Randoms

by David Liss

  My heart pounded in my chest as I began to speak. “When the Phandic ship attacked the Dependable, it cut through the shields much more quickly than the bridge crew expected. I later learned that it was using new weapons technology, which the Confederation would be able to learn how to counter. So my question is this: If the Phandic ship did not intend to destroy the Dependable, why waste a one-time advantage on the attack?”

  The Phand slammed his hands down on his table. “I have no idea!” he shouted.

  “Unable to verify veracity of response.”

  Vusio-om snorted. “Then I shall say that information is classified, and I need not reveal more than that.”

  “That is true,” Junup said. “He need not be made to provide information regarding military secrets.”

  He didn’t have to answer. The facts were now out. “That’s all I wanted to ask,” I said, and I sat down, knowing I had done what I could, and hoping it would be enough.

  I returned to my seat, and Vusio-om called his final witness: Nora Price.

  She stood and stepped forward to face the council.

  “How well do you know Zeke Reynolds?” asked Vusio-om.

  “I met him only when his name was provided to my government,” she said.

  “Other than the day he destroyed a Phandic cruiser, have you ever seen him engage in criminal activity?”

  “I have not witnessed such activity.”

  “What about morally dubious activity?”

  “The day I met him, he attempted to extort special favors from the leader of my nation in exchange for his listening to the proposal from the Confederation representative.”

  She was talking about my asking the president to help my mother with her insurance.

  “Are you saying,” Vusio-om asked, “that Ezekiel Reynolds would not entertain the possibility of helping his world advance into a technologically superior civilization unless special favors were granted to his family?”

  “Essentially, yes.”

  “And did this surprise you?”

  “I thought it lamentable that he did not appreciate the opportunity presented to him.”

  I looked at Dr. Roop, who was busy rubbing his horns nervously. Ms. Price had sold me out, just as I thought she would, just as Tamret had warned me. The woman from my own world, my own country, who was supposed to be looking out for me, was trying to make certain I was delivered over to the enemy.

  “You participated in a debriefing session immediately after the destruction of that ship?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did he say he regretted his actions?”

  “No. Quite the opposite. He said he was glad he had destroyed the ship.”

  “Did Ezekiel Reynolds inquire how many beings were aboard the ship he destroyed?”

  “No. He was mainly interested in defending what he had done.”

  “And as far as his associating with the criminal delegates from other species, did you have any objections to that?”

  “I did,” Ms. Price said. “In fact, I told him to stop spending time with those beings, but Zeke would not follow my instructions. He refused to listen to me.”

  “Even though you are in a position of authority?”

  “Correct,” Ms. Price said.

  “Thank you, Nora Price. I have no further questions or witnesses.”

  She returned to her seat and smiled at me and Dr. Roop as though we could not have objected to anything she said. Dr. Roop would not meet her gaze, but I felt myself trying to bore a hole in her face with my eyes.

  Vusio-om now told the council he wished to make a summary statement, and he was given permission to do so.

  “Members of the council, I believe what has been made clear here today is that Ezekiel Reynolds had an understanding of the destructive power of dark-matter missiles, was familiar with your rules of engagement, and in spite of this knowledge, fired ten of the most terrible weapons you possess . . . at a single ship. There is no possible interpretation of this act but a clear desire to kill. Given that he has expressed pride at what he did, a willingness to do it again, and has shown no regret for his actions, I believe we must conclude that Ezekiel Reynolds is an unrepentant killer.

  “His species, the humans, are guilty on their home world of the most monstrous atrocities: murder, slavery, genocide, the deployment of weapons of mass destruction against civilian populations. The same is true of the Rarels, the Ish-hi, and the Ganari. I believe that the deaths of my comrades are the direct result of the selection committee’s deliberately choosing to recruit barbarian species out of recognition of the Confederation’s fading power.”

  “With all due respect,” said the quadruped, “you have no idea what the selection committee intended. None of us do.”

  “That is where you are wrong,” said Vusio-om. “As is known to your chief justice, as well as to other high-ranking members of your government, the ship carrying your selection committee was detained when entering Phandic space illegally. Your leaders have been briefed as to their location and condition. We have had the leisure to learn much from your selection committee about this group of initiates.”

  The data collectors, in their tight little cluster, began to speak excitedly among themselves. Three bombshells had been dropped: first, that the selection committee had been intentionally recruiting species with a tendency toward violence; second, that the members of the committee were alive and held prisoner by the Phands; and third, that members of the government knew all this and had kept the whole debacle a secret.

  “I cannot comment on classified information,” said an embarrassed-looking Junup, “but if you are holding our citizens hostage, then I ask you to release them.”

  “They are not hostages; they are criminals,” said Vusio-om. “However, should we find ourselves in a situation in which relations between our two cultures are more amicable, I believe we would be inclined to free those prisoners as an act of goodwill.”

  And there was bombshell number four. If the council voted to hand me over, the Phandic Empire would free the committee members. Great. These guys were all politicians. They were probably friends, ate at one another’s houses. Who would the judicial council want to protect more—their colleagues or an alien troublemaker?

  Junup looked flustered, but once he had returned the room to order, he announced that it was time to call for a vote.

  Dr. Roop had explained to me that the council would cast their votes using their bracelets, and that once all votes were in, the results would be displayed on the screen behind the bench.

  I watched as each member appeared to lose focus and then nod to him- or her- or itself. The entire process took less than thirty seconds. No one seemed to take much time to deliberate, and yet I think I felt every heartbeat in those seconds. Dr. Roop whispered something in my ear, and I was unable to concentrate enough to listen, but I nodded. What happened now would seal my fate on this station, maybe the fate of my entire planet.

  Finally the insignia of the Confederation broke apart, and the screen began to assemble the tally. Letters and numbers presented themselves, and though my nanites translated them, they were still nothing but gibberish. I couldn’t make myself see them. Then, all at once, they snapped into place.

  Six members of the council had voted to refuse extradition; four had voted to approve. I slumped in my chair as the meaning of this information hit me. I was safe.

  Vusio-om launched himself to his feet. “I was promised justice, not a farce!”

  Dr. Roop was hugging me, and then he was shaking my hand, Earth-style. The data collectors were busy talking and recording and typing excitedly. Somewhere in all this, Ms. Price had excused herself, and she was nowhere to be seen.

  Junup, for his part, looked furious. Had he expected things to go the other way? Had he been sure they would? I had no idea, but in that moment I felt
absolutely certain that Junup had wanted me to be sent to the Phands.

  Vusio-om rose from his chair and stormed down the aisle. He then turned to face the council, dropped his jaw, and vomited prodigiously once again. Once again it was disgusting, and once again no one needed to tell me that this was a gesture of contempt.

  “I see now I was wrong to place my faith in Confederation justice,” he said, slurring the last word. “You ask me to prance about for your amusement, but you never intended this to be a fair hearing. I now say, for all to hear, that Zeke Reynolds is a criminal, and his very world is an abomination. We shall take steps to cleanse the galaxy of its contagion. As for you of the Confederation, you claim you seek peace, but you offer up insult. Understand me when I say that there will be no peace while Ezekiel Reynolds lives.”

  So saying, he left the court.

  Vusio-om’s words stung me because I understood them for the threat they were. The Phandic Empire did not consider this matter resolved, and their beef was not with the Confederation, but with me. More than that, Vusio-om had uttered almost the exact words used by the Klingon ambassador about James Kirk in Star Trek IV. That was bad news, because if the parallels continued, I would find myself living in Star Trek V, without doubt the worst Star Trek movie of them all.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  * * *

  The data collectors swarmed around me as I left the hearing room, but Dr. Roop made a serviceable bodyguard, and soon we were past the press of cameras and camera things and hovering recording devices and shouted questions. A secure area had been set off to the side, and Dr. Roop took my arm and gently steered me in there to wait out the chaos.

  Tamret was waiting for me, and the instant I stepped through the doors she ran over and threw her arms around me. I knew she had been watching on the news outputs, and that meant she’d seen that I’d been forced to talk about the things she’d done. I only hoped she didn’t hate me for it.

  “I’m sorry I gave you up,” I said softly, feeling dizzy in the wake of all that had happened.

  “You tried not to,” she said. “You did everything you could to protect me.”

  “I’m glad you know that.”

  I saw her face grow dark with rage, and I thought my inexperience with females of any species had led me to make a huge error. Then I realized Tamret was reacting to something else entirely. Charles, Nayana, and Mi Sun had just walked into the room.

  Tamret walked toward them, fast and steady, swaggering like a predator. One of her fingers jabbed the air, her claws out. Her expression was dark, and her mouth was open, exposing her sharp canines. “You have a lot of nerve coming here.”

  “I know,” Mi Sun said, holding up her hands. “Dr. Roop messaged us when he found out the data collectors were going to broadcast the hearing, and we saw the whole thing. I’m really sorry, okay? I’m so sorry to both of you. I didn’t know she was going to use it against you.”

  The apology seemed to confuse Tamret. “What, so now you care what happens to me? To Zeke?”

  Charles was about to answer the question, but he was distracted by Ms. Price, who entered the room. Mi Sun strode up to her, looking every bit as dangerous as Tamret had looked just moments before.

  “Before anyone gets angry, you need to understand something,” Ms. Price said.

  “I understand you’re a liar,” Mi Sun said, her voice cold and full of contempt, “and I’m sick of it! You told me you weren’t going to do anything to hurt her, and then you used what you tricked me into telling you against Tamret and Zeke? A member of our own delegation? What is wrong with you?”

  “I am doing everything I can to protect our world, which is a lot more important than any one person.” Ms. Price spoke slowly, her voice thick with constrained fury.

  “That’s what you tell us,” Charles said, “but I begin to wonder. I am through cooperating with you. We have discussed this, and we are all in agreement.”

  “I don’t think you know what you’re saying,” Ms. Price told him.

  “And I don’t think you know what you’re doing,” Mi Sun said. “You’ve been against Zeke from the beginning. You’re the one who made us box him out.”

  “I advised you how best to advance to eighty levels,” Ms. Price clarified. “I’ll remind you that the Rarels and Ish-hi have ostracized their randoms as well.”

  “The Ish-hi and Rarels don’t have a random who saved an entire starship,” Charles said. “After that, you still ordered us to turn our backs on Zeke.”

  “Wait, what?” I said, but they were not listening to my insightful commentary.

  “It is a historically valid practice,” she told them. “I knew he would bring down the team scores. Look at him. He’s level nine.”

  “You don’t really believe that, do you?” Mi Sun was now shouting. “He logs every possible hour in the flight sims. He destroyed a Phandic cruiser. He’s constantly playing and winning those stupid Former games. Do you honestly think he’s only level nine? He’s holding back on his leveling to fly under the radar—for all the good it’s done him.”

  Ms. Price stared at me, her expression dark and murderous. “Is this true?”

  “Initiates are under no obligation to use skill points as they achieve them,” Dr. Roop told her. “Frankly, I wonder why this possibility upsets you so much.”

  “Quiet, Skippy,” Ms. Price said. “No one’s talking to you.”

  “Skippy,” I informed her, “was a kangaroo. Not a giraffe.” Someone had to take a stand for pop-culture justice.

  Mi Sun turned to me. “Zeke, while we were watching the hearing, we all agreed that we were wrong in how we treated you. It would have ended a long time ago if Ms. Price hadn’t told us that Earth’s future depended on us not being friends with you. We’re all really sorry.”

  Tamret took my hand and glared at Mi Sun. “He doesn’t accept your apology.”

  I appreciated her coming to my defense, even if I would have phrased things differently.

  “Thank you,” I offered Mi Sun.

  “Don’t thank her,” Tamret said coolly. “I hate her, and so do you.”

  Ms. Price balled up her fists and let out a groan of frustration. “You all need to grow up!” she shouted. “You think this is a game? The Phandic Empire, the most dangerous collection of beings in the known galaxy, wants Zeke dead, and you are treating this like it’s a Taylor Swift song in space. Don’t you understand that you are all in danger? Our entire planet is in danger. Did you not hear the ambassador just threaten the Earth? You want to think I’m the villain, but I am trying to keep as many humans alive as I can.”

  “Would they really attack Earth?” I asked Dr. Roop.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “They haven’t done anything like that in the past, but they’re angry, and, uh, they may be willing to take more drastic steps than they have in the past.”

  I knew what he meant. Maybe in days gone by the Phands never would have dared to attack a planet the Confederation was evaluating, but now things might be different. Had I endangered my world by refusing to face Phandic justice?

  “Do I turn myself over to them?” I asked Dr. Roop.

  “Don’t be an idiot!” Tamret shouted. “Dr. Roop, tell him not to be an idiot.”

  “Do not be an idiot,” Dr. Roop said.

  “But Earth might be in danger.”

  “The Confederation has a vast fleet,” he said. “Command understands the situation. Earth will be protected.”

  “Were the Ganari protected?” Ms. Price asked. “You are kidding yourself if you think the Confederation is going to inconvenience itself for our little planet. I hate the idea of having to hand Zeke over, but my duty is to my country and my world, and that will always come first. It should come first for all of you, too.”

  She turned around and marched out of the room. No one said anything for a long time
. Every time I began to think I understood a person or a situation, it seemed the rules changed around me. I felt like I needed to get away, not least because I suddenly realized what was so familiar about the appearance of the Phandic ambassador. The shape of his head was exactly like that of the artificial fighters in the sparring room.

  All this time, the Confederation had been training us to fight Phands.

  • • •

  A couple of minutes later, Captain Qwlessl and Urch walked into the room. I greeted them both. The captain hugged me and Urch slapped my back until I begged him to stop. Then the captain took me aside.

  “I can’t stay long,” she said. “This hearing diverted me from an ongoing assignment, but I wanted to stop by and see you before I left.”

  “Dr. Roop told me what you were prepared to do,” I said quietly.

  “It doesn’t matter now because it wasn’t necessary.”

  “It matters to me.” I looked over at Dr. Roop, who was looking at us and pretending not to. “It matters to him, too. I think he still likes you, by the way. If you’re wondering.”

  “That was a long time ago,” she assured me. “Back then, I actually considered converting for him.”

  “You two are from different religions?”

  “No, nothing like that. It’s what we call it when we change our outward appearance. Sometimes when members of two different species want to be together, it’s easier if one of them changes his or her exterior.”

  “You can do that?”

  “To a degree,” she said. “You can’t make yourself into an Ish-hi and have your friend’s abilities, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s all cosmetic, but it can make for a happier relationship. But our lives got in the way, and here we are now.”