Terra's World (17 page)

3.15

-
W
here are you taking me?
asked Lbbp. No reply came.

Lbbp hadn’t been able to take more than three or four steps in the same direction for an orbit, so when he awoke to find himself being hauled to his feet by two custodians, shoved through the cell door (the crystal barrier having slid silently away) and dragged along the dark corridor, his legs had great difficulty keeping up.

The spiral staircase posed a problem, dragging-wise; after a moment’s thought, the custodians decided on a push-pull technique; one going ahead of Lbbp and pulling him upwards, the other shoving him from behind. After that there came another corridor, then a heavy door, and then . . .

- Welcome, Deceiver, to
MISSION CONTROL
!

Lbbp blinked at the perfectly normal – but to him, blinding – light. As his eyes adjusted, he began to make out his surroundings. Wait, he thought, have I been right underneath the Forum the whole time? And why is there a dungeon under the Forum?

As the room swam more clearly into focus, Lbbp saw that it wasn’t really the Forum any more. The shell of the building was still recognisable, but that was about all. No delegates, no Chancellor, just an assortment of bizarrely dressed courtiers and off-duty custodians lounging on the benches. At the far end of the central aisle, there stood what had been the Chancellor’s chair, but which had now been decorated with seemingly random bits of precious metal and gemstones, turning it into a gaudy throne.

On this throne sat the Gfjk-Hhh, semi-resplendent in his now rather shabby green and gold robes and lopsided brass helmet. He beckoned Lbbp towards him; Lbbp, still in the grip of his two escorts, had no choice but to advance.

In the centre aisle itself, a curious jumble of computers and other machinery was being installed by nervous-looking technicians. And above all this, dominating the room, a huge visualiser screen was hanging precariously from the ancient stonework.

Lbbp blinked and answered the Gfjk.
- Mission Control, you say? Dare I ask what the mission might be?

The Gfjk leapt to his feet and bounded over to meet him.
- I did say, didn’t I? I did say my mission would be revealed to me?

Lbbp thought back to their last conversation.
- I do seem to recall that—
he began.

The Gfjk cut him off.
-
BEHOLD
!
he cried, gesturing triumphantly towards the giant visualiser.

Nothing happened.

- I said
BEHOLD
!
repeated the Gfjk, casting a steely glance at one of the nervous-looking technicians, who frantically activated the screen.

There’s another one for the Gshkth Pit, thought the Gfjk. Oh NO, no Scary Gshkth,
NO SCARY GSHKTH
any
MORE
. Must remember that. Mind you, he thought on, once I pull this off I’ll be able to have Scary Gshkth twice a day, as well as Scary Dfsh, Scary Dks-Wks, Scary
Pretty-Much-Anything-I-G’shbbing-Well-Like, and they’ll
LOVE
me for it, because I . . .

The Gfjk became aware of the fact that Lbbp was standing waiting for him to say something, so reluctantly he yanked his mind back to the here and now.

- From the stars, Deceiver. Revelation from the stars. See, my quest got impatient waiting for me. My quest sought
ME
out! How about that?
He gestured again towards the visualiser.

Lbbp peered up at the giant screen. It showed a view of deep space, and in its centre – what? A disc of pure blackness. What was that?

- The Black Planet,
said the Gfjk reverentially.
The celestial harbinger of death. The destroyer of worlds. It’s found me, Deceiver. It’s found me. The one it’s been looking for all these eras. Its journey is over.

Lbbp’s mind, still adjusting to so much stimulation after cycles of darkness and silence, struggled to assimilate all this new information. He had a vague recollection of reading about an ancient legend that told of a rogue Black Planet which brought devastation to any world which encountered it.

As Lbbp looked, the screen switched from a live image of the planet to a diagram showing its distance from Fnrr. It was less than a day away.

- What do you think, Deceiver?
asked the Gfjk.

Lbbp pondered for a moment, then replied,
- What do I think? I think I’ve had just about enough of ancient legends.

The Gfjk-Hhh smiled.
- I wanted you to be here, Deceiver. You have to witness the completion of our project. I couldn’t have done it without you, you know.

Lbbp said nothing.

- In a few moments,
said the Gfjk,
I will address my people. I will tell them that death is coming for them, for this whole world, but that they must not fear, for I, the Gfjk-Hhh, Champion and Defender of Fnrr, Commander of the Platinum Legions, the Past and Future, the First and Last and Always, have been returned to life at this time to save and protect them! And once I’ve done that
– the Gfjk turned to Lbbp, his tone becoming icy –
I will—

When suddenly . . .

- What’s happened?

- I can’t see!

- Has it started?

- Save us, Luminescence, save us!

The chamber had been plunged into darkness. Every light had failed, every screen gone blank. In the impenetrable gloom – actually quite a relief to Lbbp’s dazzled eyes – he could hear courtiers stumbling around, bleating in panic, technicians fiddling with their equipment, muttering in confusion, and above it all, the voice of the Gfjk, calling for calm, insisting he was in control and there was no cause for alarm. Lbbp was annoyed to notice that, despite the turmoil, the two custodians who held him firmly by the arms had not relaxed their grip one little bit.

After only a short while – it felt to Lbbp like about sixty-four blips – the lights began to flicker on, the screens glowed again, the machines hummed back into life. A general sense of relief passed around the room.

The Gfjk collected himself, then addressed the assembly.
- See?
he said, smiling.
Nothing to worry about, it’s all . . .

The Gfjk’s smile faded. No one was listening to him. They were all gazing up at the visualiser. He turned to look at it himself.

The screen showed a face. A round, pink face, with a button nose, slightly stuck-out ears and a fringe of oddly coloured hair poking out from under a curiously striped item of cloth headgear.

As the crowd in the Forum-turned-Mission-Control looked on in confusion, the face spoke, in perfect accentless Fnrrn.

- My name is Terra.

3.16

A
cross the whole city, across the whole nation, the young Ymn’s voice was heard.

It was heard in the homes of the oppressed and frightened population, gathered around their visualisers, surprised not to be seeing the Special Address from His Luminescence that they’d been ordered to watch.

It was heard in the stations and barracks of the City Custodians, many of them tiring now of their part in the climate of brutality and fear, realising they’d been forced to choose between their leader and their own people, wondering if they’d chosen wisely.

It was heard – but not by many – in the all-but-deserted lectoria and libraries of the Preceptorates, Lycea and PreAcademies.

And in the hall of the old Forum, so misused, so befouled, it echoed around the stone walls to the confusion of the courtiers, the fury of their false emperor – and the absolute delight of his prisoner.

- My name is Terra. I’m not from this planet, but it’s my home – as much my home as it is any of yours.

I’m here to tell you about two dangers we all face. One you already know about, the other you maybe don’t, yet.

Some of you will already have noticed a black shape in the sky. We believe that this is the Black Planet, as mentioned in an old legend some of you may be familiar with. The legend says that whenever the Black Planet visits another world, everything on that world dies.

This brings me to the other danger you face. You know him as the Gfjk-Hhh. This is not his name. I don’t know what his name is, but he’s not the Gfjk-Hhh. The Gfjk-Hhh has been dead for twenty eras. The present ruler of this nation is a fraud, a pretender, an imposter with forged ancient scrolls wearing a dead emperor’s stolen robes.

In less than a day, the Black Planet will be here. The Gfjk-Hhh can’t save you, and not only that, he has taken away from you the things you need to save yourself. He closed down the Source, so you couldn’t inform or educate yourselves or find solutions. He closed down the communication system, so you couldn’t work together or consult with each other.

I have given these things back to you. You’ll find the Source is working again, and all communications have been restored. The Gfjk-Hhh – or whoever he really is – will tell you that he can defeat the Black Planet, but he has nothing to offer you but myths and stories. If this world is going to survive, then we’ll need something real. I’m now calling on all the scientists, the astroscopers, the engineers, the xenologists and experts in all . . . those . . . sorts of things, to come together now, to work – as my friends and I are doing – to find a way to deflect the planet, or destroy it, or cancel out . . . whatever it is that it does. We don’t have much time. We’re going to need each other. Every one of us.

And I have a message for one person in particular. If you’re still alive – and I’m sure you are, I don’t know why, but I’m sure you are – then I’ll find you. Stay as safe as you can. I’m coming to find you.

Good luck, everybody.

The face disappeared.

3.17

L
bbp, still a prisoner, still bound, still a lunatic’s whim away from death, had never been happier in his life.

He felt a fierce love and a fiercer pride. If the Gfjk-Hhh had struck him dead at that moment, his last thoughts would have been ones of gratitude that he’d lived long enough to know that feeling.

How had she done it?

She looked so grown up.

His Terra, his brave, brilliant Terra.

Weird hair, mind you, but still.

A sound crashed into Lbbp’s thoughts. A shrill, sustained shriek of fury. The kind of anger of which only gods are supposed to be capable.

- 
NnnnnnnnnnnNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOoooooo!

Lbbp turned his head to see the Gfjk-Hhh. He had slid from his throne onto his knees. As Lbbp watched, the Gfjk tore the brass helmet from his head and began to slam it repeatedly into the stone floor, denting and deforming it a little more with each impact.

-
SHE

- RUINED

- EVERY

- THING

- SHE’S

- SPOILED

- EVERY

- THING

- STUPID

- LITTLE

- BEAST

- SHE

- SPOILED

- MY

- BIG

- SPEECH
,
yelled the Gfjk, in rhythm with the clanging of the helmet against the floor. He collapsed, as if exhausted, then sprang to his feet, hurled the bizarrely shaped remains of his helmet in no particular direction, and started pacing around in a hunched position, his hands clenching and unclenching.

His courtiers, who habitually hung around the Forum desperately trying to catch the Gfjk’s eye in the hope that he might bestow on them some favour or other, now averted their eyes and edged away, terrified that his gaze might fall upon them.

Someone did catch the Gfjk’s eye. It was Wffk. Standing faithfully behind his master’s throne, he hadn’t budged during the blackout and ensuing panic, or during the young Ymn’s unexpected address.

The Gfjk lunged at Wffk and grabbed the front of his garment. He pulled his scrivener’s face up to his own and bawled at him.

- Why did she do that, Wffk? Why? I was going to tell them all about the Black Planet! Me! That was my job! She spoiled my speech!
He released his grip on Wffk, sank to the floor and sat down, his legs splayed, his head lolling on his chest.
She spoiled my speech,
he sobbed.

- Erm . . . Luminescence?

The Gfjk looked up to see who had addressed him. It was the Deceiver.

- This is exactly what we
NEEDED
to happen, Luminescence,
said the Deceiver soothingly.

- What . . . what do you mean?
asked the Gfjk. He became aware of the indignity of his position and struggled to his feet, smoothing down his robe.

- The Ymn has challenged the authenticity of your claim, Luminescence. She says you’re a fraud, an imposter.

The Gfjk was nonplussed.
- A lot of people say that,
he said.

- Yes, but not out loud, not in front of the whole nation,
said the Deceiver.
You’ve received a direct challenge in a public forum. This
DEMANDS
a response, and today you have the perfect response ready! You can banish any lingering doubts about just who – and
WHAT
– you are for ever.

- Yes, I have the perfect response ready. What is it?

- Why, Luminescence –
the Deceiver smiled –
your grand plan for saving Fnrr from the Black Planet!

- Ah yes, yes . . . Erm –
the Gfjk’s brow furrowed –
what IS my grand plan for saving Fnrr from the Black Planet?

- We’ll discuss it now,
said the Deceiver.
And it really is perfect. You are to be congratulated, Luminescence, I couldn’t have come up with a better one myself.

- Of course, of course,
panted the Gfjk. He smiled at the Deceiver.
You are, after all, my most trusted adviser.
The Gfjk-Hhh looked over his shoulder.
Wffk?
he said.

-
Yes, Luminescence?

- You’re fired
.

Wffk froze. He’d been present when the Gfjk-Hhh had ‘fired’ underlings before. There was always more to it than that. Always humiliation, and often death. He tensed and shuddered, awaiting whatever cruel trick his master had in mind to spring on him.

The Gfjk-Hhh turned back to the Deceiver, and soon the two of them were deep in conversation.

Wffk didn’t dare move. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room upon him. They all wanted to see what happened next as well.

After a moment, in which the Gfjk did not turn round but carried on talking to the Deceiver, Wffk began to edge towards the door, backwards, not daring to turn his back on his former master.

He reached the door. Fumbling behind himself, he opened it. He could sense the general disappointment in the room.

Wffk slipped backwards out of the Forum, then turned, and ran, ran as fast as he could.

* * *

Back in the Forum, the Gfjk-Hhh had a question for the Deceiver.

- Deceiver, I’m confused . . .

You said it, thought Lbbp.
- In what way, Luminescence?
he asked with concern.

- Why are you advising me on how to beat the Rrth child? When she’s the source of all your . . . skills?

Lbbp measured his response, then smiled.
- Today is a day for transcendence, Luminescence. I have surpassed her achievements. There’s nothing more she could teach me about deception.
Quite true, in fact, thought Lbbp. He went on, in a conspiratorial whisper,
I don’t
NEED
her any more, Luminescence. And before today is done, you won’t need me any more either.

The Gfjk seemed content with this answer.

In fact, thought Lbbp, if all goes well, by the end of the day you won’t need much of anything.