by James Walker
“But most spacers have a lot more experience moving in zero-g,” Vic said. “That's why Thera gets beaten sometimes. It's not like their victory is a foregone conclusion.”
“I guess,” Cena sighed. “I still think they should consolidate the colony divisions, though. We could field better teams if we weren't so fragmented.”
“I suppose,” Vic said. Then he lowered his voice and added, “But I think the bigger problem is that they're showing crap like this when, for all intents and purposes, Chalice has fallen to the rebellion. Not a word of it from a single network. I mean, I know there are media blackouts, but this is ridiculous.”
“Yeah,” Cena said, lowering her voice to match Vic's, “but this probably isn't the best place to talk about it.”
“Point taken.” Vic switched his virtual concert on and turned back to the window.
*
Vic and Cena got off at Station 14 and walked the few remaining blocks to the worker's dormitory. It had taken a while before Vic could make the walk without his heart racing and his head pounding. The first time, horrifying memories of blaring emergency announcements and battle drones cutting down crowds of fleeing civilians had nearly given him a panic attack. He had half-expected history to repeat itself, with Theran and rebel forces fighting inside DEEN, turning the artificial paradise into a battlefield. But it hadn't happened. Now, he could make the journey from the station to the dorms without breaking out in a cold sweat.
Once they reached the dorm, Vic and Cena waved goodbye and went their separate ways. As he headed for the stairs, Vic saw Tinubu come around the corner. In contrast to Vic's casual wear, Tinubu was dressed in a formal suit and tie.
“Hey there, Captain,” Vic greeted his friend.
“Hi, Vic,” Tinubu replied. “You look bushed.”
“Long day in zero-g,” Vic replied. “Must be nice having a cushy job in the administrative district. Work is easier, and you get paid more than me and Cena combined.”
“Hey, if you think my work is easy, I'll trade you jobs for a day sometime,” Tinubu said, smiling. “Seriously though, being a former military officer has its perks. You learn a lot about leadership and administration as a unit commander. Even if that's not exactly what it says on my resume.”
“By the way, how's Major Cutter holding up?” Vic asked. “I haven't seen him for a few days.”
“He's out on some long-range cargo haul,” Tinubu said. “I think he's scheduled to get back the day after tomorrow.”
Pierson, apparently being proficient in operating every kind of vehicle invented by man, had landed a job as a cargo ship helmsman. He seemed to be having trouble adjusting to their new lives as ordinary civilians employed on a Union-controlled station. Every time Vic saw him, he seemed restless and impatient with their lack of progress unlocking the mysteries of the Xenowave. Of all Vic's comrades, he was the most passionate about communicating with it, second only to Vic himself.
“Well, I hope he doesn't go crazy out there,” Vic said. “Anyway, I'm pretty hungry, so I'm gonna go get some dinner. I'll catch you later, Captain.”
“Sure thing, Vic,” Tinubu said. “Enjoy your meal.”
Rather than returning to his own dorm, Vic headed for the one shared by Esther, Celeste, and Astral. It had become a ritual for him to eat dinner with the three of them. Celeste was still recuperating, and thus unemployed. She relied on Esther to take care of her, a task that the latter did not begrudge her.
By contrast, Esther and Astral, as life support system designers, had by far the most sophisticated and prestigious jobs of the escapees. With Esther's brilliant mind and decades of scientific experience, she fulfilled her role masterfully. At first, Vic had questioned the wisdom of forcing Astral into such a difficult profession, but her artificially enhanced mind functioned so effectively that she was rapidly becoming as proficient as Esther at her job.
With the copious pay that the two of them made, they had rented the most luxurious suite in the dormitory. Esther had designated one room as a laboratory and had purchased extensive equipment for it. The first purpose of the lab was to produce more nutrient solution for Celeste. The second was to help Astral study the Xenowave that she had been created to channel. So far, the endeavor had proven fruitless, but Vic remained hopeful of a breakthrough.
Vic reached the door to the women's suite and knocked. After a few moments, Celeste answered the door, dressed in a loose-fitting sweater and long skirt, her hair tied in a thick braid that lay across her shoulder. From her appearance, Vic never would have guessed that, not long ago, she had been among the Theran Union's most ruthless and elite soldiers. That is, if not for the burn scar that covered half her face and her difficulty moving the left side of her body.
Celeste smiled and invited Vic inside. The furnishings inside the suite were simple, accented with a handful of tasteful, feminine decorations. Celeste led Vic into the kitchen, where Esther was cooking. Vic was impressed with how, despite the ready availability of automated servants, Esther always took the trouble to cook her meals by hand. He thought that the results tasted better, too.
“Smells delicious,” he said. “What are you making?”
“Pesto pomodoro chicken and a side of vegetable medley with honey mustard sauce,” Esther replied.
“Sounds great. Need any help?”
“I've got it; thanks, though.”
Vic looked around and spotted a book lying on an end table. Books were rare enough to begin with, but this one looked especially old, with a worn leather cover and the embossed title, Miscreants of the Mystery Academy.
“What's that?” he asked.
Celeste came over and picked up the book. “My latest reading material,” she explained. “It's old Theran literature from the pre-space colonization days. Esther found a copy and picked it up for me.”
“I'm not sure how that one made it past the culture censors,” Esther said. “They normally don't like literature that predates the Theran Union floating around. Too many opportunities for people to pick up on old ideas and customs that they would rather keep suppressed.”
Celeste said, “It's a pretty silly story. Maybe that's why it got through. I guess the censors don't mind encouraging escapism.” She held the book out to Vic. “Want to take a look?”
Vic accepted the book and flipped randomly through a few pages. It seemed like some kind of light-hearted fantasy story, similar to any number of popular cybersphere games.
“Seems interesting.” He handed the book back. “Maybe you can lend it to me after you've finished it.” He looked around and asked, “By the way, where's Astral?”
“She went for a walk in the park out back,” Esther said. “Could I trouble you to go find her and tell her dinner's almost ready? I'm busy here and Celeste can't get around very quickly.”
“No problem.” Vic headed for the door. “I'll be right back.”
*
Outside, the artificial sun that kept DEEN illuminated was being dimmed to simulate deepening evening. Vic headed around behind the dormitory and entered the park. The park consisted of trails that wound through groves of trees, between hills covered with well-manicured grass, and across wooden foot bridges that spanned a stream that trickled and bubbled its way through the park. A playground stood at one end of the park, and on the opposite side were several hologram tables where people could play games of cell.
Vic walked around the circumference of the park in search of Astral. Finding no trace of her, he altered course and made his way inward. As he followed the winding path through the trees, he called out, using her assumed name, “Alice? Are you there?” He heard no response.
Finally, he reached the clearing in the center of the park, which contained a large pond filled with colorful fish. The bottom of the pond connected to many layers of transparent material that provided a view of space. By looking into the pond, one could see an ocean of stars tinted blue by the placid waters, with fish darting back and forth between the constell
ations. At certain times of day, the silvery marble of Scepter or the gigantic orb of Saris could also be seen through the water, creating an even stranger visual effect.
Vic found Astral standing next to the pond. She was wearing a simple white dress and a shawl to conceal the holographic projector that hid her third eye from sight. She was staring wistfully into the water, oblivious to her surroundings.
“Hey there,” Vic said, striding up next to Astral and looking into the water with her. “Esther says dinner is almost ready.”
“OK,” Astral replied. “I'll come home soon.”
“You seem like you're thinking hard,” Vic observed. “What's up? Anything you'd like to share?”
Astral looked up at Vic. “Esther wanted to surprise you at dinner, but... It's hard to wait. Would it be OK if I told you first?”
“It's all right,” Vic smiled. “I can pretend to be surprised.”
Astral nodded. “Well, you know how we haven't made much progress trying to communicate with the Xenowave? The Voice hasn't spoken through me since that time in the briefing room, before the battle to defeat Falsrain. I can only hear its whispers, so Esther has been trying to use brain scans to record its messages. Even after recording hours worth of data, its messages are almost impossible to understand. I've been studying a lot of math and cryptography and linguistics so I can help Esther try to decipher it. It's really hard, because the data isn't even in a consistent format. I don't think human assumptions about communication, that it needs a firm structure and patterns, apply to the Xenowave.”
As Astral spoke, the face of Saris slowly drifted into view beneath the water. Vic's eyes were inexorably drawn to it. The planet's swirling twin eyes had rotated onto its near side, piercing the station with their unfathomable gaze. Once again, Vic was struck by the feeling of peering into the surface of a foreign consciousness. He still did not know what he sensed in his brief contact with that consciousness. Curiosity? Anger? Hatred? Or, most frightening of all—emptiness?
“So, we finally had a breakthrough before work this morning,” Astral went on. “We think we actually managed to translate a tiny part of the data.”
“Really?” That piqued Vic's interest. He tore his gaze away from Saris and looked into Astral's glowing expression. “What did it say?”
“Just three words.” Astral looked up at Vic, and within her eyes he saw traces of the same unfathomable depths that he saw every time he looked into the Eyes of Saris.
She said, “Are you there?”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Walker is a freelance artist and writer of fiction and nonfiction. His scholarly articles have been published at numerous conferences and journals such as the ACM Transactions on Applied Perception, IEEE PacificVis, and HCI International. He has also written several novels, most recently Messenger. His current projects include virtual reality research in pursuit of his Ph.D in computer science as well as additional works in the world of Messenger.
To connect with James and stay informed of upcoming novels and other creative works, you are cordially invited to visit the Walker Portal at walkerportal.com.
