My 31st short story was published last month in a marvelous new utopian science fiction anthology called Bright Mirror by Delaware-based small press, Oddity Prodigy Productions.
Bright Mirror offers tales of adventure, discovery, and the promise of a better tomorrow. I hope you enjoy the opening scenes from my story, “Isaac Geary’s Instant Utopia.”
Isaac Geary’s Instant Utopia
by Phil Giunta
It took only a day to grow the first snow-capped mountains. The entire range had erupted from the surface on the other side of the world, far enough away that the shockwave barely registered at Terraform Control. By the following afternoon, several kilometers of barren gray flatlands were transformed into lush fields of colorful wildflowers and deep green grass bordered by a rushing river on one side and a dense forest on the other.
“Sector Zero terraforming complete,” the dulcet voice of the computer announced over the intercom.
On the opposite side of the canteen, a group of scientists cheered and toasted their success while the Marines in the back corner maintained their stoic silence.
Seated across from me at our usual table, my sister raised her cup. “Here’s to Isaac Geary’s instant utopias.”
I tapped mine against hers. “And the lives they’ll save.”
This wasn’t the first time Nula and I had witnessed the ancient terraforming technology work its magic on a dead world. After living on the remote planet of Orellan for the past few years, she and I were used to landscapes changing at the press of a few buttons. We could order up a beach of pink sand one day and go skinny dipping in a secluded hot spring the next.
Don’t ask us to explain how it works. For that you need to chat with the lead scientist, Dr. Isaac Geary. He’s the one who’d discovered and mastered the long-buried alien machinery after his ship crashed on Orellan. That was long before my sister and I landed there to hide from the law, but that’s a story for another time. Suffice it to say that Isaac saw something redeeming in Nula and me and took us in rather than turn us over to System Police. Since then, he’s become a surrogate father to us.
After he’d created a perfect utopia for himself on Orellan, Isaac was reunited with his wife, Hannah. She joined him there after he treated her terminal cancer using nanites he’d programmed himself, but they both knew she was living on borrowed time. It broke our hearts when she died a year later, but at least they’d spent that time together in paradise.
To help him cope with his grief, Isaac set his mind to duplicating the terraforming technology so he could offer it to others. That brought us here to Apphira, a barren planetoid in the middle of the Noltaq system. It was a proving ground to see if he could generate a utopia from scratch. If the test succeeded, the process could be used on other lifeless worlds, alleviating the pressure on most of the overpopulated planets throughout the Eight Systems.
“What time are we takin’ off for Lyris?” Nula asked, just before a distant explosion rocked the base. Plates and utensils rattled, cups toppled to the floor. “Was that another shockwave from the terraforming?”
The Marines shot up from their table and bolted from the canteen while the scientists rushed to the windows, but the tranquil scene outside gave no indication that anything was amiss. “Attention, all personnel,” the computer beckoned. “Lockdown in progress. Do not attempt to leave the complex. All vessels will remain grounded until further notice.”
“Sounds like we’re not taking off anytime soon.” I downed the last few drops of my coffee. “Let’s find out what the hell happened.”
We charged down the corridor, covering our ears against the alarms screeching from the ceiling. By the time Nula and I bounded into Terraform Control, Isaac and his colleagues were huddled around Colonel Lorca, the commanding officer of the Marines assigned to protect the base.
“…cargo ship on a direct collision course with this complex,” Lorca was saying. “When the pilot failed to acknowledge our hails, two of my patrol cruisers shot it down near Kilrain Crater. We’re sending a squad to check for survivors. We’ll lift the lockdown when I’m satisfied we’re out of danger. In the meantime, I’ll shut off the alarms.”
It’s hard to believe that anyone would object to the idea of creating a better future for humanity, but the death threats against Isaac and his team started two days after our project on Apphira was featured on the interplanetary news. A handful of extremists condemned the technology as dangerous and vowed to stop us, but I never expected they’d get this close. People often fear what they don’t understand. I used to be one of them, until I met Isaac.
“I’ll be curious to see which terrorist faction claims responsibility for this,” he said to the colonel.
“You and me both.” With that, Lorca hurried from the room.
It wasn’t until the other scientists had drifted back to their stations that Isaac noticed us and ambled over. “How are my two favorite pilots in the galaxy?”
“A lot more worried about our future here than I was ten minutes ago,” I replied.
“Understandable, but I have faith in our Marines to keep us safe. Speaking of which, I know you two were heading out to Lyris in a few hours to pick up the equipment for Sector Two. I don’t know how long you’ll be delayed, but once this crisis is resolved, I’ll request a military escort for you.”
Nula waved off the suggestion. “We don’t need that. With all of the mods Zai and I made to our ship, we got more than enough speed and firepower to deal with anything those thugs can throw at us.”
“Don’t underestimate those thugs,” Isaac said. “They possess more determination and resources than the pirates you’re used to fending off in the space lanes.” He slipped an arm around each of our shoulders. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you both so the Marines are going with you. Besides, by the time you get back, Sector One will have been terraformed and I programmed a few hot springs into the matrix just so you two can go skinny dipping.”
***
There were no survivors from the crashed cargo ship. It had been a drone, its course pre-programmed. Four hours passed before Nula and I were allowed to leave with one System marine cruiser as an escort. The trip to Lyris took six days through hyperspace. Our final approach brought us between the planet and its primary moon, Dek’ahj, a patchwork sphere of rust, beige, and slate gray pockmarked by scores of impact craters. I wondered if anyone lived there until my tactical display picked up a cluster of surface-to-space missiles on an intercept course.
“This wasn’t the welcome I was expecting.”
The automatic red alert klaxon blared through the ship. Even Nula couldn’t sleep through that. I slapped the comm button to hail the Marines. “ME-2061, this is the Gilded Rage. I have two dozen spearhead-class seeker missiles on their way up from Dek’ahj. Any suggestions?”
Nula stumbled into the cockpit half-dressed and strapped herself into the co-pilot’s seat. She shut off the alarm and pulled up a tactical display on her console. “Who the hell’s firin’ at us?”
“Someone on that moon. ME-2061, do you read me?”
The only response was static.
“Whoever it is, they’re jamming our comms. Hang on.” I threw the ship into a forward dive toward Lyris then banked hard to port.
The marine cruiser unleashed a spread of anti-missile rounds. Several small explosions followed. The remaining spearheads separated into two groups. One swerved toward the Marines, the other followed us.
Nula’s fingers danced over the weapons console. “Since when do pirates use seeker missiles? They disable ships to raid ‘em, not blow ‘em out of existence.”
“I don’t think these are pirates.”
Somewhere behind us, the marine cruiser exploded.
“Shit! We’re on our own now. Maybe we can shake these damn things near the outer moons.”
“I might be able to get rid of ‘em sooner.” Nula pressed a button on her console, launching two aft torpedoes. They sailed into the cluster of seven missiles and exploded, destroying four of them and knocking the remaining three off course.
Our victory was short-lived. The tactical screen flashed red as the klaxon sounded off again. Two of the missiles that had been diverted to the marine cruiser earlier were still in the fight. They emerged from the debris behind us and slammed into our engines, sending the Rage spiraling out of control toward Dek’ahj.
To continue reading this story and many other fantastic tales, pick up a copy of Bright Mirror from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org, or your favorite independent bookstore. Thank you for supporting small press publishing!
