When we were making plans to leave Triton, Alexa and I agreed to leave behind a transportation capsule in the chance that Parker was still alive. We synced it’s navigational programming to fit The Hyperion’s so that, once activated, it would auto-pilot to wherever our ship was. Both Alexa and I did this as more of a formality than anything else, but yet here Parker was crawling out of the hibernation pod inside the transportation capsule that had crashed into Elmcroft. I had so many questions for him, and I guessed he had just as many for me. However, looking at Khan I knew that this wasn’t the time for us to converse.
It was quiet as Parker was making his way out of the capsule. Khan was trying to figure out a course of action, but once Parker was finally standing on his feet outside the capsule he broke the silence.
“Abram, what’s going on? Who are these people, and why aren’t we back at SouthPoint?” He asked while shifting his eyes between me, Khan, and the two guards Khan had standing on either side of him. Having just woken up from hibernation, he was a bit slow to form the words, but that couldn’t hide the fear in his voice. I started to answer him, but before I could say anything Khan interrupted me.
“You are at the Elmcroft Outpost on Mars. Your friend Abram’s ship crash landed here a few hours before yours did. Why did you come here, and how did you find us?”
At this point the rest of Elmcroft’s staff had come into the room where we were. Khan had mentioned that they were a small organization, but I hadn’t realized how few their numbers actually were. With their entire team now standing in front of me, I counted only eight men and women.
Parker was still having trouble processing what Khan had just asked him due to his current condition, and I could feel the tension rising as Khan's impatience grew, so I answered.
"Parker went missing during our search on Triton," I tried to explain. "My remaining partner and I left a transportation capsule and synced it's navigational programming to autopilot wherever our ship went." Khan looked at me.
My explanation was truthful, and I felt he could sense my honesty. I turned to Parker, "You were gone for over half a year. Everyone at home thinks you're dead. How could you have possibly survived that long?" I asked. Parker, whose senses were returning now that he had had a chance to fully wake up, looked at me confused.
"I fell into a fissure near Galatia, but I couldn't have been down there more than a few hours. When I finally managed to climb out I saw the Hyperion leaving the atmosphere. I thought you abandoned me until I found the transportation capsule," He answered.
"That's impossible," I replied quickly. But before I could continue Lt. Khan interrupted me. "Interesting… It would seem you experienced the time flux of Triton's core. See, the closer you get to the core, the more heavily time gets distorted around you. What Parker experienced as a few hours in a fissure could easily be manipulated into a year for the rest of the world. The Martian scientists have attempted to study why this happens, but we lacked the funding to support the research so the project was abandoned a number of years ago."
I didn't say anything, but this flux theory would also explain why it felt like Alexa and I had walked for hours inside the tunnel the day we discovered Luma. I remember being exhausted from walking for such a long amount of time, but upon resurfacing we realized that we had only walked about ten minutes. Back then I had just credited the happening to fear and hadn’t thought much of it, but this distortion of time had almost cost my partner his life.
"Well, that answers who I am… Who are you?" Parker said, now shifting his attention to Lt. Khan.
"My name is Lt. Khan, and I was just explaining to Abram why we brought you here." Khan smiled.
"Brought us here?" Parker asked. A defensive anger had begun to rise up in his words and I didn’t like where it was going.
"Yes," Khan replied, "We observed your efforts on Triton and rerouted The Hyperion's navigational programming to bring The Luminescence here. She will remain under our watch, but Abram and I were discussing what to do with you."
Parker looked to me but I remained silent. I didn't know what to say. I had become lost in my thoughts of morality as the mention of The Luminescence once again stirred the notion in me that perhaps what we had been trying to do was wrong. The notion, however, was not shared by Parker.
“What to do with us?” Parker said to break the silence. His anger was beginning to show more visibly with each word. Khan stood up straight and looked at Parker.
“I know this is a lot to take in, but we can’t let you go home. Elmcroft has been kept secret from The Order as well as the other people of Mars. We can’t risk the possibility of you compromising our secrecy.” Khan said sternly.
“What you’re doing is treason against The Order!” Parker said, the anger still rising in his voice.
“I understand that you’re upset, but please try and see our vision,” Khan replied in an effort to try and calm Parker down. “The Luminescence is a precious thing that needs to be protected. The extraction process to obtain her Luminance is extremely painful and would kill her. Is what you’re trying to do really worth her life?” Khan’s words were well intended, but Parker’s anger had become so present that he wasn’t willing to listen to any of it.
“I had a family. I had friends. I had a life. But I gave it all up for this mission and The Order because it was worth it,” Parker replied. “I felt an obligation to serve my planet and to bring The Luminescence home, and I'm not leaving here without it."
And there it was again. The idea that Luma was an ‘it,’ a tool simply created only for our selfish use. Sure, the idea of reigniting the sun was noble, but I couldn't shake the feeling that we as humans didn't reserve the right to decide who dies, especially when the being in question is completely innocent. However, my thoughts were quickly directed elsewhere as I saw Parker reach to his side and raise a gun to Khan. I reached out to try and stop him but despite my efforts, I wasn't quick enough.
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