A New Divide (Science Fiction) (20 page)

              "Damn, he's even more hard-headed than his son. Filled with nothing but bricks. Never touch me."

              "Well, you could massage my throbbing bump you just gave me. Although you would have to pick one of the two." He smiled and laughed until Victoria kicked him very hard in the abdomen. Then he stopped laughing, and groaned as Mark approached him, and helped him to his feet.

              "Nope, lower, sweetheart," my father said as he coughed in pain.

              "You are a pig."

              "Damn, I like her, Virgil; we'll have to do it again sometime. I never got your name, sweet thing."


              "You must be Collin's father; to what do we owe the pleasure?" Mark asked. Jonathan stood apart from Mark, and he wiped his blood from his mouth.

              "I was told you were expecting me?"

              "Well, I sure as hell wasn't expecting another King, one is enough as is," Victoria remarked. My father blew her a kiss and gave her a wink.

              "Please, sweetie, the men are talking here." Victoria punched him very hard in the jaw. This sent him stumbling back into Virgil.

              "You are on my ship, you stupid bitch! You are far worse than your boy! As soon as we reach Rayden, his ass better stay there, Commander. I do not want him with us."

              "It's actually
my
fleet, Admiral, and we will do no such thing," Commander Wyman said in defense of my father.

              "But sir, you have no idea who this man is, what he could be hiding; plus he has no respect for authority."

              "Victoria, you need to learn to become more tolerant, especially if you plan on leading this fleet someday. Why don't you take a breather, a walk?"

              "I'm fine, sir," she replied in frustration.

              "I wasn't asking, Admiral. I will call you when we reach Rayden." Victoria stormed out of the command center, and my father's egotistic attitude ceased when he heard Mark speak of Rayden.

              He slowly turned to Mark, who simply gave him a smile. "I see where he gets his attitude from," Mark said as he chuckled lightly.

              "Is it true? Are we heading to Rayden?"

              Mark looked to my father, and Mark's compassion came pouring out. "Yes, yes we are. We are going to help rebuild all that they have lost. I just wish Minerva was not too far gone."

              My father looked down and heavy emotion filled his voice. "I should have been there." Mark placed his hand on my father's shoulder, and my father clenched his fist. My father was suddenly overcome with guilt and regret.

              "My friend, they will have their retribution soon enough, that I promise you. I'm a man of my word." My father turned his gaze out into the ocean of stars that were flying by all of us. A nervous feeling came over him, for he knew that within an hour, the blue and teal skies of Rayden would be hanging in the horizon, and the fires on Minerva shining brightly. He would finally lay his eyes upon a now-destroyed home world that he had left behind so long ago, along with the only family he had left, Virgil and me.

***

             
I ran away
just as I always had. I thought that I needed to be alone, when the reality was I needed somebody beside me, someone to help carry the incredible weight this burden had bestowed upon me.

              How could things have gone so wrong, in such a short amount of time? I sat there in an empty hallway outside one of the barracks, in the Alexandria, my back against the wall. Just when everything seemed to be building itself back up, it began to fall completely apart. This thought frustrated me, and angered me, to the point where I temporarily lost control, and let my emotions get the better of me.

              I quickly stood up, and shouted at the top of my lungs, as I punched the wall that I had been staring at for about twenty minutes. My arms illuminated, and my punch cracked the entire surface of the wall. The incredible force I released shot a shockwave into the wall, which cracked the lighting along the hallways, from the floor to the ceiling. I was thrown back onto the floor, and I began pounding on the surface. Cracking and splintering it in all directions. I will not lie; it did feel quite good to release some of the stress that had been building up along this journey.

              I probably would have destroyed the Alexandria from the inside out, had it not been for Vice Admiral Silas Andrews. He heard the commotion, and stepped out of his sleeping quarters, to see what jackass was making the ship's interior shake.

              "Whoa, maybe I should come back," he said as he began to recede back to his quarters, but he stopped when he saw me pouting like a child.

              "I didn't know anyone was around. What does it matter anyway? No one can help me." He began to walk in my direction as I was clutching my head, lying on the floor, covered in shattered glass.

              "That's quite a gift you have," he said as he calmly approached me.

              "It's a burden."

              "Hardly, you just need to learn how to control it, Collin."

              "How the hell would you know, Silas?" He stood over me and looked down on me in sympathy. I felt in that moment that maybe Silas was the friend I had been looking for all along. Something about that look in his eyes really spoke to me, and I felt I could trust him. I thought maybe even he could understand me.

              "No one should be alone in this world; it's too cold and ugly. Friends will help you, Collin. They will always support you every step of the way," he replied as he presented his hand in a warm, and opening, gesture to me. I was realizing how childish I had been, and replied back.

              "You think you could help me control this 'gift,' Vice Admiral?"

              He pulled me to my feet and smiled widely. I dusted off the glass that was covering my clothes. "Collin, I would be honored."

              I nodded to him, and behind his shoulder, I gazed at a familiar sight. We had arrived where my journey had begun, Rayden, but as I would soon learn, this would not be the beginning of the Remoran's great expedition—it would be the beginning of something else entirely.


CHAPTER 12 - THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD

              Over the next forty days
on Rayden, I spent my time understanding my abilities. I had come to accept this mutation fully, and I even began to embrace it. Silas helped me a great deal; we even became close friends as we spent our time assisting my race in helping rebuild the society, and the life that had been torn apart by the events of the purge. All around the makeshift huts of my remaining Raydenite brothers and sisters, the morale had greatly improved, and the Remorans had certainly gained an ally in their upcoming conflict with the Kingdom of Salaras.

              Things were finally beginning to improve for me. I even began reconnecting slowly with Helena. I had learned that her boss had threatened her way of life, and I even vowed to kick his ass when we were back on Remora together. The situation was tricky, as he was an off-planet brother of the council member Doctor Victor Reselles (the man who wore the bulky glasses), though maybe if Victor knew of the situation he would sort it out. I had learned those who abuse their power in Remoran society are greatly punished, by being exiled from the best hope humanity has at a peaceful, and truly free society. I felt happy, complete, and fulfilled. I had shed my selfish intentions and somehow, being here on Rayden, and witnessing the unity this great expedition had created between our two races, gave me great solace. After forty days of waiting, and working diligently, I had gained the character I would need to assist the Remorans, the GDR, and a majority of the remaining nations of Eden, in their assault on the kingdom's capitol world.

              Today was the day. Zachary Wright had agreed to assist in this great campaign, and it would be but six hours before we were going to meet with the rest of the fleet. Finally our day of retribution was at hand. An entire solar system united against a single enemy, a man with an incredible fleet that would suffer in prison forever for his crimes against humanity. I anxiously awaited our departure with Silas in our cabin on the rolling hills on the western hemisphere of Rayden, near the north.

              He was giving me a final test to see how well I could control my interesting attribute. We both sat cross-legged in the small makeshift hut; we were about to see how much progress I had made. "Okay, are you ready?" Silas inquired.

              "I've been ready for a while now, Silas."

              "Okay, another hour."

              "Come on, Silas. I am itching to get to the Alexandria. Let's do this!"

              Silas sighed and leaned forward towards me. "Remember, concentrate, focus the energy inside yourself. For you are strong, man, very strong, also very dumb, so it should be easy for you to clear your mind. Me talking slow enough for you?"

              He was trying my patience and I was starting to get very annoyed. "Silas, I will slap you if you keep mocking me. Do it." He laughed and he proceeded.

              "Here we go."

              He reached into his pocket and pulled out an old-world lighter, a keepsake of his. "Be careful with that. It's over two thousand years old."

              "No promises, Silas."

              I caught the lighter, flicked open the metal top, and lit the flame. I placed my hand over the lit flame and my tattoos began to grow and morph more intensely.

              I slowly extracted the flame from out of the lighter, and into the palm of my hand. The fuel poured out from the lighter, and flowed to the small flame, like a small stream through midair. I then looked over to Silas, who nodded at me.

              "Just remember, with power like this, you need to reserve limitation."

              I took the flame and morphed it into a ball with my hands. I focused, and levitated the flame up in front of me. I took both my hands and began to expand the flame, as the fuel continued to stream from the lighter in my hand. Silas looked up in amazement, the fireball continued to grow larger, and brighter. I was smiling brightly, continuing to expand the fireball, but suddenly, the ball of fire that I had manifested above our heads had dispersed. The fuel stream had run dry, and it was no longer giving life to the fire, a vital component was missing. We looked on in disappointment. I attempted to ignite the lighter in my hand, but it had been completely drained of fuel.

              "No fuel left. I can only manipulate the energy, I can't create it," I said as I threw the lighter back to Silas. He caught the lighter and replied to me while he twirled the drained lighter between his fingers.              "The power of the sun in the palm of your hand. Helena was right: you do have the power to change our humanity. My god, you are omnipotent, Collin, all powerful. You are like a god."

              "Don't say that," I responded in resentment.

              "But it is true, Collin. Just remember you are only a god if you choose to be, and clearly all you want is to help people with no praise whatsoever. You're just a regular Joe with a . . extremely intense, and unbelievably effective, working body."

              I looked up and smiled at the wise words of my friend Silas as we stood up and left the hut. "You know, I think there would have been a time where I would have abused this power, but I can see the damage abusing power and notoriety can do now. Hell, I mean, I did plenty of that as a gravball player. I will never use it to my own gain ever again."

              "Well, you should definitely play in the league game this afternoon. I'm entering you under a different name, and shaving your head. I will then make a ridiculous bet, and cash in on your ass," Silas said in a serious tone.

              "So, you are an idiot. You do know that, right?" I said as I walked out of our hut, onto the magnificent rolling fields of Rayden's western basin. They were the fields of grass that stretched from the vast Vakken desert, along the mountain ranges, where the ancient cities were imbedded, all the way to the southern ocean, which covered over three-quarters of the planet.

              "We'll see who the idiots are when I walk away with all of their credits ha-ha!" Silas laughed as we stared into the ocean off in the distance. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day to leave. It was the summer season now. The suns lingered over the horizon, and their rays shined through the parted streaks of clouds that barely covered the bright blue sky. We used to call it the summer that never sleeps, because the Celerian nebula lit the sky so brightly that it even lit up the darkness of space in the night. The light of the night.

              Hundreds of kilometers above us, the Remoran fleet hovered along the clouds, as soldiers began to depart from the planets of Rayden and Minerva.

              The situation should have seemed very hectic, much like our quick departure from Gannon, but it was serene. The Remorans created something here, a symbol of hope to my brothers and sisters that were now just a few billion in number. We were not leaving this planet alone, however. On the beach, by the massive clay and stone pillars, the Raydenites were preparing their ragtag fleet to engage the nation that had committed genocide against their people. Maybe the Remorans even enjoyed their time with the changed Outlander race and their new leader.

***

[>Jonathan King<]

-Raydenite Headquarters-

              Virgil and my father were reminiscing with the new president, Zachary Wright, who had finally gotten back on his feet, thanks to several Remoran doctors. He had two brand new bionic legs, and after forty days of physical rehabilitation, he was finally getting used to them.

              "So? How are your new legs treating you?" Virgil asked Wright.

              "I feel like a new man, Virgil, and thanks to your commander, our people can again prosper from all that was taken from us over this past season."

              "The rehabilitation gave you no trouble?" my father asked.

              "Jon, my friend, I have no time to take rehabilitation classes, my people have been supportive enough. They cannot very well have a president with no legs, to stand proud on, right?" President Wright was kicking a gravityball to a group of young kids in the rolling fields, before the tents of his base camp. The three walked towards a hill that led to the ocean, as Wright entertained the group of kids at his side.

              "Speaking of your commander, where is he?" Wright inquired to Virgil.

              "Surprisingly, he is enjoying the day like everyone else around here." My father pointed to the hill they were slowly making their way towards. "Someone said they saw him over there, gazing up at the sky."

              "What beautiful weather for such an important day. A good time to reflect on one's life," Zachary Wright said as he kicked the ball hard out into the sprawling fields. The children chased after it with tenacity. Wright smiled as he watched the group of children, and then he turned to my father and Virgil and spoke. "I suppose you gentlemen won't be joining us for the gravball game here in the next half hour? We may not have our great zero-gravity, stadium-grade sphere anymore, but our game on the field should prove to be entertaining nonetheless."

              Virgil laughed in response to Wright. "Ha, nah, man, they want the officers of the Alexandria back ASAP. They don't like us screwing around too much."

              "It's a shame. It will be a great game. Well then."

              Zachary Wright outstretched his hand to my father and Virgil. They each stepped in to bid the new president a farewell. "Good seeing you again, Virgil. Always a pleasure," Wright said as he shook Virgil's hand.

              "Absolutely, General, I mean Mr. President."

              "Mr. King, it was a pleasure seeing you again, my brother."

              "Likewise, sir," my father said in a humorless tone.

              "Tell that boy of yours he should join our team. We could use the help of a star player against you brutal Remoran players. He is still a Raydenite after all."

              "Will do, Mr. Wright."

              President Wright began to make his way to the crowd that was gathering in a field, not too far off, for the impending game between lower-ranked soldiers of the Remoran and Raydenite armies. "I will you see you gentlemen in the skies. After this game we will meet at our rendezvous point in Salaran space. Good luck."

"You bet, boss." Virgil and my father began walking back towards the temporary Remoran base camp. Gazing up at the rainbow-colored sky, they could see Minerva, the brightest object in Rayden's skies after the suns. It smoldered with smoke, and debris from the eternal fires that now lit up the moon's surface. The Outlanders claimed that the moon would burn for centuries, due to the fact that we
hollowed
it out for our people. Many were afraid to live on Rayden due to its wild storms. Rayden was always viewed as a sacred planet, a spot for a vacation, never a home, until now. A lot of our people even worshiped it as an all-powerful being upon our arrival, hence why we are called "the Raydenites," or "the Outlanders."

              The planet would continue to burn until the fires would have nothing left to consume. However, they also say that when those flames stop burning, after scorching all of the earth, a beautiful forest would rise from the ashes, and Minerva will again rise, and inhabit the repopulated masses of the Raydenites.

My father stopped and stared at the smoking celestial object in the sky. The cool breeze had drifted in from the sea that lay just a few kilometers to the south. Even this perfect weather could not soothe the weight that had anchored his heart.

              "Virgil?" he asked with a sad tone in his voice.

              "What's up, bud?"

              "What does my son think of me?" Virgil had to think about how he would break the news to one of his oldest and dearest friends. He sighed and lit up a cigarette; a strange feeling had washed over him.

              "Honestly?"

              "Yes, Virgil."

              "He hates you, John." My father diverted his stare from the sky and was caught in Virgil's compassionate gaze. "I'm sorry, John." He sighed as they continued to walk through the rolling plains of grass. The gravball game had begun behind them as they slowly made their way further, and further, towards the ocean.

              "It's my fault, Virgil, it's all my fault. I never should have left," my father said as guilt filled his conscience.

              "John, if you didn't leave, Collin would have been dependent instead of lost, much worse in my opinion. Self-sufficiency is so vital these days, partna. Wait. You haven't told him yet, have you? Have you forgotten your promise?" My father stopped in his tracks, and began to tremble as he took a swig from his pocket flask, and responded to Virgil defensively.

              "No, I haven't forgotten. I am just waiting for the right time, Virgil."

              "John. You have to tell him. He will find out eventually."

              "Well, why don't you tell him? You made a promise to them too, Virgil!"