The meeting did not end with Khael's revelation. If anything, that was when the real problem began. The representatives remained inside the chamber long after Khael had finished speaking. Nobody seemed willing to leave with an unanswered question hanging over the room.
A man from one of the allied governments finally broke the silence.
-There is one thing we have not discussed. You said the Rebellion would protect Earth if we cooperate with you. What exactly does that mean?
Khael looked toward him.
-If Earth agrees to our terms, the Rebellion will consider Earth under its protection. Any force that attempts to attack this planet because of your decision will have to deal with us as well.
The words immediately changed the atmosphere. Several representatives looked at one another. For the first time since Khael had entered the room, the possibility of sending Paul away did not sound like simply giving something to another side. It sounded like gaining something in return.
One of the representatives who had remained mostly silent leaned forward.
-Protection from the Rebellion.
Khael nodded.
-Yes.
-Against MJC?
-Against anyone who comes for you because of this decision.
A few people exchanged looks. The representative leaned back in his chair.
-Then this changes the situation.
Another leader immediately responded.
-It changes nothing. It only makes the situation more dangerous.
The first man turned toward him.
-We have been talking for months about what happens if we continue depending entirely on MJC. Now we have another option standing in front of us.
-An option we know almost nothing about.
-We know enough to understand that they are fighting MJC.
-Exactly.
The second representative's voice became harder.
-They are already fighting a war they are struggling to survive. Their own realms are under pressure, their forces are engaged elsewhere, and yet we are supposed to believe they can guarantee the safety of Earth? What happens when they need protection themselves?
Khael watched the argument without interrupting. The first representative continued.
-You are looking at this from the wrong direction. Earth has already been attacked. We have already learned what staying under someone else's protection can cost us. If there is a possibility of building a resistance of our own, shouldn't we at least consider it?
A few heads turned toward him. He continued.
-For a long time we have been told that MJC is the only structure capable of keeping this world safe. Now another side has come to us and offered protection in exchange for cooperation. We don't have to blindly accept it. But refusing to even consider it would be just as irresponsible.
The other side did not back down.
-You are calling it an opportunity because you don't know what it is yet. That is precisely the problem. We don't know Khael. We don't know the people who sent him. We don't know their leadership. We don't know their intentions. And we certainly don't know whether their promise of protection will still exist when their war becomes worse.
He looked around the table.
-You want to use Paul to establish a resistance against MJC. But what happens if the Rebellion loses? Where does that leave Earth?
Nobody answered. The representative continued.
-And even if they win, what makes you think they won't simply replace MJC?
The room became tense again. Khael finally spoke.
-We are not asking you to trust us blindly.
The representative looked at him.
-Then what are you asking?
Khael's eyes moved across the room.
-I am asking you to understand that your choice already has consequences. Whether Paul stays or leaves, whether Earth chooses us or MJC, you are no longer standing outside this conflict.
That silenced the room for a moment. Nobody liked the answer. But nobody could dismiss it either. Outside the room, Paul was sitting with Veronica.
Neither of them had spoken much since leaving the meeting.
The noise of the meeting room seemed distant from where they were now. For a few minutes, they simply sat together, each trying to understand what had happened. Veronica finally looked at him.
-There is something I don't understand.
Paul looked toward her.
-What?
She hesitated.
-Khael said descendant. He didn't say grandson or great-grandson. Your great-grandfather could have had more children.
Paul shook his head.
-He didn't.
-How do you know?
-Because there was only one.
Veronica watched him carefully.
-You are sure?
Paul nodded.
-My great-grandfather had one child. That was my grandfather. My grandfather had one child too. My father.
He paused.
-And my father only had me.
Veronica remained quiet. Paul looked down at his hands.
-There isn't another branch of the family.
Veronica's expression changed slightly.
-So if Khael is right...
Paul finished the sentence for her.
-He's talking about me.
Neither of them spoke for a while. Veronica moved a little closer.
-You don't have to decide anything right now.
Paul looked at her.
-I know.
-Do you?
Paul gave a faint smile that disappeared almost immediately.
-I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Veronica.
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked at him.
-Then don't try to decide what everyone else wants you to do.
Paul lowered his eyes again. For once, he had no argument.
Meanwhile, Khael had returned to the medical wing. His injuries still required treatment, but he had stopped paying attention to the pain. He found Paul there later. Khael did not immediately approach him.
He stood several feet away. Paul noticed him but said nothing. For a while, neither of them spoke. Khael eventually sat down across from him.
-I know this is difficult.
Paul didn't look at him.
-You don't know anything about me.
Khael accepted that.
-You're right.
He remained silent for a moment.
-But I know what it feels like when everyone around you already knows what they need from you.
That made Paul look up. Khael continued.
-They told me where to go. They told me who to find. They told me what mattered. I followed those orders because I believed there was something waiting for us at the end of them.
Paul studied him.
-And now you want me to do the same.
Khael shook his head.
-No.
His voice was quieter than before.
-I want you to understand why I came.
Paul looked away. Khael did not press him. That was the strange part. He had crossed an impossible distance for Paul, yet he wasn't demanding an answer. He simply sat there.
Paul's mind, however, had already begun moving somewhere else. The dream, the strange images that had refused to leave him, the things Corlowall had said.
At the time, Paul had tried to treat them as separate pieces of an increasingly strange life. But now they seemed to be moving toward the same point. He remembered Corlowall's warning.
And now someone from another realm had arrived looking specifically for him. Paul closed his eyes for a moment. What the hell was happening to him? He opened them again.
Khael was still sitting there. He hadn't said anything. Paul realized he was staring at him.
-You really believe I can help you?
Khael looked at him.
-I wouldn't have crossed the portal if I didn't.
Paul looked down.
-But you don't know why.
-No.
Khael's answer was immediate.
-Then maybe you should stop asking me to believe something you don't understand yourself.
Khael accepted that too.
-Perhaps.
He stood.
-But you should know one thing.
Paul waited.
-Whatever you decide, I won't think less of you for it.
Then Khael walked away. Paul remained seated. The fear inside him had not disappeared. It had only become quieter. And somehow, that made it worse.
Hours passed before the representatives and OPESTM personnel reached any conclusion. They had argued over military consequences. Political consequences.
The possibility of resisting MJC. The possibility of losing MJC's protection. The reliability of the Rebellion. The condition of the war. The danger surrounding Paul. And every argument eventually led back to the same place.
Paul.
Nobody could decide what should be done with him without deciding what he wanted first. Eventually David stood.
-We're going nowhere.
The room had grown exhausted. Nobody objected. David looked around the table.
-We can continue this for another six hours and we will still be arguing the same points. There is one person sitting outside this discussion whose life will actually be changed by whatever decision we make.
Nobody spoke. David continued.
-So ask him.
The decision was made. The room was prepared again. This time, the atmosphere was different. Khael sat on one side of the table. Across from him were the representatives of Earth. David was present. De Nemo sat quietly nearby. Veronica was there.
Several of OPESTM's highest-ranking personnel stood behind them, watching without saying anything. Paul entered last. He stopped for a moment when he saw the room. It was almost the same room as before. But this time, everyone was looking at him differently.
Not as a soldier. Not as an OPESTM operative. Not even as the descendant of someone important. They were looking at him as the person who had to decide. Paul slowly took his seat.
One of the representatives leaned forward.
-We've discussed the situation. We have heard Khael's request. We have considered the risks of accepting it and the risks of refusing it.
He paused.
-This decision concerns you more directly than anyone else in this room. We are not going to make it for you.
Paul said nothing. The representative continued.
-If you go with Khael, you will be leaving Earth and entering a war that we do not fully understand. But the Rebellion has offered protection to Earth in exchange for your cooperation.
He glanced toward Khael.
-If you stay, Earth remains where it is. Under the protection and structure we already know. But we cannot guarantee what MJC will do if this matter becomes known.
Paul listened. Another representative spoke.
-You are not being asked to decide for the entire world. You are being asked what you want to do with your own life.
Paul looked around the table. For the first time, nobody was ordering him. Nobody was telling him where he had to go. Nobody was deciding his future for him. The freedom should have felt relieving. Instead, it frightened him.
He looked at Veronica. She said nothing. She didn't need to. Paul looked toward David. Then Nemo. Then Khael.
Khael's expression remained calm, but Paul could see the hope behind it. Paul lowered his head. He thought about the portal. The dream, his great-grandfather. Everything he had believed about his life.
And then he thought about Veronica. For the first time in a long time, there was something beyond duty waiting for him. Something that felt ordinary. Something that felt like a future. He slowly raised his head.
-I won't go.
The room became completely still. Khael's expression changed. Paul continued before anyone could respond.
-I know what you're asking me. I understand that this could be important. Maybe more important than I can even understand right now.
His voice was uncertain, but he did not stop.
-But Earth needs me here. I have spent my entire life fighting for this place. I can't just walk away from it because someone from another realm says I am important to them.
Nobody interrupted him. Paul looked toward Khael.
-I'm sorry.
Khael said nothing. The disappointment on his face was enough. Paul lowered his eyes.
-I won't go.
This time, there was no uncertainty in his voice. The decision had been made. And for the first time since Khael crossed the portal, Earth had given Paul something nobody had ever given him before.
A choice.
Paul had made it. But somewhere deep inside him, he knew there was another reason. One he had not told the room. One he could barely admit to himself.
He didn't want to leave Veronica.
-To be continued….