“I thought we might first have a quick chat. I don’t mean to pry or confuse the issues at hand, but I wonder. What have you learned from forty days of confinement?”

  OK. This is leading somewhere. Play along.

  “Hmm. What have I learned? Nothing more than I had after thirty-nine days.”

  Ollie indulged in a fine chuckle.

  “I get you. What’s in a day? Well, we enjoy round numbers. Forty feels consequential. Thirty-nine is a throwaway for old mortals who don’t wish to admit their age. What wisdom have you drawn from forty days in captivity?”

  In that instant, Caleb reached a profound conclusion. Strange how it should’ve occurred to him sooner.

  “I feel as if you locked me in here ten minutes ago. What’s forty days against forever? I might even thank you in time.”

  “Why, you think?”

  “Life is quiet without the Occip comm. There’s no outside noise to distract me. The lessons learned will serve me for a century.”

  Ollie pondered the response, scratching his chin.

  “You’ll certainly have a unique story to tell. You’ve served longer in here than everyone else combined. But what if you can’t pass on your wisdom to Aeternans?”

  Caleb understood Ollie’s mind game.

  “You think I won’t be so glib after a few years in here.”

  “Not here, friend. Not even in the Aeternan system. The Council is ready to bring formal charges. You’ll be tried for your crimes.”

  Stupid word.

  “Crimes? They mean to expel me for not turning over the hand-comm. Tell me, Ollie. Doesn’t that sound petty?”

  “On the face of it. Yes. But two pilgrims are dead. I can’t speak for what Shoan Gui has become, but he’s far from human. Not that anyone’s heard from him ... or it ... since the Event. He said the other biologist died, and we haven’t found so much as a hair to contradict. The Council is convinced and intends to hold you culpable.”

  Ollie delivered news more predictable than any Catalan serial.

  “They need a scapegoat. Pilgrims are panicking. How many broke their contracts and jumped home?”

  Ollie winced.

  “You don’t sound like a man who’s spent forty days without his Occip comm. Has my Under Constable been feeding you with news from the satellites?”

  “Rikard? The man hates me.”

  “No. He doesn’t understand you. Or any of you Revivalists. He’s like me, friend. He believes in Original Unity. How we used to share a common vision. Don’t belittle Rikard for holding onto what made us unique beyond our genetics.”

  Caleb held his tongue. He bore no ill will against Rikard Faust, appointed to the job five days after Caleb’s arrest. He served alongside the man during the Swarm War. Rikard did not divulge any crucial intel about the outside world.

  He didn’t need to; Caleb had more friends than they knew. He would’ve loved to see Ollie’s reaction to that number.

  No sense pushing my luck.

  Rikard would come around soon enough. So would Ollie.

  They all would.

  Even Exeter.

  Patience.

  “When’s the trial, Ollie?”

  “You’re about to learn, friend. That’s why I’m here. You’ll clean up and then appear before the Council. They’re currently in closed session, pending your arrival.”

  Progress. More or less on time.

  “Can’t wait. Will anyone be there on my behalf?”

  Ollie shaded his eyes.

  “I notified Exeter. He hasn’t responded. Lioness said he’s on a mission related to global security.”

  The irony wouldn’t let up.

  “Oh, yes. My husband, saving the world from its creators. I wasn’t talking about the great Commander Woolsey. I was thinking in terms of legal representation. That crazy thing mortals grant the accused on every other civilized planet.”

  Ollie ended therapy time and slipped out of his chair.

  “You’re certain to hear voices in support. The Council has agreed to demands from your friends outside.”

  “Ah. The gatherings are growing?”

  “Straighten yourself, friend. I’ll wait outside.”

  Caleb complied with a quick touch-up groom and pondered two possible outcomes. He said a quiet goodbye to his home of forty days on the likelihood he’d never see it again.

  The rest came down to timing.

  Ollie escorted him past the building’s public entrance, outside of which several dozen immortals enjoyed each other’s company along with a catered buffet. Always peaceful, they visited daily. Caleb wondered how many members the Revivalists had added since his arrest.

  They went public among immortals under the guise of a protest movement, challenging the ADF’s decision to control the flow of information from the chasm. “The Jewels are not our enemies,” they chanted. “Caleb Silver is not our enemy.”

  The group’s core committee forbid any allusions to its goal of growing future generations. That plan – and a platform to include secession from the Collectorate – required a careful, timed rollout.

  One obstacle at a time.

  They stopped in the antechamber to the primary conference room. Ollie told Caleb to wait while he checked on the Council’s status.

  He returned a moment later with a simple message:

  “Don’t speak until Minister Solis hands you the floor.”

  Caleb’s plan exactly.

  The Promise Council greeted him with emotion-free gazes. Ollie led him to a seat at the far end of the conference table, opposite Maya Solis. She sat poised and strong in the lead chair, hair in a tight bun and hands folded on the table like a woman who dared to be challenged. Caleb knew where she stood.

  No. The interesting voices sat on either side. On Maya’s right, Samantha Pynn radiated forgiving yet disappointed eyes. Judgmental, some said. Caleb wasn’t sure which way they’d bend today. She was the Council’s only permanent member, a status granted by one of her legendary husband’s final acts before he disappeared.

  The Revivalists’ core committee agreed: Sam was a problem. Her history made public deconstruction almost impossible. If they couldn’t remove her on the next rotation, they’d have to ensure her one vote carried little weight with a new majority.

  She sat next to Doc Tess Ranke, the Aeternans’ top medtech. Ranke looked away as Caleb took his seat. Across the table, first-rotation members Rayner Jeffus and Marta Cather studied the prisoner with a bemused curiosity. Caleb knew them from early service in the ADF; same warship, different platoons. Since then, their paths rarely crossed.

  “I’ll come straight to it,” the Minister began. “We have never expelled an Aeternan, and we’re not keen on the idea today. Caleb, you have served with honor since before Settlement. We recognize your relationship to our Commander of Terrestrial Security.

  “But your privileged status cannot bear on our decision. You are charged with six crimes based on laws which have governed us since the rule of Minister Michael Cooper. Three additional charges are based on amendments added after the Pilgrim Project. I will read the docket in full. In sum: Espionage, sedition, and manslaughter. Before I read the charges and allow your character witnesses to enter, do you have anything to say?”

  None of the charges surprised Caleb. They felt like the Council’s opening threat; they wanted to see how hard he’d try to bargain them down. Best to start with the opposite offer.

  He stood.

  “You have held me illegally for forty days. There’s nothing in our laws giving this Council the right. But then, we don’t have a court system. There are no juries. No civil rights for criminal defendants. All we have are five politicians at a table. I wish you luck trying to make this work without permanently dividing our society.”

  If they expected more, Caleb disappointed them. He returned to his seat, having staked his starting position.

  Minister Solis shook her head with a slender grin and told Ollie to bring in Caleb’s supporters.

  “A word of caution, Caleb: The more difficult you make the process, the less likely you’ll find lenience.”

  As threats went, Caleb heard worse. He didn’t dignify it with a response. Instead, he watched two members of his core enter the room and take positions in the rear: Elegant Oryn Velt, the Revivalist founder; and shaggy-haired Halsted Boudnoir, Chief Harvester for the Promise Region and a man who feasted on word salads.

  “Now that everyone’s present,” Maya continued, “I will remind our guests that Occip recordings are not permitted. First, I will read the docket of charges against Caleb. Each of you and the accused will have a chance to speak afterward.”

  The charges included a level of detail that surprised Caleb. Ollie and his Under Constable had interrogated more than accomplices Danny Pynn-Cooper and Aleta Bowe. Caleb provided a full written account of his activities and answered follow-up questions.

  Yet the charges created a narrative that delved into assumptions and inserted specific dialogue only eyewitnesses could have known. Given that the most important two witnesses were dead (more or less), the docket felt like an overt effort to ensure Caleb’s conviction and expulsion. Did they really believe scapegoating him for everything would resolve the growing schism?

  “To the most serious charge of sedition,” Maya said, nearing the end. “It is our finding that Caleb Silver’s reckless disregard for life and security not only led to the deaths of two mortals but was motivated by a desire to create upheaval in our world’s established order. He engaged in an active conspiracy to violate security protocols. Caleb has a history of defiance against the principles of Aeternan society, as evidenced by years of commentary and association with others whose views run counter to the prevailing wisdom.”

  Caleb felt an itch. How much did Exeter reveal? Maya continued:

  “While our society encourages freedom of speech, it expressly forbids overt activity in defiance of government. He acted on behalf of a subversive group known as the Revivalists, who seek to upend the fundamental principles of Aeternan society and our relationship to the Collectorate. Though we find no evidence he acted with their consent, we believe Caleb intended to fuel their alternative future.”

  That sealed it. Had to be Exeter. Caleb’s friends in the core wouldn’t have discussed the group’s plans, and Danny didn’t know squat about the Revivalists.

  “In summation, Caleb Silver took advantage of the ambition of two exobiologists in order to further his access to the Jewels. That plan having failed, Caleb became the beneficiary of a potential alternative solution provided by an apparent representative of the Jewels. He refused to turn over the device for study to determine its security risk, a violation of a lawful order. His continued open defiance leaves us no choice but to proceed with a tribunal and potential expulsion.”

  Maya crossed her arms over her chest and sighed.

  “You are welcome to comment, Caleb.”

  Oh, yes. Speak he would. But first, he had to unwind after realizing how the Council learned so much detail about his interaction with Shoan Gui and Lillian Jost, including the first face-to-face which established their alliance.

  The truth hit him hard.

  Cudfrucking RONA.

  The lake house AI. Always such pleasant demeanor. Generous. Always listening, rarely if ever judging.

  Yet RONA wouldn’t have divulged private conversations to outsiders unless ...

  X. He gave permission to access the memory spools.

  Caleb did not stand for his rebuttal.

  “The charges are bullshit. I made mistakes. Sure. But I never worked to defy the Council. I told you what happened at Lake Profundus. Shoan violated our deal. I had no idea he planned to dive, let alone threaten the Jewels with explosives. I almost died myself. I am serving the future of our people. Nothing more.

  “The Jewels know what I’m doing is right. Why else would they entrust me with the secret to bioengineering immortals? They built this planet for us and created nine cities to house immortals. Why create them if they never expected us to grow our population?”

  Maya stopped short of an eye roll.

  “Two things. First, the Jewels’ intent for this planet is not relevant. They’re not present to testify. Second, blaming the pilgrims for their own deaths does not negate your role in arranging their access to the lake.” She turned to her fellow Councilors. “Your thoughts?”

  Rayner Jeffus, who wore a thick beard and a forehead tattoo of a wide-winged seabird, spoke first.

  “Caleb, your actions may have put our entire society at risk. There’s a clear tie-in between what happened at Lake Profundus and the emergence of the chasm. Had you simply worked with us from the start – admit to your mistakes and allow the ADF to study the hand-comm – we might have mitigated most of these charges. I don’t understand the attitude. It only worsens your case.”

  Marta Cather, who wore heavy white makeup and dark red lipstick, followed on with a brief “I agree” and added:

  “We assured you the hand-comm data would not be altered. But how can we be certain the Jewels did this with generous intent? After your fiasco at the lake, it’s possible they’re deceiving us for ill ends.”

  “Your husband leads that very investigation,” Sam said, her tone calm and modulated. “Exeter doesn’t understand your obstinance any more than we. But he believes you do want what’s best for our people. He hopes you’ll change your mind and work with us. Caleb, we can narrow the charges, determine a fair punishment, and allow you to return home. It should never have come to this.”

  You’re wrong by half, Sam.

  She didn’t need to know. Not yet.

  Doc Tess Ranke passed on comment for now, returning control to the Minister.

  Interesting move, Caleb thought. I wonder what she’s waiting for. He had an idea.

  “Any change of heart?” Maya asked. “Anything you’d like to say which might help your case?”

  He gave Maya some credit: She kept throwing him a lifeline.

  Exactly as his friends predicted.

  “You’re overreaching and you’ll never expel me. I’d like to hand the floor to my friends.”

  Oryn Velt, who removed his facial tattoo in recent months and upgraded his fashion sense to executive bodysuits, laid a supportive hand on Caleb’s shoulder.

  “This man has committed himself to Aeterna and our future since we were boys. Now he finds himself at the nexus of remarkable events. And what is your response? To scapegoat and demean. Your cavalier efforts to lay the burden solely on Caleb and ignore growing discontent strikes me as the height of arrogance.”

  Oryn swerved his eyes to Sam.

  “Daniel Pynn-Cooper apologized for an error in judgment and was sent home to continue his life with the full privileges afforded by his family name. How convenient.”

  Caleb thought Sam would lose her cool, but she did not take the bait. Caleb always thought she would have made a better Minister than Maya. Too bad. Oryn scanned the whole of the Council.

  “Aleta Bowe, who assisted Caleb in blinding the security drones around Lake Profundus, confessed to her actions and received a rotation transfer off world. She’s now carefully tucked away in long-range patrols for a few months. Again, convenient.

  “You did not pursue the case against Rosa Marteen because you failed to find proof of these so-called thousands of frozen embryos taken from mortals. Only Caleb remains to take the whipping. You intend to blame him for the chasm, for the pilgrim deaths, and the seventy-six pilgrims who fled home in panic. He is blameless, yet you pursue this divisive folly. Each of you should be ashamed.”

  Halsted interjected himself, hands clasped as if to offer a prayer.

  “My compatriots, I beg you to forgive Oryn his aggressive tone. My partner hurls stones when mere feathers will suffice. He is a thoughtful man but passionate. On the other hand, I counsel for conciliation. We should step back from this unseemly conflict and reconsider our bearings.

  “I recommend we allow Commander Woolsey’s work to continue unfettered until we know with certainty the Jewels’ intent. In the meantime, no interests are served by incarcerating Caleb. On behalf of Oryn and all who know and love Caleb, we promise he will dutifully respect the laws of our society and report here again when the Council has reconsidered the justness of its actions.”

  Maya leaned forward, tongue planted in her cheek.

  “Halsted, I can remember when you spoke like a normal person. Don’t use sophisticated language to obscure your intent. We are ...”

  Doc Ranke raised her hand.

  “Pardon, Minister. If I may. I must admit, Halsted and Oryn make valid points in their own distinctive ways.”

  Maya conceded the floor.

  “Go on, Tess.”

  “I’m not entirely comfortable with the breadth of these charges. I believe we should reexamine our process. In the meantime, I suggest we free Caleb with conditions. It would quell a developing problem outside and allow him to reconsider turning over the device for ADF scrutiny.” She glanced at Caleb for a split second. “He poses no threat to the community.”

  Well said. Perfect timing. Hit the right tone.

  “You’ll know where to find me,” Caleb said, hiding his smirk.

  The mood changed in a flash. Rayner said he could vote either way. Marta’s shoulders sagged. Maya and Sam whispered then nodded.

  “From what I’ve heard,” Maya said, “you’re a drain on Ollie’s time. And we weren’t going to hold the tribunal today. Ollie will release you, but with one condition. And don’t argue. It’s our best offer.”

  Maya’s terms proved embarrassing, but Caleb accepted. The day played out almost to perfection, as if scripted.

  Thirty minutes later, he left the Administration Building to cheers from his friends, who received him with hugs, handshakes, and pats on the back. Unlike all of them, Caleb had no functioning Occip – the only Aeternan unable to activate his second eyes.

  In a different context, he might have felt lesser than, but the crowd buoyed Caleb. He couldn’t wait to return home, where he’d enjoy his own hot shower and a nice café on the porch. He also intended to tear RONA a new one for its betrayal.