Log 1 Matter | Antimatter (55 page)

G. Am I to assume you’ll be in contact more
often now?

A. Hmmm, maybe. What’s going on?

G. That will have to wait

He “felt” her grumble.

Ara cried after Jamie left. It felt as if
half of her was missing. And now she had a great burden of the
Genocide Vote. Her new friends helped her carry that burden to her
home at least. And now she carried the humiliation of striking
Korbet who had been helping her. Ziana, already having made her
decision to support her, made sure she had eaten, slept and
functioned all the way home. Vin was the next to pledge his
alliance, and then Zarti.

And they all told her the same thing. Maya
had contacted them, downloaded a log to each of them
separately.

Even if it wasn’t the subroutine, which she
doubted, Maya intended to use Chaos against her in the end. Ara sat
in the galley as they neared Perza and then Saratoga.

They received permission to land.

Iota

Station: Perza

Galactic System: Sarato (Spiral Galaxy)

Planetary System: Saratoga

“Your father approaches, Ara. We communicated
that you were not well.”

Her father, an Aether, might not die. But
what of Ashley, Henry, Gralten and their wives and children?

They might die if she failed.

Tara would mostly like die if she failed,
Meg’s Aether makeup would be so diluted. Ara’s friends on Wilds,
her teams, so many she knew and loved.

Ziana smiled then. “We are already working on
your security. Your guard is heading it.” She supported Ara to the
main hatch.

Ara stared out. “Thank you.”

It was raining and cold out, Dad was holding
a rain deflector over his head. A cool breeze swept through the
hatch.

“We will protect you, Ara.” She felt the cool
lips on her forehead. “You were very brave.”

But as she ran into Dad’s arms she wept.

She didn’t know what was going on.

She did not feel brave at all.

Iota

Station: Kovac

Galactic System: The Eye

Planetary System: Wilds

Jamie returned to the Wilds camp and saw all
his team, strained. “Come on, out. Get some rest. Ara’s back at
home under militia guard. We’ve got some R&R.”

“You mean they’ve bumped us aside!”

Diane didn’t admonish Vicki, but put an arm
around her. “It’s standard procedure.”

A few nodded and Jamie confirmed it. “SOPs
say we step down but not all the way. The outer rim team is making
sure the guards don’t fuck up any of our measures. We’re going to
be grilled though, but we will be cleared.”

“Are you sure about that?” The nervous voice
of Ken called out, the newest team member.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Jamie smiled, trying to
appear relaxed. “Now go and get some rest while you can. We have to
head back to Saratoga, leaving in five days.”

That seemed to reassure some of them.

Diane was the last to leave. “We good?”

“We will be. There’s nothing we could have
done.”

She nodded, trusting him. “It helps that the
Shads and Aryan authorities had problems too.”

He nodded. “I’ll need you to keep buffering
and supporting the team.”

“I will. Get some rest too.” She laid a hand
on his arm. “You look beat.”

“I haven’t slept, but I will.”

With a second look, Diane smiled and
left.

Jamie went for a run that night in a storm
along the coast; he threw up, and went for another run until his
body simply collapsed onto the wet sand. He cried for those whose
lives had been lost. He cried for his part in it clawing the wet
sand with both hands. He decided to be strong to help his team, and
then he would leave. Unlike his rape, and seeing Michael struggling
against Leanne as she had tried to take off his clothes, Jamie had
nothing to fight against with this mission. Too much was hidden in
the system. But Ara would need him. He rolled on to his back and
allowed the rain to wash the sand off his hot face. Ara didn’t need
him. He wasn’t indispensable. Simon would find someone else.

By morn, Jamie had showered but couldn’t
sleep or eat so began to work on what they had to cover and set a
day for the briefing before they landed back on Saratoga. At the
briefing, they went over and over the security measures. He and
Diane made it more of a rehearsal, grilling their people so they
wouldn’t be so nervous. It was alright with the special operations
crew, but the support staff were harassed with the pressure.

Iota

Station: Perza

Galactic System: Sarato (Spiral Galaxy)

Planetary System: Saratoga

After arriving on Saratoga, via public
transport, they took a shuttle down to the surface. Jamie and Diane
chatted in relaxed tones, laughing and teasing each other. The
teams steadied and grew more confident, not hearing any
recriminations on the Aryan Network. Jamie’s mind kept drifting to
Ara and their kiss, and he considered how much to tell Simon. He
decided to wait until after things calmed down. Ara may have been
responding as some do after a scare, a desire to escape and feel
something other than vulnerability. One morning, he woke up and
realized why the kiss had bothered him so much. It was because it
hadn’t bothered him. But he knew even the thought of kissing
another woman made him feel vulnerable and angry. That she trusted
him also made him want to live up to that trust.

For weeks after their arrival, questions were
raised, investigations run, and the administration was lengthy.
Queen Silvia dealt with most of it. Gradually, Jamie’s team was put
back in charge. But only a few days after that the investigations
were moot. So stunned, it was recognized that no one could have
prevented the kidnapping. Whenever Jamie was on watch, Ara always
managed to look in his direction. It was too dangerous for him to
be on watch now and he knew she tried not to. He considered getting
her trained, to learn how to hide, but he resented that too. Common
sense prevailed and he made some calls.

Moments later, and both in shock, Jamie and
Diane listened to the Aryan NewsCast. Diane’s face paled. “Do you
think the Snakes are responsible for this?”

He rubbed his head, thinking of the
repercussions. “We have to revisit all the safety protoc—” His
Voice beeped. He thought it might have been Simon but it was Leo.
Jamie walked out to the passage for some privacy. “Leo, how are
you?”

There was silence and Jamie heard the sobs.
Leo managed to ask, “What’s happening?”

“Listen to me; we’re going to be okay.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just do. Trust me?” Jamie wanted to tell
him but Leo didn’t have clearance just yet. Simon was working on it
though as Leo had a special set of skills that would help the
mission and it would mean Jamie could have a more open life with
his love.

“Alright. I want to see you.”

“With this going on I can’t get away.”

“I’ll come to you.” Leo’s voice became
stronger. “I don’t want to get in your way.”

Jamie sighed. “Come as soon as you can. I
love you.”

“I love you. Jamie, my sister committed
suicide, just like that. As soon as she heard the news, she just
walked out and killed herself.” Leo’s voice cracked. “Give me a
moment.”

And it was going to get worse. “Get here as
soon as you can.” Jamie leaned against the wall, shocked to the
core. The only good that might come of it was that the Avatara
would stop their push to become the Fifth Race. He groaned; what a
stupid thought! There were more important things than that. He
worried about Leo, and he worried about Ara. Whatever happened now,
he had to help Ara. Now he had someone to live for, there was even
more reason to fight on.

“Jamie,” Leo said, his voice a little
stronger, “I was cleared to help with Ara’s case. I’m on a secured
line.”

“Go on.”

“I’ve been going over all the data collected
and I think you were right, it needed fresh eyes.”

Jamie heard some concern in Leo’s voice now.
Had he missed something? “I’m listening.”

“Something you wrote in one of your reports
under ‘Ruse of War’ resonated with me. I think the Snakes are
applying military strategies and tactics to our girl. You’ve all
been looking at their micro operations; I think those are the ruse.
The macro operation is what we need to uncover. It’s highly
unconventional but there is some precedence.” Leo took a deep
breath. “Here on Sparta Prime we have records of where and when
that happened. A General Marcus Aurelia wanted to defeat the Roma
Caesars during the Ved’ra War. That triggered what they call the
Convergence Protocols. Roma’s eight Caesars step down and a
specially trained female Caesar takes their place, while the Eight
become her administrators. It’s only happened twice in all Roma’s
history. The female is usually highly trained in warfare and is
somewhat uncompromising.”

Jamie frowned. Eight? Was that a coincidence
with the Consociation of Eight. He shook his head to clear it. “All
right, have you taken this to Simon?”

“No, I wanted to run it by you.”

“With what’s happened do you want me to carry
it through to give you time for … funeral arrangements?”

There was relief in Leo’s voice as he said,
“Yes please, and then I’ll come straight after.”

With her family Ara found some solace.

Over the coming days, she became
uncomfortably aware that her peers were being torn apart and they
were trying to overturn the verdict. The Aryans would not announce
their genocide, but simply eradicate without notice if they had the
vote. Besides, she was under strict orders, like all Pure-Gens and
their personal guards, that anyone leaking information without due
cause would be executed. Because some of the case included the
rebelliousness of the Inferors, and many Superors, she dared not
incite more. Not yet anyway, not until she understood her people
better. Until then, she had bought some time.

Her guard increased and security was
tight.

To her dismay, she was refused entry to
Delario’s grounds. It was all closed up! As she had travelled home
from her kidnapping, Delario had ordered his entire household off
Saratoga and met them at their planet of origin within Avalon
Station, one of the largest stations in the Horizon. She jumped
back into one of Caleb’s old vehicles that he’d left for her. Dad
said it was just there one morning. There was nothing in the
vehicle though.

She went to the cabin.

It was stripped.

She searched the rooms, banging things
around, but nothing turned up. As she turned, something flashed.
She stopped, walked to the bed and saw a bejeweled hand mirror,
sitting face down. She picked it up and took it with her. Her heart
pounded and she cursed herself for not checking how Delario had
voted but it was obvious when only one queen was left on the planet
and she invited Ara for dinner that very night. Was it to kill,
persuade or encourage her to be strong?

Finally, with a heavy foot and step, she went
to the spaceport to retrieve her belongings. She tucked the mirror
in one of her bags. She’d find the owner later. As she walked past
the plaque, she noticed something odd. There was braiding around
the edge. And more in the message.

“Rise like a phoenix through the ashes.”

She gave a sob and put her hand on her mouth,
feeling her bottom lip wobble as she fought for control. Caleb told
her to be strong. One of the last instructions before they left the
Planet of Law was that all First-Gens and Second-Gens would be told
of the Genocide Vote because they were the only others included in
the vote to live beyond genocide. It was cruel, beyond cruel. While
she waited in her room to go to Silvia’s she received a message
from Caleb

Ara wandered around the cabin feeling at odds
with the world. There was a gentle breeze, warm still, and a fresh
smell of cut grass in a field to the north. She heard a land
vehicle approach and turned, holding her hand up to her eyes. The
land vehicle was familiar. She watched as he parked and stepped out
in dark pants and white shirt. His red hair was long and glorious
in the dimming golden light.

“Caleb!”

She ran to him and he to her.

Clasping her tightly, he kissed her. “Ara,
I’m so sorry.” He was pushing her into the cabin. “Baby, I need you
to watch something. Your parents and family have seen it. I said
I’d find you.”

“What?”

He pulled her with him and closed the door.
He opened up their cabinet and pulled out a portable broadcasting
unit but didn’t turn it on. “Wait.”

“What?”

He turned. “Everything will change after you
see this.”

“Why?”

He turned to her and kissed her again and she
responded to his lips and body. “You talk too much.”

She grinned against his lips.

A. Why me?

Smiling, he pulled off her top and distracted
her. Whatever was the problem she wanted the distraction he
offered. Afterwards, after a long cuddle, he encouraged her to
dress and sat next to her, gripping her hand. He touched the panel
until he found a newscast that was just starting.

“…update on the latest. Genocide was called
for—”

Ara’s mouth dropped open.

“—but the truth is this entire region of
space, the Lacuna, is just one of nine test sites controlled by
Maya and the Natal. We are living in what’s known as Iota, which
means we are the ninth site, and there’s a control site run by the
Vakar but we aren’t allowed any information on the other sites.
It’s just one reason why too much matter is an issue, we are like a
balloon that’s building in a tight area. What we know is that this
is the fourth genocide and last for Iota we are allowed before
everything resets. James, what does that all mean?”