Читать бесплатно онлайн книгу  Travel to nowhere: Eneya and Ring

автор Alexander Krasnyuk

Contents

Foreword

Dear reader, I’m Alexander Krasnyuk, I live in the northern Russian city Surgut, which is located in Siberia. This is my first book, and it’s also my first book on English. You’ll probably encounter errors in my text, but I’ll definitely improve my knowledge of English and correct them in the future. Thanks for your understanding, and pleasant reading.

Prologue

Light and Dark

Drops of rainwater crashed against the frontal window of the space shuttle, which, gaining altitude, rushed to the upper atmosphere. The surface of the planet was occupied by many mountain ranges of different heights and sizes, forming the complex lay, conveying the nature of the Dark Empire and her difficult path.

The thunderstorm raging in the distance was accompanied by loud lightning strikes, the light from which, for a moment, distinguished the night landscape from the general darkness, and the cloud-covered sky was highlighted in white, reflecting flashes from electrical discharges.

The lights of Ancient-Prime, the capital and the center of the Dark Empire, were receding behind. The city built on evil nature by people, who survived in harsh outskirts of the galaxy.

«Ion, what will become of them? With Aaron?» a young girl asked, looking with her gray-green eyes at a woman in a dark green closed dress, who was sitting opposite her.

She herself was wearing a similar white tight-fitting long dress with open back and arms. Bare parts of her body were decorated with ritual drawings, which made with a special blue paint, that were two thin rings on her shoulders, jagged patterns on her hands and image of a large semicircle with a sphere inside on her upper back. The right half of her face was hidden by the dark-blonde lock of her hair, which she fixed, when asking a questions.

«As I said, Lana, they’re facing the trial, and over him too. This situation is very difficult,» Ion replied with a sigh. The woman looked almost the same age, despite the fact, that she was older, than the dark-blonde-girl. Like her companion, her hair was dark in color, but longer in length. Her brown eyes were looking at the dark-blonde-girl, and her face expressed tension. «I’ll insist on saving their life, at least for him, but they’re too valuable prisoners. Lord Sanctus, if he survives today, will not allow them to rot in captivity. Therefore, most likely, the Council will prefer to extract all useful information from them and get rid of them, hiding them in the most remote sectors of the Light Empire, where they’ll disappear,» she emphasized on the last word.

«Is there no other way out?» Lana’s voice sounded irritated, but at the same time, she understood the difficulty of her husband’s position, into which he drove himself, committing rash acts. «Aaron helped us, without him this day wouldn’t have come,» the dark-blonde-girl knew, where everything was going, but she hoped, that Ion would be able to convince the Council of the Light Emperor to justify Aaron.

«One action will not correct, what he did before. It was the mistake for him to accept the patronage of Commander Read and Lord Sanctus,» Lana immediately recalled the first time, when she saw on the news feed her husband, about whom no one had heard anything for several months, and Dana was standing next to him then. «Aaron has become their symbol, and now it’ll be difficult for him to clear his reputation,» the woman continued to speak, feeling Lana’s displeasure. «And don’t forget about the problem of the idea of the Light and Dark,» Ion reminded of another problem, that arose within the Light Empire.

«Then why did we come after them?» with a tinge of growing anger in her voice Lana asked, trying to control and restrain her emotions. «To be tried him, as a war criminal?» she understood, that Aaron wouldn’t be able to come to terms with imprisonment, so he would fight. And no matter, how strong her husband was, he would end up being killed. «You understand, that Aaron was just playing the role, trying to help us, as best he could. Is the Council stupid enough not to realize this?» Lana asked, already knowing the answer to her question.

«Nobody asked him about it. The Council was always biased towards him. You know it. I’ll try to settle everything peacefully, Lana,» Ion really would like to do it without violence, but she understood, that the union of Aaron and Commander Read poses a greater threat, than her interlocutor can imagine: «For both sides of the conflict, even though Lord Sanctus doesn’t understand this, trying to use the Light and Dark to him advantage.» «I may be able to convince the Council not to touch him, but in this case my words will mean nothing. Atem must have his say, they can listen to him. I’ll talk to him, but for now, your Aaron is in the same boat with Dana,» Ion knew with, what negative attitude her son and the main Guardian of the Light Empire at first treated Aaron, but recent events changed his position: «And the growing idea of the Light and Dark only added fuel to the fire. Only one thing remained clear, that’s the Emperor and his Council didn’t need the living Aaron and Dana, and the fact that I’d bring them now would only delay their inevitable fate.» «Understand, only we know the details, for the rest everything looks more obvious, and our words have no power.»

Lana didn’t answer, turning away to the side, where the young guy was sitting unconscious, wearing black armor with the symbol of an iron hand on its shoulders.

The symbol personified the rulers of the Dark Empire, who replaced their human body with a mechanical skeleton, leaving only a brain, which supported by the special life support system and, possibly, Energy. So they were able to cheat death in order to survive and carry their rage through the centuries to commit bloody revenge for the forced expulsion of their people five hundred years ago.

The Darkers gave Aaron the new name, as Warrior, personifying in him the legacy of the Empire of the ancient King Kang and his attachment to one of the powerful artifacts of Energy, namely the Dark Sword, which accidentally fell into Aaron’s hands.

At the time of the formation of the two empires, only the Light Sword was found, which became the main argument in the conflict between the two young states at the dawn of their development. The Lighers considered themselves full-fledged heirs of the ancient civilization, trying to crush as many inhabited planets as possible, expanding their influence on the galactic world map. But the Darkers didn’t agree with the aggressive foreign policy of the Light Empire, responding to it with the tough ultimatum. After that, the war of extermination began, in which the forces of the Light Empire won the victory, driving their enemy into the unexplored outskirts of the galaxy. But the Light Emperor, like his Council, pursued completely different goals in his bloody war, which directly related to Energy and its capabilities, which open up incredible abilities in people.

The Dark Empire bided her time for centuries, amassing her forces for revenge. The Darkers developed technology by developing perfect murder weapons. Each military officer possessed the abilities, that Energy gave. But there were also special elite units, consisting of talented adepts, who could change the course of battle by their presence on the battlefield.

The trigger for the start of the invasion was the appearance of a small unidentified reconnaissance ship in the Darkers’ outer space, which Admiral Lord Sanctus spotted during the next patrol of the new borders of the Dark Empire. Deciding, that it were scouts of the Lighters, the Dark Emperor gave the order to start the invasion so as not to lose the effect of surprise. On that day, the Light Empire, which had long forgotten about her longtime enemy, considering her dead, was hit by the massive blow from hundreds of thousands of ships of the Darkers’ offensive forces, capturing farm planets one after another.

For five hundred years, the Lighers relaxed and weren’t ready for the high aggression, that the Darkers radiated, so they quickly surrendered their territories. After a few months, they still managed to slow down the advance of the forces of the Dark Empire.

Resources were required to continue the war, so its both sides began recruiting developing planets, that were just entering outer space. Aaron, Lana and Dana ended up on a such planet at that moment, but then their paths parted.

Opposite Aaron, next to the dark-blonde-girl, sat Commander Read in a black officer’s uniform, whose shirt was half unbuttoned. The last time Lana saw her was on Earth, before they were drawn into the war between the Light and Dark Empires. Their paths then parted ways under not the most pleasant circumstances.

«Since the first meeting on Eneya, Dana Read has become our constant companion. Especially after Aaron saved her from death in the Illusion,» Lana recalled the events of previously times. «And after a while, when we met Ion and learned about the phenomenon of Energy, it turned out that there is an invisible connection between Aaron and Dana, the destruction of which would entail her death.» her attitude to Dana was initially unfriendly, but a logical explanation for this for she couldn’t find. «Aaron tried to understand Dana and showed a friendly concern for her, which greatly infuriated me. Until today and now she infuriates me,» but Dana also caused inner jealousy, so when fate threw them on different sides of the barricades of one war, Lana was delighted. But Dana turned out to be stubborn and was able to become not just a commander of the Dark Empire, but she took the post of the right hand of Lord Sanctus, while remaining the strong Energy adept, like Aaron.

Her husband began to fight on the side of the Light Empire, and Lana gained experience as a student Ion. In parallel, she studied military science, wishing to take the place of the commander of a warships.

But the next battle for a farm planet was complicated by the arrival of two heavy cruisers, that were the Impetuous and the Flame. The first warship belonged to Admiral Lord Sanctus, and the second one was under the command of Commander Read. The Lighters won the victory, so Atem, who was in charge of the defense forces, ordered to storm the cruisers. He and Ion went after Lord Sanctus, while Aaron and Lana went after Dana. But everything went awry, and as a result, the dark-blonde-girl almost died, and the guy ended up with the Darkers.

«Aaron tries to be on his own, does what he wants, doesn’t think about the consequences,» Lana mused, looking her gray-green eyes at the Dana’s thin face in the dark uniform. «And she’s the same. They’ve become detached from the System and ignore the general rules. Dana became the important officer of the Dark Empire, and he was appointed the Guardian of the Light Empire. But they don’t care much about the war, and what will happen next,» she always noticed their similarity, and the more time passed, the more this manifested itself. «Previously, Aaron was different, when we lived together in the Northern State, and then the Expedition changed him, making him free. He no longer obeys anyone, only if he himself wants to. And Dana somehow influenced him in the Illusion or already in Edem, increasing his alienation from the outside world. The changes in him are noticeable, especially for me, the one, who knows him for half of myself life and his one.»

Lana understood, what Ion was trying to tell her, and she knew, why the Council was against him: «It was because of the fear of the threat, which Aaron posed. And Dana,» the frank conversation with Ion surfaced in her memory, when the woman explained the goals and motivation of the government of the Light Empire, and how the Light Emperor and his Council see the owners of the Energy capabilities. «Thanks to it, they can destroy space cruisers. Still fresh is the memory of the Firestorm arranged by Dana, when she burned the warship of the Lighters. And in order to save my life, Aaron devastated the power core of the Flame, pulling me out of the embrace of death. But his capture by the Darkers became valuable, which had the strong political influence, skillfully beaten by Lord Sanctus,» Lana again recalled the official news video, in where Aaron and Dana appeared together, especially how they were presented by the media. «But this is only one side of the problem. The other was that everyone was tired of this mad war, and in Commander Read and Warrior, people saw the way out, that’s Peace, which is so necessary for everyone. The Union of the Lighters and the Darkers. But Aaron isn’t the Lighter, because he’s on his own,» she turned her gaze to her husband, examining his new armor with the symbols of the Dark Empire. Beside him, fixed under the couch, the same Dark Sword lay, he had found on Eneya. «Then we couldn’t imagine, how far from our home planet it would take us. At that time, other planets and space seemed to be something unreal, all attention was focused on Ring and Edem,» the dark-blonde-girl stopped her eyes on his face, then she’s looking at her left wrist, which encircled by the wedding tattoo with the unique pattern in black, applied her Aaron for a very long time ago. Then they were only part of the Gray Cycle of Life, getting up from day to day and heading to monotonous and meaningless work and waiting for weekends and vacations. «Now he’s with me again, months or more later. When you don’t get old, counting time becomes a meaningless exercise. And I still love him and believe him, but I need to know, that he remained faithful to our love.»

Lana closed her eyes, and then she tried to feel the Energy coming from the sleeping Aaron and Dana.

Two powerful streams, originating from both him and her, mixed into something single, creating the Bond known to Lana. The vortex of sky-blue color, which sparkling from the inside with electric discharges, came from her husband and intertwined with the fiery stream of the green-eyed-girl, then it formed two connected spirals. Then lightnings enveloped Dana and tied together the islets of flame, which surrounded her body. Light thin sparkling threads held together the cracked shell of the soul of Commander Read. Lana knew, that Dana’s mind had almost collapsed, and Aaron somehow brought it together, not letting her die. Now the dark-blonde-girl could see for herself exactly, how he did it. In the end, all the threads converge in one place, namely in her head, closing the Bond. Dana’s consciousness or soul was constantly fed from Aaron, her life depended on it. And, as Lana was knew, the distance, no matter, how great it was, doesn’t affect or break the Bond. She grabbed the common root of the fiery blue filaments with her brush and saw the various shared memories of Commander Read and her husband. Among them, Lana saw those, that couldn’t have happened, and she knew it for sure. The dark-blonde-girl looked at Dana, and then at Aaron. Now she understood a lot: «Aaron was wrong, thinking, that her life depends on him, because it works both ways.»

Then her gaze fell on the barely noticeable thread connecting her with her husband. She let go of the spiral and tried to grab their thread, but she was immediately burned. If only heat came from the electric-fiery stream, then heat came from their connection, as if Lana was touching a red-hot iron. Enduring the pain, she nevertheless grabbed their thread again and saw their memories, his thoughts, which made her feel calm and pleasant in her soul.

***

Ion watched, as Lana was in meditation: «The special state, when a person doesn’t just merge with Energy, but he becomes a single whole, allowing him to see the world differently, than it’s,» then she turned her gaze to cockpit, returning her thoughts to the current operations. «But it’s time to begin the invasion of the Darkers’ star system and deliver the first serious blow to our enemy. Lana was right, that without Aaron, it would take a long time for us to discover the new mother planet of the Dark Empire. His accidental capture, in addition, saved many lives of the Light soldiers, whom he only stunned, but he didn’t kill them, allowing us the exchange of prisoners. However, Aaron once couldn’t avoid bloodshed, violating his principles,» she recalled to her mind the video, where Warrior, emitting purple lightnings from his hands, burned alive the detachment of the Lighter Guardians, who was going to kill Dana, wanting to take revenge on her for the Firestorm. «But this didn’t affect the birth of revolutionary ideas within the Light Empire,» the woman thought of her son. «Atem didn’t trust Aaron and didn’t want him to study with them. But Warrior was able not only to change his attitude towards himself, but he also to enlist the support of my son, who is the main symbol of the Light Empire and wears the Light Sword of King Kang. The Darkers don’t want to exterminate us physically, as we tried to do five hundred years ago, but they’re going to destroy us politically, and the idea of the Light and Dark is ideal for these purposes. But there is the big but,» Ion saw all possible ways the development of the conflict, therefore, she clearly understood the consequences of the union of Aaron and Commander Read. «They’re able to lead people along. Citizens of the both empires can stand under their banner, if they decide to carry out a large-scale coup, which will not only end the war, but it also become the beginning for the emergence of a new state.»

The woman brought her left wrist, with hand terminal attached to it, to her face and sent the audio message to the invasion fleet.

«We have them. Start the operation,» Ion commanded, glancing again at Lana, who had already returned to reality and looked intently at the woman.

***

In the near planetary space, above its atmosphere, warships began to appear, from which the fires of fighters flew out like a swarm of bees. The fleet of the Light Empire has arrived, embarking on the aggressive invasion. On the surface of the harsh planet, ground-based anti-aircraft installations began to work. In space the Darkers’ heavy cruisers took up a defensive position, preparing to take the blow of enemy warships. A few seconds later, the first fires of loss flashed, gradually filling the space around the planet.

The shuttle wasn’t allowed to leave the planet, because the forces of the Dark Empire attacked it already in the upper atmosphere, when there was very little left to find itself in a safe zone under the cover of allied troops. Several neat attacks of enemy fighters put the engines of the spaceship out of order. The Darkers wasn’t going to be destroyed the shuttle, but they were going only to shoot down it, so that the prisoners remained alive.

The spaceship began a sharp descent, inside it the red emergency light turned on. The pilots tried their best to soften the landing by releasing the landing parachute system, but despite all their efforts, the landing was hard. A brutal blow to the ground followed, with the bulk of its force hitting the front of the shuttle. It crashed into a forested area, uprooting several tall trees and leaving behind a strip of loose earth.

***

After the extreme landing, Dana was the first to recover. Through hanging her dark locks of hair, she saw the Darker fighters in front of her with the same symbols of the iron hand, like on her. One of them immediately reported on his hand terminal to his commander, while unbuckling her seat belts.

«We found Commander Read and Warrior, they’re alive,» came the Darker fighter’s clear speech, muffled by his protective helmet. «What to do with the rest?» he asked a question, checking the reaction of pupils of Dana, who looked at him with her green eyes, squinting from the light directed from the bright helmet-mounted flashlight.

But further instructions didn’t manage to sound, because the enemy landing force of the invasion forces opened fire on the crash site, which had been illuminating by beams from the searchlights, that installed on board the arriving landing ships of the Light Empire. Two others Darker fighters, whom standing outside the entrance, were killed immediately. Having finished freeing Dana and Aaron, the Darker fighters prepared to transport them towards the defensive positions, where the Darkers’ forces had landed.

Commander Read tried to take a few steps, but she felt dizzy.

«Can you walk on your own, Commander?» one of the Darker fighters asked her, holding the green-eyed-girl by her hand.

«Yes, I’ll can. Better help Warrior,» Dana replied, nodding her head towards Aaron.

The crash of the shuttle didn’t remain without consequences for Commander Read. She ran her hand over her face, finding, that her blood was flowing from her nose. Her head was torn apart by severe pain, as if thousands of sharp needles were piercing her brain, while it was felt, that gagging was coming up to her throat, caused by concussion.

Dana looked around and saw Lana, who was sitting to her right. The dark-blonde-girl was still unconscious, as she herself was a few minutes ago. Commander Read had an unpleasant feeling inside, but thoughts of Aaron made her check, that Lana was alive.

«She needs to be taken,» Dana thought, placing four her fingers on Lana’s neck. Feeling faint pulsations, she sighed with relief. «Aaron will not forgive, if something happens to her.»

Commander Read unbuckled the seat belts, which held Lana down, and looked back at her rescuers: «There are only two fighters, so one for Aaron, the other will cover us,» she assessed the situation, mentally considering options for evacuating Lana. «If I could help, but I’m weakened,» Dana realized in disappointment, trying to light her hands with Energy, but instead of the usual flame, nothing happened. «We’ll have to leave without her and hope, that the Lighters will take her.»

Commander Read looked at the face of the dark-blonde-girl for the last time, and then she turned towards the exit.

One of the Darker fighters took Warrior, throwing him over his shoulders, another one handed a plasma pistol to Dana and prepared his rifle for firing, then they began to move towards the positions of the Darkers.

Dirt underfoot flew in different directions, when heavy boots hit the ground, leaving a trail from the ribbed sole, which immediately filled with rainwater and disappeared.

The fierce battle was going on around the wreckage, filled with the sounds of firing plasma guns and the operation of the engines of landing ships. On either side of the crashed space shuttle, two defensive points have formed, trying to gain control of the crash site. The victory was won by the forces of the Light Empire, slowly pushing back the Darkers.

The enemy soldiers in white armor had already taken control of the crashed shuttle, and halfway through, the Darker fighter carrying Aaron was shot down by one of the Lighters. The Darker fighter fell dead with the cargo into the mud. Another one tried to take Warrior’s body, but the Lighters fighters running towards him prevented him by shooting him.

Dana, realizing, that she couldn’t help Aaron, continued to run to the Darkers. The green-eyed-girl cried, because she knew, that the Lighters would take him away: «And I’ll be left alone again,» a feeling of annoyance and resentment seized her, but she couldn’t do anything, continuing to run forward.

***

The Lighter fighter in white armor took aim at Commander Read and prepared to fire, but another one, senior in rank, with the Sword strapped on his back, put his hand on the barrel of the rifle, lowering the muzzle down. After that, he commanded over his hand terminal on a common frequency.

«Don’t shoot at Commander Read, let her go, we’re not here for that,» the Lighter Guardian brought Dana out of sight of a dozen guns, allowing her to reach the positions of the Darkers.

Then the both Lighters ran up to Aaron. They grabbed him under his arms and ran towards the evacuation shuttle of the Lighters.

At that moment, the remains of the fallen space ship were enveloped in bright flames, and then a shock wave followed. Fortunately, the Lighters managed to endure the unconscious bodies of Lana and Ion, immediately placing them in medical capsules.

***

Dana ran to the Darkers, then she turned around and saw, how Aaron regained consciousness. Warrior freed himself from the help of the Lighters, then he turned one hundred and eighty degrees and looked in her direction, meeting her green eyes.

Aaron tried to head towards her, but the Lighter Guardian with the Sword on his back pulled him back with his hand and said something to him, pointing with his left hand at the medical capsules. Aaron began to argue with him, trying to convince him, but in the next moment triangular white fighters flew over Dana, firing at the positions of the Darkers.

At the same time, in the sky, one of the cruisers of the invasion forces was enveloped in a bright flash of flame, which immediately extinguished, leaving behind an uncountable amount of debris, like shooting stars, piercing the planet’s atmosphere.

***

Plasma bomb hits destroyed and ripped everything around. One of the Darker adepts created a protective field around Commander Read. She knew him, because he served on her new cruiser the Flash, and now the officer was doing his duty, protecting his commander. Until the last, until another blast wave killed him, terribly deforming his body and depriving him of limbs. As soon as the protective field was gone, Dana was thrown aside.

At the time of the explosion, Commander Read was far from its source, so she was only touched tangentially. The green-eyed-girl tried to get to her feet, leaning against the metal body of the remains of the landing ship, but painfully burned her hands, still standing up to her full height.

The air around her burned her lungs and nostrils with every breath she took. After taking a few difficult steps through the pain, Dana finally made her way to the scorched earth, that was smoking after the aerial bombardment. It became easier to breathe. She could smell burnt flesh mixed with molten plastic immediately.

Commander Read examined her hands, where the blisters were already swelling on her palms, giving off burning pain in her nervous system. Then she looked down, noticing her left side, which had been stripped to blood. Her shirt at the waist ripped open, revealing skin, and a metal shard protruded from under her ribs on the left side, along which streams of her own blood trickled. Dana tried to pull it out, but using force, she felt a sharp pain and gave up this venture.

Ahead, Commander Read saw, how Aaron boarding the evacuation shuttle. Dana wanted to shout to him, to call him, but she was exhausted, and instead of words, only a soft moan came out of her mouth.

The green-eyed-girl fell to her knees exhausted, immediately falling onto her side. Turning over on her back, she watched, as the number of warships became less and less in the sky. The Darkers managed to protect their home, turning the enemy to flight.

The concussion from the explosion drowned out the surrounding sounds, making the picture blurry and multiplied. Rain was falling into her face, and her body was mixed with mud: «This isn’t, how I planned to die, but nobody can’t choose their death.»

Dana lay alone, her head ached badly, a state, as if she was tired. There was no strength left to move, and her body was torn apart by a wild pain. After a while, comparable to infinity, Commander Read felt heavy and quick steps. Finally, the metal head of Lord Sanctus appeared above her. Then Dana closed her eyes with relief, realizing, that her Admiral wouldn’t let her die.

***

The Iron Admiral walked through the site of the recent battle, strewn with corpses from both sides of the conflict. But Lord Sanctus didn’t care of it, he arrived here not for count the losses. The Iron Admiral flew to the scene of the recent battle, as soon as he learned of the missing Commander Read and Warrior from their apartment.

Lord Sanctus was looking for a specific person and hoped, that she was still alive: «Her name is Dana Read, a subordinate in the rank of the commander and the most valuable find in my life since the Exodus.»

Her exhausted body lay in the mud, and her clothes were wet with her blood and rain. Dana was left alone again, just like, when they first met on Earth. Her fragile body was ravaged by wounds and burns, but she was able to survive. The nanorobots in her body kept Dana alive.

Lord Sanctus had time to look into her tired eyes before she closed them. After that, the Iron Admiral ordered to put Commander Read in a medical capsule and immediately take her to the hospital.

***

Several weeks passed, but Dana’s condition didn’t improve, so Lord Sanctus made the decision to put her in a cryo-sleep state.

Realizing, that he couldn’t cope on his own, the Iron Admiral recorded an audio message for the person, who was the only one able to help her.

«Greetings, Aaron. I know you only recently reunited with Lana, but our mutual friend needs your help. Her condition is grave, she’s in a coma, and the nanorobots of Edem only support her life, but they aren’t able to return her to a healthy state. I don’t want to impose guilt on you, but you’ve a lot to do with it. I’ll give you free access to the Impetuous and let you fly back, but no one must know about it.»

Lord Sanctus knew, that Warrior wouldn’t ignore this message: «Because his conscience will not allow him to leave everything in this position, and her fate isn’t indifferent to him.»

A special messenger droid will deliver the message to the addressee in the center of the Light Empire from the heart of the Dark Empire. The miniature insect-like mechanical creature received the command and immediately began to execute it. Having passed a dozen ships of various sizes, the envoy secretly reached his destination. The journey took one standard week.

Aaron was alone with his thoughts in one of the halls of the ancient temple of the Kang’s civilization, when the incoming message appeared on his armor’s hand terminal, from Lord Sanctus…

Aaron and Lana Martson

The rumble of a passing train broke the evening silence of a dense coniferous forest, frightening its inhabitants with its noise. The bright light beam from the main locomotive accelerated the evening twilight, making the autumn snow shine, which lay in a thin layer on the ground and rails.

Already in the morning the train will reach the final station of its route, namely Commander-City, that’s the capital of the Northern State, the large and beautiful city of the planet Eneya, the only one that has preserved the style of the past world before the Catastrophe, that was tragic events, that led to the decline of human civilization, erased everything that was built from the surface of the planet people, poisoned the air and drove the remnants of humanity underground into shelters. In the end, people returned to the surface, neutralized the deadly virus, and began to rebuild, and after building a new world on the ruins of the old.

The true reasons for the exodus to refuge and the death of civilization are still silent. The official version told by the government is simple, that was a leak of a dangerous virus developed and synthesized in one of the laboratories in the western part of the Northern State. The substance was developed as a biological weapon in case of war with the Union of Northern Republics. On top of that, there was a failure of the artificial intelligence control program installed before the incident. Artificial intelligence for unknown reasons initiated the bombardment of the planet’s surface. At the same time, he somehow managed to take control of not only the defense systems of the Northern State, but also the Union of Northern Republics. The surviving population of the planet accepted the truth set forth by the government, but a lot of but remained, which hung in the air without answers.

Currently, the western part of the Northern State is closed to free passage and is considered dangerous due to the high probability of infection. Of course, this doesn’t stop people, and for several decades desperate extremals and just curious tourists have illegally crossed the Border in search of answers. They were called the Seekers. People with a clear head have long realized that the government’s version of the events of two hundred years ago is full of inconsistencies and absolutely illogical, but what is the true cause of the Catastrophe, none of ordinary mortals knows.

***

In the passenger reserved seat railway carriage of the train, people were getting ready for bed, while the warm yellowish light emitted by the LED main lighting lamps was still lighting. Near the washrooms at both ends of the railway carriage queues of passengers gathered for their evening washings.

In the central part, a guy and a girl were sitting on the side seats. They drank tea and ate biscuits and watched the evening scenery, which flashing outside the window. The two were in conversation and knew each other well. In her eyes, tenderness was read, she smiled. His eyes were more puzzled, he also smiled, but a hurricane of thoughts raged inside him.

Her slender body was hidden by a light pink T-shirt, and her chest was tightly fitted with a dark top, which was visible through thin fabric. She pulled her beautiful strong legs to her, placing them on the seat. From the glances of people passing by, her legs were covered only by sweatpants to the knees, revealing her calves and ankles. The girl gathered her dark-blonde hair in a bun and fastened it with a black elastic band, which twisted in a spiral.

The guy was wearing a white T-shirt with diamond patterns and gray fabric pants with a bow at the waist.

«Why was it impossible to place the application online?» she asked a question, which was no longer meaningful. «What if they don’t approve of us, and we come so far?» the dark-blonde-girl took a sip from her mug, waiting for his answer.

«Because they need people, who aren’t afraid to leave everything, that they’ve on this side of the Border, because we’ll either return famous and rich, or we’ll not return at all,» the guy answered her, putting his glass on the table, looking at her gray-green eyes.

«Are you sure we need this, Aaron?»

He himself became the initiator of everything, having read in the news about the recruitment for participation in the Expedition. Already in the evening of the same day, after work, Aaron told his soul mate about the need to sign up for this trip. The dark-blonde-girl, under the pressure of her husband, agreed, because it really seemed tempting, but now the realization of where they were going to go began to come. A week ago, the young couple just lived a calm life, and now they’re going towards the unknown. And the dark-blonde-girl didn’t like to do rash and impulsive actions, unlike the gray-eyed-guy.

«Yes, we need a sharp jump, Lana. Otherwise we’ll just live a good, but ordinary life. And so, imagine, we’ll be present at the launch of the famous AC&DC, we’ll visit the other side of the Border, we’ll see dead lands, perhaps we’ll visit the epicenter, we’ll finally find out the truth,» his eyes were burning with excitement, he really wanted to go there to get there, and it’s no wonder, because during the entire existence of the forbidden zone, many fantastic stories have been written for books, films and TV series have been filmed, and even video games on the same topic have been released. Whole generations have grown up on the legends of Ring and its central mysterious part, namely Edem.

«This is what I’m afraid, too dangerous,» Lana was frightened by this uncertainty: «Everyone know, that people were crossing the Border, but according to official reports, no one came back.»

«But we’re already on our way, and I decided everything for myself. Especially since this Expedition has been prepared for a long time, even the Empire is involved in it,» Aaron took a sip and continued. «If something goes wrong, then the Black Guard will be with us, and they’re the best fighters on Eneya.»

«The Black Guard isn’t salvation from all troubles,» Lana disagreed with him. «And what if not, what if it…» doubts didn’t leave the dark-blonde-girl. Her intuition kept shouting to her not to go beyond the Border, but her husband remained adamant.

«Stop panicking, let’s better get ready to sleep, tomorrow is a difficult day, we need to sleep and be ready,» Aaron finished the evening conversation.

Lana wanted to say more, but changed her mind, deciding to continue the discussion later, after the applications for participation in the Expedition had been completed. They finished their tea in silence.

Her gaze fell on her left wrist, clinging to the wedding tattoo encircling it. her husband had the same one that Lana had filled him with just two weeks ago, when they formalized their relationship.

The wedding tattoo came from antiquity, but in those days the wedding ritual was more painful, because instead of paints under the skin, the wedding bracelet was burned out with a special metal stencil, which covered the wrist and heated up, leaving the stencil burn pattern. But the cultural and technical development of the peoples of Eneya eventually changed the ancient custom. Now the newlyweds had to come up with a pattern of an wedding bracelet for each other, and on the day of the wedding, apply it to their soul mate. At the same time, only the bride and groom were present at this procedure, being in a special room, alone with each other. The Eniyans didn’t like lavish weddings and unnecessary pathos, treating love as the magical sacrament, that binds two people.

Lana recalled, how she felt the tip of the tattoo machine, and on her wrist, with each touch of a metal needle, the pattern appeared, that were rhombuses alternated with rings filled with small details and lines from the inside.

On her husband wrist, the bracelet consisted of the line, through which two sinusoids of variable amplitude passed in antiphase, and small curved lines, squares and stars were already superimposed on top.

Lana ran her thumb over her wedding tattoo, feeling confident with her choice. She loved Aaron, as he loved Lana for eight years now.

***

The movement of the train was watched by a female of a large bear-like animal. Its body was covered with coarse fur, and powerful fangs, two on each side, peeped out of its mouth, which easily bit through thick bones. The predator moved, leaning on all four paws, but at the time of the attack it could rise to its full height in order to collapse and crush the enemy under itself. Sharp claws made it possible to tear apart the flesh of prey, inflicting mortal wounds on it.

The predator was slowly followed by its small copies, looking at the world with their bead-black eyes. Four fluffy balls rolled slowly over the fresh snow. The offspring now and then tried to scatter to the sides, but the caring mother, grabbing them by the scruff of the neck, collected its children, who deviated from the given path. The predator wasn’t afraid to walk its offspring, because this was its territory, which other predators didn’t enter.

They were afraid of the male predator, which was twice the size and strength of the female. Its loud growl was heard nearby, frightening off small forest dwellers. Finally, it appeared in front of its family, holding a large cloven-hoofed animal in its teeth. On the body of the prey there was a bloody mark from the blow of a clawed paw, and warm fresh blood flowed from the neck. Coming closer, the predator unhooked its jaws, the carcass of the slaughtered animal fell on fresh snow, staining it bloody. The female went up to the male and licked its forehead, after which it proceeded to the meal. Then children, looking at their mother, joined it. The male stood aside, guarding its family and watching the iron snake hide in the distance.

***

Who is Lana? Dark-blonde hair below the shoulders, gray-green eyes, a neat straight nose with a slight hump, slender, smart, purposeful. Possesses unusual attractive energy.

Who is Aaron? A slightly taller than average young man, thin but wiry, gray eyes. Thanks to sports, he has muscles expressed on his body. He looks at life with optimism. He’s smart and quick-witted, tries to be creative in all problems and tasks. He differs from other people with his unusual vision and attitude towards life. For everyone around him, he seems a little strange.

What do they know about the Expedition? This is the first official trip to the Western Restricted Area in the last two centuries. The last one ended vaguely, because no one returned, but the government calmed down and closed the western part of the Norhern State for free passage, building the long Border.

The two questions are, why did they go moreover only the military, and why this topic was silenced, and it’s still considered inappropriate to raise it by ear? Indeed, almost the entire army of the Northern State has disappeared or died, and this doesn’t bother anyone.

At the same time, now the media structures are actively shifting the focus to the discussion about the illegality of the actions of the Seekers faction. With money allocated by the government, films are made about the past war with the Union of Northern Republics, thereby increasing the level of patriotism and directing all attention to the rival state, away from the western Border. And only a small percentage of the media product is about the Western Restricted Area. At the same time, any TV series, film or book undergoes strict censorship, but it’s, that receive the greatest response from the masses. No matter, how the government tries to divert attention from the problem of the western Border and what is happening behind it, people are increasingly asking questions, which ultimately resulted in the appearance of the Seekers.

The goal of the current Expedition is to launch the mysterious AC&DC nuclear power plants complex, but why all this is being done remains classified information. For this, volunteers are recruited, who are ready to take the risk and go outside the Border. For participation, the government promise a large cash payment and apartments in the prestigious area of Commander-City.

***

The capital greeted the young couple with morning coolness and railway station noise. The last time, Aaron and Lana were in this city two years ago on vacation, being in Commander-City as tourists, and now they’re led by the specific goal. The young couple took only the most essential things, that were in their backpacks.

«Everything should be decided in the next two weeks, and then either we’ll return to home or to a new world,» Aaron decided for himself, stepping from the railway carriage onto the concrete platform.

A cloudy sky could be seen through the transparent squares of the station roof. The air was invigorating with its coolness. Aaron and Lana walked up the platform to the main station building, where the young couple ate breakfast with sandwiches, which they bought at a popular fast food outlet. After finishing their meal, the young couple headed for the exit to the city, and then, using the subway, they planned to get to the rental apartment and take a shower after a four-day train ride.

The railway station was located on one of the central streets of Commander-City, therefore, leaving its walls, the young couple found themselves in the middle of a stormy stream of people and a loud hum of cars.

***

Before the Catastrophe, the Northern State held a leading position in all areas, namely is economics, science, art, and military affairs. It was the state of the future with glass skyscrapers, beautiful fountains, huge green parks, maneuverable electric vehicles, and a large number of various scientific centers. It was this feature of the past world that the central part of the city conveyed, a reminder of the past greatness and achievements, and everything that was built further from the center faded against the background of the architectural beauty and gracefulness of the heart of Commander-City.

The Northerners preserved the system of near-planetary artificial satellites, and due to the fact that the servers of most media resources were stored underground and avoided destruction, a full-fledged Internet network existed on the territory of the Northern State.

The rival of the prosperous Northerners before the Catastrophe was the Union of Northern Republics, but it faced a harsh fate. To date, the level of technology has lagged far behind the capabilities of the Northern State. The difficult food situation led to a change in the state’s political regime, so the UNR became the Northern Empire with her sole ruler. Not everyone liked this, therefore many who disagreed with the new device emigrated to the Wild Southern Continent and founded the Union of Southern Republics. After a while, military clashes began between states, which continue to this day. On top of that, revolutionary sentiments are ripening within the Northern Empire, ready to escalate into an armed uprising.

***

The snow melted after the night frosts, so there was slush on the street, flowing into puddles, which made it difficult to calmly move along the sidewalk, forcing you to look at your feet so as not to wet your shoes. Despite the fact, that Aaron and Lana dressed warmly, they felt an icy wind.

Nearby, on the other side of the railway station’s road ring, along which many cars were moving, was the entrance to metro station the Square of Lost, named after the military campaign two hundred years ago.

There were parked taxi cars closer to the sidewalks, which drivers persistently offered their services to people leaving the station doors. Other extortionists called for various paid tours of the city and the waterways that run through the center of Commander-City.

Descending subway, the young couple bought tokens at the checkout, then walked down the escalator to the platform. From the left platform, a blue subway train full of people drove off. Having decided on the direction according to the diagram hanging on the wall, Aaron and Lana approached the opposite side, where a crowd of people was already standing, waiting for the train to arrive.

The Commander-City metro had only five lines, which wasn’t that many. Mildrine, that was the former capital of the Northern State, had sixteen underground routes. Now it’s located in the middle of the WRA, hidden by eternal fog, invisible to the artificial satellites of the Northern State and causing a lot of questions.

Soon the sound of an approaching electric train was heard, then beams from two LED lamps appeared in the tunnel, the light from which had been reflecting with a cold white color by the rails and the side wall. The lower part of the train is painted blue, and the upper part was white.

The railway carriages cracked with people congestion, mostly young people. Some listened to music with headphones, others immersed themselves in their electronic devices. Older people sat with newspapers or printed books. People were in a hurry to study, work, or just on business.

Aaron had many thoughts in his head, but they all boiled down to the upcoming Expedition. He wanted to get into it, but not only curiosity drove him: «The words about the jump make sense. The social elevator up,» that’s what he was thinking. «Leave your hometown small town and move to Commander-City. Lana and I have been thinking about this for a long time, and all reflections on this topic in the end always run into housing, namely, its absence. It’ll never be possible to buy an apartment with a worker’s salary, especially in the capital. And the Expedition could open new horizons and opportunities for us, acquaintances and connections.»

***

During the admissions campaign, the young couple rented a one-room apartment in a remote urban area, next to the terminal station of the red metro line. The way to the building took fifteen minutes on foot. It looked relatively new, seventeen floors high. Each level had access to a common balcony.

Lana rang the intercom, dialing forty.

«Who’s there?» a woman’s voice, belonging to the hostess, asked politely.

«We’re about the apartment,» she replied.

The bell sounded, signaling that it was possible to enter. The young couple walked down the corridor to two adjacent elevators, Aaron pressed the touch-sensitive call button. A few tens of seconds later, the doors opened on the left, from where two local residents came out, hurrying to work. Following them, the young couple entered the elevator car.

Aaron touched the touchpad, covering the area with the number eight with his index finger. The doors closed back and the upward movement began. The lift went up smoothly and quietly, an unobtrusive cold light burned inside. Lana looked at her reflection in the large mirror on the side of the elevator opposite the entrance.

«And here we’re again. In this city you don’t want to go back from. Aaron hopes for the Expedition, but it’s hard to believe, that we’ll be accepted,» the dark-blonde-girl thought, looking at her face, which was clean of makeup. «But he’s so sure. Always indifferent, my husband got the idea. Aaron broke from his familiar place so easily, and he doesn’t seem to have any plans to return back. I’m tired of this, of the boring rhythm of life, too, but we need a plan. You can’t just start all over again, from scratch,» she looked at her husband and sighed with displeasure. «But this one may, he seems to live in another world. And it sometimes makes you angry me. But now I agreed to his adventure, let’s see how he’ll gets out, if nothing works out with the Expedition, which will surely happen,» Lana suggested confidently.

Finally, the upward movement stopped. Leaving the elevator car, the young couple looked around. To the right of them was a staircase, and even further behind it was an exit to the balcony. On the left was a corridor, two apartment doors on the sides and one in the middle at the end.

Approaching the nearest right apartment with number forty, the dark-blonde-girl pressed the bell, the door were immediately opened. The hostess was an adult woman with a long gray braid of hair thrown over her left shoulder and dropping down to the waist belt of her sand-colored pants.

After welcoming them, she took a short tour of the apartment, telling them where and what is located, what and how to use it best. She warned, that they shouldn’t smoke inside, but only on the shared balcony near the stairwell.

The living room had a large area. There stood a sofa near the wall, that wasn’t yet worn out. Also several cupboards was in room and an ordinary cheap TV fixed on the wall.

The kitchen turned out to be no less spacious. In the corner next to a window there was an induction oven, and at the entrance to the kitchen, on the left side, there was a small refrigerator. Opposite the window was a comfortable dining table and two chairs. There were also various cupboards and shelves for dishes and various kitchen utensils.

The bathroom had a shower. In the toilet above the toilet there was a boiler for heating water. The new buildings didn’t provide for hot heating, only electric heaters, but according to the woman’s assurances, they coped with their function.

By the standards of the capital, the price was reasonable. The young couple agreed for a month: «If the Expedition works out, then all this will no longer matter, and if not, then we’ll stay in the city this month, and then it’ll be seen,» Aaron decided, after which he gave the owner the money for rent.

The young couple had already said goodbye to the woman, but she finally asked.

«Have you come to see the city or for work?» she said, putting on her boots.

«Let’s call it on business, but we’ll see the city,» Aaron answered without much desire.

Closing the door, the young couple took turns quickly taking a refreshing hot shower, then they cleared the backpacks of unnecessary things, leaving only the necessary documents. Clean and fresh, the young couple headed back to the center, to the Expedition planning headquarters building, which had been locating in the main city Square of Progress.

***

When they walked to the building, Aaron and Lana didn’t pay attention to the space surrounding them, but now the young couple walked the same path more carefully to the subway.

Near the entrance to the metro, there was a tram stop with many kiosks on both sides of the tracks. On the shelves were newspapers, lottery tickets and other nonsense, cheap electronics, food, and even clothing. Similar shops were expected inside, accompanying the young couple along the subway corridors.

The air in the metro has always had a specific smell, but pleasant. And the closer to the trains, the more it got stronger.

Upon reaching the required station and ascending back to the surface, one felt the real Commander-City, which had a special atmosphere conducive to art. The city is known for a large number of creative people. Music, dance, theaters, books, paintings, even blogging activities on the Internet, popular for the modern world, competing with television. Everything was here in abundance. Many different events and activities, and, despite not the best weather and almost always cloudy sky, you wanted to live in this city.

***

Commander-City was the truly large and vibrant metropolis. Its streets were filled with constantly moving masses of people and cars, which became its circulatory system, pumping blood to all parts of the city. In the morning, people rushed to the center, and in the evening after a working day back to the outskirts, repeating the endless Gray Cycle of Life.

Citizens from all over the Northern State came to the capital in search of a better life, increasing its already huge population. Some managed to find themselves and their gold mine, but most settled below average, mired in debt and shattered dreams.

Before the Catastrophe, Commander-City was famous for its shipbuilding. A huge floating cruisers were released into a bay, and from there, along the wide and deep extended channel of the deep river Evyria, they went north into the open sea, and then they were released into the boundless ocean. But that was before, and now the oceans are closed: if a ship goes out into the oceanic space and goes far from the mainland coast, then it’ll not come back. This made it impossible to cross the water border between the continents.

The only available way is by air, but not everything is so smooth here either. The Northern State was able to restore both aircraft flights and had an extensive fleet of rotorcraft. There are almost no civil flights, only routes connecting the central part and the east coast. But the tickets were very expensive, so the population used the rail link. Also, planes became the only way to get into the Northern Empire, which in turn possessed only old models of rotorcraft, and therefore was cut off from the Northern State by the Edenean ocean.

The mainland on which the Northern Empire was located had a connection with the Wild Southern Continent along a narrow strip of land, that became the land border between the Empire and the Union of Southern Republics. None of the parties to the conflict managed to cross this section of the straight road, washed on both sides by the waters of the Edenean and Lersit oceans. Subsequently, the land communications were destroyed, making it impossible for the movement of land transport and equipment. Then the war between the states acquired a trench character.

***

Now it’s difficult to believe, that two hundred years ago the world built by human civilization was almost destroyed. When the doors of the underground shelters opened, and the restoration of cities and industry began, people lived in hastily built barracks. Although there were more comfortable and warmer rooms underground, the ten-year burial was enough to hate them, because the isolation of space and the absence of natural light of Eligia, cramped conditions, monotonous tasteless food.

But even there, people didn’t remain safe. In the first year, in the underground shelter from where the ancestors of Aaron and Lana came out, an accident occurred, during which the virus penetrated to the upper levels, but global consequences were avoided.

Today, the civilization of Eneya has revived. At least, the way of the past world has returned along with its problems, while science and culture are still lagging behind the high bar set two centuries ago.

***

Among the crowd, two were walking slowly, who is the gray-eyed-guy and the dark-blonde-girl, whose life is just beginning to gain momentum, pushing them into the frantic whirlpool of future events. They’re accustomed to the slow flow of life, that characterizes their native small working town, which subsists on the extraction of raw materials for fuel, processed and supplied to other regions of the Northern State.

A gray life, repeating itself from day to day in a closed cycle. The goal is one, namely to earn money in order to live and occasionally get out of the town to get new emotions and strength to continue the Gray Cycle of Life. The desire to break the closed chain of events led the young couple to Commander-City. Once again here, they’ve already decided for themselves, that even if they refuse, they’ll stay and try to gain a foothold in the capital. This is how the intoxicating smell of life, real and stormy, influenced, making the heart beat faster and the brain to think better. All they needed was an excuse to get out.

On their way to headquarters, Aaron and Lana stopped by one of the restaurants along the main street. After lunch, they went on.

Finally, the young couple reached the required turn to the right. The road was widened there and had a special laying of road tiles. The straight path led to the square, but Aaron and Lana chose the tourist route, deciding to walk in the arc. The exit to the open space was under the arch connecting the neighboring buildings.

The Square of Progress was kept clean, it was cleared of snow in a timely manner, so there were no puddles and slush. Only a flat surface on which various patterns were depicted, composed of gears, electrical circuits and formulas of chemical reactions. All these elements were harmoniously combined, creating the single image.

The center of the square was decorated with the monument directed upwards, that’s the rocket taking off into space. If not for the Catastrophe, the Northerners began the global exploration of the star system of the local giant Eligia. The spaceships for the first explorers were ready and undergoing final tests, when the world collapsed.

Flags with the coat of arms of the Northern State fluttered along the entire inner ring of the square. The basis for the symbol was a schematic representation of an electric motor, in the center of which, instead of a capital letter M, there was a gear with eight teeth, between which there were circles with alternating plus and minus signs. The inner hole of the gear was covered by a diaphragm, like a camera lens. Two wavy lines from the central circle of the engine image abruptly changed direction. On the left the arrow went up, and on the right down, emitting lightning towards the interdental circles with the minus sign.

***

The application headquarters was located in a three-story glass building. There were the many Black-Guardsmen around, due to the arrival in the Northern State of the important Imperial officer, who is Colonel Haytem Newer, who dealt with the issue of revolutionaries in the Northern Empire, also invited to oversee the participation of the Black Guard in the Expedition.

Menacing-looking fighters in heavy black armor, which depicted the head of a mythical spiked creature, with its toothy mouth directed towards the neck. The faces of the Black-Guardsmen were hidden by the visor of a protective helmet. They’re armed in different ways from automatic rifles to machine guns.

The Black Guard, despite the fact, that it consisted of soldiers and officers of the Northern Empire, was subordinate only to Colonel Newer, and in fact it was his personal army. The most loyal and true patriots of the Empire. The small group of officers, formed fifteen years ago, now numbered several hundred trained fighters. A small number in comparison with the million-strong army of the Empire, but sufficient to maintain order, both at the front and within the state. The best of Eneya’s warriors, there are many legends about their fearlessness and steadfastness. Even here in the Northern State, far beyond the Edenean ocean from the Empire and her war with the Southern Union. Their martial prowess was one of the reasons, why the Black-Guardsmen were invited to participate in the Expedition, so that they provide reliable protection for the specialists.

A low staircase led to the main entrance to the headquarters, climbing up, which Aaron felt excitement: «The last chance to change the decision and cancel everything,» he thought, and after a second, barely noticeable hesitation, the gray-eyed-guy and the dark-blonde-girl opened the doors.

Many people were already crowding inside, mostly young people. Everyone wants to try their luck and no one is afraid of the possibility of a tragic outcome. It’s not necessary to be part of the Expedition in the role of brains, there are enough vacancies without it. Applications for participation were received on the second floor of the building.

Smiling volunteers were sitting at ordinary office desks, issuing questionnaires, that had typical items to fill out, that’s last name and first name, education level, place of work, presence of children. After accepting the applications, a sweet volunteer girl in a white and blue formal suit told them about the need for an interview and the time of it. Both have tomorrow, Aaron first, after him Lana.

As a result, a decision will be made. The young couple weren’t particularly worried about the result, especially since they worked at a local nuclear power plant, and the purpose of the Expedition was just to launch the complex of two nuclear power plants AC&DC, so they had some technical knowledge about power plants.

***

After finishing with the organizational arrangements, Aaron and Lana left the headquarters building. As they descended the stairs, they noticed Colonel Newer striding towards them at the other end of the square from the main street. Their paths crossed in the middle of the path near the monument.

Haytem walked past the young couple, lost in thought. He was wearing a dark green uniform and a black cloak over the top, but it not buttoned. His face is clean-shaven, tired brown eyes, smooth dark hair, gradually emerging age-related wrinkles on the forehead and under his eyes. Several gray tufts of hair peeped out from under the officer’s cap. Strong energy and confidence emanated from him, which always corresponds to a leader, who clearly represents what he wants and where he leads people, who trust him with their fate.

Behind him, at a distance of ten meters, a young gay walked cautiously, nothing noticeable at first glance was observed in him. His hands were pulled behind his back, and his gaze was directed downward. When he passed Aaron, the stranger was already pulling out a prepared revolver, placing a firearm in his right hand.

The gray-eyed-guy immediately realized, what would happen now. Letting go of Lana’s hand and giving her the folder with their documents, Aaron began to get closer to the killer. The dark-blonde-girl didn’t immediately understand, what was happening, but realizing, her heart began to beat faster with fear. She wanted to scream, but she fell into a daze watching her husband’s risky actions.

Colonel Newer was already climbing the stairs, step by step, approaching the headquarters entrance. The revolutionary prepared to stretch out his hand for a shot, but instead of his intended, he received a strong blow in his back.

The pistol fell from his hands to the ground, rolling to the side. Undeterred, the assassin pulled out a knife and tried to hit Aaron with it, but only tangentially hooked his right side. The gray-eyed-guy managed to knock edged weapons out of the hands of the revolutionary, after which a fight ensued.

The Black-Guardsmen immediately began to run towards them from all sides. Colonel Newer turned back to the source of the noise, seeing what was happening, he almost ran towards Aaron and the revolutionary.

Running up to them, Lana, without hesitation, instinctively grabbed the pistol and the knife from the ground, and then she ran to the side, where she was already met by the Black-Guardsman, who arrived in time and took the weapon from her hands.

Aaron felt strong, strong hands pull him to his feet. To the left and to the right of him were two fighters in black armor, holding him by his shoulders. His heart was beating intensely due to the adrenaline in his blood. His fists ached and were smeared with blood, it’s difficult to understand whether it’s blood or an attacking revolutionary, but more likely both. The right side tingled a little.

Colonel Newer’s face showed genuine surprise at what had happened, and he smiled.

«I knew, Mikey, that you would come,» Haytem turned to the failed assassin, who was also held tightly by the two Black-Guardsmen. Blood ran down his bruised face and his jacket was soiled with mud. The revolutionary’s gaze conveyed his inner anger and rage directed at the hated Colonel Newer. «My guys were ready and waiting, I guessed, that you want to get rid of me and interfere with our common cause, but the intervention of the Northerner…» he turned towards Aaron. «I definitely didn’t expect. You’re lucky, that he didn’t foresee this either. Our Mikey is the killer with experience. Take him away, I’ll talk to him later.

«We’ve nothing to talk about,» the revolutionary interrupted him, spitting blood.

«Not quite,» Haytem replied rudely. «You don’t know, that your friends tried to kill your sister, so they also wanted to throw it on the officers of the Imperial Army?»

Confusion appeared on his face, he couldn’t immediately answer.

«You’re lying,» his look was replaced by deep puzzlement, the revolutionary was bewildered. «Yozef wouldn’t do that,» he said uncertainly, quelling his violent ardor.

«Well, yes, he wouldn’t suck up the ass of the Union either?» then Colonel Newer waved his hand to take the prisoner away. «Okay, we’ll talk later,» he saw the wound received by Aaron on his side, and turned to the Black-Guardsman. «And bring something to treat the scratch,» Haytem finally turned his attention to the young couple. «So the Northerners aren’t as stupid as rumors go?» he tried to defuse the tense situation.

«What have you heard about us?» Aaron knew the attitude of the outside world to the Northern State: «Everyone blames us for the fatal Catastrophe, and when almost the entire army disappeared in the WRA, then from the Union of Northern Republics, then also the independent Wild Southern Continent, we were separated only by the ocean and their technological devastation. But when the regime changed in the UNR, the Emperor set the new course in foreign policy aimed at rapprochement with the Northern State.»

«You’re good at thinking, but the fighters of you’re so-so. Even you called us to help you on your damned Expeditions,» Colonel Newer specifically emphasized the plural. «What is your name, boy?» he held out his right hand for greeting.

«Aaron Martson, are you Haytem Newer?» for the sake of politeness, he clarified, accepting a friendly handshake.

«Yes, he’s,» Colonel Newer nodded positively. «You, as I understand it, are suicides?» he asked with some disappointment.

«Why is this?»

«Probably, that’s why I rushed at this revolutionary,» Aaron answered himself.

Haytem pointed to the folder with the documents and answered aloud.

«Apparently, you and your companion signed up for the Expedition, right?» he spoke in a stern voice, but without undue pressure.

«That’s right,» Aaron answered him, and in his thoughts he thought: «This is what the Colonel is talking about suicide.»

«I wouldn’t advise her to go there,» Haytem pointed with a glance at Lana. «What about you? People like you might do. It’s dangerous there, you know?» then he paused. «Think it over again.»

«My husband will not go there without me,» Lana firmly declared, until that moment silent.

«What is your name, Mrs?» Colonel Newer turned his attention to her.

«Lana Lauer, oh,» she corrected quickly, «already Martson.»

«Recently married…» Haytem concluded. «You’ve chosen an interesting honeymoon.»

«To be remembered for a lifetime,» Aaron tried to joke, realizing, that it didn’t work out very well.

«You don’t have a good sense of humor, but thanks again for your assistance in catching the dangerous state criminal,» Colonel Newer was about to leave, but suddenly offered. «I’d like to talk to you at another time and in another place, do you mind?» both nodded positively. «Then I’ll call you, and now I’ve to go, a lot of old and new cases.»

Haytem once again shook hands with Aaron, and, turning towards the headquarters, went back, and the young couple in the opposite direction.

They had already begun to move, when someone called out to them from behind. The Black-Guardsman brought a bandage and alcohol. Aaron hastily cleaned the wound and wrapped it in a white cloth. Thanking the black armored fighter for his help, the young couple continued on their way. There wasn’t much to do, only a long wait for tomorrow, when their fate will be decided.

***

Lana was still in shock from what had happened, and Aaron felt an adrenaline rush of cheerfulness. He had never before in his life fought with an armed man, therefore, replaying the incident in his mind, he was amazed at his active actions. Finally, the dark-blonde-girl broke the silence.

«Did you hear he said on the Expeditions, as if there were many?» Lana expressed her observation, looking inquiringly at her husband.

«Maybe he just made a reservation or something grandiose is planned,» Aaron suggested. «We’ll find out ourselves soon. But acquaintance with Haytem can play into our hands. The Colonel was appointed one of the Expedition’s curators, and he also represents the Northern Empire and he should have some influence.»

«Maybe so, but why did you get into this?» her voice sounded a reproach with growing irritation. She understood, that her husband did the right thing: «But he risked himself, his life.»

«In terms of?» Aaron didn’t immediately understand, what his wife was talking about, but then he realized. She looked at him with her characteristic gaze the way she does when she’s unhappy with him.

«He was armed and could have killed you. Are you tired of living?» Lana pressed him morally with all seriousness. But it wasn’t this, that infuriated her more, but the fact that there would really be a threat beyond the Border, and she didn’t want to die for the sake of getting an apartment or money.

«And you just had to watch, how he would kill him?» Aaron tried to justify himself, realizing all the stupidity of his answer.

«There was guard there, they would have figured it out themselves,» she retorted verbally. «Haytem said he was expecting him. And if he killed him, he killed him, I don’t feel sorry for him, unlike you.»

«Scared, that I could die?» Aaron concretized the problem, understanding the essence of her concern.

«Yes,» Lana replied sincerely, looking away.

«If we’re approved, then something similar may happen on the Expedition,» he decided to finish the problem to the end.

«There, as you said, the Black Guard will be,» in her heart Lana already hoped, that they would be denied participation, all this really scared her. «And that will be their job, you don’t need to risk your life, we’re techies, not soldiers.

She had already started to move away from the incident, her nerves were calming down. Lana was only now able to fully appreciate everything, that happened to them in the Square of Progress, and she was frightened by Aaron’s stupid fearlessness, complemented by recklessness. The gray-eyed-guy hugged his wife tightly. Standing like, that for about a minute, they continued on their way.

***

In the evening, Aaron received a call from an unfamiliar number. He accepted the incoming call on his mobile phone, hearing the familiar male voice from the speaker.

«Good evening, this is Haytem Newer,» he greeted Aaron, whose face showed a strong surprise, immediately noticed by the dark-blonde-girl. «Have you already moved away from the daytime incident?» the Imperial officer asked him.

«More or less,» Aaron replied honestly, trying to gather his thoughts together.

«This is good, tomorrow you can’t go to the interview, because I’ll conduct it for you myself,» Haytem got down to business. Lana had already sat down next to her husband, trying to hear the officer’s words. «Meet me the day after tomorrow at six in the evening at the Daikon restaurant.»

«Okay, we’ll come on time, thanks,» Aaron said, not believing, what he had heard, and there was a boom in his head, this he definitely couldn’t expect, his heart beat faster.

«And yet,» Colonel Newer added. «I pay for everything. Let’s just say it’s gratitude for your help.»

«Okay, I understand, so the day after tomorrow at the Daikon,» Aaron repeated, catching his wife’s curious look.

«See you, then, and have a good evening,» the Imperial officer politely wished him.

«Thank you, you too,» Aaron replied, after which the call ended with frequent beeps.

Lana immediately asked him excitedly.

«Who was that?» the dark-blonde-girl managed to hear part of the conversation, but she didn’t fully understand the essence of its content.

«Colonel Newer,» the grsy-eyed-guy replied in confusion, looking dumbfounded at his wife. «Tomorrow we’re not going anywhere, but the day after tomorrow we’ll meet with him, and he’ll personally conduct our interview,» he recounted the telephone conversation.

«Really?» Lana didn’t immediately believe, trying to find a reasonable explanation for the attention from the Imperial officer. «At the Daikon? It’s not a cheap place,» she said, guessing, that Haytem had his own interest: «But which one?» the dark-blonde-girl thought, trying to figure out the intentions of Colonel Newer. «How can we be useful to him? Me and Aaron are ordinary people, and important bigwigs, like Haytem, don’t do anything just like that, which means he has the goal,» but the lack of more information prevented her from finding answers to her questions.

«He said that everything is at his expense,» Aaron was still digesting the recent call, not noticing the catch. For him, Colonel Newer was the standard of a man of honor, unquestioningly following his principles and moral code.

«Wow, where did you get us?» Lana asked with a smile, guessing, that the interview in the restaurant might just be a formality, and the Imperial officer had already agreed for them: «But I could be wrong. One way or another, this meeting will lead to something, that will undoubtedly change our lives.»

«I hope to a new better world,» he replied, hoping that it’ll be really so, and not otherwise.

The young couple spent the rest of the evening planning their sudden free day. And the nerves about the interview calmed down. They understood, that Colonel Newer wouldn’t ask them about the technical aspect, but what the conversation would be about, Aaron and Lana could only guess.

As a result, for tomorrow they decided to just walk around the city from their metro station to the end of some other metro line. Doing something more conscious would still not work, since the ambiguity and anticipation of the meeting made it difficult to focus on something specific.

***

The young couple was already getting ready for bed, lying on the unfolded sofa. They were watching TV, when they suddenly heard a strange shuffle in the kitchen. Aaron went to check, but the sound stopped immediately. He looked around carefully and saw a bitten apple on the kitchen table.

«Lana, we’ve guests here,» the gray-eyed-guy commented with a grin.

«What?» she didn’t immediately understand, what he was talking about. «What guests?» she asked, getting up from the couch.

«Shumik,» Aaron replied, naming the evening visitor. «He tried to get the apple, but he only bit it.»

«Where? Do you see him?» asked the approached dark-blonde-girl, trying to make out the silhouette of the animal in the twilight.

«Nope, but he didn’t have time to hide, you just need to take a good look,» Aaron focused his attention on the floor, trying to notice two lights.

Shumiks lived in houses and buildings, spending most of their time in basements and ventilation shafts. Small gray animals, which didn’t grow fur, and four tentacles hid their toothy mouth. They moved like people, but they hunched over a little. Shumiks knew, how to take on the color of the space around them, becoming invisible to the untrained eye of man, which was a distinctive ability of this type of animal. Only two bright orange eyes, which, like fire, shone from nowhere, betrayed the animals.

Noticing the desired lights, Aaron cautiously walked to the table and carefully took out the apple, watching as two bright orange balls of fire move away to the side. The gray-eyed-guy slowly extended his hand with the fruit, squatting down. But the shumik was in no hurry to take the treat, fearing a trap, because often residents of houses and buildings, where the animals lived, caught them and sold them, like exotic pets.

After a few minutes of waiting, the shumik was able to trust and remove his disguise, showing Aaron and Lana his true body. He approached the outstretched hand and grabbed the apple with his small paws, immediately sucking on it with his tentacles.

«Wow,» said the dark-blonde-girl enthusiastically, carefully observing the food intake of the animal. «So unusual.»

«Yeah,» the gray-eyed-guy agreed, trying not to move so as not to frighten off the evening guest. «Interesting animals.»

Having finished eating, the animal deftly climbed up the kitchen cupboard and, opening the grill of the ventilation shaft, disappeared behind it.

«The hostess didn’t say, that there are noises in the building,» Lana was surprised, that they weren’t warned about such an interesting detail.

«Maybe she didn’t know herself,» Aaron suggested, standing up to his full height. «Moreover, if she only rents the apartment and doesn’t live here, then she may well not know about him.»

«Well, yes,» his wife agreed with him, returning to the room.

After watching some more TV, the young couple went to bed. Due to an eventful day, it was hard for them to believe, that they were on the train yesterday. Only severe physical and mental fatigue proved, that only the first day in Commander-City had passed.

***

Walking around the city the next day, Lana decided to address the vital issue of their spontaneous decision to stay in the capital in case of refusal.

«What are we going to do, if Haytem doesn’t let us on the Expedition, but calls us, just to meet?» she asked. The tone of her voice was deeply puzzled, suggesting an important conversation.

«We’ll quit our job and look for a way out of this damn Gray Cycle,» Aaron answered easily, realizing, that this wasn’t what Lana wanted to hear.

His wife, in contrast to him, was more serious and responsible, with an appropriate mindset, so she treated everything like this: «Any action should be deliberate, all possible outcomes of events should be considered, positive and negative consequences are weighed. It’s always necessary to be prepared for the worst and to know how to act in a given situation in advance,» this was the opinion Lana always held, when she making decisions.

It was harder for Aaron, because he can easily solve complex problems, even logical ones, but his approach to life can be described as follows: «First I do, then I think, what I did and how to fix it.» He has no plan, only improvisation, which sometimes gives results, but it can also be harmful. Lana never understood this, and often his simplicity became a reason for quarrels.

«This is all lyrics, and specifically, what are we going to do?» she asked expectedly, her face frowning. Lana understood, that his frivolity was often a problem. And she got used to thinking about everything herself, but nevertheless she continued to ask such questions in order to evoke in him at least some thoughts about real problems. «We’ve savings, but they’ll not last for a long time,» Lana said with growing irritation in her voice, expecting at least some kind of answer from her husband.

«We’ll find a temporary job, and then we’ll look at the situation,» Aaron tried to form a rough plan, but he gave out a banality, which his wife immediately criticized.

«That’s, you want to change the paid job in our town for an average, and possibly below the average earnings here, and again work for someone in an attempt to simply survive?» Lana unhappily stated his position.

«Well, I didn’t expect to hear anything else from you,» she thought in disappointment, rolling her eyes to the side.

«But it’ll be here, and not God knows where,» he objected, mentally returning to reality, where the Expedition is still in question. «There are more opportunities to get out of the Gray Cycle.»

«I don’t like to do something incomprehensible, for the sake of an unknown result,» Lana expressed her position, letting go of his hand, which was the bad sign.

Aaron, realizing, that now he couldn’t come up with something more specific, decided to move the topic, wanting to get away from an unpleasant conversation.

«I’ll think about it the day after tomorrow, but now we consider the Expedition as the main one,» Aaron said angrily out loud, starting to get angry.

«It would be nice, if we were hired,» Lana agreed with him, but even then she expressed her skepticism. «But everything is also vague. Why include ancient stations, especially atomic ones? Can they really be in working order for so many years?»

«Apparently yes, it’s not easy to send people out like that,» Aaron replied soothingly. «It’s clear, that it’s not so simple, but all the more interesting,» he tried to take his wife’s hand again, but Lana only allowed to grab her fingertips.

«Is it interesting to you?» she looked displeasedly at her husband. «Will it be interesting for you to die too, when the local creatures tear you apart and devour you? Or be exposed to a lethal dose of radiation, when the hair begins to fall out in clumps and the skin becomes covered with terrible sores?»

«I can’t believe, that such a reward is given for a simple business trip, even if to the WRA. So, there are certain risks, for example, radiation to begin with,» Lana spoke in such a tone, as if she was talking to a fool. «But this is already there, near the power plants, and you still need to get to them,» she thought aloud, gesturing with her free hand.

«Everything will be fine,» Aaron wasn’t afraid of possible threats: «If the government going to send the Expedition, then all the nuances will be taken into account.» «They’re not stupid to spend so much money and resources to make it all go into the void. Apparently, there are some guarantees of success and a good reason,» he expressed his thoughts.

«You’re right here,» the young couple walked past the local pancake chain, which was popular with the city’s population because of its democratic prices and profitable promotions. «It’s already lunch time, can we go in and eat?» Lana suggested him. Her inner tension eased. She postponed solving the problems until the day after tomorrow: «Let the issue with your Expedition be resolved, and then we’ll talk again. Let’s see, what your vaunted Haytem has to say to us.»

«Yeap,» Aaron supported her idea. Noticing that his wife had calmed down, he sighed with relief. Aaron didn’t like to argue with Lana and always, whenever possible, tried not to bring conflicts to a quarrel, which immediately reflected on his well-being. The appetite disappeared from the nerves, a headache began, and sometimes abdominal pains occurred. So when his wife’s annoyed tone changed to a calm voice, the gray-eyed-guy really breathed a sigh of relief.

A young couple ordered cheese soup for the first course and a pancake with cottage cheese for dessert. Having finished with lunch, they continued to walk around the city.

***

One of the problems with the central streets of Commander-City was their narrow sidewalks. So much, so that it became cramped for two people to walk along them at the same time. This is due to the reconstruction carried out even before the Catastrophe, and it not only in the capital, but it also in other cities.

Developing technologies in those days made it possible to reduce to a minimum the human factor on the roads, replacing the human driver with an automated smart driving system. Cars began to be controlled by artificial intelligence, which, based on a variety of sensors installed in vehicles, could safely deliver a person or cargo to any available point on the map.

Also, to solve the problem with traffic jams, the government began to exclude personal transport through the introduction of cargo drones. At that time, when you bought things in the store, there was no need to carry the purchases yourself, and all that remained was to call your personal drone, and it would already deliver the purchased goods directly home.

By the time of the Catastrophe, only twenty percent of the population of the initial number of its owners had preserved personal transport. For those, who like to drive themselves, the government built autodromes, where a person could rent any car, even a sports car and very expensive, and ride along the track.

But significant difficulties also arose, because the driver’s profession was no longer needed, at least in the number of personnel that was available at that time. Meeting began immediately, disgruntled drivers were offered free retraining for another profession, and during unemployment they were paid a sufficient amount to cover a monthly salary. Despite the understanding and efforts on the part of the government to smooth out these transformations, few of the former drivers agreed to the program of changing specialties proposed by the government.

Technologies equipped with artificial intelligence have increasingly penetrated into many areas of industry and services, gradually replacing humans.

The topic of the need for people in this world was raised more and more sharply. Supporters of progress said, that science and art couldn’t exist without a person, and again, someone needed to maintain complex devices. And if the intelligentsia was able to accept the inevitable consequences caused by progress, then the ordinary people didn’t, and they didn’t want to, expressing their categorical disagreement.

The crisis was brewing in the state, but the big boom didn’t happen, because the Catastrophe decided everything for the people. At the same time, in addition to hostility to artificial intelligence, fear was sown in the brain of the population, so deep that even now everything hasn’t completely calmed down, and the propaganda from the government only reinforced these ideas.

***

For the evening, the young couple ordered food delivery for themselves. When they put packages of rice and seafood rolls together on two chairs that were put together, the rustle of a plastic bag was heard in the kitchen again. Already guessing, who it might be, Aaron and Lana cheerfully went to the source of the sound.

At the kitchen table, trying to get an apple out of the bag, the shumik was working. Seeing, that they were looking at him, he stopped for a second, but then continued to take the apple out of the bag.

Aaron decided to help him. Cautiously approaching the table, he took out the coveted fruit from the package. The animal watched him all this time, and after that he took the delicacy out of his hands, starting to absorb it right there.

«Here is an impudent face,» Aaron commented with a smile, «Once you treat it, and it’ll begin. Not even afraid of us already.»

Lana went to the table and stroked the shumik. His skin was rough and a little rough to the touch.

«So small and human-like,» she said, watching him curiously.

«Yeah, but the tentacles aren’t ours at all,» Aaron agreed with her. «Nature could come up with it. And by the way, he doesn’t struggle with gravity like we do,» the animal moved hunched over to reduce the load from his small spine.

Close up, Lana had the opportunity to make out the sinewy body of the Shumik, which was tightly wrapped around strong muscles. On the tentacles, small suction cups were visible, with which he consumed liquid, and his toothy mouth served for taking solid food. His ears were located on the left and right side of his head. The animal himself didn’t seem cute, but the presence of such a life form aroused interest in itself.

Having finished eating, the shumik, like last evening, again disappeared into the ventilation shaft, carefully closing the grate behind him.

***

The next day, Aaron and Lana arrived at the appointed time and place. They left their outerwear in the wardrobe, after which the restaurant administrator took them to the ordered table for four, where Colonel Newer with his wife were already waiting for the young couple. Seeing them approaching, Haytem got up from the comfortable leather sofa and shook hands with Aaron, bowing his head towards Lana.

«Greetings, my wife’s name is Inoma,» he gestured with his right hand at the woman in a dark green officer’s uniform of the Northern Empire, and judging by the marks, she had the rank of captain. «And this is Aaron and Lana, our young conquerors of Ring,» Colonel Newer introduced them to his wife, sitting back in his chair.

«Glad to meet you,» Inoma smiled prepossessingly. She had a pleasant voice, in harmony with her sweet female face. If it weren’t for the military uniform and the well-known her prehistory, then no one would have been able to guess in her the active counter-revolutionary. Inoma fought the inner enemy of the Northern Empire on a par with her husband, putting herself in mortal danger every day. She, like Haytem, became prime targets for the assassins of the revolutionary faction, namely the New World. They were repeatedly subjected to assassination attempts, in one of which, so recently, Aaron and Lana managed to attend and participate.

The gray-eyed-guy noticed, that Inoma was worried about something, and this had been reflecting in her mood. Discontent, that had mixed with puzzlement, directly read on her face. The woman sat tensely, but she sometimes smiled, looking at the young couple with tired gaze of brown eyes, the color of which has become a characteristic feature of the people of the Northern Empire. Her dark, thick brown hair fell to shoulder level, covering her ears, but it didn’t hide her fragile shoulders and the officer’s shoulder straps shining with silver. On her face was the trace of the blow with something sharp, the pink scar, standing out on the pale sunken cheek on the left side. A straight and thin nose gave her even more delicacy. There were brownish bags under her lower eyelids, caused by a difficult and nervous life, but there were no age wrinkles, thereby visually underestimating her real age. From cosmetics, Inoma summed up only the contours of the eyes with a black pencil and slightly tinted her thin lips with a shiny, slightly pink lipstick. Her hands looked well-groomed, but there were traces of calluses, showing rough skin. On her hands were blue thin veins. The knuckles of her hands stood in sharp heaps, and her fingers folded on the table ended in short-cropped, unpainted nails.

«So, let’s order something and talk about you,» Haytem got down to business, beckoning the waiter with his hand.

The young couple chose vegetable paste and a glass of berry juice from the main dishes, Colonel Newer and his wife each took a steak, a salad of fresh vegetables and a glass of aged whiskey.

«What do you want to know?» Aaron asked him ahead of schedule, after the waiter took the order and went to the kitchen.

«What the hell are you doing on this Expedition?» Haytem replied him in a simple way. A question was rhetorical, but the answer to it could reveal the goals and thoughts of the young couple.

«I need to understand, if I can give you a more important role,» Colonel Newer thought in his head, noticing the faint signs of excitement in Aaron. His gaze was familiar to Haytem. «This is how Guardsmen look at me, but you’re not a citizen of the Empire, but knowing how your government distorts information about us, it’s even strange not to observe in you the disdain, that your compatriots are rich in,» he recalled the recent skirmish with Mikey Fraizon, where a resident of the Northern States showed his conscience and tried to prevent the assassination of the Imperial officer. «You decided to risk yourself for the sake of a potential enemy, as your propaganda assures you. But you think differently, having your own view and position, and this is what I need.»

«Curiosity and, of course, participation bonuses,» Aaron replied honestly, tapping his left fingers on the countertop.

«Do you think money is happiness?» Colonel Newer asked him, crossing his fingers into the lock, while at the top was the thumb of his left hand.

«Freedom is what we want,» the gray-eyed-guy said firmly. It was unusual for him to conduct a conversation with Haytem, especially in an informal setting.

«Freedom from what? Is someone in captivity in your democracy?» Colonel Newer asked with a smirk on his face, knowin, what Aaron was talking about: «Social status determines your position in the world and your freedom of action. Possessing power and connections, a person can move as he wants, so long as not to interfere with others like him. But if you were born in an ordinary family, you’ll probably live the same way. The course of your life’s development will become predictable, namely you’ll graduate from school, you’ll study at the university, and then you’ll work for someone all your life. Of course, if something goes wrong, and thanks to talent or the will of Destiny, you’ll not make the leap. And you want this. But your choice to achieve your goals isn’t entirely correct. Although Aaron may play the certain role in the future, but now I need to create the story for you, that sets him apart from the rest, enhancing the uniqueness of him and outlining the vector of his movement.»

«A question is rhetorical, right?» the gray-eyed-guy assumed, that the conversation would be on everyday topics, so he didn’t feel a sense of confusion, and at the same time Aaron couldn’t believe every time he realized, that Haytem and Inoma Newers were sitting opposite him and Lana.

«Aren’t there safer ways to get free?» Colonel Newer didn’t retreat, probing Aaron.

«Yes,» he agreed, realizing, what Haytem was hinting about: «Of course, there were options and opportunities. Mass and large quantities. But for this you need to have knowledge and a sense, but I can’t boast of it,» «But I don’t have enough brains to use them,» Aaron reluctantly admitted, feeling an unpleasant prick in his self-esteem. «Do you want to dissuade us?» he asked bluntly, directing his gaze into the brown eyes of Colonel Newer, who was sitting with a calm expression on his face.

«It’s interesting to see the behavior of another Northerner at the moment, when you fought with Mikey. Something seems to me, few people will rush at a man with a weapon, especially to protect an Imperial officer. You played on his surprises,» Haytem made a departure from the topic, then he abruptly continued the main conversation. «You hope to use the Expedition as a springboard. I managed to get acquainted with your personal affairs, so a question is more for Lana, than for you,» Colonel Newer seriously looked at the dark-blonde-girl, who had been silent until that moment. «This event is designed for lonely people, who have nothing to keep in this world. I note right away, that the stakes are high, the probability of a return is less than half. And so,» he continued the thought, straightening his left sleeve, for a second exposing his wedding tattoo. «You together, all the more recently, have officially formalized your relationship. And yet you decide to take this step? Do you really need this jump?» Haytem looked back at the gray-eyed-guy. «Aaron is okay, young, stupid and perhaps wants a thrill, but you’re the girl, who is more reasonable, than your husband. So what do you say?»

Colonel Newer was interested in Lana’s position no less, than Aaron: «A wife or a girlfriend isn’t just a person, her role and opinion should be taken into account on an equal footing. Inoma doesn’t always agree with me, but her criticism allows me to look at things from the other side and see the flaws and mistakes, that are invisible to me.»