“I’ll try,” Alex said, and focused his concentration on the Kinemet.
Justine kept her attention on it as well, and cried out in delight when she
sensed the radiation in the sample dissipate completely.
Ah Tabai, who had remained quiet through the reunion,
gasped. “You did it. You are, indeed, one of the Grace. The first in a millennium.”
“So we can disable their ships?” the general asked, giving
Ah Tabai an uncertain glance out of the corner of his eye.
“Yes.” When she noticed the general frowning, Justine asked,
“What’s wrong? This is good news.”
“We have one ship going up against how many, a hundred
thousand?” the general said. “Even with this ability, Alex can only do so much.
The Kulsat will swarm him. We don’t have the time to convert enough Kinemats to
give the Kulsat pause, at least not before they obliterate us.”
“I might have an idea,” Alex said. He turned to Justine.
“You mentioned earlier that the Collection had tried to take the fight to the
Kulsat home world once before.”
Ah Tabai answered. “Yes. We all know the story. Their entire
armada returned within a short time and destroyed the invading force.”
Justine squinted at Alex. “If we were able to lure them all
back to their home system, you really think you’ll be able to nullify their
ships as they enter Kulsat space?”
“Like the Battle of Thermopylae?” Michael asked, and turned
to Alex. “As the general said, there’s only one of you, and a hundred-thousand
of them. No matter how fast you can nullify the Kinemet on their ships, all it
takes is one conventional missile, and they’ve won.”
“And the general is right,” Alex said. “A hundred-thousand
ships is a lot. There’s no way I can nullify all of them.”
“I don’t think you have to,” Justine said. “Once word
reaches their leaders that one of the Grace is disabling their armada, they
will surrender in order to preserve what they have. Why do you think they were
subservient to the Grace for so long?”
“Now, wait a minute.” The general gave them all a hard
stare. “I can’t authorize this kind of action. We need to return and transmit
an update to my superiors—we only had a mandate to follow Chow Yin and
apprehend him. And we’ve done that.
“Any further action needs to be sanctioned. We don’t have
the right to make unilateral decisions concerning the fate of Sol System, let
alone the galaxy. I can’t just let you ‘invade’ another solar system. Not to
mention that we have to bring Chow Yin back to Earth for trial—everyone there needs
to know he is in custody.”
“General,” Justine said, “there is every possibility that
Sol System could be under siege at this very moment. I hate to sound cliché,
but these are desperate times. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the ranking officer
in any theater of operations has the authority to determine their individual
force’s plan of action should he not have the opportunity to receive orders
from their superiors. The Kulsat invasion is impending, if not already
underway. We need to take those desperate measures to give Sol System a
fighting chance.”
“Well…” the general said finally, “it
will
draw them
away from attacking Sol, temporarily at least. That might give someone time to
get back to Sol with this information to create more advanced Kinemats like
Alex.” He cocked his head. “You realize that it’s a suicide mission.”
“If you can get Chow Yin’s ship patched up,” Alex said,
obviously making an effort to keep his voice steady, “I’ll do it.”
Justine said, “I’ll go with him.”
The general shook his head. “No. First of all, Chow Yin’s
ship would require nine months in dry dock. Secondly, we can’t afford to
sacrifice both of you. Besides, you’re already established in the Collection of
Worlds’ political sphere. If we get through this, we’re going to need you in
that capacity.”
“With all due respect, General,” Justine said, “I don’t
think the entire Kulsat armada will return to their home world because of one
broken-down Earth ship with a single Kinemat on board.”
“And you think they will feel more threatened with two?”
“No, they won’t,” Ah Tabai said. Everyone in the room turned
to stare at him when he added, “But they might take notice if their home world
is being invaded by twenty-thousand ships.”
“Twenty-thousand?” Michael asked.
“Yes. That is approximately how many Sentinels there are in
the galaxy.” He glanced at Aliah, who nodded her agreement. “Our ships are
small, but we have experience out-flying the Kulsat battle-cruisers. I will
send word out to everyone.”
Justine gave him a long look. “What about the ancient law?
The Collection would never condone this action.”
Ah Tabai smiled. “We are not going to interfere in the
evolution of Sol System. Our purpose is to protect the galaxy from the Kulsat.”
He looked at Alex. “And to follow the rule of the Grace.”
Taking a deep breath, Justine looked at the general. “Do you
have a better plan?”
Slowly shaking his head, the general said, “No.”
“All right, then.” Justine stood up. “What are we waiting
for? Let’s get this war party started.”
USSF
Warship
Liberty
:
Centauri
System :
Assuring them the
repairs required before they could be underway to Gliese would be quick, General
Gates left Alex, Michael, Justine, Ah Tabai and Aliah in the conference room
with a final admonition.
“You realize that I’m giving you a lot of leeway here. I
fully expect a thorough briefing at some point.”
Michael nodded to him. “You have my word. Once this crisis
is behind us, we’ll ensure you have all the information you need, General.”
Once the officer was gone, Alex turned to Ah Tabai, and
gestured to Michael. “I’m not sure what’s happening to him. He was exposed to a
Kinemetic blast.”
Michael quickly explained what had happened with the alien
body on Earth. When prompted, he outlined the story Patli had told him.
“We are all under great stress when we are within the
gravity well of a planet,” Ah Tabai explained. “The Xtôti—the species of being whom,
until now, were the only race to ascend to the Grace—were much more sensitive.
They had technology far beyond anything we’ve been able to achieve. They could
manipulate the Aetherock a hundred ways, making it a thousand times more
powerful than anything we have. One of the side effects of this was the altered
Aetherock’s extreme sensitivity to sunlight and fire. The radiation from the
altered Aetherock is what affected those villagers so many hundreds of years
ago, and what is affecting you now, Michael.”
“So how do we heal him?” Alex asked.
“We don’t.” When everyone gave him a puzzled look, he said,
“We merely complete the process. He must undertake the conversion. If it is successful,
then he will become an Aetherbeing, like the rest of us.”
Alex asked, “Could that have been a solution for me all
along?”
Ah Tabai shrugged. “Yesterday, I would have said yes. Now,
however, I am not certain. You are Grace, after all. There is an unknown factor
remaining in your case. Perhaps your initial exposure on the asteroid when you
were a child was unique, in some way. Once we are past this crisis, we can
explore your condition in greater depth.”
Michael cleared his throat. “The Grace thought it better not
to share the technology.” He gave Alex a stern look. “Maybe you should think
long and hard before going down that path.”
Ah Tabai immediately bowed. “Of course, the decision will be
entirely up to the Grace. As Galactic Law prohibits us from sharing technology
until a system has Emerged, I expect the Grace will follow the same philosophy,
and withhold knowledge until we have met a greater standard.”
Alex, looking uncomfortable with the notion of all that
responsibility, gestured to Michael. “So, all we have to do is prime some Kinemet
and expose him to it after it activates?”
Michael cocked his head. “I hope you have a conversion
chamber nearby … Chow Yin blew up our only one.”
“We have a facility at our aerie in Gliese,” Ah Tabai said, “but
that won’t be necessary this time.”
“It won’t?” Michael asked, glancing back and forth between
Ah Tabai and Aliah, who made an odd ruffling motion with her neck feathers.
Pointing to Alex, Ah Tabai said, “In addition to all the
techniques shared by Aetherbeings, the Grace has always had the ability to initiate
the Aether process themselves.”
“What?” Alex asked. “How?”
“Do you know how to quantize people?” Ah Tabai asked.
Nodding, Alex said, “It was something that just kind of
occurred to me. I did that to get everyone to Pluto.”
“Unlike other Aetherbeings, you have altered Aetherock in
your molecules. You do not require a conversion chamber. Perhaps, if you think
about it, the Aether process will come naturally to you.”
Michael stood up and faced Alex. “If you think you can help
me…”
Getting to his feet, Alex squared off in front of Michael
and seemed to be considering him for a very long time. Then, just when Michael
thought the answer would elude his young friend, Alex’s face lit up.
“Of course!” he said, and quantized Michael.
Unlike the previous times Michael had been rendered into a
photonic state, this time he retained complete awareness of his surroundings.
He was a floating cloud of light. The sensation was beyond anything he’d ever
experienced or imagined before in his life.
Like a child who just discovered how fun it was to splash in
a puddle of mud, Michael pushed his essence around the conference room. He
reached out with his senses and saw the three stars in the Centauri System. Though
there were no planetary bodies, there were millions of large asteroids
scattered throughout the system. He, somehow, was able to sense their exact
location in relation to where he was.
Like a powerful lighthouse, the star beacon glowed bright
beside him; and, to a lesser degree, he could detect thousands of other beacons
scattered throughout the galaxy.
The ship itself was a living thing to him, thrumming with
electricity, and Michael could feel the electrons pulsing like veins and
arteries. Instinctively, he knew he could reach out with his senses and
manipulate that electricity, if he chose.
So,
he thought,
this is what it feels like? I
never want to stop!
But, there was much more to do.
With a thought, he returned himself to physical form.
Justine glanced at Ah Tabai. “Do you think this will be
enough proof that we are Emerged? We need to practice some of our techniques.”
The Sentinel nodded. “As far as I am concerned, Sol is an
Emerged system. Certainly, it will be ratified. It is a minor breach of
protocol, but the techniques may be necessary to prevent you from harming yourselves
or others.”
Over the next few minutes, Ah Tabai gave Alex and Michael a
crash course in being a Kinemat—or, Aetherbeing, as they called it. The Kulsat
called them Risen. Michael wondered if every species in the galaxy had
different names for the same thing.
Michael learned how to quantize inanimate objects without
Kinemet; how to hide his photonic signature; how to resist being quantized, and
the theory behind using the star beacons.
Just as they were finishing the lessons, General Gates
entered.
“All systems are operational—it’s not pretty, but it will
do.” He looked at each of them in turn, his gaze lingering a little longer on
Aliah. “Have we all caught each other up to speed so far?”
“We’re ready,” Justine said, and then addressed all of them
in the room. “There are quite a few people I can’t wait for you to meet.”
Skanse
Aerie :
Gliese
System :
Any alien ship
that appeared unexpectedly in Gliesan space had a matter of seconds before the
patrol ships guarding the star beacon would attack them.
Naila and Fairamai would have already reported the details
of the battle between the Kulsat and Chow Yin’s forces, and that Alex and the
other Solans were on their way, but Ah Tabai said it was better to follow
protocol. The moment the
Liberty
entered Gliese space, Ah Tabai
transmitted his identity through the communications system, as well as who he’d
brought with him.
Moments later, the return message came through from Commander
Analock. The translator on the ship was not yet programmed with the Gliesan
language, so Ah Tabai let them know what the reply was.
“We acknowledge our Solan neighbors. Welcome to Gliese
System. Please remain at your current position and refrain from additional
broadcast until we update central command.”
To Ah Tabai, General Gates asked, “What can we expect?”
“The majority of Gliesan government responses are dictated
by a rigorous set of laws and protocols,” Ah Tabai said. “As with many Emerged
systems, we consider ourselves under a constant state of siege. Though no
Kulsat ship has invaded our system in over a hundred years, no one knows what
might prompt them to take notice and launch a surprise attack; it’s happened
before. Our protocols are in place to give our system advance warning in that
event. Once central command is made aware that we are not hostiles, we’ll be
formally invited to visit to Skanse Aerie, which is our main diplomatic hub.”
“It’s an incredible station,” Justine said. “You’ll no doubt
be astounded by the representatives of the different star systems.” She smiled
at Michael. “If you thought international politics were difficult to navigate,
interstellar politics not only deal with different languages and cultures, but
different biology. The ambassador from Mebsuta System is physiologically
similar to a sea anemone; his mouth is also his anus, and they do not consider public
defecation to be socially unacceptable. It can sometimes be unsettling for
other cultures, like ours, to interact with his species.”
“I imagine so,” Michael said, his eyes wide.
The general interrupted. “How long will it take their
commander to respond?”
“Very soon,” Ah Tabai said. “But it will take us a little
time to fly there. Once we are cleared, I will contact the Committee of
Sentinels and begin to organize them.”
Looking back and forth between Michael and Justine, the general
said, “If they’re anything like our military, this mobilization could take a
bit of time. What if the Kulsat attacks Sol before we organize?”
Justine nodded at the question. “From my experience, the
Kulsat are a highly structured hierarchal society. Their report will have to go
up their chain of command. Once their leaders make their decision, then they
will begin preparations and invade our system
en masse.”
Impatiently, the general asked, “And how long do you think
that will take?”
Ah Tabai answered, “Historically, anywhere from one of your days
to a month, depending on how much resistance they expect from the target
system. Considering your criminal, Chow Yin, was able to defeat their patrol
ship, they will consider Sol a high threat. They will mobilize as quickly as
they can, but they will also utilize the bulk of their armada. The Kulsat
believe in overkill.”
Michael asked, “What if the Committee of Sentinels doesn’t
approve of our plan? Also,” he added, “what if the governments of the
Collection decide to forbid the action?”
With a reassuring smile, Ah Tabai replied, “The governments
only have authority over their own systems. They can set policy for Sentinel
protocol while in their systems, but the Galactic Law set by the Grace
supersedes local governments. When we are in a neighboring jurisdiction, we
must obey local laws. When we are in an unregulated region of space, such as
the Centauri System, we need only to follow Galactic Law. I am confident, once
the Committee learns of the return of the Grace—Alex—they will be enthusiastic.
For the past millennium, we have strived for a way to eliminate the Kulsat
menace.”
Their conversation was interrupted when Commander Analock opened
a communication channel with them. Ah Tabai translated:
“On behalf of the Collection of Worlds, the Gliesan
Parliament extends you, General Gates, official welcome to our system. During
your stay, you will not undertake to acquire our Aether technology, and you will
give your oath that you will uphold all Gliesan and Galactic Laws. As your
system is not recognized as Emerged, you will be granted limited access to our
station and restricted from venturing outside the station-star beacon corridor.
As commander of your ship, you must accept responsibility for the actions of
your crew and passengers while in our system. Do you agree to these terms?”
Nodding to Ah Tabai to translate, the general said, “I do so
agree.”
∞
The
Liberty
wasn’t nearly as fast as the
Fainne,
and
the trip to Skanse Aerie took almost three hours.
In the meantime, Justine spoke to Alex and Michael at length
about everything she’d read on the Kulsat, their history, and their solar
system.
By the time they reached the station, Ah Tabai informed them
that he’d sent word to the Committee of Sentinels, and that they’d approved the
plan. With one of the Grace on their side, everyone believed history had come
to a turning point.
Though most systems in the Collection had numerous Kinemats,
few of them chose to join the Sentinels. Many systems did not have any
representative Sentinels; uncommonly, Gliese system had four. With their
membership spread out among the twenty-thousand or so Emerged systems in the
galaxy, it would take some time to get the message to everyone.
The plan was to have all the Sentinels converge in Gliese,
where the Grace was, and then jump to Kulsat in small waves—the only way to get
into an Emerged system guarded by Aetherbeings.
The attack would take place in twelve hours.
∞
On Aerie Station, Ambassador Yoatl was at the dock to greet
the new arrivals from Sol System.
“Envoy Justine,” he said. “You should not have given me such
a scare.” His words were tinged with remonstration, but he smiled through them.
“I’m glad you are unharmed.”
General Gates said, “We have a number of prisoners on board.
Is it possible that we can transfer custody of them to the station while we
make repairs and prepare for the incursion to Kulsat?”
“Of course,” Yoatl said. “I will make arrangements. I’m sure
you’ll find our holding facilities more than adequate.” He spoke into his
collar communicator in a series of whistles and chirps. When he finished, he glanced
at Justine. “Speaking of which, Red Spot has been asking after you. Once she
learned that you were back in Gliese with one of the Grace, she requested a
meeting with both of you.”
Justine nodded. “I was hoping to see her, anyway.” She
turned to Alex. “Unless you need some rest, did you want to go now?”
“Absolutely.”
Michael said, “If it’s all the same, I was wondering if I
could have some time with Ambassador Yoatl.” When Justine raised an eyebrow at
him, he added, “Whether we’re successful in stopping the Kulsat or not, we will
need to join the galactic community. I’m sure there will be a lot of protocols
and procedures to becoming a member of the Collection of Worlds.”
“That is a fact,” Yoatl said. “It is a long, complicated
process. There is much to learn.” He nodded approvingly at Michael. “I will
bring you to the offices of the Gliesan Councilor. That will be the best place
to start.”
“I know the way to the holding facility,” Justine said.
General Gates looked up as a tall, imposing Gliesan
approached. Military men seemed to recognize other soldiers automatically, and
the general saluted.
“I’m Commander Analock,” the Gliesan said, the translation
coming out from his collar translator a fraction of a second later. “I am at
your disposal, General.” The two officers headed off to organize repairs and
the transfer of Chow Yin and the other prisoners.
Yoatl pointed to the opposite end of the docking bay, at an
awaiting shuttle. “It will be quicker to fly to the Councilor’s offices from
here. He has a private dock where we can land.”
“We’ll catch up soon,” Justine said to Michael and Yoatl,
and motioning for Alex to follow, she led him out of the docking bay and to the
holding area where Red Spot waited. All the while, she gave him a running
commentary of the workings of the station.
∞
Though she’d described the Kulsat in detail to Alex, she
still saw his look of amazement when Red Spot swam up to the computer console
to greet them.
“Justine,” she said. “You are continuous.”
With a smile, Justine replied, “Yes, thank you. How are
you?”
“I continue as well.” A moment later, she said, “The
Gliesans informed us of the return of the Grace.” It was difficult to tell if
Red Spot was looking at her or at Alex.
Justine gestured to her young friend. “This is Alex Manez.
He is the first of the Solans to attempt the Rising, and he has become one of
the Grace.”
Red Spot waved three of her tentacles in a rippling motion.
“It is my honor to be in your presence, Your Grace.”
“Please, call me Alex.”
“It is not permitted to be so familiar, Your Grace.”
Justine caught Alex’s puzzled expression. She said to the
Kulsat, “Now that the Grace have returned, we hope your Consortium will end
their conflict with the rest of the galaxy. We have made plans to journey to
your system and make your people aware of the Grace.”
“That will never happen,” Red Spot said, and Justine paled, not
sure if there was trouble with the translation.
“What do you mean? You said they would surrender if we found
the final component.”
Red Spot said, “No, Justine. I said the only way to stop
them is to find the final component. The Risen will not surrender. It does not
matter if the Grace has returned. We are all well-schooled in our history and
our people’s enslavement by the Grace.”
“Enslavement?”
“How else could it be described? We had to obey the Grace,
or they would take away our ability to travel beyond our solar system.”
“But,” Justine said slowly, “how, then, do we stop the
Kulsat?”
“I will explain.” Red Spot typed on the console for a few
more moments. “Until we attempt to receive the Gift, we Kulsat are slaves. To
us, it will make little difference who are our masters; the Grace, or the
Risen. The Risen, however, will never relinquish their status. They will die
first. Finding the final component, and bringing about the return of the Grace
is
the only way to stop the Risen. Alex Manez must destroy all Kulsat Risen. Only
then will the non-Risen once again swear fealty to the Grace, and begin to rebuild
our society.”
The pallor that came over Alex’s face at the statement spoke
volumes. Justine was aghast at the notion. It was tantamount to genocide. Even
if he agreed to such a horrible undertaking, the obstacles just became
insurmountable. Disabling hundreds or thousands of ships was one thing. Seeking
out and killing hundreds of thousands—perhaps even millions—of Risen was an
impossible task. Discounting the moral implications of such an action, doing so
would take a lifetime.
“No,” Alex said. “I won’t do it. There has to be another
way.”
“Over the past millennium, the Risen have become completely
consumed by their power. They will never stop.”
Alex turned to Justine. His face reddened with rage and
horror. “We need to stop the invasion. Even if I were insane enough to go
through with this, there’s no way I can do it by myself. Maybe if there were
hundreds of us with the power of the Grace—” He shook his head. “No, it’s
unthinkable. If I had the knowledge to convert someone to the Grace, I wouldn’t
if I knew they were going to do this.”
Taking a deep breath, Justine nodded. “Neither would I. It’s
monstrous.”
While the two were talking, Red Spot continued typing. Her
words came out. “There is only one way to stop the Kulsat without destroying
the Risen. It is an enormous risk to us, but it is possible.”
Both Alex and Justine said, “How?” at the same time.
“I will only tell you once we are in Kulsat System.” When
neither of the humans responded immediately, she typed again. “You must return
me and my comrades to our home. This is not negotiable.”
“Red Spot,” Justine said, her mind racing to figure out if
the Kulsat had planned this from the beginning, or whether she was playing them
now, “how can we know if you are … practicing deception?”
“I will not betray my world,” Red Spot said through the
translator. “Neither will I betray the Grace, nor the galaxy. The only way to
stop the threat of the Risen is to save Kulsat from them. Only the Grace can
achieve this. For the sake of the trillions of my people who are at the mercy
of the few million Risen, you must help us.”
“Save Kulsat?” Justine asked. “How?”
“I will only give my knowledge to the Grace, and only once
we are in Kulsat System.”
Red Spot typed again. “Your Grace, will you save us?”