Both men made agreeable noises. It was too early for anything else. Aaron and Theon crawled out of the cave. Incredible. My back isn’t killing me. My new body must be used to it.
He stretched his stiff limbs in the chill morning air. Seems like I’ve been freed from back pain for good. The first unequivocally good thing about all of this.
With their morning preparations done, they armed themselves. Rhea climbed out of the ravine on the other side. They followed. In companionable silence, they moved through the wet scrub, each lost in thought.
The sunrise occasionally flashed into Aaron’s eyes. They weren’t walking quite perpendicular to it. I wonder if this world has an interesting sun. Maybe one of those red dwarfs that fills half the sky.
His thoughts drifted—to friends he might never see again, to things he’d never get to do. A clearing broke his reverie. The light felt… wrong. He looked up. And froze.
Yesterday’s overcast sky was gone. The sun was visible. Except it wasn’t a sun. And this wasn’t a planet.
The acacias blocked most of the immediate landscape. But not all of it. In the distance, it rose above the trees—an entire world folded over itself. His knees locked. The trees swayed slightly in the wind. That is normal. That is fine. The sky is not fine.
His mind recoiled. He knew what the sky should look like—blue, empty, with a distant sun. That was the rule. There was no rule here.
He searched for the horizon. There wasn’t one. The world was a tunnel. The sun—no, not a sun. A light source. It stretched, a thin luminous tube threading across the sky.
Above, it glowed a dull pink, fading through orange and yellow before shifting to white in the distance. I guess I’m not in Kansas anymore. I am in a rotating space habitat. Holy hell.
Which raised a bigger question. I thought I’d been moved through space. To another place. But what if I’ve been moved through time?
Aaron felt a shiver run down his spine. It makes sense. More plausible than being snatched to another world.
This requires no new physics. We could have built such stations since the eighties. Not at this scale. But with graphene and nanotubes… Yes.
So, how had I been transported through time? Well, only my mind had gotten here. And a mind was data. Maybe I died and was then frozen?
I needed to focus on the here and now. The metaphysics of my situation could wait. The sky directly above was oddly fuzzy, details blurred. But it looked like Earth from orbit.
This place os huge. Maybe a thousand kilometers? “Aaron, why are you staring awestruck Mornwards? What is occurring?” asked Rhea.
“I… This…” Aaron stumbled over his words. How do you explain a planet to someone who lives in a rotating tunnel? Never mind. This isn’t the time for astronomy.
“My world looks very… different.” Theon’s eyes lit up with excitement. The two of them turned, standing in the shadow of the trees, while he remained in the illuminated fog of the clearing.
“So, are you from a ring or a shell?” asked Theon. Aaron shivered, and not from the clammy fog. This is the future. He doesn’t even mention planets. Just space habitats. That implies disturbing things. How primitive are they, really?
“I’m from a planet,” Aaron answered slowly. “Wanderer… Never heard of that habitat type. Does it produce gravity via spin or mass?” Theon asked, shifting excitedly. Yeah. There go my dreams of bringing them a scientific revolution. That question implies they already have advanced physics.
Also, how does my translation work? I still think in English, but he interprets planet as wanderer—the root of the word. A mystery for later.
“The world was called Earth,” Aaron said. Theon smirked, making Aaron pause. “Gravity came… comes from its mass.”
“Earth, or variations of it, is the most common habitat name. We have at least two hundred thousand Earths in this system alone.” Theon waved a hand dismissively. “Gravity… That means it was a shell, and your people just named it weirdly.”
The words should have meant nothing. But they hit like a punch. Two hundred thousand. Not planets. Habitats. Each one filled with people. Each one thinking they are special.
I thought I was special. A heavy numbness settled over him. “I see,” Aaron said finally. “That’s… good to know.”
Theon nodded, oblivious. Rhea cut in, annoyance sharpening her voice.
“Mother take me, are you two actually discussing astrography right now? We need to move. Maybe even finish today. You know, avoid another night in the forest being hunted by increasingly desperate criminals?”
Her glare nearly cut them down. Both grinned sheepishly as they continued downhill. I can think while walking. Two thousand worlds named Earth? Where? I need to learn some astrography. And they have no clue what a planet is. If this is the future, what happened to all the planets?
Well, no big mystery. Habitats happened to the planets. If they have over two thousand, probably far more… they must have disassembled the planets to build them.
I thought I already had my not in Kansas anymore moment. Guess that feeling can be recycled. Eventually, the trail and the silence led them to a rising bank. The trees thinned—
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And the world opened up again. From their vantage point, they took in the next obstacle.
To the left, a raging river cut through a rocky ravine. Before them stretched a vast floodplain, endless to the right. Beyond it, a coastline met a mountain range that jutted into the ocean.
It hung over the visual horizon like a Google Maps painting in the sky. Still absurd. Aaron shook his head.
The others crouched down. He followed. “This is bad,” Rhea muttered. “A cursed flooded floodplain. Nowhere to cross.” Theon nodded. “Three hundred steps through murky water. The bottom is probably mud. And we’ll be completely exposed.”
Aaron eyed the rough terrain along the river’s ravine. “I don’t like the look of those hills. And there’s no guaranteed crossing.”
Rhea glanced at him, appreciative. “Indeed. And any crossing would be a guarded choke point,” she mused. “Fist’s wrath, the floodplain is likely watched as well. A bunch of hunters will converge while we cross.”
“And they’ll take us.” Theon pointed. “Look, there’s smoke coming from the forest. What idiot sets a campfire?”
Rhea shook her head. “Hunters. Half a dozen fires. Those are the stupid ones. I’m afraid of the ones without fires.”
They contemplated the obstacle in silence. Risking a climb over wet rocks might be our best option. Stealth… Yeah, sure. Nobody will be suspicious of bushes walking across a floodplain. Maybe…
“Does anything dangerous live in this river?” Aaron asked. “The area was cleared. The water should be safe. A flow mage patrols the rivers. No use losing mages to monsters,” Theon replied. On the plus side, my plan might work. On the minus side… there are monsters here. How unexpected.
This day just keeps hitting me with revelations. Bring it, world, what’s next? The locals are parasites just controlling human bodies? No, I’d take that one in stride by now. A nervous laugh escaped Aaron’s mouth.
The others looked at him expectantly. Okay, I’ll play it cool. “Where exactly do we need to go?” Aaron asked.
Rhea squinted up at the elongated sunband. Ah, nobody’s going to need a compass here. “Mostly Mornward, but also a bit Rainward.”
As he’d hoped, she pointed at an angle roughly downriver. Aaron nodded. What’s up with these directions? Mornward probably means toward the sunrise. But Rainward? No matter. I have a plan to execute. He smiled. “So, what do you think about this…”
They moved in silence, branches in hand, until the trees parted—and brown water stretched before them. All of them were naked, save for rope belts around their waists. Their cloaks and spears were secured at their sides.
Each held a bundle of interwoven branches—one hand gripping a fake bush, the other a spear. Before them lay a brown, glittering plain. A few trees with willow-like branches formed lone islands in the water. The middle held a strong current, carrying debris downriver.
This could be a nice adventure. If not for the killers after our heads. Children's heads, to earn their freedom. I guess the locals understand a few things about incentives.
Theon pointed out a large tree floating downstream. The others nodded. Equipped like a painting of men in the Garden of Eden, they stepped into the water. Their spears tested the ground before each step.
The water was cold, but not painfully so. Refreshing. If dirty. After a few steps, the water reached their calves. Soon, it rose to their hips.
Suddenly, Rhea halted. “There’s no ground.” She moved sideways, tracing a curving path along the hidden drop-off. “Seems like the river meanders through the plain. No matter. We can just start swimming early,” Aaron said.
The others nodded. Theon grinned. “This is cold and could be a scene from a comedic play. But I’d love to see the hunters' faces as we disappear downriver.”
Amusement flickered across Rhea’s face. “Secure your spear. Get the cover ready. We need to catch up to our tree.” With that, she slid into the water, threading her head through a fork in the leafy branches.
Then, she swam to join the flotsam drifting downstream. Theon went in next. As Aaron followed, the cold water sent a shudder through him. The whole body is actually different. Damn. Still, this might save us a lot of time and headaches.
He started swimming. As they reached the central current, they only had to work to stay afloat. With a few moments of effort, all three reached the floating tree.
Aaron’s body had adjusted to the cold. The water rushed around him. The sun shone warmly on his back. Feels like a holiday.
“Let’s use our feet to speed this up. But let’s not exhaust ourselves,” Aaron suggested. Rhea complied with gusto. “This is a scheme worthy of the Bookworm.”
Suddenly, screams erupted from the far riverbank. A group of twenty men charged into the water, waving spears. But their own trap slowed them beyond any hope of catching up.
Thirty steps in, they gave up. Rhea was the first to break into laughter. She raised a hand and pointed a finger gun skyward. Angry outcries followed.
“What does that mean?” Aaron asked. “I told them to lick my dick.” Great. Now I can nonverbally insult people like a local. A massive step in integrating into the polis, just as the Watcher wanted. I hope the stinky squid is happy.
As the bright band in the sky drifted toward them, they enjoyed the river.
Occasionally, they spotted others on the banks or people attempting crossings. No one had a chance to reach them. With the tree for cover, they were practically invisible. From time to time, they treaded water to speed up.
After a few hours of relaxation, Rhea spoke up. “I believe we have gone far enough. Now we simply must move Mornward.”
They began scanning for a place to land. Several times, the central current had carried them near forested riverbanks, but none had been ideal.
A short while later, another such spot approached. On Rhea’s signal, they let go of the tree. Their bundle of branches floated toward the bank.
Soon, they reached a half-step ledge marking the border. They crawled up the wet soil. It squelched, muck shifting under their weight.
It was dead silent. The air felt much warmer on Aaron’s skin. The forest leaves enveloped him like a lost lover. They stepped into a small clearing in the underbrush.
Theon froze. His breath caught.
A spear whispered through the air.
Aaron blinked. Something was happening.
Rhea stepped forward, smooth and practiced.
A man staggered back, hands clamping over his gut. Blood ran between his fingers.
A deep red. More than Aaron expected. That’s too much, isn’t it? The thought drifted through his mind like a leaf in slow water.
The man gargled something. His mouth opened. Closed. Words? Maybe.
Rhea’s spear slid under his chin. Another wet sound. The body sagged to the ground. Too fast.
Aaron realized, belatedly, that he was still standing there. That this had happened in front of him. His fingers felt stiff. Like they weren’t his.
His heartbeat was a dull pulse somewhere in the background. A long time passed. Or at least, it felt like it. Aaron stared.
Something in his head was trying to process what had just happened. It wasn’t getting anywhere. His fingers felt stiff. Like they weren’t his.
The man’s body wasn’t moving. Not even a twitch.
He was dead. He was dead. He was dead.
Aaron was about to speak when Theon motioned for silence, a finger to his lips. He closed his mouth. Felt distant. As if he were watching himself do nothing.
In this situation. Here. I have been useless. And now I've been shushed. So some gestures are universal.
Where had that guy come from? More importantly, where were his buddies?
I’m taking this very calmly. Have I already gotten used to this?
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Stellar gods are built around enormous photonic compute structures and use magnetohydrodynamic compute with whole stars for internal processing.
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What do you think of Aaron's decisions? Would you have done the same?
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