A Benwarian Fix

iUniverse, Inc.

Chapter One

I'm being revived he thought. The impulses were stimulating his nerves and muscles so they could be used again. He tried to flex stiffened fingers and felt them tremble then move grudgingly. Next, he tried to turn his toes downward. His reward was a slight tremble. He worked at it until his fingers and toes would move at will.

He worked on frozen arms until they moved with conscious command then tried his legs. When they remained immobilized, the stimulation levels were increased. His hair tingled and his teeth vibrated. The intensity of the impulses caused his legs to spasm. He reduced the current and willed his legs upward and they responded. Up and down they were moved until control was regained.

He moved his head from side to side, feeling a sore stiffness with each effort. It was moved back and forth until the rigidity lessened and it too obeyed conscious commands. He wondered where he was and what had happened to him.

Having gained some control over his muscles, he opened his eyes into the darkness. Ship's voice, a warm feminine voice, aroused his long dormant memory, "Logis Gnoeth, Logis, my dear friend. It is time to awaken. You, the leader of Benwar, are needed. Our search has ended. We have found a habitable planet. As last, we have found a habitable planet."

Ship intensified the current as if to emphasize her point. He squirmed with discomfort and she relented. The pain cleared his mind somewhat and he remembered that he was no longer on Lemmus. He and a contingent of Benwarians had been forced to evacuate their dying planet. While its environment was slowly deteriorating, the Benwars had built a vessel designed to explore deep space and find a home for his people.

For years they had tried to provide the leadership and guidance needed to save their planet but their suggestions had fallen on deaf ears. Hence, the changes needed would have required force and the mass killing of billions of Lemmings. The Benwarian belief in self-determination and the sanctity of life compelled them to acquiesce to the destruction of their own world.

Benwarian futurologists predicted both the end of the planet and the decision to allow it to happen. It was decided that the national budget and every available resource be directed toward building the spaceship they now traveled on.

In the end, the planet's ecospheres deteriorated much faster than even Benwarian computer projections indicated. The acceleration resulted from the northern and southern poles melting. Without snow to reflect the sun's rays into space, more heat was absorbed. This caused the tundra to thaw and release vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The increased levels of greenhouse gases kept even more heat from escaping into space, and the planet grew ever hotter. The rapid rise in temperatures soon caused complete climate chaos. The termination threshold had been reached, the planet spiraled toward its death.

With their island flooding and violent winds wreaking havoc and destruction, a contingent of Benwars boarded the spaceship that looked much like an upside down dust pan. The hull consisted of titanium beams covered by sinuous mesh that gradually flattened out into flexible outer flaps that undulated like fins. Her handle or tail moved back and forth for guidance and a docking bay opened at the tip.

With time running out, she was strapped to booster rockets and shot into outer space. Once there, propulsion was accomplished with movements of her outer ridges.

Soon after take off, all aboard ship but the engineers and scientists entered the cryo-units to be put in stasis. The unfrozen and their descendants spent two centuries researching and developing technologies. Superior Benwarian intellect wrought great advances in nano-technology, bio-engineering, and propulsion systems as well as climatology and environmental engineering. Their proudest achievement was an instrument nicknamed the "soul reader". It took spectrographic images of a being's aura or light emanations. Not only personality traits but the totality of one's soul corresponded to the colors found in an aura.

"Logis, are you there? Talk to me," Ship said, slowly increasing the intensity of the lights. Three hours would be required for Logis's eyes to adjust to full light. Cryogenic revival required a slow, gradual restimulation to prevent damaging the muscles and nervous system.

Ship switched off the cryo-unit's electric current and had the pad he rested on gently massage his muscles. His voice vibrated with a comedic stutter, "Shshshiiippp, hhhoowww fffarr iss ththe pppllanettt?"

"Has the cryo-unit addled your brain? You talk funny," Ship said.

"JJJuusstt annnswwerrrrr ththe ququesttion."

"Forty light years. We have a visual and will arrive in one hour. I have been downloading information from the planet."

"Aaanndd?"

"Seven billion beings like us inhabit it. There is no scientific consensus about the status of the planet's environment. Some postulate that the planet contains self-correcting mechanisms that will allow it to maintain stasis, others think that environmental degradation is severe and is increasing exponentially."

Logis tried to move his fingers. When they responded spasmodically, he moved them back and forth several times. The next communication was typed on the keyboard above his head. "Have probes been launched to assess the atmospheric composition and condition? I'll also need infrared photographs taken to gage temperatures and the condition of the terra-sphere. Do it now."

"Two probes were launched twenty cycles ago. They have already returned and our scientists are evaluating the contents. The infrareds are being donwloaded as we speak."

"Keep collecting all pertinent information. I want to know about its environment, its societies and cultures and anything else you deem relevant. Prepare a presentation for 0800 hours." Logis stopped the cryo-unit's massage then keyed a command and it whirred moving him to a sitting position. He watched the monitor as his heart rate spiked, but being sat upright for the first time in a couple of hundred years would cause it to beat faster. He took a deep breath and let it out, repeating the procedure until his heart slowed.

The unit paused until his pulse rate returned to normal then it whirred and slowly brought itself and him with it from a sitting to a standing position. Logis held the bar in front of him as he moved to vertical. Once there he flexed his legs and tried to walk in place. Unused synapses sparked and fired, sending messages from his brain to his legs. His right leg quivered for a second and then moved an inch and then another. It took several seconds to place his foot forward and several more to return it. He repeated the procedure with his left leg.

Back and forth, back and forth, he moved his legs slowly at first but faster as control returned. The movements gradually restored his motor functions and confidence in the use of his appendages. When he felt he could stand on his own he ordered the unit to retract the support bar. His unused body stood for the first time in two centuries.

Exhausted and thirsty, his dry cottony mouth screamed for water. Thecryo-unit opened and Logis stepped out. Putting one foot in front of the other, he made his way to the synthesizer across the room then walked between the two rows of cryogenic units with green lights blinking on top. Inside of each friends and acquaintances could be seen. He stopped in front of a sliding glass door on the far wall.

"One liter of water, fifteen degrees Celsius," Logis commanded.

A glass dropped into place and water filled it, and when the flow stopped the door opened. He grabbed the glass, trembling in anticipation as it was brought to his mouth. Wet relief hit swollen lips and traveled down a parched throat as he drank. The burning dryness lessened with each swallow until he was drinking deeply and the sandy, scratchy feeling disappeared altogether.

The water invigorated him. Life pulsated through his body like the electric current had earlier. He felt alive for the first time since regaining consciousness. A loud gasp escaped his lips.

"How's the water?"

"You can't imagine."

"It must be wonderful to experience a sensation like that," Ship spoke longingly. "In what year were you born?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"Answer please."

"Benwar nine thousand two hundred. Why?"

"I need to know if you're fully cognizant. What was the concentration of carbon dioxide in Lemmus's atmosphere in the year nine forty?"

"Five hundred parts per billion, spiking to eight hundred parts per billion when the tundra released its carbon dioxide."

"What was the population of Lemmus in nine thirty-five?"

"Thirteen billion."

"Favorite color?"

"Blue."

"Favorite food?"

"Borischt."

"How do you feel?"

"Like I've been awake for three days and hiked a hundred kilometers."

"You're tired? Wasn't 233 years of rest enough?" Ship asked as she monitored his brain waves, the scan showed sporadic anomalies. Although most of his synapses were firing normally, there was still a slight delay in some responses, he wasn't quite ready for the scheduled conference.

"I guess not," he replied.

"I suggest a short nap before we convene, you haven't recovered from cryo-genesis and heightened awareness is crucial for the task ahead of you."

Logis's leaden eyelids began to sag at the suggestion. "I won't argue, Ship." He walked to the door of the cryogenics room and out as it opened. Keeping his hand on the wall of the hallway to steady himself, he baby-stepped his way down the hall to his room. The thirty meters seemed like a kilometer. Finally reaching the door, it opened and he grabbed the frame to steady himself. With one last effort, he surged forward on weary legs, hit the bed frame and fell, sprawling on the mattress. Panting with exhaustion, his breathing was consciously controlled until it slowed to normal then he closed his eyes and slipped into a deep sleep.

Hours later, Logis awoke to the sound of Ship's gentle hum. "Ship?"

"I know. You're ready. Pick up a liter of Blast on your way to the conference room."

He willed a leg to move over the edge of the bed, it responded with agonizing rigidity. Stiff, sore joints cried out in agony. Fighting through the pain, he placed his other leg over the bed and rolled to sit on the edge. Bracing himself with his hands, he pushed to a standing position. Wobbling for a second, he regained his balance and waited until the room quit spinning.

Gaining confidence, he shuffled across the room to the synthesizer. Ship had the drink ready for him and raised the shield at his approach. He grabbed the fizzling liquid.

With one hand on the wall to steady himself, the energizer was brought to parched lips and swallowed. Blast, a blend of electrolytes, oxygenators, and minerals tasted almost as refreshing as the water he'd had before.

Logis stood for a moment as his body absorbed the drink. When his muscles and joints began to relax, he took his hand off the wall. Ship must have added a muscle relaxant. She was so considerate.

She watched as he walked across the room. It was obvious that his body had begun to loosen up and respond normally. The brain scan showed that his cognitive functions had returned to normal as he left the room and walked down the hall to the auditorium.

Ship was so pleased. She had missed Logis desperately. Her biological subsystems pulsed with pleasure as she watched him move. The intensity of her lighting increased and her engines hummed melodically.

She loved Logis. He was her first memory. He had brought her into existence. First there was nothing and then there was Logis, she often told herself.

She worried about his comfort. Biosensors imbedded in the mesh under his suit allowed her to monitor his physical responses. She continually sought to alleviate pain and maintain homeostasis. As he entered the conference room, she said, "Please sit down and make yourself comfortable."

The room slanted downward with the door opening onto an aisle with seats on either side. The walkway ended at a podium facing the seats. It sat on a stage in front of a giant view screen. He positioned himself on an outside seat near the middle of the room.

Ship began, "How are you? My sensors indicate no emotional stress or pain."

"I'm fine. The stiffness is gone and my mind is clear," Logis replied, getting comfortable in the ergonomically designed chair. He settled and watched as the view screen activated, filling the room with light. Ship began with a view of the planet. A circle of blue filled his vision and a large orb faded in. As the image became clearer, he could see the brown and green landforms that divided and accented the blue-greens of the ocean. The brilliant colors were overlaid with white clouds that drifted across the atmosphere. Logis gasped at the breath-taking image, "She's beautiful!"

"This is the planet Earth. More enlightened cultures living there call it Mother Earth or Gaia. She provides a home for countless plant and animal species in much the same way I do."

Ship became silent. The screen filled with images of wildlife. Elk grazing in high meadows, caribou migrating across frozen tundra, tigers stalking their prey in the high grasses of the African savannah, elephants trekking across a Kenyan plain, and countless other land species interacting with their various ecosystems. Each shot filled the screen with the unparalleled beauty of Gaia.

"Behold the wonders of Earth," Ship thundered like Charlton Heston's Moses. A voice she had practiced out loud after it had been downloaded, wanting to impress Logis.

The view shifted to the oceans and aquatic species. Giant jelly fish filled the screen as they glided through the seas. Whales surfaced and flipped, throwing water to the skies. Porpoises walked the surface of the ocean on their tails. Schools of multi-colored fished filled the screen with reds, blues, yellows and greens. Each frame painted by Gaia constituted a masterpiece of balance and color.

Having lived his life on an island with a constrained environment, Logis marveled at the sheer volume of Gaia's artistic achievements. It made his homeland seem drab and sterile with its manicured gardens and carefully planned tree farms. For the first time in his life, he felt the raw power of creation.

Ship felt the blood pulse stronger through Logis's veins as he viewed one of the universe's most splendid creations. His aura brightened and became a strong whitish-yellow. "Are you okay?" Ship asked, pleased with his response.

He remained silent for a moment. "Acroluminous," he whispered the Benwarian word for an unsurpassed intensity of aesthetic pleasure.

"Yes, she is beautiful," said Ship who identified with Gaia. They were sisters, both provided life support for living beings. It was natural for her to subconsciously manipulate the images to enhance her sister's image. Again she used the Heston voice from her vast catalogue of information and images, "And now the works of man!" she thundered.

Panoramic shots of several cities throughout the world appeared. Each picture showed traffic congestion enveloped in a thick shroud of blue smoke. The view panned across the cities of Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, Moscow, New York, London, and Mexico City, each choking in smog.

The screen changed to time elapsed photographs demonstrating the dramatic reductions in the size of both the Arctic ice cap and the South pole. The side by side frames suggested that the poles were racing to disappear. Another showed the retreat of Greenland's glaciers. The planet was definitely heating up.

A fluid view of the Sahara desert filled the screen. The light yellow area expanded from 1900 to the present until it doubled into an ocean of sand. Next, the screen displayed the Yangtze River over the same period. The water retreated from a wide twisting snake into a thin line of black concentrate. Not only was the planet heating up but the land was drying out.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from A Benwarian Fixby L.W. Samuelson Copyright © 2009 by L.W. Samuelson. Excerpted by permission.
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