The Needs of the Many

by Christina McMullen

  “And here I thought you to be dismissive of the whole concept,” Ellie quipped. In truth, her head was spinning with a whole new set of possibilities Gri unwittingly set in front of her.

  “Theoretical science was a hobby of mine back in my service days.”

  “Then I’m likely to pick your brain on that front,” Ellie said with a smile. “But for now, we’ve got a more tangible issue and one that I am going to need your help with. All of you,” she added, eyeing Mikk and Vonsse.

  “Need a pilot, do you?” Mikk asked with sudden enthusiasm.

  “A pilot and a diplomat,” Ellie replied. “I need to get to Helsyn.”

  Chapter 9

  To most people, an uninhabited tropical island might sound like the ultimate dream getaway. As Bethany Bomar waited for the starship that would finally take her back to the Ghowrn system to run through a complete diagnostic, she had to wonder where such a glaringly wrong impression came from. The equatorial island was anything but a paradise with its dense and humid air, giant mosquitoes that carried god knows what, and an intense heat that made her feel like she was being boiled to death. Comparatively, the jungles of Fhasmyr had felt more like a vacation destination.

  In two days, she’d be back in the Ghowrn system and Bethany could not wait. Two days was nothing in the grand scheme of things, but after the week she’d spent on Earth, tying up loose ends, seeking out and saying goodbye to friends and family, and making certain her cover story was solid, she was impatient to get back to the only place in the universe where she felt normal.

  A cloud of guilt took up temporary residence in her heart at the bittersweet realization of just how much she wasn’t going to miss about Earth. Yes, seeing her friends had been great and being there to watch Gertie light up brighter than any Eidyn when Vitokk walked into MochaMoka had her blinking back an uncharacteristic tear or two. There were definitely some things about New York she would remember fondly, but from the moment she returned to the planet of her birth, Bethany had already begun counting down the hours until the return trip.

  “So, any last minute cold feet? Regrets? Worries?”

  Despite the lighthearted tone of voice, there was true concern in Vitokk’s eyes as he regarded her. Another stab of guilt went through Bethany’s heart as she shook her head, wondering briefly if the old Sintarian hadn’t been reading her mind.

  “No, actually,” she said with a sheepish look, adding quickly, “That doesn’t mean I’m not going to miss anyone.”

  “Good,” he said, eyes relaxing and taking Bethany off guard.

  “Good?”

  “Yes good. You ain’t leaving here with a mess of worry about whether or not you’ll be back, whether you’re making the right decision, or any other head boggling nonsense. You’re looking to carve out a space for yourself halfway across the galaxy. Even with these ridiculous Eidyssic ships and friends in high places, that’s a good long ways away. You think I would’ve survived out here if I thought I’d made a mistake?”

  “I thought you were here because you were running from your past?”

  “Eh, you really can’t never run away from your past,” Vitokk said in an uncharacteristic moment of philosophical musing. “I suspect you and I are a lot alike, kiddo. We’re the square pegs who ain’t got time for round holes. Sintar, the whole system really, had nothing for me. Oravaschaeal wasn’t a whole lot better. Earth gave me a purpose I never knew I had. Just like the liberation efforts have given you a purpose you didn’t know you needed. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “Yeah, well…” Bethany began. Vitokk had a point. A good one and she really hadn’t thought about it, but what he said made sense, and went a long way towards explaining how he himself ended up running a business that was seen as a safe haven for the LGBTQ community in New York.

  “Yeah, well nothing. The guilt is normal too. You’re leaving a bunch of life behind for what you see as better than anything that could happen here. I get that. We’re just on opposite sides of the coin. But Bethany, don’t beat yourself up over it. You know where to find us if you need a vacation.”

  “I guess I do,” she replied, feeling a huge weight lift from her chest just as Re’geya came jogging up with a wide grin on his face. “And I know this one is already planning to return.”

  “You know I am,” Reg said with diodes flashing in excitement at the thought. “This place is a blast. The food alone. I’ve never seen so many choices.”

  “Yeah, well, moderation ain’t our strong suit,” Vitokk said with a chuckle. “Too much of a good thing and all that.”

  “We’ll at least need to figure out how to replicate pizza.”

  “Ellie will like that. Speaking of, say hi to the kid for me.”

  “You know I will,” Bethany said, brightening as she thought about her friend, who was probably still out on T’al Eidyn, communing with the mystics and whatnot at the Kyri temple. Despite the vivid details Reg had shared with her about the Eidyssic home world, Bethany couldn’t help but imagine Ellie dressed in brown robes, chilling with Yoda, and levitating objects. A giggle-snort combination escaped at the thought. “Take care of everyone for me,” she said as she pulled Vitokk into a final hug goodbye.

  “You do the same, kiddo,” he replied, letting her go as two figures stepped out of the jungle foliage to say their goodbyes. Isaverlline—looking just as miserable as Bethany felt about the tropical location—gave her a respectful smile as she held out her arms.

  “Take care of Ellie,” Isa said, catching Bethany in a light embrace as she brushed aside a large flying insect. “Tell her we love her and miss her, and we’ll be home as soon as we can.”

  “I sure will, but I’m willing to bet Ellie’s holding her own just fine,” Bethany replied with a wink. Despite her earlier reservations about the Korghetian queen, she had grown to respect the woman. It took a lot to admit a weakness, especially a weakness to power that could prove disastrous to the entire galaxy. But in Bethany’s estimation, it took a lot more to stay strong in the face of said weakness and do what was needed for the good of her people, including returning to exile on an unstable planet of primitives.

  She turned then to Richard, who gave her a less reserved bear hug.

  “You’ve a standing invite to the premier should Hollywood greenlight what is shaping up to be one hell of a sci-fi film,” he said with an impish grin.

  “Wouldn’t miss that for the world. Any world.”

  With all of her goodbyes completed, Bethany followed Re’geya into their ship for the final pre-takeoff diagnostic. Before she had time to blink, they were already farther from Earth than NASA had managed to ever send a human. That fact alone was enough to make her feel bad for the billions of humans she was leaving behind. Well, most of them, at least. There were definitely some she felt it was better not unleashing on an unsuspecting galaxy.

  “I estimate our arrival on Korghetia in approximately one and a half Terran days,” Reg informed her as he released navigational controls to the ship, adding with a knowing look, “I would recommend taking this time to relax as we’re likely landing in the middle of a war, but I have a curiously strong feeling my recommendation would fall on deaf ears.”

  Bethany grinned wide as a smooth, round table emerged in the empty space between them. A three dimensional simulation of the Ghowrn system hung suspended over the center.

  “Because you know me too well, lover boy. Now let’s discuss strategy.”

  Despite the regular communication to and from the leadership committee, those returning from Earth truly did not know what type of a situation they were walking into. Sintar, from everything she’d seen, had come under Alliance control almost too easily. Gri’s last communication said he was locked in peaceful negotiations with Emperor Nyessovor, but Bethany wasn’t as convinced system-wide unity was going to be the cakewalk everyone else predicted. After all, the Empire knew what to expect. Taking anything for granted was the same as walking into a trap and as far as she was
concerned, it was better to assume everything was a trap.

  For Bethany, the first few hours passed in the blink of an eye. Not surprising as she’d thrown herself into the discussion of everything and anything they knew about the remnants of the Empire. Re’geya, however stood up, stretching his arms in a dramatic fashion as his tired eyes darted around to the muted gray walls of the ship’s interior.

  “I think my capacity for strategic analysis is at its maximum for the day. I’m going to take a moment for contemplation and head clearing. Would you care to join me?”

  Bethany looked up from her maps with a knowing look.

  “You’re going star gazing, aren’t you?”

  “I can use a simulation to bring the speed down to levels that can be seen by the naked eyes.”

  “I think I’ll pass,” she replied, suppressing a shudder as she gave Reg a smile. “You go surf the stars and write your poems or whatever it is you do, space boy. I’ll keep an eye on the console.”

  “To think that you are still a curiosity to me,” Re’geya said with teasing affection as he gave Bethany a gentle kiss on the side of her head.

  “We all have our thing,” she replied with a too casual dismissal before getting up to go monitor the ship’s many readouts. Truth be told, the ship was doing a better job of flying itself than Bethany could ever do, but it provided her with the means to distract from the truth that she didn’t want to face: that at that moment, she was hurtling through outer space.

  In all fairness, there was little that fazed her and less that truly unsettled her, but the concept of outer space was one of those things that had always been an incomprehensible mystery. The vast and unknown qualities of the empty void stirred in Bethany a primal discomfort. Certainly, there was comfort in knowing there were other civilizations traversing the stars, but allowing herself to dwell on the stark reality that she was currently one of them was counterproductive. Which is why she tried to lose herself in strategic thinking and induce a level of exhaustion that would make sleep come instantly. Nothing was worse than the creeping dread of existential oppression that happened to a too active mind while the rest of the crew slept blissfully unaware.

  Fortunately, she’d had no issue with the short hops between planets in the Ghowrn system, despite knowing that she was just as much out in the great vastness of space. She assumed this to be because all of her interplanetary trips had been shorter than most domestic flights she’d taken back home.

  Bethany sat back, allowing the ship’s sensory readout to diagnose and automatically administer a melodic tone in a calming frequency, but before she could drift away into her own head, a new tone interrupted her meditations, followed by a blinking light on the communications console. Bethany smiled as she traced the readout back to the Sonnan moon of Cald. Accepting the signal, her smile widened as a familiar set of eyes peered at her from beneath a bushy set of snow white eyebrows.

  “Commander! Well there’s a sight for sore eyes, but why do I get the distinct impression this ain’t no social call?”

  Commander Vonsse gave Bethany a formal bow before breaking into a wide smile himself.

  “It is very good to see you too, Bethany, but I’m afraid you are correct. We’d like to request a small redirection in your bearing, from the Korghetian port to the Fhasmyrric Protectorate Airbase on Cald.”

  “We?”

  The optical widened to show a small figure in an incredibly worn, frayed, and patched flight suit that still bore the crest of the Paisreatta.

  “Hello there, your majesty,” Bethany said with a friendly wave. “Nice to see I won my bet on how long you were going to let royal life keep you out of the skies, but come on now. You’re the ruler of an entire planet and you couldn’t find newer duds?”

  “Do not knock this dud, my friend,” Mikk said with mock sternness. “This suit has saved my skin on more dangerous missions than I dare count. It would be silly of me not to see that there is something special about it.”

  “So the Fhasmyrric are as superstitious as Mets fans,” Bethany retorted with a smirk. “No really though, what’s up?”

  “The Eidyn Master has returned from the temple and has made what we can only describe as an impossible request,” Vonsse explained. “Naturally, we’ll be needing your help.”

  At that Bethany let out a genuine and mirthful laugh.

  “Haven’t we all accepted that when it comes to Ellie, the impossible is anything but? Course correction registered, Commander. We’ll be there with bells on.”

  Chapter 10

  “Okay, let me get this straight. You were told by your dead great grandpa that the good half of his daughter stole the information on how the Kyroibi was formed to prevent the bad half from destroying it, and hid it on Helsyn. No, scratch that last part. He thinks she hid something on Helsyn, but he ain’t sure. Either way, you feel this potential information is important enough to disrupt the tentative peace accord we have now negotiated. Did I miss anything?”

  “Aside from not really knowing what we’re looking for or where on Helsyn it might be? No, you’ve covered everything,” Ellie answered with a smile she couldn’t hide.

  “Guess I got here right on time,” Bethany muttered, but her face split into a wide grin as she flung her arms around her best friend. “Girl, whatever did you do without me?”

  “It’s good to have you back, Beffo,” Ellie said with genuine affection.

  “It’s good to be back. I missed you, Princess.”

  “Missed you too. And, um, sorry,” Ellie said with a sheepish grin as they watched Reg perform a post-landing check on the vessel he and Bethany had returned in. The active hangar was rather noisy, providing them with a bit of cover that allowed them to speak freely. Still, Ellie had activated a sound shield just to be safe while discussing the situation. “I really didn’t intend to dump all of our problems on you before you even had a chance to leave the spaceport. Tell me all the news from Earth while we wait for the train. Is Gertie okay?”

  “She had a medical scare, but not long after we returned, she got the lab results and they were negative. Gertie tried to brush it off like it weren’t no thing, but it shook Vito pretty hard. I’ve got a feeling he won’t be making any solo visits if he comes back at all.”

  A pang shot through Ellie’s heart. Gertie was like family and if it had turned out to be serious, war be damned, she would have found a way back to Earth.

  “How are the snobs settling into primitive life?” she asked, mostly to distract herself from the sudden bout of homesickness.

  “Hmph! Bunch of filthy hypocrites,” Bethany muttered, but quickly amended with, “Not your mom, obviously. Gevandar and Romana. They’re acting like they’re on vacation. In fact, they basically are. Romana’s fallen in love with Disney World and Gevandar’s discovered football fandom. You’ll probably have to send a rescue team to bring them back.”

  “Guess there’s something to be said about primitives after all,” Ellie said with a smirk. She was less than pleased to hear Gevandar was essentially getting an all-expense paid vacation as punishment for nearly killing her. Though she had to admit she was glad at least to have him and Queen Romana out of her hair. With some guilt she also noted her mother’s return to Earth made things easier as well.

  “So do you really think this hidden information is valuable enough to go looking for?” Bethany asked, getting back to the matter at hand.

  “I… am hoping it is,” Ellie admitted. “I just don’t see what other options we have since simply destroying the battalion is out of the question.”

  “Is it really though?” Bethany asked. “You say Julian thought he could shut it down, but if what you’re saying is true, the only way he can is to snuff you and you think he knows this.”

  “Way to put things bluntly,” Ellie said with a sickness rising inside her.

  “Well, obviously Julian loves you and isn’t about to kill you, but what if his plan all along was to destroy the battalion?”

>   “He can’t,” Ellie explained. “Unless he found a way to blow up an entire planet and as far as I know, that technology is still mercifully science fiction.”

  “He might know another way. After all, if the dude’s been hanging around for a bazillion years, he’s probably had time to figure things out.”

  “Maybe, but for the majority of those bazillion years he was as dormant as the battalion.”

  “Are you sure death stars are still science fiction? Because I’m seriously having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that your boyfriend is some sort of soulless immortal who only awakens to perform a ritualistic sacrifice to keep a ruthless machine army from destroying us all.”

  Ellie wished she could laugh at Bethany’s ridiculous assessment, but found she couldn’t because in reality, it wasn’t ridiculous at all. If anything, it only served to highlight the one truth she didn’t want to consider; that she could easily stop the war and bring immediate if not permanent peace to the system.

  She could die.

  The thought brought a new wave of panic washing over her. Death was the type of heroic sacrifice made in movies and books by reckless and dashing rogues. Rogues who had lived full if not long lives and had finally made their peace with whatever it was that kept them going. Ellie was no hero, reckless, dashing, roguish, or otherwise, and she certainly hadn’t made peace with her life. There was still so much she wanted to do, to see, to experience. She wanted to grow up and grow old. Perhaps if as an elderly woman, she was called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the galaxy, she would feel right in doing so, but right then and there, all she felt was scared, panicked, and perhaps selfish.

  But is it selfish to want to live? She had to wonder. After all, could she truly ask Julian to kill her knowing his feelings and knowing she would have to command him to do so?

  “I think ours is the next stop,” she said, checking the transit map with the instructions Mikk had given her for getting to the site of the new command center. Vonsse had petitioned for a military command center on Cald, citing the fact that the sparsely populated moon was already home to a number of spaceports and would keep operations away from civilian population centers. While they still had a ways to go before it was fully operational, the commander—who narrowly avoided a promotion to Admiral—and his advisors had already set up a makeshift base of operations to oversee construction.