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When a world has been nested by blattoderos there is no escape, disaster strikes. It must be annihilated before the insects emerge. Once they hatch from their eggs the planet in question has 1000 years of life left, it will gradually be stripped of its greenery and beauty. The only option left for the residents is to escape.
In my case that is what happened to my home, or I could say the home of my ancestors. I am one of the few humans left in this universe. Commander Lee says that in his universe he avoided that catastrophe, he was the one who has instructed me these two long years.
He wants me to be part of his specialized group. He is part of an organization dedicated to maintaining the order of the multiverses. Each of the members has something special that distinguishes us. Huang Jie is a barbarian specialized in killing vampires, although here they have another name. Since I'm the only woman on board, I try to stay away from that guy; he's just too nasty. Another of the guys is Zeng Young, a gentleman capable of learning from any technology that falls into his hands. He was in his world a prodigious young man capable of discovering a mechanism for fission energy, he was also good at martial arts, but very mouthy and inciting fights, he and Huang Jie fight over anything. The last member is a guy almost as new as me, quiet as any, he was the paramedic on board. The commander had briefed him with all the necessary information and so far he was excellent at his job. The others said that he could not be hypnotized by vampires or any other being of the universe, he was also quite slow with the relative of the girls, many times I harassed him for fun. His name was Alex M5, the nickname he had been given on the ship.
“Stop seeing Earth-5!” The commander just entered the navigation chamber. “Sometimes...” he paused to think what he would say to me, he put his hand on the holographic table “You little girl scares me. You know you can't get obsessed with that plan, I told you that when I recruited you. I don't even know how many times, I've told you” there was reproach in his eyes “If someone from the O.M.O. were to discover your research or your thoughts, they would even expel you” I didn't take my eyes off him. “They would even tell me to kill you.”
I nodded, swallowing the urge to yell at him. He thought he was doing me a favor by getting me off the crappy planet I came from, but bringing me into his group was a mistake. Surely he had discovered my links on the Intranet, my inquiries were accurate. They ranged from weaknesses, habits, mating habits, habitats, and so on. Anything that would give me an advantage over the blattoderos.
“You know that it is forbidden to exterminate an entire race and even less so on its home planet!....”
“You have already told me a thousand times commander," I repressed my disgust when he said home planet. “I know that they invaded my planet 200 years ago and they didn't avoid it” I restrained myself from saying the next words I was going to say, my resentment towards the O.M.O. would be evident.
The commander contemplated the hologram on the table. On it was Earth-5, my home. From there, the differences with the commander's Earth were visible. Africa had separated from Europe and the Arctic region was completely thawed, which caused many areas to be covered with water.
“I met you two years ago on Kepler-16B. A brilliant teenager, rebellious and capable of navigating any ship no matter what model or design it had...”
“Also capable of killing a Mantidae Joguet, if I remember correctly” I bragged, but the commander hardened his face.
“I left the subject of recovering that planet. Your home is Kepler-16B, not Earth-5," I glance again at the hologram and then at me. “This is the last time I say it or I will expel you... or in the worst case I will be forced to assassinate you.”
He thought I had respect or fear for him, I felt it was pity. I hated following the rules when half of my people were slaves to the natives of Kepler-16B. It wasn't a home, it was an asylum, a bloody prison.
“Did you copy Nyota?”
“Copied Commander.”
At bedtime I found myself contemplating space, looking beyond the stars. I recalled my grandmother's stories about beaches, mountains, about the Olympics or baseball games held by mankind. I knew that the Commander wouldn't let me go on missions that were in another land or against criminal blattoderos. It didn't matter. Two hundred years had burdened my enslaved people, let them wait another five more years. I will kill all those insects on the planet.
Cover and Banner made in Canva, Separators made in Photoshop.
The Ink Well prompt #4
