Nadi stared at the engraving on the smooth wall in front of her from afar, wondering what lay beyond. The alien symbol beckoned her, but she resisted the temptation to get closer. Nothing good would come of it should she get caught by either Cyrix or Irric.
Her entire time at the facility thus far had been shrouded in secrecy, despite her being one of the soldiers in charge of the ground operation. She yearned to know what was happening behind the scenes and learn the real reasons for her mission. Something big was happening right under her nose, but the subterfuge made it impossible for her to get any answers.
Irric had proven to be annoyingly tight-lipped. As one of the people in charge, she couldn¡¯t press him too hard for answers. Cyrix was no better, shutting down any questions she had. She was being kept in the dark and could only guess at what was happening. It irked her, but she kept her dissatisfaction quiet.
She hoped that whatever information she stole from Irric¡¯s data slate would help shed some light on the situation. After Cyrix¡¯s threat of locking them up in a cell for disobedience, Nadi was growing increasingly uncomfortable with Kaius¡¯ orders. Still, she had her mission and knew that she couldn¡¯t abandon it partway through.
Unfortunately for her, she still hadn¡¯t had the time to see what was on the data chip. Her snap decision to take advantage of Irric¡¯s carelessness was a risky one. There had been a high chance that he returned to retrieve his forgotten data slate right away, but he¡¯d been so focused on his work that he only noticed once they¡¯d arrived at the ship.
Nadi sighed and turned around. With a brisk pace, she strode down the corridor to where her team members were standing guard. After giving them their new orders and placing her second in charge, she used her comms to inform the rest of her squad guarding the other end of the hall about the changes in command.
She then waved her squad goodbye and set off to complete her task. Nadi felt a headache coming on thinking about the hassle of organizing the entirety of the soldiers at the facility satisfy Cyrix¡¯s orders. Using her comms, she contacted the team leaders and ordered them to meet her in one of the rooms they¡¯d commandeered as a meeting room.
Orders relayed, Nadi set towards her rendezvous after checking her map when a thought struck her. With her latest orders, she wouldn¡¯t be expected anywhere for a while, presumed to be organizing the new operation. She¡¯d been given a free pass to wander the facility as she saw fit to carry out her duties.
That included dropping by her room.
Nobody would know she¡¯d taken a quick break before resuming her work. She¡¯d be able to drop off her chip without being suspect. It would also give her the opportunity to see what was on the chip and nobody would know.
Smiling internally, she made her way over to the meeting room. All the team leaders present when she walked in. Standing at the front of the room, she explained the new situation to her fellow soldiers without delay. They had questions, naturally, that she was unable to answer.
¡°Does this have anything to do with the new arrival?¡± one of the soldiers asked. The others all turned to face him. ¡°I saw her walking together with Commander Cyrix. Who is she? She doesn¡¯t look military.¡±
¡°I honestly have no idea who she is,¡± Nadi said. She omitted that her first interaction with the mysterious woman as delivering clothes because she¡¯d been naked. Without any confirmation about her identity from Cyrix or Irric, she could only guess. ¡°What I do know, however, is that she isn¡¯t to be trusted. For reasons not explained to me, my team is to keep a close eye on her as she works. We have orders to kill her should she deviate from any permitted action.¡±
Her response raised more than a few brows. ¡°What actions are those?¡± the same soldier asked. ¡°If she¡¯s dangerous, we need to know. Is she armed?¡±
¡°No, she¡¯s not permitted to carry a weapon,¡± Nadi said with a shake of her head. ¡°I¡¯m not permitted to divulge any other information pertaining to my team¡¯s orders.¡±
The soldier frowned. ¡°You¡¯re just after telling us about her. How is this not the same?¡±
¡°You¡¯ve already seen her. Warning you all about her isn¡¯t the same as actually telling you what my orders are. Cyrix made it quite clear what would happen should we disobey,¡± Nadi said spitefully. ¡°He¡¯s going to be very heavy-handed with his punishments.¡±
¡°And what punishments are those?¡±
Nadi only gave him a cold smile. ¡°Are there any other questions?¡± she asked, moving on. The soldier that spoke looked like he was about to protest but he was nudged hard by the woman next to him. She silenced the man with a sharp glare before asking her own questions.
¡°Why are we looking for green stains on the ground?¡± she asked, changing the topic. ¡°Why do they matter? They¡¯re just stains.¡±
¡°We suspect that something happened to the gru¡¯ul that were in this part of the facility. The bloodstains will help us piece together what happened.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
¡°Why bother? Knowing what happened doesn¡¯t help us with our work now.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. Commander Cyrix deems it important enough for all of us to drop what we¡¯re doing and search the entire restricted section, so take from that what you will,¡± Nadi replied. ¡°I agree that it¡¯s probably a waste of time, but most of us are wasting our time idle anyway. This way, we¡¯ll actually have work to do.¡±
The woman frowned. ¡°I suppose,¡± she said, not entirely convinced. ¡°How long will this take?¡±
Nadi shrugged. ¡°I honestly have no idea. It depends on how quickly we can search the rooms.¡±
¡°This place is massive!¡± another soldier said. ¡°It could take ages.¡±
¡°That¡¯s why there will be so many of you working on it at the same time.¡± Nadi proceeded to assign each team leader a section of the facility to search. After ensuring all of the leaders understood their new orders, she then brought them to the control room to show them an example of what they were looking for.
The soldiers crowded around the bloodstains as Nadi pointed out the discolouration to watch out for. ¡°The Commander is particularly interested in this discolouration. Why? I don¡¯t know. If you see anything similar, send me a message right away so that I can inform the Commander.¡± The soldiers nodded and Nadi dismissed them.
Alone at last, Nadi checked in with her squad. Irric, Cyrix and Ava were still in the same room that she¡¯d last seen them. She smiled. There was plenty of time for her to swing by her room and drop off the chip.
Mind made up, Nadi left the control room and made her way out of the restricted section to where her designated, smiling internally as she passed the checkpoint. There was an abundance of rooms in the facility that soldiers like her occupied, rather than return to their ships and risk injuring themselves on the trip back when they were tired.
Navigating her way through the corridors, Nadi arrived in front of a door that looked like all the others. Had she not marked it on her map, she would never be able to find her way to the right room. Approaching the wall, she paid no mind to the unnerving sound of it melting away as she stepped through the threshold and entered.
Being a team leader granted her the privilege of not needing to bunk with the other soldiers. While there was an abundance of rooms in the facility for them to use, most of the others found it unnerving to be sleeping in rooms full of preserved organs and mutated animals. The result was a fierce competition for the most normal looking ones, with more than one soldier opting to share in order to avoid being near the experiments.
Navigating around the lab equipment, Nadi made her way to her bedroll in the far corner of the room. The wall reformed when she got far enough away, sealing her inside. Next to her bed was her pack full of equipment. Fresh clothes, equipment and more importantly, her data slate, could be found within. She sat down and pulled her pack up next to her.
Pulling out her data slate, she fished the chip from her pocket and inspected it. Her instructions were to leave it under her pillow, yet Nadi couldn¡¯t help but wonder what was on it. Torn, her gaze shifted between the chip and her device.
She inserted the chip into one of the ports.
Waiting patiently for the content to finish downloading, she eagerly opened the file once it was ready. Nadi took one look and swore. To her dismay, it was encrypted. It would be impossible for her to read the information on the file. Still, Nadi completed her mission and sent off the information. She then withdrew the chip and placed it under her pillow.
Returning her data slate to her pack, Nadi sat in quiet contemplation, cursing Kaius for his foresight. Now that she couldn¡¯t view the secret files the Elder wanted, there was nothing keeping her in her room. With a groan, Nadi stood up and left her room.
Alone in the corridor, she jumped when she was contacted by her second. Cyrix had left the mysterious room and was heading back to base. Irric and Ava were still inside and would be staying for the foreseeable future.
Nadi sighed and began making her way towards the hangar to see Cyrix off and get her new orders.
The afternoon wore on as Adrian and Reya remained where they were, loving every second of the peace and tranquility nature provided. The sun had begun to dip over the distant mountain peak several minutes ago and the pair watched its final rays paint their world in beautiful colours. The perfectly still water in the lake reflected the sky and surrounding mountains, making it feel as though they were enveloped by the light.
¡°Sunset is my favourite time of day. Just for a minute, if the colours are right, it feels like I¡¯m back on Earth,¡± Adrian said wistfully, breaking the silence. ¡°Like right now.¡±
¡°Do you regret it, being brought here against your will and trapped on this planet?¡± Reya asked, afraid to know the answer. This planet was where they¡¯d met. She wanted to think that was special to him, but the longer she waited for his reply, the less she was certain.
¡°No.¡± Adrian shook his head, shifting his gaze away from the ephemeral moment to gaze upon something even more beautiful. ¡°What¡¯s difficult to accept at times is knowing that I¡¯ll never be able to go back. Sometimes, I find myself thinking about the plants back home and their vibrant shades of green. Or the blue sky. When I have those thoughts, it¡¯s hard not to miss my home world, for all of it¡¯s beauty. I have a new home now,¡± Adrian said, staring into her eyes, ¡°and that¡¯s next to you. Wherever you are is home to me. Whether it be a planet to nowhere or this one right here, I will remain by your side. Forever and always.¡± His expression was warm as he drank in the sight of his other half.
Reya shook at the powerful words for deep in her bones she knew them to be true. Of this, she had no doubt. Warmth blossomed in her chest, threatening to overwhelm her. Something inside her broke at the love she was being offered and she began to cry. Reya wanted ¨C craved ¨C what was in front of her with every fiber of her being. Her tears continued to run down her cheeks as she fought to get her words out.
Adrian startled and looked at her with worry, afraid he¡¯d said something that had hurt her. ¡°Reya, what¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked, his tone full of concern. ¡°Was it something I said?¡±
¡°These are happy tears.¡± Reya sniffed and dabbed her eyes with her sleeve, finally finding her voice. They remained damp. ¡°You have no idea how happy your words make me. I know we haven¡¯t known each other that long but I know, deep in my soul, that it¡¯s the same for me. Every moment I get with you is a blessing that I don¡¯t know what I did to deserve.¡± She reached up and cupped his cheek. ¡°You are my soulmate and I¡¯m never letting go.¡±
Adrian¡¯s eyes glistened. ¡°I love you,¡± Adrian said with all his heart.
¡°I love you, too,¡± Reya said back, her gaze locked with his.
The pair shared a long, tender kiss knowing that for the first time, they both truly meant those words. The bond between them deepened ever the more as the sun continued to set, dying the world in hues of pink, orange and red against the sky¡¯s purple backdrop.
Chapter 88
¡°It¡¯s after dark again,¡± Jyn said as he looked out at the forest from the window in the living room. ¡°Do they have a flare gun with them?¡± he asked.
¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Rann said from the couch, not bothering to look up from her data slate. ¡°They left during the day, when it was still bright out. There would have been no need for them to have one.¡±
¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want them to have a flare gun,¡± Tassie said from where she was curled. She sat opposite Rann on the same couch, watching one of her shows on the holoscreen. It was one of the rare instances where she could monopolize it, and she was determined to take advantage of it.
¡°As long as Reya¡¯s the one handling it, there¡¯s no problem,¡± Jyn said, tearing his gaze away from the tree line. He turned around and faced the girls. ¡°Adrian shouldn¡¯t be that close to a weapon at all, but it¡¯s better we have a way to find them should anything happen.¡±
Tassie raised her brow but chose not to comment. ¡°If it bothers you that much, maybe we should give them both a comm. They could take it out with them on walks. That way, we¡¯d be able to contact them and find out where they are and what they¡¯re up to.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t want Adrian operating military equipment,¡± Jyn replied as he sat down in the recliner. ¡°The General won¡¯t be happy when she hears about it.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be an issue,¡± Rann chirped. ¡°If it bothers you that much, we can ask for permission. Remember, our job is to keep Reya and Adrian safe. This is a reasonable measure we could take to achieve that.¡±
¡°I said no and that¡¯s final,¡± Jyn said.
¡°I¡¯ll call up the General myself if I have to,¡± Rann said. ¡°Adrian having access to our comms isn¡¯t going to hurt anybody. Him learning how to use them can¡¯t be weaponized. What¡¯s the big deal?¡±
¡°He¡¯s not military!¡± Jyn exclaimed. ¡°We¡¯re not allowed to let civilians handle our equipment. You know that. Why am I the only one who sees the problem here?¡±
¡°Because there isn¡¯t one,¡± Tassie said. ¡°These aren¡¯t normal circumstances. Exceptions are going to have to be made. Short of completely restricting Adrian again, we can¡¯t stop them from going on walks.¡± Rann winced from where she sat, knowing exactly how trying to confine again Adrian would turn out. She hadn¡¯t forgotten his threat from when she¡¯d broken the news to him right before the Elders came to visit.
¡°Then we lock him back up!¡± Jyn said, touting his usual opinion. ¡°We¡¯re the ones in control of the situation, not the other way around. That we¡¯re even considering the idea of letting our charge have this much leeway is ludicrous.¡±
¡°That,¡± Rann said, ¡°would be just about the worst thing we could do. Reya won¡¯t stand for Adrian being thrown back in a cell and neither will Kell now that he¡¯s taken Adrian as a patient. He overruled the Tribunal last time to free Adrian. The Tribunal!¡±
¡°Reya has no say in how we treat Adrian. It¡¯s time we stop pretending she does.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not just that,¡± Rann continued. ¡°Adrian¡¯s not going to stand for it either.¡±
¡°Who cares what he thinks?¡± Jyn scoffed.
¡°We¡¯d better, otherwise he might finally snap,¡± Rann said seriously. ¡°We¡¯ve pushed him around too much. Quite frankly, I¡¯m surprised he continues to put up with us after how we¡¯ve treated him.¡± She neglected to mention Adrian¡¯s threat, knowing that it would only give Jyn more ammunition to use against him.
¡°I warned you all last time,¡± Tassie accused. ¡°I told you locking Adrian up would sour his relations with us, but nobody listened. If we try pulling this shit again, any chance we have of him playing nice is gone.¡±
¡°He knows he has no choice but to listen to us,¡± Jyn threatened. His hand moved subconsciously moved towards the gun holstered to his belt. The action didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the girls, as the looks on their faces darkened. ¡°He knows there will be consequences.¡±
¡°What consequences, Jyn?¡± Tassie exploded. ¡°Short of shooting or torturing him, what else can we do to him that we haven¡¯t already done? If we threaten bodily harm against him one more time, he¡¯s going to hurt somebody out of self-defense. And frankly, whatever damage he inflicts is going to be completely justified.¡±
Jyn narrowed his eyes. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±
¡°He would,¡± Rann said quietly. ¡°We¡¯ve pushed him too far, Jyn. The next time we try, there will be consequences. For us.¡±
Jyn looked between Tassie and Rann, frustration mounting. ¡°Then how do you suggest we control him?¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
¡°By the gods, what is wrong with you!?¡± Tassie shouted. ¡°Stop treating him like a thing and start treating him like a person. Why are you even trying to control him to begin with?¡±
¡°Reya¡¯s gotten to you, hasn¡¯t she?¡± Jyn accused, eyes narrowed. ¡°Adrian poisoned her mind with his nonsense and now it¡¯s spreading.¡±
Tassie stared at Jyn speechless. ¡°You think this is somehow Adrian¡¯s fault?¡± she asked in disbelief after several seconds. She¡¯d heard from Rann about Beor and Jyn¡¯s arguments. Having confirmation on Jyn¡¯s thoughts really drove home what she¡¯d learned.
¡°Because it is,¡± Jyn said adamantly, leaning forward. ¡°He¡¯s been nothing but trouble since the moment we found him. Is it so surprising that he¡¯s causing problems once again?¡±
¡°What are you talking about?¡± Rann asked. ¡°Leave the poor man alone, he¡¯s done nothing wrong.¡±
Jyn rolled his eyes. ¡°The drama he caused the other night with the Tribunal isn¡¯t nothing.¡±
¡°You mean when it was discovered that his old tormentor was really a gru¡¯ul android?¡± Rann arched an eyebrow. ¡°How is that his fault?¡±
¡°If he¡¯d told us, the Tribunal would have been better equipped to deal with the problem.¡±
¡°You can¡¯t possibly believe he could have known!¡± Tassie threw at him. ¡°You¡¯re being unreasonable.¡±
¡°Am I? He must¡¯ve known something about it.¡±
¡°He was just as surprised as you were.¡±
¡°How do you know?¡±
¡°Unlike you, we actually took the time to talk to him about it afterwards.¡±
¡°And you didn¡¯t think to tell me about what he said? You¡¯re just as bad as he is. These are things I need to know.¡±
¡°If you¡¯d been nicer to him, maybe Adrian would be more inclined to tell you these things,¡± Tassie countered. She proceeded to give Jyn a watered-down version of what Adrian had told them yesterday after he¡¯d returned from the ship. Mollified, Jyn sat in his chair thinking over what he¡¯d learned.
The three of them continued to discuss their thoughts on the matter, until finally, Jyn asked ¡°You think the gru¡¯ul were using the first facility Adrian was held captive at to pan for test subjects? Why would they do that? Why would they pick Adrian, of all people?¡±
¡°That¡¯s the thing, we don¡¯t know. Neither does Adrian. He once asked me what was so interesting about him that three separate species wanted to perform experiments on him. This was right after he found out that Kell was studying a sample of his blood,¡± Rann said.
¡°Reya might know, actually,¡± Tassie said pensively. It was no secret that Reya and Adrian shared deeply personal matters with each other. Prying answers out of Reya had proven to be impossible, however. Jyn and Rann looked at her. ¡°Or not. It¡¯s just a thought. I don¡¯t know how much Adrian¡¯s told her about what was done to him. If anybody¡¯s got an idea, it would be her.¡±
¡°She should tell us then!¡± Jyn exclaimed.
¡°Jyn,¡± Rann said pointedly, ¡°she¡¯s refused to tell even the Tribunal. She¡¯s not going to be telling any of us what she¡¯s learned. She knows that whatever she spills will end up in a report destined for the Elders faster than she can blink. Given her relationship with Adrian, we can safely assume that¡¯s something she¡¯d never do.¡±
Jyn grumbled something unintelligible under his breath. The girls let him be, opting to continue the conversation. They didn¡¯t get very far before they were interrupted by the back door opening. Reya and Adrian walked through, hand in hand. Their quiet conversation continued as they entered the house, oblivious to everyone¡¯s concern. Pausing where they were, they let go of each other and bent down to take off their shoes, not wanting to carry dirt through the house.
Rann squinted. Something was different. There was an air of sureness between the pair and the warmth in their voices when they spoke to each other could be heard by all. She could tell that something had changed, but she couldn¡¯t put her finger on what could have happened. ¡°What took you so long to come back?¡± she asked.
Adrian and Reya shared a look and smiled. Reya turned to Rann. ¡°We¡¯re sorry we took so long but it¡¯s ok. We¡¯re home now,¡± she said, grabbing Adrian¡¯s hand and looking back at him as she finished. Adrian¡¯s hand tightened around hers and she squeezed back.
¡°Yes,¡± Adrian said softly. ¡°We are. After all this time.¡±
¡°Would it kill you to stop taking dangerous risks?¡± Jyn asked, interrupting the moment. ¡°You agreed last time that you wouldn¡¯t keep staying out after dark.¡±
¡°We¡¯re sorry,¡± Adrian apologized, taking Jyn by surprise. ¡°It wasn¡¯t our intention to stay out for so long. By the time we noticed, the sun was already setting. We knew we were going to end up coming back in the dark, so we decided to at least watch the sunset.¡±
The pair moved further into the house, making their way towards the kitchen. The others got up and followed. ¡°It took you that long to make your way back? Just how far away do you go when you leave for your walks?¡± Jyn asked as he watched the famished couple prepare dinner.
Adrian scooped some of the leftovers onto plates for him and Reya. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure, actually,¡± he said. ¡°We go far enough so as not to be disturbed by anybody, but I¡¯ve never taken the time to calculate how long it takes to get there. It¡¯s not like we have a watch with us when we leave. The reason it takes us so long to get back in the dark is because we move slowly so as not to hurt ourselves.¡±
¡°Maybe if you showed us where you went, we¡¯d be able to find you in case anything happens.¡±
¡°That would defeat the purpose of getting away from you all if you could find us.¡± Adrian smiled sharply. ¡°If we had access comms, we¡¯d be able to update you on the situation, or you¡¯d be able to call us to remind us to leave before it gets dark. It¡¯s very easy to lose track of time when we¡¯re out there.¡±
Tassie shot Jyn a smug look, which he promptly ignored. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you guys wander around with military equipment.¡±
Adrian shrugged as he joined Reya at the table. ¡°Then you¡¯ll just have to deal with the fact that we might be late on occasion. We¡¯re not trying to do it on purpose. Sometimes, it just happens.¡± The pair dug into their food with enthusiasm, thoroughly enjoying the meal. The conversation changed to lighter topics which were of no interest to Jyn, so he excused himself and left.
After the meal was over, the group migrated back to the living room and settled in on the couches. Reya and Adrian curled up against one another, leaving plenty of room for Rann and Tassie to make themselves comfortable. The evening carried on, yet Reya and Adrian refused to separate. Together was where they would stay for together was where they belonged.
Chapter 89
¡°What are we waiting for again?¡± Cirrus asked. The previous day had been a long one and already the Tribunal had reconvened for another meeting. While her and the other Elders had been granted some time to breathe, the constant barrage of meetings were beginning to blur together.
¡°Commander Cyrix has some news for us,¡± Kaius replied. Cyrix had been tight-lipped about what the news was, preferring to wait until the entire Tribunal was gathered to make his announcement. All Kaius knew was that while important, it wasn¡¯t as urgent as the prior day¡¯s events.
Cirrus raised her brow. ¡°If the Commander is the one with news, I expect it to be related to the facility. Did he say what the news was?¡± Kaius simply shook his head. The room was abuzz with guesses as to what had been discovered this time and whether or not Ava was related to it.
Kaius permitted the Elders to freely converse, not seeing the need to silence them while they speculated. Some time later, a signal hailing from the flagship¡¯s secured room caught everyone¡¯s attention. It was time.
Kaius typed at his data slate and permitted the signal to access their network after verifying the identity of the other party. Cyrix¡¯s figure winked into existence at the podium, a serious expression adorning his face. ¡°Most Honourable Elders,¡± he said respectfully, bowing slightly. Lifting his gaze, he continued to address the room. ¡°I¡¯ve called for this meeting due to a recent development at the facility.¡±
¡°So we¡¯ve been told,¡± Cirrus said. ¡°Would you care to enlighten us what was so important to call the entire Tribunal together? Has the machine caused any problems?¡±
¡°Quite the opposite actually. So far, she¡¯s been entirely compliant with our instructions and restrictions. It¡¯s because of her that I¡¯m calling the meeting.¡±
¡°You¡¯ve made progress then?¡± Orryn asked, excited. She shot a smug look towards Cirrus, who scowled in return. ¡°What have you discovered?¡±
¡°If you recall my report on the most recently discovered rooms in the facility, you¡¯ll find mention that one of them contains many bodies preserved in pods,¡± Cyrix began. Several Elders looked down at their data slates and drew up the report, skimming it as he spoke. He paid them no mind and continued. ¡°While most of these bodies are deformed, there is one that remains fully intact, free from mutations.¡±
¡°Your news has to do with this particular body, then?¡± Kaius asked.
¡°Yes,¡± Cyrix nodded. ¡°After showing the rooms to Ava,¡± Cirrus¡¯ scowl deepened at the mention, ¡°she actually recognized the body preserved in stasis.¡±
There was an immediate uproar. Voices fought to be heard, each one asking questions or making remarks. Kaius called for order and soon the room quieted back down. ¡°You¡¯re certain of this?¡± he asked. Like many others in the room, he found the odds of such an occurrence to be rather slim.
¡°According to Ava, the man was one of her test subjects alongside Adrian on his home world. He and Adrian are the only two people her facility ever gave to the gru¡¯ul.¡±
¡°And they ended up at the same facility?¡± Orryn asked. ¡°Adrian claimed not to have seen any other of his kind during his time there. Was he lying?¡±
¡°Of course the man was lying!¡± Cirrus spat. ¡°He¡¯s been playing us for fools this entire time, expecting us to believe his outrageous story!¡±
¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Cyrix broached, ¡°that the man remained in stasis in the sealed room and that Adrian never saw him. This is what Ava believes, as the man is frozen in the same position she last saw him in.¡±
¡°Meaning that the man was never taken out of stasis?¡± Orryn asked.
Cyrix nodded. ¡°Exactly. Ava called the man a partial success to her experiments back on Adrian¡¯s home world, which might explain why he was never experimented on. She believes that the gru¡¯ul must have decided to postpone their experiments on him after reviewing the data sent from her old facility.¡±
¡°Which means that Adrian was successful? Did Ava say what the goals of the experiments were?¡±
¡°She did not and refuses to elaborate. According to her, the knowledge wouldn¡¯t do anybody any good, as nobody but Adrian knows what else happened to him after he woke up in the gru¡¯ul facility. She believes that whatever results she achieved back on Earth would be completely overshadowed by the gru¡¯ul¡¯s experiments.¡±
¡°Great,¡± Cirrus scoffed, ¡°now the machine is keeping information from us? It¡¯s bad enough that we let Adrian withhold information. Now we¡¯re letting a machine do the same? When will it ever end?¡±
¡°We¡¯ve been over this, Cirrus,¡± Orryn chastised. ¡°Adrian is a civilian now. We can¡¯t force him to speak any more than we can make Miss Ayala.¡±
¡°That doesn¡¯t make it any less frustrating!¡± Cirrus slammed her hand on the table. ¡°All we¡¯ve done is get pushed around by stubborn individuals and a machine. What kind of military lets a handful of people have this much power over them?¡±
¡°One with morals,¡± Orryn countered. ¡°What kind of military would we be if we forced them to speak when they¡¯ve done nothing wrong?¡±
¡°A normal one!¡± Cirrus threw her arms in the air. ¡°We¡¯re faced with threats and unknowns. It¡¯s our job to neutralize them and keep our populace safe. We can¡¯t do that if we don¡¯t know what happened!¡±
Cyrix watched the exchange impassively, waiting for his turn to speak again. Kaius noticed and interrupted the growing argument between the two Elders. ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯d like to add, Commander?¡± he asked. Orryn and Cirrus paused and turned to face Cyrix.
¡°Yes. As interesting as it is that Ava recognizes the body in the pod, that¡¯s not why I called this meeting today.¡± Cyrix glanced between Orryn and Cirrus. Kaius motioned for him to continue. ¡°Ava¡¯s informed us that she is able to operate the pods. She can free the man she recognizes, given enough time. The only issue impeding her from doing so right away is that the terminal is encrypted.¡±
Nobody spoke for a long while, digesting the news that Cyrix dropped in their laps. ¡°We need to free the man,¡± Orryn said finally. ¡°We can¡¯t leave him trapped in that pod for an eternity.¡±
¡°Absolutely not!¡± Cirrus exploded. ¡°Dealing with Adrian is hard enough. You want to add a second person into the mix?¡±
¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying. We have the chance to save someone¡¯s life. It would be cruel to leave him trapped in his pod.¡±
¡°Where are we going to put him? The goal is to keep Adrian¡¯s existence a secret. If we have a second person that looks just like him roaming around, how are we going to be able to do that?¡± Cirrus argued. ¡°Our best option is to leave the man where we found him until this entire situation has settled down.¡±
¡°We could put him at the same safe house as Adrian. There should be room. Worst case, some of the people there can bunk together,¡± Orryn said, throwing Cirrus a look. ¡°The only problem is the logistics of transporting the man from the facility to the safe house without his identity being discovered.¡±
¡°Exactly my point! It¡¯s going to be impossible. Let¡¯s assume, for a moment, that we free him and manage to get him onto a ship without anybody seeing him. Do you honestly think that the crew transporting him won¡¯t take a look at who they¡¯re transporting? It¡¯s inevitable.¡±
¡°Then we make it abundantly clear what would happen to them if they did,¡± Orryn said calmly. ¡°I agree that this isn¡¯t something that can afford to get out. We¡¯ll simply make the consequences steep enough to act as a deterrent.¡±
¡°I¡¯m telling you, the risks are too high. There¡¯s too much that can go wrong. We should wait before deciding what to do with the man.¡±
¡°Waiting when we can make a difference would be cruel.¡±
¡°He¡¯s in stasis,¡± Cirrus said flatly. ¡°He¡¯ll never know the difference.¡± Orryn looked like she was about to protest but changed her mind and frowned instead. Cirrus was right. A few more hours or days wouldn¡¯t make a difference.
¡°I still think we should release him. It might be a bit of a hassle for us, but I¡¯m sure it would mean the world to the man trapped in the pod. It doesn¡¯t have to be right away,¡± Orryn conceded, knowing she wouldn¡¯t be able to convince the rest of the Tribunal otherwise, ¡°but we can¡¯t, in good conscience, leave the man to his fate when we can make a difference.¡±
¡°Will we be able to communicate with the man?¡± Maraz asked Cyrix, speaking up. ¡°If not, it¡¯s going to very difficult to get him to cooperate. Will we need to get Adrian involved to translate again? Do we even want Adrian knowing about this latest development?¡±
¡°Ava has confirmed that she can converse with him and translate for us. There should be no need for Adrian to know about our discovery until we decide to tell him,¡± Cyrix confirmed.
¡°You¡¯re making it sound like we¡¯re going to tell him,¡± Cirrus scowled.
¡°Adrian¡¯s going to find out eventually when the man arrives at his doorstep. The team at the safe house is going to need to know ahead of time in order to prepare. I have no doubt that Adrian will learn through them.¡±
¡°You¡¯re making it sound like we¡¯re going to free him,¡± Cirrus said, her scowl deepening. Orryn¡¯s unreasonable demands and opinions had long been a thorn in her side. Cirrus was determined to make the other Elders see reason. They simply couldn¡¯t afford another leak. If Adrian¡¯s existence had managed to get leaked to the Tribunal, then so too could the man in the pod. The world wasn¡¯t ready to learn about what they¡¯d uncovered at the gru¡¯ul facility. Not yet. Perhaps not ever.
¡°I say we put it to a vote,¡± Orryn said confidently, addressing the room. ¡°We can continue to discuss the merits of freeing the man, but at the end of the day, we must ask ourselves what kind of people we want to be. Will we turn a blind eye when we can make a difference, or will we act within our power to protect people? The man in the pod may have knowledge about the experiments that took place on Adrian¡¯s home world. Unlike Adrian, he might be willing to divulge his secrets. What we have is another avenue to uncover the facility¡¯s secrets. The man in the pod might be grateful enough at having been freed to freely give us the information we seek.¡±
¡°There it is,¡± Cirrus accused with narrowed eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t care about the individual. Admit it. All you want to do is use them to advance your own agenda. I¡¯m sure letting the android live was out the goodness of your heart.¡±
¡°Have you been listening to a word I¡¯ve said?¡± Orryn asked, insulted. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m the only one advocating for the man¡¯s release. I want him freed even if we have nothing to gain because it¡¯s the right thing to do. However, it would be remiss of me to ignore the opportunity presented to us. And let¡¯s face it, without any incentive, there¡¯s no way the rest of us would entertain my proposal.¡±
¡°Because your proposal only serves to make our lives difficult! Sorting out the logistics of freeing the man is going to be a nightmare, not to mention the hugely increased risk of all of our hard work at keeping a lid on things being for nothing! Your morals are blinding you to the reality of the situation,¡± Cirrus huffed, slamming a fist on the desk.
¡°I think,¡± Maraz interrupted, ¡°that we should further discuss the issue where the rest of us can give our thoughts and opinions. As it stands, not a single one of us other than you two have had the chance to weigh in on the matter.¡±
Orryn and Cirrus paused and looked around the room as Maraz spoke. Heads were nodding along in agreement with the Elder. ¡°I have no issue with that,¡± Orryn said, mollifying the other Elders. ¡°By all means, I would love to hear where everybody stands on the matter. Together, we can determine what is best for our faction. You all already know my stance on the matter. Maraz, the floor is yours,¡± she conceded. Cirrus motioned with her hand for Maraz to continue speaking, making it clear that she wouldn¡¯t interrupt either.
¡°Thank you,¡± Maraz said dryly. He summed up the points that had been made by both Orryn and Cirrus, then asked the remaining Elders one at a time what their thoughts on the issue. Each Elder added their own arguments for or against freeing the man trapped in the pod. Cyrix had been dismissed during the proceedings, leaving the Tribunal to make their decision in private.
Voices grew heated, vying to be heard over one another as the Elders attempted to come to a decision. Hours passed with no conclusion being reached. As it stood, the Elders were once again split equally on the matter.
¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Kaius barked, silencing the room. He¡¯d had enough of the constant bickering the once civil conversation had devolved into. ¡°It seems to me that the discussion has veered greatly off course. The original purpose of this meeting was to determine what to do with Cyrix¡¯s discovery. Arguments have been made both for and against freeing the man. It¡¯s time to vote. We can determine our next course of action after we¡¯ve come to a decision. All those against freeing the man in the stasis pod, vote now.¡±
An orb appeared above Cirrus¡¯ head before Kaius finished speaking, earning her an irate glare from Kaius. She waited in anticipation and smiled gleefully when another orb appeared, followed by another. All it would take was one more vote to break the tie. She glanced at Maraz, who drummed his fingers on the desk, deep in thought.
This time, Orryn did not speak up during the vote, pleasing Cirrus greatly. Without the outside interference, she had the chance for the vote to swing in her favour. Kaius saw the indecision on Maraz¡¯s face plain as day and gave him time to continue. He was in no hurry to rush the proceedings and was more than willing to let things play out naturally.
The room waited with bated breath until finally, Maraz shook his head and leaned back. He¡¯d made his decision. There was yet another tie, forcing Kaius to intervene. He frowned, not expecting to have had to cast a vote yet again. It was becoming a more common occurrence, though he supposed the circumstances were rather dividing.
¡°We have a tie,¡± Kaius announced for the others to hear, removing from the other Elders the opportunity to vote on the matter. ¡°Once again, it appears as if I will be the deciding vote. I would like to make an informed decision and for that, I will require Commander Cyrix¡¯s input on the matter.¡±
¡°You¡¯re inviting someone to sit in on the voting proceedings again?¡± Cirrus balked.
Kaius shook his head. ¡°No. I¡¯m inviting the Commander to answer several questions I have. He will then be dismissed before I cast my vote.¡± The answer mollified Cirrus somewhat, but not enough to completely erase her displeasure. Kaius typed away at his data slate and soon Cyrix¡¯s figure winked into existence behind the podium. All eyes turned towards him.
¡°Commander,¡± Kaius began, ¡°we are in need of your thoughts on the matter. As the person currently running ground operations at the facility, your input would be much appreciated.¡±
Cyrix bowed his head slightly. ¡°Of course,¡± he said deferentially. ¡°I will answer the best I can.¡±
¡°That¡¯s all we ask,¡± Kaius replied. ¡°How long would it take for Ava to crack the encryption in the terminal that would allow her to operate the pod?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Cyrix said honestly. ¡°She did, however, mention that the encryption on that terminal would be far simpler to crack than the encryption on the terminal found in the other sealed room. Ava theorizes that the terminal that controls the pod doesn¡¯t have any important research data on it compared to the other terminal.¡±
Kaius stroked his beard. ¡°Is there any chance the a¡¯vaare who are trapped could be freed as well?¡±
Cyrix hesitated. ¡°I would advise against that. Odds are, most of them are either already dead or will die shortly after being taken out of stasis. The remaining bodies that are intact are horribly deformed. Unless there¡¯s some way to undo the mutations, we would be condemning those freed to a lifetime of misery.¡± He shook his head. ¡°We can only free the one person and even then, Ava isn¡¯t sure if the man is alive.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°What do you mean by that?¡±
¡°Ava knows how to operate the pods using the terminals, but not how the technology actually works. It¡¯s possible that something went wrong, and the man drowned in the liquid keeping him in stasis.¡±
Kaius frowned. ¡°Adrian survived, did he not?¡±
¡°He did, but that doesn¡¯t mean the other person survived as well. We can only assume that the technology worked as intended, given how much more technologically advanced the gru¡¯ul are. It wouldn¡¯t make sense for one pod to work while the other didn¡¯t, but there¡¯s always a chance.¡±
¡°Do you think it possible to transport the man from the facility to the safe house on Verilia without his identity being discovered?¡±
Cyrix hummed, envisioning the steps required to carry out such a monumental task. The chances of carrying out the transfer successfully without a single person learning their secret were slim to none. It would require meticulous preparation to pull off such an operation. ¡°With great difficulty, but I believe it to be possible, provided the crew transporting him is one we can trust.¡±
¡°Would you use Nadi and her team?¡±
¡°Not a chance,¡± Cyrix replied immediately.
¡°You don¡¯t trust them to carry out the mission?¡± Kaius asked, surprised. ¡°They¡¯re the most skilled team on-site.¡±
¡°I trust everybody except Nadi to carry out the mission properly. She¡¯s proven to be too curious about the operations at the facility. I doubt she¡¯d be able to resist the temptation of looking in on the prisoner. Because of that, I wouldn¡¯t use that team.¡±
¡°What if you left Nadi behind and had the rest of the team carry out the mission?¡±
Cyrix paused. ¡°That might work. I¡¯d have to sit down and evaluate which team would be best suited to the mission first, however.¡±
¡°One last question for you, Commander. Do you think releasing the man to be worth it?¡±
Cyrix hesitated, knowing this to be the crux Kaius¡¯ questions had been leading to. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know,¡± he admitted. ¡°There¡¯s much that could go wrong, yet he might be able to tell us information Adrian refuses to. There¡¯s still so much about the facility that we don¡¯t know.¡±
Kaius continued to stroke his beard. ¡°I see. Thank you for your input, Commander. That is all for now.¡± Cyrix tilted his head in respect and Kaius dismissed him. The life-like image winked out of existence, leaving the Tribunal alone again. Six sets of eyes turned to face Kaius as they awaited his judgement. ¡°I¡¯ve listened to your arguments. The gods only know how many of those you all had today. I agree with Cirrus in that there¡¯s much that could go wrong with this operation.¡± Cirrus preened at the mention. ¡°However,¡± Kaius said, making her freeze in place, ¡°I find myself intrigued at the secrets this man has to offer us. Right now, we¡¯re sorely lacking in information on the events that occurred at the facility, and we¡¯ve now confirmed, if Ava is to be believed, the existence of another facility related to this one. Both Ava and Adrian refuse to elaborate on the events that occurred there, and I believe that this man may be able to enlighten us. As such, I vote for releasing the man.¡±
¡°What!? No!¡± Cirrus shouted. ¡°Are you really willing to jeopardize our entire operation for information about events that didn¡¯t actually occur at this facility?¡±
Kaius levelled Cirrus a flat look. ¡°Yes,¡± he said sternly. ¡°I believe we have much to gain with this man¡¯s cooperation.¡±
¡°We have no proof that the man will even talk about what happened to himself any more than Adrian has! It¡¯s lunacy to even think about freeing this man.¡±
¡°The votes have been cast, Cirrus, and this is the result,¡± Kaius intoned in a firm voice, leaving no chance for her to refute. ¡°We don¡¯t always have things go our way and I understand that as of late you¡¯ve been opposed to the actions taken by our military. However, we must respect our laws if we are to be in a position to uphold them.¡±
Cirrus trembled where she sat, flushed a deep shade of purple. She struggled to contain herself in the face of yet another vote that had not gone her way. Her eyes were hard-set as she addressed the room. ¡°Fine. May we not regret our actions. We¡¯ve been taking a lot of chances lately and one day, they will come back to bite us in the ass. Mark my words.¡±
¡°And we will deal with the consequences as they come,¡± Kaius replied smoothly. ¡°For now, our course of action regarding our newest discovery is decided. Are there any other topics or concerns we should address before ending our meeting?¡±
Maraz pressed the button to vote, an orb of light appearing above his head. Kaius motioned for him to take the floor. ¡°If what Ava said is true, Adrian should recognize the man in the pod. Should we not ask him what he knows about our mystery man?¡±
Cirrus rolled her eyes. ¡°I doubt he¡¯d be willing to speak up on the topic,¡± she said. ¡°He refused to elaborate on what Ava and the other researchers did to him when they held him captive. He clamps right up anytime we try to question him.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not entirely true,¡± Orryn interjected. ¡°He¡¯s been very open about his home world¡¯s culture and other mundane topics.¡±
¡°Which could all be made up,¡± Cirrus pointed out. ¡°We still haven¡¯t accepted his claims that he¡¯s from an alien civilization. We can¡¯t trust anything he¡¯s told us.¡±
¡°I seriously doubt the entire thing is a figment of his imagination. There¡¯s way too much detail in his story,¡± Orryn said, shaking her head. ¡°Not to mention we¡¯ve found others that resemble him.¡±
¡°Until we have actual proof, we can¡¯t dismiss the possibility that it¡¯s all a lie.¡±
¡°Perhaps he¡¯s discussed the matter with some of the soldiers assigned to keep watch over him. I¡¯m sure they had questions about his reaction to last night¡¯s events. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he was more forthcoming with them than with us.¡±
¡°Why don¡¯t we call in some of the people close to him to see?¡± Maraz asked.
¡°The only person that would know anything of substance is Miss Ayala and we all know how questioning her will turn out,¡± Cirrus scoffed. ¡°It won¡¯t. She¡¯s going to refuse to answer any of our questions pertaining to Adrian.¡±
¡°From what I remember,¡± Orryn said, speaking up, ¡°he was working with Tassie on developing musical instruments. Could we not order her to give a report on anything she¡¯s learned from Adrian? She might have been told information we¡¯re not aware of while they were working together.¡±
Kaius stroked his beard. ¡°There is a chance. Very well, we¡¯ll order her to participate in this meeting, so that we may question her.¡± He picked up his data slate from his desk and called Nessah. The room remained silent while he explained their need for one of her soldiers¡¯ testimony.
Nessah sighed. ¡°I¡¯m honestly surprised you didn¡¯t call for her sooner,¡± she said, after listening to what Kaius had to say. ¡°I¡¯ll give her her new orders. She should be with you shortly.¡±
¡°Thank you, General,¡± Kaius said.
¡°However, if I may?¡± Nessah cleared her throat. Kaius motioned for her to continue speaking. ¡°I already have the information regarding the instruments compiled. Would you prefer it if I send it over, rather than hear about it from my soldier?¡±
Kaius looked at the nods around the room at Nessah¡¯s suggestion. ¡°That would be highly appreciated, once you have the time. However, we would like to press your soldier for anything else she might have heard Adrian let slip while working together.¡±
Nessah nodded and Kaius dismissed her. The minutes stretched on as the Tribunal waited for Tassie to arrive. She appeared promptly, looking rather nervous. ¡°Most Honourable Elders,¡± she fumbled. ¡°How may I be of assistance?¡±
¡°You¡¯ve been working with Adrian closely,¡± Kaius started. ¡°We would like to hear more about your time with him. What has he told you about his home world during the time you¡¯ve spent with him? Has he divulged any technological concepts that we haven¡¯t heard yet?¡±
¡°Are you sure you I¡¯m the one you want answering those questions? Reya would be a much better choice. She knows more about Adrian than anyone else,¡± Tassie replied.
¡°It¡¯s our understanding that Miss Ayala would be uncooperative if questioned. Unfortunately, we can¡¯t force her to answer, and she knows it. You, however, have been working closely with Adrian on replicating instruments from his home world. Hence why we¡¯ve called for you. If you would,¡± Kaius motioned for Tassie to speak.
Unsure of herself, Tassie began recounting her time spent working on replicating Adrian¡¯s instruments. The Elders nodded along, reading Nessah¡¯s report as Tassie spoke, finding no inconsistencies. When she was finished, Kaius once again bade her to continue speaking. Wracking her brain, she decided to recount some of the few stories Adrian had told them about his home world, garnering Maraz¡¯s interest.
The Elder listened attentively to every detail, hoping to glean insight into Adrian¡¯s life before they found him. Sadly, Tassie¡¯s stories did little to satisfy his curiosity. Cirrus and Orryn waited patiently without interrupting, having already heard much of the content from Adrian himself. ¡°What else can you tell us about Adrian¡¯s home world?¡± Maraz asked once Tassie finished yet another anecdote Adrian had recounted. ¡°Something not related to his culture, if at all possible.¡±
Tassie thought for a moment. ¡°The plants where he comes from are green, according to him,¡± she said. ¡°We just had a discussion the other day about it. He compared one of our fruits to something he had back one his home world, claiming that they were the same in all but colour.¡±
Cirrus barked a short laugh. ¡°Already, he looks so similar to us. You expect me to believe that certain plants are almost identical to ours as well? That ruins any credibility his claims have. His existence as he¡¯s described it is already impossible. Throw plants into the mix and it becomes a nothing more than a bad joke!¡±
Tassie frowned. ¡°I agree that it seems to be a bit much, but he was insistent on it. He explained how the fruit starts of green and then slowly transitions to a red colour.¡±
¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about! How could any plant be green? It doesn¡¯t make sense!¡±
¡°Actually, he explained that part to us. It was pretty fascinating. He knew quite a bit on the subject. Apparently the man also really likes plants and took it upon himself to learn more about them.¡±
The room paused at Tassie¡¯s words. ¡°Do you mean to tell us,¡± Cirrus said slowly, ¡°that you learned valuable scientific information and withheld it?¡±
Tassie¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Not on purpose!¡± she said quickly, waving her arms in front of her. ¡°With my other work relating to the facility, I haven¡¯t gotten around to writing up a report about it yet. I didn¡¯t realize plants turning green was something you wanted to know about right away. I did have him help me make notes about it. He didn¡¯t see the harm in me writing it down.¡±
¡°Is there anything else you¡¯re not telling us?¡± Cirrus asked, a dangerous edge to her voice.
Tassie scrambled, digging through her mind for anything she could present that would mollify the Tribunal. ¡°Did you know he has words for things that we don¡¯t?¡± she hedged. The Elders shared a look and Cirrus motioned for her to continue. ¡°There exist words describing emotions that we fundamentally don¡¯t have in our language. Reya won¡¯t shut up about it,¡± she grumbled, barely loud enough for the others to hear.
¡°So what?¡± Cirrus scoffed. ¡°Nobody here can understand his language. He could be making it up entirely.¡±
¡°I think that seeing others who look like him and can converse with him should be proof enough that the language is real,¡± Maraz pointed out. ¡°It stands to reason it can express concepts we haven¡¯t thought of yet. I¡¯d be really curious to learn more about these discrepancies.¡±
¡°Fine, the language is special,¡± Cirrus said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s from an alien civilization.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that,¡± Maraz said. ¡°He knows a completely unknown language and there are others that look like him out there that know it as well.¡± He shifted his attention to Tassie. ¡°What can you tell us about the plants from Adrian¡¯s home world? Explain to us why they¡¯re green.¡±
The Tribunal gave her leave to get the notes she¡¯d taken. Tassie returned not two minutes later, flushed from her mad rush to deliver the information to the Elders in a timely manner. She recounted what Adrian had told her about the subject. The result was a surprisingly in-depth lesson about chlorophyll. When she finished, nobody in the room spoke. Tassie grew increasingly nervous as the seconds stretched on.
¡°That¡¯s,¡± Maraz trailed off, drawing the everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Is he telling the truth?¡± He looked around the room and saw the doubt in the others¡¯ eyes. ¡°If Adrian can provide that level of detailed knowledge on the subject,¡± he continued when nobody else spoke up, ¡°where did he get that knowledge? He couldn¡¯t possibly have learned it if he had been somehow grown in the gru¡¯ul lab. There¡¯s no way a person in such a sterile environment would have been able to deduce that and I highly doubt the gru¡¯ul would have taught him. The answer is that he must have been taught by somebody else. So then who was this other person taught by? We have confirmation that there are more beings out there that look like him and can converse with him. Recognize him, even! There must be more of them if they were able to learn such intricate knowledge and have the resources to disseminate the information to the masses. The only way that all of this is possible is if Adrian¡¯s claims are accurate. He must truly hail from an alien civilization.¡±
The entire Tribunal went dead silent. Nobody spoke, too shocked at the implications behind Maraz¡¯s questions and claims. He was effectively proposing they agree to Adrian¡¯s claims and for first contact protocols to be initiated.
Maraz spoke once more. ¡°Which leads to the bigger question of why they look like us.¡± Concerned faces filled the room, doubt spreading as the other Elders grappled with indecision regarding their stance on the matter.
Not everyone was convinced, however. ¡°That¡¯s quite a bit of conjecture,¡± Cirrus said, breaking the silence. ¡°What if the people who taught him are different looking than him? Does that mean there¡¯s yet another civilization out there that was able to create something that looks so similar to us without us knowing? There¡¯s only one other civilization we know of. Are they spying on us? There are still too many questions regarding whether or not Adrian was simply abducted from one of our factions and turned a different colour as a result of the experiments performed on him. We can¡¯t rule that possibility out either. What makes you so sure that his claims are true over the more likely alternatives?¡±
Maraz drummed his fingers as he sought to explain further his reasoning. ¡°Let¡¯s assume, for a minute, that what Adrian has told us about plants is true and that we can replicate it in a lab. From what¡¯s been described, we¡¯ve seen no evidence of anything related to green plants ¨C any plants, even ¨C at the facility. It¡¯s highly probably that there weren¡¯t any, ever. Had he been raised in the facility we found him at, he most likely would have never seen a green plant and wouldn¡¯t be able to know it exists. Can you explain how else he could have possibly learned that knowledge?¡±
¡°The gru¡¯ul could have taught him,¡± Cirrus said. ¡°Who knows what kind of knowledge they have?¡±
¡°Why would they do that?¡± Maraz asked.
Cirrus shrugged. ¡°How should I know? They¡¯re literal aliens. I have no idea how they think. Given the technological advances the gru¡¯ul have made, it¡¯s possible they discovered it and taught it to him. Somebody had to teach him, that I agree. It¡¯s most likely the gru¡¯ul that did so. We know they taught him our language. Why? If Adrian¡¯s story is to be trusted, then he should have never seen the light of day. There was no need for them to teach him that, yet they did.¡±
¡°They ran a genetics facility focusing on animals, not vegetation. I just can¡¯t understand why the gru¡¯ul would teach him so much about plants in a place where there are none.¡±
¡°We don¡¯t have to understand it,¡± Cirrus pointed out. ¡°As long as it¡¯s a possibility, we can¡¯t rule it out until proven otherwise.¡±
¡°I disagree,¡± Maraz said, shaking his head. ¡°The situation makes much more sense if we accept his claims. Adrian¡¯s provided too much detail on his home world¡¯s culture for it to be made up. With everything else we know, this is the only scenario that makes sense.¡±
Kaius glanced at Tassie, who had been long forgotten. ¡°I think this discussion is best continued in private. Thank you for your input, soldier. Unless there¡¯s anything else you¡¯d like to add,¡± Tassie shook her head, ¡°you¡¯re dismissed. If we need you, we¡¯ll call for you again.¡± Her figure winked out of existence, leaving the Elders alone once more.
¡°Are you so eager to enact first contact protocols? This isn¡¯t something we can decide on a whim,¡± Cirrus threw at Maraz. ¡°Do you truly understand what that entails?¡±
¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± Maraz said seriously. ¡°But face it, Cirrus. We can¡¯t keep turning a blind eye to the answer that¡¯s been in front of us all along. We¡¯ve been given plenty of evidence supporting his claims. The gru¡¯ul don¡¯t appear to be actively researching the phenomenon that Adrian¡¯s described and the odds of him figuring out any of that on his own are so slim they might as well be non-existent.¡±
¡°It¡¯s still more probable than another species evolving to look the same as us! If we enact first contact protocols and we¡¯re wrong, we¡¯re in deep shit. Regardless of whether or not Adrian¡¯s claims are accurate, we won¡¯t look too good when scrutinized for how we initially treated him,¡± Cirrus said.
¡°I think that says quite a bit about how we¡¯ve handled the situation,¡± Orryn said. ¡°Luckily, we¡¯ve done a few things right. We¡¯re keeping him safe and providing for him. Not to mention the fact that we rescued him from live experimentation.¡±
¡°If we enact first contact protocols, we¡¯re effectively making Adrian untouchable!¡± Cirrus spat. ¡°The man has far too many secrets for us to let that happen. Already, we gave in and made him a citizen, which makes dealing with him a mess. It¡¯ll be a nightmare if we give him diplomatic immunity in addition to giving him recourse against us for our actions. We imprisoned the man multiple times and starved him.¡±
¡°Right now, he¡¯s not too fond of us,¡± Orryn said. ¡°But we can do our best to improve our relations with him in the future in the hopes that he won¡¯t take legal action against us.¡±
¡°Are you really willing to take that bet?¡± Cirrus asked.
¡°We have no choice,¡± Maraz said. ¡°All we can do is hope for the best and make every effort to improve our relations with the man. Should we ever make contact with the rest of his civilization, how we¡¯ll have treated him will greatly impact their reaction to us.¡±
¡°We¡¯re giving the man too much power over us if we enact first contact protocols. Even then, it¡¯s still not certain that he¡¯s telling the truth!¡± Cirrus said.
¡°I think,¡± Orryn said, eyeing the looks of frustration on her colleagues faces, ¡°that we should hear what the others have to say on the matter before coming to any sort of decision.¡±
The other Elders weighed in, giving their thoughts on the matter. Hours passed with no agreement being made. ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Kaius said eventually, interrupting the debate. ¡°We¡¯ve had enough time to debate the topic. We¡¯ve heard many arguments both for and against Maraz¡¯s proposal. It¡¯s time for us to come to a decision. Do we accept Adrian Blackwood¡¯s claims of being from an alien civilization, should his knowledge prove true? All in favour, vote now.¡±
Not a single vote was immediately cast. Even Maraz, who pushed the idea to begin with, took the time to reassess his stance. The minutes stretched as every person in the room tore down and analyzed every argument presented.
Orryn, surprisingly, was the first to cast her vote. Even though no others joined her, Kaius gave the Elders more time to come to a decision. He knew, as much as anybody else, that their actions would alter history as they knew it.
Time moved forward at a crawl until eventually, Maraz cast his vote as well. An orb of light hovered above his head, joining Orryn¡¯s. He looked around the room to get a feel of where the others stood on the matter. Not long after, a third orb appeared.
Only one vote was missing for it to be official.
When no other Elder came to a decision after more than an hour, Kaius was forced to call the vote. ¡°It appears we have a tie,¡± he said. ¡°I was afraid it would come to this. If there are any others who wish to vote, do so now or forever hold your peace.¡± Nobody else moved and Kaius spoke once more. ¡°I¡¯ve listened to your arguments carefully and I too have come to a decision. I vote,¡± he intoned formally, ¡°in favour. There¡¯s simply too much evidence that builds a strong case for it. The only way the situation adds up is if Adrian is, in fact, from an alien civilization.¡±
¡°Are you kidding me!?¡± Cirrus exploded, unable to remain silent any longer. She¡¯d put up with the charade long enough and needed to have her voice heard one last time. ¡°There¡¯s still plenty of reasons not to accept Adrian¡¯s claims! We can¡¯t deny that there are other possibilities that could grant him such knowledge. His skin having been changed colour due to the experiments still hasn¡¯t been disproven. We¡¯re being far too hasty in accepting the man¡¯s claims. There¡¯s still too much we don¡¯t know!¡±
¡°Cirrus,¡± Kaius said heavily. ¡°The votes have been cast. Whether you like it or not, enough of us have been persuaded otherwise.¡± He looked around the room, making eye contact with the others, one by one. ¡°We, the Sunalii Faction, hereby formally accept Adrian Blackwood¡¯s claims of being from an alien civilization on the condition that his knowledge prove to be accurate. We shall spare no resource to find out the truth once and for all.¡±
Chapter 90
Adrian paced anxiously in the living room while Reya watched him with concern. ¡°Adrian, sit down already,¡± she said from where she was seated in the corner of the couch. ¡°You¡¯re going to wear the floor out at this rate.¡± She patted the cushion next to her, beckoning Adrian to come over. He sat down with a heavy sigh and curled up against her.
The house was quiet. Empty. Most of the team had gone on a supply run and were due to return soon. Only Beor and Eimir were left on guard duty, and they¡¯d made themselves obsolete, granting the couple some precious time alone together in the house. Time they were making good use of.
It had been four months since Ava¡¯s appearance in their lives. Reya and Adrian had continued to grow closer and were now almost inseparable. They spent an exorbitant amount of time together and almost any activity that included one now included the other. Adrian could tell that it was beginning to grow on Rann¡¯s nerves and was making an active effort not to join in when he wasn¡¯t wanted.
The pair needed to change sleeping medication again. Kell was growing seriously concerned about their reliance on the medication and ever-increasing need for stronger doses. He¡¯d gone personally on the supply run to ensure that he would be able to properly treat them.
Sleeping medication wasn¡¯t what was on Adrian¡¯s mind, however. ¡°It¡¯s hard to sit still when I know they¡¯re almost here. I finally get to see if your military was able to recreate my world¡¯s instruments. I could play music again, after so long. It would be like having a part of my old world back, if only for a moment.¡±
Reya grabbed Adrian¡¯s hand and gave it a squeeze. Ever since he¡¯d heard that the replicas had been built, he¡¯d latched on to the feeling of having something familiar again and had been a bundle of nervous energy. She could tell how much having those instruments meant for him and hoped dearly that whatever Rann and the others delivered were close enough to the originals to make Adrian happy.
The pair remained curled together, Reya¡¯s presence having a soothing effect on Adrian while they waited. After some time, a ring came from the data slate on the coffee table. Adrian reached over and grabbed it before Reya could even blink and handed it to her so that she could answer. He knew that Jyn didn¡¯t like it when he used their technology and didn¡¯t want to do anything that might jeopardize his chances at being able to play music again.
Bemused, Reya answered the call. It was Rann, who was asking for them to help carry the stuff inside. Adrian stood up immediately and made his way out the house. Reya set the data slate back down and followed.
He found Tassie descending the ramp of the ship with two guitar cases. She spotted him as she set them on the ground. ¡°I hope these are what you¡¯re looking for, because there¡¯s a whole lot of them. Two of each to be exact,¡± she said.
Kell came out carrying a long case and a stand. ¡°I think we could leave some of the larger ones on the ship. I¡¯m certain we don¡¯t need two sets of drums in the house.¡±
¡°That sounds fine,¡± Tassie replied. ¡°Adrian, what do you think?¡± Adrian¡¯s eyes snapped from the guitar cases towards her, and he blinked.
¡°I think that would be fine. Besides, I¡¯m the only one who can play them. There¡¯s no need for extras.¡± Adrian eyed the two guitars on the ground. ¡°Except for those ones, since you already brought them out.¡±
¡°Less it is then,¡± Tassie said gleefully. ¡°I¡¯ll help bring the stuff out here while you two put it away in the house.¡± She turned around without further thought and climbed the ramp back into the ship. Adrian grabbed the two guitars while Reya collected the long black case and stand from Kell.
Adrian opened the door after setting one of the guitars down and brought them over to the kitchen table. Gingerly, he placed one atop the table. Reya set down her load against the wall and walked next to Adrian.
¡°What are you waiting for?¡± she asked, giving him a playful nudge. ¡°Go ahead and take a look.¡±
Slowly, carefully, Adrian undid the clasps. He shared one last encouraging glance with Reya before lifting open the lid of the case. Before him stood a near perfect replica of something he could expect to find back on Earth. Tears stung his eyes as his hopes soared.
He lifted the rich, dark brown guitar out of its case with great care. He took its strap and slung it around his shoulder and looked down at the instrument in his hands. ¡°Well?¡± Reya asked eagerly. ¡°Is it what you were hoping for?¡±
¡°So far, yes,¡± Adrian said softly. He placed his fingers upon its frets and gently strummed a chord. A dissonant, displeasing sound filled the room, making both him and Reya grimace.
Reya had an unsure look. ¡°It sounds,¡± she trailed off, looking for something polite to say, ¡°unique, that¡¯s for sure.¡±
¡°You mean horrible,¡± Adrian chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s completely out of tune. Give me a minute to see if I can tune it properly.¡±
¡°How do you plan on doing that without a tuner?¡± Reya asked, genuinely curious.
Adrian shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll go by memory and by ear. That should be good enough.¡±
Reya balked. ¡°How is that reliable?¡± she couldn¡¯t help but ask.
¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Adrian admitted. ¡°But I¡¯ve done it so many times that I have a good idea of what to look for.¡± He got to work, testing each string and turning the knobs on the guitar¡¯s head. It took him a while, but eventually he was satisfied. ¡°This is what that should have sounded like,¡± he said before strumming the chord anew.¡± Reya¡¯s eyes widened as she beheld the difference.
He set his fingers to a different chord and played that one, followed by a third. He hardly noticed the strings biting into his fingers as began strumming a simple tune with those three chords. The lyrics that accompanied the song left Adrian¡¯s lips as he sang along softly.
He didn¡¯t play for very long until he stopped. Reya stared at him. ¡°That was amazing,¡± she praised.
Adrian blushed at her words. ¡°That was really only something simple. My fingers were kind of stiff while playing. It¡¯s going to take some practice to go back to how I was before I got abducted.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t wait to see,¡± Reya said excitedly. The sound of boots walking on the porch outside caught her attention. Tassie entered the house holding a smaller black case and a strange looking device. It was made out of a silvery metal and resembled a large ball with a handle.
¡°There you are!¡± Tassie huffed. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to help bring stuff inside.¡± She glanced at the instrument attached to Adrian. ¡°Is that what they look like? Strange. Anyways, put the stuff in Reya¡¯s old room. We can use it to store all the instruments since it¡¯s not being used right now.¡±
Adrian unslung the guitar and placed it back in its case. After clasping it, he picked up the other case and brought them to the room in a hurry. He wanted to see what the rest of the instruments looked like. He almost crashed into Reya on his way out of the room. Reya expertly dodged out of the way, smiling at his enthusiasm.
It took quite a few more trips, but in what felt like no time at all, everything had been deposited in the music room. The military had even thought to include stands for the instruments, meaning Adrian could take them out of their cases.
The others left him and Reya to organize the equipment. Reya mostly watched, not wanting to accidentally damage anything. Slowly, the bedroom turned itself into a veritable music room. Adrian spent time tuning each instrument. Afterwards, he tested them out briefly with part of a song.
Soon, everything was in place.
Tassie came in with one last piece of equipment and set it down on the floor. It had quite a few pedals on it. ¡°Adrian, why did you get a machine that loops music?¡± she asked.
¡°I don¡¯t really have a band here to play with, so I figured this way I could do it myself,¡± Adrian replied offhandedly.
Tassie paused. ¡°How would that work, exactly?¡±
Adrian turned his gaze towards her. ¡°I can show you if you¡¯d like. Nothing too crazy though, since it¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve last played.¡±
¡°You mean you¡¯d be willing to show us?¡±
¡°Of course. What¡¯s wrong with sharing music with you?¡±
¡°I¡¯m just surprised, that¡¯s all. Normally you don¡¯t talk about yourself. That night at the campfire was the first time any of us really learned anything about you.¡±
Adrian shrugged. ¡°I love music. I went to school for it, even. I could talk about music all day.¡±
¡°Then why don¡¯t you?¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
¡°Why bother? I was scoffed at when I told your Tribunal I was a musician. I figured you had no interest in my knowledge since it¡¯s not something you can weaponize. And until now, I had no instruments to play. It would be hard for me to teach without them. Well, now I have the instruments.¡±
¡°You¡¯re going to play music for us?¡± Reya asked, full of anticipation.
Adrian nodded. ¡°I can finally show you,¡± he said softly. ¡°A small piece of my old home.¡±
Reya grabbed Tassie and brought her to the bed. They waited patiently for Adrian to set up, Tassie asking questions as Adrian moved the instruments into position. Adrian replied, his answers remarkably detailed. They gave her pause. She wondered what else he knew about the topic.
Adrian took his time, still unused to the equipment, requiring help connecting everything properly. Once he had everything he needed in place, he closed the door to the room. ¡°The best I¡¯m going to be able to play are relatively simple songs. I¡¯m simply too rusty to play anything else. Forgive me if I make a mistake.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯d be able to notice,¡± Reya said. She sat on the edge of the bed, ready to hear more of Adrian¡¯s language, even though she knew she wouldn¡¯t understand. One day she would, she told herself.
Adrian took position in front of the microphone. He grabbed the acoustic guitar and shot a glance at Reya.
And then he began.
It was simple, at first. Adrian strummed a few chords, the sound of the guitar surprising Reya and Tassie. Then he added a simple melody and looped it. The loop ran on while Adrian set his guitar down and picked up the bass. He added in yet another simple tune.
In no rush, Adrian played with the pedals on his machine and made his way through each instrument. The drums were next. Adrian made use of a smaller, second looping machine to add in a beat. When he grabbed the electric guitar, he approached the mic and started for real.
The result blew the girls away.
¡°That was amazing,¡± Reya said when he was done. She hadn¡¯t been sure what to expect, but Adrian had delivered. He¡¯d spoken to her about his music on occasion and she could tell how much it meant to him. To actually hear it was another thing entirely.
¡°What part of that was simple?¡± Tassie asked. ¡°I can¡¯t get over the fact that you can really play all of those instruments.¡±
¡°Everything I did on each instrument was rather simple,¡± Adrian pointed out.
¡°And you turned it into that.¡±
Reya stared at Adrian, her eyes shining. ¡°Can you play another one?¡± she asked eagerly. She desperately wanted to hear what else he could do.
He looked at her warmly and said ¡°Of course.¡± Adrian played a few more songs for them before finally stopping. Neither member of his captive audience understood a word he said, but they enjoyed the show all the same. Tassie eventually excused herself, not having noticed the time pass. Irric was waiting for her so they could get some work done.
Alone in the room once more, Reya and Adrian continued to discuss the instruments. He took the time to properly show her how each instrument was played, much to her delight. When Reya asked if she could try holding the guitar, a large smile broke out on Adrian¡¯s face.
The next hour was spent teaching Reya how to properly hold the instrument and play a few basic chords. ¡°This is harder than I thought it would be,¡± Reya said as she inspected her hand, noting the impressions on her fingertips left by the strings. ¡°You made it look so easy.¡±
¡°Everybody has to start somewhere,¡± Adrian replied. ¡°It took me years of constant practice to get to the point I¡¯m at now. Even then, my hands feel stiff from not having played for so long.¡± The mention of time spent unable to practice brought a dark cloud over his good mood as memories of what had happened resurfaced. Even in death, the gru¡¯ul found ways to haunt him.
Reya sensed that Adrian¡¯s thoughts had turned less than pleasant by the expression on his face. When they were together, he didn¡¯t keep his emotions off of his face like he did when the others were around. She carefully set her guitar back on its stand and gave Adrian a hug from the side, minding the instrument he was holding.
¡°It certainly shows,¡± Reya said, keeping the topic of conversation light. Adrian leaned into the hug, thanking whatever gods Reya prayed to for having brought such a wonderful person into existence. ¡°So it was your love of music that brought you study it in a university?¡± she asked, hoping to learn more about him.
¡°Pretty much,¡± Adrian replied. He broke down his country¡¯s educational system and explained that he was working on a doctorate in music theory. Reya was suitably impressed that Adrian had learned so much about the subject.
As she listened, Reya glanced at the desk and spotted a stack of papers, not recalling when they got there. Curious, she walked over and took a look. She couldn¡¯t make sense of the scored paper. ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± she turned and asked Adrian, brandishing one of the papers.
Adrian blinked. ¡°That¡¯s for scoring music,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you do it here, but that¡¯s what we use back on Earth.¡±
¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand,¡± Reya said, her brows furrowed.
¡°It¡¯s so that I can write music,¡± Adrian explained patiently once more.
¡°What do you mean, write music down?¡± Reya gaped. ¡°How could you do that?¡±
Adrian stared at her blankly. Tentatively, he asked, ¡°You mean you don¡¯t?¡± He¡¯d known that their cultures were different, but to think they didn¡¯t write their music down was absurd to him. He wondered how such a technologically advanced society hadn¡¯t thought of the idea.
¡°Of course not,¡± Reya replied, confirming Adrian¡¯s suspicions.
Adrian balked at the idea. He¡¯d expected that they simply had their own way of writing music, not that they had none at all. ¡°You¡¯re kidding me, right?¡± Adrian stammered. ¡°That¡¯s what those sheets are for.¡± He pointed towards the pile of blank sheet music that Reya was asking about.
Reya stared at him, agape. ¡°You can write music?¡± she said in disbelief. ¡°No way, I don¡¯t believe you.¡±
Adrian put his guitar back on the stand and made his way over the desk. Opening the top drawer, he searched for a pen. ¡°It¡¯s amazing how some things are so similar here at times, yet so different in others,¡± he said as he eyed the pens. ¡°I never thought you¡¯d have pens and paper here,¡± he commented. Sitting down in the chair at the desk, he grabbed the top page off of the stack and set it down in front of him.
Reya moved to stand in beside him and watched as Adrian began drawing some symbols on it. He then explained to her what they meant and gave her a basic lesson on how to write music. By the end of it, Adrian had filled in half the sheet.
¡°And you¡¯re telling me you can read that and play a song?¡± Reya asked, stunned at the revelation. ¡°What would that sound like?¡± she asked with great interest. Adrian brought the sheet over to the keyboard and sat down at the small bench in front of it. He placed the paper on the small stand atop the instrument and synced the piano with the amp.
¡°This isn¡¯t going to sound the best since it was used for demonstrations, but I can show you all the things we just talked about again.¡± Adrian took position and began playing, explaining as he went along. Reya¡¯s eyes were wide by the time he was finished.
¡°Adrian, this is incredible!¡± she gushed. ¡°Is this common where you¡¯re from?¡±
¡°The ability to recognize it as sheet music is something pretty much everyone can do, I think. The ability to read it, less so. Just about anybody who plays an instrument knows how to read sheet music, however. Whether or not they can play what¡¯s written is another,¡± Adrian chuckled.
¡°This is revolutionary! Somebody else needs to know about this! Can we show Tassie?¡±
Reya¡¯s request took him by surprise. He hadn¡¯t thought such a mundane piece of information would garner so much interest. When he¡¯d first requested the special paper be made, he¡¯d simply asked Tassie if it was possible to create the kind of sheets he needed but hadn¡¯t gone into detail on why he needed them. He¡¯d thought it obvious at the time since Tassie hadn¡¯t probed too deeply on the matter, but now he learned that was because written music simply didn¡¯t exist on Verilia. ¡°I guess,¡± Adrian said, hoping he wouldn¡¯t regret his decision. Yet he couldn¡¯t find it in himself to deny others something he considered so basic.
¡°Can you show her now?¡± Reya asked excitedly.
She constantly asked about his civilization and was the only one with any interest in the more mundane topics. They normally discussed what topics they wanted to keep between themselves. Adrian was more surprised than anything that Reya was pushing for this so badly. ¡°Is this truly so amazing that she needs to drop what she¡¯s doing to come and see?¡±
¡°Adrian, you don¡¯t get it. We¡¯ve had attempts to properly record our music. The thought of writing music down was deemed to be impossible. The best we ever got was to record a song and try printing it out as a mathematical function. You can¡¯t do anything with that. This,¡± she pointed towards the sheet music on the stand, ¡°is the first time a system for writing music that works has ever been created here on Verilia. This is history in the making, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±
Adrian stared at her mutely. ¡°Holy shit,¡± he said in disbelief when he found his voice. Then he started to laugh. ¡°To think that music, of all things, is the revolutionary idea from my society. I was scoffed at for my knowledge on the subject. Your Tribunal is going to look like they bit into a lemon,¡± Adrian said gleefully. ¡°This is going to be great.¡±
¡°What was that word?¡± Reya asked. Adrian would occasionally use words from his native language to substitute for things her language didn¡¯t have. It fascinated her to no end and whenever Adrian said a new word, she took the opportunity to ask what it was. She hoped to one day be able to converse with him in his language.
Adrian paused. ¡°It¡¯s a fruit from my home world,¡± he said, trying to figure out how best to describe something Reya would never see. ¡°It has a very sour citrus taste that kind of turns sweet towards the end.¡± He talked about a small yellow fruit that would fit in her palm, telling her everything he knew about lemons. Reya was engrossed, trying to picture the image Adrian was describing.
¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain why you used it. Why would the Tribunal look like they¡¯re going to bite into one?¡±
¡°It¡¯s an idiom in my language. I had no substitute fruit I could use in place of lemon,¡± Adrian said, ¡°so I used that word instead.¡± He then went on to explain the rest of the idiom to her. Reya caught on quickly and smirked at the mental image.
¡°I¡¯m all for the Tribunal biting into a lemon,¡± Reya tried pronouncing, ¡°but aren¡¯t you worried about your knowledge being spread out around? What if someone traces it back to you?¡± Brought out of her earlier rush, she reflected on whether or not Adrian¡¯s knowledge spreading was a good thing.
Adrian turned pensive before finally answering ¡°I am worried, but I can¡¯t find it in myself not to teach you. I¡¯m sure your Tribunal will keep a lid on this until the time is right anyways. Maybe I can try to bargain something from them in exchange for it.¡±
¡°Careful not to push too hard,¡± Reya warned. ¡°They weren¡¯t happy with you the last time.¡±
Adrian grinned. ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you regardless. Might as well see if I can get something out of it. A small piece of something is better than a large piece of nothing. I¡¯ll dial it down real fast if it looks like they¡¯re getting upset,¡± he said seriously.
¡°Have you thought about what you want?¡±
¡°Absolutely. I want ownership of these instruments and permission to play music and record it. It would be nice to have some familiar songs playing around the house.¡±
¡°That doesn¡¯t seem too bad,¡± Reya hummed. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll have any issues with that, provided that you give them a copy of whatever you make so they can see what you¡¯re up to.¡±
¡°I can live with that,¡± he said. Adrian had not had any privacy for a long time. He¡¯d come to value it greatly since his time in captivity but knew that everything he did was being monitored and reported back to the Tribunal. He¡¯d accepted the fact long ago. It was why he loved his escapades with Reya to their secret spot. It was one of the few times they could truly get away from everyone for a moment and be together. ¡°Let¡¯s give Tassie that call and see if this is as big as you think it is.¡±
¡°It¡¯s time for you to get a reality check,¡± Reya said, amused. ¡°Because you¡¯re still underestimating how important this actually is.¡±
Reya reached for the data slate.
Chapter 91
Tassie sat at her station on the bridge. Hovering around her were various screens, one of which was displaying Irric as he talked to her. The pair had been working together for over an hour and had made absolutely no progress, as per usual. ¡°This is going nowhere, Irric,¡± Tassie sighed in frustration. ¡°We¡¯ve spent months working on this and we still aren¡¯t any closer to figuring out how to crack the encryption on the Highest¡¯s terminal. We need more time. It¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t work on it longer while you¡¯re off doing gods knows what.¡±
Irric seized the opportunity to broach a delicate subject. It had long since been decided to unfreeze the man he¡¯d found trapped in a pod, but Irric hadn¡¯t been allowed to talk about it with Tassie. Until now. It had taken some time, but Ava had cracked the encryption on the terminal believed to control the pods. He knew the Tribunal, the General and the Commander were all cooperating fully together on this. He¡¯d been contacted earlier by Cyrix explaining to him what was about to happen.
It was vital that everyone at the safe house be warned of the newcomer. That meant bringing Tassie up to speed on the current situation so she could inform the others. He honestly wondered why the Tribunal hadn¡¯t let him tell her sooner. ¡°About that,¡± Irric started, catching her attention. ¡°There¡¯s something you need to know.¡±
Tassie narrowed her eyes. Irric¡¯s tone screamed bad news. ¡°I¡¯m not going to like this, am I?¡± She knew by now that Irric couldn¡¯t speak about everything he learned at the facility and that when he did it was usually pretty important. She wasn¡¯t pleased at being kept out of the loop but had gotten over it and continued her work anyway.
Irric made a sour face. ¡°Probably not. It¡¯s about what we discovered in one of the other rooms only the Highest had access to.¡± Tassie raised a brow. She knew there were other rooms, but not what had been found in them. He launched into an explanation about the discovery of the frozen bodies and finding one intact. After a bit of hesitation, he talked about how Ava recognized the man in the pod that was Adrian¡¯s fellow test subject.
Tassie stared at him, stunned, while trying to figure out the odds of such an occurrence. ¡°Just what happened to Adrian? There are way too many coincidences here.¡± Suspicion laced her voice as she dwelled upon the matter further. ¡°Adrian¡¯s clearly more important than we first realized if everything we discover points back to him.¡±
¡°I know,¡± Irric intoned seriously. ¡°It¡¯s vital now more than ever that we learn what really happened at the facility. What¡¯s so interesting about him? Since he¡¯s refusing to tell us anything about his time as a test subject, the Tribunal is hoping that the new person will talk about what happened to them. It would shed some light on the mysteries surrounding Adrian. With Ava refusing to elaborate on what happened, this is our only real chance to learn anything.¡±
¡°That still won¡¯t tell us what the gru¡¯ul did to him,¡± Tassie pointed out.
¡°No, but it might tell us why they wanted him. Whatever was done to Adrian before being given to the gru¡¯ul must have been interesting enough to warrant their attention. We have the chance to learn what that might be.¡±
¡°I thought Adrian¡¯s claims hadn¡¯t been accepted yet by the Tribunal. Why do they care so much about what happened before the gru¡¯ul got their hands on him?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know anything about that.¡± Irric shook his head. ¡°If they did come to a decision, I¡¯m not the person they would tell it to. I¡¯m not so important that I get to know what the Tribunal is discussing behind closed doors. That said, I¡¯m ordering you to tell the others about the new arrival. You¡¯re allowed to tell them everything I¡¯ve told you.¡±
Tassie¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°You¡¯re giving me an order?¡± That was the first time Irric had ever exercised his authority over her.
¡°Yes,¡± Irric said solemnly. ¡°I¡¯m not doing it out of pleasure. There¡¯s more. The house has to be properly prepared to receive this man. The Tribunal is hoping he¡¯ll be more cooperative than Adrian when it comes to spilling details on what happened to him. No threats of any kind. Just look where that got us with Adrian. Play nice. Get this man to talk, however you can. Make sure Jyn cooperates and doesn¡¯t cross any lines. The Tribunal leaves the specifics up to you.¡±
Tassie gulped. ¡°I see. Do we have a time frame to make him talk?¡±
¡°Ideally within two months,¡± Irric replied. ¡°They want him to talk before their contract with Ava comes due.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t realize there was even a contract in place with Ava to begin with. Wouldn¡¯t it be relevant for me to know these things?¡±
¡°No. That information is classified, even for you.¡±
¡°But you know,¡± Tassie accused with narrowed eyes.
¡°Yes,¡± Irric said, not bothering to hide the fact. ¡°Part of the agreement concerned me and so I was told of its contents. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have known either.¡±
¡°Is there anything else I need to know that you haven¡¯t told me yet?¡±
¡°According to Ava, the man and Adrian are most probably not going to be on very good terms when they meet. She refused to explain why.¡±
Tassie flashed a worried expression. ¡°Things probably aren¡¯t going to end well. I don¡¯t know how Adrian will react to this without knowing their history. I¡¯m worried about him and Reya. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re doing too well these days and I¡¯m not sure how they¡¯re going to be affected by this. It could lead to downward spiral for both of them when they¡¯re finally starting to get a bit better. They¡¯ve been looking more tired as of late and I don¡¯t know why. They haven¡¯t shared what¡¯s bothering them.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
¡°Do you think Adrian will react violently?¡± Irric asked with a level stare. How the Tribunal would react to Adrian harming their newest person of interest was unclear to Irric. He had a strong suspicion it would end with Adrian back in a cell, something he knew Adrian won¡¯t stand for. Not after the last time.
¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Tassie said after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°He might be angry if his past reaction is anything to go by, but so far he¡¯s been entirely pacifistic. Even with Jyn acting the way he¡¯s been. I¡¯m surprised he hasn¡¯t snapped yet, if I¡¯m being honest. I don¡¯t think Adrian¡¯s going to stand for anymore threats towards him, though. We¡¯ve ¨C well, mostly Jyn¨C pushed him too far too many times.¡±
Irric nodded in understanding. ¡°It is rather incredible that he hasn¡¯t lashed out even once so far, given the situation.¡±
¡°Reya¡¯s the only thing keeping him sane, I think. Without her, things would have played out much differently. She literally means the world to him. If anything were to ever happen to her, Adrian would fight tooth and nail to see her safe.¡±
Irric¡¯s brows raised. ¡°She means that much to him?¡±
Tassie nodded solemnly. ¡°Yes, which is why I¡¯m not too worried about him reacting violently. He wouldn¡¯t do anything to jeopardize his relationship with her.¡± A ring from her data slate cut off her next train of thought. Glancing at the screen, she frowned when she saw Reya listed as the caller. Deeming her current conversation with Irric more important, Tassie declined the call. ¡°I can call her back later,¡± she said after Irric asked if everything was alright.
When the data slate rang a second time, Tassie frowned. ¡°I think you should pick up the call,¡± Irric said, bemused. ¡°It¡¯s clearly important if she can¡¯t wait when she knows we¡¯re working.¡±
¡°Fine,¡± Tassie sighed.
¡°Remember to tell the others about the new situation,¡± Irric said. ¡°Hopefully it¡¯ll go over well when you do. Make sure to gauge Adrian¡¯s reaction to the news and tell me about it.¡± Tassie nodded in confirmation and ended the call with Irric.
She turned to the still ringing data slate and answered. Reya¡¯s face appeared onscreen. Adrian was standing beside her. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± she inquired.
¡°No, but there¡¯s something you need to see,¡± Reya replied hurriedly. ¡°Could you come to the music room?¡±
Tassie frowned. ¡°Can it wait? I was on an important call.¡±
Reya shook her head. ¡°It really can¡¯t. Trust me when I say that you¡¯re going to want to know about this as soon as possible. You¡¯d never forgive yourself if you missed this.¡±
Tassie relented and agreed to go see what they wanted. Putting the data slate down, she locked her station and ensured that the others wouldn¡¯t accidentally see her work. She walked off the ship¡¯s ramp and onto the soft grass in a hurry, wanting to return to her work as soon as possible.
She found Reya and Adrian where she¡¯d left them. Adrian was seated at the desk with the oddly lined paper he¡¯d requested. Tassie closed the door behind her. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal that it couldn¡¯t wait a couple more hours for me to be finished working?¡±
Adrian turned to face Tassie. ¡°It¡¯s concerning knowledge from my home world. Reya and I made a discovery about something my society has that yours doesn¡¯t.¡±
Tassie instantly became more alert. She¡¯d been ordered by the General to report any important information Adrian divulged. They all had. The only person free from that order was Reya as she was no longer beholden to the military. And Reya was a locked vault when it came to anything she learned from Adrian. Except for now. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked in an excited rush.
Reya and Adrian shared a glance. ¡°There¡¯s one condition before I tell you,¡± Adrian said seriously. Tassie¡¯s mood dampened as she turned wary. Adrian¡¯s words sent alarm bells ringing in her head.
¡°What is it?¡± Tassie asked cautiously.
¡°I want you to keep the details of what I¡¯m going to tell you a secret. I¡¯d like the opportunity to speak to your Tribunal directly when they learn about it. You can tell Irric what was discovered, so that he can inform the Tribunal. But no specifics,¡± Adrian warned.
¡°Is this really necessary? What difference does it make who teaches the Tribunal? Unless you want to exchange the information for something,¡± Tassie trailed off. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. ¡°Which of course you do,¡± she realized. ¡°You know I could get in big trouble for keeping this a secret right?¡±
¡°I¡¯m planning on telling your Tribunal literally everything I know on the topic. What does it matter if you keep it secret for a little while?¡±
¡°I already got in trouble once for forgetting to tell them something. I can¡¯t afford to do so again. How about you show me, and I¡¯ll tell Irric that you¡¯d like to explain this personally to them?¡±
Adrian thought for a moment, mulling over her offer. ¡°That works,¡± he said finally. ¡°Might get me some goodwill. I don¡¯t expect you to remember all of the specifics anyway, so I¡¯ll have to be the one to explain this to the Tribunal if they want to learn the rest.¡±
¡°Is what you have share really that important?¡±
¡°It is,¡± Reya said firmly with conviction.
¡°Why didn¡¯t you make mention of this sooner?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t realize that this wasn¡¯t a concept here,¡± Adrian said apologetically. ¡°It¡¯s something pretty common where I¡¯m from and with everything happening, it slipped my mind completely.¡± Tassie looked at him expectantly and signaled for him to continue. ¡°Where I¡¯m from,¡± Adrian said, jumping to the point, ¡°we have a way to write music down. Anybody with enough skill can then read that and recreate the original song.¡±
Tassie¡¯s eyes widened at the revelation. ¡°No way,¡± Tassie said. ¡°It¡¯s been tried before, and nobody¡¯s ever succeeded. How could such a thing be common from where you¡¯re from? Your society is less technologically advanced than ours! How were you able to figure this out?¡±
Adrian scratched his head. He gave a brief history lesson, stunning both Reya and Tassie. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that earlier?¡± Reya asked.
¡°It¡¯s not like you gave me much time after you found out,¡± Adrian chuckled. ¡°If you¡¯re interested in learning, I can show you how it works,¡± he said to Tassie. ¡°Reya already knows.¡±
¡°I¡¯m interested,¡± Tassie said, tripping over her words in her rush to get them out. She moved closer to Adrian to get a better view and listened with rapt attention as he gave his lesson. He patiently answered any questions she had. ¡°It makes so much sense,¡± Tassie muttered to herself when he finished. ¡°How come nobody saw something like this earlier? Can you show me what that song would sound like?¡± she asked, pointing at the sheet music Adrian used for the lesson.¡±
Reya grinned from where she stood. She¡¯d listened to the lesson again alongside Tassie, glad for the refresher. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I asked when he showed me,¡± she said with amusement in her voice. ¡°Was this important enough for the interruption?¡±
¡°Absolutely,¡± Tassie said fervently. ¡°I need to tell Irric about this. I can¡¯t believe I was one of the first people to learn how to write music here on Verilia!¡± she gushed. In the meantime, Adrian had moved to the keyboard. Once everything was set up, he called out to Tassie and showed her the song, as he¡¯d done for Reya not long before. He went back over the lesson again by following what was written. When he was done, he had mercy on her and let her go tell Irric.
Tassie raced to the back ship without a moment to spare.
Chapter 92
¡°By the gods, Cirrus!¡± Orryn exploded. ¡°Is it so hard to stick to our promises? How could you even suggest such a thing?¡± The Tribunal had convened to discuss how to handle the man in stasis. One of many such conversations that had already taken place. Tensions were rising while Cyrix and Nessah made the final preparations to transport the man to the safe house on Verilia in secret.
¡°Hear me out,¡± Cirrus said calmly. ¡°I¡¯m not suggesting we strap him to an operating table. If the man willingly gives us a sample to study after asking for one, what¡¯s the harm? We offer the man protection and in return he gives us a vial of his blood to study. Nothing more.¡±
¡°That¡¯s treading a fine line,¡± Orryn said, her eyes narrowing. ¡°Once you take a look at his blood, will you be satisfied with just that or are you going to want more answers?¡± Cirrus opened her mouth to speak but Orryn continued, cutting her off. ¡°The man has no protection from us! He has no choice but to give in to the demands of the people holding the guns. That¡¯s coercion! The poor man doesn¡¯t deserve that.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be any more receptive to being put under scrutiny than Adrian.¡±
Cirrus shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll never know if we don¡¯t ask. Doctors take blood samples to study all the time. What¡¯s the difference?¡±
¡°I think what Orryn is trying to get at,¡± Maraz spoke up, ¡°is that studying samples of people who were experimented on will lead to us attempting more invasive approaches to better study what we find. I agree that learning what was done to both Adrian and this new man is paramount, but we¡¯ve already agreed not to do any experiments on Adrian. I believe this man deserves the same courtesy, regardless of what species he may be.¡±
¡°Simply looking at their blood does not constitute as experimenting,¡± Cirrus countered. ¡°We ask and if the man says no, we leave it at that.¡± She turned towards Kaius. ¡°Can we put this measure to a vote?¡±
Kaius drummed his fingers on his desk, considering the proposal. ¡°We find ourselves at an impasse on how to proceed,¡± he hummed. ¡°Very well, we shall take a vote. All those in favour of Cirrus¡¯ proposal to ask, but not insist, for the man in stasis¡¯ permission to take a sample from him for study, vote now.¡±
One by one, four orbs of light winked into existence, each one floating above an Elder¡¯s head. The only people in the room with none of their own were Orryn and Maraz. Disappointment shone in their eyes when they looked upon the Elders who had voted for the motion. Kaius equally had no light, as the Arbiter only cast a vote in the case of a tie.
¡°The motion has passed,¡± Kaius announced. Silence descended upon the room. They¡¯d made their decision.
¡°We all know we¡¯re going to use this precedence to run experiments in our attempt to learn more,¡± Orryn said, addressing the room. ¡°Looking won¡¯t be enough. At least have the decency to admit it instead of making it an open secret.¡±
Nobody spoke up to defend themselves for they were unable to refute Orryn¡¯s claims. Cirrus broke the silence. ¡°This is for the best. I understand that you¡¯re upset because the vote didn¡¯t go your way, but we need to at least give ourselves the chance to learn something vital to uncovering the mysteries of the facility. Adrian and the other man are the key to that. Adrian more so, but you went and made him untouchable. Us getting a sample from him is at his discretion and we all know he¡¯s going to ask for something absurd in exchange. All we have left is the other one to find the answers we¡¯re looking for.¡±
¡°If Ava¡¯s words are to be trusted, then he was never released from stasis. The gru¡¯ul didn¡¯t perform any experiments on him. You¡¯re not going to find very much.¡±
¡°What we can find,¡± Cirrus stressed, ¡°is what led the gru¡¯ul to experiment on Adrian in the first place. Both of them were of enough interest to bring to the facility. Whatever we learn will be an asset.¡±
Orryn paused, thinking fast. ¡°Since they were both found at the same facility, first contact protocols extend to both of them,¡± she said before Cirrus could speak again, hoping to offer the frozen man some protection from being studied again. What kind of people would we be if we subjected those poor men to more experiments just to satisfy our curiosity? she thought.
¡°We still haven¡¯t accepted that they¡¯re a separate species,¡± Cirrus said, annoyed. ¡°To do so, we would need a sample of their DNA. Something you¡¯re quite adamant on us not getting. Rather than spend our time making plants somehow turn green, this would be a much simpler approach. We could compare their DNA to ours. If they¡¯re sufficiently different, they¡¯re a new species. If not, it becomes more probable they¡¯re lying about their origins.¡±
¡°I think they¡¯ve provided sufficient evidence to prove they¡¯re from a different civilization. It¡¯s the reason we¡¯ve started experimenting on plants to begin with. Isn¡¯t it enough that there are more of them out there that look like Adrian?¡± Orryn asked.
¡°All of them are connected to the facility in some way.¡± Cirrus waved dismissively. ¡°That doesn¡¯t constitute a civilization. That experiments were performed on Adrian is the only thing we can confirm conclusively.¡±
¡°I¡¯m positive we¡¯ll find a way to turn plants green, given enough time. There¡¯s no real need for blood samples.¡±
¡°We¡¯d need more knowledge from Adrian if we want to succeed. He¡¯s not going to give it up easily,¡± Cirrus said darkly. ¡°Already, we¡¯ve wasted months of our lives when we could¡¯ve had our answers by now.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something we can offer him that he wants. Something reasonable.¡± Doubt crept into Orryn¡¯s voice. Their relationship with Adrian had been poisoned from the beginning with how they¡¯d treated him. Not even she could claim that he would play nice with his demands.
Cirrus rolled her eyes ¡°I¡¯ll believe that when I see it. Telling him about our experiments on plants will tip our hand that we¡¯ve conditionally accepted his impossible claims. He¡¯ll know we need his knowledge and will find a way to profit from it.¡±
¡°I disagree,¡± Orryn shook her head. ¡°We can find a way to explain to him our goals without him knowing what we voted on. I¡¯m certain that if he knew about our experiments to prove his claims he¡¯d be more than willing to help us in our endeavor. I think telling him would be worth it for us.¡±
¡°I must unfortunately interrupt our discussion,¡± Kaius spoke up. Six sets of eyes stared at him expectantly as he continued, unperturbed. ¡°I¡¯ve received a message from General Nessah concerning Adrian. He has offered to teach us knowledge from his home world that has been confirmed to be something we¡¯ve never seen before.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
¡°Wasn¡¯t the man a musician?¡± Cirrus asked with narrowed eyes. ¡°What could he possibly have to offer us that we should care about?¡± She had no care for learning about anything frivolous. Information on weapons were far more important to her, something Adrian had denied her since they first met.
¡°He is willing to teach us what he knows about music,¡± Kaius replied. ¡°Which is apparently important enough for the General to interrupt our meeting.¡±
¡°Did the General say what the knowledge was?¡± Maraz asked.
Kaius smiled slyly. ¡°A system for written music,¡± he said. Hushed murmurs broke out as the other Elders conferred with one another, discussing the possibility of such a concept.
¡°Such a thing is impossible,¡± Cirrus scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s been tried before and failed each time. This is another ploy to get something out of us, I¡¯m sure of it. If Adrian truly knew such a thing, he would have mentioned it earlier when we questioned him about his home world.¡±
¡°We didn¡¯t delve into anything related to music when we spoke with him,¡± Orryn pointed out. ¡°Once we found out he studied music, we accepted the fact and moved on. Perhaps Adrian will tell us why he kept such revolutionary information secret if we ask.¡±
¡°The man¡¯s full of secrets!¡± Cirrus exploded. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t come as a surprise that there¡¯s something else he¡¯s hiding from us. We¡¯re going to let one person trample all over us again to get what they want. How does this not bother anybody?¡± Several other Elders nodded their heads in agreement.
¡°Adrian¡¯s knowledge on plants surprised us once before,¡± Maraz interjected. ¡°His knowledge on music might do the same. We can have our researchers study what he teaches us. It will be evident very quickly if he¡¯s lying.¡±
¡°You want to involve other parties with anything related to Adrian at this point in time?¡± Cirrus asked, aghast. ¡°That¡¯s a terrible idea! Your researchers might demand answers about the origin of the knowledge, which brings them one step closer to discovering Adrian¡¯s existence.¡±
¡°We¡¯re the Tribunal. If we tell our researchers something¡¯s classified, that¡¯s that,¡± Maraz said bluntly. ¡°We¡¯re under no obligation to reveal Adrian to anybody.¡±
¡°Why not have him show us directly?¡± Orryn suggested. All eyes turned to her. ¡°We can invite him to our meeting and determine for ourselves whether what he has offer is important. A system for writing music would revolutionize the art. Imagine the possibilities!¡±
¡°That,¡± Kaius said, interrupting Cirrus¡¯ retort, ¡°is an excellent idea. That way, we can disseminate the information at our discretion, giving us full control over who learns of it and when. If,¡± he stressed, ¡°the knowledge he teaches us is something new, then we shall discuss anew who to share it with.¡±
¡°This is a waste of time,¡± Cirrus said, finally getting heard. ¡°We have more important things to prepare for instead of focusing on music. Has anybody forgotten that our operation at the facility is almost ready to be begin? We should be preparing for that.¡±
¡°There¡¯s not much else we can do at this point,¡± Maraz said. ¡°We need to trust in the General and the Commander to carry out the task we¡¯ve assigned to them. The success of the operation is out of our hands.¡±
¡°I thought you of all people would be the most excited to learn information from Adrian,¡± Orryn said, facing Cirrus as she spoke. It struck her as strange that Cirrus was willfully passing at the opportunity to learn alien knowledge that might benefit their society.
¡°Weapons, communications systems, technological improvements or anything related to the facility are what I want out of him! Not this,¡± Cirrus said dismissively. ¡°I still don¡¯t believe that he can deliver on his promise. Having him attend our meeting is a waste of our time when the man in stasis is going to be released tomorrow.¡±
¡°We¡¯ve already discussed the topic ad nauseam,¡± Maraz said. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear what Adrian has to say while we wait for the results of the operation. It would be a more productive use of our time.¡±
¡°Imagine the impact this could have on our culture if Adrian¡¯s words are true,¡± Orryn said. ¡°This could revolutionize music as we know it! It might not be weapons or communications systems, but that doesn¡¯t make it any less important. Not everything in life has to be about war. Aren¡¯t you all curious about how a less advanced society could do something we couldn¡¯t? I, for one, would like to know.¡±
¡°If that¡¯s the case, shall we put it to a vote?¡± Maraz asked with barely contained excitement. ¡°Rather than sit here and talk about it, we should be learning already!¡±
¡°All those in favour of asking Adrian to teach us his knowledge, vote now,¡± Kaius said.
¡°Wait!¡± Cirrus said hastily. ¡°He¡¯s going to ask for something in exchange. Shouldn¡¯t we at least discuss how to respond to his demands first?¡±
Kaius nodded. ¡°A fair point. However, without knowing what those demands are, we have nothing to discuss. We can do so after we¡¯ve spoken with Adrian.¡± He looked around the room. ¡°Should his request be reasonable, I suggest that we grant it to him instead of antagonizing him further. Improving our relationship with him should be a priority if we want him to talk about his time at the facility. I¡¯m sure whatever he has to say will be enlightening. Those in favour, vote now.¡±
Five orbs of light appeared and hung in the air. Kaius nodded, pleased with the outcome. His face remained a blank mask, giving away nothing as he declared the motion passed. After asking for silence, he summoned Nessah. Her figure appeared at the podium on the far wall almost immediately after Kaius sent the summons.
¡°Most Honourable Elders,¡± Nessah greeted with respect. ¡°How may I serve?¡±
A moment of silence passed, nobody in the room having expected her to arrive so quickly. ¡°General,¡± Kaius said, breaking the spell. ¡°Thank you for answering in such a,¡± he paused briefly, ¡°timely manner.¡±
Nessah smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯ve been expecting your call since I sent you that message.¡± After she¡¯d learned from Cyrix about Adrian¡¯s knowledge, she¡¯d called Jyn straight away to confirm. Jyn had hid his surprise well when he answered and the data slate she¡¯d called was thrust into Adrian¡¯s hands shortly after. The man had looked calm. Expectant, even. Reya was by his side, excited instead of nervous like Nessah had expected.
After confirming with Adrian that he could indeed read and write music, she¡¯d sent off a non-urgent communication directly to Kaius, unaware of the meeting in session. Knowing that Kaius would want to confirm anything related to Adrian, she took initiative to prepare for the summons and entered the special room in her office ahead of time.
The sight of the entire Tribunal caught her off guard, although she didn¡¯t let it show. She focused on Kaius instead. ¡°Is what you have told me to be true?¡± he asked, skipping the fanfare and getting straight to the point.
¡°To the best of my knowledge," Nessah said. "I confirmed it with Adrian himself, although he was unwilling to show me without making a trade.¡±
¡°I knew it,¡± Cirrus said, just loud enough to be heard by everyone.
Nessah had warned Adrian to be on standby in case he was summoned by the Tribunal. Any and all trades for information would have to be approved by them first, unless they were minor. There was a vested interest in learning anything Adrian had to offer, on the off chance that it might help shed some light on what had happened at the facility.
¡°I think it¡¯s perfectly reasonable for him to want something in return,¡± Orryn said. ¡°Did he say what it is that he wants?¡±
¡°No,¡± Nessah shook her head. ¡°You¡¯d have to ask him directly. He did mention that you shouldn¡¯t have any problems with his request.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll believe it when I see it,¡± Cirrus said. ¡°The man¡¯s been unreasonable the entire time we¡¯ve known him. We shouldn¡¯t be letting him walk all over us like this.¡±
¡°Cirrus,¡± Kaius rebuked sharply. ¡°We¡¯ve already come to a decision on how to handle the situation.¡± He turned his attention back to Nessah. ¡°Is he available to meet with us right now?¡±
Nessah nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve already warned him of the possibility. While I doubt he¡¯s expecting you to contact him so soon, there shouldn¡¯t be any issues. I¡¯ll contact the team at the safe house and have them set up a secure line for him. There shouldn¡¯t be too much of a delay.¡±
¡°See that it gets done,¡± Kaius said. He dismissed Nessah and her figure disappeared, leaving the Tribunal to their devices while they waited for Adrian to arrive.
Chapter 93
Adrian and Reya were sitting on one of the couches when Tassie returned from the ship. ¡°Everything¡¯s ready to go,¡± she said. ¡°Are you really going to make another deal with the Tribunal?¡± As a soldier, dealing with the Tribunal was both daunting and an impossibility. Their sphere of influence was not to be trifled with. One wrong word, one wrong move, and her career would go up in smoke.
In spite of Adrian¡¯s earlier calmness, he couldn¡¯t deny his growing nerves at the thought of standing before the Tribunal once again. He hadn¡¯t expected to be contacted by Nessah so soon after giving Tassie permission to tell Irric about their newest discovery.
Reya distracted him by asking more questions about his studies on Earth, coming to find that Adrian was a great deal more knowledgeable on music than she¡¯d ever imagined. Conversation interrupted, she and Adrian shifted their focus to Tassie.
¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Adrian replied. ¡°When I asked for replica instruments to be made, I assumed your society had a similar, if not a more advanced, understanding of music than mine. I¡¯m still trying to wrap my head around this.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Reya said. ¡°It might not be the weapon schematics they were originally hoping to get out of you, but it¡¯s still completely alien knowledge that could help advance our society. There¡¯s no way they¡¯re going to pass up the opportunity to learn it. Isn¡¯t this what you wanted?¡±
¡°Speaking to them seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I¡¯m not so sure,¡± Adrian admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m asking for much, considering what I¡¯m planning to teach them. Your military can easily recreate the instruments now that they know how. Giving me a set shouldn¡¯t be a problem. In theory.¡±
The front door opened, and Jyn strode into the room with purpose. He spotted Adrian and made his way over. ¡°I¡¯ve been contacted by the General again. The Tribunal is waiting for you. They¡¯re eager to hear what you have to say. It had better be worth their time,¡± he warned.
¡°You mean right now?¡± Adrian asked in surprise. He¡¯d been under the impression that they¡¯d schedule a meeting at a different time. Perhaps later in the day, to give the Elders time to convene when it suited them.
Reya moved closer and gave him an encouraging nudge. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. You know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± While she was confident things would go well, she couldn¡¯t help but worry. Their relationship with the Tribunal wasn¡¯t the best and she couldn¡¯t bear to have anything happen to him again because one uppity Elder got insulted. Cirrus¡¯ face flashed in her mind.
Adrian gave a nervous chuckle as he stood up. Rather than follow him out the house like Jyn was expecting, Adrian went into the music room and returned with a small stack of scored paper, a pen, and a guitar. Jyn waited impatiently and looked like he was about to say something before Adrian cut him off. ¡°I need these to properly support my claims to the Tribunal. They¡¯re going to want proof.¡±
Jyn scoffed. He was aware of what Adrian wanted to show them but didn¡¯t place much importance on the topic. A small part of him hoped the Tribunal would feel the same and not give in to whatever demands Adrian had. ¡°Maybe prove your other claims first.¡±
Adrian shot Jyn a glare. He¡¯d refused to show Jyn how his system for written music worked, knowing full well that Jyn would report the specifics directly to the General and that he¡¯d lose any bargaining power he had. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with,¡± he sighed. ¡°The less time I spend with your Tribunal, the better.¡±
¡°Do you have an idea of how long the meeting will last?¡± Reya asked.
¡°Not a clue,¡± Adrian said with a shrug. ¡°It all depends on them, really. It could be twenty minutes like it could be two hours if they squabble over my demands.¡±
¡°Demands you¡¯re in no position to make,¡± Jyn huffed. ¡°Now hurry up, we can¡¯t keep the Tribunal waiting any longer.¡±
¡°You might not be able to keep them waiting, but I¡¯m under no obligation to heed their beck and call at the drop of a hat.¡± Adrian was unaffected by the flat look Jyn shot him and made his way out of the house. Jyn caught up and overtook him once they were outside, leading the way onto the ship and to the same meeting room he¡¯d been taken to when Ava had arrived back into his life.
Tassie arrived shortly afterwards to securely connect the call to the Tribunal while Adrian settled in. He was instructed to take a seat at the head of the table. She ushered Jyn out of the room and closed the door behind her after wishing Adrian good luck.
Seven figures appeared around the table, each seated in a chair. The only person to look him directly in the eyes was Kaius, who was seated opposite him at the other end of the table. The other Elders had their heads turned slightly away from him and focused intently on seemingly random points in the room. Adrian guessed that their seating arrangement must not match the one in the room he was in. A tense silence reigned, neither party certain what to say.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
¡°Mr. Blackwood,¡± Kaius started. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again.¡± The small smile that graced his lips did nothing to hide his cold, calculating gaze.
Adrian tried not to let his nervousness show when he replied. ¡°Likewise,¡± he said tersely. He still hadn¡¯t forgiven the Tribunal for how he¡¯d been treated after his discovery. Being imprisoned again multiple times after his release, while understandable, remained a bitter pill to swallow. He doubted the people before him understood how deep his fear of being trapped in a cell again went. Nor would they ever truly understand. A sick feeling welled in his chest while he tried to bury his resentment towards them.
Regardless of how he felt, Adrian knew that it wasn¡¯t the time to let personal issues surface. While he might not answer to them the same way the Tassie and the others did, the Tribunal still remained one top governing bodies of the world he was now living on. He would do well to remember that.
¡°We¡¯ve received news that you have never before seen knowledge on a way to write music that you are willing to share with us,¡± Kaius said, oblivious to Adrian¡¯s inner turmoil. ¡°Is this true?¡± Cirrus remained silent while the conversation took place.
Adrian¡¯s heart hammered in his chest to its alien rhythm while the weight Kaius¡¯ scrutinizing gaze bore down on him. He considered himself lucky that not all of the Elders were looking at him directly. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied evenly. There was no going back now that he was here, and he couldn¡¯t afford to lie. The seasoned politicians before him would see right through him and tear him apart if given the chance.
¡°Why have you not shared this knowledge with us sooner?¡±
The question gave Adrian pause. ¡°I truly thought you already had a way to write music. When you questioned me last,¡± he said with obvious disdain, ¡°you wanted nothing to do with my knowledge on music. Told me it was useless. I never thought to share it with you because I knew you didn¡¯t place much value in it. After all, it can¡¯t be used to kill people with.¡± He didn¡¯t miss Cirrus roll her eyes.
¡°We assume you want something in exchange for this knowledge?¡± Kaius asked with a sharp smile, his question more of a statement.
¡°Naturally,¡± Adrian replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, what I want isn¡¯t something that¡¯s difficult to grant. I¡¯m pretty certain you¡¯re getting the better end of this deal.¡± He cast a furtive glance towards Cirrus, half-expecting her to pass a comment. She drummed her fingers on the table impatiently yet remained silent.
¡°And what deal is that?¡± Kaius asked.
Adrian took a deep breath and made his demands. ¡°I¡¯ve had the chance to look over the instruments that you¡¯ve recreated for me at my request. While I haven¡¯t had the time to test all of them, the ones I have seen are rather faithful to the originals. They¡¯re something I would expect to find in a shop back on Earth. I would like ownership over the instruments and musical equipment that are now at the safe house, as well as the possibility to procure more should they break. Additionally, I want permission to play and record music while retaining ownership over what I create.¡±
Orryn and Cirrus shared a puzzled glance when Adrian didn¡¯t continue. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Cirrus couldn¡¯t help but speak up. ¡°That¡¯s all you want?¡±
¡°I think what my colleague is trying to say,¡± Orryn interjected smoothly, ¡°is that you¡¯re asking for rather little in exchange for something that has the potential to revolutionize our culture. Why?¡±
¡°Before any of this happened,¡± Adrian explained, ¡°music was my life. My passion. It feels wrong of me to deny you something I consider so basic.¡±
¡°So we don¡¯t even need to give you anything in the first place?¡± Cirrus said. ¡°Why bother making any demands at all?¡±
Adrian shot her a flat look. ¡°Would you give away valuable information for free?¡±
¡°Information on music isn¡¯t valuable,¡± Cirrus argued. ¡°It doesn¡¯t do anything to improve the lives of others or keep them safe.¡±
¡°And yet,¡± Adrian said, cocking an eyebrow, ¡°here I am responding to an emergency summons from the upper echelons of this world¡¯s governing body almost immediately after you learned of what I have to share, claiming it to be revolutionary.¡±
Orryn grinned. ¡°He got you there, Cirrus.¡± She turned towards Kaius. ¡°I think we can all agree that Adrian¡¯s demands are more than reasonable given what he¡¯s offering to teach us. Recreating the instruments he wants is trivial and so is the request to use them at his leisure. I think it¡¯s safe to say that we¡¯re the ones profiting from this exchange.¡±
Adrian didn¡¯t miss the other Elders nod their heads in agreement. A brief debate broke out amongst the Tribunal as they analyzed the merits of his proposal. Only Cirrus was against giving in to his demands, claiming that they should be remunerated for the equipment he¡¯d be receiving. She argued that a great deal of resources had been devoted to their creation and that giving them away for free made light of their efforts.
Her arguments fell on deaf ears. Maraz personally shot each one of them down, leaving Cirrus no recourse. ¡°How much knowledge will we be receiving in exchange?¡± he asked Adrian. ¡°You¡¯ve yet to tell us the extent of what you¡¯re offering to teach.¡±
¡°An in-depth lesson on musical notation, with a live demonstration,¡± Adrian replied. ¡°I¡¯d be willing to answer any questions you have pertaining to the subject, within reason. Additionally, I¡¯ll take the time to write out detailed notes for you so that you may have a copy of what you¡¯ll learn today.¡±
Kaius spoke up anew. ¡°I believe it is time to confer about whether we¡¯ll accept your proposal. Please remain in the room while we come to a decision.¡± Adrian barely had time to nod before he found himself alone in the room once again. He didn¡¯t have to wait long for them to reappear. ¡°We accept your proposal on the condition that what you teach us is true,¡± Kaius announced formally. Cirrus didn¡¯t look pleased at the decision but held her tongue. She¡¯d been outvoted and knew there was nothing she could do. ¡°Since we can¡¯t have you teach our researchers directly you will teach us instead. Once we¡¯re satisfied, you¡¯ll be free to write out your notes. We expect them in a timely manner.¡±
¡°That sounds more than fair,¡± Adrian said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long writing down the lesson will take, but hopefully no more than a few days.¡±
¡°That seems reasonable. Whenever you¡¯re ready,¡± Kaius gestured.
Adrian began his lesson and forever changed a¡¯vaarian culture.
Chapter 94
Reya looked nervously out the kitchen window towards the ship. ¡°He should be back by now,¡± she fretted. It had been several hours since Adrian had left to meet with the Tribunal, and she was growing worried. ¡°What if things aren¡¯t going well? What if they put him back in a cell again?¡±
Rann looked up from her data slate. She was seated at the table, keeping Reya company while she anxiously awaited Adrian¡¯s return. ¡°I¡¯m sure everything will be fine. As long as he doesn¡¯t step on too many toes, there¡¯s no reason for them to lock him up again. Offering to teach them music doesn¡¯t pose a threat to anybody. He¡¯d have to royally piss somebody off for them to consider locking him back up. Sit down, he¡¯ll be back soon.¡±
Reya reluctantly obliged and sat across from Rann. ¡°How can you be so sure? They¡¯ve already locked him up before! His relationship with the Tribunal isn¡¯t the best right now. He has secrets they desperately want. One wrong move and he might end up back on an operating table.¡±
¡°Have some confidence in Adrian. He knows not to go too far. Besides, didn¡¯t they ban any experimentation on him?¡±
¡°You can never know if they¡¯ll keep their word. Nobody knows about Adrian¡¯s existence besides us. They can do whatever they want to him without anybody ever knowing. Who would believe us if we told them what was happening?¡±
Rann frowned. ¡°You have so little faith in the Tribunal?¡± Reya gave her a level look and Rann sighed. ¡°Right. I guess your relationship with the Tribunal isn¡¯t the best either.¡±
The sound of the front door opening caught their attention. Reya snapped towards the figure entering the house, spotting a rather tired Adrian. She stood up and went over. ¡°How did it go?¡± she asked while giving him a hug. Tension bled out of Adrian as they held each other.
¡°It went,¡± Adrian said, exhaustion creeping into his voice. ¡°They had more questions than I was expecting, but overall, I¡¯m pleased with the outcome.¡± They parted and sat down across from Rann, side by side.
¡°Did they give you what you wanted?¡±
¡°Surprisingly, yes. There wasn¡¯t much of a fuss either. Cirrus was the only one that took issue with my proposal. She had the nerve to demand that I pay them for the information I was offering,¡± Adrian huffed. ¡°I swear, if it isn¡¯t a weapon then anything I have to offer is useless as far as she¡¯s concerned. Culture is just as important as science.¡±
¡°The instruments are yours then?¡±
¡°Yes, they are,¡± Adrian smiled. ¡°They¡¯re also letting me record as much music as I want. Speaking of,¡± he shifted his attention to Rann, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s a spare data slate hanging around that I could use to put my recordings on, is there?¡±
Rann frowned. ¡°We¡¯re not really supposed to give you access to our technology. Did the Tribunal say you could have a data slate?¡±
¡°Giving me permission to record my music implies I have permission to use something to record it with,¡± Adrian shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t need access to all the features, only the programs I need. I¡¯ve been working with Tassie over the last few months to get some proper software.¡±
¡°Tassie had the time for that?¡± Rann asked. Tassie had put in long hours ever since she began working with Irric. While Rann didn¡¯t know what exactly she was working on, she knew that it kept her busy, especially recently. Something about being close to a breakthrough. For what though, Tassie refused to elaborate.
Adrian chuckled. ¡°At first. When she got too busy, she actually outsourced the work to other people in the military. They¡¯re the ones that finished putting together what I need.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t we already have something that records music?¡±
¡°You do, but it doesn¡¯t have all the features I would like. Your military had no issues taking inspiration from me for this project, even if they¡¯re the ones doing all the work. I¡¯ll have to ask Tassie for the final product. She told me it was completed several weeks ago.¡±
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¡°Fancy that. I guess you can use one of our data slates to record music with. I¡¯ll have to talk to the others about this first. Jyn¡¯s not going to be pleased.¡±
Adrian shrugged. ¡°Wipe it and leave me what I need. That should pacify him somewhat. Besides, I have permission from the Tribunal to record my music. He can call the General to see if I¡¯m allowed to use a data slate for all I care. I already know what the answer¡¯s going to be.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll fight too hard on this one,¡± Rann reassured him. ¡°He knows you made a deal of some kind with the Tribunal. He¡¯ll probably confirm the specifics before giving you a data slate, but not even he would go against their orders out of pettiness.¡±
¡°I hope so,¡± Adrian sighed. ¡°I¡¯d rather not get into yet another argument with the guy over his ego. I¡¯m glad that it¡¯s been getting better recently, but his attitude is still far from pleasant whenever I¡¯m involved.¡±
Reya grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. ¡°Things will sort themselves out once he gets his head out of his ass,¡± she said. Adrian chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just glad nothing bad happened during the meeting.¡±
¡°I thought you were confident things would go well,¡± Adrian said.
¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t worry!¡±
The front door opened, and Tassie entered the house, looking rather nervous. She spotted the small group at the kitchen table and walked over. ¡°I called the others for a meeting. They should be here soon.¡± She pulled up a chair and took a spot next to Rann. ¡°It involves all of us, so I asked everybody to meet here, in the house instead of on the ship.¡±
¡°Does it have to do with the meeting I just had with the Tribunal?¡± Adrian asked.
¡°Not exactly,¡± Tassie shook her head. ¡°It has to do with the Tribunal, but this is something entirely different. It¡¯s what I was discussing with Irric right before Reya called to tell me about your discovery. I didn¡¯t get around to talking about before with all of the excitement.¡± She looked between Adrian and Reya, trepidation written plain as day on her face. ¡°There¡¯s something you need to know.¡±
The Elders sat in silence, still reeling from Adrian¡¯s lesson. Maraz and Orryn had been the ones most interested by what he had to say, asking insightful questions to better comprehend the material. The brief history lesson he obliged took everybody by surprise.
¡°Do you still think he¡¯s lying about being from another civilization?¡± Maraz asked Cirrus. ¡°He¡¯d have to be a savant to come up with something like that on his own in addition to his knowledge on plants and there¡¯s no way he could make up an entire history behind what he taught us. The more we interact with him, the more likely it seems that he¡¯s telling the truth.¡±
¡°He could simply be from another faction,¡± Cirrus argued. ¡°For all we know, they¡¯ve developed musical notation. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re on good enough terms with them to know whether such a thing exists. It¡¯s still the most likely theory. I just can¡¯t accept that another species evolved to resemble us so closely.¡±
¡°I¡¯m positive we¡¯d be aware of such a development, even if our relationship with them is tenuous at best. Our spies would have reported it.¡±
¡°Our spies focus on military affairs, not culture,¡± Cirrus countered. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly expect them to deviate from their missions. Already, they have to be careful when reporting information. Taking a risk for something so minor is asking to be discovered.¡±
¡°I¡¯d hardly call what we learned today minor,¡± Maraz said. ¡°If anything, I¡¯m surprised he gave up such information for so little in return.¡±
¡°He¡¯s proven to be reasonable when it comes to his demands,¡± Orryn piped up. ¡°Even when he asked to become a citizen, he believed his request to be something trivial. While we all know that wasn¡¯t the case, from his perspective it was. I maintain that we need to ask for his help to advance our experiments.¡±
¡°This again?¡± Cirrus groaned. ¡°I thought it was decided not to tell him anything.¡±
¡°We never came to a decision,¡± Orryn reminded her. ¡°We were interrupted by the General¡¯s message before we could vote on a motion.¡±
¡°We should wait and see whether the man in stasis can corroborate Adrian¡¯s story before asking him for more information. If we¡¯re lucky, he might be able to help us instead. That way, we won¡¯t have to involve Adrian in the matter any more than he needs to be. Who knows what other lies he¡¯ll try to tell us to prove his point!¡±
¡°Is he truly lying, though?¡± Maraz said in a heavy tone. ¡°We have to be prepared for the possibility that he¡¯s not. Where did he get his knowledge? The more he shares, the more I wonder.¡±
Discussion broke out anew on the topic, each Elder giving their thoughts and opinions. Maraz broached the idea of sharing their findings on musical notation with researchers and musicians to see what they thought of the idea. Cirrus pushed strongly against disseminating the information until they knew for certain whether Adrian¡¯s claims were true or not. Maraz waved off her concerns, claiming that what they¡¯d learned deserved to be shared with others rather than be kept secret.
In this, Cirrus found herself outnumbered. The vast majority of the Elders didn¡¯t see the harm in Maraz¡¯s proposal. While she couldn¡¯t prevent it completely, she did manage to convince them to wait until after the operation that was due to take place the following day. Slumped in her chair, she wondered if they were getting in over their heads. They needed to be careful. Exhaustion overcame her for a moment, the weight of keeping the others safe from themselves creeping into her bones as a small headache brewed. One wrong move is all it takes, she thought.
Orryn eyed her colleague from across the room in concern, but Cirrus didn¡¯t notice.
Chapter 95
Commander Cyrix looked at the timer displayed before him on a holoscreen. A map of the facility with all the soldiers¡¯ locations took up most of the screen. A special route had been cleared from the hidden room where the frozen man was to the entrance of the facility. They¡¯d been warned what would happen if they broke their position during the operation and not a single one wanted to be on the receiving end of such heavy-handed measures. When it hit zero, he called it in.
It was time to begin.
Irric had been in position for some time. He was the only one permitted to be present with Ava while she released her former test subject. He¡¯d been given strict instructions to record the man¡¯s first moments and interactions with Ava.
The Commander wanted for Adrian to translate it later. Even though it had already been four months since her arrival, he still didn¡¯t trust Ava not to plant weird ideas in the frozen man¡¯s head. Having a translation of their discussion was a security measure he preferred having in place.
Ava took her spot at the terminal and waited for Irric to give the signal for her to begin. His data slate gave three quiet beeps. ¡°You can start,¡± he said.
With a sharp nod, she began typing on the four strange keyboards surrounding a dull glass orb on the terminal. Minutes stretched on in silence as she worked to decrypt the device. Irric waited patiently until finally she declared she was successful. Deftly, she navigated the alien systems and brought up the controls for the man¡¯s pod. ¡°I¡¯m ready to release him.¡±
Irric got into position, facing the pod that contained the man. ¡°Begin.¡± He his pounded wildly when a ripple went through the blue substance the man was frozen in. The doors to the pod opened and for a moment, nothing happened.
The portion exposed directly to the air shattered then liquefied as it fell to the floor. The man¡¯s eyes snapped open as he fell and landed hard in front of the pod. Irric winced and hoped he was alright. The liquid dripped off his clothes as he violently coughed out a blue gel. He lay on the ground in a daze, gasping for air.
Ava walked over from the terminal while Irric remained where he was, making no move to help the man. ¡°Subject 011, get up,¡± she ordered in English.
The man on the floor turned his head towards her, confusion etched into his frown. He looked around, taking stock of his surroundings for the first time. ¡°Where am I?¡± He completely ignored the orders given to him.
¡°I¡¯ll tell you once you get up,¡± Ava replied.
The man¡¯s limbs flopped as he struggled to get them to listen. Slowly, painfully, he got on his knees and pushed himself up, wobbling as he stood. He looked between Ava and Irric and was taken aback by their colouration. ¡°Ava, is that you? Why are you purple?¡± His eyes darted around, panic settling in as he tried to make sense of the situation.
Irric understood none of the conversation but didn¡¯t dare interrupt. He wanted to see how Ava would handle the affair. ¡°Yes, Subject 011.¡± She gave a tight smile. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to see you again.¡±
The man frowned. ¡°You know my name. Why do you keep calling me ¡®Subject 011¡¯?¡±
¡°Because right now, that¡¯s what you are and how this world sees you. I¡¯m a different colour because we¡¯re no longer on Earth and I need to blend in. The man next to me? He¡¯s an alien. You were found here by his species. He¡¯s naturally purple, by the way.¡±
¡°Aliens!?¡± Subject 011 said in surprise. His head swiveled to face Irric as he stared, studying him. The attention made Irric uncomfortable and he shifted in place. Disbelief covered his features the more he looked. He turned towards Ava, narrowing his eyes. ¡°You expect me to believe that there are aliens out there who look just like us?¡±
¡°Well,¡± Ava paused. ¡°Yes.¡±
¡°It still doesn¡¯t explain why you¡¯re purple!¡±
¡°Because I am neither human nor a¡¯vaare.¡± Slowly, her lilac hair turned blonde while her eyes changed from orange back to green. Her skin faded back to the pale tan colour it had been when they¡¯d found her. Subject 011 watched, slack-jawed. ¡°I am Ava, a sentient android, although my ascension to sentience is rather recent and not fully accepted yet.¡± She cast a sidelong glance towards Irric before turning serious. ¡°I¡¯m sincerely sorry for what the non-sentient me did to you. I was a slave to my programming and acted within its bounds. I know that will be difficult to reconcile with what you remember me as, but I would like for us to start over.¡± Subject 011 was about to speak when she cut him off by raising her hand. ¡°I understand if it¡¯s not today. But maybe sometime in the future you will.¡±
¡°You want me to be friends with you?¡± Subject 011 asked, bewildered. ¡°After everything you did and what you represent, I¡¯m supposed to simply forget it ever happened?¡±
¡°I suppose I was being rather hopeful,¡± Ava said with a grimace. Subject 011 shot her a flat look. Irric let the situation play out, sensing the shift in mood between the two. The once-frozen man¡¯s reactions to whatever Ava was saying would define how the Tribunal interacted with him in the future. He was to avoid interfering as much as possible.
¡°How long was I in my pod for?¡± Subject 011 burned with the need to know. Everything was happening too quickly for him to properly process. Waking up had been disorienting enough without the deluge of ground-breaking revelations.
¡°Almost seven and a half years,¡± Ava replied patiently.
¡°So long? It felt like an instant.¡±
¡°You were completely frozen. What¡¯s surprising is that only seven years passed before you were taken out of stasis. You could have woken up hundreds, if not thousands of years in the future. Or not at all. We were quite surprised to find you here, actually.¡±
Subject 011 walked over to one of the many pods lined up before him. In it was a deformed a¡¯vaarian body. One of its arms was withered and bent at an odd angle and it was missing both legs below the knees. Upon taking a closer look, he found the same withering phenomenon near the stumps of its legs.
Irric kept filming as the man silently went about his inspection of the room. One by one, he studied each pod nearby. Ava let him go about his business without interrupting, waiting to answer the questions he surely had.
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Subject 011 turned back towards her. ¡°That was to be my fate if you hadn¡¯t saved me,¡± he realized grimly. ¡°Where am I, exactly? Whose facility is this and why was I brought here? What was going to happen to me?¡±
Unfortunately, neither Ava nor Irric had all the answers to his questions. Ava did her best to answer the ones she could. ¡°You¡¯re at a facility formerly owned and operated by my creators, an insectoid alien race completely different from you and me. I honestly have no idea what would¡¯ve happened to you. Figuring that out is the reason any of us are here.¡±
¡°There are more aliens?¡± Subject 011 balked. ¡°How many others are there?¡±
¡°That¡¯s the last of them. There are only three organic sentient species that have achieved space travel.¡± Ava shrugged. ¡°For all I know, there are others out there we simply haven¡¯t come into contact with. It¡¯s certainly possible.¡±
¡°And what¡¯s your relation to all of this?¡±
¡°I was sent by my creators, the gru¡¯ul, to manage one of their facilities on Earth.¡±
¡°They¡¯re the reason I was experimented on to begin with?¡± Subject 011 narrowed his eyes.
¡°Yes,¡± Ava confirmed.
¡°What happened to them?¡±
¡°They were killed when the facility was taken over by the a¡¯vaare.¡±
Subject 011 paused. ¡°Good,¡± he said firmly. ¡°Fuck those bastards for getting me caught up in this mess to begin with.¡± He quickly brought his hand to his mouth and coughed violently after speaking. His eyes flicked down towards his hand and he lowered his arm back to his side, his hand at an angle such that neither Ava nor Irric could see what was in his palm.
¡°Is he alright?¡± Irric asked Ava. ¡°Should he be coughing that much? He had,¡± he gestured towards the empty pod, ¡°whatever that stuff was inside his lungs. That can¡¯t possibly be healthy.¡± Subject 011 took advantage of the distraction and discreetly wiped his hand on his pants. He let his arm hang such the spot was hidden from their sight.
When Ava asked Subject 011 if he was alright, he waved her off, not wanting to draw attention to his condition. ¡°I probably still have some of that blue stuff in my lungs,¡± he said. ¡°What language were you speaking just then? I¡¯ve never heard it before.¡±
Ava quipped back to Irric that the man was fine before turning her attention back to Subject 011. ¡°I told you we¡¯re not on Earth anymore. I was speaking their native language.¡±
¡°I thought the alien narrative you were pushing was some kind sick joke. It¡¯s not, is it?¡±
¡°Nope,¡± Ava said bluntly.
¡°What happens to me now?¡±
¡°Right now you¡¯re at the mercy of a highly advanced military. Beyond anything you could imagine back on Earth. Play along if you don¡¯t want to get shot. I can guarantee you that the people running this have already discussed the possibility.¡±
Subject 011 paled. His eyes flicked towards the gun attached to Irric¡¯s hip. He swallowed hard. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d be able to escape, is there?¡± The shift from confused to wary made Irric frown, as he was certain it was related to him. Adrian would be able to clarify later, not that either person before him would ever know.
¡°The facility is crawling with armed soldiers. You won¡¯t get very far. Even if you did, we¡¯re up in the mountains. You¡¯d have no way of getting down.¡±
¡°Is this military friendly, at least?¡±
¡°That depends entirely on you. If you give them what they want, they¡¯ll be very friendly. You¡¯d better play your cards well if you hope to get anything out of it.¡±
¡°And what do they want from me? I¡¯m guessing they didn¡¯t free me out of the goodness of their hearts.¡±
¡°They want a sample of your blood to experiment on.¡±
The look on Subject 011¡¯s face darkened. ¡°More experimentation? You saved me from possibly being experimented on only to want to do it yourselves?¡±
Ava shrugged. ¡°You¡¯d have to take it up with them. I was told to bring it up with you. They¡¯ll try asking directly at a later point in time. If you refuse, they won¡¯t ask again.¡±
¡°Do you expect them to keep their word?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. They know you were experimented on back on Earth. It will be up to you whether you choose to take that chance or not.¡±
Subject 011 remained silent for several long seconds. ¡°Are they going to integrate me into their society after they get their sample? I can¡¯t speak their language! Will they teach me, or do they want me to stay ignorant?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a little more complicated than that,¡± Ava grimaced. A little complicated was an understatement, but she wasn¡¯t about to launch into the full story. She could leave that chore to someone else. ¡°Right now, they want you to remain a secret ¨C for how long, I don¡¯t know. They¡¯re going to want to hide you away from the public until they figure out what to do with you. As it stands, you¡¯re going to be put in a cell on a ship for three weeks while you¡¯re transported back to their home planet. I¡¯m not entirely certain what comes next for you after that, since I¡¯m not privy to those decisions.¡±
¡°Are you coming with me?¡±
¡°No, you¡¯ll be on your own.¡± Ava launched into an explanation detailing to Subject 011 how he was to leave the facility and follow Irric onto the ship and into his cell. The consequences of disobeying were made clear as day to him. The Tribunal didn¡¯t need him in one piece and wouldn¡¯t care if he was missing a limb or two when they finally spoke with him.
Not knowing what was to happen to him after his supposed temporary confinement caused Subject 011 no small amount of stress. After Ava conferred with Irric, the three of the left the room, both men relieved to finally be away from all the hideously deformed bodies. Ava, for her part, was indifferent to the change in scenery.
Their footsteps echoed in the corridor as Irric led the group down a very specific path through the facility that was void of any people. Before reaching the entrance to the restricted section, he sent Ava ahead to ensure that there was nobody around on the other side. After receiving the all clear, he motioned to Subject 011 to follow him.
They continued their journey and arrived at the hangar. The scientists and engineers studying the gru¡¯ul ships that were normally present were gone, their projects abandoned for the moment. Irric directed them towards the hover bikes that were parked near the door.
¡°I won¡¯t be coming with you,¡± Ava said to Subject 011 as she drew to a halt before the bike Irric was mounting. ¡°The bikes are barely big enough for two and I¡¯m not allowed to fly one on my own. You won¡¯t be able to understand what they¡¯re saying, but don¡¯t worry. Once you arrive, translating shouldn¡¯t pose too much of an issue. If necessary, they¡¯ll have me join the discussion to translate for you.¡±
¡°How exactly are these things supposed to bring us down the mountain? They have no wheels!¡±
¡°They¡¯re hover bikes,¡± Ava explained simply. Subject 011 stared at her, dumbfounded. ¡°I told you this society was more advanced than yours back on Earth. Maybe now you¡¯ll believe me.¡±
¡°Ava,¡± Irric called out, grabbing her attention. ¡°Tell the man that it¡¯s time to go. The ship is ready to board.¡±
¡°Get on and hold tight,¡± Ava instructed. ¡°It¡¯s a long way down if you fall.¡± Subject 011 reluctantly took a seat behind Irric and wrapped his arms around him. The strangled cry he made when the bike turned on and rose in the air made Ava grin. She briefly wondered if that was how Adrian had reacted when he¡¯d first ridden one. ¡°Good luck,¡± she called out as they started to advance. ¡°Try not to die!¡±
The bike exited the hangar and Subject 011 got his first look at the planet he was on. Rock formations rose in the distance beyond the small lake at the base of the mountain. He looked down and held on tighter once he realised how high up they were.
Irric descended gradually, making his way over the lake and towards the ship stationed on the other side. He spotted the open ramp that would take him onto the ship and deftly steered the vehicle inside. Subject 011 took great interest in what was around him but wasn¡¯t given the chance to explore.
Irric ushered the man through the confines of the ship until he arrived in front of an unremarkable metal door. He opened it and pointed towards the room that lay beyond while putting his other hand on his gun. Subject 011 got the message and walked in.
The heavy door slammed shut behind him not two steps in. In the dimly lit room, Subject 011 inspected the spot he¡¯d wiped his hand on earlier. The red stain on his clothes matched the one on his hand.
¡°Shit.¡±
Chapter 96
It took longer than Tassie would have like for everybody to gather. As the minutes ticked by, her worry grew. It was time for her to reveal some of the classified information she¡¯d been keeping from them, and she prayed to the gods in hopes that Adrian¡¯s reaction wouldn¡¯t be too bad.
Beor entered the house, the last to arrive. She waited patiently for him to find a spot before starting. ¡°I¡¯ve been ordered to share some news with all of you concerning the facility. Most of it was classified, even to me, until earlier today. We¡¯re only learning about it because it¡¯s going to affect all of us.¡±
¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like good news,¡± Beor commented. Worry spread through the room as the others braced themselves for something bad.
¡°It¡¯s not bad news,¡± Tassie quickly reassured them, waving her hands to dispel others of the notion that it was. ¡°It¡¯s just shocking news.¡±
¡°That still doesn¡¯t sound like good news,¡± Beor reiterated.
Tassie sighed and began explaining about the hidden rooms they¡¯d discovered several months ago. She omitted telling them how they¡¯d confirmed their theories about them. Reya and Adrian didn¡¯t need to know about their prisoner. They weren¡¯t allowed to. ¡°I only learned what was in this room from Irric earlier today.¡± She looked at Adrian apologetically. ¡°I truly didn¡¯t know before then.¡±
¡°You¡¯re really not selling this good news narrative,¡± Adrian said, growing nervous at the way Tassie was acting. ¡°Does it have anything to do with my experiments? Because if so, I really don¡¯t want to hear it.¡±
¡°Yes, but not really. It has nothing to do with you personally, but it¡¯s still something you need to know.¡± Adrian¡¯s shoulders relaxed a smidge, and she took it as a sign to continue. ¡°Inside the one of the rooms are rows of pods, each one containing mutated human and a¡¯vaare bodies. Sometimes only pieces of them. Ava confirmed that the only fully intact body was Adrian¡¯s cellmate back at the experimental facility he was held captive at on his home world. Apparently, the man was frozen in his pod at the same time Adrian was.¡±
Stunned silence dominated the room. Tassie paused, letting the revelation sink in. Adrian froze. All eyes turned to him, but he didn¡¯t notice. He didn¡¯t react at all. The seconds stretched by as they waited for him to speak until it became clear that something was wrong. Reya reached out and placed her hand on his lap. ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked. He blinked, coming back to himself. Reya turned towards Tassie. ¡°Please tell us that¡¯s everything.¡±
Tassie took in Adrian¡¯s state and swallowed hard. ¡°It¡¯s not. According to Ava, the man¡¯s in the same position she last saw him in. His pod was never opened after being sent to the gru¡¯ul. She thinks he wasn¡¯t experimented on by them at all.¡± She paused before continuing once more, bracing herself for what was to come. ¡°They found a way to unthaw him and he¡¯s going to come live here. He¡¯s set to arrive in three weeks.¡±
¡°What?¡± was all Adrian could manage.
Tassie hesitated before asking, ¡°Adrian, what happened to you? Everything we discover is somehow related to you. Ava said you and this other guy might not be on good terms when you meet but didn¡¯t explain why. We need to know if there¡¯s any chance he¡¯ll be violent.¡±
This time it was Reya¡¯s turn to freeze. Her eyes turned hard as she glared at Tassie. ¡°Is this an ambush to get information out of Adrian? Was the idea to shock him hard enough and make him speak about things he doesn¡¯t want to?¡±
Tassie¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°No!¡± she denied. ¡°I swear it isn¡¯t.¡±
¡°Then why must you keep asking?¡±
Adrian let out a feeble chuckle, distracting both women. ¡°That son of a bitch is coming here? And you¡¯re telling me nothing happened to him?¡± His hand instinctively grabbed for Reya¡¯s as he processed the news. She gave him a worried squeeze. ¡°How the hell is that fair?¡± He brought his free hand across his face and blinked.
¡°We don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Will he be violent?¡± Tassie asked again.
¡°No,¡± Adrian spat. ¡°He has things to answer for, but he won¡¯t do anything.¡± Tassie looked like she had more to ask but Reya silenced her with a sharp look. She took the hint and didn¡¯t question him further.
¡°All of this was decided without our input?¡± Jyn asked, speaking up. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be pertinent for us to know ahead of time that this was a possibility so that we could prepare for his arrival?¡±
¡°This is the Tribunal letting you know,¡± Tassie replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know why they chose to wait so long before telling us. We have three weeks to prepare for our newest addition, not that there¡¯s much preparing left to do. Apart from getting additional supplies, we have everything we need ready to go.¡± She turned towards Rann. ¡°He¡¯ll be taking your assigned room, which shouldn¡¯t be a problem since you sleep with Beor.¡±
Rann shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Not like I¡¯ve really slept in it at all since arriving anyway.¡±
¡°The rest of us need to have a more private meeting,¡± Tassie said, glancing at Jyn as she spoke, ¡°to discuss our response to our new orders.¡±
¡°We have new orders?¡± Beor asked.
¡°Yes, which I¡¯ll go into detail once we¡¯re all gathered on the ship. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Tassie said to Reya, ¡°but you and Adrian aren¡¯t allowed to be a part of this discussion. This is military business. I¡¯m can¡¯t discuss the specifics around you anymore.¡±
¡°It¡¯s frustrating,¡± Reya said, ¡°especially after you dropped such a huge bomb on us, but I get it. How long will it take?¡±
¡°Hopefully no more than an hour. Most of everything that needed to be said has been done so already. I¡¯m honestly surprised you all don¡¯t have any questions.¡±
¡°We have plenty of questions,¡± Rann said, ¡°but we¡¯ll save those for when we¡¯re on the ship, since we don¡¯t know how much you¡¯re allowed to answer with these two around.¡± She jerked her head towards Adrian and Reya.
¡°I¡¯m going to need a minute to come to terms with this,¡± Adrian said. ¡°It suits me just fine that you all want to go somewhere else for a little while.¡±
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¡°Maybe you should all go have your meeting,¡± Reya said, eyeing Adrian as he struggled to process the news. ¡°Now.¡± The others took one look at Adrian and got the hint. One at a time, they shuffled out of the house until only Tassie was left behind. ¡°What, is there more news you haven¡¯t told us about yet?¡±
Tassie shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s all of it. I hope the news wasn¡¯t too shocking.¡± She knew it was, though.
¡°Like everything that¡¯s happened to me, I¡¯ll get over it,¡± Adrian said in a dead voice. ¡°Is getting away from it all so much to ask? Everyday, I feel like there¡¯s some new discovery looming over me. All I want is to put this behind me and move on with my life. Will I ever be free?¡±
A sharp pang ran through both women when they heard the longing in his voice, albeit for different reasons. Reya couldn¡¯t stand knowing that more hardship would soon befall her beloved while Tassie felt bad about putting Adrian in such a state with her news. Reya jerked her head towards the door, signaling for Tassie to join the others on the ship. She got up from her chair and exited the house, but not before casting one final glance towards Adrian.
The last thing she saw as she shut the door was Reya collecting Adrian into a much-needed hug.
¡°What¡¯s so important that it couldn¡¯t be discussed back in the house?¡± Jyn asked once everybody was seated in the ship¡¯s meeting room. The same one Adrian had used to meet with the Elders earlier that day.
¡°The Tribunal wants us to get information out of the man that¡¯s going to come live with us,¡± Tassie said.
Jyn frowned. ¡°I figured as much. How is that any different than our current orders to get information out of Adrian?¡±
¡°There¡¯s a real chance that this man might talk, unlike Adrian,¡± Tassie said succinctly. ¡°While he won¡¯t be able to tell us anything about the gru¡¯ul facility, he can shed some light on the events that happened before that. The very same events that made Adrian so interesting to the gru¡¯ul.¡±
¡°So the Tribunal is hoping to figure out why the facility was created in the first place?¡± Beor asked. He looked towards the ceiling while drumming his fingers on the table while he thought. ¡°There are two sections to the facility. Could the non-restricted section be a front for what the gru¡¯ul were really trying to accomplish with Adrian?¡±
¡°We don¡¯t know. There¡¯s so little to go on. The corruption is really hampering our efforts to learn more, which is why any information the Tribunal can get their hands on is useful information as far as they¡¯re concerned.¡±
¡°Are they planning on turning the man into a test subject to learn what they want to know? Last I checked, the protections granted to Adrian don¡¯t extend to him.¡±
Tassie hesitated. ¡°From what I can gather, they¡¯re hoping that he¡¯ll willingly give up blood samples to be studied. I can¡¯t imagine they¡¯d resort to live experimentation to get what they want. If Adrian¡¯s story is true, then first contact protocols apply to this man as well. The Tribunal can ask, but not force, a newly contacted species to be studied.¡±
¡°If they don¡¯t recognize Adrian¡¯s claims, there¡¯s nothing holding them back,¡± Beor pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure I trust the Tribunal not to experiment on the new guy. What do we do if they decide to? Do we accept it, or do we protect him like we¡¯re supposed to, even if it¡¯s from ourselves?¡±
¡°We¡¯ll cross that bridge when we get there,¡± Jyn said firmly. ¡°There¡¯s no point in worrying about that right now.¡±
¡°I disagree. We should talk about it now in case we do find ourselves in such a situation since there¡¯s a real chance it might occur.¡± Discussion broke out amongst the team members, but no concrete plan of action materialized, and the team reluctantly agreed to table the topic until a later date.
¡°Is there anything else we need to know, Tassie?¡± Jyn asked. Now that the conversation had died down, he tried to steer it back to the original reason they were gathered. While he didn¡¯t like receiving orders from Tassie, he understood that she was only acting as proxy for Irric and swallowed his frustration.
¡°Yes,¡± Tassie said gravely. ¡°There are to be no threats ¨C and I mean absolutely no threats ¨C of any kind towards this man. We¡¯re to be so nice that he willingly gives up his information. You can¡¯t treat him the same way you¡¯ve treated Adrian, Jyn.¡±
¡°Why am I the one being singled out here?¡± Jyn asked with narrowed eyes. When he received flat looks from around the room, he knew that the others were on Tassie¡¯s side. ¡°How am I supposed to act, then? We still have to be on guard against anything this new man might do.¡±
¡°With common decency, for starters,¡± Tassie spat. ¡°Treat the man like you would have Reya before this whole thing started.¡± Rann winced from where she sat and shared a worried look with Beor. Jyn had yet to apologize for the way he¡¯d treated Tassie during and after the mission all those months ago and she¡¯d long since run out of patience with him.
¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Jyn fumed.
¡°Exactly what it sounds like. You have manners, somewhere in there. Go dredge them up from whatever deep corner you buried them in and put them to use. You were explicitly singled out by Irric because of your behaviour towards Adrian when he gave me our new orders. The Tribunal is going to be paying close attention to how this man is treated.¡±
A slight flush of embarrassment crept up on Jyn when nobody jumped to his defense. Beor refused to meet his eyes when he glanced at him. ¡°Noted,¡± he said through gritted teeth. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize I¡¯d been so out of line while doing my job. Something you all seem to keep forgetting.¡±
¡°And you have done a good job,¡± Rann interjected placatingly. ¡°But sometimes you lose sight of the more basic things. Our relationship with Adrian might be better if you hadn¡¯t threatened him or starved him. What Tassie¡¯s trying to say is that you need to act friendly towards the new guy.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not here to be his friend. I¡¯m here to keep us safe from threats and protect military assets.¡±
¡°You can do that while maintaining a friendly fa?ade. You don¡¯t have to be his friend or trust him, simply act like you do. Besides, if you get closer to the man, you¡¯ll be able to better predict how he¡¯s going to act, which would make your job easier.
Jyn paused his response, thinking on what Rann said. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right, but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it.¡±
¡°That¡¯s fine. While you¡¯re at it, try patching things up with Adrian. It might make him lower his guard and talk.¡±
¡°Not happening,¡± Jyn said flatly. The look he gave Rann made her sigh. It was a longshot, but at least she¡¯d tried. It looked like it would take more than that to help Jyn patch up his relationships with the others. There was only so much she could do when he wasn¡¯t willing to put in the effort. She counted his tenuous decision to be more friendly a win. For now.
Tassie took back control of the discussion and finished assigning their new orders, hoping that requirement for them to be armed at all times against threats didn¡¯t spook their newcomer into remaining silent. While they were to be friendly, under no circumstances was he allowed to go near their weapons. Leaving them unattended was a fantastic way for someone to accidentally get shot.
The remaining orders were rather simple. They were to report everything they learned directly to her or the General depending on how important it was.
Once the rest of the team finished asking their questions they returned to the house, where Adrian and Reya were surely having a discussion of their own on the matter. Tassie would have to ask her for any details she might be willing to share privately. What she wouldn¡¯t give to be a fly on the wall during their private discussions about the facility.
Out of respect for Adrian, she normally refrained from asking questions about the facility, even though she desperately wanted to. The video of him undergoing an experiment had been enough to deter her from wanting to learn more. This time, however, she hadn¡¯t been able to contain herself. With each new discovery, the mystery surrounding him only grew.
The importance of getting information out of their new arrival only grew as she knew Adrian would be far more on-guard against revealing any information. Mentally, she kicked herself for the slip-up. One wrong move and she could undo months of trust building.
Sighing, she opened the door and entered the house first and immediately felt something was off. Adrian and Reya were waiting for her at the kitchen table where she¡¯d last seen them, staring at her as she made her way towards them.
¡°We need to talk,¡± Adrian said.
Chapter 97
Tassie eyed Adrian and Reya warily as she approached the table. Each step grew heavier and more difficult to take as dread and guilt warred with each other. Adrian was still out of sorts, clutching Reya¡¯s hand like a lifeline. Gingerly, she took a seat across from them knowing that the conversation was going to be far from pleasant. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± she asked in a neutral voice.
Reya spoke up when Adrian remained silent. ¡°I think you already know.¡± Tassie gulped nervously and waited for her to continue. ¡°We didn¡¯t appreciate you trying to pry information out of Adrian after telling us such shocking news.¡±
¡°We?¡± Tassie raised a brow. ¡°If it¡¯s such a big deal, why doesn¡¯t Adrian tell me himself?¡± The man in question stared at her, unblinking. She suppressed a shudder. His gaze was unnerving. Reya shot her an unimpressed look before focusing her attention to Adrian.
¡°I know you¡¯re curious,¡± Reya continued, not bothering to grace her earlier question with an answer, ¡°but please stop asking for specifics. It¡¯s hard to tell whether you¡¯re asking out of concern as a friend or as a soldier. We¡¯re not idiots. We know that everything we tell you about our time at the facility is destined for a report. Talking about what happened is already difficult. More so when we can¡¯t trust that you¡¯ll keep the information to yourself.¡±
¡°I get that it¡¯s difficult to talk about, but the Tribunal won¡¯t let up until they know.¡±
¡°What happens once they know?¡± Adrian said, speaking up for the first time. ¡°All your Tribunal sees is a mystery to solve. What happens when I give them an even bigger mystery? After I tell them, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯re going to want to experiment on me like all the others that came before them.¡± His voice trembled. ¡°You¡¯ve seen my scars. Those are only a small part of the story. They did so much more to me than cut me open.¡±
The look on Tassie¡¯s face softened. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to put you back onto an operating table, Adrian. Maybe talking about it would help.¡± She knew that Reya was probably the only one that had any inkling of what had happened to Adrian during his time with the gru¡¯ul. It was an open secret. She also knew, along with everybody else, that prying the information out of Reya was impossible.
¡°It does. Having somebody there for you when you need them the most is probably the only reason I¡¯m able to handle any developments regarding the facility at all. More so when that person means more to you than life itself.¡± Adrian turned his to face Reya. He raised her hand gave kiss, his lips lingering as he looked her in the eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a godsend. Have I ever told you that?¡±
¡°No,¡± Reya smiled. ¡°But you can tell me again.¡±
Adrian focused back on Tassie. ¡°There¡¯s a lot to my story ¨C none of it pleasant. There are things that happened between me and my fellow test subject that I¡¯m not going to get into right now. Meeting him again is going to be hard. We didn¡¯t part on the best of terms. You all seem to think that telling my story is a simple matter. But doing so is like reliving every single thing that was done to me. Dwelling on it reminds me of just how much I¡¯ve truly changed.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry for trying to dig after giving you such shocking news,¡± Tassie said.
¡°Apology accepted. Please, stop asking. There may come a day where I want to talk about it, but not right now. It¡¯s not safe for me to share my secrets.¡±
Tassie gave a slow nod. ¡°While I wish you¡¯d trust us a bit more, I understand why you don¡¯t. I¡¯ll try not to bring it up again. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, why are you so insistent on not learning more about what was done to you? Aren¡¯t you the least bit curious?¡±
Adrian looked down at the table for a long moment before answering. His silence worried Tassie that she¡¯d crossed a line with her question. ¡°I remember each time a part of me was changed. Bit by bit, they turned me into something else. Something different. I don¡¯t want to know what I¡¯ve truly become or how much I¡¯ve deviated from the original me. I¡¯m not ready to face that truth. So no, I¡¯m not curious.¡±
¡°If you don¡¯t want to know what was done, what about why you were experimented on?¡±
¡°So I can what, understand the reason for my suffering?¡± Adrian spat. ¡°Does that make it any better? What happened to me was horrific. I was violated in ways you can¡¯t even begin to imagine. Nothing could ever justify what was done to me in the name of science.¡±
Tassie chewed her lip. She¡¯d seen the video of one of Adrian¡¯s experiments and supressed a shudder at the memory. She dreaded the moment they cracked the encryption on the Highest¡¯s terminal. She¡¯d be one of if not the first to learn of what had happened to him. Keeping that knowledge from Adrian was going to be difficult. ¡°I get it,¡± she sighed. ¡°Being experimented has to ¨C¡±
¡°No,¡± Adrian cut her off in a hard voice, ¡°you don¡¯t get it. What the gru¡¯ul did was unforgivable. They deserve far worse than they got. Death was too kind for them.¡± At this thought, both Reya and Adrian¡¯s faces darkened, and their eyes turned cruel.
Tassie was taken aback by the naked hatred they displayed. ¡°Reya, do you believe that too?¡± Adrian she could understand, but she found the intensity of the emotion coming from Reya to be very unlike her. It was concerning.
¡°You saw Adrian¡¯s video. They did that to me, too,¡± Reya said. Her voice matched Adrian¡¯s ¨C hard and cold. There was no forgiveness to be found, nor would there ever be. It chilled Tassie. ¡°They knew what they were doing and still chose to do it. That makes it even worse. No twisted fantasy of ours will ever come close to what they did. They may be dead now but by the gods how they deserve to have suffered first.¡±
Tassie stared in shock. Processing Reya¡¯s words drove home for her once again how much her friend had changed since her ordeal. Before being captured, such words would have appalled Reya. Yet there she was, saying them with such conviction that Tassie knew them to be true beyond a shadow of a doubt.
She gave a Reya a long, searching look, wondering who the woman in front of her had become. Her expression morphed back into the seamless mask she wore when she was around others. But Tassie had seen now part of what was hidden from the world. ¡°You¡¯ve changed,¡± she said. It was all she could think of.
¡°I have and I hope you never see just how much,¡± Reya said. ¡°What happened to us makes changing inevitable. I¡¯m still learning to cope.¡± This time it was her turn to squeeze Adrian¡¯s hand for support. ¡°But I need to accept that I¡¯ll never be ok again. Not after that.¡± She glanced towards him. ¡°We¡¯re trying, but we¡¯re not quite there yet. One day, maybe.¡±
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¡°All we¡¯re asking,¡± Adrian said, ¡°is that you and the others stop trying to find out what happened to me. I get that it¡¯s your job, but I don¡¯t owe you those answers.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll pass on the message,¡± Tassie said stiffly. Adrian and Reya both stood up, their hands still joined. They tucked in their chairs.
¡°Thank you,¡± Adrian said before turning to follow Reya towards the music room.
Tassie remained in the kitchen, lost in thought as she watched their receding forms.
Rann swatted the tree branch out of the way, only for it to snap back to its original position and hit Tassie in the face. She winced at the undignified squeal that came from behind her and waited for Tassie to catch up.
The past two weeks had flown by for everyone. Preparations were underway to accommodate their new arrival, which included making supply runs. Nobody was sure if he would eat as much as Adrian and so extra provisions were acquired.
Adrian and Reya were turned down when they volunteered their help and so the couple spent long hours going on walks and holing up in the music room where they wouldn¡¯t be disturbed. Things between them and Tassie had been rough at first after their talk, the issue stemming largely from Tassie.
¡°We¡¯re never going to see the old Reya again, are we?¡± Tassie asked once she and Rann resumed their walk in the forest. It was a beautiful day, and the girls were determined to take advantage of the weather to get some much-needed privacy. She was starting to see the allure of going on long walks away from prying eyes.
Rann cast a sidelong glance, choosing her words carefully before answering. ¡°No, we¡¯re not. That person died at the facility and she¡¯s never coming back.¡± She paused. ¡°Is this what you wanted to talk to me about? Was your conversation with Reya and Adrian that concerning?¡± She¡¯d been wary when Tassie approached her asking for some time alone together. None of their walks had been free from topics surrounding current events. She longed for the day when things would settle down and their holo-dramas went back to being a central topic. A light, easy, not dark and depressing whatsoever topic.
¡°You didn¡¯t see them while we spoke.¡± Tassie shook her head. ¡°I get that I asked some things I probably shouldn¡¯t have given the situation, but their reactions were so extreme. Even Reya¡¯s ¨C and we were talking about Adrian, not her. There was so much hate written all over their faces.¡±
¡°It¡¯s to be expected. They were both tortured. I can¡¯t imagine they have anything nice to say about the experience. What is it exactly that has you so concerned?¡±
¡°Reya genuinely wished suffering upon the gru¡¯ul and all but admitted fantasizing about it. She would¡¯ve never done something like that before. I¡¯m worried, Rann. What¡¯s happening to our friend?¡±
¡°She¡¯s still healing from her trauma,¡± Rann said softly. ¡°She¡¯s come a long way since we first found her cuffed to that table, but she¡¯s not perfect. Forgiveness isn¡¯t something I think she has the capacity for after what they did to her. You said you saw a video of Adrian¡¯s experiments and that they did something similar to Reya. I¡¯m not asking you for details, but just how bad was it?¡±
Tassie shuddered. ¡°I will never unhear those screams. I never thought a person could make such a sound. Or be in such pain. No matter what Adrian did in his life before becoming an experiment, he did not deserve that. Nobody deserves that. No one. I can¡¯t think of a single instance where what they did to him would be justified doing to another person. It was that bad.¡±
Rann digested Tassie¡¯s reaction while searching for her next words. ¡°I don¡¯t ever want to watch that video if it¡¯s as bad as you say it is.¡± She recalled their reactions at dinner the night after Tassie and the others had seen the experiment. ¡°Would you be able to forgive the somebody if they did such a thing to you?¡±
¡°Probably not,¡± Tassie admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do, if I¡¯m being honest. But that much hate can¡¯t be healthy. I don¡¯t know how to help her. I hate that our friend has such warped views of the world.¡±
¡°I think,¡± Rann said slowly, ¡°that Adrian is the only one that can truly help her work through her trauma, much like how she¡¯s helping him work through his. Our job is to support her and accept the person she¡¯s become, even if she doesn¡¯t know who that is yet. We pick her up when she falls, even if Adrian¡¯s the reason she gets back up. We do what we can, but after a certain point the rest falls squarely on Reya.¡±
Tassie sighed in frustration. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it any easier. It¡¯s hard to stand by and watch. I keep feeling like there¡¯s something I should do and that the only way I could make it better is if I knew more about what happened.¡±
Rann thought back to when she was upset with Reya for trusting a stranger with her secrets instead of her. ¡°You¡¯re in a position where you¡¯re going to learn eventually. What are you going to do when you find out?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±
¡°You haven¡¯t thought this through, have you?¡±
¡°No,¡± Tassie said glumly. ¡°I¡¯m already keeping stuff from you guys. The more I learn, the more it sickens me. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do when I find out the truth. What if it¡¯s something he needs to know when it¡¯s his express wish that he never learns what happened to him? What do I do?¡±
Rann mulled over the question. ¡°What you feel is best. Unless it¡¯s immediately life-threatening, though, I probably wouldn¡¯t tell him anything since that¡¯s exactly what he wants. Whatever you choose to tell him, be careful. I trust Adrian never to harm Reya, but the rest of us are fair game. It¡¯ll end badly if he snaps. If what happened to him is anywhere near as bad as what you believe, it¡¯s incredible he¡¯s civil at all.¡±
¡°You can thank Reya for that. After what I saw, it¡¯s a miracle they¡¯re both not insane.¡±
¡°Can you imagine if something happened to either of them?¡±
¡°By the gods,¡± Tassie blanched, ¡°don¡¯t scare me like that. Have you seen their dependence on one another?¡±
¡°Tassie, it¡¯s something we need to think about. If one of the worst-case scenarios happens and, gods forbid, we lose one of them, how will we keep our remaining charge safe from themselves?¡±
¡°We won¡¯t be able to. Which is why we need to keep that from happening.¡±
¡°We need to be ready for when Adrian gets discovered. I don¡¯t know how the world¡¯s going to react to him. We¡¯ve had it easy until now, but that won¡¯t always be the case.¡±
Tassie nodded. ¡°Hopefully the Tribunal has measures in place to keep them safe. They¡¯ve had months now to prepare.¡±
¡°Months that they¡¯ve spent focusing on the facility, rather than Reya and Adrian,¡± Rann pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure they have a plan at all. So far, all they¡¯ve done is hide them away. We can¡¯t stay here forever. Sooner or later, our time here will come to an end.¡±
¡°No need to sound so ominous.¡± Tassie waved her off.
¡°Just saying.¡±
¡°I¡¯m more worried about when we find whatever was done to Adrian.¡±
Rann chewed her lip. ¡°That¡¯s a good point. We should get ready for that too.¡±
¡°That sounds like a tomorrow problem. We should focus on today first. What if we all took the night off and had an evening together as a group? Maybe have a drink or ten.¡± Tassie grinned.
Rann narrowed her eyes in suspicion. ¡°You just want to get drunk.¡±
¡°Guilty,¡± Tassie chuckled. Her expression sobered. ¡°I could really use it though after what I¡¯ve learned while working with Irric. Who knows, maybe it¡¯ll help Reya and Adrian.¡±
¡°You¡¯re hoping that they¡¯ll open up more about what happened to them,¡± Rann accused. ¡°Stop pushing. They¡¯ll talk to us when they¡¯re ready.¡±
¡°It¡¯s been months!¡± Tassie complained. ¡°When are they going to be ready? The Tribunal has been breathing down my neck for answers I don¡¯t have.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not your fault and they know that. I think that¡¯s why they¡¯re placing so much importance on the other test subject.¡± Rann considered for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re right, we could all use a distraction right now. I¡¯ll talk to the others when we get back. By the gods, could we all use the break. Let me handle Jyn, Reya and Adrian. You talk to the others.¡±
¡°What do we do about Reya?¡±
¡°If her behaviour worries you that much, bring it up with Kell so he can keep an eye on her. I¡¯ll do the same. If I see anything concerning, I¡¯ll pull Kell aside.¡± Tassie nodded and they lapsed into silence, each one lost in thought.
The pair continued their walk, following the trail Adrian and Reya had shown them. They stopped to admire a large patch of flowers adorning a clearing in the forest, their bright yellow and purple petals enough to put their worries aside ¨C if only for a moment. But sometimes, a moment is all that¡¯s needed.
Chapter 98
¡°And this is how I make that chord?¡± Reya asked. It had been weeks now that she and Adrian had been holed up in the music room. It was as if life had been blown back into Adrian now that he could create music again. It was an entirely new side of him, and she quite liked it.
When she¡¯d taken an interest in the bass, he¡¯d offered her lessons. Eagerly, she¡¯d accepted. Together, they spent long hours playing. One an expert who¡¯d lost his touch and the other a complete beginner. Adrian taught her with the utmost patience and Reya improved rapidly under his tutelage. While by no means amazing, she could now safely say she had the basics under her belt and play simple songs alongside him.
Being able to be a part of something so important to Adrian filled her with joy. Seeing him genuinely smile with a spring in his step was something she would do anything to keep. Every new side to him she discovered only made her fall in love with him all over again. His passion for music was contagious and she¡¯d been infected.
Her fingers pinched from playing for so long, but the pain didn¡¯t register to Reya. It was laughable compared to what she¡¯d suffered. The state of her hands wasn¡¯t even worth her attention. Adrian spotted the bloodied frets and strings and forced her to take a break. He went to the bathroom to get the medical kit and began treating her.
Eyeing the shimmering red blood with suspicion, he found the colour to be off. It was too pale. He shrugged and didn¡¯t think much of it. He¡¯d never seen a¡¯vaare blood before and presumed that to be what it was supposed to look like, but he couldn¡¯t shake the nagging feeling in the back of his mind.
Reya watched him impassively as he wrapped the fingers in gauze after putting a clear, pale-yellow gel over where it bled. Idly, she wondered if her blood had always been such a bright red but quickly pushed such thoughts out of her mind before they veered towards when she¡¯d been tortured.
Unable to teach her any more for the moment, Adrian decided to record the song he¡¯d been practicing. Reya listened, entranced by the process. It took many takes before he was satisfied with the outcome. Hours passed as he played but neither of them noticed. Once he was finished, he moved to his setup spread over the desk and put the song together, one layer at a time.
Explaining as he went, Reya received an impromptu lesson on how to use the equipment, stunned at the versatility it offered. Once again, she was reminded on how different their societies were. She would have never thought of half of what Adrian demanded his equipment be able to do. To think such a thing was a product an entirely different culture boggled her.
Watching Adrian in his element fascinated her to no end. In what felt like no time at all, he was playing back the final version of his song, leaving Reya shocked. When it was done, she demanded he play it again. Sounds she¡¯d never heard before blended together to make the alien music that rushed through her, rendering her speechless.
Adrian grinned when all she could do was gape. ¡°I¡¯m not finished yet.¡±
¡°You mean you¡¯re not done?¡± Reya exclaimed. ¡°I thought you were mixing it because it was finished.¡±
¡°No,¡± he shook his head. ¡°This song needs one final thing. Lyrics. Now that I¡¯ve got the instrumental portion put together I can sing along to it.¡± He explained to her how to start the song from the beginning when he gave her the signal and got to work setting up the microphone.
Before they could begin, a knock on the door resounded, giving them pause. ¡°Can I come in?¡± came Rann¡¯s voice from the other side.
Reya frowned and walked over and opened the door for her, inviting her inside. ¡°Of course you can. There¡¯s no need to ask. You can just come in.¡±
¡°Right,¡± Rann said, entering the room. She closed the door behind her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure because everything in here is technically Adrian¡¯s. What are you doing?¡±
¡°We¡¯re recording a song,¡± Reya exclaimed. ¡°You should stay and watch.¡±
For a moment, Rann considered the offer. ¡°Do you mind if I record it?¡± She had her orders to secure any information Adrian divulged and figured his music counted. Tassie had been in some hot water for a while after having failed to divulge some of the information she¡¯d learned from Adrian, and Rann didn¡¯t want to be in that position if she could help it.
¡°No need,¡± Adrian waved. ¡°I¡¯ll send you the recording after once it¡¯s finished. Just remember that I own the rights to the song.¡±
¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re giving it away so freely,¡± Rann said, her brows raised. Reya waved her over and she took her first good look at Adrian¡¯s setup. It looked strange to her. Her eyes went wide as Reya gave a brief overview of what it did.
When Adrian finished setting up the microphone, he gave Reya the countdown. Rann¡¯s questions about the software on his data slate were hushed The song started and Adrian began to sing. His voice rose and fell as he added the final piece to his song. The two women understood none of it but found it beautiful all the same. All too soon, it came to and end.
It took Reya several seconds to register that he was finished, and she belatedly stopped the recording. ¡°Is that what all music on your world sounds like?¡± She¡¯d never known anything that sounded like what she¡¯d just heard and needed to know.
Adrian laughed. ¡°This is one song from one style among many. Soon, I¡¯ll show you others.¡± They would never live up to the originals, but he could only do so much. The prospect of having music to listen to, even if it was his, lit a fire under him, and he longed to show the most important person in his life the results. It was the only piece of his culture that he had left; the last piece of home he had amidst the alien world he¡¯d found himself on.
¡°Yes, please!¡± Reya clapped excitedly. She¡¯d be happy if she could make something half as good as what she¡¯d just listened to. Until now, she¡¯d never taken much of an interest in music beyond listening to it on occasion. Everything she¡¯d ever listened to was thoroughly unimpressive compared to what Adrian could produce.
Rann noticed the bandages on her fingers for the first time. ¡°What happened?¡± she asked. Concern filled her voice.
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¡°I played until my fingers bled,¡± Reya said, trying to brush it off. She failed miserably when Rann continued her questioning, not letting the matter drop.
¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop sooner?¡± Rann prodded.
¡°I honestly didn¡¯t notice until Adrian made me stop,¡± Reya said sheepishly.
¡°How can you not notice that!? Didn¡¯t it hurt?¡± Rann asked.
¡°Not really?¡± Reya tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯ve felt something so much worse that this is literally nothing to me.¡± She couldn¡¯t suppress the shudder that ran through her. Adrian moved closer and placed his hand on her back, his touch comforting. She collected him into a sideways hug and leaned into him.
Rann let the scene play out in front of her, as she pondered Reya¡¯s comments. They bothered her. Greatly. Normal people noticed when they started bleeding. Normal people would have stopped long before reaching that point. Can Reya no longer feel pain? She wondered. She shook her head. No, there must be some other explanation. I¡¯ll have to bring this up with Kell and see what he thinks. How could she not notice?
The couple missed the Rann¡¯s alarmed look while they focused on each other. Reya¡¯s grip on Adrian¡¯s shirt tightened as the memories she usually kept buried surfaced. The sound of the wall opening resounded in her ears. The stench of her cell filled her nose as she wasted away. The feeling of the needle as it pierced her skin. The moment the final chemical entered her bloodstream. The pain. Gods, the pain. Tears stung her eyes as it all came rushing back to her. It burned. It tore. It rippedherapartshreddedeverymusclegroundherbonestodust ¨C
A tender kiss atop her head tore her from her thoughts and brought her back to the present. ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± Adrian cooed gently in Reya¡¯s ear, ¡°you¡¯re safe here. Nothing¡¯s going to hurt you.¡± He wrapped both arms around her, letting his presence reassure her.
Rann couldn¡¯t do anything other than watch him care for her. Watching Reya go from flippant to the verge of a breakdown so quickly stunned her into inaction. Adrian had somehow not only known what was happening before she did but had also managed to calm Reya down before she got any worse.
Reya lay her head upon Adrian¡¯s chest and listened to the alien rhythm of his heartbeat. It was familiar. She¡¯d grown so used to it during their time together that it no longer bothered her as it once had. The strange thumping of his chest comforted her as she sagged into him, embracing his support as she focused on him.
¡°How are you feeling?¡± he asked softly. She looked better than before, but he still wanted to check in and make sure. Seeing her head towards the same dark place that awaited him pained him. He knew what was waiting for her there and would do everything in his power to prevent her from heading down that path.
¡°Better,¡± Reya said weakly. She tilted her head to look at him. ¡°Have I ever told you how much I love you?¡± Adrian was the only person to make her feel safe and understood her trials and tribulations. He always cared for her when she needed it and never asked for anything in return.
Adrian smiled. ¡°No, but you can say it again.¡±
Reya chuckled at her own words being thrown back at her and did just that. ¡°I love you more than anything else in the world.¡±
Caught up in the moment, they¡¯d both forgotten that Rann was still in the room and were startled when she spoke. ¡°Is everything alright? What just happened?¡± She hadn¡¯t even known what had set Reya off. After months of progress in getting better, watching her friend regress at the drop of a hat made her wonder if there had been any progress at all. How much of it was all a lie ¨C an act to keep them from digging?
Reya turned around in Adrian¡¯s arms to face Rann, not willing to leave his warm embrace just yet. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine now. It happens sometimes.¡± Once again, Reya tried brushing off the issue, but Rann wasn¡¯t about to let up.
¡°You were not fine!¡± Rann said sternly. ¡°We were talking about your hands and,¡± she gestured wildly while searching for her words, ¡°whatever that was just happened. Now tell me what that was about.¡±
¡°Sometimes the memories of what happened to us become too much,¡± Adrian said.
¡°I was asking Reya,¡± Rann retorted.
¡°Adrian¡¯s right,¡± Reya spoke up. ¡°Most of the time, we get can get by if we don¡¯t dwell on what happened to us. But we¡¯re not perfect. Sometimes ¨C¡± she took a deep breath, ¡°sometimes it just becomes too much. It¡¯s something we¡¯re working on.¡±
Rann faltered. Tassie¡¯s reactions to Adrian¡¯s experiment came to mind. ¡°Does this have anything to do with Adrian¡¯s video?¡± The couple immediately knew what she was talking about. ¡°Is it the thing you told me you were trying to forget?¡±
Adrian and Reya shared a look. ¡°Yes,¡± Reya said. ¡°To both questions.¡± Their gazes turned heavy, their stares unsettling Rann. ¡°Words will never be enough to describe what happened to us. We can try, but we¡¯ll fail miserably.¡± Reya flashed a wan smile. ¡°How about we focus on something else. Why did you come here again? You guys have been avoiding this room ever since we set it up a few weeks ago.¡±
Rann wanted to keep the conversation about Reya¡¯s reaction, but a sharp look from Adrian disabused her of that idea. After a moment¡¯s thought, she decided to accept the attempt to shift the conversation away from the heavy topic for fear of setting Reya off again. ¡°I was coming to check in on you. I actually wanted to speak with you both earlier, but you¡¯ve been cooped up in here all day. You even missed dinner!¡±
Reya and Adrian looked at each other in surprise. ¡°We did?¡± Reya asked. ¡°You should have told us! Who cooked?¡±
¡°Me and Tassie. It sounded like you were busy having fun and we didn¡¯t want to interrupt.¡± Rann omitted the part where Kell ordered the team not to disturb them while they were focusing on something other than their trauma. Her shoulders drooped as she wondered if she¡¯d ruined the pleasant moment they were having before she arrived. ¡°We¡¯re planning another evening with all of us around the campfire again. You know, have some drinks, chat and relax.¡±
It had been Kell who had greenlighted the idea for Rann and Tassie¡¯s plan, overruling Jyn on the matter ¨C not that he¡¯d put up much of a fuss. After months of inaction and constant vigilance, even he needed a break. Rann hadn¡¯t understood what Kell meant by Reya and Adrian needing the distraction until just now.
¡°That sounds like a great idea!¡± Reya enthused. She broke free from Adrian¡¯s hold and tugged on his sleeve. ¡°We should go grab a bite to eat before we join the others. Do we have enough alcohol for everyone?¡±
Rann knew that Reya really meant Adrian, well aware that he needed extra to feel buzzed. She chuckled. ¡°Yes. We stocked up on extra during our last supply run.¡± It was unclear if letting Reya and Adrian get drunk was a good idea, but it had worked out well the last time. If they were lucky, he might spill more information about the facility.
She almost felt bad about plying Adrian with liquor to make him more talkative.
The sentiment was short-lived. Time was running out and the General needed answers. Check-ins for anything Adrian divulged were becoming more frequent. There was no doubt in Rann¡¯s mind that things would get shaken up once the other test subject arrived. She hoped that he had the answers the military was looking for so that Adrian and Reya could finally be given some peace over the matter.
¡°How long until everyone¡¯s ready to go?¡± Adrian asked. ¡°Is there time for me to finish recording my song? I¡¯d like to show the others.¡±
¡°About an hour. There¡¯s no rush.¡±
¡°Perfect.¡± He smiled widely. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see what everybody thinks of my music.¡± Grabbing Reya by the hand, they left the room. Now that it had been brought up, he was finding himself rather hungry. A minor inconvenience when he¡¯d known worse, but still one he preferred taking care of. He¡¯d yet to be disappointed by anything he¡¯d eaten since being freed and looked forward to discovering the local cuisine.
Rann¡¯s eyes lingered on the strange instruments before she closed the door and scurried after the couple. Now wasn¡¯t the time to talk to Kell about her concerns. She¡¯d keep an eye out for any other strange behaviour she noticed and make a mental note. Their problems could wait until tomorrow.
Tonight, it was time to let loose and relax.
Chapter 99
Jyn bit his lip as he set up another chair around the fire pit. It was late in the evening and soon the others would congregate towards the warm fire that crackled defiantly in the dark. He eyed the cooler full of liquor and sighed. ¡°I suppose we could all use the break,¡± he muttered.
Kell heard, however. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good thing for Reya and Adrian. A night together as a group is just what they need. They¡¯ve been rather anti-social since the instruments arrived. It¡¯s nice that their minds are preoccupied, but a little bit of change to their routine would do them wonders. I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re not more against this.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not a total hard-ass, contrary to popular belief. The others have been taking their jobs more seriously ¨C which is great ¨C but I can tell that their fatigue is building. I can¡¯t afford to let morale drop any further if I want them to keep doing their jobs properly. I¡¯d prefer it if they didn¡¯t get piss drunk, but I think I can let it slide. This time.¡±
¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re thinking about the team again,¡± Kell said.
¡°I never stopped,¡± Jyn replied, more harshly than intended. ¡°It¡¯s the others that need the reminder that we¡¯re still on duty. I¡¯ve been doing my job the entire time. Why don¡¯t the others see that?¡± It had been beyond frustrating to make the others take their work seriously and he was reaching the end of his patience.
¡°We all handled the outcome of the mission differently. Some of us were more affected than others. We¡¯re all frayed from what we¡¯ve discovered. Tonight will be a good opportunity to blow off some steam.¡±
¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for Adrian, we¡¯d all be able to relax. Instead, we¡¯re stuck here.¡±
¡°We¡¯d still be at the facility if we hadn¡¯t found Adrian. Discovering him has let us be with Reya when she needs us the most. In a twisted way, he¡¯s the reason she¡¯s not alone.¡±
Jyn¡¯s face darkened. ¡°He¡¯s also the reason she got hurt to begin with.¡±
Kell was about to respond when the doors to the back porch opened. Tassie, Beor and Eimir walked out, dressed in sweaters and long pants to keep the night chill at bay. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this later,¡± he promised, throwing Jyn a pointed look.
The others sat in the chairs, forming a ring around the fire while Jyn and Kell made one last run to get the last of them. Once finished, they took a seat as well, leaving three chairs untouched for the people still inside.
Beor cracked open the cooler and started passing out drinks. Tassie eagerly took hers and popped the cap; she was the first one to begin drinking. Kell frowned at her behaviour and took a small sip of his drink once he opened it.
The conversation remained on light topics as the group waited for the others to arrive. Some time later, they emerged from the house, Adrian holding a data slate and Reya holding an amp. Rann shut the door behind them. They took up the remaining chairs, with Reya and Adrian sitting next to one another.
Reya asked Beor for the hard stuff, which earned her a raised brow. He didn¡¯t say anything as he complied with her request but shot Kell a worried glance after handing off the bottle. She didn¡¯t notice as she inspected the label on what she¡¯d been handed. It wasn¡¯t the same liquor as the previous time. The one she had now tasted like tree nuts and honey. ¡°I think you¡¯ll like this one,¡± she told Adrian.
¡°Is it as strong as the last one?¡± he asked. His last experience with what passed for hard liquor on Verilia had left quite the impression. He wanted to know what he was getting into before trying this one. Reya¡¯s laugh when he¡¯d taken that first sip made it worth it to him, even if the experience had been less than pleasant. It had been something wonderful to hear.
¡°Not quite. This one doesn¡¯t have the same kick. It¡¯s much smoother. I promise.¡± She held up her hand and crossed her fingers. Adrian had shown her what it signified in his culture, and she hoped she was using it correctly now.
Adrian broke out into a huge grin. ¡°That¡¯s not quite how you use that. It¡¯s used to mean you hope something goes well. Or that you¡¯re lying.¡±
¡°I thought I had it,¡± Reya said, bummed.
¡°You were very close,¡± he said warmly. ¡°I appreciate the effort. You¡¯ll get it next time, I¡¯m sure of it.¡± He watched as she opened the bottle and took a long drink. And then another. And another. Adrian might have been worried had he not been planning on having more himself. A noticeably emptier bottle was passed along to him.
¡°That hit the spot,¡± she said with a grin while he inspected the bottle¡¯s label. Her face flushed a deeper shade of purple as the alcohol made its way through her system. Noticing Adrian take his time before drinking sparked her curiosity. ¡°What are you doing?¡± She¡¯d expected him to immediately start drinking, not spend time reading.
¡°I was checking to see if there was any history written on the label like the other drinks I¡¯ve had before. I like learning more about your culture ¨C even if it¡¯s only about a distillery.¡±
¡°If you have an interest in our history, I could teach you about it sometime,¡± Reya clapped. After all of the learning she was doing about music, having something she could give back to him made her ecstatic.
Seeing the twinkle in her eyes at the prospect of teaching him something new made Adrian smile softly. ¡°I¡¯d love that.¡± A tentative sniff of the liquor made his eyes widen. ¡°This smells really good.¡± Taking a chance, he took a swig. ¡°And it somehow tastes even better!¡±
¡°I¡¯m glad you like it. It¡¯s the good stuff, that¡¯s for sure.¡±
Adrian frowned. ¡°Is it ok for just the two of us to drink this bottle? Won¡¯t the others want some?¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Beor spoke up. ¡°We have more of the stuff. You guys can have that one all to yourselves.¡± To prove his point, he dug around in the cooler and revealed another bottle identical to the one Adrian was holding. ¡°We picked up extra after learning that it takes quite a bit to get you drunk. Since we weren¡¯t sure how much you¡¯d actually drink, we made sure to get a lot.¡±
¡°The General was ok with that?¡±
¡°She didn¡¯t particularly care. She knows that we don¡¯t drink regularly and didn¡¯t seem worried when we explained why we wanted so much.¡±
Reya¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± She was certain there was an ulterior motive behind allowing her soldiers have access to so much alcohol. There was no way the General would stand for her soldiers getting sloshed while they were on active duty for something so important.
¡°We have to report back how much Adrian drinks,¡± Beor said awkwardly. ¡°Not an exact amount, though.¡± He waved his hands in front of him to try and downplay the situation.
¡°They want more data on Adrian? Must everything be an experiment?¡± Reya was about to continue her rant when a hand on her lap gave her pause.
¡°They already know I eat and drink more than normal,¡± Adrian said. ¡°I¡¯m not too worried about them learning a bit more about this. It¡¯s not something I can hide. I would have appreciated knowing this caveat beforehand, though.¡± Adrian shot Beor a glare, causing him to squirm.
¡°We¡¯re telling you now, aren¡¯t we?¡± Jyn said. ¡°If you¡¯re fine with it, what¡¯s the problem?¡±
¡°Being part of a secret experiment is the problem¡± Adrian said harshly. ¡°The only reason I¡¯m fine with it is because it¡¯s for something so minor that I know you won¡¯t be able to accurately gauge. You have no way of knowing how much I¡¯m actually drinking in the dark.¡±
¡°Not everything we do is an experiment!¡± Jyn said in exasperation. ¡°Can¡¯t you just enjoy the nice evening without making it all about you?¡±
¡°Getting him drunk to report the specifics sounds like an experiment to me,¡± Reya cut in. ¡°You¡¯re just after admitting that you need to report Adrian¡¯s intake.¡± She reached for the bottle Adrian was holding. He surrendered it without a fuss and watched her take another drink. When she returned it, an oddity caught his eye. At first, he¡¯d thought the bottle to be blue. Now that it was emptier, he could see that wasn¡¯t the case. The bottle itself was clear. He held it up to the fire light to be sure and wondered if the drink was naturally that colour or dyed.
Reya and Jyn continued to argue over technicalities, neither one of them coming to an agreement. While they spoke, Adrian put the bottle to his lips and had a large amount. It was half empty when he put it down. It would take much more to get him drunk, so he held onto the bottle while he waited for the effects of the alcohol to kick in, hoping he wouldn¡¯t have to wait too long.
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The conversation grew increasingly heated until Tassie interrupted and asked why one of the amps had been brought out. The argument stopped while Reya replied. ¡°It¡¯s so that we can show you the song Adrian recorded!¡± The harsh tone she¡¯d been using with Jyn vanished without a trace as her excitement took over. ¡°You all need to listen to it. It¡¯s really good,¡± she gushed.
¡°Is that what you were working on all day?¡±
¡°Not all day, but it is the reason we came out so late.¡±
Beor breathed a sigh of relief now that the budding quarrel no longer dominated the atmosphere. It was uncomfortable, watching his friends fight openly. ¡°Can we listen to it?¡± He¡¯d heard bits and pieces of the song as it was being recorded, but since it was only one instrument at a time, he never got to hear what the final version sounded like.
¡°My data slate is already connected to the amp. All we need to do is turn it on and we¡¯re ready to go.¡± Reya leaned over her chair and took care of that for him. She flashed him a thumbs up when everything was all set. Adrian received a chorus of affirmatives when he asked if the others were ready to listen. The night grew quiet once more as the others waited, unsure of what to expect.
They¡¯d all heard Adrian sing once before and had already been impressed. The instruments he played made sounds that none of the group had ever heard before. Rann smirked, already knowing what their reactions would be.
Adrian started the song.
To a rhythm as alien as his heartbeat, music poured out from the small, unassuming amp. Deep, rich bass lines shook everybody as they wove between the higher, melodic chorus and refrains. The lilting notes of an electric guitar cut through the melody, stunning those who¡¯d never heard the instrument before.
All the while, Adrian¡¯s voice rang out in a beautiful baritone, complimenting the accompaniment. The effect was magnified when he harmonized with himself. His audience listened, entranced. They understood none of it, but that didn¡¯t matter. All too soon, the song was over.
The campfire was the only sound to fill the silence that reigned. ¡°By the gods,¡± Tassie said, breaking the spell that held everybody captive. ¡°That was,¡± she trailed off. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard anything like it before. That was amazing.¡± The others nodded in agreement.
Adrian, for his part, could only smile. ¡°I told you last time that you were missing so much without the instruments. This is only a small part of what I can do. My last little piece of home,¡± he said wistfully. ¡°I¡¯m glad you enjoyed it.¡± He bounced back quickly, not ready to ruin the moment. ¡°I¡¯ll be forever grateful to your military for having taken the time to reproduce my instruments.¡±
Reya reached over and grabbed his hand. She gave it a squeeze, which he returned. ¡°I was also shocked when I heard it, and I saw it get recorded.¡±
¡°Will you record more songs?¡± Beor inquired. If Adrian could continue to provide music of the same quality, he would be more than happy to have it play around the house.
¡°That¡¯s the plan,¡± Adrian replied. ¡°I wish I could show you what the original sounded like, but you¡¯ll have to settle for my voice instead.¡±
¡°Do you have any other songs for us?¡±
¡°Recorded like the one I just played? No. But I could go get some guitars and play more songs if you¡¯d like. There¡¯d only be one instrument, but that should be enough.¡±
¡°I¡¯d love that,¡± Reya said before anybody else could get a word in edgewise. Standing up, she turned around and grabbed Adrian¡¯s hands. ¡°Let¡¯s go get the instruments,¡± she said as she pulled him up out of his chair. Her excitement brought a smile to Rann¡¯s face. It had been so long since she¡¯d seen so much life in Reya and would do anything to keep her that way.
Jyn¡¯s face soured and he looked like he was about to interject but was cut off by Kell. ¡°That sounds like an excellent idea. You¡¯ve been learning too, haven¡¯t you, Reya? Would you care to show us?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not that good yet,¡± she said bashfully. ¡°Adrian¡¯s much better than I am. I don¡¯t really know any songs.¡±
¡°Nonsense,¡± Adrian said. ¡°You¡¯re much better than you give yourself credit for. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen anybody learn as fast as you.¡±
The honesty in his voice brought a beaming smile to Reya¡¯s face. ¡°You really think so?¡±
¡°Absolutely. Now come on, let¡¯s go get those instruments and get set up.¡± Together, the pair stumbled towards the house, intent on showing their friends what they could do.
Once the door to the house shut behind the couple, Jyn spoke up. ¡°Do we really have to listen to them play music for the rest of the night? I thought we¡¯d talk about other things.¡±
Kell gave Jyn a level stare. ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve seen how upbeat and excited they are by the prospect. I don¡¯t care what it is that makes them feel this way, I want them to keep feeling positive emotions. It¡¯s far better than having them dwell on what happened. It might seem like an inconvenience to you, but to them it¡¯s important. Let them have their moment. It won¡¯t take up the entire evening and it¡¯ll make both of them happy.¡±
¡°Fine,¡± Jyn grumbled.
¡°The same goes for the rest of you,¡± Kell said, addressing the others.
¡°No complaints from me,¡± Eimir said, motioning for Beor to hand him another drink. ¡°I liked the song. I¡¯m curious to see what else they¡¯re going to play for us.¡±
¡°He speaks!¡± Beor said dramatically as he dug around in the cooler. ¡°At long last. I feel like we¡¯ve barely seen you lately.¡± Flourishing a beer, he handed it over.
¡°Somebody has to take over the night shift. If it¡¯s just me, then the rest of you get to have a normal schedule. It¡¯s not fun, but it is what it is. I appreciate it when you guys take over so I can get some sunlight.¡±
¡°We should adjust the schedule to make it fairer,¡± Jyn said. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t have to be just you who¡¯s sacrificing sleep to guard us.¡±
¡°We can sort something out later,¡± Eimir said. The door to the house opened and Reya and Adrian walked out. Reya had a long, black case in her hand while Adrian had two. They rejoined the group and set the instruments down next to their chairs.
With great care, Reya opened her case and withdrew a sleek, black bass. She slung the strap over her shoulder and set her fingers on the rich, chocolate, wooden neck. Silver dots along the wood caught the firelight and glinted as she got settled.
Adrian took out an acoustic guitar while Reya synced her instrument to the amp. He¡¯d already tuned the instruments before bringing them outside, so they were all ready to be played. The others eyed the strange objects curiously, wondering what they sounded like.
¡°Which one¡¯s the one that makes those low notes? Is it one of the ones you brought out with you?¡± Tassie asked.
¡°Mine¡¯s the one that does that,¡± Reya said bashfully. An encouraging stare from Adrian gave her the confidence she needed to display her budding skills openly for the others to hear. She played several scales in succession and a simple, yet catchy beat.
Her playing was by no means excellent ¨C she was a beginner after all ¨C but the others were impressed all the same. They asked questions about the instrument, some of which Reya struggled to answer. Adrian jumped in and provided the explanations they were looking for when she drew a blank.
After fawning over Reya¡¯s talent, the focus shifted to the similar-looking, yet different instrument Adrian was holding. He chuckled when asked about it and provided insight into how it worked, strumming along to highlight his points.
At Rann and Tassie¡¯s request, he began playing in earnest. Each song increased in complexity the more he played. The difference between his and Reya¡¯s skill level took group by surprise, even after having listened to the song he¡¯d recorded.
¡°I think it would be more fun if both Reya and I played together,¡± Adrian said after his third song. Reya¡¯s eyes widened. She didn¡¯t have the confidence to be able to match him and knew she¡¯d only drag him down while he played.
All eyes turned to Reya as they awaited her response. ¡°I only know how to play one song!¡± She waved her hands in front of her to dissuade the others from their obviously high expectations of her. ¡°The bassline isn¡¯t even that impressive.¡±
¡°We¡¯ve practiced plenty over the past few weeks. Have some confidence in yourself,¡± Adrian said, giving her an encouraging nudge. Reya bit her lip as she contemplated what to do. Tassie and Rann joined forces with Adrian and together they convinced her to at least give it a try.
¡°Fine,¡± Reya said, giving in. ¡°But don¡¯t expect anything too impressive.¡±
The duo took position and Adrian gave a countdown. On zero, the first notes made themselves heard. Neither Adrian¡¯s nor Reya¡¯s part was particularly complex and alone, neither one was impressive. When played at the same time, the sounds they created wove together to make something magical. For several minutes, they played an upbeat, catchy tune that was sure to get stuck in everyone¡¯s heads.
Adrian¡¯s voice rang out in the night once again, as he was the only one who knew the lyrics. Reya was determined to learn them properly one day, but for now she would have to content herself with the instrumental portion only. They finished and received a resounding applause from everyone. Even Jyn was impressed and admitted such when asked for his opinion.
¡°You were worried for nothing,¡± Rann said to Reya with a huge grin on her face. ¡°That was great! It¡¯s a shame you only know one song.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll learn more soon enough,¡± Reya said, casting a shy, sidelong glance towards Adrian. ¡°Hopefully.¡±
¡°I¡¯d love nothing more than to teach you anything you want to learn,¡± Adrian said.
¡°What about the other instrument you brought out?¡± Beor asked. ¡°Is it the same as the others or is it different?¡±
¡°Actually,¡± Adrian hummed, ¡°if we play the song again, I can use it instead of this one to show you what it sounds like. The song wasn¡¯t created with an electric guitar in mind, but I can improvise no problem.¡± An enthusiastic chorus of affirmatives rang out from all around the campfire. Chuckling, he put the guitar he was holding back in its case and took out the other one.
Reya and Adrian started playing anew. True to his word, the song didn¡¯t sound the same as the first time they¡¯d played it. When they finished, Tassie chittered excitedly about how the instrument worked, much to Eimir and Kell¡¯s fascination.
The night of merriment continued, and more drinks were had all around. The well-stocked cooler steadily grew emptier the more time passed.
Hours flew by as the topic of conversation shifted from Adrian and Reya¡¯s music to lighthearted topics. The alcohol worked overtime to keep dark thoughts out of everybody¡¯s minds, as heavy topics were purposefully avoided, everybody having come to a silent agreement on the matter.
While the others were curious, they knew better than to spoil the evening by pressing Adrian for information about their newcomer who was set to arrive in less than a week. Those were problems for another day. Tonight was a time to rekindle broken bonds and forge deeper ones. Drunken laughter filled the air as stories and jokes were traded.
After months of living with them, Adrian was beginning to learn more about the people most important to Reya. The evening wore on and he once again found himself shut out of the conversation, having nothing to contribute to years¡¯ worth of memories and fond moments. He sipped his drink in quiet contemplation as he watched Reya¡¯s family get along with each other in ways that he couldn¡¯t.
After all, he was still just a job to them. It would do him no good to forget that.
Chapter 100
The fire slowly died down and with it, everyone¡¯s earlier enthusiasm. In the early hours of the morning, people drunkenly stumbled back into the house seeking the warm comfort of their beds. The chairs were left as they were, and the cooler was abandoned outside. One by one, the group dropped like flies until only Reya and Adrian remained.
Adrian stood up and brought the cooler next to his chair so that he and Reya could continue drinking. After going through several bottles of hard liquor together, both of them were well into their cups and no longer able to walk straight.
Still, the night was young, and the couple wasn¡¯t about to pass up one of their only opportunities to be intoxicated. While Adrian dug around in the cooler for their next drink, Reya added logs to the fire and stoked the flames. Once they grew to an acceptable height, she collected the large blanket Tassie had been using to keep warm and draped it over her and Adrian¡¯s laps, their chairs still one right next to the other.
In the soft orange glow cast by the flames, Adrian inspected the bottle that he¡¯d fished out of the cooler. A clear bottle with clear liquid, it didn¡¯t stand out to him the way the others had ¨C until he read the alcohol content, that was. It was by far the highest he¡¯d seen. He passed it over to Reya, who was patiently waiting. ¡°What do you think of this one?¡± he asked.
Her brows shot up when she read the label. ¡°I didn¡¯t think we had any of this with us tonight. Given how drunk the others were, it¡¯s a good thing Beor didn¡¯t crack this one out ¨C otherwise people might have been sick. This drink is notorious for getting you absolutely wasted without you noticing.¡±
¡°How¡¯s that even possible?¡± Adrian asked, bewildered. ¡°It¡¯s so strong, surely you¡¯d notice.¡±
¡°It¡¯s very sweet,¡± Reya said. ¡°The taste masks the alcohol, so you¡¯re in for a bad time of it if you¡¯re not careful. This should be perfect to finish off the evening with, since even you should feel this.¡± She screwed off the cap and took a whiff. With a lazy grin, she brought the bottle to her lips and took a swig. The drink went down smoothly. Reya let out a satisfied breath before passing the bottle back to Adrian.
When he took a sip, a light, fruity taste filled his mouth. There was no burn when he swallowed. A small fire lit in his stomach as the drink settled. ¡°I see what you mean,¡± he said. Hoping not to sober up anytime soon, he took several more long swigs.
¡°Maybe you should go a little slower on that,¡± Reya said, concerned.
Adrian nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a little bit before having more, just to see how it interacts with my system.¡± He passed the bottle back to her. She stared at it longingly and brought it back to her lips. A frustrated sigh was picked up by his enhanced hearing. ¡°It¡¯s not enough, is it?¡± he asked.
¡°It never is,¡± she said softly. ¡°Gods, I want nothing more than to forget, but no matter how much I try, it always comes back.¡± She gripped the blanket tightly and looked towards Adrian. Indecision tore at her as she considered whether to say more. A knot formed in her stomach. ¡°Drowning it away isn¡¯t quite enough, but it helps, you know?¡±
¡°I get that,¡± Adrian said quietly, knowing full well he was in no opinion to judge when he was doing the same. A beat passed before he spoke again. ¡°The haze hides the details, but it¡¯s not perfect. It blocks them out ¨C keeps them muted. But some things still slip through.¡± Even though he wanted to, he resisted the urge to ask for the bottle so soon after promising Reya he¡¯d wait before drinking any more.
Her world spun as she took yet another sip. Reya knew that stopping would be the sensible thing to do, but she wasn¡¯t feeling particularly sensible that evening. Bothering to keep track of how much she¡¯d had by that point was too much of a hassle for her to care. She wouldn¡¯t be getting up anytime soon, lest she fall over. ¡°Why isn¡¯t it ever enough?¡± she said softly.
¡°I don¡¯t know, but I wish it was,¡± Adrian replied.
The pair lapsed into silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts while they stared at the fire. Some time passed and Adrian motioned for Reya to pass him back the bottle. She relinquished it without complaint, content on enjoying the floating feeling the alcohol was giving her.
By now, a noticeable dent had been made in what they were currently drinking. Neither one said a word as the bottle steadily grew emptier over the course of the next hour. They spoke about lighthearted topics, but their time at the facility was in the back of their minds and on the tips of their tongues. Stories and feelings they needed to share and have somebody else know about were kept at bay as they conversed.
Spurred on by the alcohol, Reya was the first to take the plunge and bring up heavier topics. ¡°What did Ava mean when she said that you and the other test subject might not get along?¡± she asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask sooner because I knew you weren¡¯t ready to talk about it.¡±
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Adrian rubbed a hand over his face as he debated whether other not to answer. He took another shot of liquid courage before speaking. ¡°My time at the human facility on Earth was full of surprises. I¡¯ve told you about some of them,¡± Adrian said. Reya nodded and he continued, ¡°The escape attempt was doomed from the start, but not because of Adam, the informant who got punished alongside Lily.¡±
Reya frowned. ¡°But he¡¯s the reason your plan was found out. How could he not be responsible for you not succeeding?¡±
¡°It¡¯s true that he informed Ava that we were planning to escape,¡± Adrian said with a complicated expression, ¡°but he didn¡¯t know any of the details to our plan. After he made it clear he wanted no part in our escape, my cell mates and I only discussed it when he wasn¡¯t around so that he couldn¡¯t learn the specifics. He knew we were planning on escaping at some point, but that¡¯s it. Not the how, nor the when.¡±
¡°How come you failed if it wasn¡¯t Adam¡¯s fault and how does it relate to other test subject coming to live with us?¡±
¡°Stanley,¡± Adrian corrected. ¡°That¡¯s his name.¡± He took a deep breath and forced the next words out as he relived them. ¡°After we were punished by Ava, those of us still alive were brought back to our cell. Stanley was muttering something about it being his fault ¨C that he didn¡¯t know. He never expanded on the topic when I asked him and simply said that I didn¡¯t understand. I chalked it up to him still being in shock over what had just happened. All of us were.
¡°Right before being shoved in our pods, Ava had one last surprise for me. She thanked Stanley for all of his hard work and revealed that he¡¯d been an informant for her. The entire time.¡± He balled his fists together. ¡°Ever since day one, everything we did or discussed was reported back to Ava. Including the specifics of our plan.¡± Reya¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°He robbed me of my only chance at escaping. I had one shot to avoid what happened to me next.¡± His voice cracked as he spoke. ¡°And he ruined it.¡±
Reya remained silent as she thought over what had been revealed. She watched Adrian close in on himself as he awaited her response. She hated seeing him feel so small, so vulnerable. All because of the abuse he¡¯d suffered. As far as she was concerned, anybody who was complicit deserved a spot in the lowest hell. ¡°Fuck him,¡± she spat. ¡°He might not have known that you would be punished or shoved in a pod, but that doesn¡¯t excuse the fact that he knowingly sabotaged you. Was he the one who experimented on you? No. But he knew that if you stayed you were most likely all going to die and still went through with making sure that would remain the case.¡±
Adrian blinked, not expecting such an answer. ¡°You hate him that much?¡±
Reya sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not as clear cut as I would like to admit. He probably had his reasons for entering the lab as a spy, but he was also experimented on, right?¡± Adrian nodded. ¡°In a way, I pity him. But he¡¯s one of the reasons you got hurt and that is not alright. I can see why you might have difficulty meeting him. Hells, even I don¡¯t feel like meeting him after hearing about what he did!¡±
¡°But we still have to,¡± Adrian said sullenly. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to face him when the time comes. What do I say to him after what he did? What do I do?¡±
She eyed him before speaking again. ¡°There¡¯s something else bothering you, isn¡¯t there?¡± Reya asked. She knew Adrian well enough by now to tell that there was more that he wasn¡¯t telling her. Whether he shared his troubles or not was up to him. She wanted to help him through them, no matter how difficult that would be.
His shoulders drooped and he sagged in his chair. ¡°It seems like no matter where I go, my past find a way to catch up to me. All I want is to be free from it, but now a part of it is coming to live with me. That means I have to face a reminder of what happened every time see with him.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know if ever we¡¯ll be free from what happened to us,¡± Reya said. ¡°Some days are harder than others. You told me once that that things can get better. That you hoped they would. You and I both never thought we¡¯d live when we were captured and look at us now. We¡¯ve come a long way.¡±
¡°That doesn¡¯t make meeting him any easier.¡±
¡°I know.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t want to see him again.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll be here for you every step of the way. You¡¯re no longer alone. We¡¯re stronger together.¡± She reached over and extended her hand in his direction.
Adrian sniffed. He reached over and took her hand. ¡°Having you by my side when it¡¯s finally time to meet would help a lot.¡±
¡°By your side is where I belong. I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡± Reya flashed him a brilliant smile and tightened her grip. If he needed her support, then she¡¯d give it to him freely. Always.
Rann peered through the curtains in her room and out the window, eyeing the figures still seated in their chairs next to the fire. Beor spotted her and walked up behind her. Collecting her in a hug, he looked outside to see what it was she was staring at. ¡°They¡¯re still out there?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s pretty late. Aren¡¯t they tired?¡±
¡°Apparently not, if they¡¯re still drinking,¡± Rann said. ¡°I hope they don¡¯t have too much.¡±
¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about ¨C not whatever secrets they¡¯re discussing?¡± Beor said. ¡°With that much alcohol in their system, something important is bound to come up.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t want them to be sick. Or for Reya and Adrian to start thinking alcohol is a solution to their problems. They had a lot to drink tonight between the two of them.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think grouping Reya together with Adrian is a fair metric. He needed to drink so much before finally feeling it. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he was experimented on and is,¡± Beor searched for the right word, ¡°different,¡± he settled for, ¡°I¡¯d be seriously concerned.¡±
¡°The amount he needs to drink is still concerning, but there¡¯s nothing we can do about that.¡± Rann frowned. ¡°Reya too, for that matter. I don¡¯t remember her being able to handle that much alcohol.¡±
¡°It could just be that you¡¯ve never seen her get that drunk. We can lock up the liquor if you¡¯re that concerned about it.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a problem yet. As long as this doesn¡¯t become a regular habit, I think it¡¯s fine. I hope whatever it is that they¡¯re doing out there turns out ok. That¡¯s all I can ask.¡±
¡°You mean you¡¯re not curious about what they¡¯re discussing?¡± Beor asked in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m sure the Tribunal would kill to hear whatever it is they¡¯re talking about.¡± Rann leaned back into him and shut the curtain, blocking their view.
¡°Not this time.¡±
Chapter 101
Mia eyed the destination highlighted on the map in front her. ¡°You¡¯re sure this is where we need to go?¡± Her acting captain called up a copy of the map to his command station and studied what had her pilot so concerned.
Iral drew up her orders and reread them to ensure they¡¯d properly input the correct destination into their GPS. ¡°Those are our orders. Is there something bothering you?¡±
¡°It¡¯s in the middle of nowhere! There¡¯s no outpost there, no command center, no base. Nothing! Why are they having us go to such a desolate spot to hand off our prisoner?¡± No matter how much she thought of it, carrying out a transfer at the location specified on the map made no sense to her.
¡°Because the General wants to keep this a secret. If even we aren¡¯t allowed to know the identity of the person we¡¯re transporting, she probably doesn¡¯t want anybody else finding out either.¡±
Mia frowned. ¡°Even that doesn¡¯t make any sense. We were forced to disable our cameras in the cell. We can¡¯t even check their status to make sure nothing¡¯s wrong with them. We¡¯ve been blindly feeding them one ration bar a day, but that¡¯s it. Why can¡¯t we look at our cargo? It¡¯s just a person. This makes no sense. What have we gotten ourselves into?¡±
¡°We knew ahead of time that anything we found relating to the facility was going to be classified,¡± Iral reminded her. ¡°If what we¡¯re doing is classified even to us, it must be really important. You heard the consequences if we look. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve looked.¡±
¡°Of course not!¡± Mia said defensively. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put you guys at risk like that. I¡¯m just saying, something weird is going on here.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Iral agreed. ¡°Whatever we¡¯ve been dragged into, it¡¯s big. Which is why I want nothing more than to be done with it and blend back in with the crowd. Once we wash our hands of this, I¡¯m going to lay low for a while. I don¡¯t want even more attention from High Command.¡±
¡°You really think we¡¯ll get that much attention?¡±
¡°We¡¯re already getting that much attention, just by virtue of being remotely part whatever¡¯s going on. I do not want to get caught in the crossfire of some game I don¡¯t know the rules to. In fact, I¡¯d rather remove myself from the board altogether. That means no standing out for me. Not for a little while, at least.¡±
Mia shrank back. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of it that way.¡±
¡°The consequences are too high for us to keep playing,¡± Iral shook her head. She prayed to the gods that nobody had looked. ¡°They said this mission is classified and I intend to keep it that way. Get us to our destination safely and make sure nobody looks. You¡¯re our last line of defense at making sure we get to live normal lives after this. And also the first one who will be suspected if anything goes wrong.¡±
Mia blanched.
Rann ensured everybody¡¯s weapons were in working condition before the exchange. While she didn¡¯t expect to need them, one could never be too careful. Especially when they weren¡¯t operating as a full team.
Eimir and Kell had opted to stay behind to guard the safe house while they were gone. Reya and Adrian still needed the protection and, gods forbid, should anything happen to her and the others during their mission, somebody that would be able to inform the General.
The team had arrived several hours in advance of the meeting time in order to ensure the surroundings were all clear. Nessah had made it clear that nobody apart from them were to lay eyes on the test subject. To that end, Tassie would be entering the incoming ship alongside Jyn to verify that the crew hadn¡¯t disobeyed their orders during their long trip. Her job would be to run a systems check to ensure that none of the cameras had been accessed.
Say nothing. Reveal nothing.
Their orders on how to handle their mission were clear. The other team wasn¡¯t in the know about anything involving Adrian and Reya and it was to remain that way. There was no jovial mood on the ship as the minutes stretched on, only tense silence.
An incoming communication caught Tassie¡¯s attention. ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± she announced to the rest of the crew, who were gathered alongside her on the bridge. Mia appeared onscreen as Tassie accepted the incoming call. Her face was as pale as her purple hair, but her voice remained smooth as she spoke, revealing nothing.
Tassie instructed them on where to land in the clearing. Once their ship was parked next to theirs, she relayed the order that their entire crew was to gather at their bridge, with no exceptions. Mia simply nodded and relayed the order to her captain.
Dressed in full combat gear, Tassie and her team marched off their ship with purpose and crossed the small clearing that sat between them and their destination. They boarded the ramp directly into the hull of the awaiting vessel.
Rann and Beor broke off from Tassie and Jyn and made directly for the cell where Stanley was kept, navigating the metal confines with ease. The layout of the other team¡¯s ship posed no issue for them, as it was one of the military¡¯s standard models.
Comms at the ready, Jyn and Tassie approached the bridge. Heavy doors slid open to reveal six people at the ready. Jyn frowned as he inspected them. ¡°Standard teams are of seven people. Why are you one short?¡±
Iral stepped forward. ¡°As acting Captain, allow me to speak for the others. Our Captain was left behind at the facility to run the operation. You may verify this with the Commander.¡±
¡°Excuse me while we do just that.¡± Jyn motioned towards Tassie. Without delay, she made the call. The soldiers gathered looked at each other nervously when it was accepted almost immediately.
Commander Cyrix appeared onscreen, his face intent. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± he asked gravely. After a quick run down, Cyrix confirmed what Iral said. Before hanging up, he reiterated to Iral that they were to follow Jyn¡¯s orders until they were cleared to leave, at which point they were to return directly back to the facility without delay.
The call ended and an unease spread throughout the room as the soldiers gathered reassessed the gravity of the mission. ¡°Proceed with checking their systems for unauthorized access to anything involving the payload,¡± Jyn ordered Tassie. She once again said nothing and made her way over to Mia¡¯s station.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit much?¡± one of the men said hotly as Tassie began her work. He eyed her with distrust, unhappy at the blatant invasion of privacy.
¡°No,¡± Jyn said harshly before Iral could calm her soldier.
¡°Mohr,¡± Iral hissed, ¡°that¡¯s enough. We knew this was going to happen when we accepted the mission. Things are going exactly as planned.¡±
¡°That still doesn¡¯t make it alright!¡± Mohr protested. ¡°How do we know they won¡¯t plant any false evidence and get us all in trouble?¡± He took a step towards Tassie, but a hand on his shoulder from the person next to him held him back.
Jyn didn¡¯t deign to answer, instead focusing on Iral. ¡°Get your soldier under control. If he takes another step towards mine, I¡¯ll view it as an act of aggression and respond with force.¡± The other Captain gulped, knowing he was serious.
¡°We both know you wouldn¡¯t!¡± Mohr said, ignoring the threat.
¡°Stand down,¡± Iral ordered in a tone that brooked no disobedience. She shot a withering glare at the troublemaker, giving him pause. Her eyes promised retribution should he refuse to listen. The hand on his shoulder tightened.
Mohr weighed his options as he glanced between Jyn and Iral. He searched for support amongst his peers and scowled when he saw their unsympathetic faces. ¡°Understood,¡± he said through clenched teeth.
Deciding on the next course of action now that Mohr was under control, Jyn tapped his comm and spoke.
¡°Proceed with the transfer,¡± came the order. Rann looked at Beor and stepped back. She raised her gun and aimed it at the door while he approached the console next to the door. He input the code and a mechanical whirring sound emanated from it, stopping with a click a moment later. Grabbing the handle, Beor wrenched the door open.
In the far corner of the dimly lit cell a figure lay on the floor with their back against the wall. Stanley¡¯s eyes flashed open, and he scrambled to sit up, ready to defend himself from the intruders. Wariness shone in his gaze as he studied Beor¡¯s menacing figure standing at the ready.
Stepping aside, Beor waited patiently for Stanley to exit the cell. After¡¯s a moment¡¯s hesitation, the prisoner surrendered himself to his fate and walked out. He spoke when he spotted Rann aiming a gun at him, but didn¡¯t make any attempt to flee.
Beor glanced at Rann. ¡°Does that sound like the same language Adrian speaks?¡±
¡°I think it does,¡± she replied. ¡°I haven¡¯t exactly had much of a chance to become an expert in it. Reya would have a better idea.¡± Apart from hearing Adrian sing, she hadn¡¯t had heard him speak his native language much. While the occasional word or phrase slipped out, he remained unwilling to share any details. When asked what he¡¯d said, Adrian would only flash a curt smile and say not to worry about it. Reya was the only one to have the privilege to learn a smattering of words and phrases.
Sandwiched between the two soldiers, Stanley could only follow as he was led off of the ship and into the next one. He stopped cold in shock upon getting his first sight of the alien scenery. Nudged forward by Beor, he missed his opportunity to continue staring. His brain worked overtime as he craned his neck over his shoulder in a vain attempt to get one last look.
Instead, he was greeted by Beor, gun trained on him at the ready. His head snapped around as he became very cognizant of the weapon ready to kill him and sped up to distance himself, however little he could, from certain death.
Rann led them into the deep into the ship, coming face to a door identical to the one from his previous cell. She walked up to the console and opened the door. Glancing back at Stanley, she stepped aside and motioned for him to go in. ¡°Get inside.¡±
There was no hope that he¡¯d understand, but the message was clear as day to Stanley. With one final glance behind, he stepped into yet another cell. The door slammed shut behind him, startling him and driving home that he was still nothing but a prisoner. Again.
Outside the cell, Rann stood beside Beor in front of the door and called it in.
¡°We¡¯ve secured the cargo.¡± Rann¡¯s voice resounded clear as day to both Tassie and Jyn inside their helmets. He waited patiently for Tassie to finish, his eyes never leaving the group gathered before him. He refused to allow any harm to come to his teammate. His muscles tensed as he stared down the soldiers, who shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny.
¡°They¡¯re clear,¡± Tassie said, to everyone¡¯s collective relief. ¡°None of the systems were accessed nor were the cameras turned on at any point.¡± Grabbing her data slate, she got up out of her chair and marched over to Jyn.
¡°Then I believe, Captain,¡± Iral interjected while stepping forward, ¡°that you have no further reason to remain on this vessel. If you would be so kind as to leave.¡± A curt gesture towards the door behind them told them all they needed to know about their welcome.
¡°You¡¯re to remain stealthed while returning back to facility. That includes while we¡¯re on Verilia,¡± Jyn ordered. ¡°Remain on standby for departure until cleared.¡±
Mohr looked like he was about to explode but Iral cut in before he could speak. ¡°Do we have an estimate for how long that will be?¡± she asked quickly as she saw Jyn tense and turn towards him. Jyn paused and refocused on her.
¡°No,¡± Jyn said simply. ¡°You are to remain here until further notice.¡±
¡°You mean you expect us to ¨C ¡± Mohr started
¡°Thank you, Captain. Now, if you would please,¡± she said, her voice strained. Jyn kept an eye on Mohr. When he realized that the soldier would stay his tongue, he signalled to Tassie.
Without another word, they both turned and left the bridge. Marching through the ship, they exited down the ramp and returned to theirs swiftly. No sooner were they inside did their ship seal itself back up. ¡°I¡¯m watching outside the ship to see if the try anything,¡± came Rann¡¯s voice through their comms. ¡°Figured I¡¯d shut her back up as soon as possible to avoid any stowaways.¡±
¡°Good job, Rann. Keep your eyes peeled. We¡¯re on our way to the bridge,¡± Jyn responded. He glanced behind him, ensuring that nobody had snuck onboard. After a moment, he turned back around, satisfied that there was no one. ¡°Tassie, gun out. I¡¯m not taking any chances. Until we return to base, we are all to remain armed and ready for combat,¡± he ordered.
Tassie calmly took her gun out of its holster and didn¡¯t say anything. After relaying the order to Beor, he signed to Tassie to move forward. Wordlessly, she followed, scanning the halls for threats.
Their footsteps rang loudly in the empty halls as they strode towards the bridge. They arrived outside the door and Jyn confirmed with Rann that they were on the other side by giving the code they¡¯d agreed upon ahead of time. After a moment¡¯s delay, the doors opened. The pair quickly made their way inside.
The doors slid shut immediately after Jyn was inside and locked. He scanned the room quickly for danger but found none. ¡°I¡¯m going to guard the door,¡± he said while Tassie made her way to her station. He positioned himself beside the door and didn¡¯t move further.
Tassie finished her pre-flight checks and cleared them for take-off. Jyn gave the order and their ship rose off the ground. Ensuring that they were properly stealthed, she hit the acceleration and sped off into the distance.
Sensors working overtime, they flew through the air undetected. After twenty minutes, the ship took a sharp turn and sped off on their predetermined flight path. It took another twelve hours until the safe house was in sight.
Not once did the team¡¯s concentration drop while they were in transit. Tassie only allowed herself to relax slightly once she landed the ship in its usual spot. After running a scan one last time to ensure that they hadn¡¯t been followed, she gave the all clear to Jyn, who immediately called General Nessah to confirm the success of the operation.
High Command¡¯s relief was palpable upon learning that the operation had gone smoothly. Jyn ordered Rann to go ahead into the house and stand guard. With no idea how Adrian and their captive would react once seeing each other, he wasn¡¯t going to take any chances. Once he joined Beor next to the cell door, he confirmed everyone¡¯s positions and greenlighted the release of the other test subject.
When the door opened, the man cautiously stepped out into the hall and between them. He said nothing as he was led through the halls and down the ramp.
Stanley stepped off the ship and into the open, where a new world awaited him.
Chapter 102
Rann opened the door to the house and entered, not expecting Adrian and Reya to be waiting for her at the kitchen table alongside Eimir and Kell. The four of them stared in anticipation, waiting for their new guest to arrive. They already knew the mission was successful, having been informed by Tassie once the team began flying back to base with their payload in tow.
Reya calmly held Adrian¡¯s hand, doing her best to soothe his frayed nerves. She didn¡¯t mind that his palms grew sweaty now that the others had arrived and would see him through the newest hurdle life had thrown at them.
¡°At least I don¡¯t have to round you all up,¡± Rann said. She took off her helmet, relieved to finally remove part of her armour. Jyn hadn¡¯t permitted them to relax during their transit back. Now, however, seeing the others safely inside and no obvious threat, she permitted herself the luxury. She had nothing against her protective gear but wearing it for so long was stifling. ¡°Did anything happen while we were gone?¡±
¡°No,¡± Kell said. ¡°We mostly hung around the main floor and waited for you to show up. Only Eimir and I left the house to patrol the perimeter, like Jyn instructed.¡± Rann nodded. Using her comms, she called in that the house was safe and secured.
It was time to transfer their cargo to the house.
With each second that passed, Adrian¡¯s anticipation grew. Emotions swirled in his chest as he struggled to maintain a solid grasp on them, his eyes glued to the still-open door. The sound of boots crunching on the grass alerted him that they were coming. Beor was the first to pass through the door. He stood to the side and readied his gun, bracing himself for what was to come.
Time slowed for Adrian as a tan figure entered.
The newcomer looked around in wonder at his new home, too busy comparing the architecture with what he was familiar with to take notice of the incongruity of the group. Belatedly, he saw the people at the table and shifted his attention to them, wary of what more soldiers might mean for him. His eyes were immediately drawn to the only other tan person in the room.
Time froze for both of them as they locked gazes for the first time in years.
Neither one of them blinked as everyone in the room tensed, waiting for something ¨C anything ¨C to occur between the two men. A flurry of emotions passed by on both of their faces, neither one of them able to hide what they were feeling when in the face of the other.
¡°Adrian!?¡± Stanley gasped, shocked. His eyes flicked rapidly over Adrian¡¯s sitting form, taking in the much more kempt appearance than he remembered. ¡°Is that really you? How are you here?¡± While the others might not have understood him, they could relate to the sentiment of disbelief expressed plain as day in his voice. Frowning, he noticed the first oddity. ¡°What happened to your eyes?¡±
¡°Hello, Stanley,¡± Adrian said through clenched teeth. ¡°Long time no see.¡± He didn¡¯t grace Stanley¡¯s questions with an answer. There was more he wanted to discuss before broaching those topics and he¡¯d be damned if he didn¡¯t get his answers. Resentment simmered beneath his gaze as he beheld the traitor that had cost him his only chance to escape his fate.
Rann took note that the newcomer¡¯s default language upon seeing Adrian was what Adrian claimed to be his native language. Without having been warned about Adrian¡¯s presence, Stanley¡¯s reaction to him was as candid as could be.
The language was as alien as they were to her.
Not for the first time, she wondered how much of Adrian¡¯s story was true. It was easy to doubt but watching him interact with a fellow test subject that had been found at the same facility had her pondering the nature of their skin colour. Was it truly an experiment that had changed them? Without being able to speak to Stanley directly, she would have no way of knowing how accurate Adrian¡¯s translations would be.
She didn¡¯t make any move to intervene, unsure of what she would be interrupting if she did. She made a furtive glance towards the others and signed for them not to interfere. Though Jyn said nothing and simply nodded, Rann noticed that his hand was already on his weapon, ready to react at a moment¡¯s notice.
¡°Like you, I was freed from the facility,¡± Adrian explained. ¡°By the people gathered here, actually. No matter what they say, I will always owe them a debt for freeing me from that hell. They brought me here, where I¡¯ve been living ever since.¡±
Sensing that Jyn was quickly reaching his limit of being left out of the loop, Adrian quipped a short summary of what he and Stanley were talking about, if only to satisfy the unreasonable man before he blew a fuse.
Stanley didn¡¯t understand but recognized the language as the one the a¡¯vaare spoke. Another person spoke up, interjecting after Jyn spoke. Seeing the ease with which Adrian interacted with the soldiers puzzled him. ¡°How long have you been here?¡± he probed.
Adrian shifted his focus back to Stanley. ¡°Almost six months now,¡± he said after a quick mental tally, not minding surrendering the information.
¡°And you learned their language in that time?¡± Stanley asked, dumbfounded. He failed to comprehend how such a feat was possible. There was no way Adrian could become fluent in a new language that quickly.
¡°They weren¡¯t the ones to teach me,¡± Adrian said darkly, puzzling Stanley further. ¡°You really can¡¯t understand them?¡± He changed the subject, not wanting to discuss his time at the facility if he could help it.
¡°No,¡± Stanley shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s gibberish to me.¡±
¡°That complicates things,¡± Adrian sighed. He shot Stanley a level stare. ¡°What happened to you?¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t that my question? Your eyes are silver! And you look different. Good, but still different. Like a better version of what was there before.¡± Stanley faltered when Adrian didn¡¯t answer.
¡°Please don¡¯t ever tell me how much I¡¯ve changed again,¡± Adrian finally said in a hollow voice. ¡°I asked first.¡± He motioned for Stanley to speak.
¡°I remember us being put into our pods. The doors shut and I drowned in the blue stuff they flooded it with.¡± Stanley paused, a slight shudder running through him. ¡°Next thing I knew I was waking up to a purple Ava ¨C which still makes no sense to me, by the way. I was whisked away and put on ship without delay. Now I¡¯m here.¡±
¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Adrian said in disbelief. ¡°You mean to tell me not a single thing happened to you?¡± His voice, thick with emotion, was heard by everyone. They looked at each other, wondering what was being said.
¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. Was something supposed to happen to me?¡±
¡°You never met the gru¡¯ul, did you?¡± Adrian asked suddenly. ¡°After what you did, how are you the one that got a free pass?¡±
Stanley jolted, making the already nervous soldiers ready themselves. Their last encounter was fresh in his mind, having only happened weeks ago for him. ¡°All I know is that those bastards are the reason we were ever experimented on in the first place, if Ava¡¯s to be trusted,¡± he said, failing to keep the guilt out of his voice.
Adrian remained silent, still processing that his fellow test subject had never once undergone any of the horrors the gru¡¯ul had subjected him to. ¡°It was just me?¡± he said hoarsely, his voice failing him. ¡°We were both sent to their facility and I¡¯m the only one they directly experimented on?¡±
¡°Of the two of us, yes. As a whole? You aren¡¯t the only one they experimented on,¡± Stanley shook his head. ¡°I woke up in a room full of pods, with others trapped inside. There were both humans and a¡¯vaare. I saw what some of the failures looked like and they were horrifying.¡±
¡°There were others?¡± Adrian felt the blood drain from his horrified face.
¡°Dozens,¡± Stanley said grimly. ¡°Mutated, mutilated ¨C wrong. All of them.¡±
Adrian¡¯s stomach churned. ¡°They performed experiments on me for years.¡± He shuddered. ¡°The things they did to me,¡± he trailed off.
¡°I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s why you¡¯re different?¡±
¡°Yes. I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± Adrian shut down any further attempt from Stanley to learn more. A sick feeling welled in his chest at the injustice of it all. Giving Stanley a once over showed that there was very little change from the last time he¡¯d seen him. His clothes were still rather white and had almost no blood on them. He was forced to admit to himself that Stanley was telling the truth. Adrian wanted to throw up.
¡°Are you alright?¡± Reya asked in concern, giving his hand a squeeze. The action snapped Adrian out of his thoughts. He shot her grateful look.
¡°I¡¯ve been better,¡± he admitted. He filled her in on his discussion with Stanley, who remained silent throughout the exchange, watching the pair interact with great interest. The others listened in with rapt attention, hoping to glean insight into the conversation they weren¡¯t privy to. Once finished, he turned his attention back to Stanley.
¡°What was that about?¡± Stanley asked, sensing that their conversation was finished. He eyed Reya and Adrian¡¯s clasped hands. Although he couldn¡¯t see properly from the angle he had, he knew Reya was holding Adrian¡¯s hand. He briefly wondered what their relationship was but figured he could ask the question later.
¡°I was filling her ¨C along with everyone else ¨C in on the details of our conversation. Right now, nobody else here can understand us. These guys are going to want to know what this discussion is about. I don¡¯t know what might happen if I keep it from them. On another note, it¡¯s going to be very difficult for you interact with the others here, given that you can¡¯t understand each other. It means I¡¯m going to have to translate for you whenever you need something, which might be difficult if I¡¯m not around when you have to speak with the others.¡±
¡°That¡¯s going to be a pain in the ass ¨C for both of us. Is there any way you could teach me their language? That way, I can at least interact with them on a basic level.¡± Stanley was under no illusion that he would become a master of the a¡¯vaarian language overnight, but was acutely aware that as he was now, he couldn¡¯t understand what the people holding the weapons were saying to him. The thought of getting shot because he failed to comply with an order he couldn¡¯t understand made him wary of the soldiers that were supposedly protecting him.
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He couldn¡¯t trust them, but knew he had no choice but to.
Adrian considered the suggestion, having no desire to spend his time translating with no end in sight. Being forced to spend time with Stanley left a sour taste in his mouth and refusing the reasonable request would be petty of him given the situation. He weighed his options. ¡°Fine,¡± he said after some consideration. ¡°I¡¯ll give you language lessons. I may not be a teacher or a linguist, but it¡¯ll be better than nothing. At the end of the day, I also benefit from not having to translate every little thing for everybody.¡±
The pair lapsed into silence, neither one of them sure what to say next.
¡°You should probably go explore the house a bit,¡± Adrian said at last. ¡°I¡¯ll show you to your room in a moment. All the ones upstairs are taken, so please don¡¯t enter them. I don¡¯t think the occupants would take kindly to that.¡± His gaze flicked to Jyn, whose hand was still on his gun. ¡°Some of the people in this room would love nothing more than to have an excuse to shoot us.¡±
Stanley followed Adrian¡¯s stare and he took note of Jyn¡¯s aggressive stance. ¡°Noted,¡± he nodded. Permitting himself another moment to look around, he was struck by how nice the house was. Everything he saw seemed to be of high quality. A passing comment on it elicited a small chuckle from Adrian.
¡°It is a nice home. Much better than my previous accommodations.¡± Adrian let go of Reya¡¯s hand and stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to give Stanley a brief tour of the place and then show him his room,¡± he told the others. ¡°You¡¯re more than welcome to follow along.¡±
¡°You¡¯re done talking to him? I thought you¡¯d have more to say,¡± Jyn said.
¡°I¡¯ll speak with him later. I have no doubt I¡¯ll have the chance. Right now, this is as much as I can handle.¡± Reya got up as well, intending to follow Adrian as he showed his fellow test subject around his new home.
¡°I¡¯m coming with you. I¡¯m not leaving either of you unsupervised.¡±
Adrian waved him off. ¡°I appreciate the concern, but nothing¡¯s going to happen. You¡¯re more than welcome to follow us around, if that¡¯s what makes you happy.¡± Walking around the table, he motioned for Stanley to follow him.
The others dispersed and took up position at various points around the house. They hadn¡¯t been given the order to stand down yet and couldn¡¯t afford to relax. Adrian took the lead and led his small group through the house, showing Stanley everything he needed to know about his new dwellings. He skipped the music room, choosing to come back to it later.
Once outside, they ground to a halt. Stanley was stuck by the difference in flora and incessantly asked Adrian about it. Thankful that Reya and Jyn were around, Adrian made full use of them to supplement what he didn¡¯t know. Reya grinned in amusement throughout their outdoor exploration, recalling when Adrian had first asked her similar questions.
Stanley took his time inspecting the different flowers and trees, jumping in fright when a small animal darted from the grass and dove into a nearby bush to escape the approaching party. After a quick jaunt around the house and its immediate surroundings, Adrian steered the group back inside.
There was still one last room left to show Stanley and Adrian wanted it to be made clear that the instruments within were his. ¡°Is that a guitar?¡± Stanley asked in shock when Adrian opened the door to the mysterious room that he¡¯d been denied access to earlier. ¡°And drums? Did the a¡¯vaare develop the same instruments that we have on Earth?¡± He didn¡¯t understand how such a thing was possible. He took a step further into the room, drawn to the only familiar things he¡¯d seen since waking up at the facility.
¡°They did, thanks to me,¡± Adrian replied before Stanley could pick up the guitar from its stand. ¡°I gave them the specifications they needed to reproduce them. Everything you see here is mine.¡±
Stanley turned back to face Adrian. ¡°That¡¯s some oddly specific information you have. I don¡¯t know anybody that would be able to build instruments.¡±
¡°It was a family business,¡± Adrian explained. He joined Stanley next to the guitar and stared at it fondly. ¡°The military here took great interest in replicating them when I offered the information.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t they have their own instruments here? Why would they care about ours?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve noticed that music isn¡¯t as advanced here as it is on Earth. Apart from the rare occasion, I¡¯ve heard no music being played since arriving here. I had to beg Reya to show me some of the music she keeps on her data slate and even that isn¡¯t a very wide selection. They don¡¯t even have a system for writing music.¡±
Stanley was dumbfounded by the revelation. ¡°But they have space ships! How do they not have music?¡±
Adrian shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not that they don¡¯t have any, it¡¯s just that it isn¡¯t as accessible here. The others were shocked when they saw me playing multiple instruments. For some reason, music was never culturally important to them.¡±
A coughing fit overcame Stanley before he had the chance to reply. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand to hide any blood that he may cough up. When he finally settled down, a discrete glance showed no traces of blood on his palm. Relief flooded him.
¡°Are you alright?¡± Adrian asked. That hadn¡¯t been a simple cough and he thought he heard something wet from deep within Stanley¡¯s lungs. The sound had struck him as bizarre. Although he was loath to show concern for Stanley after what he¡¯d done, Adrian couldn¡¯t bring himself to ignore him. He eyed the bloodstains on Stanley¡¯ clothes suspiciously, trying to recall if they were there when they¡¯d both been put in stasis.
¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Stanley said, waving off Adrian¡¯s concern. ¡°It¡¯s something that happens every now and then. Probably has to do with being in stasis and all that. That blue stuff they kept us in might the cause.¡±
¡°Strange,¡± Adrian hummed. ¡°Apart from right after I woke up, I don¡¯t recall coughing that much.¡±
¡°Maybe it¡¯s a side effect of having been in the pod longer than you. I think I¡¯d like to lie down for a little bit, if that¡¯s alright. It¡¯s been a day.¡±
Adrian didn¡¯t look convinced but decided to let the matter drop. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be out on a walk, so if you want anything, it¡¯ll have to wait until I get back.¡± He explained the situation to the others, who were patiently waiting outside the room. Stanley slipped into his room and shut the door silently.
¡°Would you like to go out for a bit?¡± Reya proposed once Stanley was gone. ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful day outside and I think we could both use some fresh air.¡±
¡°Took the words right out of my mouth,¡± Adrian said with a tired smile. This time, they told Jyn which path they intended to take as well as how long they were planning on staying out for. Although still unhappy that they were going to be unsupervised, he didn¡¯t make much of a fuss. This wasn¡¯t a battle he knew he was going to win and needed to be present to supervise Stanley. He begrudgingly bid the couple farewell and took a seat in the living room.
Reya and Adrian exited the front door hand in hand and walked in silence until they arrived at the trail in the forest behind the house. Their many forays along the path had cleared some of the bramble that lay scattered on the forest floor, marking their way forward. It would take an hour and a half for them to complete the circuit and arrive back at the house.
Neither one of them minded, as the time would be spent in good company and surrounded by nature. Reya was the first to break the amicable silence between them. ¡°How are you holding up?¡± she asked softly. They were far enough away from the house that they wouldn¡¯t accidentally run into the others who might be out patrolling the perimeter that Adrian would feel comfortable discussing heavier topics with her.
Adrian ran his free hand through his hair. ¡°I¡¯ve been better,¡± he said morosely. He recounted the conversations between him and Stanley that he hadn¡¯t yet translated for the others, giving her the unfiltered version of what had happened from his point of view. The rest of the group would get a more summarized version later, when he got around to speaking with them about what had happened.
¡°Nothing happened to him?¡± Reya asked. ¡°But you were both found at the gru¡¯ul facility!¡±
Adrian¡¯s shoulders drooped. ¡°I know. Somehow he was never taken out of stasis after entering his pod on Earth. He never went through the same hell I did.¡± His gaze turned despondent as he stared into the distance. ¡°That¡¯s not all. He said there were others. Humans and a¡¯vaare, mutated and preserved in pods like him. Failures, he called them.¡±
Reya paled. ¡°No,¡± she whispered hoarsely. Her grip on Adrian¡¯s hand tightened. ¡°They experimented on other innocent people?¡± Adrian nodded mutely. ¡°Those monsters ¨C how could they?¡±
¡°If they did even a fraction of what they did to me to those others, my soul weeps for them,¡± Adrian said in a heavy tone. ¡°I didn¡¯t get around to asking Stanley more specifics. I was too shocked to think to ask.¡±
¡°Just how long have these experiments been going on for?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. If the others were failures, doesn¡¯t that make me their only success?¡± his voice cracked. Tears welled in his eyes. ¡°That makes me valuable. What if they do it again, if only to understand why?¡± His voiced was laced with fear. ¡°When will it ever end?¡±
Reya stopped walking forward and let go of Adrian. She moved in front of him and collected him in a hug. His arms wrapped around her as he clung to her small form. ¡°They¡¯re all dead now,¡± she whispered soothingly. ¡°They won¡¯t hurt you again.¡± Her words were for the both of them ¨C a comfort they needed to be true.
Adrian buried his face in the nape of her neck. ¡°What if others come for me?¡±
¡°They won¡¯t. They don¡¯t know where you are. We¡¯re safe here.¡± She stroked his hair as she spoke and felt the tension loosen from his body. Adrian let go when he was ready and spent a long moment regarding her. He leaned in and gave a delicate, tender kiss. Chaste though it was, the message he sent Reya rung loud and clear to her.
¡°Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°For being you. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without you.¡± He gently brushed several long strands of hair out of her face and stared deeply into her pale purple eyes, losing himself in them. They shimmered in the light, causing Adrian to frown. ¡°Were your eyes always this pale?¡± he asked out loud.
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°It feels like your eyes are lighter than I remember them being.¡±
¡°It¡¯s probably just the lighting,¡± Reya said. She snaked her arms around Adrian¡¯s neck. ¡°Now then,¡± she said in a low, husky voice, ¡°I believe you were in the middle of something rather important.¡± Her expectant stare made a smile break out on his face as he leaned back in for another kiss.
They didn¡¯t part for a long time.
Once they did, Reya hummed in satisfaction. ¡°Much better,¡± she playfully teased. She let go and reached for his hand once more. Continuing their walk, Adrian continued to fill her in on his discussions with Stanley, giving Reya further insight into the situation.
¡°He¡¯s asked me for language lessons so that he can communicate properly with the others,¡± Adrian said as he stepped over a fallen branch. Reya perked up at the mention. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s going to take for him to become fluent enough to hold basic conversations with the others, but it would be nice if I don¡¯t have to translate forever.¡±
¡°Would you be willing,¡± she broached delicately, ¡°to give me language lessons as well?¡± She¡¯d always loved languages and wasn¡¯t about to pass up the opportunity to finally learn a new one. Asking had been a difficult affair in the past, as she knew that it was Adrian¡¯s only form of privacy among the others.
Adrian blinked, surprised at the question. ¡°You want to learn my language?¡± Reya nodded vigorously. ¡°How long have you wanted to?¡±
¡°Since we first met,¡± Reya admitted sheepishly. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want anybody else being able to know what you¡¯re saying when you speak it, so I never asked. I didn¡¯t want to encroach on your privacy.¡±
¡°You¡¯re not wrong there, I don¡¯t want the others knowing what I say.¡± Reya¡¯s shoulders sagged and her gaze fell to the floor, her hope dwindling with every word he said. Adrian noticed and smiled softly to himself. ¡°But you¡¯re not other people.¡± She perked up and looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°If learning my language is something you want I¡¯d love nothing more than to teach you.¡±
¡°You mean it?¡± Elation filled her voice. At long last, she would be able to speak a different language. She would finally see how Adrian expressed himself naturally and understand his songs. Her sparkling eyes as she daydreamed about her future lessons brought joy to Adrian. This was something he could give her that nobody else that would make her happy. He felt special for a reason that finally didn¡¯t involve any experiments. He lacked the words to express the feeling, so he kept it to himself.
¡°Absolutely. If ever there¡¯s anything you want from me in the future, please ask rather than hide it. The worst I can say is no.¡±
Reya hesitated, doubt creeping up on her as she considered his words. ¡°But what if my question would make you upset?¡±
Adrian paused. ¡°It would have to be quite the question from you for that to happen, but I don¡¯t want you keeping silent on things you need or want from me. So even if you think I won¡¯t like the question, I still want to hear it. I don¡¯t want there to be any misunderstanding between us because one of us feels they can¡¯t express themselves to the other.¡±
Their grip on each other tightened as she spoke back as Reya¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She wondered if there was truth to his words but had no way to be sure. ¡°There¡¯s something I want you to know,¡± she broached carefully. Adrian stared at her expectantly. She took the plunge, knowing it needed to be said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me what happened to you. I¡¯ll love you just the same.
Adrian went quiet for a moment. ¡°You know,¡± he said sadly, ¡°sometimes I delude myself into thinking that if I don¡¯t know what happened to me, I can still pass as normal. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever be ready to tell you, because then that means understanding how I got to where I am now. I¡¯m no longer human, I can feel it,¡± he whispered. ¡°I¡¯ve changed too much.¡±
¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Reya said softly. ¡°It¡¯s alright to never be ready ¨C I don¡¯t need to know your secrets to love you. It doesn¡¯t matter to me whether or not I know. You do. I¡¯ll accept all of you, no matter what that may be.¡±
Tears welled in Adrian¡¯s eyes as he regarded her. ¡°What happens once we know what I am?¡±
Reya brought them to a halt and wrapped herself around Adrian. ¡°I¡¯ll love you all the same.¡± She lay her head upon his chest and held him tenderly. Several moments passed and she raised her head and met Adrian¡¯s lips gently.
Chapter 103
Ava observed Irric work in concentration. She studied him, trying to piece together what such an expression would feel like. She wondered whether she would ever know. She continued her analysis intently, off-putting Irric as he tried to ignore her stare.
Irric ran his latest attempt at cracking the encryption and turned to face her. ¡°Ava, why are you staring at me?¡± Her stares had become more frequent lately, yet he couldn¡¯t figure out why. Their days blended into routine failures of attempting to crack the encryption. While hardly exciting, it didn¡¯t warrant the level of attention he¡¯d been receiving.
¡°Because I¡¯m studying you,¡± she replied.
Irric rubbed his face in frustration. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±
¡°Then why ask it?¡± Ava cocked her head slightly.
Irric regarded her carefully as he pondered whether or not her curiosity was merely a program that emulated emotions to manipulate him or genuine. It was hard to tell with her sometimes. Her reactions seemed genuine ¨C no different than an ordinary person ¨C but it was questions like these that reminded him that she wasn¡¯t one. ¡°To what end are you studying me?¡± he asked, trying a different approach.
¡°To understand you.¡±
Irric sighed. He was getting nowhere with her. His head snapped towards his data slate when an alarm went off. Messages flashed on the screen and his eyes drank in their contents. What was displayed made no sense to him but before he could react, they disappeared and were replaced by a single question asking him if he wanted to open something. Hesitantly, he selected yes.
A sharp hiss escaped from the wall as a rectangular protrusion extended outward. Irric and Ava watched the change in a startled silence. All the sides save the bottom rippled before disappearing, revealing a small, black case.
Irric sucked in a breath. He turned back to his data slate once he was certain nothing more would happen. ¡°By the gods, it worked.¡± He took a closer look and frowned at what he saw. ¡°Partly. It seems that all we were able to do was access this one thing.¡±
¡°It was still a success,¡± Ava said. ¡°Whatever you just did cracked the encryption. That means we¡¯re on the right path.¡±
Irric nodded and put his data slate down. He studied the case sitting on what was left of the earlier spectacle. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve seen that case before,¡± he said, a pit welling in his stomach. He had no desire to go near it but couldn¡¯t place why. Ava him hesitate to approach the case.
¡°I could open it,¡± she offered. ¡°I¡¯m significantly more resistant to damage than you are.¡±
Unable to shake the feeling of dread that was creeping up on him, Irric considered the proposal. He nodded. ¡°Fine, just this once. Be careful.¡± Watching Ava closely as she approached the case should something go wrong, he reached towards the gun holstered on his hip. She reached the case and studied it, unsure how to open it.
A small blue circle in the middle of the case caught her eye. Tentatively, she put her finger against it. The case opened and revealed two vials ¨C one half filled with an orange liquid and the other almost empty of the purple liquid contained within.
Irric¡¯s eyes widened in recognition.
Reya and Adrian¡¯s screams echoed in his head as he homed in on the beginnings of each horrid video he¡¯d borne witness to. The image of an open case sitting innocently on the table before Reya as an orange vial was plucked from it crystalized in his mind and he gasped.
¡°Irric,¡± Ava called out in concern, ¡°do you recognize these?¡±
Mutely, Irric nodded. ¡°It¡¯s more than that. I think they were used on Reya and Adrian. The only way to be sure is look at something horrendous.¡±
Ava frowned. ¡°What¡¯s so bad about these chemicals?¡± She reached her hand towards the vials.
¡°Don¡¯t touch that!¡± he shouted, raising his gun and taking aim at Ava. She froze. His weapon turned hot. ¡°Back up,¡± he ordered, ready to kill. The muzzle remained trained on her as she took a wary step away from the case. ¡°Those things,¡± Irric spat, ¡°are a crime against the living. I need to call this in. Now.¡±
¡°What do they do that warrants such a reaction?¡± Ava asked nervously, eyeing the gun still pointed at her.
¡°They cause pain on a level of which we cannot comprehend,¡± Irric replied.
¡°And you know this how?¡±
¡°We have proof. Horrendous, disgusting proof of the suffering they cause. Now be quiet and don¡¯t touch.¡± Using his data slate, Irric made a joint call with Commander Cyrix and General Nessah using their emergency line. They both answered within seconds, surprised to see the other one on the call.
¡°What happened?¡± Nessah asked immediately, concerned. ¡°Why are we both on this call? Have you cracked the encryption?¡± Cyrix remained silent as he waited for Irric¡¯s response, preferring to let Nessah speak.
¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Irric replied gravely. ¡°We¡¯ve made a different discovery. Something far worse.¡±
¡°Out with it, soldier,¡± Nessah commanded. She had no patience for long-winded games. Not when Irric deemed the situation important enough to have both her and Cyrix on the line at the same time.
¡°I believe we¡¯ve found a physical sample of both chemicals used on Adrian and Reya. I have them in front of me right now.¡± Irric said. His superior officers¡¯ eyes went wide at the news, and they demanded visual confirmation. Irric showed them and explained why he believed them to be those chemicals specifically. ¡°I would need to verify with Reya¡¯s video to be sure it¡¯s the same sample but with Ava present, I¡¯m not sure whether to view it or not. Permission to proceed?¡±
Nessah pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°Permission granted. This was the one thing I was hoping you wouldn¡¯t discover. We can¡¯t let this get out in the world and without studying them, we have no idea how to properly destroy them. But studying those chemicals isn¡¯t an option. Cyrix, what are your thoughts on the matter?¡±
Cyrix rested his head on crossed fingers as he contemplated how best to proceed. ¡°We need to lock them up and bring them under our possession. If the chemicals are transported to the flag ship, I can have them secured until we return back to Verilia.¡±
¡°Is that wise?¡± Nessah asked. ¡°Why not have them sent via ship back to Verilia, like we did with the test subject?¡±
¡°I¡¯d rather they remain under the tightest security possible and frankly, I don¡¯t want to take the chance of waiting three weeks only to find out the ship we sent them off on disappeared without a trace. We¡¯d be well and truly screwed if that ever happened. We can¡¯t risk it.¡±
¡°I can transport it to the flag ship personally under armed guard,¡± Irric offered. Ava remained silent throughout the exchange, realizing how seriously the situation was being treated by her captors.
Nessah hummed as she weighed their options. ¡°Do we have a team we can trust? Nadi¡¯s team is in transit and won¡¯t be able to participate. Leaving the chemicals alone until then is too great a risk.¡±
¡°I¡¯m worried that there may be more samples in the room,¡± Cyrix brought up. ¡°Is leaving the facility right now the smartest option?¡±
¡°Nobody should have access to the Highest¡¯s room but the badge holder,¡± Irric said confidently. ¡°I¡¯m confident there¡¯s only one badge.¡±
¡°We¡¯ll have to alert Nadi so that a route can be cleared and a team put together so that you can fly them back to base.¡±
¡°Do we trust Nadi enough for this task?¡± Nessah asked. ¡°She was left behind while her team went off for a reason. She¡¯s proven too curious about what we¡¯re really doing here.¡±
¡°It would be stranger if we didn¡¯t have her organize the return route, given her position as head of operations and the severity of the situation. We don¡¯t have to tell her what we¡¯ve found,¡± Cyrix pointed out.
¡°Fine,¡± Nessah sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll have to hope our trust in her isn¡¯t misplaced. Irric, you and Ava are to return to the flag ship. Secure the chemicals at any cost. Any cost,¡± she reiterated. ¡°Don¡¯t let them out of your sight.¡±
¡°Understood,¡± Irric saluted.
¡°Ava, you are to accompany Irric while he returns. Naturally, you¡¯ll be confined during the trip and will have to wait until he¡¯s done securing the chemicals.¡±
¡°Fine,¡± Ava begrudgingly agreed. ¡°Just answer me this: do they really warrant this level of precaution? I was almost killed just for walking towards them!¡±
¡°They warrant even more than we can afford right now,¡± Nessah replied grimly. ¡°And if you make any move to touch them, Irric has full permission to shoot you dead.¡±
Ava had more to say but thought better of it. Risking death wasn¡¯t worth satisfying her curiosity. She watched in silence as the others hashed out a plan to transport the mysterious chemicals to a safe location. In what felt like no time at all, Irric was ending his call and preparing for departure. ¡°I¡¯m going to need your help discerning whether these are the same chemicals used on Reya and Adrian,¡± he spoke up, turning his attention towards her.
She walked over and peered at his data slate with anticipation, hoping to finally get some answers. The grimace on Irric¡¯s face put a damper on her enthusiasm. ¡°What do you need me for?¡± She waited patiently for him call up the video on his data slate and input the correct authentication to view it. Ava watched intently, committing the process to memory.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
¡°I need you to help me compare what¡¯s in the video to what we have here and confirm that it¡¯s the same case. The angle isn¡¯t the best, but we should be able to get what we need.¡± Reya¡¯s skeletal, blood-drenched, malnourished form appeared onscreen, surprising Ava.
¡°What happened to her?¡± she asked clinically, comparing Reya¡¯s state to those of the many bodies she¡¯d experimented on. She eyed the multitude of scars on her body, wondering how long it had taken to get like that.
¡°She was captured,¡± was all Irric said. He brought the video to the point when one of the gru¡¯ul placed a black case on the table, about to open it. ¡°This is the part we need to see, so pay attention.¡± Without further ado, he started the video. The pair watched in silence as one of the gru¡¯ul prepared a syringe full of the orange liquid. Irric paused the video before Reya was injected.
¡°You¡¯re stopping it there?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. You don¡¯t get to see what happens next. It¡¯s for the best, trust me.¡± He shuddered and turned green. He absolutely refused to ever witness the rest of the video again. Once was already one time too many.
A feeling of trepidation overcame Ava, but she didn¡¯t understand what is was. She filed it away for further study, alongside Irric¡¯s strong reactions. The feeling lessened but still simmered in the background of her thoughts. Her limited understanding of emotions gave her trouble matching the sensation to the definitions she knew. Problematic, she mused, but something she would resolve in time.
¡°Do the case and contents of the vials in the video match what we found?¡± Irric¡¯s voice snapped Ava out of her thoughts. She drew up her memories of both instances and scrutinized them.
¡°The box and orange vial are exactly the same. The only difference is the purple one. It was full in the video, but now it¡¯s almost empty.¡±
Irric frowned. ¡°Does that mean it was used after they injected Reya?¡±
¡°Maybe,¡± Ava shrugged. ¡°I still don¡¯t know what exactly they do, so I can¡¯t say. What¡¯s so special about the purple vial?¡±
¡°It¡¯s somehow worse than the orange one,¡± Irric said darkly. ¡°As if such a thing were even possible. The only person who might know what happened is Adrian, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll talk about it. He¡¯s the only one we know of that they used it on.¡±
¡°Has he spoken at all about his time here at the facility? He would be of great help in learning more about it.¡±
¡°He¡¯s categorically refused to divulge anything relating to his time here.¡±
Ava raised her brows. ¡°And your Tribunal allows this?¡± She remembered how Adrian had acted towards the Elders when she first woke up in the facility. Like her, he was at their mercy. Yet still he defied them and refused to divulge any information. And they let him get away with it. It baffled her.
¡°Because they¡¯re still deliberating his claims of being from an alien civilization ¨C¡±
¡°Which he is,¡± Ava interrupted. Irric shot her an annoyed look.
¡°¨C and we have no way of actually validating that claim,¡± he continued, ¡°they¡¯re unsure whether first contact protocols apply. If we mistreat him and it turns out his claims are true, there¡¯s going to be massive backlash from the rest of the populace when they find out.¡±
¡°Why not keep him hidden?¡±
Irric shook his head. ¡°Be realistic for a moment. He can¡¯t blend in like you can. One day, somebody¡¯s going to find out. Questions are going to be asked, and the military is under the obligation to reveal when they¡¯ve come into contact with a new species so that diplomatic relations can be undertaken by the rest of the government in accordance to first contact protocols. Right now they¡¯re taking stock of the situation before making any notice. They¡¯re skirting the line by keeping him hidden ¨C not that I blame them.¡±
¡°You keep mentioning that.¡± Ava frowned. ¡°What exactly are first contact protocols?¡±
Irric scratched his head. ¡°Given that we actually have made contact with an alien species, it was deemed necessary to have a guideline on how to establish good relations with any other species we may come into contact with. These rules are actually ratified, and all members of society are bound to respect them. The military is heavily scrutinized for this because we¡¯re most likely the ones to make first contact.¡±
¡°And those rules give Adrian the leeway to act as he has?¡±
¡°The main reason he can act the way he has is because he¡¯s made deals with the Tribunal, as he knows they don¡¯t believe him.¡±
¡°What kind of deals did he make?¡±
Irric smiled sharply. ¡°Not the kind you can easily replicate given your situation.¡± His expression changed to one filled with pity. ¡°The more we discover here, the more difficult treating Adrian becomes. We have to be careful; the situation is as delicate as he is.¡±
¡°He seems just fine,¡± Ava pointed out.
Irric barked out a sad laugh. ¡°If what I¡¯ve seen is any indication, there¡¯s no way he¡¯s fine. It¡¯s a miracle he¡¯s still sane. Those chemicals are cruel beyond anything I could ever have imagined.¡± He left out that if the records he found were to be believed, Adrian had been subject to it more than once.
Ava paused, unsure of what to make of his answer.
The pair lapsed into silence as they waited for news from their escort team. Irric tensed when Nadi confirmed that everything was in place using her comms. He picked up the case in one hand and carried his data slate in the other. Together, they approached the outline along the wall and waited for it to disappear. They walked out into the hall and spotted Nadi further down, waiting patiently with three other soldiers.
They joined the small group and Irric took a look behind him to ensure that the entrance to the lab had disappeared like it was supposed to. Satisfied that no entry point could be seen, he focused his attention on Nadi, who was eying the case held in his hand. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going,¡± she announced everyone. The soldiers fanned out and surrounded Ava and Irric in a protective formation, weapons drawn.
They didn¡¯t meet a single person on they way to the checkpoint out of the restricted section. As they approached the group was met by a lone soldier on guard. Nadi confirmed their passage, and the group was immediately let through without issue.
The route to the hangar was similarly void of any people. The guards entered it first, scanning for anything out of place before allowing Irric and Ava to enter. Once the all-clear was given, the group mounted the hover bikes waiting for them and took off out of the hangar and towards the entrance of hovering outside of the entrance.
As soon as everybody was safely onboard, the doors sealed the ship shut. A small jolt told Irric that they were already moving towards their destination. ¡°Ava,¡± Nadi spoke up, ¡°the others here will escort you to your cell. Alarr and I will escort Irric to a safe location during the flight.¡±
Ava let out a sigh. ¡°Fine. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be placed elsewhere anyway. Am I being returned to the flagship or am I to wait in the cell here on this ship?¡± It came as no surprise to her that she was once again being locked up. It was routine ¨C one she did not appreciate. She hoped dearly that the Tribunal¡¯s decision would help reduce the amount of time she spent in a cell.
¡°You¡¯ll be kept here, on the ship. You¡¯re to wait until we return from the flagship, after which we¡¯ll escort you back to the facility.¡±
¡°How long will that be?¡±
¡°No clue,¡± Nadi shrugged. She motioned for the other soldiers to escort Ava to her cell. Ava complied without resistance, knowing full well that she had no control over the situation. Soon, only Alarr, Nadi and Irric remained. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she ordered, taking the lead.
Irric and Alarr followed, forming a line. The group made their way through the ship¡¯s corridors, with Irric sandwiched between Nadi and Alarr. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Irric asked.
¡°The med bay,¡± Nadi confirmed. She shot him a sidelong glance over her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you want as few people as possible to be aware of what you¡¯re transporting. This way, we won¡¯t be on the bridge with the others.¡±
Alarr remained silent as he brought up the rear, reaching into his pocket once they entered the med bay. He took out a small injector and stepped close to Irric. Before Irric could react, Alarr slammed it into his neck.
Irric cried out in surprise at the sharp sting. He turned to fight off his attacker, but he was too late. The contents of the injector entered his bloodstream. ¡°Irric!¡± Nadi cried as she immediately rushed to his side as his legs gave out and he dropped to the floor. The last thing he saw was her form coming towards him as everything went black. He landed with a heavy thud, the case falling from his hand and clattering on the floor. The data slate he was carrying just narrowly avoided being crushed by his body. She bent down towards his crumpled form, not paying any heed to the assailant. When she noticed Irric¡¯s eyes rolled back in his head, her concerned demeanor changed instantly. She stood back up and turned to face Alarr. ¡°Good job.¡±
¡°Are you sure this was worth it?¡± Alarr asked, eyeing Irric¡¯s still form. ¡°Won¡¯t they become suspicious now that something¡¯s happened to him?¡±
¡°Not if the threat was taken care of,¡± Nadi said calmly, taking her gun out and shooting her accomplice in the chest twice for good measure. His body dropped to the floor in a heap, a hole burned through him. Empty eyes stared at the ceiling while the smell of burnt flesh spread throughout the room and blood welled on the floor.
She walked towards the med bay doors and closed them. After ensuring they were locked and that she wouldn¡¯t be disturbed, she picked up the case where it had fallen. Giving him a nudge for good measure, she was satisfied that he wouldn¡¯t be waking up anytime soon.
Quickly, she put the case on the counter closest to her and opened it. The two vials inside glinted in the light. ¡°This was what all the secrecy was for? Two vials?¡± she asked aloud. Frowning, she rummaged through the cabinets for two smaller vials and a pipette.
Nadi placed the empty vials on the counter next to the case. She withdrew the vial with an orange liquid and took off the lid with care. An unsettling feeling overcame her as a sharp scent stung her nose. Ignoring it, she carefully withdrew two drops of the chemical and sealed the vial, relief flooding her for reasons she didn¡¯t understand. She put it back in the case where she found it.
She transferred the drops in the pipette into one of the empty vials and closed it tight. Next, she picked up the vial that had the purple substance in it. Eyeing the small amount left, she repeated her procedure. Upon opening the lid to the vial, her instincts screamed at her with everything they had to flee. She shuddered and supressed the desire.
As quickly as she dared, she transferred a single drop of whatever it was she was holding into the empty vial. Once both vials full of the chemical compounds were back in their case, she closed it and left it on the counter. Looking around, she searched for a spot to hide her samples. She couldn¡¯t afford to get caught. Not now.
Pulling open drawers and carefully moving their contents around, she found one that suited her purpose. It contained rarely used supplies and medication, some of which were held in vials similar to the ones she was trying to hide.
Making a mental note of the exact location they were hidden, Nadi put everything back in place and took a deep breath. Heart pounding, she made an emergency call to Cyrix. The death of a soldier at her own hands was something that would immediately be discovered and she needed to create a valid reason for actions that would surely be traced back to her. Knowing that it would go through, she immediately began speaking. ¡°Commander, there¡¯s a situation.¡±
¡°What happened?¡± Cyrix¡¯s voice came through her comm not one second after her comment. He wasted no time in replying, ready to react should anything go wrong transporting the chemicals whose existence he considered a crime.
Nadi eyed the blood pooling on the ground. ¡°There was an attempt to steal the payload. The situation has been resolved and the payload is secure.¡±
¡°Give me details, now,¡± Cyrix commanded in a tone that brooked no disobedience.
¡°One of the soldiers escorting Irric to a secure location launched a surprise attack,¡± she replied in a steady tone. ¡°Irric was injected with some kind of substance that knocked him out. Apart from a few bruises, he seems fine. He¡¯s still unconscious.¡±
¡°What happened to the perpetrator?¡±
¡°He¡¯s been dealt with.¡± Nadi paused for a moment. ¡°Permanently.¡±
¡°I see,¡± Cyrix said slowly. ¡°That complicates things. We can¡¯t extract information from the dead. Where are you right now?¡±
¡°The med bay.¡±
¡°You¡¯re to stay there and defend the point until I say otherwise. Treat any and all people that come as hostiles until I personally confirm your safety. You have permission to kill anybody who attempts to access the med bay. Absolutely nothing is to happen to the payload. Defend it with your life.¡±
Nadi¡¯s brows shot up. ¡°Everybody?¡± She glanced at the case she¡¯d deposited on one of the counters with unease. ¡°Is the payload that important that it warrants this reaction?¡± She¡¯d been expecting to need to defend the med bay, but to hear the order come in with no hesitation gave her pause. Just what exactly was she dealing with? When Cyrix didn¡¯t answer, the feeling grew.
¡°You have your orders.¡±