“But it’s not only our home. You’re going to find a multitude of advanced, intelligent alien species living here. You’re going to find a fully developed, multi-species, space-faring civilization here, one not quite like our own. You see, until recently the residents of Amaranthe—at least this corner of it—were the unwilling subjects of a harsh dictatorial regime. When that regime threatened our safety, our very existence, we—the militaries of the Alliance, Federation and IDCC, led by Commandant Miriam Solovy and the fine people of AEGIS—rose to the challenge of unseating the regime’s leaders and clearing the way for a more free society to take root here.
“Now, all of us—humans and Amaranthean citizens alike—face an uncertain future, but it is a future filled with hope and promise. We’re all going to need to figure out how to live together. We’ll need to reassess our governance structures and institutions, as well as our basic assumptions about society and the way it should function to best serve the people. We’ll need to reshape our laws and practices for a different world, one that is far larger and more diverse than we’re used to. But it has the potential to be a better world, for everyone.
“Amarantheans now have the opportunity to shape their own destiny, freed of the shackles of oppression. Humans now have the opportunity to write a new destiny for ourselves—one where we aren’t alone in the universe. One where we live among stars teeming with life. A dear friend of mine put it best: we were never meant to be alone. Thanks to him, we never will be again.
“A lot of information will be thrown at you in the coming weeks and months. Things will probably get a bit messy at times. I urge you to have patience with your leaders, but also to hold us accountable. We will do our best to ensure your safety from any new or unexpected threats, but now is not the time to cower in fear. Give our new neighbors a fair chance. They have a lot to offer us, as we have a lot to offer them in return.
“Our old world is gone, and there’s no going back. This is our new world, and it holds an entire universe of adventure out there, waiting for us to discover it.”
CODA:
EVER ON & ON
“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”
— John Lennon
EARTH
MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK
MILKY WAY SECTOR 1
* * *
THE LATE MORNING SUN ROSE above Columbia Crest peak in a flare of tawny gold, bathing the caldera below in light. David blinked until his ocular implant filtered down the light to a non-blinding level, then smiled over at Alex. “It should start warming up now.”
She nodded in agreement and cast her gaze toward the valley as she continued up the trail.
David thought she was enjoying the hike, despite remaining subdued. Enjoying it as much as she could, anyway. He gave her a little space before following her path.
Every moment he spent with Alex was a lesson in humility, a rebuke playing out in real, painful time in front of him. On the bridge of the Stalwart twenty-five years ago, he’d made peace with sacrificing his own life in part because he’d believed the undeniably heroic purpose behind the act, coupled with some final parting words of affection and devotion to his wife, would make his passing bearable for his family.
He’d believed they would mourn, their grief would run its course and they would forge onward with their lives, nurtured and comforted by the knowledge that he had loved them, his last thoughts were of them, and he had died a hero.
Based on Caleb’s behavior in his final minutes and in the message to Alex, he suspected Caleb had felt much the same way. They were both wrong.
Dying a hero was better than dying a failure, but it did nothing to soften the blow for those left behind. Hearing you loved them at the last did nothing to ease the pain of your passing—they already knew! The chasm carved in one’s soul by the absence of one loved so deeply couldn’t be dressed up or prettied by accoutrements. However you went out, you were still gone—and this was the wound that remained unhealed.
The truth was, death was easy for the dying; the real cost fell on the living.
But he was being maudlin, and if the both of them grew too somber the splendid sunrise was apt to flee behind clouds. He tried to put the dark musings away, as they could do him no good here.
It was another fifteen minutes before they reached a break in the trail in the form of a wide ledge. Alex dropped her pack to the ground and sipped on her water bottle. “Is it like you remember it?”
He surveyed the surroundings while popping open his own water bottle. “Mostly. That one tree over there was a fair bit smaller the last time I was here. It’s grown in twenty-five years. But otherwise, everything’s spot-on.”
“Smartass.”
He shook his head in renewed incredulity. “Earth, in another universe. It’s kind of disconcerting for everything here to be so familiar, yet to realize that out beyond the atmosphere, everything is different.”
“It feels weird out there right now, but this is how it was meant to be. We’ll get used to it soon enough. Speaking of, when’s the next meeting of the Intergalactic Advisory Council?”
“Thursday. Your mother’s in London today to tell the Assembly leadership what the EA government is going to agree to at the meeting.”
“Naturally. Did Seneca fold on their remaining objections?”
He nodded. “Over the weekend. Much to our surprise, Field Marshal Bastian argued strongly in favor of acceptance to the chairman and his Cabinet. Also, Richard whispered in the ear of his friend Director Delavasi, who whispered in the ear of the chairman.”
Under normal circumstances, she’d have known all of this, but of course her circumstances were anything but normal. She wore a convincingly brave face, but it ran a centimeter deep. Her mind and her heart resided somewhere else, beyond his or anyone else’s reach. Miriam was terribly worried about her, but they could do little beyond making sure Alex understood they were there for her whenever she needed or wanted them. And convincing her to go on the occasional hike, where she might partake in some fresh air and sunshine.
She laughed at his retelling of events and almost made it sound genuine. “Have you met Director Delavasi? I don’t think he whispers.”
“I have not. But, funnily enough, Richard said the same thing. In related news, your friend Ms. Requelme’s stock has increased significantly since her broadcast. She’s likely to be speaking for all of us soon.”
“She’ll be good at it. All the aliens will be eating out of our hands in no time. Well, maybe not the Ch’mshak.”
“Hopefully not the Ch’mshak. We need those hands.” He considered the increasing grade of the slope ahead. “So, do you suppose we can make Pebble Creek before lunch?”
“I don’t know, old man. Can we?”
He snorted. “Excuse me, who of those present has the newer body? That would be me—”
A cluster of ice blue lights, hardly visible against the warm glow of the sun, churned into a tighter, more compact form above the ledge.
Alex whirled around to face the Kat, her bearing instantly tense. “Did you find it?”
We have located the star system as you requested. I regret it took so long as it did, but even with the entire membership of the Idryma searching, the complete lack of technological markers presented a challenge to its discovery.
“Where?”
In Ursa Major II. The supergalactic coordinates were SGL 10° 34’ 52.71” SGB 51° 55’ 12.26” as of eighteen minutes ago.
She exhaled. “Thank you, Mesme. Thank you, for everything. In case we don’t speak again, thank you.”
I doubt this will be the last we see of one another, but no thanks are required. Good fortune to you in your quest.
Then the Kat was gone.
“Dad, I need to—”
“Don’t waste time apologizing to me. Go.”
She knelt down and hurriedly dug around in her pack until she produced a small latticed orb. The miniature Cael
es Prism had been designed by her friend Devon sometime in the chaotic aftermath of The Displacement, and she possessed one of only four in existence, for now.
She closed up the pack, threw it over her shoulder and palmed the orb. “I can take you down to the skycar first.”
“It’s all right. I know the way back when it’s time to go back.” He gestured up the slope. “But there’s a lot of mountain left to climb.”
She strode over and grabbed him a fierce hug. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. We’ll do this again soon—all of us.”
“Okay. I love you.”
“I love you, milaya. Now go already.”
She drew back from the hug, her eyes lit by a fervency he hadn’t seen in weeks, fueled by hope but also dogged certitude. Then she stepped a few meters away from him and opened her hand. The orb began to shimmer with golden light, which soon grew to consume her hand and forearm.
She took a step forward and vanished.
He smiled to himself. If she believed with such conviction that she would succeed, then so did he. He was here because of her, wasn’t he?
After one more sip, he returned his water bottle to the latch on his pack and started up the path toward Pebble Creek with a buoyant step.
The universe didn’t matter. He was home.
AKESO
URSA MAJOR II
LGG REGION I
Alex set the Siyane down in the field beside the creek, scant meters from where it had landed on their first visit. Colorful blooms saturated the field, and even the trees were bursting with color, proclaiming the joyous advent of spring. The planet had not merely recovered from the attack by Ekos-3’s moon; it displayed renewed vigor and élan.
Good. Perhaps this meant it had some to spare.
She steeled herself before going below, all the way down to the engineering well. It ripped her to shreds to be in the same room as the stasis chamber, but now she had to do far more than occupy space near to it. Once below, she wasted no time in lowering the ramp until it braced on the ground, then quickly activated the movement controls on the chamber.
It rose a meter into the air, and she carefully guided it down the ramp. When it reached the surface and cleared the ship, she continued guiding it toward the stream.
Finally she stood beneath the tree they knew so well. She deactivated the movement controls, and the chamber settled onto the grass.
She retrieved her blade and drew its edge across her palm until blood welled up. Her hand trembled as she reached up and stroked one of the dangling vines.
“You and I have never spoken, but you know who I am. You saved my life once, when you had no cause to do so, and I will forever be grateful. I have no right to ask for an even greater dispensation, but I must. And it’s not solely for me. I think it’s for you, too. We’re both lesser without him.”
She swallowed and turned back to the stasis chamber, kneeling down and entering the command for the cover to retract through blurring vision. Her breath caught in her throat, but she fought against the despair. She needed to be strong now. She needed to display fortitude and certainty—no, she needed to be certain. She needed to believe.
Once the cover had removed itself, she stood again and let her gaze pass purposefully across the lush landscape.
“He saved your life, and I know you are grateful to him for doing so. What you may not know is that he went on to save everyone’s lives—all the Not-Alls out there in the stars, so many. He gave his life for them and for us, and it’s not fair…he struggled so much, carried so many burdens. He deserves to live with those burdens lifted. He deserves to live.”
She wiped away a tear as it fell to her cheek. “You can bring him back. I know pieces of you still live within him, because they still live within me. I can feel you, and I think that means you can feel him. The doctors say he’s gone, but I know there remains a trace of life in him: you. I hope—I believe—it’s in your power to bring him back. Please…please try. I’m begging you. Touch him with your mind and…please.”
A breeze tickled the bare skin of her arms, and it felt as if it carried a whisper on the air. She looked around, but there was nothing beyond the swaying of the leaves and blooms. “Please.”
A limb above her rustled beyond the breeze. It gradually extended to wind over her shoulder toward the stasis chamber. She hurriedly stepped out of the way to give it unfettered access.
The leaves at its tip breached the open chamber to caress his face and neck. After a moment it withdrew to hover directly in front of her. She brought her hands up to gently press both palms around the edge-most leaf. “Whatever you need to do. I give him to you. I’m placing him in your care. He thought you were the most beautiful life he’d ever met, and I know he would trust you completely. Replace, renew, replenish—this is who you are. You perform these life-giving acts for yourself. You performed them for me. Do so for him. Replace what you must. Replenish him. Renew him. Whatever it takes.”
She slowly removed her hands and took a single, deliberate step back. The limb continued to hover in front of her—then it was joined by a second limb, then a third and a fourth. They stretched past her, into the stasis chamber, where they wound around his form as if gathering him into their arms. The limbs lifted him out of the chamber and drew him in, up into the more fulsome limbs above, winding and winding around him until she could hardly see a hint of his body.
Her hand came to her mouth. “Thank you. Thank you. I’ll…just wait. Here. However long you need. I’ll wait.”
But the tree was ignoring her now, so she exhaled and sank to the grass to do precisely as she’d said—to wait.
The instant her legs met the ground, exhaustion crashed over her. She’d directed every drop of her will to getting here, and to remaining strong for the world and her own sanity until she was able to get here. Now stripped of her driving force, she was too tired to imagine standing once more.
She crawled on her hands and knees until she was beneath the limbs of the tree. Then she lay her head down on the grass…and she could swear the leaves swelled to become softer. She closed her eyes.
“Why is there an elafali grazing along the bank of the stream?”
Alex struggled up from the depths of a deep, dreamless sleep. Someone had spoken, in a voice that made her heart sing. Maybe she was dreaming after all….
“Alex.” Warm skin pressed against her cheek—her eyes popped open.
Caleb lay on his side next to her. Pure sapphire irises sparkled in reflected sunlight—was it the next morning? Had hours passed? Days?
He breathed. He spoke. He lived.
She clasped his face in her hands as tears rushed forth to flow freely down her cheeks. “Welcome back, priyazn.”
The corners of his lips curled up tentatively. “Bit of a surprise, waking up. Beneath a tree of Akeso. You sleeping beside me. I wasn’t sure it was real, but—” Abruptly he pulled away, anxiousness tightening his features. “Did it work? Is everyone…here? Is ‘here’ Amaranthe?”
“It worked. Earth, Seneca, the whole of Aurora is here in Amaranthe, as well as everything from the Mosaic…with two notable exceptions. No pesky Machim battlecruiser. And no Ekos-3.”
He laughed softly. “Perfect. And everyone’s all right? The transition didn’t injure anyone?”
“Everyone’s fine. A little confused at first, but fine. Isabela and Marlee are fine. They’ll be very, very glad to see you.”
His throat worked in unease. “How long?”
“Three weeks and two days. It took Mesme—all the Kats from the Idryma, actually—a while to find where you’d put Akeso.”
“Ah, good point. Should’ve left signposts.”
“Yes, you should have.” She paused to wipe away more tears, because she was making a mess. “The diati’s gone?”
His gaze rose to the sky. “If it did as I asked, it’s scattered among the heavens—where it came from, and where it belongs. But, yes, it’s gone, and it won’
t be returning.” He shrugged. “I’m just me now. Just a man.”
Her fingertips touched his lips, enraptured by their warmth, their living movement. “You’ve never been ‘just’ anything. You’re here. You’re alive. With me. It’s more than I could ever ask for. Although, technically, it’s exactly what I asked for.”
He smiled as those devastating sapphire eyes grew misty. “And then you went and made it happen, bending the universe to your will yet again.”
“I had to.” His arm urged her closer, and she melted against him. Her mouth brushed across his…and her brow furrowed. “Did you say something about an elafali?”
“Behind you, by the creek.”
She didn’t want to create the slightest space between them, but curiosity won out and she craned her neck around. The spitting image of one of the majestic creatures from Seneca grazed on the verdant grasses that thrived along the shore of the creek. “I’ll be damned.”
As if it heard her, the creature lifted its head to stare directly at them. Coral horns curved up and away from iridescent copper irises gleaming in the morning light. A long streak of scar tissue split velvety sable fur in a jagged diagonal line across its neck down to its upper chest.
Caleb gasped. “Oh my. It seems I’m not the only soul Akeso has brought back to life today.” His eyes squeezed shut, and his head dropped to the grass. “It took my memory of the elafali killed by the poacher all those years ago and it…. I don’t deserve this.”
“Yes, you do. You’ve paid your penance. You’ve surrendered your power. You deserve to live, and live in peace. Priyazn, it’s time to rest.”
He wiped at his own tears. “What are you talking about? We have an entire universe to explore.”
“And it will be there waiting on us when we’re ready to explore it. But I think I’d like to stay here for a while.”
Requiem: Aurora Resonant Book Three (Aurora Rhapsody 9) Page 38