences. He became an amateur historian on the subject. I would let him talk to me about it for hours. Not because I was interested in it. Boring as hell, if you ask me. It’s just that he was happiest when talking about the Tkon.

  “A few months ago, when I decided I’d finally had enough, I stole one of his shuttles. It was his favorite—outfitted with all the crap he used on his Tkon archaeological digs.” There was a gleam of joy in her eyes as she admitted to the crime. “I guess that’s how I ended up here, in space that once belonged to their Empire. I chose some random coordinates in the navigation computer. I didn’t care where I was going. I never meant to land here, but I was pulled down by all this ancient equipment.” Her arm motioned toward the door and cavern beyond. “Those crystals out there drain energy like nothing else. After I landed, it wasn’t long before Portal showed up.”

  “He’s keeping you hostage, isn’t he?” Eve asked, keeping her voice as low as possible.

  Ruth threw back her head and let out the loudest laugh Eve had ever heard. “Not at all. Portal doesn’t know a wild pig from a Tellarite. He was asleep until I came along. He still thinks the Tkon Empire is the big thing in the galaxy.”

  Why was Ruth being so cavalier? Did she not know what was going on? Had Herm driven her to the edge of sanity as well as the edge of the Federation?

  “Do you know what Portal is planning?”

  “Of course I do. Who do you think gave him the idea? You weren’t the only mining company Carol Marcus approached. Herm just never had your foresight.�
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  Eve shook her head in disbelief. Lukewarm tea sloshed into her lap, and she realized her hands were trembling. “Don’t you realize it could mean death for the Federation?”

  “I’m counting on it,” Ruth said casually, taking another sip.

  “But . . . why? Why would you want to destroy the crowning achievement of humanity just to spite one man?”

  Ruth’s gaze hardened into steel daggers. She jumped up from the couch and threw her teacup against the far wall. It exploded in a cloud of tiny porcelain shards. Dark fluid dripped down the rock wall and onto the floor. “This isn’t about Herm!” she screamed. “He’s a little man who got lucky in life. He’s not worth another minute of my time. It may have taken me over twenty years to learn that, but it’s the truth. He’s nothing.”

  The door whisked open. Portal walked through, still carrying the halberd and dragging Harry by the arm. With a hard push, Portal sent his fat captive stumbling into the room. The doors closed behind them.

  “I decided he was better off in here than out there,” explained Portal.

  “Speaking of men who are nothing,” cackled Ruth as Harry fell past her.

  “Nice to see you again too, Ruthie,” replied Harry, rubbing his arm gingerly where Portal had grabbed it.

  “I’m not doing this because of Harry, either, if that’s what you’re thinking,” said Ruth, looking at Eve. “I’m doing this because of the Federation, their hypocrisy. Oh, they preach lofty ideals about doing away with money and replacing it with a philosophy of self-improvement. And who can really argue? Poverty, hunger, and want on Earth have been eliminated. The Federation provides all basic needs and so much more. Why, everything you could possibly want is no more than a push of a button away. There’s no need to compete for resources. War has been eliminated. Crime is so rare, it’s barely worth mentioning. It’s heaven on Earth.

  “But, you see, nothing is ever truly free. All of humanity’s accomplishments wouldn’t be possible without those magic rocks you wear on your ears. And you of all people know how difficult and dangerous it is to get them. I heard about what happened to Ben. The same thing has happened to more dilithium miners than you can count. Eve, have you ever wondered why you seem to be so wealthy in a society where no one is supposed to be rich and no one is supposed to be poor? It’s because people willing to do the work you do are the scarcest resource around. The Federation doesn’t want to lose you, so they’ll let you openly defy the system. They’ll even look the other way when you break the law.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” said Eve.

  “No, it isn’t,” replied Harry. “I hate to say it, but Ruthie is right. I tried to sell you, Magda, and Ruth to some lithium miners, who were willing buyers. Human trafficking is illegal everywhere in the Federation for both seller and buyer. Always has been. Yet none of your husbands was ever punished.”

  “It’s like Kirk said, we were far away from civilization,” insisted Eve.

  “So was I,” said Harry. “That didn’t stop the Federation from tracking me down and sending me to prison. But, then, I don’t mine dilithium.”

  “And the Federation didn’t lift a finger to help me, despite Herm’s abuse,” added Ruth.

  “The Federation?” Portal asked. “I learned of them in the data crystal Eve McHuron provided. Are they enemies of the Empire? Because they made no mention of the Tkon in any of their recordings.”

  Ruth sighed and rolled her eyes. “Get a clue, Portal. It’s been at least six hundred thousand years since you were last activated. I know you believe your Empire is forever, but do the math: What do you think the odds are it’s still around?” She took a deep breath, and her voice was softer when she spoke again. “How much longer until Genesis is ready for launch?”

  “A few minutes.”

  “What? A few minutes?” Eve asked incredulously. “How could he possibly fix Genesis so quickly?”

  “Most of Genesis’s problems were self-inflicted. Protomatter had been deliberately placed in the matrix,” explained Portal.

  “You’d be surprised how much easier things are when you have all the knowledge of an ancient, hyperadvanced civilization rolling around in your memory banks,” said Ruth.

  “Ruth, you can’t do this,” begged Eve.

  “Watch me.”

  Eve was at a loss for words. She glanced helplessly at Harry, her eyes begging him to say something, anything that might make Ruth change her mind.

  “I’m sorry, love,” Harry said. “Ruthie is absolutely right about the Federation. I’m tired of answering to them. Let them burn, as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Smartest thing you’ve ever said, Harry,” Ruth said. “I detest you a little less right now.”

  “I must prepare the launch,” said Portal, moving to take Harry with him.

  “You don’t need to take him. I’m a big girl. Besides, he won’t give us any trouble. He sees things our way.”

  “As you wish. If you need me, you know how to summon me.” Portal turned and was gone through the rockface door.

  Eve collapsed onto the couch, doubled over at the waist, and buried her face in her arms. How had it gotten this bad? Would she be responsible for the death of the Federation? It would be easy to blame Harry, but it wouldn’t be right. When she was young, she was taught to believe she had no value beyond what her beauty offered. That’s why she’d taken the Venus drug. That’s why she’d allowed herself to be bought and sold like chattel. Once she was able to leave that life behind, she vowed never to be that trite, preening china doll again. She set out to acquire all she could. Unfortunately, she’d taken it too far with Genesis. The moment she’d stolen Genesis for herself, she’d risked the very universal Armageddon she was facing now. She was the cause of all this. Harry was merely the means. Whatever happened from this point on, it would be her fault.

  Eve’s dark thoughts were interrupted by a loud hiss, like the sound a hypospray made. Her head snapped up in time to see Ruth fall back into Harry, who laid her gently on the floor.

  “Just a little tranquilizer,” he explained. “Ruthie will be fine. I don’t know what you have planned, but you better do it soon.”

  Eve stared in disbelief. “So you didn’t mean what you said? It was all an act to gain her trust?”

  Harry laughed. “There’s more truth to what Ruthie said than most people are willing to admit, but I’m not ready to destroy civilization over it.” Harry reached into the vest Ruth was wearing and pulled out a type-2 phaser. “I believe this is yours.”

  Eve took the pistol and went quickly through the door. Like last time, she stayed within the shadows against the rock wall, and saw no sign of Portal. Unfortunately, unlike last time, she had no plan. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for anything that resembled a torpedo launcher. If she could find it, she could use her phaser to disable or, better yet, destroy the Genesis device before it was launched.

  She glanced up at the holographic display in the middle of the room and felt her heart sink into her stomach. Not only had the torpedo launched, it had already performed a slingshot maneuver around a star, which had sent it hurtling back through time six hundred thousand years. The cavern was still receiving telemetry from the torpedo, probably through subspace communication waves being slingshotted back around the same star. That being the case, perhaps she could disrupt its flight path or even destroy it from here.

  Unfortunately, this technology was unknown to her. She supposed she could start indiscriminately blasting pieces of equipment and hope she hit something like a guidance computer. If the phaser beam performed the strange acrobatics it had performed outside, she could set it to overload and take out the entire cavern.

  “You can’t stop it,” a voice close behind her said.

  Eve gasped and spun around to find Portal there, unarmed for a change. She quickly recomp
osed herself. “I have to try.” Her words sounded so forceful and confident, they surprised even her. She gripped the phaser around its nozzle and twisted. It began humming in a way that would grow louder as the energy built to a forced chamber explosion.

  Portal smiled. “You’re a worthy adversary, Eve McHuron. I admire your conviction. However, before you destroy this cavern and yourself along with it, you should keep watching the holodisplay.” He made his way to the display, forcing her to follow him there with her eyes. He adjusted the controls on the projector, and additional data displays popped up, translated into Standard for her benefit. One of the displays provided information about the target star.

  Her eyes quickly scanned the data. “Impossible,” she said over the ever-growing hum. She was no stellar cartographer or astrophysicist, but if the displays were correct, the torpedo wasn’t approaching the remnants of a nova explosion. It was speeding at high warp toward a perfectly healthy star.

  “As you know, Genesis can revitalize a dying system. Or it can destroy a healthy one. Our star is perfectly healthy, but it won’t be once the torpedo hits it. If you want to preserve your history, the torpedo must complete its mission.”

  Eve shook her head. “No, I don’t buy it. This is a trick.” The hum of her phaser had grown into a deafening whine.

  Harry rushed out into the main room, his hands clasped over his ears. “What the devil is that sound?” His eyes widened with fear once he realized the noise was coming from the weapon in Eve’s hand. “Evey, what are you doing?”

  She backed away quickly as Harry moved to grab the phaser.

  “I promise you it’s no trick, but it’s your choice,” Portal said. “You can think I’m lying and die, or trust me and live.”

  The noise told her she had thirty seconds at most. So many conflicting thoughts, so many conflicting feelings. Which ones was she supposed to trust? Out of all the noise inside and outside her brain, one thought elevated itself above all others: Whatever Portal may have been, he was first and foremost the guardian of a proud and respected empire. He was a protector of its knowledge and customs. He was no liar. She gripped the phaser nozzle, which had become unbearably hot, and twisted as hard as she could. Through the searing pain, the nozzle eventually gave. She kept twisting until the whine began diminishing.