by Luigi Robles
Pycca slowed down and began to listen more carefully to what Fain was saying.
“You see, I’ve never believed that I was the best there was,” Fain said, stopping just a few feet away from Pycca. “I just wanted to be good enough to help, good enough to make a difference. But when I found out that I was in the top two percent on the battle simulator, and then number one, I couldn’t stomach it. Since then, I’ve been giving it all I have. Every single ounce of me has been poured into this operation. Because I want to give humanity a chance to survive whatever is coming.”
“If you don’t believe that you are the best, then what are you doing here?” Pycca asked. “Why not just resign or refuse your promotion?”
“I think that there will always be someone better, smarter, sharper, faster,” Fain said. “But until that person is found, and until the ESAF scours the globe, I am all they’ve got. Perhaps if we had more time, they would have done just that. The same goes for you, and for the rest; we are not perfect, but we can try our best.”
“I might have had the wrong idea about you…” Pycca said, turning to face Fain for the first time. “But only a fool would believe it without seeing it.”
“I’m good with that,” Fain said with half a smile. “If you’ll let me show you.”
“Do I have a choice?” Pycca asked. “You are the captain; I have to follow orders and do what you say.”
“Captain means nothing if people don’t genuinely believe it does,” Fain said. “And to be totally honest with you, it means nothing to me either. I haven’t earned the meaning. But you are wrong about one thing.”
“And what is that?” Pycca asked.
“The way I see it, you do have a choice,” Fain said. “And I am fine with that.”
Is this guy for real? Did he just come in here and completely change my mind about the matter? Damn, he’s good. But I will not fall for it. I won’t believe this until I see it. I won’t allow it.
“So, then we will see what happens,” Pycca said.
“Sounds good to me,” Fain said. “So, about my other question...”
“Yeah, what is it? You said that it was something only I can answer,” Pycca said.
“Earlier today, Green told me that there were many kinds of technology on board this ship,” Fain said. “Some that we were able to understand and surpass, but some that were beyond us and that we were nowhere near understanding. I am trying to get to know the ship as best I can, and I figured I’d start there.”
Wait, why am I smiling? Quit that now, Pycca thought as she felt a slight smile appear on her face. I’m not going to change my mind. It’s not that easy.
“I guess the easiest way I can explain it to you is by showing you,” Pycca said, trying to sound as dry as possible. But this kind of stuff was her world, her comfort zone. “And for that, we’ll need to take a ride to the rear of the ship.”
“I’m ready when you are,” Fain said.
“Just give me a minute while I finish putting this away,” Pycca said as she turned back to her work area.
Pycca didn’t look, but she heard Fain clear enough, walking outside the room and waiting for her there. Him standing out there waiting for her didn’t bother her as much as she thought it would. On the contrary, she was sort of looking forward to the little field trip. It wasn’t every day that someone was interested in this kind of thing, her world. But she didn’t allow herself to feel that way; she fought the feeling. Pycca took her time cleaning the area. She didn’t exaggerate, but she did not hurry either.
“So how do we get there?” Fain asked as Pycca stepped outside the room.
“Kya, can you bring me a corridor pod?” Pycca asked, and seconds later the pod appeared before them.
“After you,” Fain said.
Pycca puffed as she got in the pod, and Fain followed.
“Where would you like to go?” Kya asked.
“Take us to the main power room,” Pycca said, squinting but trying not to.
The pod launched fiercely from a standstill, reaching full speed in a matter of seconds. As Pycca tried to adjust to the pod’s high speed, she took a peek towards Fain, something that she instantly regretted. Fain saw her and smiled back at her as if nothing was happening, while Pycca was holding on for dear life. She tried to sift through all the reasons why he was so comfortable at these speeds, but she gave up and held on to her seat instead. High speeds were the one thing Pycca was not particularly good at.
The pod slowed as they arrived at the destination.
“You have arrived at the main engine room,” Kya said as the double doors began to open on one side of the pod. “Please watch your step as you exit.”
“Thank you, Kya,” Fain said as he got out of the pod.
Pycca got out also, feeling a bit embarrassed for showing weakness to Fain. The best thing that could happen was that he wouldn’t bring it up as a conversation starter, or at all.
“So, this is it?” Fain asked as he stepped inside the massive room. “The heart of the ship.”
“You could call it that,” Pycca said.
“I’m not sure why we aren’t calling it that already,” Fain said. “It looks just like a heart, arteries and all.”
As Fain mentioned it, Pycca too found the resemblance to a heart in the main engine. But the shape was more cylindrical than anything else, and it was two stories high, covered all around in thousands of root-like wires. But it was not messy; it formed more of a web-like structure. Everything about the room was precise.
“You know, about earlier,” Pycca said, blushing. “I have a problem with speed; that’s why I was holding on so tight, that’s all.”
Pycca, what the heck are you doing? Why are you bringing it up? she thought.
“And so do many others, and I think that’s perfectly normal,” Fain said with a slight smile on his face. “I’ve only grown used to it because of all the training I’ve been through, but at first I was horrible at it. So, this is one of the things we cannot begin to understand?”
“This is it,” Pycca said, glad to change the topic. “But don’t get me wrong, we understand it’s controlling this whole structure and what it does, where in the ship it goes, and how much of it goes where. But what we utterly fail to understand is what’s inside. We call it the quasar. This was the only part of the ship that was intact.”
“Do we know why that was?” Fain asked, looking bemused by the whole structure.
“There are many theories about it, but I think it’s because it’s in the safest part of the ship. In fact, I call this part of the ship the onion, because it’s surrounded by a large amount of armor layers that make it quite hard to get to.”
“That makes sense,” Fain said.
“As for the quasar, we know little about it. We have done exhaustive research to try to replicate it, to look inside it or to benefit from its power outside the ship, but each one of those attempts has failed. It’s only recently that we’ve given up on trying to understand it. Because with our current technology, and even borrowing technology from the ship, we still cannot fathom it.”
“Has it always been this active?” Fain asked.
“Its activity has increased lately,” Pycca said as she too stared into the churning light coming from within the heart of the ship. “For a while, when the ship first got here, it was only producing as much power as a small nuclear power plant—that’s 12,900 megawatthours a day, to be exact. We are expecting that number to drastically rise as the ship becomes more active. We just wish we knew more about it; so far, the ship has been doing this on its own.”
Fain let out a whistling sound. “That sounds like a lot of power, and you say that it has increased lately?”
“It was quite enough back then,” Pycca said. “It allowed us to work on the ship, to do research, and to rebuild it. Now that power has grown to nearly sixteen times as much. I feel as if it’s getting ready for something.”
“And all that power is contained there?” Fai
n said as he pointed towards the heart of the ship.
“Yes, and also in various battery-like modules spread throughout the ship,” Pycca said.
“So, we’ve never really gained control of the ship?” Fain said, appearing to be lost in thought.
“It would seem that way,” Pycca said. “But this is all we’ve got and all we can do for now. The ship has been kind enough to reveal most of its secrets to us thus far. Humanity has advanced because of it. Perhaps we aren’t ready to know it all.”
“Yeah, maybe you are right,” Fain said as he turned to face Pycca and lowered his voice. “Talking about knowing it all, why isn’t Kya allowed near the council room?”
The question caught Pycca off guard, but she knew it would be coming; she just didn’t think it would be so soon. The council on board the ship was the one thing that no one discussed openly. Everyone suspected that they had ears and eyes everywhere, that the council followed their every move, and no one knew a thing about the council. The only thing that they knew was that the council outranked everyone. Many personnel who had tried to get to the bottom of it, who tried to find out more about the council, had mysteriously disappeared.
Pycca turned to look steadily at Fain, trying to convey a sense of warning. “This is something you shouldn’t ask because you already know.”
If Fain’s meeting with the council had gone at all like Pycca’s meeting, she knew that he would understand what she meant.
Fain nodded slowly. He looked like he was thinking but Pycca couldn’t be sure.
“Well, there’s no sense in trying to find something like that out,” Fain said. “I guess I’ll get going. I won’t take up any more of your time. I’m interested in having a chat with the professor. After that, I figure I’ll go help out Larissa with whatever she needs.”
“Larissa is more than capable of handling anything that’s thrown at her,” Pycca said. “Besides, shouldn’t you be getting familiar with the ship’s controls?”
“Yeah, there’s no need for that, at least not now,” Fain said as he began walking. “The ship’s controls are exactly the same as in the simulation, and I am already intimately familiar with them. So, I figured I’ll make myself useful somewhere else. Alright, see you around.”
Why is he so nonchalant about this whole thing? Or is he just pretending? Who are you, Fain Jegga?
Pycca knew that she had a decision to make. Either she was going to trust Fain fully or not at all. She didn’t have the luxury of time in this case. The fate of the world might depend on it. Knowing full well that she could choose not to, she decided to trust her new captain. But not as captain of the ship, just as Fain, another human just like her, trying to protect Earth. Pycca knew that the change wouldn’t be like switching on a light; it wouldn’t happen instantly. But she had made up her mind to try and adjust as best she could.
You have my trust, Fain, Pycca thought. Take care of it, because if you break it, you’ll never get it back.
4
Experiments
Jonathan found himself staring at the results of his latest experiment. It had failed, but that didn’t stop him from smiling. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the experiment was a success. He was working on a vaccine that would inject the genetic Acram language into a living being, thus giving it the ability to speak the language in the purest form.
“Computer, let’s set up another experiment two hours from now,” Jonathan said as he rubbed his temples. “We’ll use subject Three A and reduce the dosage of the serum to .005 ml this time.”
That cannot possibly be too powerful for the mice, can it? he thought.
Aside from Kya, Jonathan’s computer AI was the most advanced in the ship. Sometimes it was easy to forget that he was talking to an AI mind; that’s why he never gave it a name or a voice tone. He just called it “computer.” But even so, he often took pride in having such a powerful tool at his disposal. He was given such a powerful computer in order to help decipher the alien language.
“Experiment has been scheduled,” the computer said. “Would you like to make changes to the ambient temperature inside the testing cube?”
“You know what, yes,” Jonathan said. “Thank you for reminding me. Let’s go ahead and change that as well. How about we lower it down to sixty-five degrees exactly. No! Scratch that. Turn it down to sixty-four.”
“Adjustments will be made,” the computer said. “Is there anything else that you would like me to add to the task list?”
“No, that’s all for now,” Jonathan said as he adjusted his glasses and smiled.
Jonathan knew the language, at least the basics of it, but he was keenly aware that there was much more to the Acram language than what he knew. His theory was that the language would be able to communicate much more than just meaning; he thought that through the language, the purest form of feelings and power could be interpreted.
Their tiny brains are just too dumb to comprehend the importance of my research, Jonathan thought as he leaned back in his chair. In fact, if they had any brains at all, they would be devoted to the cause and expand the reach of my equipment. It doesn’t matter though. Soon, very soon, I will have the breakthrough I’ve been working hard to achieve. And it will be then that they will understand the true power of knowledge. I just hope they can get it done before the Acram come. It could only be that way. It should only be that way.
Jonathan was grinning now as he raised his legs to the top of his desk.
On the other hand, there is nothing to be learned from the Herrion language. Their language was used just to communicate, nothing else. I’m glad we were able to decode it in a matter of years. I couldn’t stand it, just like I can’t stand being on this disgusting ship. The Herrion had poor taste; it’s no wonder their civilization was torn to pieces by the great Acram. The conquerors. The fools at ESAF are mistaken if they think that Sodenia is going to stand any chance against what’s to come. If I have learned anything from studying them, it is that they are the definition of absolute power. Their language commands obedience; it oozes power. That is why, if you command the language, you command power.
I wonder if the council suspects me yet? Jonathan thought. So what if they do? It will be in their best interest to keep me alive. I am the only thing that will be able to communicate with the Acram. The power that makes me feel is electrifying.
A familiar two-tone ring sounded throughout Jonathan’s lab, breaking his train of thought.
“What is it now, Kya,” Jonathan said. “I am quite busy at the moment. Please tell whoever it is that wants to bother me to come back some other time. I have no time for now.”
“I am afraid I can’t do that,” Kya replied.
“And why not?” Jonathan asked, getting up from his chair.
“It is Captain Jegga that came to see you,” Kya said.
“I suppose that changes things,” Jonathan said. “Please let him know that I am wrapping up an experiment. One minute should be enough time.”
“Very well,” Kya replied.
“Computer, turn on the lights,” Jonathan said as he began to tidy up his desk. “Go to sleep, encrypt everything, and go into full protection mode with six-step verification when you turn back on. Nobody but me has access to you.”
Only after Jonathan was sure that his powerful AI computer was put to sleep did he speak again. “Kya, you may let Captain Jegga in.”
Captain Jegga walked inside the room, not bothering to look around. He wasn’t on a tour of the ship; it looked like he had specific questions that only Jonathan could answer.
“Captain Jegga,” Jonathan said with a full grin on his face as he walked up to greet Fain. “What a delightful surprise. Pardon the wait; I was finishing an important experiment. Please come in.”
“Professor Jonathan,” Fain said. “I did not mean to interrupt. I hope that you were able to finish your experiment correctly.”
“Ah, yes, yes,” Jonathan said as he gestured towards his guest
seat in the small lobby inside the lab. “That was no problem at all. Please have a seat.”
Both took a seat. Jonathan assumed a relaxed position, with both of his hands on the back of his neck, while Fain crossed one leg and sat up straight on the couch with his right hand on his knee.
“Thanks,” Fain said. “Listen, I won’t be here too long. I just came to ask you a few questions that I hope you don’t mind answering.”
For a second, Jonathan felt his stomach touch the floor as the thought occurred that Fain could possibly be onto him. But he quickly dismissed that thought, as he knew that it would be impossible. The information that Jonathan kept to himself was well hidden under a plethora of locks and other misleading information.
“No, not at all,” Jonathan said. “If your questions are within my reach, I will be happy to share everything I know about the matter. If anything, I think that the more information we equip ourselves with, the better our chance against the Acram.”
“That’s good to know,” Fain said. “All right, I won’t beat around the bush. Just how much do we know about the Acram? Why exactly did they come here? How much of their language do you know? And what of the Herrion race? What were their motives?”
I’m impressed, Jonathan thought, while he pretended to think how to answer that question. When Fain says something, he means it. He is diving directly into the good stuff. But the real question is, how much am I willing to tell you. You should only know enough to keep us alive until I can successfully communicate with the Acram myself.
“I’m assuming that you’ve had access to more material than anyone else,” Fain said. “Since you are studying the language. And you have been working on it for many years. So, what can you tell me?”
“You are correct to assume that,” Jonathan said. “I am the leading expert on Acram. Nobody has ever come close to my level of research. I’ll tell you everything I know, but I’ll have to be blunt about it.”