329 Years Awake

by Ellie Maloney

  “No. Otis Solarin is the only sentient hologram that the Unkari have created. In fact, the technology was designed specifically for him, as a matter of gratitude for his cooperating in the diplomatic effort. The rest of us are flesh-and-blood descendants of the humans, brought here by the Katu dynasty.”

  “Wait, Otis claimed that all of Istanbul was a holographic projection.”

  “I see. What he meant was that the entire architectural structure of everything you saw was a hologram. The living beings there are real. They are provided real nutrition. But there is no actual matter involved in building anything inside. I believe this is the compromise Enkri had to agree to with the Katu in order to prevent security breaches.”

  “Clever, good military thinking. If there are no actual materials in there, no weapon could be manufactured.”

  “Exactly.”

  After having an eye-opening experience at the human reservation on Lenauri, the Unkari leadership decided that I gained sufficient knowledge to fully embrace my guilt and face my death sentence. Ironically, I had died many times in those strange loops while being captured, so my brain was more preoccupied with the new reality of existential human threat rather than my own death. Being stuck 89,000 light years away from the nearest human outpost, I had no way of warning Earth about the Katu awakening.

  “I still have too many questions. You can’t execute me yet,” I pleaded.

  “One can never have too many questions. What you know is enough. Now you know that you personally, and the leadership of humanity, invaded a nation that meant you no harm. This level of understanding is sufficient.”

  “Wait a minute. Maybe Enkri did not mean ill, but what about Katu? They treated us like research animals, abducted us, and brought your ancestors here against their will!”

  “By the same token of logic, you are personally guilty for what your ancestors did to the native populations on Earth. They also had no regard for the rights of weaker races and exploited them as they saw fit. Didn’t humans move on, leaving those matters to history?”

  “Don’t tell me about weaker races! My home country Liberia was founded by the freed slaves who left the land of their former masters! I know well what it means to live in the shadow of oppression, firmly ingrained in the psyche of generations. Only thanks to the Big Ice did the world turn to Africa for salvation…”

  “…Big Ice?”

  “That’s right. You missed all of it. The Big Ice, as we call it, was the environmental disaster that turned the Earth Prime into an ice ball. The only habitable environment remained near the tropical belt. All of a sudden, our countries and our people mattered. But if you think the world leaders’ attitude was sincere, you are wrong. They just needed us, and they did not want to waste space on us in their orbital stations. They had to work with us side by side. It is a miracle that our leadership had enough courage to renegotiate the power dynamics and remain masters on their own land. Don’t you see, this makes us more alike than you know. You may think you are free now, but you owe it to your ancestors, who were enslaved and brought here, to remember their history and not belittle what they have gone through just because you personally live in a refurbished, cosier version of their prison!”

  I realized that I was leaning forward and clenching fists to white knuckles behind my back, as my hands were restrained. I exhaled and proceeded more calmly.

  “Look, you don’t even have a decent name. They might as well give you a number, or a bar code. She - what kind of name is that? This is a designation of your gender, but not of who you are.”

  “Hmm… I hadn’t thought of it that way. Actually we do have a numerical designation as well. But don’t you? You have an ID as an Earth Nations citizen, you have a military rank, various designations for property rights…”

  “All true. But I also have a personal name. Reinsford was the name given to me by my mother before she died giving birth. She died for my right to bear this name. To this day, this name is important to me, and I kept it as a middle name. Desiree is the name I chose, because it represents who I really am, who I want to be. To me this name is important because it reflects my free will to be the kind of person I want to be. Mazula is my last name. It relates to my ancestors. This is my root, from which I draw strength. It reminds me of my family and everything they have been through. I must remember, otherwise I’d be adrift in this huge and lonely universe. What makes you remember?”

  She broke eye contact. An awkward silence filled the space between us.

  “You make me feel uncomfortable. I used to have all my answers in order.”

  “What about now?”

  “I don’t wish to discuss this anymore.” She cut the conversation off, and I did not insist.

  Whatever raw nerve I uncovered, it was up to her to deal with it.

  ***

  The trial consisted of an Unkari panel of seven. Dressed in green robes, they sat in a semi-circle and folded their tentacles above their heads. I suspected that it was the Unkari version of folding arms while waiting for something. She and I sat in front of the panel in a booth of transparent material that maintained human habitable conditions. After observing the panel for a while, I noticed another character, sitting separately from the panel. That Unkari was dressed in a shade of brown, wearing a headpiece adorned with an octagonal purple crystal. The character struggled to sit upright as if fighting off extreme drowsiness.

  “This guy could use a cup of coffee.” I pointed at the brown robe guy.

  She fired off a condemning glance. “That is the Katu ambassador.”

  “I thought they were all asleep.”

  Seeing an openly hostile alien at my trial did not look promising.

  “Dynasties always have representatives from the other tribe. They are sent to the other side after their birth and are raised by the opposite tribe to assume the role of an ambassador when they come of age. This is the only way to beat the Unkari metabolism and remain awake, when the rest of your dynasty is in stasis.”

  “Well, it doesn’t look like he is doing a good job staying awake.”

  “Staying awake for a Katu during Enkri day is a terrible burden, and it requires additional chemical substances. If you were, however, to point it out at a public event to another Unkari, you would be considered a classless idiot.”

  “Duly noted, madam. Not that I am going to be invited to an Unkari reception any time soon. But what if a Katu grows up and decides not to serve as an ambassador?”

  “They can’t do that. First, it is an act of treason against their dynasty. Being an ambassador is an honor. This kind of honor gives the whole ambassador’s kin great status and privileges. But even if they stopped being ambassadors, they could not go back to the Katu society.”

  “In other words, he cannot go back and cannot stay among Enkri after resigning a diplomatic rank.”

  “Exactly. And where would he go in the universe anyway? Without being watched over by his species while he sleeps for 329 years, his life is always in danger.”

  “Tough break for this guy. Speaking of bad luck, when is my trial going to start? Not that I am in a hurry.”

  “We are waiting for your fellow soldier. She is on her way from Istanbul.”

  “Oh, so she went to Istanbul as well?”

  “Yes, she did. She will be here any minute. You both are required to give a remorseful speech. Collect your thoughts, you must do a good job.”

  “Will it help my case?”

  “No.”

  “Oh. In that case…”

  I was interrupted as guards escorted Ebony in. She stepped into the depressurizing chamber attached to our booth. Once the atmosphere in the chamber was replaced with a human-compatible one, the door slid open, and she walked in, removing her headgear.

  “Ebony!” I fought the urge to hug her.

  “I know, I am happy to see
you too, Mazula. But now is not the time. I know you have met Dr. Solarin as well.”

  “I have. It was quite a trip.”

  “What a charming reunion,” She snarled, sizing Ebony from head to toe.

  “What’s her problem?” Ebony nodded in the liaison’s direction.

  “You are the one with problems here,” said She with cold contempt in her voice. “Mazula’s offense is grave, but you are in no less trouble. So make peace with your life now, while you are still breathing.”

  “Hey, ladies, behave yourselves!” The small glass booth was not a place for a cat fight. Or was it? I waved off the thought of Ebony beating the crap out of our red-head hostess as if she was an old synthetic fur coat, but could not hide the smile those thoughts generated.

  “Mazula! You dirty dog!” Giggling, Ebony lightly punched me in the side with her elbow. Apparently our NVC connection had grown stronger; she received the mental image in my head.

  “That is enough!” barked She, obviously perplexed as to what cheered us so much. “Prisoner, where is your liaison?”

  “I am here!” The voice came from nowhere - no, more like from Ebony’s pocket.

  Ebony retrieved a small green crystal from her army pants pocket and placed it on the desk in front of us. From the crystal, a heap of light ushered out, arranging into a hologram of Otis Solarin.“I was requested to represent Ensign Ebony River at her trial. At your service. Shall we begin?”

  20

  KATU JUSTICE

  And so our trial began.

  The climate-controlled chamber in which Ebony and I were kept as Unkari prisoners had a simple black matt desk and a long bench made of the same material. Our liaisons were on our sides. The prisoner chamber was situated in front of seven Enkri tribe members, and one Katu ambassador, a member of the rival tribe, whose function was to keep an eye on how the rivals did business. Humans presented the major point of contention between Enkri and Katu. Katu wanted nothing to do with us and would eliminate humanity without hesitation. It was understandable, because we occupied coveted real estate in the Milky Way. I suspected that the Katu ambassador couldn’t be happier that our ship had been captured invading Unkari space on Erinozhan. This event gave him the leverage he needed in advancing an anti-humanity agenda. The caveat was that it was the Enkri day, and Enkri, for some unknown reason, did not jump on the idea of destroying humanity.

  The drowsy Katu ambassador rose from his seat and announced the opening of the trial.

  Seven Enkri rose one by one, spraying in the air something powdery and garishly green from their tentacle orifices. “They just swore an oath to be truthful to the facts,” Ebony NVC’d me, sensing my confusion.

  “I see you are an expert in Unkari trial procedures now,” I NVC’d back, smiling.

  “I did not waste my time with Dr. Solarin. Since we could pick up the speed of our conversation, I used our meeting to prepare a strategy for this trial.”

  “Nice. And what is my part in all of it?”

  “I wish you hadn’t asked me. You may not like it.”

  Our telepathic chatter was interrupted by new developments in the trial. By the time the judges had finished spewing colored powder, a human walked in, dressed in a full body uniform that covered his face, and took his position to the left side, between the panel and our chamber. There he made some subtle hand movements and a puddle of liquid silver hung in mid air. He inserted all his fingers in the puddle, wiggled them a bit, and then spoke.

  “The Unkari interest in the trial is represented by He, Designation 11-54-87-53.”

  This guy must be our prosecutor, I thought.

  “Who represents the interest of the human, Designation Mazula Desiree Lieutenant?”

  She rose from her seat next to me and spoke:

  “The interest of the human Designation Mazula Desiree Lieutenant is represented by She, Designation 65-98-75-11.” After pronouncing her part, She took her seat beside me.

  The prosecutor continued.

  “Who represents the interest of the human Designation River Ebony Ensign?”

  “The interest of the human Designation River Ebony Ensign is represented by Solarin Otis, Designation 65-99-87-65,” said Otis by Ebony’s side, whose hologram lightly flickered whenever I looked at him from a different angle.

  The prosecutor took a long pause, “fishing” for something in his silvery puddle, and finally spoke. “Representative Solarin Otis, your designation is incorrect.”

  Otis had a look as if he had anticipated this turn of events.

  “I plea to un-archive my file from the catalogue of deceased humans.”

  “On what grounds?”

  “On grounds that I am not dead,” said Otis with a smug smile.

  “Unable to verify.” The prosecutor was swiping something in his liquid crystal database, sinking all ten fingers in the silver puddle hanging in front of him. “Present your evidence.”

  “A human, Designation Descartes, established the law that states the following: ‘I think therefore I am.’ According to this law, thought is a primary condition for existence, and the physical body is secondary. As it is proven by human and Unkari experience, a physical body may be replaced in part or in whole, but that does not lead to the destruction of one’s thought. If a human brain is part of a human body, it may also be replaced. What constitutes the essence of a human is his consciousness, which is customarily defined as self-aware thought, irrespective of the vessel that it is contained in. During the present Enkri day, my physical body, which constituted the vessel for my consciousness, was replaced due to a terminal malfunction. The new carrier vessel, made of a neuro-photonic matrix, is a more reliable material. The difference between this procedure, and, say, the clipping of a toe nail, in essence, is only a question of scale. At this moment, the honorable Enkri panel, the honorable Katu ambassador, and the honorable Human-Unkari representative are witnessing the evidence of the self-aware thought process of a human, Designation Solarin Otis, which provides grounds for establishing the fact… that I am not dead. The fact that I am not dead testifies to the fact that my file was archived erroneously, and provides grounds for recovering my file from the archives of deceased humans of the Unkari reservation and establishing my full rights as a citizen of a second class. Lastly, once my file is recovered, I may use my privilege to serve as a representative before the honorable trial.”

  Otis finished his speech and took his seat by Ebony’s side.

  “What’s going to happen next?” I NVC’d her.

  “Next, they are going to vote. Don’t worry, it is a mere formality. Enkri have waited for a long time for an opportunity to re-establish Otis in his full rights, within the parameters allowed for humans, of course.”

  “What about Katu?”

  “He will vote too, and probably will vote against it. Don’t worry, his vote only counts if any of the Enkri abstain from the vote and it results in a draw.”

  The Unkari took a vote by spraying bright yellow pigment in the air. All seven of them were unanimous. I figured that must have been a “pro” vote. The Katu ambassador, however, sprayed a crimson red pigment. Ebony was right, he had voted against reinstating Otis in his rights. However, the total vote was overwhelmingly in Otis’s favor. Next, the prosecutor began recounting a long list of our crimes. Those facts did not present anything new, so I stopped listening and turned to Ebony instead.

  “Let’s go back to the part that I won’t like.”

  “Do you know about the differences in Enkri and Katu opinions on humans?”

  “I do, but I have no idea what’s the angle of Enkri. Their position makes no sense.”

  “We need to talk. After he finishes announcing our crimes, we can ask for a recess.”

  ***

  “What do you mean, I need a tumor in my brain?”

  Ebony and Otis
were filling me in on their plan, which evidently involved implanting cancer in my brain. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. I had one before,” argued Otis.

  “Oh yeah? And look where it got you! Cuz no offense… you are a bunch of laser beams right now.”

  She patiently listened. Their suggestion was just as unexpected for her as it was for me. The last thing I expected from this cold, officious, brainwashed woman was to step in and participate in planning our way around the death sentence. But, it turns out, she had her own agenda. “Desiree, you are not seeing your situation clearly. If by the end of Enkri day humans have failed to reach a diplomatic solution with the Unkari, not only will you be dead, but also I guarantee you, all of humankind will be wiped out. Not that I care about Earth Prime or any other of your colonies, but I am afraid, because of you, the Istanbul settlement on Lenauri will be wiped out as well. We are talking about six million people. If you don’t do what they’re suggesting, you will be guilty of no less than genocide.”

  “Wait a minute, Madam ‘I-want-nothing-to-do-with-these-stupid-humans!’ Correct me if I’m wrong, but we are prisoners here, and your job is to make sure I feel very guilty before being executed. You are standing here like a flag pole, with all your gestalt letting us know that you don’t give two shits about your own race in the first place, forget about Ebony and me, two lowly, unworthy-of-your-sneeze humans. And now, if I won’t allow a tumor to be implanted in my brain, I am a slaughterer of your precious six million brainwashed vegetables, living the high life in a cozy concentration camp. What exactly do you expect me to do?”

  She opened her mouth to let me have it, but held it back and turned her gaze away from me. I was harsh on her, or maybe not even harsh enough. Too much was at stake, and I did not understand which side she was on, if I could trust her, and what was really going on inside her head. “Desiree, calm down, fighting is unproductive,” stepped in Dr. Solarin. “There is so much you still do not understand. Just promise me to keep an open mind and listen to what I have to say.” I shrugged my shoulders in defeat and sat on the bare floor of the empty, dimly-lit room we were in. The rest followed my example. Solarin began his story.