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)
“Captain, the Halo has sustained damage to several systems,” Engineer Manix says, entering the ready room. “We cannot take hits of that kind. I suggest we retreat beyond rocket range and make repairs.”
“Cir, I know you have a challenging task here,” Captain Talos says. “We cannot sustain many more damage of that nature. It’s time to subdue the humans.”
“I agree,” I say, fury coursing through my veins at the audacity of our small enemies. “It’s time we taught these spoiled brats a harsh lesson.”
Jessica
I wake up knowing something is wrong. When I open my eyes, everything looks the same, but everything does not feel the same. There’s an uncomfortable sense of doom surrounding me, a kind of vibration that gets me out of bed, onto my feet, and even dressed. I want shoes on today. This is a broken glass and needles sort of day. I didn’t think I’d ever experience one of those up here on Eros Station.
The halls outside my room are ringing with the hurried footsteps of the Cupid. As I venture out, a passing Cupid soldier gives me a sharp look. Usually they don’t look at me at all, or at best, give me a warm passing glance because I am the species they are trying to help. It doesn’t feel like they are trying to help me now. It feels like they might actually be hostile.
Cir appears out of the stream of soldiers and sweeps me up and off my feet, carrying me back to my apartment under his arm in a few swift strides.
He drops me back in my room. When I look at him, I have an even more intense sensation of discomfort. It’s the same feeling I had earlier, almost like we have some kind of mind link, though that makes absolutely no sense. It was his displeasure I sensed, his anger.
“What did I do?”
A brief smile breaks over his face. “You have not done anything.”
“Then what happened?”
“The billionaires appear to have used a nuclear rocket to attack us.”
My jaw drops. I knew they were angry, but this is another level of petty. “Holy shit.”
“Don’t worry. The radiation is being dispersed as we speak. You are in no danger. But I want you to stay in this room. Lock the door and stay here until I come for you. There will be no work today. For you, at least. I will be busy.”
“Cir?”
“Yes?” He had already started to walk away, but he turns to face me.
“Are we at war?”
“No,” he says.
“Oh, thank god, I was worried you were going to use your superior alien powers to destroy humans.”
“Oh, we are. But this will be no war. A war implies fighting on both sides. Your species is arrogant and has certain powers, but you will soon learn not to use them. The fight ends today.”
“What does that mean?”
Cir doesn’t reply. He walks out of my room, leaving me in a state of distress. I can still feel his anger and disappointment, but I feel other things too. My feelings, for instance. I feel guilty for interfering with the negotiations with the billionaires. If I hadn’t taunted them, maybe they wouldn’t have undertaken such a rash and stupid action. It doesn’t sound like Cir and the Cupid are going for the billionaires alone, though. It sounds like this is an everybody is in trouble now sort of situation.
He is wrong about one thing. This is war. I don’t know how they plan to subdue humanity, but I know humans are very bad at being subdued. I’m afraid for my species, and I feel a loyalty to them. I am human. Even if humans are stupid, and rash, and maybe even wrong. I can’t just sit in this room.
In times like these, decisions get made quickly and with very little regard for sense. I have a gut feeling of what I have to do. I have to help. What can one human do against the might of a very pissed off alien species? I guess we’ll see.
Unnoticed by busy Cupid, I run to the vehicle bay and jump in the shuttle. If this is how the world ends, I want to be there. I feel responsible for it somehow. Like if I hadn’t opened my mouth, maybe the billionaires would have been reasonable. As soon as I think that thought, I feel how stupid it is. My little words are not powerful enough to change the outcome of interstellar diplomacy. The billionaires were aways going to throw their weight around and try to bully the Cupid.
I can tell Cir’s not going to listen to me if I try to talk to him. I don’t know what I have to say anyway. Please don’t kill a bunch of people? Please don’t blame everyone for the actions of a few? Most humans have no ability to launch a nuke?