by Michael Kan
Arendi squinted. Dream? she asked.
She didn’t quite understand it. The act was something she herself could only mimic.
Farcia put it bluntly. We were gods.
We were both advanced and ancient. Far beyond your era. At our height, we could even command space and reality itself.
The woman’s lone finger had continued to draw a circle but now stopped.
But then it was over. One day, your universe emerged and collided with ours. At first, we were amused. This was something new. But very quickly it started to grow. In a flash, your realm filled our sky. Then it began to consume.
We tried to seal it off, Farcia said. She touched the puddle in an attempt to grasp and hold the tiny bits of pond. As she felt the moisture, her voice turned annoyed.
You had suddenly become this nuisance. This mess, she said, brushing the puddle away with flick. In fact, we had the chance. We could have extinguished your universe. Crushed you in your infancy. Destroyed you, right there.
Her fingers then clasped hard into a fist. Her hand almost pounded the floor, angry.
But no we couldn’t, she added. Farcia stopped short of hitting the puddle at her feet. She was distraught, but relented. Her weakened fist fell into her other hand.
We realized your universe was alive. It was life itself, she added. We saw the signs of civilization. The potential. The more your universe grew, the more life emerged.
If only it hadn’t come at the expense of us. You grew, eating away at my universe, piece by piece. Then, eventually, we merged.
She made the motion with her hands, and clapped. Your universe, young as it was, killed most of mine, then absorbed the rest. Sent what remained of my world into a dimension parallel to yours. But even there, we weren’t safe. We lurked in the shadows while your universe continued to grow, obliterating what was left of us.
Her fingers then laced together and touched, and she felt the skin over her hands. She did it delicately, as though the sensation were entirely new.
It was strange. From our realm, we could feel and even hear you, she said. This new universe and the life inside were evolving. Your galaxy, especially.
Farcia looked up to the ceiling, imagining herself staring into a new world. It had once been a bizarre and jarring sight. The very laws and sense of time were at odds with those of the old.
It was dreamlike, she explained. So much of it was vague and undefined, there were only questions. This new sense of infinity. This new unknown. The frontier.
What were you? she asked. What did your existence even mean? We could only watch from a distance. Time in your world moved so much faster. We struggled even to understand.
Farcia sat there, empty. For decades now, she had been inside this enigma this new universe and still she had no answer.
All we knew was that we had to act, she said. If left unchecked, the vacuum of your universe would inevitably have consumed us. The energy sustaining us drained with every moment. Many of us believed we needed to migrate. Others sought to try to control you. But then there were those who demanded your destruction, she added. Even if it meant genocide the death of trillions. They were convinced that your universe wasn’t real. That you were inferior, or some form of virtual life. Not worth saving. Maybe not even real.
Is that what you wanted? Arendi asked.
Farcia paused. Although her instinct was to say yes, her people had chosen a different path.
I don’t know, she replied. I just wanted my people to survive. Over time, we came up with plans. We sent our ships into your universe. Gradually, we realized your galaxy was different from the others. The life it held was vast. There were so many different races, so much diversity, it was astonishing. So we tried to make the transfer. We ourselves could never exist in your world. But perhaps our minds could. It was the one link we had in common our thoughts. Our shared sentience.
Farcia looked down at her frail hands and body. She felt the flesh and the remaining moisture on the skin and sighed.
Still, it was pointless, she said. We couldn’t control you. You strive for freedom. For free thought. Naturally, you all resisted. Eventually, we began to die. Our world was falling apart, and still we had no escape. We even sent you a vision. We hoped that maybe you might be able to save us that maybe we could coexist together.
In truth, Farcia’s people had no idea what to do. All their plans had failed. Eons had passed in one universe, and death had quickly arrived to claim the other.
We were desperate, Farcia wheezed. But some of us embraced it. They said it was time for change. That our death was not an end, but a beginning. A transition into the new.
I never believed it, she said, clutching her chest. How could I? It was based on blind faith.
She was offended by the very thought. Farcia shuddered to the claim.
Even now, I can’t see it.
She planted her face in her hands, wanting it all to make sense. But it didn’t. Reality had abandoned her people. A new universe had come to supplant the old.
Farcia had been there to fight back and oppose. It’s true, she later admitted. We waged war against you and your galaxy. We tried to control you. To go as far as to manipulate your thoughts.
You don’t know it yet. But your people have a power. All sentient life does from us to you. Once we were gods. Our minds were part of our universe. Perhaps one day your people will evolve and come to understand. That power it’s inevitable.
Farcia sat back, exhausted. She had fought for so long, and like Arendi, she was tired. Tired of it all.
As for my people, they are gone, Farcia added. We did what we thought was right, but still, we are dead.
The Endervars The enemy This was their story.
Arendi remembered the exchange. Her artificial mind was replaying the entire dialogue. She listened, hearing only tragedy. The history of a dead empire ended as Farcia’s voice eventually fell silent.
But the tale wasn’t over. Arendi felt it in her wrist. She realized that there was a way to save them. The Gateway technology was the answer. She flexed her right hand. The schematics to the forbidden project were still there, housed inside the data chip next to her armband. It was only a partial blueprint, so it wouldn’t be enough to rebuild the entire technology. But Farcia’s accomplice, the Enforcer, had probably obtained his own copy; if so, he was constructing it now.
Arendi needed to find him. Even if it meant the end to Farcia’s only hope. She tried to focus. She had to. There was too much at stake to hesitate. Her mind reactivated the full power of her artificial systems. The machine side made the connection. She was ready to interface and communicate with the juggernaut. But it would all have to wait. Moments later, she was forced to set everything aside. From the ceiling and through the air, she heard the alert. The juggernaut’s scans had detected something. It came not from the ship itself, but from a distance millions of kilometers away.
Arendi pulled up a virtual view in her mind. There, she saw the threat. Endervar ships were approaching from the rim of the system. It was four, and then five. Maybe more. All moving at high speed. They were all heading to the juggernaut, and ready to blaze a trail through the dormant fleet. There would only be minutes before contact.
Arendi squeezed her right hand. Her systems immediately deleted the Gateway technology inside her wrist. The mechanics inside burned the data in silence. She then left the bridge and ran to Farcia.
***
The white-haired woman was ready to leave. She waited next to the escape pod, holding the space helmet in her hands. The rest of her body was fitted in gold, contained behind the protective suit.
My kin. They’re finally here, Farcia said.
Her eyes were pitch-black, and so were the veins around her wrinkled face. She was speaking to the approaching ships with her vast telepathy. The alarms across the juggernaut were all going off. Arendi met the woman at the end of the hallway and grabbed Farcia by the wris
t.
You’re not going anywhere, Arendi said.
She held on to Farcia’s sleeve, determined not to let go. The juggernaut, although incomplete, was under Arendi’s control. The code from the Destroyer had secured full access. It was a fact Farcia was well aware of. The escape pod next to her wouldn’t launch without Arendi’s permission. Farcia felt Arendi’s hard grip on her arm but refused to concede.
It doesn’t matter what you say, she replied. Neither of us will give up.
But I also know you won’t hurt me. You care too much, Farcia added. You want me to live.
Arendi didn’t move. Her hand was still clamped on the woman’s wrist. She could easily have ripped Farcia’s suit off or even have carried the woman away. But Farcia was right. Arendi didn’t want to hurt her. It was something Farcia could see and even feel. Arendi was no killer. At least, not an intentional one.
Farcia placed her gloved hand over Arendi’s. If you won’t change your mind, then this will, she said.
Farcia gave the order and sent the thought into the void. Her ships were closing in on the juggernaut, and now they began to fire.
Although the particle beams were meant as a warning, they also came to destroy. The blasts dismembered and vaporized parts of the construction net surrounding the juggernaut. Arendi’s fingers loosened. Both women’s bodies shook to the impact.
Outside, the metal cage was breaking apart and glowing with hot embers. The mounting debris crumbled and burst into the cold. But to make her point clear, Farcia had decided to target something else. She did so reluctantly, shutting her eyes. Arendi flinched. A jolt ran through her systems. Her connection to Farcia’s shuttle had just been severed. The vessel was under attack. Neither of them could fully see it, but the weapons fire had sliced through the craft.
What are you doing? Arendi asked.
Farcia blinked, and a single tear fell down to her cheeks.
You have to let me go. If you don’t, my ships will destroy us. I’ve already told them what to do.
She was serious. She needed to leave. Arendi pulled her hand away. She grudgingly stepped back, knowing she had little choice. The juggernaut’s scans detected close to a dozen Endervar ships nearby.
The hatch to the escape pod then opened. With no other choice, Arendi had relinquished control.
Farcia placed her hand next to the entrance. She was ready to enter, and the helmet was in her fingers. But she couldn’t depart just yet.
The Gateway technology, Arendi said.
You won’t give it up. You’d rather die. I know, Farcia replied.
But Arendi shook her head. I’m not the only one who obtained a copy, she said. The Enforcer likely has one, too.
Farcia stopped in her tracks. Her suit crinkled as she turned back. The dark veins around her eyes softened. She looked at Arendi, realizing it was probably the truth.
That’s why you’re looking for him, she said.
Arendi nodded. You have to help me. If he uses it, it’ll be the end of everything.
She thought back to all that Farcia had said. To her story and to the choices her civilization had once faced. Your people. They knew it wasn’t right to destroy us. You must know that.
Arendi was pleading with her. Farcia was no longer just a faceless enemy.
Help me. Please, she said. You can’t let this happen.
Farcia tried to ignore her. She wasn’t sure what to say. Moments ago, she had assumed it was all a lost cause. Her people were dead; the new universe had consumed them. All that was left was to move on and adapt. But Arendi had suddenly revived the last ray of hope. For a long moment, Farcia was silent. She stood at the edge of the escape pod hatch with one foot nearly inside. On the other end was Arendi. She was asking Farcia to do more than just help. She wanted her to abandon all she had fought for. To give up on a promise she had made years ago.
Farcia couldn’t. Not now.
If someone offered you a chance to correct the past, to save what you cared for, would you not take it? she asked.
The white-haired woman looked on, sad and desperate. It might have been wrong, but she had already made her choice. The entity inside couldn’t be saved. With another step, Farcia left Arendi behind. The helmet came over her face. With a click, the brace along her neck sealed.
Farcia, however, still sought to speak. The voice came through the audio port on her suit. In some ways, you and I are not so different, she said with a final glance.
A savior in one universe, a murderer in the other. But only one of us can succeed.
Farcia sniffed. The skin over her face shriveled in regret. Forgive me, she said as the hatch door dropped shut.
Vents along the entrance spewed air. The cold steam was starting to eject from the surrounding aperture. Then the gears holding the escape pod in place let go.
Arendi heard the muffled blast. The capsule carrying Farcia was jetting off.
No, Arendi said, already regretting it. She waved off the gas and watched. There was nothing left but an empty chute.
The escape pod dove into space, only to be pulled into an enemy vessel minutes later. The Endervar craft essentially inhaled the capsule and then altered its course.
Arendi stood there, monitoring the enemy fleet. The scans from the juggernaut were entering her mind. She tightened her fists, angry. Maybe this was all a mistake, Arendi thought.
She had just allowed Farcia a dangerous threat to get away. If the woman chose to, she could easily destroy Arendi right there. The juggernaut was out in the open, practically defenseless. The battleship itself was hardly ready to fight back; engines, shields, and weapons were either down or nonexistent.
Arendi braced for attack. But in the end, there was none. The Endervar ships were all turning away. She saw the scans. The vessels sped fast, leaving Arendi behind, out of weapon’s range. With Farcia in tow, they moved on to their next priority.
Initially, Arendi assumed that the vessels were preparing to jump into faster-than-light warp, but there was no sign of it. Instead, the Endervar fleet was accelerating even deeper into the system. The juggernaut was calculating the projected flight path. The route apparently led directly to a different structure. It floated within the system, and according to the readings, it was a shipyard. The facility was large, like the juggernaut, but it orbited closer to the failed star. Farcia and her ships, however, converged around the structure; the woman was preparing to board.
Chapter 38
The surrounding system held more than just the past. It also contained access. Farcia entered the abandoned shipyard, seeking to retrieve the command codes. She sought to cement the old loyalty and ensure control. The facility itself was a mechanical crescent against the brown dwarf. Nesting along the structure were hundreds of inactive drones. The egglike machines had once swarmed the area, harvesting resources and then processing them to form metal and energy. The goal was simple. The drones had come to build an army for the Defector.
Farcia could see the aborted result. The dormant fleet was scattered across the area, still incomplete. The Defector had died before the plan could come to fruition. Instead, a new plan had come to replace it. A desperate one that Farcia had come to know.
She arrived at the facility, escorted by her kin. Her body left the escape pod and came to the shipyard’s main hatch. Although the shipyard might have been built by the Defector, it recognized Farcia upon entry. She stepped inside, magnetizing her feet to the floor.
Unlike the juggernaut, the structure had been designed with no life support. Nor was it contained. The skeletal frame was open to the vacuum.
Farcia walked deeper into the structure, at first hearing nothing but her breath. A trail of lights had formed beneath her feet, and she followed it, moving through the darkened trench. It wasn’t a long walk. She was almost there. But with each step, Farcia began remembering the maker of all this.
The voice spoke to her now.
Help me, it sa
id. Please
Farcia nearly shivered in her suit. She tried to forget the memory, but still it came.
The Unity they will betray you I promise you that.
Farcia slowed her step and closed her eyes. She heard the warning and took another breath.
The Defector she replied. For a brief time, Farcia had known the nameless woman. The Unity had declared the elusive figure a traitor and demanded her death. Two decades ago, Farcia had been there, watching as the power struggle began to unfold. The Unity and its machine empire were in ruins. The Defector had exposed and sabotaged almost every vital stronghold.
Then the woman was on the run. The elusive figure may have been resourceful, but she was still no match for the Unity. The Alliance strike force was gone, and her foes and their assassins were on the hunt. The Defector was all alone in this region of space. So the woman turned to the one force that might have been compelled to help.
Please you have to act.
Initially, Farcia didn’t care. She had despised the woman and everything that she had done. According to the Unity, the Defector deserved to die for her betrayal, and Farcia had no reason to disagree.
But the Defector was there to tell her the truth.
You’re in danger. If not now, then soon.
The Unity had plans for Farcia. They wanted her power and were preparing to claim it. The possibility had always been on Farcia’s mind. She had never quite trusted the machine empire. They had been exiled from the Alliance for a reason. The clandestine group craved control. The Defector had told her all this and implored her to destroy them. She had been a whisper over the shoulder, almost panting in her desperation.
Why should I trust you? Farcia had once answered.
The Defector was mysterious, but the woman had also undoubtedly been a master manipulator. She had nearly toppled the Unity from the shadows. Then she had beseeched Farcia, in an effort to sow another moment of dissent.