Dead Gods

A red light flashed once on the control panel, then settled in to a steady red glow.

Captain Joe Hammer had not intended to emerge from hyperspace at that particular point, but Gaa, who was the nearest thing they had to an engineer on board, had insisted. "There's something wrong, Cap'n. That red light is a warning if ever I saw one. I need to have a proper look at the hyperdrive and I can't do that while we're using it."

Despite grumbling, the Viper's Captain had taken Gaa's advice and ordered the ship back into normal space.

A single star shone brightly against a faintly sparkled backdrop. Nothing looked remotely familiar.

"Where the hell are we?"

Chief navigator Kores, who was seated at his console, shrugged his shoulders. "No idea, Cap'n! Give me a moment to take some readings and I'll let you know."

Gritting his teeth, Hammer turned to Gaa. "How long is it going to take you to fix the fracking drive?" he demanded.

"I can't say, Cap'n. I'll work as fast as I can but we might be a day... or two. Maybe more."

"Well, I guess we might as well have a look around while we're stuck here. What about that star there, in front of us? Any planets worth exploring?"

"My sensors say six, Cap," Sloku, the real-space navigator answered. "And the fourth one has life-form readings."

"Interesting." Hammer rubbed his hands together. Planets were rare enough, let alone ones with any sort of life. He turned back to Kores. "Have you established our location yet? Whose territory are we in? Orion or Eridanus?"

"Neither, sir." Kores looked up. A frown creased his brow. "According to my calculations, we're in a prohibited area. This star system is off limits to all unauthorized traffic and the planet is interdicted. Cultural reasons."

Hammer grinned. "And we all know what that means, don't we? Either the inhabitants are still banging rocks together or else they've chosen to live without technology. In either case, easy pickings."

"What do the scanners show?" he asked Sloku, peering over his shoulder.

"Lots of orange sand. It looks like this world is mainly desert. Hang on, let me bring this up closer..." Sloku fiddled with the controls while Hammer waited, his right foot tapping an impatient rhythm.

"What the hell...?"

"What are those things?"

"Pyramids! They've got fracking pyramids!" Hammer was almost bursting with the effort to contain his excitement.

Kores and Sloku exchanged puzzled glances, failing to understand the cause of his enthusiasm.

"So, what do primitive people put inside pyramids?" Hammer's question was clearly rhetorical.

"Treasure! That's what! They hide their treasure there. Let's go and have a closer look."

~~~~

Nurul filled her jug with cool water from the well, scooping a handful or two into her mouth as she did so. Summer had come early this year, it seemed. Her white linen dress shielded her skin from the worst of the sun's rays but they were already fierce, even though she had ventured forth just after sunrise. She straightened her back and stood for a moment, gazing at her surroundings with pride. She couldn't imagine a more beautiful place to live.

In the distance, the mighty river Aket wound its way through the valley. Lush crops of flax and wheat, barley and vegetables lined its banks, providing food and clothing for her people.

Behind her, lay the village, a thriving settlement of sturdy mud brick houses, each with its own roof terrace for those hot nights. She wasn't the only person to make an early start. She could see Mara and Ancis outside in the street, banging rugs against the walls of their homes, and twelve-year old Frey was halfway to the well, swinging an empty jug.

Several miles behind them, towered the three majestic temples. Made from huge blocks of sandstone, now wearing slightly at the corners, the pyramids had been there as long as anyone could remember. With knowledge lost in the mists of time, no-one knew how they had been constructed or who had been responsible. Theories abounded, some more outrageous than others, but whatever purpose the pyramids might have served in the past, everyone knew that now they were the repository of the villagers' wealth—all the seed stock for future crops—and the final resting place of the dead gods.

Nurul's stomach rumbled and she hoisted the jug onto her shoulder. It was time to head home for breakfast, perhaps a handful of dates and some slices of the melon she had picked only yesterday.

~~~~

"Hey, Cap. Have you seen what it says here about pyramids?" Kores was scrolling through the ship's encyclopedia.

"Apparently people used to believe they were built by visitors from outer space, so they could talk to the stars." He grinned. "They were reputed to have special powers, too."

"What sort of special powers?" asked Hammer, interested despite himself.

Kores read aloud, "'It's said, pyramids had the ability to preserve food and that razor blades placed under a pyramid will sharpen overnight-'"

Hammer interrupted, disappointed. "Sounds like a load of space vomit to me. What the hell's a 'razor blade' anyway? Now if they did something useful, like turn iron into gold, that would be handy!" He chuckled.

"Take us down into orbit, Sloku."

The planet spun slowly beneath them, Sloku guiding the ship until it held position over the pyramids. They were far too distant to see with the naked eye, but the scanner brought them up on the screen as clear as anything, despite the faint shimmer that distorted the pinnacles for a moment. There was a second, brief shimmer and then the image stabilised.

"Hold position here, Sloku, and I'll take the shuttle down," ordered Hammer. "Wilum, Tai and Ewart, you're with me. Bring your lasers, just in case anyone is foolish enough to resist."

The ship shuddered ever so slightly.

Sloku adjusted the controls and frowned. "What the frack...?" He bent over the console unit. "I don't understand..."

He looked up at Hammer, an expression of shocked disbelief on his face.

"Something's interfering with the ship, Cap. I've lost control!"

And by now, everyone could see that the planet was coming closer and closer toward them.

"What the frack is happening?"

"I don't know Cap, but if I can't get control in the next few minutes, we're going to crash!"

~~~~

The chariot fell from the sky in a ball of flames. The villagers had to wait until evening before the heat cooled enough to allow entry and they were able to retrieve the bodies inside.

Nurul wrapped the last of the remains carefully in swathes of white linen, sprinkling lavish amounts of thyme and lavender between the layers. Eventually, all ten were ready to be transported to the pyramid, which would be their final resting place.

Reverently, the small procession carried the new-comers into the temple and laid them gently in the stone niches, beside the other dead gods who had fallen from the sky.