Page 90 of The Space Traveller's Lover
Ai shewe(All is well). He sends her a thought-message, but she doesn’t respond as the protecting hyper-shields slide shut over their bodies.
Stage One,the sequence broadcast announces.
Shaillah closes her eyes tightly as the robotic voice sounding in her brain signals that the end of her cherished world is about to begin.
But an unexpected pause breaks the transmission. It lasts one second, but it feels like a long-drawn-out hour.
With a series of entangled thought-commands, Rothwen interruptsThe Prestige’scentral processor and completely replaces the Stage One sequence in real time.
Kuzhma-Or raises his eyebrows. A disgruntled groan escapes his curved mouth as he observes the zoomed-in holographic images, showing that the destroyer-crafts have moved away from their lower-altitude attack positions.
The Prestigeshoots up into deep space, leaving planet Earth untouched.
“As I expected,” he seethes in his message to Zula-Or.
“All I ask you now, my dearest friend of a lifetime, is to show leniency to our most distinguished one-of-a-kind master of master navigators,” Zula-Or pleads.
“The more he challenges me, the more I will push him,” Kuzhma-Or rages.
But he is powerless to do anything. The protective hyper-shields won’t open until Stage Two finishes, after they traverse the warped space-time frames tunnel and reach the edge of the Grand Fleet, on the other side.
Stage Two, T- 300, Activating all antiproton engines. Full propulsion. Blasting off.
As it reaches its nominal speed,The Prestigeswiftly penetrates the emerging hyperspace tunnel, disappearing into the swallowing black hole. At the same time, a colossal blast of ejected radiation shines as bright as an exploding sun, but only for a fraction of a nanosecond.
Even as the potent afterglow shines out of Earth’s line of sight, the planet’s upper atmosphere glows through the shower of energized cosmic rays. By then, the swarming web of destroyer-crafts, hovering between the Earth and its Moon, has already deployed its wide-ranging magnetic field, stopping most of the radiation onslaught.
Stage Two, Complete.
As the hyper-shields spring open, Rothwen is ready to face his supreme commander, standing up on the flight deck platform as a raging Kuzhma-Or and an expectant Athguer walk towards him. Shaillah slowly gets out of her seat, trying to figure out what has happened.
Kuzhma-Or briskly approaches a defiant Rothwen, their fuming faces nearly touching. The surrounding air crackles and sparks, charged with their brainwaves’ intense vibrations as they weigh each other up.
Stage Three, T-600, Joining the Grand Fleet.
“There, I’ve done it. And it is irreversible!” Rothwen declares, immovably holding Kuzhma-Or’s fierce gaze.
“You disobeyed my command. You are a traitor,” Kuzhma-Or scolds in his booming voice.
“My Commander, the order was to disable the humans. They’re as disabled now as they can be.”
“The order was to destroy them!” Kuzhma-Or fumes.
Rothwen impatiently exhales, walking towards Shaillah as she runs towards him and hugs him, instinctively trying to protect him from Kuzhma-Or with her own body. Any moment now, she fears, the furious commander will unleash his mighty wrath on them.
Rothwen holds her by her elbows, pressing her body against his to reassure her while frowning steadfastly at Kuzhma-Or.
“A broken order is always a broken order,” Kuzhma-Or blasts. Then pointing his finger at them, he threatens, “You both will be held accountable, and I’ll demand severe sanction!”
“My Supreme Commander,” Rothwen states impassionedly, “as the undisputable leader of our Invincible Grand Fleet, I respect you. As our fearless, greatest space conqueror, I salute you.” Rothwen pauses, his pupils ablaze with utter resolve. “But as the ruler of mine and Shaillah’s destiny, I must confront you.”
Shaillah suddenly realises the transcendence of Rothwen’s actions. Rothwen is standing up for her values and their destiny together. She pleads forKuzhma-Or’s mercy. “My Glorious Commander, conqueror of a thousand worlds, we humbly ask for your mercy. Thehuman mind and spiritshould live on. We have so much to learn from them.” Shaillah imploringly looks at him, trying to open up the slightest breach of compassion in Kuzhma-Or’s unyielding stance.
But Kuzhma-Or’s exasperation is getting even worse as he starts pondering what punishment he must deliver.
Still, Shaillah keeps vehemently imploring him. “My Commander, I beg you. Free your great spirit from its tomb’s darkest shadows.” Shaillah quivers, her eyes expectantly claiming forgiveness. She can tell that her words have rattled the supreme commander to his very core as he momentarily furrows his forehead in a hesitant grimace.
“A broken order is a broken order,” Kuzhma-Or repeats in a thundering voice, hardening his face and quickly dispelling any glimmer of peacemaking.
