Nuthros smiled at his younger sibling. “Indeed, Kestil. But you are the one who hid yourself away. Why did you not message me sooner?”
“Ah! Let me show you.” Kestil busied himself at a console. Nuthros frowned, why would anyone require a console? Surely this ship had an AI to control it. All it took was an implant connected to the ship’s AI, and control was total and effortless. He put the question to his brother. Kestil stopped what he was doing. He leaned his hands on the console’s edge and sighed. “I do not share your trust of those evil creations, Nuthros. Any ship’s AI can be reached by the council, as well. I prefer my privacy.”
“Then why invite me here, Kestil?” Nuthros spread his hands wide. “Surely you realise I am connected to the council. And Truly, of course.”
Kestil spun round, a smile on his face. “Then why don’t you try to contact Truly?”
Nuthros shrugged and called Truly in his mind. There was no reply. He tried to contact anyone on the council, with the same result.
Kestil stood with his hands on his hips; a broad smile on his face. “Broadcast shields, my brother, just one of the many innovations I built into this ship. We are free from all outside interference, AI or otherwise.”
Nuthros trembled. He didn’t feel free, he felt alone. Very, very alone. “What have you done, Kestil?”
Kestil’s smile faded. “I have set myself on the road to freedom, Nuthros. Not just for me, though. For the thousands upon thousands of people who crave such freedom. The council has held us prisoners for far too long. We have lost our creativity; our ability to reach our full potential. The council knew I had the talent to go far, but they suppressed me.”
Nuthros shook his head. “No, my brother, they did not supress you, they just wanted you to mature a bit more; to reach-”
“LIES!” Kestil cried. “All lies. Can’t you see, Nuthros? Are you still that blind? They’ve held us back, to make us conform. Now they even have you prisoner to those infernal machines. Their way is tyranny, not freedom.”
Nuthros held out a hand to his brother. “That is not the case, Kestil. Ship AI are designed to assist us, not imprison us. Listen to yourself; you are enraged, emotional, unbalanced. These are not good traits. You just need more time to-”
Kestil took a step back. “Time to what? Hmm? Time to buckle under? Time to surrender my will or join the thousands of outcasts sent out on exploration detail?”
Nuthros gave an exasperated sigh. “Kestil, exploration details are for people who want to explore, who want to reach out for themselves. They will eventually be brought back into the Ten Galaxies, you know that.”
Kestil waved a finger at his brother. “So where are they, then? Where are these societies the exploration details supposedly create on new planets? They weren’t sent away to explore, you fool, they were sent away to die. Rejected by a society that cannot accept independence of any sort.”
Nuthros was close to tears at what his brother had become. “It has been barely 13,000 cycles since the first exploration detail left, Kestil. They travel to completely new galaxies. It will be millennia before the Ten Galaxies finds them again.”
Kestil laughed. It had a maniacal edge to it that chilled Nuthros to the bone. Kestil threw his arms wide. “The Ten Galaxies will not find them, Nuthros, because I will find them first. Indeed, we will find them first!”
At his last words he pressed a button and people hustled into the room from three different corridors. They were all uniformed and carried what were unmistakeably weapons. Kestil made as if to embrace all the newcomers. “Meet the first citizens of the Independent Worlds, Nuthros.”
Nuthros reeled backwards, his hands held up in front of him. “Kestil, this is insanity!”
Kestil laughed again. “Insanity? Insanity?! No, this is not insanity, it is freedom, Nuthros; true freedom. The council no longer holds us in its sway. We will make our own way forward, our own society of worlds. We will flourish and prosper much faster than the Ten Galaxies, because no one will ever be held back out of fear of their difference, or their superiority.”
Truly spoke in Nuthros’ mind. ‘Nuthros, I have penetrated the shield on this ship that blocked my broadcast link. I detect both weapons and defensive systems. You must return. Now.’
Nuthros sensed some of the armed people slowly make their way around him. He also felt their hostility and fear.
Kestil stood with his hands on his hips. “I brought you here to invite you to join us, brother. Take your place in this new society and learn what real freedom is.”
Nuthros shook his head. “No, Kestil. Real freedom is freedom from pain, freedom from hate, and freedom from war. The Ten Galaxies learned that a long, long time ago.”
Kestil nodded slowly. “So they say, Nuthros, so they say. But, the truth is, freedom must be won. And it can only be secured by war.” He gestured to those nearest Nuthros. “Seize him.”
Those nearest leapt at Nuthros, but he disappeared. Kestil spun round to his console. “Get to your stations, target that ship and block its drives and cloak. His damned ship’s AI is inside our shield; find it and get rid of it.”
Back on his own ship, Nuthros fell to the floor and wept. Truly spoke gently. “Nuthros, we are targeted by Kestil’s ship. I can neither move nor cloak. I am still inside his ship’s control systems, but they have heavy security protocols which mean I can’t unlock his grip and jump away. His propulsion systems are not as well-protected. I can cross-feed fuel waste into his drives and destroy the ship. But, I must do it now, as they are cycling up their weapons and I sense security protocols beginning to locate me.”
Nuthros heard the council in his mind. ‘Truly has advised us of the situation, Nuthros. That ship has many proscribed weapons. The peace of the Ten Galaxies is threatened; you must do what is required.’
Nuthros slowly got to his feet. Tears ran down his cheeks unheeded. He watched the gun turrets on the distant warship turn until they pointed straight at his ship.
“Truly, destroy it.”
He dropped to his knees as the vessel that carried his only brother was ripped apart from within.
Nuthros felt a tear run down his cheek at the memory of that awful moment. He shuddered; Kestil was still alive. He should feel some measure of joy, shouldn’t he? He didn’t, though. He remembered what Kestil was like four and a half millennia ago; it brought with it a thought that chilled him; after all that time, what was he like now?
Truly spoke softly in his mind; ‘The council are ready to confer with you, Nuthros.’
*****
‘Yet again, we find ourselves in an unprecedented position, Nuthros. However, all factors considered, that is to be expected.’ Council Member Trantin’s voice in Nuthros’ mind sounded tense.
‘A meeting with Kestil is required, of that there is little doubt.’ Truly opined. ‘However, in my view the danger in such a meeting outweighs the necessity at this point.’
‘I’m afraid I would have to agree.’ Trantin replied.
‘There may be a way to accomplish this, though.’ Nuthros put in. ‘I believe the Independent Worlds, as they call themselves, do not have a similar level of technology to us. Truly estimates they are about two thousand cycles behind us. Kestil still betrays an aggression that indicates a pathological ambition; the same ambition that led him to what was thought of as his death 4,500 cycles ago. Such ambition is a sure sign of inferiority.’
‘Their being behind us technologically is likely, but not certain, I’m afraid.’ Brantok responded. ‘It is possible the independent Worlds have a dissimilar social structure. We do not possess sufficient data on them to conclude such a thing.’
‘Agreed.’ Trantin replied.
‘I believe I can attend a meeting with Kestil with no risk attached.’ Nuthros thought.
‘How would you do this?’ Council Member Sardin inquired. Sardin was the newest addition to the council. Wise and thoughtful, he made an excellent Council Member. Nuthros explained his idea.
<
br /> *****
Kevin Kennedy was beside himself with rage. Across the desk, Donald Vincent looked unperturbed.
“I can’t do this, Donald. It will wreck your empire; completely gut it, in fact. A risk such as this is never worth it, you know that.”
Donald shrugged. “I have information that is rock solid, Kevin. I can’t share the source with you, but let’s just say his qualifications are out of this world.”
“There’s only one person out of this world, Donald, and he’s giving all his stuff away for free.” Kennedy’s eyes narrowed. “Unless he’s playing two games at once…”
Vincent waved that off. “At the end of the day, you work for me, Kevin, not the other way round. I have directed you to sell my shares in everything but Vincent Technologies, and buy gold. If you aren’t able to do that, I’ll find a new financial manager.”
Kevin Kennedy raised his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, Donald, okay. I do this against my will, and I want that on record, too. But, you are the boss, as you say. So, by this time next Tuesday, you will own at least 29 billion dollars in gold. That’s assuming, of course, that the liquidation of all your stock doesn’t in and of itself create such a run on the market that I can’t even sell it for that. But, why gold? I hope you realise that, thanks to this alien invasion, gold is already headed up. Once I start to buy, the market will notice that, too, and every buy order will be higher than the last. By rushing this, you risk great losses on both the sell side and the buy side. You stand to lose millions more if it so much as drops one cent afterwards.”
“I know, Kevin, I know. But, that is not all I know.”
Kevin Kennedy shrugged and picked up his phone. Donald Vincent grabbed his coat and left the downcast financier to it.
*****
“Hey Dad, it’s David.”
“David? What the hell is going on?” Robert Markham had lost his usual laid-back Texan drawl. “You should have been back from your holiday two days ago, son. Your Mom is going crazy with worry. With this alien stuff and all, she wants you home, now.”
“Yeah, bit of a problem with that, Dad.”
“You need money? Is Christine with you? You haven’t got her in trouble, have you, David?”
“What?! No, no, nothing like that. The thing is, well, you know Nuthros, the alien guy? We’re…well, we’re on his ship.”
There was silence on the other end for a minute. “I see.”
“I’m serious, Dad. I mean it, Chris and I are on a spaceship, for real.”
“I believe you, son.”
David blinked in surprise. “You do? Hang on a minute.” David looked at Nuthros. Nuthros nodded. “Okay, listen Dad, I will appear down there, right where you are in the living room, okay? But, it won’t really be me, it’ll be a hologram, so don’t freak out on me.”
“What? A projection of some kind? Like in the movies?”
“Yeah, Dad, like in the movies.”
“I’ll get your Mom down, she’s in bed.”
“No, Dad, just you and me for now, okay?”
“Okay.”
Regardless of the forewarning, Robert Markham did a double-take when David appeared in the room with him.
“Hello Dad.”
Robert approached the image of his son slowly, and passed a hand right through him. He held his silence and went to the drinks cabinet. He poured himself a double bourbon and turned back around. “Care to tell me how you ended up on a spaceship when you were supposed to be on a holiday in the woods with your girlfriend, son?”
David told his Dad the whole story; his work with the others on climate activism, theft of the NSA files, the files disappearance, and Kestil’s attempt on his and Christine’s lives. Robert Markham sat down and shook his head. “So you can’t come back to Earth because this second alien will try to kill you? Why not approach the government about him?”
“Because this Kestil guy has technology so far in advance of ours it isn’t funny, Dad. There’s nothing anyone on Earth can do to stop him. That’s why we have to trust Nuthros.”
“Trust Nuthros.” Robert laughed and took a long swig of his drink. “How long will you two be away, son?”
David shrugged. “Nobody knows, Dad. Nuthros thinks maybe-”
“David?” Margaret Markham stood in the doorway. “It is you, oh my boy!” Robert stood and grabbed his wife before she could get to David’s image.
He held her tight. “It’s just a projection, honey, a hologram. David’s on Nuthros’ ship.”
“Wh…what do you mean? He’s right there, I can see him…”
“Easy, Mom,” David said. “Dad’s right, this is just an image. It’s true, I’m on the alien guy’s ship. He saved my life. Dad can fill you in later. I have to go now; if I stay here too long, Kestil might detect me. But, I love you both, and I want you to be safe, so I can’t come home. You guys can call me anytime, Nuthros has made sure Kestil can’t trace the mobile signal back to his ship to locate us. I have to go; take care of Mom, Dad. Chris has called her Auntie Mary, so they know she’s okay, too. I really love you both.”
“David, no! You can’t stay with him!” Margaret collapsed into her husband’s arms. The image of her son disappeared.
Robert Markham held his wife tight. “Easy, honey. We always knew this day would come.”
Margaret sobbed into her husband’s shoulder. “He can’t take him from us, he can’t…”
8
“Hello Nuthros.” Kestil stood with his arms folded.
Nuthros could not hold his composure. “Is it really you, my brother? Can it be, after all this time?”
“Oh it’s me, Nuthros. You can be assured of that. Forgive me for not caring as much as you obviously do. But, I seem to remember our last little chat ended when you tried to kill me.”
They stood on a gravel pathway in a park outside Boston. Nuthros had finally convinced the council that a meeting could be done. Truly had located Kestil, which was a surprise. He obviously wanted to be found, Nuthros decided. Truly contacted Kestil to arrange a meeting. He agreed and chose the place and time.
Kestil bent down and picked up a stone from the pathway. He tossed it to Nuthros, who caught it. “Okay,” Kestil said, “At least it’s you and not a hologram. I’m surprised the council let you meet me in the flesh. How are the old tyrants, anyway?”
Nuthros shook his head. “Four and a half millennia later and you still confuse the council for tyrants, Kestil? We had given you up for dead. When we found no bodies in the wreckage of your ship, I searched that entire system for 2 cycles, in the hope you somehow survived.”
Kestil shrugged. “Yes, well I made sure you never found me. I didn’t appreciate it when you blew my ship out from under me, I’m afraid. Quite an achievement for a society that is supposedly peaceful and tolerant above all else, don’t you think?”
“Kestil, that ship was a weapon of war. You knew such a creation was proscribed by the Ten Galaxies, and yet you built it anyway. The whole thing was unprecedented. You left us with no choice.”
“Exactly,” Kestil countered. “Yet again, no choice. That was the problem with the Ten Galaxies then, and that is the problem with the Sixteen Galaxies now. No choices, no freedom, no imagination. Just a bunch of dried up old men with machines to keep everyone in order, all nice and tidy. It’s so cold, Nuthros; so empty. I left to find a better place, and I did.”
“But where did you go? How did you end up here, of all places?”
Kestil’s eyes brightened. “As I tried to tell you all that time ago, I found the way forward, Nuthros. The real way. Not the stale, lukewarm greyness of the Sixteen Galaxies, as it is now. The Independent Worlds is the future, my brother. We will rule the universe one day.”
“We know nothing of this society you speak of, Kestil. How is that so, when we have explored nearly all the galaxies within range of Earth?”
Kestil gave a short laugh. “What you think you know, and what you actually know, are two completely diffe
rent things, brother. Do you really think everyone in The Sixteen Galaxies shares your love of a spherical rule? The Independent Worlds are all ex-citizens of The Sixteen Galaxies, just like the crew on that ship you destroyed.”
Nuthros tried to sense his brother’s emotions, which was usually a simple matter. Instead, he found an impenetrable wall around Kestil. And yet, it was obvious Kestil was as emotionally driven as ever.
All citizens of the Sixteen Galaxies had an ability to sense one another’s emotions and feelings. It came as a by-product of association with one another for millennia upon millennia. It had taken Nuthros nearly 2,000 years to develop the ability to do the same with humanity. It was apparent that Kestil’s isolation had either negated his ability to share his feelings at that level, or caused a barrier of some kind to develop. It tore Nuthros apart that he could not sense his brother at such an intimate level anymore.
“What you didn’t know,” Kestil continued, “Was that I had a second ship cloaked up and orbiting a neighbouring planet. I have no trust in the council. I was fully aware of what those old coots were capable of. When security protocols detected Truly in the propulsion systems, I realized what she could do. We transported to the other ship. After you were safely out of the way, we left. We headed for the outer galaxies in the opposite direction to where the Ten Galaxies were spreading.”
“So how did you stay concealed?” Nuthros asked. “Exploration details head out in every direction, not just the direction of current development. How is it no one found you?”
“But they did, brother.” Kestil spread his hands. “What, you think those who leave on exploration details are all in love with the council? The ones we met were only too happy to join the Independent Worlds.”
Nuthros shrugged. “Some want a separate path. What you promise no doubt appealed to them.”
Kestil laughed again. “Oh yes, some want a separate path, alright.” He moved closer to Nuthros. “Some wish to be separated as far as possible from The Sixteen Galaxies, Nuthros. Some want to lead, or be led. Some want to take control, and feel the reins in their hands. Some are not happy being mindless sheep, herded by old men and their hideous AI.”
The Sixteen Galaxies Page 8