Ankis Har nodded, impressed by the prisoner’s insight.
“After centuries spent in icy confinement, I need to satisfy my body’s urgent needs. Otherwise, this conversation may end rather embarrassingly. Interrogating a foul-smelling prisoner is unpleasant in all respects.”
Ankis Har rolled his eyes and barked at his employees, “What are you waiting for? Give him clothes and a hot drink and take him to the toilet! Quickly!” He collapsed into the nearest chair and waited, crossing his arms over his chest.
Ten minutes later, Tonas Var returned to the interrogation room, dressed in gray overalls and smiling happily.
Ankis Har prepared for a long, difficult conversation. “Tell me, Tonas, why are you so pleased? Eh? Is a hot drink a bodily relief all it takes to make you this way?”
Tonas Var shook his head and laughed again, ignoring the electric shocks from the overseer droids.
“It's that bad, right? You’re in deep shit... oh, sorry, I mean the Commonwealth...” He faced the offending droids. “Hey, stop that or I’ll punch your tin heads.”
“Why did you make those decisions, Tonas?” Ankis Har asked, shooing the droid away with a gesture of his hand.
Tonas Var squared his shoulders, grinning predatorily. “You are quite fidgety, confused, and frightened… You seem to have revived many Guardians, if not all of them. You should know, I have received countless messages from the system. Most would be confused by this plethora of information, but as a scientist, I am able to compose the necessary algorithms when working with the system –”
Ankis Har cut in, “What did you learn to draw such impartial conclusions?”
“You know the answer to that. The Commonwealth has lost the ancient ships Reaper, Star Jumper, Hypern and thousands of others. What an unthinkable loss! For the first time in history, the Commonwealth has all but stopped mining Intellectum. All of this, because of the actions of one person from the resource planet. Ridiculous, huh? Does the Commonwealth understand what happened?”
Ankis Har stood, nervously pacing the room. “I would hope that such a knowledgeable person as you, Tonas Var the Interpreter, will express his opinion on this issue. You were released from the icy oblivion for just this reason.”
“Of course, I will give my opinion. In short, the Commonwealth, with all its foolishness and millennia of impunity, finally stumbled upon the planetary system containing the ancestral home of the ancients.”
Tonas Var met the eyes of his silent audience and shook his head in sorrow. “I see no one is surprised by this. Such amazing carelessness. Are you mad?”
“Why should it scare us?” Ankis Har retorted. “We will return our ships sooner or later. The earthlings will pay dearly for everything! Our numbers are greater, and we are stronger. It’s only a matter of time.”
Tonas Var scoffed. “You are blind and arrogant. Have you read the inscription on the ice capsule? I will quote: Legislative law Gradivus [Marching into battle, an ancient nickname of the god Mars]. That means the Legislative Right of Marching to Battle. Gradivus is the nickname for Mars, the ancient god of war. There is a planet called Mars within Earth’s solar system. The people of Earth are children of war and they do not care about your levels or conventions. Conflict is in their genes, in their very blood. For thousands of years they have fought among themselves, race against race, empire against empire, country against country. But they don’t have a respawn system. Think about it. Do you have any idea what you’re facing? The ancients had such incredible concepts as suicide and self-sacrifice. And you woke them up. Have you not stopped to wonder exactly how almost three hundred million of them have survived since the beginning of the expansion? The best planetary result is no more than ten million, and this is on worlds with more dense populations.
“Yes, they are mostly young men and women. But youth quickly passes, especially in war. I have little doubt this Alex Phoenix will keep his promise and journey to the Core Worlds to avenge his people.”
***
“Where have you been, Ticktock?” Alex said. You are back, fortunately! AK-47 seems to be fine. I wonder if he will be offended if I call him Many-Faced? He looks cool, like an ancient Greek Olympian on antique engravings.
The mecho perched on Alex’s shoulder. “Ticktock.”
Alex heard the rest in his mind. Creator Phoenix, the Intellectum tank from the Reaper was blown in half, but we were able to stay in the center of it. The metal tank passed the Earth’s atmosphere, and we ended up on your home world. We splashed down in a deep-sea trench near an island known as Puerto Rico, on the border of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. We couldn't leave the tank there as it is made from special steel of the ancients and impregnated with Intellectum. It took time to lift this cargo, but now all Alexim ingots are ready to be transferred to the clan's vaults. Yes, we named this metal ‘Alexim’ after you.
“Thank you… Where are the rest of the mechoes? I’d like to see them,” Alex said.
“TickTock.” They are waiting for you outside. The mecho spun and flew toward the wall.
He reminds me of Christmas decorations, Alex thought. What is he going to do?
The mecho displayed a hologram. It showed a huge cube of mechoes hovering in the air.
***
The Star Jumper, Fiery Whip of the Commonwealth, and Dark Radiance spaceships approached the Sun at a safe distance. Those aboard came to mourn the loss of Tataki.
The ships blackened against the blazing, scalding disk of the Sun. People stood on the decks. Alex Phoenix, in a spacesuit, floated through space, accompanied by the mechoes who held the ice coffin. Tears filled
