Lacuna

Chapter 18

Kahli returned to the Civil Corps building the next morning, but it seemed Arlo, Sam, and Remington were all out. She peered inside, then let herself in, rounding the corner to find Ack still in the cell, sitting on the floor.

"Oh." Ack stood. "Good morning, Kahli."

"Hey, Ack." She smiled. "Everyone leave you alone?"

"It seems so."

"Would you like some company?"

He seemed to brighten at this. "I would not mind that at all."

Kahli pulled up a chair and sat in front of the cell. "You must have a lot of questions," she said. Her brows furrowed. "Has anyone explained anything to you?"

"No," Ack said solemnly.

"You said you were in maintenance mode for the last three hundred years?" Kahli asked. "A lot has changed in that time. It must be terrifying for you."

Ack was quiet.

Kahli leaned back and stretched her legs out. "What can I tell you?" she started. "Three hundred years ago... people refer to that time as the Age of Corruption. It was when technology was at its peak. That's probably what you remember last."

Ack nodded, and Kahli continued.

"You were on Altair One, so you missed everything that happened down here," she said. "The whole world was at war. Weapons of mass destruction were created, destroying entire continents. Chemical and biological weapons created all the monsters and weird creatures we see around the world today. The war nearly wiped out the human population and a lot of the AIs were unable to be controlled. We refer to the two hundred years that followed the Age of Darkness."

"Jeepers," Ack said. "That sounds awful."

Kahli nodded. "Not a good time to be alive," she agreed. "But, the people that survived were able to form new countries and establish a society again. The Church of Light was formed out of hope that light would return to the world. It was about a hundred years ago when Peach built a machine that was able to dispel the darkness and people called him a hero. We now refer to this day as the Day of the Bright Sun, and every year, we honor his heroic acts."

"You sound like you memorized that from a text book."

Kahli grinned. "I guess so," she said. "All children are taught that."

Ack nodded. "It is important to keep history alive."

"You're in Portia, now," Kahli explained. "Portia was established by settlers from Ethea over the ancient city Dubei. Portia is part of the Alliance of Free Cities, which is a political alliance between Portia and several other cities. The Free Cities were at war with Duvos over the resources at a ruins in Lucien, but there is a peace treaty in place now." Kahli hesitated. "However, things have been tense. Duvos has been more and more aggressive against the state of Ethea."

"Do you think there will be war again?"

"I don't know," Kahli said softly. But she smiled. "Anyway. That's what you missed over the last three hundred years. You must be glad for that, huh?"

"I suppose," Ack said.

"You know," Kahli started. "I came to Portia from a place called Barnarock. I didn't know anyone when I moved here. It was pretty scary for me. I left everything I had ever known behind to, well, start over, I guess." Her lips twisted to the side. "I'm sure it's not even remotely close to how you're feeling, though. But, I mean... everyone here is really nice and welcoming. I know it doesn't seem that way. You did kind of drop in unexpectedly and freaked everyone out. But once they see that you're not here to hurt anyone, they'll be more open to you."