“No.”
“Of course not! They all hate you by now. You suddenly reappeared and hit them again, in a more subtle way. And you even destroyed those that they considered their saviors. Instead of exposing the Ikalians, we've irremediably confirmed their accusations. I don't need to follow the Terestrials' newscasts to understand that you've officially become the enemies of humanity. Now what will you do? Wait for the Ikalian ships and destroy them one by one?”
“That would be a suicidal strategy.”
“So what the hell are we going to do now?”
“Xnoris told me that the resistance has created a virus that should keep the Ikalian Empire in check.”
“Biochemical warfare?”
“Something more complex and efficient than that.”
“And us, what will we do, Eldgh? Wait until the virus destroys everyone?”
“The rebels are Ikalians too. Far be it for them to exterminate an entire civilization. They'll only go far enough to have the fate of their world in hand. They'll force the emperor to capitulate. Alpha Orionis' task is to stay here and hold off any Ikalian reinforcements that show up.”
“Didn't you say before that it would be suicide to wait for the Ikalian ships?”
“Thanks to the virus, no one will ever be coming from Ikali. Xnoris assured me of it. In any case, we must be prudent. We don't know the exact number of Ikalian starships that might be out, around the galaxy. We're afraid that one might emerge from hyperspace at any moment.”
“I hope you're right, for all our sakes.”
“It's a good plan.”
“You think so?”
“I detect a note of irony, if not bitterness, in your response.”
“You've been wrong about everything until now.”
The Commander accepted the jab. It was undeniable that things never went as planned.
After a few moments of silence, Namiko's tone suddenly became more relaxed.
“Perhaps we've all been overwhelmed by something greater than ourselves. Maybe we'll emerge triumphant, in the end. But for now, I beg you, let me get out of here. Take me to Sirio.”
“It's very risky to land on Earth.”
“This won't be a mass landing! We'll land at night, in an uninhabited area, not far from Canberra. We'll be invisible.”
“Perhaps it could be done.”
“I...”
The Japanese woman was interrupted.
“I'll call you, as soon as we're ready,” the Commander said; and without waiting for a reply, he took his leave.
Watching him leave, she felt as though they'd gone back to being strangers.
Perhaps it wasn't really Eldgh's fault. But what did that matter? The damage had been done and she would soon return to Earth.
To Sirio.
Finally.
And yet she didn't feel like rejoicing.
She harbored the suspicion that once back with Sirio, she'd be the victim of an unpleasant surprise.
I need to try to be more positive.
But too much had happened for her to hope that all would go well.
8
“Betty.” The name seemed to originate from beyond the grave.
“I'm here, my love,” she reassured him, with her face covered in tears. She had lived for days in the fear that Tylor wouldn't survive. But hearing the doctor say that he was “out of danger!” her few remaining tears had turned into a happy cry.
“Wha... wha... what is it...” For Tylor, pronouncing even a single word had become an insurmountable task.
“There was an accident,” Betty tried to explain, but didn't have time: two nurses and a doctor suddenly appeared. Patient Ryan had spoken, and no one in the Trauma Unit would've ever bet on that.
Betty and Mike looked at each other. With one arm and a leg broken, a concussion, twenty stitches in his forehead, a couple of contractures and a cracked rib, the American had fared decidedly better.
“You'll see,” Mike said from his wheelchair, with his head constrained by a cervical collar. “He'll soon be stronger and handsomer than before.”
Betty replied with a condescending smile; but inside her, there was a universe of chaos, inhabited by tears and uncertainty. In the past few days, she had heard talk of an induced coma, correcting hemodynamic and respiratory imbalances, control and evacuation of a cerebral hematoma, and stabilizing and immobilizing fractures. It didn't seem like a situation from which Tylor would ever emerge stronger and handsomer than before, not even for a moment.
“He's lucky: he'll live,” the doctor had told her.
As if there was something fortunate that could come from crashing into a tree. But the man in her life was alive, and she had to be grateful to fate for that.
“Come back this afternoon,” the doctor ordered. “We need to run some tests now.”
Betty and Mike went to eat at a fast food place near the hospital.
“I'm sorry to be such an inconvenience to you. My family will be here to help us soon,” the American said before biting into a triple decker hamburger.
“'Pushing a wheelchair and making the bed isn't that big of a deal, trust me,” she replied with yet another forced smile. The incident had seriously shaken her. Although out of danger, Tylor could've suffered serious, irreparable damage. She still hoped they could make use of those rudimentary medical advances that the Ikalians had given humanity, before pieces of the Sjunish fell all over Europe. Even that hadn't boosted her morale. She, Mike, the white coats at the hospital and millions of other people were trying to live as if nothing had happened, but the truth was that the Earth might be facing a real alien invasion. There were episodes of mass hysteria in many cities. More than one Ikalian settlement was attacked, prompting alien and terrestrial authorities to relocate people.
“They're blaming the victims,” Betty commented, watching the images of the most recently devastated Ikalian settlement on the fast food place's monitor.
“A lot of people don’t know the difference. After all that's happened to them, they identify the aliens as being the problem; it matters little whether they're Ikalian or Taahrian.”
“In a certain sense, it's as though your accident was related to the Fall.”
“Why do you say that?” the American asked. “It's just a coincidence. Do you know how many vehicular accidents there probably were just before the Sjunish fell...”
“Maybe you're right.”
“What strikes me most is the fact that the Taahrians have remained immobile.”
“True. Why annihilate the alien ship and remain in the sky?”
“Well, the Ikalians told us that they damaged it and rendered it defenseless.”
“And you believe them?”
“Absolutely not. Like I can't believe that Eldgh is a cruel invader.”
“Do you think about Namiko, up there?”
“All the time. And I wonder what Sirio is thinking.”
“Who knows? Perhaps nothing.”
“It's a shame that you weren't able to contact him.”
“I also went by Ingrid's house, but no one was there.”
“Maybe it's better this way. That woman brainwashed him. The entire world thinks that the Taahrians are our enemies. Instead, in light of the tragedy that's befallen France, Switzerland and Italy, I think that they did us a big favor.”
Betty stood there, thinking, for a moment, as if trying to collect her thoughts. Then she asked: “Are you sure that someone didn't cause you to hit that tree?”
“I told you. With that blow to the head that I got, I'm lucky to remember who I am.”
Both brought their attention back to their respective meals, and then Mike added: “Even if I don't remember, I wouldn't exclude the possibility.”
9
Within a split second, Sirio was seized with a sudden, strange illness. He felt as though a giant had beaten him and slammed him against the wall several times; not so much because of the pain, but due to his profound confusion. He rema
ined slumped to the ground for an indefinite period of time. And, when he was able to get to his feet, everything seemed out of place in the world. He felt like he should've recognized the house where he found himself, yet he seemed to be seeing it for the first time. Dazed, he went towards the sofa. He spotted a body lying on the ground, which startled him. Then he summoned his courage and went over to it. It was clearly a woman. She was face down. He bent down next to her and turned her over. She seemed lifeless. And he didn't understand why. In reality, he didn't know the reason for anything. Then the woman's eyes opened wide. They were an intense blue.
“Are you all right?” he asked her.
Silence.
The woman got to her feet, bumping into him as though he wasn't there.
Surreal, Sirio thought.
He watched as she looked around. She appeared to be as disoriented as he was. Perhaps they had been through yet another event that they couldn't remember.
“Do you know where we are?” he asked her. But, like the first time, she didn’t answer.
A digital clock on the table showed that it was half past eight, and the sun had just set. Sirio thought that it looked like spring outside. And that he was in Australia. Of this he was sure.
The blond woman, without saying a word, began taking large steps towards the front door and went out. Sirio ran after her.
“Where are you going?”
The woman began to run at an insane velocity.
Sirio stayed with her.
After a few moments, he saw her dart between some houses.
In a semi-confused state, he went back to the dwelling. He felt an unexplained need to lay down and get his thoughts together.
As soon as he got back inside, he closed the door and headed over to the sofa.
He laid down and closed his eyes. He breathed deeply and began to relax. He kept thinking about the beautiful, mysterious woman. He knew that she wasn't a stranger, but he couldn't get beyond that. What were they doing in that house? What had happened? And why had the woman run away?
Sirio turned on his side.
He had finally found a comfortable position.
He almost fell asleep.
Then he opened his eyes and sat bolt upright. “Ingrid. Ingrid Olsson!” he said.
10
Xnoris had put a lot of mileage between himself and the Ikalian settlement. He absolutely needed to contact Vorxion and keep the possibility of being discovered to a minimum. The holographic microprojector would take care of that. It was a metal box capable of receiving encrypted subspace signals and translating them into pictures and sound, albeit in very low resolution.
Xnoris spent an hour trying to contact his colleague, but the projector couldn't establish a connection with Pristh. Perhaps there was subspace interference, or maybe Vorxion was unable to answer the call.
“By the galaxy!” he exclaimed. “Please let it not be broken, please let it not be broken,” he began to repeat, as if some mysterious energy could hear him and establish his longed-for transmission.
Returning to the settlement after that disaster was out of the question. His superiors that were still there might've already started the hunt for those responsible, after communicating with Ikali, of course. He was sure that he would be at the top of their list. He might be overestimating them, but he couldn't risk it. He took several deep breaths, stabilizing the beat of his hearts. Having regained some clarity, he understood that he needed to call the Alpha Orionis and tell them to come get him. It was his only source of salvation. Once on board the ship, he would have plenty of time to establish contact with Pristh.
After several failed attempts, Xnoris suspected that the microprojector was broken.
Then the box changed color.
Someone was trying to get in touch with him.
The Ikalian began to monkey with the projector, and the blurred, intermittent image of Eldgh materialized between the leaves of a shrub.
“Dammit, I can't see a thing.” Xnoris repeatedly moved the little box around until the miniature holographic Commander became clearly visible.
Eldgh had started to speak, but he heard nothing.
The thing wasn't working very well, although, even if Xnoris hadn't yet noticed, it had been able to call the Alpha Orionis, which, having captured the the signal, had been able to stabilize it. “I'm several miles north of the settlement at the moment. Come get me!”
Eldgh responded, but didn't know how to make the audio function work.
“I don't hear you! Give me a sign if you understood what I said.”
The Commander raised his right arm.
“Follow the projector's signal and come get me immediately. I'll get as far away as possible so that no one will see the Taahrian shuttlecraft. All right?”
Eldgh mouthed Jahk5 with his lips.
“Come in at a low altitude. Out.”
Xnoris turned off the projector without waiting for a reply. He wanted absolutely everything done in his own way.
After two hours of waiting in vain, the Ikalian decided to try to contact Vorxion again. He was astonished when the other answered immediately. His image was sharp enough to be able to discern a number of details.
“Greetings, Xnoris. The image is blurry, but I gather that you're in a forest. Has something happened?”
“The Betelgeuse has attacked the Sjunish!” he said curtly.
“And it lost?” To Vorxion, this would be the worst case scenario.
“No! It destroyed our ship; I mean the Ikalian one!”
“Excuse me. Repeat that.”
“The S-ju-nish has been de-stroy-ed!”
“By the galactic empire!”
“Right. Our plans have been compromised.”
“Don't worry. We have a back-up plan...”
The image suddenly crashed, leaving Vorxion's last words in subspace limbo.
Xnoris tried to tinker with the projector again, unsuccessfully.
Never mind, he thought, if the Taahrians would hurry up and get here, I'd be able to use one of the most advanced holographic projectors in the galaxy.
He was glad that he hadn't hesitated to call Vorxion. His colleague, though surprised at the Sjunish's fate, didn't seem too upset. In fact, he had immediately said not to worry and had mentioned a back-up plan. The last word had to have been that. And, given the level of confidence, the idea that he had in mind must be a truly effective one.
A sudden rustling noise startled him. He looked around and didn't see anything. A small animal? he wondered. He tried to remain calm, but a second sound of crackling leaves left him definitively terrorized.
He had a drenjak with him, but no idea how to use any type of weapon.
Then an Ikalian voice interrupted the silence: “Crazy scientist! What are you doing in the middle of all those branches?”
“I... I...” Xnoris didn't know what to say.
That stammer was an admission of guilt.
It's over...
Xnoris waited for events to unfold. He was petrified. It wasn't only his appearance, but also his character, which differed from that of the stereotypic Ikalian.
He was a laboratory revolutionary. Even with a drenjak in his hands, he didn't know what to do. He closed his eyes like a frightened animal. He was a victim at the mercy of his captor. He heard a step, then another, and finally, an unbelievable roar. What the hell was that? It couldn't be the work of one single Ikalian. Xnoris opened his eyes. The shuttle. At long last! He saw it land a few dozen meters away, in a small clearing. His instinct for survival prevailed over the fear that tethered him to the ground, and he took off in haste. The other Ikalian, caught by surprise, pursued him. Xnoris emerged from the bushes near the shuttle. The access door had just begun to open. A high-energy beam grazed the fugitive's head and hit the hull of the craft. His pursuer had begun to shoot like a maniac. When Xnoris was a mere step away from the shuttle, he was hit by a shot and fell. Two Taahrians came out of the craft, helping him up and carrying
him on board. A third assisted by providing cover fire. Within seconds, they were inside the shuttle, and had taken off with the door still open. Their pursuer didn't give up. With his next generation drenjak, he got off a hypersonic shot of transparent jelly. The sticky material stuck to the underside of the shuttlecraft's hull.
“Did you get him?” the voice that echoed through the Taahrian shuttlecraft was Eldgh's.
“Objective has been extracted.”
“Is he all right?”
“He's actually been hit.”
“Is it serious?”
“He'll pull through.”
“Good. I'll see you on board. Out.”
Xnoris opened his eyes.
The images around him were confusing and his head seemed about to explode. Despite this, he was conscious enough to understand that he was safe. The shot hadn't stopped his hearts. He had been lucky.
In just five minutes, they were already at an altitude of thirty thousand meters. The atmospheric pressure had begun to fall. The gelatinous material under the hull began to swell and boil.
“Do you hear it too?” the pilot asked.
“What?”
“That strange noise... as if something under us is frying.”
“I really don't hear...”
A hole the size of a basketball had opened up in the bottom of the shuttle.
The gelatin had literally vaporize the metal hull.
The craft depressurized in a matter of seconds.
The pilot lost control.
No technology could save them.
There wasn't even enough time to fall.
The shuttlecraft exploded into a thousand pieces.
The Ikalian Empire had one less enemy.
11
The holographic impulse microscope was a phenomenal technological instrument. It had been easy for Quarkban to learn all of its secrets.
Even a child could learn to use this, was his first thought when he initially held it in his hand. The scientist's role consisted of appropriately choosing what to do with it, regarding molecular interactions and, in general, the laws of physics. Two tiny dots of Ikalian metal, a few billionths of a meter in size each, were able to move individual atoms and film everything in very high resolution. But what the researcher found truly amazing was the ability to operate the two dots by dragging one's hands over a solid holographic screen. One could project the image of the dot, in the desired size, zoom in at will, and drag individual atoms, perceiving them between one's fingers, like a four-dimensional video game.
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