by Selina Brown
Vin’s Ranger
After she finally woke in her cabin, Jamie left her in the good hands of non-Vakar Ziana, who had cried upon receiving her back. Before he left, Ara had gripped his arm. “I’m too tired to use proper ArT.”
“Okay.”
A. Don’t run off just yet, you saved me
G. I think you saved us
A frown creased her forehead. “Huh?”
He frowned now. “Tell me what you are talking about.”
“You saved me from making a complete fool of myself on the Planet of Law.”
A. I think I’ll correct a mistake
He didn’t ask but he felt it.
Ara started crying.
A. Dropping my Inner Guardian brought the Natal
G. I think you are right but it was—
A. Whose idea?
He stared into her blue eyes. “Aven’s.”
“She hates me.”
A. We need to talk
G. It will have to wait
Jamie leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips, but she reached up, pulling him down for a deeper kiss. As he lifted his head, their eyes locked for a moment and trust filled Jamie’s heart. He would wait before making any decision until Ara and he spoke. The kiss surprised him and he couldn’t seem to get it out of his head. He kept touching his lips, not understanding why it bothered him.
Later, visiting the bridge, Jamie stored the kiss in a secure place in his mind, and saw fear in both Vin and Zarti’s eyes. Whatever happened, they knew about the event. He reported to Simon on the war-ranger, relieved it wasn’t the kiss they’d picked up on. Simon had put Jamie’s small ranger in his hold. Aven was being inducted by Diane.
“Ziana’s been included in some things. Now more than ever we must watch. Ara doesn’t remember anything?”
“No.” Jamie pulled himself up from slouching. “But I will watch her and report anything unusual.”
“So, you don’t mind babysitting now?”
“No. I never did. But she is the best baby ever.” Jamie loved her with all his heart.
Simon smiled as Jamie turned and left. He felt a pulse of energy.
A. Get some rest
G. Am I to assume you’ll be in contact more often now?
A. Hmmm, maybe. What’s going on?
G. That will have to wait
He “felt” her grumble.
Ara cried after Jamie left. It felt as if half of her was missing. And now she had a great burden of the Genocide Vote. Her new friends helped her carry that burden to her home at least. And now she carried the humiliation of striking Korbet who had been helping her. Ziana, already having made her decision to support her, made sure she had eaten, slept and functioned all the way home. Vin was the next to pledge his alliance, and then Zarti.
And they all told her the same thing. Maya had contacted them, downloaded a log to each of them separately.
Even if it wasn’t the subroutine, which she doubted, Maya intended to use Chaos against her in the end. Ara sat in the galley as they neared Perza and then Saratoga.
They received permission to land.
Iota
Station: Perza
Galactic System: Sarato (Spiral Galaxy)
Planetary System: Saratoga
“Your father approaches, Ara. We communicated that you were not well.”
Her father, an Aether, might not die. But what of Ashley, Henry, Gralten and their wives and children?
They might die if she failed.
Tara would mostly like die if she failed, Meg’s Aether makeup would be so diluted. Ara’s friends on Wilds, her teams, so many she knew and loved.
Ziana smiled then. “We are already working on your security. Your guard is heading it.” She supported Ara to the main hatch.
Ara stared out. “Thank you.”
It was raining and cold out, Dad was holding a rain deflector over his head. A cool breeze swept through the hatch.
“We will protect you, Ara.” She felt the cool lips on her forehead. “You were very brave.”
But as she ran into Dad’s arms she wept.
She didn’t know what was going on.
She did not feel brave at all.
Iota
Station: Kovac
Galactic System: The Eye
Planetary System: Wilds
Jamie returned to the Wilds camp and saw all his team, strained. “Come on, out. Get some rest. Ara’s back at home under militia guard. We’ve got some R&R.”
“You mean they’ve bumped us aside!”
Diane didn’t admonish Vicki, but put an arm around her. “It’s standard procedure.”
A few nodded and Jamie confirmed it. “SOPs say we step down but not all the way. The outer rim team is making sure the guards don’t fuck up any of our measures. We’re going to be grilled though, but we will be cleared.”
“Are you sure about that?” The nervous voice of Ken called out, the newest team member.
“Yes, I’m sure.” Jamie smiled, trying to appear relaxed. “Now go and get some rest while you can. We have to head back to Saratoga, leaving in five days.”
That seemed to reassure some of them.
Diane was the last to leave. “We good?”
“We will be. There’s nothing we could have done.”
She nodded, trusting him. “It helps that the Shads and Aryan authorities had problems too.”
He nodded. “I’ll need you to keep buffering and supporting the team.”
“I will. Get some rest too.” She laid a hand on his arm. “You look beat.”
“I haven’t slept, but I will.”
With a second look, Diane smiled and left.
Jamie went for a run that night in a storm along the coast; he threw up, and went for another run until his body simply collapsed onto the wet sand. He cried for those whose lives had been lost. He cried for his part in it clawing the wet sand with both hands. He decided to be strong to help his team, and then he would leave. Unlike his rape, and seeing Michael struggling against Leanne as she had tried to take off his clothes, Jamie had nothing to fight against with this mission. Too much was hidden in the system. But Ara would need him. He rolled on to his back and allowed the rain to wash the sand off his hot face. Ara didn’t need him. He wasn’t indispensable. Simon would find someone else.
By morn, Jamie had showered but couldn’t sleep or eat so began to work on what they had to cover and set a day for the briefing before they landed back on Saratoga. At the briefing, they went over and over the security measures. He and Diane made it more of a rehearsal, grilling their people so they wouldn’t be so nervous. It was alright with the special operations crew, but the support staff were harassed with the pressure.
Iota
Station: Perza
Galactic System: Sarato (Spiral Galaxy)
Planetary System: Saratoga
After arriving on Saratoga, via public transport, they took a shuttle down to the surface. Jamie and Diane chatted in relaxed tones, laughing and teasing each other. The teams steadied and grew more confident, not hearing any recriminations on the Aryan Network. Jamie’s mind kept drifting to Ara and their kiss, and he considered how much to tell Simon. He decided to wait until after things calmed down. Ara may have been responding as some do after a scare, a desire to escape and feel something other than vulnerability. One morning, he woke up and realized why the kiss had bothered him so much. It was because it hadn’t bothered him. But he knew even the thought of kissing another woman made him feel vulnerable and angry. That she trusted him also made him want to live up to that trust.
For weeks after their arrival, questions were raised, investigations run, and the administration was lengthy. Queen Silvia dealt with most of it. Gradually, Jamie’s team was put back in charge. But only a few days after that the investigations were moot. So stunned, it was recognized that no one could have prevented the kidnapping. Whenever Jamie was on watch, Ara always managed to look in his direction. It was too dan
gerous for him to be on watch now and he knew she tried not to. He considered getting her trained, to learn how to hide, but he resented that too. Common sense prevailed and he made some calls.
Moments later, and both in shock, Jamie and Diane listened to the Aryan NewsCast. Diane’s face paled. “Do you think the Snakes are responsible for this?”
He rubbed his head, thinking of the repercussions. “We have to revisit all the safety protoc—” His Voice beeped. He thought it might have been Simon but it was Leo. Jamie walked out to the passage for some privacy. “Leo, how are you?”
There was silence and Jamie heard the sobs. Leo managed to ask, “What’s happening?”
“Listen to me; we’re going to be okay.”
“How do you know that?”
“I just do. Trust me?” Jamie wanted to tell him but Leo didn’t have clearance just yet. Simon was working on it though as Leo had a special set of skills that would help the mission and it would mean Jamie could have a more open life with his love.
“Alright. I want to see you.”
“With this going on I can’t get away.”
“I’ll come to you.” Leo’s voice became stronger. “I don’t want to get in your way.”
Jamie sighed. “Come as soon as you can. I love you.”
“I love you. Jamie, my sister committed suicide, just like that. As soon as she heard the news, she just walked out and killed herself.” Leo’s voice cracked. “Give me a moment.”
And it was going to get worse. “Get here as soon as you can.” Jamie leaned against the wall, shocked to the core. The only good that might come of it was that the Avatara would stop their push to become the Fifth Race. He groaned; what a stupid thought! There were more important things than that. He worried about Leo, and he worried about Ara. Whatever happened now, he had to help Ara. Now he had someone to live for, there was even more reason to fight on.
“Jamie,” Leo said, his voice a little stronger, “I was cleared to help with Ara’s case. I’m on a secured line.”
“Go on.”
“I’ve been going over all the data collected and I think you were right, it needed fresh eyes.”
Jamie heard some concern in Leo’s voice now. Had he missed something? “I’m listening.”
“Something you wrote in one of your reports under ‘Ruse of War’ resonated with me. I think the Snakes are applying military strategies and tactics to our girl. You’ve all been looking at their micro operations; I think those are the ruse. The macro operation is what we need to uncover. It’s highly unconventional but there is some precedence.” Leo took a deep breath. “Here on Sparta Prime we have records of where and when that happened. A General Marcus Aurelia wanted to defeat the Roma Caesars during the Ved’ra War. That triggered what they call the Convergence Protocols. Roma’s eight Caesars step down and a specially trained female Caesar takes their place, while the Eight become her administrators. It’s only happened twice in all Roma’s history. The female is usually highly trained in warfare and is somewhat uncompromising.”
Jamie frowned. Eight? Was that a coincidence with the Consociation of Eight. He shook his head to clear it. “All right, have you taken this to Simon?”
“No, I wanted to run it by you.”
“With what’s happened do you want me to carry it through to give you time for … funeral arrangements?”
There was relief in Leo’s voice as he said, “Yes please, and then I’ll come straight after.”
Sub-Log XXXV
With her family Ara found some solace.
Over the coming days, she became uncomfortably aware that her peers were being torn apart and they were trying to overturn the verdict. The Aryans would not announce their genocide, but simply eradicate without notice if they had the vote. Besides, she was under strict orders, like all Pure-Gens and their personal guards, that anyone leaking information without due cause would be executed. Because some of the case included the rebelliousness of the Inferors, and many Superors, she dared not incite more. Not yet anyway, not until she understood her people better. Until then, she had bought some time.
Her guard increased and security was tight.
To her dismay, she was refused entry to Delario’s grounds. It was all closed up! As she had travelled home from her kidnapping, Delario had ordered his entire household off Saratoga and met them at their planet of origin within Avalon Station, one of the largest stations in the Horizon. She jumped back into one of Caleb’s old vehicles that he’d left for her. Dad said it was just there one morning. There was nothing in the vehicle though.
She went to the cabin.
It was stripped.
She searched the rooms, banging things around, but nothing turned up. As she turned, something flashed. She stopped, walked to the bed and saw a bejeweled hand mirror, sitting face down. She picked it up and took it with her. Her heart pounded and she cursed herself for not checking how Delario had voted but it was obvious when only one queen was left on the planet and she invited Ara for dinner that very night. Was it to kill, persuade or encourage her to be strong?
Finally, with a heavy foot and step, she went to the spaceport to retrieve her belongings. She tucked the mirror in one of her bags. She’d find the owner later. As she walked past the plaque, she noticed something odd. There was braiding around the edge. And more in the message.
“Rise like a phoenix through the ashes.”
She gave a sob and put her hand on her mouth, feeling her bottom lip wobble as she fought for control. Caleb told her to be strong. One of the last instructions before they left the Planet of Law was that all First-Gens and Second-Gens would be told of the Genocide Vote because they were the only others included in the vote to live beyond genocide. It was cruel, beyond cruel. While she waited in her room to go to Silvia’s she received a message from Caleb
Ara wandered around the cabin feeling at odds with the world. There was a gentle breeze, warm still, and a fresh smell of cut grass in a field to the north. She heard a land vehicle approach and turned, holding her hand up to her eyes. The land vehicle was familiar. She watched as he parked and stepped out in dark pants and white shirt. His red hair was long and glorious in the dimming golden light.
“Caleb!”
She ran to him and he to her.
Clasping her tightly, he kissed her. “Ara, I’m so sorry.” He was pushing her into the cabin. “Baby, I need you to watch something. Your parents and family have seen it. I said I’d find you.”
“What?”
He pulled her with him and closed the door. He opened up their cabinet and pulled out a portable broadcasting unit but didn’t turn it on. “Wait.”
“What?”
He turned. “Everything will change after you see this.”
“Why?”
He turned to her and kissed her again and she responded to his lips and body. “You talk too much.”
She grinned against his lips.
A. Why me?
Smiling, he pulled off her top and distracted her. Whatever was the problem she wanted the distraction he offered. Afterwards, after a long cuddle, he encouraged her to dress and sat next to her, gripping her hand. He touched the panel until he found a newscast that was just starting.
“…update on the latest. Genocide was called for—”
Ara’s mouth dropped open.
“—but the truth is this entire region of space, the Lacuna, is just one of nine test sites controlled by Maya and the Natal. We are living in what’s known as Iota, which means we are the ninth site, and there’s a control site run by the Vakar but we aren’t allowed any information on the other sites. It’s just one reason why too much matter is an issue, we are like a balloon that’s building in a tight area. What we know is that this is the fourth genocide and last for Iota we are allowed before everything resets. James, what does that all mean?”
Ara suddenly wondered about the other Cardinal Units and Mayas, were they in the other test sites?
“…ll, Ingr
in, apparently it means that everything is wiped out somehow and we are remade to start again. They say it’s happened three times already, no wonder we don’t have detailed history. Now, the Genocide Vote didn’t go through and thank the Tagra for that, but, apparently, if it doesn’t go through, and matter is reduced, we will reset by default. So the question is should the Genocide Vote go through, or do we find another solution, or be reset? I know I do not like any of the options.”
“Neither do I, James. And the question remains is it true about any of it, or the reset? And we know that our minds, souls, and energy return to the Superlunary, Nexus, and Sawol, but is that still the case?”
Ara found herself rubbing at her left hand. It tingled slightly. Caleb noticed and held it.
“That’s just some of the questions we have no answers for but it would make more now, that is the case. The Artifacts are some kind of key to our test sites. We are trying to get the Planet of Law to respond but no answer yet, they had that major assembly so there may be some truth to the claim. But that’s not all, bring up the image, Harry.”
Behind the two reporters appeared a holo of a golden ocean with a rounded, flat, aqua-colored disk with a hole, inside was a mass of wheels turning in a way that left Ara thinking of the famous artist who specialized in optical illusions.
“Reminds me of Sir Pestina.”
Ara smiled at Caleb and squeezed his hand. “I was just thinking of that.”
“It’s a perpetual in motion, fluid-metal wheel labyrinth. It’s apparently keeping some entity locked inside.”
Ingrin stared at it for a moment, allowing her stress to be captured on camera. “Is that good or bad for us?”
“We are waiting on news. More pressing for us right now is the Matter | Antimatter issue and if this has anything to do with that object.”
