Aurora Saga 2 Immortality for Life (19 page)

The little girl glared at Zoren and others and said, ‘Why won’t you help my mum? I hate you! All of you!’

Zoren glanced around the room. Everyone looked shocked by Asnica’s outburst. She was only a child, but those few words had touched everyone’s soul. Zoren shook his head and then rushed over to the lift. It arrived and he went inside.

He said, ‘Bridge.’

On the bridge, Kalrea viewed her reflection in a monitor. Tears were falling from her face.

Zoren really hurt me. All I want is to be treated as an equal. I want a normal life!

Kalrea opened the seatra and then gazed at Lex lying there. She felt all alone again and needed someone to talk to. She was being judged as a machine once more, and questioned if that would always be the case.

Lex, am I really alive? I’m a female machine that thinks and reasons. Female! I’m female! Who decided I would be female? I don’t have a gender. I can’t replicate, so why do I have a gender? Why was I not male? Did my creators decided that, or did I?

Kalrea shook her head.

No, they must have decided to make me female. What else did my creators programme me to believe? I’ve always had the belief that I needed a pilot. Now, why is that? Was I programmed with that too, as Zoren said, or did I decide?

She took a deep breath to try to stem the flow of tears.

Lex, I’m trapped in this ship, a prison which my creators called the Aurora. This drone now gives me a way of leaving the ship, but I’m not sure it can survive on its own. If only I could live on a world with people.

She wiped the tears away from her face with her sleeve and stared at Lex wondering if her life was real or just someone’s plaything.

What happens when my Xint nuronic matrix fails? Do I go to heaven as others do, or do I cease to be? What will happen to my soul?

There was no way of getting answers to her questions.

The lift door opened and she could see Zoren inside, looking somewhat apprehensive.

He glanced at the open seatra and then to Kalrea, before saying,

‘I’m sorry, I’ll come back later.’

‘No. Come in,’ Kalrea replied.

Zoren walked tentatively onto the bridge. He peered nervously inside the seatra, but said nothing.

‘You promised me you wouldn’t tell them what I am,’ she said in a disproving voice.

‘I’m... I’m sorry, Kalrea.’

‘You really hurt me in there,’ she said, placing her hand on her heart. ‘Don’t do it again!’

‘I feel sick inside. I’ve always thought of you as a ruthless person with no emotions, but now I see another side of you. I’ve hurt you because I was weak.’

Zoren approached Kalrea and tentatively embraced her. ‘I wish I hadn’t told them.’

Kalrea felt Zoren’s hands against her back and she rested her head on his shoulder. She started to cry.

‘I’m never going to have a life like yours, am I?’ she said.

‘Don’t be so hard on yourself. You have the most incredible life. I envy you. All those years of travelling, meeting people and the adventures you must have had. I wish I could have had a life like that.’

Kalrea lifted her head from his shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

‘I wish I could change place with Sabri, so she was here with you instead of me. She’s so lucky to have someone like you.’

Zoren smiled, and then said, ‘I think you’re a wonderful person. Sabri and you would be great friends, I know.’

Kalrea wiped the tears from her face, and then said, ‘I’m sorry you’ve seen me like this. I wanted to be strong in front of you, so you and the others could believe that I would be able to save the rest of the Agonians.’

‘That’s not changed my trust in you, Kalrea. In fact, it shows that you must really care about what you are doing for my people.’

Kalrea managed a slight smile. She saw Zoren glancing at Lex lying inside the seatra.

‘That’s Lex,’ she said, indicating to the seatra. ‘His heart has failed. If I take him out of suspended animation to talk to him, he will die.’

‘So this is Lex. How long has he been in suspended animation?’ Zoren asked softly.

‘He’s been in there one thousand, four hundred and sixty-six years.’

‘How old is he?’

‘He’s one hundred and thirty-four.’

‘Wow, I wish I could live that long. The oldest known Agonian was just forty-seven when she died.’

‘Races live different time spans. Yours is nowhere near the shortest. I know of one called the Templo, who only live for five years. They grow very quickly and live their lives at a much faster pace.’

‘It’s so unfair, Kalrea, that the Xangols can take what little life my people have to give them immortality. It feels like we’re cursed.’

‘You’re definitely not cursed. You should see it as a gift. You have the power to give eternal life.’

‘Why did Iop allow our people to become a commodity that the Xangols need?’

‘For that, you’d have to ask Iop.’

‘Kalrea, I hope you won’t mind me asking you this, but why didn’t you let Lex die after all this time?’

‘He was my first pilot and I always felt the need to protect him and to save him from death. I was hoping I could find something that could help him, but I can’t find anything to stop him dying.’

Kalrea paused for a moment in contemplation,

‘All he ever wanted was to get back to his homeworld, Qintaino, to his wife Karunet and his son Jameilo. But he’ll never see them again, just like some of the Agonians here, who will never see their loved ones again. I’ve met millions of creatures throughout my existence and I’ve come to know that every life should be treated as something that’s unique and precious, but there are so many who couldn’t care less if theirs or others were ended. That’s so sad to have that one chance of existence taken away from you.’

She paused, while she took a solemn deep breath.

‘I’ve ended many lives. Too many! I feel guilt for what I’ve done, yet I know that if I hadn’t, then more would have died. Was it right to take those lives?’

Zoren had the look of someone who did not want to answer the question because he would be wrong whatever he replied. Kalrea could sense he wanted to support her, but he could not say that killing people was right. Then she continued,

‘I often think about my own mortality and wonder when I will die. It could be tomorrow or in a million year? I don’t know, and I suppose that’s what makes life so precious, none of us knows when our life will end.’

‘That’s not true if you’re immortal,’ Zoren remarked.

‘No one can live forever. Everything has to die, even those who think they’re immortal.’ Kalrea gazed down at Lex.

‘Kalrea, I can now feel that you have a special connection with Lex and this is something private between the two of you. I won’t mention him to the others.’

‘I don’t care what you say to the others anymore.’

‘No! This is a personal thing to you. I can see that.’

‘You’ll probably end up telling them anyway.’

‘Look, I’m really sorry I let you down in front of the others, I should never have betrayed your trust. It won’t happen again.’

Kalrea looked him in the eyes.
He looks very serious. I think he really means what he just said.

‘I know the others became very negative towards you once they knew you were an artificial intelligence, but remember you’re completely different to anything they’ve ever seen or met before. They see you have powers that are unimaginable to them and I’m sure they’re a little frightened of you. I know I was when I first met you. Why else would they react like that?’

‘You may be right, but if your people really want to leave, they can. They’re free to decide for themselves.’

‘They’ll stay, Kalrea. I know them. We have to try to save the others.’

‘Yes, they’re talking about it at the moment. Gulco seems to agree.’

‘I see you’re listening in on them now, but I thought you listened in on everything and that you would have heard what we were saying about you, before you entered the accommodation space.’

‘I only listen when I feel it’s important. It’s not respectful to listen in on someone. We all know people talk about us behind our backs. What would it be like if we knew what others said about us? We’d be fighting each other all the time.’

‘That’s for sure,’ Zoren replied.

‘Asnica and Doine need their mother. I’m not going to let Supora die, but I also realise that we can’t afford to waste time getting to Trafth, so I’m going to have to leave the ship,’ but then realising what she had said, thought,
What am I thinking? I can never leave this ship!
and then correcting herself and indicating to her body, added, ‘My drone, here, will be leaving the ship. I’m currently preparing the Antrolo transport. It’s the fastest ship I have onboard. It should have a crew of seven Antrolians, so it’s not going to be easy for me to fly it.’

‘I could come with you,’ Zoren said, glancing down at the floor and then to Kalrea. ‘That’s if you still want my help.’

‘Zoren, I do need your help, but I need it here onboard the
Aurora
. It feels like Gulco is constantly trying to turn people against me, like if he’s trying to restate his authority. That could result in deaths if your people have to rely on his judgement because he doesn’t understand what’s out there in this section of space, let alone the Galaxy. I need him to see it for himself, to discover and learn, so I want you to show him around the
Aurora
and then bring him to the bridge. I will show him recordings of many worlds and races, and he can ask me anything he wants. That way, it will enable him to make the right decisions base upon a greater knowledge. Will you do that for me?’

‘Yes... Of course, but what happens when we get to Trafth? You can only have one of your drones operational at a time. How will you help us?’

‘The simple answer is I won’t be able to help you when you are not onboard the
Aurora
,’ and then trying to go back to being very rational and decisive she continued, ‘You and your people will have to do what it takes without me. You’d better go back to the accommodation area now. It’s time for me to leave with Supora and I need a few moments alone, please.’

Zoren smiled and nodded slowly before leaving the bridge. After he left, she placed her hand on the seatra, and thought,

I hope Zoren will be strong, Lex. He’s going to need to be. And I hope that Gulco will come to respect me. I made a promise to Asnica and I’m not going to break that little girl’s hearts. I’m about to leave Zoren, Gulco and the others, which means that when they get to Trafth I won’t be able to accompany them outside the Aurora. I hope that being better informed will enable them to make the right choices.

Kalrea stood staring down at Lex for a few minutes, before going to the cargo bay. When the Pojin lift door opened, she was surprised to see that all the Agonians were there. Supora was being carried by four people on a stretcher designed for the construction drones to use.

Well, what’s this? Why are they doing this?

Kalrea hurried over to the Antrolo transport where she was met by Vinuar, who had Asnica and Doine holding his hands.

‘Can my people take Supora onboard the transport?’ he asked.

‘Yes... Yes,’ Kalrea said, somewhat taken aback. ‘A construction drone will show you where to go. I’ve had them move a seatra onto the bridge of the transport. It will allow me to keep an eye on her and will stop her pain while we travel.’

Meanwhile Zoren, who had just finished talking to Gulco, wandered over to them.

‘Where are you going?’ Vinuar asked Kalrea.

‘Back to Onliv, that’s still the closest planet.’

‘Kalrea, you can’t go back there,’ Zoren said with concern. ‘They will be looking for you.’

Time to change then.

Kalrea’s hair changed to a deep black, surprising Vinuar and the girls.

‘Did you just change...? You did, didn’t you?’ Vinuar said.

‘Does it suit me?’ Kalrea asked him, but he did not answer. Asnica and Doine appeared stunned and then looked at each other.

‘Kalrea, why not wait until we get near to another planet?’ Zoren asked.

‘It will be another six-point-two hours before we pass close to another inhabited planet. By then Supora will be dead. No, Onliv is the only option.’

‘But, what if they recognise you?’ Zoren said.

‘They’ll not be expecting me to return there. I’m sure many people will be trying to track the
Aurora
by now, so why would they be looking for me on Onliv?’

Zoren embraced Kalrea and gave her a hug. He then said,

‘Look, I know this is a drone and you’re still here on the
Aurora
, but I want you to return, ok.’

He’ll never know how much that means to me
, Kalrea thought, and then replied,

‘Thank you, Zoren.’

Kalrea moved up the steps to the Antrolo transport and, at the doorway, turned and said,

‘You’ll all need to clear the cargo bay. The doors will be open to space.’ She peered down at Asnica and Doine, who had just seen their mother being carried onto the transport. From the expression on Asnica’s face, Kalrea knew she was very sad to see her mother leave and she said,

‘Don’t worry. Your mum and me will be back soon, I promise.’