Sojourn Sol (Eternal Sol) (5 page)

“It's just rumors. You know it's not true.”

“Ceres seemed to be quite upset the other day. I heard she had to go to the nurse’s office for quite some time.”

He went red in the face and stopped dead. “What are you talking about,” he hissed. He was clenching his fists, and she was trying to decide whether or not he could hurt her.

“I just heard, you know, about a month back she was late and..”

He grabbed her and pushed her up against the wall. “You don't fucking know anything.”

She looked him dead in the eye and said, “I haven't heard anything about it since. It sounds like she got rid of whatever trouble she was having. It was probably for the best.”

“Why are you trying to leave, huh?”

“I'm having second thoughts, Aygan. I wanna go back with the twins.”

“Yeah, fuck you.”

“No.” She had a big grin on her face. She pulled out a tiny white pill, a recorder that could be used to pick up and record audio signals. He grabbed at it, but she hid it under the sand and ran at him with the full force of her fists. She slammed him in the jaw, and blood started flowing freely from his mouth, turning it red. He tried to lift up, but she let the anger run through her, exploding as fist after fist slammed into him over and over again. If she had to kill him, she would, but she would not have to. With one final blast his eyes closed and he passed out.

She got up and retrieved the pill which she was able to identify by how it stuck out when it was implanted in the sand. She ran as fast as she could, desperate to get to the door before the simulation ended. Everyone would see what she did, and she wouldn't be able to leave the room. The sisters would chastise, and probably place her in a cell for a week.

She kept her left hand on the wall, trying to feel for any indentation, but she couldn't find it, not until she was about to give up. She felt a tiny crack in the wall, which she ran her finger along to find that it was a door frame. One the right side, there was a circular indentation and when she put her finger inside, the door opened. The effect was stunning, like a door into another world. She could see the ocean floor spread out before her to her right, and the meadow to the left, as though reality had been chopped in two. She dashed through the door, afraid that she would lose her chance and ran into the meadow.

Carnival trader ships are setup to be simple operations. The front face, which the customer sees is set side by side with other ships so that they form impassable lanes. The rear end of the ships is only accessible from within the ship unless a person makes their way to the other side of the field, which was prohibited by the sisterhood.

Nobody went back there so Henny was safe from prying eyes and was able to make her way to the back of the holodeck, into a tiny hatch to the right of the door, where she was able to stow away in the cargo hold. She pulled out a tiny red pill from inside her inner pocket and swallowed it, rending her invisible for as long as she wanted then she cramped into a corner as best she could and pulled out a black pill, which she broke open to inflate a tiny black box that could replicate the food and water she would need in case the trip took too long. After that, she pulled out a tiny white headband, her cognitive console and some simple glasses, which have an earpiece and a mouthpiece which would allow her to enter the VR world.

She wasn't scared—she was excited. No Bene'Anak had escaped for centuries, and she had come fully prepared. She'd even brought a condensed pistol in case she needed it. The black market in the school had become quite useful for her, and with a little coin she was able to get the rest of the supplies from some of the carnival workers as they were setting up camp. They wouldn't allow her safe passage, but they would give her the things she needed to make it as a stowaway. They probably thought she wouldn't make it off planet, but everyone underestimated her. So long as she acted right, nobody ever knew what she was up to. She could charm a child out of a piece of candy, and he would thank her for doing so.

She opened a window on her glasses in order to check the sanctuary for messages. There was a red flashing light on the right lens indicating that Tamil had in fact tried to communicate with her. When she heard his message, she started to understand what it was that she was dong. He was right, she was in danger, but she was doing the right thing. She had to make her own way in order to really succeed; she knew that, and she knew that she had what it takes to make it.

She stood in the blank, white space and cried for a while, wishing that she could really see him. She couldn't get to him, but she could explore, and they would be able to be together soon. She knew that it might be impossible to see him, but she wasn't sure she could move on if she stayed on Rhoas. Every time she went to the dining hall, he was there with her, sitting next to her, but she couldn't touch him. When she went and walked on the beach, she imagined that she could see his footprints. It didn't matter how many people were walking beside her down those halls, they were empty as far as she was concerned, and her grief was starting to make her lose her composure. She couldn't stand it; she had to leave. She didn't care where the ship took her, so long as she survived and she didn't have to stay there.

The force surrounding the blast area was far too large. The General would have to speak with the engineering department to ensure that they were able to reduce the amount of charge placed into the explosives. A nest of hungry Banu had burrowed into the moon of Fyrion. It was believed they were terrorists, which could be handled easily, but they didn't want to damage the moon too much because it was rich in perchlorate which was necessary in manufacturing many vital goods that couldn't be replicated.

General Espinoza was one of the most trusted military officials in the Empire. He played both sides of the aisle and found a middle ground that both could agree with in the senate. The reformists believed him to be liberals, and the traditionalists believed he was a staunch conservative. That was the way to get ahead in his world, and he had it down to a science. Through thorough analysis of his surrounding and the people therein, he was able to discover, not only how to deal with powerful men, but also how to get what he needed from them.

He needed more supplies for the operation, and the senate was having their perpetual budget battle. He leaned back in his soft leather armchair and looked around his simple white office. He was a minimalist, and the simple surroundings helped him think. That made it easier for him to prepare for his meeting.

Chunli Haj was an older man who had gotten into politics later in life. He was quickly gaining popularity in his home district on the human main world of Fyrion for his moderate stance which was easier to pass onto the divided public. The man was in a unique position as head of the senate budget committee to give the general the funds he needed, and he believed that Haj would be cooperative. He had manipulated the liberal sentiment of progression to fit his own desire to expand the empire's territory and give the military more funding. All Espinoza had to do was ask the Senator to fund that specific operation.

He felt a cognitive signal push through him, and gave the command to answer the Senator's call. “General,” the Senator looked like he had just left a pleasure hall. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was swaying just a bit.

“Senator, it's nice to finally speak to you.”

              And to you. I'm afraid that it won't be on good terms though.” He was going to turn the General down. “We have a situation in the outer edge. A source named Cress Warlog contacted a member of my staff just yesterday. He told me that a new species has been discovered.”

“With all due respect, Senator, how does this effect the military?”

“The interstellar race committee believes this species could cause grave damage. They're not carbon based, see.”

The general sighed. It couldn't be true; it wasn't possible. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I've received samples of what appears to be an RNA based race which is comprised of arsenic compounds. As you probably remember, General, this compound is completely volatile to everyone who comes into contact with it. If they were to enter into the galaxy, there's a chance they could contaminate our worlds.”

“Is the species hostile? Is it wise to simply exterminate them?”

              “They have yet to attack the ship that was stranded there, but they do appear to have an aggressive nature. They also take on the appearance of insects.”

“Now,” the General leaned forward to deliver his message. “I'm sure you wouldn't use a racist argument to justify extinction senator, you're better than that.”

“No, but racism is a large part of human nature, and I'm afraid the people will take the matter into their own hands. I know it's hard, general, but the Banu can wait. We will fund the project as soon as you exterminate the species.”

“I can't do that.” The general was clenching his fists, trying not to think of a way to kill the man. He could do it. It wouldn't be hard.

“Somebody will if you won't, and you'll lose your job if you refuse.”

“But senator...”

Haj looked down at him with an understanding smile. “Do the lives of one of countless species matter in the grand scheme of things? Think of the trouble they could cause if they were to become hostile. I know it's a harsh truth, general, but we have to think of ourselves, or the human race will face extinction. I'm authorizing the use of a 3
rd
level. I want you to begin assembling the proper fleet and have the ordered carried out as soon as possible.”

The visual went blank and the general was left staring at a white wall. He had to choose between his livelihood and trillions of lives. He'd never completed an extinction order before—it was done, but he'd vowed to himself that he would find a way to stop it even though he was sure there was no way he possibly could. They'd kill him if he even tried.

Henny was shivering from the cold, which was bursting in from the air vent above her head, and slamming into her entire body. She thought she would get used to after a while, but it kept going and going. She wasn't sure if she could take any more of it.

The ship took off the next day. That first night was fun. She was filled with excitement, ready to begin a new journey, but all she really did was sit and watch old visuals on her console while waiting for the ship to take off. She had some of her favorite food with her, candy strips and red bells. She could watch whatever she wanted, she thought she was set, but when the ship did take off the cold, and the danger involved started sinking in.

She didn't know where the ship was going. It would stop and go throughout the day, they must've made thirty trips in less than 24 hours, and every time they stopped, they opened the cargo hold to take out more cargo. It was getting emptier and emptier and it wasn't filling up. That must mean that they were getting rid of the merchandise, which also meant that when the boxes were all gone, either she could get off of the ship and find another way to get around, or she could stay where she was and wait to see what happened.

The next day, they got rid of the last crate and made their final jump to their destination. The cargo hold never opened, but she could hear the merchant talking outside. “You really need this that badly? I don't wanna have to pay 3000 just to get a freighter off this chunk of ice.” It was a woman with a bad attitude. Henny had seen her several times before.

“It's an emergency, a matter of life and death.”

“Well, return her quick. I don't care what the Kendall's say, I live on this thing for fuck's sake.”

“I can't guarantee anything, Landra, but I'll try.” The voice was sympathetic.

“That ain't enough.” Landra sounded like she was ready to fight.

“The Kendall Center owns this ship, we will compensate you well more than it's worth if it's destroyed. You know that.”

“I do. I guess I've just grown a bit attached to her.”

“I'll take care of her, I promise.”

The two parted ways and Henny didn't think twice, she ran to the hatch and felt around for the handle so she could open it. She ran her fingers along the smooth metal and over the sides, and collapsed in disappointment. The door would only open from the outside. She couldn't believe she could be so stupid as to forget about that. The only thing she could was wait and hope to jump out when they opened it, but she would be trapped, and they were heading into danger. She would rather brave the cold of an ice world a 100 times than enter into a galactic life or death situation. The man had said that he didn't know whether or not he was coming back.

Henny wanted excitement, she wanted adventure, but she didn't want to know what it meant to put her life in danger. The reality of her probable doom hit her in the face like an icepick, and her lungs exploded in a sea of wailing agony. Her screams were drowned out by the sound of the thrusters which were firing up to leave the atmosphere. She reached in her pocket for the orange condensed plasma pistol. Her fingers fumbled around for a moment. She didn't know where it was, and she was wasting precious time. When they finally got a hold of a pill, she ripped it out of her pocket only to find that it was a gray spacesuit, and the ship had taken off, so there was no way she could've left in the first place. She would have to make the journey into battle, and hope that she wasn't killed.