Dawn of Hope- Exodus

by Dobrin Kostadinov

  ‘Do you realize that the decisions we’re about to make here may cost both our own lives and those of the soldiers?’ Alan said bitterly, pointing at the floor under his feet. Downstairs, the wounded are being tended to on the first and second levels, the survivors are trying to forget what happened earlier, but how about the dead? What do you think they are doing? Nothing, because they’re dead! Go explain that to their loved ones. I can’t watch women weeping for their husbands, I can’t bear looking at the kids who are looking for their fathers, I just can’t!’ With tears brimming in his eyes the American felt the loss of the soldiers and the absence of his family very keenly.

  ‘We have to go back to Earth, there must be a way to handle the current situation there,’ his cousin added, supporting his words. The Professor just sat down without uttering a word as though he was offended by the conduct of his crewmates.

  ‘Since you care so deeply about the widows and the orphaned children, you will go and tell them after we head back for our home planet that their husbands have died in vain.’ Tom stood up and put an end to the argument. ‘Everyone onboard this ship has lost something. Before we departed with Iris 1 we were prepared for the worst case scenario. No one has forced you to be here. You should be grateful that at least you have the chance to change something.’

  ‘But they may defeat us tomorrow, we’re vulnerable now,’ Mila exclaimed, sitting close to the Colonel.

  ‘I have no doubt of that, since you’ll be at the front line,’ Alice cut her short viciously.

  ‘You shut up, you’re nobody here!’ the Russian retorted in an even more vicious tone.

  ‘No, you’re nobody here because if it hadn’t been for us, none of you would have stayed alive to face the third day of resistance. All the weapons and the elite fighters are here thanks to Milev, the two of us and one other person that you don’t even know. A great man who gave up his life even before he had set foot on the ship. So stop acting like scared little missies, all three of you!’ the English woman bit back, entering the polemic out of the blue. Perhaps she was tired of keeping silent, yet the tension between the two beautiful women was plain to see from day one, but they had somehow managed to tone it done until this moment as they did not want to make it too visible.

  ‘I’ll show you who’s scared!’ Lieutenant Nikolaevna hollered and sprang at Alice, furious.

  ‘Go on, Mila, teach her!’ the two Americans incited, feeling insulted by Alice’s words. Just before a bloody fight had broken out, Liu and Hiroshi who had barely spoken a word grabbed her tightly by the arms, trying to subdue her while Harry held Alice back as she, too, wanted to show what she was capable of once she got enraged. The two divas were little short of blowing the hall up and the scandal already involved half of those present. I was wondering whether that called for being filmed or not, but in any case I was going to edit the footage afterwards, so I said to myself why not?

  ‘Let go of me, let go of me! I’ll bash her face!’ the blond yelled frantically, obviously having a lot of pent-up anger inside; the two men found it hard to keep her restrained.

  ‘Silenceeeee!’ Thomas yelled very loudly, hitting the table with his fist so strongly that the aluminum plane bent out of shape and the drinks that rested on it got spilled. Everyone was completely dumbfounded and looked at him stupefied. ‘I’m sick of your nonsense! If anyone wants to go back, Iris 1 is all yours. Now let’s give the floor to the Professor. No one here knows more than he does, so you’d better show him some respect. If anyone interrupts him, I’ll personally make them regret it!’ The burly Russian put them down a peg or two, inspiring some awe in them. That was something he had mastered to a fault.

  Awkward silence fell over the room. The council was polarized: one group wanted us to leave Menoetius and return home in disgrace and the other insisted we stayed here like martyrs and tried to have another shot at what we thought we deserved to have. I, for one, did not wish to go back to Earth, nothing good expected us there. Here, on the other hand, things were not any different, death was a shade closer on this planet. I could not even pick a side, the dilemma was too intricate. I just hoped that they would not resort to my opinion in the end since whatever decision I could offer, it would rest heavily on my heart, if we lasted that long at all. After a short pause Roman finally rose up and decided to lay out the plan that he and his colleague had devised. He had devoted all of his time on that project. His eyes were bloodshot from the prolonged sleeplessness, his body was depleted and the additional sorrow that the absence of his family brought in was excruciating.

  ‘Let me first say that this is not any easier for me either. I, too, want to see my loved ones, but even if we go back, they may no longer be among the living. I suppose you’ve seen the recordings from the last news broadcasts captured by the ship’s receiver. Have you?’ the scientist asked.

  ‘Yes,’ a few voices said quietly at once.

  ‘I know we’re divided. Some of us want one thing, others want another thing and I want a third thing. Let’s set ourselves another objective. We have to try to destroy the closest colossus again. If that happens, I believe we’ll have the time we need,’ Zanev said.

  ‘What’s your suggestion?’ Milev asked.

  ‘The bomb has to be detonated either from inside the mountain or on its very top. If there is a chance to dig a deep enough tunnel and get to the middle of the mountain, we’ll be successful. As for the second option, I’m not so sure it will work, but at least it will be better than attacking it at the base as we did today. If that fails as well, we pack our bags and go back to where we have come from,’ the Professor summed up.

  ‘Why don’t we attack right now?’ Hiroshi asked enthusiastically.

  'In these meteorological conditions the plane will encounter some trouble, not to mention that if it gets too close to the mountain, the communications will break down. I suggest one of you accompanies the plane to the site once the storm subsides and it’s safe to go outside.’

  'Isn't that too much of a risk on our part?' This time it was Liu who spoke; his presence in the hall was barely perceptible.

  'There's always a risk, but if we don't take action, this will be the least of our problems. You have to understand–we have just one bomb and just one opportunity, should we fail, everything we've achieved so far goes to the dogs!'

  'I will take it there,' Thomas said decidedly. Everyone looked at him amazed. 'If I do the job fast and clean at the first possible moment after the weather stabilizes, we may not have to engage in another battle with the Vacari at all.’

  'That's my plan,' the Professor continued. If we destroy the source of the their power, we'll buy ourselves some time and this is of vital importance in this case. If our forecast is correct, it will be another nine to fifteen days until we enter into a battle like the one we were in today. The second closest magnetic mountain is over three thousand miles away from here. The power of its radiation is in inverse proportion to the distance, besides assembling a numerous enough army will also take time. That's exactly what we need. That will be our window of opportunity to build a defense line of current-increasing transformers which will impregnate the environment with electrified molecules. Or, to be more precise, with electric self-defense towers. When a creature, irrespective of its species, gets close to that area, it will be instantly fried by the electric arc. This is the simplest possible and most effective thing we managed to come up with for now and the best part is that even if this defense system is on, we, humans, can evade its destructive effect by inventing Faraday suits for everyone. This will protect us from the deadly current.' Roman announced something really promising. Everyone present listened to his ideas deeply interested and he continued. 'I've entrusted a team, personally supervised by Jean-Pierre, with the task and this is just the beginning. As warriors you know that attack is the best form of defense. Right now we're developing two exceptionally powerful weapons. They're almost identical, but they differ in their purpose. The first one is a las
er rifle which will fire beam bullets at a speed of 10,000 times per minute. Due to its large size it will be mounted on the highest point of the ship. This will be our final defense, it will have quite a long range of action and it will be extremely effective with multiple fast moving targets. The second weapon will be a mobile laser one, most probably installed on Iris 1 and for the time being that ship seems to be the only machine which will be able to carry the weapon into the sky. We need to demolish as many of the steel mountains around us as we can or, if possible, all of them. Our goal is to design a machine that produces concentrated light beams which will be focused on a specific point in space, smaller than 0.04 square inches in size at a temperature of a 1,000,000 ° C. A laser with such specifications will be capable of melting one of those colossuses at the middle for a few hours,’ the scientist laid out the plan of action which sounded more like a science-fiction brainchild rather than a real-life executable project.

  ‘Is that even possible?’ Scott asked, astonished. Perhaps after those words he would be willing to reconsider his preference to leave the planet, I thought to myself.

  ‘Absolutely! We have the materials, the brainpower and the machines needed, all we need is a little time to do our job in peace,’ Alléguié piped up unexpectedly.

  ‘I will make everything in my power to provide you with it tomorrow. The two of you need to continue your developmental work; this could be our only chance to keep our ship intact as well as to lay the groundwork for us to secure a definitive victory over the Menoetian dominant species.’, Thomas added. ‘For now we remain combat-ready. Professor, what is the forecast? Are we under any potential meteorological hazards?’

  ‘The satellite which German Ascend has launched upon its arrival is fully operational now and it gives us extremely precise data, but the last bits of information that came in were a slightly odd. The weather is expected to improve considerably tomorrow morning,’ the Professor answered and the Colonel gave it a moment’s though and then continued.

  ‘They may be preparing for an early attack. What do you think?’

  ‘I don’t know about that. What I do know, though, is that once it stops raining, you need to act fast,’ he said encouragingly. Thomas nodded in agreement.

  ‘I believe we have it all cleared up. Tomorrow will be a day of paramount importance. Let’s hope that at least once we’ll have everything pan out in our favor. Well, it’s time for you to get some rest or do whatever you wish because you may not have another opportunity,’ he said and dismissed the meeting.

  ‘Wait! Before you all go to your rooms or wherever you intend to go, I want to tell you something,’ Milev dropped out of the blue. I’d like to thank you, all of you. The research ship crew–you did an amazing job at the front line. Zanev and Jean-Pierre–you’re exceptional, without you we would not have gotten this far. Harry and Alice, we’ve been together in this right from the start, I’m proud of you! Colonel Ivanov!’ he said and turned to salute Thomas. ‘Perfect tactics and management of the whole situation today. Ladies and gentlemen, I’m happy we were side by side in the gravest of moments. You earned my respect. If I die fighting tomorrow, I’ll leave this world in peace because I know that you will keep fighting for all those people down there,’ he concluded, pointing at the decks below our feet. He was very sincere in all that he said, but just a few of those present really saw through the meaning behind them. Most of them accepted his praise eagerly, but it was only Thomas who went up to him and shook his hand. Those two men had something in common, something even I could see. You could read no trace of fear in their eyes and that made them more united than even old friends could be.

  That put an end to the last of a series of meetings of the German ship’s commanding staff and it also happened to be the last one in which all of those people were ever to occupy one place . . .

  I turned the camera off and left the convention last. Only the service staff, the pilots and the chief engineers whose work never ceased, even when we took some downtime, remained in the hall. I strode through the doors right into the corridor, but to my surprise I was not alone. Someone was waiting for me outside, someone important–Milev himself.

  ‘How are you doing, boy? You seem a little tense to me,’ he asked yet again, God knows why, and I still failed to fathom why that man was concerned about me.

  ‘Yes, I am. I’m just under pressure. I almost lost my life today and no one knows if I will preserve it tomorrow,’ I said frankly.

  ‘Look, if you want, you can quit. I can’t force you to stay. You’re not one of my subordinates, nor do you owe me anything.’

  ‘No, I’m not giving up. This is what I do best, it might not be much, but I think I can handle it.’

  ‘I offered you this job because on our way here I saw you are a very curious person who is persistent even when he is scared. You were strolling around all the corridors, I saw you even went downstairs in the metallurgical complex just so you made sure that the place really existed. This is the exact kind of people I need–ones who are not afraid of standing alone outside of the herd.’ I actually got praised by the man who was rather generous with mаking snide remarks and who even harassed the more emotionally unstable of the soldiers just to test them. Yet I still could not wrap my head around why he treated me so kindly.

  ‘I’m glad that’s what you think. I hope I don’t fail you,’ I murmured.

  ‘You won’t, I’m sure of that,’ the Officer said, inspiring hope in me, and then he continued on his way. He was a few paces ahead of me, but we were once again headed in the same direction, since I was going to the mess hall for dinner and our routs seemed to be coinciding. The Officer noticed that I was walking after him without bothering him because I still felt somehow uneasy to talk with someone of his rank. But he slowed down and we were now walking shoulder to shoulder.

  ‘Where are you headed?’ he chatted me up again.

  ‘To the mess hall to have a bite, I still haven’t eaten anything and I’m at the end of my rope,’ I answered.

  ‘Don’t go there, come with me and have a piece of good meal.’ That was an interesting and unexpected offer he made.

  ‘Don’t you eat the same food as everyone else?’ I asked, surprised.

  ‘No, why would you even think that? You know that there have always been different standards for ordinary people and those in higher positions. The officers from the ship’s crew–the pilots, the chief engineers and so on, all of us are on a different diet. We need to stay in good shape and the food they serve you down in the mess hall is very simple, it has to satiate your hunger and that’s all. It can’t give you the energy you need to handle physical loads. Even the soldiers eat different food although they wait in the same lines as you. They are given three times the energetic rations you do, besides they have extra food in their rooms in case they need more. Everyone who is not a civilian here gets something more.’ He explained to me about that unfair treatment of proportions larger than the ones I expected as we strode down the gloomy corridor.

  ‘Don’t you think that’s unfair on those who get less?’ I asked directly driven by anger as I was a member of that very same group of unprivileged people.

  ‘No, not at all. Look, the ship has food supplies only for half of the passengers and they should be happy that they have something to put in their mouths at all. I can’t deprive my people of what they receive because that’s the only good thing they get onboard this ship. They’re risking their lives after all, do you think that’s fair?’ he said in a clear and distinct manner as he knew he was right. What mattered was that despite the double standard no one went to sleep on an empty stomach. ‘If we have to be completely realistic, that’s something you wouldn’t have at all if right now you were on Earth and even though you’re a reporter, I don’t think you’re thoroughly acquainted with the original idea behind the exodus.’

  ‘I’ve heard a few conspiracy theories that said only those who could pay will get onboard the ships, but I didn’t k
now what to believe,’ I said frankly.

  ‘Things run much deeper than that, you’ll get to know just how much in a short while,’ he said as we halted in front of his room and he motioned me to walk in. I did not object at all. That was an opportunity for me to learn something more. The place was not really a lot more sophisticated than my cabin, but it was a lot larger and perhaps better furnished.

  ‘I don’t mean to impose myself in any way,’ I explained as I was still feeling just as awkward as before.

  ‘Relax,’ he responded in just a word and then picked the receiver that was hitched to the wall and called someone. ‘Hello, I’d like to have my dinner. Make it for two, from the best we have,’ he said briefly and hung up. ‘Please, take a seat,’ he invited me at his table–white, surrounded by four chairs.

  ‘What did you mean by “things run much deeper than that”?’ I dived straight into the subject that interested me so vividly from the very beginning.

  ‘We built these ships two years ago, some of them even earlier than that. Four of the ships would have been filled with ordinary people and the fifth with politicians, celebrities and rich people. But, as usual, there were last-minute changes. The funding was insufficient and we had to stitch something up. A clandestine meeting had been organized, one I got to know about by my ex-employer–a fabulously wealthy sheikh of whose security escort I was in charge. A decision had been taken, I was told, that the most influential and well-heeled ones will make an investment of more than a billion dollars each, so that the project could be completed. In return, they were to take their families with them. You have no idea just how many rich and influential people there were on our planet in those final days! After the ships were fully constructed, the seats were all booked and even if anyone wanted to pay and leave, neither their money, nor their entreaties would have gained them a place.’