by Jerry Aubin
Zax was midair doing a triple flip when spots flooded his vision and an instant later he opened his eyes back in the conference room on the Bridge. He breathed deeply and the Ship’s stale air never tasted so good. He was grateful to have witnessed the end of Alpha’s reign firsthand, but his time inside the AI had been anything but pleasant. With his bias for action, wise or otherwise, it had been torture for Zax to sit idly by while others had taken the steps necessary to save the Ship.
Kalare sat across the table from him in human form rather than insect. She was as spent and bedraggled as Zax assumed he must appear. Next to her, Mase had given up any pretense of propriety and instead slept with his head on the table. Bailee, standing behind the two of them, leaned against the bulkhead with his eyes closed. Imair and the Boss huddled in close conversation at one end of the table. At the other, Markev sat quietly next to an unknown woman. Behind Zax, Rilee was folding up the device she had used to Upload and then remove all of them from the AI. Zax was confused by the fact her physical appearance matched what it had been within the AI.
“Where did all of your bodies come from? Where’s Major Eryn?”
Rilee smiled at Zax as she pointed to the unknown woman. “Welcome back, Zax. This is my lieutenant, Kalyn. After I told her about our plan for the AI, she boarded the asteroid to prepare for our return and brought along my personal Skin as well as cloned replacements for Markev and Adan. I stole their genetic profiles long before the asteroid left, and have held on to the data for all these years in the hope I’d get to see them in the flesh once again. Ants retrieved the Crew bodies from the sewage treatment cavern to let us return everyone where they belong. As for Eryn, I’ve restored the major’s consciousness to full agency over her body, and she’s resting in the medbay. She’s still experiencing shock and disorientation, but with a little time and therapy she’ll make a complete recovery.”
Zax turned to the other side in response to a gentle tap on his shoulder.
“It’s great to finally meet you, Zax.”
Markev extended his hand in greeting and Zax froze. The man played a huge role in bringing down Adan, but he had also been complicit in a litany of heinous crimes committed by the Ship’s creator. Zax’s gratitude won out after a moment’s reflection. He stood and extended his own hand which promptly disappeared when the giant closed his massive fist and shook. The extreme pressure of Markev’s powerful grip triggered memories of the battle Zax had just witnessed, and he became lightheaded for a moment. Once the giant released his hand, Zax sat back down and Markev spoke.
“I’m sorry about all that we put you through, Zax. I can’t imagine how hard it has been for you, but my projections always showed that this outcome never happens without the critical role you’ve played. I’m sorry we had to repeatedly risk your life as well as disrupt your career throughout the process.”
Zax’s stomach clenched. “I’m sorry, but I’m confused. What are you talking about?”
Markev checked in with the Boss. “Can I tell him everything?”
The Boss’s shoulders slumped and his face betrayed sadness, but the Omega nodded. Markev turned back to Zax and began his story.
“Years ago, the Ship encountered a lone fighter we identified as human during a refueling mission at a white dwarf. Alpha attempted to hide this fact, but I informed the Boss of the truth. We decided that he shouldn’t act, because if the Boss had questioned Alpha’s motives then the AI would have simply encouraged the Captain to get rid of him.
“Then, a short time later, you discovered a different human fighter in the jungle during your landfall mission. Alpha escalated its deception and killed Mikedo in an attempt to hide the existence of other humans. There wasn’t any proof, but both the Boss and I were certain her death was the AI’s doing. That’s when we realized we needed you to help suss out whether Alpha had indeed murdered to hide the truth.”
Zax began to chew his lower lip at mention of Mikedo’s name. He was exhausted and every nerve was frayed, so the flood of memories pushed him to the precipice of becoming overly emotional. He glanced at Kalare and similar distress was clear from the tears that welled in her brilliant blue eyes. Zax had argued with his friend for years about the Boss’s role in Mikedo’s death, but in the end Kalare had been right all along. Guilt nearly overwhelmed Zax and sent him into a spiral, but he took a deep breath and focused back on Markev as the man continued.
“The Boss sent you back down to that planet as bait. When you were attacked, it proved how desperate Alpha was to hide the other humans. We were unclear about his motives, but just understanding his intent was a critical piece of the puzzle. You then proved yourself useful again when you came back and released Mikedo’s video. That decision was the single most critical action that led to today’s result, and the Boss and I were incredibly impressed and grateful at the time.”
“Grateful?” Anger flooded Zax’s voice. “Banishing me to Waste Management sure was a strange way of expressing gratitude!”
“I’m sorry, Zax, but you’re about to learn things that will make you even angrier than you are right now. You’ve earned the truth, but I understand if you aren’t ready to hear it.”
Markev paused while Zax glared up at him. After a moment, Zax waved his hand impatiently as a signal for the man to continue.
“We had already known that Imair was in the process of fomenting a revolt and expected your video to trigger her direct action. The Boss had to make a public example of you for disrespecting him to maintain his ruse with Alpha, and I suggested it might prove useful if you were in the vicinity when Imair carried through on her intentions. I was right. The Revolution was the ideal vehicle for the Boss to dispose of the Captain and raise himself to the top of the Crew. You played your role perfectly in assisting with that. First you helped kill the Chief Engineer and then you delivered the Boss into Imair’s hands just like he wanted.”
Bailee shot to attention and stared at the Boss. “Wait! You wanted to be caught?”
“Yes, Sergeant. My capture was the best leverage for getting the Captain removed. That woman had complete faith in Alpha. If the AI had ever sensed that I was acting against its interests, it would have pushed her to get rid of me. The only way I could ever hope to launch a direct attack against the AI was if I was in charge of the Crew, and her removal at the hands of the civilians was the only path we identified for making that happen. I’m sorry to have involved you unwittingly in a mutiny, but I just didn’t see any other way.”
Bailee’s face flipped into the brightest red that Zax had ever witnessed. The Marine clenched and unclenched his fists but didn’t say another word. Markev started up again.
“Over the next two years two things happened. First, the Boss developed great trust in Imair. The two of us concluded that using her for uniting the Crew and the civilians was important preparation for the life we envisioned after Alpha, and we started that process. Second, I became convinced that the other humans were from Earth rather than one of our colonies. It was obvious to me that they were our best potential ally in any effort to pry the Ship from the AI’s grip. I was able to reverse engineer their technology to get myself Uploaded originally, but I had long since concluded that I had no hope of extracting Adan if he fought back as hard I expected he would. So the Boss manipulated both Alpha and Imair into choosing the path back to Earth.”
Markev hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and then continued.
“It was at that time we took the steps I regret the most. We decided it was best for you to be Culled, Zax. This had two benefits. First, it guaranteed the best pilot on the Ship wouldn’t die in some stupid training accident and would still be available when we reached Earth. Equally important, it meant the woman we had identified as the best possible choice to become CAG would have a chance to mature and develop her skills without the distraction of her crazy friend.”
Zax was unable to breathe. His body begged for oxygen, but shock had frozen every muscle. It was bad enough
to learn that his career had been intentionally derailed by the Boss, but the idea that the man had then gone on to put his life on hold for so long was nearly unbearable. The scrape of a chair broke the spell and Zax was finally able to gasp and fill his lungs.
Kalare had pushed away from the table. She rose and slowly moved around to where Zax was sitting. As she bent down and draped her arms around his neck in a tender embrace, she leaned her head against his and whispered.
“I’m so sorry they did this to you. To both of us.”
Kalare moved as if to return to her seat, but as she approached the Boss she cocked her arm and smashed her fist into the Omega’s face. The man was no doubt fast enough to have dodged the blow if he wanted, so Zax assumed the Boss recognized how he had earned whatever expressions of anger were directed his way. Kalare moved towards the hatch, only pausing for a moment when Bailee smiled as he patted her twice on the shoulder.
The compartment was still once Kalare was gone. Zax’s heart had calmed, but his mind still raced and left him at a loss for words. After a few moments, the Boss spoke.
“I’m sorry, Zax. I can’t begin to express how deeply sorry I am. We stole your life. We took away the years and future you deserved to have had with Kalare. But, we had to do it to give ourselves the best possible chance of getting to where we are today. I hope you understand and appreciate how badly we needed you to play your role—regardless of the personal cost.”
A spate of insolent responses crossed Zax’s mind, but he held them back. For the moment. Instead, he turned away from the Boss and addressed Rilee.
“How did you manage to beat Adan? Where is he?”
Rilee smiled. “Thank your friend Mase for that. When Adan mentioned he had an escape craft, Mase had the presence of mind to start tracking down all of the AI circuits that connected with external compartments. Once Markev had Adan’s full attention, I regained enough control of the simulation for Mase and myself to get to work. He discovered the circuit that connected to the lifeboat, and I figured out how to crack into it and use it to extract Adan’s consciousness. He’s back in his own body right now and stewing in the brig.”
The Boss stood and cleared his throat. “That’s enough history for right now. We need to talk about the future. Sergeant—please escort Zax and Mase to the mess hall and ensure they get whatever they desire. They’ve done amazing work for a long time, and I regret I can’t offer more reward right now than a good meal.”
Part of Zax wanted to protest his dismissal, but his stomach had rumbled immediately once the Boss mentioned food. He needed more time to process his past before he would be able to properly consider whatever might come next. The future could wait—especially if they could scare up some of his favorite breakfast pastries.
37
Thank you.
The shuttle pierced the atmosphere, and Zax tingled with the anticipation of stepping foot on Earth for the first time. Imair, Kalare, and Mase all appeared similarly excited and had their faces pressed against the viewports at their seats. The Boss’s eyes were closed, and he was either asleep or in a meditative state. Markev, squeezed into a chair that barely constrained his mass, sat with his elbows perched on his armrests and the fingers of his hands interlaced. Zax noticed something he hadn’t earlier.
“Why is Markev in restraints? You didn’t make him wear them the last two months up on the Ship.”
Rilee sighed. “It’s not my choice, Zax. You have to understand there’s an awful lot of sensitivity on the planet around his return. Our culture has told and retold the story of Adan’s Destruction for thousands of years, so it’s massive news that everyone will finally get a glimpse of the two people who were most responsible for building that asteroid. Markev tried to prevent Adan from launching the nukes, but he was still the man’s lieutenant and played a key role in killing our General Secretary. He has more than earned his redemption in my eyes, but it will take time for the people of Earth to come around to the idea that Markev no longer deserves to be the target of their outrage. I’m confident they’ll get there. I’ve treasured becoming friends with all of you, but I must admit I’ve become especially fond of this giant. I’m just happy I convinced them to allow him up here in the cabin with us instead of jamming him down below in the hold with Adan.”
“It’s OK, Rilee.” Markev’s voice was soft and calm and filled with warmth for the woman. “I deserve far, far worse than the forgiveness and many kindnesses you’ve shown me. Thank you.”
Rilee smiled and the Boss popped open his eyes and spoke.
“That’s a great sentiment, Markev. It’s one I want to take a moment to express as well. Some of you have more than enough reason to hate me given what I’ve done and how I’ve deceived you through the years. It seems that you’ve either come to appreciate what you’ve learned about my actions and rationale, or you’re just doing a great job of hiding any enmity towards me.”
Zax wanted to believe that he fell into the former bucket, but, if he was being honest with himself, recognized he was still much more in the latter. He found himself at a loss as to how to reply but was saved from doing so when Kalare spoke up instead.
“Thank you for acknowledging that, Boss. I’ve been conflicted since the truth came out. I spent a huge chunk of my life placing all of my faith and trust in you, so when I learned about your lies and manipulation it landed like an utter betrayal. Now with the benefit of a few months’ time, I can better set my emotions aside and rationalize that you did what you did for the good of the Ship. Your actions have also been a powerful reminder that being a member of the Crew means that my own needs come after the needs of the Mission. You never lost sight of that despite knowing you were causing me great pain in adhering to that dictate. I respect that truth and accept your actions far better now than I did at first. I’d be lying, though, if I said I was capable of completely forgiving them. Maybe in time, but not right now.”
The Boss’s expression didn’t change, but a sadness in his eyes betrayed how deeply Kalare’s words had wounded him. An uncomfortable tension descended that was mercifully dispelled a few moments later when Kalyn entered the cabin and addressed Rilee.
“Ma’am—we’ve been cleared for final approach.” Rilee’s lieutenant turned to the rest of the group. “Keep an eye out the viewports, everyone. You’re going to be impressed by what you see.”
Kalyn returned to the cockpit, and Zax followed her suggestion and turned his attention to the view of humanity’s homeworld unfolding below. The clouds, white and puffy, were sparse enough to reveal huge expanses of azure ocean and emerald-green jungle. Separating the two was a strip of blinding white sand that stretched for kilometers. Rilee had explained how all of the Earth cities were built deep underground, but Zax was still shocked by the complete lack of civilization as they approached the planet’s capital.
The ground continued to rush up until the shuttle slowed and then hovered a few hundred meters above the treetops. Zax’s eyes told him the shuttle was ascending again a few moments later when the trees appeared to be further away than they had been, but his inner ears confirmed the shuttle remained stationary. What happened instead was that a giant disk of the ground below them had lowered into the earth beneath it.
After a few more secs, it became clear that a portal was opening into a massive underground complex. The shuttle moved again and Zax gaped in awe as they descended into the cavern below. They passed the lip of the entrance, and he estimated the thickness of the ground which had slid out of their way must have measured in the hundreds of meters. The technology required to move billions of kilos of rock and soil and vegetation was mind boggling.
They were soon flying underground, but if Zax had kept his eyes closed until that moment he would have assumed they were still midair. The cavern was filled with enough natural light that he found himself seeking out the sun. He craned his neck as far forward as possible and soon caught a glimpse of the city down below. Without anything for scale it was tough to
estimate the size of the metropolis, but it appeared to stretch for dozens of kilometers and was covered with structures that were easily as tall as those atop the Ship.
Rilee whistled in appreciation. “Wow! It’s been a few thousand years since I last visited, and this place has really changed. I almost don’t recognize it.”
Kalare called out. “Rilee—I still don’t understand why your society goes through all the effort to build underground like this. It must have taken an unthinkable amount of energy spent over hundreds of years to carve out this cavern.”
Rilee smiled. “You just mentioned two resources that we have in unlimited supply—energy and time. Once we were capable of spaceflight we adopted the same fuel source that Adan discovered and used on the Ship, but we’ve increased its efficiency over the years by a factor of one thousand. The excavation team here probably required no more than a handful of refueling runs to power the equipment that cleared this space. As for time, when you expect to personally live in a city for tens of thousands of years you’re willing to spend a few hundred to make it ideal.
“Contrast those two resources to the most precious one we have—the Earth itself. When I was a child we used to talk about how there was only a single world capable of supporting human life. Of course, we know now there are countless homes for humanity across the universe. And we also have the technology to create our own as we deem fit. Even with that being said, a planet like this one remains far too precious and beautiful to spoil with structures and all of the other trappings of civilization. Instead, we live underground and leave the world in its natural state as much as possible. We all get to spend as much time as we wish on the surface, and whenever we do so we’re able to enjoy all of its unsullied wonder.”