Waypoint Magellan

by L S Roebuck

  As Dek gently but firmly pushed the struggling Amberly up the access tube, she saw Joti’s lifeless body float out the door and into space.

  Dek and Amberly emerged through the access tube onto Firebird’s upper deck. Amberly slumped down to her knees, sobbing hysterically. She was starting to hyperventilate when Dek lifted her back to her feet.

  “I’m sorry about all of this Amberly,” Dek said as he gently nudged her toward the sleeping compartment she had occupied earlier. “You must be in shock. But it will all make sense soon. You’ll see that your mother knows best.”

  “Was that my mother? My mother wouldn’t kill someone in cold blood,” Amberly croaked softly between sobs. She then looked up at Dek with a hot bolt of anger in her eyes.

  “How is my mother alive?! Why didn’t you tell me my mother was still alive, you ass!?” She slapped Dek for the second time. Dek resolved to take the slap in a manly fashion, but he still flinched. Almost immediately, again, Amberly had imprinted a hand-shaped welt on Dek’s face.

  Amberly’s fury burned deep inside of her, red blood boiling to the surface, and her skin was flush crimson. She pulled back her fist to as if to punch Dek, but before she could strike her blow, Dek moved to restrain her with a gentle but firm grasp, and she collapsed in his arms, spent emotionally and physically. She sobbed, quietly, into the shoulder of his khaki jumpsuit.

  “Dek, what is happening?”

  Dek slid open the door open to Amberly’s sleeping quarters, and motioned her to her bed.

  “Why don’t you just rest here? Let me get you a protein bar or something for you to eat. You must be in shock,” Dek said as he opened the mini-pantry high on the wall opposite the bunk beds.

  Amberly sat down on the lower bunk. She was too overwhelmed to process that not only was her mother alive, but she was the leader of this Chasm movement, and she was capable of killing someone in a horrific fashion.

  “I need to go and see what is going on,” Dek said, giving Amberly’s hand a quick squeeze. “Please stay here until your mother or I come for you.”

  Amberly used the back of her hand to wipe tears and mucus from her face. She looked up at Dek. “Am I a prisoner here?”

  “No, of course not,” Dek said. “Listen. Eighty percent of who you know your mom to be is true to who she is. We shouldn’t cross the other 20 percent. I told you she is dedicated to Chasm like no one else. You just saw that.” Dek handed Amberly the protein bar, but she brushed it away.

  “I don’t know what to think. Is that really my mother?”

  “Please, Amberly, just stay here until I figure out what is going on now,” Dek said so firmly that Amberly felt it was not a request. She spread out on the bed, and lying down on her back, closed her eyes.

  Dek figured that he was lucky to have her calmed down this much and decided that he didn’t want to be away from whatever schemes Kimberly and Sparks were planning for too long, so he left Amberly, sliding and latching the door tight behind him.

  Amberly lay quietly, still tearing up, and then she was struck with a thought she was surprised hadn’t hit her sooner.

  Where’s dad?

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “Are you sure the message was correct?” Kimberly slammed her hand hard on the dining table in the middle of the mess of the Firebird. She looked sternly at Dek.

  “It was encoded, it followed the protocol, it was passcode authenticated. How could it not be?” Dek said. “Why would anyone send that message besides the Chairman? She is the only person who would want that. Our enemies certainly would not. They don’t even know we have the capacity to do such a thing.”

  Sparks was sitting across the table from Dek and Kimberly, leaning back against the wall and rubbing her temples. “Did you have to airlock Joti? I mean, I didn’t really like him and all, but did he deserve that?”

  Kimberly put a finger up. “Shush. There were secrets that only Joti and I knew that I never wanted Amberly to find out. Ever. Now I’m the only one who knows them. I don’t want to talk about it anymore, understand? I need to focus on the problem at hand. I need to visualize every detail.”

  Kimberly bowed her head slightly, closed her eyes halfway, and her lips started moving rapidly, as if she was having a silent conversation with herself. Dek thought that this was no doubt the amazing mind of Kimberly Macready at work. This same mind cracked the operational codes of Magellan without detection, and plotted the genius plan of her own “death” and her multi-year exile in preparation for this very day, the day when Arara would separate from its past, thought Dek, to fully embrace its future.

  This was supposed to be the day Magellan would be under Chasm command, except for Dek’s message.

  Kimberly, with her head still bowed, spoke. “Dek, read me the message again. Be very precise. I want to hear every word.”

  Dek pulled up an infopad and tapped it a few times.

  He read: “Dek. Meeting resistance on Marquette. We’ll make the stand here. Initiate contingency code Scorched Earth. You have discretion on Friend or Foe protocol. Eliminate foes. Retrieve Raven One at all costs. For the future, Chairman: signature code X-120-Tiger-Alpha-321-Pi.”

  “Are you sure Scorched Earth means we have to destroy the entire waypoint?” Sparks said.

  “Of course I am sure,” Kimberly snapped, her head popping up. “Remember who I am!”

  “This isn’t fair,” Sparks said in a particularly whiney voice. “We did our job. We can take Magellan by force. Why should we not claim the Spencer Belt and all its resources for Arara?”

  “Sparks, Sparks, Sparks. Don’t be a simpleton,” Kimberly sighed. “Out here, in this great expanse of nothingness, the resources of the Spencer Belt may be invaluable. But back there, back home, on the golden fields of Arara, it’s commonplace and worthless as dirt.”

  “Dirt’s not worthless,” Sparks said.

  “That’s my point,” Kimberly said. “Here in deep, cold, lifeless space, you give hundreds and thousands of credits for the amount of dirt needed to grow a bean plant. But on Arara, we have a different economy.”

  Dek continued where Kimberly left off. “Don’t you see, Sparks, humanity was not meant to live in space. Not like this. The waypoints were a necessary evil at best, to help us get to Arara. Besides, I’ve been given friend-or-foe authorization. We will save those who are sympathetic to the cause.”

  “How?” Sparks demanded. “How do you save people while blowing up the only life-sustaining port within a half lightyear?”

  Kimberly raised both of her hands, palms-forward, to calm her companion. “Do not worry. I’m making a plan. Just give me an hour or so to work out the details. Then we can head back to Magellan. And then,” she smiled, “And then… we can finally go home and breathe the fresh fragrances of the grasses of Arara again.”

  Kimberly was suddenly lost in thought, staring through Dek and Sparks.

  “Kimberly?” Dek asked in response to the glossy look in her eyes.

  “It’s been decades, and the memory is so real. I can hear the oceans calling me home.” Kimberly closed her eyes and smiled, “But first I better tend to my daughter.”

  Kimberly suddenly snapped her attention on Dek.

  “Dek, what is the nature of your relationship with Amberly? Speak, boy.” Kimberly put a particularly condescending twist in the word “boy,” and it irked Dek. He was 24 after all, five years superior to Kimberly’s daughter, and certainly had proven himself a man in his own right.

  “Amberly and I aren’t intimate, if that’s what you mean,” Dek said, barely hiding his indignant feelings. “She fancies me no doubt, and I actually think highly of her. She’s sharp, probably inherited your genius wizardry, but she certainly has an attractive spirit, and a zeal for life that shines brighter than most.”

  “She’s not the marrying kind, so don’t make any long-term plans,” Kimberly baited Dek, measuring his response.

  “And maybe you don’t know Amberly anymore,” Dek said, pushing Kimbe
rly just a little to measure her, as well. He wanted to know if she would keep her composure under pressure, if all those years in practical isolation affected her sanity, and he was testing her resolve, especially where it impacted her loved ones. What was to come would stretch the moral fabric of them all, and Dek wanted to make sure their leader’s heart was as committed as her head.

  When Kimberly remained silent, Dek continued, “Not that it matters. Marriage is just another old tradition that will vanish when we create this chasm between us and Earth. Apparently, you were the marrying kind, Raven One, and that was a bit surprising to Chasm – especially the Chairman.”

  Kimberly smiled slightly. Dek gave the right answer before the snide follow up, she thought, but his profession of progressivism rang true. Still, she had seen far too many intelligent men Dek’s age fall to romantic notions when an attractive woman was in their sights. She used it to her advantage when she could, but otherwise, such notions just made men weak.

  “If what you say is true, that Amberly would consider marriage, that’s the influence of my firstborn, her disappointment of a sister, no doubt.”

  “The Marine, North, also seems to have somewhat of an influence on her,” Dek said. “Although she was quick to betray him to get us access to this ship so we could recover you before we began our final Magellan operation.”

  Sparks was visibly frustrated, and playing with her strawberry blonde hair. She was not interested in the topic of marriage. “Can’t you guys talk about Dek’s social life later? I’m still not sure how we are going to be able to take Magellan offline and not get ourselves killed in the process. I still think it’s a horrible idea, to destroy a waypoint, especially one close to Arara.”

  “It is a shame,” Kimberly admitted. “But if we take Magellan, and our comrades cannot take the other waypoints between here and Arara, it will be for nothing. If it came to war, and we didn’t capture Cortes, we would be behind enemy lines. They would starve us out. But if we destroy Magellan, it makes the gap too big for Earth to stage an attack. And it would take Earth three or four decades to build and replace the waypoint. By that time, we’d be ready. We would finally be free of the shackles of dear Mother Earth.”

  A thought dawned on Sparks, and she grew pale. “But we have teams on Cortes, Marquette and Gilbert. Of course, they fight for Marquette because it is the closest to Arara, and possibly defensible. But then would the Chairman really have ordered the destruction of Cortes, Magellan and Gilbert? There are like 25,000, maybe 30,000 people on those waypoints.”

  “There is an old Earth saying,” Kimberly said, deadpan. “You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.”

  “I’ve never even tasted eggs, well, not real ones,” Dek said to no one in particular.

  “I have friends on Cortes. Good friends. Not part of Chasm. From our cohort, Dek,” Sparks said. “Are we really going to allow them to die?”

  “We don’t have any choice,” Dek said. “There is nothing we could do about it now. But if we follow Scorched Earth Protocol, we may arrive in time with the American Spirit to save the Chasm loyalists, at least.”

  “And if Scorched Earth Protocol really is in effect, wouldn’t we have heard from Chasm operators on Gilbert?” Sparks asked.

  “In an ideal situation, yes,” Kimberly said. “But Scorched Earth was never meant for an ideal situation. If the Chairman has invoked the protocol, it means she must believe that saving the waypoints is not an option or too risky to the whole operation.”

  “But what about —”

  “Enough, Sparks!” Kimberly raised her voice, and then calmly continued. “Enough. I need to go see Amberly right now.”

  She rose and headed for the corridor that led to the sleeping quarters.

  “Besides, I have my plan now. Go to the bridge and get us headed back toward Magellan. But take it slow.”

  Amberly was starting to recover from her state of shock. I need to be calm, so I can be ready to do the right thing when the time comes, Amberly thought. I just wish I knew what the right thing was. A rap came from the door.

  “Amberly, I am coming in,” Kimberly said, in the sort of tone a mother would use when she was about to spray disinfectant on her child’s open wound.

  The door slid open, Kimberly stepped in, and then the door slid closed. The two of them were alone.

  Amberly looked up, tears streaming down her face. She wore one of the most pained expressions Kimberly thought she had ever seen. She sat down next to her daughter and gently took Amberly into her arms.

  The last time Amberly felt the comfort of her mother’s arms was six years ago, when she was a very young 13.

  “Oh, Amberly,” Kimberly was crying now, “I’ve missed you so. My dear, sweet Amberly. Oh, I know you have a million questions, and you may be very angry at me. I understand. But for now, let me just look at you.”

  Kimberly stood up and stepped back, holding both of Amberly’s hands up. The family resemblance would be obvious to anyone with sight. Amberly’s round face was clearly a younger copy of her mother’s. They were the same height, and though Kimberly was nearly 30 years older, her body had nearly the same figure specifications as her daughter. Although Kimberly’s bust and hips were slightly larger than Amberly’s, Kimberly still had more of a wiry, scrappy look to her. This was probably due to her long-term isolation where she had tight rations and plenty of time to do strength-building exercises. Amberly had felt her mother’s strength through the embrace, and it was new and something she didn’t remember. Her grip was powerful.

  “Look at you,” Kimberly said, as she took one hand and ran her fingers through Amberly’s hair. “So beautiful. No wonder that Dek boy likes you. I gave you some great genes, even if you did get your father’s ginger hair.”

  Amberly took her hands and placed them on her mother’s cheeks. “Mom,” she spoke slowly and deliberately, “Where is dad?”

  “Your father is dead.”

  “What happened to him? What happened to you?”

  Kimberly stepped back from Amberly and sat down on the far side of the bed.

  “What happened?” Kimberly asked herself slowly, with monotone evenness. “What happened? I can’t really say. It was horrible. I can’t talk about it. It’s too hard. Maybe later.”

  Kimberly stared vacantly for about 10 seconds and then shook her head as if clearing cobwebs.

  “Let’s talk about you! Dek tells me you are in the Science Corps now. I’m so proud.”

  “No mom, we need to talk about you first. I mean, you run away for six years, you were secretly part of this Chasm group, and you can’t tell me how dad died. All you need to know about me right now is that I grew up while you were gone.” Amberly fought to control her emotions. She had already grieved the loss of her father, but seeing her mom alive had reopened old wounds.

  Kimberly stared warmly into Amberly’s eyes, trying to measure the emotional fortitude of her favorite daughter. Can she handle what is to come, Kimberly thought, and more importantly, will she be friend or enemy?

  Kimberly had never thought about what she would have to do if Amberly did not side with Chasm. But once she did think about it, she knew she would do the same to Amberly that she did to Joti if it came to it. If she was willing to sacrifice an entire waypoint for the cause, then surely, she knew she must be willing to sacrifice what was closest to her as well. In a way, Kimberly thought, I have already proven I am willing to make the sacrifice because I was willing to walk away from a daughter I loved dearly for the most formative years of Amberly’s life.

  “Fine, Amberly, fine. We’ll do this your way,” Kimberly said, breaking the stare and semi-reclining on the bed. “By now, you know what I think of Earth: they want to control and oppress Arara by holding us back from our true potential, teaching our young to worship their fantasy god, and denying us the technological advances that belong to all humanity. As long as we have an umbilical cord to earth — the waypoints — we will never mature and come into our
own. Reliance is slavery. Arara cannot grow in the shadow of Earth. It’s time for us to leave the nest, and the only way to do that is to create a chasm.”

  “You mean a literal chasm? You mean to … destroy the waypoints?”

  “Originally, we had hoped to spare Magellan, only destroying Waypoint Gilbert to create the interstellar gap needed for Earth to leave us alone. But now it seems we have orders to destroy Magellan, too. And I wonder if the Chairman means to destroy all the waypoints in her reach, minimizing the chance of Earth closing the gap.”

  Amberly was immediately horrified at the thought. The case her mother made about how the connection to Earth retarded Arara from reaching its full potential made sense, but at what price? North, Lydia, Skip and even Kora, dead? She was about to challenge her mother’s apparent inhumanity, but two thoughts flowed nearly instantaneously through her head that held her tongue.

  First, Kimberly could be right. Maybe sacrificing Magellan was the most utilitarian action. It was hard to fathom, but Amberly was mature enough to know sometimes hard choices had to be made for the good of … the most? Second, she knew that while the woman in front of her was her mom – the woman who pushed her to excel in school, taught her to dress sharply, have manners, and be independent – she was also someone else who Amberly never saw.

  Kimberly was someone who was willing to toss Joti out of an airlock for some reason unknown to Amberly. Clearly, nothing was more important to Kimberly than the cause, than Chasm. If Kimberly was willing to leave her daughters behind for Chasm for six years, there was a good chance she was willing to airlock them as well, reasoned Amberly. Either way, she knew the best thing to do now was to allow her mom to believe she leaned toward Chasm.

  “Sometimes you must sacrifice the things you love most to do what is right,” Kimberly said. “Perhaps even Magellan. She’s been a true friend, and I know that she is all you know.”

  “Mom, it’s home, my home,” Amberly said. “There has be something else that can be done.”

  “No, Amberly, you have never seen a real home,” Kimberly said. “Soon, the time of sacrifice will be at an end, and we will reap the rewards of a free Arara. Do you remember what I promised you? I will take you to your true home. Mother Arara is beautiful and unspoiled – unlike Earth.”