The Ice Warrior

Chapter 60

The moment Silv heard that Denis started talking, she expected to feel relief wash over her, but that didn't happen. Although she was glad that he was talking, that still didn't solve all their problems.

"What did he say? Anything useful?" Silv asked.

As she focused her attention on the issue at hand, Silv still couldn't help but miss the good old days when all she had to worry about was the snow and her job. The rules were strict. However, at least she knew that all she needed to do was follow them, and all would be well.

There was no confusion, no place for questioning what the right choice was.

"He said that the Government was stretched thin and wouldn't be able to come after us for a while. With everything that happened, with everything we did, many sectors started wondering what was going on, rebelling even," Joe said.

A horrible thought crossed Silv's mind, and she shivered at the idea hurrying to ask her question though she dreaded the answer.

"They didn't...?" She started to ask.

"They couldn't kill everyone to cover it up the way they did before. There are too many people asking questions. Killing them would only raise more questions," Jamie said, smiling gleefully.

"What are they doing to them instead?" Silv asked.

She was sure that the Government wouldn't, couldn't allow anyone to speak against it. Thus, it stood to reason that they were dealt with in some other way.

"They are taking them as prisoners, as many as they can catch," Joe said.

"Under what charges?" Silv asked, confused.

"Conspiring with the enemy," Joe said.

"Excuse me?" Silv asked.

Her confusion was only intensified by the revelation because they didn't have any enemies at the time.

In the past, there were some fractions of the world's remaining humans fighting for supremacy. Furthermore, in recent years, there were occasional nomads organizing to attack their supplies but nothing was so serious to consider those people as enemies.

"Let me explain this lunacy to her, grandpa, please," Jamie said.

"Suit yourself," Joe said.

"So, they claim that our sector was wiped out by aliens," Jamie said, making a pause for dramatic effect.

"What? How can they paint the aliens as aggressors when they were the ones torturing the families of those aliens?" Silv said disgustedly.

"Yes, and not only that. There was an announcement made saying that all those people they took as prisoners were helping the aliens murder us, that they were helping them conquer the world," Jamie said.

"That's ridiculous. Why would anyone believe that?" Silv asked.

"We know that it's ludicrous, but the regular people were shown the footage of aliens landing on the planet. Then they were told by the Government that they were dangerous. What are they supposed to think?" Joe said.

"Assume the worst," Silv mumbled quietly.

That was the way humans functioned, the way they were for such a long time. They would always assume the worst about someone or something and change their opinion only if they had solid proof to say otherwise. Guilty until proven innocent.

"I feel bad for those poor prisoners, though. They have never even seen an alien, and there they are accused of being chums with them," Jamie said.

"I don't think that's funny," Silv said, noticing Jamie's lips stretching into a tiny smirk.

"Of course it's not. But what do you want me to do? Go back to the sectors and break the necks of all the Government elite? Or would you rather I stand here hiding behind a smile? Because those are my options at the moment," Jamie snapped.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to attack you. It's just horrible to think that the suffering those people are going through is partially our fault," Silv said.

"I don't think it is. This would have happened either way. People don't like to be controlled by anyone or anything," Joe said.

Though Silv could see the truth in his words, it didn't make her feel any better. The fact was that their actions shaped the way the rebellion was formed, and the innocent people and her alien friends were the scapegoats.

"We need to help them, set them free," Silv said passionately.

"What we need to do right now is bury our dead. After that, you need to keep your promise to your alien friends.

"Finally, we need to ensure everyone's safety here, and then we can help the others. Doing it before that would be pointless since we wouldn't have a safe place to take them to," Joe said sensibly.

"But how are we supposed to bury grandma and the others? I thought that even inside the mountain, the earth was frozen, too hard to dig," Silv said.

"I can help with that," Evanescence cut into their conversation.

"My systems are now functioning almost at full capacity. That means that the other replicators are working as well," Evanescence said.

"What do you mean 'other replicators'?" Silv asked.

"At the moment of our meeting, the replicators were functioning only for food and other necessities. Now they are fully functional, which means they can replicate anything to help you thaw out the earth," Evanescence said.

"But our technology should be enough for that," Jamie said.

There was a certain hesitation in his voice that Silv understood as what it was, fear. Jamie, like any other human being, was scared of the alien technology. Terrified of the unfamiliarity of it all.

"Your technology is far behind ours. It would take you days to accomplish anything while our technology would finish the whole process in mere hours," Evanescence said.

"Wow, that does sound much better, Evanescence. How do we get those fancy gadgets?" Silv asked out loud.

"There is a door to your right," Evanescence said.

"I see it. What do I do?" Silv asked.

"Arthur, would you be able to explain this in human terms?" Evanescence asked, sending the information to the AI.

"Miss Silv, think of it as a closet that materializes all you wish for. You put your hand inside that panel. Then, you wish for something with all your heart, and it appears inside the closet," Arthur explained.

"Really? An all-purpose closet? That sounds ridiculous," Jamie said, twitching nervously.

"It is the only way for your limited brain power to comprehend the complicated process that the replicators use to provide them with everything they need," Arthur said matter-of-factly.

Ignoring the chatter behind her, Silv put her hand into the panel, which housed the same substance as the ship's controls, and focused all her attention on what they needed.

After a few moments spent in concentration, Silv opened her eyes and pulled her hand out, hoping that she had accomplished her goals.

When she opened the door, she found a strange rectangular object the size of a smaller gun.

"What is this thing supposed to do?" Silv asked, unimpressed by the device she carelessly held.

"Careful, you can melt my insides with that Schmelzgerät," Evanescence said.

"Oh, sorry," Silv said, carefully handling the device.