by Luigi Robles
“And who are they?” Mikey asked. “Who are these beings?”
“We don’t have a name for them,” Kashna said. “But some refer to them as the Immortals Ones.”
“And these Immortals, where are they now?” Felix asked as he took off his hat and placed it on the table. He had a lot less hair than Mikey had imagined. “Is that it for your message? No hints on how to fight them or any of their weaknesses? Isn’t that how this goes?”
“Their whereabouts are unknown,” Essons said. “Although we believe they reside in the voids of space, the coldest places in the galaxy. Their coming to light will end all biological life in this galaxy. Even with the might of the Golden Armada on our side, we fear there’s little we can do about it. The Immortals have no weakness, fear or compassion, and they cannot die. This is the message we bring.”
Felix leaned back in his chair and let out a long, soft whistle. “ESAF is going to love this.”
The Acram can’t do anything about it? Mikey thought. Don’t they control, like, half of the galaxy already? And they have the Golden Armada. So, there is an end to this life after all? We’re so screwed if what they’re saying is true.
“We must leave now,” Kashna said as both Acram stood up from the table and began to take off the translation necklaces. “Our journey is long, and—”
“Wait,” Mikey managed to say just before the translating devices were completely off. “What is the little we can do?”
“Fight back,” Essons said. “Survive, and hope your planet gets left behind.”
Mikey, Ilda and Felix escorted the Acram back to their craft. It was a short walk, only about five minutes, but along the way, Mikey felt the entire station come to a halt as they passed by. Some of the ambassadors and ESAF staff stared at him with resentment and hate in their eyes. Mikey was sure he had made new enemies on board the station. He had always known that there were a few people that didn’t like him, but now the cold stares spoke for themselves. Mikey tried his best not to let them get to him; he knew he had done the right thing. The three stood at the dock until the Acram craft left the same way it came in. Once the Acram craft left, Ilda promptly left and joined a group of her peers.
Mikey and Felix walked towards the bridge. On the way there, Mikey asked how it was possible that the Acram craft had sneaked past the ESAF fleet. Felix explained to Mikey that it was he who let them pass through the fleet unannounced. Felix feared that if he had warned the ISCO, it would have been a different, rather grimmer outcome. As they walked, the cold stares continued to fall on Mikey.
Mikey’s legs felt weak; his entire body was shaking, he was sure. He knew that he had just learned and been a part of something huge, something that could reshape the galaxy.
“Get used to it, boy,” Felix said. “Sometimes—no, not sometimes. Most of the time, we will be hated for doing the right thing. You see, doing the right thing is hard, but doing the wrong thing is easy. When someone fails to understand that and you take away from them what they thought would be an easy victory, they will fight for that, a lot harder than it takes to do the right thing.” Felix tapped Mikey on the shoulder and began walking away. “But we have no time to waste; we have to inform the people on Earth.”
“Commander Felix,” Mikey said, still within hearing range.
“Yes?” Felix turned back to Mikey mid-stride.
“Would it be OK If I let Fain know myself?”
“Sure.” Felix turned back around. “I’d actually prefer that. But do make a detailed report. I’ll be here for a few more hours, trying to prevent the news from leaking in a bad way.”
“Yes, sir.” Mikey turned the other way and headed for one of the meeting rooms.
Once inside the room, he closed the door behind him, pulled out a chair from the conference table, sat down and pulled the coms machine towards him. He opened a new digital screen next to the machine and logged in to his account. A few seconds later, he found Fain’s ESAF number and pressed contact.
The phone rang five times before there was a connecting icon. Thanks to the high-power station antennas and repeaters spread through the solar system that accelerated the signals via micro-jumps, communication was instantaneous.
“Hi, Mikey.” Pycca appeared on the other side of the screen. “What can I help you with?”
Mikey was confused to see Pycca on the other end of the line. He quickly double checked on his screen to ensure he had contacted the right number. Then he realized that it had to be Fain’s number, as he didn’t have Pycca’s number anywhere on the list.
“What’s happening, Mikey?” Pycca said with a smile on her face. “You look confused.”
“Well, I am a bit. I’m not gonna lie. Does this mean what I think it means?”
“That depends.” Pycca moved the phone to show Fain smiling next to her.
“So, it does mean what I think it means.”
“Yeah, it does.” Pycca kept smiling. “We are on our first date. Fain is trying to change my mind about Neo LA. So far, I’m still fifty-fifty.”
“I knew this was going to happen; it was already taking too long.”
Pycca turned to Fain, and Fain rubbed the back of his neck.
“So, what’s happening, Mikey?” Fain asked as he squeezed into the frame. “I thought you were used to the station by now.”
When Mikey first started his new position, he would call Fain almost daily on the pretext of wanting to know more about being in space. But it was more about Mikey feeling alone than anything else. After all, he was on the outskirts of the solar system with a group of people that didn’t care much for him. Fain used to take the time to encourage Mikey to remain in his current position by telling him he was needed there. At the time, Mikey had no clue why he would be needed at the ISCO, but now he was starting to see for himself.
“I am, but that’s not it,” Mikey said.
“So, what is it then?” Fain asked.
Mikey hesitated for a moment, thinking that he would be interrupting their date with news that no one wanted to hear. But Mikey knew that Fain needed to know, and he needed to know now.
“There were Acram here in the station.”
Fain and Pycca shared a look and then turned back to the ESAF phone.
“What?” Fain said, sounding worried. “Are you alright? Where are they now?”
“Before you guys start to worry, I’m alright,” Mikey said. “Everyone in the ISCO is alright. The Acram left a few minutes ago.”
“So, what happened?” Fain asked.
“In short, I was a total badass,” Mikey said. “The people on board didn’t really like the idea of Acram coming to visit all that much. They formed a mob and all that. I was one of the only ones who did the right thing.”
“Good.” Fain nodded once. “So, what did they want?”
“It was two things.” Mikey raised his right arm and showed the bottom of his palm in the video. “One”—he extended his index finger—“they’ve abandoned their previous beliefs, according to the two that came, and I quote, ‘The endless conquest has stopped thanks to Captain Fain Jegga.’ And two”—Mikey extended his middle finger—“there’s something the Acram are scared of, and they said it’s coming to the galaxy with the intent of ending biological life. They didn’t say when or how. But they did say that they are making themselves known through malfunctions in machines. They called them the Immortals.”
3
Ascension
Out of all the things that could have happened on his date with Pycca, getting a call from Mikey about the Acram visiting the ISCO had never crossed Fain’s mind. But luckily, given Earth’s recent record with space, it wasn’t the worst thing that could happen by far.
Fain tried to keep calm during his brief conversation with Mikey. Fain thought of the arising problems in a much different way now. He thought of them as a consequence of humans venturing into space; it was bound to happen.
As they talked with Mikey, Fain and Pycca made their way to a
nearby bench on the sky pier in downtown Neo LA. The sky pier was one of the oldest and largest aircraft piers in the city; it was built when the city-to-city air highways were built. For many years the sky piers were the fastest way to get around the megacities, but as the popularity of the Hyper Loops increased, the sky piers stopped being built. Now, most sky piers outside of airports and military bases were used as fairgrounds, though there were still airports for state and international flights.
“Immortals, huh?” Fain repeated. “Did the Acram mention anything about them being machines?”
“No, not that I can recall.” Mikey squinted. “They did say something about machines, but I can’t recall exactly what it was.”
“Mikey,” Fain groaned.
“What about the translation console?” Pycca asked as they sat down. “It was able to record the meeting you had, right?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Mikey said. “Although it was my first time using it. I usually get kicked out of a meeting room before the ambassadors start talking to the visitors. Was there something I should have pressed?”
“No,” Pycca said. “It should automatically record all conversation. You have to program it not to record.”
“Then yeah, it should be recorded.” Mikey nodded.
“Mikey, I need you to send me the recorded file as soon as you can,” Fain said. “And what do you mean they kicked you out?”
“Yeah.” Mikey’s face saddened with the question. “Let’s just say I don’t have the best of friends up here. And also, you didn’t tell me about my rank.”
“I’ll fix that tonight,” Fain said. “I’ll make the necessary calls. And about your rank, it was unofficial; you weren’t supposed to know unless there was a good enough reason you should outrank others in the station. Ktwo and Kya would be the ones that would determine that.”
“I see,” Mikey said. “Well, that makes me feel a bit better. Oh, and Fain, please don’t do anything. I know you can, and it would be very easy for you, but just let me figure this one out for myself. I think I can handle it.”
“What about Commander Felix?” Fain asked. “Where is he now?”
“He said he would hang around the station for a few hours before he left.”
“He’s probably going to stay behind and do some damage control,” Fain said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he sends a few people home.” Fain let out a sigh. “Well, thanks for being the one to get this information to us first. I will talk to you sometime soon, once we figure out what we are going to do about this.”
“Alright, talk with you soon,” Mikey said. “And Pycca, I’m sorry for interrupting your date.”
“No, no, it’s fine,” Pycca said. “We’d rather know about this now than later.”
“OK, alright, see you, then.” Mikey waved goodbye.
After the call ended, Fain slid the ESAF phone back into his leather jacket’s pocket and leaned back onto the bench. He knew that he was about to embark on what could possibly be the fight of his life. But he also did not want to let that get in the way of having a few last moments with Pycca where he could feel normal again. He hushed the fire that was already raging inside him for a few moments longer. He just hoped that Pycca did the same. He placed both his arms above the bench rail, and part of his left arm landed on Pycca’s back. Pycca didn’t move away; instead, she moved closer to Fain.
They were quiet for a moment, watching the people walk by, going about their everyday lives. There were kids playing, secure bots chasing after a few of them, large groups of tourists, couples and single people strolling from one end to the other. The sky pier was alive.
“What now, Captain?” Pycca asked.
“Ever since humanity ventured into space, a door of infinite possibilities opened in front of us. This is just part of it. The leader of the Golden Armada, Noble Saavan, told me that I would be hearing from him soon. Could it be that they knew this was coming? Is that why he decided to withdraw? The Acram are biological beings also, and you heard Mikey. What’s coming this time around intends to end all biological life. By default, that would put us on the same side as the Acram, despite everything that has happened. Have you noticed things glitching lately?”
“Just today, before I came here. I took apart a digital streamer because the screen kept blanking out.”
“Were you able to fix it?”
“That’s the thing. When I opened it, there was nothing wrong with it. All its components were in perfect shape. I didn’t have the time to put it back together and check it again, or else I would have been late. But since I didn’t fix anything, I think once I put it back, it’s going to be the same thing. You think that has something to do with this?”
“When we came back from the battle with the Golden Armada, Kya told me that something was trying to communicate with her. At the time she seemed scared and frightened.”
“What was it?”
“A machine.”
“Have there been more attempts?”
“No, at least not that I know of.”
“Fain, this is bad.”
“I know.”
Fain began observing the people passing by and all the tech they carried with them. Strollers that self-navigated through the crowds, following the parents; the arcades that charged the gamer automatically; four out of five people on their phones. What worried him the most was the reliance that people had on AI.
“Whatever the Immortals are, they have another think coming if they think we are just going to sit and wait for them to show up.”
“I’m starting to like the sound of that.”
“I’m going to cut my leave short; I’ll try to meet with Green and Truman as soon as possible. You take a few more days to spend with your parents. Please send my regards.” Fain turned to face Pycca.
Pycca turned to face Fain and nodded once.
“But I need you to do something,” Fain said, turning back to the crowd. “I need you to figure out a way we can trace the source of the glitches.”
“I think I can do that,” Pycca said as she gazed back at the sea of people.
The date ended shortly after, with Fain promising Pycca a second and much better date once all was over.
“I’ll hold you to that promise, Fain Jegga,” Pycca said as she accepted.
Early the next morning, Fain walked into the garage side of the ESAF facility on Soden Island, feeling rather amazed at just how much had changed in just three short weeks. And it wasn’t with the help of the Ochilenes this time; it was all human sweat and hard work. Before he had left the island right where he was standing, there was nothing, and now there was an entire three-to-four-story building. But Fain knew that it was only what he was able to see. ESAF had a thing for hiding things underground; the building he was staring at could easily have ten floors. Fain was standing in the garage portion of the building. He had entered through the back doors, as the entrance was still under construction.
Fain took in his surroundings, and he observed that although it was humans building the place, they were using tools he had never seen before. But the tools didn’t look outright alien in nature; they looked as if they were human tools, just more advanced. Workers moved large concrete slabs with ease, machines were putting up walls, and there were printers, many, many 3D solid printers.
“Like what we are doing with the place?” Green said as he pulled up on a hover caddie.
“Seaside entrance. Fancy. I’m impressed. There was nothing here before I left.”
“Come on, hop on,” Green said as he waved Fain to join him. “The entrance pier will be finished in a few days’ time. We figured ESAF main headquarters and the R&D facility deserved a little more than just a few buildings all smooshed together.”
Green navigated the caddie across the large garage and parked it just outside an elevator. They got off, and Green extended his badge and swiped it across the slot on the side of the keypad.
“How old is this technology?” Fain asked as they steppe
d into the elevator.
“We are trying to keep things simple around here,” Green said as he pressed the button on the elevator panel to the lowest level. According to the buttons on the elevator, the building had ten floors. Fain had been right after all. “No modern AI, no over-the-top, complicated tech; there’s enough of that in the R&D side. Truman and I opted for a more practical approach.”
“You mean retro.”
“It just reminds us of a simpler time.”
“So, how are things?” Fain asked.
“If it wasn’t for the news we received yesterday,” Green sighed, “I’d say things would be really good about now. But as soon as word gets out about what’s happening, ESAF will return to being under the microscope, and that is something I’m not looking forward to.”
“You think it will leak soon?”
Green rolled his eyes and chuckled.
“Oh, right. The ambassadors,” Fain said.
“Kya has already stopped five official attempts,” Green said. “Per our policy, we will not interfere with any private form of communication. If it leaks, then we’ll deal with it.”
“I’m sure you and Truman will be just fine.”
“Don’t be so sure. As soon as the politicians and people in power start feeling threatened, they are going to come after the one thing they think they can control. Should control, better said. We try to operate as independently as possible, with no influence from the current government structures. Luckily, some of the world leaders understand this. But in the end, we are still humans and we still live on Earth, the very place these people think they own. We would be fine if we had a planet of our own.”
Recently, NATO and most of the rest of the world had filed a lawsuit against the US for ownership of Soden Island. They proclaimed that Sodenia and anything that had to do with it belonged to the world and not to a single government entity. They used Sodenia’s origin to the maximum extent, arguing that it had come to Earth, not to a part of Earth. Of course, that was a bogus argument, as Sodenia protected the entire planet and not just part of it. Still, the argument held up in court.
