The Science Fiction Collection

Sunset- The Warrior

It had been a long and brutal fight, but it was finally over. High Commander Vorbox could finally rest, and he had chosen his home-planet, Elora, as his resting-ground. As he put his space-pod on autopilot, he reclined in his comfortable chair, and reminisced about his planet.

The lush fields of purple grass, the twittering blue clouds, the two satellites circling their planet, and the star at the centre of the System, Jukus. 

He sighed as he remembered his wife and his two sons, who he'd left behind when he'd gone to take part in the War. 

And Gob...

A tear trickled down his wrinkled cheek, tracing a well-known path down the creases. He knew that his pet would now be dead, having outlived its short lifespan of 50 years. 

So much would have changed. He smiled, as he remembered his father's wise words. "The more things change, the more they remain the same." He wondered if his elder son had become the scientist he'd always promised he would.

The gentle vibration of the pod slowly lulled him to sleep, and he had a pleasant dream about his children and Gob. However, it was rudely interrupted as the comms blared, and his eyes flew open. 

"We have arrived at Elora, Commander Vorbox." 

He jumped up and looked out the Gontonum window to take a longer look at his planet, which he was seeing for the first time in 90 years. It was just as beautiful as he remembered it.

Soon, the pod came through the atmosphere, and his jaw fell slack upon beholding the terrible sight. 

The Wheel of Progress (he'd always thought it a rather pompous name) was broken, its top half lying in the River Heflin. The grass was parched, and the water was muddy.

He leaped out of the pod, landing on the grass with a tuck and a roll, as he had learned in the Space Corps. He sprinted towards his hut, which he saw on the horizon, upon the mound. He smashed the door open, and saw a frail old woman, cowering in the corner of the room.

"Please, I have nothing more to give your kind!" she shrieked.

Vorbox peered closely, and had a staggering revelation. It was his wife! "Lorena? What happened to you??" he asked.

The old woman looked at him, and blinked in disbelief. "It can't be... how are you not dead?" she stuttered.

"I'm not dead, darling. Where are Histrion and Kilium?" he asked, concerned.

"Didn't they tell you? They-" She broke into tears, jerky and hard.

Vorbox moved forward and helped her up, wrapping her in his arms. "They died?"

"Yes!" 

After crying for a while, Vorbox recovered.

"WHO DID THIS TO MY PLANET?"

"The G-Gretts"

"The Gretts?" He laughed. "Why, the Eloran government eradicated that scum ages ago!"

"It just happened so suddenly. It was calm one second, and the next, they destroyed everything." She continued sobbing uncontrollably.

Vorbox looked out at the sun slowly setting, and gravely said, "They'll pay for this."