Chapter Twenty-Eight: Ressurection

They had spent the night in the hotel across the road from the beach for reasons other than comfort. They had agreed, as there was only one way onto the higher floors, the building was the most defensible and the Hotel held supplies they were running desperately short on at the Racecourse. Celeste had still not woken, partially because Emilia had put her under a strong sedative in order to allow her to wake up at the Racecourse. Jason agreed. The last thing they needed on the way back was a conscious Celeste who was intent on taking herself back to the beach to take another go at herself. It was winter now. Jason hadn’t realised how fast the year had gone. After the events of last night, Jason was battling Hypothermia and his salt-water drenched clothes were allowing the cold winter wind to cut through him like a knife. The best Emilia could do was insist that he remain as warm as possible, of course the only clothes they could find in the hotel were bath robes and Jason didn’t feel like exploiting the luxury they had enjoyed last night in front of everyone else. They had left the following morning and packing as many supplies as they could in to the car and returned to Racecourse and almost straight away Jason and Celeste were taken to the hospital tents outside where Jason was wrapped in a Thermo-blanket to heat him up while the medics worked on safely waking Celeste.

‘That was heroic,’ Carlisle said as he walked into Jason’s tent. ‘Overcoming your fear’

‘Yeah well,’ Jason said as he drank from his bottle of water. ‘Celeste was in trouble’

‘Yes she was, but how did you know where she was?’ Carlisle asked.

‘Call it a hunch’ Jason answered.

‘I’ve seen commanders go on hunches. That was no hunch’ Carlisle said.

‘Well I’m no commander’ Jason replied, sharply.

‘You are at least the commanding officer. You’re capable of making command decisions. Sounds a bit like a commander to me. How did you know Celeste was there, commander?’ Carlisle asked him.

‘I don’t know. That’s the truth’ Jason replied.

‘Well maybe Sarah can help you figure it out’ Carlisle told him. Jason gave him a questioning look.

‘Sarah’s dead’

‘Yeah we all thought so. But she’s asking for you’ Carlisle said. Jason got up, pulling the blanket tight around him.

‘Take me to her’ Jason ordered. Carlisle nodded.

Jason had been taken down to the other end to the last tent and was allowed to enter. Once inside he saw Sarah alone, lying on a wooden table. They obviously hadn’t been able to find enough mattresses nearby and were having to make do.

‘How are you alive?’ Jason asked.

‘I’ll explain everything once we’re alone’ Sarah told him, shortly. Jason turned to Carlisle.

‘Leave us,’ Jason said. ‘No eavesdropping. No one comes within earshot of this tent without my permission. That’s an order’

‘Yes sir’ Carlisle said, nodding as he left.

‘You remember when you put in my cell in the prison, you were injected with a serum?’ Sarah asked him. Jason nodded. ‘Right well I was too’

‘So that’s why you’re alive?’ Jason asked.

‘I think so. Actually I know, and I know why’

‘How?’ Jason asked.

‘Because when you’re… resurrected… you know things’ Sarah answered.

‘Let’s hear it then’ Jason said.

‘That serum contained Tallentiri DNA and it’s changing me, or at least it will. I suspect physical changes to begin within the next couple of days’ Sarah answered.

‘Assuming what you saying you’re saying is true, you were in that prison for months, why would you change now?’ Jason asked her.

‘Because death has to occur before one can be changed. I’m effectively a host body for a parasite that’s going to change me into a Tallentiri, from the inside out’ Sarah answered.

‘But how-‘

‘Just listen, while I’m still me, ok?’ Sarah said. Jason nodded. ‘The Tallentiri have found the ship. I’m assuming you know about that?’

‘I do’

‘Right, well I’m not entirely sure on how they found it, but they have. It’s Uluru’ Sarah said.

‘You mean under Uluru’

‘No. I mean it’s Uluru’ Sarah said.

‘It’s a rock’ Jason replied.

‘It’s a rock built around the ship’ Sarah snapped.

‘I don’t believe you’ Jason said.

‘There are theories that Humans have telepathic abilities locked away in their brains. Some people, who we call “psychics” have this ability unlocked either naturally or through accident. Some claim to see dead people, other’s claim to be able to move things without touching them. Those people are frauds. The psychics have lucky guesses at best and the telekinetics are just liars’ Sarah said.

‘Why are you telling me this?’ Jason asked.

‘Because you had a true premonition.  Something about the Tallentiri DNA unlocks that telepathic ability’ Sarah said. ‘I know that because the Tallentiri are true telepaths. They communicate telepathically. They haven’t used a written language for centuries’

‘What are you saying?’ Jason asked.

‘I’m saying that the Tallentiri know everything we will do before we know it. I’m saying that going to Ayers Rock would be playing into their hands. They want us there’ Sarah told him.

‘They’ve been playing us this entire time,’ Jason sighed. ‘If what you’re saying is true, then we have to go. We have to play into their talon-like hands. If they take that ship, it’s over, they win’

‘I know. The technology would return them to power in the Galaxy’ Sarah said.

‘So that ship, whether they’ve seen it or not, is where we’ll make our stand. No more of these small victories. One way or another, this will end. Now I just have to figure out a way to get there. It would take weeks possibly months on foot and that would be without stopping for necessities.’ Jason said to himself.

‘Vehicles?’ Sarah asked.

‘Still too slow. That’d take days maybe weeks. We need to get there in a couple of days at most. How long have they known?’ Jason asked.

‘An educated guess? Months I’d say. Definitely before I was captured’ Sarah answered.

‘Then why not go there straight away?’ Jason asked.

‘Because, like I said before, they want us there. And, like it or not, that’s exactly where we have to go’ Sarah told him. Jason nodded.

‘You’re going to come with me. I’m going to call a meeting with Carlisle, Claire and some other soldiers. You’re going to tell them everything you’ve just told me-‘

‘I tell them I’m changing and they’ll throw me outside the Racecourse-‘

‘They won’t,’ Jason assured her. ‘The decision to exile you is my decision. I know it’s coming, you know it’s coming and, soon enough, they’ll all know it’s coming. And I’ll have to do it. I won’t have a choice’ Jason told her.

‘I know,’ Sarah said, nodding. ‘I’ll be dangerous. You’ll see me as a threat. When the time comes, don’t blame yourself. Like you said, you won’t have a choice’

‘Death made you wiser’ Jason said to her.

‘Death is the reason we’re in this position’ Sarah replied.

‘Well, it’s better to walk a difficult path that’s lit than wander unprepared into the darkness,’ Jason told her, heading toward the entrance. ‘Come on’. Sarah followed Jason outside where they were confronted by Carlisle.

‘Is it true? Did you give Miles a trial by peer?’ Carlisle asked Jason.

‘Define give. I would say no because it hasn’t happened yet, but we have bigger problems. Find Claire and ten of your best people and meet me in the Glasshouse’ Jason said.

‘Yes sir’ Carlisle said, turning around and leaving them.

‘So you knew why they were here? You knew about the ship the whole time?’ Carlisle asked Jason. All eleven of them were in the Glasshouse and Sarah had told them everything she knew.

‘From prison, onwards? Yes, I did’ Jason answered.

‘And you said nothing?’ Carlisle said again.

‘I was going too but A, we didn’t know where the ship was located and B, I was preoccupied with the Nexus spy and saving Celeste, so excuse me for not telling you straight away!’ Jason retorted.

‘Stop it, both of you. We have bigger problems’ One of the soldiers said.

‘You dare talk to your superiors like that, Marsden?’ Carlisle said.

‘Carlisle, stand down. That’s an order,’ Jason said. Carlisle reluctantly stepped away from Marsden. ‘Continue’ Jason said.

‘Well, I’m not going to pretend to understand everything that was said, but it sounds like we’re screwed’ Marsden said.

‘That’s because we are’ Sarah said.

‘Exactly. The Tallentiri will get bored and take the ship eventually, even if we don’t go. The Nexus know we’re out here and we don’t have the firepower to hold them off. Add to that, we’re running low on food again because of the Nexus prisoners’ Jason said.

‘So what do we do?’ Carlisle asked. Jason thought for a bit.

‘There’s an airbase in Jandakot isn’t there?’ Claire asked.

‘It’s under Nexus control but yeah, there is’ Carlisle answered. Claire looked at Jason and he knew exactly was she thinking.

‘What is it?’ Marsden asked. Jason nodded at Claire.

‘Go,’ he said. Claire nodded and ran out of the Glasshouse. ‘Do we have anyone who can pilot?’

Carlisle shook his head.

‘No we don’t’ he answered.

‘Actually, I can’ another soldier said. Marsden laughed.

‘Yeah you can, in a simulator, Fletch. This will be a real plane’ Marsden said.

‘I’m aware of that’ Fletch said. ‘But we have to do something’

‘Agreed,’ Carlisle said. ‘Commander, my men and I are yours to command. What would you have us do?’

‘First things first, gather the votes for Miles’s trial and count them. We deal with that matter before anything else’ Jason replied. Carlisle nodded.

‘Right away sir’ Carlisle said, but stayed with the others.

‘Dismissed’ Jason said. He watched them leave the room before he sighed and sat down. Jason knew, although he hated it, that if they were to win the coming battle he would have become the commander that his father was.