Facing Miller’s ferocious strike, Wyatt didn’t move an inch.
The ‘whip’ swept toward Wyatt’s head – then abruptly changed direction, snapping into a nearby stone. Crack! A leftover chunk of diamond, meant for the temple’s construction, exploded into dust.
‘Why didn’t iron man dodge?’ Miller roared.
‘Because Miller didn’t actually want to kill iron man.’
‘Hiss… and if iron man is wrong?’
‘Then Miller isn’t the Miller iron man knows. Getting knocked down would be deserved.’
Miller crouched, roaring like an animal. He looked as if he might pounce and tear Wyatt apart in the next heartbeat, yet his eyes wavered – rage and reason wrestling behind the helmet.
Lizardfolk swarmed in, surrounding Wyatt and the Free Will. In response, the Free Will unfolded its turrets and trained them on the encircling lizardfolk.
The standoff was one spark away from open fire.
‘Veil, don’t shoot yet,’ Wyatt said over his shoulder. Then he faced Miller again. ‘Even if Miller wants to fight, can Miller listen until iron man finishes speaking?’
‘Speak!’ Miller barked, holding the lizardfolk back.
‘What Miller just saw was only iron man’s view of the natural way,’ Wyatt said. ‘Iron man isn’t trying to persuade Miller. How Miller remakes the Lansen system has nothing to do with iron man. I have one request. If Miller agrees, we remain friendly.’
Wyatt paused, then added, ‘If not… iron man will stand with the false god, and we’ll fight Miller to the bitter end.’
‘What request?’ Miller demanded.
‘Let iron man, Julian, and the surviving humans leave this system together.’
‘No. Not allowed.’
‘Think carefully before deciding, Miller!’ Wyatt raised his voice. ‘Even the true god’s mercy outweighs its thirst for killing. Humans fought desperately to preserve living species – they deserve at least a sliver of redemption.’
And besides, Miller’s hatred is for Phantom Forge, not Julian and humanity. Phantom Forge is already gone. If Miller agrees, there’s no need for war at all – Lansen will be Miller’s without a fight. And…
Miller’s throat vibrated with a steady, thoughtful tremor. For the first time, the rage in his eyes dulled into consideration.
Wyatt pressed on. ‘Miller’s worry is that they’ll leave, then come back for revenge. Right? Iron man can guarantee this: once they leave this system, they will never return.’
‘Hiss… and how will iron man convince humans to never come back?’ Miller asked, sounding almost swayed.
‘That’s iron man’s problem,’ Wyatt said. ‘If they refuse, iron man won’t care about their business anymore.’
A long silence.
‘Edean’s seed,’ Miller said at last. ‘Miller wants it too.’
‘Fine.’
‘How long until they leave?’
‘Four… five months.’
‘So long?’
‘They need time to build a large interstellar ship.’
‘Then five months,’ Miller said, nodding once. ‘Miller agrees – for iron man’s sake. But if you go past that deadline, not one of them leaves. And Miller and iron man won’t be friendly anymore.’
‘Agreed,’ Wyatt said, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. ‘Iron man will go inform them immediately.’
***
After the ship lifted off, the Free Will slowly left the asteroid behind and turned toward Lansen.
Everyone was relieved to have avoided a battle they couldn’t possibly win. Still, Big Blue looked uneasy. ‘Is this really okay? It isn’t what Lord Julian suggested at first.’
‘It’s the best result I can imagine,’ Wyatt said. ‘No one can stop Miller now.’
‘What if humans refuse?’ Dorian asked.
‘Then it’s not my problem,’ Wyatt replied. ‘We’ll take our people and leave. At most, we’ll bring any humans who willingly come with us.’
‘I agree,’ Danser said. ‘The universe is full of planets. Why fight him for this one? Besides, Lansen was never humanity’s to begin with.’
Dorian’s optical sensors brightened. ‘So we can explore the universe?’
‘Exactly,’ Wyatt said. ‘The war is over. Starling, Linneya, Eisen – they’ll all be thrilled.’
‘That’s wonderful,’ Big Blue said.
Danser sighed dramatically. ‘Ah – an endless universe. How many great poems I can write… just thinking about it makes me tremble.’
***
The trip back to Lansen would have taken about three days. But after just one day of travel, Veil suddenly spoke up.
‘Captain Wyatt, I’ve received an encrypted signal.’
‘Encrypted?’ Wyatt frowned. ‘Can you decrypt it?’
‘Yes. It uses our encryption. Decrypting… complete. Content: ‘FW, please approach me.’ There’s also a coordinate attached – and it’s a moving coordinate.’
‘Why is it moving?’ Danser asked.
‘The target is in motion,’ Veil said. ‘The signal likely originates from a ship.’
‘How far?’ Wyatt asked at once – because ‘FW’ was the Free Will’s shorthand designation.
‘Twenty-seven thousand kilometers.’
‘Go see.’
‘Aye, Captain.’
Half an hour later, the Free Will reached the vicinity of the coordinate – but what greeted them wasn’t a ship. It was a micro communications satellite, no larger than a few meters across even with its four solar wings.
It was a Tower Clan model: usually placed into a stable orbit to boost signals or enable extreme-range links. Seeing one drift purposelessly through deep space like this was rare.
Veil calculated its course. ‘Judging by trajectory and speed, it launched from Lansen and is heading for the asteroid belt. It’s been traveling six days.’
‘It came looking for us?’ Dorian asked.
Big Blue frowned. ‘Seems like it. But why ‘approach me’? Could it be a trap?’
‘Doesn’t feel like one,’ Wyatt said. ‘Veil, deploy six Super Windgod fighters to watch the perimeter. Approach at low speed.’
‘Understood.’
The ship crept closer. When the distance dropped to five kilometers, the satellite automatically linked to the Free Will and requested a connection.
Wyatt accepted, still trying to make sense of it.
The moment the link opened, the Gentleman’s hologram appeared on the bridge display.
He wore his usual smile. But his first words froze Wyatt – and everyone in the ship’s island – in place.
‘Wyatt. I’m not sure whether you’ll be able to view this video message,’ the Gentleman said. ‘But if you can, there’s one thing I can tell you with complete certainty: I’m already gone.’
‘I only learned an hour ago that Edean’s decapitation plan included me as well. I… never expected I’d be terminated on the same day as Phantom Forge – and that after conversion, we’d end up fighting side by side again.’
‘I still believe most humans are good. This was an Edean leadership decision. And your negotiation with Miller should be much simpler – once I, the ‘false god,’ am removed, Miller will be far easier to persuade.’
‘After this message, I’ve attached coordinates to the Solar System – the birthplace of humanity. The Tower Clan’s original escape plan was to return to Earth. After thousands of years, I imagine the level of civilization there is far beyond pre-apocalypse Lansen.’
‘Once you’ve seen this, go to Deep Space Base No. 2 immediately and seize that asteroid. I’ve set exclusive permissions for you. The interstellar ship meant to carry on the Sunflower’s mission is nearly finished. I intended to name it the New Sunflower, but… given that I always fail, you can rename it if you want.’
‘Go. Bring Linneya. Bring Starling and the others – I hope they’re still safe. Give Lansen back to Plando… or to Miller. Oh… it’s time to say goodbye. They’ve already broken in.’
The Gentleman glanced over his shoulder as if he’d heard chaotic footsteps closing in.
‘Tell Blin and Bit there’s no need to avenge me… and I wish you all the best!’
The Gentleman vanished, leaving everyone staring at one another in stunned silence.
Wyatt walked to the observation window and looked at the pea-sized planet hanging in the void. He didn’t speak for a long time. For more than ten minutes he barely moved at all – only occasionally shaking his head, as if refusing to accept something so impossible.
Then Veil spoke again. ‘Captain Wyatt, we’ve received an encrypted message.’
Wyatt’s voice was hollow. ‘Did Lord Julian say something else?’
‘The message isn’t coming from this communications satellite,’ Veil said.
‘Then where is it from? What does it say?’
‘Decrypting… complete. Content: Wyatt, you have one day to reach Deep Space Base No. 2 and rendezvous with me. Extremely urgent.’
Wyatt turned. ‘Who sent it?’
Veil hesitated. ‘The message originated from the Limit. The signature is… Robin Blin.’