The Ice Warrior

Chapter 37

Silv would never admit it to anyone, but she felt relieved that the humans left the premises of the ship. Their mere presence made her feel inclined to put up appearances, to try to be who they thought she was.

Being left in the company of an AI and a spaceship from another planet felt relaxing. Silv knew that neither of the two had any preconceived notions of who she was supposed to be.

It wasn't in AI nature to have anything of the sorts. For them, all humans were equally incomprehensible and irrational. It was a breath of fresh air to be whoever you felt like being in that moment without anyone ever commenting on it.

Evanescence, being a part ship part sentient being, was better accustomed to accepting things as they were, nothing more and nothing less. She didn't expect Silv to be a leader, a soldier, a granddaughter. She just appreciated Silv's presence.

All that mattered for Evanescence was that there was someone there to connect with. She needed someone to create a deeper bond with, even if that someone was a human and not the Ice Warrior.

What surprised Silv was that she was also benefiting from the connection.

It was as if all those years of being unable to create an emotional connection with another human being didn't matter anymore. It didn't matter that she was often accused of hindering the development of the human race by refusing to procreate. All that mattered was that she was finally understood, accepted as she was, nothing more and nothing less.

Her moment of perfect peace was interrupted far sooner than she had anticipated. It was like the glass structure of her bubble of peace was shattered into a million pieces when the expedition returned.

It felt to Silv as if they were gone for mere minutes when it was actually hours. When one's mind is at peace, any interruption seems far too soon.

"You're back already?" Silv asked, unable to hide the hint of irritation in her voice.

"Is that how you welcome your grandmother, my dear?" Rose asked, noting the strange note in Silv's question.

"No, that's not what I meant. I am glad you're back that you are safe and sound. It just didn't feel like you were gone for that long." Silv said, trying to remedy the situation.

It was as if their sudden return made her unable to put on the usual mask quickly enough, and thus her true self managed to peek through far more than she ever allowed it to.

"How was it?" Silv asked.

"The place seems safe enough and perfect for our purposes. However, we have another problem." Rose said.

'Of course, we do. There is always something.' Silv thought, irritated that she couldn't just enjoy the quiet humming of the ship.

"What is it?" she asked, schooling her voice to its regular tone.

"Wir Eis sent some of his people to scout the sectors to see what would be the best path for Justin to take in his return trip. They came back with the news that military presence is much higher than before. It seems that our escape made them tighten up security." Rose said.

"What does that mean for us?" Silv asked.

"Well, first of all, Justin can't go back by himself. He needs backup." Rose said.

"We can take Evanescence and pick everyone up," Silv suggested.

"Where would we land her?" Rose asked.

Silv hadn't thought about that. However, the truth was that the same technology that protected the sectors from the cold could provide a barrier for the ship that Silv wasn't sure Evanescence could or should penetrate. Besides, even if they managed to go through, the houses were far too close together for them to land safely.

"What do we do?" Silv asked.

"We help him reach the resistance and get everyone to the same area where we came out of the sectors. Then, we pick them up in the ship and carry them away while invisible." Rose said.

"When you say it like that, you make it sound so easy," Silv said.

"It's anything but. Getting to Joe won't be so difficult, but getting everyone out might be much trickier. We need to think of a plan on how to do that. The Government won't just let us get out of there without a struggle." Rose said.

"What if we create a diversion?" Silv asked.

"I like a good diversion." Justin, who had been quiet until then, said excitedly.

"You wouldn't be a part of it," Silv said, crushing his dreams.

"Why not?" Justin asked, irritation slipping into his usually calm voice.

"Because you would do better on the ground level since you know the area well," Silv said without any resentment that she used to hold for Justin.

Silv realized that it was ridiculous that she would feel threatened by him. Although he was a capable guy, they both had their own skills. Whether she liked it or not, he was a much better soldier than she ever was, although he had never become an official soldier or served the Government.

"I think you, Rose and Arthur, should go get Joe and the rest while we create a diversion," Silv said.

"How are you planning on doing that?" Rose asked, pride swelling in her chest.

"Wir Eis, do you have any escape pods, any smaller vessels on this ship?" Silv asked.

"Yes. Few." Wir Eis said.

"Can they be operated remotely, or do they need a pilot?" Silv asked.

"Both." Wir Eis said.

"They can be operated remotely and piloted?" Silv wanted to confirm if she understood Wir Eis's broken English well.

After all, the answer to that question would alter the plan significantly. Silv didn't plan on risking any more alien lives and was ready to pilot the vessel on her own if the need arose.

"Yes," Wir Eis said.

"Okay, that makes things easier," Silv said, feeling a plan forming.

"Do they have cloaking ability?" she asked.

"Yes," Wir Eis said.

"Then, we'll land the cloaked ship as close to the sectors as possible. After that, I'll check how to access the vessels, which shouldn't be a problem since Evanescence is helping me as much as she can." Silv said.

"And then what?" Justin asked.

"You sneak in. Then, I'll take the ships to the place where we were last seen and make them visible, targets for them to chase while you get out the people who want to leave. You'll have to wait while they ask for back up, but that shouldn't take long since I'll keep things interesting for them." Silv said.

"We can't get everyone out in time. There is no way. The sectors are too big." Justin said.

"Yes, but we can get people from your sector out. There is no way for us to save everyone, but you have to know that most sectors don't want to be saved. They don't know that they need any saving." Silv said.

"But..." Justin started to say.

"You know as well as I do, my dear boy, that the only sector that is in imminent danger is yours. The others won't be harmed by the Government, at least not yet. There will be time to save them later," Rose said.

Justin wasn't happy with the situation, he wanted to help everyone, but he knew that they were right. There was time for others to be saved, but for his rebellious sector, time was running out.

"Okay, let's do it," he said.