Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40274 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40274 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
“Cir?”
“Yes, Arlo?”
“What are you doing down here?”
Arlo acts as an assistant, but he has no less authority than I do. He is perfectly well within his rights to ask that question. And I am perfectly well within my rights to ignore it.
“This is about Jessica, isn’t it. Why don’t you just tell her you know she is lying?”
“Telling her I know she is lying removes her chance to confess. It solidifies the lie forever, takes away all chance of self-absolution. She needs to be the one to decide to tell me, to take that step of trust.”
“And so you find yourself here, flipping through the sinners, hoping to exact vengeance?”
Sometimes the mind reading is more than a little tedious. Arlo does not know my specific thoughts, but he certainly knows the shape of my anger.
“Yes,” I say. No point in becoming a liar myself and adding to the general air of mistrust and untruth.
“You know that it is forbidden to attempt to punish a human, or any contacted species, for their actions prior to our contact. That’s why we do this.”
“We both know certain samples have gone missing over the years, Arlo. What if this one happens to simply go missing?”
Arlo’s eyes turn opaque with concern. “This isn’t like you,” he says. “This deception is turning you. Infecting you. If you cannot get the truth from Jessica, it may be time to let her go.”
“No.”
That’s not a thought I will tolerate for even a moment. Jessica is my mate. I am going to keep her at all and any costs to myself.
“Oh, Cir,” Arlo sighs. “You’ve fallen in love? No. We can’t mate with the locals. That’s another…”
“Arlo, if you’ve decided to come down here to tell me what I can and cannot do, there’s probably a better use of your time,” I say, controlling my annoyance at him. I know his intentions are good, really. He thinks he is helping me.
“Actually, I came down to tell you that the billionaires have sent a threat. They are demanding the food construction technology we showed them, or they are saying they will cut us off from the world.”
“I don’t see how they can do tha….”
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocks the Halo. The entire structure shudders and vibrates, groaning and complaining. Neither Arlo nor or I have ever heard the Halo make that sound before. It sounds like the structure itself is crying out. Whatever they hit us with has not only done physical damage. It has demoralized the Halo. Power surges are coursing through our vessel as it attempts to heal itself from the damage and activate shielding.
We rush to the helm, where the captain of the Halo, Talos, is working to stabilize the vessel. Arlo and I are superfluous to requirements, but I want to know what is happening. As Chief Officer of Human Affairs, I am keenly aware that this is my fault.
“Message is coming in, captain!”
“On screen,” Captain Talos says.
There is no video with the message. It is simply an audio track.
A familiar and irritatingly smug and nasal voice speaks to us via a probe sent following the warhead. “That was a warning shot. We have ten more just like it. Deliver the technology to us. Now.”
I look over at Arlo. “You still want to refrain from killing these people?”
“It’s common enough for the species we help to attack us. They’re wounded animals, we know this. Why are you taking this project so personally?”
“Because these humans are potentially dangerous to us. This isn’t a game. They’re more advanced in some respects than they should be, and they are less advanced in others. Their weapons of war come from the heart of the stars, but their capacity for love is stunted. This is a damaged species, and we are at the very limits of our ability to save them.”
“Cir. Arlo. With me.”
Captain Talos beckons us and gestures toward his ready room. I have the uncomfortable feeling of not only being in trouble, but of being responsible for this outcome. Diplomatic efforts with the human billionaire cabal have failed repeatedly, and that is my fault.
Captain Talos has long green hair and a green beard. His eyes maintain a green hue, more often than not, and his scales are darker than ours. He is a warrior and a gentleman and the Halo is his baby. I should have known better than to put any of this at risk. Saving humanity is one thing, but if we lose ourselves, we lose everything. No future species are saved.
“Cir, you’ve researched these animals. What did they just deploy, precisely?”
“I believe they used a nuclear warhead. It’s a weapon of war, but not one of simple blunt force. It is a destroyer of futures and an infection of souls. It brings not only death, but rot. Its deployment contaminates not only the target, but the one who deployed it as well. Humans have tried to limit the use of these weapons, but the allure of them is too strong. The darkness and the power outweigh any hope and light.”