Live or Die Trilogy

by J. A. Hawkings

  “On the contrary!”

  “It's just that, lately, I'm happier than ever.”

  “Why's that?”

  “Everything is going so well with you and me: dad has finally accepted you; the restaurant and its business is back up to where it once was; and, above all, I'm seeing our world rise from the ashes, stronger and more beautiful than before. It gives me an enormous sense of joy and the belief in a bright future.”

  “Great, so you'll be really happy to learn that Tylor has invited us to Australia.”

  “Wow; that's marvelous! But with civilian flights still so limited, it won't be easy to get tickets.”

  At that point, Sirio stopped and pulled some printed pages out of his pocket. “Guess what these are?”

  “No, don't tell me that...”

  “The tickets!”

  “How did you manage that?”

  “It was Tylor. He was able to score them and send them electronically.”

  “Oh... When will our friend cease to amaze us?”

  “Never, I hope.”

  2

  Haruki's determination to keep the restaurant on its feet, and seeing his daughter Namiko working there with dedication and passion, made him feel that his family had won, even at the end of the world. The joy of having a family again had made Haruki more accommodating and understanding, so that he was able to accept a round-eyed man as a son-in-law, even though the latter had never attended a Shinto ritual. After all, Sirio was a good guy, who had ended up working in social services and helping the Japanese people, instead of doing something else. He also had the distinction of having normalized his daughter: bringing her home, and taking her away from James Bond scenarios, to be the future mother of a family.

  The two lovers were feeling blessed, after having organized a lavish wedding, setting up an intimate ceremony at a Shinto shrine, to be followed by a grandiose reception.

  Namiko and Sirio had also managed to set up their new home, furnishing it with essentials, in a minimalist, unobtrusive decor, to create a sense of spaciousness and serenity within the narrow confines of a Japanese apartment.

  What had started as a forbidden game in front of their screens, had turned into a space adventure, and ended as a sweet, romantic love story. It had been a gamble for both from the beginning: the desire to cling to another person, once they had survived the apocalypse. Luckily for them, the gamble had paid off better than expected. On the one hand, fate had given this man a person who embodied everything that he had been missing; on the other, it had given a loving companion to a woman who had rejected every man she had ever known, convinced that she would die alone. Instead, the two had grown, together, becoming new people, accomplices, capable of overcoming every obstacle and giving each other strength.

  So they took refuge in the nest they had built, in which they would make love and fall asleep together, drunk from the scented candles whose flames danced to the beat of their hearts.

  It was a magical balance, a modern fairy tale, stronger than the end of the world, soon to be moved onto the oceanic continent, among kangaroos, koalas, infinite spaces and their friend Tylor.

  3

  The flight was extremely comfortable and faster than expected. Thanks to the Taahrians' directions, the world of aviation had undergone rapid progress. It wasn't revolutionary technology, to tell the truth; more than anything else, it was in the details which had not only put the fleets of many companies back on their feet, but had also increased safety and performance, even reducing fuel consumption. It was the Taahrians' way of asking to be forgiven. Many people wondered how far they could be pushed to donate their knowledge. But the aliens would never say how the science that offered the possibility of space travel had been discovered. After all, it was against their moral code to influence the evolution of another species to such an extent. Humans would need to make important social as well as technological advances by themselves, to be ready to face such adventures.

  Most people, except the inevitable critics, understood the extraterrestrials' motivation. These were the exact same individuals who quoted the masters of human science fiction, who argued that it was wrong to interfere in the natural development of an alien civilization, until it had developed the technology of interstellar travel. In fact, the Taahrians also took the time to analyze Terrestrial cultures, publicly lauding many aspects of same.

  Namiko and Sirio arrived at the ASPS (Austral Solar Power Station) in the late morning. The mild weather and easy flight had allowed them to get some rest during their trip.

  They got off a small bus, which constantly shuttled between the airport and the center, and saw a mammoth construction that gave them both the same amazed impression that they had when they were on board the Betelgeuse.

  Before them, they saw an area the size of five thousand football fields, covered with thousands of solar mirrors designed to direct rays of the sun towards several huge receivers, placed on a tower that was more than a kilometer high. The mirrors were angled in a unique way, designed to move continuously in the direction of the sun. Inside the tower, Tylor had enthusiastically explained in an email to Sirio, everything was organized so that the sun's rays were deflected towards it, heating the water, generating steam, and so moving the gigantic turbines. The excess heat was retained by a tank that had been created by the Taahrians, which used a special fluid to maintain high temperatures for a long time. Ultimately, as they had done for telecommunications and the world of aviation, they did nothing more than exploit existing technologies for solar towers, with a hint of alien science.

  There was no need to use a smartphone to alert their friend that they had arrived, as Tylor surprised them by grabbing them in a friendly embrace from behind.

  “Hey, my friends. How did you guys get all the way out here?” Tylor asked, smiling more than ever.

  “Well, we didn't know what to do with ourselves...” Sirio replied jokingly. And we thought “Why don't we go to the middle of the desert, to see some futuristic solar mirrors?”

  “You're finally working as a scientist?” Namiko said.

  “You can see that it was my destiny, even though I would rather have taken another route to get here.”

  “Who wouldn't have...”

  “Yeah, but no more long faces. I'll take you on a nice tour and then we'll have a beer and a burger that's out of this world.”

  Sirio and Namiko looked at each other.

  “What's wrong? It's not my fault if you're stuffed on sushi and spaghetti. This is Australia, my friends.”

  “I wasn't aware that you only eat hamburgers in Australia,” Namiko commented.

  “Well, I, for one, do,” Tylor replied, pleased with himself and smiling, giving Sirio a pat on the shoulder. “Come on, let's go. I'll show you around this marvel of engineering.”

  Initially, the visit proved interesting; but, after the first hour, listening to a torrent of words, both Sirio and Namiko were unable to follow the myriads of bits of technical, incomprehensible information, for which they found it impossible to feel sincere enthusiasm. Their ordeal ended in the early afternoon, when their friend's mad scientist persona gave way to that of a witty, likeable young man.

  “I've got to tell you that these burgers aren't half bad,” Sirio commented.

  “It's the sauce,” the Australian explained.

  “Mmm... what's in it?” Namiko asked.

  “I actually don't know. They sell these hamburgers frozen, with the sauce already on them.”

  “You're telling me that you got a block of frozen meat which, upon thawing, was discovered to have some sort of ketchup on it?” the Italian asked, horrified.

  “Exactly!” Tylor exclaimed, almost with pride.

  “That's disgusting!” Sirio yelled, pushing his plate away.

  “It looked like you were devouring it all the same,” his friend noted.

  “Is there anything I should know about the beer?”

  “No, take it easy, the chemical reaction
that transforms the Taahrians' organic waste into an excellent barley malt ensures a magnificent flavor and is completely safe,” Tylor said.

  Sirio's eyes opened wide: “Say what?”

  “Come on, I was only joking... you believed it!”

  Namiko stood up: “I've lost my appetite.”

  “Come on, guys, don't take it that way. I beg your pardon. Take pity on a poor man whose only wish was to have a little spirited fun with his old friends.”

  “Are you sure that all this sun hasn't affected your brain?” the Japanese woman asked, smiling.

  “Could be, could be. But how about you guys? What's new with you? When's the big wedding going to take place?”

  “In six months, if all goes well,” Sirio replied.

  “And what could go wrong?”

  “It's just a figure of speech. Superstition.”

  “Oh, relax. Even on board the Alpha Orionis, we all knew you'd end up together.”

  “Don't say that, it’s a bad omen,” said Namiko.

  “Come on, you know what I mean. You guys make a great couple, an example to others, even if at the beginning...”

  “At the beginning what?” asked Sirio, who was already looking forward to the next absurdity that his friend would surely let slip.

  “Well, you two seemed like, when we were in the hole... and you were doing that stuff...”

  “You and the other guys were just jealous!” Namiko said.

  “Okay, I'll give you that one.”

  “And you? Is there a woman in your life?” Sirio asked.

  “Where?”

  “You tell me.”

  “I'm always here, in the middle of all these panels, cables and impossible calculations, dealing with workers who band together against each other. How am I going to find a girl?”

  “Maybe one of those I've seen hanging around here,” the Japanese woman suggested.

  “I don't like any of them,” he said curtly.

  “And that one?” Sirio asked, waving a hand in the direction that Tylor wasn't looking.

  “I don't really know...” he answered with his mouth hanging open.

  About ten meters away, a young woman with red hair, wearing a tight shirt and pants, had captured the gaze of every man that saw her.

  “Don't tell me that you never noticed her!” Sirio exclaimed, incredulous and almost laughing.

  “No, I swear. She must be part of the new group of engineers.”

  “Well, I suggest that you immediately go over and consult her.”

  “Oh, guys, I'm not that bad off.”

  “Oh no? It seemed like you were...”

  Tylor gave his friend a shove to shut him up.

  “You act like little boys in elementary school,” Namiko told them.

  “After years of stress, we deserve it. Don't you think?”

  There wasn't time for any more jokes.

  Everyone around them had suddenly become agitated. The three friends' attention was drawn to a point close by. Then they saw the last thing in the world that they would've expected.

  “Well I'll be damned!” Tylor exclaimed.

  4

  “Long time, no see,” Sirio said.

  “Excuse me?” the Taahrian replied, unaccustomed to the Terrestrial way of joking around.

  Did we really confuse him?, Sirio wondered worriedly. Dammit! They're all the same!

  “Eldgh, it's us,” Namiko exclaimed.

  “Of course! Sorry. I'm having problems with my neural chip these days. I don't always recognize the millions of faces right away.”

  “Enhanced reality!” Tylor remarked.

  “Yes, you might call it that. In any case, I think that I no longer understand all of what you're saying, Mr. Bastiani.”

  “He meant to say that he's surprised to see you again, but at the same time, happy about it,” Namiko explained.

  “I understand,” the Taahrian said, adjusting his respirator. “You'll have to excuse me, but it seems easier to travel thousands of light years than to understand some of your Terrestrial expressions.”

  “Well, compliments on your excellent English,” Tylor said.

  The Taahrian thanked him with a nod.

  “How is it that you're here?” Sirio asked.

  “I've decided to personally supervise the most ambitious of the projects that we're undertaking. We'll be leaving soon,” he replied tersely.

  “What?” the Italian asked incredulously. “You mean to say that you're leaving us? So soon?”

  “Your world has been restored,” Eldgh affirmed. “You are now able to manage without our help. The knowledge that we have imparted to your culture will be more than sufficient to help a thriving society to flourish, without worrying about power, food, and, if you follow our instructions, climate either.”

  “My God. And I thought you'd be here another few years,” Tylor said.

  “Our people are upset. The Council is bitter, not only about the disaster which we caused you, but at the disillusionment of having been forced to spend time and energy on this planet, and getting nothing in return. Don't get me wrong. We've done a lot for you and we did it gladly. For a conscientious civilization such as ours, it was an honor as well as our duty. But we Taahrians fear that we may not be able to realize our dream of a world to call home, and that we'll finish our days in a huge metal box. The Commander, as spokesman for the Council, has announced that we'll leave in two weeks.”

  “In two weeks? That's crazy? There are too many, very complex operations that our people are working on together,” the Australian argued.

  “You must understand that, being forced to travel in suspended animation, we decided not to have children these past three years, and my people are tired of living this way; they dream of finding a good world where they can live and raise a family. As you can see, the Taahrians' desires are not so different from those of humans.”

  “By why insist on traveling in a cryogenically frozen state?” Sirio tried to comprehend. “Isn't what happened enough for you? You would continue to entrust billions of lives to some robots?”

  “As I've already explained to thousands of Terrestrials: we don't want to die during our voyage! We want to see our new world with our own eyes.”

  “The reawakening process didn't seem very secure to me.” Namiko remarked.

  “That was just one incident, and due to your intervention. But, as you can see, we don't blame you.”

  “Blame? Without us, you would all still be frozen in those ridiculous freezers!” shouted Tylor who, above all, had been the hero of two worlds.

  “I beg you, don't twist my words. It's not easy for me to say exactly what I mean. Our language, though supported by the neural chip, is a far cry from yours. You were well able to understand our participation in the drama that consumed this planet. We ourselves risked extinction. We are both cosmic victims. You have to realize that we don't even have a planet on which to live. And even if our encounter was worse for you than us, it is thanks to our technology that you, once again, have a society where you can thrive. Please don't place any more blame on me. The pain is already enormous. And don't think that my lack of tears or my inexorable composure are synonymous with cynicism or indifference. The suffering in my heart doesn't manifest itself the same way as yours. It is something that remains inside, which is nonetheless shared between we Taahrians through a connection in our neural chips.”

  “Don't tell me that you're each constrained to feel the suffering of all the others?” Tylor asked curiously.

  “Absolutely not. That would be an unmanageable tangle of thoughts. It would have to be the wish of both Taaahrians involved, to indulge or deny sharing. In any case, don't worry. The problems that affected our mainframe won't be repeated. Some of our brave comrades are going to sacrifice themselves for the cause. They will guide us towards our new Taahr and continue to work to make the C6 units immune to any possible cyber attack.”

  “I understand your reasoning, but doesn't
it seem like you're rushing into this? I don't doubt that you've done a lot, but there are still many sectors with serious problems,” Namiko said.

  “The attacks that we suffer every day undermine the very survival of my people. Evidently our two civilizations were not meant to live together peacefully.”

  “You can't allow yourselves to be influenced by a few hundred people,” Sirio added.

  “There are thousands of them. And the death of even one Taahrian on a daily basis isn't an acceptable situation.”

  “Excuse me, but why don't you have children?” the Australian interrupted.

  “For a Taahrian under five years of age, there is a twenty percent chance of suffering serious injuries from suspended animation. I can't begin to explain the complexity of our biology.”

  “Fine. It is what it is,” Tylor concluded theatrically.

  “Don't tell me that we're the first Terrestrials that you've told?” Namiko said in a loud voice.

  “My Commander will announce it to your world in a couple of hours. Consider our discussion a preview,” Eldgh replied with a deep sigh, and then added: “Perhaps we could and we should do more, but the call is irresistible. We feel the need to leave and follow a lure from which it is impossible to escape. My people have termed it The Call of the Galaxy.”

  “So you're never going to disclose the secret of traveling through the cosmos, the mysteries of dark energy, if there are parallel universes, or a creator of everything...” said Tylor sadly, like a man about to leave his beloved.

  “You'll have to discover the mysteries of the cosmos with your own minds. You have the means to do so. Nevertheless, you shouldn't believe that an ability to travel through the galaxy will bring the solution to all of your questions. There are still many mysteries waiting to be discovered.”

  “Like what that artificial planetoid may be, for example,” Tylor mentioned.

  “Exactly. I can only tell you that the enigmas of dark matter, the constant acceleration of the universe, and string theory will one day seem ridiculously simple, like the invention of the wheel or the discovery of fire. For every secret revealed, the universe offers up new questions. It's a kind of magic that will never bore you. Now I must bid you goodbye. I think I've already said too much.”