The Enemy of My Enemy (D2)

Vadir helps the Welcome Wagon free the trapped A.I. from where it rests. He is determined to not only prove himself but free the planet from the nightmare that looms in its future.

Previously on the Fall Years: Vadir is confronted by the sceptical members of the Welcome Wagon and in order to show he can be trust, he reveals what led to him fleeing his ship, as he shoulders some of the blame for how the Mortalis were able to gain access to the ships itself.

---

Now that the sanctuary of the tent was behind him. He couldn’t help but feel vulnerable and even naked compared to when he wore his usual gear. He clocked the occasional stare of a human, no doubt surprised to see an alien like him in their uniform. It certainly wouldn’t be something you see every day. But it could be a sign of things to come if everything ends well enough.

“Ignore them,” said Master Sergeant Gregory. “As long you don’t get in their way, they will stay out of yours.”

“It’s not like I’m free to do as I please,” muttered Vadir.

Corporal Munroe butted in. “And who said you were even our prisoner?”

Vadir looked back at the man, who again patted him pretty hard on the back.

“Trust me, if you were our prisoner, Vadir, you would know about it,” added Gregory as they came upon the downed transport. Outside on guard, First Lieutenant Caleb Jackson was waiting for them, still wearing his exo-gear and despite an antiquated look compared to what Vadir had seen some Kaskari wear, as theirs typically offered more coverage and protection. The one worn by Jackson looked like it was designed to make his life easier, carrying heavy weapons.

“Master Sergeant, Corporal. Care to explain why the enemy is with you?”

“I am not -”

Both soldiers glared daggers at Vadir, who took it as a signal to keep his mouth shut. He held up his hands and allowed them to take the lead.

“You can relax, Jackson. Vadir here isn’t our enemy.”

“And how did you two come to that conclusion? How do you know he hasn’t wormed his way inside your heads?”

Both men looked at each other. “Well, when you put it that way…” Gregory said, as it soon dawned on his face that he had let Vadir inside his head.

“I might be able to read memory, but I can’t awshar(1) you. If that’s what you’re worried about,” Vadir said. This caught the black man’s attention. Despite Vadir being a little taller, Jackson almost met him in height. He’d have to choose his next few words very carefully.

“Is that how you’re speaking English?”

“Better than speaking Ascendarian. We’d never make progress then. I was told you were having trouble making sense of this craft. That’s why I’m here.”

The man’s demeanour shifted while he smiled. “Why didn’t you say that in the first place?”

“I -”

“Don’t stress it,” Jackson said, stepping aside and slapping Vadir on the back so hard, that the grey alien fell more than stumbled into the transport. He had a feeling this custom would take some getting used to.

The humans had already begun stripping it as bits of metal and wires lay everywhere, but his focus was on the pilot section where he had been sitting. The two soldiers with him followed him up the slight ramp into the large open cockpit. As he had been told, the Welcome Wagon’s engineers were doing their best to make sense of everything while shouting at each other, using what Vadir understood to be expletives.

“This shit is in a language we can’t read! Web. Just strip what you can stop trying to make -” he looked up as Vadir stood over him. “I must be seeing a ghost. I did not expect to see you walking again. So soon too,” the man rose to his feet and held out a blackened, oily hand for a handshake. Vadir took it eagerly. It’s nice to be welcomed for once. The man let go and Vadir cursed his missed chance to learn more about his captors. There’ll be another chance.

The man pointed his wrench at Web, who lay on his back near the main console that Vadir knew housed the A.I. They hadn’t managed to crack it open! Their tools are like his power armour outside; low tech and outdated. Vadir strode over to where Web lay. The engineer looked up at him as if to say, can I help you?

“You’re not having much luck with getting to the A.I., I see.”

The man named Web sat up and dusted off his hands. “A what now?”

Vadir looked at his companions. “You surely must know what an Artificial Intelligence unit is…”

“Oh that, yeah. Welcome Wagon got briefed on that stuff in the advanced seminars. Man, were those a drag. I slept through most of it. So an A.I. is in there, you say. Could you kindly motivate it a little?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

The man with oily hands, meanwhile, helped Web get back to his feet. “Can anyone present care to explain why we’re just letting him tinker with all this broken shit?”

The Welcome Wagon members each struggled to find an answer, with the two engineers mainly staring at the two medics; Gregory and Munroe. Vadir ignored them as he worked on establishing the ship’s backup power, but the damage was greater than he expected. He looked over his shoulder, not knowing what they had just talked about. “Do you have anything that can give temporary power to this console?”

Caleb shrugged. “We might have something. What’s the occasion?”

“I can’t get enough power to circulate and I need a boost if we’re to get the A.I. out of here.”

“You heard the man, Webber. Go and find a tactical generator. Would you even be able to use our tech on that console?”

Vadir half smiled. “Only one way to find out.”

---

After tracing and using some brute force on his part. It turned out that the Earth’s gravity actually made him stronger. He lifted with ease what the humans around him struggled with. They watched in a mix of awe and what he sensed was slight fear as he expertly connected two foreign systems. It left a trail of wires in its wake, but the solitary console containing the stranded A.I. had a steady stream of power. He entered the request that allowed it to project itself. The small Kaskari-shaped figure looked up at him.

“You survived then,” it said in Ascendarian.

“No, thanks to you.”

The A.I. cocked its head. “And if I didn’t know better, you used their substandard generator to power my console.”

“Most of the main power sources are shot. I also need you out of that thing.”

He noted the A.I.s look of concern. It was right to be. The humans had proven cooperative so far, but for how long would that last? He might have strength on his side, and while technologically primitive, he knew better than to doubt the lethality of the rifles they carried. They would not hesitate to put me down if I stepped out of line. I need to work with them, even if they will never trust me due to who I am, but then I never expected to be my people’s ambassador. I need to show them that the Kaskari could be a boon for this world. With their resources and our knowledge. Both of us could achieve great things…

“Vadir, how’s the extraction going?” asked Jackson, as he and the other members stared at the small blue holographic man.

“Almost done! Give me a second.”

“Now, will anyone care to explain what I’m seeing here?”

The incredulous voice made even Vadir stand to attention. He powered down the A.I. in preparation to remove it from the console. He had transferred to it a remote universal drive that should hopefully be accessible to humans. Still, hearing Miller’s voice sent chills down his spine and he faced the man, resolute, but ready to prove they needed him more than they knew.

Before anyone could answer properly, Vadir spoke first. “Helping you prepare for what comes next. Despite being a simple A.I. It is fully programmed with Ascendarian language, a language your people will need to understand when my people arrive. And trust me when I say they will. The dying transmissions of the Dauntless Spirit will soon reach them if they haven’t already. I will do everything in my power to prepare you for their arrival.”

The man approached the grey alien, measuring him and despite Vadir’s size and imposing shape, the Master Sergeant held his ground well enough. “Is that so? Look at you, wearing our gear and talking our language. You think you’re one of us?”

“No—not yet. But I have no other choice.”

“There’s always a choice.”

“Like heading into a downed ship with no knowledge of what’s waiting for you. You have to know that’s a suicide mission, right?” It was now Vadir’s turn to sound a little incredulous.

Some of the other Welcome Wagon members risked a hint of a smile, but Miller remained steadfast while stepping back. “Maybe it is, but what do you suggest?”

“I go with you. I know it better than you. And I know what must be done. I’ve seen that ship fall to the Primordalis. It cannot be allowed to leave and consume this planet.”

Miller managed a smirk and even some of the other members chuckled at the idea of the Mortes escaping.

This confused Vadir for a second. “I don’t think you understand the situation; the Mortalis, as you call it, will ravage this planet if left unchecked!”

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but we’re already up shit creek with the Mortes. What’s a few more?”

Those words stuck with Vadir and said so much about the Terrans’ current predicament. “Miller,” it was Vadir’s turn to step into his personal space. “How long have you been fighting these creatures for?”

“Longer than anyone cares to mention at this point,” spat Caleb. “Doesn’t help either that some Sov scientists thought they could control them. Fucking idiots.”

“So that’s how it is…” Vadir said. “There’s still time to save your world from them.”

“You really think so?” Gregory asked. “You think this is bad? You haven’t seen the state of things elsewhere.”

“We need to destroy the Dauntless Spirit, as much as it pains me to admit that. And then we to prepare for my people’s arrival. They will have a means to an end. You just need to stand long enough to greet them properly.”

“How long?” Miller asked.

“Hard to say,” Vadir said, returning to removing the A.I. from where it was held. He soon removed the stick and stared at it for a while. He held it out to the Master Sergeant. “Could be tomorrow, could be a century. But I can help you prepare for that day. Plus, while we’re on board, we can extract the ship’s data archives. There’s too much history in there to throw away. If the ship must be blown up, I would rather not leave with nothing.”

Master Sergeant Miller held out his hand to grab the A.I. contained stick.

“And you’re sure you want to go back there?”

Vadir looked over at Munroe. That man had seen his memories and known his fear, but most important he knew he was being honest. “Yes, if you would let me,” said Vadir, still staring down Miller.

Miller smiled. “Forrestal might take some convincing, but if what you say is true, your help will be pivotal to us succeeding in there. I assume you know how to blow it up?”

Vadir held out a hand to Miller, who accepted it with vigour. “I’ve spent most of my life fixing her. Do you think they wouldn’t tell me how to blow her up if it came to it? Trust me, the method is absolute. There’ll be nothing left but dust once we’re done.”

And it will also let me say goodbye, one final time.