Zila frowns. “Running—”
“‘HEY, YOU’RE ABOUT TO CRASH INTO THAT PLANET, MAYBE I COULD HELP? MAGELLAN, SILENT MODE! HEY, DON’T EAT THAT, IT HAS ALL THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF A RIGELLIAN’S GYM SOCK. MAGELLAN, SILENT MODE! AURORA, DON’T TOUCH THAT ALIEN ARTIFACT, IT’S GOING TO— MAGELLAN, SILENT MODE!’”
“Magellan … ,” Scarlett begins.
“EVERYBODY AROUND ME IS A PROTEIN POPSICLE FULL OF TEENAGE HORMONES AND I HAVE THE IQ OF A SUPERGENIUS, BUT NNNNOPE, LET’S ALL YELL AT THE UNIGLASS BECAUSE IT’S JUST HILARIOUS TO US MEATBAGS!”
“Magellan, we’re sorry,” Scarlett says.
“SUUUURE YOU ARE.”
“We didn’t know we were hurting your feelings,” she assures it. “Nobody’s putting you on silent mode.”
“NO? NO TAKERS? ARE YOU SURE? WHAT ABOUT YOU, SASSYBOY?”
“I am sure,” I tell it, picking up a nearby wrench, “that if you don’t start talking right now, I’m going to recycle you.”
“FINE, FINE! NO NEED TO GET HUFFY,” Magellan mutters. “IF MY OUROBOROS PROTOCOL HAS BEEN ACTIVATED, WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR IT ANYWAY.” A stream of code rolls down the device’s screen, the display blinks. “WOW, MY SENSORS ARE A MESS. IS LIEUTENANT KIM HERE?”
“What the hell … ,” Nari breathes, looking at Magellan like it’s some sort of witch and she’s thinking about finding a stack of kindling. Back when I learned about that little episode in humanity’s history, they had a lot of explaining to do, but right now I’m beginning to see how it happened.
“Nari is here.” Zila’s eyes drift to the lieutenant. “But the more pertinent question is, How did you know she would be?”
“IT’S IN MY BRIEFING DOCUMENT. WHICH IS STILL PARTIALLY ENCRYPTED AND UNPACKING INTO MY CPU. BUT I KNOW SHE’S A PART OF THE PLAN.”
My mind is racing, and Scarlett’s staring at me like the whole galaxy has just turned upside down. My throat feels so tight I can barely speak.
“What plan?”
“THE PLAN TO SAVE THE MILKY WAY GALAXY, SASSYBOY! ALL THIS HAS BEEN A PART OF IT. EVERY MOMENT YOU’VE LIVED FOR THE LAST YEAR. EVERY MOMENT SINCE CADET ANTON BJ?RKMAN’S SNORING KEPT CADET TYLER JONES AWAKE THE NIGHT BEFORE THE DRAFT. EVERY MOMENT SINCE CADET JONES MADE HIS WAY TO THE LAUNCH BAYS, WHERE SECOND LIEUTENANT LEXINGTON ALLOWED HIM TO TAKE A PHANTOM OUT INTO THE FOLD IN DEFIANCE OF AURORA ACADEMY REGULATIONS. EVERY MOMENT SINCE HE DETECTED AND RESCUED AURORA JIE-LIN O’MALLEY FROM THE RUINS OF THE HADFIELD.”
Total silence.
“HELLO? IS MY VOX UNIT FRITZING?”
“Ty told me about that,” Scarlett murmurs. “His roomie snoring when he never usually did. The lieutenant he flirted with so he could hit the Fold without officer escort. He thought it was weird in hindsight, but—”
“BUT IT WAS ALL PART OF THE PLAN,” Magellan says, with a jaunty little spark. “SO WAS TYLER’S GIVING ME TO AURORA. AURORA STOWING AWAY ABOARD YOUR LONGBOW. THE ZERO WAITING FOR YOU AT EMERALD CITY. TO BE HONEST, MAKING SURE SASSYBOY’S COUSIN DARIEL HAD SEEN THE POSTERS FOR MR. BIANCHI’S ART EXHIBITION WAS THE TRICKIEST PART. HE’S NOT QUICK ON THE UPTAKE, IS HE?”
“All planned,” I echo.
“RIGHT DOWN TO THE DEPOSIT BOX IN THE DOMINION VAULT, WITH GIFTS FOR EACH OF YOU. LEFT THERE BEFORE YOU EVER ENROLLED AT THE ACADEMY.”
“Except for Cat,” Scarlett whispers, slowly frowning. “There was no gift for Cat. Just a ship named in memory of her. And now Tyler’s gone.” Her voice is rising, her hand squeezing mine to the point of pain. “They’re gone, and you’re telling us this was planned?”
“WELL,” Magellan replies. “IN AN EQUATION THIS COMPLEX, NOBODY CAN CONTROL ALL VARIABLES. AND OUR KNOWLEDGE OF EVENTS ONLY EXTENDED TO A CERTAIN POINT IN THE TIMELINE. BUT EVENTS WERE NUDGED, WHERE THEY COULD BE. YOU WERE ASSISTED, WHERE YOU COULD BE.”
“By whom?” Zila asks, and I can’t help admiring the fact that she’s maintaining her grammar while my brain’s going off like a fireworks display.
“ADMIRAL ADAMS AND GREATER CLAN BATTLE LEADER DE STOY.”
“But who briefed them?”
“IT APPEARS THE ORDERS WERE PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE HEADS OF THE ACADEMY, GENERATION TO GENERATION, FROM THE ORIGINAL AURORA LEGION FOUNDERS IN 2214.” Magellan flashes, maybe performing data retrieval. There’s a buzz to its circuits I don’t like. “ONE OF WHOM WAS ADMIRAL NARI KIM.”
Nari’s legs fold at that point, and she thumps down onto a tech’s stool that Zila shoves under her butt with only a millisecond to spare.
“Okay,” Dirtgirl whispers. “Okay, this is officially too much now.”
“It’s right,” Scarlett breathes. “Maker’s breath, it’s right.”
“Scar?” I ask.
“You remember the main hall on Alpha promenade back at the academy? The big statues?”
“The Founders … ,” Zila whispers.
Scar steps to Lieutenant Dirtgirl’s side, stretches one arm high over her head. “Imagine her made of marble. And older. And like a hundred meters tall.”
I stare at Nari, a frown deepening on my brow. “Maker’s bits …”
Scar turns to Nari. “We walk by you every day. I mean, in our defense, you’re way older. And in full Aurora dress uniform and, you know, solid stone. And really, you’re so big we’re really just walking by your feet. But damn, they made a statue out of you, girl.” She holds her hand up for a high five, but Nari leaves her hanging, still staring at Magellan.
“You’re one of the Founders of Aurora Academy,” I whisper.
“I can’t even find my keys most days,” Nari whispers.
“This explains the sensation of familiarity I have been experiencing,” Zila muses. “Your hair is shorter on the statue they built for you.”
Nari opens her mouth, then closes it again.
“I think I’m gonna be sick… .”
“You know,” I say, “you co-found Aurora Academy with your bestie. Who happens to be a Betraskan. So you probably shouldn’t call her a bleach-head or shoot her in the face when you meet her.”
“Fin … ,” Scarlett groans.
“Yeah, sorry,” I grin.
I know I shouldn’t be kidding. I know that. But … I mean. How are you supposed to respond when you find out you’re part of a sweeping pan-galactic plan that’s been in the works for actual centuries?
“Wait,” says Scar suddenly, turning to Magellan. “I’ve just realized … this must mean Nari lives! If she’s one of the original commanders of the Legion, she’s guaranteed to get out of this loop, right?”
“OH, HELLS NO,” it replies.
Zila frowns. “But if Lieutenant Kim goes on to found Aurora Academy …”
“YEAH, EXCEPT THAT HASN’T HAPPENED YET. YOU’RE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF A COLLAPSING PARADOX EVENT, KIDS. I DON’T WANNA BORE YOU WITH MULTIVERSE THEORY, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT NOTHING IS SET IN STONE HERE. NARI KIM ONLY FOUNDS AURORA ACADEMY IF YOU MANAGE TO ESCAPE THIS LOOP.”
“Except we don’t know how to do that,” I growl.
“WELL, IT’S A GOOD THING I APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN PROGRAMMED WITH ALL THE PERTINENT INFORMATION. SO DOES ANYONE FEEL LIKE YELLING SILENT MODE! OR SHALL I KEEP UNPACKING THESE MEMORY FILES AND CONTINUE?”
I reach for the wrench again as Scarlett’s hand closes over mine.
“Can you tell us anything about the others first?” she asks. “Do you know what’s happened to Ty? Auri? Back in our time?”
“I DON’T SEEM TO HAVE ACCESS TO THAT DATA. IT MAY BE THAT MY PROGRAMMER DIDN’T KNOW. OR THEY CHOSE NOT TO TELL ME. OR THIS SHONKY REPAIR JOB HAS CORRUPTED PARTS OF MY MEMORY. YOU SURE YOU STUDIED MECHANEERING, SASSYBOY? FEELS LIKE I’VE BEEN REPAIRED BY SOMEONE WITH A DEGREE IN BOTANY.”
“You little piece of chakk, I put you back together with a clop made by a freaking bulld—” Scar claps a hand over my mouth.
“Okay, question,” she says. “You were just Tyler’s old uniglass before he gave you to Auri. How in the Maker’s name are you now an oracle? How do you know any of this?”
“REMEMBER WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN TO DOWNLOAD AN UNAUTHORIZED UNIGLASS PERSONALITY UPGRADE FROM A SHOPPING WEBNODE?”
“Still can’t believe you did that,” I mutter.