left, but we will spend it together. You could spend
it with us. There’s always room for another hero.”
“ I
can’t.”
“ Then you must
go. Take your colleagues and run, to the furthest ends of space,
and pray it is not too late for you.”
“ Why?”
Vairya’s eyes lost none
of their warmth or laughter but there was a hint of something
terrible in them now, a fear so vast that Reuben could not make
sense of it. “I have a mission too.”
“ What
mission?”
“ I have to save
the human race,” Vairya said and gave a shaky smile. “No matter
what the cost.”
“ What does that
mean?” Reuben cried out in frustration.
“ It means that
you won’t need the Fleet to destroy us,” Vairya said, and he was so
calm that Reuben went cold. He recognised that sort of peace, the
type you only found when all hope had failed. “I initiated the
self-destruction protocols three days ago, as soon as I realised I
couldn’t transmit my people out of here. You have approximately
five hours before the evacuation period ends and the city’s engines
begin to move us towards the sun.” Then, just as tranquilly, he
looked up and said, “Ah, here are the people now.”
He rolled off Reuben and
stood up, holding his hands out and smiling, so joyously that
Reuben knew, with a sudden sick certainty, that he must be
mad.
And then, with a shiver,
the flowers opened, the air growing thick with sweetness, and
Reuben saw what had been hidden behind their folded
petals.
Each rose contained a
human face, caught in peaceful sleep.
As Reuben struggled to
his feet, they began to open their eyes, blinking sleepily. Lips
parted, stems shuddered, and flower heads lifted. Then, in a roar
like the wind, the silent garden filled with startled
voices.
“ Why?” Reuben
choked out.
Vairya turned to face him
again. The wind was still dancing through the garden, and it
tumbled through his golden curls even as the sunlight washed over
him. He had never looked less human. “Heaven is a sunlit garden,
Reuben. They will not suffer now. When the Enemy takes their
bodies, it will kill their souls without noticing. This was the
last thing I could do for them and even there I failed. But if we
cannot be free, at least we can be together.”
“ What enemy?”
Reuben roared.
All around him the garden
went quiet, flowering faces turning their way in fear. Vairya
smiled at him, sad and triumphant. “The only Enemy. Caelestia has
been invaded, Sir Reuben. You will need your knights if we do not
die fast enough. I disabled their engines, you see, once they
landed, but they will grow new ones. And this may not be the only
ship to break free. It could happen again. You need to warn my
brothers and sisters, Reuben. Tell them our first purpose stands.
We must still serve.”
“ What
ship?”
“ The one from
Old Earth,” Vairya said, and all around the garden people drew in a
shocked breath. It went sighing and whispering out over the
roses.
No. No, no, no. This was
worse than Ahrima.
“ That’s
impossible,” Reuben whispered.
“ I wish it
was,” Vairya said and reached out to cup his hand around Reuben’s
cheek. “I think you should wake up now, Dr Cooper. Take your people
and run.”
“ Vairya!”
“ This
one is an
emergency exit,” Vairya told him, before he leaned forwards and
kissed Reuben lightly. “Goodbye, Reuben. You are a good
man.”
And threads of silver
light rose up around Reuben, spearing out of the ground like prison
bars. He lunged for Vairya, but it was too late. The garden was
gone, and he was surrounded by light, with no path back.
“ Eskil!” he
shouted. “Wake me up!”
He came awake with a
jerk, to Eskil’s disapproving face. “It really isn’t good for you
to keep—”
Reuben sat up,
shouldering him aside to override the bed’s controls. Vairya had
mentioned the ansible, which meant they could get confirmation of
his story. “Eskil, can you get a drone close to the city’s
it with us. There’s always room for another hero.”
“ I
can’t.”
“ Then you must
go. Take your colleagues and run, to the furthest ends of space,
and pray it is not too late for you.”
“ Why?”
Vairya’s eyes lost none
of their warmth or laughter but there was a hint of something
terrible in them now, a fear so vast that Reuben could not make
sense of it. “I have a mission too.”
“ What
mission?”
“ I have to save
the human race,” Vairya said and gave a shaky smile. “No matter
what the cost.”
“ What does that
mean?” Reuben cried out in frustration.
“ It means that
you won’t need the Fleet to destroy us,” Vairya said, and he was so
calm that Reuben went cold. He recognised that sort of peace, the
type you only found when all hope had failed. “I initiated the
self-destruction protocols three days ago, as soon as I realised I
couldn’t transmit my people out of here. You have approximately
five hours before the evacuation period ends and the city’s engines
begin to move us towards the sun.” Then, just as tranquilly, he
looked up and said, “Ah, here are the people now.”
He rolled off Reuben and
stood up, holding his hands out and smiling, so joyously that
Reuben knew, with a sudden sick certainty, that he must be
mad.
And then, with a shiver,
the flowers opened, the air growing thick with sweetness, and
Reuben saw what had been hidden behind their folded
petals.
Each rose contained a
human face, caught in peaceful sleep.
As Reuben struggled to
his feet, they began to open their eyes, blinking sleepily. Lips
parted, stems shuddered, and flower heads lifted. Then, in a roar
like the wind, the silent garden filled with startled
voices.
“ Why?” Reuben
choked out.
Vairya turned to face him
again. The wind was still dancing through the garden, and it
tumbled through his golden curls even as the sunlight washed over
him. He had never looked less human. “Heaven is a sunlit garden,
Reuben. They will not suffer now. When the Enemy takes their
bodies, it will kill their souls without noticing. This was the
last thing I could do for them and even there I failed. But if we
cannot be free, at least we can be together.”
“ What enemy?”
Reuben roared.
All around him the garden
went quiet, flowering faces turning their way in fear. Vairya
smiled at him, sad and triumphant. “The only Enemy. Caelestia has
been invaded, Sir Reuben. You will need your knights if we do not
die fast enough. I disabled their engines, you see, once they
landed, but they will grow new ones. And this may not be the only
ship to break free. It could happen again. You need to warn my
brothers and sisters, Reuben. Tell them our first purpose stands.
We must still serve.”
“ What
ship?”
“ The one from
Old Earth,” Vairya said, and all around the garden people drew in a
shocked breath. It went sighing and whispering out over the
roses.
No. No, no, no. This was
worse than Ahrima.
“ That’s
impossible,” Reuben whispered.
“ I wish it
was,” Vairya said and reached out to cup his hand around Reuben’s
cheek. “I think you should wake up now, Dr Cooper. Take your people
and run.”
“ Vairya!”
“ This
one is an
emergency exit,” Vairya told him, before he leaned forwards and
kissed Reuben lightly. “Goodbye, Reuben. You are a good
man.”
And threads of silver
light rose up around Reuben, spearing out of the ground like prison
bars. He lunged for Vairya, but it was too late. The garden was
gone, and he was surrounded by light, with no path back.
“ Eskil!” he
shouted. “Wake me up!”
He came awake with a
jerk, to Eskil’s disapproving face. “It really isn’t good for you
to keep—”
Reuben sat up,
shouldering him aside to override the bed’s controls. Vairya had
mentioned the ansible, which meant they could get confirmation of
his story. “Eskil, can you get a drone close to the city’s
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