The Ice Warrior

Chapter 51

If she was being honest with herself, Silv had no idea what she was doing.

In her whole life, she had never done any therapy or even seen it done. Under the strict watch of the Government, no one even had the time to be emotionally unstable. They were too average for that.

"Where do we start?" Joe asked.

"First, I'll have to connect with her directly. That way, I will be able to judge if we are getting through to her or not." Silv said, approaching the command post.

"Then what?" Joe asked the very question Silv had hoped to avoid having to answer.

Seeing Silv procrastinating with her answer, Arthur took it upon himself to speak up.

"Evanescence is not so different from humans. At least, the sentient part of her isn't. As far as I understand, that's the part that needs the healing. So, how do you humans mend?" Arthur asked.

"That's not an easy question. It depends on the person, and it usually takes a lot of time." Joe said.

"Well, time is something we don't have. What has proven to be the fastest way in your experience?" Silv asked as she finished connecting with Evanescence, her eyes turning light green.

Joe started pacing the control room at a rapid pace struggling with himself as much as the task before him.

"Even though my sector was never completely under Government control, some things aren't too different from other sectors," Joe said, taking a long pause.

"Such as?" Silv asked.

It was clear that whatever was going through Joe's mind was rather personal, but Silv knew they didn't have the luxury of privacy. Not in that moment when the rest of their existence might depend on the next steps they took.

The aliens were more than accomodating. However, Silv wasn't sure what they would or wouldn't do if Silv and the others didn't fulfill their end of the bargain.

Though she trusted Wir Eis never to hurt them, she wasn't sure about the rest of them. There had to be more of them who felt the same as Sei Eis. If that were the case, they would be in a lot of trouble if they didn't deliver.

"Well...ahem...we are not so good when it comes to talking about emotions. We've never had the time to fully feel them, let alone discuss them, as we were in a constant war with the Government." Joe said.

Silv understood what he meant even though she knew her grandmother loved her and she loved her back. There never seemed enough time to explore other emotions. There was always a new mission, a new task. Even when Silv had some free time, she was too tired and numb to do anything but sleep.

"Justin told me what happened to his parents." Silv suddenly said.

The look of disbelief on Joe's face told her that Justin confiding in someone was quite a rarity. It made her feel a mixture of emotions she didn't fully recognize.

"How did you deal with the loss?" Silv asked gently.

"Well, I guess I never truly dealt with it but what helped me move on, continue to function properly were my grandchildren," Joe said.

Silv could feel a slither of something stirring deep inside of Evanescence's being as if she was suddenly paying closer attention to them than before.

"What exactly do you mean?" Silv asked.

"When I first heard what happened, all I wanted to do was stop existing. It was my hope that the pain would stop once I was dead. But then I remembered my grandchildren, that they were all alone in the world. I realized that leaving them behind would be the most selfish thing I could do." Joe said with tears glistening in his eyes.

"So what kept you going was focusing on the family you still had rather than focusing on the one you lost?" Silv asked, fully aware that the question wasn't entirely hers.

"Yes, I guess that's true. I made it my mission in life to keep the boys safe, and that's what I'll keep doing till the day I die," Joe stated fiercely.

"Was it that easy?" Silv asked.

"Not in the slightest. I fight with myself every day, and I have many bad days. However, work and my love for my grandchildren keep the fight alive in me." Joe said.

"See, Evanescence, you and Joe are not so different. You both have some family left. Though your Ice Warrior is dead, you still have family on this ship, and they need you. Will you not try to go through your pain for them, to fight for them?" Silv asked out loud.

It felt to Silv like saying those words out loud could empower them more than if she thought them. She believed that Evanescence could feel her emotion better, to understand her point better.

Deep inside her own being, Silv could sense something emanating from Evanescence. It was like a small spark of a warm emotion lighting up. Though Silv wasn't sure what it was, she could sense that it meant progress, that it was one step closer to recovery.

"Is it working?" Joe asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

In general, Joe was the type of guy who had seen too much to let anything surprise him. However, the whole idea of a sentient ship was too much for him. It made him feel like a small child, curious and fascinated by everything around him.

"I think so... Wait, what's that?" Silv suddenly asked.

The loud screeching echoed through the ship as Joe covered his ears in a vain attempt to stop the painful sound from shattering his eardrums.

"They got the message, Evanescence, shut off the alarm. It hurts humans." Silv said, barely able to speak through the pain.

Immediately, the sound stopped. Everything was back to normal except for Silv's heart, which started beating faster than usual.

"What was that?" Joe asked, his eyes wide open.

"It's a proximity alarm," Silv said, attempting to sound calm.

"The Government?" Joe asked, getting ready to do something, anything to stop his people from being captured.

"Yes, but they aren't too close. I tuned up Evanescence's sensors to be hypersensitive, so there is no imminent danger. It just means that we will have to do something about it. But the first thing is first. Your people are bound to panic. Why don't you deliver a little speech ensuring them everything is okay for now, and Evanescence will transmit it to them?" Silv asked.

"What should I say?" Joe asked.

"Just what I told you, that it's a warning but that there is no need to panic, we just have to have a meeting to solve a few things," Silv said.

"Very well. When can I start?" Joe asked, having no idea how any of that could work.

"Now," Silv said as she explained to Evanescence what she needed her to do.

"Everyone calm down, no need to panic. We aren't in any immediate danger, just a warning that we need to pick up the pace. Those physically able to fight, join us in the control center. Justin will lead you here. The rest of you stay calm but be ready to move out if it comes to that. I promise you that we are working on a solution, and I'll let you know what we come up with as soon as I can. That's all." Joe said.

"Okay, you're finished," Silv confirmed.

"What are we going to do?" Joe asked.

"We'll talk about it when everyone gets here, but from what I am seeing here, we might have to fight them on their turf if we don't want them to find us here," Silv said.

"So we attack?" Joe asked.

"Probably," Silv said, contemplating all the data that Evanescence was providing her with.