The trip was an unnervingly monotonous: a flat panorama, people asleep with their faces against the window and the cruise control set to sixty miles per hour.
There was nothing left to do but close her eyes, in the hope that she could relax and get a few hours of sleep before the rest stop. The result, however, was that she ended up reliving the last days of her life. Among them, the battle with the Sjunish. She had never been so afraid. Then, all that anger just overwhelmed her. Before leaving the Alpha Orionis, she had made sure that she said goodbye to Eldgh civilly, almost affectionately. She had even hugged him, but it was a cold embrace. The Fall seemed to have damaged their relationship, in a way that would be difficult to repair.
Namiko felt foolish. They had worked together for months, side by side, attaining unimaginable goals. They had each been extraordinary. Alien, droid, biosynthetic or whatever, Eldgh had shown himself to be a hero: a great man, if he had been human. Then the tension had begun to get to them. The mission had failed and the Ikalian ship had fallen in pieces. The entire world was furious and the future uncertain. In everyone's eyes, the Taahrians were an enemy to be destroyed. You couldn't blame them. Namiko was only certain of one thing: if the world was going to end in six months, she wanted to die in Sirio's arms. So she had to find him as soon as possible and return to Osaka. To embrace her parents. She had made it, after everything: she had managed to return to Earth twice. Dealing with light years of travel. A few hundred miles certainly wouldn't stop her now.
The Earth.
Her thoughts were entirely about this, her beloved planet. For days, even weeks, she had had been convinced that she would never see it again. Finding herself on a bus full of humans was practically a miracle.
The Taahrian shuttlecraft had landed in the middle of the night. A couple of hours before dawn. Invisible. When she first put her foot on Earth's soil, she had the sensation that she was recovering her life. She was getting back something that she thought was lost forever. The entire universe. Her humanity. Everything. When the shuttle took off, back into the sky, becoming an infinitesimal point of light, she felt lost. Then, bathed by the first rays of the sun, the loss vanished. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said with tears in her eyes, grateful to that same fate, cosmos or god, who, only months before, she had been cursing.
Two lines of tears streaked her face.
Then, she started walking towards the Austral Solar Power Station.
During the rest stop, the changing of drivers, and any chance he got, the young man who had covered the cost of her ticket tried to catch Namiko's gaze; and she, like any good actress, reciprocated regularly. The next morning, when they finally reached their destination, of the three drivers who had taken turns, the bold young man was at the wheel. He wouldn't have missed the chance to say goodbye and make a date with the Japanese woman. And he wasn't disappointed. The charming woman came over and thanked him with a kiss on the cheek, very close to his mouth. She told him that she had lost her wallet. The driver was happy to lend her a hundred dollars. They would see each other soon; and, in addition to money, he was sure he'd be getting something else.
Having gotten into a taxi, her heart started to beat faster. She didn't know what awaited her. Would she see her beloved again? Perhaps not there, not that day, but Tylor would be able to point the way. That half hour drive seemed like an eternity. Then they stopped in front of a ruby red and cream colored house. It was like something out of Disneyland.
At least that was the impression it gave her. She just couldn't imagine a big man like Tylor living there.
She paid the taxi, steeled herself, swallowed, and ran the doorbell.
Please let him answer, please let him answer, she started to pray.
She saw someone at the peephole and heard the lock jiggle.
No one asked who she was.
The door opened.
The red-headed woman certainly wasn't Tylor, yet she seemed to recognize her. The surprise in her eyes spoke volumes. Maybe she remembered the faces of the six heroes. She was, after all, in the house of one of them. Namiko saw a figure moving behind the woman. She focused and recognized him immediately. It was Mike, sitting in a wheelchair.
Then there were three astonished faces.
15
General Fronxn's execution didn't put a dent in the resistance movement's armor. The M'tjujaank's members had been courting death for some time. For many of them, it would be a real honor to sacrifice their lives. Being mostly men of science and politics, the exclusive access they possessed, in addition to an advanced capacity for calculations, infused them with a sense of security that they could accomplish the most difficult tasks. It had been easy for them to learn valuable details about the emperor's plans. More than one member had been able to get transferred to the Zorth'jun. But, once inside, no one possessed the necessary clearance to directly access the ship's vital systems. This meant that they couldn't adequately sabotage them. But, during the phases of testing, thanks to subspace messages coming from Pristh and the work of five experts in applied nano-bioengineering, the M'tjunjaank managed to get the most incredibly subtle and devastating weapon in the galaxy on board: a bio-nanorobot disruptor, called the Virus
There were even micro-capsules scattered throughout the rooms and ready to infect the T'anjakhaal.
All that remained was to await their departure for Blue C. The capsules would be vaporized, disseminating their contents. From that moment on, no one, apart from the M'tjunjaank, would be able to stop the infection. With the Zorth'jun out of commission and the threat of the virus, the emperor would be forced to capitulate.
16
As advanced as virtual reality had become, Saarin still wanted to enjoy the ship's departure in person. The fear he had felt in the days preceding was gone. Now, from the lunar outpost on Virch't, before the imposing Zorth'jun, he felt omnipotent again.
Treachery and deceit had never been a part of Prism'aarth culture, but millennia of submission had caused many things to change.
Quarkban was lying on his reptilian bed in a small apartment near the lab. In his hand, was a very thin, transparent sheet. With a touch of his fingers, the paper glowed, becoming like the screen of a quantum supercomputer. From that moment on, he could impart the majority of commands with just a movement of his reptilian eyes. It was considered archaic technology on Pristh, but the researcher preferred it to all that telepathic technology which required the installation of neural processors. That was an Ikalian thing. Moreover, the quantum microprocessors in the sheet were able to ensure a calculation speed that half the galaxy would've envied.
He double-checked the subspace codes sent to Ikali and all specifications for the design of the virus. After five hours, he had dispelled even the slightest doubt. He had formulated a perfect algorithm. Even the most sophisticated AI wouldn't be able to discover the deception. Certainly not a purple-skinned Ikalian.
Quarkban began to flick his forked tongue in and out. It was one of the greatest expressions of pleasure for a reptilian.
After all, how could he not rejoice? What had fallen into his hands was a golden opportunity, not to be missed. And he had exploited it to the maximum. The M'tjunjaank's operation was commendable, but it wasn't enough. The Ikalian civilization didn’t need to be revolutionized, but destroyed. And his virus, which at the right time would respond to his command alone, would do that in a few days.
Pursuant to the universal principle that things go better if few people are aware of a plan, Quarkban had decided to keep this one all to himself. He would disclose it to the world when the last Ikalian had ceased drawing breath. That way, there wouldn't be moralists, philosophers, politicians or spies of any kind to prevent him from fulfilling his role as a punishing God. He would become the hero of over twenty worlds.
Those damned Ikalians had sent an entire fleet to destroy Pristh.
He could annihilate them in the blink of an eye.
17
“Namiko!”
>
“Mike!”
The Japanese woman came rushing in, forgetting her manners. Betty had to step out of the way to keep from being bowled over.
“What happened to you?”
“You mean this?” The American indicated his wheelchair. “It was a terrible accident in a car, possibly caused by the Ikalians. But I couldn't swear to that; I don't remember much. In short, we crashed into a tree.”
“Who? You and Tylor?”
“Yes, but don't worry. He survived. We actually feared the worst, but he's awake now and out of danger.”
“He was in a coma?”
“It's over now.”
“And you...?”
“I'll be able to walk again. My back and spine are okay.”
“Oh, thank heavens. For a moment I thought that...”
“Me too.”
Betty moved closer and Namiko noticed her. She had almost forgotten the woman. Her emotions had prevailed over all behavioral norms.
“Oh, I'm sorry. As soon as I saw Mike, after all this time that... the spacesh...”
“I know everything about you, Namiko. Don't worry. Tylor spoke of you often. We prayed for your recovery. Then the Alpha Orionis appeared in the sky, and the Ikalian ship was annihilated. In a certain sense, our prayers have been answered.”
“Yeah,” Namiko said tersely.
Betty understood the reasons for the other's distinct uneasiness.
“At a high price. I know.”
“We've hazarded a thousand hypotheses,” Mike interjected. “But the important thing is that you're safe and sound. We're happy to have you back here. And now, I think you must have a lot to tell us.”
“Yes, actually...”
Namiko Masako's thoughts revolved around a single point: Sirio.
“Have a seat on the sofa. Would you like me to get you a glass of water?”
“No, thank you.”
“If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask.”
Namiko stared downward, then looked up at the other woman. She had traveled half the galaxy to get back to Sirio, and now she was afraid to ask about him. Neither Mike nor the other woman had mentioned him. That wasn't a good sign. She had a bad feeling. Had something happened to him? Was he missing or had he done something foolish? Up until that point, she had been able to shake off her fears, but now it was difficult to be optimistic.
“You're... his fiancée...”
“Yes, I'm Tylor's girlfriend.”
Namiko's questions seemed to hail from another world. It was as if someone else was speaking. She didn't even know what she doing. Perhaps she was wasting time: a pathetic attempt to avoid the Question, fearing the answer.
“At the moment, he's...”
“In the hospital, yeah. He'll have to stay there a little longer. We'll go see him later.”
Betty and Mike looked at each other. Who knew how much she had been through, and they weren't ready to welcome her in the best way. They weren't prepared and had no idea what to do.
“I had hoped to... to find Sirio. He's not here with you?”
Namiko had said it, and now they would just have to cope.
Mike looked at Betty. What should they tell her? That Sirio had fallen in love with a woman named Ingrid and that now his brain had turned mush? They knew that they had to tell her the truth. That's basically why she was there. That's why she had survived.
“We don't know where he is,” Betty began. “Actually, we used to know, but then...”
“But then?” Namiko asked on pins and needles.
“He disappeared. We're convinced that the Ikalians are controlling his mind.”
“Why do you say that. What happened?”
“His way of thinking has changed radically. He's just not himself, any way you look at it. He now adores the Ikalians and doesn't seem to remember much.”
“As if he had always lived that other life,” Mike added.
“Okay, but where did you see him last?”
“He was with someone...” the American replied, without providing any details.
“Who was it? Have you tried to contact that person?”
“The last time we checked, they weren't at the house where Mike and Tylor left them,” Betty explained.
“Left them?”
“Mike came here to warn us of serious danger.”
“A woman came up to me one day,” the American began, “and, after that, every time I was with her, my mind was under her complete control. I feared that this might be happening to all of us who had been on the Alpha Orionis. So I thought that I should warn Tylor and Sirio, but I was too late.”
“Why would they do all that?” the Japanese woman whispered.
“Because people like Mike and Sirio are very influential,” Betty interjected. “They could have millions of followers for their ideas, if they wanted to.”
“Who knows how many human beings are involved...” Namiko said out loud.
“Perhaps thousands, maybe even presidents and governors, who knows,” Mike said thoughtfully.
“Tell me, what do these people who have the power to control others' minds look like?”
“They all look like a young woman with typical Scandinavian features,” the American replied.
“Blond hair and blue eyes?”
“Right.”
Namiko felt a twinge of jealousy. She imagined Sirio hanging on the other woman's every word. Then she came back to reality, where common sense prevailed. Sirio certainly wasn't at fault. He was merely the victim of yet another subtle Ikalian trick.
“You and Tylor were trying to tear him from that woman's clutches,” Namiko deduced, turning back to Mike. “That's why the Ikalians caused you to have that accident with the tree, right?”
“I wouldn't know. At first I was skeptical, but in the past few days, the idea that they caused it has been steadily growing. If I could just remember the details...”
“But perhaps now...” Namiko began to stammer.
“What?” Betty asked.
“It was just a hypothesis. A silly idea, I don't know.”
“Tell us,” Mike urged her.
“Maybe everything's changed with the destruction of the Sjunish.”
“Perhaps.”
“At least,” the Japanese woman continued her train of thought, “they aren't controlling them from Ikali via subspace. Or maybe these women are androids that look like Terrestrials. Complete automatons.”
Betty and the American sat in silence, allowing her to finish. They didn't understand all of it. They knew nothing about subspace. It was obvious that Namiko, on board the Betelgeuse, had acquired notions that bordered on science fiction.
“We need to go find him! I have to find him!”
“Wait, Namiko. Where do you think you're going? Even we don't know wh...”
“Take me to the last place that you saw him. We'll start there.”
“We want to find him as much as you do, but let's try to be a little less impulsive.”
“Less impulsive? Do you know what I've been going through all this time?”
“Listen, why don't you first tell us what happened on the Betelgeuse. What do you know about the Ikalians? Why were they attacked? Which side should we be on...”
“What side... are you serious? The Ikalians are monsters! It's obvious!”
“Of course, but unlike you, we know very little and have to rely on intuition.”
“Listen. Take me to Sirio and I'll tell you everything along the way.”
Betty and Mike looked at each other again.
“At this point, it's worth a try,” the American agreed, shrugging with his palms up.
Betty knew that she didn’t have a choice. They had to please the other woman. And maybe they'd get lucky, perhaps after the umpteenth time, they'd finally come up with something.
“Okay, let's go!”
In a few minutes, they were ready to begin their adventure. The shortest one in human history. They opened the front
door and found him standing in front of them: Sirio.
He had a totally vacant look, but Namiko didn't even notice. She ran over, throwing herself at him, hugging and covering him with kisses.
“Sirio, my love,” she moaned through her tears. “Finally. I couldn't hope for anything more... I feared that... I love you.” She held him and squeezed him as hard as she could, with seemingly infinite energy. Love and happiness.
Then, the initial impetus having waned, she noticed that he wasn't really there. He was disoriented. He seemed to be in disbelief. He looked at her with a stupid smile, as if seeing her for the first time in his life. It was clear that he didn't understand the reason for all of her affection.
“Oh, my love,” Namiko said, looking into his eyes.
But in his gaze, there was no love; there was nothing except astonishment.
“Who are you?” Sirio asked.
Second Part
The Choice
18
The slight pressure from the reptilian's index finger was interpreted by the quantum nanoprocessors. The algorithm began to travel through subspace, and almost instantaneously resurfaced near Ikali. It had reached the planet within seconds. The security systems at the Ikalian Expansion Center picked up the anomaly. Quarkban had known it would happen, but he didn't care: the microcapsules inside the T'anjakhaal had already opened. The members of the resistance were convinced that the virus was under their control and that they could activate it at will.
Poor deluded idiots! Those repulsive purple skins only have a few days, if not hours, left. Just enough time to die in agony.
The reptilian's tongue began to move back and forth, intoxicated by the taste of revenge. After all that the Ikalians had done, could anyone ever accuse him of genocide? He was seized by a sense of irony at the thought. No, that would never happen. He was certain: the entire galaxy would thank him for it.
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