The Human Condition

A science fiction romance by Sienna. Don't blame me if it blows your mind...read more Sci-Fi.

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TX-409 glided towards the planetary atmosphere out of control. There was no power in its thrusters anymore as the fuel tank had been totally disabled by the phasers of the enemy craft. The hit should have destroyed it, but instead it knocked out a huge piece of its machinery just metres away from the cockpit, but as luck would have it, the strike simply sent it off course, spiralling towards the planet away from the battle zone.

The pilot tried in desperation to regain control, pressing buttons and flicking switches to no avail. "Command, if you can hear this, then I'm going down." The pilot shouted. Protected by the still rigid cockpit and the life support suit, the ultimate end for the brave human soul was just minutes away.

The craft stopped spinning and the pilot could now see the crescent shape of the planet before them as if for some reason it had suddenly taken on a life of its own. There was still no response from the control panel, but now it was drifting towards the atmosphere on a course that was acceptable for entry. At the rate it was now moving the small fighter spacecraft would be gliding over the surface of the dead planet within a few hours.

"Com...com....are you responding?" The pilot repeated. There was no reply. "Nav....nav....are you on line?" Again the systems seemed to be completely dead. All they could do was sit back and wait as the ship took them on their final journey. A definite crash landing onto the planet's surface or burn-up.

Slowly, the planetary horizon grew wider and the friction of air against metal heated up the carapace gently. The pilot could feel the increasing heat, but it was bearable. Thoughts of a slow and painful death drifted in and out of their mind, but bravery itself made it just a simple liveable nightmare and nothing else. To take away the fear, the pilot began to sing a victory song that the comrades would sing after a successful battle, and repeat it louder and louder each time.

The spacecraft suddenly became an aircraft as the air had now slowed it down so that it glided on small stable wings through white fluffy clouds, getting closer and closer to impact. "Why does it take so long? This is a really crazy feeling I'm having right now. What a way to die." The pilot glanced on either side of the ship and saw open savannah with small clumps of green trees in tiny groups dotted here and there. "Looks a bit like home. Can you believe this? I come all the way here to die on a world like home." The pilot laughed, almost an insane laugh at the brink of certain death.

Suddenly the craft began to buck as it got closer and closer to the ground. It was almost straight, and the ground now slowly moved closer still. The craft inched its way to a bump as contact was made. The underside seemed to smoothly glide over soft sand, slowing down the ship until it eventually came to a stop over an insignificant distance. Then total silence.

"Wow! I'm alive! This is too incredible. I must be dead already and this is a spirit world." The pilot quickly released the harness that kept them secure in the seat. The straps snapped back and the cockpit opened. Now there was only the suit for life support, but for how long? The pilot held their helmet and gave it a sharp twist and the outside air gushed in. They sat silent for a few moments as if waiting for something; poisoning or suffocation perhaps. But there was just the sweet taste of fresh air and nothing else. A chance they took seemed to have been very lucky as the air was breathable and fresh.

The pilot removed the helmet. She shuck her head, allowing the golden blonde hair to unravel itself into its natural waviness. Her dark brown eyes then looked around, taking in the vista of where she had landed. Ahead was a huge boulder as big as the craft itself and the thought came to mind that she was only metres from collision when everything stopped. "Tchava, you lucky bitch," she whispered to herself. "This is too much. This must be a spirit world and you are dead." Slowly she eased herself out of the seat and stood to look around. There was nothing but sand, apart from the boulder and the dead craft. The ocean of sand seemed to go on forever in every direction she looked. Then she leaped out, landing safely on two feet, her knees bent to take the weight. The tight knee-length boots sank a few inches into the soft ground. "I guess spirits don't feel this much alive, do they? This is a fucking miracle!"

Tchava walked behind her ship and noticed the trail in the sand. It disappeared towards the blue horizon where land met the sky. "Hello!" she shouted, not really expecting a reply. It just seemed appropriate to try atleast. There was no echo as her voice seemed to evaporate into the air and there was no wind either to carry it.

"So I survived the landing. Now what? Starvation, de-hydration?" she looked up to the brilliant hot star that was as bright as the sun back home and shielded her eyes behind her gloved hand. "That is hot. De-hydration I think. But how long? And why am I talking to myself?"

The grey metal of the ship was scorched in parts and then she noticed the open gap where the phaser had struck, a hole where once the fuel cartridge was held in place feeding the now dead and silent pulse engines. "Oh baby, you poor thing. But atleast you brought Mommy to safety all by yourself." Tchava looked at the painted words and numbers on the side, barely visible through scorching. "They might have called you, TX-409, but you were my baby," she said smiling. "Now I have to look around. Find somewhere, before I burn up under that gas ball up there." Tchava looked around to select her direction. She walked towards the boulder, clumping through the thick sand and then walked around it to see what was beyond.

"Is that the sea?" She stood looking in the far distance. There seemed to be a part of the land that glistened some distance away. It was difficult to make out under the glare of the bright daylight star. Tchava made her way back to TX-409 and gathered a few things from the cockpit; three thin water containers and a small block of orange coloured food cubes wrapped in foil. "I bet I'm the first to ever use these things. Nobody survives a hit and gets this far." She unzipped the suit and peeled out of its thick protective material and then released the seal that secured it to the knee-high boots. Underneath she wore a tight green coverall that followed every curve of her body, clasped by a waist belt. "Phewwwww! That's much better." Then she hung the containers on the belt, securely placing the food into a pouch.

The star was burning hot and to protect her head she fashioned a makeshift cone-shaped hat from part of the suit, holding it together with its Velcro edges. "Ok baby, Mommy is going to leave you now." She kissed her fingers and touched the warm metal of the ship. "I don't think we will see each other anymore, so all I can say is, thank you and goodbye."

Tchava began to walk in the direction of what she assumed was the sea. It was slow at first, but she soon gathered pace and at the same time tried her best to preserve energy. It seemed like forever and when she looked back from whence she came, the boulder was a tiny landmark in the distance hiding TX-409 behind it. But the assumed sea ahead appeared to be no closer yet.

"Hard to judge distance here," she told herself. Talking aloud to herself gave her the spirit to carry on and keep her mind locked into survival mode. "Got to keep going. I will get there, I know I will. Come on girl, you can do it."

Relief came within a few hours as the star began to set. It was now a huge red ball in the sky, sinking below the horizon to the left of her. And to the right, just above the horizon were two tiny moons, barely visible yet in the haze. She noticed them and stopped. "Woooooohooo! How fucking romantic, two moons." Tchava laughed to herself and carried on walking.

It became apparent to Tchava that time moved slower in this world as night closed in. The star was no longer scorching hot, but almost gone now as the twin light of the moons grew brighter; their pale light replacing the daylight as dusk arrived. Tchava suddenly felt alone, all alone in a strange world. She sucked the last drop of water from the container and threw it away. It landed in the soft sand, a remnant of her world in the world she was now part of. Her thoughts began to change and death seemed inevitable as she mulled over the possibility of being rescued and this was just part of the end now.

Tchava removed her crude hat and looked ahead. Only seconds before, the apparition of her target still seemed far away, but now she could see a distant wall of trees and felt a cool breeze touching her face with its soothing freshness. "What the..." She blinked in disbelief. Was this a mirage? Had this world finally sent her crazy? The vista would not go away and the cool wind blowing into her face seemed real enough.

She eventually reached the forest and realised that the trees were real enough as she touched them and there was even the faint sound of birdsong. The two moons shon their light down brightly through the leaves as she moved deeper and deeper into the woods. A different environment now replaced the hot desert and it seemed to her more friendly and welcoming as the air grew cooler and the aroma of chlorophyll filed her nostrils. It was not unlike a place she once knew on Earth. A place she once loved to visit away from the crowded and polluted city she grew up in.

The woods seem to go on and on as she followed the natural pathway between the trees. Although the birdsong was still apparent, she could not see them. Then the wood began to clear, opening up to sight that took away her breath. Before her was the sea, with its crashing gentle waves as they broke onto a sandy beach. The sky above was a dark blue in the dusk and the light of the two moons reflected on the swell. Again, it reminded her so much of a place she once knew and cherished parsecs away on Earth. The only strangeness was those two distant orbs in the sky. This was a world that had two moons orbiting in the same position, binary satellites that she had not even noticed whilst in the battle zone.

Tchava could not stop herself. The sea beckoned her as she ran to the beach, unzipping her coverall as she went, exposing her breasts to the air. It was real enough as her boots immersed into the gentle waves that settled around her. She could smell the sweet salty air, a smell that was imprinted on her memory from the not so distant past. She danced and leapt with overwhelming joy, sending the water splashing around her. She missed those days as a teenager before the academy took her, when she would often go to the beach at night and swim naked in the sea.

She lay in the sand and looked up at the dim twinkling of starlight. The hundred fold points of light grew in number like tiny jewels as the sky grew darker. She unfastened the boots and removed them and then sat up to look across the sea at the infinite horizon that became a blaze of even more starlight. Her toes sank into the sand, grasping the soft but gritty texture and once again the sea began to call out to her, whispering through its waves. Without hesitation she removed the coverall, shed herself of the protective clothing and then walked naked into the sea. Further and further she went until immersed deep enough to swim. The warm soothing water felt so good.

The sea was calm enough to allow her to swim with ease for a while as the light of the two moons cascaded down, raining their weird light onto her, reflecting and dancing in the crests of the waves. It was as if she had forgotten where she was now, a realistic dreamlike world had now took over. Memories of her past flooded her mind, the rare times she swam naked alone in the sea.

Tchava made her way back to the shore like a nymph emerging from the sea, back to the rock and kneeling into the sand. She swept back her dampened hair and then looked around for her clothes; the coverall, the belt and her boots, but they were gone. Suddenly, she got the feeling that she was not alone. There was a sense of presence, of someone or something watching her. She stood up, her body glistened in the pale light and she looked around her. "Hello? Is anyone there?" she called out. The waves breaking onto the shore almost drowned out her voice.

"You are not alone Tchava." The masculine voice replied. She turned quickly to find the voice was that of a man. He stood in the moonlight naked and smiled at her as if he had appeared from nowhere. Tchava covered her firm breasts swiftly with her arms.

"Who are you?"

"Your friend," he replied. She saw that he was handsome with an almost perfect physique. Strangely, he was exactly the design of a dream she once had, an erotic dream of a man she imagined made love to her. "You remember me don't you?"

"Wait! This isn't real." She stepped away from him, moving back towards the rock as she looked at him. "This can't be real. This whole place can't be real either," she said, looking around her still hugging tightly, shielding herself as best she could from his gaze.

"But it is real Tchava. Unbelievably real. This is now your destiny."

"How do you know my name?" she asked. There was no reply and she thought about what happened that day, if at all there was a day in this world. "I get it. I'm dead! This is a spirit world isn't it?"

"No, you are very much alive. This is not the spirit world your people believe in. This is part of the very universe you know and understand. And you and I exist as part of it, atleast for now."

"Did you bring my ship here? Are you the enemy?"

"I am not your enemy Tchava. I am your friend."

"No. I remember you from a dream I once had. This is a trick. I suppose I have been captured and you are going to torture me anytime now."

The man laughed and moved towards her. Tchava stepped back again as he got nearer. He held out his strong muscular hand to her. "Take it. Feel it. I am real. See for yourself." She shuck her head and then noticed his eyes, his warm smile and an inner sense told her that it was safe and there was no threat, atleast for the moment. Slowly she released her arms and reached out to take his hand cautiously. "I am as real as everything else you see around you. There is no need to be scared now."

"I think there is."

"Tchava, you must stop fighting now. For you the battle up there is over."

She looked up at the stars and at the two moons. She was confused and yet felt calm. A strange kind of calm that was not only inside of her, but also all around her. "Then why..."

"Why are you living a dream that is so real now?" he asked.

"Yes...no...I mean..."

"Stop fighting Tchava. I am here for you. Because you wanted this moment to be so real once. Now it is."

"I still don't believe this is happening to me. Where are my clothes? And take me to the rest of where you...your people are."

"I can't."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because there is only you and I here. Nobody else."

Tchava let go of his hand and started to laugh. "Do you expect me to believe that? Come on, I know this is a trick. Where are my clothes? If you say you are a friend then I need to contact my unit and let them know where I am. Do you have EM communication?"

"Tchava, why are you resisting everything I tell you?"

"Look! I can be rescued. Rejoin my mother ship, out there somewhere," she held out her arm and pointed to the sky. "No point in staying here in this weird place. I survived the battle and the crash landing. I thank you for finding me and everything but I have other things I need to do."

"No Tchava, for you its over now."

"Fuck you! I'm alive and I can't waste my time here. You have to help me get back and right now." She was angry with him because he was unresponsive. But her anger quickly calmed.

"That is not possible."

"Why is that? Are you stranded here and all alone?"

"Not any longer." He smiled. "I have you Tchava. We have each other."

She sat on the rock and held her head trying to think, but no matter how hard she wanted to think about this, her mind would not grasp it. The man stood silent and looked down at her. The sea still breaking waves behind him and everything around her still real to all of her senses. "You forget Tchava, I am part of you. You created me."

"You were once a person in my dream. Yes I remember, but that was a dream and so unreal. You never really existed."

"Yes. And now I am here with you. Do you remember what we did?"

She remembered. A dream such as that was so unforgettable and she looked up at him, his smile, his adoring eyes and his perfect body that she once dreamed had lay next to her on a quiet beach somewhere in her imagination. Together, in that dream they made love under the moon and stars. But it was only a dream. "May I kiss you?" he asked. Tchava now felt a feeling of closeness towards him and reached out her arms. He lifted her and held her tightly; their lips touched and the kiss began to feel so real and so passionate. It was no longer a dream kiss, but one that had materialised as real as can be. Her heart pounded as their tongues played and she felt his hands touching her buttocks, just the way she had once imagined.

"What is happening to me?"

"Anything you want right now."

"Where am I? If this is real, then how can this be happening?"

"For now, let us try to forget that. Let us make love the way we did before."

That strange calm had now taken over her completely. He lay her down gently in the sand and then took his place beside her. His fingers gently moved the damp strands of hair from her face and they resumed their passionate kiss. His hands moved over her body, gripping her breasts and toying playfully with her erect nipples. She could feel his closeness and his hardness as it slid over her skin and prompted her to open her thighs. The kissing more and more heavenly as his hardness found its way inside. Each thrust, gentle yet demanding, sending waves of delight and ecstasy through her, overpowering the rest of her senses until her voice cried out in praise of that feeling that overcome her completely.

To Tchava, making love as passionate as this was so rare. To be able to re-live a dream like that was everything she ever wished for in life. Because those moments in her life were virtually impossible. She was a cosmic soldier and there was no time or place apart from dreaming that made those feelings possible. Now it happened. She had made love for the first time ever.

Tchava lay back contented, looking up at the stars and then into the eyes of her dream lover. She touched his face and run her fingers over his tender lips. It did not matter anymore where she was. It was no longer important to her how he ever got there. She just looked at his rugged features in the moonlight and smiled at him. "Do you love me? Tell me you love me?" she asked.

"Tchava, I will always love you."

"I don't even have a name for you."

"My name is whatever you want it to be."

"Then you don't have one, " she replied. Once more their lips met in a passionate kiss that seemed to last and last forever.

Suddenly the ground began to shake beneath her as she lay in the sand. "What is that? What is happening?" The lover pulled her to her feet quickly and held her tight.

"The time is near, " he said. His strong hand pulled her head to his chest. "It is time already to help you." Tchava was confused, but calm.

The lover took her hand and together they ran along the beach. The starry sky grew darker as if clouds had suddenly formed and gathered along with the repeated tremors that shuck the ground beneath their feet. Tchava was now scared, but atleast she was not alone. Whatever was happening seemed even more outrageous that what had already happened. Nothing made sense anymore.