by Luigi Robles
“Kya, how fast can Sodenia move through space,” Fain asked.
“As of now, its theoretical speed based on its previous movements puts Sodenia at a maximum speed of 350,000 miles per hour,” Kya said. “However, this is only in theory and based on the highest acceleration potentials.”
“OK, wrong question...” Fain said as he tried to think of a more practical question or a different way to solve his dilemma. He needed to get far away from Earth, so that Earth wouldn’t be in danger, but remain close enough that if Earth was in danger, he could still get there to do something about it. He knew about the early warning satellites scattered all across the asteroid belt, but he couldn’t count on that. “How far away from Earth can we communicate?”
“As long as there aren’t any solid obstructions, we can communicate as far away as light can travel,” Kya said. “I don’t foresee communication with Earth being much of a problem, other than the occasional delay.”
“Can you plot a safe course to move us far away from Earth but close enough that we can return within an hour if need be,” Fain said. “But make it so that we are moving at a speed that we can easily achieve, no theories.”
“That puts us at 20,000 miles further away from Earth than its moon,” Kya said. “Would you like to see the course and the calculations?”
“Yes, and send them to the flight crew as well,” Fain said as he took a quick look at the course Kya had laid out for them and set Sodenia to autopilot. “They should know where we are heading; maybe they’ll have a suggestion.
“And Kya, how do I get down to the bridge?” Fain asked as he looked around for an obvious button. “This viewing room wasn’t included in my training.”
“If you pull up the control panel to the right of you, there’s an exit button labeled ‘exit combat mode,’” Kya said.
Fain did as Kya said, and the pilot’s command station moved back to the bridge, with the ceiling closing behind it. As he descended, he looked at the faces around the room. Everyone was cheerful, including Pycca. For a moment, he thought about letting the flight crew infect him with their cheerful smiles, but he knew that the fight wasn’t over—not by a long shot.
If the Acram were really the conquerors of the universe, then there was a lot more to come. A lot more. Fain saw their smiles disperse one by one; perhaps they too had come to the same realization as him.
The room became silent, with only the docking noises of the command stations making themselves audible.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Fain said. “I am extremely relieved over winning the battle; it means we have a real chance at winning more fights to come. But winning a battle isn’t going to win us the war. That being said, after seeing this flight crew perform, along with every officer on board this ship, those aliens have a whole ’nother think coming.”
“Woo,” August said as he clapped.
The rest of the flight crew and officers also clapped.
“Now settle down; we have much to discuss,” Fain said, gesturing with his hands for everyone to calm down.
As the room fell silent, Fain walked over to the center console and pressed the flashing blue button in order to speak to the entire ship. “It looks like we’ve beaten the odds and won our first encounter with the hostile alien forces. But there is one thing that became clear today: what the aliens want is this ship. Perhaps it’s to get rid of Earth’s defense first, or perhaps it is to settle an old rivalry, but the fact of the matter is that until we know for sure, we will head away from Earth. We’ll be going just 20,000 miles further than the moon; that’s about an hour away for Sodenia. So, for now, get comfortable on board the ship. If we receive any further news, we’ll make it available to you. This is the captain, out.”
“So, that near the moon, huh?” August asked as he stood from his seat.
“It’s the best idea Kya and I came up with,” Fain said. “If you have any suggestions, I am all ears.”
“I’m fine with the moon; besides, I’ve always wanted to see it up close,” August said.
“Larissa, Eora, Professor Kepp; can you please come up to the bridge?” Fain asked using his wristband.
“On my way, Captain,” Larissa said.
“I’ll be there in a jiffy,” Eora said.
“Certainly,” Jonathan said.
Eora was the first one to join Fain and the flight crew on the bridge; she looked jubilant.
“Let’s wait for Larissa and the professor to get here,” Fain said, directing his gaze to Eora.
Eora simply nodded and held a slight smile.
“I’ll be quite happy if my services are finally needed by the flight crew of Sodenia,” Jonathan said as he walked into the room, nonchalant. “Although I was in the middle of an experiment just now, but that can wait.”
Experiments? Fain thought. What kind of person experiments while we are under attack? I never asked him what he was doing in the first place, so why did he volunteer the information?
“Thank you for joining us at such short notice,” Fain said. “This meeting won’t take you away from your experiments for long. We just have a few questions. if you haven’t reviewed the footage of what just happened, you can do so now.”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” Jonathan said. “I’m well aware of what happened. I had Kya send me a live feed of what was happening.”
“Captain,” said Larissa as she caught her breath. Larissa looked like she had been through hell. Her long black hair wasn’t straight anymore, her glasses were foggy, and parts of her uniform were stained with oil. But it was a testament to her will. She had surely gone all out for the sake of Sodenia.
“Larissa, I cannot thank you enough for what you’ve done,” Fain said, turning to face Larissa full on. “Because of you, we are alive. You’ve delivered everything I’ve asked from you. More importantly, because of you, all the innocent civilians from the facility are safely on board Sodenia.”
“It was my duty,” Larissa said as a faint blush appeared in her less than clean cheeks. “We have to do our best, the very best we can, if we are to survive this.”
“I agree with that,” August said.
“I do too,” Pycca said.
As much as I want to agree with you guys, surviving this thing is going to take a whole lot more than just doing the best we can, Fain thought. I am still not sure that we can even win whatever is coming next. There’s something off. I get the feeling that this was just a test.
“We need to give Sodenia our best one hundred percent of the time and hope for good results,” Fain said. “Let’s get on to the reason I called you here. Although we were successful in our last encounter with the enemy, we don’t know what that even means.”
The flight crew and professor stood quietly, waiting for Fain to continue.
“There are a few things that are bugging me,” Fain said. “Here’s one of them: The giant laser-type beam they used on the drones could have seriously damaged Sodenia if only they had used it when they first attacked back on Earth. Any theories as to why they did not use it?”
“Maybe it’s not a long-range weapon?” August asked.
“That could be it,” Fain said.
“Perhaps it would have had a different effect in Earth’s atmosphere than in space,” Pycca said. “Kya, can you analyze the footage and the beams’ residue? If I’m not mistaken, some of them might have landed on Sodenia.”
“Analyzing,” Kya said. “The beam was ninety-seven percent composed of chemicals unknown to Earth, but it seems that they are highly igneous in nature. The closest chemical I can find on Earth is Diethyl Zinc, which is known to have a violent reaction with CO2.”
“If they had unleashed that attack while in Earth’s atmosphere, they probably would have blown themselves up,” Eora chimed in. “I’ve seen how Diethyl Zinc reacts to air before; it just turns into flames.”
“That could be it, but even so, I was ready for so much more,” Fain said. “They didn’t seem like the Acram from
before; they were behaving strangely.”
“Less aggressive…” Pycca said. “As if they were weighing their actions. I still remember the first time they came to Earth. Once they started attacking, they did not stop. This time around, it felt different.”
“So, were they Acram, Professor?” Fain asked, looking directly at Jonathan. “Or are we dealing with something else?”
“As there were no communications intercepted, it is hard to tell for sure,” Jonathan said. “But if I am just to base my answer on what I saw, I would have to say that they were not Acram.”
“If not Acram then what were they?” August asked. “They managed to cause a whole lot of devastation even so. If we hadn’t left Earth, who knows what would have happened. That little island we were on is completely gone.”
“Although they were certainly borrowing some of the Acram aesthetic on their ships, they don’t quite match up,” Jonathan said. “The crimson red color is not there; the wings weren’t long enough, and as Lieutenant Evans stated before, they were less aggressive. The most logical theory I can come up with, with so little information, is that they were a subspecies controlled by the Acram.”
“What does that even mean?” August asked as he scratched the back of his head. “I mean, I know what it means, but what does it mean for us?”
“It means that they were gathering information on us,” Fain said wearily. “And they probably have it.”
An officer came into the room and stood just a few steps away from the circle, with his right hand saluting. Fain knew what this meant: that the council had had enough.
“At ease,” Fain said dismissively. “Please let the council know that I will get back to them in a few minutes.”
“Sir, I have orders in case you were to say that,” the officer said, with clear stress on his face. “If you can please go to the council’s chamber now.”
“Oh really, and what were you ordered to do if I said something the council didn’t like?” Fain asked.
The officer, although already looking pale, pointed towards the corridor, where at least ten more officers were waiting. They looked ready to take action.
“You can’t do that; this is the captain,” August said, turning to face the officer and the group behind him.
Tension whiplashed through the room. The flight crew, including Pycca, stared down the officer group. They looked ready to snap into action if necessary. Fain was surprised at the turn of events, but not from the council—he had already been expecting that. He was surprised to know that the flight crew had his back. Had he already won their trust? Or were they just afraid? Or confused? He didn’t know for sure. But Fain did know that it was much too soon to cause a revolt.
“Everyone, let’s just cool it,” Fain said as he made a calming gesture with his hands. “I’ll just have to go see what the council wants. August, you have the bridge.”
“Very well, Captain,” August said.
The officers made way for Fain as he left the room, and none of them said a word. Within a few minutes, Fain was already standing outside the door with the five engraved stars.
Fain sighed, as he knew that what waited for him behind the door was pure self-preserving nonsense; madness. He wished that they would at least let him see their faces, so he could confirm that he had imagined the faces behind the voices correctly.
Would they still act that tough if we were face to face? he wondered. They aren’t showing their faces for a reason; maybe even their voices are being scrambled so they won’t be recognized…
“Fain Jegga,” a disembodied council member voice said. “How much longer are you going to keep us waiting?”
They have probably been observing me since I left the bridge, Fain thought.
“Permission to come in,” Fain said.
The door in front of Fain opened, revealing the same empty room as before, with only five large stars engraved on the wall. Before entering, Fain looked up at the corridor, to the nearest camera nest, hoping that Kya was observing what was happening.
This is bullshit, he thought as he entered the room. His fist wanted to clench, but he tried to control himself. He didn’t want to let them win. He would once again play their game.
“What do you have to say for yourself, Captain Jegga?” one of the council members said. The voice came from all directions in the room.
“Say? About what?” Fain asked.
“Don’t play with us!” the same voice said.
A machine-like robot with clubs for arms and wheels for legs came out of nowhere, hitting Fain on his back, causing him to kneel. Fain had heard of such machines. They served only one purpose, and that was to inflict pain. But he had never heard of those machines being used in the ESAF. They were only used in times of war, with defectors or spies.
Fain decided not to fight the machine; he knew it was a fight he couldn’t win.
“We are alive, aren’t we?” Fain asked. “What else could have been better than that? I did what I had to do to protect all the people in the facility. We left Earth with minimal collateral damage. What else is there?”
“Under whose authority?” A different voice spoke now. “You have not once glanced at the task list that we have been sending you. Our orders were completely different than what you’ve done today. You should not have left for space, and whatever you did, you should have done so without worrying about the people of the facility. They are not our concern.”
These bastards are only in it for themselves, he thought. How can a person have such low morals? If they were the ones in the facility, they would have surely wanted Sodenia to wait for them. There was no way of evacuating them, and there was no way of knowing what the enemy was going to do.
“I am the captain of this ship, and it’s my responsibility to save as many as I can,” Fain said as he tried to get back up, only to get knocked back down by the punching machine. “What’s the point of Sodenia if we cannot protect the people we were sworn to protect? No life matters more than another.”
“Thanks to your little stunt,” the same voice as before said, “we are not going to be able to remain in space for as long as we planned. The people in the facility could have continued loading supplies into Sodenia until the last minute without knowing what was going to happen. Now we have an extra two thousand plus mouths to feed.”
Did he seriously just say that? Fain thought. How did these five ever get on the council in the first place? They don’t deserve it.
“We can always go back to Earth and re-up on supplies,” Fain said. “I thought the plan was to leave Earth all along?”
“Only if Earth was the one being attacked in the first place, you fool,” one of the voices shouted as the punching machine attacked Fain. The machine was cruel and relentless. “Again, because of your stunt, the governing bodies on Earth do not want us back. Now they know for sure that Sodenia is what the aliens wanted all along. As we speak, they have all the weapons they can muster pointed directly at us.”
Fain tried to catch his breath and wiped the blood from his face as the machine stepped away from him.
“You know, I understand this,” Fain said as he pointed at the concrete wall that divided him from the council members. “I understand why you need to hide behind such a thick wall. It’s because if this wall was not here, it would be a different story. I don’t think you would have made it this far.”
“Is that a threat?” one council voice yelled.
The machine approached Fain once again, but Fain was quick to react and outmaneuvered the machine. Fain quickly got behind the machine and grabbed its head with his arms. With the full weight of his body, he held the machine’s head and twisted it until it came off. The machine instantly went limp, unable to continue or follow its orders.
“Fain Jegga, the Governing Council of Sodenia hereby strips you of your title as captain and sentences you to the detention bay until it’s decided what to do with you,” the female voice in the council said.
&nbs
p; The door behind him opened, and there were eight guards waiting for Fain on the other side, with cuffs in hand.
“Please do not resist, Mr. Jegga,” one of the guards said with an agonized facial expression.
Fain looked at the guard who was closest to him; he knew that he could take them on. But he also knew that there would be another eight replacing them soon after. As long as the council had power over the majority of officers on Sodenia, there was little that Fain could do.
8
Substitute
After a long meeting with the council, August walked down the extensive corridors of Sodenia, trying to clear his mind. The meeting with the council had left him with more questions than answers. With every step he took, he began to feel the weight of Sodenia on his shoulders. He needed to talk with someone, but who? Who was it safe to talk to? Who wouldn’t turn against them? And where would the council not overhear? August had long suspected that the council had eyes and ears everywhere.
August must have done a good job at hiding his suspicions, because the council had just appointed him the new captain of Sodenia.
Or could it be that they don’t care? he thought as he walked. And what kind of orders will I be receiving? Will I follow them or do as Fain did?
Fain is three or five times better than me as a pilot, maybe more. Who knows just how much better in strategy. Why the hell did the council take these kinds of steps against him? Is he really that much of a threat to them? If the Acram or whatever subspecies came back, I don’t even know that I could handle it.
Damn, what a precarious position to be in. Just when things seemed to be going in favor of humanity. There are always some stupid humans willing to mess it up for their own sake; to save their own skins. I mean, how dumb can you get? Oh yeah, we are winning, but let me handicap myself and throw away the winning horse because I don’t like how it was winning, August mocked the voices of the council in his head. I think by removing Fain as captain of Sodenia, they’ve doomed us all.