Near the top of the Atrium, a pair of Wingers stood up from one of the back rows, dragging a man up with them. Husher hadn’t noticed the prisoner before, but now he felt himself stiffen in his seat. It was his father.
“Warren Husher arrived on Spire in a shuttle of Ixan make. He’s considered a traitor by his own species, but claims he is innocent. Keep those facts in mind as you hear him. However suspect, his words may hold some value for us.”
Bytan sat, and Senator Sandy Bernard stood to question the prisoner. Beside her, Corporal Simpson rose as though to follow, but then sat again with a barely noticeable shake of her head.
Since Warren had been a UHF captain, and Bernard was technically still a senator of the Commonwealth, the Wingers acknowledged her right to interview their captive. She crossed the floor as confidently as Bytan had.
Husher barely recognized the man the Wingers brought before Bernard, just a few meters from the front row where Husher and Keyes sat. His beard and hair had turned iron gray, and deep lines creased his face. Whatever his years with the Ixa had truly contained, they hadn’t been kind to him. I call it the side effects of guilt.
“Hello, Captain,” Keyes said, his words low but audible.
Warren glanced, then his eyes flitted away just as quickly. “I’m no captain,” he said. “Not anymore.”
“You will speak only to answer my questions,” Senator Bernard said. “Your presence here is a privilege. Do not squander it.”
“Says you,” the traitor said.
“The Wingers say you claim not to remember your time among the Ixa. Is that true?”
“Mostly. I do remember how the Ixa made it look like I betrayed my own species.”
“And how did they do that?”
“They fabricated footage of me from whole cloth,” Warren said. “They made it look like I said things I didn’t say.”
Bernard shook her head. “You’re lying. That’s beyond what we know the Ixa’s technological capabilities to be.”
“Then you obviously don’t know enough. Do you?”
“What do you remember about your supposed imprisonment? Or about how you escaped?”
“I didn’t escape. I was let go.”
“Why would the Ixa let you go?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember. They did something to my memory.”
“What do you remember?”
“I remember…”
Husher’s lips tightened as his father’s gaze left the senator and found him.
Warren continued. “I remember them telling me I would be reunited with my son on Spire. So I came here. Vincent…”
“I am not your son,” Husher said. Keyes placed a hand on his arm, but he shrugged it off.
Warren looked stricken. “Please…”
“I am not your son,” he said again.
“No further questions,” Bernard said, her face unreadable. The Winger guards took Husher’s father away.
Keyes cleared his throat and stood. “I have a prisoner to present, as well. His testimony is also questionable, but he claims to have a revelation that he’s only willing to discuss at this war council. He says that we will be able to verify the truth of his words soon.”
“Bring him forward,” Flockhead Bytan said.
Keyes nodded to two Providence marines, who sat several seats down with Ochrim between them, his scaly hands shackled in his lap. The Ixan stood voluntarily and stepped forward. The first time Husher had met Ochrim, in the secret Darkstream research station where they found him, the Ixan had worn a slightly bewildered look. That look was gone, now, and what struck Husher most was how rapidly the alien appeared to be aging, his scaly skin turned almost completely white where it stretched over his face’s bone protrusions. He deserves that and worse.
“Speak, Ixan,” Keyes said.
The scientist did not hesitate, and though his words sounded solemn, the snakelike grin Ixa always wore lent them menace. “Epsilon Leonis has gone supernova, and the humans in the Campion System, which the supernova will obliterate, have just detected it. News of this will reach you soon, but upon review of the Ixan Prophecies, specifically the verses that speak of a phoenix risen from ash, you will find that all of this has been foretold. Including my telling you this today.”
Ochrim scanned his audience, and so did Husher. He found shocked expressions to mirror his own.
“Humanity’s use of dark tech is the cause,” the scientist went on.
“You gave us dark tech,” Caine said. “And anyway, we don’t use it anymore.”
“Incorrect. Wormhole generation has ceased, but humans still use dark tech in your weaponry, your gravity simulation, your communications, and more. You harness the lifeblood of the universe, and your actions are not without consequences. Dark matter is the network that holds the universe together. Dark tech sends gravitational ripples throughout that network, and the ripples are combining into waves, soon to become tsunamis. More star deaths will follow as these disturbances speed up their gravitational collapse. It will begin with aging, massive stars like Epsilon Leonis, but with enough time, no star will remain. Unless you are stopped. And the Ixa will stop you.”
A silence fell over the Atrium. Into it, Sergeant Caine spoke. “I’ll say it again—you gave us dark tech.”
“You would have discovered it on your own shortly after the First Galactic War. But my involvement set us on this course. It is why I betrayed humanity. It is why I took your future from you. Because to let you live would have meant no future at all, for anyone.”
Chapter 4
Wisdom
“I am surprised to find you entertaining superstition, Starfarer. Your time in space has clouded your vision.”
Ek gazed up at the Speakers for the Enclave, who floated above her in the perfectly spherical meeting chamber. The room was located under the ocean floor, devoid of technology, so that there stood no chance of outsider eavesdropping. The chamber’s small size and spherical shape allowed them to hear each other well through the water.
“The Prophecies have mirrored reality too often to be mere coincidence,” Ek said, enunciating each word carefully. Many speculated that the meticulous way Fins spoke was due to the difficulty of communicating underwater. They understood each other by speaking clearly, in close proximity to one another, and by reading each other’s lips. Her own theory was that their difficulty conversing also explained their passion for intellectual pursuits, since they spent so much time in silence.
Zed, who had been a Speaker longer than any of the others, swam forward a few inches. “The Fins have progressed as far as they have because of our dedication to reason. The Ixan Prophecies, while interesting from an anthropological perspective, have no grounding in logic. You have asked for a team of analysts to help you search the Prophecies for how this war between aliens might unfold. Tell me, what led you to think other Fins would be interested in that, or that they would even take it seriously?”
“It was a Winger who first drew my attention to the Prophecies’ relevance.”
Zed’s gaze drifted to the ceiling, and Speaker Po folded her arms across her chest. The other three Speakers displayed similar signs of agitation.
“Wingers take counsel from Fins,” Po said. “Not the other way around. It has always been that way.”
“And yet Wingers possess wisdom, too,” Ek said. For a moment, she wished she did not have metal legs, so that she could swim up and speak to them at their level. “I have come to believe our obsession with logic blinds us to unexpected factors…curve balls, as the humans would say, that reality throws us. Just because we are highly perceptive does not mean we are omniscient. We have things we can learn from the Wingers.”
“The Wingers are beloved to us,” Zed said. “And yet their thoughts are clouded by militarism. Our species’ unusual erudition has let us find balance. You would have us cast that aside and involve ourselves in war.”
“Not to fight,” Ek said, trying to keep her exasperation
from showing in her voice. “But we have a duty, to the universe, to life itself, and also to our own people. Right now, there are only three species in the galaxy who acknowledge what is coming. It is our duty to help save life itself from the Ixa. With our abilities, the Fins are uniquely positioned to see the way forward. If only we will look.”
Zed swam forward once more. “I say no. Po?”
“I say no, as well. Fins all have their own projects, and I cannot think of a single one less important than this one the Starfarer has proposed today. I will not make the recommendation.”
One after another, the remaining three Speakers also answered in the negative.
For a moment, Ek stood and beheld the floating Speakers, racking her brain. But there was nothing else to say. It is over.
“Very well,” she said, and turned to leave.
“One more thing,” Zed said, and Ek turned back.
“It is dangerous for you to continue your travel among the stars. Your medical examinations show alarming bone loss, along with several other negative effects brought about by prolonged periods in zero-G. Given that Fin cells reject Ocharium nanites, and given that the suit you designed does not adequately guard you against the stresses of zero-G, we forbid you to leave Spire again.”
“You can forbid me nothing,” Ek said.
“We can advise the Wingers not to let you board their vessels, and we can persuade the humans that the risks of your continued star travel are too great. Indeed, we have done so. You will not leave Spire again.”
Chapter 5
Specimens
The first Winger jail Husher saw barely fit the word. It took the form of a sprawling, open-air compound dotted with buildings here and there. When he requested to see his father, a guard escorted him down row after row of what the alien called “cells,” though they too looked nothing like any cell Husher had ever seen.
“Do I just go in and talk to him, then?” he said when they stopped in front of the one where they kept his father.
“No,” the guard said. “We don’t let visitors enter the cells, or make any physical contact with the prisoners. If he wants to talk to you, he can come to the edge. I’ll tell him you’ve arrived.”
With that, the guard strode onto the cell and disappeared inside a tiny structure that sat in its center. Four tall, thin towers bracketed the grassy square that held Warren.
The cell was built for Winger criminals. On Spire, it was considered unusually cruel to deny even prisoners the ability to stretch their wings and fly. Combined with ankle bracelets, the towers created a giant, invisible cage that prevented criminals from flying away. If they crossed the boundaries of their cage, the bracelets delivered a paralyzing electric shock while simultaneously alerting the guards.
Warren could not avail of the allotted flying space, but Husher surprised himself by feeling glad his father at least had ample space to walk around.
Ochrim’s words inside the Atrium had sent Husher into a sort of trance, with thoughts that went around in circles, looping back on each other until he felt moved to do something drastic. Hence, his presence outside his father’s cell.
When the Wingers received word that Epsilon Leonis had indeed gone supernova, and that another star had followed shortly after—thankfully, no doomed colonies, this time—it hadn’t helped Husher feel any better. What would it mean for Ochrim to truly know the future? What would it mean for the Prophecies to be true?
Did that mean Ardent was a true god, and the Ixa his chosen people? It felt absurd to think it, and yet Husher couldn’t see where else the evidence pointed.
Whatever the case, it seemed clear that humanity knew far less about the Ixa than they thought. Which made him consider the possibility that his father was telling the truth about being framed. Even the chance of that made Husher burn with shame whenever he remembered how he’d denounced his father twice in front of the Winger Directorate and several UHF officers.
That said, he was still nowhere close to trusting his father.
Warren emerged from the concrete hut in the center of his cell, blinking into the sunlight. When he saw his son, he stopped. They stood too far apart for Husher to make out the expression on his father’s face, but he did see the way his arms drooped and his shoulders slumped.
“I wanted to talk to you,” Husher called, not sure what else to say. The guard stood near the entrance to the hut, muscular arms crossed, gigantic wings spread across the building. I wish he would leave.
Warren took a step closer. “I’m thankful to see the man you’ve become. That’s all I wanted. Honestly. I never expected you to forgive me.”
Husher drew in a long breath and said, “Did you expect me to renounce you in front of the entire Winger government?”
“No. I suppose I didn’t.”
“Come closer.” He almost winced at how much like a command that sounded. But he didn’t feel comfortable with the guard overhearing their conversation. Not to mention his father’s fellow inmates.
“How is your mother, Vincent?” Warren said once he stood a few feet away, the deep creases across his face now clearly visible. It still came as a shock, how much his father had aged.
“I go by Vin, now.”
“Vin. What’s your rank?”
“First Lieutenant. Used to be Captain.”
“What happened?”
“A lot has happened since my father was branded a traitor.”
Warren started to nod, but it turned into hanging his head and staring at the grass. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine the hardship I must have caused you.”
“Mom is okay. She’s never been the same, since you…but I send her money every month. She gets by.”
His father glanced behind him, at the guard, and then back at Husher. “Where’s she living now?” He smiled. “Is it as nice as this place?”
“She’s still on Venus, in a not-so-bad apartment.” Husher looked at the guard too, and then around at some of the surrounding cells. “It’s hard to believe how little I knew about aliens before I started meeting them, which didn’t really happen till after I got consigned to the Providence.”
“I hear the UHF’s gotten pretty xenophobic since my day.”
“Yeah. We’re basically forbidden to fraternize with aliens at all. And they’re banned from boarding our ships. Didn’t stop Captain Keyes making a Winger his CAG, of course…”
“Keyes always was an exceptional man. I knew he’d make a fine captain, provided he managed to get a handle on his demons. You’re lucky to serve under him.”
Husher paused, and then nodded. “I know it.”
“How are the Tumbra doing these days?”
Eyes locking on his father’s, Husher squinted. “The Tumbra? Fine, I guess. As crusty as always.”
“Don’t speak that way about them.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t remember enough from my past. The last twenty years are mostly a blur. But one thing I do remember is how much respect Tumbra had for humanity’s virtues. They recognized that when we aren’t blinded by greed or lust, humans are truly incredible specimens.”
“Specimens,” Husher repeated with a terse chuckle. “That’s exactly the word for how Tumbra view us. You know, we have reason to believe they conspired with UHF Command to force the Providence down Pirate’s Path.”
“I doubt that, honestly. The Tumbra helped humanity during the First Galactic War. Perhaps they would again.”
“How did they help us?”
Warren sniffed, gazing into the distance for a moment. Then he looked at Husher. “It was a closely kept secret, and I don’t trust my judgment anymore. Ask your captain. He knows. And if it’s right for you to know, he’ll tell you.”
Chapter 6
Phoenix
Planetside, Keyes did not have access to real-time communication with UHF Command, and he would have hesitated to use it even if he did. After all, it was within Command’s power to deprive him of access to the micronet at
any point, and if failing to do so was an oversight, he wasn’t about to draw their attention to that.
The upshot was that he, Senator Bernard, and Flockhead Bytan had to wait almost two hours for Admiral Carrow’s reply to his message. When it came, it took exactly the form Keyes had expected it to.
“How novel to hear from a treasonist in a time of war,” Carrow spat, his gaunt face twisted into a sneer. “Spouting Ixan propaganda at me, no less, and expecting that I’ll pass it on to the Commonwealth in an effort to shape public policy. Epsilon Leonis was an anomaly, and we’re looking into the cause. If you think we’ll suspend our use of dark tech just because you’ve fallen for Ixan lies, that’s fine, but don’t waste your time contacting me again. I found your first message entertaining, but now I’m bored with your antics. Carrow out.”
The console went black, and Keyes glanced at Bytan and Bernard, who, like Keyes, sat in lush armchairs designed to accommodate Wingers.
“We received word of Mu Cephei going supernova since he recorded that,” Senator Bernard said. “Maybe he heard about it since then, too. Should we send another message to see whether he’s changed his tune?”
“No. We’re wasting our time,” Keyes said.
“But dark matter maps show the supernovas corresponding with the galaxy’s high-density areas. If we can demonstrate to the UHF that they’re happening where there’s a lot of dark matter…”
“They’ll never stop using dark tech, no matter how many messages we send. They’d have to stop making war in order to retrofit all their ships with old technology. They’d also have to go against their corporate master, Darkstream.”
Flockhead Bytan clacked her beak again. “Keyes is right. The UHF must be made to stop.”
Juggernaut: The Ixan Prophecies Trilogy Book 2 Page 2
