And More Giant Worms

Nathaniel walks past the engine room as the cross-ship speeds through interstellar space. “What is that smell?” He tracks the source of the scent to the fuel decoherence chamber. It smells a bit like strawberries and ozone, but also like nothing he has ever smelled before. He switches on the ship’s internal scanners to see what’s going on.

The fuel is producing virtual pions at an alarming rate. Matter and antimatter are building up in the chamber instead of combining, creating a potentially explosive situation. “Yikes!” He quickly shuts the engine down and dumps the fuel.

He calls his crew to the bridge to discuss the issue. “So, apparently the power of Atomica gives me the ability to smell radiation. Unfortunately, we now only have as much fuel as was left in the primary and secondary injectors – enough to get no more than three light years.”

“We’ll need a terrestrial planet to make more fuel. What’s the nearest one called?” Haticat says.

Doctor Bill opens the catalogue app. “Iddhya. We are 2.2 light years from Iddhya.”

“Oh, so it happens today,” Nathaniel says, staring into space.

Iddhya is an Earth-sized planet largely covered by trees that greatly resembles giant broccoli. Smaller plants generally resemble cabbages, some with leaves resembling fries or potatoe chips. The air smells faintly of sulfur.

Antigravity fuel is created in part through a complex series of motions sequentially relative to both a gravitational field and a magnetic field. However, since it takes antigravity fuel to hold position relative to the force of gravity, the procedure is generally done while held up by a planetary surface. Despite having stronger gravity, suns and gas giants will not do. Fortunately, Iddhya has both gravity and magnetism of sufficient strength to operate the generator.

The explorers land and start the fuel production. Then they visit town, riding on their flying rods to buy food. The people here are Karathxa, who greatly resemble Humans except for their short height and completely black eyes. They eat only meat and drink only blood. Nathaniel buys raw daggertails, cat fillets, dog chunks, and a frozen bogbird, which is actually a distant relative of the Earth platypus. He has no interest in the variety of blood drinks and prefers water.

It is through discussion with the natives that he hears the news that the giant worms have recently landed on the planet. They are as long as seven school busses and eat trees. They are being held in a small area four thousand kilometers to the north where the military is swiftly eradicating them with special salt bullets. “That’s good,” Nathaniel comments. “Where can I get in contact with the military?”

“Why?” the Karathxa asks.

“I’ve seen these worms before and can offer advice,” Nathaniel says.

After filling his belly and stocking his ship, he stops by the local military office. The officer on duty takes some convincing that Nathaniel and his crew have anything of value to give them and speaks to his commander first. He is promptly ordered to send them north right away.

It is on the way to the infested zone that it becomes apparent that the news media lied. The worms are uncontained. They rocket from place to place. Their numbers are exploding. Treeless expanses of ash stretch past the horizon in all directions.

“We don’t have very many flying machines,” the general explains. “This means that when we start exterminating the worms in one place, the part of the herd farthest from us takes off and outmaneuvers us.”

“They must have some way of communicating,” Nathaniel comments.

“Hmm, you’re probably right,” the general says.

“Doctor Bill, monitor all emissions the worms put out when attacked. See if you can figure it out,” Nathaniel orders. “The rest of us will tour the area. Remember, stay away from the dead ones in case they explode.”

It is while out touring the surroundings that a large rainstorm starts. Without the trees to hold the soil, a river of mud and ash begins to form. It flows directly towards a town, splitting in two and surrounding it, trapping those inside. As the rain continues, the river gets wider and threatens to swallow the town. Houses around the edge begin to collapse. Nathaniel, Haticat, and Fred aid the rescue party. Unfortunately, one resident is too heavy to climb the ropes. There is a Tyrannosaur staying in town calling himself Mister Dinosaur.

The Karathxa want to leave him, but Nathaniel finds a board from one of the destroyed houses, uses it as a catapult to throw himself over the river, and helps Mister Dinosaur build a raft from ropes and house boards. They ride together down the river until reaching the opposite bank and being picked up by the army. “It’s good to meet you again,” Nathaniel says.

“Huh? Have we met before?” Mister Dinosaur asks.

“For you, no. For me, yes,” Nathaniel says.

“What? How does that make sense?” Mister Dinosaur says.

“Time travel,” Nathaniel answers. “I’ll explain later”

When they return to base, Doctor Bill has already solved the communication mystery. “The worms speak using infrasound created by gas bubbles moving through their guts. I’ve already identified the warning call that tells them to take off.”

“Good work,” Nathaniel says.

Soon, Doctor Bill is ready to replay the calls to scare the worms off. Coordinating with the army, infrasound speakers are posted all around the forest so that the worms have nowhere to land without being warned of danger. With only fifty percent of the trees eaten, the worms give up and leave Iddhya for good.

Nathaniel finally refuels his ship and offers Mister Dinosaur a ride. He tells him how to build a time machine, where to find time crystals, and gives him a mission. “One day, you will live in a village named Atomica. You will grow a tree from the back of your neck. The day we arrive is the day the ogre appears. Once you see us, you will have only minutes to do two things: Grant us the power of Atomica by breathing on us, and deliver this message: When it comes to the question of the tunnel, the second option is right. This is very important. Our lives will depend on it. If we die back then, we won’t have been here to rescue you from the flood.”

“That’s it?” Mister Dinosaur asks.

“That’s all we’ll need to know,” Nathaniel says.

“Where is Atomica?” Mister Dinosaur asks.

“That’s not important. You’ll get there,” Nathaniel says.

When the new friends finally part ways, Doctor Bill asks a question. “I’ve been confused by something for quite some time. How is it that in a galaxy of six hundred billion stars, we keep running into the giant worms so often, not to mention Mister Dinosaur, Allison, and Katie? That can’t be chance.”

“I’ve wondered the same thing, and I haven’t been able to prove it yet, but evidence is building for a theory of mine I developed ever since I first learned it was possible to change history and that there were time travelers other than us,” Nathaniel says.

“What’s that?” Doctor Bill asks.

“Every time we enter the timestream, our actions initiate chains of causality that interfere with our own past, and the pasts of other time travelers, who then interfere with our past in an infinite feedback loop, increasing the likelihood of us arriving in what you might call important times upon which many chains of causality depend. That makes us important. Since other time travelers are also important, important historical events necessarily includes meeting other time travelers. Those leaving from the same era will meet each other the most – at least until their personal timelines begin to disperse. Our importance will grow and grow the more we travel through time, and our lives will become increasingly exciting,” Nathaniel explains.

“Really?” Doctor Bill asks.

“I believe so. However, it might take years, decades, or even centuries to notice the difference. The really hard part is staying alive for long in the midst of all that excitement,” Nathaniel continues.

“Yes, that will be hard,” Doctor Bill says, scratching an ear.

“Anyways, until then, let’s see all we can,” Nathaniel says. The adventure has just begun.

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