The Jade Snake Part 2: Tanner's Plan is underway!
Sean Tanner and Tamzine Dubois squinted into the bright spotlight that was shining on them. A silhouette of a broad man was above them. They slowly climbed up the rope ladder that had been tossed down to them. Each spy was dressed in their yellow and white high tech suits with their helmets still on and visors pushed up.
‘You two are a strange pair, dressed like yellow birds. Mind you, I haven't seen a yellow bird in years; I probably won’t ever again.’
Tanner helped Tamzine onto the platform the man was standing on. Then he followed, hauling himself on board. He and Tamzine were now standing on the back of a flying habitat/vehicle. The two spies looked down at the body of water below illuminated by the lights of the strange craft they were on. ‘I can't see any land,’ said Tamzine.
The broad man came closer as the spotlight switched off and muted lights began to turn on. ‘I’m Captain Roy Jamie Tyler, explorer and chief terraformer of the great pond that is Wetland.’
‘Wetland. How original,’ said Tamzine.
The captain gave her a quizzical look. ‘Are you smirking me?’
‘We mean no offence,’ Tanner broke in.
‘What were you two doing in the sea?’ The Captain spoke with what sounded like an Australian accent.
‘I’m not sure you would believe us,’ said Tamzine.
‘Try me.’
‘We came through a portal. We’re from Earth.’ Tamzine waited for a response.
‘Never heard of it.’ The man opened a tall locker and showed the two spies some clothes hanging on rails. ‘Take what you need; you can’t stay in those wet yellow bird suits.’
‘Thank you,’ said Tamzine, who was now shivering badly.
The man headed into the front of the strange craft. ‘I’m going to take you up to my star tarke; I can’t leave you here. And I still haven't reckoned how you two came to be here bouncing about in the pond.’
Tanner walked into the body of the craft. ‘Like we said, we entered a portal – a doorway that led us here.’
Captain Tyler turned a set of brass-like knobs and the craft began to slowly rise. ‘Well, you have no choice but to come with me to my home world. You won’t like it there, but I’ve only just started the sizing up of Wetland. There ain't going to be any living here any time soon; it will take years to landform it.’
Tamzine, now changed into dry clothing, joined Tanner and the captain. ‘We appreciate your help. And until we can find a way back home, we would be happy to visit your home world. You didn't say what it's called.’
‘Tarshien, after the sky god.’
‘Tarshien, it sounds romantic,’ said Tamzine.
‘I don’t know that word, but if that means nice, it certainly isn’t.’ The captain flipped a switch and a bank of monitors lit up with different scenes of Tarshien filling the screens.
It looked like Hell: Large chimneys belched brown smoke into an equally brown sky which housed a small pale sun barely making itself known. Tamzine and Tanner looked on, in horror. They could see people walking on the streets wearing protective gear; masks, gloves and suits. The place was awful. Scenes cut to hospitals with sick people coughing up blood.
‘Those are the poor blighters who can’t afford the right clothing. Most of them sit on the streets asking for credits. Not many people are able to help them out. As the saying goes, no one comes to Tarshien to get rich.’
‘Why do people come to Tarshien?’ Tamzine was frowning.
‘That’s the joke of it, no one ever comes to Tarshien. We’re trying to leave! You two will be the first off-world visitors we’ve ever had come to Tarshien. You’ll be quite the sensation!’
Stars were beginning to populate the sky and the barge-type craft they were aboard started sealing itself ready for a leap into space. Tanner and Tamzine marvelled as clear panels slowly emerged to cover the spaces that were open to the elements. Once the synchronised performance was over, the two spies were taken aback by the powerful jolt they felt as the craft launched itself into space. Luckily, they had been looking at the captain, who was holding on tightly to a metal bar near the monitors. The two visitors copied him and managed to stay on their feet.
‘Enjoying it?’ the captain laughed.
‘Exhilarating!’ Tamzine shouted above the din.
‘Rather bracing, old boy!’ Tanner managed to say.
Eventually the small craft punched its way into space and slowed. In front of them was a spacecraft that must have been the size of a football pitch, it was absolutely huge.
After entering the giant spacecraft via a narrow slit in its hull, the hanger they landed in was sealed. Once the atmosphere in the hanger was the same as the rest of the giant craft, the captain let his guests jump down to the metal floor.
‘Come this way, let me show you around before we set off; you’ll have to enter a stasis pod soon, so I won’t have time once we arrive at Tarshien.’
The captain introduced Sean and Tamzine to the crew, who were an assortment of races similar to Earth; in fact, Tamzine noted that most things she saw reminded her of home. However, their technology did seem to be about fifty or sixty years in advance of Earth’s.
Finally, after their whirlwind tour of the giant space vessel, Captain Roy Jamie Tyler saluted the two guests and beckoned them to both step into upright pods that were obviously going to put them into a sleep state.
Tamzine looked worried. ‘How far is Tarshien...will we be asleep long?’
‘It takes six months to reach Tarshien from here.’ The captain could clearly see that both Tamzine and Sean were looking worried. ‘You have nothing to fear; our technology has never failed. We have revived every person that has been in a stasis pod.’
Tanner’s mind raced. He remembered something about time going more slowly for people travelling on long space journeys.
The captain guessed what Tanner was thinking. ‘Are you worried about time dilation?’
‘Is that where we age more slowly travelling in space?’ Tanner said.
‘Well you don’t have to worry about that, the star tarke compensates using a temporal equaliser and a subtractor. You won’t outlive people on your home world – wherever it is; you will age at the same rate. We will also gain our six months back as well. Of course, I’ve no idea where you actually came from. But, that’s another problem I’ve got to add to my long list. We will look into that when we reach Tarshien.’
Look out for the finished book soon!