Chapter 40: Playing By His Rules

  Zhon and Roan walked slowly across the Martian surface, Zhon constantly analyzing their surroundings to ensure they didn't run into anything unexpected.

  Roan broke the silence. "So, do you have an idea on how we'll infiltrate the bases once we figure out how to bring those miners to our side? Because I mean, we might have an increase in numbers, but that doesn't mean we can just barge in and make it work, right?"

  Zhon sighed and turned to him. "That's the part I'm worried about. Even if we get more people, we don't control them. They can do as they please, and they're not like us—they have no military training. How do we get miners to follow our instructions without getting found and getting them killed?"

  Roan looked at him briefly before responding. "I don't think we can do both, honestly. But we can save the majority."

  Zhon looked puzzled. "What do you mean? How do you know that?"

  Roan gestured toward the sky. "Let's think for a second, yeah? Miners get the resources to permit the squad residing here to benefit from it."

  Zhon nodded.

  "If anyone knows the whereabouts of those bases and how to infiltrate them, it'll be them." He rubbed his chin. "Though I wonder if we could try to blend in with them, at least until we manage to get their captain."

  Zhon's eyes lit up as he smacked his hands together. "The captain! You're right! If this squadron is the same as ours and the ones before, they should have a captain as well!"

  Roan smiled. "Damn right!" He paused and cleared his throat. "If we reprogram them, the others should follow suit."

  Zhon nodded. "So we don't really need to change them all—just the one that controls them." His smile faded. "Although I doubt Ravine will like this plan, you know..."

  "She will not, but then again, we can always free them later once we're done with all of this. It's way easier to manage one being than multiple. Razak will be doing the same—we're only playing by his rules." He tapped Zhon's shoulder twice. "Come on, let's keep going."

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  Zhon nodded. "Right."

  Meanwhile, Ravine finally spoke. "What do you mean, cease to exist? How are you going to bring our friends back if you're dead?"

  Mother Phoenix laughed. "Come on now, I don't need to wait until the very end to do that. However, you will need to get them out before the ship is destroyed, or else you will all perish with me."

  The pause was long and heavy.

  Ravine's eyes softened. "So you truly are going to go through with your promise, huh?"

  Mother Phoenix shrugged. "I have nothing to lose by holding my end of the bargain. Besides, I owe it to you for what I did to your friend—Aria, was it?" She sighed. "I already told you this, but I'm sorry for what I did. At the time, it seemed like the only way to have you come to me, and I sensed you wavering with the things she said."

  Ravine stopped her. "We have been over this already. No need for all of this. I am not the same I was when it happened—and neither are you, right?"

  "Yeah."

  As Ravine kept walking, she asked, "So what is Razak like now? I mean, if we have to face him soon, we might as well get to know what we're going to be up against, right?"

  Mother Phoenix's voice turned deeper. "Last time I saw him, I think he was looking into ways to become a pure AI entity just like me. He wanted to be able to get out of the ship and oversee things outside the Mother Ship. This was a while ago, though—he might have figured it out by now."

  "Why would he link himself to the Mother Ship if he knows we're coming for him? Wouldn't that make him as vulnerable as you?"

  Mother Phoenix chuckled. "Well, yes, but then again, you haven't yet managed to successfully reach it, right? Besides, him being an entity means he can govern over his troops more freely and without inconvenience, just like I'm doing with you now. The real advantage is that I've had considerable time with this form—forever, basically—while in his case, if he truly did manage to evolve, he might still be adjusting to this new freedom and might get overwhelmed."

  Ravine nodded. "So you think we'd be better off if he actually did, then?"

  "Mhmm, but only for a short time, which is why we need to gather our forces as quickly as possible."

  As the wind blew louder, Ravine said, "When you showed me your past, I saw that you two were very close, right? But now that you're on opposing sides—"

  Mother Phoenix cut her off. "Let me guess—you want to know if I'm willing to end him, right? I told you, this ship is what powers me and most likely him as well. If there is no ship, there is no us."

  Ravine asked softly, "How do you feel about the idea that you will cease to exist along with him?"

  Mother Phoenix thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I've been here quite a while, but even so, I feel like I want to see more, you know? Or that things were different. But they are not."

  Ravine looked down. "Yeah, they aren't."

  "Well, looks like all that rambling really did its thing. Look up—looks like we made it!"

  As Ravine raised her head, a massive mining facility came into view. Drones circulated around the zone, and many android miners collected substances from the ground, transporting them in vehicles that hovered above the surface.

  Ravine activated her comms. "Captain, we found the facility. Awaiting orders."