“So that brokenness led to war?”
“It always does, Aerie. That hasn’t changed in thousands of years. Once the Old Republic dissolved into a dictatorship, new alliances formed. You’ve heard of MENACE.”
“I’ve heard of them,” Aerie agreed, thinking of the General’s accounts in his books. “They have been the arch enemy of the URS for decades now.”
“The URS doesn’t tell you, but it wasn’t always that way. They were allies once.”
“No, that’s not possible.” Aerie recalled the stories from the General’s reports. “They never shared the same values.”
“That’s the part where, in some cases, it makes sense,” Exton explained. “It was the perfect way to partner up and then have no qualms about destroying an ally.
“The UNA secretly partnered with MENACE to take over the rest of the northern hemisphere; the Southern Hemisphere had largely been lost, except for the most remote of locations, and they didn’t see the need to care much about it.”
Aerie shook her head. “I don’t know if I can believe it.”
“Why not?” he asked. “The URS hates capitalism, right?”
“Yes.”
“Think about capitalism in terms of war. War is a form of competition, just like capitalism, so—”
“So it would make sense to get rid of the competition,” Aerie finished. The wonder of new discovery darkened with the destructive reality it left behind. “You’re right. That does make sense.”
“That’s how the Old Republic did it. Convince the private sector to work for the public, and then they betrayed them.”
“It’s an idea with applicable merit,” Aerie agreed slowly. “You’re right. They didn’t teach us this history in the URS.” She frowned. “How did you learn it?”
“The Ecclesia, among its virtues, keeps records of the world history. It has, since its creation at the turn of the Common Era, written and recorded many historical accounts as well as religious ones. Context,” he explained, “is critical to understanding truth.”
“Can I see some of their records?” Aerie asked.
“Sure.” Exton smiled. “Tyler is my Commander, but he is also an avid reader. He can let you into the Records Room anytime you’re free.”
“I hope I’ll have some time this week. Emery said I could help with the harvest.”
“You want to help with the harvest?” Exton asked, surprised. “Did she actually tell you what it is?”
“It’s harvesting crops.”
“And you still want to help? It’s dirty work.”
“Cleaning with Olga and Alice has been dirty work at times,” Aerie bantered back. “I would love to see how your plants are growing up here.” She blushed. “My mother was a horticulture student before she was assigned to marry the—I mean, my father.”
“Sounds like she would have gotten along with my mother.” Exton considered mentioning the Biovid, before he shoved the thought of it aside. He’d show it to her later. It wasn’t ready yet, he reminded himself.
He glanced over at her as she continued to watch the endlessly expanding frontier outside the window. “Hey,” he said.
She glanced at him.
“I know it’s a bit off topic, but have you heard if there has been talk in the biochemistry and horticulture fields to wipe out the rest of earth’s populations?”
Aerie’s eyes widened. “Why would they do that?”
“It was something my parents heard when I was younger.” Exton turned and faced out the window again. “I was wondering if they’d made any progress on it.”
“You think the URS would continue that kind of research after they’ve won all the wars?” Aerie asked. “I mean,” she added with a blush, “besides the war you have with them?”
“My father was an engineer who started out by working with the horticulture and biochemists, developing machinery for them and the forestry department. It was how he met my mother, and many of our family’s friends. Mom loved her flowers and plants and worked diligently on the URS gardens. But she decided to raise me and Emery once we came along. General St. Cloud was not happy about this.”
Aerie flinched. “I can imagine,” she mumbled.
“Before that, my mother and a team of others were given the task of weaponizing plant DNA. I’m waiting to hear of the day they perfect it.” He shrugged. “I know they’ve made advancements in plenty of other areas.” He gave her a playful smirk. “Including some of their more recent fighting techniques, thanks to you.”
Aerie smiled but said nothing.
She wanted to, though. He could tell, the way she was carefully thinking things through. Her eyes were her downfall. With those all-too-expressive amber eyes, she would never be a good liar.
Exton leaned back and looked at her. And waited. She hates to wait.
Finally, Aerie spoke. “I know about their experiments to weaponize pollen seeds,” she said quietly.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Exton said. “I’ve been waiting for it, to be honest.”
“Why?” Aerie lowered her gaze from his again. “Why were you waiting for that particular information?”
“Because of the old ‘take-over-the-world’ ploy. My father started this project—the Perdition—when I was young, as a way to help people live comfortably in space for a long period of time. There aren’t many reasons why any nation would need that, let alone moral reasons to have it. It seemed reasonable to assume that it could be used as a lifeboat of sorts.”
“You do have a point,” Aerie remarked, her voice soft.
“My family grew up along with the ship. I watched him work on it, and when I could walk and use his tools, I helped him build it.”
“You did?”
“Yes.” Exton smiled. “I’m not lying to you, Aerie.”
Her eyes were still wary, while her voice was still a whisper. But Exton could hear the certainty in it. “I know.”
“Papa had a lot of friends who also worked on it. They were members of the Ecclesia. Most of them up here are also people I grew up with and their kids, and some grandkids now, too.
“My parents converted when I was young. Emery has also made much study of it since then. I think that’s part of the reason she fell in love with Tyler.”
“You weren’t a member of the Ecclesia?” Aerie asked.
Exton cringed at the surprise in her voice. “I mostly ignored it, to be honest. I was young. I wanted to be famous. So when General St. Cloud took notice of my skills, I was thrilled. Both Emery and I managed to impress a lot of our superiors with our skills and training, thanks to our parents.”
“Your mother was a horticulturalist?”
“Close. She studied as a botanist.”
“Emery learned from her.”
“Yes.”
Aerie’s eyes were sad as she turned to him. “And your dad taught you about engineering.”
“Yes.”
“So you did steal this ship from the URS?” Aerie asked.
He sighed. “I wouldn’t call it stealing, per say.”
Aerie gave him a tiny smile. “Emery said about the same thing.”
“I was only fourteen when my father was killed by the URS. Emery and I were lined up for early entrance into different universities. I’d talked with St. Cloud about working for the military.”
“He would have liked that.” Aerie cleared her throat. “I imagine.”
“He did.” Exton clenched his fists. “I think it was part of the reason they were not willing to give my father another punishment.”
“Exton.” She put her hand on his, and he mindlessly stared at it for a long moment, before grasping onto her.
“After my father was killed, I felt guilty for weeks. It was only later that I began to feel angry. My father was a good man. Idealistic, but he wanted to make the world a better place for the people, not for the State. I could no longer agree with the State. Tyler was my best friend at the time. We were at university when I told him what ha
ppened. He was there for the military, studying aeronautics and astrophysics for their new space fighter program. We decided to find a way to commit treason and honor my father’s memory.”
“So you decided to steal back his ship.”
“Yes. It took months of planning, but I still can’t believe somedays how we managed to pull it off. The URS was using my father’s ship as a prototype at the time, at New Hope’s Military Academy. But we got it; many members of the Ecclesia helped us launch it, as you might have figured. It was a miracle, but we got it.”
He relaxed against the window, feeling the cool of the steel-enforced glass behind him. “So that’s the story.”
“I see.” Aerie nervously laced her fingers together in her lap. “So you took the ship out of revenge for your father’s death. And you managed to stop them from using their weapons on other nations from space?”
“I wouldn’t say ‘managed.’” He turned away. “They’ve still attacked different countries, and we’ve been unable to do much about it. The nice thing about the Ecclesia is that they have a reliable network of informants. We are sometimes able to get people out, if they believe us, but we are unable to save everyone or the places.”
“If that’s the truth,” Aerie said slowly, “then you are a hero.”
Exton shook his head. “No, I’m not. I am the reason my father died. Anything I can do to stop the URS from destroying the world is still not enough to absolve me of that sin.”
“And you’re sure that the URS is lying to its people?”
He frowned at her. “Even you know that, Aerie.”
“They have good intentions. Sometimes.”
“That doesn’t mean that it’s not harmful. Surely you can think of some instances where they do cause problems for their populations.”
He watched her face, her expression changing slowly from concentration to disbelief, to uncertainty to despair. Exton nodded as her eyes met his once more. “There are others here, others who are older than me, and they can tell you more. Several refugees can also attest to contrary reports from the URS history record.”
“Like what?”
Exton rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “There are a few bigger ones that come to mind. MENACE, for example, never poisoned the Hudson River eight years ago; I knew a water systems specialist who confided in me that the water had been polluted from a mutated bacterium growth.”
Aerie nodded. “I wondered about that myself a few years ago,” she admitted quietly. “I took samples one day and examined them. The bacteria wasn’t mutated, but it was a specialized culture which only grows in certain conditions. MENACE would not have had the resources for it, most likely.” Her lip trembled. “My mom knew a lot about things like that, so she helped with the cultures.”
Exton said nothing for several moments. He glanced at the earth through the window overhead, allowing her time to digest all the new—readjusted—information.
“Is that why you rescue people?” Aerie finally asked. “To save them from the URS?”
“Sometimes,” he admitted. “Many of them want to be here, with the Ecclesia. They think it’s safe.”
“Is it?”
Exton sighed. “It’s safer than a lot of other places, especially for people who believe in something greater that the URS.”
“Something greater?”
“When your beliefs fail you, you need to look to something greater,” he told her. “The Ecclesia have God.”
“What do you have?” Aerie asked quietly.
“Right now? Revenge.”
At her shocked expression, he laughed coldly. “I wasn’t playing a game,” he said, “when I told you my greatest fear was that I have nothing else to lose.”
“But you’re a good person.” Aerie blushed. “At least, I think so. I mean, you help people.”
“I didn’t set out to help people when I stole this ship.”
“But you did.”
“Is there such a thing as being accidentally good?”
Aerie frowned at his teasing tone. “You’re not giving yourself enough credit.”
“I doubt it.”
“I know you better than I did before,” she said, taking a step closer to him. “From being around here, listening to people tell me about you and their lives. I know you’ve been a good leader.”
“All it takes to mess it up is one bad decision.”
“That doesn’t make you a monster,” Aerie whispered.
“That doesn’t mean that you believe it,” he countered.
Aerie sighed. “I think I need some time to think it over still.” She tightened her grip on his hand. “I don’t disbelieve you, though.”
Small steps. “I understand.” Exton checked the time. “It’s getting late,” he said. “If you want to help with the harvest tomorrow, you’d better get back to your room.”
“Exton.” She blushed as she said his name. “Can we stay here for a bit longer?”
“Sure, if you want.” He grinned. “The privacy is nice, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” She nodded toward the window. “The view is, too.”
“It’s definitely different from the one in New Hope. Assuming it hasn’t drastically changed in the last six years.”
“It hasn’t,” Aerie assured him. “Sometimes I have trouble when I am working, when I see windows here, because I start staring out into space,” she admitted. “Olga’s told me it’s natural, and that once I get used to it it’ll be easier to focus on work. I hope I don’t get used to it.”
“I don’t blame you.” He followed her gaze. “Once you lose something like that, it’s really hard to get it back.”
She slumped back against the wall, letting herself fall into a sitting position. “Come and sit with me.”
Exton moved to sit next to her. He was surprised when she took his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“It’s a little cold in here,” she murmured inconspicuously, snuggling into the small niche of his shoulder.
“I never notice anymore,” he admitted, drawing her closer. “You’re warm to me.”
“Is this where I hit you?” she asked, reaching out and gently touching the left side of his chest.
“Yes. It’s better now.”
“That’s good.” She smiled up at him. “I’m not lying to you when I say I’m happy that it’s better.”
“I’m glad you’re not lying.”
“Let’s not lie to each other about other stuff.”
“Like what?”
“Just other stuff, not related to war or politics or anything.” Aerie shrugged. “What’s your favorite color? That seems pretty basic.”
“You always start with the basics?”
“When it comes to you? Hardly.”
He laughed. “That’s true. I like blue best. It’s the only primary color that stays blue, no matter how light or dark you make it.”
“That’s neat. I never thought of that,” Aerie said. “My favorite color is—”
“Wait,” he interrupted. “Let me guess. It is red?”
“Yeah. How did you know?” Aerie asked.
He grinned. “Just had a feeling.”
As they continued, as best as they could, to have a normal conversation, Exton felt her relax against him, her warmth gradually pulling him into quiet contentment. He didn’t know if she was doing it out of sympathy at hearing his story, or if she was slowly leaving her shyness and hesitancy behind. Either way, he admired her bravery and compassion.
And even though he was paying attention to all her questions and answers, all he really wanted to ask her was if he could kiss her again. Despite his feelings on the matter, he decided against it.
There is no rushing this, he thought. He had time, as little as it might have been, and if she was going to trust him, he knew he had to give it to her.
♦20♦
With a hulking basket full of crops on her back, Aerie felt a momentary sense of satisfaction stem from her efforts as she def
tly climbed down into one of the Perdition’s storage pantries.
She knew of the gymnasium on Level Four, and she had attempted to get a workout in just once before. But the stares and whispers that seemed to follow her drove her out of the room.
That was the least of her worries for the moment. There was a war to consider, sinister intentions to weigh, and her own hesitations to condemn.
And on top of that, as of this morning there were at least a hundred rooms of crops that needed harvested, collected, and stored.
“Looks great, Aerie,” Alice said. “How’s the rest of your room coming?”
Aerie smiled as she handed her basket off to Alice. “It’s almost done,” she answered. “Naomi and Orla, the other girls working with me, will be down in a few moments.”
“You guys are sure going fast.” Alice gestured toward the storage shelves. “Kyo and I will find a way to make room for more.”
Aerie grinned.
“I like how your hair is styled today,” Alice said. “It looks like you’re getting better about braiding it.”
“Yes,” Aerie agreed with a small laugh. “I appreciate you showing me how to do it.”
Alice tweaked one of her short curls. “I almost wish I had longer hair still. It’s just easier.”
“My mother liked my hair long,” Aerie recalled. “She died a few years ago.”
“Did she have long hair like yours, too?”
“Yes.” Aerie grinned. “And I like it this way, too, of course.”
“That’s why you keep it like that?”
“My mother’s hair was a darker shade of red than mine. But she liked to keep it longer, too. Why do you ask?”
Alice shrugged. “You remind me of one of the ladies I used to know in the Chaya settlement, where I used to live, before I applied to come and work on the Perdition. I thought you might be related.”
“Chaya settlement?”
“It’s a small place close to the fertile crescent area, where the Mediterranean Sea used to be. It’s one of the Ecclesia’s camping grounds.”
Aerie frowned. “My mother’s name was Merra.”
“That was her name, too.”
That’s … weird.