EXOPLANETS

Space Opera

Nazri M. Annuar 
English translation from Malay by Qayyum Bin Mohamed Fazil

 

Normal pirates are one thing. What he doesn't want to imagine is how it would be if they were captured by the Mahawangsa. Tales of violence perpetrated by the pirates of Mahawangsa are told widely across the cosmos. They say the pirates of Mahawangsa are a thousand times more cruel than human pirates. Whoever is unlucky enough to be taken hostage by them would wish for immediate death. But these are merely tales. It is human nature to come up with them. Until now, there has been no reliable witness to recount the whereabouts of the pirates of Mahawangsa.

 

“We have entered the Forbidden Realm!” shouted Razi. All of the crew members rushed into the cockpit. Through the front window, they witness a view so rarely seen by other humans. They become among a select few who have had the chance to face the contents of the Forbidden Realm. Not a single word was uttered, each person watching in raw amazement. 

 

...

 

Unlike the harrowing legends told by people, the Forbidden Realm was genuinely beautiful. They trace along the sea of mesmerizingly colourful light. They pass by a couple of planets of fabulous hues. Witnessing the space within the Forbidden Realm planted a sense of tranquility within them. They did not come into contact with a single other spaceship. There were no space stations scattered across the skies. It was as if they were the only ones there. As if travelling through a long quiet road with nothing at all on either side.  As if they were the only creatures alive at that very moment. They managed to witness the beauty of God’s creation, and appreciate it with absolute awe.

 

“A nebula…” muttered Faridah softly as they crossed a projection of light amongst the colourful sky. “A nebula is a group of clouds made up of dust, hydrogen and plasma”.

 

Everyone in the crew looks at her again.

 

“I say things like that when I get anxious,” Faridah explains.

 

However, as they pass by a planet, all of their faces begin to change. Faridah immediately embraces Niki. Razi’s jaw drops in undisguised shock. What they witnessed in front of their eyes is a scattering of countless spaceship debris. All of it, destroyed. About more than a hundred metal corpses of different sizes lie lifeless in that space. All of it dark, with no light. Some split in half, others busted open, with a thousand smaller metal pieces dispersed everywhere.

 

What they are witnessing was essentially a graveyard, or at least that’s how they feel. There is no calmness in watching these corpses dissipate. They can’t even begin to imagine if the Rajawali met the same fate. Buried in an area isolated from the grasps of mankind. That is not what they want as the end of their tale.

 

…

 

“Turn off the engines!” screams Arman.

 

……

 

They see a large ship floating through the area. Its size was humongous, as it seemed to be able to fit 50 Rajawalis within it. Large cannons line the sides of the ship, with two protruding out of its front, shaped like a bird’s beak. Huge light beams were projected from it, swaying everywhere, as if looking for something among the wreckage of the other spaceships. It inches slowly…

 

“The Mahawangsa” whispers Faridah.

 

Nazri M. Annuar, Space Opera, PTS Publications, 2007.

 

 

Opera Angkasa

Nazri M. Annuar 

Original Text in Malay

 

Itu kalau lanun, dia tak mahu membayangkan kalau mereka ditawan Mahawangsa. Cerita-cerita keganasan lanun-lanun Mahawangsa menjadi buah mulut orang. Mereka kata lanun Mahawangsa seribu kali lebih kejam daripada lanun manusia. Mereka kata barang siapa yang menjadi tawanan Mahawangsa selalunya berharap agar nyawa mereka ditamatkan secepat mungkin. Tapi itu semua cuma cerita orang. Sifat manusia suka membuat cerita. Sehingga kini tiada saksi kukuh yang datang menceritakan tentang perihal sebenar kisah lanun Mahawangsa itu.

 

“Kita sudah masuk Alam Larangan!” jerit Razi. Kesemua anak kapal lalu bergerak masuk ke dalam ruang kokpit. Menerusi cermin hadapan, mereka menyaksikan satu pemandangan yang amat jarang dilihat manusia. Mereka menjadi antara manusia yang berpeluang menatap isi kandungan Alam Larangan. Tiada kata yang diucapkan. Masing-masing asyik dengan pemandangan di depan mata. Faridah sendiri tidak pernah melihat Alam Larangan. Arman menelan liur. Dia terkenangkan ibunya yang pastinya merasai perasaan serupa tatkala melalui tempat ini suatu ketika dahulu.

 

Lari dari legenda ngeri yang diceritakan oleh orang, Alam Larangan sungguh cantik. Mereka menyusuri lautan cahaya berwarna-warni yang cukup mengasyikkan. Mereka juga melalui beberapa buah planet yang punya warna yang cantik. Melihat ruang angkasa Alam Larangan membuatkan hati masing-masing berasa tenang. Mereka tidak berselisih dengan sebuah kapal angkasa pun. Tiada stesen angkasa yang bertaburan. Seolah-olah mereka bersendirian. Seolah-olah melalui satu jalan sepi yang amat panjang tanpa ada sebarang benda di kiri dan kanan. Seolah-olah mereka sahaja makhluk yang masih hidup ketika ini. Mereka dapat melihat keindahan ciptaan Tuhan, menghayatinya dengan penuh takjub.

 

“Nebula…” Faridah bersuara perlahan tatkala masing-masing melintasi satu unjuran di angkasa yang berwarna-warni. “Nebula adalah kumpulan awan yang terbentuk dari debu, hydrogen, dan plasma”.

 

Sekali lagi semua anak kapal memandangnya.

 

“Saya buat begitu bila dalam keadaan gelisah,” terang Faridah.

 

Namun ketika mereka melepasi sebuah planet, wajah masing-masing berubah. Farida segera memeluk Niki. Mulut Razi ternganga luas. Apa yang mereka lihat di depan mata adalah taburan serpihan kapal angkasa yang begitu banyak. Kesemuanya telah musnah. Dianggarkan lebih daripada seratus buah bangkai kapal angkasa pelbagai saiz tersadai di ruang itu. Semuanya gelap tanpa cahaya. Ada yang terpotong dua, ada yang sudah lopong, tidak kurang juga beratus-ratus serpihan kecil di sana sini.

 

Apa yang mereka saksikan tak ubah seperti kawasan perkuburan. Sekurang-kurangnya itu yang mereka rasa. Tiada rasa damai apabila melihat bangkai-bangkai pesawat bersepah. Mereka juga tidak dapat membayangkan kalau Rajawali menerima nasib yang sama. Berkubur di kawasan yang terpencil dan jauh dari capaian manusia. Bukan itu yang mereka mahu sebagai pengakhiran riwayat.

 

“Tak ada sebarang hidupan,” lapor Rasi setelah meneliti pengimbas. “Semua kapal kosong, atau mungkin orang di dalamnya sudah mati”.

 

“Perlu ke cakap?” tegur Niki. “Kami tahulah, kami boleh berfikir!”

 

Rajawali perlahan-lahan terbang menerusi kawasan itu. Mata masing-masing liar memerhati setiap bangkai pesawat itu.  

 

“Matikan enjin!” jerit Arman.

 

Segera Razi menekan beberapa punat. Enjin Rajawali serta-merta mati. Semua lampu terpadam meninggalkan lampu kecemasan. Pada mulanya mereka semua terkejut dengan arahan Arman. Tapi rupa-rupanya mata Arman terlebih dahulu menangkap sesuatu.

 

Mereka dapat melihat sebuah kapal besar bergerak melalui kawasan itu. Saiznya cukup agam sekali. Dibayangkan lima puluh pesawat Rajawali boleh dimuatkan di dalamnya. Terdapat barisan meriam besar di kiri dan kanan kapal tersebut. Beberapa buah meriam besar juga tersembul keluar di bahagian atasnya. Terdapat satu binaan seperti paruh burung di bahagian hadapan. Beberapa buah lampu limpah dihalakan ke serata arah. Lampu itu seolah-olah mencari sesuatu di celah-celah bangkai kapal itu. Kapal agam itu bergerak perlahan.

 

“Mahawangsa,” bisik Faridah. 

 

Nazri M. Annuar, Opera Angkasa, PTS Publications, 2007.

 

Nazri M. Annuar has written books of many genres. Space Opera is his second novel, and imagines a post-Earth international landscape centuries into the future, when humanity exists in “sectors” and travel between them requires spaceships.