E.I.G.H.T

I left Rhote shortly after watching the projection that my father left me. I had decided to come back to the rebel base in the Rhoatian forest. When I got here I was met by two people. One was Rae who I was very happy to see, and she was likewise happy to see me. The other was The Bear who looked like had not gotten much sleep as of late.

“So ye’ve returned,” The Bear said after Rae gave me a warm hug.

“I told you she would,” Rae shot him an angry look. “Sorry when the news broke, I had to tell them who you were.”

“What news?” I asked.

“Care to ’xplain this?” The Bear threw a news article at me. I caught it and looked at it.

“REBEL LEADER CHARGED WITH CRIMES AGAINST GOLORDIA” I looked at the article with a confused look and looked up at the Bear that looked at me as if wanting an explanation.

“Go ahead read it,” The Bear motioned.

I tapped on the news article and it opened.

Zephyr Ezekiel Platinumus world re-known scientist and lead researcher in the field of Stellar Engineering has been formally charged with Crimes Against Golordia after evidence pointed towards a construction that Zephyr has been secretly building around our Parent Star of Deneb.

“This is ridiculous,” I said looking up at the Bear.

“Ye haven’t gotten to the juicy part yet,” The Bear motioned to the article. I looked confused at him then over at Rae who looked at the floor nervously, avoiding my glances.

According to lead FREE scientist Norman Hunraken. Who gave the rebel leader an apt name The Sun Eater…

I stopped and gaped at that sentence and read it again. I read it several times before deciding that I had not been seeing things. My father called Zephyr the Sun Eater; the very thing that Zephyr had been trying to find out more about.

I didn’t know what to think just then. I was already reeling from the revelations from earlier. Had I chosen the path of deciding to follow through my father’s orders I surely would have been killed. Not only that but he did not have any remorse at the idea he would have killed me.

“Ah so ye’ve finally seen the juicy part eh?” The Bear said.

“Eight I told them that you don’t have anything to do with your father coming up with these accusations.” Rae said suddenly.

“Ironically a few days after you left.” The Bear said.

“I have no say in what my father accuses people of doing,” I said.

It was true I did not have any say in this. Perhaps this was my father’s plan in case I had not decided to eradicate the rebellion. Perhaps he thought if he tarnished the name of Zephyr he would be able to diminish the power of the rebellion.

I tried to understand everything that was going on. My father had accused Zephyr of being the one who put that weapon called the Sun Eater near Deneb. I almost could see how, based on my scans of the news paper how if one did not know what I knew, that Zephyr definitely would be capable of building such a thing. Considering he had even made a public attempt at announcing the creation of the Dyson Sphere. One could look at what my father had said and construed it into believing that Zephyr was the source of all evil.

I began to analyzing everything. Should I go and find my father?

“Did you find your father?” Rae asked suddenly.

“No, when I went back he had moved on,” I said.

“Leave it to the man to run off like that,” The Bear snorted. “Ye didn’t warn ’im did ye?”

“Why would I do that?” I said.

“Why would she do that?” Rae said at the same time.

“Ye ’re ’is daughter after all,” The Bear said shrugging.

“There is no way after all I have learned here, would I betray you guys like that.” I said and Rae nodded in agreement.

“I suppose I can believe ye,” The Bear said after looking at me and then at Rae. Rae looked like she was holding her position in space quite well and was there supporting me.

I admired Rae greatly for this. She had suddenly become my source of courage. I began to review and press beyond my confusions.

“But now we ’ave a much bigger dilemma, with yer father accusing Zephyr like ’e ’as, I do not know where that leaves us or the rebellion.”

“Wherever the rebellion goes from here,” I said. “You should know that I intend to help in any way that I can.”

“Zephyr said ye would say that,” The Bear nodded. “You have Rae to thank about that. She talked our ears off when this news broke saying that you would never betray us like that.”

“It wasn’t much,” Rae said turning red when I looked at her.

I gave Rae a smile. I think it was here I first began to realize something. I as an android may not have bee programmed to be able to feel or understand emotions. Yet the self-determinism that I had been given had made me feel emotions of my own. I recognized there, that my connection to Rae had become one of emotional support and comfort.

This seemed outlandish, an android depending on a non-manufactured being for emotional support? It was a whole new set of feelings and a whole new set of emotions on its own. I knew that no matter what Rae was there and she had become a source of stability for me.

“Well you guys have my unconditional help,” I said.

“I knew you would say that,” Rae said happily.

There was a pause between us. It was the first time I recognized it for what it really was: an acceptance of each other in each others space.

“This reminds me of a joke I once ’eard.” The Bear said interrupting the pause between us. “A bear, a pirate and a guy from Marcab walked into a space port…”

“Why would they let a bear into a space port?” I asked turning to the Bear. It was a curious idea a bear walking into a space port?

“It’s a blimey joke!” The Bear said.

“Yes, but it doesn’t make sense,” I said and Rae gave a boastful laugh.

“Not everything is so black and white Eight,” Rae said.

“I know they can be grey too,” I shot her a smile

“All ’ave ye know that this joke is one of the greatest jokes I ’ave ever ’eard of.” The Bear said continuing with his outrage.

With that my new life began with the rebels with my new friends, with my new family, my new….love. It was a decision that I made on my own volition. I had decided to be with these people to live with them to care about them to experience these things called laughter and crying and especially this thing called love.

An android wanting to experience this thing called love? It sounds outlandish, an android isn’t supposed to be feeling such a thing? Well I will be the first to experience it. This thing called love sounded interesting to me, and if I experienced and was in fact experiencing it now, it was something that definitely I can say it’s something worth experiencing.

Having no emotional feelings? Love definitely was something worth experiencing, take it from an Android who is experiencing this every day. An Android who has feelings.

The End.