memorized as a child into his command and control unit he realized that at some time during his violent journey through the corpse of a city that Damshir had become he had stopped trying to control himself, who he was becoming and started to simply be himself. Thinking of himself in terms of what Jonas was and what he was as Jake seemed somehow ridiculous, trivial, and as he cleared his throat, blinked away the few tears that had made it to the surface he set the whole question of who he was aside, replacing it with the realization of who he had become.
“As the wounded go by,
I'll be the one standing.
The stones forget our names as they erode down featureless.
As the innocent go by,
I'll just close my eyes.
As the banner is raised
I dream of a better day.
The battlements know no names as they play host to the defenders
As the fight is joined
I remember my charges.
As the war is waged
I stand tall or fall bravely.
Justice and freedom are given form as we strive to enforce and keep them.
As I dedicate myself
I'll never close my eyes.”
He recited aloud as he punched in the entirety of the poem even though the screen turned green after the first hundred and forty four letters. There was a pause for a moment and then he heard Ayan's voice through his subdermal earpiece. “Jonas?” she asked. “I mean Jacob, I'm sorry, is that you?”
“Yes,” he laughed. “Ayan?”
“Yup, it's me. Well, the second me!” she said with a surprising enthusiasm. Her absolutely ecstatic tone was barely contained. “Where are you?”
Jake looked to Alaka; “Ayan's on the line, it's secure.”
“Go ahead and give her our location. It's not like it's a secret,” Alaka shrugged.
“I'm with a few nafalli and human resistance fighters in the subway system under the Trade and Commerce building. Regent Galactic and the West Keepers have no idea I'm here. I snuck through their line disguised as one of their own.” Jake switched the audio output to his arm command unit to everyone near could hear her.
“We're holed up in a section of the Space port here. A lot of the bots have been software patched so they have free will and they helped free a few hundred humans from their ships. An artificial intelligence created by Alice started it all.”
“Lewis?”
“He calls himself Dementia now, but according to what Jason could learn he was originally called Lewis, he arrived on the Clever Dream. Is there any chance you can make it up the line to us? We're guarding a section of the main tunnel leading through the spaceport.”
Jake looked to Alaka who stepped in a little closer so he could reply. “Hello Ayan, it's Alaka. We're trying to clear an old service tunnel so we can get to the main line now, so it'll be a few hours before we can get moving.”
“How many people made it out of the mountain?”
“Only sixty three of us got away, Roman and many others were killed trying to stop a West Watcher spy from forcing a small fusion reactor to explode inside the mountain.”
“I'm sorry, I wish we could have done something.”
“Don't worry, just try to maintain control of the main tunnel. Do you have a plan beyond that?”
“I think the leadership here wants to eventually leave the planet, but they're not giving us any details. Jason, Oz and I are trying to keep the command channels to ourselves for the time being, they're not making good choices for the group. I can't get into details right now, there's a lot of fighting.”
“I'm sorry to hear that. Perhaps we could offset things once we arrive.”
“No, the last thing we need is a power struggle. I'll tell them you're coming and that you'll join the fight, but I think our main goal should be escape.”
“You're right, Ayan. What happened to Minh-Chu?” asked Alaka, glancing at Jake as he did so.
“He was injured but he's safe for now. If we can get him to a medical center he'll be fine, especially if Iloona can monitor him until then.”
“I will, he'll be in good hands,” Iloona added with a bright smile.
“I managed to get a message out to the Triton, and I'm overdue by now so unless something gets in the way they'll be on their way here,” Jake said. “Alice is in command with some good people backing her.”
“So she's really human now?” Ayan asked.
“She has been for years, in fact she rescued me and set me up with a ship then set me loose on the galaxy. I can fill you in more later.”
“Wow. Just… wow. I'll authorize your comm ident so you can address Jason and Oz then track you on our secure tactical system. I think it's time we start coordinating.”
Jake could hear Ayan's smile over the communicator and it felt as though the weight of all of Pandem was lifting off his shoulders.
Nora
The main hallways of Regent Galactic ships were always made to fit six abreast, a surprising engineering choice considering that not long ago half the primary functions aboard were automated. The berths on most vessels were a third empty until the Regent Galactic Coreward Fleet prepared themselves for the release of the Holocaust Virus. The green and brown decks positively glistened, the walls and ceiling were pristine as well, as though the ship had just been built. It was new, Hampon wouldn't have accepted anything less than state of the art vessels for the Order of Eden Flagship.
Lister Hampon walked with his usual escort; an assistant who knew his schedule better than he did, a publicist who knew who he would and wouldn't speak to, four attendants ready to fetch anything he might want at a moment's notice and a full squad of special forces trained soldiers. They were his, paid directly out of the Order's coffers, their families had been added to the list of the Saved when they signed on to his detail so they would survive the chaos inflicted by machines driven mad by the Holocaust Virus. To betray him was to have everyone they cared for de-listed. Their loyalty was practically written in stone, and he had to admit it, he'd actually gotten to know many of his personal guards. Perhaps it was his child like appearance, but he couldn't help but think there was something more.
When it happened exactly Lister Hampon couldn't say, but some time after most of his conciousness was transferred to a much younger body he started feeling at ease with people. Somehow understanding them had become less challenging and with the crew Regent Galactic had assigned him along with a team of analysts and doctors he managed to feel right with himself after just a few months.
People who didn't know him or what he was capable of were immediately more pliant, whether they were in awe of him because he was the High Seat of the Order of Eden or because he still had the appearance of a young boy just entering his teens didn't matter. The reward to his status and appearance was the pliancy he found in the people around him, and he hoped that Eve would be no different.
He stopped to stand in front of her door. One of his attendants pressed the chime button. Lister and the twenty with him filled the hall, a mix of white, blue and cream robes and armoured troops. Finally he door opened and Lister nodded to one of his attendants, she was a young, heavy set woman carrying a white oblong box level with both arms. “You may attend me, everyone else will remain outside.”
The guards took up positions on either side of the hall, standing at attention while his publicist and assistant stood in front of the door itself.
