by Dorian, Mars
It reeked of hypocrisy, but Bellrock pondered.
If the shell hadn't the balls to take responsibility for the action, he had to.
D. Rao moved closer to him and whispered.
"Sir, this treatment has enabled piece between our races for over a decade. If you give the command now, Earth will hear of it, and then we're back at war."
Bellrock shoved his bitter-tasting spit down his gamut.
"What's the alternative? Let the biomorph destroy the ringstation? The AC’s intelligence will know about this. And then they'll launch their fleet anyways."
Dr. Rao pressed his face and looked at the orbital destruction.
"This isn't right."
"The creature almost killed you. It killed eLoom."
Anger escaped with every word.
"We're going to finish that threat, once and for all."
The scientist collected his spit but seemed too scared to swallow it down.
"It's your decision, captain."
And what a decision it was, certainly one Bellrock had never anticipated to make. But with Earth and the AC so far away, and no time to send a message back and forth, he had to act like a soldier cut from central command.
There was only one way of minimizing damage.
Bellrock addressed eVax who waited like a statue with time to burn.
"I grant you the permission to use your satellite cannons."
They probably filmed his approval via their synthetic eyes to have a video statement as proof. Not that anyone on Earth would ever sue the Newtype, which was impossible, since they had no jurisdictional system whatsoever.
eVax nodded and gazed at the hull with the majestic view. The orbital cannons extracted devices from their rear and used their solar sails to float into the right position.
Bellrock swallowed as he recognized the mobile platforms shifting into their assault mode.
Modular Orbital Disintegrators.
Not even one of them should have been operational...
"Who is controlling them?"
eVax answered,
"The Exec, of course. They can remote-control every device from within the network's range."
All the Newtype in the section looked at the transparent hull, like dolls watching a compelling movie.
Bellrock and Dr. Rao were the only one sweating as the giant satellite platforms moved into their programmed eclipses, strategically directed at the Martian atmosphere.
eVax sounded like a bureaucrat again.
"Human, I grant you the honors of giving the final go."
69
Of course.
Typical Newtype fashion, always make someone else do it.
Ah, what the hell.
The creature looked like a mechanical parasite and would destroy every piece of civilization it came in contact with. If eLoom was right, and the creature was indeed fabricated, it should be treated as a smart weapon.
The Newtype were too soft for the terminal decision, but Bellrock wasn't.
He took a deeep breath and said,
"Wipe it out."
eVax nodded without looking at him. The orbital laser cannon platforms activated, discernible through blinking lights on their rear. Bellrock watched them unleash their lasers although there was nothing to see. The high-frequency beams were invisible, so the only thing you could witness where the holes in the Martian atmosphere. As if invisible sticks stirred through the layers of clouds.
No sound.
No vision.
Just satellites orbiting Mars.
Wiping out the first alien life form shouldn't feel so...anti-climatic.
Bellrock wished to see what the Newtype around him watched through their network connection.
He looked at eVax, standing next to him with a blank expression, like someone watching an ancient TV screen without caring which channel was on.
"And?" Bellrock said, after a pause that took way too long.
"The lasers are decimating the biomorph. It will be gone in two minutes and thirty-four seconds."
Bellrock shifted his glance to the transparent hull of his section and watched as the orbital laser cannons retracted their barrels and returned to their previous positions.
"It is done," eVax said and faced him.
Bellrock nodded and should have been satisfied with the creature's destruction. But the sight of the ultra-powerful orbital cannons kept sizzling his fear. They harbored enough firepower to destroy every astroport and military base in the AC territory. Heck, they were potent enough to wipe out every military force on Earth, period. And who knew what other hi-tech weapons the Newtype still worked on.
eVax broke Bellrock's train of scary thoughts.
"In case you wonder about your return flight, we have finished maintenance on your freighter. It is now fully operational and will take you back to the International Astroport."
"Thanks."
He looked into eVax' hollow eyes and didn't know what else to say. Working with the Newtype was a mixed experience, to say the least. At first, it was a rivalry, then pure hatred and now?
Something between forced tolerance and utter disdain.
Destiny made them two unlikely allies.
Bellrock said,
"Have you really killed it?"
eVax' pale lips leveled.
"The biomorph has been eradicated. We will quarantine the infected surfaces of Mars and will send a squad of recon droids to supervise the area. Of course, we will be cautious and make sure no single electro-mechanical device will ever come into contact with the remnants of the life form, should they exist."
Another perfect textbook example, straight from the Newtype's jargon maze.
Bellrock was done with the situation and wanted to board the freighter ASAP, but eVax concentrated his stare.
"There's one little issue, though."
Of course there was.
"You two saw a lot of things...you shouldn't have seen. Some of our military technology violates our intergalactic peace treaty."
“No shit. Are you going to wipe out the witnesses now?”
Dr. Rao gasped, but Bellrock was strangely cool. Nothing could shock him at this stage anymore. He was as emotionally susceptive as a titanium-layered stone. eVax stepped backward and pretended to be shocked.
"Kill you? How savage that would be. No, no, no."
His voice sounded clear again.
"There are two options I can present you with, my human friends. Option number one: you tell the truth about everything you have seen, including our orbital cannons and the droid army of the Farsight facility. This will be the morally sound choice but comes with side effects that have an exorbitant impact on the peace between our two races. Since the above mentioned weapon systems are deemed illegal by the interplanetary peace treaty, mentioning them will spark controversy and can risk a second war between our two humanoid factions."
"What's the second offer?" Bellrock said, although he already got an idea.
eVax continued in his high-pitched, bureaucratic tone.
"You tell your government that we have successfully eliminated the biomorph with no further implications, using the shield technology that is within the treaty's approved defensive measures. We will alter the reports sent to your representatives and cut out data that conflicts this story version, including mentioning the droid army, the armory in the Farsight facility and the orbital cannons."
That was the most comfortable choice...for the Newtype.
"So you want me to lie? You want me to go back to Earth and keep quiet about the weapon systems you still illegally own?"
Bellrock tried to disarm his voice, but the frustration flavored every second word. The Newtype deflected his aggros.
"I want you to be reasonable, which can be hard, given your primordial origin. But try to see the bigger picture, human—thanks to our technological intervention, we have prevented a likely biomorph invasion to Earth, at no cost to you. As a compensation, you will only report the
data we have agreed upon. This is a mutually beneficial deal that fosters our bonds. Tell me, human, what is more important—your personal truth or avoiding a second interplanetary war which can cost millions, if not billions, of lives?"
"Reporting the truth will not cost any lives."
"Are you sure about that? How will, for example, the government and military of your American Commonwealth react once they know about our weapons? Well, the Separatist War gave us the answers."
That old topic again. No matter what Bellrock talked about, it always came back to the huge divide.
Wounds that surpassed time.
Bellrock focused on eVax' slick face and pondered his offer when he felt a tap from Rao on his shoulder. The doc whispered into his right ear.
"Sir, can I talk to you for a second?"
"Yeah."
He waved eVax away and moved to a quiet spot of the chamber. Dr. Rao bowed and said,
"I know this sounds ridiculous, but I think eVax is right. We should consider his second option. It's the best for both of our races."
Bellrock couldn't believe it.
The young doc was already swayed by eVax' scheme.
"Rao, the sole reason why we were sent here was to report the truth."
"No, the sole reason was to find out if the biomorph was a threat to Earth. Well, now, it isn't anymore, so we can honestly report that the Newtype took care of the problem. We have saved Earth, that was the whole point."
Bellrock wiped his dry lips. He could see reasoning in the scientist's argumentation, although many points still lurked in the fog. He stepped closer to Rao until he was only one breath of whisper away from his ear.
"What if the Newtype were the real threat? What if they didn't use the orbital lasers just to blast dangerous asteroids?"
"Honestly, sir, have you seen any hostile reaction from their side?”
"Plenty from that guy."
Dr. Rao sighed.
"Okay, one. But what about the others? eKazumi?"
He held back.
"What about eLoom? Didn't she do everything in her power to keep us safe?"
Bellrock's glance sank to the ground. The memory of her hurt already.
"She sacrificed herself for us."
"She did."
Dr. Rao nodded. He was beginning to win the debate and it rubbed Bellrock off. A young man shouldn't have the final word in a matter like this.
Rao had never seen war.
He had never seen invisible laser beams tearing pals apart.
To him, it wasn't personal.
Just politics.
Damn politics.
Rao said,
"Why did the Newtype bother sacrificing their surface stations and even their orbital platforms if not to keep our peace treaty alive? They could have just blasted us into oblivion."
Good question, one Bellrock wasn't able to answer anymore.
Too many thoughts rushed around the captain's battered mind.
Too many things happened that whirled his emotions like a centrifuge.
"I don't know...yet. It's hard to see the bigger picture now."
He looked back at eVax, standing next to the wall. Bellrock wondered whether the Newtype was able to hear a single word they had shared. Wouldn't matter anymore.
Bellrock said to Dr. Rao,
"Maybe you're right."
He approached eVax.
"I've made my decision."
70
All the way back at the hangar, eKazumi, eLoom's former asset, reappeared and acted as the bellboy bot again. She wore a Newtype exoframe that was wrapped around her skintight suit and made her look like a heavily-armored infantry unit. Still, Bellrock appreciated her aid. She carried the crates and stashed them in the cargo area of their Pilgrim Type-II freighter.
"Oh," she said as she walked down the ramp, "in case you worry, we have properly checked your craft. It is fully operational, including the life support system and the AI. You should have a long, but comfortable, flight back home."
Dr. Rao grinned.
"Thanks so much for everything."
He almost sounded teary.
"And thanks for saving my life. I really thought I was going to join nirvana."
"Hey, do not worry."
"Captain?"
Her sweet voice brought him back to reality. Bellrock noticed the walker units and droids buzzing through the hangar sections.
"Yeah, gotta agree with the kid. We couldn't have done it without you."
She bowed in front of him and flashed her perma-smile.
Bellrock said,
"You fought with us, you patched up the doc, and now you're carrying our equipment. Seriously, don't you want to join us home?"
"I am afraid I am still indebted to the Exec, but thank you so very much. Your statement means a lot to me. Shall we board?"
Dr. Rao was the first to follow her into the Pilgrim II. Bellrock sent one last stare around the hangar and inspected every unit in the perimeter. No bypassing walker or Newtype paid any attention to him. They all ran their patterns, carrying the cargo or maintaining the civilian ships. It looked peaceful and accurate, like a clockwork from Switzerland. But was there another side to it? Despite everything that had happened, the Newtype still seemed like mannequins dancing through the fog. Visible and obscure at the same time.
"Captain?"
"Coming."
He joined his partner in the bridge section where eKazumi adjusted the dashboard controls. When both men entered, she tilted her head and smiled. As always.
"It is old technology, but I have gotten the hang of it, as you say on Earth."
"Good to know."
Before Bellrock launched toward the sleeping cubes, he said,
"Are you connected with the entire network of the Newtype?"
"Of course."
"Then do you know if eLoom gets a respawn?"
Pause.
Even Dr. Rao scratched his throat, but his ears must have perked. He must have cared about her just as much as Bellrock did.
The asset said,
"Unfortunately, I do not know. The Exec is currently running its priority protocol, which concerns the repair and reconstruction of our facilities. Individual reprints are a tertiary objective, at most."
Exec. Here was that word again. Bellrock always wondered what their exact purpose was, apart from making every Newtype follow their appropriate protocol. Were they just a program or an actual governing body like the talking heads back at Washington Prime?
eKazumi said,
"Why do you ask?"
"Oh, it was...I'm just curious."
He saw Dr. Rao smiling in the right corner of his eyes but pretended he didn't.
"But she will get a new body, eventually, right?"
eKazumi shrugged.
"There is a likely chance she will not. After all, she had wasted her body three times within a decade. As you know, sustainability is a huge issue for us. But maybe she will get a reprint in the next cycle, starting in ten years? Only the Exec knows."
A decade?
What a horrid thought.
One that Bellrock pushed to the sidelines.
It wasn't his problem anymore, or at least, it shouldn't have been.
He had a mission to master.
"Earth is over 55 million kilometers away. Let's get going."
eKazumi offered a failed salute.
"Please come back again soon."
I hope not, Bellrock thought, as he waved her out of the ship. He fastened the belts and concentrated on the curved dashboard in front of him. The lights came alive, followed by the mechanical beeps and the humming sound of the ship. He swapped to Dr. Rao who focused on the main tactical monitor.
"Ready for home?"
"I guess."
"You guess?"
“I would have loved to see more of their tech. Especially now, with the biomorph taken care of."
He looked through the cockpit and watched eKazumi waving at them. Even
the Newtype in the nearby area stopped in their tracks and repeated her hand motions. A dozen humanoids saluting in synchronicity.
Rao nodded.
"They have such a fascinating technology that is decades ahead of us. Imagine how our world could be if we were as advanced as them? Imagine the problems it would solve. No more sickness, no hunger, no aging..."
Bellrock wanted to add a witty comment but swallowed the desire. The arrows glowed on the ramp in front of their Pilgrim-II. Far away, the gates slid sideways and offered the view back into deep space. Only the invisible barrier shielded them from the darkness. The stars were calling them again—they wanted their Earth-based brothers back.
"One fine day, you will work with the Newtype again."
Dr. Rao adjusted his glasses and pushed them up his hawkish nose.
"What makes you think that, sir?"
Bellrock stared at the flickers piercing the dark.
Shining, twinkling, luring.
"You know, I got a feeling."
71
The long flight home.
In-between the maintenance, the exchanges with Dr. Rao, the reading, and the pondering, Bellrock listened to his second favorite band from Earth. Shibuya Burn blasted from his cube, sweetening his long journey with the lyrics he cherished. With closed eyes, he listened to the Burn…
Heart pain, a fate full of fears
you fight through
amidst the flash fire of war
with closed eyes, open ears
as you long for
voices from a distant star...
72
Many weeks later.
Home, sweaty home.
The capsule of the duo, enhanced by the red/white/blue flag of the American Commonwealth, landed on the dusted Texas ground. The orbital parachute floated down like a giant petal and covered the rugged surface. Bellrock unstrapped himself from the seat and opened the hatch with his remaining strength.
The light flushed the interior.
Oh man.
Give me that cliché—smurf-blue skies, a smiling sun and a horizon that fizzled out in the distance.
America, your lost son's back.
The Texan fireball roared high in the postcard sky, reflecting off his face shield.
Home at least, the captain thought.