Allison tried to let her thoughts about the Sal’nash and Qual’sa go, but it was the bug in her ear that would not quit. Early evening found her alone in Bit’s cockpit. She had left her AI in sleep mode and was utilizing the fighter’s comm link. She’d accessed the SA Military’s private wormhole communications network to transit a hyperwave communication signal to Nutina. It was end to end encrypted and SA had not decrypted the League’s communications signals yet. At least to Allison’s knowledge. She felt safe having the conversation through their network at any rate. Nutina smiled when she saw Allison’s holographic image.
“My friend! It is so nice to see your face, but isn’t it your… Christmas holiday?”
Allison smiled.
“No, that really starts tomorrow. Nutina, I wish this was a social call, but I need some information about something I’m working on. If it’s classified, I’ll understand, but if it’s not…”
Nutina waved her claw.
“I will do what I can, Allison, what information do you seek?”
Allison tapped in a series of dates, at least dates by League reckoning.
Nutina blinked at the text.
“This data, it is thousands of years old. FTL tracking during the last Sal’nash swarm is a matter of historic record, but not something anyone cares about. It may take time, Allison. I will need to request someone access the data vault.”
Allison nodded.
“It’s alright. I wasn’t expecting anything instant. If I could just search the archive myself I would but urm, I don’t think we’re that close yet.”
Nutina tapped her scaley chin.
“What is this about? Surely it will tell you nothing of value, we could not track the Sal’nash, nor can we now. And why do you care about the migration patterns of the hyperspace sh’ja’ti and how we track them? And data about Sh’ja’ti movements around the Sal’nash war? I believe if it exists it can be found but this all makes no sense. Are you alright?”
Allison bit her lower lip.
“I hope so? I know this is weird and confusing but please, just trust me.”
Nutina laughed.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d believe your scientists put you up to this request so they could develop tracking for the Sal’nash without telling us.”
Allison rubbed the back of her neck.
“Yea, well, it’s not the scientists asking… or researching it.”
Nutina blinked at Allison.
“You believe you can track the Sal’nash hives?”
Allison shrugged and looked at the top of her cockpit.
“Look its just a stupid teenage girl thinking she’s smarter than she is, but I just can’t stop thinking about it. I just want to know. Gah, this is so stupid.”
Nutina’s wings drooped slightly.
“No, it is not stupid. Allison, you see the universe in a way few others do. This is why you were named Battlelord.”
She waved her claw.
“Conquests, victories, all meaningless, a Battlelord sees things others cannot. This is why you have been tested and measured by us. Your tactics in the Sal’nash invasion simulation convinced us, convinced the Grand Eminence that you might be a Battlelord. The Battlelord’s before you were the same. Tactical geniuses, even as children. The final test was your speech. A Battlelord survives not by skill in battle alone, nor by their tactics, they can navigate any situation with guile and grace. A child, a lone soldier, fed to the pack of raving feral beasts with no weapons, save her wits and her words, after they had been riled up by a thorn in their side. By a Silwrath who by his very presence alone would anger the Primarch. How would you fare?”
Allison blinked at Nutina.
“You blocked me from getting the speech?”
Nutina nodded proudly.
“Yes, and you exceeded all expectations. Your performance today has confirmed it, you are a Battlelord in more than name. When the time comes, I assure you that Silwrath will be at your back.”
Allison was extremely confused. She couldn’t figure out how they even managed to block the speech from reaching her. Did they already break SA encryption? What did they know? So many thoughts raced through her head, but her focus returned to the last sentence.
“What time? What are you talking about?”
Nutina gave a toothy grin.
“Battlelords only rise when they are needed. By your very existence, you have proven war is coming. When it finds us, it is you who will lead us to victory.”
Allison was speechless. She was hurt, she thought Nutina was her friend.
“I thought we were friends…”
Nutina blinked and her wings drooped.
“We are, Allison.”
Allison felt her eyes growing moist.
“Why would you do that to me? Put me in front of the council, with no speech? I could have destroyed relations, I could have… If you could block my speech from getting to me then you’re already spying on us.”
Nutina held up her hand.
“No, Allison, it was your president that reached out to us. To me. Specifically. I am not sure how she knew it, but she knew we were looking for ways to test you. I felt bad for doing this to you and apologize for any hurt I caused you. Like you, I am a soldier, if I did not accept this, I would have angered the Grand Eminence. It was the perfect last test, gifted to us. All he had to do was show up and complain about military cutbacks. A small price to pay because it has been a point of contention for him for many decades. In exchange she offered to use the Ratoan empire to set up a buffer on one of our borders for us and to hold back your speech.”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Allison sighed. She should be furious, but in the end, Nutina was right. Given the choice she’d have done the same thing. She was still hurt but was starting to get over it already.
“I’m mad at you, but, I understand. If you want to make it up to me, get me that data please. I know why you told me. I just don’t think I’m the Battlelord you are looking for. I just make stuff up as I go along.”
Nutina shook her head and her wings twitched.
“Allison. It is not your plans that make you a Battlelord. It is those things you make up as you go along that makes you one. I will pass your request to the Grand Eminence and tell him that his Battlelord requires it. You have earned that much from him after today.”
Allison opened her mouth to disagree, but Nutina held up her hand.
“Allison, you are either his Battlelord or you are not. It is time for him to stop testing you and start trusting you. If you believe there is some way to track the Sal’nash through hyperspace with this data, then I believe it is possible. I swear, from this day forward, I put my faith in your guidance as Battlelord. Whether you believe what you are or not
Allison blushed.
“Please, we don’t need to bother him with this. I’m not even sure why I’m asking.”
Nutina flicked her wings.
“You’re asking because you must. I will simply tell him you need it quickly. That is all that is required. If you are his Battlelord then he will make it happen. Once the data is packaged, I will transmit it to the embassy and have them send it to you. I hope you have a good holiday, Allison.”
Allison smiled.
“Talk to you soon, Nutina.”
They closed the connection. Allison pulled the liquid metal connector and shutdown everything. With luck she’d be able to use the new battery back up to pull the data when it came in. She hopped out of Bit and moved into the apartment. She saw the main entertainment display was on in the living room. She heard the music before she’d heard the song before, but it sounded like a cover. This one was way more emotional and brooding. She peaked around the corner and saw her mother watching a show. A show Allison did not recognize. She slipped around the corner silently and pulled herself up on a stool. Her mother had a tissue and was sniffling. Allison could feel the song pulling at her heartstrings too. The man singing it on the screen was standing at a piano, in a red satin nightrobe. He looked so heartbroken. Also, handsome. She was hooked immediately. She heard the words Wicked Game and recalled that was the name of the song. The original version was technically better but this one crushed her soul just a little bit.
Her mother sniffled a few times as the show went on. Allison stayed where she was behind her mother. She made as little sound as possible. Apparently, whatever this show was, it was a musical. Her mother finished the episode and started it again. Allison saw the title. Lucifer. It made a little more sense now… the devil. She’d decided by the end of the episode if the devil was like Lucifer she’d happily sign up to be a satanist. Her mother jumped when she saw Allison.
“When did you get here?”
“Start of the episode, I didn’t know you watched things like that mom.”
Her mom waved at the display dismissively.
“It’s nothing. I was bored.”
Allison smiled and nodded along.
“Sure mom. Sure.”
Apiyo wiped away her tears.
“You should be in bed, you’ve had a long day.”
Allison slipped off the stool and walked to her mom, then gave her a tight hug.
“I’ve never heard of it, did it mean a lot to you?”
Apiyo was still crying. She motioned to the display.
“Your aunt and I used to watch it every week. We thought it was cancelled, there are three more seasons. She would have loved this episode. Especially the song. She loved that song. To hear Tom Ellis sing it… it would have made us giggle together.”
Allison hugged her mother tightly and rubbed her back.
“Mom, can we watch it together? From the start?”
Apiyo patted Allison’s shoulders as she pulled away.
“You don’t want to watch it with your mom. Watch it with Aryna. You and her, you’re like sisters.”
Allison shook her head.
“No mom. I want to watch it with you.”
Apiyo waved her hands and shook her head.
“No, no, there are mature things. You should not watch it with your child.”
Allison smiled.
“Mom, I’m sixteen. I know about sex. Come on. Share something you and your sister loved with me. Please. It will make me feel closer to our family.”
Apiyo had one hand on her lower back and with the other she fanned herself. Allison didn’t know if it was because she was overwhelmed by her daughter’s wanting to do something with her, or just her lingering sadness from the loss of her twin who did not survive the thawing process. Finally, Apiyo spoke.
“Fine, fine.”
Both jumped when they saw a flash of light on the dome, then a crash, it was like thunder it echoed across the dome’s surface. Rain… or it looked like Rain started to drop on the windows in a torrent. They walked to the window and looked out. More flashes and more thunder like rumbles and crashes echoed across the dome causing the windows to shake. Apiyo looked up at Allison.
“Is something wrong?”
Allison shook her head. She’d read about this after she’d experienced it the first time.
“No, electrostatic charge builds up on the outside of the dome when there are heavy winds and blowing snow across the glacier. The discharges are directed so they can power giant capacitors, that charge batteries. The sound vibrates the dome and the collected condensation on the dome falls down like rain. There must be high winds outside tonight. Scared me when I was first here. I thought the dome was collapsing. I read about it; It is all part of the president’s original design. It helps recycle the water. It was how they kept the power going originally before fusion reactors.”
Apiyo smiled at Allison.
“There were no such things in the Africa dome.”
Allison shrugged.
“Probably because they had fusion reactors when they built that. This was the first. Or so the article said.”
Apiyo put her arm around Allison and leaned her head on her daughter’s shoulder.
“Your aunt and I would sit out on your grandparent’s balcony watching the storms on the plains. You could see lightning from hundreds of kilometers away. It would light up the whole sky at night. So many times, we were late getting up for school because we stayed up late watching it. We would also sneak out of bed and watch Lucifer. We were twelve years old. Oh, if your grandmother had caught us…”
Allison hugged her mother’s shoulders.
“Mom, do you ever wish, wish I was more like you? That I was born in Africa dome, or born in the twenty-first century? That I looked… more like you?”
Apiyo looked up at Allison, meeting her eyes.
“No, my child. No. Why would you think that?”
Allison sighed.
“Because people who looked like me did so many bad things to Africa. Do you think your family would have accepted me?”
Apiyo shook her head.
“Yes, yes, my child. Your grandmother would be so proud of you. Your aunt, oh she would spoil you rotten. Tell you all the stories I told her not to, about what I got up to when I was young. Your grandfather would probably be like your Babu, give you everything you ever wanted or asked for. And your uncles, oh your uncles. They were pure trouble. They would have loved you, how they would have laughed about your motorcycle. You would have been cherished by all of them. Your skin color means nothing, my beautiful daughter. It is what is in your heart, and it is how your family would have seen you.”
Apiyo motioned to the starry sky that the dome was displaying as the clouds it had projected to simulate the storm parted. It was showing a new moon tonight.
“You will go out into the stars. With you, you carry our traditions with you. Our language. Our hopes and our dreams. Our memories. You will tell your children one day about their great grandmother who would smile so widely when she saw her children returning home from school. You will show them her picture and you will tell them her name. You will tell them my stories of Kenya and Africa before the grey. You will tell them about my twin sister, how she and I would spin and spin until we fell down giggling and looking up at the great open African sky. How on a stormy night we would sit on our parent’s balcony and watch great sheets of lightning brighten the sky on the horizon. You will remember tonight, and you will tell them how their grandmother nearly collapsed in fright because some wind built an electrostatic charge.”
Allison looked at her mom, they both had tears in their eyes.
“No, mom, you’ll tell them that story and the rest.”
Apiyo patted Allison’s cheeks.
“My daughter. I am old already. I am not like your father. Or you. I have no genetic engineering to extend my life. My hair is already turning grey. I will be happy if I see you married, but you will remember me and it will be enough. I believed I needed a child I gave birth to, but what I really needed was you. You are all I ever wanted or needed child. You are my everything and you always will be. I am afraid I am not what you need. I see your mothers in this apartment. In the photos. I know who they were now. How can I compare?”
Allison looked at her mother.
“Mom. They aren’t my mothers. They donated genetic material to me but you’re my mom. No matter where I go, who I become, my mother will always be you. Home will always be with you and dad.”
Her mother patted Allison’s cheeks again.
“Such sad things. Let’s watch the show. It is not surprising you have not seen it. They just released it.”
The mother and daughter curled up on the couch. A sleepy Oozie joined them and leaned against Allison.