Terra's World (20 page)

3.26

C
olonel Hardison hadn’t expected a positive response from the Grand Marshal, but the fury his request had provoked startled him.

- NO, Ymn. Do you think we are fools? Do you think we are animals? The weaklings in Mlml and Dskt thought so, and it cost them dearly. It should have cost them their lives.

Hardison had received Terra’s panic-stricken message a few minutes earlier. His relief at finding the long-range communication network live again dissipated as soon as he heard what she’d had to say. Now he was trying to convey that information to his G’grk hosts, and it was
NOT
being well received.

- If you fire that rocket of yours,
cried Hardison,
not only will it NOT save Fnrr, it could doom this planet and every other inhabited world in this spiral arm!

Hardison found himself pinned to the spot by two of Zst’kh’s bodyguards, who grasped his arms tightly behind him. He’d made no threatening moves towards the Grand Marshal, at least he didn’t think he had – but the heated tone of the conversation was obviously enough to convince the guards not to take any chances. The Grand Marshal turned away and consulted with an armoured, war-painted drone officer. Hardison called out to him.

- That thing up there, it’s
NOT
a planet. It consists of tiny destructive robots, killer machines which shred all living things upon contact. If you fire your missile, the sphere will shatter and the machines will be scattered through space! Fnrr will be covered in the robots immediately. Everything will die. Then the machines will drift through space, reproducing. There will be hundreds of Black Planets! No world will be safe! You
HAVE
to listen to me—

- And if we do not fire the Lance? What then?
asked Zst’kh.
We wait for the Black . . . whatever it is . . . to descend upon us? What do we have to lose by firing the Lance? What other solution is there?

Hardison calmed himself, then answered the Grand Marshal.
- Terra says she thinks there might be a way to communicate with the planet, that it might actually be conscious, that if we—

-
TERRA
?
snapped Zst’kh, cutting him off.
That is the source of your information? The Ymn child? Tell me, Hrrd’s-nn, just how many times does the child think she can humiliate us?

Hardison closed his eyes and sagged, despairingly. Mentioning Terra by name. Big mistake. The Grand Marshal drew close and hissed,
- She might have worked her alien tricks to cloud my grandfather’s mind, but not me. Oh no, Ymn, not me.
He turned and barked at a waiting officer.
The warhead! Load it! Now!

Zst’kh turned back and addressed his bodyguards.
- Confine Colonel Hrrd’s-nn to his quarters.
Seeing that Hardison was about to protest, he went on.
Unless there is somewhere else you would prefer to stay, Hrrd’s-nn? The stockade, perhaps?

Hardison blanched. He’d seen the inside of the G’grk stockade.

- Good. Be content, Ymn. You will have a good view of the launch from your quarters.

- At least let me contact Terra!
Hardison pleaded.
Let me tell her I’ve failed. Let me tell her you’re going ahead with launching the Lance—

The Grand Marshal smiled, a thin lipless smile.
-
I think she will know,
he said.

3.27

Terra stared glumly at her comm. Her inert, silent comm.

- They’re not going for it, are they? They’re going to fire that thing.

- What did you expect?
sneered Pktk.
It’s the G’grk. Any excuse to blow something up.

Terra turned on him angrily. -
STOP
it, Pktk! Stop it with all the G’grk stuff ! They’re
NOT
stupid. They had us
BEATEN
, remember? They’d
WON
. The only reason we’re not all G’grk child soldiers now is because old Grand Marshal K’zsht decided he’d had enough of war! If the G’grk are dumb animals, then who are we? Who are
OUR
people? We’re the ones who let dumb animals conquer us!

Pktk stood up.
- What do you mean, ‘our people’? This isn’t your battle, Terra! This isn’t even your world! Why did you even come back here?

Fthfth and Billy looked at each other with alarm. This wasn’t good.

- I came back because I was worried about you!
said Terra, wide-eyed and red-faced with fury.
I was worried about all of you! I’d lost contact with you and I was scared that something might have happened, and something
HAD
happened, and I dragged myself all this way across space to try to
HELP
, and I
STILL
can’t find Lbbp, and we’re all going to die before the morning unless we can stay friends and find a way to stop that thing in the sky so
WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS
!

A leaden pause.

- I’m sorry, Terra,
said Pktk humbly.

- And anyway,
said Fthfth.
Billy’s right. It’s us in clever old Mlml who are currently being buried under ancient prophecies and superstitions while at least the G’grk are doing something. It’s just a shame it’s something so . . . G’grky.

Terra decided to change the subject.
- Fthfth
, she said,
any progress on finding the frequency the nanites are using?

Fthfth gave her an equivocal look.
- Good news and bad news on that one. Yes, I’ve established the frequency, but the signal itself is, well, it looks like a—

Pktk cut in,
- It’s a psychic frequency. The nanites communicate telepathically.

Terra thought this over.
- Makes sense. They’re thinking as one. Like individual cells in a planet-sized brain. So can we talk to them? I mean . . . think to them?

Pktk grunted in frustration.
- I’ve already made a telepathic transmitter, it’s how I sent you that dream message. But I left it in Lsh-Lff . . .

Billy perked up.
- Since you’ve built one already, how long would it take you to make another one? Not long, surely? This is you we’re talking about, Pktk.

Pktk frowned.
- It’s impossible. I could rig up the transmitter and the signal booster, but we’ve got no way of plugging in, of getting my thoughts into the system . . . I used an interface in Lsh-Lff and there are no interfaces left in Hrrng! Remember? They’ve all been smashed!

Terra stood up.
- Not all of them,
she said.
Come on, we’ve got to move again.

3.28

-
T
here, Luminescence. All programmed and ready to go.

Lbbp stepped back from the console of his little ship. He’d overridden the biometric security system (well, it was his ship; his presence on board had been enough) and had programmed an intercept course with the Black Planet. He took a sorrowful look around at the ship’s interior. They’d had some good times together. He’d been right over there when he’d heard that sound. Pip p-pip. The sound that had led him to her.

He hoped she was somewhere safe.

He remembered that nowhere was safe.

- Thank you, Deceiver,
said the Gfjk, sitting back in the pilot’s seat.
You have been a . . . good friend.

Lbbp paused. He didn’t think he’d ever heard the Gfjk use the word ‘friend’ to describe him, or anyone.
- Thank you,
he said, almost reflexively.

The Gfjk smiled warmly.
- No really,
he went on.
I couldn’t have done any of this without you. And I know how hard it is for people to be themselves around me, I do. All the ‘Love and Glory’ this and ‘Luminescence’ that. But I feel I’ve really got to know you, Lbbp.

His real name now? Not ‘Deceiver’? Curiouser and curiouser.

The Gfjk went on, softly.
- And more than anyone else, Lbbp, I think you’ve got to know me.

Lbbp peered at the ridiculous robed figure sitting in his pilot’s seat. Is there hope for you? Is there still a residual quantum of decency in there somewhere? Is it just the power that’s sent you so crazy? Could you be saved?

Lbbp felt a glimmer of sympathy for the damaged individual he saw before him, and a twinge of guilt at his betrayal. The Gfjk spoke again.

- Will you do something for me while I’m away?

- Of course,
said Lbbp.

- Will you make sure the custodians don’t slack off in finding that Ymn child? She very nearly ruined my special day. I’d like very much to meet her and her little friends. I’m going to make them watch while I turn her slowly inside out.

No, thought Lbbp, you’re a thoroughly irredeemable little sh’znt and I’m going to be happy when you’re dead.

- I will, Luminescence. Love and glory!

- Yes, yes, love and glory,
said the Gfjk with a wave. He turned back to the console. Lbbp could hear the gravity engines warming up. He climbed out of the hatch and slammed it shut.

Lbbp backed away from the ship as it rose silently into the air, to the sound of rapturous hisses from the loyal onlookers. He watched as it dwindled into a dot in the deep red evening sky. He felt his two escorts grip his arms, and smiled at them.

- Back to Mission Control then, boys?

3.29

-
B
ack! Back! There’s someone there!
hissed Terra.

- I knew there would be,
whispered Pktk.

They had scampered through the streets, ducking from doorway to doorway, across the short distance from Pktk’s home to the tower where Lbbp had raised Terra from infancy. Terra had fumbled in her rucksack and found the keytube that released the front door of the building. She hadn’t used it for two years; occasionally, back on Earth, she’d held it in her hand and looked forward to the day when she might use it again. She’d never imagined using it under circumstances like these.

The rest of the little gang had glanced around nervously while Terra rummaged. The streets were deserted, but a visualiser set into the wall next to the door showed them an image of the Gfjk-Hhh’s grinning face (along with the Mlmln text ‘Love and Glory’), as if to remind them of their vulnerability.

Once safely inside, they had found the grav-chute and ascended to floor 6-green, being careful not to bash their bag full of equipment against the sides. Now, peering round a corner, they saw a white-robed figure standing guard in front of Apartment 4.

- New Believer, not a custodian,
mused Terra.
Wonder why?

- It sounded like there was something going on in the Forum square,
said Fthfth as quietly as she was capable of being, which was quieter than Pktk expected.
Maybe all the custodians are there.

As the robed figure turned, looking first one way down the corridor and then the other, they saw a pulse-orb, holstered on a belt around his waist. Custodian he might not have been, but he was armed nonetheless.

- What do we do?
whispered Billy.

-
I don’t know,
said Terra, watching the figure intently.
Maybe we could . . . Wait! Is that—?

To the alarm and confusion of her friends, Terra stood up straight and walked round the corner.

- What are you doing?
whispered Fthfth.

- Come back!
said Pktk.

Terra walked slowly towards the robed figure. She took her hat off.
- Yshn,
she said
. It’s me . . . It’s Terra.

Startled, Terra’s old schoolfriend lowered his hood. He gazed at her wordlessly for a moment, then fumbled with the comm on his belt.

- No, don’t,
said Terra calmly.
Wait.

- I have to report you!
said Yshn.
I have to report you to His Luminescence!

On hearing this, Fthfth groaned quietly.

Terra’s friends emerged from their hiding place and stood behind her as she continued:

- Listen to me, Yshn. He lied. He lied to everyone. He’s not who he says he is. He can’t do what he says he can.

- He can!
insisted Yshn.
It’s all happening like the prophecy said it would! It’s the moment of his ascension! It’s happening right now and I’m having to miss it because I have to guard your stupid apartment!

- Same old Yshn,
snarled Pktk.
Still whining.

- Quiet, Pktk,
spat Terra over her shoulder. She turned back to Yshn.
- Give me the comm, Yshn. And the pulse-orb. You might get me, but you won’t get all of us. I’ve played dfsh with you; you’re not that fast.

- I’m one of his now!
said Yshn proudly.
One of his elite! And I’m proud to be one of his. The old leaders were weak! You were here – they let us get invaded! He’ll never let that happen again.

- Er, it occurs to me that there’s no point not getting invaded if in order to not get invaded you have to make things worse than if you
HAD
been invaded,
observed Billy.

Yshn hadn’t noticed Billy until now.
- Who’s
THIS
? Is this another Ymn? Why is there another Ymn here? Ymns spoil everything! They’re the bringers of lies!

- I wouldn’t come by our planet if that’s how you feel, our kid.
Billy smiled, sidling up to Yshn in a friendly manner.
Place is crawling with them.

Yshn,
said Terra,
come with us. You don’t belong to him. You don’t belong to anyone.

Yshn’s eyed darted from one of his old friends to the other in turn. His mouth opened and closed silently, then he grabbed for the comm.

Yshn managed to shout,
-
They’re—
before Billy slapped the comm from his hand. With his other hand he shoved Yshn back against the door. Pktk piled in, grappling the pulse-orb from Yshn’s belt and handing it to Fthfth, who looked at it like he’d just handed her a dead sknth.

- They’ll be coming,
sneered Yshn as Billy pinned him to the door,
they’ll be coming for you.

- We’ll be ready,
said Billy.

Terra shook her head, tears in her eyes.
- Oh, Yshn,
she said. She wished she could feel more shock and disappointment at her old classmate. All she felt was pity and a hint of disgust.
Get him inside,
she said to the others.

The gang of friends bundled their hostage through the door.

Terra stood in her childhood home.

Everything was much as she remembered it.

There was no layer of dust over the furniture as there would have been in a long-deserted Earth house – the building’s air filters were far too efficient – but it was immediately obvious to Terra that no one had set foot in the apartment for a long time. She missed Lbbp more keenly than at any time since she’d returned to Fnrr. His not being in the one place he really
OUGHT
to be . . . Somehow his absence now felt total. For the first time, Terra found she wasn’t sure that he was still alive after all.

‘Terra.’ Billy interrupted her thoughts. ‘We’ve got stuff to do.’

Terra blinked and went into her old room. What she saw in there made her jump with alarm, giggle with amusement, and then feel rather guilty at having giggled.

Yshn, his wrists and ankles sealed in binding gel and his mouth stuffed with a torn-off piece of his own robe, was rotating, upside down and weightless, in her old sleep-well. Fthfth and Pktk were watching him revolve, admiring their own ingenuity.

- Well, that’s one way of keeping him out of mischief,
said Terra.
Where did you get the binding gel?

- It’s his,
said Pktk, grinning.
It was on his belt.

- Well, that’s poetic justice, I suppose,
murmured Terra. She walked over to her cupboard and went inside.

After a moment, she emerged, triumphant.
- Told you,
she said.

In her hand, she held an interface. Her own, personal, Ymn-friendly interface. It had been made specially for her after her unfortunate experience with one of the standard models. Shortly before her return to Earth it had been delivered, along with her other belongings, to the apartment. There was no point leaving the interface at the Lyceum; no one there could use it. It had been missed during the Gfjk’s purge of its fellows.

Billy smiled. -
Let’s get to work,
he said.