spn_j2_xmas gift for candygramme
Title: Once Upon a Time in Space
Gifter: etoile_etiolee
Pairing/Characters:J2, Ty Olson, Misha Collins.
Word Count:7000
Rating: NC-13 for language and sexual references
Warnings:Crack sci-fi fic!
Summary:Space Explorer Jensen stumble upon a priceless treasure on an unknown planet. Little does he know that the Black Hood, a feared Space Pirate, has a special interest in this treasure as well.
Disclaimer: This is soooo not true...
Special thanks: To my very dear friend, disneymagics, for the amazing beta work despite the fact that this story was full of obscure sci-fi references. You are the best! Never doubt it.
A/N: I had so much fun writing this. It took me back to my teenage years when I discovered the golden age of science fiction with Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein but especially the Great Isaac Asimov. It's not an euphemism to say that this story is, essentially, a pastiche and an hommage of his work. I added a touch of The Princess Bride and a Space Opera ending, plus some unprononceable words Gotlib was so found of. I want to thanks candygramme for making me discover Barbarella, a wonderful kitsh movie which, sadly, I couldn't watch enough time to succeed into a retelling with the J's, as one of her prompts suggested.
Hope you like the story!
“Professor Ackles, the planet scan is complete.”
“Thank you, Misha.”
Jensen stood up and took a look at the screen, reading quickly the last information that had been retrieved by the drone. He nodded to his assistant. So far, all of his hypotheses were correct. Not that it surprised him in any way. Jensen was the most successful explorer of the Centaur quadrant and he knew what he was worth.
The android was still waiting patiently for further instructions. Jensen yawned and stirred, then patted his assistant on the back. Misha blinked but his body remained perfectly still.
“What do you say we get out of this tin can to take a little walk?”
“Technically, we’re not in a tin can,” Misha replied in his dull voice.
“You’re so fun to be around,” Jensen dead panned. This android was new - his other one had been damaged in a forced landing three months ago. It would take some time for Misha to learn to mimic human expressions and ways of thinking. Meanwhile, Jensen was stuck with a life-size doll that cost more than the “tin can” he was piloting.
“Thank you for the compliment, professor,” the android replied, then tried for a smile that looked more like a grimace.
“Please don’t do that, it's scary,” Jensen mumbled before leaving the lab to get ready.
Of course, Misha followed right behind him.
::: :::
The microplanet’s wind was cold and the gravity slightly lighter than on Earth 3, Jensen’s home planet. It took some time to adjust, but after an hour, he felt comfortable enough to enter the cavern and take some samples. This planet, temporarily called DX-1290, had just recently been discovered by the United Government’s team of scientists. It was the most remote, theoretically fit-for-life star ever found. Jensen had been chosen from amongst the finest explorers to go on the first reconnaissance mission. He knew this job was important and that dozens of his colleagues were just waiting for him to fail.
That would not happen.
“We’ll take some mineral samples, Misha, get the equipment ready.”
“Of course, Professor Ackles.”
Jensen turned the lighting panels on his uniform on and stepped into the large cavern. He barely made it two steps before he stopped abruptly, feeling his android bump against his back.
“What seems to be the matter, Professor?”
“Holy shit, Misha,” Jensen whispered, a wave of adrenaline surging through his body.
“I don’t understand the meaning of-“
“It’s Sirixium. This cave is full of Sirixium.”
The implications of this discovery made Jensen dizzy. He held onto the rock wall and took a deep breath.
“Are you talking about the chemical component that allows space travelers to-“
“To bend space,” Jensen completed. “Each freaking gram of this mineral is worth thousands of New Credits.”
“What is the procedure in this case?”
“We get the hell out of here,” Jensen murmured. “Are the coordinates registered in your organicom, Misha?”
“Of course, Professor.”
::: :::
Jensen’s small ship was orbiting around DX-1290 while he verified one last time that the secure communication link he'd just established was really protected by all the mechanisms available. He was sweating in his thin kevlex uniform.
“Jensen? What the Styx? What is all this bullshit about passwords and triple-fucking-identifications,” Corporal Fedor growled as soon as his reddened face appeared on the telecom.
“I found Sirixium, Sir,” Jensen cut him off impatiently. “I found a cave full of it.”
“What?”
“Yes. I had a sample analyzed by my android to be sure, but I knew it was the real thing as soon as I set eyes on it.”
“By all the Gods of the Pantheon, Jensen, how much grams are we talking about?”
“More than we've ever found before. All in the same place, Corporal. What are my orders?”
“I need to speak with the U.G. Secretary. Stay where you are and don’t speak about this with anyone, do you copy that, Jensen?”
I’m not stupid, Jensen wanted to reply. Instead, he answered with a very professional, “Yes, sir.”
::: :::
“Jared! Ja-red!”
Ty’s voice reverberated in Jared's small resting quarters. He groaned and put a pillow over his head, “Go’way.”
“Wake up, you idiot, it’s important!”
Ty shook Jared’s shoulder without restraint. You’re supposed to be under my orders, not the other way around, Jared wanted to protest, but his brain was still foggy with the horrible hangover the liquor of Sm’ahel had given him. Hera’s Heaven Port festivities were awesome, though… Well, the parts Jared -kind of- remembered were awesome.
The hangover was definitely not.
“Wha’zit,” He asked, pushing Ty’s hand away.
“It’s fucking Sirixium. Now, wake up!”
Jared was up on his feet in less than a second. He'd never felt more sober in his whole life.
::: :::
“Professor Ackles, I believe an unidentified ship is approaching.”
Jensen was already aware of the ship's approach. While reading the computer's latest data, he had realized his communication with headquarters had been intercepted despite his precautions. Only one kind of ship was equipped to decipher such a complex secret code.
“Pirates,” Jensen sighed. “Can you work on a visual, Misha?”
“Yes, Professor.”
Less than a minute later, a 3-D model materialized on the deck, on a 1/10 scale. It was an old ship, from last century’s mass production during the war against the F’l’k’n’ls. Space pirates loved those ships because they were quick, stealthy and very light. Plus, due to the massive production, replacement parts were easily found on the black market.
This one was called Stairway to Heaven, if the inscription had been correctly rendered. It was in archaic Esperanto. The words triggered some vague memory in Jensen’s hyperactive brain but he didn't have time to give it much thought.
“Computer, engage the protection shield,” he ordered.
“Protection shield activated,” the dull voice of the machine replied.
It wouldn't do shit, Jensen knew, but he was out of options. Space Pirates were masters at breaking even the toughest protection shields. There was always the option of trying to defend himself. Jensen’s ship was equipped with the basic ultrasonic canon, but he had taken the Peace Pledge when he graduated from the Interspace Academy of Science, vowing never to use violence.
Violence belonged to a dark and chaotic past. Jensen took his pledge seriously.
Still, if the information he possessed fell into the wrong hands, the consequences could be disastrous. Sirixium was extremely rare and only provided by the United Government’s official reserve. The power of bending space wasn’t one to be taken lightly.
A voice came across the ship's communication system. “This message is addressed to the crew of the Pilgrim. We order you to allow our ship to accost yours. Any resistance will be meet by swift and immediate force.”
The voice was low, the tone playful. Jensen bit his lips, waiting.
“Do you copy?” The voice asked less than a minute later. “We do have the technology to destroy your protection shield but it would damage your ship. If you decide not to follow our orders, we won’t be lenient.
Jensen swore under his breath and activated the communicator.
“This is Professor Jensen Ackles, Space Explorer for the Centaur Quadrant. Identify yourself.”
There was a throaty laugh. “Well, Professor Ackles, you’re about to meet the Black Hood.”
Jensen knew he had only one solution left. He entered the shield deactivation code into the computer. “You can dock.”
“Why, thank you very much, Professor,” the man snarled, then cut the communication.
Jensen had only a few precious minutes before he would be captured by the Black Hood, or worse. The pirate’s reputation was well known throughout the galaxy. He’d been active for ten years, robbing cargo ships and mining convoys on a regular base. He wasn’t known for his violence, even though there had been at least a couple of deaths attributed to him, but for his effectiveness and the loyalty of his crew. Three years ago, rumor had it that he had retired on a small planet in a secret location to enjoy life a little, but his absence had lasted all of six months before the Black Hood had started his dirty business again.
Jensen sighed and turned toward Misha, who was waiting calmly for his orders.
“I’m sorry we are in this situation, Professor Ackles. Do you want me to physically protect you?”
Jensen snorted. Couldn’t help it. He asked himself, for a second, if he was scared. He hadn’t even had time to really process what was happening.
He was a little scared, of course, but mostly he was frustrated. He’d work so hard over the last five years to gain his First Class Explorer title, only to have his career end like this. To others, the fact that he’d been robbed by a pirate wouldn’t matter. His failure would be the only thing anyone would remember.
But he wouldn’t fail without showing at least a bit of resistance.
The Sirixium cavern’s coordinates were registered in a unique place. Jensen hadn’t even given them to Corporal Fedor.
He patted Misha’s shoulder and smiled somewhat regretfully.
“I’m sorry, Misha, but you have to regurgitate your brain. Don’t worry, I’ll fix you once everything is over.”
“I understand,” the android answered calmly. “Do you wish me to get the positronic bomb?”
“Yes, please.”
Damn it. An all new android. Jensen’s wallet hurt at the thought. The placement of a new brain was a delicate operation that could easily fail.
::: :::
Ty entered the ship’s cockpit slowly, his paralyzing gun aimed in front of him and ready to shoot. The Stairway’s sensor had already told them that there was only one living person on the Pilgrim, but that wasn't always a reliable indication.
Before he could get to the Captain’s seat where Ackles was waiting calmly, Ty slipped on a yellowish puddle of liquid on the floor and cursed, getting a handhold on the wall so as not to fall. The rich iron smell couldn’t been mistaken for anything else: an android’s nervous system had just been drained.
Sure enough, Ty saw the crumpled body of a mecha tucked into a corner. The yellowish liquid, called mechablood by scientists, was still dribbling from its mouth.
“Think you're so clever, Professor Ackles.” Ty grimaced, taking his magnetic rope out.
“Maybe,” the man answered calmly. “Are you the Black Hood?”
“You’ll meet him soon enough.” Ty smiled.
This mission would be a walk in the park, as the old saying went. “Now, Professor Ackles, will you let me tie your hands behind your back or do I have to paralyze you first to be sure you won’t fight back.”
Ackles gave him a look of pure disdain before standing up. “I’m a civilized man,” he said before turning on his heels and placing his arms in a way they could easily be tied.
“Yeah, the whole fucking universe is full of civilized men,” Ty answered with the same disdain.
He knew too well how perverted a civilization could become.
::: :::
Jensen was taken into a small storage room on the pirate ship where there was just enough space between the boxes and large containers to put a chair. The man sat him there and tied his hands behind him, then his feet together as well. Jensen didn’t even try to move: magnetic ropes were unbreakable.
“The Black Hood will be here soon,” his captor said. “Try to behave yourself.”
He left, closing the thick door behind him. Jensen was alone in the dark, with only the magnesium patches on his pants glowing softly.
“Way to go, Ackles,” he mumbled. “You manage to find the freaking Eldorado of Sirixium and not even an hour later you’re captive in a damn pirate’s ship.”
No sooner were the words out of his mouth before the door opened again and another man came in, closing it behind himself.
He was tall and broad. He wore one of those old sets of armor that had been made especially to explore planets with a lighter gravity. Those things were heavy, but the man didn’t seem to have any difficulty walking in it.
He had a paralysis gun in one hand and his face was covered by a black hood -of course- that cast shadows down to his chin, completely hiding his face.
“Black Hood, I presume?”
The man froze in front of Jensen and cocked his head to the side. When he spoke, he had the electronic tone of someone using a voice synthesizer.
“What is your name?”
Jensen rolled his eyes. “I told your mutt what my name was. Professor Jensen Ackles, explorer for the Centaur Quadrant.”
The pirate stayed immobile for a long time. Jensen was actually starting to blush under his maybe-maybe not gaze (who knew, the man could be staring at the floor) when he spoke again.
“You did a good job, making your android puke his brain out.”
“A brand new android by the way,” Jensen felt the need to point out.
“So I imagine the coordinates for the Sirixium Cavern were implanted inside him.”
“You imagine right.”
Black Hood shrugged. “Well, I guess you leave me with only one option, then.”
“Kill me?” Jensen asked, shivering despite himself.
Was it his imagination, or did the pirate actually snort at that?
“No. You and I, Professor, are going to take a little walk in space.”
::: :::
The pirate ship landed on the planet smoothly, leaving Jensen’s vessel orbiting alone in its atmosphere. Black Hood kept Jensen in his magnetic cuffs, but gave the paralyzing gun to his assistant -or buccaneer, whatever. His name was Ty. And Ty wasn’t happy his boss had decided to leave him behind.
Jared fixed Ty with a steely gaze, saying, “He sent a freaking message to his superior. With what he thinks he found, a whole bunch of UG ships must be flying this way as we speak. You keep your eyes open.”
“Yes, Captain,” the man answered with a somewhat sarcastic tone in his voice before opening the airlock.
Jensen was now on DX-1290 under the brightness of its two small suns with a pirate whose reputation was legendary. It had been easy enough for the Black Hood to triangulate approximately where Jensen’s ship had landed before, but there was no way to retrace his footsteps. The planet’s soil was made of a thin layer of red moss that hadn’t kept the imprints of Misha and Jensen's boots.
“Where to?” Black Hood asked as soon as the ship’s door closed behind them.
“You know I won’t tell you,” Jensen protested calmly.
The hooded man shook his head. “We have three hours before nightfall, and it’s going to be freezing. I’m not too worried about myself, but you don’t want to die from having the air freeze in your lungs, right?”
“Bullshit. The temperature doesn’t go below the freezing point.”
“Come on.”
Black hood pushed Jensen’s back softly and he stumbled forward, wondering if he was ready to die to protect a Sirixium mine. He was twenty-eight -barely considered an adult, nowadays. He had plans, projects. His baby sister was getting married to the heir of the Cassiopeia Dynasty next month and Jensen wanted to be there.
Damn it.
“That’s it,” Black Hood encouraged him. “Are you just walking haphazardly or are you taking me to the cavern?”
“I still don’t know,” Jensen answered honestly.
He stopped all of sudden, an idea popping into his mind. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I do whatever I want,” Black Hood answered.
“No, I mean…surely you have a mindmapper. I mean, it’s like… the easiest item to buy on the black market. You could get the information out of me in a matter of seconds.”
Mindmappers had been invented by the Caspians a century ago and were still used by the UG Peace Corps. They were small chips that could be inserted in the ear to map the thoughts and memories of the subject as understandable patterns and graphics.
“You want me to use a mindmapper?” Black Hood whispered in his electronic voice. “Because you could end up with a brain aneurism if I do, you know that, don't you professor Ackles?”
“I’m just wondering why you don't? I mean, you're a pirate and you’re not known for being kind to the crew of the ships you raid.”
And I should shut up now, Jensen thought, before I make him change his mind.
“Listen, Jensen,” Black Hood said, grabbing his arm. “It’s not worth dying for. You’re a space explorer, not a Peace Keeper. Just lead me to the cave and then I’ll let you go.”
Something in the pirate’s tone was so strangely sincere despite the voice device that Jensen had an epiphany. Right there, on a small planet, his hands tied behind his back and his brand new android leaking the remains of his brain up there in his ship. It wasn’t worth dying for. Black Hood was right. Anyway, a Governmental Crew would eventually arrive to defend their precious Sirixium and it was very unlikely that Black Hood would get away with it.
“This way,” he stated, pointing toward the small forest that could be seen to the east.
“Then let’s go.”
They walked in silence for almost half an hour, reaching the small clearing where Jensen had made a path through the tall yellowish Gumtrees. Some bird-like creatures were chipping, but none of them could be seen. Jensen thought of all the discoveries he could have made and claimed if he’d have the chance to explore the planet and his frustration came back with a vengeance.
“My wrists hurt,” he grumbled, stopping again.
The Black Hood turned his back to him. “My ship can’t be seen from here,” he answered.
“So what?”
“So I guess now I can take this off.”
The pirate started by reaching under his hood and yanking something off that he shoved into one of his numerous pockets. The voice synthesizer, Jensen guessed. He frowned, didn’t quite understand what was happening.
Abruptly, the black hood was pulled off and Jensen stopped breathing.
Jared.
Jensen blinked a few times. A logical chain of thoughts made its way through his brain. Maybe the analysis of the planet atmosphere had missed something, some kind of hallucinogenic gas…
This didn't made sense.
“Jared,” Jensen articulated very slowly.
“Hey there, Jensen.” Jared smiled his stupid, dimpled smile and that was what pulled Jensen out of his shocked state. He completely forgot about the magnetic rope binding his hands behind his back and jumped on the guy, trying to punch him in the face, but succeeding only in giving him an awkward shoulder bump.
“Hey, whoa, Jen,” Jared tried to immobilize him but it was too late. Jensen fell backward and found himself flat on his ass, the muscles in his arms burning from the stretch.
“You’re supposed to be dead!” Jensen yelled. “You left and you never came back and, by the fucking pantheon, I mourned you! I mourned you and here you are, pretending to be a pirate? Abducting me? You made me damage my android, you… you...!”
Jared kneeled in front of him and somehow succeeded in untying his writs, even though Jensen was still trying to fight him.
“You can’t be the Black Hood,” Jensen went on. “That guy was robbing ships while we were at the academy.”
“I know. I’m not. Not really.”
“You better explain yourself, Jared, because I swear I’m going to kick your ass so hard you’ll be bouncing on the fucking gravity of this planet for days.”
Jared sighed and sat down next to Jensen, running a hand through his hair. Jensen had to physically restrain himself from touching him.
Jared… They had met at the academy and had become best friends. Their interests and career plans had been different. Jared had dreamed of the Old World. He wanted to change the way things worked under the United Government. He was an idealist, hanging with a bunch of Myth Finders and constantly ranting about the past and the origins of humanity. Jensen had been serious and quiet, very driven. He wanted to be an explorer, wanted to be the best damn explorer in the universe. Jared had hesitated between Peace Corps and Ecologic Brigade, but had finally chosen the later. For a time, though, he and Jensen had been together, sharing a bed, long caresses and murmured obscenities in the quiet of the night. Jensen had known it wouldn’t work out. They were too different. He had graduated one year before Jared and they had decided to end things, even though they both still had feelings for each other. They needed to concentrate on their careers, Jensen had told him. Maybe one day in the future they would meet again and…
Three years ago, his Ecological Brigade Cargo Ship had disappeared beyond the Gaia Star Belt and had never been seen again. Hearing the news, Jensen had felt so much sorrow he had questionned his decision to end their relationship, couldn’t have help thinking that he could have had two more years with Jared, two years with him, and that he had chosen his career instead, like the egocentric ambitious bastard that he was.
“We have to keep going,” Jared said, looking at Jensen with something like apprehension in his eyes. “I’ll explain everything on the way, I swear.”
“Jared. This won’t end well. The UG will send a crew and you’re going to get caught.”
Jared smiled, all dimples and innocent eyes. Damn it, that still did things to Jensen. “Well, that’s why we have to hurry. Show me the way, Jensen.”
Jensen, as confused and frustrated as he was, decided to obey. He suddenly didn’t care about the Sirixium and the consequences of having it stolen. He just wanted to know where Jared had been, why he’d been pretending to be a pirate and what had happened to him. He stood up, making small circles with his hands to get the circulation going in his wrists.
“Tell me,” he stated, picking up his pace on the trail.
“We found it, Jensen. Original Earth.”
“What?”
“Englestein was right all along.”
Jensen snorted despite himself. So, that was it. Jared and some of his other friends from the academy had been obsessed with an underground movement popular amongst the younger generation of the Modern Empire. They called themselves the Truth Seekers, but it was more like an amateur band of conspiracy theorists. The movement had been born a hundred years before and had a lot of followers. An astrophysicist, Seth Englestein, had published a controversial theory stating that Original Earth, the cradle of mankind, hadn’t been destroyed by solar flares like History Data stated but had been abandoned as the colonization of space expanded. People didn’t like to be associated with Original Earth because it had been plagued with wars and pollution during a time when humans were still primitive, violent, and ignorant. According to Englestein, the new colonies had isolated Original Earth before abandoning it, pretending that it’d been destroyed. The History Data had lost all information related to it -lost, or possibly destroyed. No one knew where Original Earth had been located.
It was crazy. Jensen had always thought Jared was just naïve and idealistic -young. It would pass, he’d told himself.
Apparently, it hadn't.
“You’re fucking with me, Jared.”
“No, I’m not. Listen, Jensen. The cargo ship where I worked, it was all pretend. We were all Truth Seekers. The captain recruited us carefully. We still did what we were supposed to do, but we also searched for Original Earth. Just before we disappeared, Captain Rhodes learned that the U.G. was onto us and that they would do everything in their power to stop us.”
“Jared it’s… It doesn’t make any sense.”
“You never believed. You were always so sure that everything in the United Universe was good and fair. But Jensen, it’s a façade. The U.G. has a special secret service whose sole purpose is to hunt down the free thinkers. They have ways to manipulate information. You think you’re free but it’s all an illusion.”
Jensen started walking faster. He didn’t like where this was going. Obviously, Jared had lost what little common sense he’d had back when they were together. The man Jensen had liked… loved even, didn’t exist anymore.
“Anyway,” Jared went on. “We were just crossing the Gaia Star Belt when we got attacked by Black Hood’s ship. We didn’t stand a chance. They invaded our ship, looking for equipment and food and anything of value they could get their hands on. We were held on the Pirate ship while they robbed us and then…something incredible happened.”
“What?”
“Our cargo exploded.”
“What?”
Jared smiled, lowering his head. “We had just cleaned up an asteroid covered with Amoniatitan, before an outpost base could be built on it.”
“Oh, shit.”
Amoniatitan was one of the most dangerous substances in the universe because of its volatility. There had been an impressive number of deadly incidents caused just by its presence alone, even in the smallest quantities, in an environment.
“We were equipped to deal with Amoniatitan and we have storage containers that are completely safe. The pirates didn’t know this, or maybe they opened it by mistake. I don’t know. Our cargo… vaporized. One of the pirates who had remained with us on their ship had the presence of mind to do a quick bend so that we jumped a few thousand kilometers away from the explosion before any damage could be done. Watch out, Jen.”
Jared lift a thick gumtree branch before it hit Jensen in the face. They were getting close, Jensen realized, only a few more minutes.
“What happened after that?”
“Well, there were two pirates with us, but they knew they had no real choice but to surrender. We were angry because Black Hood had kept Captain Rhodes on the cargo ship while robbing it. We mourned for our Captain. We got this… crazy idea then. Since the UG secret service was onto us, why not pretend we had been aboard our ship when it detonated? We had Black Hood's ship. It wouldn't be too hard to find a secret place where we could settle and continue our search for Original Earth. By attacking a freighter ever once in a while we could hide our true identities. We never hurt anybody, you know.”
“You terrorized the Galaxy, Jared.”
“An idea terrorized the Galaxy, not us. And then… Felicia found it.”
“Felicia? The red head girl who kept failing her physical?”
“Yeah,” Jared smiled softly. “She’s brilliant. She spent months working with Englestein’s book and consulting documents so old that the History Data tags them as “obsolete.” Once she was sure of Original Earth’s location, we send a microdrone there.”
“You… did it gather any evidence?”
The cave was now a small dark bump in the horizon. In the few last minutes, Jensen’s opinion of Jared had changed drastically. Could it… The idea of a still existing Original Earth didn’t seem so farfetched all of sudden.
“It took all the Sirixium we had to send the microdrone into space and back to us. When it did come back, it had accumulate some interesting data.”
“From Original Earth.”
“Yes.”
“How can you be sure?”
“The drone took photos from space and then it travelled through the atmosphere and took audio-visuals and, Jensen, it is… It’s Earth. Can’t be anything else. There are still humans living there, although they must have moved underground because of the poisonous air on the surface. Imagine… imagine what we could learn from them, and them from us. We abandoned them. We colonized space and denied our modest origins because we thought we were better than those who invented space travel in the first place.”
Jared took a small visual cube from his pocket and threw it between Jensen and himself. It opened on the view from space of a white and blue planet, Earth -at least, how Earth had been described in the History Data.
“It’s… Is it really…?” Jensen swallowed, hard.
“Look at the date. It doesn’t lie, it can’t. Those images were taken six months ago.”
“And the coordinates are correct? This couldn’t be another planet, another solar system?”
“Everything fits.”
Jared taped the small cube and the projected image changed, showing an aerial view of a forest with large metallic compounds visible through the trees.
“That is one of the entrances to the underground cities. Millions live there. They can only go to the surface for very short periods of time.”
Jared taped the cube again, and it now showed a moving image of endless corridors where hundreds of people were walking. Humans. Some of them were dragging their kids along with them, some looked busy, others like they were just enjoying a stroll. There were voices and laughter and it sounded like… “They speak Archaic Esperanto,” Jensen breathed out.
Archaic Esperanto had been the first language of the space colonies. It was now almost considered a dead language, but some still learned it -like the Truth Seekers.
“Stairway to Heaven,” Jensen added. “I wondered why that name was familiar to me. You used to sing that song in Esperanto, back at the academy.”
“Yes.” Jared tapped the cube which turned off and put it back in his pocket.
“But why? Why would the UG erase everything that had to do with Original Earth, what was their motivation?”
“Historically, the first colonizers were dicks. They considered themselves superior to the rest of the Earth's population. Physically, by the third or fourth generation, they had started to change. Colonizers were taller and stronger, lived longer. They had a very acute superiority complex. After a while, they closed the colonies off from Earth and segregated it, not wanting to mix their so-called superior genes with them. All the subsequent colonies came from Earth 2 and its sisters. We left humanity alone and a thousand years later, we concocted a tragic tale about it being destroyed. But it’s still there, Jensen, and abandoning our fathers, the planet from whence we all come, was a terrible crime we still hold onto up to this day because going back there and admitting our mistakes would be too great a shame for the U.G.”
“By the Pantheon, Jared, this is… I'm having trouble processing all this,” Jensen replied, looking down at the UG badge he had sewn so proudly over his heart on his uniform. He felt like an idiot suddenly.
“Are we here?” Jared asked, coming to a halt in front of the cavern.
“Why do you need Sirixium?”
“To reach Original Earth. That’s the big problem, see. The space jump we have to take is huge. Sending a microdrone took all the sirix we possessed, and as you know, it isn’t easy to find, almost impossible to buy even on the black market. We split into several smaller crews, using rapid ships, to try and find some. Ty and I are the only crew on the Stairway. There are eight other ships doing the same thing as us.”
“I believe there is enough in this cave to reach Earth and come back a couple of times,” Jensen indicated the thin opening through the rocks.
“You serious?”
“Never seen anything like it.”
Jensen stepped inside, switching the light reflectors on his uniform. Jared followed suit. He didn’t need any light. Jensen's suit was putting off plenty of light.
“Oh my goddess,” Jared rasped, looking all around him.
The Sirixium was everywhere, in each rock, drawing strange patterns on the wall. It had a soft glowing quality in a raspberry color that was unique to it.
“Like I said in my message, it’s more than we've ever found.”
“Jensen. Wow.”
“Well, don’t get too excited, there, Jay. It will take a robotic heavy crew at least twelve hours to dig this up. And I give it maybe half a day before the UG ships get here. You can’t get away with this.”
“I know”, Jared sighed and sat on a rock. “I know. I didn’t realize it was you on this ship until I saw you in our storage compartment with your hands and feet bound, Jensen. I’m sorry. Our original plan was to release a toxin here… The Land Eater.”
“What? Are you out of your mind?”
The land Eater was a dangerous fungus originating from a Pandora moon that was almost impossible to stop. Once it was released, it could eat kilometers of vegetation in a matter of days. The only way to fight it was to cut off its source of food, creating a desert corridor all around the infected area. The real trouble was that the Land Eater effected human beings and animals as well. It didn’t cause their deaths, but people affected by it took months to recover.
“We’re not monsters,” Jared replied. “It’s a modified strain.”
“Genetic modifications are forbidden by the Centaurus Moon Treaty.”
“We’re outlaws, Jensen. Anyway, we have a microbiologist who stumbled upon a weaker strain and modified it. The vegetation will be damaged, but not enough to die, and this fungus has a short life span. Three months. But the officials don’t know that, and the rule about any planet infected by the Land Eater is clear.
“If it doesn’t hold a colony already, the planet is quarantined for two years,” Jensen recited the rule he knew by heart.
“But with our Land Eater, we’ll be able to come back in three months. No one will risk coming after us even if the UG is stubborn enough to keep this planet under constant surveillance, which I doubt, given what it would cost.”
“Jay this is so… this is messed up,” Jensen trailed off, sitting next to his former friend and lover.
“I know. I wish it hadn't been you here.”
“What were you going to do with me?”
Jared blushed. “Kidnap you? Keep you until all the Sirixium was extracted and then release you.”
Jensen shook his head. Here, in the intimacy of the cave, Jared was just so… Jared. It was easy to remember the endless nights they’d spent together, caressing each other, relishing their comfortable intimacy.
Jensen had never felt anything similar to the moments he'd shared with Jared. He had given himself entirely to his career because he thought that’s what he wanted… That’s why they had ended their relationship in the first place. But nothing made sense anymore.
Those people, living underground… They had been abandoned, they had been treated like lesser humans. If the UG had falsified the History Data, what could Jensen believe in anymore?
There wasn’t much time left.
“Okay, maybe there is another solution,” Jensen said very slowly, still not really believing he was about to propose it.
“What?”
“Let me take care of this.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Jared. Trust me. Do you have a standard communicator on you?”
“Of course.”
“Can you lend it to me?”
And without even hesitating, Jared unclipped his communicator from his belt and handled it to Jensen. The total trust he showed hit something deep inside Jensen. He was overwhelmed by a memory, an evening spent drinking dry Wedan nectar and looking at the stars from the roof of the academy’s laboratory, lying on a comforter. Jared had had his arm wrapped around Jensen’s shoulders and was smiling, looking stupidly adorable with his dimples and his eyes full of dreams. “I want to be out there,” he’d said. “You and me, Jensen, traveling, never touching ground. I’d have you and that would be enough for a lifetime.”
Jensen had told him that he was silly, that he should dream less and concentrate more on what he really wanted to do.
It was this memory, not Jared’s gorgeous face and declaration of love, but the absurd way Jensen had answered him, like the tight ass he was, that finally decided him.
He entered his complex UG code in the communicator, making sure everything was done according to protocol, going through three different I.D. checks before he was connected to Corporal Fedor. The thing about standard communicators was that they didn’t show an image. To simplify the already complex process of talking to someone millions of miles away, only the voice was transmitted.
“Jensen, any development?”
“I’m afraid so, sir. It appears I was wrong about the Sirixium.”
“What are you talking about?” The old man growled.
“There has been a mistake, sir. My android is barely out of its box and some settings weren’t correctly adjusted. What looked like Sirixium appears to be a standard crystallized formation. The particular color can be attributed to the way the light reflects on it.”
“Are you telling me that I called two ship crews and a mining team , preparing them for an emergency trip to Dx-2190, all for nothing?”
“Corporal…”
“This will go into your file, Ackles. You’re lucky they haven’t left port yet.”
“I am deeply sorry, Corporal.”
There was a grunt, then a long sigh. “By the Pantheon, you almost gave me a heart attack with the Sirixium story. It was hard to believe, given that we've never found any in the area you’re exploring, but still. If your android can’t work properly, use your ship’s computer to do the analysis.”
“Yes, Corporal.”
“And send me your corrected report as soon as possible.”
“Of course.”
“Jensen, I would kick your ass if you weren’t our best explorer.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Oh, please, by Holy Athena do not thank me. I’m waiting for your report.”
Jensen cut the communication and turned toward Jared. “Okay, you gotta move fast. Tell me you have mining bots on your ship? Jared?”
Jared was looking at him, his mouth opened wide, his face pale in the light of Jensen’s uniform. “What… Why would you do that?”
“Because of your stupid face,” Jensen replied quickly. “Listen, I need to get back on my ship and produce a false analysis, and you guys have to extract the Sirixium as soon as possible. The lie holds for now but let’s not take more chances than we have to.”
Jensen was already up, turning back to make his way out of the cavern, when Jared grabbed his wrist.
“Jare-“
The rest of his protest was cut off by the other man’s sudden kiss, his lips pressed against his own and it was…it was overwhelming, but at the same time so deliciously familiar… Jensen couldn’t help but moan. He had to break the embrace, though. Now was definitely not the time to have an intimate moment.
“I missed you,” Jared breathed.
“I missed you too, and your damn puppy dog eyes. It’s crazy, what you guys are doing, you know that, Jared?”
“Yes, it is. But we’re determined to see it through.”
“Can you even imagine what the reaction of Original Earth’s inhabitants will be when you get there?”
“I don’t know. That’s what makes it so important, and necessary.”
“Let’s go.”
Jensen started to walk and, after a couple of seconds, Jared followed him. The explorer’s head was too full, his body electrified with adrenaline. What the Styx was he doing? Lying to his superior, disobeying the law, putting his career in jeopardy? And why didn’t he care more?
“Okay, here's the plan." Jensen needed to concentrate and talking out loud helped with that. "I send the false report while you guys extract the Sirixium. I’ll fix my android and come back to help. It'll be better if we're both as far away from Dx-2190 as soon as possible.”
“But what do you get out of all this?” Jared asked, hardly following him.
“Nothing. It’s a favor, for a friend. Just…” Jensen stopped and turned toward Jared.” Promise me that you’ll find me, if you ever come back from your mad odyssey. Promise you’ll come to me and tell me what you found.”
“Promise,” Jared stated ceremoniously.
“Okay.”
They were halfway back and the Stairway to Heaven was shining brightly under the last rays of the sun when Jared broke the silence.
“Come with us.”
It came as such a surprise that Jensen tripped on an invisible obstacle and almost fell face first in the red moss.
“I… I can’t, Jared. Of course, I can’t.”
“Why?”
“I… I have a job. And huh… my sister is getting married.”
What a stupid thing to say, what a stupid, stupid reason. The really scary thing, though, was the fact that Jensen couldn’t come up with any good ones. He’d always wanted to be a space explorer, ever since he could barely talk. Discovering a planet, the cradle of humanity, that had been voluntarily forgotten, what an adventure that would be.
“I have a life,” Jensen replied. “My parents, my brother and sister. They’d worry about me.”
“There are ways,” Jared said softly. “My dad knows I’m still alive. I can’t tell him more and I'll probably never see him again, but it’s our lives, Jensen. We can make a difference. You and me.”
“You still talk just like you did all those years ago, at the academy.”
“Nothing has changed,” Jared said softly, grabbing Jensen’s hand.
He stopped and turned toward his friend. “There hasn’t been anyone since you.” Jared added.
“I shouldn’t have pushed to end things between us,” Jensen said. “I… I felt so empty when I heard your ship had disappeared…”
“You wanted a career.”
“I was a moron.”
Jared didn’t let go of Jensen's hand as they walked the last mile to the ship. And here, on this micro planet that was worth millions in New Credits, Jensen felt at home, felt like his life was just now beginning.
He knew that he wouldn’t go back to the base, neither would he be present at his sister’s wedding.
He would follow Jared through the stars.
Fin
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