by Steven Oaks
“For right now I think we need to focus on maintaining a place for people to go. Then we can decide on how best to confront them. We have Athene on our side which gives us a bit of an advantage as they don't know she is helping anyone fight against them,” I said, trying not to reveal too much.
“And what can one ship do? And how is she standing in front of us as a human now?” he asked growing upset.
“Mr. Thompson was an Outsider with a body that was a biological machine constructed by the Outsiders. Athene was able to replicate that technology,” I said hesitantly.
I let the power of the Outsiders and their ships sink in. I could see his eyes grow wide as the implications swam in his mind. He stared up at the morning sky and breathed out heavily.
“I don't see us being able to do anything about them. They could easily have infiltrated our ranks, and we should suspect everyone. How do we know they are not aware of us already?” he asked.
“Had they known I don't think we would be having this conversation right now. Athene and I would've likely been killed immediately, and all of you on board would have been as easily eradicated. Also Athene is able to detect if a person is a fake human. They tend to have a much higher body temperature than a healthy person would. This is how we knew Mr. Thompson was one of theirs before we captured him. In interrogating him we found no hint of foreknowledge of our plans. While he was not given all the Outsiders information, what he did know suggests we are safe for now,” I said.
“Then if Athene can make more bodies like Mr. Thompson we could infiltrate them, right?” Jacob asked.
“I do not think that would work. I can already detect the differences, and I was never programed to do so. They likely have more advanced abilities to discern the differences between humans and constructs,” Athene piped in.
“Then what hope do we have?” Jacob said, once more succumbing to his apprehensions.
“We have a place to call a base now. It's away from the Outsiders view. Athene here will make sure the town runs as if it were being controlled by Mr. Thompson, and with only a little bit of luck it won't be discovered. We have a chance here, though it may seem slim now. But given some time we will be able to strike back,” I said.
“How?” Jacob said hopelessly.
“Jacob, the Outsider's ships have the ability to take energy and matter and reshape it into anything they have a pattern for. Think about that for a second. Athene is an Outsider ship, and one much like her already built this town,” I said, gesturing around behind me to show off the buildings that ringed the town center.
“Well I can suppose she could make more ships, but humans were never given the knowledge on how to propel the crafts faster than light,” he said only partially realizing Athene's potential.
“Humans may never have been given the technology, but Athene isn't human is she?” I stated.
He finally pulled his face away from his hands which were cradling it while he gently sobbed. “You mean we can have a fleet of ships at our disposal?” he said in surprise.
“Of course, though they would just be various kinds of duplicates of Athene. She would have to fly them all as we do not have the ability to do so ourselves,” I said.
“Weapons, we need weapons!” he exclaimed.
“Eventually yes, but I'm not sure what we will be able to make,” I said, glancing at Athene.
“There are ideas that come to mind, however they will not be of the conventional variety people are used to. The Outsider's ships are to varying degrees indestructible. Though you are unaware, there was a bomb that went off and destroyed many ships and part of the main Outsider vessel the first day they collected the dead,” Athene said, and waited for his response.
“There was an attack?” he said.
“Yes, and that is why there was a second round of recruitment as several people were killed and ships destroyed. They needed time to rebuild their fleet as many had been on board when the explosion happened. We barely made it away ourselves. Someone had planted a bomb, or series of bombs in the dead that were brought that day. The main Outsider craft was severely damaged as well, so it took even longer. They hid it from the populace, and I'm very surprised they did not eliminate everyone aware of its success,” I said.
“So they can be destroyed, we might be able to do something about them,” he said enthusiastically.
“Maybe, but we don't know very much about them. Say there's a fleet of ships they are hiding somewhere, and we attack them. What might happen then? Total all out war with something as powerful as them may wipe us all out,” I said, realizing that we were dealing with a race we knew nothing about. If you could even call them a race. We had no contact with anything other than simulated humanoids. Who knows what the Outsiders were really like.
“Then what are we going to do?” he asked once more with hope gone from his voice.
“We do what we must. We must free people from their grasp. There is risk of course, but all things worth doing have risk. We will stand up and fight them, and hope we won't be destroyed. We must become strong, so strong that nothing can stand against us. Our fleet must fill Earth's skies like the stars, and we must overwhelm them before they're able to announce their defeat to anyone else,” I said, realizing they came from elsewhere, and there may be even more of them we did not know about.
On that day I made a decision that would change the course of humanity. I was not a warrior, and I had always looked at wars as a poor way of solving issues. But there was no other choice. We were already at war with the Outsiders even if no battles had been fought. They had tricked our leaders, and our people into becoming livestock to their unknown ends. That I would not let pass.
Another cold wind blew from the west and caused all three of us to shiver. It was more than a breeze, it was the chill of knowing war had been declared.
Epilogue
“So that's what happened at the colony. All those poor people's minds destroyed. Then you were forced to restrain Stephen Thompson and make a copy of him. No one has heard about this here. Why have you kept it secret for this long?” the girl who called herself my granddaughter said.
“My dear I don't recall a reason. This story I'm telling you is the last thing I can recall clearly. Save your visit yesterday listening to its first part. How kind of you to sit with this old lady and listen to her ramble about things that must be from the distant past. I can't even imagine it being relevant today,” I said in a raspy voice. Talking for so long had made me hoarse, but I felt compelled to complete my story.
“Of course it's relevant. We are here today because of your actions. Who knows what the world would be like if you weren't successful,” she said encouragingly.
“I don't know how successful I was. Many things happened, and I'm unsure of what we did at the end. But it must have been something spectacular,” I said with grin.
“Then maybe if you continue your story you might recall what happened,” this girl said. It was hard for me to tell how old she was. Sometimes she sounded so mature, and other times excitable as a child.
I tried to think of what to tell next. However I was once more tired from today's long tale, and wanted only to rest.
“Can we wait until later? I find myself too tired to continue today,” I said.
“Of course Grandma. I'll come back tomorrow, but I can't wait to hear what you did,” she said excitedly.
“I'll be here. I don't think I'll be going anywhere anytime soon,” I said, trying to gauge my health, but once more finding I could feel no pain of age.
“Sleep well Grandma Michael,” she said, and she once more kissed my cheek.
I tried to curl up when I heard this girl leave, but found my sense of body was not there. I could feel the blanket touching my chin, but it did not seem I could move. I found it strange I had not thought of this, though it had been a long day.
“First my vision, and now my body. What has happened to me?” I thought.
But my desire to sleep
was too strong to fight, and soon my worries faded away as I found peace in unconsciousness.
Acknowledgments
Thank go out to Debra Woodings for editing and reading this book. She has been a rock for me, and without her abilities this book would have been less polished. I can only do so much, but she can make a sentence shine. I would also like to thank my two closest friends, Byron, and of course Michael. They have been like brothers to me. In times of trouble they have been there. Thank you to you both.
