The Ice Warrior

Chapter 50

The moment they reached Joe and the others, Silv wanted nothing more than to rely on Justin, to let him do all the work, to let him be the one in charge. It was in such a striking contrast to how she felt about him when they first met.

Silv believed that it might have had something to do with the fact that while she didn't trust him before, he had all her trust at that moment, and she was unsure if that was a good thing or not.

"My mistress...I mean, Miss. Silv, we have returned." Arthur said, stating the obvious.

There was heavy air hanging among the gathered humans, and unused to such a concentration of intense emotions, Arthur seemed to feel the need to fill the awkward silence. The AIs weren't programmed to deal with human emotions. Even though Arthur seemed to be more attuned to most emotions, smaller complicated ones seemed to overwhelm his circuits.

"What is it? Did something bad happen?" Silv asked, noting the tension the humans bore with them.

"Nothing HAPPENED. However, what we discovered is not what we expected. We hoped that the small tunnels and passages led directly to the source of adequate heat, but that doesn't seem to be the case. They are either too hot or too cold and reaching some of them has proven very challenging. Using the technology we have carries the risk of disturbing the stability of the whole mountain." Joe explained gloomily.

"What does that mean for us?" Silv asked, wanting to be sure that she understood everything well.

"That we'll be here for a while," Jamie said gloomily.

"We can't do that. The Government might be many things, but they aren't stupid. They'll discover our presence soon enough if we stay here too long. We need to find another way to deal with this." Silv said.

"Silv, we can't send our people out there without making sure that they have the best conditions for survival," Justin said.

"I'm not saying we should do that. We need to find a solution that will work for everyone. Wir Eis and his people have been patient with us so far, but if we don't keep our promise and help them get home, there will be trouble." Silv said.

Having in mind their precarious situation, Silv thought it best, to be honest with Joe and his grandsons. After all, they were soldiers and could accept the truth far better than regular humans could have.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Joe asked.

"There are some aliens who aren't satisfied with the situation, who believe that humans are bound to hurt them the way they hurt others of their kind. For the time being, they understand that I am trying to help Evanescence and are tolerating the rest of my people. Yet, if we don't help the ship and continue to live here, their bitterness is bound to grow." Silv said.

"I thought they were a peaceful race?" Jamie asked.

"They are, but who knows what the humans did to them, how much that changed them. I believe that even the most peaceful people can be provoked to become violent. That's especially true if they are mistreated, hurt, or if they are made witnesses to others suffering." Silv said.

"But we aren't the enemy. Why would they take their anger out on us?" Jamie asked, confused.

It felt to Silv like that was a naive question to ask. For a moment, she wondered if Jamie was as naive as he appeared or if he didn't allow himself to think. Perhaps imagining all the vile things which humans could have done to those they considered less than themselves.

"Jamie, the experiments they did on them made the females infertile, and all of them were so much changed that they can't connect with their own ship. That is too much anger to allow for any rationality to take root. Even the fact that they are being civil to us right now is a shock to me. It must be a reflection of the peaceful culture they come from.

"If it were me, I would have ripped apart every human being that came my way, and I never even wanted to have children. It's more about the fact that someone would dare take all that away from them than it is about whether they needed those things in the first place." Silv said.

"It sounds like you are on their side. Whose side would you take if something went wrong?" Jamie asked bitingly.

"Jamie, that's enough. I know that the truth is hard to hear, but Silv is just stating the facts. There is no need for you to question her loyalties." Justin said, standing between Silv and his brother.

"It's okay, Justin," Silv said, squeezing his shoulder.

After that, she proceeded to move in front of Justin and look Jamie directly into the eyes.

"I am on the side of the truth. That is the whole reason I am doing any of this. The truth is that the Government is comprised of monsters, and I wanted to correct the wrong as much as I could. Thus, I brought you here.

"The truth is that Wir Eis and his people, a peaceful race, have suffered by the hand of our people more than any of you can even begin to imagine. For that reason, I promised to help them. I believe they deserve that much.

"As for the conflict, if one ever arises, I will stand on no one's side but try to expedite their departure as we should all try to do. No matter how friendly I am with Wir Eis, I understand that there can be no everlasting peace between our peoples. Humans have hurt them too much for that, but at least I can do my best to provide both sides with what we need." Silv said.

"Silv, that is a noble idea, and as much as I appreciate it, I am not sure everyone can get what they need. The heat that we need to survive is deeper into the earth than I expected, and I don't think we have good enough technology to reach it safely." Joe said.

"Maybe Wir Eis can help." Wir Eis said, teleporting into the room.

"You have the technology that could help us out?" Silv asked, hopefully.

"Not sure. Few things could work." Wir Eis said.

"Alright, since you two are good with tinkering with technology, go with Wir Eis and see if there is something we can use. Arthur, you and Joe stay with me. I might need your help with Evanescence." Silv said.

"Yes, Miss Silv," Arthur said.

"Of course, though I am not sure how an old man such as myself can be of any help," Joe said.

"I believe that with your real-life experience and Arthur's almost limitless knowledge, we might be able to help Evanescence feel better. I am hoping that together we might find a way to send them all back home before anything bad happens." Silv said.

"How do you plan to do that?" Joe asked.

"I was thinking some old-fashioned therapy with a bit of AI knowledge and emotional crutches that you might provide us with from your experience," Silv said.

"Well, it's worth a try," Joe said, sounding uncertain.