Aynsefian

In a few more seconds we are back in the familiar confines of Nikse. We are all out of breath and anxious. Salvation, who is not in his charging bay and is instead in the middle of Nikse’s bridge, bleeps gently at our arrival. I swear he is now more than just a probe. His welcoming tone helps ease the panic a little.

I still can’t see Arlyss and Cindlyss. Or Lanemu, perhaps more importantly. If he’s gone, what’s going to happen to the timeline split that is supposed to save us?

I have a brief flashback. When my eyes scanned the bridge after 84U raised the alert, they passed over the front seats.

They were empty.

Lanemu and the Purlinians should have been there straight after we exited quantum. Where did the three of them go? How did they emerge earlier than the rest of us and then leave the bridge? Lanemu is the biggest concern. What was he saying to Arlyss and Cindlyss before we entered quantum? What has he done? In the hour of greatest need, our saviour has mysteriously vanished.

This is all happening too fast. I feel as if we are now going to get captured by the MGC and suffer a horrible fate. I know this is Zarasena’s greatest fear. I know for sure now that this is why she was distressed all along.

Getting caught by the MGC before she is able to die would be the worst possible outcome.

Now that we are here in Nikse, we are more or less blind. Inside the confines of 84U’s holding bay we can’t see out into space, and Nikse’s navigational screens are non-operational. I don’t know why. Perhaps they might interfere with 84U’s or something.

Well, at least that’s what I think is going on.

Has Nikse been disabled as well? By the MGC?

Cold panic grips me now. I don’t want to be captured either. This is the worst feeling of all. I hate it with everything I have.

I feel a small rumble, vibrating through Nikse’s floor. Something has hit 84U.

“They are shooting at us!” screams Anathusa. “I know that feeling! We simulated it once… I… oh…!” Another rumble. She trails off. The terror in her voice is clear and disturbing.

I thought this Retrieval ship was supposed to capture us. Not kill us.

Then, out of Nikse’s front windows, I see the door of the holding bay opening. 84U is still functioning enough to get that working. We’re being kicked out into space.

I hope we’re cloaked. If not, we’re dead.

Nikse’s screens light up. Her engines start up as well. A small amount of hope surges in me, yet I still feel almost completely blind as to what’s going on.

The other three take seats in front of Nikse’s screens. I run straight over to the manual controls. I could be needed at any time. I sit down hurriedly, almost missing the chair in my rush. Nikse turns on the screens. For real this time.

This is my time. I’m at my station, and I’m ready.

“Hang on to your seats!” says Nikse, in an elevated tone. I grab hold of the armrests.

Nikse rockets out of the holding bay as soon as the doors are clear. We are still in the blackness of space. I don’t know where Farrister is, or if we are even cloaked.

Nikse makes a brief turn and holds position. 84U is retreating from our view rapidly. A massive, sleek grey ship with unmistakeable MGC writing on it follows soon after. It looks menacing. More than that, it’s huge. Way bigger than 84U. Then again, I really don’t see it for very long. It’s gone in less than a tenth of a second.

We do appear to be cloaked. Then again, maybe we’ve been ignored. I wish I knew which it was.

Now I can see Farrister. We all can. It looks mostly green from here, with patches of blue. It has a moderate cloud cover. It looks habitable. In more peaceful circumstances, I’d be interested in landing and having a look at it.

I quickly look around the bridge. I still can’t see the Purlinians or Lanemu anywhere. I don’t know how far away from Farrister we are, where IR84U is, or where the Retrieval ship is.

I’m mostly blind on just about everything of importance. It’s terrifying. I feel weak. I have just enough strength to hold the manual controls in both hands.

“Let me know when I’m needed,” I say, unconvincingly, to whoever is listening.

“Sure,” says Anathusa, with surprising calmness. She has an arm around Zarasena. I’m glad of that.

“Nikse!” says Zarasena urgently. “Where the fuck is 84U?”

“He is close. Very close to the surface. The Retrieval ship is nearly on him. He will make it.” Even Nikse sounds breathless.

“Can we see him or hear him? You have the means, don’t you?” she asks, anguish causing her voice to rise in pitch.

“No, unfortunately not, Captain. Any communications from or to 84U, or any attempt from me to collect images, will be detected by the Retrieval ship. Our position will be given away. I am picking up passive radio waves only. That’s how I know where both ships are.”

I catch Zarasena’s eyes momentarily. She’s looking as distressed as I’ve ever seen her. I want to go to her, but I have to stay where I am. It hurts.

We wait in silence. I can feel our collective anxiety keenly. The only sound I can hear is the faint hum of Nike’s engines, keeping the ship powered and lit up. It was always a calming, natural sound for me, to hear the faint background hum as we travelled or hovered in space for whatever reason. It’s not doing much, if anything, to relieve my anxiety now. I just want to know if we’re going to be safe at the end of this, or not.

The wait seems interminable. It is in actuality probably less than ten seconds. Then Nikse speaks, finally.

“He’s gone,” she says. “Rest in peace, brother.”

We can’t see anything. I look over at Zarasena again. She is slumped in her chair, head down, not even looking at me. It’s so sad.

“What is the Retrieval ship up to?” asks Anathusa determinedly. She’s still in full command mode.

“Hovering over the crash site,” replies Nikse. “A probe is being dispatched down to the surface.”

“Let’s get out of here! Out of this goddamn galaxy once and for all!” exclaims Anathusa. Her strength through all of this has been tremendous. This time, however, I think she’s acting prematurely.

“Should we wait for Lanemu to return, from wherever he’s hiding?” I ask.

“Yeah, probably,” replies Anathusa. “Where is he, anyway?”

Anathusa doesn’t appear to be too concerned. I don’t share her demeanour. Perhaps I worry too much. Then again, a heck of a lot has happened this past week or two.

“Not sure. It’s very strange. Nikse? Can you detect Lanemu or the Purlinians anywhere?” asks Zarasena. She’s back in the game again.

“Nowhere, I’m afraid, Captain.”

“Oh my god,” says Anathusa.

You were right, Axin. We should have gone back for them. I’m so sorry, says Zarasena.

More panic washes over me. I can’t believe we’ve lost them. They can only be in 84U and…

Wait a minute. I know what I’ll do.

I get out of my chair at the manual controls and rush over to Salvation.

I bring him out onto the floor and turn on his “find life” mode. I know from recent experience that he won’t find life that is nearby. He’ll look beyond.

He starts moving right away.

“You’re brilliant, Mr. Fernea. You truly are,” says Jinekali. This might be the first time I’ve heard him speak in a while. I can’t help but wonder why.

Salvation wheels to the door of the bridge, which Nikse opens for him. He can’t go down the stairs so Zarasena carries him. She puts him down in the lounge area and he heads straight over to one of the couches and stops.

“Could they… Maybe they did what we did, Zarasena, and they vanished somehow?” I ask.

“Not sure how,” she says. “The pieces are still locked away. But Salvation has yet to be wrong. I guess we just fucking wait. However long that takes.”

We sit down on the other couches. We don’t use the couch where Salvation is positioned. We’re not sure what might happen if they return and someone is in that spot. We’re all still very tense. Nikse makes some drinks for us. We have to get them ourselves. That was usually Lanemu’s job.

“How do you think the MGC knew to come early?” asks Zarasena.

“I suspect we took too long to send any communications, Captain Fen,” says Jinekali. “Perhaps that week they told us all in training is just an estimate. I don’t think it’s ever been tested until now.”

“Yeah well anyway, that was too close for comfort. My heart is still beating too fast for my liking,” says Anathusa. “Nikse?”

“Yes, Anathusa?”

“What’s the Retrieval ship up to now?”

“It’s landed on the surface, next to… It’s landed.” It’s unlike Nikse to pause in her speech. I suspect she feels a kinship for 84U and would have liked to have gotten to know him. I can tell from her tone that this is what she’s thinking.

Silence prevails while we drink. My mind returns to Inconflencia. We’re now supposed to go to Aynsefian instead. I will still miss my home planet, even without my parents there. Then again, Zarasena, Anathusa and Jinekali can never go home. At least I will have that option, at some point, hopefully.

Some minutes pass.

“Oh!” exclaims Nikse. I think it’s been about thirty minutes since the crash. “84U is onboard the Retrieval ship. They are leaving. I’m convinced they can’t see me.”

We can’t see out from the lounge, so we’re relying on Nikse’s narrative.

“Tell us when it’s gone please Nikse,” asks Anathusa.

“Yes, Anathusa.”

We continue to wait. I’m starting to believe we might survive. I just wish our non-human companions would come back soon. It’s by far my biggest worry.

Zarasena is quietly cuddling with me on one of the other couches. I can feel her growing calmer, gradually. Me, I just want to sleep. I’m so tired. We have hardly had any rest at all in days, it seems. Not since we woke from our hypothermia.

We can’t drift off just yet. Our friends are still gone.

Or maybe we can, just for a few moments. I close my eyes. They’ve barely been shut a minute or so and then Salvation starts beeping again.