“A program? As in … what, Frederic … a holographic projection?”
“A construct. An organic construct.”
“And all of us here … part of this construct? All this is programmed? An illusion?”
“Absolutely not. Right now, you and I and the hundred other generations of our bloodline are in Roma, Standard Year 2522. The reality of the moment has been slightly skewed, but this is not a holographic projection. It is an extension of the Jewels’ eternal construct, accessible only to those whose blood is part of that construct.”
Ephraim shook in revulsion. “Then I, by extension, am part of a program. Yes? Why will you not admit this?”
“I cannot admit to that which is not true, Ephraim. It is true that each of my descendants was born with a moral imperative to pursue the Jewels’ vision, much as the Chancellors manipulated the ethnics with Genysen. However, each of you was also born with free will. You had to choose whether you would pursue the mission. Many, especially the Eglantines, took a different path. The Jewels knew that if they manipulated humans on a massive scale – godlike, one might say – the validity of this mission would be in question.”
“Why?”
Frederic tossed his wine glass into the bath, and the attendant went after it.
“Because they needed to make sure …” He took a deep breath. “They needed to make sure we could do better than the ones who came before us.”
“Ones? Who?”
“The ones who created the Jewels. The ones, much like us, who evolved for thousands of years into a brilliant civilization only to reach too high, strive to become more than human. The ones who, in their final and desperate generations, created an organic construct into which they fed their entire knowledge base and genetic code.”
“For what purpose?”
“To understand, to deliberate, to explore, to calculate, to analyze. To figure out how to start a new civilization once the creators were gone. Ephraim, the Jewels are almost a million years old. They have seen every corner of this galaxy and many others. They trump the limitations of time, and they pass between universes with regularity. They are …”
“Gods.”
“To hear that description, one might tend to agree.”
“Then why us? Why Earth? Why humanity? Why the mission?”
The boy with the garland of roses returned, this time offering Frederic a long, fat cigar. The son of the original Chancellor took it gladly. The boy held out a lighter, and Frederic formed a massive smoke cloud between the two of them as he took his initial puffs. The Roman boy smiled and departed.
“The Jewels found us in the early years of what you now call pre-history,” Frederic continued. “We were a barbaric, disjointed race. Be glad you know little of this period, my friend. Europe had largely sealed itself off from the hordes to the east and south. The Heretics of God were spreading their message like a cancer. Even the European domains were conflicted. Radical faiths, spiritualists, polytheists, monotheists. The Jewels realized we were inhibiting our growth as a people because of our conflicts about the Divine. They believed we could achieve greatness if we stripped ourselves of our own sense of inferiority. They thought we had the potential to exceed their own creators without making the same fatal errors.”
“And out of this came our mission?”
“Yes. They put into place enough markers to ensure forward movement. Based on their assessment of the behavior of mortals – their creators as well as races they visited in other universes – they calculated the time we would need to rise to greatness and the time it would take to fall. My friend, you must understand this: The Jewels always wanted the best for us. If we had succeeded, then they would have fulfilled the mission set upon them by their creators.”
“And yet, they predicted from the outset that we would fail. I wonder …”
Frederic smiled through a puff. “Now you are catching on, my friend. Among the markers they created were the opportunities for triumphs and temptations for disaster.”
Ephraim looked around and found the Roman boy. “I think I’ll have some wine after all.”
The boy reached behind his back and revealed a deep-fluted glass.
“The architects of it all.” Ephraim groaned. “The Fulcrum. The Nexus points that just happen to open into thirty-nine planetary systems all supporting colonization. And Hiebimini.”
“Yes, Hiebimini.”
Ephraim drank the wine in one gulp and could not believe a man of his intellect had been so blind to the truth. “The ultimate temptation.”
“They had hoped humans would not make the same mistakes after discovering brontinium. Ephraim, the last stanzas of the ‘Final Accord’ were not given to us until centuries after Hiebimini was colonized. Only then could they be sure. You knew the truth instinctively. It’s why you chose a post there so soon after leaving the UG. It’s why you saw such potential in Trayem Hadeed to create the crucible.”
Ephraim felt sick, even though such manifestations were not supposed to be possible inside the link. “And why I married Genevieve. Hmm. A scientist who explores the mysteries of the galaxy. Not a mere coincidence, Frederic. Has any of my work been of my own design?”
“Yes, Ephraim. Everything. From the moment you saw the terror in your dying father’s eyes to the instant you knew how much you loved Ilya. Your actions have been the product of utter free will. They have also been the product of expected human behavior, as predicted long ago by the Jewels.”
“Or at least by Henrik Ericsson. It was always him, wasn’t it? You said he was one of five Jewels. Where have the others been all this time?”
“Everywhere else. The First Jewel of Eternity, the one they called The Father but who we called Henrik, separated from the others after the Fulcrum was created and watched over humanity alone. I believe that is when he left the link. The five agreed: They would not be reunited until the mission concluded and that indeed, their reunion would set humanity on a new and uncertain path.”
“The path reborn.”
“Yes, my friend.” Frederic blew smoke through his nose and handed the cigar to the attendant, who had never stopped sponging him. “Henrik … The Father … is preparing for the reunion. I believe that is why he came for Ilya. It is also the primary reason why I have told you all this: Most certainly, Ilya has long since been made privy to … well, everything. Perhaps even more than The Father told me. They will be waiting for the other Jewels.”
In that instant, Ephraim knew what he had to do. “Frederic, even if I resisted, the ‘Final Accord’ will play out anyway. Yes?”
“Indeed it will. Whether this year or in fifty. You created the crucible. Genevieve brought the Jewels back. Ilya will be the destroyer as foretold.”
Ephraim removed himself from the bath. “‘In geometry unpredicted.’ Frederic, will I see him again before the end?”
“You already know the answer, my friend.”
He did. Ephraim looked for an attendant to hand him a towel, but he realized his skin was dry. He laughed at the foolishness and did not bother to dress.
“Don’t worry, Frederic. I know what has to be done.”
Instantly, the venue changed. Suddenly, he and Frederic stood huddled in the center of a dark, circular room. Narrow beams of sunlight splashed down through circular portals and fell upon the whole of the link. Ephraim and Frederic turned to each other.
“This has never happened before,” Frederic glared. “Not without warning. The allotted group chooses a new venue and we’re given time to …”
Ephraim felt a strange familiarity. He could almost see plaster walls through the darkness. What was that smell? He knew it from somewhere. He could almost taste …
Just as suddenly, he was standing in the catacombs, now fully dressed. Frederic, standing naked in the center of the bath, looked around in dismay.
“That tears it,” Frederic said. “If the rules of the link are being violated, then we may be closer to the end than I expected.”
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“Twelve eyes,” Ephraim sighed. “I counted twelve portals of light. ‘…the lasting blood is drawn from fire and braced in twelve eyes.’”
Frederic steadied himself. “A message from The Father.”
“I think I know the place, Frederic. I need no more proof. I will not allow the weapon to be destroyed.” Ephraim laughed. “Interesting, is it not? So powerful they can redesign space and influence time itself, but they cannot escape the containment field of a bomb. One might posit the notion that they do not wish to escape. Yes?”
Ephraim reached for his glasses, but Frederic raised both hands in warning.
“Take care, Ephraim. The final stages may be the most trying. Besides, I would like to see you again before the end. I have a pleasant surprise for you. A gift long overdue.”
“I will be back, my old friend. No one has ever gotten in my way. Yes?”
Five months later, and Ephraim still could not fathom the scope of it all. He also did not take comfort in the fact that every stage of his elaborate plan to rescue the Jewels had come off beautifully so far. Timing played a critical role in this final stage, and he could have wished for any number of co-pilots other than Andreas. Unfortunately, none of them would have been so remarkably stupid as to carry out this plan.
“She’s en route,” Andreas said as he studied CV projections. “This should be interesting, wouldn’t you say?”
“Poor vocabulary and a sense of understatement. Yes?”
Had he followed Genevieve’s original suggestion, Ephraim would have tried to nuke the station with everyone onboard. Even Genevieve had admitted her approach was heavy-handed, but she believed they would never have close enough access to the weapon to sabotage from within. Moreover, the facility’s internal matrix contained years of research leading to the weapon’s development, as well as stockpiles of additional Jewel energy recovered during her exploration. She also assumed the eight team members with direct access to the weapon stored key data in their personal CVs and stream amps. No data could leave this star system, she said.
“You do understand what this means?” Ephraim asked.
Genevieve, having been drained of the blood mask and restored to a woman of sixty-six, said she did not care. “They would not be the first from our mission to disappear,” she said. “Officially, they have been missing since our ship never returned from Nexus Nine-Seven. Just like me. Once the evidence is gone, the Presidium will erase their records.”
“Yes. However, Gen, I do not believe you are prepared to kill a thousand people. You might be a remarkably cold and self-aggrandizing shrew, but you are not a mass murderer. There are others who more suitably fill that role. Yes?”
Genevieve offered no further resistance to Ephraim’s plan and allowed him to work connections at the highest levels. He commissioned Andreas to scout for available cargo transports with weapons capabilities. He followed a list of Presidium members who authorized the development of Eternal. Genevieve used her existing access to the Finnion’s CV database to hack into the medical records of all recent clients. Ephraim then returned to Earth and visited Presidium members who authorized Eternal.
The blackmail worked wonders. Enough of the Presidium had individually invested in high-value but off-register products that they were more than willing to convince the full body to kill Project Eternal. Ephraim made no friends but likewise knew they would never speak openly of an illegally-authorized project. However, he also knew the supporters of Eternal would never actually dismantle the weapon. This project, once funded as part of Finnion’s Universe, would undoubtedly go off the register just as soon as the funds could be drawn up for another facility.
Finnion’s then became the primary concern. Genevieve solved that problem by uncovering records of five client deaths attributed to Finnion’s malpractice, specifically the reinstallation of the wrong natural blood after draining the synthetic. Ephraim transmitted data packages to the Public Health Oversight Sanctum. PHOS reacted swiftly, garnering considerable attention on the stream when they shut down Finnion’s pending an investigation.
Next, Ephraim rendezvoused with the newly-purchased ITV Leggett. As they carried out a mock search for mineral deposits, Ephraim and Andreas monitored off-channel signals from the station, where Genevieve worked with the team to disassemble the facility and prepare for departure. Only eleven of Genevieve’s team remained on the final day of evacuation. She sent her last signal to the Leggett immediately after Eternal and the crewmen were onboard their cruiser. Hours earlier, Leggett had sent a distress beacon indicating total engine failure and requesting assistance. Ephraim and Andreas were told the next cruiser would pick them up.
Four hours after it departed the station, the cruiser came into visual range.
Andreas sent a scripted message. “Greetings, Cruiser Mendallion. This is ITV Leggett, awaiting instructions for rescue operation. Please advise.”
The cruiser responded with silence. Andreas repeated the message twice more without success. The cruiser entered Leggett’s arc of distress but flew silent. Andreas shook his head.
“Correct as always, Mr. Hollander. They’re not going to stop for us.”
“You were expecting a crew carrying the most powerful weapon in the universe to allow a pair of ethnic gravel-jockeys onboard?” Ephraim examined his CV instrument board. “I do hope Gen is completing matters on her end. In case not … Andreas, spool up the mass driver. Target the engine array only. Make sure your calculations are perfect.”
“Precision is my forte. Would not want to see what happens if the cruiser takes a full-on hit with the end of the galaxy in its belly.”
The cruiser passed the Leggett without a signal. Ephraim tapped the arm of his swivel.
“She’s about to learn a lesson, Ivanovic. This sort of business is never easy.”
Seconds later, the cruiser’s primary engines stalled and a signal came through.
“It’s done,” Genevieve said in a muffled voice. “Cruiser is secure. The gas should be cycled out momentarily.”
“Outstanding, Gen. Notify us when Eternal is loaded on the uplift.”
Ephraim closed the transmission and turned to Andreas. “Ivanovic, I did not believe my wife could go through with it.”
Andreas smiled. “She’s a corker, that’s for sure.”
Ephraim raised a brow and surveyed the controls. He ordered Andreas to power up the engine array and extend the Leggett’s docking tube. Less than an hour later, the cruiser’s portside landing bay opened, and a planetary uplift transport departed. Genevieve piloted the vessel to a smooth linkup with the Leggett. Once she and Andreas confirmed Eternal was onboard, Ephraim aimed the mass driver toward the cruiser amidships. He fired two asteroids.
They decimated Mendallion just as Genevieve and Andreas reached the flight deck.
“I was hoping to do you a favor,” Ephraim told his wife. “Destroy the thing before you arrived. I know it could not have been easy.”
Genevieve glared as if she had not slept in days, and her hair carried a touch of gray.
“They were asleep,” she said. “They never knew.”
Andreas took the co-pilot swivel, but Genevieve didn’t want to see the rest of the plan in action. She searched for a bunk.
“Tough woman,” Andreas muttered. “An inspiring creature.”
Ephraim programmed a new course toward the space station. Four hours later, the Leggett came to a stop fifty kilometers from the target. Andreas confirmed the mass driver was fully loaded. Ephraim gave the order.
“Fire all but three. I would like to have reserves, in case.”
Ten minutes after they were fired, the asteroids smashed into the station. Explosions varied, but the superstructure largely held through the first volley. As fires spread through XF-41, however, explosions grew in intensity, especially in the lower research levels. Ephraim adjusted the Leggett’s position to target the most vulnerable sections. The final three asteroids had a cascading effect, shredding t
he superstructure into at least a dozen drifting pieces.
Ephraim sighed as he examined the debris. Andreas, on the other hand, was upbeat.
“If I may say, Mr. Hollander, this has to be the most ingenious destruction of a space station in recorded history. Not that we’ve lost many stations, you understand. Of course, the way those Hiebim terrorists brought down a Carrier was impressive. Nonetheless, I am inspired.”
“Ivanovic, I despise you.”
“Naturally.”
Seven hours later, the Leggett entered a holding pattern within five thousand kilometers of Nexus One-Three. The plan called for Ephraim to take Leggett to Nexus Two-Six, an uninhabited and rarely explored system, where Genevieve would dismantle the weapon and release the Jewel energy into space.
They retreated to the docking port. Ephraim ordered Andreas to prepare an ejection sequence while Genevieve opened the weapon to provide a close-up view of Eternal. Ephraim noticed how Genevieve had said very little since the cruiser’s destruction, but he suspected she was thinking of other matters. Andreas also lost his vociferous quality after dinner. Thus, when they reached the docking port, the tube opened, and Genevieve disengaged the seals on the weapon’s container, Ephraim enacted the final stage of his plan. He reached behind a conveyor unit where he had strategically placed a plasma pistol then turned it on his cohorts.
“If you would please,” he told them, “board the uplift.”
Genevieve clenched her fists at her sides. “You cudfrucker. I knew, I knew, I knew. The instant I told you about the weapon, I knew you’d never destroy it. Every instinct told me not to trust you. But I didn’t listen.”
“Because I made you feel like a woman again. Yes?”
She started to rush him, but Andreas held her back. “That’s an unfortunate ripper,” he said as he turned to Genevieve. “Very well. We tried. He beat us to it. I think we’ve had quite the sufficient bloodshed for today.”
Genevieve turned pale as she kicked Andreas in the knee then turned to Ephraim. “I just killed ten people I’ve known most of my career so I could destroy that monster,” she said. “Why would I care what you might do to me?”
The Father Unbound Page 37
