Namiko, fearing the answer, after the hundredth revision of their plan, finally found the courage to ask: “What makes you so sure that we can neutralize the Sjunish?”
“From the vast amount of data we've intercepted, I feel fairly certain that the Alpha Orionis is the ship with the most firepower in the galaxy. Parked on level eight, sector twelve, we have three war cruisers armed with sonic bombs and antimatter torpedoes.”
“I didn't know,” she replied tersely. More unexpected news. When will it end? And what the hell are sonic bombs and antimatter torpedoes?
“I only found out this morning,” the First Officer continued. “The deactivation of my chip, as you well know, made me lose part of my memory. I even identified a weapon capable of generating dark matter.”
“And how would such a thing work?”
“I'm not sure. I think that it generates an electromagnetic tensor field inside the designated target area, fatally crushing it with gravitational force.”
“My God! It's extraordinary and disturbing all at the same time. Who knows what amazing technology must be behind...”
“I don't know if the weapon generates a graviton field, or if it acts as an inertial compensator, which, when diverted, increases the gravity of a star around the objective. But of one thing I'm certain: I'd never want to be hit with it!”
“So there's a chance that it only works if you're near a celestial body with sufficient mass?”
“Probably. I think a simple planetoid would be sufficient. In any case, going back to our discussion of the Sjunish, while ours is a warship, theirs, although armed, is a colonizing ship: a kind of enormous cargo vessel, made to transport whatever is needed to subdue and settle worlds that are already helpless.”
The Taahrian's explanation concluded, Namiko smiled with joy.
“What is it?” Eldgh asked, confused by her unexpected reaction.
“We're going to really hurt them, aren't we?”
Namiko's face was radiant with satisfaction.
The First Officer just nodded with a slight movement of his head, but that was more than enough for Namiko.
34
Ingrid's house proved to be a veritable love nest: warm, comfortable and full of passion.
After they had made love, embraced in fiery ardor, Sirio enthusiastically accepted the offer of a good red wine. The full-bodied crimson liquid had a spicy fruit flavor. Though Ingrid thought it had had woody notes, it reminded Sirio of a fruit jam he had tasted when he was very young. The flavors emerged in force as soon as it came in contact with his lips, still swollen with passion. For the Italian, it was yet another transport of his senses: an infinite gift that only this wonderful woman knew how to give.
Outside the window, you could see the fury of the elements. The heavy rain and winds suggested that spring would arrive late.
After sipping wine in the afterglow, the two lovers found themselves almost mysteriously discussing the Ikalians.
“Finally,” Ingrid ventured, “all of the devastated areas have been rebuilt, even better than before.”
“Yes, and it's due to their nanotechnology,” he replied condescendingly, without any real interest.
“The news has even begun to circulate that soon the World Health Organization will announce a definitive victory against cancer to the world. Once again, thanks to the Ikalians' generosity.”
“Of course that's all good news,” he replied with a coldness that would've even saddened a kid in a candy store.
“What's wrong? You don't seem quite convinced, my dear.” Ingrid smiled and moved closer to him, with a seductive gaze.
Sirio had to stop himself from smiling. That heavenly creature could make absolutely anything palatable.
“Do you really have that much blind faith in them?” he asked.
“Of course! Not only have they kept a race that tried to extinguish humanity at bay, but they've shown themselves to be true benefactors. We're now making societal and technological advances at a dizzying speed. They're heroes!”
“A singularity,” Sirio whispered.
“What?” asked Ingrid, who still wasn't feeling positive about the situation.
“A singularity! In futurology, a technical singularity is a precise point in the development of a civilization, in which technological progress accelerates, almost explosively, beyond modern human beings' capacity to comprehend or imagine. Tylor told me about it.”
“Your friend must know a ton of things, but I doubt that he's as charming as you are.”
“You're right about that!” he admitted ironically.
“You know, all kidding aside, I'm really happy with the way things are going. And I'm not just talking about you and me, but about how the world is evolving. I am certain that there's more magic awaiting us. Disease and poverty will be eradicated and incredible new horizons will be opened. The Ikalians have allowed us to see that we'll be citizens of the universe; and that, since we're not ready to stand on our own two feet yet, they'll protect us. They're our angels!”
For a moment, Sirio thought that extreme fanaticism was threatening to ruin their evening. But then she looked at him with her ice-blue eyes. It was as if she had hypnotized him. She was enchanting, optimistic and charismatic. He felt a vibration in his head, then a shockwave of pleasant sensations traveled down his spine and spread throughout his body. It was in that precise moment that his heart, soul and mind told him that it would be impossible to resist her.
“Yes, you're right after all. They're giving us a new world, one rich with exhilarating promises.”
“And I think you'll want to share it with me, now and always,” Ingrid urged in a provocative way.
“You can bet on that!” Sirio exclaimed, as though drunk.
Their glasses of wine slid to the floor. Their bodies became players in a new and irresistible outburst of passion.
35
As much as the Taahrian ship's compensation for this had evolved, each hyperspace jump was tantamount to living under enormous physical and psychological stress, at least for a human body: it began with a slight tingling, and quickly became a feeling of being overwhelmed by an electric shock. But that was all behind Namiko. Several days ago, Eldgh had managed to bring the superluminal engines to maximum efficiency, allowing them to slide through the fabric of space and time in a way that would've impressed even the Ikalians.
“While I was in the engine room, making sure that the engines didn't explode, we received a signal, or rather, we intercepted a subspace wave that you should see,” the First Officer announced. From the way he said it, Namiko hoped this wasn't bad news.
“Should I be worried?”
“It has to do with an image from the Sjunish's minicam .”
If it was something serious, he would've given me a direct response, without beating around the bush.
“Follow me,” he ordered tersely.
Now that's more like it.
The Taahrian ship was so big that they had to walk for a half Terrestrial hour, through several levels, going up and down corridors, using the turbo lifts, passing through two greenhouses, three holodecks and an infirmary. They finally entered one of the many doors.
“I recognize this place!” Namiko exclaimed.
She was certain: this was the room where she had learned about the disaster which had struck the Earth.
“I'm sorry to rekindle these old memories, but I assure you that it will be different this time.”
The woman didn’t know what to expect; she stood there waiting for some time, hoping that the image would materialize as soon as possible.
“I'll leave you alone,” Eldgh unexpectedly announced.
“But...” Namiko didn’t have time to protest: the First Officer had vanished.
The low light in the room became even dimmer, becoming pitch black and frightening.
For the first time in a long time, she was afraid.
What the hell does all of this mean?
That unexpec
ted situation made her feel like she'd lose her mind. She decided to close her eyes, take a deep breath and relax. Ten years earlier, she had taken yoga classes: she knew how to handle this.
Her fear vanished; but instead of finding a more serene state, she became angry.
If something doesn't happen soon, I'm getting out of here; and I'm getting away from that crazy Taahrian, as sure as...
An unexpected light filtered through her eyelids. When she opened her eyes, she was speechless: in front of her, majestic, beautiful and blue, was the Earth. The holographic projection gave her the sensation of floating in space. It took her breath away for a moment. Then, she focused on the outline of that wonderful sphere. An intense glow began to emanate. When her eyes adjusted, or perhaps when the Ikalian micro-filter began working, she recognized it, like a god extending a warm hand to one of his children: it was the sun. Its light filled her with a sense of security, peace and courage. After all this time, she had the illusion of being home, with someone or something that she knew; as the dawn became more intense and well-defined, she felt ever more cherished.
With an enchanted look still on her face, she sat on the floor, enraptured. Though she knew it was only the projection of a sequence of images, she actually felt the warmth of those rays on her face.
She smiled, imagining herself sunbathing, lying on the sand of an endless beach. She thought of Sirio: about how much she would've liked to share that experience with him; with the only man who had ever been able to give her a sense of security, like the one she was feeling right now. She missed Sirio enormously; it was unbearable. If all that time spent on the Alpha Orionis hadn't played tricks on her mind, Namiko would've thought about Sirio throughout every single nanosecond of the space-time continuum, drowning in a pain that her soul, albeit that of a warrior, couldn't have withstood. And yet, kneeling before that projection of the Earth bathed in sunlight, she smiled, and tears of joy and sorrow began to flow, in an endless swirl of emotions. She became convinced that she would see him again. The Betelgeuse continued onward, like a furious deity, capable of rending the fabric of space.
Yielding to the wonder before her, she slowly began to mumble words, which steadily became more defined and audible.
I'm coming, Sirio.
“I'm coming, Sirio.”
“I'm coming, Sirio!”
Finally, the spell of the dawn transformed into the darkness of the unknown, once again.
36
Pets to play with and nothing more. This was the essence of the Ikalians' vision regarding the destiny of these humans. That idea reduced the number of pleasurable signals going through Xnoris' synapses. However, he took a certain delight, albeit pretty damned similar to that of his emperor, in envisioning something quite different. Xnoris would've bet a projyxion of ruthenium on it. Sabotaging Eldgh's chip, while ensuring that certain data detection systems of both the Alpha Orionis and its drones remained confined within it, would create a lot of problems for the imperialist Ikalian machine. Consummate professional that he was, he had checked several times to be sure that the Command Center wasn't aware of any abnormalities on the ship. He had made his tampering appear to be a temporary glitch. In reality, however, it was a major modification of a neural processor and the Command's receiving devices. Some of the information appearing on the Expansion Command's holographic screens was actually a simulation that Xnoris had created: the supervisor's parting gift before leaving for Blue C.
Sickened by their imperialist mindset and outraged at being its hardworking servant, he had ended up, but not without taking serious risks, being among the founding fathers of the Mtjugiaankh: an organized subversive group, ready to hit the regime hard and intent on becoming the future symbol of opposition and resistance to Ikali's tyranny. This wasn't the first time in recent history that a brave handful of Ikalians, tired and disgusted at watching entire worlds deprived of their freedom, had gotten together as a revolutionary group. Unfortunately, all previous attempts had been violently crushed by the regime. Nonetheless, Xnoris thought, this time would be different. No organization, until now, had been founded by such a number of impressive scientific minds, or was so well-prepared militarily and backed by state-of-the-art technology.
The supervisor, alone with his thoughts, on that alien world called Earth, couldn't possibly have known the movements and intentions of the Alpha Orionis' First Officer, but one thing was certain: as soon as he discovered the truth, Eldgh wouldn't be able to just stand there, looking inward. Stuck on Blue C, Xnoris didn't have the equipment to hack into the server of the Sjunish, a ship that had never participated in communications and had adopted a quantum cryptographic system that he hadn't had a chance to use. But, if Eldgh had been on the ball, he would've known that he had the equipment needed to send simulated data to the Great Emerald himself, assuming he ever made it back to Earth. The latter was just one of countless options that the First Officer should've considered, and it was also the most likely to succeed: Blue C was the only planet of which Eldgh had an actual memory. It was also a world that was still free, and not subdued by mass mind control, so this could've been one of the biggest turning points in recent galactic history. Unfortunately, there was also the possibility that Eldgh couldn't get organized in time, before the other Taahrians awakened. In that case, the plan would fail and Xnoris risked being discovered; though, thanks to the resistance movement's knowledge and assistance, there was still another opportunity to obviate fundamental data. Perhaps he should try to get in touch with Eldgh. By now, sufficient time had passed for the First Officer to realize his Taahrian condition, with all that it implied. However, this wasn't a decision that Xnoris could make independently: this undertaking required the approval of the insurrection's other members. Their priority was to act in harmony to coordinate the various operations as well as possible: since they were intellectually gifted, none of the rebels had ever taken part in terrorist acts. Moreover, Xnoris hadn't had a chance to tamper with the subspace waves that the Ikalian Expansion Command Center used to transmit information to the processors of the Taahrians in suspended animation. For all of these reasons, before proceeding with a plan that had the potential to devastate the Alpha Orionis and its crew, he needed to wait for instructions from the local Mtjugiaankh affiliate, which knew how to disable or remotely reprogram those damned chips.
The time for their victory dance was coming; and, one way or another, the beginning of a great upheaval had already begun.
37
“Who the hell is it?” Tylor asked, after hearing the doorbell ring for the third time. Betty was the first to head towards the door.
“Were you perhaps expecting someone?” Tylor didn't receive a reply, even though he was sure that he had heard the door lock close. Should he be worried?
“Honey, come here. You're not going to believe your eyes.”
What was it, one of his friends?
After having hurried down the stairs and arriving in the living room, he understood the reason for Betty's surprise. Standing in the doorway was the last person in the world that he would've expected.
“Mike Wilson! What the hell are you doing in these parts?”
The American gave him a half smile and a fraternal embrace.
“It's great to see you again! Come on in!” Tylor urged enthusiastically.
“I'm really happy to see you too,” Mike said, somewhat contritely, although his friend barely seemed to notice.
“Oh, this is Betty,” Tylor announced, as if he had suddenly remembered the need to formally introduce her. “My better half,” he specified.
“Yeah, we've already met. But I want to congratulate you.” The American looked around, evidencing a certain satisfaction. “This is a really nice little house,” he continued. “And you have a fascinating woman by your side.”
The Australian, not used to such flattery, mumbled something unintelligible.
“Dear Betty, why did you ever choose a crazy guy like him?” Mike asked jokingly.
“Maybe because I'm crazy about him,” she replied in kind.
We haven't seen each other since the tragic return to Earth, yet he's acting like we're close, Tylor thought. In any case, that was hardly what troubled him most. He knew that their experience on the Alpha Orionis had forever united them in a special bond.
After a few pleasantries, and the promise of a coffee, they found themselves sitting next to each other on the sofa.
“Why did you disappear? We looked, but you...”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Mike interrupted, putting his hand up. “You'll have to excuse me. I don't get around much: I've been a coward!”
Tylor was surprised.
“No, come on, you don't have to...”
“Wait, listen to me.”
The Australian stopped talking at his friend's request.
“I'm not exaggerating or trying to wallow in self-pity; but, when I returned home, I was shocked. A person who had been emotionally destroyed. Like all of us who had been on the ship were.” Mike paused for a moment, looking inside himself for the right words. “Like any man who's lived through the apocalypse,” he finally said.
“You're telling me that you wanted to be alone?”
“Actually, I started a family.”
“Well, that seems like something good and yet you talk about it like it's a funeral...”
“You're right. I love my family. But I've come here to warn you about something very important.”
“I hope it's not serious.”
The American is too upset, Tylor thought, to be bringing good news.
“Maybe I'm just being paranoid.”
“Well, tell me. Then we'll decide together if you are or not.”
“Rest assured that I didn't travel over five thousand miles to keep a secret.”
I'll have to ask him how he found me later, Tylor thought.
“First, however, I want to finish giving my apologies. I disappeared because I was trying to stay away from anything or anyone that might remind me of the Taahrians. I went to live in one of those rare places that escaped disaster.”
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