Faint lines appeared on her forehead. “What is that mission?”
“To destroy the Khul. To eradicate them is my hypothesis,” he answered.
Though the Osiris had not yet told anyone exactly what its mission was, based on what he had experienced and his sister’s journal, he was certain this was what the Osiris was intended to do.
“All Khul ships are headed towards the Sun. Those potentially exposed are in quarantine,” he finished off.
She gave a brief nod. If he had expected–or desired–praise he was clearly not going to get it. He wondered what it would have been like to have his mother rush to the car like Jace’s parents did. It was such an alien thing that he could not quite imagine it. The fact that he had thought about it at all was disturbing on some level.
“Good old human know-how helped us do a thing that you could not,” General Intoshkin was smiling brightly as he said this.
“A highly trained Thaf’ell Commander and an Altaeth AI–two AIs–were at play in this, General. And what my sensors tell me about Jace…” All four of them turned to see Jace, who was now outside of the car with his parents beside him, “is that he’s not quite human either.”
“Jace is human where it counts, High Councillor.” General Intoshkin then touched his temple and a place over his heart muscle. “Heart and mind, he’s human.”
“Which means what exactly, General?” his mother asked smoothly.
“That he won’t abandon Earth or humanity to go and play for the Alliance’s team.” The general wagged a finger at her. “Now we have two things you want. You need to play ball.”
“But the ship is inoperable, General,” she said softly. “A Pilot without a ship… how useful is that?”
At that moment, the ground began to tremble. Khoth’s head snapped around towards Jace. Immediately, he was concerned about the young man. Jace was staring straight back at him. He held up a hand and strode over with his parents in tow.
“There’s no need for alarm,” Jace said in English then repeated it in flawless Thaf’ell, though that was unnecessary as they all had near universal translators. But still, it had the desired effect to catch his mother and the Thaf’ell warriors’ attention. He stopped beside Khoth.
“What is happening, Jace?” Khoth asked.
The ground was shaking so hard now it was hard to keep his feet.
“Everyone, stay where you are. Again, don’t be alarmed,” Jace said in both languages. “We’re all safe as are the people in the base. The Osiris has ensured that.”
“Son, what the Devil is going on?” General Intoshkin asked Jace.
“You’re going to love this, General,” Jace said with a wider grin. “I think you are too, High Councillor.”
Jace pointed back towards the base. The hanger that had been on top of the elevator to the Osiris suddenly collapsed as the ground beneath it liquified and then was expelled high up into the air. A blast of engines–white hot–erupted from the ground, turning sand to magma. There was a cracking, groaning, wrenching sound as the Osiris began to emerge from the earth.
Khoth grabbed Jace’s nearest arm. They both helped each other keep their feet as the ground danced all around them. Mile after mile of the ship emerged from the ground like a blade being pulled from a scabbard. The engine’s roar was deafening. The air heated all around them, but they were a safe distance away. The glare from the engines though was as bright as the noonday sun. Khoth had to shade his eyes to watch as the massive ship emerged from the ground.
Finally, it was fully free. Huge clods of earth rained down on the city, but no one was there to be harmed by them. The Osiris levitated about two-hundred feet above the ground. It glowed like a heavenly body all purples and greens and blues and golds rippled over the outside skin.
“It’s beautiful,” Jace whispered.
“Yes,” Khoth agreed. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“A Pilot without a ship, huh, High Councillor?” General Intoshkin didn’t try to hide his triumphant smile this time.
His mother smiled back coolly.
Suddenly, over his suit’s speakers, he heard Thammah’s voice. “Woo hoo, boys! I’m coming to pick you up in the Kryptoria II and bring you both up to the Osiris. It wants its Pilot and its Commander on board! Safe and sound! So get ready!”
Fly Me To The Moon
“Actually, I think I want my own ride up to the Osiris,” Jace said, his eyes fixed on the hovering spacecraft above them.
Osiris, send down the Storm Spike, Jace requested the ship’s AI.
It shall be done, the Osiris replied in its normal dry, inflectionless tone, but Jace could have sworn there was a touch of pleasure in it. It definitely wanted him on board.
