Blackout

by Edward W. Robertson

  Sebastian translated this to Commander Toru. Toru replied curtly. Sebastian signed, "HE SAYS THAT YOU SPEAK TRULY. AND ALSO HE ASKS, IF THIS IS THE WAY, THEN WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PRACTICE IT?"

  "Well, that's the thing, isn't it? Sometimes, it seems like the Way means something different to everyone who follows it. The Farschool used it to say, 'Look, these people aren't helping life, they're killing it. So we'd better kill them and stay on as steward of the planet.' That's a mighty aggressive interpretation of the Way. One that most of us would abhor—or so I'd like to think.

  "But I don't think most Dovon think like the Farschool. Most of you—and myself—consider it a heinous crime to annihilate an intelligent species. Because that species, once it grew into itself, could have come to the Way—or something like it—and gone on to help more pieces of the universe find life, too."

  He paused to let Sebastian translate, but had to start signing again before his next thoughts could slip away. "But even if you take a hard line on the Way, the Farschool was just wrong, weren't they? Humanity built a world of metal and concrete because that's all we knew how to do. If the Farschool really cared, they should have shown us how to grow living cities. Or left us alone altogether. So what if we left our planet's rock as rock? Should the Dovon be punished for all the millions of uninhabited planets they aren't filling with life?"

  Ness had been pacing around the dank, box-filled room. He stopped to stare up at Commander Toru. "For my money, they can't have been following the Way. The Way I know would never sanction the annihilation of an intelligent species. The Way I follow is about doing everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen. If I succeed, and humanity survives, I suppose I'll have to find a new expression of the Way. But that's the Way, too, isn't it? Because the Way, like life itself, is always changing. Growing to meet whatever comes next."

  He dropped his arms to his sides. Sebastian went on gesturing. Commander Toru descended the ramp set against his prison-box. His limbs bore a posture of surprise. Maybe even shock. Yet as Sebastian concluded, the commander turned on him, tentacles arching upward. Anger—and a threat.

  The two aliens conversed rapidly. Toru pointed to Ness more than once. Their limbs snapped with each sign. Rather than being cowed by Toru's aggression, Sebastian leaned into it, gesturing every bit as violently.

  The commander went still. Sebastian put in a final word, then swung his head toward Ness. "IT IS THOUGHT THAT I FEED YOU ANSWERS. OR THAT I PRESENT MY OWN ANSWERS AS YOUR OWN"

  "What? Why would they possibly think that?"

  "BECAUSE NO HUMAN COULD KNOW THE WAY IN THIS WAY"

  Ness snorted. He gestured, "All right, so have somebody else talk to me. You're not the only Dovon who knows how to write English, are you?"

  Sebastian swung his head side to side. "NO BUT THE OTHERS WHO CAN DO SO ARE AMONG THE REBELS. IF ONE OF THEM LEARNED WHAT YOU ARE SAYING THEY WOULD KILL YOU ON THE SPOT"

  "So what does the commander want?"

  "HE THINKS THAT WE LIE. THAT THIS MUST BE A TRICK OR A TRAP. HE WANTS THE TRUTH OR OUR MOVEMENT IS OVER"

  Ness walked up to the older Dovon and spread his arms wide. "I'm not lying!"

  His voice bounced from the walls, reminding him how useless it was to the aliens. Sebastian drew his limbs inward and raised them in a gesture of alert anxiety. He kneeled before Toru, bowing his head. He reached for Toru's hammer-pod and laid it over his outstretched neck.

  "What are you doing?" Ness signed. Sebastian ignored him, motioning to Toru, who signed back angrily. Ness poked Sebastian in the side. "Answer me!"

  "HE THINKS WE LIE," Sebastian gestured. "AND SO I INVITE HIM TO KILL ME"

  Ness choked on his own spit. He signed, "If he takes you up on that, what happens to me? If he thinks humans are so dumb we can't even grasp the Way, then who cares what happens to us? Set up a nature preserve on New Zealand, dump the survivors there, and take Earth for yourselves. Just make a decision already."

  Sebastian's claws twitched, as if he couldn't decide whether to laugh. He motioned to Toru. Toru's tentacles relaxed their rigidity. He stood straighter, reconsidering Ness as he spoke to Sebastian.

  "HE SAYS THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY TRUSTED YOUR LIFE TO HIM," Sebastian signed. "SO IT FITS THAT HE NOW TRUSTS HIS LIFE TO YOU"

  Ness frowned up at the elder Dovon. "Does that mean we've got a deal?"

  "THE DEAL RETURNS. NOW ALL THAT REMAINS IS TO RALLY OUR REBELS AND RETAKE THE SHIP"

  * * *

  The first step of this daring plan appeared to be hanging around in the prison all day. In case the wrong person stumbled in on them, Ness, Sebastian, and Sprite were each put into one of the orange boxes, which smelled like a waterfront. Alone in the dark, trapped in a space that wasn't much bigger than the interior of the average sedan, Ness had to focus to keep from hyperventilating. With sleep out of the question, he did his best to meditate.

  The lid peeled back with a slurp. Sebastian gestured him out. Ness climbed over the side and dropped to the floor.

  "A MEMBER OF THE VIGIL COMES," Sebastian signed. "WE MAY BE NEEDED"

  Before Ness could ask any questions, the door opened. A large-bodied Dovon entered the prison chamber. He carried one of the wicked spears like Ness had seen guarding the elevator to this section of the ship, but his skin was a different color than that guard had been, shading toward purple.

  Toru approached him, bending his legs and bowing his tentacles out in respect. They launched into conversation.

  Ness pulled Sebastian aside. "Who's the guy with the awesome spear?"

  "HE IS OF THE VIGIL"

  "What's that? Ship security?"

  "YES BUT MORE," Sebastian signed. "DO YOU KNOW HOW THE BODY FIGHTS AGAINST THE INVASION OF DISEASE?"

  "You mean white blood cells? Cells within the body that are assigned to attack germs?"

  "THIS IS ALSO THE VIGIL. THE SHIP IS THE BODY AND THEY ARE THE CELLS OF WHITE BLOOD. THEY DO NOT ANSWER TO THE BRAIN OR TO THE HEART OR TO ANY OF THE MANY ORGANS. ONLY TO THE BODY ITSELF"

  "So what?" Ness gestured. "You mean they don't take orders from anyone? They're self-governed?"

  Sebastian lowered his chin in thought. Before he had a more clear explanation, the broad Vigil member clacked over to them, motioning to Sebastian.

  "HE ASKS WHY YOU DO THIS," Sebastian signed.

  "Why else? To put a stop to the fighting."

  "YES BUT WHY YOU"

  "Because I have to. I'm the only one who knows you guys. Who can talk to you."

  Sebastian relayed this. The Vigil guard said something that made Sebastian retract his tentacles. Sebastian said, "HE SAYS THIS, NOT ME. THAT YOU ARE SMALL AND ALSO THAT YOU SHRINK FROM HIM LIKE A BEAST THAT IS PREYED ON." He drew his tentacles tighter in regret. "ALSO HE SAID THIS"

  "I know he did, you fool," Ness signed. He was blushing, but he faced the member of the Vigil, motioning on. "Yeah, I'm afraid. But I'm here. Do you think that makes me less brave? Or more?"

  Sebastian translated this. The Vigil lifted his claws high, clicking them loudly. Sebastian said, "HE WISHES TO KNOW IF ALL HUMANS ARE AS YOU ARE"

  "Most of them are pretty terrible. Though I could say the same of the Dovon, considering I've had to spend years of my life trying to stop your people from killing what's left of mine. But you're here, aren't you? And so am I. When duty calls, most of us back away. But some of us step forward. No matter how scared we may be."

  Sebastian relayed this. The Vigil's limbs twitched up in surprise. He composed himself quickly, tentacles rippling, flowing down his body and rolling outwards at the tip, giving him the silhouette of a bell. Respect.

  The guard turned on Toru, limbs going neutral. He gestured. Toru tried to quash his anger, but even to Ness, it was visible in every motion of the former commander's body. The Vigil drew himself up to his full height. The two figures argued on. Abruptly, the Vigil stepped back, flourishing his tentacles in a goodbye tinged with finality. The guard turned and strode from the room. As soon as h
e was gone, Toru gestured emphatically to his comrades.

  "THE VIGIL WILL NOT HELP US," Sebastian gestured to Ness. "YET THEY WILL ALSO NOT STOP US"

  "What kind of a stance is that? Don't they believe in what we're doing?"

  "IT IS AS I SAY. THEY PROTECT THE BODY AND REJECT THE DEMANDS OF ITS ORGANS. THEY REFUSE TO FALL INTO POLITICS OR THEY TOO WILL BE AS CORRUPT AS US"

  Ness scratched the back of his ear, watching Toru. "He doesn't seem too happy about that."

  "HE IS NOT," Sebastian signed. "AND YET HE SHOULD BE. YOU HAVE CONVINCED THE VIGIL TO NOT STAND AGAINST US. NOW WE MOVE NOT AS CAPTIVES, BUT AS FREE BEINGS"

  Despite Sebastian's optimism, the ex-commander stalked around the prison like he'd never get out of it. Toru did a lot of talking with the mottled alien, who Ness had learned was named Inana, and the small paler one, whose name was Llen. Sebastian passed along what he could, but mostly, they were talking ship politics: who they might sway, who was definitely a no-go, how the Farschool might react. Ness translated Sebastian's translations to Sprite, but Sprite had been uncharacteristically quiet since arriving, as if their trip to the mothership had left him in a state of shock. Or reverence.

  The Dovon's liveliest arguments revolved around the idea that they might have more traitors in their midst than Ojjo, the one who'd gotten them bombed in the hills above Malibu. Llen was suspicious that Dden had seeded their people with spies, but Inana insisted everybody had been vetted. He claimed Ojjo had been a one-time problem and that they'd shot their wad with the attempt to kill the sub crew.

  "WHAT IS WRONG" Sebastian signed.

  Ness had been pacing. He stopped himself, glancing at the three Dovon. "We're in jail. There's like five of them total. And they're going to convert the whole ship?"

  Sebastian swiveled, fixing Ness with his round eyes. "AND IF IT FAILS, WAS IT NOT WORTH IT"

  "That depends. Are we kidding ourselves here? Do we want it so bad we'll let ourselves believe we can restore order to the ship with no more than a handful of fighters and a good cause?"

  Sebastian's tentacles drooped. "IT IS YOU WHO SAID THAT SOME EFFORTS ARE WORTH MAKING NO MATTER THE RISK. WE ARE SMALL FOR NOW, BUT THE DEEPFINDERS ARE NOT THE FARSCHOOL. WHEN RIGHT WORDS ARE SPOKEN, THEY WILL ANSWER"

  Ness sat down, leaning against one of the orange boxes. It gave slightly, like firm flesh. Abruptly, he thought of Tristan. Maybe it was a good thing she had left. If they died here, she could still fight on. He knew she would. That was the one thing about her that inspired him most: whether it was her story of tracking Alden from San Diego to Hanford, or when she'd faced down the aliens on Maui, she never, ever quit. More than that, she never let her dumb doubts get in the way.

  He kept telling himself that he wouldn't, either. But a resolution like that was far easier said than done.

  Inana departed a few minutes later, returning with a Dovon with an M-shaped squiggle above its eyes that reminded Ness of a tabby cat. The newcomer and Toru approached each other and brushed tentacles. As they talked, Llen came up to Sebastian, signing to him.

  "HIS NAME IS EPP," Sebastian gestured, pointing subtly at the newcomer. "AND HE IS OF THE REBELS"

  "He's a rebel?" Ness signed back. "And we're letting him in here?"

  "HE IS GUTBROTHER TO TORU. HE MAY NOT HELP US BUT NEITHER WILL HE BETRAY US"

  Ness shook his head. "And I thought human relationships were complicated."

  Toru and Epp went on for a while. Then, much as had happened with the Vigil, Epp came up to Ness, with Sebastian acting as translator.

  "HE ASKS HOW MANY HUMANS YOU REPRESENT," Sebastian said.

  "In Los Angeles?" Ness gestured back. "Several hundred. Close to a thousand, maybe."

  "AND WHAT OF THE REST OF THE WORLD"

  "Well, none. Not directly."

  The two Dovon signed at length before Sebastian turned back to Ness. "HE ASKS: IF YOU DO NOT KNOW THE WORLD, HOW YOU CAN SAY THAT THE WORLD WISHES PEACE"

  "Because they do. Trust me on that."

  "BECAUSE WHY"

  Ness laughed out loud. He signed, "For my whole life, I wished I wasn't a part of the human race. Now I'm supposed to speak for all of them?"

  Sebastian rocked on the points of his feet. "I SPEAK THIS, NOT EPP. WE HAVE TRAVELED FAR. PERHAPS MORE FAR THAN ANY OTHER HUMAN SINCE THE VIRUS. WE HAVE SEEN MANY AND ALSO SPOKEN TO MANY. IF THERE IS ONE WHO CAN SPEAK FOR ALL, IT IS YOU"

  Ness let out a long breath. "Before the Farschool came along, we had a civilization. No gigantic starships, mind you, but it was pretty good by our standards. The best we'd ever done. Now? Most people don't even have running water. They're dying of diseases we used to be able to cure with a trip down the block. Some people don't even have food. Nobody here gives a shit about winning a war because there's nothing for us to win. All we want is the chance to be left alone. And to rebuild."

  Sebastian passed this along, then asked, "BUT WHAT OF THE COLD ANSWER"

  "You know we don't have that. Not like you guys do."

  "BUT EPP ASKS: DO YOU NOT FEEL FURY WHEN YOUR GUTBROTHERS ARE KILLED?"

  "Of course we do. We care about each other the same way you guys do."

  "THEN WHEN YOU REBUILD AND REACH THE STARS, WILL YOU NOT SEEK JUSTICE FOR WHAT HAS BEEN DONE?"

  "You mean fly out to wherever the Dovon live and nuke your world? Before this, we'd hardly made it into space. It's going to be a thousand years before we're back out there again. By then, you'll be ancient history." He laughed some more. "I mean, does he know anything about humans at all? We can't even agree to speak the same language, or not hate each other for worshipping the wrong version of the same god. Do you really think we're going to unite around the idea of dedicating the next thousand years to destroying you guys? Get real. If the Dovon leave, a hundred years from now, nobody's going to give a shit about you, me, or any of this."

  Following this, Epp bobbed his tentacles to Ness and Sebastian and went back to talk with Toru. Feeling suddenly worn out, Ness sat back against the box.

  Sprite wandered his way. "I have no idea what you just said. But going by the look on your face, it was totally badass."

  "He was worried about us seeking revenge. I was like, 'Dude, unless you think our rocks and sharp sticks are a threat, I don't think you have much to worry about.'" Ness shifted. "I kinda get the feeling they feel guilty about the whole mess. Maybe there's hope for us after all."

  Epp bent his limbs to Toru and departed. Toru and Sebastian exchanged words. Sebastian swayed his claws in happiness.

  "EPP PLEDGES HELP," he signed. "HE WILL GATHER SUPPORT FROM OTHERS WHO REBELLED. WITH THIS, TORU BELIEVES IT WILL BE ENOUGH TO RESTORE HIM TO COMMAND"

  Ness broke into a grin. "That's awesome. So what's next?"

  "TOMORROW THERE IS TO BE THE GATHERING OF OFFICERS ON THE BRIDGE. WE WILL GO THEN TO MAKE OUR CASE AND FRACTURE THE REBELLION. WHEN THIS IS SO, TORU AGREES TO CALL FOR THE CEASE OF FIRE AND TO REMOVE BOTH DEEPFINDERS AND FARSCHOOL FROM YOUR PLANET"

  "You're serious? And then what?"

  "AND THEN THE DOVON LEAVE EARTH IN PEACE"

  A tingle ran up Ness' spine. "I can't believe this is happening."

  "I CAN." Sebastian motioned to Toru. "HE THANKS YOU FOR HAVING LIVERS IN YOUR ANKLES"

  "Livers in my..?"

  "DOVON SAYING. IT IS AS YOU MIGHT SPEAK OF THE PROWESS OF YOUR BALLS"

  Ness laughed and explained the plan to Sprite. Sprite whooped, then covered his mouth. Seeing the Dovon hadn't so much as flinched at the sound, he dropped his hand and whooped again.

  "What's the matter?" Sprite said. "You too good for a good woohoo?"

  Ness wasn't a fan of loud noises, particularly making them himself. But if not now, then when? He lifted his fists above his head and whooped.

  * * *

  A few hours later, while Commander Toru was showing Ness what the bridge looked like, Inana scampered into the prison, gesturing frantically. Toru snapped his claws closed and scrambled toward his box.

/>   "INTO THE BOX," Sebastian signed to Ness. "THE REBEL DDEN COMES"

  "Boxes," Ness said to Sprite. "Now!"

  He helped boost Sprite up the side of a box, then climbed into his own. He heaved the lid into place as the chamber door was swishing open. Muffled steps tapped across the floor. It was hard to tell with the Dovon, but it sounded like there was more than one set.

  The steps passed Ness' box and stopped. A lid slurped. Rustling sounds—alien gesturing, most likely. This went on for a couple minutes before there was some light scuffling and another slurp. The steps came closer, stopping at Sebastian's box next to Ness'. This opened. More rustling followed. In time, the box was closed back up.

  Ness' lid retracted, bathing him in the dim light of the prison. A large Dovon scaled the rim of the box. He had a proud bearing and pronounced nasal ridges. His bandoliers held a nifty pin that kind of looked like the wheel of a pirate ship. He lifted Ness out and set him on the floor.

  Two members of the Vigil stood behind him, spears planted on the ground. Ness recognized the one who'd talked to him earlier, but the guard stared straight through him.

  The proud Dovon—he had to be Dden—gestured to Ness. When Ness gave no reply, Dden repeated the motion. Ness shook his head. Dden tightened his claws, hammer-pod lifting. Legs shaking, Ness forced himself to hold his ground.

  Dden lowered the club-headed limb and relaxed his tentacles, seeming to deflate. He circled around Ness, gesturing, the motions languid but terminating with sharp snaps. Lecturing? The two Vigil watched in perfect stillness. Dden completed his circle and stood before Ness, continuing his silent speech.

  Without warning, Dden stopped and leaned forward, his swollen eyes inches from Ness'. Ness stared back—then, sensing the Dovon wanted him to look away, he did so. Dden hovered over him another second, then straightened and turned away, gesturing to the Vigil. They replaced Ness in the box. Their handling of him almost seemed gentle.

  Shuffling noises persisted a few more minutes until the doors breezed open and closed, leaving the room in silence.

  Eventually, box lids smacked open. After some shuffling sounds, the lid of Ness' box peeled back.