A New Divide (Science Fiction) (29 page)

              The GDR was a democracy, but it has become staggered and lopsided due to thousands of years of change. This was an extreme condition that Arcoh knew he could take advantage of. All he had to do was strike fear into the most powerful leader of the free worlds, because his words, David's words, were absolute to his people. He was the decider and his decision had plunged Arcadia into Arcoh's age.

***

              Victoria and I were
sitting atop a great piece of wreckage. The charred fuselage that was once the Alexandria. It was one hell of a climb. It stuck nearly a kilometer out of the ground and served as the highest landmark on the beach flats. I originally followed her up there with her same intention—she needed to see it with her own eyes. The fallout of her old life, the destruction of it all. It was one hell of a view, endless fields filled by the carcasses of smoking Remoran warships.

              "Collin?"

              "Victoria."

              "So this is what it feels like?" she asked.

              "Yeah. Yeah, this is what it feels like." I took in the view and sat down beside her, shading my eyes from the setting suns in the distance. "I'm sorry."

              "For what?"

              "The warp gate. I should have known it would only work for two people."

              She laughed and took a swig from her flask. Never took her as a drinker, but times such as these can reveal a lot about people. "I thought it seemed a little unrealistic. It doesn't matter. If he was able to destroy our fleet when it was whole, what makes us think we could have fought him while we were still licking our scars? He knew where to hit us where it hurt most. But I am done feeling sorry for myself and my people."

              I sighed and slightly trembled as I turned to speak to her again.

              "He beat me. I can't believe I let him beat me."

              "He fooled all of us. Don't be so selfish."

              She handed the flask to me and I took a swig, nearly gagging as I swallowed what tasted like pure gasoline.

              "We can't give up," I said through my gag.

              "We won't." She stood up and smiled at me while she began to pace around the platform. "Now, he thinks we have lost hope. Our hope is Arcoh's greatest rival in his campaign. He will begin to drop his guard. I had a couple of tech dorks tell me that even with a billion-man armada in Arcadia, it would take at least a year for Arcoh to seize control of that city. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done, on both our sides."

              "There is something you aren't telling me."

              Victoria swirled the flask around her fingers, finally looking up towards me with light in her eyes and belief in her heart. "I know what he meant now when he told me you would change everything. Your attitude makes you unlikeable, your ability can barely save yourself, and you have a set of skills that are completely useless in our current predicament. But it's who you are, you are Collin King, the legendary gravball player who only became a legend when he retired. They all talk about you, you know? Everyone on this planet now, and every other planet in Eden. You are the inspiration we need to break through this. Because of you, Collin, we will never be alone, and we will always find people we can trust."

              "I just wish I could have done more."

              "You have given these people everything, Collin. I know things look bleak, but Arcoh cannot control 120 billion people; no man can, or woman for that matter. Revolution will be his ruin."

              "I never figured you for the optimist, Victoria."

              Victoria laughed and jumped to her feet, shielding the radiant sunlight from her eyes as she walked towards me.

              "Well, I have to be; I am the Good Commander now. I won't lie to you—we won't be able to liberate Arcadia, Collin, but we can rescue Mark if we do it carefully."

              "If Arcoh hasn't already executed them."

              "He's not that stupid. They are his only bargaining chips for the collectives of humanity. As long as Arcoh has Mark—"

              "And Helena," I said before she had a chance to finish.

              "Yes. As long as he has Mark we cannot fight him. Mark is the only one who can reunite the scattered fleets."

              I looked down at my feet. I just couldn't shed this feeling of failure I had, it was eating me alive. It was then that Victoria rested her hand softly on my shoulder.

              "Thank you, Collin."

              "What in Eden would you ever thank me for?"

              "You made the decision to save my life over your own father's. I can't imagine how hard that must have been."

              "I didn't have a choice."

              "There is always a choice, Collin, but there isn't always a right one. I didn't think you had what it took to make those kind of decisions."

              "So you trust me now?"

              She smiled at me and extended her hand to me in a kind gesture. "I still don't really like you, but it's a blessing to know who I can trust. I trust you'll come with us to save Mark."

              I then cracked a smile. It broke that mask I always seemed to wear around her. I took my hand and gave her a firm handshake as I stared into her deep blue eyes.

              "I can't think of anything clever to say, so I'll say yes."

              "Think faster next time then; we'll need your wit in the battles ahead."

              "How do you plan on rescuing Mark? We don't even have a way off this planet."

              "Virgil is waiting in the forward command center for you. He has a solution to that problem. Now get going—you have distracted me for long enough. I need to tend to my men."

              I ran then, all the way to the edge of the plain where Virgil was sitting in the grass staring up at the sky, remnants of what was once Minerva.

              As I made my way towards him everyone looked upon me and smiled, while they worked diligently to rebuild what had been taken from them. Suffering was the one thing we all had in common, and they looked to me then as they did Mark, as they did with President Wright.

              "Well, well."

              "Victoria said you have a way off this rock."

              "Are you sure you are ready for this?"

              "I think I've found my purpose, old man."

              "That you have, kid."

              I sat down beside him and we took in the moment, there in the tall fields of grass the light breeze blowing the ashes of our worlds subtly past us.

              "My past is buried out there, somewhere underneath the sands in the north."

              "You know what we'll find?"

              "Indeed I do, but it lies with a man I haven't seen in five hundred years. He's the only one who can help us."

              "Can you trust him?"

              "I don't know, but what choice we got?"

              "Well then, what the hell are we waiting for!"

              I pulled his ancient ass
out of the grass and headed towards the nearest vehicle that would take us to the tundra in the north. He says he has a past to chase; I just hope we can trust this man he speaks of, t
he Great Destroyer
. Yeah, he sounds like an outstanding individual, all the promise in the world. Shit. But I'll do anything to get back to my love, Helena, who brought me back from the edge of insanity after the purge, and to save the man who gave me a second chance. Together they showed me how wonderful this life can really be—between all the suffering, and all the difficult choices we have to face. They taught me that some things are always worth fighting for.

              And something else. Greatness is an obsession, which men will go to incredible lengths to achieve. And desire can be truly terrifying if balance is nonexistent, whether it is Arcoh murdering tens of billions of people, or Mark giving himself to Arcoh to give us a fair chance at freedom, I learned that to be great, all you have to do is do something different.

              The Great Destroyer is coming.

TO BE RESOLVED

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