by James Palmer
A series of slight concussions rumbled through the decking beneath their feet as Cade fired a few rounds from the ion guns. He grinned fiendishly as he worked the controls, chuckling malevolently as he hit one of his targets. Leda wished they could turn around so he could empty the ship’s supply of depleted uranium shells into the Ix fleet with the rail gun, but they had more important work to do at present.
“Closing in on Q-gate,” said Hudson. “Reading its telemetry now.”
“Evac ships, proceed as instructed to rendezvous point. We’ll send the tones to activate the gate.”
“Sir,” said Hudson. “Something’s happening with the gate. It’s opening. Something’s coming through!”
Hamilton nodded. “Probably support vessels.” To the evacuation ships he said, “Kill your burn. We’ve got incoming.”
The ship’s sensors picked it up before it was in visual range, tactical wireframe showing a huge mass squeezing through the gate. If it were any larger it would have struck the structure of the gate itself, damaging the Q-gate and probably ripping whatever it was apart as the temporary wormhole between the two points in space-time suddenly collapsed.
“We don’t have anything that big,” said Hamilton. “What the hell is that?”
Hudson checked his readings. “You’re not gonna believe me, Captain. But sensors say it’s a Progenitor Archive.”
Chapter Twenty-Five:
Unusual Allies
Captain Hamilton watched in total disbelief as the vast alien Archive inched through the Q-gate, eventually emerging completely in their section of space. It seemed even larger than he remembered, dwarfing not only every ship in the human fleet but the several kilometers long evacuation ships.
“I’m picking up a tightbeam signal from the Archive,” said Brackett.
“Put it on, Lieutenant,” Hamilton said. “Don’t keep us in suspense.
“Hello, Captain,” a familiar voice said. “Are we too late for the party?”
Hamilton furrowed his brow. “Drizda? Is that you?”
“Of course. Whom were you expecting?”
Hamilton threw up his hands. “At this point, who knows? But I am glad it’s you. What the hell are you doing here anyway? And how did you get here in an Archive?”
“I will happily explain everything,” Drizda said. “But right now it appears you are in the middle of an evacuation.”
“Right you are. Please move aside so those evac ships can get through the gate.”
“Of course.”
“It was a tense few minutes as the massive object—for Hamilton still had trouble grasping it was in fact a ship—moved out of the way enough so that the Sundra refugees could make it safely through the gate. Lieutenant Brackett sent the codes that would connect this gate to the one in the Ardath system and safety, at least for now.
Hamilton watched intently until the last evac ship was through the gate, flickering out of existence in one part of the galaxy and appearing in another. When this task was done, Hamilton returned his attention to the wireframe battle going on in orbit over Sundra.
“Drizda, you still there?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Good. It’s time to catch me up. Brackett? Encrypt Drizda’s feed and send to my ready room.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Hamilton glanced at Leda. “You coming?”
Leda nodded, falling in step behind Hamilton as he headed for the ready room. “I can’t wait to hear this.”
Once the door closed, Drizda told them everything that had transpired. As she was finishing her strange tale, Hamilton’s cochlear implant chimed. “What is it?” he said with a hint of annoyance at being interrupted.
“It’s McGregor, sir,” said the science officer. “I have the coordinates you requested.”
“Send them to my slate,” said Hamilton.
A moment later they appeared on his personal device. A star map shimmered into existence on the small screen, on which the pulsars were highlighted by blue circles, their center point similarly identified.
Hamilton tapped a command, and there was a corresponding beep on Drizda’s end of the tightbeam relay.
“Did you get that, Drizda?” he asked.
She appeared to be studying something off screen. “Yes, Captain. Thank you. But these coordinates are fairly remote, and Sigma Prime says we need a key to activate the Light of Ages.”
“Did it say what this key is?”
“No. Only that we do not have it.”
Another voice broke in. “Corporal Nathan Hemlock here, Captain,” said the operative, moving into position in front of the tightbeam relay’s camera. “That’s not exactly what this flying alien library said. It said that none of us are the key.”
Hamilton arched an eyebrow at him. “That’s very interesting, Corporal. But what does it mean?”
“I wouldn’t know, sir. I’m only telling you what was said.”
“Very well,” said Hamilton. “We’ll discuss this face to face when we arrive at Epsilon Zeta.”
“Epsilon Zeta?” said Drizda.
“That’s our orders,” said Hamilton. “After seeing the evac ships away safely, we are to proceed to Ep. Zeta and await further orders.”
“You do not sound pleased with that assignment.”
“We want to stay and fight,” Leda said.
“I understand the impulse,” said Drizda. “I am a scientist, but I am still Draconi. The urge to fight when threatened is strong.”
She paused for a moment, then continued. “I think this Archive can help with that.”
“How so?” said Hamilton.
“I don’t completely understand it myself, not yet. I think we should meet in person to discuss it. What I can tell you is that more Archives are on their way, homing in on Sigma Prime’s signal.”
Hamilton stared, his mouth opening and closing several times. Finally, he said, “Great. Come with us to Epsilon Zeta. I’m sure what remains of the fleet will be excited to see a few Progenitor Archives joining us.”
Chapter Twenty-Six:
The Key
The Captain and his second officer returned to the command deck, Hamilton’s mind buzzing with questions.
“Corporal Hemlock? Am I to assume that Drizda is being escorted by the infamous Nightshade?”
Leda smiled. “You know him?”
“Let’s just say I’m familiar with his work. Most of the Marines think he’s a ghost, a myth. The things I’ve heard him capable of make him sound almost superhuman.”
Leda grinned. “No, just very good at his job. I knew Drizda would need some heavy duty protection, someone we could trust that Straker hadn’t compromised. Besides. He owed me a favor.”
Hamilton held up a hand between them. “Don’t wanna know, Commander,” he said. “But, good job.”
“We’ve passed through the gate,” said Hudson.
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” said Hamilton. “Proceed to coordinates. And keep us as close as you can to the Archive. The Commander and I have to take a little trip.”
“Aye, sir.”
Hamilton turned to Leda. “Are you ready to take a meeting?”
“Sounds like fun. I’m eager to meet this Sigma Prime.”
“As am I.”
Hamilton smoothed his uniform front and sighed. There was going to be a lot to do over the next several hours, chief among them another uncomfortable meeting with the rest of the fleet’s commanders, and a major topic of conversation was going to be how to use the newly configured Progenitor Archive they now had at their disposal. But first he needed to learn more about Sigma Prime’s capabilities.
“Sir,” said Hudson. “Two more Archives just arrived in system.”
“Drizda confirms they are under Sigma Prime’s control,” said Brackett from the communications workstation. “The Archives’ occupants aren’t exactly thrilled about it, however.”
“Inform the scholars about what is going on as best you can,” said Hamilton. �
�And tell Drizda to prepare for our arrival. Commander Niles and I are going to take a shuttle over there. Hudson, you have the command deck until we return.”
“Yes sir.”
Hamilton left the command deck, followed closely by Leda, who quickly fell in beside him. They walked toward the shuttle bay near the rear of the ship.
“We’re going to meet the avatar of an extinct alien race,” mused Hamilton as they turned a corridor. “Probably should have put on my dress uniform.”
Leda giggled. “I think we have bigger problems. Like the scholars aboard those Archives. They’re in danger as long as they remain aboard. Even if the Archives are almost indestructible.”
Hamilton nodded as they ducked under an archway. Twin doors slid aside to reveal the Zelazny’s spacious shuttle bay. They stepped aboard the nearest vessel, Leda climbing easily into the pilot’s seat and beginning pre-flight procedures.
“We’ll get them offloaded to safety before the Ix get here,” Hamilton said as he sat down beside her. He watched her for a long moment, going through the checklist with practiced ease.
“This remind you of anything?” she asked.
It took Hamilton a moment to realize what she was talking about. “You mean how we first met?”
She nodded, flicking switches. The ship hummed with an eagerness to depart.
“I believe it actually began with me saving your ass from some smugglers.”
“My hero.”
“Only we’re not being chased by black market relic dealers,” said Hamilton.
“Yes, there is that.”
Leda looked at Hamilton as he strapped himself in. He turned and met her gaze.
“Leda.”
She rose from her seat and leaned toward him in a kiss. A kiss he returned.
She slumped back into her seat, her eyes still holding his gaze.
“What was that for?” said Hamilton.
“In case we don’t make it out of this alive.”
Hamilton scowled. “Do you think our odds are so grim now?”
“No. That’s not what I meant. I—never mind.”
Leda returned to the task at hand, getting the shuttle under way. The shuttle bay doors opened at her command, and a scant minute later they were exiting the Zelazny and crossing the empty void that separated them from Drizda’s Archive.
Hamilton looked at his first officer. He had feelings for her, it was true. He couldn’t deny them any longer. And it was apparent those feelings were reciprocated. But where did they go from here? Where could they go? The policy on fraternization between officers serving on the same vessel was quite clear. Besides, they were at war with an advanced race intent on wiping them out completely.
Captain Hamilton pushed such thoughts out of his mind. They had more important things to worry about. Like saving the human race.
The Archive was almost identical to the one he had visited as Commander of the Onslaught, though without the creature comforts that dozens of scholars had brought with them to make their stays aboard more comfortable. Hamilton and Leda found Drizda in the vast central room, standing around an egg-shaped structure that appeared to be an ancient Progenitor computer terminal. He smiled when he saw Drizda, who managed to have an almost regal bearing as she stared after them. Maybe he was just glad to see his friend once again.
Drizda hastily made introductions. Corporal Hemlock saluted Hamilton and grinned at Leda before the two exchanged some bizarre secret handshake. Hamilton tried not to stare at the conjoined Draconi pilots Zarl and Tarl, but it was unavoidable. If his attention bothered them they did not indicate it.
“And this,” said Drizda, gesturing toward the console and the familiar triangle-shaped object it held, “Is Sigma Prime.”
Pleased to meet you, sentients, said the machine. Its synthesized voice echoed weirdly in the vast space.
“It speaks Standard very well,” said Hamilton.
“She,” Drizda corrected, “has had much more time to access your information feeds since coming online. For someone whose physical form lacked human vocal chords, I’d say she is a prodigy.”
“She?” said Hamilton.
I identify as gender female, said Sigma Prime. Though gender does not hold the same importance for us as it apparently does for humans.
Hamilton nodded. He had to remember that Sigma Prime was not an artificial intelligence, but a once living entity whose consciousness had been uploaded into digital form. “My apologies if I offended you. I assume Drizda has brought you up to speed on our situation?”
Yes, Captain Hamilton. I have also been monitoring your quantum network feeds. You face extermination from the Ix.
Hamilton breathed a heavy sigh. “That is correct. We now have the coordinates of what we believe to be an ancient Progenitor weapon of some kind.”
The Light of Ages.
“Yes,” said Hamilton. “Exactly.”
“It said we didn’t have the key before,” said Hemlock. Zarl and Tarl stood silently tasting the air with their tongues, watching the exchange with great interest.
“Yes, what exactly did you mean by that?” asked Hamilton.
The Light of Ages can only be operated by the Key. None of you are the—wait.
The overhead lights pulsed from blue to red and back again.
The Key is among you.
“I don’t understand,” said Hamilton, growing impatient. “Explain.”
“She’s talking about me,” said Leda, rolling up her sleeve. Her arm was red again, irritated. The nanocircuitry beneath the skin looked like a crowded highway at night.
That is correct.
Everyone stared at Leda. Her arm itched. She ignored it. “It makes perfect sense now.”
Hamilton arched an eyebrow. “It does?”
“Yes. Don’t you see? The nanomachines the Swarm probe injected me with are changing me. I’m becoming something else. Becoming the Key that operates the Light of Ages.”
Hamilton raised a hand. “Hold on, Sigma Prime. If this weapon is so powerful, why didn’t you use it on the Ix?”
We did not build the weapon for ourselves, but for those who we knew would come after.
“Panspermia,” said Leda.
A long pause while Sigma Prime searched the quantum net for the Standard meaning of the term. Then, Yes. No matter what the Ix do, life survives, starts over. Moving from world to world, changing, evolving. Becoming whatever it needs to become to survive.
“So the theory that life on our world began somewhere out here is true,” said Hamilton. “Panspermia.”
That is correct.
“Eventually,” said Drizda, “some of that life becomes intelligent. Like my kind, like the humans.”
Exactly. The process is slow, but the universe is young yet. We knew this would occur millennia ago and actively set about seeding the stars with the building blocks of life. We knew that others would be born and would have to face the Ix, and that they would be intelligent enough to face that threat. Our ancestors, whom you call the Makers, structured the genetic key into our DNA so it could be passed on.
“Wait,” said Leda, holding out her arm. “I thought this was the Key.”
It is but one half. The dormant DNA containing the Key had to be activated. The nanocircuitry inside you is turning you into a living weapon. You will meld with the Light of Ages, becoming the most powerful weapon ever conceived of by sentient beings.
“Why me?” asked Leda.
“Why not you?” said Corporal Hemlock with a grin.
Hamilton stared down at the floor, lost in thought, unmoving.
The Light of Ages is too powerful to allow just anyone access. The Key must be special. You are special, Leda Niles.
Leda stared at the console, awestruck. “It’s so…overwhelming. And humbling. But it also makes a strange kind of sense. Like I’m finally at peace. All my life I’ve felt incomplete somehow, but not anymore. I thought joining the Solar Navy was my purpose, my destiny. But it was just a st
epping stone. This is what I’m meant to do, who I’m meant to become.”
“Well,” said Hamilton, finally breaking his silence. “We’d best get back to the ship. I’ll have a lot to discuss with the rest of the fleet.
Leda nodded. “The other commanders are gonna love this.”
“Let’s hope so,” said Hamilton. “The League is on its last legs, and half the Solar Navy has already been lost.
“Any word from my people?” asked Drizda.
“They’re supposed to send a fleet to assist us,” said Hamilton. “Your worlds are falling to the Ix too. I don’t know if they’ll reach us in time, or even if we can come together to form a cohesive fighting force.”
“My people are proud and stubborn,” said Drizda. “But they will fight to the death, as you well know.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” said Hamilton.
Chapter Twenty-Seven:
The Library Ships
Captain Hamilton entered the sensorium and was immediately awash in faces made from holographic light. All the remaining fleet commanders were there, looking as tired and haggard and bleary-eyed from lack of sleep as Hamilton felt. But a new face swam up out of the chaos, projected bigger than the others. A face Hamilton remembered all too well from his previous virtual encounter mere hours before. It was Admiral Lang. Lang was tough, hard-nosed, and never backed down from a fight, the perfect person, in the Solar Navy’s infinite wisdom, to lead what could be the final charge against a superior enemy. “Does someone want to tell me what the hell a trio of alien libraries are doing floating out here amongst my fleet? It’s not like anyone is going to get a chance to read.”
“They’re with me, sir,” said Hamilton, clearing his throat. He went on to explain all that had transpired since Sundra, including the highlights of his and Leda’s meeting with Drizda and the Progenitor intelligence now in control of all three Archives currently mixed in with their fleet.
“The Light of Ages, huh?” said the admiral when Hamilton had finished.
“Yes, sir.”
“And what exactly are we to do with this information?”