by Lisa Eskra
"Is it true that you dated her for a while?" Sibo prodded.
"After my wife died, the two of us went out a few times together. But both of us realized we'd never be anything more to each other than friends." Rashad could still recall their date on DeSoto vividly. Two years ago, they'd gone diving off the San Calisa Reef, but the trip had to be cut short because a tigira jellyfish stung his foot. It swelled up like a balloon, and he couldn't walk on it for a week. Carmen brought him back a shirt that said "I Surivived San Calisa Reef." She really was irreplaceable.
Dammit, how could I have left her on Xur? He berated himself for the umpteenth time. He closed his eyes for a few moments to regain composure.
None of them had any faith in the AC to secure the safe release of the hostages. If negotiations were being conducted behind the scenes, Rashad would have heard something. But orders fleet-wide had been minimal. Ships had been paired off and ordered to patrol blocks of AC territory.
The Kearsarge and the Givenchy patrolled between Station Delta Four and Station Epsilon One. Both were deep in space, past Epsilon Indi and Meru near Zion. The Eden colony on Zion didn't allow contact with outsiders, yet from time to time the AC would ferry supplies and other aid. Because they shunned space travel and were on the far side of Astra from the PAU, the surrounding space concealed secret bases and supply depots for the Allied Fleet.
Rashad didn't know what the government's intentions were when it came to the Xuranians. The public had been kept in the dark, even with ANN asking politicians tough questions and investigating on its own. According to Admiral McKirin, the fleet patrolled as a precaution, nothing more. The attack happened fifteen days ago. Humans should've had some idea whether or not the Xuranians planned to retaliate by now.
Suddenly, the lights in the lounge dimmed. Above the door, a red neon bar began flashing. The captain's heart jumped while the crewmen evacuated the room, and he headed to the control room with Sibo. After seeing first-hand the vessels the Xuranians had at their disposal, the panic spared no one.
Sibo secured one of the blast doors leading to the forward compartment after Rashad passed through it. In less than thirty seconds, he entered the control room. Its soft red glow made it feel like a darkroom.
His eyes landed on Lieutenant Washington. "Report."
The dark officer turned toward him. "One Xuranian warship and at least a dozen of their fighter ships just entered the Zion system bound for Eden."
The hair stood up on the back of his neck. "What is the location of the Givenchy?"
Washington darted over to his station. "They had been refueling at Station Delta Four. Just leaving now."
Rashad caught Ensign Vandenburg's arm as he passed. "Contact the Givenchy and let them know the situation."
"Aye, sir," he said.
"What in the hell do they want with Zion?" Rashad wondered. The Xuranians had to know they were an independent colony and certainly played no part in the terrorist activities they'd been victim to. Perhaps it didn't matter to them.
Eden was the third planet from Zion and the home to a benevolent colony of Christians. After the Exodus, they turned their backs on technology and returned to a simpler way of living. They had no means to defend themselves in the event of an attack of this magnitude.
"Transmission coming in from Eden," Vandenburg said. "It's Speaker-of-the-Court Theresita."
Rashad marched over to him. Theresita was the only person from Eden whom outsiders ever communicated with in order to limit contact with their people. For her to seek assistance this fast, something must be terribly wrong. "Put her through."
He tapped several keys on the console in front of him, and a patchy image of her appeared on the screen in front of them. "To any Allied Fleet ships in the area, the people of Eden request immediate assistance."
"Speaker Theresita, can you hear me? This is Commander Mundammi, captain of the Kearsarge. We monitored a number of vessels moving in your direction. Have they made contact?"
"Yes, they landed a few minutes ago," she explained. "Robots started herding people into their homes. Not all of us went peacefully. The creatures attacked us and dragged some bodies around as a warning to everyone else who might think of rebelling."
"Try to remain calm," the captain advised. "Do whatever they ask within reason. They have no reason to harm you. We'll try to figure out their motives for attacking Eden."
She snapped her head to the left and lowered her voice. "They're here…what do they want from us? What in God's name did you do to bring this wrath down upon us?"
Rashad didn't have time to be offended by her words. A pair of Aikona grabbed her and pulled her screaming away from her communication console. A Xuranian noticed the active display and approached it with caution. He scowled at the image of the AC captain, distorting the delicate scar patterns around his eyes. "This is Rhiel, High Commander of the battlecruiser Zen-Zavar. Identify yourself."
He fought back his trepidation and answered. "Commander Mundammi of the Kearsarge. Why have you invaded Zion?"
"I have claimed Delta and Gamma Pavonis in the name of Xur. Make no attempts to contact us further or you will be destroyed."
The screen went abruptly black. Rashad swallowed the hard knot of fear in his throat. The war had begun.
***
Aliane wiped her brow with the back of her hand while she stood in her kitchen grinding corn with an archaic-looking machine. Corn was a staple crop on Superbia and one of the few Earth plants that could survive the harsh conditions. She could've had lesser telepaths or slaves do the work for her, but she let no one else touch her food. If she did not know where something came from, she did not eat it. She'd been tricked in the past and vowed it would never happen again.
After their colony began, she'd created a strict code by which all psions lived. They did not eat meat, though they did utilize a wide range of animal products. The Zoleki's had broken that rule long ago when they seeded a frigid lake on the edge of the habitat zone, and it became a thriving ecosystem in its own right. She'd never stopped people from eating the fish, but she refused to.
She recalled Magnius confessing their sin to her when he was seven years old. He met her at the lake while his parents were asleep, sobbing because he didn't want them to get in any trouble. She'd held him in her arms for a long time, promising they wouldn't due to the fact he'd been so honest to her. The memory quickly overwhelmed her and she furrowed her brow in an attempt to suppress her tears.
To clear her mind she glanced back at the flickering news feed on the wall. She fixated on a breaking news story. The text under the news anchor read "PAU declares war on the AC."
"…early this morning, General Secretary Oleg Straikovsky was found murdered in his bedroom along with a second body burned beyond recognition. Fingerprint identification has revealed the unidentified male as James Wolfe, an American citizen with ties to the Centrist movement. Nothing more is known about the alleged assassin at this time, and a full investigation is ongoing. As of 0600 common time, Chen Jintao has succeeded Straikovsky as the new General Secretary. Shortly afterward, the PAU's defense council voted unanimously to declare war on the AC. It is unclear at this point how this will affect efforts to drive the Xuranians out of Zion and restore the peace…"
Aliane's heart swelled with pride at the anarchy she'd choreographed for Astra. She could hardly believe things were going right for a change. Valera had outdone herself.
Zingeri had returned from the stables not long ago and stood out on the patio taking in what remained of the hot afternoon. He called out to her with his mind, and she welcomed a short break from her time-consuming work before preparing supper. When she opened the patio door, a blast of dry, superheated air greeted her. Zingeri lied across from her in a hammock, his hairy chest roasting like a suckling pig across a bed of coals. A pair of black sunglasses hid his eyes, but when she approached him, she saw his lips curl into a wicked smile.
"Well, sweetheart, you did it. The Allied
Confederacy is on the defensive, about to be brought to their knees by the Xuranians. I doubt anyone else in the history of the human race could have done it better."
She stared up into the hazy crimson sky as she crossed her arms. Their sun felt hotter than normal on a planet whose weather rarely changed from day to day. Clouds circled Superbia south of the habitable zone, depositing a constant supply of fresh snow, which melted and filtered its way to the desert until every last drop had been used or evaporated. The weather at the colony site was virtually constant. At first she hated the certainty of it all. She'd never lived anywhere without a tapestry of seasons as volatile as she was, but she took comfort in having a world to call home without constant fear.
She shook her head. "It's still too early to get our hopes up. Nothing has really changed, has it…?" Zingeri was almost as predictable as the weather.
He took off his sunglasses and stared at her. She did her best to dodge his intrusive probing of her mind. Because his power almost matched hers, her best efforts were in vain. "I thought that's what you needed to make you happy. But all you've been thinking about is Magnius and his refusal to come home when you should be celebrating. We lost him a long time ago. It doesn't matter whose fault it was. He's not a kid anymore. I doubt we would've even recognized him if he walked past on a crowded street before Kimber tipped us off."
It pained her to admit he was right because it meant acknowledging she'd failed Magnius as a mentor. She did her best to rationalize her feelings. "I don't need any potential threats running around out there. Dying is not on my agenda. There's still too much for me to do. Psions deserve a strong leader, and I'm the only original Earth survivor left."
"That's because you had Tiyuri kill the others."
"I offered every one of them my hand in friendship and they betrayed me. The Zoleki's were the worst about it. They came here and abused our hospitality for years. Their continued existence in Astra threatened me. They deserved every bit of what we did to them…of what I did to them." She ran her icy fingers through her hair, letting her hands warm on her scalp. "I've worked so hard to make us something we were never destined to be. We're better than that. Making this happen has always been my purpose in life."
"There was nothing specific in the prophecy that said anything about you dying."
"I could see it in Kara's eyes…I could feel it in her mind. There's no doubt about it, Z; she is sure I'm going to die."
"Who's to say what's for the greater good? Martyrs have had a powerful impact throughout the course of human history."
"This is about me, okay? I'm not going to sit back and do nothing when there are people who may be conspiring to end my life!"
"Then tell me where the hell they are so we can go kill them right now!" he yelled. "Oh, that's right…we have no fucking clue about who they might be."
"The horse."
"Coming from Kara that could mean anything. Remember a few years ago? 'When Azura is in retrograde, the great bull will discover the fire of the Gods.' The bull didn't reference a person. It was about the PAU unearthing electrum."
"She specifically told me to find the rabbit…that I wouldn't be able to kill the rabbit."
"Did you ever stop to think you wouldn't be able to kill it because it wasn't a person? Why are you letting her prophecy spin you up? We have no idea what it means." He put his sunglasses back on. "I wish you'd stop thinking about that damn prophecy. I'm tired of hearing it in my mind like a bad song your neighbor keeps playing to annoy you. Stop it before I have to slap some sense into you."
She knew he was joking but his words annoyed her nonetheless.
The sliding door opened behind her, and as she turned around, a young man bowed his head to her. "There's a transmission inside for you."
"Where is it from?" Aliane asked.
"Xur."
The word frightened her and left her wondering if her plan was about to backfire in her face. Just because they'd outsmarted the humans didn't mean the Xuranians were as dim-witted. She'd banked on the fact that they wouldn't care—that they'd be too infuriated to spend months pouring over evidence in a crime where the true perpetrators were already dead. Maybe their technology could detect mind-altering psionics. Had they found Valera's dirty mental fingerprints all over the body?
She tried to play it cool for the sake of her companions. "They've probably reconsidered our request for integration after all." But fear clouded her wishful thinking. In the back of her mind there was always the possibility the Xuranians would find out and come to Superbia looking for blood. They'd stop just long enough to nuke the planet from orbit, killing every last psion without bothering to look them in the eye.
When she turned to reenter the house, she heard one final tactless thought from Zingeri: <
She would've flown off the handle at him as she'd done so many times in the past, but she ignored him. Her mind raced with explanations and possible excuses to save all of them from certain death. Valera was of the PAU. She'd never lived here on Superbia. She'd carried out the acts of her own accord or at the request of their government, not Aliane. It was the only contingency she had for their continued survival. Hopefully, they'd be more open to reason than they appeared to be with the AC.
Before she knew it, she stood in front of the communication console in the house. Every fiber of her being wanted to run, but they didn't have the ships to evacuate the planet. And even if they did, there was no way they'd escape a foe like the Xuranians. So instead of doing what she desperately wanted, she forced herself to swallow her fear and answer the call.
She touched a few buttons on the display and responded. "Aliane of Superbia. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"
The Xuranian on the screen didn't look familiar. He had intricate pale markings on his face and long black tentacle-hair held back away from his face with a golden length of cloth. The orange gemstone hanging around his neck enchanted her. Havier had a similar facial tattoo pattern but was very tall and gaunt, and this Xuranian was stocky and muscular. "My name is Rhiel, High Commander of the Xuranian fleet. There is an urgent matter we need to discuss."
She wondered if that was code for prepare to die. "I wasn't aware your vessel had ventured to Abyssa."
"We have not left orbit of the star you call Zion," he informed her. "The humans here are…difficult. Confused. But soon all will be brought to order."
Was he being honest or speaking in riddles? She didn't know what to make of this alien race, and not being able to read their minds would leave her at a grave disadvantage against them. "What is this urgent matter you've contacted me about?"
"I have been recently informed by the royal family of your interest in being absorbed into the Xuranian society. While I am not in a position to grant such a request, I find your standing amongst the humans as something of an enigma. Are you not superior to them in every way?"
The direction of the conversation took her by surprise, albeit pleasantly so. "We are. A strong telepath can dominate the will of hundreds of humans. Our warriors can lay waste to an entire field of human soldiers. Unfortunately, there aren't many of us left. Many psions have been killed at the hands of the normals because they're afraid of us."
"If you are willing to abdicate your status as citizens of Astra, you would become strong candidates for inclusion into our society. We cannot wage a war so far from Xur without anywhere to base our operations. Your star is sufficient for our needs but far from ideal. Your…abilities…would serve us well. If you do not renounce citizenship, I cannot guarantee your safety."
Aliane furrowed her brow. "Have you spoken with the Pan-Asian Union yet?"
He blinked at her several times in uncertainty. "I understand there has been an…incident. Their ruler has died?"
"Murdered," she told him. "It's thought to have a connection with the attack that occurred on your world."
"Please, tell me more."
; "I personally know very little. It's suspected that the assassin acted at the behest of the Allied Confederacy. That he was a spy and that both of the attacks were planned. The new General Secretary would have far more information on the current investigation than I know."
He mulled over the magnitude of what he'd learned for almost a minute. "I must speak to the Divine Chancellor regarding what you have said. He is presently in mourning so I do not know when I will contact you again, but rest assured. When I have more information, I will." The screen went suddenly black.
She sank into the chair beside her. Talking with Rhiel felt like running a mile holding a large brick of ice, and she didn't really know what to tell the others about the conversation. Right now, she was glad he was gone. For all she knew, they'd take the investigation into their own hands, and somehow all the evidence would come pointing back to her. But if she was lucky, the Xuranians would align themselves with the psions and the PAU. And for the first time in her life, Aliane would truly be happy.
When the monitor began to flash from an incoming transmission, she jumped and caught her breath. Once she read the text, she breathed a sigh of relief. It had originated from Northampton under Tiyuri's fake implant ID name. With any luck he'd be reporting back of his success.
She activated her console and was greeted by a shadow against a dark wall. She'd gotten used to his covert method of operation over the years and rather enjoyed her messages from the invisible man. "Do you have good news?" she asked.
"I've located our man. He's receiving help from the second lady. Tonight, I will have tea at the Estate and gather additional information."
She couldn't fathom why Nadine Taylor would help him, but based on the video of the incident from Xur, she should've expected as much. "Do not sleep with her." That was their code phrase whenever they alluded to killing someone. Filters routinely scanned transmissions for incriminating words so criminals found interesting means of foiling them. Tiyuri could not afford a scuffle with Nadine; better to avoid her by laying low.
