Fire and Ice

The dark bulk loomed over the surface of the planet casting an ominous shadow as it stalked the swirling cloud mass that surrounded the world. The glow from the retro engines ignited as the subtle change pitch betrayed signs that the ship was slowing into the declining orbit as the giant sprawling wings rotated slightly, illuminating the deep black confines of space with a subtle touch of orange.

Cadet Joanne Darby double checked the computer display, making some adjustments with a deft touch, her fingers playing lightly over the blinking instrument panel before swivelling round in her chair and then reported in a sharp brisk tone, “We’ve entered orbit, sir.” She glanced at her captain discreetly and smiled as she stared at his strong profile, piercing brown eyes, and mass of wavy black hair. Her stomach tensed as he met her stare with an icy look and dismissed her attention, forcing her to turn back to her control panel slightly flushed with embarrassment, bringing a hidden smile from her colleague close to her position.

“He has that effect on everyone” whispered the young man by her side as he stared into a monitor, the lights casting a glow across his face.

“Keep to a high orbit, Cadet,” he acknowledged curtly as he averted his gaze to the main screen at the front of the ship.

“Yes sir.” she acknowledged

“Scans are indicating unusual layers within the atmosphere,” said the man by Cadet Darby, his face still staring at the monitor before him.

“Explain, Mr. Faheer” ordered the captain.

Nez Faheer continued to stare into the monitor screen, the colours playing over his slender Indian features as figures and information poured across the screen Nez allowed his fingers to expertly race over his console, stabbing at small buttons while his brown eyes danced over the screen examining the figures present by symbols and formulas. “These layers did not appear on previous surveys of the planet”, his silky voice drifted smoothly over the control room as his attention remained fixed firmly on the screen, “original reports show high levels of nitrogen, oxygen and traces of base elements including carbon dioxide and ammonia, but these new figures have changed since initial surveys”

“In what way?” asked the captain.

“Changes in basic elements, nitrogen falling to 60%, oxygen and argon levels increased while traces of carbon dioxide, helium and hydrogen are all present with fluctuating trace levels. Water vapour is variable and there appears to be a dangerous increase in methane, sulphur and sodium gas. Thermal radiation is being monitored toward the northern polar region and traces of solar radiation toward the southern pole”

“Potential source?” Captain Crane turned to his own computer, frowning as he analysed the streaming data which was fleeting across the screen on the arm of his command chair.

“Still scanning sir.” replied Nez

“Cadet, try to establish communication with the downed craft.” ordered Crane as he peered at the data, his own finger stabbing at a small yellow button.

Darby worked at her controls desperately turning dials and changing streaming figures as she worked to contact the ground, “There is interference, sir” she apologised turning briefly to the captain, then turning back quickly at signs of his disappointment, “I cannot communicate with the ship and I am finding no humanoid life signs within a thousand metre radius of the crash site. But wow! Captain, there are so many different plants and animals…”

“Keep to the facts Cadet,” the Captain’s voice chided harshly, “we are on official business on this planet, not a sightseeing tour. This may be your first duty, but I do expect a certain level of professionalism”

“Sorry sir” apologised Darby for the second time in as many minutes, “The crash site is in the middle of a dense jungle, heavy vegetation and numerous non-humanoid life signs. Sensors are picking up several possible habitations in the area, could be local populace or just interference from the unsettled conditions. At this level it is too difficult for the sensors to determine accurately.”

“Not good enough Cadet” snapped Crane, “Ensign, prepare for a low-level sweep of the area and bring the ship down as close to the crash site as possible”

“Sir” said Darby hesitantly.

“Well...?” queried the captain.

“If I may” she waited for the captain the nod before speaking, “the sensors are strong enough to fix on certain locations, but at this distance and with the present conditions we cannot ascertain exact details, but I can determine that there are no humanoid life signs anywhere near the downed craft”

“Sounds like we’re too late then” the captain stated simply. “Why the hell, would they send a holy man into a setting like this? Minimal piloting experience, no survival training, no backup …,” he broke off and stared forward toward the main screen and watched as the planet loomed into view across the main visual banks. “Nez, will these atmospheric anomalies affect us?”

“Not sure yet, Captain. It may be some kind of storm activity that is interfering with our readings, we won’t know for sure until we make planet-fall, but there is evidence that the planet’s regional climates have been changing as a result.”

“My readings confirm that sir, but this is crazy” Darby added still staring at her monitor. “The jungle where the ship crashed …,” She stopped and glanced at her captain. “Two years ago, surveys indicated a grassland in that area with a potential for high crop yields and a sustainability of over 75% for any crops. Additional information marked the area for possible agriculture farming and livestock grazing in that area”

“There must be a mistake in our records. Recheck the data.” Crane waited, drumming his fingers loudly as Darby ran through the records.

“I’ve rechecked my readings against the old survey data sir.” she said eventually, “The environment in that region has changed dramatically with complete changes in localised visuals” Darby reported, then she couldn’t help but add with attitude, “I am inexperienced but I can read data on a screen.”

“Changes in the environment are confirmed,” Nez reported without emotion as he checked his own monitor, raising his eyes to meet Darby’s frown.

“It is customary to recheck data at all times, especially if it is unusual,” the captain turned to stare at the Cadet, watching her face flush and hands tremble. He turned back to his console, gripping the arms of his chair and studied the screen.

“Sorry sir,” Darby spoke forcefully, “that is my inexperience showing.”

“Cadet, send our preliminary findings to headquarters. Maybe they know more about this than they’ve told us. Whatever the case, this is not just a rescue mission any more. We have too assume any contact with the crashed ship may have been lost for reasons out of our control and the situation may be hostile. Until we know for sure all crewmen will be placed on high alert. I’ll be in my office, inform me when we make planet-fall.”

Dust was thrown high into the air as the bulk of the craft lowered gently onto the surface of the planet, watched silently by the trees and plants which waved in the sudden gust of air as the vast metal legs touched the soft brown soil. The whirr of the engines subsided into a quiet hum as the craft surveyed its surroundings, watching through electrical impulses and relaying figures into central computer banks hidden deep within the hull. Nez looked at the monitor screen and sat back in his seat throwing his hands behind his head, grinning insanely, “another perfect landing” he cooed smugly, “better let his nibs know and gather all personnel outside the ship”

The full ship’s roster of thirty had assembled outside the craft– bridge personnel, medical, security, and engineering technicians all milling as one as they waited for their commanding officer. They snapped to attention as the door hummed opened in the side of the dark metal and in the doorway was framed in imposing shape of the captain. He squinted in the sunlight and took his first steps on the surface of the planet and reflected as his feet sunk into the floor that this was the first time had had stood on actual ground since leaving Earth three years ago. He sighed inwardly and reflected on what he had left behind on his five year mission and looked across the rows of faces which greeted him. Thirty men and women, each one had made the same sacrifices as he had on this mission, each one separated from their families, each one with their own hope and ambition which was driving them forward. For Crane the weight of expectancy weighed heavy on his shoulders, the knowledge that he held the safety of each member of the crew and it showed he reflected as small slivers of grey hair reflected in the sunlight through his own natural black locks. He stared over the ranks of his crew and nodded, proudly at them in their blue tight uniforms.

“At ease, team” he barked over the heads of the crew, “I want you all to be aware of the challenges ahead of us. This rescue mission has evolved into something more and has taken on a scientific exploration that may turn deadly. We have no knowledge of the whereabouts or condition of the crashed vessel or if there are any survivors, but we have too assume that their condition may not be of a natural nature. The extreme climatic changes on this planet could be disastrous to ourselves and the local populace. Our records show that a successful colony was established on this planet and we need to make contact as soon as possible to obtain local knowledge and make a possible decision on their safety. We may need to evacuate at any moment and as such we may need to initiate a mass evacuation of the local populous. The reasons for the climatic change are unexplained and headquarters wants us to investigate” the Captain paused then started to pace as he spoke, his hands locked firmly behind his back. “I want a team to discover how to re-enter the atmosphere safely, while another will check the downed craft for any survivors. Further partied will be splitting into units for gathering data, analysis, and diplomatic meetings with the local population. I know this isn’t what we signed up for, but this is our mission now. Be careful out there. We don’t know what we’re dealing with. Any questions?” his eyes scanned the group but no one moved or made a sound. “Very good” he said smiling, “fall in!”

He watched for moment as the crew ran into action around the clearing of the craft, separating into small groups and disappearing to their various tasks. Something bothered him about this mission and he gazed into the forest, “what happened here?” he asked himself, then moved back into the ship leaving a throng of activity in his wake.

“How long since this thing crashed?” the tall security officer questioned as they took turns hacking through the jungle from their drop site. Sweat was forming on his brow as his sharp blade cut through the overhanging vines which covered their path. He glanced back toward Darby as he waited for an answer.

“About ten days” Darby said. She kept scanning the undergrowth for danger but it was so thick, anything could be hiding a few feet away. “I keep getting the feeling that we are being watched” she admitted, her eyes darting through the trees.

“That’s insane!” laughed Cadet holding up his scanner for readings, “there’s no life-signs in the area” he said looking at the small box on his hands, “Mind you,” he offered shaking the device roughly, “in this heat, I’m not picking up anything!”

“This jungle is ridiculous” complained the security officer at the head of the party, “if I didn’t know any better, I would swear its growing as quickly as I could cut it” he swung his blade furiously before him, “I don’t know why we couldn’t have brought the heavy duty cutters with us” he complained, “I can’t see how this was grassland a couple of years back, we must be in a different part of the planet”

“It looks like it’s been here for years” agreed Darby, “Without sensors, we never would have found it.” she commented as she peered through the trees into the canopy and the damaged shape of the ship as it hung limply in the arms of the trees.

The team chopped their way through the final stages of the jungle on their approach to the tangled ground beneath where the crashed ship was hanging. The jungle vines had wrapped it like a cocoon, around and around until even the tares in the hull were invisible. Attaching safety lines to nearby trees and fixing a network of cables beneath the suspended craft, a small party of the expedition climbed to the ship and began to cut away the vegetation. The ship tremored under the attention and shook as cutters powered through the thick vines, falling away from the rough rusted metal. As the vegetation fell, flakes of oxidised metal fell to the forest floor as slowly the edge of a doorway pushed through the dense leaves and branches. Security Officer Rhayran stood on the edge of the doorway and balanced his foot on the rusting door, testing the weight against his own and glanced toward the small party of men below on the ground.

“You seven, hold a guard on the outside, set up a perimeter of twenty feet around the base site. Look sharp and remain vigil, we still don’t know what to expect. The rest of the security team, inside,” shouted Rhayran. “Cadets, with me.”

The interior was not what Darby had expected. It was filled with as many vines as the forest floor had been as though the jungle had invaded the craft and she marvelled how quickly the jungle had claimed the ship as its own. Ten days?, wasn’t that how long the craft was reported as lost, ten days. She glanced around the darkness and swallowed as the feeling of being watched still remained firmly present with her, but now it was joined with a distinct feeling of impending dread. They had to cut away vast chunks of vegetation that blocked interior doorways on monitors, climbing over huge forked branches and roots, scramble over lights, and scanners which lay bare over the base of the interior. They had to climb up to get to the control room, hands feeling for thick branches and footholds as they worked their way through the tight confines of the craft, the crash must have spun the craft around she thought as he pushed her body through the final doorway of the small ship and through the doorway to the cockpit. Her heart pounded as they forced their way into the cockpit and the sight which greeted them.

Rhayran scanned the room and to Darby’s relief reported, “No bodies visual. Cadet Korgan, look for evidence of injuries – blood, hair, bits of clothing, we have two active personnel missing, one male, one female. Cadet Darby, see if you can pull any information from the beacon that was activated two days ago. I will try to access their computer log.”

Captain Crane sat in his office working through details of the mission, he shook his head and still couldn’t help but wonder why Earth control had sent a religious mission when surely this should have been a military mission from the start. He could feel a degree of anger rise through the pit of his stomach at the decision which now left him on a second rate rescue mission on a third rate world. His ship was tucked neatly into a jungle clearing and he briefly considered the tactical advantage of his position before turning his thoughts to the two exploration groups; one headed by Nez, then Rhayran commanding a secondary party of twelve near the crash site. The rest of the crew worked the ship’s scanners and deciphered data with the core engineering team working on the atmosphere and preparing the craft for take-off. The communications panel flickered - he was receiving a message from Nez. He turned and activated the panel, flicking the small switch on the edge of the bank of monitors. He plucked a small glass and raised it to his lips, downing the warm brown liquid within the vessel in one swift movement.

“Captain, preliminary report from the exploration team.”

“Go ahead, Nez,” Captain Crane leaned forward.

“We have visual on a basic settlement, possible level one habitation, could be an indigenous populous and not the colony. Early observations do not show any technical advancements necessary to change or control their weather patterns. Captain...” his words trailed off as he spoke.

“Nez?” queried Crane uncertainly.

“Our records do not show a native population sir, this planet was classified as unpopulated, that was why it was marked for colonisation. How could we have missed this?”

“Stick to the mission Nez”

“But sir, it the colony is missing, these people could be the reason”

“I have considered the implications Nez, be careful and stay out of sight.”

“I am receiving further information on my system sir”

“Understood, process and relay, our systems are still inoperable. You may be receiving more information due to your locality to the crash site. I will boast our monitors to pick up your broadcast” remarked Crane moving his hands over a series of buttons on the control bank in his room.

“Reports indicate that the colony sent a message about a demon known as Gonosz, had been released from the core of the planet and sent a request for immediate assistance. That is why representatives from the Holy Order of Spiritual Tribute were requested by their leaders to cleanse their souls and lead them to divinity. They expected a ritual to be performed to entrap the spirit once more and place the demon back into long sleep within the planet. Their religion has historical references to this demon that dates back many centuries. The loose translation of Gonosz is “fire and ice”.

“Hmm, interesting theory. Anything actually useful?” replied Crane.

“Well, our monitors did pick up seismic activity on a low scale. There has been exceptional volcanic activity in both pole regions for prolonged periods, this could have lead to the changes in the atmosphere if both volcanoes erupted at the same time. The story of the demon could be a mixture of the local populations myths and the colonies scientific advancements. I believe we should check to see if the planet’s axis is shifting.”

“Surely, that should have shown up on our initial scans but I order further checks on that. Return to the ship and remain out of sight, do you understand”

“Yes sir” confirmed Nez, “out”

The Captain switched screens and continued analysing data as it began to stream across the monitor from the portable equipment that Nez had taken into the jungle. He couldn’t understand most of it he had to admit, but he did know there was something wrong. Why hadn’t the equipment on-board the ship detected this information before the exploration team? And why hadn’t the ship detected possible shifts in the axis of the planet, this could almost certainly cause the disruptions to the local conditions and more to the point, where was the colony. Eventually he rubbed his eyes, leaned back, and stretched his arms wide and felt tired suddenly. Staring too long at the screen, he decided and standing he wandered down the corridor until arriving at a clean metal door. It open silently and Crane marched through the opening into the assembly room and poured some dark coffee into a metal cup. Peering out a portal at the jungle, he had a sudden impulse to walk outside and feel the air on his face. Not often a space traveller gets to walk on solid ground and breathe real air he thought and realised how much he missed the mundane aspects of normal life.

He placed a reassuring hand on his belt and felt for his small hand held weapon before moving his hand toward the controls of the door and with a swift rush of air he stood in the open sunlight on the threshold of the airlock. Crane lowered the ladder and, placing his half empty cup on the floor of the airlock he climbed down to stand on the spongy ground of the jungle clearing and considered the surrounding jungle. He stood to rigid attention, hands behind his back scanning the area around the ship, while filling his lungs with thick, tropical air. Chattering sounds were a constant background noise. He wasn’t sure if they were insects, monkeys or some kind of squirrel that was making the strange hypnotising sound. Exotic birds screeched in the distance, exploding into the air then landing again a few trees over. Leaves and vines rustled and swayed, maybe because of the slight breeze in the air, or more likely bumped by a creature stopping to peer at him as he himself gazed into the tropical beauty. It was an amazing place...it was Eden. He walked around the perimeter of the ship, pausing briefly to stare into the trees.

Then he heard it, far away, like an echo, playing on the hearing and teasing his senses“…feed me...”

The Captain froze and pulled his weapon from its harness levelling it and pointing it into the thick forest as he strained his ears for any sign of the voice. Chills rippled up and down his spine as the voice touched him again on the distinct breeze and even though it sounded a distinct he still felt a shudder run down his spine. There was something utterly wrong about that voice, about the way it crept into you, the way it stayed with you. He sprinted to the ladder and climbed quickly into the ship sealing the hatch behind him, and raced to the control deck where he stabbed at the communications console.

“Rhayran! Rhayran, come in. Do you read me?” he said desperately, waiting for a reply, but instead he was met with a sudden burst of static. “Cadet Darby! Anybody report, are you there?”

Static again then a loud jarring thunder that turned into screams of terror and heavy breathing, “…we’re under attack…,” Darby gasped through the bursts of thick static, “don’t…please...I’m trying to hide…” came the despairing voice from the communicator, then nothing as the communicator fell dead.

Crane slammed his fist against the console, “Darby! Come in, repeat, come in damn you!” he leaned close to the system, his words lost on the console, “Rhayran! Darby! Exploration team Two come in...that is an order!”

Crane stood and moved slowly from the communicator bank as a low and ominous voice echoed through the system, “Feed me!”