Collision with Chronos

14

Their footsteps echoed loudly in the big underground cavern. Planetary Leader Limnich, surrounded by aides and guards, was met just outside the door to the office complex by a tall, self-composed Colonel Brask.

“You got my message?” Limnich said after they’d saluted. “You understood its import?”

“I understood, Planetary Leader.” Brask opened the door, inviting Limnich inside.

The Planetary Leader signalled his entourage to wait, then went in alone. Thankfully he settled himself in a deep leather armchair, as though exhausted. “You see why I had to contact you by code. Didn’t want to trust vidphone transmissions with this… these days secrecy is becoming imperative.…”

He blinked, and then sniffed. He was feeling cold and shivery, but knew it was only his imagination, prompted by the knowledge that so many districts were down with the plague. The virological laboratories were working desperately to combat the flood of new diseases that were appearing, almost certainly alien-caused, but as soon as one antibody was found another virus seemed to arise.

“Have you had time to confirm what you put in your message, Leader?” Brask asked him.

Limnich nodded. “It’s true, all right. Whole regions have simply vanished off the map. Some new alien weapon, obviously, though the Mother knows what kind of device can annihilate people, buildings, and vegetation without leaving a trace. No radiation, nothing. Just bare soil.”

“But it’s mostly dev reservations that have vanished? Isn’t that a little odd?”

Limnich shrugged. “Perhaps the aliens thought them convenient testing grounds. It isn’t anything we’ve done, I can assure you of that. But you can see how serious the situation is. Is Measure C in hand?”

“Yes, Planetary Leader. The first wave will leave in a few minutes.”

He switched on a large vidscreen. Limnich saw fine, upright men in time-combat suits, just marching away from their preflight ceremonies. He looked at them closely, admiring their courage, their dedication.

There was no time, now, to wait until the Legions of Kronos were up to the strength Limnich had wanted for the final assault. There was no time to build up the measures that would have given the warriors of time a fighting chance of personal survival. These were suicide crews, men who would battle through against all odds to drop their hydrogen bombs, scores of bombs to each ship. Something like his old feeling of reassurance came over Limnich as he looked on their stern resolve. Hours before, he knew, each man had donated sperm for freezing and storage, so that he’d be honoured with the knowledge that his seed would continue to contribute to the blood of the race.

“Excuse me, Planetary Leader, but in accordance with the protocol we’ve set up, I must ask to be allowed to leave you now.”

Brask pressed a button. Another young officer came in – one more bright young man on which the Legions depended so much these days.

“Colonel Gole here will take over the project, as per your instructions, until the next wave is dispatched,” Brask said.

Limnich gave a perfunctory nod, and Brask left with a final salute to them both.

The Planetary Leader continued to watch the screen as Brask took his place down below with his men. He watched the continuing ceremony as they boarded their time travellers, Brask taking the command ship.

“Eventually we’ll find a way to bring them back alive,” he said to Gole. “Until then, this is good enough.”

“Yes, Planetary Leader.”

The squadrons all vanished together with a sound like a thunderclap. They went humming fuzzily into the future, gladly bearing their cargoes of death, death, and more death.