The Fractured World 5

by David Aries

  Of course, we couldn’t be sure that was the truth, but, ultimately, it didn’t matter. We hadn’t come to the garden to speculate and admire the flowers.

  “Mayday,” Faris said while utilizing the terminal’s radio. “Seeking contact with the Allied Peacekeepers. Please come in.”

  Trez grumbled while fidgeting on the spot. “Isn’t there someone else we can call?”

  “Who?” Akko asked.

  “I don’t know. Anyone!”

  “The APK is one of the largest and most respected organizations in the universe,” Faris said while glancing back. “They’re the only group who makes sense.”

  “Maybe for you! Don’t forget, I’ve got a record. What if they decide to take me away?”

  “Would you prefer I ring some of your pirate friends?”

  Trez chewed her bottom lip.

  I rubbed her shoulders. “Don’t worry, I won’t let them take you. If need be, we can become outlaws together.”

  “Muscles,” Trez purred.

  “Don’t give her any ideas,” Faris said before she sent out another distress call… then another… and another.

  All we got back was static.

  I clenched my jaw. “Seriously? Don’t tell me—”

  The radio sparked into life. “This is Communications Officer Mavietta Velsphere, of the Allied Peacekeepers. Receiving you loud and clear.”

  My heart jumped through the roof.

  “We did it!” Casella—the hero of the hour—cheered. She threw her arms and herself into the air.

  Sylvetty flinched. “No fooling? This ain’t some trick?”

  Casella shook her head as she trapped Sylvetty into a smothering hold. “We really and truly did it!”

  “Ah! Me back…”

  I felt a little giddy myself. There was a big stupid grin on my face that wasn’t going anywhere even if I wanted it to.

  And why should it? We’ve done it!

  “Hello? Is anybody there?” our savior said.

  “I’m here,” Faris snapped. “Requesting immediate aid. Sending coordinates.”

  “Coordinates received. Before I dispatch a ship to your location, may I ask the nature of your emergency?”

  Vay laughed, a few makeshift bandages doing little to quash her spirit. “A single ship? My, they’re going to be in for a shock.”

  Faris cleared her throat. “It’s a long story…”

  ***

  As expected, Faris had been the right woman for the job. She explained what had transpired in the most concise way possible, apart from when she had to pause and assure the listening officer that everything she was hearing was real.

  Still, that only happened four of five times. If Akko had been given this task, I could only begin to imagine how things might have turned out.

  Even Faris needed Casella and Vay’s help. Sadly, the words of a ‘random’ herix meant less than a zerrin princess and small-time celebrity. They stepped in whenever they were needed to confirm everything Faris had said was true.

  Before we knew it, the sky outside was filled with enough cruisers to wage a war.

  Something tells me they took us seriously…

  Rather than hanging around in the garden, we went to the landing station to meet our rescuers.

  After we opened the hatch, a sleek silver shuttle cruised inside and made itself at home. Out came six peacekeepers, each from different planets but dressed in the same gray uniform that screamed ‘military’. They lined up in a guard, making room for the seventh member of their party, who towered above them.

  The eight-foot brute had thick gray skin, a build that looked like it belonged to a heavyweight boxer, and a face that reminded me of some hairless mole rat.

  For a moment, I thought I’d seen a ghost, but a certain telltale scar was nowhere to be seen.

  After coming to a stop before us, the man saluted. “Captain Lancer Addear, of the Allied Peacekeepers, at your service.”

  Sylvetty nudged me in the ribs. “So this ain’t Darkin, or Raab, or whatever he’s called, in disguise?”

  “No, I’m pretty sure we’re in the clear,” I replied.

  It was a big universe, after all. What was so weird about meeting another member of Raab’s race?

  Maybe that he’s on the right side of the law?

  Faris returned the salute. “Thank you for answering our call, Captain.”

  “It wasn’t exactly a call we could ignore—an artificial planet being used as the centerpiece for a mass abduction operation, under the command of a member of the High Council.” He sighed and scratched his bald scalp. “To be honest, I didn’t believe a word of your story until I saw what was outside.”

  Vay laughed. “We did consider making one up so you wouldn’t brand us crazy.”

  “I didn’t realize how much this all sounded like some bad fanfic until Faris read it out,” Akko mumbled.

  “You mean like the sort you write?”

  “S-shut up.”

  “Crazy or not, we’re here now,” Lancer said. “We’ll handle the rest. We’ve already established communication with your friends on the ground and should be moving to rescue them as we speak. Then it’s on to searching this planet for everyone who needs our help.”

  “How wondrous!” Casella said with a cheer. She looked back at the woman hiding at the back of our group. “Did you hear that, Trez? Everyone’s going to be okay.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she replied while lurking in my shadow.

  I exhaled and said, “It’s really over.”

  That should have been obvious, but it was still sinking in. There were no more twists ahead.

  We’d done it.

  “That it is,” Lancer confirmed. “From here on, you lot can sit back and relax. It looks like you need it.”

  I chuckled. “Really? What gave it away?”

  Could it have been that most of our armor was shattered? Or that we were covered in bandages? Or that we had more bruises than we knew what to do with?

  “We’ve got a medical bay on the ARS Conviction. We’ll take you there for a checkup after… well, I hate to do this.” He waved forward one of his subordinates.

  The soldier rushed forward and offered Faris a tablet.

  She took it and gave it a quick scan. Her brow furrowed. “What?!”

  “Faris?” I said.

  “They’re telling us to keep quiet.”

  “What?!”

  “High Councillor Waltgomery was one of the most influential men in the universe, as well as the representative for the ciro race,” Lancer explained. “If it got out that he’d been involved in something like this, the backlash would be enormous. Both the High Council and Exordia would be in trouble.”

  “So you’re going to cover it up?” I said.

  Trez clicked her tongue. “See, I knew we shouldn’t have called these frauds! They love pretending they’re the moral heart of the universe, but as soon as the going gets tough, they turn out to be just as corrupt as anyone else.”

  “Trust me, I like this as little as you do,” Lancer grumbled. “If it were up to me, everyone would find out what that corrupt slimeball was up to. I mean, an android, of all things?”

  I bit my bottom lip. We’d made sure to tell the APK everything, which meant letting them know about DD.

  If things had been different, if she had chosen to believe us, what would we have done instead? Was this the point where we would have tried to deceive the APK? Would we have even called them in the first place?

  Ultimately, it didn’t matter; DD had made her choice and lost her life because of it. There was no reason for deceit… on our side, anyway.

  “The universe deserves to know,” Lancer continued, “but orders are orders. We’ve been told to make sure nobody ever discovers there was more to this event than a strange natural phenomenon.”

  I snarled. “So it’s back to that, is it? Wiping minds?”

  He flinched. “Wiping… no.” It was hard to miss the pure disgust that sh
aped his expression. “Memory wipes are banned under Article 138-F. We would never dream of resorting to such methods.” He pointed at the pad. “We’ve prepared a contract for you to sign. It includes ample compensation in agreement for your silence, as well as an apology for letting this happen in the first place.”

  I gawped. “So it’s like an NDA? Those are still a thing?”

  “Of course they are, sweetie,” Akko said. “Why wouldn’t they be?”

  It was a question I had no answer to.

  “Why tell us this now?” Faris said. “Your way of getting us to sign?”

  Lancer’s eyes widened. “What? N—”

  “Oh, you dirty bastards!” Trez said. “I see how it is. ‘Hey, we’ve got this awesome medical station set up for you. We’ll take you there and get you all patched up… once you’ve signed your rights away.’”

  It became apparent that impressions weren’t one of Trez’s strengths.

  I growled at Lancer. “I see. Saving us for a price. Maybe I should have listened to Trez after all…”

  “Y-you don’t understand. This has all been a big misunderstanding,” Lancer said before grumbling under his breath. “I told them this would happen. But, of course, they didn’t care as long as it was me looking like the bad guy.” He cleared his throat and went back to talking to us. “I was ordered to show you the contract before taking you aboard, not make you sign it. We would never withhold medical care from those who need it.”

  “Really?” I said, glaring into the depths of Lancer’s soul.

  He gulped. “Really. We’ll take you aboard immediately, if that’s what you desire. The negotiations can be saved for later.”

  “Let me see that.” Trez said, snatching the tablet away from Faris. After a look, she scoffed. Then she scoffed again, louder, so we all got the point. “They’re gonna have to be, alright. This is all you’re offering us? After all the shit we’ve been through, this is what you’re expecting to buy our silence?” At last, she emerged from her hiding spot, a hand striking the tablet’s screen. “Because of your shoddy peacekeeping, I’ve been stuck here for over a year. I almost died, like, a hundred times! This much ain’t even enough to compensate for that, and you wanna add a gagging order on top? The tabloids would pay me double just to hear what I’ve been eating for breakfast!” She thrust the tablet into Lancer’s chest. “Yeah, we’re gonna need to negotiate, alright. Now you were saying about taking us aboard?”

  For a moment, Lancer was stunned into inaction by a woman he had three-foot on. “R-right away,” he eventually sputtered out. “If you’ll follow me.” As stiff as could be, Lancer turned on his heels and marched to the shuttle.

  We hesitated to follow.

  “What was that?” I said to Trez.

  She grinned. “What? You saw how that guy squirmed when we accused him of pressuring us. We’d be fools not to use that to our advantage. I mean, did you see how much they were offering? It was a lot, but nowhere near what we deserve. I’m not gonna stop until their coffers run dry.” She rubbed her hands together while snickering. “I bet I can even get them to wipe my record.”

  “You’ve never sounded more like a pirate,” Faris said.

  “Ex-pirate,” she replied, eyes darting around the room.

  It didn’t appear any of the peacekeepers had overhead.

  “So we’re going to sign it?” Casella said.

  “To be honest, I’d like the entire universe to know about Walt,” I said. Even though I was an outsider, it didn’t sit right with me that something this big was going to be covered up. “However, I’m not going to kick up too much of a fuss. What matters to me is that we’re getting out of here.”

  “Aye,” Sylvetty agreed. “Forget everything else. I’m just glad I can finally go home.”

  My heart tightened.

  “About that,” I began. “What exactly are you planning?”

  “Ain’t I already told ya?” she replied.

  “I don’t think so,” Casella said. “You only made your mind up while we were waiting in The Core, yes?”

  “That’s right! Then things got so busy I plumb forgot.” Sylvetty shook her head before looking me right in the eye. “Brandon, I’m—”

  “What’s the hold up?” Lancer called from the shuttle.

  I flinched. I’d been so focused on Sylvetty that I forgot all about the peacekeepers waiting for us to get a move on.

  Vay laughed. “Apologies, good sir! We’ll be there in a moment.”

  Akko grabbed my hand. “Shall we, sweetie? I’d prefer not to stay here longer than we have to…”

  This station might have been the place where we’d brought this torrid adventure to a close, but it wasn’t somewhere I’d remember fondly.

  “Let’s go!” Casella said as she rushed toward the shuttle.

  “Hey, wait for me!” Sylvetty responded while giving chase.

  I rolled my eyes before smiling at Akko. “Guess that’s our cue.”

  Together, hand-in-hand, we set off toward the vessel that would take us away from The Fractured World and bring a pivotal chapter in our lives to an end.

  It was time to begin a new one… and it was time to do so alongside the girls I loved more than anyone else in the universe.

  Chapter 31

  The ringing chorus of metal striking metal echoed around the grubby workshop.

  It was a simple melody. At no point did the tempo pick up or the conductor try to introduce a little flair. It was the same beat over and over again, like the tick of a metronome.

  For the past year, this monotonous noise had served as the old man’s lifeline. It was the only thing able to distract him from his heartache.

  To think blacksmithing had once brought him pleasure. He could hardly remember when he used to chortle around the furnace while turning lumps of metal into tools used all across the kingdom. Where his creations ended up didn’t matter to him; his passion was forging.

  Not anymore. He hadn’t made a tool worth a dime ever since the light in his life had been snuffed out. All he did was repeat a motion his body could do on auto-pilot so he didn’t need to think.

  So he didn’t need to remember her.

  The door to his workshop flung open with such force that piles of half-assed blades tumbled to the ground from where they’d been haphazardly dumped.

  “Thaldor!” a woman said as she burst into his refuge.

  Despite the commotion, he didn’t look up or stop swinging his arm. “What is it, Lana?” he asked in the same monotone fashion as usual.

  “She… she’s home,” the woman said, voice cracking. “Our baby came home.”

  Thaldor dropped his hammer. For a moment, he couldn’t believe what she’d said. It was both the thing he’d least expected to hear yet what he desired the most.

  He burst forward, charging from his workshop into the midday light.

  A crowd had gathered at the edge of their village. There was never any reason for a crowd to gather; nothing ever happened out here. He rushed to it, throwing everyone out of the way until not a soul stood between him and the woman in the center.

  “S-Sylvetty,” he croaked, mouth as dry as his furnace.

  She tensed up before slowly lifting a hand and waving. “Hi, da…”

  Before Thalor could think, his legs were moving. He charged like a wild buffog until his only daughter was safe in his arms.

  “It’s you,” Thalodr said as tears welled up in his eyes. He hadn’t shed a single one since she’d vanished too many moons ago. Suddenly, he couldn’t stop them. “It’s really you…”

  “I know!” Sylvetty said with a squeak. “Now will ya ease up on the hug a smidge? Yer gonna break me in two.”

  “I’ll hug ya as tight as I like, ya fecking eejit! Where have ya been?! Do ya know how much ya worried me and Lana? We thought ya were dead. We seriously… thought ya were…” The old nwori couldn’t keep it up. For the second time in quick succession, a stubborn toad blocked his throat.

/>   Sylvetty scoffed. “Look at ya, blubbering like a babby. What happened to the tough old geezer who taught me how to use a hammer? Seriously. If ya get all mopey… how the feck am I supposed to hold back?” Her trapped waterworks burst free as she squeezed hold of her father.

  Finally, after over a year, they were together again.

  Lana soon joined them, adding herself to the daughter-smothering hug.

  The rest of the village didn’t dare interrupt. Being able to look on from a distance was more than enough for them.

  “I’m sorry,” Sylvetty mumbled to her parents. “When I was heading to the mine, I got snatched up by these big feckers. They took me so far away ya wouldn’t even believe it.”

  “Where are they now?” Thaldor said as he tried to suck back the tears running down his cheeks. “I swear I’ll break every bone in their fecking bodies.”

  “Oh, hunny,” Lana said, rubbing his shoulder. “Ya shouldn’t let them off so easily. I’ll roast the feckers on yer forge and stuff them with so many coals they’ll be coming out the other end! We’ll see how much they like kidnapping sweet lil lassies after I’ve replaced their teeth with shrapnel.”

  “Would ya both calm down?” Sylvetty asked. “Those feckers are long dead and buried.”

  “That’s my girl,” Thaldor said.

  “Dinnae go giving me credit when you dinnae know what happened. I didn’t do shit. The only reason I’m here, the only reason I managed to get back at all, was thanks to everyone’s help. If they’d never found me, if they’d never helped me, then I… I would’ve…” Sylvetty curled her hands into fists in a bid to stop the trembles racing through her arms.

  It was ineffective.

  Lana swooped in with another squeeze. “Oh, baby. It’s okay. You’re back now; that’s all that matters. And you’re looking good. Well fed. Maybe even better than when you left.”

  “Aye,” Thaldor agreed. “Look at them arms. I can tell ya ain’t let yourself get rusty. That’s my gal. I cannae wait to be forging alongside ya again.”

  “Y-yeah,” Sylvetty mumbled.

  “Is something wrong?” Lana asked.

  “It’s just… how am I supposed to break this to yas?”

  “Break what?”

  “Well, see… the thing is…” Sylvetty gulped. “I ain’t exactly planning on sticking around…”