The night passed quickly. Ozcar and his team worked on the machine all night. They successfully solved the control problem. They began to calculate the trajectory and program the computer from the moment of launch to the arrival at Proxomus. Manual control will only be needed there, because the landing will have to be done with it.
I spent most of my time just loitering. Watching scientists at work. Sometimes I tried to ask a few questions, but I only got short answers, to give them a sense that they had better things to do than deal with me.
„The controls for full three-axis manoeuvring are in place. The trajectory calculation and the necessary adjustments, however, will take some time,” Ozcar told us, interrupting a completely uninteresting conversation.
“Great,” I said. “Then it’s about time we focus on the other important part if the plan.”
“I've made a few calls about it,” Ozcar continued. “I haven't heard back yet, but I've tried to make an appointment with the Minister of Defense. If I hear anything, I'll let you know,” he said and left.
"Since we arrived in this place, I have repeatedly asked myself why everyone does what they do. They help us without a word, they don't question anything, at least not openly. It always reminds me of what Avry said about my DNA. But I didn’t speak to most of the people by the time the effect started showing up. Maybe everyone can guess what we already know? Who knows.” Avry snapped me out of my train of thought.
“What’s wrong?” She asked with a kind smile.
“Ah, it’s nothing. I was lost in my thoughts, that’s all,” I replied after a bit of hesitation. “So many things that seemed complex are done in the blink of an eye. As if it was scripted to happen.”
“Yeah. I also noticed this.” Avry said after a small pause. “But I thought this is how humans do things.”
We laughed on the joke, then I remembered something and approached Ozcar.
“Can you tell me where to find the minister?”
“Erm… Of course, he is always at his office during the day… But given the current situation, maybe he is somewhere else currently.”
“I see. Thank you.” With that I left.
“If there is no response by tomorrow, we will have to personally arrange for the missiles to be launched. If. That means we'll have to be a bit tricky.” I glared at Avry for a moment. “Just a bit more. And, well... we don't really have to worry about the consequences.”
“That’s right,” Andrex slapped my shoulder. “You will be either heroes or dead.”
“Y- Yeah…” I said with a clear lack of confidence and Avry laughed nervously. “But now that I think about it… We should eat something. At least we will focus on something else for a while.”
“There is not much left from what we bought,” Avry said and before she could continue, I interrupted her.
“Then I will go to the city. If anything happens, call me.” I said and left for my car.
“Okay,” they said in unison. “Take care!” Avry added and gave me a kiss.
I drove briskly towards the city. I left the trailer in the hangar, so I dared to dictate a faster pace.
The first thing I did when I arrived in the city was to visit a grocery store. I bought ready meals and snacks. I spent a bit more time than I wanted to, but I wanted to choose between the goodies. I felt a bit like I was shopping for my last supper. When I got to the cash register, I saw the quality drinks lined up behind the counter, each one better and more expensive than the last. I bought a few bottles of quality whisky.
After shopping I headed home. It was thoughtless of me to not prepare properly so I went home for some change of clothes. Traffic was good, so I got to my apartment quickly.
The apartment was the same as before. I wasn’t sure if I will see it again. I quickly gathered what I needed. I started with the overalls, then put away other clothes for myself and Avry. I glanced at my watch and, reluctantly, decided that a good home brewed coffee was still in my time.
I brewed my coffee and sat on my sofa. The taste I’ve known for years calmed me down. But this didn’t last for long. My phone started ringing. It was Andrex.
“Hey! Where are you for so long?”
“I’m just heading back now. Why?”
“The old man said we can meet the higher ups. They are expecting us early evening.
“Alright. I will hurry back.” I said and hung up.
I drank my coffee in one go, it lost all of its magic already. I packed everything, looked around and checked if everything is in order. I grabbed my backpack then, out of sentimentality, I said goodbye to my home.
I was soon back at the facility. Now almost ignoring the speed limits. There was no problem at the gate, the guard recognized me and let me in without a word. I drove to Hangar 4, parked the car and went inside.
“I’m here,” I said half shouting.
As there was no reply, and the scientists working on the other side of the room ignored me, I headed for the lounge. Entering the corridor door, I could already hear Avry and Ozcar talking. I reached the lounge and entered.
“I’m here,” I repeated. “Hey.”
“Welcome back,” Avry said with a smile and turned back to Ozcar.
They were testing some kind of simulator. The controls were very similar to those fitted to the shuttle. It was then that I noticed Andrex, who was dozing in an armchair a little further away.
“What’s this?” I asked while I put down my backpack and went closer.
“It essentially teaches you the basics of driving in space, but it's very far from reality,” Ozcar explained. “In fact, we have simulators that are much more detailed and complex than this, but the maneuverability of the spacecraft you brought is so advanced and so powerful for its size that this infinitely simplified game is closer to it than a realistic simulator developed for our technology.”
“Really?” I said with surprise. “Then driving it manually might not be a lost cause, after all.”
It will actually raise the success rate of the mission, but don't expect miracles,” said Ozcar with objective coldness, then added: “However, it would be worthwhile for both of you to spend as much time as possible on this before the launch. Which...” he looked at his watch, “will be in about thirty hours, if everything goes well.”
“I- I see. We will get to it after we come back.”
“Ah. Right. It’s about time to visit the minister,” Ozcar stated. “And I need to return to my work. Good luck!” He said and left the room in a hurry.
“How is this thingy?” I asked from Avry.
“It seems simple enough, but I haven't managed a single maneuver so far,” she said a little sadly, and then added: “But we'll learn when we get back.”
“Yeah. Let’s dress up and go.”
The ministry was in the capital. It's a couple of hundred kilometers, but fortunately it's mostly motorway. Andrex didn't come with us. We spent most of the drive planning how to arrange to launch the missiles, but came up with only one solution. We were going to use Avry's ability if my persuasion didn't work. However, there was a risk that what happened to me was not unique, but we had no other option.
It was getting dark by the time we got there. Since we didn't have an appointment, we could only hope we weren't late. We had trouble finding a parking space, there was barely a foot of ground. People were walking in and out of the office building. There were a lot of people. You could tell something was wrong. Avry put on her disguise and we headed inside.
After entering the building and passing through security, we went to reception, where after a few questions we were told where to go. We had to go up to the top floor, where we entered through a huge door and found ourselves in a lobby. Opposite was a large padded door with a security guard on either side. On the left was the secretary.
“Good evening!” I approached the secretary. “We came to visit the minister.”
“Good evening. Do you have an appointment?” She said with disdainful indifference.”
“Y- Yes. My name is Brandon. Ozcar Chapman got one for us.
“I’m sorry, unfortunately I can’t find you in the system.” The sarcasm was clear in her voice.
“Would you ask the minister if he would see us?” I tried using my ability, to see if it works. The secretary hesitated for a moment then she pressed a button on her phone.
“Mr. Laenard, two people came to meet you. Are you waiting for someone?”
On the other end of the line, after a few moments, a deep, raspy voice started talking, a little crackling:
“Let them in.”
“You heard him, go.” The secretary looked at us.
“Thank you,” I said with a forced smile.
We stepped outside the padded door. The security guard on the right, without taking his eyes off us, opened the door with slow measured movements. We entered and the door closed behind us with a soft thud. In front of the opposite windows, a huge, ivory desk stood, with a large swivel leather armchair behind it, showing its back. On the inside, two much smaller leather armchairs stood. On shelves on either side were pictures and ornaments of all kinds.
“Nice to meet you, Minister Laenard. My name is Brandon, she is Avry. We would like to ask for your help in a complex case that’s–“
“Stop! Take a seat first.” The minister said.
We slowly approached the two armchairs. First Avry and then I sat down. The armchairs made a dull creaking noise as the weight of our bodies hit them. Avry lowered her head to add to her disguise. The huge leather armchair turned slowly, measuredly. In the armchair sat a short, stout, cheerful man. He must have been in his sixties. His appearance was completely out of tune with the voice we had just heard.
“So it’s you two.” He spoke in a slow, respectful tone with a chaste smile. “Ozcar didn’t tell me much, but what he told me I found interesting. Tell me, what do you want?”
“Well…” I couldn’t find the right words. Where do I even start? I gulped and started. “We want to solve the current situation. We want to avoid an all-out war.”
“Hmm… And, what’s your proposition? How can we avoid it?”
“Our plan is…” I told him what we are attempting to do, leaving out the finer details. Of course, it meant leaving out crucial information but I didn’t want to explain everything at once. “And that’s it. We would like to ask for your help in achieving it, with a lot of rockets.”
“It’s a reckless idea, to say the least. But I feel you omitted a few things from your plan,” he said and looked me in the eyes. He had experience, I could feel that much. “I can understand if you want to keep your secrets, just like your partner, but in that case, I must say goodbye. It was a pleasure to meet you.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“B- But, please, wait–” He didn’t say anything, just waved with his arm.
My persuasion didn’t work on him, or maybe I wasn’t confident enough. I looked at Avry who grabbed her hoodie, removed it and looked at the minister. Everything seemed to freeze for a moment. Even Laenard’s poker face disappeared. He got surprised but soon he showed us a warm smile.
“I have a few more minutes to spend with you, I believe.”
“T- Thank you!” I said and this time we filled in the gaps of our story together with Avry. He asked us the same questions we got so far and we answered them as usual.
“I see, I see,” he said, this time with a more honest tone. “So, you are asking me to risk a war against your species that I can’t win anyway? That’s more than absurd, don’t you think?”
“The war already began.” I said with seriousness.
“Yes. That’s true.” His confidence seemed to get shaken a bit. Maybe confidence is really the key. “But it’s not us who are in war with them. It’s the East.”
“They will not play favorites,” Avry said. “With that weapon they will kill everyone in their way.”
“What’s the guarantee that you are truly on our side?”
“Me!” I said, maybe a bit more passion than needed. The room fell silent for a moment.
“You are good at persuasion, young man.” Laenard stated. “But I cannot do what you want. We would need to pass this operation through the committee. It will take weeks at least.”
“I understand,” I said with a disappointed voice. “Thank you for hearing us out…”
“And concerning you,” he looked at Avry. “I will pretend we never met. But, I believe you understand, I will not pretend forever.”
“Yes. Thank you,” Avry replied.
We got up from the armchair in despair. Slowly, allowing time to see if the Minister would change his mind. Laenard, however, watched us with a determined face. Slowly, I glanced at Avry, then nodded, barely perceptibly. Rounding the huge desk to my left, I approached Laenard, who at first looked at me strangely, his face a little contorted. I held out my hand, a small smile on my face. When the minister realized the situation, he softened, smiled a little, and then got up from his huge chair.
“Thank you for your time.”
“Don’t mention it. But in the future, be a bit more down to earth.”
By this time Avry stood next to Laenard’s left hand and looked at me. She waited for the signal.
“Now,” I said in a soft voice.
As soon as I said that, I immediately squeezed Laenard's right hand to stop him from getting away. Avry took care of his part of the job in no time. Laenard had hardly moved when he was done. I slowly released the minister.
“What… What are you doing?” he asked, clearly upset. “I will call the… the…” he couldn’t finish the sentence. He just stood there emotionless, like a robot on standby.
“Tomorrow night you will launch the missiles,” Avry said. Laenard looked at her, watching every word leaving her mouth. “You will launch the right amount at the right time, exactly when I tell you. Forget the conversation we had. You will act the usual until I do not tell you otherwise.”
It was terrifying to watch. After Avry finished, Laenard nodded and slowly life returned to his face.
“Ah, I’m sorry, I spaced out for a bit there.”
“It’s okay. You must be working a lot nowadays,” I said with a smile and let go of his hand.
Then we left. Until we got out of the building, I kept expecting someone to run after us and question us, but luckily that didn't happen. We got to the car, got in and headed back to the northern launch site.
It was only after we left the capital that I really breathed a sigh of relief.
“It didn’t go smoothly,” I brokte the silence. “I thought I will pass out from nervousness.”
“Yeah,” Avry said. “I hope I do not need to do it again. It feels wrong.”
“I’m sorry I forced you to use it.”
“That is not it. I did not feel right that our species can do this. That is why I was happy for you.”
“Hm. I see. I am happy for me as well,” I said and gently grabbed her hand.
It was night by the time we arrived. Andrex was waiting for us at the door and you could see his nervousness from a distance. I parked the car and we got out to meet him.
“You can only tell me good news,” he said.
“Then you are lucky, we have only good news. We made a deal.”
“For real? How on earth did you convince that dinosaur?”
“He was surprisingly helpful. He believed us and said he will help,” Avry said.
“Y- Yeah. The point is, Ozcar will need to call him to discuss the details… but right now maybe it’s time to sleep,” I said.
“Yes. And it is time for a hot bath as well…” Avry said in a sleepy voice.
“Count me in,” I said as we entered.
Avry went to the lounge while I and Andrex told Ozcar what had happened. The old man was surprisingly happy to hear the news. Sometimes it seemed to me that he was enjoying the situation, like a child playing his favorite game. Before going to Avry, I inquired about the existence and location of the bath. Fortunately, there was one.
“We have a bath,” I said as I entered the lounge.
“Ah, that is good to hear. We should go. Right now. Please.” Avry said in a childish tone.
“I like this side of you,” I confessed and walked up to her. I hugged her while talking. “I hope I will never feel otherwise.”
“We are together, until the end…”
After a refreshing shower, we returned to the lounge. It was already midnight. I didn't want to schedule any more practice with the game today. I was tired.
“We should practice with the simulator,” I told Avry. “But let’s rest a bit before.”
“I agree,” she said and laid down on the couch.
Lacking a blanket, I again called on my coat. I lay down next to Avry and spread the coat over us. The room was not very warm, but neither of us minded. Each other's warmth was more than enough. I set the alarm, and we went to sleep in each other's arms.
The morning came quickly. I hadn't even opened my eyes yet, but I felt that comforting feeling that had been coloring my life for the past few days. Avry was still slumped on my chest. My alarm woke her as well, and she tried to breathe life into herself with tired, slow blinks.
We were both tired, the time spent sleeping was not too much. We had less and less time left, so we had to make every minute count. After getting up, my first trip was to the coffee machine, where Avry followed me. We then had breakfast and went out to the hangar. At first glance we found no one and the shuttle had disappeared from the hangar. But, before long, Andrex appeared, with Ozcar at his side.
“Good morning,” Andrex greeted us.
“You as well,” I said. “What’s up?”
“Everything should be ready for launch soon,” Ozcard said. “We are running a few more simulations and there are a few mechanical tests left. Still, we finished faster than expected so we can launch the missile in the early afternoon.”
“That’s… That’s great news. Then it would be best for Avry and me to spend time with the simulator.”
“Yes, that would be best.” Ozcar agreed. “I will call Laenard around noon to go over the details. Do we know how many missiles we need?”
“N- No. As much as possible,” Avry said.
“I see… Then, let’s meet in 6 hours.” Ozcar said and left with Andrex.
“Time to practice, don’t fumble in the sky!” Andrex shouted before leaving through the door.
“They are right,” I said moments later. “Currently, we are the weakest link in the chain.”
“You mean you are the weakest link,” Avry said. I looked at her with disapproval and she couldn’t hold back her laughter.
We went back to the lounge. We sat down on the sofa and I started the software. Avry explained what she had learned so far about the program and then handed me the controls. After tens of minutes of strained but unsuccessful attempts, I sat back angrily.
“And this is the easier one?” I sighed. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”
“Hm… From the outside, it looks like you are over-maneuvering. Try doing smaller movements.”
“Alright,” I said, still a bit upset. “Oh, right, do you want some snack? My bag is full of them.”
“I am not sure. What are they used for?”
“It’s food. It’s not eaten to fill you up, you are just eating them in your free time.”
“I see. I will try it.” She approached my bag.
I kept trying, so I didn't pay much attention to what Avry was doing. After a while she came back and put them all on the table.
“You could have just brought the whole bag with you,” I said jokingly. “You couldn’t choose, huh?”
“I do not know which one is good. What is your favorite?”
“This,” I picked one of them up. “It’s peanuts covered in chocolate.”
I opened it and took one out. Slowly but firmly, I held it out to Avry. She would have reached for it, but I ignored that and moved it closer, right up to her lips. She looked at me, then realised what I wanted. She leaned forward a little and then plucked the snack from my fingers with her lips.
The next few hours were spent testing the simulator and snacking. Avry's tactics seemed to be working. Maneuvers built up from many small movements were effective. We managed to get some pretty good results later on. We both practiced, but I was a little more successful, perhaps. I almost dared to try it in real life.
“Damn it,” I said when I looked at my watch. “We have only 10 minutes until noon. We should go.”
“Time flies fast,” Avry said sadly.
I packed everything into my bag. The snacks, the leftover food, and a bottle of the whisky I brought earlier. "I hope it holds out," I thought. Then we changed clothes. We put on our overalls. It was an incredibly interesting feeling when the suit matched my body shape. I picked up my bag and then took the other two bottles of whisky in my hand.
‘Are you ready?” I asked from Avry.
“Yes,” she said and we left the room.
In the corridor leading to the front door, you could already hear the conversation outside. However, as soon as we stepped outside, there was a dead silence.
“what’s up with this costume? And what’s the whisky for?” Andrex asked.
“This is what they use on the Proxomus,” Avry said.
“One bottle to say goodbye, the other to celebrate when we get back,” I answered the second question. Then I handed Andrex both bottles.
“It’s not wise to drink before departure and the ground crew should also stay sober,” Ozcar said. “It would be better to keep both to celebrate your comeback.”
Ozcar then outlined the steps of the operation. More than half of it I didn't understand at all, but the scientists nodded profusely. Sometimes Avry and Andrex joined in. After an hour, the briefing was over.
“You understood all that?” I asked from Avry at the end.
“Most of it, yes.”
“Please come with me,” a white-robed man came up to us. “You can't turn back after this. Say goodbye to whoever you want.”
“I see.” I approached Andrex. “Thanks for everything. I wish you the best.”
“Don’t act like you are not coming back,” Andrex snapped at me but soon tears welled up in his eyes. “Make sure you come back. I want to be on the front page of every newspaper with you as the heroes of the earth.”
“We will,” I said and nodded to Ozcar before turning back to the white-robed man. “I’m ready to go.”
“Goodbye, Andrex,” said Avry as well. “I will not forget what you did for us.”
“Come on. Just come back in safety,” Andrex replied.
We left the hangar and headed for the launch pad. The scientist led us to what looked like a golf cart parked in front of the hangar, but it was still a five-minute drive to the launch site. At the launch pad, the rocket was already set up. It towered many stories above the support structure, but it did not get past it. We entered a room at the bottom of the tower. The room had large high-backed chairs, a couple of tables and hangers all around the walls. Opposite the entrance was a door marked "Lift" and to the left was a toilet.
“Please, wait here.” The white-robed man was about to leave. “Ah, one more thing. Your helmet should be prepared by the 15-minute sign,” he said then finally left.
“Is there even a helmet for this thing?” I asked from Avry.
“Of course,” she said and grabbed the noose on the collar. “You press this, then…” I couldn’t hear the rest of the sentence because the helmet closed around her head.
I pressed the button as well. My helmet was around my head in an instant. It was neither too big nor too small. On the glass of the helmet, in a moment, my details appeared. Vital signs, internal and external temperature and remaining oxygen.
“Can you hear me?” I could hear Avry’s voice in my ears. “There is a built-in radio as well.”
“It’s cool,” I noted. “Do you take it off the same way?”
“Yes,” Avry nodded and we both took off our helmets.
Time passed slowly. We pulled two chairs together and leaned against each other, waiting. After some time, the door opened.
“Fifteen minutes to go. We have been cleared for boarding,” said the man who escorted us. “Please approach the lift. Do you have your helmets?”
“Of course,” I said and showed off our cool helmet.
“Wow…” The man said in surprise. “Then let’s go.”
The lift roared upwards. We were up in a few minutes. Exiting the lift, a trellis bridge led to the top of the rocket. In the side of the dome's enclosure was a circular opening, just big enough for a person to fit through. The scientist went in first, then Avry and finally me. Once inside the dome, the shuttle took its place at the end. The door was not fully open, due to the space constraints, but it was comfortable enough to get in.
“You will be the driver,” Avry said and let me go first.
“Alright,” I replied and after a big gulp I took the driver seat.
Avry also entered. The scientist helped us to buckle our safety belts. Well, he mostly helped me, Avry could do it alone. He checked everything one more time, then he left and stood next to the shuttle.
“Please close the door.”
Avry immediately complied with his request. The door closed and then shut with a soft click. The man gave two taps to indicate that all was well, then presumably left the dome and closed the hatch, for it was completely dark. Only the dim light from the tools illuminated the interior of the shuttle. Then silence fell over us.
“Are you excited?” Avry asked.
Yeeeah,” I said and gulped again.
“Do you read me? Over.” The radio chimed in. “Five minutes until launch.”
“Yes, clearly,” I replied after I grabbed the speaker.
“One more minute. Put on your helmets,” told us the radio.
“Final countdown. 10...” We could hear the rocket engines starting.
“9…”
“I love you, Avry!” I said nearly whispering, but with all of my hearth.
“7…”
“6…”
“I love you too, Brandon!”
“3…”
“2…”
“1…”
“Launch…” the engines deafening rumble shut out every other voice.
I felt an enormous force pressing down on my body. I struggled against it, but moments later gravity and counter-acceleration won.