The Impossible Future: Complete set by Frank Kennedy (mini ebook reader .txt) 📕

“I heard they’re small, made of thick glass, octagonal.”

“Yes. The fleet has already deployed eighty-five.”

“Where?”

Magnus laughed. “Please, Ophelia. They keep secrets better than the Guard. But a few of us have a theory. Each refractor contains a magnetic cube of hyper-condensed dark matter substrata locked in the center. The radiation signature matches the wormhole drivers on every ship in this fleet.”

“Which means?”

“These refractors might act as beacons. It’s possible they’re designing a path out of the Collectorate to the far end of the galaxy, or even beyond. The Fulcrum operates like this, with beacons to guide shipping.”

“So, you think all their attacks on colonies are what? A distraction until it’s time to leave? You hear the illogic. Yes?”

“Ophelia, the immortals and hybrids will never have a proper home if they remain in the Collectorate. This is their only move.”

She hugged Magnus, as much to protect him from his ignorance as to convince herself he might still be turned.

“Magnus, you don’t understand their motives. Not like I do. They don’t want to escape. They want revenge. They want to usurp the people who created them. They use us because they know how insecure Chancellors have become. If they hand over their secrets, it will be to the indigos. They see the colonials as victims, too. Please tell me you understand what I’m saying.”

He tightened his grip, his hands running up and down her back. The memories of Catalan intensified.

“Does it matter?” He asked. “Whatever their plans, we’re at their mercy. We do our best work for them and live day-to-day on articles of faith. This is our only shot at redemption.”

She looked up and met his lips with full ferocity, not kissing a man as if onboard Lioness but rather under a moonlit sky on a building rooftop in Madrid Redux. After a few seconds, she pulled away when she realized the truth: There was no love here anymore; she’d forgotten how.

“There’s an alternative, Magnus. But it means we give up whatever pathetic lives we have left.”

“What are you saying?”

“They will never share their secrets. But we can steal them.”

“Are you mad?”

“At the very least.”

“That’s impossible. We’d have to …”

His eyes bulged as he turned a deathly white.

“Kill them,” she said. “Yes. If we want redemption, we take out the monsters we created. The hybrids are genocidal lunatics. And right now, there are only twelve of them. Within a month, eight new ones will be born. Their growth will be accelerated. New children will follow. The Guard and the Chancellory have no idea how dangerous they are. If you want to give our people a fighting chance at renewal, this is the only way.”

He pointed an indignant finger.

“I could report you for this treason. They’d kill you today.”

“An end to my misery. What a blessing.”

“You’re not the woman I loved.”

“And you’re not the man. He had a backbone. There’s only one way, Magnus. Report me or work with me.”

Magnus fell to one knee and caught his breath.

“How can you put me in this position?”

All at once, Ophelia found clarity.

“Think of Brice. What would your son do?”

Magnus didn’t answer.

That was good enough for Ophelia.

36

V ALENTIN WANTED TO TRUST HIS BROTHER, but the deceptions followed one on the heel of another. Yes, James did give way at last to explain his strategy for the attack on Vasily Station, but now this? A “deal” James made to induce chaos on Earth? How? With whom? Was it another childish intrusion on the lives of James’s former friends? A grudge of his own invention? In the early months after their escape from Earth, the brothers shared everything – their deepest feelings, their ambitions, their flights of fancy. That link was fraying. He didn’t blame Rayna or his nephews. The problem was deeper and nebulous.

Or maybe it’s all in my mind. Valentin comforted himself by suggesting his paranoia was acting up. James often encouraged him to find an outlet for his tension. “Don’t just be an admiral,” James said. “Be a man.” To that end, he tried indulging in sexual pleasure with immortals close to his age, women and men both. Neither satisfied. “I’m best as an admiral,” he told James.

Am I even that? Valentin had to ask. He was the appointed head of this fleet, yet his brother maneuvered many steps ahead, a maze of secrets following him everywhere. What remarkable revelations did James keep for himself? How far did the Jewel of Eternity remove James from his humanity?

Those questions beset Valentin as the brothers headed toward the production deck to review refractor status and deployment schedule. At least, that was Valentin’s stated destination. He stopped the lift at Level 4, habitation quarters for immortals.

“We’ll review the refractors soon enough,” he told James. “We have a problem, and I need your assistance, brother.”

“Ah. You accuse me of deception then throw me a curve.”

“A small one. I wasn’t sure you’d agree otherwise.”

They stepped out into the entertainment commons, a gymnasium-sized space where dozens of immortal children engaged in hologames, virtual cycling, battle sims, or enhanced-grav weightlifting. All activity ceased when the giants approached.

Few saw Brother James since his speech in the dueling arena, when he promised a home world for Jewels and immortals. The moment reminded Valentin how rarely James walked among their army, but every soldier knew by instinct how to respond: Not with the military salute of right fist to the chest, but the imperial salute of bended right knee and eyes bowed.

They remained silent as the giants passed.

“We could never do this without them,” James confided. “Remember how I used to think the Jewels would handle all the heavy lifting?”

“Is that a compliment I hear, brother?”

“You’re a great admiral. I