Tourists In Time

The asteroid ship slowly approaches a grey and black planet. Haticat reads its measurements off the monitor. “Gravity levels comfortable. The atmosphere is almost pure nitrogen. We’ll need to carry oxygen with us.”

The hero business has been tough. The galaxy seems to be experiencing a period of relative peace. What little need there has been for mercenary work has gone to others. In the meantime, Nathaniel has been focusing on exploration. It has been fun, but for a long time he has seen nothing truly special. Every planet has begun to look the same. Just one week past his twenty-first birthday, he is feeling quite bored. “Special features?”

“There are some rough-looking mountains just south of the equator,” Fred reports.

Nathaniel sighs. He has already lived longer than most boys and girls, who tend to live short, violent lives. His intelligence from drinking the smart juice has allowed him to keep clear of trouble. His health from drinking the healing juice has given him long life. He is now entering a phase in his life where most of his peers in experience are adults, but adults are boring. “Okay, land us somewhere in the foothills where we can see them. I’ll be eating lunch.”

As expected, the planet is grey sand and black sand. In some places, the sand gives way to a fine silt. There is nothing to see here. Then they see the footprints. “These are Snarugi prints,” Nathaniel says.

“There were no signs of life on the sensors,” Fred says.

“Well, let’s go see what they’re up to,” Nathaniel says.

They follow the prints for about six kilometers until coming across a mine entrance. Doctor Bill scans the area. “The mine is shielded – to both intruders and sensors.”

“That’s why Fred didn’t see it,” Haticat says.

“Why hide a mine? There must be something awfully valuable inside,” Nathaniel says.

“I believe a neutron pulse will destabilize the trazonic field long enough for us to slip through,” Doctor Bill says.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Nathaniel says. He pulls a small, black device from his pocket and tosses it at the mine opening. It stops in midair for a second, caught in the field, then it falls straight down. “Hurry.”

The four explorers run through the opening and Nathaniel retrieves his device before continuing down the steep tunnel. The sand gives way to sandstone and then to harder minerals. They don night vision goggles able to convert the small amounts of reflected infrared they produce into visible light. The tunnel branches several times and they still see no Snarugi. “Just typical mining equipment. No clue of what they are after,” Doctor Bill whispers.

Exploring a little further, they come across some baseball-sized crystals imbedded in the rock, faintly glowing blue. “Look at those,” Haticat says.

“Do you think this is what they’re mining?” Fred asks.

“Maybe,” Haticat says.

“I don’t understand. These readings make no sense. I can’t even figure out where the light energy is coming from,” Doctor Bill complains.

“Let’s take one back to the ship for analysis in the laboratory,” Nathaniel says.

After picking one free, they carefully return the way they came and use the same device to break out of the mine that they used to break in. It is dark outside! “Is it night? How long were we in the mine?” Fred asks.

“Haticat, how long is a day on this world?” Nathaniel asks.

“Thirteen hours. We should have plenty of daylight left,” Haticat answers.

Nathaniel looks up and sees the stars moving across the sky, leaving blurred trails behind them. “What is going on?” he whispers to himself.

They are suddenly surrounded by six Snarugi aiming trazer guns at them. “Who are you and how did you find this place?”

“Oh, hello. My name is Nathaniel. This is Haticat, Fred, and Doctor Bill. We were just passing through and became curious what you were mining. We mean no harm,” Nathaniel says.

“How did you find this place?” the first Snarugi repeats slowly.

“Are you spying for the Humans?” a second Snarugi asks.

“We’re just explorers not affiliated with any agency. What’s the name of this planet, by the way?” Nathaniel asks.

“Delta Temporis,” the second Snarugi answers.

“Don’t answer him. I’m asking the questions,” the first Snarugi says. “What attracted you to this spot?”

“Look, we were just passing through, and you clearly don’t want us here, so we’ll be on our way and not bother you anymore,” Nathaniel says.

“You know too much. You aren’t going anywhere,” the first Snarugi says, raising his gun.

Getting an idea, Nathaniel reaches in his pocket for the blue crystal, tosses it at the Snarugi, and runs. Haticat, Fred, and Doctor Bill follow him.

A few seconds later, Nathaniel stops. The Stuffians realize they are not followed and stop too. “What are they doing?” Haticat asks. The six Snarugi stand perfectly still. Looking closer, Haticat sees they are actually moving very slowly.

Nathaniel is not looking at them. He is looking at the stars. He no longer sees them move. “I was right.”

“Right about what? What is happening?” Haticat asks.

Nathaniel turns to look at him. “Time crystals.”

The explorers take a roundabout path back to the ship through the dunes while Nathaniel explains. “The crystals slow down the rate of time near them. There has long been debate whether such materials are possible, but now that we know they exist, other debates in physics are now resolved. This is a huge discovery – and the Snarugi want to keep it secret.”

They finally reach the top of a small hill from where they can see the ground around the ship. Nathaniel holds his binoculars up to his face. “Just as I expected. There’s at least forty of them waiting for us. I bet they’ve also left a perimeter of time crystals to slow us down if we approach.”

“Can we steal their ship?” Doctor Bill asks.

“It would be guarded too, and we’d have to find it first. If it wasn’t shielded from sensors, Fred would have seen it from orbit. I think the only way forward is backward,” Nathaniel answers.

They return to the mine, keeping one eye on the scanner for traps and ambushes. Once inside, Nathaniel gathers as many time crystals as he can find. “If the theories are right, the flow of time will be related to the ratio of convex surface to concave surface. By cutting the crystals, or fitting them together the right way, we can make ourselves as slow or as fast as we want. Hand me the glue.” He sticks many crystals together into a branching shape that is mostly concave surface. Then, he tests the theory by tossing a stone away from him. As it leaves the zone of influence, it slows until it seems to hang in midair. “Perfect.”

The explorers exit the mine and jog to their ship. They are easily able to walk right past the Snarugi, which seem almost frozen by their frame of reference. Some of the closer guards are given just enough time flow increase to see the explorers zip past and begin to turn toward them, but then they are left behind. The crew reaches the doors, enters, and blasts off, leaving the Snarugi on the ground very confused.

Once outside of the Delta Temporis system, Nathaniel begins experimenting. Why explore planets and moons when one could explore the frontier of scientific knowledge? He figures out how to permanently set himself into a higher timestream, giving himself the power of superspeed. He brings two concave crystals within range of each other’s influence. He rotates one of them 360 degrees, locking the other under its influence. Then, he rotates the second time crystal 360 degrees around a different axis at 90 degrees to that of the first, locking the first under the influence of the second. The crystals are then linked such that they continue to influence each other no matter how far apart they are. Any other objects in the overlapping part of the field at the time of the operation are similarly affected. These two crystals maintain Nathaniel’s superspeed even when removed. Using his new power, he spends the equivalent of weeks in the laboratory while only days pass. He gets a lot accomplished.

First, he builds a set of concentric rings to hold the crystals. Turning the rings puts the crystals into different configurations, producing convex and concave angles of the group, thus changing the rate of time near them. Second, he sets the crystals into arrangements to compound their effects. Convex crystals decrease the effects of crystals around them. Concave crystals increase the effects of crystals around them. Third, he builds a rail running all around the inside of the ship into every nook and cranny. He hangs the apparatus on it. This way, the influence of the time crystals can be felt all over the ship, either speeding it up or slowing it down. He sets the crystals to cause the whole assembly to run at an extremely fast rate, circling the whole ship hundreds of times per second. While the Snarugi look for them near Delta Temporis, they head for Ninosa faster than any ship has travelled before. Four months later (ship time), Nathaniel walks onto the bridge and sits down. Haticat, Fred, and Doctor Bill are there, monitoring their flight through the Ninosa system. “I figured out something new today.”

“What?” Fred asks.

“We’ve been wrong this whole time about how time crystals work. They don’t speed up time near them; they slow down time far away,” Nathaniel says, barely able to contain his excitement.

“What’s the difference?” Haticat asks.

“Proportionality. If the crystals simply added more speed, you could become faster and faster, but that would be it. A level two million crystal would allow you to go two million hours per hour, but nothing else would change. On the other hand, since the crystals slow down the universe, a level one crystal slows it to 25 hours per 26 hours, a level twenty-five crystal slows it to 1 hour per 26 hours, a level twenty-six crystal would stop it completely, thus giving us infinite speed in comparison, and a level twenty-seven crystal makes…the universe…run…backwards,” Nathaniel answers.

“So?” Haticat comments.

“Why would anyone want to run the universe backwards? That would be confusing,” Doctor Bill says.

“We can watch exciting events in history whenever we want. We never have to be bored again!” Nathaniel yells.

Fred struggles for words. “So…it’s almost like travelling…but travelling…through time.”

“Um, yes and no,” Nathaniel says.

“I think what he’s saying is that his machine creates its own time conditions,” Doctor Bill says.

“We should name it a time machine,” Haticat says.

“No, that’s dumb,” Nathaniel says.

“I like that name,” Fred says.

“What do you call it?” Doctor Bill asks.

“I…I didn’t get that far yet,” Nathaniel says.

“Then I named it first! I win naming rights!” Haticat says.

“Yaay!” Fred exclaims.

“I think calling it a time machine makes sense,” Doctor Bill says.

“Fine,” Nathaniel says.

“When should we go?” Fred asks.

“Let’s go right now,” Haticat suggests.

“No, I mean when in history should we visit first?” Fred clarifies.

“What about the invention of the first burrito?” Haticat asks.

“No, no, no. I have a much better idea,” Nathaniel says. He sets the controls to take the entire ship back to one second after Y created the universe. “It’s impossible to travel to before creation, because time crystals shrink the further back in time they push the universe. Eventually, they become so small and dense that the lattice collapses and they stop working. I want to test how close we can get to their limit.”

Minutes later, Nathaniel flips the final switch and the crystals are rotated into a new configuration. The rail brings the entire apparatus around the ship hundreds of times per second, preventing it from running backwards at the same rate as the rest of the universe. They travel at roughly two million hours per hour, finally reaching creation nineteen hours later.

It is totally black outside. “Oh, I forgot that light hasn’t had time to travel farther than one light second. We can only see three hundred thousand kilometers away.” They wait eight minutes and the sun becomes visible, allowing them to find Ninosa also. They land and explore. The planet is very different. There are no cities. There are no helicopters. There are no boys. There are no girls. There are a small number of adults living in small houses in the desert. The deserts are smaller and the forests bigger. There are also vast fields of ferns and moss. Tiny slugs live here that resemble Hershey’s Kisses. They leap from plant to plant. The explorers keep wiping them off their legs. There are also smooth-backed crocodilians here. They lack osteoderms and sport crazy stripes. They take some soil samples and return to the ship. He keeps the soil samples in a box with a time crystal that slows time in order to preserve them without using a freezer, which might cause ice damage. “When to next?” Nathaniel asks.

“Wait, what happens when we travel into the future if our fast-moving surroundings attempt to interact with us? For example, what if we collide with an asteroid going too fast for us to dodge? What happens to sunlight or cosmic rays built up on the time barrier? What if an enemy ship finds us frozen and shoots at us?” Doctor Bill asks.

“Oh, I figured that out, too. I noticed that the speeding effect of the time crystals also blurred objects in motion, spread out over a duration of time as if we were looking at a photograph, and I concluded that light and other influences travel between objects in discrete time frames. I later figured out that interactions are only possible at the future end of these durations. Then I figured out that it was possible to stretch the not-time between these frames of time so that there would be times that objects don’t exist. Basically, when we are running the universe forward and backward, it happens when we are not there,” Nathaniel explains.

“Interesting,” Doctor Bill says.

Later, they travel to planet Hojibot in the year 2100 to witness the famous Hojibot eruption, when a volcano blows off a chunk of the planet that later becomes a moon. “That was awesome!” Nathaniel exclaims.

“I wish we could watch it again,” Haticat says.

“Me too,” Fred says.

“We have a time machine; we can watch it again,” Nathaniel says.

They watch the eruption three more times from different angles. “Hey, is that us from before?” Haticat asks, pointing at a distant asteroid.

“I think it is,” Doctor Bill says.

“Yikes, that’s weird; it’s like having twins.” Haticat shudders at the memory.

Later, they visit the great space battle of 4225 and watch as five great fleets – all of them mutual enemies – shoot each other to bits. No one notices an asteroid passively drifting by, although at one point, a small fighter hides behind it while being pursued by two others, before sneaking around behind them and taking them out.

“When to next? We can visit any event in history!” Nathaniel says.

“What about the future?” Haticat asks.

“I never thought of that. The future doesn’t exist yet – but we can make it happen.” Nathaniel sets the space coordinates for Ninosa and the time coordinates for the year 5000, 566 years in the future from their perspective. The crystals rotate into place and the machine races around the ship.
Pop! The planet has changed again. No vehicles roam the deserts or the skies. No one leaves the cities. Everyone walks. There are no shoes. Nathaniel bends over and sees that the sidewalks are carpeted. They strike up conversation and find out that the Ninos have attempted to make the most comfortable city possible. Couches and fans are everywhere. Their levels of bioengineering rivals that of the Candy Wizards. All food grows on trees – Pop Tarts in toasters, ravioli cans, even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. “Hey, I invented that!” Nathaniel says.

“Ha! PBJs were invented by President Nathaniel almost six hundred years ago. You’re too late,” the Nino says. “I know because I’m a history teacher.”

“But I’m Nathaniel. After inventing PBJ sandwiches and winning the Boy-Girl War, I invented a time machine,” he says.

“A time machine? You mean like a clock?” the Nino asks. Nathaniel quickly finds that no one understands and no one believes.

The future has many fantastic technologies that Nathaniel finds useful for spacetime travel. He buys an anykey, a key that morphs to fit in any lock. He buys anymoney, money that morphs into any culture’s currency. Both make use of anyons. He and his friends stock up on repair tools and disease cures. “This is great. We are free from all cultures and governments. If we don’t like one time, we can visit another. If we ever have a problem with someone, the next day we can be hundreds of years after they are dead, or hundreds of years before they were born. If an enemy is too strong, we can buy weapons from the future that are stronger. We live outside of history,” Nathaniel declares.

He also trades in the asteroid ship for a much smaller, but virtually indestructible, cross-shaped ship. The ship is designed for comfort. The velvety floor and walls contain nanobots that clean up any mess. It has beds in the bay windows in each of the four rounded ends. Underneath each are a pair of hyperlaser cannons. It can also turn effectively invisible by matching its surroundings and has antigravity shielding. He moves the time machine inside and sets it up. Then he stocks up on supplies for his next trip, mostly futuristic candies such as gummy fish that flop and wiggle in the presence of saliva. “Cereal, candy, peanut butter, and milk. That’s all four food groups. I can’t wait to see what food and other technologies exist in the year 6000!”

Pop! The explorers land on Ninosa in the year 6000. It has changed again. In their quest to become ever more comfortable, the Ninos have shed both clothes and skin and travel in slime-coated tubes. Nathaniel is horrified. “Let’s visit Hamomber.” On Hamomber, the Hammer-Faces no longer have limbs. Machines feed them and carry them around. They have no interest in work, play, or exploration. They only move when absolutely necessary. “Uh, Let’s visit Earth.” On Earth, the Humans no longer have heads. Machines think for them and inject them with nutrition. “The future is not fun.”

Curious to see if things get worse or if trends reverse themselves, Nathaniel sets the time machine for the year 12345. Pop! Earth is in ruins. Buildings and machines are smashed, corroded, and eroded. There is no life. “I’m not even detecting bacteria,” Doctor Bill reports.

Graffiti on a wall reads: BEWARE THE MARTHON. Underneath are painted pictures of round bodies with four ribbed tentacles each. “What are Marthon?” Haticat asks, but no one answers.

The explorers wander the city until they enter the ruins of a once-grand library. Nathaniel finds the history section and picks out a few books. Then they hear a sound. A ribbed, mechanical tentacle breaks through the roof. It grabs pieces of machinery and stores them away. Some pieces it analyzes and tosses. “It must be a scavenger bot,” Doctor Bill muses.

“It’s one of the Marthon,” Haticat declares.

Eventually, the entire body of the machine enters the room and senses the explorers. It moves towards them and they back up. When forced into a corner, they disable it with their lasers. “Let’s get out of here!” Nathaniel yells.

They run from the city. Back in the ship and safely in space, Nathaniel skims through the history book he took from the library as they wandered through its ruins. He learns that every civilization across the galaxy has slowly collapsed except for the scavenger Marthon. The book is already very old. “The future is sad and boring. Let’s go back.”

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