Aynsefian

“We’re going to escape the Melcheisa Galaxy, Mr. Fernea. We’ve been wanting to do this for years.” Jinekali is staring right at me with quite some intensity. I recall his earlier question about my galaxy. I never really answered it.

“Problem is they’ll most likely kill us if they find out.” Zarasena looks down at the floor.

I stare at her for a moment. I feel a pang of compassion. I don’t want her to feel sadness or fear. My, how things have changed. Silence descends on the cabin for a moment. A slight whirring can be heard from the climate control system. Distracted, I return my attention to Jinekali’s question.

“You had asked about my galaxy earlier, Mr. Suen. I need to describe it a bit more. We have no galactic council like you do, but we have some quite advanced human-based planets, including mine. We can protect you if it comes to that.”

“I’d like to be as sure of that as you are, Mr. Fernea. It does not matter anyway. We have to accept your word on faith.”

“Can you elaborate more on this plan you mentioned?” I ask.

“There’s not much to it,” responds Zarasena. “As soon as we captured you and did our initial assessment, that’s when it all kicked off. Basically I just started writing a whole lot of crazy shit in my captains log, made it look like I’d lost my sanity and didn’t trust my crew. I wrote that I suspected they were trying to kill me. Plus I made 84U sound flawed when in fact Jinekali has been making minor edits to his AI and his communications so that he can cover for us. Then while this is playing out and the MGC are duped, which it seems they are, we head off with you back to your home planet. The biggest key to all this was finding a safe place outside of Melcheisa. Your words about your own galaxy and your own planet have given us hope.”

As she finishes speaking, I note that they are all watching me earnestly. This is the moment.

I pause, as if it isn’t. I frown. I’m still miffed that I nearly died. But then, they did the best they could with the situation they were in, just as I did.

What am I going to do anyway – refuse them? They could turn on me. I don’t want that. I sense that they really are as nice as they seem. Zarasena is probably a good actor. She had me fooled. Everything else makes logical sense. It would be a nice result when I got home too, to bring these… refugees… with me. Me and my people could learn much from them.

But then there is Aynsefian. We can’t just leave that behind. I’m realising that I perhaps don’t know as much about Arlyss and Cindlyss as I think I do, despite my first-hand experience of their capabilities. If they are as special as I think they are, then I owe it to them to explore the rest of this cave, while we are here and while we have Nikse to help us.

At this moment I truly represent my people. I have to make the right decision here, even if it seems obvious to them and to me.

I begin my response cautiously.

“My people and yours are clearly related, even if from afar. The mere fact that we are speaking and understanding each other is proof of that. I’ve always maintained that the universe is very similar, rather than vastly different. Our similarities are proof of that. That said, I still don’t know you all that well. We literally met only a few hours ago.”

I pause. All eyes are on me. Zarasena in particular is almost giving me a sideways glace as she’s still watching Arlyss and Cindlyss.

“Plus, we nearly died because of you. I can forgive that, because I’m alive now, and I’ve found something momentous. Rather – we have found something momentous.”

“This cave,” responds Zarasena. “It has something special in it.”

“Yeah, it does. Hey… how do you know this? I’m pretty certain I never mentioned it.”

“Your friends, did, bud. They told me.”

I play dumb for a moment. “When? I don’t recall you spending time with them since we’ve arrived.”

“I can understand their language, to a degree.”

“But… how? They are from my galaxy!”

“Same reason you just stated earlier, Mr. Fernea. Our galaxies are more similar than they are different.” Jinekali’s interjections surprise me each time. Especially when I’m waiting for Zarasena to answer. “We have Purlinians in our galaxy too.”

“Okay, that makes sense.” I look over at them. They are watching me intently. “So what have they told you?”

“That you have stumbled onto an advance society of sorts, but they can’t clearly describe it to me. Or I don’t understand if they are trying, and I’m missing the cues.” Zarasena is switching focus between them and me as she speaks.

“They actually showed me.” I’m still incredulous when I think of those powerful visions that Arlyss and Cindlyss projected into my mind.

“How?” Anathusa leans forward slightly.

“They sent visions to me telepathically. A few days ago when we found the beginnings of the creek.” The creek makes me think of Salvation, who is quietly with us, here in this room. I must get him recharged if that’s possible in this version of Nikse. It should be.

Slow nods from the three of them as if this is no surprise. If they have Purlinians in Melcheisa, then it’s logical they would know of their capabilities.

Speaking of different races, I am aware that Lanemu has quietly left the room at some point, and I never even noticed.

As I think this, he is returning with a tray of drinks. He offers me a reddish looking concoction that is quite appealing to the eye. It’s in a tall transparent container, with a straw and…

… and the berries from near our cabin. There’s two them floating on the top, amongst the froth and ice.

I can’t wait to taste this. I look him directly in the eyes and thank him. He simply bows and continues handing out the same drink to everyone else.

“You guys know something about foreign botany, Zarasena?” I ask.

“Lanemu does. He says he’s never seen these berries before. He expects they will be plentiful in this cave if we explore further.”

“Can I ask… he doesn’t talk much, does he? Or at least not in front of me?” I take a sip of my drink. It’s as special as I expected it would be.

“He… he prefers to talk only with me. It’s complicated. When I have the time and the inclination I’ll tell you the full story of how he came to be with me. Not now. Too much else going on.”

Anathusa continues, as if she and Zarasena have been doing this for years. Maybe they have. “You see, Axin, we must leave here within a week or we will be hunted down by the MGC. IR84U is on a fake comms loop back to Central, and that’s as long as we can string it out until they wise up and come after us.”

“What will they do if that happens?”

“Kill you, Arlyss and Cindlyss, and then take us back to be incarcerated until we face trial.” Zarasena has never sounded graver. She looks pale in fact.

I regard her with measured compassion. I’m hoping for a compromise. “Okay. That much seems obvious. I’m sympathetic to your cause despite what just happened to me and my companions. In the light of that, I think I have the right –“

“I know where this is going,” Zarasena interjects.

“Yes, well, I think I have the right to make a request.” There’s silence for a moment. ”Can we risk a couple of days to explore the cave? Nikse can fly us around, so it shouldn’t take long.”

Anathusa responds, surprising me. I’m beginning to understand that Zarasena’s status as captain is only notional. “Two days only. We still have to figure out how to create a ruse so that we can go to your home planet without being followed.”

I recoil at this thought. I’m not bringing that murderous organisation back to Inconflencia, even to save some people who are probably worth saving. It’s just not happening. I don’t know what the MGC is capable of, but I’m not liking the inferences I’m getting.

Aynsefian still looms large in my mind, though. We must find it and see what happened to it if we can. I owe it to my friends and intend to honour my promise to myself to explore it with them.

“Two days should hopefully be enough. Then we’ll have several days to figure out how to escape. Do you have any ideas?” I look at Jinekali when I say this. He’s the engineer. Anathusa once again answers instead. I’m still unsure of her role in all this.

“A few, Axin, a few.” She glances down at her lap, biting her lower lip slightly. “I’d rather not say what they are, just at the minute.” She looks at Zarasena, who simply nods before staring vaguely into the distance, not looking at any of us.

There’s a silence for a moment while we wait. Now it’s obvious to me that it’s Zarasena’s call. I’m hoping she makes the right decision. I can feel the collective fear in the room. Some of it is mine. She snaps her focus back to us. She’s made up her mind. She slowly regards us all with a sweeping glance.

“Let’s explore this cave, then.”