by Alex Guerra
“More worlds…” I said, thinking about Earth.
“I will do my best to get you back home. Get some rest. We are going back to base in the morning,” she said, getting up and walking off to help others in the compound.
NINE
There was a ceremony for the fallen. The conglomerate lost fifty-seven of its number, and another forty-three wounded. Twelve of the wounded would likely never return to combat for a long time, if ever.
The conglomerate cremated their dead and then placed something like “urns” in the hallways lining the base entrances and walls to commemorate the fallen. I overlooked them before as just some sort of decoration. Now realizing what they were, a sinking feeling overcame me. This base had hundreds of these urns inside, lining its walls, and this was only one conglomerate base. I could only imagine how many people had given their lives fighting the empire over the last few decades, or centuries possibly.
The urns were in the shape of golden cubes. Pressing a button on their forward face, a life-size hologram emitted of the individual, and some recorded audio from their time in the conglomerate. Sometimes, friends would record messages about the individual as well, offering a greater sense of connection than a regular headstone or marker.
The name of Trooper 6 was Hallath Reo. He was of the species Nankii, and the system we were currently on was right next to his home star system. The hologram showed him stepping forward with a large, bright smile in his full battle gear and his helmet tucked under his left arm.
It was the first time I was able to see his face—orange and white skin with red freckles, as well as a slight ridge up the center of his face and cheekbones. He saluted in the traditional conglomerate manner, with the right fist snapping to the center of their chest. “For the Galactic Conglomerate,” he said, proudly.
Only one other phrase was available. It was something to the effect of, "fighting for those he lost back home to the empire".
I could see that the conglomerate took some liberties in trying to reinforce their views through messages from the dead—powerful stuff. I wondered if most of the conglomerate fighters had such convictions as Hallath did. Regardless, I wanted to honor his sacrifice and bowed my head in silent prayer.
“This is the one who was next to you that day?” asked Seya, quietly at my side.
I lifted my head and looked at her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” she said, with a solemn look about her.
“No, it’s alright,” I assured her, turning the hologram off.
“Are you religious?” she asked.
“No, not really. I suppose I wasn’t praying to anything or anyone in particular. Just...thinking to the universe I guess,” I shrugged. “You?”
“I follow the Darkkon religion of Kala. It states that those we lose will be reborn once again, after the end of days has passed when the universe is reset,” she explained.
“That seems like a long time,” I said, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, to a mortal. I always imagined it would be nearly instantaneous to those who already passed, though. Time doesn’t need to adhere to the same way we experience it once you’re gone,” said Seya.
“You may be onto something,” I considered, crossing my arms.
“It comforts those who are born into a low position, or warriors going into battle. Knowing that death brings a grand new beginning. Brings people reassurance, don’t you think?” she asked.
“Can’t argue with that,” I agreed. “Although, you would also be leaving everyone else behind in the process.”
“Like most things, it is temporary. Apologies, I shouldn’t pry into your beliefs,” she pursed her lips, sweeping her bangs out of her face.
“It’s okay. I can’t speak for the rest of humanity though. It’s still a sensitive topic back home,” I admitted.
“So, humanity isn’t unified or doesn’t even agree on what to believe in?”
“Not by a long shot,” I scoffed.
There was a short pause between us.
“Tell me honestly, how much damage did we deal to the empire the other day?” I asked, leaning against a pillar.
“We liberated Gwei-yon from imperial hands and reinforced ourselves with their own supplies. I’d say it was significant. If you are referring to the war, this is how we win the war, a single city at a time,” she said.
“Figured it was something like that. This war is not going to end anytime soon, is it?” I asked, then took her silence as a no.
“Come, we have matters to discuss,” she turned and left.
*****
On the western end of a hidden base, held a large atrium reserved for meetings. Sparse and uniform with the rest of the base’s spartan appearance, its furnishing was a wide table and seating. Its only other decoration was a makeshift conglomerate flag. Primarily white, there was a black square at its center with the corners positioned up and down. A red circle was inside the square with a red chevron pointing up, adorning the top center of the flag’s body; while golden tassels made up its trim along the top and bottom—which hung on the wall vertically. The same emblem was crudely scrawled onto equipment and other walls in the base.
Inside the atrium, all the conglomerate’s officers gathered. Many of them stood around, speaking amongst themselves in small groups. Suddenly, their conversation came to an abrupt silence and all eyes rested upon us as we entered the room.
Through the crowded room, we found Commander Nura among the other officers and approached him.
A lump of uneasiness formed in my throat. The ceremony for the dead just finished earlier this morning. I wasn’t quite sure when the best time to bring up my deal with Nura was—without coming off as some insensitive prick anyway. I was itching to be done with all this.
“Seya, Arthur, welcome. I thank you both for your valiant efforts during our last operation. I heard you played a pivotal role in repelling a rather large imperial attack—well done,” he said, puffing his chest out a bit more.
“Thank you,” we said together.
“We're all pressed for time. Let’s get this meeting underway,” Nura announced to the room.
Everyone took their seats. Seya and I sat next to each other when I saw a familiar face a few seats away. It was Norto, the squad leader. We exchanged a quick nod of acknowledgment.
“We are currently gathering excess supplies to be redistributed to bases closest to the frontlines. The fleet is sending three ships to receive the shipment, the first of which will be arriving as early as tomorrow morning. The other two will come in the following evening.
"The task for the bulk of our forces here now is to have those ships in and out of dock as quickly as possible. We must continue securing the city in preparation for what is likely to be a retaliatory attack by the empire,” said Commander Nura.
The last detail stirred the officers in their seats. They cast troubling glances at each other around the table.
“What can we expect in terms of the size of imperial forces?” another officer spoke up. “Are there any estimates on how long we have to prepare?”
“It’s unknown at this moment,” said Nura, squeezing a clawed hand into a tight fist “We already have civilians praising our efforts for having rid the city of the empire. We can expect many newcomers to join our ranks, enough that even the enemy will think twice before sending any small fleet to fight us.”
A few words of praise came from around the table.
“The empire may even consider it too great a risk diverting any more forces away from their frontlines here at this time. That is wishful thinking, though,” the commander added, with a sense of hope.
Hell, now is as good a time as ever, I thought, wanting to get this over with.
I leaned in towards the officer. “Commander, I don’t mean to be rude, but our deal?” I asked, in a low voice.
“Straight to the point, I see, Arthur,” he said with a grin. “I haven’t forgotten.”
“Goo
d to know. So, may I have my power core now?” I asked.
He paused a moment as if to gather his thoughts. “I can give you the power core once we complete our preparations in the following days. We still need to power the base a while longer as we wait for the fleet’s ships to arrive,” he probed.
“That’s not what we agreed on, Commander Nura,” I said, raising my voice slightly.
Everyone at the table studied the exchange in the same manner one normally does when there is a sudden disruption.
“I said I would give you the core after the operation was completed,” he said, evenly. “I never specified that it would be immediately after.”
“Look, I know you have a base to run, but the faster you give me the power core, the faster I can leave here. I told you, I’ll give you my ships and the A.I. when I have all the energy I need…please,” I protested. The room fell silent with tension. “I’m sorry, but I was nearly killed holding up my end of the bargain, fighting a war I have no part of. Blood for blood—that’s what you said,” I reminded him with a scowl. I looked towards Seya, who seemed a bit shocked at my outburst, but the look quickly disappeared. She turned to Nura and gave him a nod, holding up her end of the deal.
“Very well,” he sighed, looking down. He motioned to a few of the officers, who walked over to him.
Together they moved the table to one side and pulled the rug beneath it. Nura and three other officers placed their hands on the floor, all touching the corners of a square that was barely visible. The square slid aside, revealing a hidden compartment that was now emitting a faint silver glow. I stepped forward to get a closer look.
“We need to have at least a few hours to start up our generators while we make the swap,” the commander informed me.
“Dotty, analyze it,” I said, feeling too anxious give the command mentally.
Analyzing—
Dotty was no doubt using my eyes to fulfill the diagnostic.
There is a problem with the power core, Arthur.
“What problem?” I said, getting concerned looks from the officers as I proceeded with my one-sided conversation.
The power core is damaged. While it has enough power to supply the base with energy needs for a few more years, it will do little towards the amount of energy we require to send The Pillar to Earth and back. I also need an additional twelve percent of a single core to make the transfer before you leave.
“How much is left in this one?” I asked, nervously.
Nine percent.
“N-Nine percent. No—” my legs felt weak as I grabbed at the back of a nearby chair.
“Art?” asked Seya, reaching for me. I pulled my arm away before she touched me.
“I’ll never get home,” I muttered. “All this for nothing.”
“What’s going on?” Nura asked.
“Don’t you see? This thing is busted, it’s not enough to get me home. I can’t even give you the A.I. with this power.” I felt sick. “I’m never going to be able to leave at this rate.”
“This won’t be enough power for you? But, it’s all we have to offer,” said the commander, his face painted with concern.
“Art, there’s no way any of us could know how much power your ship needed without you telling us. It’s ancient technology,” said Seya.
“I know, I just—shit!” I slapped the table hard.
“Arthur, I am sorry that it’s not enough, I want to help you,” Nura said.
“A few of our science vessels have longer expedition ranges. Some even have cryo-fields for journeys many lightyears away. I’m sure we can ask the science officers to spare a spot aboard,” suggested one of the officers.
“No, you misunderstand. He is from a planet incredibly far away, further than any of our current explorations have gone before,” said Seya. “He’s from the completely opposite side of the galaxy.”
I could easily see disbelief in the officer’s eyes.
“But, how is that even possible? I thought he was possibly related to the Darkkon with his features. You mean to say he’s from somewhere beyond where even our most advanced ships have explored?” the officer blurted out.
“Not any of our ships, anyway,” she reinforced.
“Are you saying that Arthur’s ship has the ability to jump all the way across the galaxy?” asked Nura.
"If it had sufficient enough power, then yes.” Dotty’s voice piped up through a speaker. A few of the officers recoiled at the sudden boom of the voice. “Allow me to explain the situation. I am the ancient artificial intelligence Arthur spoke of. You may call me Dotty. I was recently in the possession of one of your conglomerate scientists, a person by the name of Caulder Erso.”
I scanned the room in hopes of seeing recognition on someone’s face, but it did not appear so.
“Seven months ago, when Caulder unearthed me from the wreckage of the Yau ship I was in charge of, I agreed to help him continue his research and search for more technology on the one condition that it was shared with the conglomerate," explained Dotty.
“Did it just say the Yau?” asked one of the officers, “That’s impossible.”
“Not to sound ungrateful, but why would an ancient artificial intelligence choose sides in a war it has no stake in?” asked Nura.
“That is where you are wrong. The Yau was in conflict with the Vael Empire for nearly one hundred years before my creator’s ultimate defeat. Just before their end, my creators secretly sent out many ships full of Yau, in hopes of keeping their civilization alive, but I am unaware of their locations, or if that mission was even a success.
“With my help, Caulder and I upgraded his ship using Yau technology we found later, in another Yau ruin. It was with his ship that we set out to find more technology, which led us near Arthur’s planet, Earth.
“Unfortunately, an agent of the empire killed Caulder, while I was with him for a short time. In a final effort to stay out of the enemy’s hands, I redirected Caulder’s ship to Earth, which is where I met Arthur." Dotty let all this sink in for a moment with the officers, as they had a general look of disbelief among them. “There was a portal on Earth, still connected to a ship on this side of the galaxy. We escaped and now we are here to help once again.”
Dotty droned on, recounting the events which led us here. I wasn’t paying any attention to it, only focusing on returning home; to leave this strange dream behind. This nightmare. Never would I think I would possibly never see my parents or sister again—it was weighing on me.
I continued to stare down at the dim power core solemnly. The core had to be hundreds of years old and yet it kept trekking on, even in its final years of use. Here I was, only two weeks into this journey, and already losing hope with every new twist and turn. There was just too much uncertainty for me.
“Thank you for showing us. And—I’m sorry for my outburst,” I managed to say.
“I too, am sorry that we cannot offer anything more to aid you now. Although, we would be grateful should you and you’re A.I. continue to help us. We will help you as best as we can in return,” said Commander Nura.
“It is my mission to aid you in any way possible in the fight against the Vael Empire,” said Dotty. “However, with our ship’s current energy levels, that would ultimately be Arthur’s decision, as all my integration has been through him,” The entire room looking at me in anticipation.
You would just force me to continue this mission regardless of my choice.
That is correct, but it will be easier if you cooperate. I apologize that we were unable to find a more suitable power core. I will continue searching the nearby systems for more possible locations.
The thing in my head was a machine, there was no other way to look at it, but its sincerity just now...it seemed almost genuine. I knew I really didn’t have a choice for the moment—not a great one anyway. The least I could do is try to save face with this alien resistance for the moment.
“Oh, come on. You think I’m going to turn my back on you all
after having gone through all this? I will continue to help you with the task ahead, at least until I can find a way back home,” I said, attempting to clear the air as a noticeable relief swept through the room. “If you’ll excuse me, I need some time to myself.” Glancing at Seya, I noticed her worried smile, but thankfully, no one tried to stop me as I exited the room.
TEN
I decided to change into the only civilian attire I had, which was my bodyglove, combat boots, and a jacket I found that was about three sizes too large, resembling a parka. I bound the sleeves up to deal with the slack since the bulkiness of the jacket allowed me to conceal a blaster easily. I wanted to see the city we liberated with fresh eyes, but I needed to stay cautious.
Setting out through the maze of tunnels of the underground base, I somewhat memorized the way back—despite needing a little bit of help from Dotty’s mapping abilities when I was unsure at two or three forks. Not bad for my third time through them. Dotty sent a message to Nen Guri as we approached the hidden entrance in the shop’s yard. When we arrived, the hidden hatch opened without difficulty. Nen Guri was sitting on a crate, fidgeting with some part I neither recognized nor understood. I noted the blaster he had resting next to his leg, recognizing immediately that he was still being cautious.
“Thank you for letting me through,” I said, as I closed the hatch behind me. “I didn’t think you would allow me to come up this way.”
“Well, it’s not like the imperials are around now. It’s only you?” he asked, looking up from his handiwork. “I thought you would be with Seya.”
“Yeah, it’s just me for now. I wanted to use up some downtime and have a look around the city. Any suggestions?” I asked.
“We did a number on the city. Some places shut down permanently, since the buildings are no longer there" said Nen Guri. “People have to make a living still. If they didn’t destroy your place, you can remain open for business.” He shrugged, waving a hand to his own place. Although light damage was evident, the furry owner fixed it with some quick patchwork.