Bothnir's Jump 5

Fifth instalment of part one of The Next One Thousand

5

“I didn’t expect you to come back,” said Guerna, Ambar’s wife.

“Ambar brought me back,” said Joss.

Joss and Ambar had been back in the village for a day. A day of rest after their hunt. They’d been lying on some flat rocks near the river, enjoying an unusually long sunny break in the weather.

They had watched a group of children racing the rapidly moving shadows of clouds over the flat ground across the river. Some of the older boys could jump over them when the shadows slowed down a bit.

Now the hunters were back in Ambar’s house. Like the other dwellings in the village, it was circular and half sunken into the ground, with a low roof of thin logs, not unlike the shelter they had built on the outer Edge, but larger and more permanent.

The dark space inside was illuminated by the fire burning in a stone-lined pit in the centre, over which simmered a stew in a large, finely glazed ceramic pot.

A man was sitting on the low bench opposite them, silent. No one had mentioned him. There was no need. From the man’s clothing, Joss knew he was from the Control Zone. He knew it had to be Lahsh, one of Bothnir’s close collaborators.

Guerna looked at the stranger, and then at Joss. ”This traveller came from the Control Zone two days ago. He said he wants to talk to you. I told him you were out hunting. He said he’d wait.”

“My name is Lahsh,” said the man. “You’re Joss?”

Joss nodded.

“Bothnir sent me,” said Lahsh. “He wants you to know that he’s going through the gate, one year from now. He needs you to help prepare those who will follow.” He looked at Ambar. “And he wants the rest of you to know that the Control Zone will shrink five percent in ten days. You’re one of the outermost villages. You’ll be among the most affected.”

“That’s never stopped them before,” said Ambar.

“You choose to live here,” said Lahsh.

“We’ll have to move,” said Guerna.

“We’ll consult the others in the morning,” said Ambar.

Joss was gazing into the embers at the centre of the room. “Bothnir is going?”

“The Core is building a one-man ship,” said Lahsh, “and charging up the gate for his jump.”

“It will take an inconceivable amount of energy,” said Joss.

“There’s plenty of energy,” said Lahsh, “if we take the time. Energy is not the problem. Energy is never the problem.”

Ambar stirred the embers under the stew, bringing them back to life. “There’s always enough energy for the Control Zone.”

“Can he even survive the jump,” asked Joss.

“That’s the first thing he wants to find out,” said Lahsh. “If he does, he’ll send back data about the Earthlike, so we can prepare to live there.”

“One hundred people,” said Joss, contemplating the sparks stirred up by Ambar.

“Lena says we can be ready for that in five years.”

“With a bit more shrinking of the Control Zone, no doubt,” said Ambar.

“At first,” said Lahsh. “Only temporarily. To build and deploy more deep space solar arrays to charge the gate. Then it should return to normal.”

“There is no normal out here,” said Guerna.

“You choose to live here,” repeated Lahsh.

Ambar filled a cup with stew and handed it to Lahsh who thanked him.

**

They had all gathered in the Community Hall, Lahsh, and Joss, and all the One Hundred and more, and Lena and Dalmar, as well as a few others from the Council, some even from settlements far away across the Control Zone.

Bothnir would have jumped already, thought Lahsh. It would take about one sixth of a day for his signal to reach Earth.

Lena moved to the front of the large room. The others fell silent.

“The Core has received Bothnir’s transmission,” said Lena. “He is at the gate, or was, when he sent it.”

Lahsh clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. Others behind him put their hands on his shoulders.

“What does the signal say, exactly,” asked Joss.

Lena looked over at him. “The transmission says: I can see the gate. My ship is maneuvering into position. The micro-gate I am bringing is fully charged. I will send the first nano data pack as soon as I am on the other side. I will be waiting impatiently for your arrival in this new world of wonder.”

“Now we wait,” said Lahsh, eyes still closed, hands still clasped to his chest.

There was again silence in the Hall. Lahsh was careful not to count the time. He didn’t want it to exist. He wanted it gone, elapsed until the end. Having consulted the Core, Lena spoke again.

“The data pack has arrived at the gate.”

“So he sent it,” said Lahsh, “from the other side.”

“The Core has received the information,” said Lena.

“What does it say,” asked Lahsh.

“Apart from the data, which the Core is analyzing,” said Lena, “the message is this: The jump is fine, nearly imperceptible. The system here is more beautiful than I could have imagined. Join me, and we will build a wonderful world together. I will send one more data pack when I approach the planet, once the micro-gate has recharged.”

“We can finally start planning in earnest,” said Lahsh. “We will soon be on the other side.”

The One Hundred and more gathered at one end of the Hall, and discussed these developments deep into the night.