Terra (19 page)

Just how did this idea become so deep-rooted?
she wondered.
Why do Fnrrns dislike Ymns so much when they know so little about them?

With nothing much else to do to stave off the boredom of a day without games, Terra decided to do some research.

She sat cross-legged on the floor, and stroked the slate to activate it. She began an archive search: Ymn/Fnrrn interaction to the present day.

The search went back further than she’d expected; the astro-exploratory programme at the Ff-Shkrr Preceptorate in the nation of Gst-Sh-Kssk on the far side of Fnrr had first detected radio transmissions from Rrth nearly an era ago; since then the Ymns had been monitored by Fnrrn astronomers and xenologists from all over the planet.

She found articles filed by the first Fnrrn scientists to visit Rrth, including an accident report (and insurance claim).

She found a record of the first proposal to establish formal contact with Rrth, submitted by a team of scientists from Dskt some thirty orbits after the first discovery of the Ymns’ civilisation. It was turned down by their own Academic Council on the grounds that Ymns were not yet sufficiently ‘morally and culturally advanced’ to be exposed to Fnrrn technology. A similar proposal submitted some orbits later to the Hrrng Preceptorate was rejected for much the same reasons.

She smiled to see Lbbp’s name on a botanical survey. So long ago! He was older than he looked (or admitted to being). He had conducted a study of a densely forested area and enthused more than was entirely scientifically appropriate about the richness and diversity of life-forms he’d encountered.

Her face fell to read Lbbp’s addendum to his own report. He’d appended it a few orbits later after returning to the same place and discovering it stripped, barren and deserted. He expressed his anger towards the Ymns who had done this in extremely unscientific language.

Terra read on; she found more and more reports from survey missions; papers by eminent Fnrrn sociologists and psychologists speculating on the possible underlying causes of the Ymns’ propensity for violence and intolerance; proposals to ‘rescue’ various endangered Rrth species and preserve them in captivity on Fnrr (this idea didn’t seem to have gone anywhere, to Terra’s disappointment – the idea that there might be a secret zoological reserve full of Rrth animals somewhere on the planet appealed to her greatly).

But what was this? An article marked ‘Secret’ which nonetheless had opened right up when she’d touched the title on her slate. Secret but not secret? How did that work? Intrigued, she read the heading:

PROPOSAL

Submitted 3.2/7 33-29

To: Academic Council, Hrrng Preceptorate.

Copies to: Department of Extraplanetary Affairs, Hrrng Forum

Specific Attention: Zft-sh-Ngst-sh-Shm, Preceptor; Jsht-sh-Flgst-sh-Thn, Director of Extraplanetary Affairs

Proponents:
Gsk-sh-Bthtf-sh-Pskt, Senior Postulator
Hrf-sh-Tstk-sh-Sffk, Postulator
Dfst-sh-Kshchk-sh-Lbbp, Postulator
Fnng-sh-Glkn-sh-Bddf, Postulator

Proposal to initiate population control measures with regard to species 676, hereinafter referred to as Ymns, dominant life-form of planet 6-66-724-41/3, or Rrth.

A knot formed in Terra’s stomach. She read on . . .

Previously submitted reports (see appendix 1.0 for full reading list) have established, in our opinion, the clear danger to interplanetary peace presented by species 676.

Ymns have already caused irreversible damage to the ecosystem of their home planet (see attached reports 1, 2). Ymns have a history of violent conduct towards each other and the other species of Rrth. They persist in eating animal flesh despite having developed nutritional techniques which make this unnecessary. They have created weapons powerful enough to destroy all life on Rrth.

Formal contact with Ymns is prohibited by order of the Forum and the Preceptorate Academic Council. Their own attempts at space exploration have thus far been primitive and limited to their own planetary system (see attached report 3). However, projections of future Ymn technological progress (see attached report 4) concur that Ymns will achieve the capability for interstellar travel within the next era.

We contend that such a turn of events would be catastrophic for interplanetary relations.

A virus has been developed by the micro-biological research hub at Hrrng Preceptorate. If introduced to the biosphere of Rrth it will reduce Ymn fertility by approximately six eighths. All other life-forms will remain unaffected.

The Ymn population will decline generation upon generation; within an era there will be less than one quarter of the current number of Ymns alive on Rrth. This will reduce their capacity – and inclination – to expand beyond their own planetary boundaries.

This procedure will be painless and entirely non-lethal – no Ymns will die, but considerably fewer will be born. Our actions will go undetected by the Ymns; they have not yet eradicated disease from their species and this reduction in fertility will simply be ascribed to a mysterious epidemic.

For full technical and chemical specifications, see appendix 1.1

Terra’s head spun. The knot in her stomach had become swirling nausea.

They were going to . . . They wanted to . . . The Fnrrns had considered
culling
the Ymn race. Not with traps or weapons, but with disease and sterility. The misery and confusion such a measure would have caused on Rrth . . . They hadn’t done this, had they? They hadn’t actually gone ahead with this horrific scheme? It was dated from before her own birth – had she been one of the few Ymn babies born on Rrth at that time?

She scrolled frantically to the bottom of the document.

PROPOSAL REJECTED 2.3/7 33-29 For full declaration see attached statement 1.1

She sighed with relief, although the nausea remained. Whose idea had this been? Who could ever have thought this was a good plan? She scrolled back to the top of the document.

Proponents:
Gsk-sh-Bthtf-sh-Pskt, Senior Postulator
Hrf-sh-Tstk-sh-Sffk, Postulator
Dfst-sh-Kshchk-sh-Lbbp, Postulator
Fnng-sh-Glkn-sh-Bddf, Postulator

Her eyes scanned across the names, the names of those ‘scientists’ who had wanted to purge her species like some sort of verminous infestation.

Her eyes stopped at the third name.

Dfst-sh-Kshchk-sh-Lbbp, Postulator

There was a metallic taste in her mouth and a buzzing in her ears.

Dfst-sh-Kshchk-sh-Lbbp, Postulator

The nausea rose up out of her stomach and into her throat. She dropped the slate, staggered to her feet and rushed towards the waste cubicle.

Dfst-sh-Kshchk-sh-Lbbp

She vomited violently into the waste scrambler and fell to the cold floor.

Lbbp

Terra found that she was clinging to the smooth surface of the floor with her fingertips.

Lbbp

Everything she believed, everything she depended upon, everything she loved, seemed to be sliding away from her.

Lbbp

It was all true, everything Vstj had said, everything Yshn had implied, everything everyone had ever said about her behind her back. It was all an experiment. Take a member of the most brutal and despised race in the universe, dress it up like one of your own children and see if you can educate the little animal. Teach it to speak, maybe even to perform some simple tasks. What was it Lbbp had once said?

-
A bad scientist tries to prove himself right. A good scientist tries to prove himself wrong, and only when he fails does he conclude that he’s right.

So that was the idea. Propose that Ymns are so savage and primitive as to merit partial extermination, then test your own theory by trying to civilise one of them. Terra’s whole life had been an academic exercise, a follow-up experiment, just Lbbp being thorough like the good scientist he was.

-
We don’t need to keep secrets from each other.
That was something else Lbbp had said. -
We don’t need to keep secrets from each other.

The throbbing in her head subsided enough to allow her to get to her feet. She wiped her eyes, sniffed and walked to the window. She tapped on the crystal and it slid open.

The city lay before her, illuminated by its own lights and three moons. It had never looked more alien to Terra.

She stepped out of the window.

L
ater that evening, Lbbp floated back towards home, tired and stressed. The emergency debate had generated much in the way of fear and apprehension and little in the way of hope. Mlml’s military commanders had declared themselves confident in their ability to repel a G’grk assault, but these assurances seemed hollow, perfunctory. The last hope now lay with the Dskt resistance; if they could keep the G’grk busy enough then the attack on Mlml might never come. Because if it did come, it was clear now that it would be unstoppable.

The debate would reconvene in the morning. Lbbp wasn’t likely to get much sleep tonight.

Lbbp noticed Terra’s bedroom window was open. He diverted his course towards it and stepped inside, deactivating his bubble.

-
Terra? Why have you left your window open? It’s freezing in here.

No reply. Lbbp looked round for the child but couldn’t see her. There was a curious noxious smell in the air.

Terra’s slate was on the floor.
She knew better than to leave that lying around,
thought Lbbp. It was then he had the first inkling that something was wrong.

Lbbp picked up the slate and read. He got as far as the heading ‘Proposal’. With a sudden lurch of panic he knew what had happened. How had she found it? And why, WHY hadn’t he mentioned it before?

He told himself not to be silly, he knew exactly why he’d never mentioned the proposal to her before. She would have reacted, well, pretty much how she HAD reacted.

She couldn’t have been gone for more than a few spectrums, and Lbbp was fairly sure he knew where she’d be headed. He just needed to find one thing first.

Rushing into his little reading room he found the shiny white travelling case. He wrenched it open and started to rummage through the contents.

Yes. Found it. His old field-scanner. And it was still working.

Lbbp passed the field-scanner’s strap over his shoulder, grabbed a spare power cell for his bubble, ran back to Terra’s room and leapt out of the window.

T
erra had absolutely no idea what she was going to do next.

She’d been floating over the forests of Rfk when her gravity bubble’s power cell had started to fail. It made its warning pip-pip sound and began to descend. The current generation of gravity bubbles made sure to return you to the ground before completely losing power; a mandatory safety feature installed after a few foolhardy Fnrrns had pushed their luck and chosen to ignore the low power warning. Unpleasant for all concerned, especially those poor unfortunates who’d been underneath them at the time.

She’d made it to the beach, her toes brushing the treetops as she descended. Now she sat on the rainbow sand and gazed out across the triple-moonlit sea.

She knew she could never go home again.

And where was ‘home’ anyway? Lbbp’s apartment? Or ‘the lab’ as she now thought of it?

She peered up into the night in search of constellation 133-4/77. She found it easily in the clear black sky. Staring at the space between the two centre stars, she resolved to find a way back to her real home. Back to Rrth.

She had no experience with other Ymns, she didn’t speak any Ymn language apart from a few words she’d picked up from watching Ymn movies (Ymn movies and TV shows were quite popular on Fnrr, now that everyone knew they were made up. Not only that, but some enterprising Fnrrns had started to make movies of their own. Terra hadn’t seen any, but she’d read some dreadful reviews). Never mind that, decided Terra, she’d address herself to those problems once she got there. Better to be a refugee than a laboratory animal. First, she had to turn her attention to the more immediate – and very perplexing – problem of how to get to Rrth in the first place.

Could she steal a spaceship? Difficult. Each ship was biometrically linked to its owner. There was probably a way round that; she’d research it. Difficult without a slate (she was still annoyed that in her hurry to get out of the apartment she’d left it behind) but she’d figure it out.

Mind you, even if you got hold of a ship – and worked out how to fly it – space travel was heavily regulated; you’d have to get past traffic control. They could immobilise and even board you if you attempted to leave the system without the proper permits.

Stow away! That was it. Find a scheduled scientific expedition to Rrth and then sneak aboard. She could ask Lbbp when the next—

Lbbp.

Terra wept. She wept bitterly for the home she had lost, for the family she had lost. Not on Rrth, her home here on Fnrr. She’d thought she had a life, and love, and security. It had all been a lie.

Salt tears streamed down Terra’s cheeks and splashed onto the rainbow sand. Terra was usually self-conscious about her tears; the sight of liquid gushing from her eyes had been so alarming to her Fnrrn friends that she couldn’t help but be slightly disturbed by it herself. But not now. Now she cried, and cried, and didn’t care what she looked like.

There was a distant rumble. Terra fell silent.

What was that? Tectonic activity? There wasn’t a quake scheduled, not as far as she knew (Fnrrns had mastered the science of easing the tensions in their planet’s crust; quakes still happened, but only minor ones, and always in controlled circumstances).

There it was again. Terra, feeling exposed out on the sand, got to her feet and scampered up the beach to the tree-line.

The rumble grew louder, or, rather, whatever it was that was making the rumble got closer.

There was a roaring, splashing sound. At first Terra thought that something big had landed in the water, perhaps a meteor, but looking out to sea she saw that something big had in fact burst OUT of the water. A huge dark blue sphere, twice the size of a house and the exact colour of Fnrrn blood, was hovering just above the sea a hundred metres or so from the shore. With another roar of displaced water, a second sphere rose up beside it. Then a third. The spheres hummed with energy as they hung in the air. As Terra watched, cowering behind a thorny bush, the spheres glided up the beach towards her. They rose with what seemed to be some difficulty above the treetops and continued to hover inland. Scared but fascinated, Terra followed them.