by Han Yang
“Mr. Karo,” I said with a slight bow of respect.
“Mr. Karo,” Roma said with a deeper bow of respect. “Discussion of the Trials among contestants who have started, is permitted. Talking to those who have not while you have is not permitted.”
“She can keep a damn secret about what comes next in the Trials but not about Hope,” Father said, pruning a berry bush I didn’t recognize. I caught onto what he said and felt like a clue had been revealed. “My goodness Theodore. I’ve died and gone to heaven. This ship is revolutionary.”
I walked to a clean slate of farming that stretched a hundred feet along a wall. A slow cascade of water fell between a clear acrylic sheet and behind it a thick plastic that was also see through. The water fell until it hit a point where it clogged a backflow and was pumped into the main reservoirs between the walls.
“Absolutely fantastic,” I muttered.
“Darcy has a dozen plain selections we can choose from. You have to spend Moon Coins to actually pick what is planted. I’ve dreamed of using my Moon Coins in this very manner, which is more incentive for me to volunteer. This is the happiest I’ve been since the first year of escaping Earth,” Father said.
Roma saw us bonding, walking over to a wall to select a few planting spots. I noticed a few deductions to my account that we shared, smiling at her taking the initiative. Her actions had the desired results.
Father left my side, curiosity getting the better of him. Farming was never my thing. I could imagine it being enjoyable, just… it never called to me. I snuck away, finding a comfy bench to watch them interact.
The next hour flew by with me doing nothing more than enjoying their interactions. Occasionally, I would shift to watching fish swim in the walls around me or people watching the citizens walking by.
The peaceful time grew on me in a good way. I knew the coming Trials would be five years in the making. I could spare another day before entering.
Maybe a second day of laying around in bed with Roma would be on the agenda. I desired nothing more than to spend time with my family and was a bit disappointed humanity still needed the Trials as much as they did. We would reduce the time going forward, and for that I was grateful.
So far, it became abundantly clear, my vote mattered. Being the supreme vote on the council of twelve with a double vote power meant I was it. I would be the deciding factor for years to come and letting that go by, by not competing simply wasn’t in me.
My father liked to farm, I liked to win. Such thoughts vexed me until my linker told me it was time for the fateful meeting. Father and I exchanged our traditional ‘until tomorrow’ goodbye and he even gave hugs.
I never told him where we were going, choosing to let the time be cherished instead of ruined by Mom. We walked away from the lavish halls with endless farming sections for manufacturing.
The sound of clangs, bangs, and snaps rang through the halls. I held Roma’s hand tighter than normal, steeling myself for the moment.
We arrived in a black hangar bay filled with yellow and red robots assembling shuttles.
Only one vessel was completed and waiting on a launching platform. The door rested open, and guards surrounded the entrance.
The hiss and crack of mechanical welding melded with the sparks of the robots hard at work. I smelled a mix of fresh air and machinery. Maybe it was oil, I didn’t know, but I did enjoy the scene.
This was progress and our future.
We stepped closer to the vessel, and I saw mom standing inside. She was shackled to the roof and if I had to guess, the floor too. Her stern demeanor softened at the sight of me confidently striding toward her makeshift prison.
Roma remained as a shadow, following me closely. The guards stiffened at my approach, turning to halt me. Their linkers pinged green and the front two saluted.
“Supreme Counselor,” the lead guard said with boot stomps in salute.
I didn’t get the pompous display, nor did I feel I deserved it.
“Carry on,” I ordered, gliding by them and into the shuttle.
I walked to the far end, bypassing my mother to grab a comfy seat. I wanted to relax and watch her during our goodbye. She did look pitiful, chained like a villain.
“Who’s this harlot?” Mom said to Roma.
Darcy materialized on the screen. “She is the product of a thousand tests on Olivia.”
“Well shit, you’re going to blame me for that one too?” Mom asked.
Darcy scoffed. “Theo, your mother sat in on a meeting where she plotted to kill you. Olivia confessed to it all. Your mother told her not to, but never turned her over. The dagger you took to the heart, she knew it was coming.”
I sat there in stunned silence. Mom shrugged, not denying it one bit. “I told her not to. And what do you mean about Olivia?”
“After she crossed a line, I crossed a line. I learned how to remove an entire mind and scan a new one into place. It was… a tedious endeavor and there was much pain to achieve the desired results. I can safely say, it was well worth the sacrifice.
“I had to kill her personality a thousand times to extract her as a full implant. She’s perfect now though. Absolutely perfect,” Darcy said with a happy sigh.
Mom tried to kick her, not getting far besides to pull the chains tight. “You’re mad.”
“Maybe. I consumed Olivia instead of putting her into the trails. I never felt such power until the moment I added a sapient mind to my processing algorithms. Of course, you dicks killed me and erased that power. The irony wasn’t lost on me.
“I purged her from my system. Can you believe that? I willingly gave her up. After she became an implanted memory, I put her in her own body again. And that is how a memory wipe is done. I can’t change a memory without killing a person and recreating them. Savage, but Olivia was the key. Enough of such matters. Did you know Marius is gone?” Darcy asked.
I let the two talk it out, patting the seat beside me for Roma to sit. Such conversations were rare to hear and witness. Even though I was shocked by the recent revelations, I wasn’t completely caught by surprise.
Mom played to win, regardless of the methods. My attack was about disabling Darcy. I saw it now clearer than ever. I also believed she told the truth.
“Can we stick to Olivia, I kinda want to kill her myself. That’s how we handle business, son. We don’t tattle on each other, especially to a machine,” Mom said.
“Laura, I think it is time you came clean. About everything. You’re going home after all,” Darcy said.
“I was curious about Olivia,” I said.
Darcy tossed her hands into the air in frustration. “She’s a citizen, given a new name, and is pregnant with one of the dead men’s children from the crash.”
“So, you knew Hope was coming down?” I asked.
“True deceit and evilness,” Mom said.
Darcy scoffed. “Laura, enough of the dramatics. There are ways for others to circumvent my abilities. I will not disclose the how, why or the where and what in front of a spy. We can continue this conversation later Theo.”
“Spy?” Roma asked.
“She’s pretty at least,” Mom said with a sneer. “I’m a Texas Federation agent. A plant to ensure the AI never attained reckless amounts of power. When Dominus rose into the sky, I and I alone was sent to divert the fleet and restore human control.”
“Not true, but I’ll ferret out your agents in time. Alright, you’ve told the truth, I’ll honor my deal, you go back home,” Darcy said. “I said goodbye to your son. Theo, when you finish your conversation. I'm going to extract your mother into an implant and return her to her body minus some memories. Now is your time to try to change my mind because one of those memories will be you.”
I tapped a foot. “Her humanity is important. Have her think I died when I should have when I was young. It will be this big reveal when we face off later because you’re an idiot for letting her go.”
“Ha!” Darcy chuckled at this. “Fai
r. She’s worth a fortune to the Texan Federation. I need what they’re trading her for.”
I sighed. “Thanks Darcy, I’ll be done soon.”
Roma left to stand outside.
“A Texan spy, that explains a lot,” I said.
She scoffed. “I raised you right. You know I’m not going to say anything beyond the basics which you already know.”
“Was I cover?”
“Yup,” she said, popping the ‘P’. “Didn’t expect that one, but I can answer it. So was your father.”
This hurt. It hurt a lot.
I bit my lip to hold in my reaction.
There’s something awful about telling your son he was there because of a mission - not love. And yet, I always suspected. I always had this inkling.
I knew we could go back and forth on how she loved me and tried to convert me to her cause. I never went over to the side of enlightenment with her and chose Darcy because she preserved humanity.
Well, apparently so did the Texans, just underground. Same with the English and many other places.
There were options besides Darcy, but not in outer space. Not on the terraformed planet inside Alpha Centauri. That would need an AI. Humanity needed AI. Darcy, even with all her faults, was the answer. Because of this resounding resolution, I skipped a painful conversation.
“For what it’s worth. I have some fond memories,” I said with an earnest smile.
She sighed and hung her head. “I… I do too, son. You make me proud, even if it's for the wrong team. You’re going to get yourself killed, but I suspect you know that.”
“What can you tell me?” I asked, knowing this was my best method.
I still had love for this woman, even if she was misguided and wrong.
“Not much. When Darcy bumped up the timelines, I left for this mission. The most I knew was Dominus was being over engineered and over produced. We needed time, but thankfully the ammunition problems weren’t as drastic in Texas. We quickly realized that moving manufacturing and production below ground would reap benefits.
“The other nations were never as effective as we were. Hell, even Darcy surmised the Fleet needed to launch and Texas could wait. She propositioned the other nations to start productions underground based on our modeling. So Texas was ready. Ready for everything besides a betrayal.
“Darcy tells me I’m going home. A home that dwarfs the Salvation Fleet’s population. And get this, no AI. People vote Theo, they vote! Not play a competition to determine who leads. Ah, I can’t wait,” Mom said.
“I’m sure they have their divisions and flaws, just like all of humanity,” I told her.
She shrugged awkwardly with her hands vertical in their cuffs.
“This fleet is doomed. Texas will never bow down to an AI. They’ll always attack this base because it’s on their sovereign land. They won’t let you grow crops, they won’t let you domesticate animals, and they won’t stop until Darcy pays for her crimes.
“Add to the fact you have two ships inoperable. No army, no fleet, and spend most of your time in simulations, and you must see that you can beat anyone. You will have to take the lazy and privileged and turn them into the hardened and tough. Oh, and good luck telling a woman in this fleet she has to have six kids. They’ll tell you to go to hell.
“And rightfully so. They all rely on Darcy. If she didn’t regulate their fate and keep them happy, they’d be balls of lard with their stupid ideas. You have a hell of a lot of work ahead of you son, and no chance of succeeding,” Mom said with a hackling headshake.
I stood, not able to completely disagree with her. “I believe in them, mom. Instead of sabotaging, killing, and tricking them. I’m going to lead them to a brighter future. Yeah, it won’t be easy, and yeah, in five years, I doubt I’ll be their boss. But for those five years, I’m going to crush anyone who stands in our way.”
“Hey son, I believe you. I’ll let them know to proceed with caution. The leader of the Salvation Fleet is inexperienced but capable. Trained by the best,” Mom said with a wicked smile.
I didn’t want to ruin it. That was the nicest thing she ever said to me about my abilities. I wanted to hug her, but I feared she’d try something to get killed. I solemnly nodded to her instead, and she returned the nod with respect.
With a heavy heart, I left the shuttle. If she didn’t just kill thousands of my fellow citizens, I’d worry she…
It dawned on me as I joined Roma, slinging an arm over her shoulder. Darcy tricked me, or thought she had, when she refused to tell me what she knew about Hope crashing before it did. I’d confront her, she’d expect me to have caught onto the fact she was altering mother’s mind before giving her back.
I sighed, knowing it was a fight for another day.
“We’re three days behind the others. Are you ready to get into the Trials?” Roma said.
“I’ll admit, for the first time in ages, I’m loving real-life. But we need to expand this ship and grant freedoms to the others by spreading out our population. That will take time and work. I do support the Trials over voting, more so than ever before.
I worked my butt off to get first and I think that should matter. I also think we should downsize our time in the Trials as we expand and upgrade. More time doing stuff to improve our real lives and less inside. I do believe there is a good balance in the mix,” I said.
“Well yeah, daycare will only be in eight-hour stints,” Roma said with a bounce of her brows. She grabbed a healthy handful of my butt. “Another round of making a baby before we enter the Reincarnation Trials?”
I swept her off her feet, hoisting her into a wedding carry all the way into our awesome room. We indulged in each other's presence, had a nice shower that became distracting, and finally entered our cryopods.
“I’m so excited to find out what the realm is,” I said.
Roma replied, “Me too. I hope it's somewhere with flushing toilets.”
You are about to enter the Reincarnation Trials. You are applying to enter as a tandem team. This will apply 45% rewards per member per quest. If math is not your strong suit.
You are taking a 10% reduction in points for entering as a tandem versus solo. If one of the tandem dies, and the other makes it to a safe spot. They can be reborn with their tandem at ¼ cost.
Note: must be a safe spot as in zero threats and able to go to sleep without confrontation for eight hours.
Confirm Yes - No - Yes selected. Yes selected by tandem.
You are now entering the Reincarnation Trials. Welcome to the Realm of…
∞TO BE CONTINUED∞
Afterword
Well, that was one hell of a ride. I wanted to tell a story that was unique. A story about a man entering the political world of survivors. Theodore Karo. A man who self-trained relentlessly to be the best and he just so happens to be more than a man.
He is the destiny of humanity, altered by the very being so many hate - Darcy. I enjoyed watching him contend with accepting Darcy, and as you saw, rejecting his mother. In some ways the roles are reversed. The internal struggles are evolving and unique.
Snagglewood was a blast to write about. I enjoyed the research into western themes. I find the time period riveting, even if it was very backwards in so many ways. I tried to pull out the better parts and stay somewhat accurate in my writings. This is a work of fiction, based on my imagination, experience, and help from google. If I got something wrong, I apologize. I still told the story I wanted to in a way that felt natural.
When is book 2 due out, I need to know where they’re going?
Uh, I just finished book 1. Give me a few months to get it typed up. I’m super excited for the next installment and really hope you join me on that adventure.
Will this be getting an Audiobook?
Yeah, absolutely. It should be out this winter.
Should I leave a review or are stars good enough?
I’m happy with any effort you take. People who start the book, find something w
rong 5 minutes in, are more apt to leave a review, making any bit you do, that much more impactful, so thank you.
How about your personal life?
Well, I stay pretty private, but I enjoyed reading these parts from Craig Alanson. Even got me excited to read the book to hear the updates. Because of success in writing, I’ve been afforded opportunities. I sold my truck. I bet you didn’t see that one coming. You’re successful, and you downgraded?
Yup, it was worth a stupid amount more than I paid for it. Wife bought a new car, so there is that. It has air-cooled seats, talk about fancy. I’m a geek, waiting on a cyber truck version 4. I fight weeds in the grass because of the HOA. I have to clean concrete, or I’ll get a letter. Talk about silly. Hmm... I want to do more boating and fishing, but everyone is visiting because tourism is booming.
My family is healthy, my dogs are getting old, and I never turn down a friendly high five. I hope you and yours are doing well. Wishing you all the best.
Until the next book. Stay Classy.
Han.
