by Luigi Robles
“August…” Fain paused, looking unsure what to say. “I will need your help, to a great extent. I know I’ll be asking a lot from you, but that’s why I’m asking you and not anyone else. If you don’t help me, everything will fail.”
August didn’t want to hear what Fain had to say next, because he knew that Fain wouldn’t say those things lightly. He just hoped that he’d be strong enough to help his friend. They started walking towards the racks of food.
“I’m listening.”
“I’m going to need your help.” Fain paused again, shaking his head. It looked like he was having real difficulty getting out what he had to say. “Sodenia will be going into Immortal territory, but only two people will be on board: Kya and me.”
August instantly knew what that meant. It was a betrayal to the highest degree, but not to ESAF or the people of Earth; it was a betrayal to his friends. August wanted to bury his face in the thick metal plating that made up the docks’ floor.
“Fain, what are you saying?” August asked.
“Kya and I need to go alone to the Immortals’ point of origin, wherever Noble Saavan’s map and Pycca’s location device lead us. And I need your help doing that. Before you say anything or think anything—”
“Well, it’s too damn late for that,” August said, interrupting Fain. “How can I not think anything about this? If anything, it’s all I’m thinking about right now. Like, what the hell, man, we are supposed to be in this together.”
Fain didn’t say a word to interrupt August.
“This is wrong, beyond wrong, and you know it. Everyone is counting on you, and they are willing to go with you and give their lives for you, and you are going to turn around and just break that trust? I almost can’t believe what I’m hearing. Are you sure you’ve thought this through? I mean, I know you’ve thought about it. But are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?”
“I’m sure. There’s no other way around it. It’s the only way I can move forward with this. I know for certain that we have a chance, that somewhere in this whole mess there’s a sliver of hope that we might come out alive. I’d gladly bring you all with me. But I don’t know it for sure. The truth is that I’m counting on the ship and just how far we can push it. And we know that’s not a real strategy, but it’s all we’ve got. We have to take this shot.”
“Wouldn’t you have a better chance with us there? More eyes, more people working the ship. More of everything.”
“I admit, that’s true. But then I’d be worried about all the lives on board Sodenia as well. August, think about it. Sodenia was made for this.”
“What do you mean?”
“The more I think about it, the more I realize that Sodenia was made for this and this alone. A massive, armored, heavy ship responsive to the slightest movement, a planet-shattering weapon that can be controlled by a single person with a powerful AI. Sodenia was meant to do what I’m planning to do now. To have a crew on board, being part of the fleet, was secondary to its design. It’s almost as if the Herrion knew it would come down to this, this specific task. Why else would they design a ship around the pilot seat? The only thing that ESAF got right was to make whoever pilots the ship the captain.”
August couldn’t deny that Fain was making sense. He hated himself for letting Fain persuade him.
“And what about us? Your crew?” August asked, not giving up on his side of the argument. And he would hit where it would hurt the most. “Pycca? Just to hell with whatever we think about it? To hell with what she thinks?”
“Don’t you dare say that,” Fain said somberly. “You know damn well why I’m doing this. This is what I think will give us the biggest chance. I want you guys to live, I want her to live.”
“Then why not just come clean with it? Run it by everyone?”
“If you are having this much trouble with it, can you imagine everyone else? Green and Truman would never agree. Pycca especially would never, ever agree. It would just be one big chaotic scene for days. We need to get ready the right way.”
August let out a sigh.
“So, you’ll help me?” Fain asked.
“You’re asking too much.”
“I know. That’s why I’m asking you and not anyone else.”
They stopped walking once they reached the three-story food racks.
August went over everything Fain had just said once again in his head. He couldn’t deny that Fain was making more sense than not.
“How much of the plan is true?”
“Everything up until we send the drones through the jump gates. Once I see what the enemy territory is like, if I see that there’s a chance, I’ll take it in a second.”
“Meaning Kya and you will go there alone?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“How are you planning to empty the ship?”
“We’ll do most of the emptying here. We’ll take barely enough crew to operate Sodenia normally, the same with the rest of the fleet. Once we send the drones through the gates, Kya will cause distress in the fleet, requiring personnel to assist. We’ll need a lot more shuttles here.” Fain turned and gestured towards the large docks. “To carry everyone out.”
“It’s going to be hard to convince the flight crew, especially Pycca.”
“That’s where you come in,” Fain said, turning to August. “You’ll be the last to leave. If they see you on the bridge, they won’t see it coming. Pycca and a group of engineers should be the first ones to go aid the ship. We’ll need to do this fast, before everyone realizes what’s going on.”
“I have one condition,” August said firmly. “You have to do everything in your power to come back. And I mean everything. Think about it, and I need you to swear to me. Swear to me on your father and mother that you’ll give it everything you’ve got to make it back.”
“I swear.”
August made it back to his quarters feeling distraught. He felt weak and sick to his stomach. He felt like he had just signed away his soul, like he would be committing a horrible act against his friends. He didn’t dare imagine what Fain was feeling. This decision was probably crushing him as well. He took off his boots and jacket before making his way to the kitchen. It was 2300 hours, and he couldn’t remember when the last time was he had eaten something. He wasn’t hungry, but he knew that he needed to eat. The last thing he wanted was some form of anemia to kick in. He needed to be at a hundred percent and then some in the coming days.
While in the kitchen, he took the rest of his clothes off and placed them on top of a nearby chair, leaving him standing in only his boxer briefs. He held his robotic left hand just below the shoulder, pressing against it, and began turning his hand in a circular motion a few times. The movement felt pleasing and relaxing, as if things were popping back into place. August had always felt comfortable in his own skin. Even with his robotic arm, he never minded what it looked like; on the contrary, he thought it accentuated his body.
“So, how long have you known about it?” August asked as he browsed through the menu of the food printer.
He waited for a response from Kya, but there was nothing. His heart skipped a beat, thinking that something might have happened ahead of schedule. He stopped scrolling through the food printer’s menu.
“Kya, are you there?” he asked, already imagining himself running to the door.
“Hi, August,” Kya responded nonchalantly.
“Crap,” August said. “You scared the bejesus out of me. How come you didn’t answer my question earlier?”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know if that was directed at me or if you were talking to yourself. You do that quite often. I try to stay out of everyone’s personal conversations.”
Realizing that there was, in fact, no danger, August continued scrolling thought the food printer’s menu.
“I see,” August said with a sigh. “So, how long have you known?”
“I’ve suspected Fain would want to do something like this since we talked to Saavan on board th
e ISCO. But the entirety of my role in this didn’t become clear to me until he talked to you.”
“And what do you think about it?” August asked in a defeated voice. “Do you think Fain is making the right decision? Are you making the right decision?”
“I believe he is,” Kya said with a more serious tone. “I believe I am. Even if we were to fail, we would have collected valuable data. You guys—the galaxy, I should say—would have an even better chance.”
“Without you? Without Fain? Without Sodenia? Yeah, right. I doubt it. I so doubt it. Hey, but while we’re discussing this, is there anything on this machine that I can just drink and get all the nutrients I need? I don’t have much of an appetite.”
“Would you like a vitamin- and protein-rich smoothie?”
“Yeah, I think so. That sounds better than more than half of the things on here.”
The food printer began moving and loaded a glass into its bed. At that point, August turned around and leaned against the counter.
“As we were saying,” Kya said. “Even without us, without this ship, a second chance is a second chance. Though Saavan and the Golden Armada were defeated, any information we can get from the Acram leader would be of great value in the fight against a common enemy.”
“Yeah, let’s just enable our enemy to conquer the galaxy for sure this time around, with nothing to stop them.”
The food printer beeped, letting August know that his smoothie was ready. August turned automatically, picked up the smoothie and took in an earnest gulp without thinking about it. He found that to be a grave mistake seconds later. The smoothie tasted anything but smooth; it wasn’t sweet or tasty at all. August felt like he was drinking poorly flavored dark chocolate mud, with a touch of corn. Mustering his strength, he swallowed.
“What the hell is in this thing?” he complained.
“Pretty much all the nutrients your body needs throughout a day.”
“This has got to be the most horrible thing I’ve tasted in my lifetime,” August said as he gauged the size of the smoothie. He estimated that it would take three and a half more gulps to finish the whole thing.
“Would you like a different one?” Kya suggested. “Perhaps something more palatable.”
“Nah,” August said. “This is just about the least of my worries.” He took another gulp, this one half the size of the first one. He did his best not to think about the flavor. “So, something I noticed… You call the leader of the Acram just Saavan, while Fain calls him Noble Saavan. Why is that?”
“It’s probably due to Fain having a great deal more respect for him than I do. Though if I was addressing the leader of the Acram directly, I would probably also say Noble Saavan, just out of respect.”
“Fain respects him that much? After all the Acram have done?”
“It’s not respect based on admiration. It is respect of his power, and I believe Saavan treats Fain the same way. While it is clear that Sodenia could have destroyed Saavan’s ship back when we confronted the Golden Armada, it is not clear that we would have survived much longer after that. Hence the respect of honoring a cease-fire.”
“I see,” August said as he took another gulp of the awful smoothie.
“Also,” Kya continued, “I believe that the powers in play during the Acram conquest have died out and that Saavan sits at the top of the chain now. He could turn out to be a valuable ally in our fight for survival.”
“Galactic diplomacy at its finest,” August said. Determined to finish the smoothie, he filled his mouth with the vile-tasting drink.
There was a quiet moment as August attempted to chug down the last remaining ounces of the horrible substance.
“Is there anything else on your mind?” Kya asked once August was done.
“I’m not happy with this whole thing,” August said as he put down the empty smoothie glass. “Not at all. Do you know what a promise is?”
“An absolute declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.”
“Yeah, but I’m not talking about the definition. I’m talking about what it means to us when we promise something.”
“I think I do,” Kya said. “But do elaborate, just to make sure I’m on the same page as you are.”
“A promise is something we ask of someone to feel comfort, reassurance and hope ahead of time. And I need you to promise me something, but if you think you won’t be able to do so, just don’t. I don’t want to feel hope where there isn’t any.”
“I will do my best to take everything you’ve just said into consideration before I make the promise.”
“Promise me,” August said, feeling a slight catch in his throat. “I need you to promise me, Kya. Promise me that you’ll do everything in your power to come back and bring Fain with you. If you see that there’s no chance, promise me you won’t just go and waste your lives.”
There was a moment of silence.
“I promise.”
12
The Champion
It was day five of getting ready to venture into Immortal territory, and for Fain, the last five days had felt like an eternity. He hated himself for having to hide his real plans from most of the flight crew and particularly Pycca. He hated the feeling of not being able to be himself, of always having to watch what he was saying and who he was saying it to.
Since the meeting where the plans to head towards Immortal territory were set in motion, Fain had been having a hard time sleeping. He was lucky to get an hour or two of straight sleep at a time. Nightmares haunted his sleep, and nature hadn’t been his friend as of late; he was getting up several times to go to the restroom at night. His insides twisted, and his stomach often churned at the thought of not seeing Earth, his friends and her again.
Will she ever forgive me? Fain thought the same question every day as he got up. No clear answer ever came to mind. His mind always chose a different path. Well, that’s if we manage to survive this whole thing anyway, Fain reasoned. If Sodenia hadn’t come to Earth all those years ago, what would things be like now? The Acram wouldn’t have come in the first place, searching for the fallen Herrion ship. Well, they would have eventually found their way here, but not as soon as they did. Would we just be unknowingly waiting for the end to happen?
Fain snapped out of the moment and decided not to go down that particular rabbit hole of what if. On the brighter side of things, everything was going to plan, though it was a flawed plan, and everyone was doing their best. Tasks were being completed left and right.
He had just finished getting ready to go to the bridge. He was doing the best he could, but the enormous weight of the task at hand was beginning to break him. He wanted to win, he wanted humanity to survive, though if he was honest with himself, he didn’t know if it was possible.
“Well, I have to try,” he sighed on his way out.
The only thing on the agenda for him today was to hear everyone’s reports and go over the map that Noble Saavan had given him for the fiftieth time. He was beginning to hate that map, but he wanted to memorize all of it; he wanted to know it by heart. At the same time, as he looked at the map, he went through different scenarios in his mind of how the real battle might play out.
On his way to the bridge, he closed his eyes and attempted to relax, something he hadn’t done in quite some time. But he failed. He couldn’t empty his mind, and before he knew it, he was in front of the bridge.
The speed of these things can be extremely annoying sometimes, Fain thought. At the same time, he remembered stories of people falling sleep on their way to destinations at the turn of the century. Sometimes it would take hours to get from point A to point B. But all that changed as transportation became more efficient. He found himself feeling a little bit of envy for those who were able to take a minute or two to snooze before reaching their destination.
He sighed once again as he exited the pod. Sighing had become his go-to stress reliever lately. He didn’t like it one bit,
but it was more effective than not. It helped him regulate the tension and overwhelming stress in his body. As he walked towards the bridge, he noticed something was off; there wasn’t much movement, at least not compared to the usual rush. No one was coming in or out of the bridge, and everything seemed awfully quiet.
Fain hurried in, only to find Kya, the flight crew, Green and Truman on floating orbs and many others, including Eora, gathered around the center console.
“Captain on the bridge,” one of Eora’s gunners yelled as Fain entered. Everyone turned towards Fain. Most saluted him, except those who Fain had explicitly told not to do so.
“What’s happening?” Fain asked, heart already racing.
No one answered; instead they looked towards Kya.
“I believe I’ve uncovered the history of the Herrion relating to the Immortals,” Kya said. “And with that, the origin of humanity.”
Fain took a moment to process what Kya had said, because the implications of her statement were huge.
“Wh-what?” Fain asked as he deliberately tried to be unsure of what he’d heard. But he was sure; Kya’s words had been crystal clear.
“It’s all here,” Kya said as she pointed towards the floor. “In the ship’s archive. The file was triggered to surface during our encounter with the Immortals. But I didn’t notice it until early this morning, while I was trying to find additional information about them. I’ve been waiting for you to play the footage. I thought it was only fair that you see it first, along with everyone else.”
“Play it,” Fain said as he took a deep breath in.
“The last message of the Herrion race,” Kya said as the lights on the bridge darkened.
The main view screen on the bridge turned on and began to display a more than familiar image. At the center of the screen, there was a young man who looked more like a human than an alien. He was pleasant to look at: white hair, piercing light blue eyes, but with tattoos or markings that faded into his hairline and ran in straight lines down into the familiar garments. His skin was pink, pale and smooth. Fain assumed that the person on screen was a Herrion scholar or person of science; he was clearly not a warrior.