“Captains! Commander!” Roland lifted his bottle to them. “Now the party can really get started!”
Captain Fey uncharacteristically necked her ale. “Enjoy tonight while you can. The reason we’re so late is because of a communication we just received from High Charge Uthor himself. It turns out they’re quite impressed by your efforts on Sebala. Under the command of Charge Hox, The Valkor will arrive in-system tomorrow morning. The Rackham is expected to dock and assist in Operation Darknight.”
“Seriously?” Colonel Matthews asked. “We just got back.”
Roland appeared as relaxed as ever when he asked, “What’s Operation Darknight?”
Captain Fey took in everyone present, no doubt making certain that she could trust those around her. “A recon drone has detected a radiation trail through the Solian Way; radiation typical of a Starforge. They want you to go in and check it out.”
Roland finished his ale and placed it on the table. “You mean they want to use the Rackham’s stealthware.”
“If you allowed them to look inside the Rackham, they wouldn’t need it.”
“Forget it!” Roland fired back. “That baby’s all mine!”
Lieutenant Riddick sat forward. “I thought they already had stealth technology. Isn’t that how they observed Earth for so long?”
“The Conclave’s designs don’t compare to that of the Terran,” Ch’len explained with a mouthful of grub. “You would need a Nexus-Class vessel just to fit the technology inside.”
“There’s also the fact that it doesn’t conceal them from nanocelium-based tech,” Li’ara said. “Only the Rackham can sneak by.”
All eyes fell back on to Roland. Kalian was interested to see what the bounty hunter’s decision would be, since he couldn’t technically be ordered to leave. He no longer recognised the UDC chain of command, or at least what little remained of it. Roland also wasn’t officially part of C-Sec so, despite his membership within the Conclave, he couldn’t be ordered about by High Charge Uthor either. Kalian could see the rogue chewing over his answer, no doubt weighing up the fun to be had planet-side versus the fun to be had killing Protocorps mercenaries.
“We’re in,” Colonel Matthews spoke on behalf of her team, who offered no complaints.
“As am I,” Naydaalan said with a flick of his elongated jaw.
Roland shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his Raalakian ale. “Fine. But if this radiation thing just turns out to be some spatial anomaly, I’m going to be pissed. And C-Sec is paying for the Intrinium! The Solian Way isn’t exactly a small stretch of space and the Rackham’s a thirsty girl.”
“I’m sure your demands will be met, Mr. North,” Captain Fey replied dryly. “So drink up, but just be ready for the Valkor’s arrival. Capturing a Starforge would be a massive win for all of us and Charge Hox isn’t going to wait around.”
Roland raised his bottle with the Raiders. “Then let’s get shitfaced!” The bounty hunter caught Fey’s classic scowl and added, “Just a little bit…”
With the music playing and the drinks flowing, Kalian sat back and enjoyed the atmosphere. Li’ara sat in apparent silence beside Sef, each communicating telepathically. It was tempting for Kalian to drop his mind into the frequency Li’ara’s brain emanated and listen in, but they were likely chatting about the most mundane of things. Sef was surprising that way. The Raiders took it upon themselves to teach Roland and Naydaalan every drinking game from the twenty-seventh century. Captain Holt sat with Commander Vale in the open plan kitchen, deep in conversation about the exploration program that would see the various science teams set out across their new world. Ch’len was passsed out and covered in cold Trillik appetisers.
Kalian smiled to himself. This was what he fought for. Earth and Century were gone, along with all of human history and its culture. Now they were forging something new and wholesome among the stars.
“Kalian.” Captain Fey rested a light hand on his shoulder. “Can I have a private word?”
“Of course,” Kalian replied, placing his glass of Novaarian wine on the table. “Follow me.”
When choosing their apartment, Kalian and Li’ara had made sure their new home had access to the roof. Neither had become tired of watching the sun rise and set over their new world. At this time of night, New Genesis was quiet with only a handful of cafés still open on the main street and the odd transport flying between the buildings.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this for some time,” Fey began, “but life in the council building has been hectic, to say the least.”
“I can imagine.” Kalian nodded along, doing his best to shut out the external information his brain was constantly processing. Even the solar radiation washing over the planet was clawing at his attention.
Captain Fey took a breath. “Have you noticed anything different about me, Kalian?”
That wasn’t a question he had been expecting, but Kalian focused on the atoms that connected Fey to the reality around her and let them feed back every bit of data about her. To anyone else, they were separated by several metres of empty air, but to Kalian, they were all a collection of particles residing inside the same soup; he had only to reach out discern everything about her.
The answer to her question came as something of a shock.
“You’re younger,” he whispered.
Captain Fey examined the backs of her hands. “It’s subtle, but I can’t help pausing in every mirror. I feel like every time I look, there’s someone else looking back.”
“Do you feel different?”
“Stronger, maybe. I’ve noticed my reactions are better but, again, it’s subtle. At first, I was convinced I was imagining things.”
Kalian held out his hand, palm open, and focused his awareness on a single patch of Captain Fey’s body. With his eyes closed, he assessed her from the skin right through to the strands of DNA. There was no mistaking the microscopic nanocelium crawling all over her.
He opened his eyes and stepped back, taking Fey in from head to toe. “Your body is teeming with nanocelium.”
Captain Fey looked back down at her hands in alarm. “What? How can that be?”
The nanocelium inside of her were doing nothing but good, but Kalian could see why the news would be terrifying. The only examples they had seen of nanocelium bonding with organic matter had resulted in Professor Garrett Jones and Malek. Both had become beings of terrible power and wrought destruction and death, each a slave to the nanocelium and their AI masters.
“It’s okay,” Kalian assured. “They’re not attacking you.”
“They shouldn’t even be in there!” Captain Fey searched her hands and arms as if the nanocelium would make itself known. “We’ve all had scans and they showed no traces.”
“We?” Kalian echoed.
Captain Fey stopped her frantic search. “There are others who have discovered similar changes in their physiology. In the beginning, I assumed it was everyone who had been treated medically with nanocelium while aboard the Gommarian, after Professor Jones attacked us. But, some of the people who have come forward were never harmed in the attack or ever treated with nanocelium. We were told they would leave our systems after healing us.”
“How many have come forward?” Kalian asked, his Terran mind working through all the potential causes.
“Twenty-six that we know of. The only ones we know about are of an age to see such changes. There could be others who won’t notice anything for decades. Why is it not showing up on our scans?”
Kalian glanced at the stars, taking note of the brightest. ALF was out there and likely in possession of an answer. “Nanocelium is very good at hiding. It can shield itself against almost anything.”
“But, not you,” Fey quickly added. “Can you check everyone? Is that… is that something you can do?”
Nanocelium was so rare in the Conclave that locating it was always easy, if he knew where to look. On Evalan, there were twelve beings walking around in suits of
the stuff and his own exosuit was contained in a pocket-sized capsule in his jacket. Before Captain Fey had finished inhaling, Kalian had expanded his awareness and limited his search to New Genesis. Every molecule touching nanocelium was connected to him by trillions of other molecules, each relaying the information back to him. The largest and easiest source to find was the Rackham, docked in the space port on the edge of the city. After that, each of the Gomar stood out among the humans, forcing Kalian go deeper.
Captain Fey exhaled and Kalian came back into the moment. How could he have missed it? Walking to the edge of the roof, he looked out on New Genesis, daring to imagine the future of his race.
“Kalian? What is it?”
“There’s nanocelium inside everyone. A small amount, but it’s definitely there.”
“What is it doing?” she asked.
Kalian stole a glance at the stars again. “I don’t know…”
Chapter 4
High Councillor Elondrasa assumed her regal form before the masses of the capital. Her floating headdress followed her across the stage, the perfect accessory to her flowing red gown and Noonatril crystals. Her speech had been one of hope and unification, determined as the Highclave was to keep everything together after the Vanguard’s assault and whispers of war. With all four of her Novaarian arms raised, Elondrasa unveiled the new Starforge in the centre of Clave Tower. Cheers and thunderous applause erupted around the tower.
This would change everything, she thought. Travelling between worlds without the need for a ship would have dramatic ramifications on their economy. How many corporations specialised in shipbuilding and space docks? Even Intrinium would be in less in demand, a fact that had been complained about by the Laronian councillor, Lordina. Still, it was another step forward for the Conclave. This kind of freedom between worlds would only strengthen their bond… she hoped. Despite the masses of cheering citizens, Elondrasa could see the cordoned area on the balcony below, where many had come to protest the membership of humanity.
Xydrandil, the Highclave’s secretary, walked on to the stage, taking advantage of the applause. “We are ready for you, Councillors.” The Nix turned on his collection of pincer-like legs and gestured to the Starforge.
Elondrasa had hesitated when telling the people that they would begin their Starforge campaign by walking to her home world, Nova Prime, right now. Though she had been assured by the engineers that the machines had been tested vigorously with both organic and non-organic material, Elondrasa ardently hoped this would hold true as she passed on those reassurances to the citizens. Unlike the massive Starforges that had been witnessed operating in space, these static versions would have to connect to another Starforge in order to get them from one planet to another. ALF had told them it was the only way to avoid tearing a hole in reality where someone might be standing. The AI was perhaps the most mysterious part of humanity’s appearance, but he had yet to steer them wrong, his priority being the protection of Kalian and his people. That didn’t mean Elondrasa had to like walking through the event horizon, her every particle compressed and put back together thousands of light years away.
The masses held their breath when the Starforge came to life. In the shape of a crescent moon, the machine whirred as bolts of purple lightning fired around the outside. The lightning became more intense until it coalesced and collided into itself in the space between the separated points of the crescent. The spark flooded the Forge with white light, overlapped with every colour of the spectrum. The effect was similar to what Elondrasa imagined a black hole would look like, with all the colours being continuously sucked into the void.
It took everything she had, but she maintained her posture and decorum, unlike Nu-marn, the Shay councillor. He had voiced concerns for his cybernetic augments when passing through the Forge. Now, as the Highclave made their way across the platform, the pale organic sections of the Shay’s face were visibly sweating.
Holographic displays popped up all over the tower, offering a view of the Starforge on Nova Prime, where thousands more had gathered, eager to see their leaders step across the stars.
Using only her upper arms, Elondrasa waved to the people as she walked into the light, hoping that the action would distract her from what was about to happen. The Novaarian closed her eyes at the last second and stepped through to the sound of more applause and the cheering of her own kind. The tingling in her fingers and on her lips faded as the warm sun of Nova Prime bathed the Highclave, and the Forge immediately shut down behind them. As previously discussed, every one of them did their best to hide their shock and refrain from inspecting their body.
Since security couldn’t be as tight as it was on the capital, the Highclave were soon ushered into a reinforced transport and escorted by both the Novaarian forces and C-Sec to their penthouse apartment block in the middle of Nivaala, Nova Prime’s capital city.
The view from their shared lounge was stunning. Elondrasa sipped on Novaarian wine while looking out on her home, its great spires sparkling in the setting sun. Below, the parade was still in full swing, a celebration in her honour. Kites of every colour and size floated between the towering buildings and confetti blew across the window in the breeze. It was good to be home…
Nu-marn’s whining voice interrupted her daydream. “At least there are only four more of these wretched tours. My circuits feel sluggish after walking through that contraption. Give me a ship any day.”
“You would say that, Nu-marn.” Lordina relaxed back on one of the large sofas. “Doesn’t your family own Starfield Shipping?”
Ch’lac, the shortest of the Highclave, rolled his wide eyes. “Let’s not get into the shadowy world of Nu-marn’s connections again…”
The Shay councillor turned on the Ch’kara. “I resent that! I have offered everything I know about Protocorps and severed all ties with them. And my dislike of this Terran technology has nothing to do with my family’s business. You should be thankful for my connections! Have I not had reinforcements from my own people assist in securing the Crucible?”
The air was suddenly sucked out of the room as an elderly, human man appeared in the middle of the central table. “You mean the mysterious machine on your planet that makes slaves of every Shay?”
“ALF…” Elondrasa could barely keep her elongated jaw from dropping.
The AI slowly walked through the table until his white robes could be seen all the way to the floor. The hologram fluttered as he moved with the emitters in the ceiling struggling to transition from one to the other.
“I realise that curiosity is at the core of what unites every intelligent species in the universe, but poking around that machine instead of dismantling it is just stupid.”
Brokk, the most intimidating of the Highclave, shot up on to all four of his rock-like legs. “What are you doing here?” he asked in his gravelly voice.
“How are you here?” Lordina added.
“You’re not supposed to connect with any Conclave technology,” Ch’lac explained. “This potentially violates humanity’s membership.”
ALF waved the notion away. “I’m here because you can’t keep me out. That should worry you, because it worries me. If I can get in, so can they.”
“Not this again!” Nu-marn spat. “You want access to the main AI hub on the capital. We rejected your offer then and we will do it again.”
“I can strengthen your firewalls,” ALF countered. “I can find all the holes and plug them. I know how they think. I know the areas they’ll attack and, trust me, they will use your own systems against you, much like they tried to do with the Crucible.”
“How can we trust you?” Elondrasa asked what everyone else was thinking.
“I will do anything to keep the humans of Evalan safe; I’ve never hidden this from you. Now, however, every human on that planet is a member of your civilisation, and therefore subject to your laws and protection. Keeping you strong now keeps them safe.”
“What you want is out of the qu
estion,” Nu-marn continued. “Handing over the hub to you would effectively place you in control of the Conclave.”
“Not necessarily,” ALF cocked his bushy eyebrow. “I can clone a baser version of myself and leave it to take control of that toaster you currently have running things. It wouldn’t be me exactly, but it would be infinitely smarter than what you have right now.”
Nu-marn looked about at the silent councillors. “You can’t be seriously considering this? His being here should have us ejecting humanity from the Conclave immediately.”
“I wouldn’t do that, either.” ALF shook his head. “I understand why you grounded the Gomar and, let’s be honest, you’re just lucky that Kalian is around to keep them that way, but you’re going to need them sooner than you think.”
“You’re talking about an invasion that doesn’t appear to be happening,” Ch’lac commented.
“Perhaps our defeat over their Vanguard has dissuaded them from attacking the Conclave?” Lordina offered.
ALF blinked slowly. “It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve lost a Vanguard, Councillor. Trust me; an attack is as imminent as it is inevitable. Civilisations such as this one are few are far between. They can’t pass up the meal.”
Nu-marn had started pacing. “So you would have us grant you access to every level of security we have as well as give those monsters free rein?”
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