by Andrew Gates
"Don't act happy that I'm losing my mind," she said as she adjusted herself on the platform. "I know you'll miss me if I'm gone forever."
Allora nodded.
"I will," she admitted. "But I'd rather be bored without you than under your control."
"You don't have to worry about that. I am not controlling you now," Sara noted. "You could shut me up if you wanted to."
"Now, yes. But that could always change."
Sara was not sure what Allora meant by that. It was as if she expected Sara to seize control at any moment.
Her stomach rumbled, distracting her from the conversation. Sara, or Allora, immediately turned to face the produce. Most of the edible food had been plucked from the soil. The rest was old and rotted. The platform looked practically as sparse as the ocean itself.
"Why is it so empty?" Sara wondered. She had known the reason at one point, but now she could not remember.
"The farmers have gotten lazy," Allora answered, blaming it on the platform's keepers. Sara tried to remember what they looked like, but she could not recall.
"Oh," she replied. "Why would they do that to us? Don't they know we need the food to live?"
"They don't know we're here, remember? We're hiding from them."
"We are?"
She shook her head.
"My, my, Sara, if only you could see what's happened to you."
Sara, or Allora, lowered her head, solemnly. What is happening to me?
Suddenly a bright light appeared in the northwest, lighting the world like a second sun. Sara, or Allora, instinctively turned to face it and shielded her eyes with her hands. It was as if the world was one giant light bulb.
The ocean rippled. Waves splashed against the platform's edge, wetting her feet.
"What the fuck is that?"
"Please, don't curse," Sara replied.
She ignored the comment and pulled her legs back onto the platform. The woman stood up as it rocked beneath her, not taking her eyes away from the beautiful light to the northwest.
A cloud of smoke arose from the horizon. Even from where she stood, she could tell it was dense. The smoke bubbled up on top of itself, growing ever taller and taller. It looked almost like a streak climbing across the sky. Something looked strangely familiar about it.
That's when she realized the cloud of smoke was a missile.
She held her breath in shock, almost losing her footing.
"What is it?" her other half asked. With all the distractions, she had already forgotten her name again.
She pointed up to the streak.
"It's... I can't believe it... it's a missile."
"A missile? How do you know, Sara?"
"Because," Sara answered, suddenly recalling her name, "I studied this when I was in the Navy. We learned all about old surface era weapons."
"Are you sure? Your mind is fading.”
"I'm sure," Sara replied, nodding. "That's a maelstrom neutron missile. They were used during the war before the Descent. I can recognize that trail anywhere. You see how the gas bubbles up like that in the cloud? It's the only missile that does that."
"Is it powerful?"
"Nuclear."
Sara smiled. She had finally remembered something.
"Will we be safe?" Allora wondered, worrying.
"It doesn't look like it's coming down. It's going up."
The missile was far away, too far to feel any of its effects, yet it was as if she could feel its heat from where she stood. Her eyes were drawn to it like a child to a pod. She stared at is as it moved up and up and…
She had not noticed it before, but the missile was not on a direct course upward. It curved subtly in a southbound direction. If it continued along this path, it looked like it would pass right over her head, or at least very close.
She quickly turned her gaze to the triangular spaceship, suddenly putting it all together. The missile was headed straight for it. She held her breath. Though she did not know who was in that ship, she felt a sudden kinship to those on board. If that missile hit, it would surely kill them all.
Two other spaceships, smaller in size, but just as far away, hovered beneath the larger ship. One seemed to be turning away, clearing a path as the other moved into place, positioning itself between the larger ship and the missile.
It’s moving to intercept, she realized, though she did not know which half had this thought.
As the ship neared closer and closer to its target, she felt her heart beat faster and faster. She moved her fingers, shook her legs, did whatever she could to keep from exploding.
The missile was so close now that she could see it leading the trail of smoke. It looked like a black speck from here, such a bland color. It was hard to believe that something that looked so simple could be so powerful.
Before she knew it, the missile was upon its target. She held her breath as the smaller ship moved into place, making it right on time.
Boom!
She covered her eyes as the explosion lit up the world. It took a few seconds for the light to clear. Once it did, she eagerly stared up at the sight.
The larger ship was untouched, though the smaller ship had been ripped apart in the explosion.
“They did it!” she cheered. She jumped up and down, smiling. Though she did not know who was up there, she was glad that they were alright.
Then she stopped jumping. It was too early to celebrate.
The big ship was not unscathed like she originally thought. She gasped and placed both hands before her mouth as a crack formed along its hull.
“Oh…” she said, watching intently.
The crack slowly widened. It was painful to watch. She practically grimaced. Before she knew it, the ship had split in two. Both halves were falling apart in opposite directions.
“No, no, no, no!” she cried out.
“What? Why are you so afraid?” asked her other half. There seemed to be no emotion in her voice.
“The ship! Those people! They’re… dead!”
“We don’t know them. They have nothing to do with us. We have our platform. That’s all that matters.” This must have been Allora. Sara would never dare say such a thing.
“Don’t you have any sympathy?” Sara asked.
She shook her head.
“Not for a floating object I have only seen from far away.”
Bright orange flames lit up the sky, plummeting like raindrops. The sight was beautiful and horrifying at the same time.
She stared up at the sight, transfixed. It was impossible to look away.
More flames appeared, then more, then more. Before she knew it, the entire world was practically glowing in fire. The orange spread like a cloud, consuming everything above.
Suddenly she put it together. This cloud of fire was debris, pieces of the ship traveling down to the planet. If she stayed where she was, it would be right on top of the platform in a matter of mere minutes.
Her heart raced again.
She did not know what to do. She stood there for several minutes, frozen like a wall, feeling powerless to do anything. Her hands trembled. Eventually she turned her gaze straight up. She could clearly make out the shapes of the falling pieces now.
Her worst fears were right: the debris was going to land right on the platform.
“The wreckage is coming down,” Sara explained to her other half. “We need to get clear of it!”
“Clear of it? You mean leave the platform?”
“We have to!” Sara pleaded, knowing that this would not be an easy argument to win.
“You fool! Where do you propose we go?”
She faced the ocean again and pointed west.
“West. To land. It must be close enough,” Sara explained. Though she did not know how far exactly, she knew, deep in her heart, she could make it.
“That ship was in the west. More debris will fall there. We don’t know if we’ll be safe!” Allora debated.
“But if we stay here, we die f
or sure! Look above your head!”
Allora instinctively looked up. The balls of fire neared closer and closer.
“I won’t leave!” she screamed, looking down to the platform. “I am in command. You can’t make me!”
“I won’t let you kill us!” Sara debated.
“I am in command!”
Sara took a deep breath. Her heart felt like it was going to explode. She dug deep, channeling as much energy as she could muster.
Somehow, whether it was by will or by force, her feet kicked off from the platform, leaving behind the home she had grown to know. Her body dove forward into the ocean. The water splashed up as she broke the surface.
Instinctively, she kicked as hard as her muscles would allow, putting as much space between her and the platform as she could before the debris arrived. Her other half did not fight it. She seemed gone entirely. It was as if Sara had finally seized control.
Go! Go! Go!
Her muscles felt like they had not been used in ages. Each reach, each kick, each turn of the head was a challenge. But she would not falter. She was on a mission. She was determined. She was unstoppable.
A burst of heat suddenly filled the water, followed by a tremendous roar and the splashing of a hundred waves. She lifted up her mouth, trying as hard as she could to stay afloat. Her whole body shook in the violent water.
Instinctively, she quickly glanced back. The platform had broken apart, bombarded by falling fireballs.
She briefly felt an invisible urge to go back, to crawl up on the crumbling farm and endure the bombardment. Perhaps this was Allora thinking. But Sara was in control now. Allora was gone. She confidently turned west again and continued the swim, putting any thoughts of going back behind her.
Waves splashed all around her as falling debris pierced the water left and right. She did her best to avoid ingesting anything, though she could tell there was salt water in her lungs. The temperature grew warmer and warmer with each passing second. She felt fatigued, hot, sore. Minutes of torture must have passed.
She glanced back again, eager to see her progress. To her surprise, she could no longer see the platform. A smile formed on her face. She turned back around and the smile grew even bigger as her eyes met the horizon.
Land.
"Aha!" she cheered in joy, hardly able to get a word out.
It was far, very far, but at least it was there. If she could make it that distance, everything would be okay. She just had to keep going.
Focus, Sara, she told herself, repeating her name in her mind. Focus! You can do it!
More salt water poured into her lungs. She gagged a few times before ultimately vomiting into the ocean. She paid it little mind and swam right through the puke, determined to press on.
Small gelatinous objects brushed against her body, stinging like rug burn. She batted some out of the way with her hands, only to have her palms stung too. The more she swam, the more she noticed her muscles tiring at the sting sites. It was as if they were paralyzing her, forcing her muscles to stop.
No, she thought, I won't stop. I can't.
Her whole body ached. Her heart raced. Her skin stung. Her lungs gasped. Meanwhile the land grew ever nearer and nearer.
Debris no longer bombarded the planet and the sun now shone directly before her, practically blinding her whenever she looked ahead. It's getting late, she realized. It must have been hours since she jumped into the water.
She made it so far. She could not give up now.
The current pulled her in now, assisting her in the journey to shore. She smiled, glad that something was finally going her way.
By the time the sun had nearly passed from sight, she felt her chest brush against a grainy surface. It stung against her body's burns. She stopped above it and lowered her feet. For the first time in her life, Sara was now standing on the ocean floor.
A sand dune!
"Yes!" she cheered with what air she still had left in her lungs. She coughed up water.
She took a few moments to rest on the dune, the first rest she had taken in what must have been hours. Though the world was darkening, she could clearly see the sloping beach before her. It was so close she could almost touch it.
After a brief rest, she could wait no longer. Excitement took over. She jumped into the water and swam until she touched shore.
Gasping for breath, covered in burns, so sore she could hardly walk, Sara dropped down to the beach and filled her hands with dry land for the first time in her life.
THE SUN SET OVER THE horizon, casting an array of color across the sky. The familiar scent of saltwater and the sound of splashing waves made Zozak feel right at home. Wind brushed against his face as it blew across the Golden's bow.
If he had not known any better, Zozak would have thought this was a day like any other. But today was no ordinary day. Today was a day of horror, of disaster, of mourning.
Vigilant Behemoth, the most powerful vessel in existence, no longer lingered amongst the stars above. It was as if the sky were empty, unprotected. Zozak felt strangely vulnerable without the ship's looming presence. He shivered and crossed both arms across his body.
"Kho Zozak," a voice called from behind.
The Kholvari turned to face the speaker. Kho Refkhal, the ship's navigation's officer, stood ready. He glared down to the deck with a look of sorrow across his face. Zozak did not know much about Refkhal, other than that he was planet-cycles older than most of the crew here. Zozak wondered if he had lost someone in the attack.
"Yes, Kho Refkhal."
"Captain Kal Tyko has called a meeting. Most are already gathered."
"I apologize. I was unaware. I have been away from my console."
"I understand." Refkhal lowered his head again. "I have also found it difficult to keep my mind on my duties this day." He looked up and faced Zozak again. "But our duties must continue. We cannot falter in this hour of sorrow."
Zozak wondered how that was even possible, but chose not to share his opinion.
"Understood," he said. "I shall come at once."
The walk through the boat was lonely and quiet. Zozak had never seen it so empty at this time of day. It was as if he were the only one alive. Of course, that was not the case. The rest of the Golden's crew was simply already in the meeting. Yet that knowledge did not make the walk feel any less strange.
When Zozak finally arrived, the crew was still and silent. All heads were bowed. Zozak entered quietly and stood by the door as Refkhal came in behind him.
Zozak knew each of the Kholvari in this room well. It was impossible not to know someone when they worked together on a boat of this size. Yet seeing them now, Zozak could not help but feel separate from them all. It was as if they were stuck in the past somehow, while he had changed. The feeling was unexplainable, but very real.
"Thank you all," Captain Tyko said, breaking the silence. She stood in her usual place at the front of the room. Her eyes quickly met Zozak. "Thank you for joining us, Kho Zozak. Please, sit," she said, motioning to an open seat at the front of the room.
Zozak felt embarrassed as all eyes turned to him. He tried not to let his emotions show as he followed the captain's directive and sat down, though he guessed the others sensed his embarrassment.
"I apologize for my tardiness, Captain. I was away from my station when this meeting was called."
"All is forgiven, Kho Zozak, especially in this dark hour."
Zozak nodded back.
"Thank you all for that moment of reflection," Tyko said, changing the subject as she addressed the room. "The memories of our fallen friends now exist in this room. Through our memories, none are truly dead."
Zozak knew these words were supposed to be reassuring, but he could not help but disagree. Even in memories, death was death. Moments of silent reflection did nothing but remind them of the pain of their loss.
Still, Zozak kept his opinions to himself. He was not about to debate the ship's captain on the matters of the dece
ased.
"I am sure each of you have lost someone important, whether family or a friend," Tyko continued.
Zozak lowered his head at those words. Though he had moved away from the ship planet-cycles ago, the Kholvari who raised him still lived in the Behemoth at the time of the attack. They were all dead now. Zozak tried his best to forget about them. They were gone. There was nothing he could do to bring them back.
"For me, I mourn the death of my beloved Kal Rekhallo." The captain looked down to the floor. "She was a Kholvari of great talent and, for me, a close friend."
Zozak listened with great interest. He had never heard the captain speak with such emotion before. Whoever this Kal Rekhallo was, she must have meant a lot.
"I imagine many of you now feel the same sorrow as I. Such emotions can be difficult to deal with." The captain paused for a moment as she tried to gather her next words. Her mandibles twitched. Her eyes teared. "My heart has sunk as heavily as the debris which has scorched our land and cities. I know my life has been touched by so many, even by some I have never met. Every Kholvari aboard that ship deserves our love and grace."
A few sniffles echoed through the room. It seemed many were touched by the captain's words.
"To say goodbye is a challenge, even more so when it comes at a time of surprise. Such was the case for us. Death came without warning, like a demon racing through the skies." Tyko paused for another moment to gather her thoughts. "I would give anything for the opportunity to bid farewell to my friend, Kal Rekhallo, but this gift will never come. In this hour, we must be strong. We must move on, but do not forget to honor the memory of those passed."
All this talk of memory and reflection. Zozak was not fond of it. Memories will not bring back those fallen.
Rumor had it the evolved-ones were to be blamed for the attack, though such reports were still unconfirmed. Since his first encounter with their kind, Zozak could not forget about the species. He sympathized with their race. The evolved-ones had been victims of the Chiefdom's slaughter, having done nothing wrong but disturb a mere steam generator. If their kind truly was behind the attack, Zozak felt their cause justified, though he would never dare admit such an opinion before his peers.