by Luigi Robles
“Yes, Noble. When would you like it ready?”
“We’re leaving once we finish crossing the battlefield. The crew that leaves with me will be destined for greatness.”
Galeah turned to open a new task screen when she was interrupted by Saavan.
“Galeah, share this moment with me. There is no hurry any longer.”
Galeah abandoned the window she had nearly opened.
“Noble, if you would be so kind as to enlighten me.”
“What is it that you’re confused about?”
“Where are you going? What will happen to the fleet?”
“I’ll be leaving for the machine territory, to find out with my own eyes what happened and if we’re truly safe to move on as a species.”
“Why not just ask the humans? Surely they would know about the events that have transpired.”
“They might or they might not. Who knows what the terms of engagement were? Humans have been through an unquantifiable amount of pain and suffering thanks to galactic matters. Their fiery hearts need time to rest. Perhaps, if enough time passes, they will be able to find a way to forgive us for the harm we brought to their marvelous world. Make no mistake, Galeah: the Acram as a race are in their debt, as well as every other biological organism in the galaxy.”
“I understand,” Galeah said solemnly. “What about the fleet?”
“You will be ascended to the rank of High Noble. I trust that will give you leverage enough to take care of the fleet.”
Galeah instantly kneeled and bowed her head. “I’m unworthy of such high honor. Forgive me, highest of Nobles; I cannot accept.”
“Galeah, Galeah,” Saavan said as he sighed. “A true sign of a Noble… Please accept your new position wholly, for I am counting on you.” Saavan bent down to pick Galeah up. “I am sure about my decision. Please do not make me ask again.”
“Noble Saavan…” Galeah said as she stood up together with Saavan.
“Make no mistake, Galeah. I will do whatever is necessary to protect Acrania and our kin. There are many within our ranks and within the high ranks of the Acram that still only crave power. We mustn’t let our kin fall back into their old ways. A new era will come to Acrania, and you will be the one to bring it to light.”
Galeah nodded as Saavan let go of her and turned back to the main view screen.
“I must admit,” Galeah said as she too turned to face the battlefield, “I’m thoroughly overwhelmed.”
“As you should be. Your journey, unlike mine, is about to begin. I will be back, once I ensure that we are safe. Perhaps I can finally live a peaceful life until the end of my days.”
“I would like nothing more, highest of Nobles.”
“Tell a tale of victory. Disassemble the fleet, send the subspecies back to their homeworlds. I will contact the rest of the Nobles and inform them about my decision before I leave, just in case any one of them has a problem with it. I will personally make sure that they don’t.”
“Thank you, highest of Nobles.”
“Beware. There will be those who will oppose you, those who will plot against you, those who will do anything in their power to take what is yours, and there will be those who want you dead. You must be strong and never waver. Our kin will depend on you to guide them and protect them.”
“Acrania will have a peaceful future. I will see to it that it happens.”
Alexander Green had just finished talking to August about the events that had transpired. He walked down the corridors of the ESAF facility on Soden Island with a heavy heart. He walked towards Truman’s office. It wasn’t a good feeling, knowing that Fain and Kya had left the rest of the fleet behind in order to try and beat the machines. He didn’t know what to make of the situation, and he partially blamed himself for it. He had always known there was a possibility Fain would leave on his own to enter the machine territory. He had picked up the hints along the way and had even encouraged him.
Well, he hadn’t encouraged Fain directly to go to the machine territory on his own. He had only mentioned to Fain that in the end, the decision should be his own. That only he knew what he could do. He now half-regretted those words. Words that he wouldn’t have regretted if Fain and Kya had made it back in one piece.
The only consolation Alex had was firmly knowing that Fain would only have done that as an absolute last resort.
He let out a pained sighed right before knocking on Truman’s door three times.
“Come in,” a voice muttered from behind the doors.
“How is the hellfire coming along?” Alex asked as he pulled out a seat from Truman’s desk. Deflated, he leaned back on the chair and took off his hat, placing it on top of Truman’s desk.
Normally Truman would jokingly complain about Alex’s lack of discipline and basic manners. But these were no times for jokes. The mood in the room was somber and dark.
“Oh, it’s coming down,” Truman said as he scratched his five o’clock shadow. “To say that the politicians want to take control of ESAF would be an understatement. Now, thanks to what’s happened, they have all the ammunition they need to persuade the few people that are left on our side and possibly sway the public’s opinion on ESAF. I don’t see how we’re going to get out of this one, to be honest. But we’ll keep trying. There’s still some fight left in me. To surrender ESAF to the politicians would have disastrous consequences.”
“Yep, but not having the fleet’s flagship return together with the rest of the fleet is going to put us in a tough spot. Regardless of it being the reason they are alive.”
“Do you think he actually did it?”
“I don’t know for sure. But it seems that way. Michael told us that the ISCO has gotten several reports from our off-world allies of the Immortals stopping their attack mid-battle. I desperately want to believe that they did it. That young man only knew how to win. Even if he had to sacrifice everything in the process.”
There was a moment of silence between the two of them.
“And how are the rest of the crew holding up?” Truman asked, letting out a deep breath.
“They aren’t doing too good. Some are angry, some are in distress, and some are devastated. It’s going to take a lot to patch this up. Out of all of them, Pycca and August seem to have been hit the hardest.”
“Let them know that they can have as much leave time as they need.”
Alex nodded.
“Although,” Truman continued, “as much as we need Pycca to figure out a way to track down what actually happened to Fain, Kya and Sodenia, all of that can wait. It doesn’t look like we’re in any immediate danger.”
“I agree.”
“There will be no funeral, no anything. Sodenia’s official status, along with Fain’s and Kya’s, will be missing in action until proven otherwise.”
Alex nodded.
“A good choice,” Alex said.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions just yet.”
“I’m with you on that,” Alex said as he began to get up. “As small as it may be, there’s still hope. Well, I guess I’ll get going.”
“One second,” Truman said.
Alex sat back down hesitantly.
“Don’t blame yourself,” Truman said. “Even if you had something to do with this, in the end, it was his decision and his decision alone. But thanks to his actions, humanity will live on. Something we will never forget. We won’t forget about them. You did the best you could, and that’s all we needed.”
“Thank you, sir,” Alex said as he got up. “I really needed to hear that.”
“You know,” Truman said as he got up as well, “it really bothers me when you call me sir. I think I should be the one calling you that. I still don’t know why you didn’t accept your promotion all those years ago, back in the Clearer Water days. By now you could have been my senior.”
“The answer is quite simple,” Alex said with a smirk as he put his hat back on. “First, I’ve never been one for politics, and second, an
d perhaps most importantly, my place is with the crew of Sodenia.”
“Thank you for all you’ve done,” Truman said as he saluted Alex firmly.
Alex saluted back and began walking out, fearing that he might end up tearing up.
As he walked down the long hallways and back into his office, he thought about the many roles Sodenia had played in the history of humanity. From the key that unlocked an entire galaxy filled with life, to a way to harvest untold and unseen technologies not previously known to humankind, to a vessel that would keep humanity going even if there was no more planet to call home.
Sodenia, wherever she was, had stood as a symbol of hope for humanity.
Pycca had a hard time trying to adjust to life without Sodenia. It had been her life’s work, and now all of it was gone, or better said, taken from her. The constant political battle was all that remained of the rights and wrongs of the ship. It had been three months since the fleet had returned to Earth without Fain, Kya or Sodenia. Soon after, Pycca and the flight crew of Sodenia had been offered a voluntary and indefinite leave of absence.
Pycca had been among the first ones to leave Soden Island. She didn’t think about it twice when she was offered indefinite leave. She was desperate to find something, anything that she could hold on to. She didn’t want to think that the galaxy had once again taken everything from her. So, she headed to the only place she had ever known to go, aside from with Fain in Neo LA—her parents’ house.
She tried hard every day to just accept what had happened and move on, though it was far from easy. The memory of Fain was fresh in her mind, and so was the promise he had made to her.
Wait until I see you again, Pycca thought. You won’t even begin to know where to put the glorious amount of trouble I have for you.
There was a knock at the door that interrupted her thoughts.
She felt embarrassed for having such hopeful thoughts about seeing Fain again. If there had been a mirror in front of her, she knew that she would see a flushed pink version of herself.
“Yeah,” Pycca said as she shook her head, still embarrassed.
“Pycca, dear,” Mother said from the hallway. “Remember that your flight leaves in an hour from now. We should get going to the terminal. We don’t want to be rushing, right?”
“Right, I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Alright, your father and I are already ready.”
“Yeah, I’ll be there.”
Pycca had been packing her luggage for over two hours now, though she hadn’t done much packing at all. The truth was that she was hesitant to go back to Neo LA. Even though she thought that she had made up her mind about going, her actions were proving otherwise.
Dammit, Pycca, you aren’t ever getting over this if you don’t face it head-on. You need to drag your ass to Neo LA and put everything to rest. You’re going to have to face it eventually.
The keys to Fain’s apartment had made their way into Pycca’s hands via August. But Fain didn’t leave a message with them or anything like that. It didn’t help that Pycca had been mad at August when he delivered the keys to her and didn’t want him to say a word. So, if there had been a message, anything at all, she still didn’t know about it. At the same time, why else would Fain have left her the keys to his apartment in Neo LA if not for her to visit?
In a moment of frustration, she threw away the luggage, grabbed a small nearby backpack and stuffed it with whatever clothes she saw first. If she needed anything, she could always just buy it in Neo LA.
Pycca grabbed the keys to Fain’s apartment and left her room without looking back. She had decided that from there on out, that was the way she would treat every situation until she found herself once again. She made it down the stairs and into the living room in no time.
“Hey, got the ticket?” Pycca asked as soon as she entered the living room.
“Hey,” Father said as soon as he saw her. “That’s all you’re taking?” He looked at her ticket. “Your return ticket isn’t until two weeks from now.”
“Yeah, I know. I didn’t want to lug around a huge suitcase. Hey, look on the bright side, I officially have an excuse to explore the city.”
Pycca had opened up about Fain and everything that happened on board Sodenia to her parents. They talked for days about it, though they were careful talks, with Pycca sparing the details of the battle. She knew that her parents still had PTSD from the first Acram attack, when a group of scouts leveled the city she had grown up in. But with each talk, Pycca found a small moment of relief. Also, her parents were the ones that encouraged her to go to Neo LA and see what waited for her there. They said it would be the only way to move forward. Pycca had reluctantly agreed.
“Alright,” Father said. “Well, we should get going.”
Pycca made it to Neo LA with relative ease within an hour of departing. Air traffic was unusually light in the afternoons, except of course for any major holiday. Though she knew that transporting the masses hadn’t always been as effortless and affordable as it was now. With the current transportation system, it was common for people to have jobs in another state and simply commute back home, either via Hyper Loop or airplane.
She took a deep breath as she stepped out of the airport, deciding to call a cab. She didn’t want to take a Hyper Loop to Fain’s apartment; she thought the memories would be too much for her to handle. The taxi got there in what had to be less than a minute. The cab’s door opened and she stepped inside, tossing her backpack on the empty seat next to hers.
“Ms. Evans, correct?” the automata asked.
“That’s me. Take me to Nereid tower. Please use the fastest route.”
“My pleasure.”
Unlike her past automatas, this one was eerily quiet, not saying a word throughout the whole trip. Usually, the automata would make small talk with Pycca, which she hated. But this time around, she thought that she could use the conversation to calm her nerves. Perhaps the cab company had had one too many complaints about the automatas’ small talk and decided to downgrade the feature.
It took Pycca only five minutes to get to Nereid tower and another two minutes to make it from the main lobby all the way up to the fifty-second floor. She checked Fain’s key block to confirm the apartment’s number: 5234. She saw right away that it would be at the end of the hallway. Her heart was beginning to thrum, and her chest clenched as she walked down the hallway.
She stopped in front of the apartment and compared the numbers on the key block to the numbers on the digital pad on the side of the door several times. There was no denying it; this was Fain’s apartment. She placed the key block next to the digital pad, and the door unlocked.
“Here goes nothing,” Pycca murmured as she took a deep breath and walked into Fain’s apartment.
Fain’s apartment was warm and homey, and as she examined it, she found that it was exactly how she had imagined it. Tears made their way down her cheeks, but what brought tears to her eyes wasn’t the apartment itself; it was that the smell of Fain still lingered. Even after all this time, she could still smell him. She would never forget his scent of clean, lime, orange and a hint of cedar.
She wiped her tears before removing her shoes and stepping onto the living room carpet. She took her backpack off and placed it on the floor, leaning against one of the couches. Pycca picked the comfiest-looking couch and went to curl up in a ball.
“Why am I here, Fain?” she muttered.
Before she knew it, she fell asleep on the couch, only to be woken up by a flashing red light coming from somewhere in the living room. Strangely, that nap she had just taken was one of the best periods of sleep she’d had in a while, or more precisely since they got back from the machine territory.
“What time is it?” she asked as she got halfway up and began looking for her phone.
The apartment was dark, and she realized that earlier the daylight was still coming through the shutters. She had a hard time getting around the living room, and she couldn�
��t remember where she had left her backpack. She knew that she had left it in an obvious place.
What the heck happened to you, Pycca, she thought as she stumbled around the living room. Wait, let me answer that for you, if you don’t mind. Fain happened to you.
She gave up trying to find the backpack and instead lay back down on the couch, thinking she might as well get a full night’s rest. Knowing there was a possibility that she would dream of Fain brought her comfort. Maybe when she woke up, he’d be right there next to her. She knew that thinking that way would be setting herself up for more heartache, but she didn’t care. Another small scar wouldn’t hurt her already wounded heart.
She closed her eyes but had a hard time getting to sleep. It was that stupid red light flashing every twenty seconds or so. Not even covering her face with a pillow seemed to help, as the red light still managed to find a way in. She got up, having had enough.
“Fain Jegga,” she said in an irritated voice. “You have what’s got to be the most irritating answering machine in exist—”
Pycca interrupted herself before finishing the sentences, realizing the reason why Fain would want her to go to his apartment in the first place. He had left a message for her. She wasn’t exactly sure, but the prospect of a message for her set off an adrenaline rush.
She stumbled across the living room as she hurried to where the red light was flashing. When she neared, she saw that indeed it was an answering machine, and it had exactly one unheard message. Her heart pounded in her chest, demanding to be let out. Though the message was from an unknown source, she knew that it could only be from him. She tapped on the play icon without thinking about it.
“Hey, Pycca.” Fain’s voice played from the machine.
Pycca took a deep breath, knowing that what followed would be one of the hardest yet most necessary moments of her life.
“If you’re hearing this, then I guess I didn’t make it back. Please don’t be mad at August. It was my decision. He tried hard to convince me otherwise, but it just wasn’t happening. You know me, trying to save the world and all.” He laughed nervously. “Though the real reason behind all this”—a note of sadness crept into his voice —“is that I thought I could do it. I thought I could make it back. It was never meant to be a one-way mission. I thought that with the help of Kya and by pushing myself to the limit without having to worry about endangering the crew and most especially you, I could really make it back. That was the plan all along. Sodenia seemed to have been made just for this. I guess that I was utterly wrong.”
