by Jerry Aubin
Zax froze. Imair appraised him with a sly smile. Bailee burst out laughing and kept it up for a few secs before he caught his breath and spoke.
“I can’t wait to hear what this craziness is all about.”
11
It’s all true.
Kalare’s chest tightened as if squeezed by a giant vise. She tried to keep an open mind as Zax relayed his tale to Imair, but it was hard to fight off her skepticism. The idea that Adan, the genius who conceived of the Ship and its amazing technology, had nuked the Earth and obliterated all of its life made zero sense. It was even more implausible given how she had witnessed the current state of the planet with her own eyes. Earth was a paradise that teemed with a bounty of flora and fauna in a way that would be impossible had it ever absorbed the torrent of nuclear firepower Zax described.
Even if you believed the Earth had somehow recovered from nuclear annihilation, what came next in Zax’s story was even crazier. Why would someone capable of inventing FTL technology and artificial gravity become a cold-blooded mass murderer? Even if you accepted that someone might try to engineer human society in the fashion Zax ascribed to Adan, it was impossible to believe the man had killed so many in service to that vision. Such genocidal capacity could never coexist with such brilliance.
As Zax concluded with his retelling of how Alpha and the Boss had manipulated the prior captain into choosing her successor, Kalare finally identified the most fatal flaw in her friend’s story. There was no way the Boss would ever have murdered in cold blood simply because he had been ordered to by the Ship’s AI. If the proof the Boss had conspired with Alpha was that he had killed on the AI’s behalf, then the entire story had to be false. She had worked closely with the man for half of her life, and she refused to believe she was so wildly off in her judgment of his character. Zax finally paused and Kalare laughed in disbelief.
“Zax—you’ve somehow managed to concoct a story here even more far-fetched than all the rest. It’s bad enough that I’ve listened to your conspiracy theories about the Boss all these years, but now to think that you actually believe you have proof of anything like you describe is crazy. If I had access to my Plug, I would show you images of Earth from right at this very moment. I understand something like 25,000 years has passed down there since the Ship left, but that’s still nowhere near enough time for the planet to recover.”
Aleron jumped in when Kalare paused for a breath. “What do you mean, 25,000 years? The Ship’s only been traveling for 5,000 years.”
Kalare sighed in frustration as she was in no mood to deliver a remedial primer on relativity. “Time Dilation. More time elapsed on Earth than on the Ship whenever we moved slower than light speed. Surely they covered this in Engineering school.”
She hadn’t intended to upset Aleron, but something about Kalare’s tone or words must have landed poorly because his eyes narrowed in reaction. She pushed any worries about him aside to conclude her dismantling of Zax’s story.
“Whether it’s been 5,000 or 25,000 years, it doesn’t matter because neither timeline is sufficient for the planet to have been regenerated after the type of destruction you describe. That simple fact alone invalidates what should otherwise be the most believable part of your story. To then have you ask us to accept that the Boss would kill multiple people to curry favor with Alpha is absurd. If your story starts and ends with such easily disputed craziness, why should we believe that any other part of it is true?”
Mase spoke quietly from the other side of the table. “I was with him. It all happened just like Zax said.”
“You think I’m about to believe you? You’re the only one around who might be even crazier than Zax.” Kalare started to laugh once more only to stop when Imair raised her hand.
“It’s all absolutely accurate, Kalare.”
“What? How do you expect me to believe that? I’m sorry, ma’am, but how would you even know anything about this? I developed a lot of respect for you after witnessing your partnership with the Boss develop, but there’s a limit to how much I’m willing to believe on that basis alone.”
“I’m certain it’s true because the Boss sat in the very same seat you’re in right now and shared all the pieces of Zax’s story with me himself. Plus, an awful lot more.”
Imair’s revelation rendered Kalare speechless. She turned to Major Eryn for support, but the Omega only stared back with a neutral expression. Zax spoke again and it was his turn to sound surprised.
“Wait—he’s admitted all of this stuff to you? Including the killings? Why are you still willing to work with him then?”
“You have to get past all of the negatives to take in the big picture, Zax. The Boss has devoted his life to ridding the Ship of the pure evil that has controlled it for thousands of years. It’s an impossible task that has repeatedly forced him to make unthinkable choices, and yet he has continued to risk his life every day in a desperate effort to succeed. He hasn’t done that for himself, he’s done it for all of us.” Imair paused for a deep breath. “As for my feelings about the killings, you of all people should appreciate how I might accept the tradeoff that a few people must die along the path to a substantially better outcome for society as a whole.”
Kalare had recovered just enough from the initial shock that she managed to find her voice again.
“Are you really saying the Boss knows the Ship’s history is like Zax just described? And that he’s killed people to improve his standing with this horrible AI and advance his career?”
Imair’s voice was unwavering as she responded.
“Yes, Kalare. It’s all true.”
It was a good thing they were sitting down because Kalare’s legs had turned to jelly. She became unmoored as she lost awareness of her feet being connected to the deck and her body resting in the chair. Her breaths shallowed while her mind churned as it attempted to process what all of the new information meant. Everything she had believed for her entire adult life was built on fiction. The faith she had put into the Boss and her willingness to stand by his side rested on a foundation of lies. She had deeply respected the man and had long been honored that he bestowed her with his trust and guidance. Her admiration had always been misplaced.
Kalare turned to Zax. He had earned the right to gloat after suffering through her years of disbelief, but there was not a trace of that in her friend’s expression. Instead, his eyes were filled with compassion for the shock she knew must be clear upon her face.
A hand covered hers as it rested on the table. Aleron was trying to comfort her. Kalare appreciated his sentiment, but nonetheless the expression of support rubbed her the wrong way. She yanked her hand away as she stared down at the table rather than meet his gaze. The silence, extraordinarily uncomfortable, persisted until Imair broke it.
“There’s something critical that none of you have heard yet.”
12
I have more evidence.
It was obvious to Zax that Kalare was shaken by Imair’s confirmation of what she had refused to believe for so many years. He was sad enough for his friend that he didn’t experience even a twinge of jealousy when Aleron placed his hand atop hers. Kalare brushing away the man’s attempt at comfort without so much as looking at him upset Zax, and he wracked his brain for something to say that might take the sting out of all the revelations. Imair spoke before he could.
“There’s something critical that none of you are aware of yet. Alpha isn’t the only human consciousness operating within the Ship’s AI systems. There’s another that I’ve never communicated with directly, but the Boss has. He doesn’t know where it came from or how it has kept itself hidden, but it has been working for thousands of years to defeat Alpha without destroying the Ship in the process.”
Zax failed to contain his shock at Imair’s pronouncement. Mase’s eyes had similarly gone wide. The second consciousness Imair described was surely the source of the strange system errors his friend had discovered. Zax was about to make the observation to Mas
e directly when Sergeant Bailee spoke.
“Do you really expect us to believe not only that the Ship’s AI is the remnant of some evil genius, but that there’s also another consciousness in there trying to benevolently protect us?”
Imair smiled in response to the Marine’s blunt assessment. “I won’t be so bold as to tell you what to believe, Sergeant. I’m only relaying the information as it has been provided to me by the Boss. I expect you will be with him again soon and can quiz him about it directly, so I’d ask you to ponder why I’d be motivated to lie about any of it in the meantime. He only just shared all of this information with me over the last few weeks, so I understand your incredulity having so recently lived that experience myself.”
Zax spoke up. “Mase has information which may provide independent confirmation of what Imair is saying, but I’d like to hear the rest of her story before asking him to share it.”
Bailee nodded. Mase surprised Zax and rose out of his seat in response. The man walked over to one of the overflowing waste bins and began rooting around through the refuse. It was a strange action given the situation, but Zax knew better than to try to get inside his friend’s head. Imair continued.
“Here’s what the Boss told me as best as I remember it. When he was a cadet, he had serious issues with what he perceived to be the stupidity and rigidity of the Crew. It caused a lot of conflict for him and threatened to derail his career. He met an older Omega who he then spent a lot of time with. She wasn’t his official mentor, but she nonetheless provided guidance across many years. She never tried to dispel his negative feelings since she shared them, but she did help him channel his energy and desire for change in a more positive fashion that fueled his rapid rise. It was only much later that he understood how she had been testing and grooming him all along.
“She eventually revealed that she was part of a small, secret society that understood the true history of the Ship and how Alpha was manipulating the Crew’s actions. For security reasons, the members of this society never knew any of the others’ identities except whoever had recruited them along with the one person they each personally recruited. Their only other point of contact was a second consciousness that operated within the Ship’s AI. This consciousness referred to itself as Prime, and it only communicated with the society’s members sporadically. Kalare—if you haven’t figured it out already, the Boss had planned for you to eventually be his recruit for the society.”
Zax had already guessed at the Boss’s intentions, but Kalare must not have as her eyes went wide at Imair’s words. The civilian continued.
“When the Boss first met Prime, he was shown a future scenario that showed him contributing to the cause by racing through the ranks and eventually becoming Flight Boss. Prime made it clear how its predictions were not guarantees, only possible outcomes. It explained to the Boss that he would only contribute to Alpha’s downfall if he became an effective double agent. He needed to grab Alpha’s attention and make the AI believe the Boss was under its direct manipulation and would always do its bidding. If he succeeded, the Boss would get into a position of power where he could ultimately work to bring down Alpha and free the Ship from its influence. He was forced into some disturbing tasks along the way, but he always acted with the absolute belief that he was doing the right thing to serve the Crew and protect us all.”
Imair paused to let everything sink in. Mase finally stopped pawing through the trash and returned to the table with what appeared to be a nutripellet in his hand. Zax wanted to ask Imair a million different questions, but couldn’t choose which to pose first. Major Eryn broke the silence.
“If Prime wants to get rid of Alpha so badly, why hasn’t it just done the job itself? Why has this been going on for thousands of years?”
“I wish I had all of the details, Major, but I don’t. The Boss didn’t have time to tell me everything, and I’m also guessing he doesn’t even know the full story. He did make it abundantly clear, however, that Alpha is wildly powerful while Prime is far less so. That is why Prime has enlisted so few members of the Crew over the generations. It believed it would only succeed with a secret, guerrilla action against the main AI rather than a direct attack. Prime was convinced that if the Crew launched an open revolt against Alpha, it would end poorly for humanity. It’s not that Alpha can easily kill us all because thankfully Prime has managed to keep the AI’s direct power reasonably limited through the years. Alpha has instead manipulated the fabric of Crew society to best serve its interests. Because the AI controls the genetic makeup of the Crew, it has bred generation after generation of people willing to submit to absolute authoritarian control. Alpha would never need to kill on its own any Crew who threatened its power, because it would simply turn the strict control structures of our society against any rebels and they would be extinguished.”
Eryn nodded in agreement and Imair continued.
“Prime concluded a major shock to the Ship’s society might allow a small group to effect the type of change required to wrest control from Alpha. When the Ship first encountered the Others, Prime understood the opportunity and worked with the Boss and others to engineer a scenario where it might happen. It has proven to be a very risky proposition, however, as Alpha also appears to be using the arrival of the Others to advance its own goals. It was Alpha who engineered my removal in order to expand the divide between the Crew and the civilians that I was fighting to narrow. Prime doesn’t know Alpha’s end game, but the most likely scenarios lead to very bad outcomes for humanity. This is especially true as long as Rege is in command. I know what that man is capable of and how susceptible he is to manipulation. My biggest regret is that I ever allowed him to gain a foothold within the civilian leadership.”
Kalare had been listening and she finally spoke. “Wait—are you saying that Prime wanted us to get captured by the Others?”
Imair smiled. “Of course not. Neither Prime nor Alpha believed there was a meaningful chance the Others would defeat us as thoroughly as they have. We’ve been well and truly played by whoever controls the ants and those motherships. We always understood Earth might be a trap, but no one expected that it would have been executed as effectively as it was.”
Kalare was silent for a few secs until she spoke again.
“I want to believe you, Imair. I do. But please put yourself in my position. You want me to accept that the man I have trusted for years has been a double-agent for most of his life. His most heinous acts are only to prove to Alpha that he’s really under the AI’s control, while he’s simultaneously working with this other secret consciousness in a plot to upend five thousand years of Crew society. All in an effort to protect that very same society. How am I supposed to believe all of that?”
“I have more evidence,” chimed in Mase as he unwrapped the nutripellet he had pulled from the trash.
13
Now what?
Zax smiled when Mase finished opening the wrapper. It wasn’t a nutripellet but instead the chewed remnant of a cigar, and Zax was certain he understood what his friend intended to do with it. Mase addressed Imair.
“I need a medkit. Is there one around?”
Imair cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow at the strange request, but replied nonetheless.
“Yes, there’s one out in the main compartment.”
Mase turned to Zax. “Tell them what I’m doing and why.”
Without another word, Mase rose and walked out of the conference room. All eyes turned back to Zax, and he walked through the details of how Mase had broken into the AI systems and discovered the log files that revealed everything about Alpha and the Boss. Kalare interrupted.
“Wait—might the files be counterfeits left there to spread disinformation?”
Zax was ready to answer, but Imair jumped in.
“Listen to yourself, Kalare, still desperate to not believe anything that might somehow diminish your mentor. Didn’t you hear a word I said? The Boss gave me the same information tha
t Zax discovered. If everything Zax and Mase found is bogus, then that means the Boss also lied to me about all of it. I suppose there might be some reason for him to pass along lies about Earth’s history, but why would he make himself and his career look bad to me unless it was all true?”
Kalare lowered her eyes to the table. Zax wanted to comfort his friend as she fought to process such a radical shift in her worldview, but feared he was powerless to do so. The only thing to do was continue charging ahead.
“The Genetics AI is another system Mase has broken into. He discovered that its output has been tampered with for thousands of years. The Genetics AI specifies DNA for new Crew, but there’s no systematic verification of adherence to specification after birth because there’s never been any reason to believe the final outcome would deviate. Mase discovered that it has. There’s consistently a divergence from the DNA specified by the AI in one in a thousand Crew births, and the genes that have been tampered with are those that translate into increased creativity and intelligence.”
Imair smiled. “Someone’s trying to breed a population of people who will be predisposed to push back against the strict control of Crew life. It must be Prime! It then identifies the best of those Crew as recruiting targets for the secret group that has been working to overthrow Alpha.”
Sergeant Bailee grunted. “If this second consciousness is capable of mucking about with the Genetics AI, and if making people more creative and intelligent will somehow make them want to fight back against Alpha, why doesn’t Prime just tamper with one hundred percent of new Crew?”
Aleron answered. “Because we would crush them. Think about it, Sergeant. How would the Omegas react if a whole group of cadets started behaving outside of expected norms? Everyone tolerates a few oddballs within each cadre, but most of them don’t last long enough to complete the cadet program before they do something stupid that gets them killed or Culled. If a large number of cadets started acting weird, the Omegas wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of them all. They’d probably also launch a full-scale investigation and the DNA discrepancies would get discovered.”
