Astra: Synchronicity (32 page)

A tall Xuranian approached the podium with a
smile. "I would like to thank our privileged guests, Mr. Dodd and
Mr. Chen. Another round of applause, please." The Xuranian
delegation was quite animated in their response, like they were his
personal fan club. He was the one and only, Divine Chancellor
Gliel. His green eyes shone with unnatural intensity, and
fist-sized jade shells provided external ears. His indigo hair
seemed less repulsive than the rest, as though he truly did glow
with celestial mana.

"Fellow citizens, we are gathered here today
to mark the first step of a glorious journey that will bring us
together as neighbors and allies. We meet because we have chosen
hope over fear, unity over conflict and discord. And even though we
may not worship the same divine power or agree on each and every
law in the books, we seek an understanding that transcends
spiritual and political divides."

Amii felt Xander's unnerving stare bearing
down on her. Without saying a word she glanced back at him and
wondered what might be going through his head right now. She didn't
quite understand why he disapproved of Magnius. His fatherly
impulses had grown tiresome, and it was only a matter of time
before the two went head-to-head over it.

"Many of you have wondered what an advanced
race such as ourselves would have to gain by an alliance with
Astra, and the answer is simple. Our sun is dying." The
announcement drew a buzz from the listeners, but after Amii's
midnight ride with Magnius last night across the desolation, she
was not surprised.

"What was once fertile farmland is now barren
desert. Droughts are commonplace, even in temperate northern
communities with high annual rainfall. Our numbers have dwindled
due to starvation. We have been searching for a new system to call
home. That is how we found each other. The star you call Gamma
Pavonis is an ideal candidate, though its proximity to Astra might
be an ongoing source of strain between our races. Though the system
is in unclaimed territory, we are fully prepared to share knowledge
with your people. Technology that would help in your day-to-day
lives. Information that would take generations to acquire."

The drone amongst the attendees grew louder
on the human side. Some weren't sure of what to make of this new
information, and others began to doubt the idea that an alliance
could be struck in good faith. The human race had always been
xenophobic and divisive. When one form of discrimination ended,
another emerged to take its place: religion, skin color, sexual
orientation, psionic ability. Aliens would be the latest
victim.

Gliel continued his speech, unfazed by the
apparent dissension of the audience. "I realize you may have
reservations, but a fruitful alliance would strengthen Astra.
Because our situation on Xur is not yet dire, allow us the
opportunity to prove ourselves to you. True friendship does not
happen without trust, and there can be no trust without
transparency and openness. The first step is to set up long-range
communication relays between Xur and Astra. Communication is, after
all, the cornerstone of friendly relations. The second step I
propose is the establishment of embassies on Xur, New England, and
Kashtivone. It is my hope this will facilitate intercultural trade
and travel to realize the benefits an alliance would have for all
our people."

Amii gazed absentmindedly toward the eastern
sky, shielding her eyes from the blinding sunlight of Vopa. A small
ship sailed across the cloudless azure ocean above them, leaving a
white trail in its wake. Something about it didn't seem quite
right. She hadn't seen any other such vehicles on the surface since
they arrived yesterday afternoon. The Xuranians had teleportation
technology for traversing vast distances, and as such they had no
use for small people-faring vehicles.

She nudged Nadine in the side and nodded in
the direction of the ship. The second lady glanced in its direction
and after a moment, she furrowed her brow. Her eyes glowed a deep,
venomous violet while she glared at it.

As it approached, Amii noticed it was a
transport from one of the AC ships. While it made more sense, that
didn't explain what it was doing here. There was no reason for any
of the remaining crewman to leave their ship. The implant
communications still worked and no one was scheduled to leave until
tomorrow.

Suddenly, a loud sonic boom swept over them,
and the horde of onlookers turned in that direction. The small ship
had picked up speed and was bearing down on their location at a
high velocity. A chill paralyzed everyone seated there with
fear.

"Oh my God," Nadine uttered. She'd closed her
eyes and dropped her head into her hands. After several irregular,
shallow breaths, she glanced up toward the transport, sailing over
them like a missile. "I can't stop it."

The vessel swooped over their heads before
turning in a wide arc and circling back around, careening out of
control toward the palace. All any of them could do was gasp in
horror as it smashed into the side of the majestic structure,
disintegrating on contact and erupting into a terrifying fireball
that cascaded through the entire length of the building. The
explosion sounded like a bomb had gone off right in front of them.
Shards of debris rained down on top of the cowering masses. That
was when the screaming started.

Thick plumes of black smoke unfurled like a
mushroom cloud overhead. People fled the area in a chaotic panic
while the palace smoldered above the crowd. The eastern tower of
the building teetered precariously on its base as though a wisp of
wind would cause it to topple, killing everyone below.

Amii couldn't breathe. As others scattered,
her legs turned to stone—unable to move even if she wanted to.
Gripped by terror and frozen by fear, she watched the tower break
in half and fall toward them.

"Run!" Magnius shouted.

Xander stood too far away to take Amii and
head for safer ground. The scientist grabbed Lyneea's hand and
sprinted into the chaos with her. Nadine tripped over a chair and
stumbled into Amii, knocking both of them to the ground. They
scrambled to their feet, but it was already too late to avoid the
massive chunk of rock hurling towards them. Magnius hadn't moved
either, and she feared this would mark the unceremonious end for
them all.

As they watched the gigantic chunk of debris
fall, Magnius lifted his arms as though he planned to actually stop
it. The insanity of the gesture didn't have time to cross Amii's
mind because the huge conglomerate of stone actually began to slow.
His arms shook from exertion as he winced and fell down onto one
knee.

"I can't hold it!" he bellowed while the rock
continued downward in slow motion. "Run!"

In the chaos Nadine put her hand on his
shoulder, and a bolt of electricity flashed between them. She held
her arm up against it, and her face quickly crumpled in pain. Amii
had no idea what was going on, but the tower stopped midair about
twenty feet above them. Thick acrid dust covered them while they
watched in disbelief and waited.

His display of amazing strength left her
speechless. Such power was frightening yet awe-inspiring. In one
fell swoop the secret he'd been guarding his entire life was
outed.

Nadine appeared to struggle with it for
several moments as though unsure about what to do next. She said
something to Magnius that Amii could not make out, and in one final
force of exertion, the two of them flung the crumbling fragment of
the palace away toward the ocean.

The three of them got up and ran frantically
toward the
Kearsarge
. Amii searched the fleeing mob for
Xander, but she didn't see him anywhere. All she could do was hope
he made it aboard with Lyneea and the Vice President, whom she
hadn't seen since before the attack. They were the last few humans
to escape from the scene, but in less than a minute they caught up
to the others.

As they drew closer, Amii heard Commander
Mundammi's distinct voice calling out for people to return to the
ship they'd arrived on and go back to their quarters. Rashad
somehow kept his cool amongst the terror-stricken mass around him,
though she wondered if he felt the same way the rest of them did
inside. She hadn't noticed until now that Magnius had taken her
hand so the two of them wouldn't get separated, but the warmth of
the act was lost in the flight for their survival.

Despite the fact that they had arrived on the
Schenectady
, she scampered onto the
Kearsarge
behind
Magnius. She noticed Lieutenant Sibo Chen standing beside her, so
distraught he appeared to be sick.

Rashad took a step onto the door ramp and
peered out one last time, scanning the area for humans in distress.
He turned toward the cargo hold. "Commander Martinez," he
announced. The bay was almost empty, save a handful of crewmen and
the last ten civilians to come aboard, and an eerie silence
blanketed the area.

Lieutenant-Commander King had been left in
charge of the
Kearsarge
for the duration of the diplomatic
event. "She hasn't made it back, sir."

The captain raised his arm and urgently
tapped his implant. Amii had seen several officers check back with
their ship at various points during the day. But something was
wrong. His face crumpled and he curled his hands into fists. "Damn.
See if we can get in touch with any of the other ships."

King strode to a computer in the starboard
bulkhead, and his fingers flew over the control panel with
masterful proficiency. People were still out there…possibly trapped
or injured. Carmen might be one of them. Xander could still be
among them. How many had not made it back? "I'm having trouble
getting through to them. I can't establish a clear link, too much
interference."

"They're jamming our signal. Shit." Rashad
narrowed his eyes and spat outside onto Xur. "Head to the bridge
and get us out of here." He slammed his hand against the bulkhead
as he followed King out of the room, and the outer hull door sealed
shut.

"Clear the room," Sibo said. "Please return
to your quarters so we can get an accurate headcount."

Nadine glanced in Amii's direction after they
funneled through to the main corridor. "Bryan's here…somewhere. But
I'm sorry, Amii. I don't know where Xander is. I'll keep looking."
The second lady kissed her friend on the lips before scurrying
through the corridors to locate her husband.

Arriving on board the
Schenectady
meant none of them had quarters to return to. But Magnius hadn't
left her and didn't say a word when he took her hand and led her
further inside the
Kearsarge
. They wove around a few corners
and she found it odd when he headed into the empty mess hall. But
she said nothing, instead following him inside. The two of them
headed over to the large panoramic windows.

The
Kearsarge
had just taken flight,
though from their vantage point the other ships were not visible.
Amii spotted the crumbling rubble of the Xuranian Palace, the once
majestic structure consumed in thick sooty smoke that rose like an
antennae straight toward heaven. After a few moments, it imploded
under the stress until a cloud of ash was all that remained. With
its destruction went all hope of an alliance with Xur.

She glanced over at Magnius, whom she
discovered hadn't been looking outside at all. He clenched his brow
in pain and took long, deep breaths. His act of bravery had taken
more out of him than he cared to say. He'd always struck Amii as
the sort of man who'd think nothing of saving himself when others
were at risk. Obviously, she'd been wrong.

Amii reached over and took his hands in hers.
He opened his eyes and stared at her. She wanted to kiss him, to
thank him for what he'd done but remembered his words from the
night before and decided not to. While she mulled the
possibilities, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to
him.

In their embrace she rested her head against
his. If she could've heard all his thoughts with her ear against
his head, she would have in that moment. It was plain to see that
people didn't get any more complicated than Magnius, and whether
that was due to his long life or the way he was born, she'd never
know. Amii had a hard time finding any men attractive, but for some
reason Magnius seemed to be growing on her.

She didn't know why. There was no logical
reason for it. But he was.

With the whereabouts of the only person who
had ties to her past unknown, she began to worry for her future.
The prospect of Xander dying on Xur as a result of the violent act
sunk her into a depression. She didn't know what she'd do or where
she'd go. Even in Magnius' arms, the idea filled her with worry and
regret.

Amii brushed the side of her face against his
and it felt wet, but she realized the tears were not her own. What
they'd all witnessed had been horrifying, burned into their minds
like a terrible nightmare that would never go away. She didn't want
to let go of him out of the fear that everything would fall to
pieces around her and life as they knew it would suddenly be over.
Perhaps it already was and no one knew it yet.

What in all of Astra would humanity do now?
If they thought the Xuranians would be willing to forgive and
forget, they were dead wrong.

Captain Ardri Lothian stumbled into her
command chair and fought back her fear with every ounce of strength
she had left. Silent terror gripped the crew since their abrupt
departure from Xur. Everyone on the bridge attended to their
stations diligently, as though any slight waver in their attention
would cause a breakdown of epic proportions. So long as they were
busy, they didn't think about what the fallout might be from their
prospective allies.