Xerces Takes a Trip

To put all all of this in context, ya can but the book out later this year!  

-Paul 

Xerces left to take Tara (his small ship) to the surface. He powered up the fighter drifted into the airlock and when the outer door opened, shot out in a long curving downward arc. The moon appeared a red color up and off to his right shoulder. The ships of Cyan appeared far off as large shiny silver dots and the whole seen had a backdrop of countless stars, colorful gases and dark nebulae. Xerces thought seeing this alone made the trip worthwhile. In a few minutes he was hitting the top of the atmosphere and Tara became white hot as she slowed. The entry was smooth and soon huge billowing white cloud tops appeared. He looked upward to see a bluish green sky, all but one of the stars having disappeared. The ride became more bumpy as he descended through the clouds and rain drops hit the canopy and boiled away. It grew darker the further he down went. At last he came through the bottom of the clouds and a lush green forest covered mountains as far as he could see. Xerces switched off the autopilot and made long sweeping turns still descending on the way to the meeting point on the coast. He came out of the rain and saw where Yves and Uma were waiting.

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The stone tree nest looked like something from a long ago age. A massive column of stone rose up from an island just off shore. From the main column metallic and concrete branches supported windowed concrete orbs. As Xerces approached, a metal clamshell top opened on the highest orb revealing one large spaceship. There was room for two. Xerces slowed and eased Tara into the open spot. The doors closed over him.    

Xerces followed Uma outside into a fresh salty sea breeze and felt refreshed. Phoebe’s life support was a great system but there was nothing like a true living planetary scale biosphere. Uma lead him across a large wooden deck over to the railing. They looked out over the ocean and down to the crashing waves far below finishing their beers quickly. Xerces felt good but a little lightheaded and so did Uma. There was a large piece of red fabric stretched out far below.

            

“What is that?” he asked Uma.

            

“Think of it as an express elevator. This was an old fortress and sometime it can be helpful to get around quickly.”

     

 With that that, Uma sat down her empty glass and hurled herself over the rail screaming with delight all the way down. She landed on her feet and sprung back up almost all he way to an astonished Xerces. He sat down his glass next to hers and thought what the hell and followed her. His mind went into over drive watching the stonewall wiz by on the way down thinking he had made a fatal mistake. Fortunately, he landed true and shot straight strait back up and not outward. He realized the danger and watched his next few landings until he came to a stop. Uma waited just inside an open doorway. He stepped in after her.

 “I see your point. So where are we now?”

  “Not too far from the boat dock and our power station. Come there are a few things I want you to see.”

The stone hall was lit by the same kind of torches he had seen before. It lead to an iron staircase that lead down to a dock on the water. It was like being a large underwater cave. Over to their left, he could see a barred exit for the large boat at the end of the dock. Over to their right a short walk away stood what looked like a large metallic winged insect.

“That’s a flying machine that is almost as much fun as our express elevator. But that in not what I want to show you, Xerces. Don’t worry, it is not too far.”

She lead him to a metal door that opened into a small seemingly dark empty room. He wondered what she was really after. Uma flipped a switch and then Xerces saw a latter going down into the floor. She grabbed a flashlight and put on a headlamp like a minor would wear.

“Here take these.” She said handing Xerces the same equipment. ‘Don’t worry I will bring you back safely. No, I don’t plan to rape or kill you and am trusting you feel the same way about me.”

“It may have a bad impact on me wanting return home to Dzann and Phoebe so I’m just along for the tour.”

“Good.” She said getting on to the latter.                                     

He followed her down the latter in a small vertical shaft. After what seemed like an eternity, they came to a floor in another small room. He followed her over to a large metal hatch. She punched in a code on a near by keypad and started turning the wheel. Xerces, not even realizing what her was doing, took a few steps back. The door swung open. A small breeze smelling of damp earth and sea salt greeted them. Uma stepped in and motioned for Xerces to follow.

“From the now ancient times before the last round of wars.”

Xerces found himself in a huge tunnel extending off as far as his beam of light could see in either direction. It was like being inside a very large tube lined with what appeared to be woven chords of steel. A third of the way up on either side metal tracks ran in both directions. There was a third metal rail at the top of the tunnel as well. Uma walked slowly in the direction of the ocean and he followed.

"Maglev trains. This tunnel runs all the way under the ocean inside the bedrock. It is flexible which makes it earthquake resistant. The trains ran more than three times the speed of sound. There are service entries along the way even well out to sea. We’ve found several hundred such tunnels so far. You see, Xerces, the wars almost completely destroyed a far advanced civilization. We hope to rebuild but find ourselves facing an AI army and hoards of our own descendents… And later most likely the Fellix Federation.”

            

“I’d say the Federation is the least of your worries at the moment. I’m both deeply impressed and saddened. But I don’t see the situation as hopeless.”

           
“Do you know what a ghost is, Xerces?” She asked and stopped walking...