The Price of Paradise

by C. S. Johnson

  “You have to take me, and you have to protect me,” Aerie said. She glanced over at the General. “Same goes for you.”

  Neither of them were happy, but Aerie pressed on. “I already told you, I can help. And I will. I have friends who are on the Perdition just as much as you do, Exton. And you,” she said, turning toward her father, “you owe me still, for all the trouble you caused me.”

  He sighed. “We don’t have time to argue this,” he said. “Come on, but if you get into any trouble, don’t expect Exton or me to always come rushing.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Exton snapped.

  “You know as well as I do that you can’t compromise this mission,” St. Cloud shot back. “Once Osgood launches his battle starship, all he has to do is strike us where we’re vulnerable. And that means Petra and Chaya, among others. We’re here to protect our world.”

  “Aerie is my wife.”

  “And she’s my daughter,” St. Cloud yelled back.

  “You just spent the last two days trying to rescue Merra,” Exton said. “Who are you to tell me what my priorities should be?”

  “I am your commanding officer.”

  “No, you’re not!”

  “Stop!” Aerie yelled. She was appalled by their arguments, and even more by the fact that the only thing they could agree on was that she was the one who would hold them up, when they clearly had their own issues. I’ll show them who is useless, she thought determinedly.

  “That’s enough, you two. We have to go. We’re all in this together. I can take care of myself, and even you if I need to. So stop your arguing and get moving!”

  Exton and the General turned their angry glances on her, but Aerie remained firm. “Now,” she said pointing to the ship.

  After another second of bitter silence, the two of them turned around and marched onto the shuttle, neither saying anything else.

  Aerie breathed a sigh of relief. This better not be how the rest of this mission is going to go.

  EXTON SWITCHED OVER to autopilot support as soon as the shuttle left Earth’s atmosphere, allowing himself a brief moment of rest.

  He was tired from the long, long day, and there were no indications it was going to end anytime soon. There were also no indications it was going to get any easier.

  Exton glanced over at Aerie as she sat in the copilot’s chair, watching her as she ignored him. In retrospect, he thought, it probably hadn’t been the best idea to try to keep her from coming. He could tell she was already mulling over how to make his life more difficult because he’d wanted her to be safe.

  Despite everything, he almost smiled. It wasn’t enough for her to pledge her life to him; she was actually going to physically do it, and do it to the most nerving-racking degree, likely using up the last of his patience and testing every last inch of his faith in the process. As fearful as he was for her, he was also relieved to be with her.

  He thought about engaging her in conversation, testing the waters of her amity, but he decided to let her stew for the moment. Exton knew that she had to be even more tired than he was.

  Exton’s gaze turned to his other side, where St. Cloud sat in a passenger chair, seeming to follow in Exton’s footsteps, with his gaze mindlessly wandering among the world’s face.

  As he watched his father-in-law, Exton couldn’t help but wonder if he was thinking of Merra. Before they’d left, Exton had returned to Emery’s tent in hopes of saying goodbye. He’d been surprised to see St. Cloud tenderly embracing his wife.

  St. Cloud had squeezed his eyes shut as he whispered in Merra’s ears, while Merra was actually crying. She almost never seemed to show her fear, but it was clearly written on her face as she gripped him back.

  Exton was too stunned to slip out right away. He knew part of him was fascinated, as he saw how both of Aerie’s parents, people he had been wary of for a variety of valid reasons, were capable of such a strange range and mixture of emotions. He hadn’t thought it possible. Or, he admitted to himself, he hadn’t wanted to. There was something terribly practical in thinking St. Cloud and Merra were less than human.

  He turned his attention back out the window, as the ship curved along with the edge of the earth, and the Perdition came into sight. It was much closer to Earth, hanging in the middle of the broken belt of clouds.

  He watched as several of the escape pods rushed out of the starship from all directions, and he was glad Henry had the foresight to do that. Exton didn’t want to risk the lives of the people onboard.

  The silence in the shuttle’s cabin was killed with St. Cloud’s astonished whisper.

  “It’s starting,” he said, as he pulled up an enhanced image on the nearby monitor.

  Exton looked out of the front window to see a gigantic oval of fire burning on the land just below Panama, the tip of it reaching into the Old Columbian borders. As the fiery cloud grew, he was briefly reminded of his own experience launching the Perdition, north of the New Hope Military base. He’d watched the blackened earth beneath him liquefy into mud and metal as his ship left a sizeable scar across state lines.

  “The GPI looks much bigger,” he admitted, his discomfort increasing.

  “It is,” St. Cloud said. “Silas was the best engineer in the Revolutionary States, but Osgood still had quite a few at his disposal.”

  “Let’s hope it’s not too different from the Perdition,” Exton said. “It’ll be easier to search for weaknesses.” He turned to Aerie. “See if you can get Henry on the line.”

  Aerie nodded and went to work with the comm system, while Exton studied the images coming in over the monitor. From the outline of the darkened ditch in the middle of the world, he could tell that the body of the GPI had been elongated from the Perdition’s design.

  “Any idea of how many weapons are on it?” he asked St. Cloud.

  St. Cloud snorted disdainfully. “Osgood wants to destroy the world. It’s likely packed with firepower.”

  “Great.” Exton sighed.

  “Exton,” Aerie called. “Phil’s on the line for you.”

  “Where’s Henry?” he asked.

  Phil’s familiar face came up onto his comm monitor. “Henry’s prepping your report so he can meet you face to face when you land,” Phil replied. The gruff sound of his voice was oddly comforting against the coming tide of trouble.

  “We’re only a few moments out,” Exton replied, checking the ship’s ETA. “What can you tell me about the GPI?”

  “We’re watching it. It looks like between the toxic clouds and the Craftcarrier signals, we weren’t able to pick up on its construction. I’ve been studying the roads leading into some of the station points in Columbia. They’ve been doing this for a long time­—likely since the Perdition’s blueprints were finished by your father.”

  “What else can you tell me?”

  “We’re going to have to be very careful,” Phil said.

  “No kidding,” Exton retorted. He already knew that. He silently cursed himself; after all the years he’d flown around the world on the Perdition, he still considered St. Cloud to be the bigger threat between him and Osgood. He knew St. Cloud well—or at least, he thought he did. Exton could only hope he would be able to outmaneuver Osgood.

  “I’m deadly serious,” Phil said, doubling down. “If Osgood has even packed it with half as much weaponry as I think he has, we’re going to have an ELE coming.”

  “Of course we are,” Exton muttered darkly. Only the URS would see that an Extinction Level Event would be a good thing.

  “What are the analysts saying?”

  “Greer’s the only one left right now,” Phil said. “When Henry ordered the evacuations, Thora took her kids and her family and left.”

  Exton nodded. “Good. Greer’s got the better military experience anyway. What does she think?”

  “Here she is.”

  “Captain.” Greer’s voice, with its cheerful New England accent, cut in through the link. “I’ve taken things into consideration and
talked with Rhodey. We’re going to have to use the last of the nukes, but if we can hit the ship at some designated marks, we’ll be able to break up the ship into small enough parts to where they won’t cause catastrophic damage to the earth.”

  “What’s the catch?” Exton asked.

  “We’re going to have to make sure they don’t get past the earth’s atmosphere,” Greer told him.

  “So we don’t have a lot of time.”

  “Miguel’s gone down to ready the bomb release,” she said. “We’ll be ready for your orders.”

  “No,” Exton said, his sharp tone sudden and brusque. “Go and get to an escape pod, Greer. Rhodey and I will handle things from here on out. If we fail, we lose.”

  “But what if—”

  “You’ve been relieved of duty,” Exton said. “Petra will need you if we fail. Please go.”

  There was a slight pause before Greer, her cheerful voice now full of trepidation, agreed. “Yes, Captain.”

  “Give me back to Phil,” Exton said. When Phil spoke up a moment later, Exton said, “I’ll be there soon. Hold the Bridge for me, and when I get there, you will also exit the Perdition.”

  “Yes, Captain,” Phil said. The gruffness was gone, with only a solemn somberness left.

  Exton signed off before he could get caught up in the risk they were taking. When he was younger, he had wanted to grow up and be a military hero.

  What I wouldn’t give to go back and slap my younger self, Exton thought grimly. He could no longer see anything glorious about being a hero.

  The rest of the trip passed in silence, as Exton watched the GPI’s fiery takeoff from the surface.

  “Prepare for docking,” Aerie said a few moments later.

  “Thank you,” Exton said, reaching over and taking her hand. He hated how, now that he knew it was possible he would meet the horizon of his life, the sentimentality was unavoidable. His young wife’s eyes glittered with pride as she looked back at him, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he would live to see another day with her. She had been the sunshine, calling to him from the dark recesses of space in his own heart. He didn’t want her to be part of his life’s sunset.

  Aerie gave him a quizzical look. “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  He sighed and pulled back from her. “Time to go.”

  “Yes,” St. Cloud said behind him, forcing Exton’s attention back to their present situation. “It is.”

  ♦26♦

  “Come on, Exton,” Aerie said, stamping her foot against the floor. “I want to stay with you and help with Osgood.”

  Aerie hated how much like a child she sounded, especially considering the gravity of the situation they were in. But her old instincts refused to back down; Exton was not going to order her around like she was one of the soldiers. She was his equal, and she had equal say in her fate.

  Going through the ship and releasing the supply capsules was not a job she wanted.

  “Greer told us that we don’t have a lot of time,” he reminded her. “We need to strike the GPI, and fast. That means I need to have it ready for battle, and there are things that need to be done before that happens.”

  “It still seems like something that you could have anyone do.”

  Exton shook his head. “Look,” he said, “I trust you, remember? This is a dangerous job, and I need to make sure someone does it; you’re the best candidate for the job, because I know I can rely on you. The supplies contain everything from medical supplies to the extra food we’ve stored from the Harvest. There’s even some research stored away, just in case of circumstances like this one. If the Perdition is in danger, we need to make sure Petra will still survive.”

  Aerie frowned, watching him for the longest moment she could manage. She hated how much it seemed like such an important job when she knew she had other skills. When he didn’t so much as blink, her resolve crumbled. “Fine,” she said.

  “Good. Start with the outer plantations,” Exton said. “If you go to mid-ship, Level 5, there will be several release stations. You’ll need to type in the code and then push the button. There will be a light to indicate the capsules have been released.”

  “Fine,” Aerie repeated again. “Consider it done, Captain.”

  He grabbed her arm, holding her back as she tried to hurry off. Before she could object, he kissed her. It was brief but passionate, and Aerie felt her breath leave her in a rush.

  “Exton,” she murmured, her mouth against his.

  “That’s better. I like how you say my name,” he said. “Now you can go.”

  Aerie nodded and hurried off, not trusting herself to say anything else as she left him in the hangar. That man, she thought. He knew just what to do to get his way, didn’t he?

  “On the bright side, at least he seems to know me well enough,” Aerie murmured to herself, as she stepped off the elevator and turned onto the ship.

  It felt strange walking through the Perdition this time. She had never been in it with so few people on it. She knew Henry promised Exton he had ordered all civilian evacuations. That left a skeleton crew of close to a hundred Veteran Masters, all who had volunteered to stay behind.

  Exton was on his way to meet with their leader, a man she knew from listening to his conversations was named Rhodey. Aerie didn’t know what exactly Exton had in mind for destroying the GPI, but from what she’d heard of Rhodey and his impressive reputation, she had a feeling he and his league of military retirees were preparing for a massive offensive.

  Well, she thought, they need to. If Osgood has his way, the free world will die.

  The echoes of the empty hallways made her uneasy as she ran through the ship, looking for the mid-ship emergency release stations. Level 5 had been one of the first places she’d explored on the ship, she recalled, remembering her time with Olga and Alice as they made their way through the ship, cleaning and taking care of the smallest details.

  Aerie wondered if she would ever see Olga’s face again, as she worked through her tasks one at a time, as careful as she was thorough.

  Before she allowed herself to get swept up in her memories, or too pressed by her worries, Aerie saw the release station room. She wriggled her butt in happiness and then hurried inside.

  There were twenty-four release stations, some lining the wall, and some in the middle of the room. Each was marked with a different name and section number. Aerie wasted no time. She knew Exton wanted the plantation supply rooms, the capsules where the extra food from the Harvest was stored, deployed first. By the look of it, she thought, all she had to do was work around the room and then finish off with the center stations.

  Finding the right kiosk station, Aerie pulled out the handle, twisted it open, and tugged hard. The panel came back to reveal a keypad and a button.

  “Just as Exton said,” she cheered to herself. She typed in the code and then pressed the button.

  Seconds later, she thought she felt the rest of the ship sway; Aerie wondered if it was because the capsule was freed, or because of something else.

  Either way, she decided, it was best to hurry. She was eager to get back to Exton’s side on the Command Bridge, where there were other people, so she could have a better view of what exactly was happening.

  Her plan was delayed when she got to the last release station. She opened the panel and typed in the code. She pressed the button.

  Nothing happened.

  She frowned. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you working?”

  Aerie typed in the code again and pressed the button. Still nothing.

  “Ugh!” She hit the panel with her fist, frustrated. What am I supposed to do now?

  She knew the Ark was important, and part of the special design Exton’s father had included in the ship’s design. Aerie didn’t want to disappoint him.

  Aerie reached up to type in the code once more, when an explosion rocked through the ship.

  “Augh!” Aerie cried out as she slammed against the far wall. Down the ha
llway, alarms began going off. Aerie moaned briefly as she rubbed her shoulder and neck, trying to assuage the sudden pain of impact.

  As she stood up, Aerie heard the automatic public service announcement calling for evacuation and identifying a breech in the haul.

  She glanced back at the defiant kiosk, where she was unable to initiate the release of the Ark. As the sirens continued to sound off, Aerie made her choice: She would go back to the Command Bridge, before it was too late. There was nothing else she could do, she realized.

  Aerie could only hope it would be okay, and that Exton wouldn’t be upset.

  “But I guess he’s going to have other problems to worry about, especially if there’s been a breech,” she said to herself as she spurred onward to the Bridge.

  EXTON GRUMBLED AS HE pulled himself off the floor. “How did we miss those?” he asked, glaring over at St. Cloud.

  He felt his anger growing as he saw the smile on St. Cloud’s face. “We were just hit! What’s your problem? There’s nothing funny about it.”

  “It was the latest model of the Redbird-FTK,” St. Cloud said. “You’ll have to pardon my poor sense of humor, same as always.”

  “What’s so funny about that?” Exton asked again. “And how would you know what it is anyway?”

  “The latest model leaves a small red streak of residue from burning the neon inside of its thrusters,” St. Cloud replied. He pointed out the nearest window, where there was a slim line of red, just as he’d said, glinting off the half-hidden sunlight in the distance.

  “It’s funny,” St. Cloud continued, “because I was the one who ordered the update after I launched the one at you, trying to warn you of Osgood’s retaliation on the Perdition for stealing the Memory Tree.”

  “He’s never said anything about it to me,” Exton said. “I thought that attack was just you.”

  “It was, and it wasn’t. I convinced him to attack once I knew I had to get your attention,” St. Cloud replied.

  “You know that one could have ended much differently,” Exton said, as he initiated the PSA one last call for evacuation. “It’s a wonder you didn’t kill Aerie and the rest of us.”