The Impossible Future: Complete set

by Frank Kennedy

  Few hesitated. Many parents dragged their kids down with them. Nonetheless, a few dozen remained standing, defiant and willing to meet Brother James eye to eye. Rikhi knew they were fools. Why couldn’t they accept the new future?

  The olive soldiers opened fire and annihilated the defiant few.

  They left the townspeople in a strange stew of huddled tears and rampant joy. Many found the courage to race into the field and explore the impossible bounty. As they did so, the immortals, their disciples, and the Jewel they worshiped moved to depart. During the preceding madness, few had noticed the cargo transport landing nearby or the Scramjet returning.

  “The enemy is on approach,” Admiral Valentin told Brother James. “Should we give them one more treat?”

  “I think so,” James said.

  Rikhi was oblivious at first, but his eyes turned south along the coast. That’s when he saw them: Two Scramjets approaching fast. Of course. They must be coming from the UG training outpost. He was surprised they took so long.

  The Scramjets were almost upon them, but no one showed concern. The giants reached the base of the attack ship on which Brother James arrived when another thunderbolt and flash of light ripped open the sky. It happened so fast, Rikhi was still adjusting his eyes, which looked into the heart of the sun.

  A new ship hovered over Peshawan and fired a stream of energy slews at the approaching attack vessels. Every slew hit its target. The Guard’s ships exploded, sending flaming shrapnel across the town and the cliffs of Omanpuri Shelf.

  Valentin escorted Rikhi onto the Scramjet with him and Brother James. All others boarded the transport. Only then did Rikhi try to process the last thirty minutes of his life. He was sobbing.

  Brother James knelt beside him on one knee.

  “They tried to hide you because they knew what you were,” James said. “It’s beautiful to be liberated. It’s beautiful to have purpose. Rikhi, welcome to The Promised Few.”

  James kissed the boy. At once, Rikhi felt a warmth chisel deep into his soul. Soon, he learned to define this new sensation.

  He was in love.

  18

  1.2 Astronomical Units (AU) from Brahma

  U LRICH RAHM DID NOT REMEMBER growing up, which suited him. It couldn’t possibly have been as interesting or fulfilling as the life of a Jewel. Only on occasion did he envy Brother James and Sister Rayna, who borrowed from early life experiences. Ulrich’s journey began the day Brother James burrowed inside his Chancellor compliance program and decimated it, freeing Ulrich to touch the heart of ancestors who pre-dated humans. Having unfettered access to a million years of history proved endlessly exhilarating. But what fascinated him most was quantum math. He could not absorb enough astrophysics and jumped into James’s plans for weaponized wormholes with glee.

  No place felt more at home than a navigation cylinder – even one in tight quarters. He approached the target in uplift beta, the second personal transport craft liberated by Salvation. Maximum capacity: Four. Ulrich flew many missions, but this was the first with only one passenger. When they exited the Slope into the Brahma system, Ulrich locked the uplift inside Black Forest.

  “We’re secure,” he said. “Their system probes can’t see us.”

  “You are very efficient pilot,” Rayna said as she threw open an array of holowindows. “I do not believe there is better.”

  “Better even than Joakim?”

  “Do not tell him I say this,” she spoke of another Jewel. “He is prideful, has short temper.”

  “Don’t I know it? We were experimenting with new transverse code last week. He miscalculated. Could’ve sworn he was going to go Berserker then and there. Gato con tres ojos.”

  He slipped again. Rayna stopped what she was doing.

  “What did you say?”

  “Sorry, Sister Rayna. Sometimes, the Spanish comes without warning. I’m told I spoke it growing up on Catalan.”

  “Yes, I know of your history. What do the words mean, Ulrich?”

  “Cat with three eyes.” He looked away from Rayna. “Why would I say that? I couldn’t carry on a conversation in Spanish if you put a blast rifle to my skull. And what’s a cat?”

  “Feral little beasts, but very sly. They do not exist in this universe.”

  “Huh. Apparently, they must on the parallel Catalan.”

  “Are these language slips becoming a problem, Ulrich? Do you need additional therapy from my husband?”

  Therapy, she called it. Continuous agony, Ulrich called it. James’s transference of what he called “life-force Jewel energy” had yet to take in Ulrich or any other hybrids. James insisted all ten Jewels should have access to the control over life and death he’d been granted in his rebirth on first Earth. He was certain his unique scenario – defying the program and rising from the dead – did not make his skills incompatible with other hybrids. On this one matter, Ulrich thought, Brother James was wrong.

  “No worries, Rayna. I have it under control.”

  “I understand. I used to speak Russian before I met my destiny. Russian is beautiful language but harsh and violent. Perfect for me. No? I surrendered part of my soul. But for James, I would do more.”

  “As would we all.”

  “Perhaps.”

  Rayna did not clarify the last remark as she turned her attention to the holowindows. She called up a series of long-range probes which zeroed in on Brahma. She narrowed her options to the orbiting fleet of eleven Ark Carriers. These city-ships anywhere from one to three miles long carried populations in excess of ten thousand Chancellors each. Ulrich doubted he would ever step foot on one.

  “There,” Rayna said. “The Jeremiah Harrod. Flagship of the Brahman Noose.” She pivoted to Ulrich. “That’s what Chancellors call it. A joke to make them feel in control. I saw many nooses as a child. Men swaying in them dead. I wonder if Chancellors would feel good about noose if flagship vanished?”

  “We’d certainly have their attention.”

  “Tell me, Ulrich. What do you think of our plan?”

  “Should be a quick in-and-out. We plant the refractor and go.”

  “No, no. Not today’s mission. The larger plan.”

  “Which plan? For the Brahman fleet? The indigo army? The new home world?”

  Rayna fingered the holowindows and established a full scan of the UG patrols outside Jeremiah Harrod.

  “Yes. There are many plans. So much time, so little patience. I refer to the Brahman fleet.”

  “Honestly, I think it’s a long shot. At best. Odds are, they’ll find the refractors before we plant them all.”

  “Possible, but doubtful. Chancellors are clumsy and arrogant. They will not see this coming.”

  “Even if they escape detection, what James hopes to create here would be …”

  “Impossible. Yes. Only achievable by a god.”

  “A god with all the right algorithms.”

  “I like you, Ulrich. You have a wit about you.”

  Ulrich took the compliment as stunning praise. Rayna was not one to “like” others, their personalities, or their ideas. Ulrich suspected she hated playing third fiddle to James and Valentin.

  “I have a question, Rayna, if you don’t mind the intrusion?”

  “I don’t appear to be going anywhere.”

  “Right. So, I’m curious. Why are you out here with me? Why not on the ground at Peshawan? This is a simple tag-and-run. You’re missing an opportunity to kill. I know you love it so.”

  Rayna laughed. “My argument precisely. James felt his brother had more experience with public speaking. He said I do not possess subtlety of language. Plus, we did not dare risk too many assets in one place. We are opening three apertures and creating a show worthy of public discourse.”

  Ulrich felt uneasy. “So, it’s true? The mission will be broadcast on open frequencies?”

  “When we are ready. Yes. Time for the next phase, James says.”

  “Seems like just yesterday I was born. Happeni
ng so fast. Los días son como segundos.”

  “My husband knows what he is doing.” Her voice fell. “I think.”

  Ulrich didn’t miss her tag-on, but he also didn’t want to go there. Ever since James and Rayna rescued the other hybrids, they’d gotten to know each other well. Their intimacy extended beyond their ties as a species. Ulrich had made love to six hybrids: The mother of his twins, due in a month, plus three other women and two men. James and Rayna encouraged the practice, insisting it would “unify” their small tribe. As far as Ulrich knew, this did not apply to James or Rayna, who were deemed exclusive to each other. Ulrich theorized, as did other hybrids, that Rayna might not like the arrangement.

  “James never led us astray,” Ulrich said. “He knows what’s best.”

  Rayna ignored him as she studied the Jeremiah Harrod. It was an impressive beast, Ulrich thought, so vast it appeared invincible. Three kilometers long, almost as wide, like a moon orbiting its home world. Thousands of lights flickered out of portals from stern to bow. A self-contained world, hundreds of years old, home to dozens of generations of Chancellors. Home to a UG fleet that far outnumbered Salvation yet lacked the tools to destroy it.

  Their target was a small protuberance beneath the largest of the ship’s ion scoops. They needed to exit Slope less than ten meters from the target, eject the refractor, watch it clamp secure to the hull, and reopen the aperture in less than sixty seconds. They would time their arrival during the narrow window when UG patrols would not have direct eyes on the engine array. The greatest danger lay in the time needed to secure the Black Forest cloak. At best speed, Ulrich could not engage the cloak for nine-tenths of a second after exit, and it would fall a quarter-second before reentering the aperture. If the patrol ships detected any anomalies, they’d find the refractor.

  “We will have our opportunity in thirty-five seconds,” Rayna said. “Can you confirm navcom is set?”

  “Yes, Rayna. I have the code aligned. Catalyst drivers are spinning the magnetic field. Now infusing dark matter substrata. Slope aperture set to open in thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight …”

  “Ulrich, I have a question for you.”

  Her timing stunned him. “Sure. Twenty-two, twenty-one …”

  “Almost all Jewels have used their Berserker skills at least once. Are you prepared to do this soon?”

  Are you kidding me? You ask this NOW?

  He gave the only answer Rayna would accept.

  “Of course. If called upon, I will. Nine, eight, seven …”

  “Good to know.”

  This would be Ulrich’s thirty-second wormhole jump, but also the shortest: 9.68 seconds. This level of precision required extra finesse in monitoring navcom while prepping for reverse aperture.

  They arrived within four inches of his projection. The Ark Carrier’s engine array dominated their field of vision, the uplift less than a blip by comparison. Rayna did fast work to program the uplift’s autoloader to aim and eject the refractor, an octagonal device a square foot in diameter with four-inch-thick glass and a magnetic bonding agent.

  “Success,” she announced. “Time to leave, Ulrich.”

  His hands flew through navcom’s streaming code. “Pivoting. Reverse aperture catalyzing. Drivers spinning the magnetic field. Dark matter substrata infusing. Eight, seven, six …”

  They returned to their original position 1.6 AUs from Brahma and reentered Black Forest. Rayna studied the patrol patterns around the Jeremiah Harrod until satisfied they were not detected.

  “Nice work, Ulrich. We are good team. No?”

  “Considering it’s our first time, you bet.”

  “I know what you wish to ask. Why did I ask about Berserker?”

  “Timing was off, but yes. Rayna, I meant what I said. I am prepared if called upon. But I am curious. What is it like to unleash all that power?”

  “It is like giving birth to millions of babies at once, but not as painful. Perhaps not the best analogy for you. It is primordial, Ulrich. It is moment of perfection, as if one’s soul calls upon the forces of creation itself. It is primary reason for our design. A Jewel who does not use this skill is not complete.”

  “Point taken. I’m sure there will be opportunities for me to level a city or two. Yes?”

  “At least. You may take us home now.”

  Just when he thought he was making strides, Ulrich heard a sudden bitterness in Rayna’s tone. Her eyes fell low and dark, as he’d seen many times. If he didn’t know better, Ulrich might think the whole damn conversation was nothing more than a loyalty test.

  Brother James had become exceptionally paranoid, but if Rayna was headed down the same road … No. He wasn’t going there. He knew better than to try reading between the lines.

  Everything – including that promised home world – depended upon stability at the top and trust from the ranks.

  Another Spanish phrase dropped in from his previous identity, but Ulrich shooed it away like a pest. The last thing he wanted was more “therapy” from Brother James.

  Rayna did not speak on the final jump home. They landed in the docking bay of Lioness minutes before James and Valentin returned on a Scramjet, escorting a liberated immortal. The five of them met as the automated dock loaders secured their ships.

  “Success?” Valentin asked.

  “Of course,” Rayna said. “You would expect less? And you?”

  “A spectacle, but our army has grown for when we need them.”

  “And this child?”

  James stopped his brother with a wave.

  “A brave boy who has also joined our army. Isn’t that right, Rikhi?”

  The child was plainly agog, his eyes flittering between the giant hybrids and the grandeur of a cruise liner.

  “You don’t have to speak now,” Valentin said, pointing to a woman entering the bay who was neither hybrid nor immortal. “We have someone who will ease the transition. Her name is Ophelia Tomelin. She will take good care of you and explain how things work.”

  The boy did not want to let go. “This is my new home?”

  “It is. For now.” Valentin motioned Ophelia closer. “Go with her, Rikhi. You’ll fit in here like you never did in Peshawan.”

  Ophelia took the boy by his other hand and tugged until he let go of Valentin. Ophelia didn’t say a word. Did not smile. Did not acknowledge the Jewel hybrids she once fought to preserve.

  Ulrich used to love her. She coddled him while he was still a compliant tool of the Chancellory. Somedays, he thought she wanted to set him free. But he didn’t see as much of her after James broke the conditioning program and took charge of the hybrids himself. Ulrich worried about her.

  “A good day’s work,” Valentin said. “How soon before we break Chancellor streaming protocols for public viewing?”

  James said, “I’ll review the footage myself and make the necessary alterations. I want the other colonies to understand what we’ve done, but not with every specific.”

  “Is good to plan limited exposure,” Rayna said. “Perhaps next time, you give me chance to be speaker. No?”

  James batted a half-smile at his wife. “Perhaps I will. A little work on your broken Engleshe, and I have no doubt you’ll be a brilliant speaker.”

  Valentin smirked, as did Ulrich, but Rayna stiffened her shoulders and walked away.

  “Throw her a bone, brother,” Valentin said. “Your wife becomes erratic when she is kept from the action for too long.”

  James slapped his brother from behind. “Don’t remind me. I didn’t think her pregnancy was ever going to end.” He pivoted to Ulrich. “How did she behave during the mission?”

  Ulrich chose his words with care. “Oh, very mindful of the details. Purposeful. Conversation limited to mission parameters.”

  “You twist the truth well, Ulrich. But I’m sure if anything difficult were to arise, you’d have the courage to tell me?”

  “Of course, Brother James. I serve you above all others.”


  “What do you say we share a drink to our victories? I have many things to do afterward. Many plans. Many places to go.”

  Ulrich would have asked what “many plans” and “many places” meant, but he didn’t bother. One simply did not ask James such questions. One waited until he provided the answers.

  19

  Pynn compound, Boston Prefecture

  22 days after attack on Vasily Station

  M ICHAEL RACKED UP TEN KILLS since entering the civil war – three by self-defense, seven by assassination. Most of his assignments targeted assassins before they took down Chancellors whose allegiance might favor Solomon equity. Even as he saved Chancellors, he despised these jaundiced, vengeful people for the cowardice of going after enemies through hired guns instead of face-to-face. They shielded themselves behind bureaucracy and alliances. They ordered murders that rarely took place in public.

  No armies. No uniforms. No long-term strategy.

  No one – neither Chancellor nor Solomon – knew when their deathblow would come. Instead, a war brought on after losing the colony Hiebimini and its treasured brontinium decades ago spiraled into a neverending cycle. Some suggested this is how the Chancellors might disappear from history – annihilation at their own hands. Those whispers rose as fears of bigger, more daring strikes intensified. And if the Unification Guard ever took sides …

  “I get it,” he told Sam, as she prepared for another trip to the Great Plains Metroplex, the governing home of the UG. “It’s neutral territory, so they say. But how do you know it ain’t a smokescreen?”

  “For what, sweetie?”

  “For the Admiralty to decide which alliances have the best chance to come through this in one piece then take direct action against the rest. They could do it. End the war in weeks. They’ll create a few fireworks, scatter the bodies here and there. But they’ll have all you people back on the same page, like it or not.”

  She finished her hair. “You people?”