You have become isolated, you must understand that. Power like yours is too powerful to be disrespected and so those around you will agree with whatever you say, even if it is an idiotic idea. It terrifies me because, from what I’ve heard, it appears as if you are beginning to believe in your own myth.
Peter looks at me with a raised eyebrow and responds, “Well, that is a bold claim”.
I let out a quiet chuckle at his comment. Truly an understatement if I’ve ever heard one.When I was explaining some of the information I’d learned while away on my impromptu training, I had quickly glossed over the importance of the Primus. It was something I had decided on before I ever came back to Earth. Or rather Faul had decided on it and I had just adopted the idea as my own. But the longer I consider the concept the more I realize how important it really is.
What happens next catches me completely off guard, the lack of any screening of Peter’s mind resulting in me not catching the thought. He sits there in silence for a few seconds, his eyes roaming around the tent before finally coming to rest on the roof. His hands rise up from the chair and lace behind his head, a familiar position that he always adopted when deep in his own thoughts. “Why?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why do you want to be Primus?” His eyes drift down from the roof and look directly at me. Curiosity fills his eyes but behind that lies an underlying current of conviction. It is a sight I’ve rarely seen him adopt before, its presence meaning that he has set himself on some path that he thinks is important.
I take a few seconds to consider his question before I answer him. Hand rising to my chin, I begin to consider all the reasons.
“Well for starters, my understanding is that the Primus is the ruler of a planet and has significant power. I may be wrong, but if we assume that is true then everyone will want to be Primus. I want that power so that I can accomplish my goals. I also think tha - ”
“Look, that’s bullshit and we both know it. I know you’ve changed while you were gone, but the Cael I know has never once wanted to be in a position of power over others. Hell, you never even wanted a simple leadership position. Ms. Carmicle tried to get you to run for Secretary for years but you always said you didn’t want the responsibility. What’s changed?”
I look at him for a few seconds, eyebrows raised at the outburst. If I’m completely honest with myself, he isn’t wrong. For my entire life I completely avoided any leadership positions offered to me, an occasional occurrence that teachers tried to thrust upon me because of my grades. I always managed to turn them down, a litany of excuses serving my purposes, but the simple reason is that I was never interested in being a leader. It sounded exhausting.
Silence fills the tent as we both stare at each other, one of us curiously waiting for a response and the other locked in his thoughts. Issues and arguments I’ve been trying to brush aside for months come bubbling to the surface, questioning my goal of becoming Primus and threatening to derail the path that I have set myself upon.
Interestingly, the answer comes to me in a flash after a moment of quiet inspiration. Speaking with candid honesty, I respond, “It is because I don’t want anyone else to have it.”
His eyes narrow in confusion and concern. “Explain.”
I notice the concern in his eyes. I don’t need a telepathic mind to realize he still suspects me due to my status as a randomly selected. It hurts me to see my friend become so calculating and suspicious, but it has and will serve him well in this new world. Whether or not things will ever become the same between us remains to be seen. Deep in my mind, I understand that it is nearly impossible, our abilities, motivations, and goals having diverged too much since the arrival of Genesis, but my heart still hopes.
“Look, if the Primus really is as powerful as Faul led me to believe, then whoever holds it becomes the one of the most powerful humans alive. Do I want that level of power and influence over people? God no, it sounds exhausting and I know that I would hate every minute of it. Do I want someone else to have that level of power and influence over me? Over you and my parents? Someone whose motivations and goals are unknown to me? Of course not. I’d rather suffer through it and take Humanity down the path I think is best. Most importantly, I think I have the strength to see that happen.”
Peter gets out of his chair and walks to the table, staring at the maps atop it in an obvious attempt to gather his thoughts. After a few seconds he leans on to the table and looks at me closely, his eyes hunting my face for any hint of deceit or subterfuge. “And what are your goals, Cael? By your own confession you’ve been gone for nearly 500 days, and yet you flippantly mention goals and motivations as if I would understand what they are. Before I do anything to help you I want to understand clearly. What would you do if you were Primus?”
And there it is. The thought that I’ve been ignoring for over a year. Since Faul’s declaration I’ve known that my goal would be becoming Primus but … why? Obviously I don’t want anyone else to have that power but that is a secondary reason. What are my goals, what are my objectives? Where would I take Humanity in this new world?
My eyes drift down to the ground as I try to vocalize my thoughts. “Honestly… I’ve been avoiding that thought for far too long now. What would I do as Primus?”
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Silence fills the room before I speak again. “If I’m being honest with myself, I have no idea what I would do. I really don’t want that responsibility. I don’t know how many humans are left, but being the leader of millions or billions of people sounds like my worst nightmare. If it was possible, I’d give the day to day responsibilities over to other people and check in on them occasionally. Maybe…. I think I’d focus on getting Humanity access to a Dungeon World so that we actually stand a chance of surviving.”
I look up at Peter, his eyes still looking at me with that same level of suspicion, hurting me in a way that I don’t think he understands. “I’d want to show people, especially you and the ones around Everwall, that just because I’m a randomly selected doesn’t mean that I’m insane.”
Shock registers on his face and he turns away to his seat, taking his time. I wish I could reach into his mind and see what he’s thinking, but breaking my promise would ruin what little chance exists for us to rekindle our friendship. I have a feeling that having a loyal and trustworthy friend is going to be helpful in the future.
Breaking the tension, Peter grins and looks up at me. “Now that, that is the Cael that I know. Honest to a fault, avoiding responsibilities, and subtle as a jackhammer.”
I can’t help myself as I burst into laughter. The sorrow of Marc’s death is still with me, but where there is sorrow there is also humor. A deep, chest shaking laugh pours out of me and it isn’t long before Peter joins me, the tension disintegrating as we reconcile and reconnect over shared memories.
We spend the rest of the night remembering antics of days gone past, reforging our friendship. We may not ever reach the level of friendship that we once shared, but we will certainly try our best.
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Peter watches as Cael crashes onto the cot and quickly falls asleep. It is hard to believe that his old friend has miraculously appeared, but that is just another of the curve balls that Genesis seems intent on throwing his way.
Quietly sneaking to the door flap, Peter extinguishes the lantern and watches as the tent descends into almost complete darkness, a single moonbeam slipping through the mesh of a window and illuminating the table. It is easy to forget what has happened in these moments, the simplicity and beauty of a single second taking him away from the responsibility of command. Like always, however, it only lasts a single second before the weight of leadership comes crashing down on his shoulders again.
Zipping up the command tent behind him, Peter exits out into the camp, seeing three different campfires set up in their pre-planned positions. The fires serve as the three points of a triangle, creating a zone of light around the command tent that makes sure nothing can approach the base without their knowledge. The scouts hidden in the dark wilderness beyond the fires serve as the first line of defense, their ears vigilant for any beasts. It had taken Peter a few nights to figure out this particular formation, but having his men and women die to those beasts was something he promised himself he would not let happen again.
Raising his hand and beckoning over his second in command, Peter gets Craig’s attention and pulls him to an empty area, watching as the Scottish man pulls out his flask to take another sip of whatever he’d managed to scrounge up today. The habit was annoying, allowing any careful observer to know when Craig was stressed or upset, but the man was too useful to replace. His knowledge of cartography and his fighting ability had already made him invaluable to the Hunters, and he lacked the ambition to try and take control himself. Not that Peter was particularly worried about losing to him in battle, but he kept himself aware of any challengers on principle.
Finishing his sip of the drink, the smell of strong whisky wafting into Peter’s nose, Craig turns to him. “So Boss, he fit who yah remember?”
“Without a doubt that is Cael. I have no idea how powerful he is though, he’s always been pretty humble and I think that has extended to his new abilities. What did you get out of Kat?”
Craig lets out a well contained burp, at least having enough social grace to blush slightly and use his hand to brush the smell away. “She wasn’t really sure, Boss. The only Skill she could confirm was something to do with illusion. She also mentioned something about wind around his feet, but she couldn’t confirm if it was the source of his speed. Yah know how she feels about yah but … well, she was confident he could defeat yah easily. What are we going to do?”
Peter considers this new information for a second or two, adding these potential Skills to the profile he was constructing inside his mind. Cael had explained Mana Skills, even mentioning a few of his abilities, but hadn’t gone into detail of all of them. The most dangerous Skill was his Telepathic Mind, an annoying complication that had only been avoided through some quick thinking on his own part.
“For now we will continue with the request. Everwall needs these beasts cleared out and fulfilling our contract will give us enough resources to establish a more permanent base of operations. The Fishers are also relying on us to help them gain power in the city, so we need to make sure they get their goods. Regarding Octavian… we only have two more days before he is planning on making contact with Everwall and we need to make sure Cael is there by that time.”
Craig’s face darkens at the mention of the outsider’s name. “Look Boss, I’ve said it before but yah shouldn’t trust that creature. He’s got his own reasons for helping yah.”
Peter puts his hand on Craig’s shoulder, looking him in the eyes. “I understand your worries Craig, but Octavian has been nothing but helpful. Of course, I don’t trust him further than I can throw him, but you can’t argue that he’s been good to us. He’s definitely working his own angle, but as long as his goals line up with ours then he is one of our allies. Set Shane on tailing him next time we meet him though … we need to figure out how he knew one of the randomly selected was going to appear in this area and I want to know if he knew it would be Cael.”
Taking another sip, he belts the flask back onto his pack and brushes aside his worries, convinced that the Hunters would be led to success. “Yah got it, Boss. How are we gonna get Cael to Everwall in time?”
“I had planned on sending you as his guide but certain … factors have now made that impossible. I want you to draw up a map tonight and chart him a path that would take someone of my Dexterity and Endurance around four days to get there.”
“Four days? Didn’t Octavian want him there in two?”
Peter turns around to look back at the command tent. “If my suspicion is correct then he’ll manage to get there in a little over a day.”
Brushing aside any remaining questions his second might have, Peter sends him to complete the task. He then stretches and begins jogging towards the dark forest. If his suspicion of Cael’s current level is correct, then he has some serious catching up to do.