The line on the platform watched her go, taking the steps two by two until she reached the rocket’s entrance portal. A quick swipe of its access panel and she stepped through, closing it behind her. Only a minute later the rocket’s engines thundered into life. The main thrust was well below them, scattering out in white clouds, helping the rocket escape the heavier atmosphere of earth with one belch of power before its four wings peeled away from the rocket’s body, jets propelling it further and further away into the blue sky, turning the large vessel into a speck within seconds.
Erend folded his arms and turned to look at Kotallo whose eyes were locked onto the rocket even when it vanished from their sight.
“Well…someone owes us a story over an ale when all this is done…isn’t that right, Kotallo?”
Alva licked her lips and glanced around. “Did anyone else feel like…Aloy was saying goodbye?” She turned on her heel as Kotallo put his fingers to his lips, his face downcast. “Zo? What do you think?”
Zo breathed out and nodded. “I…yes…”
“What are you talking about?” Erend exclaimed. “She said she was coming back.”
Zo put her fingers to her face. “I know what she said…but the way she was saying it…”
“She’s coming back. She promised.” Beta’s eyes were wide. “She promised!” She looked down at the pendant in her hands. “She promised…” She said weakly.
“Aloy’s not going to do anything that endangers the safety of the earth,” Erend argued, “she’ll go up to the Odyssey, plant the mines, blow that thing until there isn’t a scrap big enough for a Scrapper to care about and escape on the transport pod.”
“The only part of the mission she would endanger…would be her own life after all other objectives were completed…” Kotallo’s voice was hollow.
Beta’s head lifted sharply then turned to Tomas who swallowed and started to back away. “The escape pods are safe, aren’t they?” Beta asked in a dangerous voice. “They’re designed for this kind of thing…right?”
“I…” Tomas shrugged. “I…I’m not sure…”
“What?!” He jumped back at their unified exclamation.
“I know they’re a low orbit or atmospheric transport pod,” he stammered, “but what Aloy will be doing is going from a high orbit into the mesosphere. The temperatures will be extreme from one end to the other.”
“You bastard!” Erend roared, coming at him like an enraged bull. “You stood there while she said it was safe and agreed!”
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“I didn’t know for certain!” Tomas put the table between himself and Erend. “I only know about my experience with the pod! Its specs weren’t in my realm of knowledge!”
“Erend, stop!” Zo grabbed his arm and pulled on it. “You can’t blame Tomas.”
“Yes I can!”
“It doesn’t make sense.” Beta pushed her hands through her hair, pacing in circles. “Gaia confirmed the odds of Aloy’s survival. She calculated it herself!”
“Yes, you see!” Tomas pointed at Beta, trying to redirect Erend’s anger. “When Gaia said it was safe I figured I must have been wrong about the pod’s limitations and seeing as I was already working without sleep to get everything else ready, I didn’t think to question it!”
“But Gaia can’t lie!” Zo stopped and looked at Beta. “Can she?”
“No, she can’t,” Beta shook her head, “she’s been programmed to be completely transparent and infallible with no room for deception.”
“The more you make something absolute,” Tomas kept a wary eye on Erend as he spoke, “the more surprised you are when you realise everything can be corrupted.”
“You with your Omega clearance?” Erence accused.
“That was taken away from me.” Tomas retorted. “I don’t even have Alpha clearance.”
“The only ones who have that are Beta and…” Alva looked at Beta. “Aloy?”
Beta stopped as still as a statue, her fingers curling into fists. Shaking, she tapped her FOCUS.
“Gaia?”
“Yes, Beta?”
“What are Aloy’s odds of survival in the transport pod?”
“Fifty three percent.”
Beta licked her lips. “Gaia, remove any Alpha directives regarding the Nemesis endeavour. Authorisation, Elisabet Sobeck, Alpha Prime.”
“Authority accepted.”
“Gaia,” Beta looked at the others, fear in her eyes, “What are Aloy’s chances of survival in the transport pod?”
They all held their breath.
“Aloy has a thirteen percent chance of surviving the descent in the transport pod from high orbit.”
Alva sobbed, clapping her hands over her mouth. Zo sank into one of the chairs around the table. Erend swore mightily and slammed the table with his fist and Kotallo closed his eyes and shuddered.
“She lied,” Beta whispered, “she lied to me…”
“To save your life…” Tomas said bluntly.
“I don’t care!” Beta yelled and he recoiled. “She lied! She corrupted Gaia so that we wouldn’t stop her!”
“Because she knew the odds of surviving Nemesis were even less than surviving the transport pod!” Tomas argued. “One life for so many…”
“She’s not a figure or number in a spreadsheet!” Beta exclaimed. “She’s my sister and she’s up there all alone!”
“Aloy made her choice,” Kotallo said quietly and they all looked at him, “there’s nothing more to be done.”
“How can you say that?” Alva begged brokenly. “She cares about you.”
“And I love her,” Kotallo confessed, “but there is no way for any of us to reach the Odyssey. She made her choice…” He stopped talking when his voice broke, his expression creased in pain.
Yes, she had made her choice.
“There’s got to be something we can do…” Erend’s initial temper had dulled into shaky uncertainty. He tapped his FOCUS. “Heph, can you fly us up to the Odyssey?”
“My machines are not capable…of high altitude or low orbit flight,” Heph’s voice came to them, “the low temperatures will freeze even Stormbirds. Had I a month…to develop…but I do not…”
“That’s it?” Zo demanded. “That’s all?”
Beta whimpered, her hands over her face. Betrayal, fear, anger, hurt…she couldn’t tell what she was feeling from one second to the next.
“There is one…possibility…”
The words took a moment to register. She lifted her head and looked at Tomas who shifted awkwardly on his feet. Everyone stared at him, Erend taking a step towards him.
“Keep talking.”