My father is not exactly known for his culinary abilities, so he gratefully stepped aside as Sabela and I took over in the kitchen. With effort, I ignored the impulse to view everything with sappy sentimentality. This would be our last family gathering (at least the last one I would attend); but it wouldn’t do any good to spend it wallowing in sorrow. I resolved to treat it as any other day, joking and chattering randomly as always.
Father may have been working equally hard, but on the surface he seemed legitimately unruffled. He happily involved Aeron and Ewenami in the casual family chitchat as we gathered around the table. We seemed to have come to a unanimous, unspoken agreement to avoid any discussion of tonight’s upcoming events.
My father and Aeron took turns sharing stories about Kenami, Aeron’s father. Though some of the anecdotes were recalled with humor, it was clear that they had both thought very highly of the man. I was interested to learn that Aeron had actually inherited his extraordinary intellectual capacity from his mother, Emotai. She had an autobiographical memory—an ability to recall the exact events of every second of every day of her long life.
We stayed around the table long after the meal was finished. As saddened as I would be to leave, the stories of Onontí did further my enthusiasm to see it with my own eyes. My excitement was blunted, however, by the minor detail that we would quite possibly be dead before this time tomorrow. I tried to draw on Aeron’s confidence and convince myself that we would be victorious, but I couldn’t suppress the instinctive gnawing in my stomach.
The hands on the clock continued to turn all too fast, and suddenly it was three o’clock—our planned departure time. I caught a glimpse of Sabela’s face as she noticed the time as well. Apparently I wasn’t the only one beginning to panic inwardly. She was gripping Dominick’s hand tightly between both of hers. I knew it would be hard to leave him behind, but it would be a thousand times harder to bring him into the battle. I could understand. Though Aeron was much more durable and combat-ready, he wasn’t invincible…I was repeatedly reminded of that fact by the flashbacks of his broken and bleeding skull.
Given the choice, I would easily volunteer myself up to go into the enemy ship and destroy the weapon. I had tried to convince Aeron to at least let me come along to assist, but he wouldn’t hear of it. I hadn’t been vaccinated—and in the event of a leak, I would receive a mega dose of the virus.
Aeron looked at the clock and diplomatically reminded us all that it was time to wrap up. For the most part, I tend to forget that he is the head of an entire planet; but every now and then, his tone of voice reminds me. It is never arrogant or demanding—just quietly authoritative. We stood from the table and began making our way to the front door.
My father and Dominick formed a little receiving line, as each of us passed by to bid farewell. Ewenami went first, giving them each a warm hug before heading out to the car. Sabela and Father embraced and spoke briefly, then she moved along to Dominick. He looked about as sick as I felt.
I took my turn to face my father. Either I had exhausted all my tears last night, or I was too stunned to cry. My eyes were dry as I told him I loved him and would miss him every day. He echoed the sentiments with equally dry eyes…I could almost see a glimmer of pride in them. He pulled me in for a bear hug, whispering in my ear, “I wish your mother could see what a remarkable woman you have become.” It was the first time he had ever said so (at least in so many words). I’m not sure if it was due to the nostalgia of stories from his former life, or the emotion of saying goodbye; but either way, it was the greatest compliment he could have paid me. I fought the urge to blubber and hugged him a moment more, then kissed his cheek and stepped over to where Sabela and Dominick stood.
I gave Dominick a hug and teasingly reminded him to take a break from the sci-fi movie marathon long enough to shower and sleep while Sabela was away. Though I was trying to avoid blatantly eavesdropping, I was fairly certain Aeron was making one last appeal to my father to return to Onontí with us. I’m not certain how much of his motivation was the theory that Father would be able to oppose Bito Obo, versus the knowledge that I would miss him desperately. Either way, my father’s response was clear. He would be staying behind.
Father and Dominick watched from the front porch as we settled into the car, with Sabela in the driver’s seat. She had insisted that Aeron take an opportunity to catch a nap. The rest of us would get our chance while he was flying the ship tonight. I knew better than to expect that he would truly rest, but I agreed he should let someone else do some of the work. I was more than willing to be the driver, but Sabela made more sense. She rarely actually needed directions, no matter how unfamiliar the territory.
We pulled out of the driveway, and within a few minutes were out on the lonely highway. I sat in the front passenger seat, trying to get in a few final hours of sisterly togetherness. We chattered along for the first hour or so, then fired up the radio. Aeron and Ewenami laughed as we serenaded them with a random medley of show tunes.
I was struck by how much I would miss some of the uniquely human experiences. It occurred to me that nobody on Onontí would know anything about Broadway musicals—or New York City for that matter. Just as Aeron and Ewenami were clueless as to most of the lyrics we were singing, soon I would be the clueless one.
My self-consciousness was temporarily overshadowed by the realization that this really was my last night with my sister. Once again, my stomach lurched at the subsequent remembrance that she too was going to be endangering her life tonight. I could handle a life of separation from Sabela, but I couldn’t fathom a world without her. I pushed the terror to the back of my mind and tried to soak up these last few hours.
Eventually Sabela slowed to turn onto a small, unpaved road. The property was bound by a long barbed wire fence extending out in each direction along the main road. She came to a stop in front of the locked gate, glancing in the rearview mirror to check with Aeron that she was on the right track. He nodded in confirmation. I took from his response that the sign reading ‘Private Property—No Trespassing’ didn’t apply to us…Apparently he owned this land.
He stepped out of the car to let us through the gate, then locked it again behind us. Sabela continued on along the straight dirt road that extended into a cluster of tree-covered hills several miles ahead of us. As we approached the hills, the road began to wind among the trees and rocks. After another fifteen minutes or so of driving, Sabela slowed to a stop, a quizzical look on her face. “You’re right,” Ewenami spoke from the back seat. “We’re going off the road.”
Sabela took a left turn to follow a narrow path through the trees, as the trailer bounced along behind us. It was slow going for another ten minutes, then Aeron directed Sabela to back the trailer in between two evergreen trees. He stepped out to unhook the trailer, then climbed back into the car.
Sabela knew without asking to make a turn into a narrow gap between two large boulders. We weaved along the rocky path between boulders and trees for a few minutes more, until we came upon a small clearing surrounded by steep hills.
My jaw dropped as I took in the surreal sight…Tucked neatly into the clearing was a ship the size of a house.