The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. The Bible is the best-selling book in history with approximate sales estimates ranging from 2.5 billion to 6 billion.
– Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
The announcement of the simulation results took place at the Schran Auditorium, a massive hall that accommodated thirty thousand people across multiple-layers of seating. Together with their other classmates, Jem and Kir sat in the first row.
“Relax.” Kir grabbed Jem’s cold fingers. “You’re fidgeting.”
“I’m nervous.”
“So am I, and so is everyone else.”
“It’s a lost cause, isn’t it?” Jem asked starkly.
“Probably,” Kir conceded. “We didn’t get as far as we wanted, but there were some very extenuating circumstances.”
“None that matter to the professor or to the judging committee.”
“No, but it should matter to us. We did a good job, Jem. Kav is alive and fully recovered from his illness. You tackled your family issues head-on, and you’re engaged to a great guy. It’s been a hell of a year, and we didn’t even break the planet. In fact, I’d go so far as to suggest that it’s thriving.”
“In spite of us.”
“Not true. We helped out some. We definitely left our mark on the planet. All those drawings I did out near the mountains? They’re still there. The occasional sighting of Nesieg’s family is still confusing the heck out of people, not to mention all those weird manuscripts you inspired. The humans are still trying to decipher them.”
Jem chuckled. “We had fun, didn’t we?”
“We sure did. I’ll confess it got a lot more fun when we got involved with individuals. There’s something to be said for getting up close and personal.”
“Thank you for coming out today,” Professor Ptera said, his voice carrying through the audio amplifiers throughout the hall. “Today, we congratulate and celebrate the winners of the simulation. This has been an especially difficult year for many teams who were forced to work within the constraints of a system created by others. The teams that were more successful found ways to thrive in spite of the system. So, without further ado, let’s congratulate our winners. In third place: Dri Zabra and Sani Mudo, representing the Atlante team. Dri and Sani found their planet facing extinction after their humanoids were exterminated. Nevertheless, they successfully recovered, and their dominant humanoid species today is considered genetically superior to its predecessor. Dri and Sani, congratulations!”
“Wait, their dominant humanoid species?” Kir leaned over to whisper in Jem’s ear. “Aren’t those the Island of Atlas people that we sent back to them?”
Jem nodded, her shoulders sagging.
“Maybe we should have kept them,” Kir said.
“Apparently. Damn it.”
“Second place goes to Abek Ovan and Vidi Gubri, representing the Shixar. I don’t need to tell you how successful that Shixar have been. They have displaced two galactic empires to become the dominant force in the universe today. Their influence is significant, and will likely grow in the future. Their win is well deserved.”
Jem sighed.
Kir squeezed her fingers. “It’s okay. I still think we got one in on them.”
“First place this year goes to an unlikely contender who, nevertheless, received unanimous votes from our team of judges. This planet has only begun to mature, but due to the efforts of its managers, its influence on the universe is profound. Genetically, the humanoids of Atlante owe a great deal to this planet.”
Jem’s breath caught. She looked at Kir, but Kir was not looking at her. He was staring incredulously at Professor Ptera.
“This planet, a scarce nine light years from the Shixar Imperium, has thus far escaped the weight of its military conquest because a human from this planet became the consort of the Shixar Empress. That’s an interesting way to negotiate a peace treaty. Judging from the stunned expressions on Abek and Vidi’s faces, I don’t think they even realized it. This is why individuals matter. Individuals change the fate of the world. And last, but certainly not least, this team went further and deeper than any other. They were the only team to challenge the assumptions of the simulation. This isn’t a world simulation. It’s a universe simulation. Many of you had the life forms from your planet negotiate with the life forms of other planets, or you negotiated among yourselves. This team was the only team that negotiated terms directly with the central command system. Occasionally, they attempted to hack it, with some success. I said previously that the successful teams found ways to thrive in spite of the system. However, the most successful one found ways to change the system entirely. They spent as much time managing the universe as they did their own planet, and it made them profoundly successful, as you can tell from their skillful insertions into the affairs of the Atlante and the Shixar. They also went deeper than anyone else. They were the first, and only, team to realize that an anomaly exists in the simulated universe. There is something deeper and more profound than anyone can explain. There is an intelligence—neither human nor artificial—that exists and works in the simulated universe as much as in our own. They were open enough and curious enough to find evidence for it. That team is Jem Moran and Kir Davos. Let’s welcome them up here!”
Jem did not move.
Kir, half-standing, tugged hard on her hand. “Come on. Let’s go up.”
Dazed, she followed. We won?
The walk up to the raised platform seemed much too long. The faces of cheering students blurred together, and the applause faded into a white nose that Jem could scarcely hear over the pounding of her heart. She shook the professor’s hand and then stepped aside for Kir to shake the professor’s hand, too.
Reality sank in slowly. We won…
The professor grinned at them. “Do you have any words of wisdom you’d like to share with your fellow classmates and with the teams that will take on the burden of guiding the planets and the universe after you?”
Kir grabbed Jem’s hand and pulled her along as he stepped forward. “We…weren’t really prepared for this honor.”
“Just tell us what you did.”
Kir shrugged. “Most of the time, it felt like our strategic plan boiled down to ‘survive one more day.’ We’re…” He glanced at Jem. “We’re very different, but eventually we realized we each had strengths that could come to play at different times to save our planet. Right, Jem?”
She nodded and tightened her fingers around his. “Ultimately, we stopped worrying about the simulation and tried to make sure that the people on our planet were equipped to face their future. Kir taught me that life is always about the individual. A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
Kir arched his eyebrows. “That’s a good line, but I didn’t come up with it.”
Jem shrugged. “I borrowed it from one of the humans on our planet.”
“That’s testament to the relationships you have with your planet’s humans,” Professor Ptera commended. “Thank you, Jem and Kir. Oh, wait,” he called out as they stepped away. “What did you decide to name your planet?”
Jem glanced at Kir and smiled. “We didn’t name it. Our humans did. It’s called ‘Earth.’”
“A person's a person, no matter how small.”—Dr. Seuss
The reception that followed the announcement of the world simulation results was a gaudy affair hosted by the university president. Jem caught glimpses of Kir in the crush of people, but both were swarmed under by congratulations and did not have a chance to talk to each other until most of the crowd had dispersed. Tired, happy, and relieved that the evening was over, Jem sank into a chair to rest her aching feet.
“One more toast, Jem.”
She looked up and smiled at Kir, accepting the glass he held out. They raised their glasses to each other. The edges tapped together with a sparkling sound. “Congratulations to us.” Kir grinned at Jem over the rim of his glass. Kav climbed onto Jem’s lap and settled into a comfortable cuddle. The little boy reached up and played with the delicate spiral of the earrings that dangled from Jem’s earlobe.
Jem pressed an affectionate kiss to Kav’s sweaty hair, and then offered Kir a rueful smile. “I didn’t see it coming,” she confessed.
Kir leaned against the wall. “Me neither. We gave up on winning after Genitura.”
“I think giving up was key. We stopped caring about us and started caring about the planet. It became real.”
Kir shrugged. “I still think it’s incredibly ironic. Congratulations to you on being the youngest person accepted to the Academy.”
“And to you on being the second youngest. Will you be attending the Academy?”
Kir shook his head. “I’m starting a new job two weeks after graduation, remember?”
“The employment contract can be adjusted.”
Kir grinned. “I thought you’d say that, but I’m looking forward to working and getting some real world experience. I figure it’ll be a crash course, not just in asset management, but in planetary management, considering that an entire quadrant of the galaxy counts toward your family’s assets.”
“What about attending the Academy and working part-time? You’ll still earn enough to support Kav while in school.”
“You’re doing your best to make it impossible for me to say ‘no’ to the Academy. Why?”
Jem twirled the glass around in her hand. “I…I guess I’m not ready to say goodbye to you and Kav.”
Kir chuckled softly. “You’re not saying goodbye to us. Heck, I’ll be working for you.”
“It’s not the same thing.”
“Jem, we’ve spent almost every waking second of the past year together because of this simulation. Some time apart won’t hurt.”
But that was the problem. She was afraid it would hurt and that it would leave a gaping hole in her life.
Kir continued. “You and Rio need some quality time together. You’ll get that at the Academy.”
She chewed on her lower lip. Kir was right. They needed time apart, and she needed to sort out the confusion in her head and in her heart.
“And, Jem,” he said quietly.
She looked up at him.
“I’ll be here if you ever need me.”
She turned her face into the soft touch that caressed her cheek. “I know,” she whispered.
“All right.” Kir stood up. “Kav, let’s get going.”
“Okay.” Kav threw his arms around Jem’s neck. “I’m going to miss you, Jem.”
“You’re going to be living at my big house now, and I’ll be back as often as I can to see you.”
“You promise?” Kav asked, his smile wide.
“Yes, I promise,” Jem said, smiling at Kav. She hoped Kir knew that her words were meant for him as well.
Jem watched Kir and Kav walk away; her dull heartache was assuaged by the certainty that the Davos brothers would always be a part of her life, even if their ultimate roles seemed as yet unclear.
Rio Loren came up behind her. “Jem?” he said quietly. Apparently sensing her melancholy, he slipped an arm around her waist and drew her close. He held her, not asking questions.
Rio knew her so well. He had loved her first.
Jem leaned into him, relaxing in his familiar embrace. She released her breath in a soft sigh, and smiled. “I’m all right, Rio. I’m finally all right.”
Kir looked back only once before he stepped out through the door. He flashed her a smile, and then, with Kav beside him, he vanished into the darkness.
THE END
Enjoy more award-winning novels by Jade Kerrion, including this excerpt from PERFECTION UNLEASHED.