“I understand you,” said Azhi, “and I know what you’re going through.”
The young Celestian did not answer, so Azhi continued, “I understand you’re afraid. I barely got out alive once myself.”
Seth raised his head and listened intently to Azhi’s words.
“Do you know why I bear the name like the Ifrits? Because I never knew my real one.” Azhi gazed out of the window at the stormy clouds swirling over the desert. “I was too young to remember it, but a couple of Ifrits, who took me under their roof, told me what had happened on Tian. The Union had captured the planet a few years before I was born, so revolts and conflicts were more common there than, let’s say, on Ernef. One of them happened when I was four, on the outskirts of Jin Chan city. I don’t know what I was doing there. It could be just an ordinary day for Jin Chan citizens, but in a second, it turned into… I don’t know what to call it. Nightmare? Hell?
I wish I’d never found out anything else. The witnesses described the rebels as a horde running towards them, shooting without restraint and throwing home-made grenades. They didn’t seem to be an organised unit; they just attacked everything on their way. The citizens, who were on the streets at that moment, had no chance. My parents got into a building, but jostling in panic, survivors separated us. Later, when it was all over, I went to some camp under the care of soldiers. They looked for my family for a while, but you know how they work. Nobody answered. So they just gave me to a random family who left Tian and moved to the safer Ernef.” Azhi turned towards Seth. “Did I bore you?”
“No, you didn’t,” he sighed. From the moment Azhi started talking about his past, Seth had time to think over his previous words. Rebels’ assault on Delian was not called down by the spitefulness of fate, an isolated incident. Tragedies like that afflicted dozens of worlds and ruined, or sometimes even took, the lives of a hundred thousand beings.
Feeling a wave of mounting anger, Seth clenched his fists. It helped him refrain from springing out of his seat and shouting his hate out or destroying anything within his grasp. He wanted to smash the crystal table into sherds but instead of that, he took a deep breath and flicked his fingers through his hair.
Occasionally, he had doubts about the Union or Azhi’s activities. They applied the same, or sometimes even worse, methods than those of the rebels, and sourced the goods through the exploitation of inhabitants of the poorer worlds.
Isn’t it better to sacrifice the minority to save the majority? Seth asked himself. Everything, especially peace, has its price. Sometimes it’s worth to pay it.
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“I just wanted you to know the scale of the problem which these rebels are,” explained Azhi. “Besides, I think we should be honest with each other.”
“Are you looking for them?” asked Seth. “Your parents?”
“I’m still doing it,” he replied, glancing at the surging storm again. “I’m sure they’re alive.”
“I hope so too.”
“And you?” Azhi looked at the young Celestian. “What exactly did you do before you got here? Who were your parents, where did you live earlier?”
“I wish I knew it too,” muttered Seth. “When are we gonna going to see my work-space?”
“What? Delian never told you about your past?”
“No… he didn’t.” He shrugged. “Every single time I asked him about it, he said the same story: rebels attacked you, you survived and I adopted you.”
“Really?” Azhi settled down on the armchair more comfortably and propped his chin. He reflected for a few seconds, then continued, “He could be right.”
“About what exactly?” Seth leaned across, listening to the answer.
“Not everything he said was a lie.”
“In this case, what is true and what is not?” he asked, frowning and clutching the armrests. “You know something but…”
“I know. Delian used to work for me, but later he quit.”
“I know that too. Why did he quit? And what happened that he wanted to adopt me, even though he was about to have his own child? He told me about rebels too. How was it all related?”
“Easy easy,” interrupted Azhi and stretched his hand. “He worked for me, but I couldn’t control everything. He did only what I commanded him to. Same as you. And that incident with rebels… things like that happen, always and everywhere. They targeted our facility, Gavida, because it was near them.”
“They chose that particular place where Delian and my parents worked?”
“The target was easy because I couldn’t bring the entire Union fleet to protect my private project. This station was located just two lightyears away from the enemy territory, but there was nothing I could do. An assignment is an assignment. I admit, we worked there on the weaponry, same as here. You know why facilities like that are attacked more often?”
“Destroying the weapons, we overwhelm the enemy,” answered Seth without any hesitation.
“You see. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nobody had it for your family. Rebels kill everybody on their way.”
“That’s why I want to do something!” growled Seth, standing up.
“Me too. I need you to defeat them.” Azhi approached his young friend. “We have much in common. Our stories are almost identical, so are our goals.”
“So you don’t know what happened to my parents?”
“I know as much as you do.”
“Too bad,” muttered Seth and together with his employer, he left the chamber. One day he would get the truth out of him.
Finally, he felt understood, and that the universe was not set only against him. The talk opened his eyes. Though he still believed in the Union’s high ideals, he had no trust in their methods. They had no chance to defeat rebels by the continual sitting, discussing and negotiating. Only power, ruthless and brutal, could prevent further incursions and expansion of the enemy’s views. Seth promised himself to do whatever it took not to let another innocent creature suffer like him or his new friend.
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