Naero's Valor

by Mason Elliott

  This immense creature did pulse with the Cosmic force of something akin to a lesser star, yet it was neither some kind of bizarre, wandering singularity or a Darkforce phenomenon.

  “Surprise,” Zhen noted. “Nor is this threat from you-know-who. That in itself is hard to believe.”

  It was clearly not comprised of Darkforce energy and did not appear to be the work of the Great Adversary in any way.

  So what was this crazy damn Thing?

  Where had it come from and why was it here?

  Something entirely new, dangerous, and mysterious moved through the black, that much was sure.

  It defied description.

  It even appeared to be sentient in some ways, although it apparently resisted all rational attempts to communicate with it.

  This Thing actively used energy to jump many parsecs at once, from one point to another. It even changed direction.

  But the most important fact was that it ate worlds.

  That even seemed to be its primary function.

  In the Gixx language, “planet eater” was Kogg Makkull and their frantic coms used that phrase quite frequently.

  The Kogg Makkull had already ingested dozens of Gixx worlds, complete with their now dead populations. It consumed these worlds as if using them for fuel–or food.

  This Thing seemed particularly fond of gas giants, and went out of its way to locate and devour them. If some smaller planets were too small, the thing would ignore them and push on to another system in search of more alluring prey.

  Of course the violent Gixx tried swarming their fleets at this monstrosity in an attempt to overwhelm it.

  For the second time in their history, they had met their match.

  A bunch of flies would have had as much luck trying to kill a gigantic carnasaur.

  Most of the Gixx and their fleets perished in the attempt, without even slowing the Thing down, let alone harming it.

  Naero and Khai were at a total loss up against this new, bizarre threat, puzzling about what to do along with Om, who and the others.

  Even if they chose to help the Gixx, what could they possibly accomplish or do to help?

  Om, any ideas?

  Data is still rushing in, Naero. I will hazard a guess and say that this is some kind of ancient hyper weapon that is now running amok. It is definitely from somewhere else.

  “Where, somewhere else?” Khai asked.

  It is not from our galaxy. Nor is it from the near lifeless galaxy of the G’lothc that is closest to us. Anything from either of our two known galaxies has certain trace pattern energy signatures in their base Cosmic makeup. This thing is perhaps from one of the other neighboring galaxies, possibly from one of several nearby that the initial Great War was fought within. All of them were heavily damaged.

  Naero felt both of her eyebrows shoot up.

  Haisha, Om, how can that be? If this thing is nearly two billion years old, it by far pre-dates that conflict.

  I know what you know, guys. I’m` just analyzing the data reads further and making conjecture. Perhaps it came here through another dimension; it did emerge from an Interdimensional space and go into its apparent search and destroy mode. Perhaps it was dormant for eons and something woke it up. Look, see here? This Cosmic device, or being, or whatever you wish to call it was at one point severely damaged and perhaps rendered largely inoperative for what might have been a very long time.

  Through our spyfixers, we can use teknomancy to see that this incredible object is also self-regenerating. Given enough time, resources, and energy, and it at last succeeded in repairing itself enough to begin functioning once more, in part. But also I sense that it is still malfunctioning to a large degree.

  “So,” Khai said, “it is attacking the Gixx and their worlds by accident or mistake?”

  Oh, no. It responds to any kind of attack or force quite readily, with astonishing aggression. It is a reactive weapon, yet it is also collecting further material and energy in order to continue repairing itself.

  Naero cut through all of the conjecture. How do we stop it, Om? Can we drain its energies? Is there a way to destroy it?”

  It uses Cosmic energy and operates on a previously unexplored spectral level sphere of about twenty million kilometers. You would need to attack it within that sphere, at that level. It adapts its form in order to either pull in or absorb energy and matter. Your Cosmic weapons and your abilities should be able to damage it and possibly put an end to it at those levels.

  “Not all of our abilities function properly within different spheres,” Khai said. “We know that much. N, our powers might not work properly if we try to attack this thing on its proper plane.”

  We must try something, Khai. This thing is destroying trillions of sentients, and it shows no signs of stopping. We have to try something.”

  If nothing else, your Ur-metal swords should still function. That has been proven for a while now. They function in any sphere. And once in the same sphere where this thing truly exists, you will also be on a comparative scale with it in every way. In theory, the two of you should be more than a match for it in its proper reality.

  Om helped them calculate the transport process to reach the precise sphere. They prepared for a major fight, against whatever this damn Thing was.

  Would the hyper militant Gixx even fully appreciate what they were attempting to do to help them?

  When they entered the exact sphere of existence, they came under almost immediate attack. Waves of heavy Cosmic force held them off, trying to incinerate them.

  Together they had withstood the heat at the core of a massive star.

  They shielded and positioned themselves so that the weapon being hovered between them in the vast aether expanse.

  Naero and Khai in that sphere were three hundred thousand kilometers high. The Kogg Makkull was almost twice their size and mass, shifting shape before their eyes and lashing out at them with energy bursts.

  It looked like some kind of weird flexing Cosmic Burrito, tube, or living torus with multiple energy appendages, and tendrils, defending itself like a humongous amoeboid.

  They kept their distance and tried to assess the weapon being further and make contact with it, if possible.

  Up close, just as Om said, they could clearly make out the considerable ancient damage that it had absorbed and tried to repair. There was something strange about all of that, but they couldn’t get any closer to learn anything more.

  Suddenly they tuned in enough to hear its telepathic voice boom, DESTROY ATTACKERS. DEFEND EXISTENCE. APPROPRIATE REQUIRED LEVELS OF MASS AND ENERGY. EXECUTE PRIORITY OBJECTIVE.

  What do you think its priority objective, is Khai?

  “Naero,” Khai told her. “Look here!”

  She used teknomancy to follow Khai’s perspective lead.

  Over ninety percent of this thing’s energies poured into another completely different sphere altogether. That was a huge amount of Cosmic power.

  Where was that energy going, and what was being done with it?

  “Look out!” Khai warned.

  A lashing energy tendril swatted her down and flung her away. Most of Naero’s shielding buckled and collapsed.

  She recovered and raced back in. Khai fought with the weapon being directly, deflecting its attacks, and trying to penetrate its energy fields to reach the core with Yii.

  Another heavy pulse flash flung Khai back, protective layers of green Cosmic energy shielding flowing around him in his own sphere.

  Two thirds of those shield layers shattered and collapse.

  This thing packed quite a punch.

  Naero helped Khai stabilize himself and stop spinning away.

  “It’s still too strong,” Khai told her. “A direct frontal assault won’t work.”

  “Let’s both hit it as hard as we can, from both sides.”

  “It’s not humanoid, N. It doesn’t actually have a side, or a front or a back. I don’t even see eyes, or a head. But it can sense our lo
cations and actions very clearly.”

  “I know, it keeps shifting form even while we speak. Let’s still try to catch it in a cross fire.”

  They blasted it with most of their highest level Cosmic attacks.

  They seemed to inflict some damage, but the overall results were minimal.

  Even at this level, in the sphere of origin, the thing either adapted to match and absorb the flows of their energies, or repelled most of them. This was a very sophisticated organism.

  Khai was right of course.

  “I’ve got another idea, Khai. Om’s computing something for us. Ready, Om?”

  Transport to the linked, adjacent sphere via these coordinates. Go now!

  They flashed into the sphere where the weapon being transferred most of its energies.

  Even at first glance, they both quickly realized that this pocket dimension was some kind of complex factory/hatchery.

  They spotted millions of the same unique type of weapon creature being manufactured/grown on a steady diet of Cosmic energy.

  The largest of them were still less than half way through their development cycle. None were able to function on the level of the final form/adult. None of them were self-aware yet.

  A booming voice warned them in their language as they drew closer to the facility. “Intruders, detonation of Cosmic defensive charges will begin in thirty of your standard seconds. Sooner if you attack us. Depart the way you came, or be destroyed. There will be no further warnings.”

  “That sounded like the voice of the original creature,” Khai noted.

  Naero shouted aloud, “We are willing to negotiate. We would prefer not to fight you. If you are sentient, and you can indeed reason, will you speak with us?”

  “I think we’d better go, before we see some of those bombs detonate, Naero.” Khai said.

  Several of the partially formed things began to pulse brightly with energy and speed toward them. “I agree.”

  The facility had plenty of hyper bombs to fling at them.

  The calculated yields will be quite dangerous. Get out now!

  They flashed back into the sphere with the damaged adult, which Naero guessed was programmed to collect matter and energy for use by the adjacent natal facility.

  “Back to where we started,” Khai said.

  “Not quite,” Naero noted. “We know a little more than we did before. We need to use-”

  Energy depletion beams.

  “Exactly. Our most powerful variety set to these flow patterns to match the flows of this Thing. Similar to the ones we use against the enemy, but there’s no Darkforce elements to contend with. Wait, I’ll try to engage the creature again before we conduct another assault.”

  They were still at a distance, so she used the voice. WEAPON ENTITY, YOU SPOKE TO US IN THE ADJACENT DIMENSION. WE PREFER TO NEGOTIATE RATHER THAN ATTACK, BUT WE ARE PREPARED TO STOP YOU. YOU ARE ATTACKING AND CONSUMING PLANETS AND MANY SENTIENTS IN THIS GALAXY. THAT CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE. CEASE YOUR DESTRUCTIVE EFFORTS.

  The entity responded in a similar fashion as it did before. DEFEND EXISTENCE. EXECUTE PRIORITY OBJECTIVE. ACQUIRE REQUIRED LEVELS OF MASS AND ENERGY. NO OTHER CONCERNS MATTER.

  It came at them fast, clearly intending to absorb them this time.

  “Strike hard now!” Naero yelled. “Tap into the energy of the red and brown dwarf spheres!”

  Their depletion and energy drain attacks slammed into the weapon being and brought it to a halt. When they bolstered their strategy with further energy levels from the other spheres, the entity continued to fail, buckle, shrink, and shrivel up in both size and density even faster.

  When it reached one tenth of its original volume and mass, it slowly retreated back into the linked pocket dimension with the hatchery.

  Once there, it would most likely hold them off with the same tactics as before.

  Naero knew what to do. “Khai, we go in, and you keep up the energy drain.”

  She sealed off the portal from the other side once they were in. With the entity now trapped, stuck half way in between the two spheres, perhaps it would listen.

  “Surrender, monster!” Naero commanded. “You grow weaker by the moment. We have you. You cannot escape, and you cannot achieve your primary objective.

  THEN WE SHALL ALL PERISH. YOU ARE MONSTERS FROM THE GREAT ADVERSARY. I WILL TAKE YOU DOWN WITH US!

  “That works, too. But you are incorrect; we are not monsters. You came here. You attacked these worlds in our skies. We do not want to hurt you. But you must stop eating these planets. Will you reason with us? Can we negotiate a peaceful solution to our situations? Are you actually capable of sentient thought and decisions?

  WE WOULD RATHER DESTROY EVERY LAST ONE OF US, THE LAST OF OUR KIND, THAN JOIN WITH YOU AND BECOME PART OF THE ENEMY!

  “Sure, sure, that’s always your final option. You’ve already proven that. But is that really necessary? Are you entirely certain that we can’t all just relax and discuss this like reasonable beings?”

  WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER TO OR FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE GREAT ADVERSARY. YOU EVIL ONES WILL NOT TAKE US! PREPARE TO DIE!

  “Stop right there,” Naero said. “Hold everything!”

  WE ARE NOT SERVANTS OF THE GREAT ADVERSARY,” KHAI SHOUTED. “IN FACT, WE FIGHT AGAINST THEM. WE ARE SOME OF THEIR GREATEST FOES!

  LIARS! DECEIVERS! ONE OF YOU WIELDS THE DARKFORCE. THAT IS THE MARK OF THE ENEMY.

  “Only as balance,” Naero said, “as part of the Great Harmony!”

  EVIL ONE. THE COSMIC PROPHECIES WARN ABOUT AND EXPOSE YOU. THE TAINT OF-

  “I’m not evil,” Naero insisted. “Well, not much any way. Dammit, I’m the Guardian of Enlightened Changed…a trickster. He’s the Cosmic Swordsman!”

  “See, I wield the first Cosmic Sword of Light, Yii!”

  ONE OF THE COSMIC SWORDS? BUT, HOW CAN THIS BE? YOU ARE SO DIFFERENT, AND BOTH OF YOU ARE…ALIVE! OH NO. WHAT GALAXY IS THIS? NO, NO, NO! WHAT UNIVERSE IS THIS? WERE WE TRULY BLASTED SO FAR AWAY? HOW DID WE ARRIVE HERE? WE WERE NEARLY SLAIN ALONG WITH ALL OF THE OTHERS–INOPERATIVE FOR SO LONG. IT MUST HAVE BEEN MILLIONS, PERHAPS TENS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS.

  Hundreds.

  Sure thing, Om.

  “Hundreds of millions,” Naero suggested. Then it hit her.

  This was a complex Cosmic construct being, as advanced as anything that the ancients in her universe had ever created. Naero and Om figured it out at the same time. This was definitely a weapon being.

  Created to fight the Great Destroyer in their alternate universe.

  Had they won…or lost in their reality? But whatever the outcome, somehow they ended up here in the Delta Quadrant.

  Khai was still linked with her and Om. “Beloved one, did you miss the part where they mentioned that our counterparts in their universe had perished?”

  “Yeah, I was trying to ignore those tidbits, honey.”

  Before their eyes, the weapon being broke down. It actually turned blue, disrupting and collapsing in on itself.

  Was it sobbing in some way?

  “Uh, weapon being from another universe entirely, can we still negotiate some more? Now that you know that we’re not from the enemy, can you please not blow yourselves up or do something equally devastating?”

  By the way N, if they do cook off, this pocket universe isn’t going to contain a Cosmic blast of that magnitude. Even at conservative estimates, such an explosion will prolly vaporize all matter within a diameter of about three hundred parsecs.

  Haisha, Om. Thanks for the heads up. We sure can’t have that. “Weapon being, are you all a collective, or some kind of hive mind? We cannot tell. Is there anything that we can call you, even as a reference point?

  UVXVU. WE ARE THE UVXVU. YOU MAY REFER TO ME AS UVX. I AM THE SENTIENT REPRESENTATIVE MIND FOR OUR SPECIES. WE TAKE IT THAT YOU HAVE NOT FACED YOUR GREAT DESTROYER YET IN THIS UNIVERSE?

  “No. We have not. Why do you ask?”

  BECAUSE, YOU AND THE COSMIC SWORDSMAN HERE
STILL LIVE. DID YOU NOT KNOW THAT ACCORDING TO MOST VERSIONS OF THE COSMIC PROPHECIES, EVEN WHERE THE GREAT DESTROYER IS VANQUISHED, THE COSMIC GUARDIANS OFTEN PERISH IN THE EFFORT?

  “Again, good to know,” Naero remarked. “Our advisors failed to mention that. What can you tell us about-”

  Uvx broke down again; “she,” as Naero chose to refer to her, seemed to be weakening and disrupting somehow. What was going on? Why was this so familiar? The Cosmic flows were like something that Naero had encountered before.

  “What is wrong with you, Uvx? You’ve been damaged somehow in the distant past. Why are you fading and losing energy still? We are no longer draining you in any way. Do you require assistance on any level? Can you show or describe to us what is wrong with you?”

  “They suffered the same attack that you did,” Khai told her. “They were struck by the same enemy death beam–numerous times–and like you, they survived. The signs and all of the scars are all there.”

  Khai is right, N. They suffered similar damage and the lingering effects, but on a much larger scale and in an even greater sphere of existence. Their damage never healed properly on the original unit, despite their efforts to remake more of themselves.

  Uvx recovered somewhat and could communicate once again. YOUR AI AND THE SWORDSMAN ARE CORRECT. THE GATALLAX APPOTHALLYON–WHAT YOU CALL THE GREAT DESTROYER ATTACKED US DURING THE FINAL BATTLE IN OUR DIMENSION. WE OF THE UVXVU WERE NEARLY BEYOND COUNT IN OUR GLORY, JUST ONE OF THE DEFENDING MIRACLE WAVES THAT THE MIGHTY ONES OF OUR UNIVERSE UNLEASHED AGAINST THE GREAT DESTROYER TO HELP WEAR IT DOWN AND BEAT IT BACK. SO MANY OF US FELL, SO MANY WERE ANNIHILATED, YET WE DID OUR DUTY, JUST AS WE WERE DESIGNED BY THE GREAT MAKERS TO DO. GALAXY AFTER GALAXY FELL TO ONSLAUGHT OF THE TERRIBLE DEVOURING DARKNESS OF THE GATALLAX APPOTHALLYON. WE DID ALL THAT WE COULD TO DEFEAT THAT GRUESOME, MADDENING THING, EVEN IF NONE OF US SURVIVED TO GAIN THE REWARD THAT WAS OFFERED TO US ALL.

  “What kind of reward?” Khai asked. “You were a weapon, created to help defeat the Great Destroyer. Why was there a need for any reward?”

  Uvx began to break down and fade further. ALL WHO CHOSE TO FIGHT THE LAST BATTLE WERE FREELY OFFERED THE REWARD. ONCE WEAKENED, BY YOUR ENERGY DRAIN ATTACKS, THE ANCIENT DAMAGE TAKES HOLD AGAIN. IT HAS NEVER FULLY HEALED. OUR PRIME OBJECTIVE WILL FAIL. WITHOUT AN ORIGINAL COLLECTION UNIT, THE REST OF US WILL NEVER FULLY MATURE. FADING NOW. IF YOU ARE GUARDIANS IN YOUR UNIVERSE…PLEASE…ASSIST…US…