《Rebellious Nature》


 Chapter 1

    From a quiet, empty room on the Rebellious Nature, Konstance stared through a large rectangular window into deep space. Fluorescent clouds made of yellow, orange, and green gases populated the otherwise desolate blackness. Even the smallest eddyamongst them was over a thousand kilometers in diameter. The Rebellious Nature- at only four kilometers from bow to stern - was practically a flea in comparison.


    One point two percent, sir, responded a bright voice in his head. Provided the data gathered from my scans is correct,it is unlikely that you were born anywhere within one billion kilometers of your current location.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that the Tropical System hadanything of value,¡± he said.


    Konstance frowned; her question unsettled him.


    What¡¯s the latest news on Omalia, Thyme?he asked internally.


    Allow me to compile the latest research on the planet, Omalia, sir, said Thyme. One moment.


    Also please provide me something that¡¯s currently in fashion on Talos, he said.


    I¡¯ve finished gathering my research on Omalia, sir, said Thyme. Would you like to hear it?


    The elevator momentarily fell past an enormous hangar containing a long row of identical chrome-colored shuttles. A large Mech was currently fueling one of them. I wonder if Xenos finally finished that sim I requested, he thought.


    It appears that within the past century Omalia has become quite adept at genetic modification, said Thyme.As a result, they¡¯ve managed to introduce many useful and unusualtraits into their populations¡¯ genetic pool. Of course, as with all new enterprises, there are occasionally ¡°mistakes¡±.


    How long have the others been awake?he asked.


    Crew memberawakenings have been staggered, said Thyme. The earliest was four months, twenty-seven days, and fourteen hours ago; the most recent - excluding yours - was one month, twenty-two days, and three hours ago.


    Play something calming until we get there, he voiced internally.


    Would you like for me to release the locks, sir?said Thyme.


    Yes, he said.


    Beginning initiation of the NCAP, replied Thyme.


    ¡°Then please initiate the DeactivationProtocol,¡± said Konstance. ¡°No anomalies or abnormalities detected.¡±


    Who was with me when the accident occurred?he said internally.


    ¡®Accident¡¯, sir? said Thyme.


    In the SEC, the explosion,he clarified.


    Natalya, Lubov, and the captain were with you.


    He stared closely at his left hand, opening and closing it repeatedly. And I would never have known, he thought.


    The room looked significantly different from how it had during his last visit. Which was three years ago, he thought. It was a disconcerting realization.


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    ¡°AKAto obliterate any hostile presence before it can even register its own obliteration,¡± added Natalya, walking over to them.


    While he acknowledged that cybernetic arms and legs significantly improved the wearer¡¯s strength and speed, he had long resisted trading any of his healthy biological parts for mechanical ones. He knew that he would have to do it eventually, but, until his organic limbs weakened substantially, he would postpone it indefinitely. Konstance liked the vulnerability of his natural body. It was a reminder that he was in fact human, living- not some soulless robot.


    Xenos, the ship¡¯s programmer, sat perfectly upright in the center of the room, simultaneously interacting with a thin translucent tablet and a floating hologram. He had yet to acknowledge Konstance, but Konstance was neither surprised nor offended by this. Someone had braided his light blue hair. He looks more gaunt than I remember, he thought. Xenos had always been thin, but now he was starting to look skeletal.


    Currently, Lubov held a brass Zippo lighter in his right hand. The device was a relic from a bygone era. Over and over again, he swung it open and swung it closed. This repetitive behavior, coupled with his distant gaze, made it clear that Lubov was somewhere other than the Command Chamber right now. Something¡¯s different about him, Konstance mused. It was starting to become obvious that Konstance had missed a great deal while asleep.


    ¡°We have one objective when we reach it,¡± continued Vylik, ¡°and that is to safely retrieve a very valuable ¡®Unfit¡¯. She is a genetically modified female Omalian whose blood is remarkably unique. All who ingest it experience a prolonged period of unparalleled euphoria. Supposedly, it¡¯s better than any drug that¡¯s been invented to date. But while the high is unimaginably pleasurable, the aftereffects are extremely destructive. The blood gradually shuts down the pleasure center of whoever ingests it. Once this has been accomplished, it then modifies the center to only respond to more blood. In other words, its victims are no longer able to experience pleasure by any othermeans, and, therefore, become willing to do almost anything for just one more drop of blood. Realizing the danger she posed to their society, the Grand Council deemed her ¡®Unfit¡¯ four years ago and subsequently locked her away. A few months before we underwent cryosleep, I purchased her. Sheis our new mission. Once we have retrieved her from Omalia, we will be transporting her to a distant set of coordinates, coordinates which, for the duration of the mission, will be known only by me.¡±


    A Wraith could, he thought. They¡¯re also notoriously difficult to detect at long distances.A Lightstreaker was capable of reaching a top speed of one fifth the speed of light, but there had been - within the past century - the advent of a new ship, one which was able to reach a top speed of one thirdthe speed of light. This model of ship issued from Mithar - the richest and most powerful of the five Kyrothan Colonies; it was the brainchild of a brilliant collective of physicists and engineers, who ultimately gave it the portentous name, ¡°Wraith¡±. Strangely, it could only maintain its top speed for a limited amount of time. While there was much speculation about the exact amount, the general consensus was that it was somewhere between two to three months.


    Natalya will probably want me to get something for her,thought Konstance. Some tool or weapon crafted by one of their most skilled artisans. It was Natalya¡¯s belief that the most beautiful machines were ones which hid their complexity in the guise of simplicity. Her curiosity with anything was never satisfied until she had seen and fastidiously inspected its interior; perhaps this was part of the reason she had been the first crew member to talk to him all those many years ago.


    ¡°A new synthesis I¡¯m calling Quoris,¡± she said. ¡°I created it two months ago after mating three different species of flora I collected from the Quoridian System. It does a few things but mainly it balances and revitalizes the central nervous system.¡±


    Konstance studied Irina¡¯s profile as she took a sip from her thermos.¡°Of course there can always be a first time¡± is what you¡¯re actually thinking, aren¡¯t you? he thought. He wouldn¡¯t have disagreed with her had she said that out loud. Being infinite, the universe contained infinite possibilities, but his trust in Vylik was firmly rooted. She was shrewd, capable, and alwaysprioritized the safety of her crew.


    Which only makes Vylik¡¯s lack of transparency more confusing,he mused.


    ¡°This will technically be the first time that we¡¯re transporting a live human,¡± he said. ¡°I know that she¡¯s ... ¡®different¡¯, but, even still, some of her genes must trace back to Earth. It just feels like it¡¯s one thing to transport dead criminals with bounties on their heads and another some unlucky genetic experiment. Obviously, I¡¯m aware our reputations aren¡¯t spotless, but we have maintained at least somewhatof a code.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not enslavingher, Konstance,¡± said Irina. ¡°The only thing we¡¯re doing is moving her from Point A to Point B. Personally, I don¡¯t see the dilemma.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if we have a choice here, Konstance,¡± she finally said. ¡°To me, it seems pretty clear that failing to complete this mission will put our lives in some sort of danger. And if that¡¯sthe choice - saving your life or this Unfit¡¯s - I¡¯m choosing you every time.¡±


    ¡°How was it while I was asleep?¡± he asked, handing back the thermos. His head grew pleasantly warm.


    He shook his head. It wasn¡¯t, he thought.


    ¡°I was very happy when I woke up from cryosleep,¡± he said. ¡°After the twentieth or so repetition, the dream started to feel like it wasn¡¯t a dream. Like ... it was a memory.¡±


    ¡°I think,¡± said Irina, ¡°the dream was just the universe punishing you for having once beena Peacemaker, Vice-Admiral.¡±


    Irina looked at him with empathy.


    The platform began to smoothly rise toward the ceiling. Natalya leaned backward and propped her elbows against the slim white guard rail behind her. Suddenly, the section of ceiling directly above them opened like an antique camera shutter, creating a mouth that seemed ready to gorge on them. Once they passed through it, the platform continued to rise for a few more seconds before slowing to a stop. Then - following a sequence of mechanical clicksand a long, sustained hiss- Konstance felt his feet gently separate from the ground.


    Konstance¡¯s curiosity redoubled. What could they have possibly been discussing to cause Bernard to react this way?he wondered. As Konstance studied the two men¡¯s faces, Natalya and Irina floated into their gaggle.


    ¡°He''s more than just different, Natalya,¡± said Danek. ¡°To me, he¡¯s showing clear signs of being unstable.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± said Danek. ¡°We barely see him anymore! Some days, he spends hoursalone inside the SEC. And we have no idea what kind of sims he¡¯s running in there because he encrypts his session history every time before he leaves.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help my aversion to planets, Konstance,¡± he said. ¡°Or my belief that those who choose to dwell on them may as well be bugs. I know I¡¯ve said this many times - but there is a reason that humans took to space; there is majesty in space. There is no majesty in scrabbling around on the surface of some dirt-filled planet.¡±


    ¡°Obviously I was surprised by Vylik¡¯s opaqueness,¡± he said. ¡°But, as always, I trust that she is acting with the safety of all of us in mind, and, therefore, I see no reason to protest.¡±


    ¡°Remember, Konstance, that we aren¡¯t the ones genetically modifying and experimenting on our people,¡± he said. ¡°If there is a depraved party involved, it is the Omalians, not us.¡±


    Konstance made no reply. Perhaps we¡¯re bothdepraved, he mused.


    ¡°If it¡¯s causing you anguish, then abortthe mission. We¡¯ve done it before.¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯twith this one. If we don¡¯t deliver this Unfit, there will be consequences.¡±


    What has she done?he thought. Vylik¡¯s chief concern had always been the safety of her crew; it was the first thing Konstance had noticed about her when they¡¯d first met. But, now, it was beginning to feel like she had some other priority in mind. Something she couldn¡¯t even share.


    Hey, Thyme? he voiced internally.


    That¡¯s fine, Thyme. Just gi-

 Chapter 2

    Vylik felt the shuttle settle on the ground. Well, we weren¡¯t shot out of the air, she thought. That¡¯s a start. Vylik liked to have a contingency plan for every possible outcome during every stage of a mission. It was an expectedly time-consuming process, but it was the primary reason she and her crew had survived for as long as they had in the lawless wilderness that was space. Chairo and Lubov sat against the opposite side of the cargo hold but the two of them sat apart (with almost two meters of space between them). She stared at Lubov shrewdly, his helmet¡¯s tinted visor conveniently shielding his face. He¡¯s deteriorating. She¡¯d seen it before on other ships with other crews. Sometimes, people just broke. Call it whatever you like - ¡°Cosmic Psychosis¡±, ¡°Space Madness¡± - Vylik had seen it too many times to accept that it was just a myth.


    Bringing him to Omalia may have been a mistake, she thought. But did I have a reasonable alternative? Had I left him on the ship, I would have potentially endangered the other crew members who stayed behind. Vylik wasn¡¯t sure anyone besides Chairo or Konstance could seriously contest Lubov¡¯s physical abilities. She had always counted his freakish strength and agility as an asset, yet she knew full well a deteriorating mental state could easily turn that into a costly liability. At least here I can observe him closely and restrain him if needed.


    She exhaled slowly. The possibility of one of her crew having a cognitive breakdown was the last thing she needed to be considering right now. Focus on the objectives, she reminded herself. Make respectful contact with the Grand Council, secure the Unfit, and then get the fuck off this planet.


    ¡°My name is Festus,¡± he continued, ¡°I am one of the eleven who sit on the Grand Council.¡± He seemed to speak with some effort. He¡¯s adopting a dialect we¡¯ll understand better, she thought. How thoughtful. Despite this courtesy, she found herself utterly revolted by him. Giving her Exo a short verbal command, her helmet receded behind her.


    Didn¡¯t stop you from asking a pretty price for her, she thought. Festus made a sharp turn so unexpectedly she almost collided with him. The fog thinned. They were approaching something. A structure.


    ¡°Ever heard of the phrase ¡®too much of a good thing¡¯?¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s what she is. Seirene.¡±


    A bark of laughter erupted from him. The structure in front of them was rapidly taking shape; it was a gargantuan pyramid surrounded by four slightly less gigantic pyramids. Now that her environment was discernible again, she deactivated her thermal vision. All five of the pyramids were all plated in what appeared to be burnished gold. The sunlight reflecting against their surfaces was so bright she had to squint. Shifting her attention away from the humongous structure, she discerned the tops of many other buildings far in the distance to the left and right. We must be on a plateau that overlooks the main metropolis of Umali, she thought.


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    ¡°Members of the Rebellious Nature,¡± said Festus. ¡°And, in your records, you will see that the Council gave them security clearances six months ago.¡±


    ¡°I do indeed see that, Council Member,¡± said the disembodied voice. ¡°Welcome to Omalia, members of the Rebellious Nature.¡±


    The gas smelled faintly sweet, like burnt cherries. Vylik felt the back of Konstance¡¯s hand brush up against hers (she assumed unintentionally). She thought back to that night two days ago, how nice it had felt to press herself against him. Focus on the mission, she instructed herself. She forcefully willed her attention back to the present. You can think about fucking Konstance later.


    ¡°Vi mead haxus due hu rextricket devuls,¡± continued Festus, in the strange language.


    ¡°Seirene is at the very bottom of the facility,¡± said Festus. ¡°Unfortunately this means the descent will be quite lengthy.¡±

 Chapter 3

    She stood up and swept her greasy hair behind her shoulders. The cell was dim. Suddenly she longed for the feeling of sunlight on her skin, the touch of its warmth. They hadn¡¯t always confined her to this space. Before they had realized how dangerous her blood was - before they had even known that her blood had special properties - they had been kind to her. She remembered trips to a glass conservatory containing all manner of plant-life: palm fronds bigger than a full-grown Omalian man, orchids which snapped insects out of the air. Someone had held her hand as they walked throughout it, someone with a booming laugh, startling yet comforting at the same time. The scientists had initially thought her genetic mutation was simply an aesthetic one; one which made her skin faintly translucent and her blood black. But then they grew curious; she despised their curiosity. It was invasive. Choking.


    Seirene began walking around the short perimeter of her room, carefully placing one foot in front of the other as though she was high up on a tightrope. They should be coming within a day, she thought, as her stomach fluttered with unrest. She abruptly beelined to her narrow, unmade bed and picked up the faintly glowing tablet that lay atop her rumpled sheets. Upon sensing her touch, the device¡¯s screen instantly brightened. Once her narrowed eyes had adjusted to its glare, they scanned for the day¡¯s date. It was finally that day. She laid the tablet back on her bed and resumed her deliberately linear walk.


    But she didn¡¯t quite believe what she said. Ever since the day she¡¯d been told aliens were approaching to take her off-world, her perspective of her cell had changed dramatically. She no longer saw it as a prison. Instead, she viewed it as something of a sanctuary, one constructed only and specifically for her. It was now the idea of unbounded space which frightened her; that there was no warmth between the planets and the stars; not even gods. Surely only the truly insane would choose to spend their lives traveling through such a barren plane. It was this thought which made Seirene believe that - regarding her future - things did not bode well.


    The taste of iron in her mouth brought her back to the cell. She recalled the date she had just seen on her Quantum Slate. If it¡¯s not today, then it must be tomorrow, she thought. Unless of course he¡¯s lied to me.


    Seirene disliked every member of the Grand Council, but for him she had a special detestation. Frustratingly, she couldn¡¯t recall his name in that moment. Perhaps he was just trying to scare me, she thought. Or, worse, provide me with false hope. She wouldn¡¯t find it shocking if either were true. Although now she could rarely exercise it, she had an acute ability to see through human pretense. To her, the obvious betrayals of people¡¯s bodies had always been glaring: where the eyes looked, how the breath came and went, which muscles were tense. What people said was irrelevant. How they said it and how their body reacted when they said it - that revealed the truth.


    The Council Member she uniquely hated was an especially vicious individual. Not necessarily by what he explicitly said or did (he was nothing if not astute), but simply in the way he regarded others; he looked at people like they were pieces on a board. Things which existed solely for him to use to aggrandize himself. And that¡¯s if he could find a use for you. Those who he couldn¡¯t, he looked at like dogs. He looked at her that way, now that her piece no longer served a worthwhile function on the board.


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    Her surroundings brightened faintly. Her throat constricted before her mind could grasp why. They¡¯re here, she realized. As the wall in front of her changed from opaque to transparent, she felt a second urge to vomit. With barely enough willpower, she managed to suppress it. Whatever awaits me can¡¯t be worse than this, she repeated in her head.


    Now, she could see the hallway that lay outside her cell. It was dazzlingly white, so much so that she had to look away. But with her first initial glance, she had seen more than just the hallway. There was a strange party approaching her and he was at the front of it.


    Once her eyes had adjusted to the brighter conditions, she looked back through the barrier. He - Festus, his name is Festus! she recalled - smiled at her with a mouth full of metal. His slitted pupils viewed her with cold indifference. Seirene instinctively bared her teeth and stepped backward. She carefully studied the others behind him.


    One of them was fully encased in shiny black armor and stood over a meter taller than Festus, but Seirene was confident this individual was not the leader of the Foreigners. She is, she thought. The female standing directly to Festus¡¯s right. Both her position in the group and the way she held herself made that evident. While she also wore a suit like the giant, her head was exposed, allowing Seirene the opportunity to study her youthful complexion. Judging by her facial features and skin tone, she seemed to have origins from somewhere far away. Omalian skin was typically a lilac color. The leader¡¯s skin was a warm beige. Looking away from the female, Seirene turned her attention to the remaining two persons in the hallway. One, like the giant, still wore their helmet. They seemed to be somewhat detached from the rest of the group, but, other than that, there was little else to note about them. The last Foreigner had his head exposed like his leader. She noticed that he was a few centimeters shorter than Festus. Suddenly, she remembered a diagram a scientist had once shown her as a child, showing male and female humans from different planets, like Earth and Talos. The scientist had said that Omalians were taller and thinner on average due to the planet¡¯s lighter gravity. The male Foreigner¡¯s face was handsome, with clearly defined, proportionate features. As their eyes momentarily met, she felt a jolt of electricity and hastily looked away.


    Seirene glared at him silently. He wants me to say something, she thought. To scream at him. Don¡¯t give him what he wants.


    Something above her began to hiss. She raised her head up and saw pale green gas spewing from a vent in the ceiling. She looked back at Festus with wide-open eyes.