Homesick

Vladimir sat pensively in the dark oak room with the fireplace. It was a room he was familiar with, but not completely comfortable in. This was Hari’s world, not his, and her open invitation to him could easily be rescinded. The lounge at the university was usually private, especially at odd hours. The flames in the fireplace lit the game table in front of him and reflected nicely off the well-polished chess pieces. The table itself didn’t actually belong there, but both Hari’s and his VR chip recognized it. In reality, Vlad sat at the dull metal table where he normally took his meals and Hari sat at what she described as a simple library desk. Vlad had made the chess table and all the pieces when he was in school. It was a gift to his father, but the man never played him. Hari did, however, and she was good!

“Go on, Father, your time is nearly up.” She tapped the digital timer, which was encased in wood that matched the finish of the table.

Vladimir moved his knight experimentally, playing counter moves in his mind, and then slowly withdrew his hand. He stole a glance at Hari through his eyebrows. She was just turning eighteen but she acted much wiser than her years. Their house was full of awards she had won, both for scholarship and athletics. Everyone knew she would go far, especially Vladimir. And, since she’d become legendary at the University of Moscow, she knew it, too.

Her smooth, young face hadn’t smiled easily since her first year of study, and she always had somewhere to go. She cropped her deep brown hair short and bound it tightly behind her, as if she expected to travel in space like her father. Her school uniform was neat and well-pressed and she kept her shoes polished like mirrors. At such a young age, Hari Coronov was preparing for a life of duty. Now she filled her free time with exercise and sports instead of play. She made contacts and associations instead of friends. And, somewhere on her way up the social ladder, she had passed Vladimir or was about to. In any case, they rarely had time together and Hari filled the majority of it with something other than conversation.

“Check, Father,” she said, moving one of her rooks.

Vlad moved a bishop to intercept, carefully positioning it before withdrawing his hand. Hari stared at the board, calculating.

He glanced down at his dwindling army, trying to estimate how long he could hold out against her powerful mind. She usually outplayed him almost immediately and she rarely lost. Since the mission, he’d tried to become better at the game, if for no other reason than to ensure Hari would still make time to play him.

“We’ll be leaving in two days, Hari,” he said, trying to stimulate conversation.

“Yes, Father, I know,” she replied without looking up. “Your launch window opens at 13:00 hours on Saturday and then you slingshot around the planet and make for the fold.”

“Correct,” he said, not knowing what else he could add. He realized at that moment that she probably knew more about his mission than he did!

“It’s a tricky window. You’ll be using most of your remaining fuel and your Chief Pilot is incapacitated. It’ll be hard to make corrections if anything goes wrong. Do you have faith in the Englishman?”

“Yes, Merryfield is competent.”

“That is well,” she said, moving her knight dangerously close to his king. Vladimir sat back and folded his hands, forming an arch with his fingers.

“The news media are very interested in your Captain. She’s an international hero now. She and the Englishman are spoken of quite highly on the net.”

“Captain Buds is capable,” he said with grudging respect.

“But there’s not much mention of you,” she added, as if she felt it was an oversight. “They seem to ignore you, Father. Why is that?”

He paused for a moment, as if trying to arrive at a profound answer to a great mystery. “Hari, it is not a glamorous life and much of it is not as it seems from here. Also, I did not go on the mission to the surface. Aside from that, there wasn’t much of interest to happen.”

“But still, they should mention you more.”

“They may soon,” he said, castling his king, more to avoid working out a strategy than out of strategy. “Hari, there is something I must talk to you about. It may be important.”

“Yes, father?” She looked up.

“When your grandfather served, things here were quite different.”

“We were not Soviet then. That was before the second revolution.”

“Yes. He participated in the revolution. He had an important role. We were facing disaster then. Everyone had to be committed to our society in order to save it. He was in the navy and was well decorated.”

“As are you, Father. Your mission is a distinctive one. You have the respect of many.” She looked at him, her eyes probing his.

“Maybe that’s what I need to talk to you about,” he said, as if the subject was painful for him. “Sometimes mere respect is not enough.”

“How so?”

“When my father served, he knew whose orders to obey. His loyalties were never challenged. Here, it is not so simple.”

“Then you question your captain’s judgment? You’ve said she has made mistakes.”

He sighed. “It is not even that simple. Captain Buds knows many things and our government approved her appointment. But she is a doctor. This crisis we encounter here, we were not prepared for. And now our government must think of long term. Difficult decisions must be made. And the Captain may not be working in the best interests of our people here.”

“Do you mean she betrays us?”

“No. But sometimes, when a dangerous situation occurs, one must carefully decide whose orders to follow and which leaders are truly wise. Sometimes one cannot afford to think only of one’s self, but of one’s country and the future of that country. And sometimes that means we must do things which may appear wrong, but which will ultimately serve the greater good.”

“But you’re leaving the planet now. The mission is over; what more must be done?”

“It’s not the mission, Hari,” he said, rubbing his forehead. “It’s the aliens I speak of.”

She looked at him in her calculating way. “You met the aliens?”

“I saw them. And I heard what they said to the Captain. They made her an offer, which she turned down. I believe they were trying to infiltrate Earth through her and her country. It’s likely they’ll try again. And I believe their success may be inevitable. Not right away, perhaps, but eventually.”

“Could not our forces withstand them?” she asked with a skeptical smirk.

“We don’t know,” he whispered. “It may not be a question of force. They have a different power than we do. They’re looking for an ally here, and it may only be a question of time before they find one. When they do, that nation will be in a position of great power over all others.” He sighed and closed his eyes briefly. “I’ve spoken to our Director. He agrees with me that there are new options we must consider. We may not have these options when I return to Earth.”

“What are the options?” she asked, finally taking her attention completely off the board.

“I cannot tell you now, Hari. But soon there may be talk of me. I may have to do something that could be seen as a violation of trust. But it will be for the greater good and will one day be seen as such!” He stiffened. “The original Marxists were considered traitors. And, when our Soviet leaders failed us, those who acted against them were first called criminals. Later they were revolutionaries! And again, during the second revolution, decisions had to be made! Heroes were recognized! Much of what we have today depends on what our heroes did when their day came to act.”

“Will you be a revolutionary, Father?” she asked, looking at him with a glimmer of new respect.

“I don’t know, Hari.” He tried to smile. “But you will be safe. And you will have a future!” He sat back in his chair, taking a deep breath. “I dare not speak further. There is too much at stake.”

“I know you’ll do well, Father. And I’m sure I’ll never have reason to doubt you.”

Vladimir nodded in satisfaction at her words, even though nothing specific had been said by either of them. But Hari’s trust seemed genuine and that was what he needed most. Perhaps it was not her who had drifted away from him, but he from her. Perhaps it was the fear of losing her respect that made him afraid to be close to her.

Hari smiled a big smile. Since her smiles were rare, they were beautiful to Vladimir, and he quietly etched this one into his memory. He didn’t even glance at the board when she moved her queen to checkmate his king.