"Captain!" Aurora's voice stops our silly chase around the table. "Sorry to be the one to spoil all the fun, but at last count, we have no more than two hours before the spheres reach a thousand in number. I need permission to open the channels and start charging the beam. Please, indicate the power rate."
"Are we sure about this, Haru?" Adam puts his hand on my shoulder. "We are talking about a sudden flow of a tremendous amount of energy. There's no way the aliens wouldn't detect it. It is going to be so obvious that we are up to something and it's not friendly at all. Honestly, if I were them, I would consider it a threat. Not so hard to guess that a weapon is being charged."
"You're right," I nod in agreement, wrinkling my nose. It's a hell of a tricky choice. A catch-22 situation. On one hand, I have the orders from the Military Board. I cannot just decide not to follow them. It is against everything I believe in. I was trained to follow orders, especially the ones arising from a collective decision. Then again, Adam is so damn right. The bastards are just flying around, doing nothing wrong. Unlike me, who is getting ready to direct ten quadrillion watts of energy into a deadly weapon, which can evaporate any object in a blink of an eye. I turn to him and ask, insistently gazing into his thoughtful, brown eyes in a search of an answer that is surely not there, "What shall I do? The real question is would they go away, sensing the danger, or strike back. What do you say?"
"No," he shakes his head. "No, Haru. You cannot ask me that. I am sorry I'm offering no help, but I have no right to influence a First Rank Commander's decision. Stating my opinion would be an interference into something I am neither qualified, nor authorized for."
"Why are you so damn clever?" I grumble. "I am sorry! You're spot on again. It is my responsibility. These are extraordinary circumstances. No one has ever been under similar ones before. There is no precedent to base on. I'm grasping at straws, because I'm afraid of making the wrong choice."
"I know, Commander Hinode. I also know that you must believe in yourself, now more than ever," Adam firmly says, squeezing my arm encouragingly. "There are many random, chaotic phenomena in this universe, but I am absolutely sure this is not one of them. They chose you for a reason. The spheres are here because of you. The Fleet chose you among millions of cadets for a very good reason too. Your superiors believe in you. Admiral Mbabazi has no doubts you are right where you belong. I believe in you with all my heart, and... I love you."
My eyes widen. People become rashly outspoken under great pressure. They perceive and say things they later realize were not entirely true. He just confessed his love to me and I can focus on no aliens right now. Adam was programmed to comprehend the concept of love, but can an artificially created individual like him really feel it? I have no idea. Affection, sexual attraction and mutual appreciation are one thing, but love is a whole new ballgame. I take it with the utmost seriousness, although I have no experience in the matter. My lips curl up in an amused smile. His heart. As far as I am familiar with android technology, and I am quite knowledgeable, given that my ex-lover is the world's greatest expert and manufacturer in the field, they have no heart, at least not in the sense of a human organ. This, of course, in no way diminishes Adam's feelings.
"Baby, do you mean it for real?" I barely whisper. "Don't say such things if you aren't one hundred percent sure. I am fully content with the way we are. No need to jump into the deep end before we are fully prepared to face the consequences. There is plenty of time..."
"I am," he interrupts me impatiently. "Don't you understand, Haru? I exist because I love you. I had to say it. Contrary to what you think, we might have no time at all. What if these are our last two hours? I love you. One hundred percent. I am as sure as can be. Now, make your choice and stop staring at me as if I am the alien."
YOU ARE READING
My Universe (mxm)
Science FictionInterstellar flights are rare, but not an exception. Not many pilots are qualified or emotionally and mentally stable enough to navigate the enormous space ships. The United Earth Space Fleet's policy is to expose as few people as possible to the st...
