Chapter 53:
Aftermath

Marcus Donovan and Vijay Rao walked down a wide, blue-green street overflowing with activity. There was so much foot traffic that Marcus could hardly see a few feet in front of him. It was another fine example of humanity’s ability to cope in even the most dire of circumstances, and it impressed him and Legacy to no end.

Four months had passed since the Battle of the Ark, which unexpectedly ended with both sides withdrawing. The strange events at the end left the humans and Oikeyans equally vulnerable and confused, and retreat was the only option that made any sense. A tense cease-fire followed.

“Who could’ve expected this?” Marcus asked.

“I stopped making predictions about the future,” Rao replied. “Was costing me too much money.”

They pressed on through the crowd, and Marcus marveled at the multiple levels of the city up above, each built on its own web of catwalks. This was his first visit to the Oikeyan city called Amiasha, which had removed the Ark’s self-destructing fusion reactor at the height of the battle, and saved countless lives. Afterward, the ship came crashing back down to the ground a few kilometers away, then took root in order to heal itself.

There was some kind of mutiny aboard the ship, but the details remained a mystery. The Oikeyan legion abandoned it, and beat a hasty retreat back to their colonies in Africa.

Meanwhile, the Ark had been torn to shreds, and a hundred million human refugees were once again homeless. It didn’t take them long to come and investigate the city ship, like children poking a dead animal with a stick. But this animal was still alive. Just barely, but alive.

What they found was simply amazing; the only aliens left aboard the ship were the pacifist Sey Chen, who welcomed the refugees with open arms. The rest, as they say, was history.

Still, there were too many mysteries about that day for Marcus’ liking, and clues were few and far between. Why was the Ark’s self-destruct activated in the middle of the battle? How did the city-ship become aware of the impending explosion? Marcus had come down from orbit to find out.

As they walked down Amiasha’s crowded streets, Marcus and Rao turned and cut through one of the many markets where people were busy selling all kinds of wares. At the far end, where the tents thinned out, they found the man they were looking for.

He wore a set of army fatigues that had obviously been mended a few too many times, and his skin was thoroughly pitted and scarred. It looked like someone had splashed molten lava on him. Still, he was all in one piece, which was better than many soldiers could say, and he’d found work as a guard for one of the new merchant class.

“Excuse me, are you Sgt. Karpov?”

“Commander Donovan?”

Marcus nodded, and Karpov snapped a salute. Marcus returned the gesture clumsily, sure he’d never quite get used to it.

“I wanted to ask some questions about the day of the battle, if that’s alright.”

“Absolutely, sir.”

“I understand you were working guard detail in the reactor section. Is that correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Tell me what happened.”

“It’s all in my report, sir,” the scarred soldier said.

“That’s alright. I’d like to hear it in your own words.”

And Karpov told his story. Unfortunately, it matched the debriefing reports to the last detail. Someone or something had breached the Ark at the height of the battle. Many described it as an invisible monster that ran faster than bullets. Karpov saw only a blinding light that rushed his position and melted a steel barricade with its touch. His was just another of the hundred ghost stories that came out of that day.

When Karpov finished, Marcus thanked him and went on his way. Someone out there had the missing puzzle pieces, and Marcus Donovan wouldn’t rest until he found them.