It had been a long time since Suld felt fear.
His shuttle had just completed the swing-around of Dulx, Novan’s second moon, settling into the brief journey to Novan, on an emergency rendezvous with Theia. The slight jostling the craft suffered for a short while vanished, smoothing out, making one forget the extreme velocity the craft was traveling at. But Suld knew. He could feel everything, had felt everything, since Theia’s last cast.
Suld! Most of my Coss are captured, and dead. My cells have all been attacked, and eradicated. Come quickly, I need you.
The buckle on the seat restraint felt cold on his hand. The air was a little stale, with one of the filters malfunctioning slightly. The seat needed to be upholstered, as there was some wear in the cushions beneath him. His drink was a little warm, and—
I need you.
She had been on his mind more and more lately, her face, her cast playing over and over in his mind. He had been in love a couple of times since the death of his wife, or what he thought was love. Theia was different. Even though she had committed atrocities against the TELREC and even the Novan people, even though she didn’t possess the intelligence or refinement of his people on Gan-Elldon, even with a body that looked more like an overused weapon, she had something that intrigued him, some combination of strength and weakness, impulsiveness and caution that made his strong heart beat a little stronger, that made him anxious and impatient on this journey he was now taking.
What am I doing?
Gan-Elldon was on the highest alert possible. All his people had been mobilized for combat—all meta that had been changed and altered were activated, their weaponry checked. He recalled many of his oreships, off loading cargo, bringing their upgraded armament on-line. As he left to cesct with Theia, his fleet had swelled to eighteen-hundred fighters and oreships in orbit around the moon of Gan-Elldon.
If they want a fight, I’ll give them one.
But it was the TELREC mental weaponry that concerned him the most. The meta may have been invulnerable, but his people, on the moon and on his ships, did not have adequate protection. He had many cast-suppression systems, but he knew the TELREC had many surprises, many talents.
This could be the end of my people, my corporation. This could be the end of me. No one can hold out against the strength of the TELREC, not mentally. The TELREC know now I helped the Iganinagi. Everything I have cast to any of them, they now know.
Though he had been preparing his people for a fight with the TELREC, it was more of a final contingency. He always hoped to affect a revolution on Novan, to make the people rise up and demand their freedom. He had some of his scientists researching new and better mental protection, but it was untested against the TELREC. Never before had their forces engaged in combat. Suld fidgeted in his seat, adjusting his harness, taking another drink, the cool liquid numbing his throat but not his fevered mind.
I am stronger than this! I have been through too much to have fear now.
Suld relaxed, clasping his hands together, closing his eyes. He went through his mind, back through all his experiences, all the adversity he triumphed over.
What did that meta say? Who did Ikthon mention . . . ahh . . . Mechle Rulsi. Now she was amazing.
Throughout Suld’s life, he drew inspiration and strength from the records of his ancestors. Experiencing virt-lives they made of some of their most important moments gave Suld a keen insight into their thought processes, the way in which they handled stress. From the launch of the Envoys into the heart of the galaxy to the first roas of the creation of OLMAC, he loved to relax and live a part of their lives.
Mechle Rulsi, and her first trip around Celd. The first bold step into the void. That must have been a frightening, yet exciting moment. Suld loaded the appropriate files into a cast-net server, and relaxed in his chair, accessing her life. Let me draw on some of your strength.
It was the cas 1865, and science had taken many quantum leaps. Nano-technology cured many diseases, fusion reactors were diminishing in size, becoming safe enough for regular use. Information files were being traded mentally, as much progress was being made into researching the limits of the souman brain. Technology was developed that allowed the recording of mental experiences, the primitive virt-life Suld was now accessing.
The Novan-Rell conflict was in a particularly tense stage. Several Rell governors were assassinated, blown up with a primitive emdec bomb. Though a radical splinter group claimed responsibility, the Leviathan refused to issue a statement of condemnation. This resulted in the suspension of cease-fire agreements signed fifty cas prior. Both sides began acceleration of their weapons programs, as the rhetoric in the media grew to a fever pitch.
Rulsi was the head of an asteroid mining company called RED (Rulsi Extraction and Demolition), an early fragment of OLMAC. While the cease-fire was in place she opened her doors to Rell scientists, and together they worked on creating a new energy shield for use around a voidship. This shield not only provided protection against interstellar matter, it also helped convert neutrinos into fuel for a revolutionary new engine. It was the first ship designed to go at .2c, and she knew it would revolutionize not only void travel, but the entire way of life on Iq as well. After hostilities broke out anew and the Leviathan demanded the Rell scientists leave Novan territory, Rulsi promised the Rell scientists she would honor their work, and would launch the ship, its goal being the first manned orbit of the largest planet in the Iquitian system, the gas-giant Celd.
The launch was done in relative secrecy, as threats of terrorism from both sides were of concern. Extremist Novan factions desired to destroy the work that was a result of the collaboration between Novan and Rell. Mal was still in its infancy, and the TELREC, known as TL Reconstructs, were still mostly scientists and mathematicians, with little power or resources, Mal still a primitive collection of computers.
In front of a small building on the outskirts of a RED mining complex, a small silver and black craft sat, dark and low. In moments it took off like thunder, under its own power, with no booster rockets, a form of electro-magnetism giving it invisible momentum through the atmosphere. It was thought that a meta pilot was at the helm, but in the first few moments after liftoff, the identity of the pilot became known as she relayed her status to the control room.
“We have a steady burn.”
Mission control technicians turned to each other, wondering who was speaking. On the main monitor, the pilot swung up her protective visor, revealing the face of a middle-aged woman.
“Rulsi? Damn you!”
Gant, her launch operations manager, bolted to his feet, and yelled at the monitor. Though he respected Rulsi as a shrewd businesswoman, he disliked her penchant for grandstanding. An older man who had seen his share of arrogant pilots and pompous politicians, some part of him crumbled inside seeing her in the seat of the Catalyst, a craft that represented the life’s work of so many.
“What are you doing in there? This isn’t some joyride around a moon!”
“Don’t worry, Gant,” she cooed with a light chuckle. “I have a thousand droas of training under my belt, done in secret.”
Grumbling under his breath, he absently thumbed through mission status reports. “Where’s the thrael?”
“Deactivated, but not damaged. It can fly the next mission. I wasn’t going to sit by and let a machine be the first one to orbit Celd.”
Acceptance began to settle in on Gant’s face. She could see him mentally reviewing the changes he would need to make.
“Preparing next stage.” Her voice strained as the craft accelerated, and she felt the strong embrace of the planet’s gravitational field begging her back. The craft pressed on, noiselessly slicing through clouds, leaving the atmosphere and entering the cold embrace of the void.
“But thrael are expendable. You are not.”
Rulsi’s face grew serious and firm. “I want responsibility for this. If it fails, I fail. If this craft is destroyed, I go with it. This craft represents the glory o
f souman creation. A souman must pilot it.”
Gant sat back in his chair, appreciating her perspective, hope and a passionate fire returning to his wrinkled face.
“Understood. Now, let’s get to work!”
Rulsi smiled in the monitor. “Agreed! I want to get back in one piece, and lead my victory parade.”
Over the next two droas, several hundred system checks were done, as the craft neared the orbit of Dulx. Suld could almost feel the craft occupied the same space then as he did now. He could feel Rulsi’s adrenaline pumping, her mind working every til to dispel the fear that threatened to consume her. She could have taken one of a hundred different kinds of pills designed to calm the mind and focus the intellect, but she preferred to make the journey without drugs, by the force of her will.
The barrier the ship used had limited tests in the void, as its development was only just completed before the Novan/Rell cease fire ended. There were many terrorist incidents, and it was felt they had to rely solely on computer data as an indicator of success. Many people had sacrificed many cas in its development, many of the advances made would later be used in the development of inter-brane travel. Rulsi, though only somewhat experienced in the field of physics, was the prime motivator behind them all. She set the direction, issued her scientists challenges, made clear and strong decisions regarding the shield development. Without her, they would have been mired in committees, a group of great minds unable to focus. She gave them that focus, and promised the rewards would be wealth and success beyond their imaginings.
In the craft dubbed Catalyst Rulsi was cramped, unable to move more than an inch in any direction. Catalyst was the size of a small building, standing four stories high, thick and bulbous with massive, redundant solid propellant engines taking up much of the space. The neutrino accelerator that was the core of the ship was quite small in comparison, as well as the three gravipulse reactors that powered the ship out of the atmosphere. Rulsi knew once these engines had proven themselves, in addition to the barrier, void travel would undergo a revolution in size and affordability. She switched on her comm system, switching to a secure channel.
“Are we ready?”
On the other end, two women and a man appeared, all with varying shades of grey hair and deep wrinkles.
“Almost,” they answered. “We have tapped into the Novan communication network, but the Rell network has more safeguards than we anticipated.”
“How long?”
“We will have it done, by the time promised.” Her voice was as stone, echoed in the eyes of those with her. Rulsi depended on those three more than anyone else in her life. They stood by her as her company grew; they were the brains who solved all manner of technical and scientific problems. Two were Novan, and one was a Rell named Culvill. Culvill hid her beliefs, against Rulsi’s better judgment, deciding souman progress was more important than strict adherence to faith. If they were caught now, doing this, it would mean certain death, execution in front of a planet-wide audience. Suld was always amazed at how well she coordinated the broadcast of her journey around the planet, a bold step that contributed greatly to the success of her company. Rulsi nodded to them, sinking back into her chair, feeling a little more relaxed.
“Good.” She switched to her main comm channel. “Ready for exit of Novan family system. Preparing to initiate startup of shield dynamics and neutrino accelerator. Powering down main fusion reactors.”
“Affirmative,” replied Gant. “Remember the shield system will heat the craft up the more you use it. We predict a balance can be achieved whereby you can vent this energy into the void, but it will mean a sacrifice of the shield integrity. The hotter it gets—”
“Yes, I know, the quicker my main engines will wear out.” She clicked her teeth, an expression that always irritated Gant, but that signaled Rulsi meant business. “Stop worrying! We had the best workers on the construction of this craft. I believe in it, and in them.”
Gant nodded. “Gravipulse engines nearing end of effectiveness. Initiating final burst, then cool down and shut down procedures.”
The engines pulsed, making the pressure from takeoff seem like a casual push to Rulsi. Novan faded behind her to a pinpoint in those three tils, as fear took her spirit for a moment. As they stopped, and switched off, Rulsi felt truly alone, with only blackness surrounding her, her craft almost noiseless.
“Control to Catalyst, do you copy?”
Rulsi took a moment to compose herself; the confidence returning to her mind and body.
“Affirmative.”
Gant’s face relaxed, and some cheers went up from the team behind him.
“Now comes the moment we all have been waiting for. Beginning shield dynamics countdown. Ten—”
Rulsi adjusted her harness, tightening it, placing her feet better on the floor.
“Nine—”
She double checked her navigational computer, flashing through the co ordinates.
“Eight . . . Seven . . . Six—”
Rulsi tuned to a holo-imager, and flipped through the faces of her family, her children.
“Five . . . four . . . three . . .”
Rulsi closed her eyes, and said a short prayer.
What I do, I do for the good of all Iqui, Rell and Novan alike.
“Two . . . one . . . Engage!”
Around her the crackle of energy could be heard, and on her screen, it detailed the creation of the shield barrier. Gant read off the status of the various systems.
“We have perimeter established . . . conversion beginning . . . we have neutrino critical point approaching. Neutrino accelerator coming online, critical conversion point imminent!”
The tension in his voice grew stronger as the craft’s systems switched on. The last thing he wanted was to lose the craft, and as he was slowly realizing, he and many others couldn’t do without Rulsi. The Catalyst slowly moved forward, almost imperceptibly at first, then growing exponentially with each passing til.
“We have point zero zero one five c . . . point zero zero eight . . . point zero zero nine five."
Rulsi felt slow, her body reacting somewhat to the gradual acceleration, but more to the increase in heat and vibration. The air felt close, the craft, shaking more and more the faster she went.
“Point zero one c . . . point zero five . . . point zero eight five c—”
The tension in mission control was in the air, every one glued to their screens, their fists clenched, hoping, praying the craft would make it.
“Rulsi!”
If she weren’t buckled down as much as she was, she would have jumped. It was coming through on her private comm channel.
“Yes?” Her voice shook as her body was being shaken more and more violently.
“We have all networks coming on line!” yelled Culvill, unable to contain her excitement. “You are live to the entire planet!”
Rulsi clenched her fist.
“Yes!”
She could feel some blood coming from her nose, but that news made everything right to her. She tried in vain to wipe it off. Gant appeared on her monitor.
“Gant, put on your best face, we are live across the whole of Iq!”
“Did you say we are live across the planet?” he asked, stunned.
“Yes, Gant. And every colony on the three moons.”
He took a moment to look down at the displays. “We have just broken point one c!”
Cheers loud and quick exploded in the control center. Rulsi appeared on the screen.
“For all the people of Iq and the surrounding colonies, my name is Mechle Rulsi. I am piloting a craft that has just broken point one c, the fastest craft ever created! This craft was created not only by Novan scientists but with great input by Rell scientists, making it a joint effort between our two peoples, at a time when we seem to be headed inevitably again into war.
Reluctantly Gant interrupted. “You are now at point one three c . . . point one five c . . .”
The c
raft shuddered even harder, noise building around her. Her fear came back a little, but she hid it on screen.
“I will pilot this craft around Celd,” continued Rulsi, “showing that planetary travel is now a reality. We will herald in a new age of void travel, venturing places we only dreamed of!”
In the command center, transmissions were coming in from hundreds of government agencies, officials, and concerned citizens. One informed them that a Novan battalion was advancing on their location, to forcibly shut them down.
“Point one eight c!”
Gant yanked up a microphone.
“You are almost there, Rulsi, almost there!” he screamed into it, the feedback distorting his voice. “Once you hit point two c, we can engage the transfer system, and bring it under control.”
Under control, such a sweet dream.
“Understood.”
The time slowed for her, as she took one deep breath after another. The craft was shaking so hard, she almost lost consciousness several times, only staying awake through sheer force of will. Sweat was drenching her, her clothes, spilling onto the floorboard below. Outside her window the shield was becoming visible, the heat from within glowing in the frigid expanse of the void. She heard Gant’s voice, as if in a dream.
“Point one nine c . . . point two c!”
The control room exploded in cheers and shouts, the engineers jumping to their feet and embracing one another. Around the planet, more and more people stopped what they were doing and tuned into the broadcast. For a people used to proclamations of war, statements of aggression and notifications of disasters, the sight of the control room erupting in cheers, of a woman focused on creating something good, those images could not be resisted. The craft rocketed through the void, so fast telescopes couldn’t track it, igniting hope in a billion people. For the next two droas the media converged on the control room, the battalion sent to stop them called back, lest the Leviathan look worse than it already did. Rulsi did a hundred system checks, balancing the expulsion of heat with the integrity of the shield. She drank through more than half her water supply, dowsing her face with the increasingly warm water. As Celd came into view—a small, baseball sized object now, she connected again to her home, her world, and gave one of the most significant speeches in the history of the planet. Suld knew every word by heart, but enjoyed nesting it again and again.
“There are those who would like to map our future, predict every great event with absolute certainty, reduce our souman essence to so many equations calculated by machines. They would rob us of our vibrancy, diminish our senses and dull our creativity. They would reduce advancement to purely the physical; attempting to genetically engineer our species through mating habits and selection, content if we were to sit by passively as they work. I can hear them, see them use technology to ensnare our people, lull them into a deep slumber, use technology merely to replay great and joyous moments past, convincing us we can never match the past, that we should be content to relive it. It is said our children will no longer learn, that concepts and facts will be ‘downloaded’ into their minds, giving them all the intelligence they would need for their lives in a short period of time. This would be intelligence, not wisdom! This craft was built by men and women who spent a lifetime leaning new concepts, taking risks with new and different formulas. They understood that wisdom comes about over time, and it is a jewel of achievement. Children brought up with such an education via download would have no concept of work, no concept of laboring towards an unknown goal. They would never forget what they would learn, nor would they appreciate the value of having it. It would be a level playing field with no one different than another; a communism of education. One of the joys of learning is finding out what you are not good at. A fertile mind searches until it finds an area that interests it, and then the hunger for knowledge begins. If you would deprive our children of the journey of learning, you would deprive them of that hunger, deprive them of desire. You would reduce this world to pleasure seekers, hungry only for something new, quick, and different.”
In her screen Celd grew larger and larger, filling her viewable area. She spoke louder, over the noise of the craft.
“On our world, we live as a people divided. No longer along racial lines, for already time has begun the homogenization of our races. Soon, no longer along intellectual lines, for we all will be given the same basic intellect. But we are divided along religious lines. One calls the other evil, and the other responds in kind. Both seek to eradicate the other, through any means necessary, as there are no innocents. Can no one see the aftermath of such a conflict? Homogenization of religion? Everyone looking the same, thinking the same, worshiping the same? We should value the differences between us, cherish the different perspectives we offer one another. It is only through this that imagination is fed, that the mind creates new and brilliant things. Novans and Rell worked on this ship, each bringing their own perspectives, and look what we did! Together we will herald in a brilliant future, one of exploration. Let us not only explore the void, and time, but ourselves. I challenge the governments of Rell and Novan to end the conflict here, on this roa, let us go forward together, people on one world, sharing our strengths, and helping in our weaknesses.”
“Sometimes luck brings about change. As many know, I won one of our lotteries. I was nobody special, had no unique talents. But when I won that money, those thirty cas ago, it ignited something within me. All those subjects I dreamed of learning, I made it my mission to master. And I did. I started with a bankrupt company that made pleasure voidcraft, and built it into the largest asteroid mining company in history. Did I stop? No. I recruited the best minds I could find, and each roa, they challenged me, and I challenged them. Why do I say this? Because one must recognize opportunity, risk be damned!”
“Rulsi, you must begin final check to orbit Celd.”
“My people, I will now orbit Celd, the first person to do so. Don’t let me be the last.”
She focused back on her craft, working with control over the next fifteen mroas to reconfigure the barrier and the engines. She was going to make a slingshot orbit around the massive gas giant, one that would guarantee her trip home. For a moment, as she was waiting for a system check to finish, she looked out the cockpit of her craft. Celd loomed large in front of her, so large she could no longer see any horizon line. The colors were brilliant and clear, bands of atmosphere swirling beneath her, massive storms of gas igniting plumes that sprayed out. She absently ran her fingers over a small pouch on her chest.
Why do I think of suicide? The pouch had a suicide pill, quick and sure. Suld welled with emotion as he relived her thoughts, amazed she would have actually contemplated such a thing. I won’t die, I can’t die! This world needs too much from me, and I will not let it down.
“Rulsi?” asked Gant.
She cleared her throat, steadying her nerves. “Yes. Ready.”
“Re-orient shield balance.”
“Done.”
“Ready for five til burst?”
“Ready.”
“In ten . . .nine . . .”
Here I am, alone, orbiting a planet a hundred times the size of my own, about to burn my way through its atmosphere. And thirty cas ago I sat around, dreaming of a future now pale and lonely to me.
“Seven . . .six . . .five—”
She turned her hands up, the gloves charred a little from the extreme heat on the metal controls. Her body felt it was near its breaking point, and even if she survived the orbit around Celd, she didn’t know if she would make it back.
I will . . . I must!
“Three . . . two . . . one . . . ignite!”
She activated the engines, and the planet beneath her gradually fell to her right side. The craft shook more violently than ever before, flames building up around the shield. Her cockpit now was turned away from the planet, as the glass was the weakest point. The horizon line of Celd rose gradually as she felt her craft was losing its battle with grav
ity.
“Rulsi! You’re losing your orbit level. Increase your burn time!”
“Understood.”
Her hands were heavy as she tried to manipulate the controls. The gravity of the world was immense, and the heat grew more intense beneath her. She had to activate the screens on her cockpit, as the light from the flames around her had become blinding.
Next time we need to put in more heat shielding. I’m not some damned thrael.
“Control one . . . activated. Balance sensors . . . positive. Burn time extended ten tils.”
The displays showed her craft still sinking lower, but it had slowed considerably. She had another thirty tils until she would break orbit, and it seemed like an eternity to her.
Back on Iq, the whole world watched in silence. Satellites in orbit past Celd relayed a near pitch black cabin, filled with the heavy breathing of Rulsi. Both those of Rell and Novan faith bowed in prayers, as almost every person on that world hoped for her success. It seemed like an eternity to them, and to her, as the craft burned a path around Celd. In the cockpit, Rulsi felt her soul face its greatest challenge.
I sit here in the darkness, the only light coming from the instruments in front of me, no knowing if I will live or die in the next few moments. Do I live, and validate the hopes and dreams of so many, or do I die, and their future with me? For the first time in my life I feel a loss of control. Some I know would pray to Holis, or to Kal, hoping their faith in those intangibles would see them through. I must fall back on my faith of the souman being, faith in the creativity and ingenuity of those who created this ship. It is by their power I fly through the void, it is behind their protection that I shall not die!
She closed her eyes, thinking on all those who worked with her through the past twenty cas, finding peace and calm in their faces. For a few moments she forgot about the heat and the darkness, the violent shudders that were slowly tearing her craft apart. For a few moments she felt as a part of the universe in a way she never had before, part of an immense symphony of chaos and order, balance and distortion. There were no barriers around her, no seat under her, no metal hull encasing her within. She felt like her consciousness was part of the void, and though it was insignificant in size, it still mattered.
“Rulsi, open your cockpit window!”
She did, and saw the planet moving behind her. A small sun beckoned ahead, small and faint, but one of the most beautiful things she ever saw.
No sound has been more played than the yell Rulsi gave at that moment. It was a primal scream, her face contorted in unbelievable joy. And as she screamed, the entire Iquitian world and all its colonies screamed with her, cheering her name, celebrating her victory. Suld replayed that moment many times in his mind, feeling the relief within her, the excitement, and joy.
She was such a marvelous woman, such a pioneer! thought Suld. How can I feel fear, when she was out there, alone, nothing but a rickety ship between her and the violence and harshness of the void and Celd?.
^Sir,^ cast his pilot, ^we are about to enter the Novan atmosphere.^
Suld felt the mental image of Rulsi fade in his mind, as he returned to matters of the present.
^Thank you.^
Rulsi, you strived to save all our people, pull them out of the grips of war, gave them hope. You felt the strength of the TELREC, could see into the future that has now become. I fight for our people also, will use everything at my disposal to wake them from their slumber, re-ignite the passion that drives men and women.
His ship descended through the Novan atmosphere, its shield glowing red hot from the friction of descent, but steady and sure, a far cry from the ship Rulsi piloted. Suld was startled out of his musings on Rulsi by an incoming cast.
^Suld.^
It was Pirld, a senior representative in the TELREC, a man Suld had dealt with many times before, a man Suld had been expecting a cast from.
Here it comes.
^Yes?^
^We have some information about you,^ he cast flatly. ^Information that disturbs us.^
All the subservience is gone. I’ll bet I can nest a taste of gloating in his cast.
^And?^ asked Suld indignantly.
^We will not tolerate insurrection.^
Suld relaxed, and focused in on Pirld, bringing clarity and immediacy to his image in his mind.
^I am not some little terrorist group, operating in the shadows. Nor am I some splinter Leviathan committee, whose army is but a few spies. I am OLMAC; the largest corporate entity this planet has ever known. To fight me, is to risk almost civil war, and that war would weaken you tremendously in the face of the Rell threat.^
Pirld arrogantly chuckled. ^We have been preparing for battle for countless millennia, how long have you? Our agents are trained in mental combat you could not imagine. Your ships may be powerful, your shields strong, but your people are weak compared to ours, and would fall noiselessly, and simply.^
Suld leaned back. ^What do you want?^
^Turn over all control of OLMAC to us. We will take over Gan-Elldon, and all satellites and ships under your control. You may still live on the planet, but will have no influence.^
Suld thought of Rulsi streaking above the Celdian sky, shrouded in blackness, waiting for the light of the sun to herald her triumph.
I am entering that dark side now. I struggle, not knowing how things will turn out. And I am matched against a computer that may know the future. I must have faith in myself, in my people on Gan-Elldon, even in the untested meta who would save a people not their own. Like you Rulsi, I believe in no Holis. I believe in the greatness of the souman.
^Then let the fires of battle scorch and burn you, TELREC. I will never submit, and neither will the Novan people!^
Suddenly, Suld was thrown around his ship, as he could hear his ship’s barrier crackle under emdec fire.
^Goodbye, Suld.^
Suld fell to the floor, as the ship started to spin.
^Pilot!^
He could hear one of the engines was no longer functioning. Suld tried to get up, but one of his legs failed him.
Damn! It feels broken.
He couldn’t sense the pilot’s mind.
Must be dead. I’ve got to move . . .
The craft spun more violently and Suld knew he must regain control, or it would break up in the atmosphere. He pulled himself towards the cockpit, holding onto a railing for his life. The craft started a spinning nosedive, and if not for the still functioning NnuG generator, he would have been dead.
Just a little further.
Suld finally made it to the door separating his compartment from the pilot. He manually opened it, and saw the body of the pilot sprawled on the floor, the Window of the World looming large before him, colored in the yellow flames enveloping the barrier. His body was still in shock from his fall, his mind wanting to shut down.
Come on, it isn’t that bad, come on.
It took three tries for him to make it into the pilot’s chair, concentrating on ignoring the pain in his leg. After manually resetting the controls, the ship started to level off. It was then that he felt the mental attack hit him.
They are serious this time.
He almost blacked out, with the combination of the pain and their attack. He had been expecting it, and had many defenses in his mind up. It was still intense, and seemed to intensify with each passing moment.
I must lose them—got to get distance between us.
Suld found the mental link with the ship’s controls was damaged, so he began to pilot the craft manually.
I’ll be no match for them! My reaction time will be slower; I’m already at a disadvantage with one of the engines gone. Got to think, and stay calm. Maybe I could at least level the playing field.
Suld deployed several cast-suppression meta, that circled his ship and greatly nullified the TELREC attack.
At least I can think now.
Suld knew he could always head back into the void—the TELREC ships were not d
esigned for extended void travel. But he promised to meet Theia.
And I always keep my promises.
The ships behind him began firing on him again, weakening his barrier. The opening through to Core faded behind him, limiting his options for landing on Novan, as Topside offered no options for concealment.
Why can’t I concentrate! He hadn’t felt this confused, this powerless, in a very long time. He looked at one of his monitors, showing the three TELREC crafts pursuing him. I know those ships . . . they’re Novan-based. That means, they have never been on Malhrer. I own them!
Suld laughed to himself, and realized in a moment what was happening to him.
The damn TELREC mind manipulation. They are stronger than I thought. And so am I.
The ships following him were built by OLMAC, the guidance and computer system designed and built by OLMAC. Ships built on Malhrer were one thing, but all ships built by OLMAC were meant to be accessed by OLMAC personnel at any time, and Suld had all the necessary codes in his mind. In moments, he accessed their navigation systems, and sent them up into the stratosphere, where the pilots suffocated and died in the void. Suld reset his navigation system to rendezvous with Theia, and sat back, calming himself.
That was too close. Fear is the greatest weapon the TELREC have—fear of the future, fear of progress, fear of ourselves, fear of the unknown. I must capitalize on this, and find some way to turn it against them. Soon, the Envoys shall return from their great trek through the stars, bringing hope for some, and fear to others.
In moments, his shuttle descended through the Window of the World, into the grey landscape of Core. Sky traffic was thick, slowing Suld’s progress, but in that time Suld was able to repair his broken leg, and move the pilot’s body somewhere more discreet.
He was one of my most dependable pilots. Never had he questioned my word, never second-guessed my directions. Great men who die in the field of battle may be mourned by many, but sometimes the less important ones hurt even more.
After a time he descended again, down through an opening into the upper part of Foundation. Suld took the ship down through an abandoned service port, easing it down manually, keeping a steady eye on ten different proximity sensors. Suld quickly remembered how unwieldy these craft were in close spaces without fly-by-mind piloting. He resorted to firing his solid-propellant thrusters, making a lot of noise and smoke, but cushioning his landing at a small port cluttered with debris and very little light.
As he exited the ship, limping a little as his leg was still sore and tender, he saw Theia emerge from the shadows, a little thinner, and visibly worried.
^I came as soon as I could,^ he cast.
^I know. Thank you. You had some trouble?^
Suld looked back at his ship with her. It stood proudly, the dim light gleaming on its surface, appearing to be not even scratched by the emdec fire.
^A trio of TELREC pursuit ships. They had me concerned for a while, but I dealt with them.^
Theia looked down, seeing him favoring one leg, knowing he had to have been through something serious. But she had other pressing issues.
^Good. I need to ask a favor.^
^Name it.^
^We need to try to save my Coss.^
^Theia . . . they’re dead,^ he cast, a little in shock at her request. ^You know that.^
^No I don’t.^ Her worry, her anger now rose to the surface, as she slammed her words on him. ^All my people say that, but I can’t give up on them! Not if there’s even a chance that they are still alive, I must try. And you must help me! You must!^
^Can’t you see what’s going on?^ asked Suld, almost pleading. ^I have my sources on Novan—many more than you. They tell me Denged is racing through this world like a plague, killing all who would stand against the TELREC, burning his conquests, wiping them from the memory of the globes. The TELREC themselves have authorized his actions, and those of his Maenids, to safeguard themselves and the Cuhli-pra. You fought him, Theia. You know of his power, of the ferocity and viciousness of those who follow him. Look at who they have targeted—SC-1, your people, even myself. With the Iganinagi and SC-1 gone there is no place for dissidents to run to. Even Foundation is being monitored like never before, TELREC controlled meta searching for any collections of heat signatures that may signal a base of any rebel element. I know you still have some people, and six of your Coss?^
^Four now.^
^And how many people?^
Theia hesitated for a moment, still unable to accept how few she had left. ^Four hundred.^
Suld nodded, gritting his teeth, focusing harder on Theia.
^You must focus on them, and find a way of building their numbers, and training them. You cannot waste your resources on a futile mission with a dubious goal. Great leaders know when to fight, and when to admit defeat, and plan for the new roa.^
Theia whirled, emotions swirling inside her, feelings of guilt, anger, and loneliness. So many of her closest advisors and friends were gone, leaving her in a most desperate time of need. Without her Coss, and the network they gave her, she knew the Iganinagi were dead, a relic of the past, virtually extinct, which meant she stewarded the eradication of her people.
^No!^ She stamped her foot like a little girl, the rage taking over her mind. ^Why won’t you do this for me? After all my people have done for this world, you would turn your back on us now? Is Suld, owner of OLMAC, a coward? I think so. I think you have been behind the desk of an executive for far too long. Why do you even play this game of revolutionaries?^ she cast, growing bitter and venomous, the fatigue and frustration clouding her thoughts. ^Go back to your safe home, beg the TELREC for forgiveness, and hide out in the void where no one will touch you, and you don’t have to risk anything, least of all your pathetic life.^
Suld’s face turned into one of disgust. He had to restrain himself physically, and Theia saw that, as he kept his fists close to his side though his eyes bored down on her. He reached out, and she flinched for a moment, but he took her by the shoulders and brought her close, his face calming.
^I would do anything for you,^ he cast, his face almost touching hers. ^If you wanted me to risk all my ships, all my people, all my meta, they would be yours, as well as my life. You have that hold over me, you must know that by now.^ She turned away for a moment, stung by his frank admission of devotion, but forced herself to look in his eyes.^ But I believe that attempt would be a futile move, and we need to move on. The TELREC know of my involvement, they have already taken an overt action against me. Though they now know it is useless to attack me with ships not of Malhrer, and they doubtless want to keep those ships for a conflict against the Rell, they will not let me and my corporation stand unchallenged. I am strong, and can take this threat, but you and your people are not in a good position to—^
She brought him down, and kissed him deeply.
^I’m sorry, Suld. It was selfish of me to ask that of you, to say those things of you. You know I, and my people, will always stand with you.^
They stood for a moment, in the darkness of an abandoned docking port in a hidden section of Foundation, feeling as if this was all they needed, to be in each other’s arms, Suld seeing the beginnings of a true leader in her, giving him much hope for the future.
^Gather your people, Theia. I will transport them to an AG platform, and then to Gan-Elldon. There we will make a stand, and decide how best to proceed.^
Theia’s face looked crestfallen, as if the frame that held her body tall and upright vanished inside her, leaving a bag of water and flesh, devoid of purpose, bereft of hope.
^It feels as if we are giving up the whole planet Novan, as if our struggles, our work, our death and sacrifice, have all been in vain.^ She leaned against him for support, resting her head on his chest, feeling the bold thumps within bring her some measure of calm.
^It does, but we must do this, if we are to survive, and fight again. Long ago the TELREC swept across this planet, consuming the fires of creation and inventio
n in a torrent of pleasure, drowning the fertile ground and smothering the seeds therein. It would be naive of us to think we could undo their work in so short a period of time, or accomplish our goals without many setbacks. We are strong, and shall stay our course, no matter the storm, no matter what tempest loud with thunder and deadly rain may try to sink us. We shall prevail. For I would rather die running headfirst into the onslaught, then survive cowered in fear.^
Sleep was an elusive mistress to Suld, as the night was filled with preparations for battle. He returned to Gan-Elldon, as Theia went back to prepare her people for their journey. Over and over with his generals Suld reviewed the status of the fleet for war. He was reluctant to bring in the bulk of his fleet from the outskirts of the Novan system, lest the TELREC learn too soon of the full extent of his forces. For now, Suld ordered Gan-Elldon’s land-based defenses reviewed, the meta tested for battle-readiness. Suld did agree to pull in all of the dromons—small yet fast fighting ships, larger than a standard fighter yet smaller than an oreship—and have them land on Gan-Elldon to form a primary defense against an assault. General Ank-Tehht, who was in charge of Gan-Elldon, also reviewed emergency evacuation plans, stationing several dozen meta transports in orbit, should the need arise to evacuate the city.
When he finally laid his head down on a pillow, sleep again was not to be found. He tossed and turned, his mind churning images and thoughts of Theia, mingling them with those of his dead wife, named Oaimei. He sat for a time in a chair from which he could see the majesty of Gan-Elldon spread out below. He accessed a virt-life of his wife—a time when they retraced Rulsi’s journey around Celd, in a craft of similar size.
I know she didn’t want to go, that sort of void heroics was not for her. And yet she went, not to indulge me, just to be with me, to watch me smile, to lay her hand on my chest as my heart pumped ever stronger. He bent over, holding his head in his hands, letting loose tears that often flowed late at night.
Why? Is it the doom of men of power to lose what they value most? No one can share my grief, for they think I have so much. Absently he rose, pressed a panel nearby, and stepped into a small brightly-lit blue chamber. The door slid closed, and quickly the chamber descended. As he stood, motionless, thoughts of his father flitted past in his mind.
^You use those virt-lives too much, my son.^
^I don’t think so, father! I learn so much, reliving those moments of greatness, seeing and feeling how they achieved what was thought to be impossible.^
Suld remembered his gentle laugh, then the eyes, full of sadness and concern.
^Son, I fear you use the past as a crutch, searching there for validation for your decisions.^
^What of learning of the past to build a better future? Learning their mistakes, so as never to repeat them?^
Suld remembered his response. His father came close, putting both his hands on Suld’s shoulders, looking him closely in the eyes. He would be dead soon after, struck down in an accident while reviewing a retro-fitted oreship.
^One must know when to forge ahead, always cognizant of the past, yet never a slave to it. No one in those virt-lives knew their actions would become legend; certainly they didn’t face life acting for posterity’s sake. All those people you respect, all those minds you have access to, did what they did regardless of how others felt. They were immensely selfish, and yet infinitely wise. When you find your moment, all you will think of is that moment, not what anyone else did, or what anyone else will say. While you were not my first choice to be Mechle, I see in you the unique capacity to understand that.^
The door opened in front of Suld, and he walked slowly into a large chamber, framed with walls of a bluish stone. It was cold there—Suld drew closer his robe as his breath became visible. Twelve silver pods gleamed in a dim light, arranged in a great circle with a few maintenance meta moving lazily back and forth. Great conduits connected them, and a dim hum of power could be felt from the ground itself. He walked over to one, wiping away the condensation on the glass cover, and looked down into the face of his only love.
Do I do this, now? For two cas my hand stood ready to execute my mind’s command, and yet still my soul has doubts. Shall I bring her back from death’s embrace? Do I use my power, my resources, to avoid what so many others have had to accept? He knelt down beside one of the pods, draping his arm over it. I need you, Oaimei. All I can do is dream about you. After every meeting, after every decision, all I want to do is turn to you and ask you what you thought. I haven’t even dreamed, since you died. It’s as if my mind refuses to hope, refuses to imagine a better time.
Suld stood and went over to the central control panel.
I know I should have terminated them long ago; I should never have even started the project. He glanced around at the twelve pods, each one gleaming in the light. He had twelve created clones of his wife hoping to find, in one, the perfect combination that was his Oaimei. They all seem imperfect to me, each one unique, and yet subtly different from my love. They don’t even have her memories—and it would be torture to try to decide which of them would receive what I culled from Oaimei’s dead mind. And it would take many cas for me to reach that same point of simpatico and trust with any of them, and yet, at least there would be a chance. Few others knew of this chamber, of those clones, and none that did voiced their approval to him. They all held their tongues, out of deference to his authority and respect for his loss. He thought back to a cesct he had with Oaimei, shortly after they were joined.
^You know, I couldn’t live without you.^
She laughed, stroking his hair.
^One roa you’ll have to. No one lives forever.^
^Oaimei, I would collapse the sun itself, if it meant I could bring you back.^
Suld remembered she got serious then, holding his hands tightly.
^Technology can do many things, my husband. And yet, it knows nothing of the soul. If I were to go, I would never want to come back, if it meant coming back helped by machinery and meta. When I am gone, I want to be with Holis, and learn of all the mysteries withheld from our minds and eyes. I would miss you, but I would take comfort that one roa, you would be with me, and we would journey for all eternity together. ^
He remembered he gritted his teeth and turned away, and she held him close.
^Promise me, Suld. Don’t ever try to clone me, or spend your time and resources trying to resurrect my consciousness. In some things, there must be a beginning, and an end. When the time comes, accept the end of me.^
Suld bent over the control panel.
“I just can’t! I won’t!” he screamed and cried, unable to look at the pods. And yet, I know what you want. I always promised I would do whatever was in my power to give you what you desired. Suld mentally prepared the pods for termination, manually keying a few codes on the panel. In moments, it came down to one short sequence to terminate the clones.
Do I have the strength? Can I do this? He turned to look in one of the pods, at the face of his wife. She appeared as if sleeping—her eyes closed, her lips drawn together gently. Suld remembered looking on her sleeping figure a thousand times while she lived, always taken aback by her beauty, even while asleep. He looked down on his hand—a hand that once held her face, that once ran its fingers through her hair, that once slipped a precious bracelet onto her arm, joining them forever. A hand that now would take her away again.
Is it just because I met Theia, that I choose to do this now? He backed away from the panel, in disgust, ashamed of himself. How selfish of me. Theia might be dead tomorrow, or find one of her Coss to her liking. And where would I be then? Alone, and truly without hope. He disabled the termination sequence, and ascended back to his suite, where he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Chapter 14