The Price of Paradise

by C. S. Johnson

  “Osgood is old-school, if you think about it,” St. Cloud said. “He wants too much done too quickly, and he never thinks about the costs. He hated that you managed to escape New Hope with the Memory Tree, but more because you managed to live through it without any damage. He didn’t care about the tree at all, really, but he was smart enough to grind into some people that patriotic nonsense. Once they were up in arms, I only had to pacify them with the right doubts, and then when I wanted them stirred up again, it was only a matter of letting them loose once more.”

  “Sometimes it’s terrifying hearing how you talk about people.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” St. Cloud said. “In many ways, the elite will disregard a man who goes to war over one who reads books; but it’s men like me, who have seen men at their least humane, who know more about the dark side of the human heart than those professors and students will ever comprehend.”

  “I can understand that,” Exton said quietly. “I’ve lived through enough of that myself.”

  “Don’t romanticize it, Exton,” St. Cloud replied curtly. “You’ve never been so far gone from being a man of honor that you’ve really experienced what it is like to be without it.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Exton retorted, slightly stung but also surprised by St. Cloud’s assessment of him. He didn’t want to want his father-in-law’s approval, but somewhere, deep down inside of him, Exton was afraid that he did.

  Exton watched the monitors as they began reporting different sights of the damage the Redbird had done to the ship. It was small, but it managed to hit one of the outer plantation rooms. He was glad to see the supply capsule had already been released, so there was nothing left there. Aerie had done her job. Hopefully, he thought, she was on her way back to them.

  “It doesn’t matter if I have your approval or not,” Exton said, turning his attention back to St. Cloud as he was thinking of Aerie. “I’m married to Aerie now, so it’s too late for you to give your blessing.”

  Exton had just keyed in Rhodey’s comm frequency when St. Cloud spoke.

  “I already gave you my blessing,” St. Cloud said.

  Exton froze. “What?”

  “I didn’t call you just to protect them, you know,” he said. “That was an excuse. I could have easily let you land and captured you. But I called, because after all the trouble you were determined to cause for her, I knew you would find her and keep her safe.”

  He remembered that call. St. Cloud was taunting and awful as usual—but he was right, too. He could have easily let Exton land at New Hope, and he could have taken him prisoner.

  “I guess I’m not doing that great of a job of protecting her while she’s up here with us,” Exton said.

  St. Cloud’s eyes lit up. “Aerie has always been a handful,” he said. “So I won’t judge you too harshly, even if this is going to end up a suicide mission.”

  Exton turned back to the comm and pressed the button for Rhodey. “I was worried about that, too. I would appreciate it if you didn’t mention that to her.”

  “It won’t be a suicide mission for her,” St. Cloud told him. “I’m—no, we’re—going to protect her.”

  Rhodey answered Exton’s call before he could affirm the General’s statement.

  “That you, Captain?” Rhodey asked. “We’re right and ready down here by the manual release.”

  “Rhodey, do you have a clear shot where you’re at?” Exton asked. “The URS is firing missiles up at us and we won’t get any second chances with any of them.”

  “Felix is the sharpshooter here,” Rhodey replied. “He’s ready on my mark. All I’m waiting for, whether I think it’s ridiculous or not, is your approval.”

  “You have it. Fire away when you have an opening. I’ll keep watch for more bombs.”

  “We’ve done this hundreds of times, Captain,” Rhodey told him. “Felix and I were in the first battalion of UNA’s most decorated legion.”

  Exton almost rolled his eyes. There was nothing Rhodey and his friends liked more than war. He appreciated their skills, but keeping them busy on the Perdition for the last several years had been a chore.

  “Where’s Miguel?” Exton asked. “Is he there, too?”

  “Miguel chose to evacuate,” Rhodey said. “He’s in love with a pretty little lady, and I told him it was his moral duty to follow his heart.”

  Exton was surprised at the news, but he took it in stride. Miguel and Felix had tended to the bombs under the Biovid for years. He was certain Rhodey had control of the situation.

  “Once the bombs are all released, Rhodey,” Exton said, “I want you and your crew to leave.”

  “We have our transportation ready,” Rhodey confirmed. “See you on the other side, Captain.”

  Rhodey signed off, and Exton felt a strange mix of fear and hope inside of him. He knew he could count on his crew, but there was still so much at risk.

  Before he could turn his attention back to the GPI, Aerie burst into the door.

  “There you are,” St. Cloud said, chastising her. “What took you so long?”

  “I had trouble with the Ark’s release,” Aerie admitted. “I couldn’t get it, so I came up here.”

  “There’s a manual release on the Ark,” Exton told her. “I’m not going to worry about it now. I know it was designed with a lot of reinforcement. But the rest of them are out?”

  “Yep.” Aerie gave him a smile. “What’s next?”

  “Rhodey and the others are about to release the nukes,” Exton said. “We just have to wait.”

  “Do you want me to try to contact Osgood?” Aerie asked. “Offer him one last chance to repent and surrender?”

  “No,” St. Cloud scoffed. “But watch the comms. He might try to do that sort of stunt with us.”

  Aerie obeyed at once, while Exton watched as his starship’s monitor beeped. The first nuke had fallen away.

  He watched the bomb as it came into sight, barreling through the edge of the atmosphere, heading for the GPI.

  “We have a hit!” Exton called, as the warhead hit the port side. “Three more to go.”

  “Next one is away,” St. Cloud said. “Headed for the starboard engine.”

  As the warheads were released, Exton held his breath, hoping they would be enough to stop Osgood. He watched as the larger starship, hovering miles off the ground, wondering if the missiles would be enough to stop the GPI entirely.

  Aerie called out to him a moment later. “Exton,” she said. “He’s hailing our ship.”

  “Answer it,” he said.

  “Don’t,” St. Cloud said. “Let him suffer in silence.”

  After looking to Exton, Aerie answered it.

  “Hello?”

  At the familiar voice, all of them turned.

  “Brock?” Aerie asked. “Is that you?”

  “Yes, it’s me,” Brock said. “I’m on the GPI. This is the first I’ve been able to get to the control room to talk with you.”

  “You need to get out of there,” Aerie told him. “We’re trying to stop the GPI before it gets out of the atmosphere.”

  “I noticed,” Brock said. “The ship’s crew is determined to give you a run for your money. Osgood has the lambs going out.”

  Exton shook his head. “I can’t believe he’s really sending people out to their deaths like that.” He glanced over at Aerie’s confused glance. “Fighters are going out to try to stop the bombs from hitting the GPI. They’ll likely die.”

  Aerie’s eyes softened. “That’s terrible.”

  Brock spoke up again. “I wanted you to know Osgood has set course for Petra first. Even if you do stop him from getting out into space, you’ll need to make sure he’s safe. I’m trying to alert Director Ward.”

  “All the escape pods are headed there,” Aerie gasped. She glanced back at Exton.

  His mouth set into a grim line. He knew Osgood was after the defectors.

  “Brock, it’s Exton,” he said. “You need
to get out of there, now. We have a plan, and it will work. But the GPI will be destroyed completely. Get out of there now.”

  Brock’s tone shifted slightly. “Alright, Captain,” he finally said. “I’m going.”

  There was something entirely surreal about Brock finally acknowledging him as his captain. Between Brock’s respect and St. Cloud’s blessings, Exton’s silent, buried concern finally metamorphized into acceptance as he realized the truth: He was going to die today.

  There was no other possible explanation.

  But, Exton decided, he was ready. He faced the front of the ship as if it was his future, and he clung to the faith inside of him. God, let your will be done at last. No longer mine first.

  His only other prayer was that Aerie would be safe.

  “Brock, I’ll keep the lines open,” Aerie said, “so if you land somewhere outside of our allies’ camps, we’ll be able to come and find you.”

  “Don’t try to sabotage the ship anymore,” Exton told Brock, snapping back to the scene before him. “We’ll take care of it. Just get to the escape pods in the hangar; it’s the safest place for you to leave from right now.”

  “Got it. See you guys soon. And Aerie?” Brock sighed. “I’m sorry I wasn’t a better friend.”

  “You were the best,” Aerie assured him. “Be careful.”

  The comm line went down, and Aerie stared at it, unsure of what to do or say.

  “He’ll be alright,” St. Cloud finally said. “He was the top of the class for good reason.”

  Time seemed to slowly resume, before it picked up the pace exponentially. Exton watched as the GPI began to fall, as panels broke off, and as escape pods jettisoned out of its heart, like fireworks bursting against the clouds.

  “Let’s hope it’s enough,” Exton said.

  Aerie came up beside him, placing her hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be alright,” she told him.

  He barely heard her; all he saw was the last nuke explode, his eyes fixated past the mushroom cloud that reached up into the blackness of space. As the cloud dispersed and the light faded, Exton frowned.

  The GPI was still rising. It was still rising, like a dying phoenix refusing to quell itself into its ashes.

  Exton closed his eyes. There were no more warheads.

  He was almost too depressed to answer Rhodey’s signal.

  “Captain?” Rhodey called. “We let the lions go free. Was it enough?”

  Exton slowly let out his breath. “No,” he said. “No, they managed to stop the last one.”

  “Anything else we can do?” Rhodey asked. “Felix and I would be happy to go out with a bang.”

  “There’s only one thing you can do for me,” Exton said. “Get to your escape pod.”

  Rhodey was silent for a moment.

  “Rhodey? Did you hear me?”

  “Captain, there are only two left,” he said. “Felix and I can take the one, but that will only leave you with—”

  “You have your orders, Rhodey.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “It was a pleasure,” Exton said, and then he hung up the line. He couldn’t bear to hear anything else. War was a weird thing, he thought. It made men tougher, but it also made them strangely sentimental. He knew he felt the same way at times, but he would allow himself to indulge in it later.

  If later ever came.

  Exton turned to face St. Cloud. “It’s time for the GPI to go to hell, don’t you think?”

  St. Cloud nodded. “Set the course for the middle,” he said. “Right through the heart. That’ll take care of that. Like a heart attack.”

  “I can extend the plank,” Exton told him with a wry grin.

  “I’m not interested in seeing if it will hold me, before you make some stupid joke about making me walk it first,” St. Cloud warned cheerfully.

  “What’s wrong with you two?” Aerie asked. “This isn’t a game.”

  “I’m glad you know that, Aerie,” Exton said quietly. “Because we’re about to lose.”

  She went very still. “What do you mean?”

  “It wasn’t enough to stop them. Even if we delayed them, there’s always the possibility Osgood will run if we don’t do something quickly.”

  The comm line crackled. Aerie answered it at once. Exton had to guess from her expression that she was tempted to tell them to call back later, but she stopped a second later.

  “So, Captain Chainsword.” Osgood’s voice was dark and cutthroat, coy enough Exton was reminded of Gerard. “This is the end.”

  “For you,” Exton replied.

  “Tell Victor I’m sorry things had to end this way. It’s nothing personal; it’s just business. I’ve planned this for too long for him to stop it now.”

  St. Cloud scoffed. “I’m here, Grant, and you can cut the melodramatics. I’ve known for some time that you wanted to rebuild the world from its remains.”

  “Think of how neat and organized it could be,” Osgood said. “It would be so perfect and beautiful, like my own little cultivated garden of humanity. No more guessing, no more wondering about the questions of life. An answer for every question, an arbitrator for any disputes, everyone looking to follow my lead. Population control would be no problem; production would be streamlined. Everyone would have a job, and everyone would have an education. Everyone would be cared for, and there would be no more war.”

  “Those might sound good,” St. Cloud retorted, “but no one would be free.”

  “Freedom is overrated,” Osgood said. “Look at all the trouble your freedom has brought you. You’re going to die, your ship will be destroyed, and your community will be completely leveled. It seems as though you’ve wasted your life.”

  Exton shook his head. “You’re wrong, Osgood,” he said. He glanced at Aerie, unable to quite look her straight in the eye, and then he looked at St. Cloud, who gave a firm nod. “We still have time.”

  ♦27♦

  Aerie was glad when the communication line cut itself off. “What are you going to do?” she asked, as she turned to face her husband.

  “You already know,” he told her simply.

  And that was the truth. But Aerie was not going to give him the easy way out of it.

  “Tell me,” she said. “In your own words. I want to hear out of your own mouth that you’re going to kill us all.”

  “Well, actually,” Exton said, standing up, “that’s not what I was thinking at all.”

  Aerie took a step back, confused but relieved. “Good.”

  “Give me one moment, and then we’ll leave,” he said. He pressed several buttons, making his way around the Command Bridge.

  A beep came from the control board next to her. “Exton,” she called, “there are more missiles coming our way.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll put more power to the front shields.”

  Aerie watched him move from station to station, still unsure of what he was going to do. Her eyes shifted to her father, who was standing around, shifting on his heels. He seemed bored, she thought.

  Exton then reached out a hand to St. Cloud. “Can I borrow your weapon, sir?” he asked.

  St. Cloud smiled eerily. “Of course.” He handed Exton the weapon at his side.

  “What are you going to do?” Aerie asked, stepping forward. She was growing more concerned by the moment. Her husband and her father were not natural allies. She was afraid she was deliberately being left out of the loop.

  “I’d find something to grip onto if I were you,” Exton called back, before he shoved the controls of the ship forward. The ship shot out, fast and hard, rushing forward back down toward Earth.

  Rushing as it headed straight for GPI.

  Aerie felt her whole body quake, and not from the sudden onset of pressure. “You’re going to ram them?” she called out, watching in shock as Exton shot several rounds through the control panel, firmly planting the controls forward. “But the whole ship will blow up. We’re all going to die.”

  “It
’s called a Pyrrhic victory, Aerie,” Exton told her. He grabbed her by the arm. “The GPI has to go. Osgood has to go. This is the perfect chance we have of getting to him.”

  “What about Brock?”

  “We told him to escape,” Exton argued. “If he left when we said, he will likely get out just fine.”

  “But what about us?” Aerie asked.

  “Right now, we have to go. We have to get to the escape pods.”

  Aerie’s eyes lit up. “But Rhodey said there was only one left!” she recalled. “I thought you said you weren’t going to kill us.”

  “I know.” Exton turned to St. Cloud. “I’m going to die. You and your father are going to return to Petra.”

  “What?!” Aerie gasped, nearly choking. “No, you said I could stay with you. I’m not leaving you, Exton. If for no other reason than to assure myself you suffer, for tricking me with your semantics all over again.”

  “When did I do it before?” Exton asked.

  “When you told me the Perdition didn’t house any nuclear weapons,” Aerie said, exasperated.

  “Aerie, calm down,” the General said, as Exton handed him back the gun. “You’re making yourself look like a fool. You know the realities of war.”

  “But ... But ... ” Aerie felt dizzy. She couldn’t say goodbye to Exton!

  Before she could put up another fight, he grabbed her hand. “Come on,” he said. “I’m going to make sure you get into that pod. I told you that I’d never lie to you, Aerie, and I told you that I trust you. But this is one thing that I know I can’t trust you with. You’ll have to excuse me.”

  “There has to be another way,” Aerie asserted, as she found herself in the elevator, heading down toward the hangar.

  Her eyes grew wide as she took in her last view of the Perdition’s halls. She saw the edge of the Biovid, she saw the commissary and the endless hallways, where children once played while the adults gathered in the sanctuary for teaching and singing, the games and the med ward, as all of them flashed through her memory like a dream she never wanted to leave.

  “No,” she whispered, recalling the day Emery had tried to go over the emergency protocols with her, when she’d learned the truth of Exton’s family and the reality behind the MENACE warmongers.