by Mark White
'That's not really in my nature, exploiting people doesn't come easy to me,' I said.
'I know Kofi, that does you credit. However, remember that it is in their long term benefit. And better than genocide,' she said, smiling ruefully.
'Well, done, you hadn't reminded me of genocide for a few minutes. You do know that's a nasty threat don't you?' I said.
'I wish it was,' she said. 'Really it's a statement of last resort, but it will happen if Raj cannot be stopped.'
'Gee thanks. Is there anything else I need to know before I crash, I mean, land?' I asked.
'Not really. Just know that Geraldine wishes you well, as of course do I. I have come to value our friendship immensely, and I enjoy the times we spend together,' she said.
'The feeling is mutual Safira. It is an honour and a privilege to know you.' I said.
With that, we relaxed and just chatted about our lives. Well actually, I mainly chatted about my life, and she pried. I never managed to get much more personal stuff from her. Still, I enjoyed it as ever. Soon though it was time for me to rest, ahead of my descent early tomorrow. I'm so looking forward to it. Honest.
Plog: Geraldine Mander - 23rd Sextilis 227PD
I must admit still I'm feeling a bit lost and helpless. I'm stuck down in this huge, echoing base, surrounded by equipment, but no people. And no Stream. I'm just about used to the latter, but it doesn't help with the feeling of uselessness. Yes, I can talk to my agents on the secure radio, and order them about, but it's no substitute for direct human contact. On the positive side, I guess they are all out achieving something; and we are doing everything we can to put us in a position to deploy the nanovirus, as impossible as it seems.
Snap out of it woman. No feeling sorry for yourself. This is too important to mope about being ineffective. You've held yourself together so far and kept things moving, so stick to it.
I think the loss of Nevin at Sigal Calfuray's office hit me harder than I expected. I didn't know him that well personally, but I had just spoken with him on the radio. He'd achieved so much given what he'd found out for us, and then he was gone. Mauro, and now Nevin, have died for our cause. They won't be the last I am sure. At least my good friend Kofi is safe, for now.
If it wasn't for my meetings with Safira, I'd go mad. I must admit I laughed out loud when I first saw her Kubrick room. An inspired choice. I do worry at times how well Safira is getting to understand us all. Is it a calculated act to make us feel at ease and trust her? Let our guard down and reveal something to their benefit? Honestly, I don't believe so. I can never be sure, but I don't see a way out of this without the Safiran's help. So I need to trust her. I need to trust someone, so she is my only hope. She is my Obi-Wan.
When I've no one I need to talk to, I've taken the habit of dropping into the Kubrick room, it's so much smaller than this lifeless, cavernous base. I find it more welcoming and relaxing. I like lying down on the bed, and starting at the opposite wall. No pod or monolith in sight, but you can't have everything. I can close my eyes and still see the glow from the floor through my eyelids. It's very easy for me to relax, and let my thoughts drift away, to unwind and help prepare for the unknown traumas ahead. Drifting, drifting, drifting…
'Hello Geraldine,' says a voice from just above me.
'Fuck Safira, why do you always do that? How do you always arrive at exactly the wrong moment?' I said, sitting up, my heart racing again.
'It takes years of practise, Geraldine. I believe I have nearly perfected the art,' she replied with a mischievous glint in her feline eyes.
'So how is Kofi doing?' I asked. He must be nearly at Pollux by now.
'He is in good spirits, if a little nervous about the descent and crash landing. I hope his experience will be better than the launch of the mission', she said.
'I fear it may not. I was unable to adjust the default mission profile for the sync drone without raising suspicion. It won't be pleasant, but he will survive. Kaori will be waiting for him, and he knows that Kofi may require treatment. I wish it could be otherwise,' I replied. I still feel guilty about this failing, knowing what I'd put Kofi through. I couldn't see any alternative though. At least it meant he escaped.
'Yes, I wish he could be spared the experience. He is a dear friend to me,' Safira said.
Dear friend? That's an interesting turn of phrase. Kofi is turning on his charm by the sound of it. 'How are things going with you Safira? Are there any developments?' I asked.
'Yes, I do have some good news, and some more troubling news. We will need your advice, and your help,' she said.
'That sounds like you're warming up for something that you don't really know how to ask me,' I said.
'I know how to ask, I just do not wish to risk our friendship. But it must be asked,' she said, sternly.
'Go on, just get on with it,' I said. I'm not sure I'm going to enjoy this.
'We have made progress in understanding the kill command. We understand the cascade pattern that it creates and how it destroys the Tap. However we do not yet understand how to stop the cascade. We must understand this if we are to succeed,' she said.
'And how do you propose to do that?' I asked, thinking I knew what was coming.
'We need to observe how the Tap reacts to commands in real time. How the commands propagate and distribute the actions through the brain. We need a human subject to observe, and we will need one of your agents to send commands to the subject on our request,' she said. I could tell there was a detail missing.
'I can arrange that, any of my agents would oblige. I assume that I can't help, now that I am not in the Stream,' I said.
'One of the commands we will need to observe is the kill command. This is the most critical of all. We are likely to need multiple subjects,' she said dispassionately.
I stared at her. I thought it might be something like this, but it was still a shock to hear it.
'I've already caused two deaths and ruined Kofi's life. Do you expect me to choose who else should die?' I asked.
'If not you, then who will do it? If you wish to win this war, sacrifices must be made. Would you rather that we Safiran's made this choice? You were a Decemvir. You are used to tough choices. Make one on behalf of humanity,' she said, more bluntly than I had heard her before.
I stared at her again. I'd not seen her like this. She was serious.
'Is there no other choice?' I asked.
'Do you think I would be asking you if there was?' she said.
I thought few a few moments. 'We don't have the death penalty any more. If we did, I would select people who were already scheduled for execution. At least that would vaguely have a legal process behind it,' I said.
'You need other options. We do not wish to be callous, we know all life is valuable. How will you make the choice?' she asked.
I had to choose, and choose decisively. Who am I to be judge, jury and executioner? Then again, I am trying to cause mass trauma to everyone by ripping them out the Stream. So let's just minimise the damage.
'I will choose convicted criminals; those who have been convicted of murder, particularly those who killed children. However I will only choose those who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness, with no more than six months life expectation,' I said. I sighed. It had been said. There was no going back. To be honest, I felt a sense of relief, which sickened me to the core. 'It will take a few days for my agents to arrange. I will make a limited number prisoners available at first. Give me several days' notice if you will need more.'
'Thank you Geraldine. I'm am truly sorry it has come to this. Can I make one further proposal?' she asked.
'Go on,' I said, with a heavy heart.
'Can I suggest that you wind down the preparations for deploying a nanovirus. I do not believe this route is likely to be viable. It used to be the best option we had, but now I believe we will come up with a solution using a Tap-killer triggered via a command. It will take a while, but as soon as we have it, you need to be read
y to deploy it. Get your agents to concentrate on that. Make sure you can globally broadcast this, at least on Earth. Once Earth is free, you can do the same elsewhere. I've asked Kofi to try to prepare for this on Pollux,' she said.
'That I can agree with willingly. It will be much simpler to go this route, as long as you hold up your end of the bargain. I do not wish to kill these people only for you to fail,' I said. I was still shaking.
'Understood,' she said.
'Now, please leave me Safira. I need time to reflect and come to accept my decision. Please go and make sure Kofi is all right. He needs you more than I do right now,' I said.
'Understood,' she said again. 'Forgive me Geraldine.'
'In time Safira. In time,' I said, as she disappeared.
That's a lot to come to terms with. I'll get there. But Plog? Really Kofi?
Plog: Kofi Albus - 23rd Sextilis 227PD
That hurt. That still hurts. Maybe if I lay here without moving, the pain will go away. It was rough all the way down, but then right at the end, the ship decelerated savagely. I thought we really were going to crash, and I must have blacked out again. I guess by the fact I'm thinking this that I must have survived, unless this is the afterlife. Maybe I should open my eyes.
OK, so I'm not in the ship anymore. Nor am I in a hospital. If I had to make a guess, I'm in someone's bedroom. Naked under the bed covers. Maybe this is the afterlife after all.
I seem to have been tended to; my left arm is in a cast below my elbow and I have strapping around my ribs. Those are definitely the bits that hurt the most, although I seem to have bruises randomly spread over my body. I'm not quite sure how I could have got bruised in some of those places while strapped to my chair, but who am I to complain, I seem to be alive. I think if this was the afterlife, I'd be in a bit better condition.
The bed is very soft, almost fluid-like, beneath me. The room is fairly small, but larger than the one on the ship, which is a relief. The colours are distinctive, and that's me being charitable. I can only assume that the Castor's colour sensitivity is different to ours. I'm looking up at a ceiling that is a bright, almost fluorescent, yellow. I'm sure if I was staring at the sun, it would seem less bright. I can see the top of the wall opposite me, and that appears to be covered in violent purple and garish green stripes. There's a bit of a relief from the stripes, as the wall has a door in it, towards the right side of the room. Unfortunately the door is a virulent red with brilliant blue spots spread over it. Lovely. I think I'll close my eyes again and rest, and hope the pain goes away.
I'm awoken by a gentle shaking of my good arm. I open my eyes to see an unfamiliar face above me. It's clearly a Castor, with its near, but wrong, human-like features. His long earlobes hang down across his cheeks, either side of a warm smile whose effect was spoilt by the sharp, pointy teeth behind his thin parted lips. His pastel blue skin colour was a relief against the garishness of the room, although his loose fitting robe matched the room decor nicely. 'Kofi Manu Albus, you need to try to wake up. How are you feeling?' he asked.
Why did Geraldine tell him my full name? I've tried to ignore the Manu in my name for a while now. I know I'm the second born in my family, but having it rubbed in my face in my name just makes me think of my older brother, and what happened with Colin. Focus Kofi, that's not important right now.
'A little sore, but I am alive. Thank you for looking after me. Yerawien Lothassi Kaori I assume?' I said.
He paused, and then smiled again. 'Close enough. Call me Kaori. May I call you Albus?' he said.
'I am called Kofi by my friends. Please call me that,' I replied.
'Kofi. Very well. You are safely in my home, Kofi. I managed to extract you from the drone, with help from a couple of my colleagues at the spaceport. I do not believe your arrival was spotted. I bought you back to my house to give you time to recover before explaining what is happening to me and my cadre members,' he said.
'Thank you, I really appreciate it. I must admit I've more injuries and bruises than I expected,' I said.
He looked sheepish. 'I have a confession to make,' he said ruefully.
'Yes?' I said.
'When we found you, the only real injury you had was your broken arm. Unfortunately, I, err, dropped you when I was carrying you up the stairs to this room. Please accept my apologies,' he said.
I laughed, and grimaced in pain. 'That's OK, I'm sure it was an accident. It appeals to my sense of humour. Or it would if it didn't hurt so much,' I said, smiling back to reassure him.
'I am very sorry. If it helps, I also fell over. Luckily I had you help break my fall,' he said, smiling self-deprecatingly. 'Can I get you something to eat and drink before we talk?'
I realised how hungry I was feeling. 'Yes please,' I said. 'That would be very considerate.'
'Give me a few minutes, my partner has been preparing something for our family, and she is making extra for you,' he said, and then turned and walked out the door. I heard his creaking footsteps recede down the stairway.
Gingerly I propped myself up while waiting for his return, and felt over my wounds. My ribs ached with the bruising, but I don't believe there was anything broken. It's going to hinder my mobility for a while though. All the way here, I've been debating exactly what to reveal about what is happening, and I keep blowing hot and cold over what to say. In the end I decided to meet Kaori first and then go with my gut feel. I think I'm going to go with full disclosure, but I need to ask him a couple of questions first.
After a few minutes, I could hear footsteps coming back up the stairs. I could tell there was more than just Kaori coming. The door opened, and four of them came in, all carrying dishes or drinks. Two of them looked a little younger at a guess.
'Kofi Manu Albus, please may I introduce you to my partner Yerawien Perradith Olamma, our son Yerawien Lothassi Kedieth and our daughter Yerawien Perradith Daotha,' Kaori said. Each nodded in turn.
'I am pleased meet you,' I said. I wish I'd thought to learn the formalities of greeting in this society properly. 'Please forgive me for intruding in your home. I truly appreciate the kindness you've all shown me.'
They all smiled, put their wares down on a small table against one wall, and filed out the room one-by-one. At least I wasn't going to be subjected to small talk it seemed.
'Let me help you up,' Kaori said, holding out a hand. It wasn't painless, but I made it. He handed me a dressing gown, which I put on and walked slowly across to the chair by the table and sat down. That hurt too.
'Please eat, I will stay with you so that we can talk,' he said.
'Thank you,' I said, and took a sip from the light yellow liquid in a large glass on the table. The flavour was unfamiliar, but not unpleasant. It was very refreshing. 'That's better,' I said. 'If you don't mind, could I ask you a few questions while I eat? I'll tell you everything about what is going on after that.' It looked it was all finger food, or could be eaten one handed with the spoon provided. That makes things a bit easier for me.
'Of course, what would you like to ask?' he said.
I chewed on the first mouthful of food, and swallowed quickly. I followed this with a large swig of the drink. That was spicy. I think I just ate the equivalent of a raw Pollux chili. My mouth was burning. I guess their flavours match their taste in colours.
'I'm sorry, was that unpleasant?' he asked.
'No, it's OK. It just took me by surprise. Luckily I like spicy food,' I said, wiping tears from my eyes. I will do this, I thought. I need to adapt if I'm going to be living here for a while. OK, let's get him talking while I eat.
'I believe you cannot access the Stream, what we call Dry on Earth?' I said. 'Is that true for the rest of your family?'
I started eating as he talked. The second mouthful wasn't so bad. I think my taste buds have been burnt away.
'Yes, we use the same terminology here. Yes, I am Dry, however that is not true of my family. Olamma is a Shallow, and our children are more deeply immersed. I am very fortunate in h
aving such a loving and understanding partner in Olamma. After our Flood, many partnerships were dissolved if there was a mix of Dry and Immersed in the family. She is very understanding, and has been my bridge into our Confluvium society. She is the only reason my presence is tolerated in many parts of society.'
I had my mouth full at the time, but I felt that statement deserved a response. I chewed quickly and swallowed.
'So are you saying there is there is ongoing prejudice against you now?' I asked. 'I understand that you were the representative of a group of Dry people, so presumably it's a common problem?'
'Yes, after the Flood, we Drys found ourselves gradually being shut out of society piece-by-piece. Firstly Drys were forbidden from qualifying for the world government, then the local government. After this, restrictions were put in place limiting our access to ongoing education. Our whole society was based around the benefits of continual education and personal growth, so this effectively made us social pariahs.'
I raised my eyebrows to try to indicate my shock while chewing on another mouthful. Luckily this time he continued.
