The Darkness People and Fairy Myths

Two weeks later, the boys had taken them back to Santa Fe and they'd taken the commuter turbo to Houston, Texas and the International Space Command. That morning they met for breakfast now wearing their dress uniforms.

Garcia swallowed a piece of bagel. “Don't you find it strange that we had to come all the way here to get our orders instead of getting them from Vice Admiral Grover?”

“Strange and worrisome. First, I'm sure Grover won't like us getting orders that didn't come through him and that's just one more reason for him to dislike me. Second, whatever the orders are, they are damn sensitive if Grover can't be told.”

“You think we are getting a hot, top secret mission?”

“I think we are still an expendable force with a good name for delivering the goods no matter what. That means we'll get the jobs no one else wants.”

Garcia laughed. “That's another way of putting it.”

The International Space Command or ISC was a magnificent complex of buildings built on a ancient NASA site. Security was tight and Garcia and Anna had left early to make sure they would get through the security checks to get to their appointment on time.

Two hours later, they were sitting in the junior administrative assistant's office of the administrative assistant of Rear Admiral Jordan Cotton waiting to be taken by him to the Admiral of the Fleet, Hideaki Ito. They had been waiting an hour.

Finally, Junior Administrative Assistant, Lieutenant Chuck Logan, stood and spoke.

“This way please, Commodor, Captain.”

Anna and Carlos Garcia followed in his wake. They were handed off to the administrative asssitant, Captain Grace Maasi who told them to sit down and wait. Three quarters of an hour later, she led them into the presence of Rear Admiral Cotton. Anna and Carlos came to attention.

Cotton came over and stood in front of Anna looking at her careful like he would a specimen in a bottle. Then he turned and addressed Carlos.

“As you were. I guess you're wondering what the hell you are doing here,”

“No, Sir. I know what I'm doing here, Sir. I'm assisting Commodore Cyborn. I'm sure Commordore Cyborn would like to know why she has been brought her.”

Anna tried not to laugh. Carlos was one brave and loyal friend. Cold grey eyes turned to look at her again.

“I've never seen a cyborg close up before.”

“I'm 60% cloned human, Sir.”

“I know what you are. Some damn unnatural cross breed. They should have closed Dorbel down well before their cyborg research became known.”

“Rear-Admiral Cotton...”

“That is all, Captain.” Anna said quietly, not allowing Carlos to come to her defence. “Rear-Admiral, I'm a member of the ISC Dark Matter Corps in good standing and have been accepted by my crew and colleagues as human. I am not a machine and will not be treated as one.”

“To hell you won't.”

“No, to hell she won't. I have learned that.” All three officers snapped to attention as Admiral Ito entered carrying a small, black brief case. “That will be all Rear-Admiral Cotton. I won't be needing you.”

Cotton looked surprised saluted and left the room.

“Sit down.”

Anna and Carlos did so. Admiral Ito took his time opening his brief case and sorting papers before he sat down at the table.

“I'm sorry you have been kept waiting. I was checking the security levels of the DMC members. With the exception of Crewman Fairfax you all check out for this mission.”

Anna looked up in surprise. “Fairfax is a respected member of my crew. Twice on our last mission she saved lives with her actions. I have and would trust her with my life.”

“I appreciate your loyalty, Commodore. But Crewman Fairfax has a checkered past. Her psychological profile indicates that she has some deep seated anger and insecurity due to sexual abuse and this mission is far too sensitive to risk a weak link.”

Anna felt the heat raising in her face and her stomach tie in a knot. She didn't know that Jill had been sexual abused and she didn't like that Ito had mentioned it in front of Carlos. It was private but not so private that Jill shouldn't have shared this information with her, she felt.

“Commodore Cyborn, did you hear me?”

“Sir?”

“Crewman Fairfax can't go on this mission.”

Anna swallowed. “We are a tightly knit group, Sir. Leaving Fairfax behind will be bad for moral and I feel unnecessary.”

“Captain Garcia, I understand you have known Crewman Fairfax longer. Your opinion?”

“I knew her family years ago. I know nothing of her adult past before she joined the DMC but like Commodore Cyborn, I have full confidence in Crewman Fairfax. It's not what she did before she joined up that matters, its what she's done since. She's a credit to the uniform.”

Ito considered this information, features neutral. “Very well. I'll see that Fairfax gets the necessary security clearance but Cyborn you are responsible for her. You'd better be right about her.”

“Yes, Sir.”

That decided, Ito went on with the briefing. “There is a dark matter mass in section 4876. It's massive. Whatever goes in hasn't come out. We've lost four probes and a few months ago, we lost a scout ship that entered the mass by accident due to an navigation error. I'm going to play for you their last communication.”

Admiral Ito pressed a switch on a small digital bank that he pulled from his briefcase, made a selection and turned the volume up.

“Lieutenant Braun aboard the Scout Ship 782 reporting at 27940.56 relative space time. We have on our screen what we feel might be a massive alien object rather than a dark mass formation. We have hailed them but have had no response. The mass is like nothing I have seen before. As large as...”

Ito switched off the mechanism. “That's it.”

“It doesn't tell us much.” Anna observed.

“No it doesn't. Our anthropology team, however, tells us that the intelligent life in the area have all sorts of legends about the people from the darkness. The cultures in that area are pre-space travel so the legends are pretty unusual. But the basic plot, I take it, is that they have seen objects coming from an area of the night sky that is dark. Some legends talk about people disappearing. ISC feels there could be a planet hidden in that area of dark matter with intelligent life capable of space travel. If so, they have one of our scout ships and three of our people. We don't leave our people behind. You are to find out what the hell is going on in there and rescue our people if they are alive or find out what happened to them. Also, bringing back that scout ship if it can be done. You are to do so in a manner that builds an alliance with this unknown specie if at all possible. And you are to do so with your mouths shut. We don't want any panic in that region that might cause political instability. I remind you of the Darean Incident. That is not to happen.”

“Understood, Sir.”

“Good. We understand each other, that whatever happens out there remains secret until such time as ISC feels it is safe to announce the discovery of another specie.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“No written orders will be given to you. Electronic passes to enter section 4876 will be issued. Good luck.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Admiral Ito stood and so did Anna and Carlos standing at attention until Ito had swept from the room.

Carlos looked at Anna. “What's the Darean Incident?”

“I had to search my data banks. It happened a long time ago. A pre-space society, was told by an undercover ISC officer that there was an advanced race living near by. A few months later, there was a bad earthquake on the planet and the rumour got going that it was caused by the aliens. It led to massive rioting and a lot of innocent strangers were killed including two ISC anthropology officers who had been working undercover in the area. I guess the anthropology department must have some real concerns about how the planet folk would react if contact was made.”

“Still seems an over reaction.”

Anna nodded. “I don't think we've been told the whole story.”

“So what now?”

“We'll go and talk to some anthropologists about the mythologies in section 4876.”

After being directed to the Planetary Anthropology and Sociology Research Centre, they followed signs to a small office on the third floor that was the space occupied by Dr. Holmes Leslie. Leslie was short like most Trodarians with the stick-out round ears and large blue eyes. Her hair was light brown and thick and she wore it in the traditional Trodarian mane.

Anna used the traditional greetings.

“Good day, Holmes Leslie. I hope your tribe prospers. I'm Commordore Anna Cyborn from Space Station Yeager. My mother is Dr. Edith Bissell. This is Captain Carlos Garcia of Earth, whose mother is Maria Garcia. We are part of the Dark Matter Corps. Aboard my ship, my communication officer is Lieutenant Barron Eveen. The one who co-discovered Dark Mariner.”

“Good day Anna Cyborn and Carlos Garcia. My tribe does prosper, thank you. I have read about the adventures of the Dark Matter Corps and the discovery of Dark Mariner. Please send my best wishes and congratulations to Barron Eveen, whose third cousin married into my great uncle's clan.”

“I'll do so. Barron Eveen will be pleased that I have met and talked to you. We need your help.”

“Please sit down. I'll make tea while you tell me how I can help you.”

“We are being sent on a routine patrol mission to section 4876 to map and collect data on the darl mass in that area...”

Dr. Holmes nearly dropped the tea pot as she spun around. “Don't!”

“What?”

“I mean, no, that is precisely what I mean, don't.”

Anna looked at Carlos and then back at Homes. “Why?”

Dr. Homes took her time pouring tea from a large round tea pot painted with yellow roses into china tea cups that matched. “I love these old tea sets from Earth. They are so pretty and civilized.” She passed each of them a cup and got a tray of milk, sugar, and a plate of cookies before she spoke again.

“I do want the ISC to investigate the area. I have requested such an investigation many times but a single ship is not what I had in mind. It would be a suicide mission. I know this area well. All my research on mythology has been done in Section 4876. There is a evil living in that dark matter. People disappear after seeing the dark angels. Not just a handful or even hundreds, I'm talking about thousands of people having disappeared over the twenty years or so that I have done research there.”

“They see dark angels?”

“Yes, at least that is how they describe them. They are always seen in threes. Wings like a butterfly's only clear and black bodies similar to humans. They are about the size of your hand. They move quickly, like a humming bird but make no noise. When people see them, they know someone will disappear during the night.”

“Are there signs of a struggle?”

“No. They just vanish.”

“Has anyone seen them vanish.”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“Does anyone come back?”

“Only one that I know of.”

“Who? I'll want to get in touch with this person.”

Dr. Homes bit her lip as she considered. “It was me. Now I suppose you think I'm a crack pot and anything I tell you will be suspect. I've never told anyone before. It wouldn't do my career any good.”

“You saw the dark angels?”

“No. But some of the villagers did. I was staying in the village doing research. This would have been nine years ago. The men were out harvesting Calups, a type of fruit. The angels seemed to come out of the foliage of a Calup tree and swooped around them. They ran back to the village. Everyone ran inside and locked their windows and doors. When I heard what had happened, I went looking for the dark angels down at the orchard but never saw any. That night, I went to bed as usual and the next morning I got up as usual but according to the villagers, I'd been gone for over two weeks by their time. That's a duration of about 6.8 relative space/time. I had no marks on me. I felt fine and I had no sensation of having missed time. I just ceased to exist for a period of time.”

Carlos gave a low whistle. “Weird goings on.”

Anna considered. “It would seem that the dark angels are interested in only the planetary life forms in that area. You, a stranger, were returned. To save time, I'd like to down load some of the mythology you have collected into my data banks. Is that possible? I assure you that I will delete the data as soon as our mission is over.”

Dr. Holmes looked up in surprise. “You're a cyborg?”

“No. I'm clone-human with some cyborg units.”

“You're one of the Dorbel experiments. You said you were from Yeager not Dorbel.”

“I consider my life to have started after I was removed from the laboratory and put in a group home on Yeager.”

“I can understand that. Did your mother visit you often?”

Anna's face tightened. “My clone-mother never visits me.”

Dr. Holmes looked shocked. Matrilineal ties were very strong among the Trodarians. “I'll help you all I can. I'm sure you are aware that a scout ship disappeared there not long ago.”

Anna went still. “That is supposed to be classified information.”

Dr. Homes snorted. “ISC is a rumour mill and when members don't come back from missions the rumours spread even faster. So you're being sent out to rescue them.”

“We're on a routine mapping and data collecting mission.”

“Sure. I'll bring up some myths that I think best describes the creatures and incidents. Keep in mind that these people are pre-space travel so their explanations of what they have seen and experienced is rather folksy.”

It was towards evening when the sun sends out long fingers of shadows. I had been hoeing in the field. The Tomads do not like weeds. If you want bushy Tomad plants with lots of hanging fruit, you must hoe the weeds clear often.

I climbed up and took the ridge pass back to the village because it was the season of the stinging insects that lurk in the damp, cool valley. I had only gone about half way home when I saw three dark angels circling above Bogta's house. I was very much afraid because the dark angels are a sign of death. I hid between two boulders and pulled my grey sweater over me so I wouldn't be seen. I know they say that the dark angels are blind and they find those that are to die by the beat of their heart but I don't think that is true because they didn't find me and my heart was beating like a drum.

After a while, when the sun had almost set, the dark angels disappeared. They didn't fly away, they just vanished like blowing out a flame. When I got my nerve up, I got up and ran home. The next day, I learned that Bogta was no more. He'd vanished during the night right from the bed where his wife slept. The dark angels had taken him to the dark sky where there are no stars. It is the place of lost souls. This is where you go if you are bad. They took Bogta because he had a bad temper and beat his wife. She is happy now. Her children are old enough to run the farm.

Some say that they have known good people to be taken too but I don't believe this. Only bad people are taken. Sometimes we don't know that people are bad in their hearts. The angels are the helpers of Goddess Guildor, she who brings the light and rain. She knows everything. Still, I'm glad I hid. Even Guildor sometimes makes mistakes and brings bad storms. I would not have wanted the dark angels to take me by mistake.

I saw three dark angels in my garden. I watched them go from plant to plant. I had heard that if you talk to a dark angel it will bring you much luck and your crops will grow better than anyone else. So even though I was afraid I went out into the garden and called to the angels. I said, I am a good and healthy person so you don't need to take me but please make my garden grow.

The three stopped and hovered in the air looking at me. Then one raised a small stick that it held in its hand and there was a flash of light and I knew no more. When I knew again, I was lying where I had stood. I had a terrible headache and my muscles jerked for hours after. The dark angels were gone. Everything was the same as before, but that fall, I won the largest Tomad contest at the region agricultural centre. Everyone said it was the biggest Tomad that they had ever seen. I would not talk to a dark angels again. I would hide. I felt sick for a long time after and people told me that I was lucky I didn't cease to exist.

Anna down loaded a dozen stories like this plus legends of cities in the sky and ancestors who could fly. Thanking Dr. Holmes, Anna and Carlos left, heading across the park land that surrounded the Anthropology complex.

“Looks like we are in for quite an adventure.”

“Looks that way.”

“Have you booked your transport back to Gagarin Space Station? Maybe we could go together.”

“Ahh, actually, I'm booked into Solar Breeze Space Port for a week.”

“Oooooo, so who is it?”

“Whose what?”

“Come on Anna, you don't go to Solar Breeze Space Port Resort alone. That would be a hell of a waste of some of the best sunsets this side of the galaxy. Not to mention the surf, the candlelight dinners and the fine cuisine. Bet it's Jill.”

Red flooded Anna's face.

Carlos laughed. “Knew it!”

“Carlos, shut up. Officers don't, well, they don't, not with enlisted personnel.”

Carlos smiled. “Sure they don't. We just have that rule in case.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yes.”

“Damn.”

“Relax Commodore. No one aboard the Mariner would ever talk.”

“If Vice-Admiral Grover found out, I'd be out of the service in a flash.”

“We'll protect your back, Anna. You have a right to a life.”

Anna sighed and sank down on a park bench. “Have you any idea what a scientific curiosity we'd be? The first cyborg to have a relationship. Or the scorn that Jill might have to endure? I'm thinking maybe I should book to travel back with you to Gagarin Space station instead.”

Carlos sat down beside her and took her hand. “Anna, I'm your friend. I'd have liked to have been more than that but if friendship is all you have to offer then I accept. Hell, my parents have all but adopted you so I feel I have a right to be a big brother and give you some advice. Only a damn fool of an officer would get involved with enlisted personnel. It's a suicide mission. But Anna, if you think you have found something special in Jill, then take the risk. Happiness is far more important than a job.”

Anna looked at the grass. The variety and texture of the Earth's ground fascinated her. “I don't have a heart. It's a cybernetic pump.”

“So what. Love has nothing to do with the real heart. It's a metaphor for something that we can't really explain. A feeling that bonds you with another individual. Go enjoy your week. Then you'll know.”

Anna looked up and smiled at Carlos. “Thanks. You are a wonderful adopted brother and you'll make someone a wonderful husband.”

Carlos laughed. “With the two best women off my list, I'm going to be a bachelor for a long, long time.”