20. Obila Part I Counterpunch

Obila,as it turned out, was only a short hyperspace transit from Thestle. Lupo had cried his eyes out for most of it. They burned now as he wearily watched the ship's command holo count down the final minutes before they tumbled out of hyperspace into the Schr?dinger's box of Obila. Ophion had left abruptly when he'd begun to cry, he imagined in a bid of respect. It was just him and the lifeless head.

"I'm truly sorry for all of this, amore mio," Lupo whispered with regret.

"Approaching Obila system," the shipboard computer stated.

Lupo braced, half expecting to jump into a flotilla of Keth ships laying waste to the city world. Instead, he was greeted with the largest human battlefleet he'd ever seen. There were thousands of ships. None were as big as the Keth cruisers, but he'd never seen a conglomeration of human naval power quite like this…

"Holy shit," Lupo muttered, unable to contain his awe—and relief.

He imagined a fleet like this would have been able to destroy the Keth they'd just witnessed had they only been there?—

His thoughts were interrupted. He was being hailed. He answered the call readily, not wanting to be shot down by friendly fire if he could avoid it.

"Unidentified vessel, name yourself." The speaker hadn't provided video, and the man's voice was clipped.

Lupo tensed, searching for what to say.

"This is the Fortunato… We have just escaped a Keth incursion on Thestle. The planet is under attack," Lupo said carefully.

There was an uncomfortably long pause as the listener considered his words.

"How many enemy vessels were there?" the voice probed after a time. There was a bustle in the background of the audio now.

"About a dozen or so," Lupo began, stumbling over his words as he tried to recollect exactly what he'd seen. "They were enormous…"

"Fortunato, you are commanded to land immediately at the Transit Authority Hub on-world. Do not leave the system until you are contacted. You are not under arrest. Human naval command appreciates the valuable information you just shared."

The transmission cut out abruptly, and Lupo sighed with relief as he carefully directed the Fortunato to dip under the huge armada, scanning the planet's surface for his landing pad assignment.

As he drew nearer to the human vessels, he regarded them with curiosity—the warship designs were far more elegant than what he'd flown in back in his day. The fleet's weapons looked ferocious, and their armor appeared more durable than other models he'd seen. A portion of the ships suddenly blinked out as he looked on, and a part of him hoped that they might be heading to save Thestle.

"Approaching Obila's atmosphere," his ship updated him.

"I imagine it would be a bad idea for any of your people to spot me," Ophion mused from behind him. "That fleet was formidable. Perhaps it is enough to save your world."

"You think so?" Lupo asked. "After I see what I can do for Auren here or put him to rest, I will take you wherever you need to go to reunite with your people or do whatever you need to do. I'm sorry for the delay."

"Perhaps. And what about your vendetta?" Ophion asked.

"I plan to be around for a long time. I'll spend however much of it is necessary to make good on it," Lupo said coldly.

"Then I shall join you," Ophion said, turning to leave.

"But what about your people?"

"I can never return to the Keth. Not after my failure, and especially not after accruing a life debt to… an abomination," Ophion said regretfully. "My honor is stained."

Lupo reflected as the lizard thudded out of the bridge, leaving him to stare alone through the viewscreen as the Fortunato cruised on.

Obila was covered in a thick layer of billowy clouds, the surface totally hidden from view. As the ship dropped lower, he noticed the tops of great towers poking out of them, shimmering in the pale light of Obila's star as the clouds glowed silver-blue about them. The blue-spectrum light was haunting, and it unsettled him. As the Fortunato ducked beneath the clouds, he gasped. The vast ecumenopolis sprawled endlessly in every direction. He'd known the entire world was a city, but still, he hadn't expected this.

Lupo gaped.

Everywhere he looked, there were buildings and people. Vast parklands were built atop enormous squat structures, and huge, towering skyscrapers cast miles-long shadows across the world's surface. It made sense now why such an assemblage of ships had parked themselves in orbit. There had to be many billions of humans living within Obila City.

"So this is where you're from?" Lupo asked Auren, unable to imagine growing up in such a densely populated world. "What a place," he marveled.

The city raced by as his ship directed itself to an empty landing pad, setting down gently before powering off its thrusters. He gently picked up Auren and tucked him in a bag, slinging him over one shoulder before hurrying from the bridge.

Ophion was eating another round of eggs in the galley when Lupo popped in to tell him he would be out for a bit.

"I will require rest now for at least a day," the lizard hissed, flicking his tongue along the plate and wiping up the last of whatever variety he had just devoured. "I shall be here if you need me."

"I understand. I'll be busy attending to some things for a while. I'll be in touch," Lupo said, forcing a smile before heading to the airlock.

As he exited, he noted that the air on Obila was cool and thin, and the whir of holo-buses and small commuter drones overhead was constant. Lupo hurried to the nearest public holo-kiosk, spotting one in the middle of a plaza. He looked around, ensuring no passersby might see, before lifting Auren's head out of the bag and allowing the kiosk to scan his inanimate face.

"Auren Delphinian. Welcome," the kiosk said, pulling up Auren's personal files.

Lupo skimmed through them, searching his saved contacts. He found what he was looking for: the personal information of a family member, a brother named Fengári. Lupo dialed him immediately from the holo, but there was no answer. He dialed again.

"Aur! By the stars, I thought you were dead!"

"This isn't Auren," Lupo said regretfully.

"What? But then… aw, look, I don't have your money. Calling from my deceased brother's account is a new low, though," Fengári said, his voice growing angry.

"Wait. This isn't about money—" Lupo started.

"Then who the fuck is this?" Fengári yelled. "Is this some kind of scam?"

"No, nothing like that. I need help. I have your brother," Lupo blurted, wishing he'd planned his words more carefully.

"Like… you've kidnapped Ren? What the fuck? Where the fuck are you? I'm going to fucking kill you!" Fengári's tone had become feral, and he sounded just like Auren when he got angry.

"No! Sorry. No. It's a long story. Can we meet? I'm near the Transit Authority Hub," Lupo pleaded, desperate for contacts.

"Fine. I can be there in about an hour. But if you're pulling some kind of bullshit, I swear by the stars I'll make you regret it," Fengári growled.

"I swear to you—" Lupo began, but the speaker had already terminated the call.

The holo closed, and Lupo looked around the dizzying city, overwhelmed by the bustle. He spotted a little bench under a tree where he could wait in peace. He crossed the plaza and sat, setting Auren down beside him.

He could tell Obila was a rich world, richer than most, and the ornamentation and decor along the buildings and city walkways around him was elaborate. There were sculptures and plantings everywhere. Huge holo-displays graced the sides of the towering structures, lit up with neon advertisements for body augmentations and new synthetic-drug cocktails. Only a small news ticker along the bottom of one even mentioned the war. He marveled that life could be going on as normal here, given what he'd just seen happen to Thestle. He felt those screens should warn citizens to prepare for evacuation, not sell them new products. But the human instinct to ignore reality when it felt inconvenient was strong. Hell, he was a fucking robot and managed to forget that from time to time.

Lupo looked at his hand, recalling the dark period when he'd been forced to exist outside of a body. He placed that hand gently on Auren, who was still in the bag. Lupo knew he couldn't feel anything, but he couldn't help but wonder if nothing was at least more peaceful than what Lupo had been forced to endure on that reincarnation ship for all those years. He hoped so.

"I'll fix this," he mumbled. "I promise you I'll fucking fix this."

Fengári looked a lot like Auren, only taller and more world-weary.

"So where is he?" he asked haughtily.

His taxi drone had set down nearby, and when he'd stepped out, between his age and the way he scanned the plaza, Lupo had been able to deduce who he was. He'd waved him over immediately.

"It's going to take a minute to explain," Lupo began.

Fengári pulled him in for a hug, squeezing him tight like they were old friends before growling, "You don't have a minute."

He was tall and strong, and as he held Lupo in his embrace, Fengári shoved the barrel of an energy weapon into his gut and firmly gripped the back of his neck with his other hand. He squeezed so tight that had Lupo been merely human, he would have screamed. He fought the urge to rebuff the man, powerless as he realized that as different as they looked, the brothers had the same eyes. But Auren had never looked at him like this. Lupo winced under the murder in Fengári's glare.

"Now tell me where my fucking brother is, or I'll blow you away right here, right now," Fengári seethed through his teeth, squeezing Lupo's neck even harder.

"He's on the bench. He needs a roboticist. He was uploaded from the frontlines during the fall of Vesperion—" Lupo gasped, his artificial airway constricted by Fengári's tightening grip.

"I don't see my brother on that fucking bench," Fengári said, looking back at him and jabbing the gun barrel between his eyes.

An elderly couple had just rounded the nearest corner and abruptly hurried back the way they'd come at the sight of the gun.

"He's in the bag. He needs a new body decanted. I need help finding the right person with the right capabilities, and I'm sure it won't be cheap."

Fengári looked at him skeptically, his eyes narrowing.

"Prove it," he said after a moment, slipping his gun back into its holster.

Lupo crossed to the bench and pulled out Auren's head.

"Oh, Ren…" Fengári gasped, grabbing him from Lupo and brushing back his hair. He squeezed the lifeless skull tightly against his chest. The gun clattered to the ground.

"He's still in here?" he asked after a while.

Fengári sat down on the bench, staring at his fallen brother like he'd just lost everything. Lupo sat beside him.

"The main processor is in the skull, yeah. But he doesn't have a power source, and frankly, I wouldn't want to revive him without a body. I have personal experience with that state of being, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone," Lupo confided.

"And who are you exactly?" Fengári asked skeptically.

"Just a friend," Lupo lied.

"Mhmm. Sure. ‘Friend,'" Fengári replied. "Friends don't fly each other's decapitated heads across the galaxy. It's about time Ren got laid, though. I thought he was going to be a virgin forever. I never even thought about him being gay. Who knew?"

Lupo felt the heat rise in his face, and thought about re-disabling his emotional feedback but decided against it. He owed Auren's brother at least that much.

"Are you like him? A machine person, I mean," Fengári asked, eyeing Lupo with curiosity. Lupo slipped Auren back into the bag before replying.

"I am."

"I'll be damned. I would have thought you were human," Fengári remarked, reaching out and touching Lupo's face. "Incredible."

Lupo laughed.

"Well, all right then. I'll ask around for a roboticist and see what I can scrounge up. They're a dime a dozen around this place." Fengári gestured absently at their surroundings. "I'll meet you back here at this time tomorrow. What did you say your name was again?" he asked, rising to leave.

"Lupo," he replied. "My name's Lupo."

"Thanks for bringing my brother back, Lupo. It would have been nice if he still had a body. But if we can revive him, I'll forgive you. I'll see you tomorrow. Keep him safer than you did."

And with that, Fengári rose and left, heading off across the plaza. Lupo watched him depart, then let out a low whistle and gazed up into the clouds, wondering anxiously how anyone on the surface would even know if the human fleet above was engaging the Keth right now. The image of enemy drop pods plummeting through the silver-blue veil intruded into his mind, and he winced at the recollection of the brief carnage he'd witnessed on Thestle. He shook his head, willing his thoughts away from the destruction of his first and then his second home.

Lupo shivered slightly as night descended on this region of Obila City. He rose, intending to return to the Fortunato, but the holos on the buildings all around him suddenly fell dark. People walking by halted, and nervous murmuring rippled across the crowded plaza.

Lupo looked uneasily at the clouds, wondering numbly if his previous worries of an impending invasion had been a premonition…

But then the holos flipped back on. And they all displayed the same thing: a live feed of a Keth battle cruiser being blown apart as a squadron of human fighter craft pummeled it with plasma bolts. Lupo watched, awestruck, as a human destroyer slipped into the footage and loosed a volley of missiles at the remainder of the hulk, setting off a chain reaction of explosions that totally consumed the vast alien ship.

Cheers began to erupt across the plaza, echoing off of the tall buildings, and Lupo found he was cheering too, oddly. The spirit was contagious. The camera panned, revealing dozens of Keth cruisers in various states of demolition, a swarm of human craft darting amongst them and tearing them to pieces. He realized that the planet in the background was none other than Thestle.

On its surface, lights still sparkled from the band of twilight where the domes were, and he felt great relief that the sanctuaries hadn't been destroyed as he'd feared.

The footage abruptly cut out, replaced by a stern-faced woman staring straight into the camera, her dark hair pulled back in a bun. She was wearing what Lupo recognized as a navy admiral's uniform.

"Citizens of the polity, I bring you the first good news to come from this war. We have finally struck back at the enemy. What you have just witnessed is a fundamental shift in the ongoing conflict. New technologies have given us a fighting chance against our foe, and we intend to punch back while we have the advantage.

"Thanks to information acquired from a vessel that escaped the Keth data blackout on Thestle, we were able to catch them mid-invasion and bring an end to their latest attempt to euthanize our great species. We have liberated Thestle."

The cheering was so loud now it was getting hard for Lupo to hear. He boosted his hearing sensitivity, homing in on the admiral's words as best he could over the din.

"Through careful study, we have tracked the alien invaders' hyperdrive trails back to their home system. Scouts have successfully reported on the extent of their defense forces. We believe we have the capacity necessary to lay waste to their homeworld as they did ours. It is time for humanity to show these monsters that we're not afraid—that we've never been afraid. In twenty-four standard human hours, we will exact revenge for the fallen worlds and the billions of lives we've lost. May the stars favor us as we drive the spear of vengeance into the heart of our foe. The bonfire of humanity will shine on!"

She saluted rigidly, her mouth twitching, and then her footage cut out. The shots of the Keth wreckage returned, and the xenophobic cheering that erupted from the crowd made Lupo more than a little uneasy. He hated the Keth as much as the next person for what they'd done to humanity, but the thought of being a member of a species responsible for the obliteration of a world didn't sit right with him. For the first time, he felt fearful for Ophion, and not of him.

An instant party was evolving around him. People were drinking openly, screaming and dancing, whooping and hollering as they poured out of houses and buildings and into the streets. He even saw a young pair lustily engage in coupling down a side alley near a set of old dumpsters. It appeared that humanity had been sparked back to life by the admiral's announcement, and he imagined scenes like this were playing out across thousands of worlds as people everywhere let out a collective exhale at long last.

He would have never guessed their escape from Minotaur II and the Keth would have played such an instrumental role in any of this. As he reached the ship, he realized he'd have to share the news with Ophion and feared his response. He clutched Auren nervously, debating keeping current affairs to himself until he'd successfully resurrected him, but then realized the worst offense he could make would be to dishonor the alien—and so he decided that when he awoke in the morning, he'd tell him the news.

"You're not upset?" Lupo asked gently.

Ophion was holding a mug of coffee in his talons, flicking his tongue at the steam rising from the beverage and looking equal parts repulsed and curious.

"What would upset accomplish?" Ophion asked. "There are useful emotions, like anger. And then there are the emotions of the weak, the feeble. It was inevitable that The Game wouldn't go on forever."

Lupo sipped his own coffee appreciatively. They sat in the Fortunato's galley, watching the morning's holo-feed as it streamed news about the assembling human armada near Terra. Ships, both military and civilian, had arrived in the tens of thousands, all ready to do their part in exacting revenge for their species.

"It would seem we underestimated just how thoroughly your kind had populated this sector. And just how formidable is your capacity to mobilize for war," Ophion said after a while. An enormous carrier had just blinked into the massing fleet, a flagship if Lupo had ever see one.

"The fleet is preparing to jump to the Keth homeworld within the hour," the news anchor said. "I'm getting word that they are expected to arrive within a few human standard days. Godspeed, soldiers." The footage cut back to the massive carrier, which had slipped near the swarm's center. Lupo flipped off the holo.

"So it begins," the lizard hissed. He looked down into his mug, his scaled face taut, his alien eyes unreadable. Lupo regarded him uncertainly, unable to imagine what kind of solace he might offer.

He reached out and gently squeezed Ophion's cold, smooth shoulder. His scales were far softer and more supple than he had imagined, and his muscular shoulder gave way in much the way a human one might. Ophion looked from the coffee to Lupo, his expression unreadable.

"I understand, friend. You are safe with me for as long as you want to travel together. You have my word," Lupo said, not knowing if his word on that topic was worth all that much. After all, Auren's severed and lifeless head was the third guest at the table this morning.

"You are not the abomination I initially judged you to be," Ophion replied after a time.

"No," Lupo chuckled, "I'm afraid I'm not."

Ophion made a hideous rattling sound, and Lupo understood it was his version of laughter. He watched as the giant lizard shook for a moment, then took a hesitant sip of the coffee before spluttering like it was poison and slamming his cup onto the table.

"Perhaps my initial judgment was correct after all. That is a most foul liquid," Ophion hissed angrily.

Now, it was Lupo's turn to laugh, and the laughter felt like the true abomination, given all the horror taking place around them.

"Will you be able to revive your ally?" Ophion asked, trying the coffee a second time and seeming to dislike it more now, not less.

"I believe it's possible. His main processor should still be intact, and the data sequence for his decant is hardwired into it. If I can find a roboticist with the right sort of 3D printer, he should be able to download the data file and then print him a new body."

"Your kind has some technologies far beyond ours," Ophion mused.

"Perhaps. I'm not sure any human weapons come close to doing what yours do, and none of our ships are nearly as formidable, either," Lupo countered.

"My people know more than war. If you could see my home, you'd understand. We are a repository for cultures from across the millennia. A bit of every species we've conquered has become a part of our legacy and our heritage," Ophion said, his voice somber.

"It sounds fascinating," Lupo replied, wishing he could see it. He felt a pang of despair that war consumed so much on all sides.

"Perhaps your species will be the next version of the Keth," Ophion said after a while, making that unnerving rattling sound again.

"Let's hope not." Lupo grinned.

He finished his coffee and rose to leave. He had a meeting with Fengári. He carefully stowed Auren back in his bag and attempted a Keth bow to Ophion as he departed.

The lizard pulled up the news holo again and became engrossed in the footage of the massing battle fleet. Lupo left him to his ruminations, fully occupied for now with trying to confront his own.