Human Starpilots Read online

  Human Starpilots

  Fabrice Stephan

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  © 2018 Fabrice Stephan

  All rights reserved.

  Pictures are copyrighted by Michel Rigaux.

  ISBN: 9781981063284

  PART 1 – 2137 AD

  1 Brian

  The shuttle aerobraked as soon as it hit the atmosphere of Adheek and the vibrations began. The vibrations increased until Brian Evans was hard pressed to keep the contents of his stomach inside. The terrible whining got louder, piercing his headset, and an acrid odor of spilled oil filled the cabin. His nausea was barely manageable. “Just a few more minutes,” Brian repeated in his head, clenching his teeth and fidgeting with his pilot bracelet. He was a tall, wiry man in his midtwenties, fair skinned, with brown eyes and dark hair. For the thousandth time since he had left Earth, Brian wondered why he had left the ground for another world sixty light-years away. Emily Cattlin and Willfried Bauer, his fellow students on the flight, seemed barely better. With her green eyes and red hair, Emily radiated so much energy that everyone, including Brian, felt drawn to her. But today, her face bordered on the gray, and the mark on her neck showed the strain she was going through just to keep her head up. Willfried, blue eyed and powerfully built, was more withdrawn and cautious. Now he closed his eyes tightly and gripped his seat, his knuckles white.

  On the other side of the cabin sat the three station members, who commuted regularly between the planet and the station, now subdued. “This won’t be long now,” said Althal, the pilot, from her seat. Her calm voice in the headset covered for an instant the external noises, and it took a moment for Brian to understand the strange words. Suddenly, the lander pierced the cloud cover, and the surface of Adheek appeared. As its speed decreased, the shuttle extended its metal wings on both sides to gain more bearing. With that, the shaking decreased a little and allowed them some respite.

  The windows remained dimmed. Brian could not see the ground clearly.

  “Adheek midday sun is too bright; wait a moment,” said Althal apologetically.

  The lander turned slowly in a large curve, and the windows became transparent. Brian gasped, taken aback by the redness below. The lander flew above a vast vermillion plain, bordered by high amber mountains on one side and small hills on the other. Two bright-blue rivers flowed from the largest summits, crossing the vast landscape with red-and-green fields between them. He couldn’t pick out any details. A heat haze blurred the ground. The lander made a last turn, and the massive city of Certan appeared, pierced by the two rivers. Its squat buildings glowed in the sun with a dark-red tinge. “So, this is where we will learn to fly,” thought Brian bleakly, “if we ever find spaceships.”

  “Heat wave; brace yourself,” shouted Althal, and the lander lurched again with intense vibrations. There were frequent air pockets now; Brian felt the security harness close on him. The small craft seemed close to disintegrating. With a click, the ejection cartridges engaged under the seats. Brian watched Althal’s hand in morbid fascination. Her hands accelerated over the controls to guide the shuttle through the unseen turbulence. She was everywhere, modifying 3-D switches, adjusting courses. Brian felt the hands blur losing consistency, changing shape to cover better all controls. After an eternity, she called: “Four, three, two, one, and touchdown.”

  The lander rolled quietly on the runaway after an initial heavy bump. The three crewmembers started muttering. Brian picked out only a few words from the low accented voices. “…Isn’t improving…whatever they say officially…climate destabilization is still worsening at times…” There had been an environmental advisor from Adheek on Earth, and he had had harsh words on how Earth had screwed its climate over the last centuries. Maybe, he had overstated Adheek’s superiority in this area. Brian glanced at Emily. She nodded silently, sharing his conclusions. They had all prepared so intensely for this moment that they could read each other’s faces easily now.

  Althal got up and opened the exit hatch. The heat engulfed the vehicle, crushing everyone. She lowered the ladder, which extended with an electric whine. After a few minutes, the three crewmembers took their luggage. Before they disembarked, they said goodbyes, delivered in their strong accent. They went down the ladder to the runway and the small building that housed the spaceport. Emily followed them, eager as always. After a year of preparation and a month of space travel, they were a few kilometers away from the Federation Starpilot Academy. Her smile was radiant and contaminated Brian who followed.

  The skin of Althal and the station crewmembers had a green complexion, which, Brian knew, came from a recessive genetic evolution related to Adheek soil. The gravity felt heavier and actually was by 5 percent. The oxygen was also lower, and the students from Earth had followed an intensive physical training to live in these conditions. Adapted to her environment, Althal—a shapely brunette a head smaller than the students, with a strong athletic build—had needed no such preparation. As soon as Brian exited, he felt the midday sun over his head burning him. Last on board, Willfried got up and stretched, controlling his breath quietly for half a minute before he moved to join them.

  Althal smiled at the bottom of the ladder, not a drop of sweat on her perfectly neat white uniform. “Good descent, don’t you find? Sorry for the heat wave. It happens in summer. Welcome to my home!” She turned to show the mountains, which loomed above them, and the tree line at the other end of the runway in a grand gesture. “I believe that only your ambassador and his staff have preceded you here from your planet. On behalf of the Pilot Corporation, I am glad to welcome you.” Then she added with a bright smile, “These are the official words from Kilet Namek, the guild master! He would be cross with me if I did not welcome you properly. Come with me; let’s go to the surface car that will transfer you to the academy.” With that, she turned and moved briskly toward the spaceport.

  The small building, a single floor, with an array of antennas on the roof, was dwarfed by the huge warehouse attached to it. The edges were slightly blurred by the heat, but they could see that the gray concrete walls were tagged with multiple writings, and they recognized in Old Federation the characters for “Adheek.” A few ground vehicles were neatly parked in rows on the side, with huge cranes used to set up the shuttles on top of the atmospheric launcher and to load cargo. No one else was outside. For that matter, there was no wind, no chatter of birds or animals, and no noise at all on the tarmac.

  “It’s a small spaceport. We cannot afford more with our climate. Ah. Nerm is over there.” she pointed to a dark and heavy ground transport, which waited fifty meters away, under the shade of a small shelter. As soon as he saw them, an old and tired-looking driver in a dark-green uniform, “Nerm” written in old letters on his badge of office, got out and helped them cram their luggage in the back compartment. They were quick to get in the air-conditioned atmosphere and leave the heat.

  “Mind if I ride with you?” Without waiting for an answer, Althal sat in the front with the driver and turned to ask, “Will there be other students from your world?”

  “Three other students will follow in the next shuttle,” answered Emily simply.

  “That will make eight of you on our planet, with your ambassador,” completed Nerm.

  “Among two billion of us. Not a bad ratio,” laughed Althal. “Don’t be scared; most planets of the sector don’t have many more travelers on Adheek.” She smiled at that, Brian thought to an inner private joke he couldn’t understand. The car took up and flew a meter above the uneven ground. It moved toward the city with little noise, as it
used a hydrogen cell and an electrical engine to run the rotors.

  “Captain?” asked Emily.

  “Please call me Althal. A shuttle pilot doesn’t deserve this title,” answered Althal. “Or if, in your culture, you prefer to use titles, ‘pilot’ is adapted for me.”

  “Althal, do you know where the ambassador is?” Emily’s voice was strong, yet Brian, knowing her well, detected the small trace of anxiety. Privately to himself, he admitted he would have liked to see the ambassador on the tarmac.

  “Yes. I had a message from him when we landed. He sends his apologies. With the landing schedule uncertain in summer, he left this morning for a Merchant meeting in Telem, a coastal city located two hundred kilometers southwest from here. He asked me to convey his apologies and to invite you for a dinner in three days when he returns. All details will be waiting for you at the academy.”

  They quickly left the spaceport, and Brian concentrated on the surroundings sights: a solar farm, a plantation with exotic ruby trees and red-green crops, more red concrete buildings. Brian started to see the similarities between them: trapezoid shape, large concrete walls, small apertures on three sides and wide windows on what had to be the north side, large solar panels everywhere. Here and there, he saw decaying plants abandoned and dismantled. There were very few cars similar to the one they rode in, but there were many larger ones, crowded with passengers.

  No birds flew in the empty sky. A few large animals rested under the shade of the large iron trees. Brian was fascinated by them. They moved like large monkeys, using big forearm and large tails to walk straight. Their small heads shared the same green complexion with Adheekens and had inherited something of Earth Gorillas.

  Nerm recited the different places they could see as they flew over red clay and deserted avenues. “This is the worst hour of the day. Everybody is inside, resting or working on quiet reflexive tasks. They will move out later today. We come through the South Boulevard.”

  Althal commented quickly. “This is the most recent part of the city. Most efficient in terms of environmental impact but far less fun in terms of architecture.”

  All three were soon lost in the new names and places of the strange city.

  “We are crossing the Ourim market, initially dedicated to the trading of coffee but now a major trading place between Guilds. It dates back to ancient times, maybe the old civilization,” said Nerm showing a large dome in the distance.

  “Actually, we really don’t know how old it is. Everything, or close, can be purchased here,” added again Althal. “But you may have to fetch it from the other side of the planet. Here, transport is limited to the strict minimum. And you will soon cross farm areas that support this part of the city.”

  “There is another dome inside with heat insulation. Wind is diverted to the basement and some cold water under the building and refreshes the whole structure.”

  They reached progressively older parts of the city as they traveled. “You see the steel and glass replacing the concrete? And the wider, sunnier, hotter avenues?” asked Althal. They nodded in unison. The signs of reconversion were prominent, with cranes everywhere in a visible rebuilding effort. “We are reaching the Federation Quarter. This is the oldest part of the city.”

  Suddenly, the academy appeared in front of them in the middle of an immense plaza. The three distinctive spires that were displayed on the academy’s emblem loomed over a large, isolated two-story metal building. The third tower was partially ruined, a large crater disturbing its foundation. All three shot toward the sky far above all the surrounding houses. Enormous windows faced the sun, clearly dating from a cooler age. Vines had covered the walls and left cracks and wrinkles so deeply set that the recent plaster could not erase them. Lasers mounted on the walls tracked the car while it crossed the plaza to stop in front of the entrance.

  On the front porch, a tall old man in a green uniform waited for them. They immediately recognized the perfectly serene figure, the square jawline and the hard eyes, as headmaster Reinkel am Pol, the dean.

  “Welcome to all of you, and thank you, Nerm, for your service to the academy,” the teacher said quietly. He turned to enter the main hall and beckoned them to follow him. “Don’t linger in the heat. We have a lot to do to get you settled.” He radiated a strong and imposing presence; yet his voice was cold and unemotional. Nerm left with the car and Althal. They had no choice but to follow the headmaster into the antique building.

  2 The aliens blog - 2134 AD

  From your favorite alien hunter, Mat, hidden and out of reach.

  Dear readers! You want the latest news on aliens; I have it all for you.

  Ten days ago, while Typhoon Harper wrecked the Chinese coast for the third time this month, a spaceship appeared in Earth orbit and initiated contact. Within ten hours of initial contact, the governments activated the Emergency Response Team from Geneva. Two days after, a delegation from the alien ship landed on our moon base to meet our officials from the team. There was a lot of coverage of initial contact, until the new landslide in Guatemala caused the media to change focus. In the last eight days, we have seen nothing on TV but replays. The moon is wholly quarantined now for health security reasons. Threat of infections is a well-known and old trick to prevent us from learning the truth, even though, with our current climate situation, we cannot afford new uncontrolled epidemics. So, your faithful servant dug, and dug, and came back with true news.

  Let me be the first to break this out:

  - the aliens have a human appearance (see attached nonofficial and stealth video taken at peril to life and limb by one of our supporters);

  - they have invited Earth to join their Federation, which gathers around fifty solar systems and more than one hundred billion inhabitants (see attached an excerpt we have copied from their declaration);

  - they have also offered assistance with some of our issues including the environmental changes (we have no specifics on this as it seemed to have been discussed in a private meeting).

  We do not know yet the price for all the goodies, but there will be one. What do they want from us? We have no explanations yet. So, beware!

  It is unacceptable that governments hide from us this information so crucial to our survival.

  This blog is the focus of our action plan. So please join us, and share all your information! The truth should never be stopped.

  Your servant, Mat

  Likes 503,405 Comments 10,245

  3 Master Reinkel

  The room was dark and austere. No personal items, no books, no personal pictures. Only a large desk, two chairs, closed shutters, and multiples 3-D readers, which projected several data sets at the same time all around the room.

  “How bad is it?” said Master Reinkel. He got up and faced the man in the doorway. Dr. Nilse was still. Light from the corridor flooded the room. At last, he sighed and finally entered. He was rather small, excepting a terrible, bulbous eye and a sweaty, bald forehead. His tunic looked unwashed.

  “Bad.” The doctor’s voice was tired. “Most of his brain burned away. He may not recover enough even to do simple tasks. I have cleaned all I could, and he is now in deep coma. He should not be awakened until he is back on Pelor with his family.” Nilse deposited an object wrapped in a silk sheet and sat in one of the reclining chairs.

  “Who are we referring him to?”

  “I have checked on the databanks, and Melol was transferred back to Pelor a year ago. If anything can be done, she will find it. At least, I am very confident in her.”

  “Good. I met her, a long time ago, and she was already very skilled. I have already arranged his transport through Master Heikert and the Pilot Corporation. I am waiting for a confirmation from the Federation Envoy. A scout is currently docked at the station. He would be there in less than a month.” The tone left no doubt that the scout would change his route to carry the student back. Caring for the pilots was one of the pillars of good governance on which the Federation relied heavily. The
poor sod might remain an idiot for the rest of his life, but he would receive the best treatment to be found in all human worlds.

  “We can keep him under for that long,” nodded the doctor. “Now, what do we tell his group?”

  “Nothing,” answered Reinkel. “Absolutely nothing. Each tutor will announce what happened in individual sessions with adequate explanations and exercises. I welcomed a new group from Earth twenty minutes ago, and I don’t want uncontrolled rumors. Let’s give them some time before they learn what they face.”

  “This is the third this year. I am really tired of all this. I think I’ll leave. Find someone else to patch them up.”

  “You cannot, dear doctor. You are bound by your contract to serve the Federation for the next five years at least. Like all of us. We need those pilots, and you, among all, know why. Improve our techniques to protect them; that will be more useful than closing your eyes and cowering in fear.”

  “I know. I know,” the doctor whispered tiredly. “I just can’t stand it anymore. They should have the choice at least.”

  “What choice? You want to go back to Kirthan? Earth had a choice one hundred years ago, like Kirthan. And what happened to Earth? Can you tell? Do you wish it to happen again, to another planet? If you want to whine, go and bother that ninny Polantor. Maybe that will help him get my job.” The scorn in the master’s voice stabbed the doctor, and he bowed his head in acknowledgement.

  “But before you do that, send me the results from the medical checkup of the new group by next week at the latest. And one last thing.” The doctor looked up at the change in the dean’s voice. “We will not accept another group from Earth during the next two years. I have been adamant with the Federation envoy and the Earth ambassador. So, this time, you have time to adjust your injections to their reaction profile and find solutions. And the next students will have at least better chances at survival.”