SuBBrilliant Blog

“Greetings Ambassador X,” the guard said. “What can I do for you?”

“Just Pilot, Guard– a–”

“Henta. Guard Henta.”

“Henta. Just came to get my things out of Verity,” said Pilot X non-chalantly.

“Oh,” the Guard looked pained. She obviously respected Pilot X and didn’t want to deny him anything. “The Verity is on lockdown right now. Strict orders from the council. Nobody allowed in or out.”

“Understandable,” Pilot X said with an easy smile. “And I won’t touch her controls. Just need to get my stuff out.”

“I’m sorry,” Guard Henta said slowly. “I’m not allowed to make exceptions.”

Pilot X frowned. It was a friendly frown. The frown you have for a friend who’s in a hard position. “You’re not allowed to break regulations either.”

“Exactly,” Guard Henta said relaxing.

“And one regulation says you’re not allowed to store things for unassigned personnel in unassigned capsules, right?”

Guard Henta unrelaxed. “Yes, that’s true.”

“So if you don’t let me get my things, you’re essentially letting me store them in the Verity.”

“I see what you’re saying, but–”

“I know,” Pilot X shook his head. “It’s unfair that they put people in these situations.”

Guard Henta seemed frozen.

“Just between you and me what are the actual orders restricting Verity?” Pilot X asked.

“Well. No one is allowed to enter, activate, or modify the Verity until further notice. No exceptions.”

“Ah. I don’t have any reason to activate or modify her if I just want to get my things. So I’d only be violating the entry provision. However if I leave my things in there, then I’m violating the entire regulation.”

“I guess so.”

“When did the restriction on Verity come down?”

“Right after I started my rotation.”

“Do you constantly check orders while on duty?”

Guard Henta puffed up a bit. “I make it a point of pride to check in regularly.”

Pilot X inwardly groaned at her pride in obedience. “BUt it’s possoble that orders come in that you don’t see right away.”

She deflated a bit. “I guess so.”

“Could happen to anybody!” he reassured. “You just let me get my stuff, I’ll be gone and you say you saw the orders after I left. Right?”

Guard Henta looked unsure. “I don’t want to lie–”

“And you don’t have to. Just don’t volunteer that you saw the orders before I came. Honestly if I just leave with my stuff and the Verity is locked up tight no one will care.”

“What if something goes wrong?”

“You blame me!” Pilot X said cheerily.

“Oh I wouldn’t want to do that,” Guard Henta looked shocked.

“It’s OK. I can take it. Deal?”

Guard Henta came to a decision and nodded. Pilot X motioned and Alexandra came over to his side.

“Who’s that?” Guard Henta objected.

“I need help carrying things,” Pilot X explained easily.

“Oh right. OK. Make it quick.”

“We will,” Pilot X reassured. They hurried towards Verity. Pilot X felt bad about Guard Henta. She was so sincere. And she would never forgive him.

He saw her coming but he didn’t run. He wanted this confrontation. He wanted to tell her just how angry he was. How much she had cost him.

“Pilot X, I’m glad I foudn you-”

He interrupted her sharply “I am too. I’m glad I could help you and the Core to further the ends of the war and tie it up tightly for you.”

“What do you mean?” her look of suprise was exquisitely genuine.

“Oh that’s beautiful. Maybe they didn’t even tell you? I think not though. You all knew. Your list of time locations and instructions not to arrive during the conflicts was perfect. I tied each battle up neatly. I thought I was preserving the rest of the universe. Turned out I was keeping the rest of time from ever finding out about the extent of the war that rages behind my shields.”

“No, I suppose it might seem that way.”

“It might seem that way I suppose,” he cut her off savagely again, “If a representative of the council hadn’t met me in the time of the final battle. Which by the way wasn’t the final battle at all but only a convenient place to tell me my work was done. Clever. You should have told them not to spill the beans. I would have come back here anyway to find out what was wrong.”

“The final battle was not a battle?”

“No it wasn’t. But every other one was. And I cleaned them up so well. ONe had several destroyed planets. I cleaned that one up into a rather implausible Moon and an asteroid belt. You’d never know it even happened. Scientists there in later eras are probably puzzled by the Moon’s existence, but you know scientists. They always think of something to explain away the odd.”

“The last battle should have been the apocalypse. That was where you were–” This time she was cut off by another member of the Corewho had just arrived.

“My apologies Alexandra we couldn’t tell you. The last battle was a decoy. We knew they would track you. We knew they would think you were doing them a favor. Now they are no longer suspicious of you. Now you can act.”

“Oh no” Pilot X yelled backing away. “Once burned twice turned. I amo not falling for that one again.”

“Pilot X. We couldn’t tell you either for fear of gicing it away–”

“So you send me someone who doesn’t know about it either to explain? Ha!”

“She was not meant to approach you,” he gave Alexandra a severe look.”

“Well I couldn’t help you even if I was stupid enough. They have Verity.”

“And you’ve removed all your posessions?”

“What?”

“YOu can’t store them there. It’s against regulations.”

“Why do you care?”

“Because its your excuse to get back in. And Your excuse to steal it.”

“Steal what?”

The man looked suprised. “Well, Verity.”

“Oh.” Pilot X thought about it. “Oh no… well maybe. But not for you.”

“Let me explain our plan.”

Pilot X looked skeptical but said nothing.

“You have in your posession a gift from the Progons, no?”

Pilot X nodded without changing his expression.

“And an item retrieved from the Sensaurians during your jump.”

How had he known about that? It was something that stuck to the side of Verity. He hadn’t told anyone or even figured out what it was. He nodded slowly.

“The Progon gift is a communicator, the Sensaurian remains contain telepath generators., as do all their cells. If you combine those with an Inverter-Chrono-integrator, you can change all time with almost no side effects.”

“No you can’t… well… maybe yo could. Sad thing is, I don’t have an Inverter-Chrono-Integrator.”

“We know where you can get one. We’ll help you steal it.”

Pilot X thought about it. He did want Verity back and he might need them to carry out a plan to steal her.

“No, you can steal it.”

“we cannot. If we were to be caught-”

“It would be better if I were caught?” Pilot X laughed. “Oh no no no. Not after the trick you pulled. I’ll take Verity back as you suggest. But you have to bring me the Inverter if you expect me to ever possibly consider your plan. Thjat’s the deal.”

The man looked perplexed. Alexandra spoke up. “We will do it. My apologies for the deceptions carried out upon you. It will be done.”

“alexandra! You cannot-”

“It. Will. Be. Done.”