The Spore Colonies

Nobody can hear you scream in the vacuum of space, so they say. For me, however, it is hard to ignore the screams. If it wasn’t for the medicine in the plastic container just behind my ear, all I could hear would be countless scream shouting out from all directions. Thomas used to call it hearing the universe’s song. In reality, it is a rare medical condition. My brain can detect the of brain waves of other creatures across vast distances. There are no words just wave after wave of endless shouting. It can change with their mood or excitement but always shouting. It made travailing very difficult.

It was one of the reasons I had put off this trip for so long. If I got stuck without my medicine, there would be nowhere to refill it. The condition only shows up in people from Aperire. Other places wouldn’t think to stock it. Getting back home would be torture. The other reason was Alice.

I had made it off my planet and across to the other side of the Spore Colony System. I was drifting in my personal pod over the planet where Alice was. The green and gold splotches of land and water slowly rotating below me. Out to my left was the Spore colony center. The stars and planets of the core shinning brightly in blues, reds, purples, green, and oranges. The construction of a massive space station could barely be seen orbiting around one planet causing it to wink dimly. It was a colorful collage set against a black palette. The core was a place for people who moved the galaxy. As you moved out and away from the core, planets and stars became more spares. They were less influential and more back water. The Colony system stretched for light years and surrounding it all was The Emerald Halo. It loomed outside my right window. The massive star clusters all glowing with a deep green. It was the barrier between the colonies and deeper space. The unexplored void from which life began.

“Please identify your ship.” The radio in my pod crackled to life. I leaned forward in my chair to the tiny control panel just in front of my chair. The identification number was printed on the top. I read it off. “Thank you” the radio was quiet for a moment too long before speaking up again.

“Our records show that this pod was rented by Gem Yusuf from 44th district of the planet Aperire”

“That is correct”

“Present identification” I rifled through my bag getting out my Spore Colony ID. It was little more than a picture of me on a plastic card. There was a small computer chip next to my unhappy looking picture. My teal mohawk much shorter then and my long spindly arms hanging by my side. There was an indecipherable code writing underneath my picture. I held the card up to the camera lens. A light ding rang from the monitor. “Present face,” The voice added. I reluctantly held my face closer to the camera until I heard the same ding.

“Where are you going,” The voice from the monitor asked. I was tempted to say nowhere and wait for the pickup ship to come get me, but I had put off seeing Alice for too long and if I didn’t see her on this trip, it would be too late. The papers form the mining company made that clear enough.

“I am here to see agricultural community member, Alice Yusuf.” I mumbled out. The computers voice recognition sensors managed to pick up every word. They must have updated since my last visit.

“Our records show that this inmate is your mother. Are you familiar with the rules for extend family visits?” a little box popped up on my screen asking if I would like to review the rules. I clicked no. The box faded way.

“You are all set,” The electronic voice returned. “A landing ring will be along shortly to shuttle your pod to the surface. Please follow all instructions when arriving” The screen went black, and a stillness returned to the cabin. Without the distraction of the electronic voice. The waves of screams became more noticeable. The medicine linked into my Neuro-Jack was keeping it for being much stronger that a light background noise. With any luck the medicine would last the whole trip.

I had floated around the planet for several minutes before the landing ring came into view. The bright red ring shot up from the planet’s surface. Four rockets were places around the outside of the ring. A bellow of smoke behind it. It rushed up like a bullet then with an inaudible halted, it hung in the air just inside the atmosphere like magic. The ring then tilted and swerved like a puppet on invisible stings until it was locked onto my position.

The inside of the ring sparked with a pale blue electricity. Bolts shot from it locking onto my pod. It started drowning me in. It slipped over me like a ring on a finger. Gentle it carried me through the stream of smoke it left behind. Occasionally the little electrical ropes would adjust and trail past my window. As I enter the atmosphere the sounds of the universe were dampened to nothing, and I could only hear the planet. It was covered in long stretching fields of different fruits and vegetables. Long arms of grains would wave for miles before I would see a little village. Green and gray waterways spread out over the planet live veins carrying life. There were other rings carrying other people and sometimes cargo on and off the planet.

From the outside there was no traces of it being a penal planet. The only times you would see a large walls or fences, was when you past a landing or loading station. The only way on or off the planet was through the landing rings which the guards had total control over. The inmates were expected to work the farmland in whatever community they were assigned, and most of them did. Their debt to the spore colonies wasn’t paid in time, it was paid in food. Once you grew your share of food, you were free to leave. It was meant to be a humane solution. The sounds I heard told a different story.

My landing ring stared to slow down as I approached the landing site. A guard house was below. A handful of armed guards came out of the house. A few others just tilted there faces up wards as the pod was placed down on the landing pad. With a big puff of energy, the ring’s blue electrical tow line fell away from my ship the ring slowly lifted back into the air and took off like a bolt.

I was left with many tough faces glowering at me through my small round window. A new voice came on over the speakers on my monitors.

“Do not attempt to exit the pod until we tell you too.” The voice commanded. It was gruff, old, and disinterested. I set in the pod while several of the guards walked around the pod. One of them a person with four legs and long torso hurried up to one of the building closest to the landing pad. “Identify yourself.” The voice commanded from my monitor.

“Gem Yusuf,” I uttered into the panel. I held up my ID card to the screen again.

“You may open your pod doors but stay seated.” I did as I was told one of the guards nodded to another once they could see my face. Without a word to me, they climbed into the cramped one-person space. They pulled my bag out of the storage compartment under my feet and took it. Before I could object to having my bag searched the voice reminded me to remain seated. They dumped the contents of my small rainbow bag on a table next to the landing pad. One person looked through my things while another examined the bag. I should have re-read the rules for extended visited, I thought to myself. After they had fully invaded my privacy. The voice told me to exit the pod with my hands visible. I stepped onto the small metal platform with my arms raised. The landing station was only a few buildings build in a field surrounded by a large gate. The dirt had little tuffs of grass forcing there way through the packed soil.

It was only after ten more minutes of them searching my pod and my person that they were happy to let me collect my things and let me continue my visit. I was left to repack my bag. Two guards stood by a large gate watching me shove my personal belongings back into my bag. I smoothed out the crumpled papers from the mining company on the surface of the table as best I could.

As I walked up to the gate, one of the men gave me a warning. If there is any trouble, I should hurry back to the landing post. They would help me leave. The large gates opened revealing another set of gates. When the first set closed the next set started to open. To a short dirt path and a village at the other end. Beyond them was a long expanse of fields with people moving in and out of the rows of tall grass. A woman was trudging her way up the dirt road. It was a tall thin woman with spindly arms and long teal hair made up in braids, and yellow brown skin. It was almost like an older version of myself in a gray jumpsuit, but it wasn’t. It was Alice Yusuf, my mother.

She had a beaming smile on her face. As soon as she was in reach, she throws her arms around me. She pulled me into a tight hung. I growled against her chest and struggled away.

“Hello my baby,” She squealed. “It had been too long since I laid eyes on you.”

“Hello Alice” I greeted flatly. “How did you know I was coming?’ She stepped back looking about. A harsh frown buried itself in her face.

“They told me when your pod arrived.” She looked this way and that. “Is it just you?’ She asked. “Where are your brother and sister?”

“They are at home” I replied “Pods are expensive. We could only afford a single.” Her face dropped this close to her I could hear my Alice’s mood change. The high-pitched squeal coming from her shifted to a lower wail. “Casper and Rain wanted to visit, and they will next time.” I tried to sound hopeful. “Alice, I didn’t come here for just a visit.” I started to pull the papers out of my bag

“No there will be time for that later. Let me show you around.” She interrupted me placing her hand over mine and pushing the papers back in the bag. I tried to protest but she placed a boney course finger over my mouth and stopped me. She wrapped her arm around me and guided me down the red clay dirt path to the village.

Alice and I quickly used up our usual small talk. We walked in silence hoping to find something to say. Patches of long silky grasses growing around the edges of the path. They shimmered under the pale lavender sky. The buildings of the village were much larger than I thought they were. The buildings were laid out in a circle. There were six or seven tall concrete buildings. Unmanned platforms lifted boxes and bags from the roofs of them. Each one with a heavy door and a keypad next to it. On either side of those buildings were buildings made of grass and wood. The inmates had built them themselves. They were opened on both ends. Living rooms, kitchens, and beds were in each one.

In the center of the ring of buildings was a post with two screens on each of it’s four sides. The screen at the bottom showed a map of the area with several red dots moving around on it. One red dot moving along side a green dot in the middle of the village. Me and my mother. The screen at the top showed a list of each inmate’s name and how much food they had produced. And how much they needed to gain back their freedom. Alice Yusuf was low on the list. She had less than half of what she needed.

“This is my bunk house” She announced swinging me into a long, opened room. It had several bunk beds. On either side of the entrance. The walls were a mix of dried grass and wood. In the back there was a kitchen set up and three tables in a triangle. It was humid and judging form the beds she shared the space with fifteen other people.

“Cozy,” I lied.

“The worst part about this place is the wrist bands that stop us from getting too close to the landing stations.” She showed me the black band around her wrist.

“That must stink” I replied. “Do you have electricity in here?”

“The store houses do but not here. It isn’t much, but you get use to it. We don’t need all the fancy things to get by you know. That is what is ruining this galaxy. People forget that it is about survival not comfort.”

“I know, Alice. You have told me many times.” The attitude in my tone slipped in involuntarily. My mother reminding me of our many conversations from before her arrest. She pushed past my complaint.

“People ignore what is really happening. Living here, I have learned that we lived too complicated, to dependent on the Core to provide things for us. When The Spore Colonies first started, we only had what was_”

“Alice, stop,” I forced my way in, “We need to talk about something important.” I returned to my bag and produced the papers. “I would love to catch up with you, but I have to take care of this.” I held up the bunch of papers to her.

“Sorry, sweetie. What are those?” she asked bitterly.

“They are the papers on the house. A person from the mining company came by. Your contract with them has expired. If you don’t sign the house over to me, the mining company will take it.” I explained soberly.

“I see. You only came to see me because of the house.” Her tone was flat, but she couldn’t hide the hurt she was feeling from me. It wailed louder and stronger. She sat on one of the beds. On the wall behind it was a series of framed photos of Casper and Rain. There was one photo of me glaring at the camera. I set beside her.

“Alice, we love and miss you, but keeping up with things is difficult. We have the video chats ever week.” I reminder her knowing that I hadn’t chatted with her in months.

“I just thought it would be nice to talk face to face without all this business stuff in the way. You will understand when you become an adult.” She pushed the blame on to me.

“I am 26, Alice.”

“Well. Yes, but people grow up at there own rate.” Her voice hit high. She had forgot my age. “Just because you are 26 doesn’t mean you are an adult, Gem. I don’t think I want you doing business with that mining company.” She added to change the subject.

“We are going to lose the house if you don’t sign these papers.” I waved them in front of her resisting the urge to raise my voice. I stood, moving over to the table taking a pen out of my bag. I placed both of them on the table’s rough wood surface.

“Do you know now many people that company has harmed? Your great grand parents first built that house years ago. Just because it is on top of some useful metals, they are going to kick us out of our home. I can’t give them what they want.” Alice protested

“This is your problem, Mom.” I only called her mom when I was frustrated with her. “You always put this stuff ahead of us.” I shouted at her.

“I have always taken care of you.” She was on her feet. I felt like a teenager again. Huffing and puffing and my mother pretending to be offended.

“No Mom, grand dad took care of us, or Thomas, or the neighbors, but mostly me. You always had some fight or cause that always came first.” My face glowed hot purple. My heart was pounding. The humid hut felt so small.

“That’s not true,” She jabbed at me. “I always put you kids first. That is why we kept the house in the first place. You just got here, why do you need to pick a fight with me every time?”

“Thomas made you sign the papers. If you always put us first, why are you here?” I jabbed back. “Why did the S.C.C.P come to our house and carry you away.”

“What are you talking about? That had nothing to do with you.” She played dumb.

“That’s my point,” I was fired up. “It was more important to you to stop the ocean mining, than to be home with your kids. Did you think for a second before hacking and crashing those riggs that your kids might need you more than some sea life”. My mother was silent she was frozen with tears in her eyes. This was her typical move. Anytime I told her something real, she would cry. Make me the bad one. I wasn’t going to give in to her this time. “Alice, your kids are going to be homeless if you don’t sign this paperwork. If you don’t sign these papers, I will know you don’t really care. That you hate us. I will hate you too.” The words felt hard coming out of my mouth. Over the last seven years and longer I had avoided saying them but ever fight brought me closer. Now it came spilling out. I was angry. Angry at her, angry at the mining company and angry at have to take care of my siblings instead of going out and exploring the galaxy. I was just angry.

My mother’s tears fell from her big yellow eyes. Her checks were glowing and fist trembling by her side.

Just then a head popped into the doorway. It was a long thing yellowish face. The person stepped inside. They had four legs coming out of a long torso. They were wearing the same work clothes as my mother, a thick jumpsuit. This person’s jumpsuit was green. they were taking in deep breaths. I had been too excited to notice them coming. A wash of embarrassment came over me. How long were they listening to my mother and me fight. I turned away looking over the papers on the table.

“Alice, we need you,” She huffed out, “Now.” There tone carried urgency. My mother’s footsteps followed her out. I looked back in time to see a trace of her braids vanish around the corner.

I was alone in the shared home of the inmates. I thought for a moment of signing the contract myself. Wondered if there was some way around the DNA reader on the pen. Part of my DNA was my mother’s. I decided not to risk it. If I got caught, there wouldn’t be enough time to come back and get her real signature. After I cooled down, I poked around the kitchen for a while. I was looking in the draws and cabinets at the different fruits and vegetables they had to eat. Agricultural planets were selected because they had very little animal life on them. There was no meat. All the inmates had to eat what they grew.

I thought of trying a bite out of a plant that had narrow flat leaves and a round pink steam. I didn’t know what part to eat. I took a bit of each, the steam was very bitter, but the leaves were sweet. I ate a little more. My tongue started to feel as though little animals were crawling over it. I quickly spate it into the nearest wash sink. I didn’t try anything after that.

It got late and my mother hadn’t returned. A few other inmates came in. They introduced themselves and we exchanged pleasantries before going about their business. I lay down on Alice’s bunk. Casper and Rain looked happy in their photos. I could only find one of me smiling. It was of me when I was little. I was playing in a large wild grass field holding Alice’s hands. I wondered if I had been too hard on my mother. It had been a long time since I had seen her. I didn’t really have to throw everything in her face like I did. Things always get out of hand with her and with me too. The combination of the heat of the day and arguing with Alice, exhausted me. It wasn’t long before I was asleep. I felt sleepy.

When I woke up it was dark. Someone was shaking me by my arm. I could hear the rapid shout of their brain waves pounding in my mind. My eyes were slow to adjust to the dark.

“Wake up Gem. You got to go.” The hoarse voice whispered in the dark. It was laced with danger. The darkness shifted into gray silhouettes. The person shaking me was Alice. Over her shoulder other shadows moved in the darkness. She tossed my bag on my chest. “I have signed your papers now you need to hurry and leave”

As I started to set up, I was hit by a wave of screams in my mind. My medicine container had come loose while I slept.

“My medicine.” I managed out as I swept my hand over the bed hoping to hit it.

“I have it,” Alice handed it to me. I slotted it into place on the side of my head. Before it had time to take effect my mother was pulling me up to my feet. I clutched my bag to my chest. Figures were moving all around us. People were talking in whispers. There excitement ringing in my mind. The shouting eased away to its’ normal background noise. The scent of smoke hung in the air.

My mother ushered me outside. The Emerald Halo streaked against the dark blue sky. Alice pulled me by the arm. People were moving in and out of the buildings as we moved.

“What is going on?” I asked at last. The wind shifted and the smoke smell got stronger. “Where are we going.”

“You have to leave. I can’t explain right now but I will later,” she said pulling me out of the village. “Now hurry.” She commanded. Somewhere near by someone was screaming. Not in my mind screaming, real screaming. Alice heard it too. I sealed my bag and quickly shouldered it. Alice started to jog. I ran to keep up. Her dark skin was hard to make out in the night, but I was guided by the long braids of her teal hair over the landscape.

When we reached the guard station, the gates were wide open. They didn’t seem to be anyone around. A loud alarm sounded from inside. Alice stopped as we approached it. She turned back to me.

“I can’t go any farther,” She held up her wrist. “Get off the planet.” She ordered. Her voice was strong and hard. It was the same tone she had the night the S.C.C.P took her away. The night she told me to look after my brother and sister. She jogged back past me in the dark. As much as I didn’t want to see her before, now didn’t want her to go.

“Alice?” I called after her. Her form already vanishing in the shadows.

“Just Go!” it answered and was gone.

I had my orders. In a full sprint I stormed into the landing station. As I ran past the second gate, I was struck by the lack of lights. All the buildings were black against the sky. People were inside, and they were scared. The only thing visible was my pod setting on the landing pad. The red landing ring was in place around it. The blue electrical ropes rolling over it. The door was hanging open and a pale light was on over the single seat.

Something in the distance started to move. A black figure rushed from one of the buildings straight at me. My heart skipped into high gear. I moved faster but it was closing in on me. I wasn’t going to make it to the pod before it caught me. My fist tightened. I was ready to fight back whatever came my way.

“Are you Gem?” The figured shouted as it got close. I didn’t answer. “Are you Gem, the civilian who landed earlier?” I fumbled for words.

“I- I- Yes” I decided. While still moving to the pod. The form was right on top of me now. I could just make out the tags on their guard uniform.

“We have an emergency. You need to get off world right now, Okay?” He was running along side of me as I stepped on to the landing pad. The large red ring hanging at chest level. The blue light casting on half the man’s face as he guided me under the ring. “Don’t touch the electricity. It won’t kill you, but it will hurt.” He ordered pushing my head low as I bend down.

I ducked walked over the metallic landing pad. The grates clanging underfoot. I didn’t straight up until I reached the door, and I was sure the edge of the ring was a safe distance way.

As I did a roar ripped through the air. A massive fire ball rolled out of the fields beyond the guard gates. I stagged quickly into my seat. My hand and legs shaking uncontrollably. I swiped my fingers across the control panel. It came to life. More real shouts came from somewhere nearby. I couldn’t find the close door button. I scanned the screen over and over. I click on several wrong icons. Only to have to close them again. I finally found the right one. The door started to slowly move down into position. More real screams mixed with the muted waves of the ones pounding in my mind. The guard hurried away. Flashes of light burst outside the gate. The alarm at the guard station still blared. The guard gates started to close slowly. The door to my pod locked in place. The thruster on the landing ring lit up instantly. I shot into the air pressed down into my seat. I struggled to find my seat belt as the ring launched me higher and higher. Beyond my window There were several pillars of smoke rising as fire spread over the fields and orchards. The pillars twisted and curled into one mass.

The ring took me higher until it all became too small to see. Until the screams in my mind blinded with the ones from the rest of the galaxy. With one final push. The ring sent me into orbit before letting me go.

My whole chest was still shaking as I drifted over the planet. I was unable to see or to know if Alice was okay. If anyone was okay. I hung there helpless and waiting for them to send another ring to get me, or for a Link Train to pick me up and carry me away. It was hours before I had calmed down enough to start to make sense of what was happening. It must have been a prison break. As I set wondering I started to hear a scream. Not the scream of the universe. This one I could hear very clearly because it was very close. I check my monitor to see if any crafts were near me. It was blank. I checked out the windows nothing was drifting by. The only place it could be was in the pod. In my pod. I wasn’t alone.