Concept Sci-fi - Issue 06.pdf - Concept Sci-fi - allforjesus2001

Editorial

It's 1914 and Gustav Holst is struggling with a Royal Commission--to write a

Solar System Symphony fitting for the ever-expanding Great Britain. One

doesn't refuse the King himself, no matter how inconvenient, so that's how

Holst finds himself on Sir Ernest Shackleton's Grand Tour of the planets, writing

to his friend Ralph Vaughn Williams from New London about the most difficult

movement of the work. How best to capture the horror and strangeness of a

war with the Martians? A traditional march simply will not do...

When I was a child, there were few things I loved more than Gustav Holst's The Planets suite and H. G. Well's The

War of the Worlds. Never once did I consider combining them all into one wondrous piece. Iain Cairns has done so

brilliantly well, and in the process created an alternate history I'd like very much to see more of. Like the real

Shackleton, I am filled with an appetite the gods might have envied, but this brief taste will have to do for now.

Sean Williams, Author.

Congratulations to Iain Cairns on winning the Concept Sci-fi Short Story Competiton. You can find his winning entry,

and the other two short-listed entries below. I hope that you enjoy them.

Gary Reynolds.

Editor .

Artwork

Stu Driver at http://obsidianhawke.deviantart.com

Bringer of War

by Iain Cairns

From Gustav Holst, New London, Mars

To Ralph Vaughan Williams, London, England

4th March 1914

Dear Ralph,

My dear friend, apologies for not having written to you for so long. Recent days have proved eventful, to say the

least, leaving me no opportunity for correspondence.

syou’venodoubtobservedfromthehotelnotepaperI’mwritingtoyoufromMars.BelievemeI’mas

surprised as you are.

Only a fortnight ago, I was sitting at my breakfast table in Barnes, little suspecting the hundred million mile

journeyaheadofme.Thatmorning’spostincludedaletterfromanequerryatBuckinghamPalacerequestingmy

attendance the next day on an urgent and confidential matter. I was bewildered and intrigued by the invitation. I

guessed that perhaps this official might want me to perform one of my recent organ pieces at a palace function.

On arrival at the palace, I was ushered into a comfortable reception room. However, instead of being joined by

some flunky, imagine my face when King George himself swept in and bade me sit.

WithyourlevelofsuccessRalphI’msurethatmeetingroyaltyisacommonplaceeventbutIconfessthatIwas

feeling light-headedandratheroverwhelmed.“MrHolst”saidtheKing“MywifeandIhavelongbeen great

admirers of your work - and we would like to offer youaspecialroyalcommission.”

Thewords“royalcommission”sanginmyears. My work of late has been woefully overlooked by the public. This

commission, I imagined, could be the popular breakthroughI’vewaitedsolongfor.Howeverastheoldadagegoes

always be careful what you wish for.

“InthesetimesMrHolst”theKingcontinued“BritainmustbeseentoaffirmitsstatusasaGreatPower.Not

only politically and militarily, but also in the realms of science, exploration, art and culture. We need to demonstrate

that Britain can achieve great things on a grand scale. So, I want you to compose a sort of Solar System Symphony,

inspired by the very planets themselves. What could be grander, eh? It would be lauded as a masterpiece

throughout the civilized world. That would certainly show our continental friends a thing or two about British

achievementwhat?”

“ItsoundsintriguingYourMajesty”Itoldhim.“greatandworthyproject indeed. I would be honoured to

undertakethecommission.”

“Splendid!”theKingsaid.“Soyou’llgo?”

“GoSir?”

SeeingmylookofconfusiontheKing’sfacefell.Hescratchedhisbeard.“SorryMrHolst.I’mnotbeingveryclear

aboutthisamI?MayIaskSirErnesttojoinus?”

Presently, Sir Ernest Shackleton joined us from an anteroom and shook my hand vigorously. I wondered who else

might be waiting outside to join us.

“MrHolst”saidShackletonspreadingoutanastronomicalchartbeforeus.“Itakeityou’veheardofourplansfor

the Imperial Trans-Planetary Expedition?”

ShackletonoutlinedhislatestodysseyasortofGrandTourofthePlanets.Shackleton’sship Endurance will

embark from Mars, visit Venus andMercuryduringthefirststageofitsjourneybefore‘sling-shotting’aroundthe

sun. Shackleton explained that this is a desirable speed-building manoeuvre rather than the suicidal madness it at

first appears. Endurance will then fly past the unexplored worlds of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, before

returning home to Earth.

“llthisisfascinatingYourMajesty”Iinterjected“butwhathasittodowithme?”

“WhyeverythingMrHolstifyouacceptthecommission”saidtheKing.“Youwillbeonboardthe Endurance

with Sir Ernest for the three-yearvoyage.”

YoumayberelievedtolearnRalphthatImanagedtotakeaseatbeforemylegsgaveway.“Ibegyourpardon?”

I whispered.

TheKingbeamed.“HowcanyouhopetocapturetheessenceofthePlanetsinmusicalformifyoudon’tvisit

themforyourself?”

“Useatelescopeperhaps?”Iofferedweakly.ButHisMajestyhadalreadygoneontoexplainthatIwastobepart

ofavibrant“artisticcontingent”aboard Endurance . Apparently, Augustus John will be capturing the brave

adventurers and their exploits on canvas, while John Masefield records the momentous events in prose and poetry.

“But...three years ?”Ienquired.

“Yesjustthreeyears”confirmedShackleton.“DazzlinglyquickforacircuitoftheSolarSystem.It’safeatmade

possibleonlybytheverylatestBritishscientificimprovementstothesalvagedMartianspaceflighttechnology.”

“ThiswouldbeagreatservicetoyourcountryMrHolst”saidtheKing.“Icanunderstandthatyouhavealotto

think about. Take a day to consider, and give us your answer in the morning. But we must have your decision then.

Endurance embarks from New London at the end of next week – can’thaveanyoneelse’sexpedition beating us to

thegloryeh?”

Shackletonshookmyhandagain.“I’mofftoMarstonighttoprepare Endurance . See you in New London then, old

chap?”Hewinked.

I returned home to Barnes in a somewhat dazed state, certain that the whole idea was madness and that I would

politely decline the royal commission. But the next morning, I found to my surprise that I was actually considering it.

In the end, it was Isobel who said that I should go.

Concept Sci-fi - Issue 06.pdf

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