Purchasing Paradise

Science-Fiction / 3100 words

PREFACE: A bit late, but right out of the oven… Still too fresh for me to decide how I feel about it. It didn’t come out quite the way I intended, but there’s a lot of stuff in here I like, so I dunno. You decide! Let me know what you think in the comments.

The air shimmered as the pulsating light flashed once again, then vanished. Eric cowered in the now tranquil, comforting darkness. He envisioned his release, took a deep breath, and dashed toward the gaping hole in the ground. It wasn’t so far... if he was lucky, he’d make it in just a few leaps, without a scratch. Then again, luck had never been on his side.

As he reached a mound of rocks near the hole, a chilling screech pierced his ears, and something jumped at him from without the shadows. He screamed as he fell, rolled with the beast, and barely managed to unsheathe his dagger as he felt cold, razor-sharp teeth sink deep into his skin. Blood trickled down his throat. He gasped. Choked. Blacked out.

When he came to, he was back in that god-forsaken cave. He’d fallen in while stumbling in the dark, looking for his companions. They had been separated shortly after landing. Three times he’d found a way out, but each time he’d run into one of those foul creatures and got bit, only to wake up here.

His hand rubbed at his sore neck. Like the previous two times, the only evidence that he’d been wounded was two small bumps on his skin. As if the tear had had time to heal—or had someone treated him while he was unconscious?

They had found no traces of the colony on the surface, though the ship’s sensors had picked up life signs. And yet, their radio calls had remained unanswered.

He looked up at the hole he’d fallen through but still could not think of a way to reach it. It was just too high. There weren’t any rocks big enough, nor could he climb the smooth surfaces of the cave.

Once again, this thought made him frown. How could rock be so smooth? Had the colonists done this? For what purpose?

He didn’t like the answer that popped into his mind and pushed it off. It was ridiculous. Why would they want to trap anyone here? And who would they want to trap, anyway? Unless it was intended to capture those creatures... which would explain why they were here. What it did not explain was how he could have healed after each bite.

Frustrated, he looked around the cave, examining each of the openings. There were two he had yet to try. He started toward one.

A shimmer in the air sent Eric scurrying back toward the wall. The pulsating light returned, and he stared as a translucent shape formed before him.

The light had come to him many times, but it had never lingered, nor had it done this before.

The shape was that of a gray-haired man with bushy brows and a short, well-trimmed beard. His piercing eyes stared at Eric, making him shift uncomfortably.

“I recognize you,” he said as hope flared inside him. “You’re Adam Garland, head of the Adebran settlers! Please, you have to help me! I don’t know where I am, but I’m stuck down here. My name is—”

“I know who you are, Mr. Jankuwicz.”

“You do? How...” Eric stopped. Blinked. Straightened. “What is going on here? Where are my companions?”

“Dead.”

“What? How is that possible?”

“We’ve warned your people again and again to stop sending us colonists. And yet, here you are.”

“My people? What are you talking about?”

“You do not belong here, Mr. Jankuwicz. Strangers are not welcome. We’ve decided to spare you so you could carry our message back to your kind.”

“My kind? What are you going on about? Last I heard, this was a Pyrean colony, and I’m Pyrean too, as are my companions.”

The hologram made a dismissive gesture.

“That means nothing here. Anyone who comes to Adebra will meet the same fate as your friends. Next time, no one will be spared. Is this understood?”

As the man’s words finally sunk in, Eric’s eyes widened.

“You can’t be serious! Are you saying you killed the others?”

“Trespassing is a capital crime. Be grateful we are showing you mercy.”

“Mr. Garland! I most vehemently protest! This is murder! Pyrean citizens cannot—”

“We are no longer Pyreans, Mr. Jankuwicz. We are our own people.”

“This is ridiculous.” He pointed a finger at the floating figure. “I’ve read your file. You were born on Bernice, your head of security on Luz Azul, your chief healer on—”

“Enough! None of that matters. We are now Adebrans, one and all.”

“The Emperor will never—”

Garland laughed. “He will do nothing. His hands are quite full at the moment, between alien incursions, political turmoil, and the threat of civil war. It is no surprise he has not heeded our warnings. Now you must ensure he does, unless you wish to have the deaths of those who come next on your conscience.” The figure pointed toward an opening on the far left. “You may now leave. A gate in the next room will take you back to your ship. Do not come back.”

The man disappeared before Eric could add anything.

***

When the shimmering returned the next day, Eric was sitting at a desk, reading through logs. He did not bother to look up.

“You are still here,” said Garland’s voice from behind him.

“Of course. Did you think I would leave without my companions?”

“I told you they are dead.”

Eric put down his device and turned around.

“I can’t accept that.”

“You doubt my word?”

“Have you given me reason not to?”

“You are treading on dangerous waters, Mr. Jankuwicz.”

“What are you going to do? Kill me? Go ahead. But then you’ll have to find yourself another messenger. Got someone in mind?”

The man scowled.

“Just as I thought. Now be a good fellow and let the others join me—or provide evidence that they are truly dead.”

“You require proof? Very well. I shall give you proof.” He gestured toward a nearby screen as it turned on. “But, remember, you asked for this.”

Eric straightened in his chair as he recognized the face of Hannah Christensen. She had led this expedition, had set everything up, had convinced them all to go on this journey—that it would free them from oppression.

He saw her struggling to climb a cliff, followed by two men he also knew. They had all left the ship together, but when they’d found empty buildings where the first colonists had settled, their leader had split them into four teams to explore the area in different directions. Eric had been separated from the others while they were going through what he could only call a jungle.

The three on the screen reached the top. As they pulled themselves over the edge, a beam of red light zapped the two men. Their flesh ignited, and they screamed as their bodies were consumed by the flames.

Hannah wasted no time. She drew her phaser and spun to face the enemy. A party of five stared at her with blank expressions. She shot at them, but the ray was deflected by an invisible shield.

Another red beam hit the commander and she, too, burned.

Eric watched in horror as more scenes of the same ilk played out on his screen, showing all of his companions being dispatched with the same cold efficiency.

“Why did you do that?” he asked when the screen went dark.

“You asked for proof, so I provided proof.”

“No, I mean, why did you kill them? You didn’t have to do that!”

“You are trespassers, Mr. Jankuwicz. We’ve warned your government that we would no longer tolerate trespassers. You have your Emperor to thank for this. Now you must go.”

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“Not before I’ve recovered their bones and ashes. I will take them with me.”

“Impossible. Their remains were crushed and used as fertilizer for our fields. Be grateful they will serve a higher purpose now.”

Eric stared at the hologram.

“How did you become such monsters?” he asked in a mutter.

The colony’s leader glared at him.

“Do not judge us! You do not know what we have endured!”

“You’re right, I don’t. But neither do you know what we had to endure. Why do you think we came here in the first place? Did you think we were tourists? Thrill seekers, maybe? We had friends, families, special places that meant the world to us... We left it all behind to come here. We thought...” He held back a sob. “I’d have expected you, of all people, to understand. You went through the same thing, after all. You came here. Left the Empire. Now I can only assume you had different reasons. Were you all criminals, then? Hoping to evade the law? That was not in your file, but I suspect it was redacted.”

“Are you done?”

“No. I don’t think so. Oh, don’t worry, I will leave. It’s not like you’ve given me much of a choice—nor is this the kind of place where I would want to live. Cold, hard, cruel... No. I had not expected this. There is no humanity here. So yes, I will leave, but—”

“So go!” interrupted Garland. “I have no patience left for your whining, Mr. Jankuwicz. Goodbye.”

Before Eric could say anything more, the man was gone.

He closed his eyes and rested his head in his hands, shoulders set against the desk.

The tears came unbidden.

***

Another two days went by before the hologram returned.

“Why have you not left?” he asked accusingly.

Eric had spent much time reading through the files of everyone in the colony—at least, all the data that had been available to him. It wasn’t much, but he had uncovered some bits of information he had been lacking.

He stood and stretched.

“Answer me, damn it!”

Eric paused and turned to look at Garland.

“I’m still here because I have things to say. You must understand the full extent of what you’ve done. I’m sure you don’t care and you could just leave again, but I’m warning you, I will not go until you’ve heard every single word I have to say.”

The man scowled. “Fine.” He crossed his arms. “Let’s get this over with, then. Speak.”

Eric was glad he’d had the extra time to prepare and, more importantly, to process what had happened to his companions. It would take much more, of course, to grieve and heal those wounds, but at least he’d be more focused.

“That woman you murdered—her name was Hannah—she wanted to change the world. We all did. The Empire is falling apart, like you said. It’s too late to stop it. Within a few generations, there will be nothing left. Too many still fail to see this and are desperately trying to save what is beyond saving. That is not the right battle. People should focus instead on what will come next. This was our goal. We all wanted to create a better system, and through our efforts we met each other. But as we grew, we also drew attention. And resentment. They accused us of fomenting dissent, of disturbing the peace—ha! The peace! When the Empire has been sinking in chaos for decades. And that was not the government making these accusations. Oh no! It was the people. They mocked us, spat in our faces, vilified our children, burned down our homes... Some of us were beaten, whipped, maimed, or even murdered. All for what? Because we dared to dream of a better future. Because we dared to question what was not working and tried to forge a different path.”

“Your point?”

“It could have stopped there,” continued Eric, ignoring the interruption, “but it didn’t. Of course it didn’t. The government was bound to hear about us. It took them long enough. Too much chaos can do that, I suppose. Eventually we were arrested, trialed, charged with treason, and sentenced to death. The only thing that saved us was when the Emperor got killed by his cousin who took his place. Only to be killed four days later by...” Eric sighed. Shook his head. “No matter. During the short time this new Emperor sat on the throne, he decided banishment would serve a better lesson than execution. I’m not sure how he reached such a conclusion, but we were happy enough to comply. He even allowed us to pick our destination.”

Garland frowned. “You chose to come here?”

“Hannah did. And we all agreed, considering how beautiful this place is. Though in retrospect, there are many other worlds just as beautiful and much closer to Pyra. But after reading through Hannah’s log, I think I better understand her reasoning now.”

“By all means, enlighten me.”

“You were never a criminal, though killing has always come to you easily, hasn’t it? You were a General in the Emperor’s service, once upon a time.” The other man tensed. “I assume those who murdered Hannah were once soldiers under your command.” Garland said nothing. “Your file does not say why you came here, but you clearly have no love for the Emperor you once served.”

“Haan Riis died over a year ago.”

“Fair point. I should have said you have no love for the Empire Pyra has become.” Garland snorted. Eric continued. “Hannah must have thought you would understand our plight, perhaps even our aspirations. Knowing her, she might even have hoped we could work together to build a better future. Instead, you treated us like invaders, like enemies, and killed us as if we were bugs. You called us strangers, and yet we are so much alike. At least we were, before you turned into a monster. Did you know Hannah was also born on Bernice? Just like you. You forbade us to join your colony, and yet you took our ashes and spread them on your ground, where it will help this world thrive. Tell me this, General, what is so different between us that you would call us strangers?”

The two stared at each other in silence for a long time.

Finally, Garland grunted.

“I don’t know why you told me all this, Mr. Jankuwicz, but if you expect an apology, you will be disappointed. If you expect to be welcomed with open arms, you will be even more so. Have you said all you wished to say?”

Eric sighed. “I expected neither. I only hoped you would understand, but I now see that was too much to hope for.”

“Indeed.”

“Then I only have one question to ask of you, after which I shall carry your message to whichever Emperor now reigns over Pyra... though I doubt it will be heard.”

“Ask.”

“Why did you come here?”

Garland laughed. “You think you can understand us if I answer this? Is that it? That all will become clear with just a few simple words? There is nothing simple in this world, Mr. Jankuwicz.”

“Still, I would hear your answer before I go.”

The ex-General pursed his lips. “All of us who served Haan Riis did so because we wanted to. He was a good man, better than any of us, and likely the greatest Emperor Pyra has ever had. It was he who sent us here. Not as punishment, but as a reward. He wanted to expand the reach of the Empire as well, of course, but he had many other colonies for that. This one was special. Just for us. But then he got himself killed by that stupid son of his and the Empire went up in flames. None of those who came after him understood what this meant to us. And we had no interest in serving any of those impostors. This was our world. Simple as that.

“And no, Mr. Jankuwicz, you are nothing like us. You have not fought by our side. You have not seen the horrors we have seen. You have not endured the pains, the losses. This world...” He gestured around him, as if showing the ship, though of course Garland was elsewhere. “This world was meant as a gift, but it came with its own challenges. More bleeding and grief. Did you know humans cannot survive on the surface? At least, not for any length of time. We tried; we died; we learned. Now we live underground. Though even here we cannot escape the virus.”

“The virus?”

The older man scowled. “My point is, yes, you are strangers. You do not belong here.” A pause. “No one does,” he muttered.

“What are you saying?”

The man’s eyes hardened. “I’m saying you must leave. Now. Enough talking. You’ve said your peace and you’ve heard my answer. It is time. And make sure you tell them not to bother us anymore.”

Garland’s image vanished and Eric stared at the space where it had stood.

***

He would not go back to Pyra. What was the point? He was all alone now, and there would be no one there to hear what he had to say. Or if there was, they’d laugh at his face. Or, worse, they might think it a good idea to carry out the original sentence. There were plenty of other places he could go, anyway. Worlds that had once been a part of the Pyrean Empire but now stood alone—as alone as he was. Fitting, that.

As his ship raced back toward the Empire, he went to the medical bay and ran every test he could think of on his body. When all came back negative, he returned to the control room and brought up information on Adebra.

Garland’s words were haunting. His mention of a virus, in particular—a point upon which he had refused to elaborate.

What did it mean?

It took Eric two weeks of digging to figure it out.

One line, in an early report from the original settlers, mentioned how the air had made some of them nauseous.

That world’s air was still in some of the ship’s airlocks, he realized.

Jumping out of the chair, he hurried to the lab. From there, he could sample some of it and run more tests.

He was no scientist, but with the ship’s help—and time—he was able to locate the virus. How could they have missed this?

“It is a mutation,” explained the ship’s AI. “The air was harmless before men came to Adebra. But with them, they brought bacteria alien to the world. Mixed with the planet’s air, it mutated into this virus.”

But why had he not been contaminated like the others? He must be naturally immune. He’d have to show all these reports to a scientist for a definite answer.

He went to the observation deck and stared at the stars.

Oh, Garland, why did you not tell me the truth?

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Want to read more Science-Fiction? Here are two other stories you might enjoy:

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• A Burning Beast (a boy investigates a series of gruesome deaths)

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Text (c) 2024 by Alex S. Garcia.

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