“We’ve got plenty of time to kill on the return trip,” said Silhouette. “I think I can teach you a few things.”
“All right then.” Nguyen sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. “So tell me how to make this thing go.”
Epilogue
Senator Folami watched from her office at the top of the Erdian Congressional Edifice as the Krajova lowered down from the storm clouds above and landed on a nearby platform. Davi, her bodyguard, was at her side. He followed the leader of humankind, making sure to avoid stepping on her lengthy coattails, as she left her chambers and made her way toward the patchwork of a ship.
She arrived at the breezeway to the Krajova as its boarding ramp unfolded. Silhouette walked down the ramp, alone. She was wearing the same suit she had been in when Folami last saw her at the Institute, only now it was covered in an assortment of bandages. After Silhouette stepped onto the platform, several biohazard personnel ran into the Krajova, while two more tended to the Senator’s Enforcer.
Silhouette was sprayed with a cleansing foam and scrubbed where she stood, then she was rinsed and guided over to a medical transport at the end of the platform. Folami approached her operative before the biohazard crew had loaded her into the small ship.
“Is the girl still alive?” asked Folami.
“Yes,” replied Silhouette. “She’s in the infirmary. I put her in a medically induced coma as instructed, Presider.”
“Excellent. She will be taken back to the Terraforming Studies Institute. They will treat and examine her there. The board finds it fascinating that she was the only one who remained unaffected after being exposed at length to Thuun’s poisonous atmosphere.”
“She’s a lucky girl.”
“As are you, Silhouette.” Folami motioned for the medical crew to continue their procedures. “You will be taken to my doctor. We will debrief after he releases you.”
“Yes, Presider.” Silhouette looked behind the Senator to see her brother, Davi. She nodded to him, and he returned the gesture. Beyond Davi, she caught a glimpse of Nguyen as the girl was being rolled down the Krajova’s ramp on a gurney. “I promised her the ship,” she said to Folami.
“Then it will follow the girl wherever she goes,” said the Senator.
Silhouette stepped into the transport and plopped down on the medical bed, closing her eyes. The mattress molded to her form and supported her in all the right places. She heard the doors close. One of the examiners unwrapped the bandages around her leg— the other powered up the vehicle and turned up the heater. Something pricked her arm. It was soon followed by a comfortable warmth that she felt as it was pumped into her veins. A light rain started to bounce off of the transport’s external shell. It was the last thing she heard before she fell asleep.
* * *
“So where is the evidence of Daemon interference?” asked Folami. She was seated next to Sue. They were in one of Folami’s Erdian skyline penthouses, sitting on wooden barstools at a countertop which overlooked the city below. The wallscape of windows allowed the morning rays of sunlight to brighten the entire apartment.
Sue held a warm mug of coffee in her hands and rubbed her thumb across the little yellow bird on its surface. She was wearing a tank top and shorts, her injured leg encased in a flexible plastic cast. “I told you, there wasn’t any. That gaia is what caused the colonization efforts to fail.”
“Your mission was to find evidence of Daemon interference, Susan. I never told you to investigate the cause of the facility’s destruction.” Folami was signing documents as she spoke.
“But there wasn’t any.”
“I thought you had a clear understanding of your mission. I now know that I was wrong.” Folami put her pen down and met Susan’s eyes. “All I asked of you was to find me something that pointed toward the Daemon. Those TSI scientists and the mercenaries were just for show, something for the media to talk about. They were sent to investigate and rebuild, but it did not matter what they found because you were supposed to prove otherwise. You were supposed to link the gaia to the Daemon so we could label it as a premeditated deception and attack on humanity.”
“Wait,” said Sue. She put down her coffee cup and left her seat. “You knew about the gaia? How? Why didn’t you inform me?”
“It is such a silly misunderstanding that everyone believed the Jjask warning to be a mere legend. I’ve spoken with their leaders myself. I know that the gaia are real, as well as the other universal anomalies that they were so kind to alert us about. It was as simple as reading the most recent colonization reports from Thuun; that’s all it took before I knew what we were dealing with.”
“You had reports from the facility on Thuun? The mission briefing said that there had been no communication for some time, that it had been cut off.” Sue started pacing between the rooms. Rage swelled in her voice. “What the hell? You always inform me— of EVERYTHING!”
“No,” said Folami. “I don’t.” She carried Sue’s mug into the kitchen, placing it in the sink. “I needed your Ocu recordings to be honest. If you knew about the gaia and the demented colonizers you would have acted differently. It would have come across in your ocular recordings that you knew exactly what to expect, that you knew what you were looking for. I needed those videos to be devoid of such knowledge, of our intent.
“You had to come off as surprised by your findings. The horror, the pain— it had to be real.”
“Well it’s all fucked anyway, isn’t it?” Sue gathered her hair and tied it back into a ponytail. Between the sunlight and anger she was getting overheated. “There were no Daemon on that planet. Your plan failed.”
“It is unfortunate that you did not complete your mission, but that is why I always have a backup plan. I’ve watched some of your recordings already. They display exactly the fear and curiosity I was hoping for. All we have to do now is superimpose some Daemon emblems onto the walls of those caverns or add in some temple architecture on Thuun’s surface somewhere. Objects are easy to realistically manipulate in an ocular recording, but raw emotion? Those inquisitive eye movements? Impossible.”
“I can’t believe you would deceive me. I could have died because of your lies.”
“Your likelihood of death would not have been any different with the knowledge. You were never going to walk around without that mask on, so you were never going to be in any threat of the gaia’s antigen.”
“Still, to assume that much...”
“I was right, was I not?”
“Whatever.” Sue returned to the counter and turned her back to Folami. Frustration and sadness coursed through her body, her mind throbbing, heart sinking. How could Folami mislead her? Sue’s trust in the woman had shattered. She may have not been the kindest person over the years, but Folami had always been honest. Or had she? How many times had Sue been lied to before? How many secrets had been hidden? I thought this was a partnership. Have I been nothing more than a tool of hers for all of these years?
“Tell me why you did all of this,” said Sue. “What’s your plan.”
Folami’s shoes knocked on the wooden floor as she walked over to her Enforcer. She placed a fresh cup of coffee on the counter in front of Sue, as well as a plate with several warm cookies, and then she sat next to where Sue stood.
“War,” said Folami. “Our allies in the Intergalactic Senate want to break the Accords and remove the Daemon Empire’s presence from this quadrant of the universe. We don’t have the military strength to provide support in any of the battles ourselves, so I agreed to find probable cause, enough so that our allies can initiate a crusade against the Daemon in defense of humanity.”
Sue had already eaten one of the cookies and started on a second. “So what do we get out of it?”
“Well, aside from fortifying a bond with our strongest allies, we get to claim the three nearest Daemon worlds as our own. That is, if all goes according to plan.”
“I see.”
“I intend to return the Ashfallen t
heir homeworld if they agree to be a vassal state of humanity. We do not have the current need, nor resources, to colonize three worlds in the near future. Offering one planet to the Ashfallen will gain us an ally, and commendation from the Senate.”
Beep Beep Beedee Beep Beep
Folami looked at her hand where a ring on her forefinger was buzzing. The ebony band lit up with a digital display. “It’s the Defense Minister,” said Folami. “I should take this call.” The Presider held her ring up to her ear and walked into the adjoining room. “What do you need, Dawkins?”
Sue looked over the skyline once more. She had been losing interest in this whole Enforcer business ever since she had saved Davi from the Burmin slavers on planet Nye. Maybe it’s time to put in my two weeks’ notice, she thought. Leslie doesn’t need me to continue pursuing her interests. I’m just a tool, one that can be replaced.
She felt as if she would be letting Folami down. Sue didn’t want to disappoint the woman, but then again, did it really matter? Had it ever mattered? Sue had believed that she was like a child to Leslie, a friend, a confidant, but now...what if it was all a lie? Leslie had made a world of difference in Sue’s life, though the efforts had always benefitted Folami as well. She tried, but she couldn’t think of a single occasion where the woman had done a selfless act for her adopted child, or anyone else, for that matter.
Who would Susan Singh be if she was to walk away from it all? She had been forged into a weapon for the Presider, for the Cooperation. Leslie Folami had raised her as an assassin— not as an individual, not as an adult woman who knew what she wanted to do with her life. What would she want to do?
Sue was lost in thought, her gaze drifting to the blue sky above the city.
“Susan!” Folami yelled from across the apartment. The call rocked Sue right out of her daydreams. The Presider rarely raised her voice. “Get to my ship, now! Davi!”
Sue’s brother, Davi, slammed open the penthouse doorway and ran into the room with his arm cannon in the ready position. “What’s going on?”
Sue ran to the Presider’s side. “What is it?”
“Susan, Davi.” Genuine fear had taken over Folami’s eyes. “We have made a grave error. Erde is being evacuated, effective immediately.”
“What?” said Davi. “Why?”
“Thuun is on its way here.”
“The planet?” asked Davi. He looked to his sister and watched her eyes widen as her mouth hung agape with disbelief.
“Yes,” said Folami. “The gaia has followed the path of the Krajova and is on a direct course toward Erde. We have little more than an hour before impact.”
* * *
There wasn’t much time to think. Sue pulled on her suit, while Folami gathered a few important items from her apartment, and then together with Davi they ran out to the penthouse balcony and into Folami’s executive transport. The transport was not capable of interplanetary travel on its own, so they flew over to the Erdian Congressional Edifice where the Archon’s Starship One was stationed.
Folami was on call with numerous Erdian leaders and members of her own staff. Two Erdian fighter jets pulled up to either side of the transport as it flew, escorting the Presider to her destination. Sue called Linn several times before her friend had finally answered.
“Hey, girl,” said Linn. “It’s been a minute.”
“Linn! Drop whatever you’re doing. Get to a warpship now and leave Erde.”
“What? But I’m in the middle of—“
“No, Linn, this is serious. You must be in line for a warp before the news breaks out, before everyone else scrambles to get a spot on the public ships. Get your ass off this planet. Erde is about to be destroyed.”
“WHAT?!”
“I’m heading to Fujisan. Don’t go home or to the bank or anything. Just get out. There’s no time.”
“Oh-okay. Um. Shit! Uh...I think I have enough money for a warp to Torris.”
“You still have my card, right?”
“Yeah, it’s in my purse.”
“Use it. Get to the nearest warp as fast as you can and take the first flight out. Please, Linn.”
“Ok. Going. I’ll try to call you when I get to...wherever I go.”
* * *
The transition from Folami’s executive transport to Starship One was expedited by the numerous staff members who had repeated the emergency evacuation drill countless times in preparation for such a scenario. Upon landing at the ECE, Folami was ushered to where her personal starship waited to take off.
Silhouette and Davi followed close behind as the Presider was escorted onto her ship. A guard closed the door behind them after they boarded, and as soon as Folami was secured in her seat the starship lifted off from the platform, pushed itself away from the building, and then soared right out of the atmosphere.
* * *
“Preparing for warp,” announced the pilot over the starship’s comms.
“Hold it there, Toruk,” said Folami from her executive cabin. Toruk had been her pilot, her traveling companion, for the last several decades.
“Madam Archon,” said Toruk. “Do you wish to alter our course?”
Folami stood from her seat and walked over to the mini-bar located just outside of the starship’s meeting room. She poured herself a gin and tonic. “Toruk, keep the Fujisan warp passage open. We’ll head that way soon. For now, can you move us to outer orbit, approximately ninety degrees opposite from Thuun’s approach to Erde?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Silhouette removed her headpiece as she stood from her seat. She and Davi walked over to join the Presider.
“Would either of you like a drink?” asked Folami. They both shook their heads.
“Why are we altering course, Presider?” asked Davi.
“Follow me.” With drink in hand, Folami led the others down the hall to the starboard observation deck.
“We’re still in the impact zone,” said Sue. “The debris will destroy this ship. We need to get out of here.”
“We’ll be fine,” said Folami. Toruk moved Starship One as Folami directed, positioning the ship so that they had a clear view of Erde from several thousand miles out. “The news has been released all across Erde. Look.”
Folami, Davi, and Sue stood at the large window, watching as, over the course of a few minutes, the trickle of escaping warpships and starships turned into streams of traffic pouring out in all directions from the planet.
“Why?” asked Sue. “Why are we watching this?”
“Because,” said Folami. “My decisions and your actions led to this.”
“Look,” said Davi, pressing his finger against the window. “A comet. Or is that...?”
“Yes,” said Folami. She took a sip from her drink. The ice jingled in the glass. “That would be planet Thuun.”
Escaping ships raced away from Erde’s atmosphere and blinked out of sight as they dashed into the galaxy. Thousands would rise from the planet and disappear every few seconds, twinkling across Erde’s surface like fireflies. Within minutes, the Thuun comet had crossed the galactic sky and positioned itself between Erde and the Sun, casting an eclipsing shadow over the human world.
“It’s going to crash into Erde,” said Sue. “We’ll get caught in the shockwave.”
Folami walked up close to the window so that she could see nothing but the catastrophe that was taking place before her. “Thuun is not a meteor, Susan. It is a gaia. The creature does not want to destroy the world, but to inhabit it.”
Thuun’s approach slowed as it closed in on Erde. Many millions of Erdians had already escaped the planet, but several billion more were still stuck on the world as Thuun pushed itself to within a hundred miles of Erde’s surface. It paused in space, floating in Erde’s orbit and forcing the human planet to react to its own gravitational pull.
Thuun was smaller than Erde, but not by much. Some fleeing ships crashed right into Thuun’s surface, unable to avoid the additional gravitational forces.
A myriad of tentacles reached out from Thuun’s surface like the arms of countless octopi. Though hardly visible individually from such a distance, as a growing cluster they looked to Sue like threads from a loom that were being woven over Erde’s surface.
Black smoke rose from where the vines gripped as they tore through cities and burrowed into the Erdian crust. Thuun pulled itself into Erde, creating planet-shaking quakes as the celestial body fused with the human world.
Then, the vines retracted. Planet Thuun’s hollow corpse was pushed away as the gaia bored a hole into Erde’s surface and hauled itself into the planet. The countless, squid-like appendages followed the creature into the hole, into Erde’s depths. Magma swelled from the cavity. Erde’s atmosphere was consumed by ash and smoke.
Leslie Folami, Presider of the Cooperation, Archon of Erde, Intergalactic Representative of Humanity, finished the last of her drink. “Destruction breeds creation,” she said, then she turned away from the observation window without meeting the eyes of her companions and walked into her private quarters, shutting the door without another word.
“Preparing for warp,” announced Toruk over the comm. His voice was quiet, dejected.
Sue and Davi both took a moment more to look at their devastated world before returning to their seats.
“This isn’t right,” said Sue. “No amount of progress is worth the price those people had to pay.”
Davi didn’t respond.
Sue reached over and grabbed her brother’s hand. “I love you, Davi.”
“Love you too, sis.”
Starship One’s energy cells whined as they surged with power.
Sue couldn’t help but think about her life on Erde. It was gone now. She was hopeful that Linn had escaped in time, but the life she had built for herself was taken away, just like her childhood home had been, just like her family. She would have to start fresh.
Again.
But this time she wasn’t alone. She had Davi, and she would find Linn. Life could be whatever she wanted it to be. She had skills. She had friends. She didn’t need to be cared for any longer, didn’t want to be controlled by anyone else ever again.
Deceit of Humanity Page 10