Beyond Galactic Marshal
by
Hilltopper

CHAPTER 3

I did not pass out. There just was no light at all or else I was blind. I called out to Tinker but received no answer. I stood still for a few minutes trying to figure things out. It could just be a power outage. With my suit on, I would not be able to hear anything and, with no power, no one could contact me by radio. I eased out of the gate. As soon as I crossed the threshold, light popped on. I got the shock of my life.

It was obvious that I was no longer in the hanger room. What was most disturbing were the three bodies lying in horizontal tubes against the wall to my right. They looked human. This stupid gate had sent me no telling where. I looked back inside. The cube was gone. I guess it made it to the alien planet but why not me.

“This is ridiculous!”

I went back inside to see if I could send myself back. As I entered, the gate did not power up like it did before. I walked over to the control center. It was completely dead.

“Great!”

I pushed every depression and even gave it a couple of swats. Nothing! I went out of the gate and looked at it. The gate looked the same but it was smaller. I sighed.

“Well, what now?”

My space suit had a couple of hours of oxygen but, since I could not get the gate working, it did not matter. I had no idea where I was and, therefore, did not know what the atmosphere in this place was made up of. I decided to crack my helmet.

“Here goes nothing!”

There was breathable air! It smelled stale but not thin. I shucked the suit and got my second huge shock. I was male again!”

“Shit!”

I guess this explains why the gate did not power up. Some how in the transference I was changed back to my old form. I didn’t know how these gate things worked but this was a hard pill to swallow. My very female clothes were stretched pretty tight and, of course, my bra was now empty. Naturally, these were the only clothes I had. With no other choice, I started exploring.

The structure I was in was smaller by far than the hanger room at the ruins but the construction was similar. I think it was built by the same people. The big question is “Where is it?” The gravity on Prowhiness is pretty light and the gravity here seemed similar to Earth. Therefore, I had left the planet which was not good news. Even though I am desperate to get back home, my immediate needs are food, water and clothing.

I avoided for now the area where the bodies were. Walking around the rest of the room was not helping much. There were several desk-like things but I could not get them to power up. Unlike the ruins, everything here did not seem old. I got the feeling that this was not a structure where people permanently stayed. Making a full circuit brought me back to the bodies. They were pale which probably meant that they had been in those tubes for a while. The best I could tell they were human. If they were the ones that built this place and the ruins, we humans could very well be relatives. Of course, that didn’t help me any. I didn’t know how much time had passed back on Prowhiness since I left. I hated to think what Mary was thinking. I know one thing, I wouldn’t want to be Tinker right now. Plopping down against the wall, I was really feeling low. I had failed Mary and put myself in a desperate situation just to please the aliens. She told me not to operate that gate. Now I was lost to her not to mention under going another sex change. After beating myself up for a while, I stood up.

“There has to be a way out of here.”

But was there? For all I knew I could be in orbit. It did not feel like it however. I decided to carefully go around the walls. On the other side of the room, I spotted an anomaly. Looking closer revealed a kind of hatch like in an air lock. There was a manual bar. I turned it and the hatch opened. Going inside there appeared to be a lift. Naturally, it was dead. There were rungs mounted on a rock wall. Wait a minute: rock wall! That was good news.

I had to be on a planet of some kind. Looking up, I could see another hatch about 30 feet above me. The thought occurred to me that, if this was an air lock, the other side of the hatch might not be a hospitable environment. Maybe I should put my space suit back on. That would just delay my fate so I started the climb up. The hatch was like the one below. I held my breathe and opened the hatch. Sticking my head up, I was amazed. The air smelled so clean! Looking about, I saw rolling hills and some small mountains. Everything was green as could be. I had never seen any thing like it. Where ever this planet was, it sure was a paradise. The temperature was even moderate which was a good thing considering my clothing.

OK, now I had a big decision to make. It was obvious that there was nothing close by except maybe water. This meant a possible long trek away from this structure. If someone was able to come to my rescue, they may not find me. Of course, if I stayed here and no one came, I would die. I decided to hike a ways keeping the hatch in sight. Maybe something would turn up.

I climbed out and stood beside the hatch. To my surprise, it looked like a rock out cropping from the outside.

“Wow, this thing is meant to be hidden!”

This was way different from the ruins on Prowhiness. They were just out in the open. It is almost as if this place was an observation post. The question was what were they observing? I could tell that I was about half way up a steep rocky hill. There looked like there might be a stream at the bottom. I decided to leave the hatch open. I sure didn’t want to be trapped outside if I couldn’t get it back open. I started down the hill. My sandals were definitely not made for this type of walking. As I neared the bottom, I heard water running. There was a five meter drop to the creek. About 100 meters further down stream, I found a cut that lead down to the water. I scrambled down to the creek. Stooping down, my reflection looked back at me.

“What the -------!”

This is definitely my day for shocks. John Harper’s face was not in the water. Neither was Jonnie’s. I fell back away from the creek. Since I arrived here from the gate as male, I had assumed the gate had changed me back to what I was before the aliens had made me female in order to be able to operate it and the other ancient devices.

“What the hell did that gate do to me?”

I hesitantly looked back into the water and stared at my reflection. On harder examination, my face did sort of look like my old one but much, I don’t know, softer maybe. I had no beard and no scars. As a teenager acne was a big problem with me. I carried many scars because of that plus some acquired during my time as a marshal. My face now looked smooth as could be. I would almost pass as a teenager; well a very muscular one. How could this have happened? I drank deeply and then took off my clothes. That bra was digging in to me. I eased into the water. It was cold but felt good. After washing off, I got back out. It was then I noticed that my testicles had retreated back inside of me. This brought back a distant memory. The same thing used to happen when I was young. Then it hit me.

“Holy crap! I was intersexed at birth.”

That crazy gate had put me back to my condition at birth. But wait a minute! I knew I had some corrective surgery at an early age but that would not account for my change in appearance. It must have been those vitamins that I started taking when I entered puberty. I shook my head.

“Vitamins wouldn’t do that!”

I had been told once that I had been on hormones but I hadn’t believed it. I had a horrid thought. Maybe they weren’t vitamins after all. I remember my dad was very keen on me taking them. He used to say ‘it will make a man of you’. Of course, that was exactly what I wanted to become for him. Could it be that they, what ever they were, overrode my basic programming in order to make me more masculine? I had never questioned it before. This was a nightmare!

“I guess I now know what I should have looked like.”

I laughed and my testicles popped back out. They were smaller than they should be or the way I remember them anyway. I realized that I was not muscle bound like I was when I had fully grown. Sure, I was still muscular but more lithe I guess. I put my clothes back on minus the bra. Looking around, I noticed fish in the creek and a squirrel running up a tree.

“Holy shit! This has to be Earth.”

But certainly not my Earth. The air is just too clean and I don’t think there is anyplace as tranquil and beautiful as this. That can only mean one thing; I have gone back in time again. The question is; how far? Hmm, well pollution became a big factor in the late 1900’s so it has to be before then. This was not good news. No one can come and rescue me except via that gate.

“Double turds!”

I am thoroughly screwed. Looking up, I realized the sun would set in an hour or less. I certainly did not want to remain out here after dark so I headed back up hill. Upon reaching the hatch, I climbed in and closed it. At the bottom again, I started to enter the lower hatch when I noticed a door I had not seen. It opened easily and I walked into what looked like a store room. I was elated to see lots of supplies including clothes. It occurred to me that, if this was an observation post, all of these items were kept out here to avoid any contamination to the main room. So, these items were used when people ventured outside. That must mean there were people nearby or at least something that the gate people visited. Going through the items, it became obvious that these were things one would have in what was colorfully dubbed ‘the old west days’ in the Americas. I found some jeans, a flannel shirt, and boots that fit me pretty well. This certainly takes care of my clothing problem. Deeper in the room, I found some dried meat of some kind. At least I wouldn’t starve to death. I exited the store room and went into the main room. Everything was still dead. It was sobering to know that basically I was trapped here ----- maybe forever! This room was not a comfortable place to be especially with those bodies present. Which reminds me, what did they die of? Maybe they were abandoned here for some reason. I decided to make a place to sleep back in the store room. I found some blankets and made a pallet. I was dead tired but my situation was ever on my mind. I also missed Mary dearly and worried how she was taking this. Not well, I’m sure. I laid down and was asleep almost immediately.