The angeli had warships the size of small cities, but they’d expected more than two of us and we dodged their fire easily enough, ducking and weaving past the gun turrets, shepherding the missile carefully through. The smaller craft behind were harder to evade but by then Lily’s army had arrived – the strange pale monsters that drift between galaxies. Out beyond Pluto they had seemed sad and gentle, but here they were deadly and the angeli didn’t stand a chance.
As for Lily and me and the missile, we left the chaos behind and hurtled off across the void between the battle and the Sun’s surface – a silent and strangely timeless last journey together. Ahead, the shimmering disc swelled until it appeared to have engulfed the universe. Swirling shapes on its surface seemed to beckon us, but I couldn’t tell if they were real or just a blind man’s hallucination. Radiation crackled along my bones and the sucking gravity drew us in ever faster, oblivious to the annihilation we carried.
I saw the end of our journey in Lily’s eyes. There was nothing left to do now except cling to each other as we tumbled headlong into the white fire.
Comments
rjnewlyn | January 29, 2011 - 01:25
Not the end ...
skinner_jennifer | January 29, 2011 - 12:52
Hi rjnewlyn,
this was very expressive and exciting.
Thanks for the read.
Jenny.
Seeker | January 29, 2011 - 14:33
Hi Rob. I've just read your Planet Earth series. Breathtaking! I can see why it's been so highly praised. You certainly put a lot of story into a few words. It's a discipline I've never mastered. I know you've made each part semi-independent, but I think reading the whole lot in one go is a far more rewarding experience. You have a great gift for conciseness, atmosphere building, suspense and visual writing. Though you'll have to go some to top this last ending.
Well worthy of a basket of cherries.
Seeker
celticman | January 29, 2011 - 14:47
I like the contrast between the almost bovine Lily's army when they are far away, but when they are closer...
insertponceyfre... | January 29, 2011 - 15:31
ooh not the end? I am on the edge of my seat!
Silver Spun Sand | January 29, 2011 - 17:49
Me too!!
fatboy74 | January 29, 2011 - 22:12
Another great installment:
" a silent and strangely timeless last journey together. Ahead, the shimmering disc swelled until it appeared to have engulfed the universe."
That's very good. :-)
rjnewlyn | January 29, 2011 - 22:30
Thanks very much Fatboy!
Rob
rjnewlyn | January 29, 2011 - 22:35
Thanks very much Jennifer, Seeker, Celticman, Insert and Tina. And thanks very much indeed for the cherry.
Seeker, I'm glad they work OK when read together - I haven't tried yet. I wish I had more time to write but weekly postings are all I can manage. The World of Myth ezine has been kind enough to 'republish' my earlier series and it's been an interesting process putting the parts together into a whole.
Rob
rjnewlyn | February 2, 2011 - 00:06
Thanks very much Blighters. Yes, one day it would be interesting to see whether this could be illustrated. I'll see what comes along ...
Rob
Beeme | February 5, 2011 - 21:21
Another fabulous installment :] I really enjoyed xx
Sooz006 | May 14, 2012 - 12:36
The contrast between the people in peacetime in their own environment and when they are at war is great. And yet you did nothing to change them, pale works well as happy gliding ghostly people, and equally well as pale, cold killing machines. I don't like that they don't warm you in bed though.
rjnewlyn | May 15, 2012 - 17:49
Thanks Sooz - I'm sure they'd warm you if you were nice to them ...
Rob