The Comet Riders
By
Anne Spackman
Copyright © 2014 by Anne Spackman
All Rights Reserved.
Cover art by Boris Rasin
Whatever is done from love always occurs beyond good and evil.
—Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil
* * * * *
“Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” —Lord Acton
Foreword
Where did the evil begin? An evil that would bring the end of an entire civilization and destroy the lives of billions…
I was there when the boy entered the world. I was there when he took his first halted breaths. I was there when his hair grew into a soft, feathery down over his head, there a half-year later when he toddled over with his first few, staggered steps. I watched him as one does in a trance, unable for the longest time to bear to recognize this lovely child for the inhuman monster he would become.
He was Ilikan Marankeil, the man who would become the evil eternal Emperor of our world. And it was my destiny to destroy him. These things had long been foretold.
Then why ever did I spare his life, when I had the chance to kill him?
Chapter One
“The night before take-off—I hope he’s not going to overdo it.” Riorn Lier whistled, looking at his co-captain and friend, Ohnri Chiyenn, who was standing halfway across the room with a drink in his hand, chatting to a lovely young woman. Lier then shook his head as a slow smile involuntarily spread over the corners of his mouth.
“I’ll have another urbin spirit with a berry spritz,” Lier made a quick order while debating if he should go on over and bother Chiyenn. He downed it in mere seconds, irresponsibly, he still thought, castigating himself. He knew he shouldn’t be drinking, but it was the only thing keeping his nerves in check. They were going to be in outer space tomorrow.
Riorn Lier was a giant figure in society, a captain of the planet Seynorynael’s planetwide Astronomical Exploration Group. His face was by now synonymous with the entire AEG itself. Lier had been successfully memorialized in the minds of millions before the explorers’ mission was even to take off, memorialized through parade after parade, endless fanfare, holo-newscasting and images displayed worldwide on every available public forum display.
The renowned captain Lier could have chosen to spend his last free evening before the launch among the political elite of the capital city of Ariyal-synai, in conference with the leading scientific minds of the century, or even on a last amorous foray, but Lier wasn’t looking for any empty adulation.
The leisure center in Ariyal-synai's Cultural Center bustled with more than its usual number of patrons; Lier had already overheard several “philosophical” conversations about the upcoming explorer mission just standing in the entrance.
Most of the people passing him took no notice of him, not recognizing him or thinking that there was no way it could actually be the man himself; a few others, mostly young cadets in the AEG, had stopped to stare at him with a look of hero-worship and awe.
Perceiving their intent, Lier had signed an autograph for them and let them hurry away to boast of their good fortune to their troop of spacetraining comrades.
“Damn, it’s hot in here,” he checked his collar a minute later and ordered a third drink.
Lier felt as though he were walking through a dream already, as though he and the entire world were but characters in a play, yet he was the only person conscious of it. And, as soon as he had understood this, his capacity for forming the appropriate responses and taking the necessary actions had failed him. Or, maybe it was the spirits already affecting him.
Lier wasn’t afraid of much in this life—except perhaps not being able to keep his crew’s morale high in the near future—but that didn’t mean he hadn’t noticed that the world of activity surrounding him had become as surreal as weightlessness and as unpredictable as the weather. He couldn’t describe his state of mind or feelings to anyone—anyone but the young co-captain who was in the same position as him. Lier wasn’t afraid of launching—he had gone on several near space missions—but why did it seem this time as though the entire planet joining in celebration were naively and thoughtlessly carousing and dancing over his funeral? He couldn’t explain why this was what he felt.
“I need to get my perspective back before tomorrow,” he thought, wanting to shake himself out of this.
He stopped to survey the wide stretch of patrons from the dim security of the bar—as usual the Cultural Center was full of scientists, politicians, and space fleet specialists gathered during their off-hours, but that was normal, since the building's position adjacent to the Council building, AEG Scientific Center, and Central Astroport made it the ideal hang-out for several different walks of life. Chiyenn was now shifting about on a stool by the far end of the drink counter, near a group of technicians who were going up on Lier’s ship, the Seishinna, and on the Velastria tomorrow.
Lier spared a thought for the Velastria’s captain, Nilery, who had been detained in detox that evening because of a glitch in the inoculation facility two days before.
Now that is definitely not the way to have to spend the last evening before take-off, Lier reflected.
Riorn Lier headed across the center, turning a few heads sitting at the nearby tables as he made his way over to Chiyenn, a pale-skinned, white-haired youth with coal-colored eyes, dressed in the forest green, scarlet, indigo, and black uniform that marked him as a navigator.
“I am still coming to your rescue,” Lier laughed to himself.
Chiyenn smiled as he looked up; Lier suppressed an urge to interrupt for a few moments, at least until he was within earshot. Then finally, he made his way over to Chiyenn.
“Let’s go for a shot of oten spirits with a shiyarr-inn twist in it,” Chiyenn told the man behind the counter.
“So? What is it this time?” Lier repeated, as Chiyenn took the drink from the bartender.
"Nothing." Chiyenn muttered into his glass.
"Thinking about the launch?" Lier asked, taking a seat by Chiyenn, who seemed to be stooped over his drink; Lier knew he had to stop him now, before Chiyenn overdid it and had to have the alcohol removed from his system back in the medical center. Maybe they were both too nervous this mission. But they would only have a short night to sleep off the effects of the alcohol.
"I am thinking about the launch, yes." Chiyenn looked up, as though just becoming aware of Lier's intrusion. Suddenly, Lier was surprised to see that Chiyenn was completely sober. Perhaps Chiyenn hadn’t been downing as much as his present alacrity with his shiyar-inn fizz suggested.
"We'll be picking up the last of the crew at the Nanshe Moon outpost this time tomorrow." Lier said. He glanced sidelong at Chiyenn, who was pulling himself upright to respond.
"I just can't help wondering if there is anyone out there. It's a tremendous responsibility—to prove whether or not life exists outside this planet." Chiyenn sighed, wondering if Lier would understand his fears and doubts, for the man seemed so confident and unafraid.
"Come on, Chiyenn,” Lier’s laugh was deep, unfettered, “you’re the one who believes there is life outside Seynorynael. Your friends who do the research at AEG are behind you in this, but if you lose your faith now, you’ll lose your resolve.”
"Well, I am still curious, even if I feel less certain tonight. We did receive transmissions, and we do have reason from stellar analysis to believe that some sentient species is sending the transmissions to us.” Chiyenn began to nod, and then s
topped; a crease formed between his brows.
“But that isn’t necessary, is it? Someday it will be important for us—for our race, to create a living colony outside our solar system, and if we can find another world—"
"I know I know. I agree. Everyone knows Valeria will explode someday, but that won’t be for at least the next 45,000 years. We won’t see it happen, so cheer up," he added. Valeria was the star Seynorynael revolved around.
"Lier, why do you choose to go? Despite your rank, what keeps you doing it?"
"Because it’s our next step, I suppose. Do we have to wait until the need arises to escape our planet merely to face the challenge?"
“The challenge.”
“In this case it’s the challenge of extending space travel to visit other star systems, but it could be anything. If you ask me, to shun the challenge and the purpose of humankind, our will to achieve what is possible, is unthinkable. When humanity ceases to challenge itself, it might as well surrender to extinction.”
“Your reason for believing that?”
“Unexpected danger is waiting for us, as a race and as individuals.” Lier replied. “If we aren’t prepared to face challenges and to survive them, humanity will die out when a truly unexpected danger does finally strike.”
“Rather an uplifting thought.”
“I wasn’t trying to be positive or negative. Merely honest.”
“So, you see this mission as a step towards—what?”
“Like you said, Chiyenn, the independence of humankind from the environment. We have to grow up and leave our home world someday, don’t we? We need to see what’s out there first, and take our steps gradually, facing one challenge at a time.”
“I agree.”
“You might as well know that I have been afraid today, more than I was on past missions, but I believe in what I stand for, in what we are all doing and risking our lives to achieve. Conquering the unknown dangers of space will devise the biggest test, and—well, it seems appropriate, when you consider that the greatest challenge to our people’s survival might come to our planet from the stars.”
“An asteroid? A hostile alien nation bent on conquering us or making a meal of us—”
“The unknown, Chiyenn. Any unknown.”
Lier downed the rest of his drink; they sat thinking, listening to the noise of the leisure center.
"We'll be gone such a long time.” Chiyenn commented.
“Yes.”
“I keep thinking about what Physics Specialist Kan told us," Chiyenn looked down into his drink and watched the contents swirl as he made a circular motion with the glass.
"Time Dilation will take affect on us—umm, no one we know will be here when we return, or else they will be very old. However many years pass on board our ship, many more will pass on Seynorynael in our absence, because of the relativistic rate of our ship, which travels near light-speed.”
“It will be difficult to begin again when we return. But jook at all the people in here—I've never seen such a ruckus before." Lier made a gesture to include the unusual crowds in the leisure center. A lot of people who had traveled to the capital city Ariyal-synai to watch the launch of the new starship had joined the revelers who lived in the city.
"Yeah, I guess the entire city is starting the celebrations early. I hear the communications center will broadcast the launch across the planet." Chiyenn followed Lier's gaze around the room, noticing the crowds for the first time.
"So they tell me.” Lier sighed. “By the way, have you seen the new uniform that the Leader's council has insisted I wear during the launch?" Lier shook his head.
Chiyenn grinned. "Yes. I liked it.”
“Something wrong with the one I’m wearing?”
“No, no. But you have to admit, it has seen better days...”
"I suppose.” Lier admitted. “But, well, it belonged to my father.” Lier said, fingering his collar-button. “He was wearing it when he survived the explosion on the third moon of planet Kumei."
"I know, I know—he was the only survivor when the space fleet transport arrived at the base—he was clinging to life in a shuttle air lock. Your good luck charm, is it?" Chiyenn laughed, then noticed Lier's distraction. His gaze had been drawn across the room. "Lier?" he asked tentatively.
"Look at that girl over there," Lier said appreciatively.
"Where?" Chiyenn looked in the direction of Lier's glance, and searched through the crowds of people. Across the room by the food distribution unit sat a young woman in a black uniform, most likely one of city regulators off patrol duty.
Despite the rugged uniform, the clumsy standard-issue lasergun in the wide leather bolster on her hip and the reputation the regulators had in the center of being a group of intractable, wise-ass mavericks, the woman seemed refined, distant, unapproachable—and she was the only one in the room completely unaffected by the pervasive air of madness induced by the upcoming launch.
Leave it to Lier to pick out the most attractive woman in the room, Chiyenn thought, but this time Lier had outdone himself. The woman had an odd beauty, and she seemed a trifle sad... He wanted to go over to the washroom in the corner just past her so he could see what she was doing.
He decided to stay where he was.
“I just realized something.” Lier said slowly, unsettled.
“What?”
“I am actually rather glad half of the crew this time is female.”
For the first time in months, Chiyenn’s laughter was real.