Voyage To The Cloud Planet

By Michael Canfield

For ambitious, passionate Kiter Io, a posting to the daring diplomatic mission organized and hosted by a mysterious race known only as The Understanders represents more than a chance to help his people become part of the new enlightenment era, it also represents a chance to make his personal mark on history. A chance to prove to himself that he possesses the skills his people value most: negotiation, determination and empathy.

But when a disaster kills the rests of his delegation—a disaster that seems no accident—Kiter faces an unknown world—host to many cultures and shrouded in mystery—on his own, finding himself forced to work alongside a new delegation, one made up of members of many different worlds, with strange and alien values. Here he must fight to preserve the goal of his original mission—to bring his people—and all the broken vestiges of a once-great civilization spanning thousands of worlds—out of the twin darknesses of ignorance and xenophobia, at last.

Michael Canfield writes about monsters, superheroes, couples, bank robbers, babies, astronauts, paranoids, background artists, hobbyists, and other people. He has published mystery, fantasy, science fiction, horror, or just-plain-odd stories on StrangeHorizons, futurismic, EscapePod, M–Brane SF, magazines including Realms of Fantasy, Talebones, Black Gate, Flytrap and other places. His novelette “Super-Villains” was republished in the prestigious Fantasy: The Year’s Best series, edited by Rich Horton. Born in Las Vegas, he now lives, works, plays, writes, and watches television in Seattle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vauk House Press
• Release date: Aug 6, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476160160

Michael Canfield

Michael Canfield writes about monsters, superheroes, couples, bank robbers, babies, astronauts, paranoids, background artists, obsessives, and other people. He has published mystery, fantasy, science fiction, horror and just-plain-odd stories in the magazines Strange Horizons, Escape Pod, Realms of Fantasy, Black Gate, Flytrap, and others.His novelette “Super-Villains” was republished in the prestigious Fantasy: The Year’s Best series, edited by Rich Horton (Prime Books). Born in Las Vegas, he now lives in Seattle.

Book preview

Voyage To The Cloud Planet

Michael Canfield

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 Michael Canfield

Published by Vauk House Press

Voyage To The Cloud Planet

About the Author

Voyage To The Cloud Planet

At the end of the Stale Age (SA), came a short period of no more than two or three thousand years, now called The Renewed Awareness (RA). Even then, this period was understood to comprise the best hope in eons for human ascension. The arm of the galaxy called The Amber Hinge comprised several hundred thousand thriving human worlds in varying degrees of resurgence, though millions more worlds whose civilizations had failed still hung among them in the same sky, forgotten. Some of these failed worlds were believed to hold lost technologies or secret arts. Various interest groups began working to reclaim these. Legendary among this class of fallen worlds was Mirus Niveus, known colloquially as The Cloud Planet. Once a polluted sphere divided into nation-states, it had been intended for single-use rather than sustained purpose. It had therefore, or perhaps inevitably, fallen into anarchy, though vestiges of various disparate cultures brought there, willingly or not, survived. The intended single use of Mirus Niveus had been to develop one of these presumed valuable (and later lost) technologies. The name of this technology itself is what led to the Cloud Planet’s own less formal name.

At the dawn of RA, a people of unknown origin claimed the planet and its technology. The history of this people is uncertain, but they came to be known throughout the Amber Hinge as The Understanders. The Understanders had evidently operated similarly on other fallen planets, at least at some period in their history, as they possessed many useful arts…

—from Wikipedia Universalis (46,2138 Iteration) Wikiproject: Disambiguation: Cloud Planet

Chapter One: Star Diplomat

1.

Placing his hand on the foot of the cot-frame for support, Kiter Io made himself rise for the first time since he’d found himself in the infirmary an undetermined numbers of hours—or days—ago. He made his still weak and newly healed legs move and hobbled the few steps to the window. He moved his hand in the motion he had seen one of his caregivers use earlier, to change the tint of the window so he could see outside. Below, the surface of Mirus Niveus was bathed in star shine. Its oceans were rich blue in color, but in contrast to the light green oceans of, Pel, his own planet (which was sometimes called The Verdant World). They took up relatively little of the surface below, and were almost crowded out by medium-sized continents: four that he could count on this visible side of the surface alone. The most striking feature of the world below however was that, for a place called Cloud Planet, it had no particularly striking, or even abundant, cover of clouds. That, he reminded himself, in their huge arm of the universe, might mean exactly nothing at all. The name had more likely been taken in homage to some older cloud world. Maybe the name meant no more than that the world had once been found on an especially cloudy day. Cloud was a very common word that explains a very common formation in the skies of a natural world. No great secret there.

In fact, what clouds he did see, drifted high in the atmosphere, small, and reminded Kiter of the white caps he had seen in a storm, on Pel’s colder northern ocean, when he had visited the polar region one time in his youth. The memory made Pel feel farther away than ever. He had accepted the volunteer mission knowing full well that time dilation meant he would likely be away a century. Upon his return, if he did in fact return, many things would have changed, the greater portion of his friends and colleagues, and what few relatives he had, would be long dead. He had expected to miss home, but he had not anticipated how actually lonely this would make him. Just the simple fact that he had already been away from home approximately as many years as he had lived to that point, was a sobering fact. Then again, the most sobering fact of all was the fact that the near-end-of-voyage accident had killed the other four members of the delegation, and that he had only barely survived himself.

Good! You’ve opened the window. The view will speed your recovery.

Kiter turned at the sound of Thermin Bet’s voice to see his host standing at the open door. [Note: Though events described in this narrative likely took place in one of the earliest centuries of RA, some technologies that many scholars have, till even quite recently, long argued were completely lost during SA were evidently again (or perhaps, still) in wide use. Among these are UCT: Universal Common Tongue (Universal Common Language) and (as will be evident from an upcoming passage) some form of suspended animation used for the purpose of distance travel. Indeed, it is unlikely the events of the narrative would have been possible without such tools.] Bet wore a different style robe (though still maroon-colored) than he had earlier when Kiter first met him. He was an older man with a wide happy face and a vestigial crown of white hair. Even the younger people Kiter had seen on the orbital were mostly balding, though their hair was usually brown. Kiter was certain the balding was not a fashion style, as each man or woman seemed to be at a different stage of the process. It simply appeared the people started to bald very early—and, impressively, were hardly vain about. Thermin Bet had introduced himself to Kiter then as the liaison assigned to the Pel delegation to Mirus Niveus, the delegation that Kiter, who had been its most junior member, and whose brief now rested solely with him.

Thermin Bet, noticing Kiter’s trouble in standing, looked briefly around the room for something, as if expecting it to find it and not doing so. Ah, he said, finally discovering what it was he sought, went over to the cot, and kneeling down, reached below and retrieved a wooden cane, which he passed to Kiter. "This may help you get around, you’ll only need it a day or two, I’m told by your physical therapist, and then it will be a keepsake.

Kiter looked at the cane, which was beautiful, carved of a dark word, the tip at the bottom of some kind of material that looked like silver but was soft like rubber. Its handle was carved in the shape of a feline-looking animal. Thank you, said Kiter. It’s an extraordinary piece of work. Is this wood?

It is. It grows on the world below, don’t ask me its name, several varieties of dark wood exist, I’m not sure which one this is, but I’ll find out if you like.

And the animal?

That I do know. It’s called a hurn, or rather it was, it’s sadly extinct. They are widely seen in traditional art.

This is interesting, Kiter said, touching the metal/rubber tip."

Very useful material. Not from this world, but very useful. You’re interested in everything; what a admirable quality.

Kiter smiled with mild embarrassment. He tested out the cane; it gave him great relief to take some of the weight off his healing legs and hips. Again, I’m very grateful to you…for everything.

I only wish we had gotten to your craft sooner. Have you any idea what caused the damage?

Kiter shook his head. No. Everything was fine when we entered suspension of course…I’d very much like to be taken to my ship when it’s convenient.

I’m grateful we were able to recover it. Bet shook his head. So much can go wrong in a voyage of three and a half decades. What a tremendous risk and sacrifice your people took to get here. All your people.

Kiter tilted his head. He didn’t quite understand that last statement, but Bet quickly clarified. Yours was not the only world we reached out to at this time for open diplomatic relations. In fact, this opening process was begun nearly a century and a half ago, by my own father.

I see. Of course they had the right to talk to anyone they wished, but how had the Pel government gotten the understanding that the invitation to open relations between their two worlds had been exclusive? A century and a half ago…you must have diplomatic missions for many worlds here then, said Kiter. It was Pel’s belief that the Cloud World had been a closed society under the rule of the Understanders.

Not as yet. Oh, I see the confusion. I have not been clear at all, have I? No, sir, the project was undertaken long ago, but that is because we approached various worlds at greatly varying distances along the Amber Hinge. Your world, Pel, is relatively close. This was all designed by my parents and their colleagues so that the invited delegations would all arrive at this time, as have you.

If it is not too bold a question…

Not at all. We invited approximately three hundred and fifty worlds, or multi-world civilizations, to set up diplomatic missions here.

Kiter tried playing off his surprise with a mild joke. If I may say, this orbital station, is going to get rather crowded.

Bet waived his hand. Oh, you will be invited to the surface presently, after some formalities. Furthermore, only about a hundred civilizations responded in the affirmative to our invitations.

I find that hard to believe.

Bet shrugged. Frankly many did not respond at all. Who knows if these even continue to exist. We approached many civilizations that have made an impression for one reason or another throughout human history, and we made our best guesses at to where they might be located based on extrapolations for such ancient star charts as we have, but in the end all these efforts were but guesses. In many cases it is hard to discern what is history and what is mythology.

True.

"Do you know the average span of what is considered a successful human civilization is between ten thousand and thirty thousand years?"

Kiter shook his head. That’s sobering.

Pel is of course much more successful than that, so on average you see, you are very successful, as civilizations go.

We think of ourselves as a young civilization, despite the enlightening fact you have just imparted to me. More than that, we have considered ourselves a fortunate world, spared the darkness. To a degree at least, he could not help thinking. He hoped the thought did not show on his face.

You’re too modest. We were so grateful when Pel accepted our invitation. We are grateful to all who have accepted. I cannot tell you. Many civilizations come to believe, especially some of the longer-lived ones, that isolation is the way to muddle on. We believed that ourselves until relatively recently.

Hence this project that your family has been involved in. Your parents were alive then, how long ago did you say? A century or more?

Ah. Yes, I suppose you’ve heard the rumors about the long lives of the ‘Understanders’ as we’re called by outsiders. All right, we are rather long lived. But let me ask you, how long do the people of Pel live?

About a hundred-and-twenty or so. Many people lived a lot less, because of poor lifestyle choices, but Kiter saw no reason to share Pel’s everything of Pel’s struggles at this point.

I suspect you are about thirty-five or so?

Kiter nodded.

Hm. twelve decades or so is about average I think. Well, I suppose then, we are rather long lived. Some of us live as long as five hundred years, though we are hardly great contributors all those years. We keep busy of course. My father, for instance, has taken to carving walking canes. Bet nodded at the cane that Kiter was leaning on.

Oh! said Kiter in surprise, wondering why Bet hadn’t said so earlier. Now I really am honored.

I’m so pleased you like it. I will tell him when I see him next.

How gratifying for him to see what he’s so long worked for come to fruition then.

It’s hardly anything to do with him anymore, said Bet, which Kiter thought sounded hard. He changed the subject.

Perhaps you’ll be good enough to show me to the remains of my ship now?

Of course. We can arrange that. First I have a rather direct question for you, and I apologize if I am about to be blunt.

By all means, said Kiter.

Would you care to sit first? You must be tired.

No. The therapist was in here earlier. I’m told my legs will heal faster if I stand as much as I am able.

You’re not overdoing it then?

Please. Ask your question.

Just so. Well then, sir, what are your plans?

My plans.

I know from your ship’s manifest, that your position was one of attaché to your mission’s senior diplomat, Charia Siy. Since he and the others were killed, what do you expect to do?

"I expect to represent the government of Pel, my government, here on Mirus Niveus."

Conveyance home can be arranged if you like.

Though Kiter was feeling light-headed and really would have liked to lay back down, he willed himself to remain erect. "Sir, I have the same authority that Diplomat Siy or any member of my delegation would have had, had they found themselves in my current situation as sole survivor of the mission. As you said a few moments ago, my journey was risky. Each member of my team was chosen with the full confidence of my government to act as ambassador. I would not have been on that ship, in one of four precious bunks otherwise. More personally, I can also tell you Charia Siy, who herself gave up the chance to enjoy a deserved retirement after leaving the presidency, as one of my planet’s most revered and inspiring leaders, would never have allowed it. I’m the diplomatic mission from Pel to the Cloud Planet of Mirus Niveus."

Thermin Bet grinned. He reached out and held each of Kiter’s wrist lightly and briefly. This is wonderful. Most wonderful. That is exactly what I was hoping you would say, my friend. Exactly. It is all right that I call you my friend, isn’t it? Now that you shall be staying and we will be working together?

Yes, of course, said Kiter, almost overwhelmed.

We shall have many fruitful years of exchange and discovery together; that is my hope. My deep deep hope.

Mine as well.

Now then, should I let you rest a while longer?

If it is all the same to you, can I perhaps use this time to inspect the remains of my ship. I may find items there useful to me.

"Of course, of course. And perhaps items of