The Eternity War: Dominion

by Jamie Sawyer

  “And I remember you used the Firebird to make the drop…” Captain Ving snarled.

  The Firebird had been Phoenix Squad’s ship. Ving wasn’t going to let us forget that any time soon, but Heinrich didn’t want to dwell on our rivalry.

  “Dr Saito is now going to brief us on the Aeon,” he said, before Ving could follow up. “If you will, please, Doctor.”

  “Thank you, Captain Heinrich,” Dr Saito said. The injury to his head was still prominent, but he seemed to be working through it. He cleared his throat. “Although this is less a briefing, and more of a speculation session.”

  “Is what?” Novak blurted.

  “A speculation session, Private.”

  “I think what Novak is trying to say is, what do you mean by that?” Lopez asked.

  “Well, I mean that we know so little about the Aeon that to call this a briefing would be inappropriate,” Dr Saito said. “There’s little concrete evidence on which we can base an analysis.”

  Phoenix Squad gave the obligatory sighs of disapproval. There was much shaking of heads.

  Captain Heinrich harrumphed as well. “That’s not very helpful, Doctor. Just tell us what you know.”

  “Of course, Captain,” Dr Saito said.

  The viewer was filled with tri-D images of the Shard ruins on Tysis World; a wind-swept, barren rock of a planet, which had come up too many times for my liking. The Shard architecture was unmistakable. Angular, obsidian-like structures jutted from the deserts, huge outcroppings of dark crystal. Holos of Science Division officers exploring the facility appeared. Blackstone structures, half-toppled spires, dark twisting tunnels.

  “First, we have written records from Tysis World,” Dr Saito explained. “It was here that the Alliance initially uncovered proof of the Shard’s existence. An entire facility was discovered in the desert, well preserved despite thousands of years under the sand. Dr Locke was the chief scientific advisor on this site. She made many significant findings that advanced our understanding of the Shard. The ruins on Tysis World have been analysed extensively. The Shard have a very complicated machine-language, and they were very specific about recording their activities.”

  Shots of tightly scripted symbols, lining corridors. Walls, ceilings, floors. Even tech. The text had a machine-like precision.

  “Why did the Shard record all of this?” Lopez queried. “If they were machines, what’s the point?”

  Dr Saito smiled. He obviously appreciated the Jackals’ curiosity. “That description isn’t quite accurate, Private. The Shard were non-biological entities, but the term ‘machines’ is something of an oversimplification.”

  “They were alive,” Zero added. “Some speculate that they were conscious machines.”

  Dr Saito nodded along with that explanation. “That represents the limit of our understanding. The Shard were vastly intelligent, non-biological entities. Whether they began as some sort of mechanical construct—perhaps the result of another species’ work—or they evolved into their current form is unknown. But we do know that the Shard have been around for a long, long time.”

  “Like millions of years,” Zero said, proudly.

  “That’s even older than Jenkins,” Ving said.

  “In any case,” said Dr Saito, eager to keep the presentation on track, “the Shard represent a super-intelligence, on a magnitude that the Alliance has never previously encountered. So, to answer your question, Private Lopez, the Shard employed other biological and technical species to work for them, as slave labour. During the Great War, they subverted the Krell to fight for them.”

  “Shit,” said Lopez. “So that’s what’s happening now?”

  “Maybe. It would explain the deep-space structures we’ve seen in those systems infected with Harbinger.”

  “Great,” I said, flatly. “So how does all of this fit with the Aeon?”

  “I’m getting to that,” said Dr Saito. “The ruins on Tysis World included several references to what Dr Locke called ‘the Great Destroyer’. The script found on Tysis suggested that the Destroyer was an ancient enemy of the Shard; an ally species to which the Krell turned in their hour of greatest need.”

  “So what does Aeon look like?” Novak said, frowning as though the thought was difficult to process. “Is like fish, or man?”

  “There is no visual record of the Aeon,” Dr Saito said. “All we know, by inference, is that they were a member of the Pantheon—that is, the group of organic species allied against the Shard.”

  “What about their ships, their tech?” Ving asked.

  “There have been a handful of confirmed encounters by Alliance Navy forces,” Dr Saito said, “but none have resulted in actual contact.”

  He called up another collection of images; starships captured by long-range scopes. The ships demonstrated the same lineage; very different to Krell, Shard or human tech. These vessels were seed-shaped and sleek, with an eerily beautiful aesthetic. Their hulls were pitted and worn with age, made of a compound that was neither organic nor metallic.

  Dr Saito said, “The Tysis World scriptures suggest they are an elder race—predating the Shard. Hence the name ‘Aeon’. We believe that they originate from beyond the Milky Way Galaxy.”

  “So this is the first intergalactic species we’ve become aware of?” Zero asked with amazement. “That’s quite something.”

  Dr Saito nodded, pleased with Zero’s reaction. “It really is. There’s so much that we could learn from their technology.”

  “They must have an ability to travel between galaxies,” Zero said. “Just think of what they must’ve seen.”

  “How are we going to communicate with these xeno assholes?” Ving said, his voice dripping with annoyance. His reaction was markedly different to Zero’s sense of wonder.

  “Pariah will act as our bridge,” said Dr Saito. “The Krell and the Aeon are known to each other, and as such Pariah will be able to establish communication. Science Division has also imposed some specific parameters on first-contact scenarios, which you should read.”

  My wrist-comp chimed, as did everyone else’s. Dr Saito had distributed a document titled A Treatise on First Contact with a New Alien Race: Binding Directives. Around me, most of the troopers were quick to hit the DELETE button. Dr Saito saw the reaction and seemed to deflate.

  “Due to the extreme circumstances in which we find ourselves,” Dr Saito said, “Command has directed that—on this occasion—first contact will be achieved via simulants.”

  “And a plasma rifle,” someone from Phoenix Squad said.

  “I hear that!” another added.

  “If necessary,” Captain Heinrich said. “But that’s not to be our primary approach. Diplomacy first, troopers. Once we have boots on the ground, and we’ve opened a dialogue with the Aeon, Commander Dieter and I have authorisation to negotiate on behalf of the Alliance.”

  I could already see how this would play out. If things went well, Captain Ving and Phoenix Squad would get the glory, just like on Vektah Minor. Heinrich would mop up the planning accolades, probably get a promotion, and then retire to Proxima Colony. Ving’s role as an Alliance war hero would be cemented: he would help recruit another generation of simulant operators into the programme, and all would be well with the universe.

  If, on the other hand, things went badly, then we could all be cut loose. Phoenix Squad would be sent off to a black ops project, out of the public eye. The story—if it ever got released—would be that Jenkins’ Jackals had fucked up. I’d probably get the blame for the mission’s failure, and Captain Heinrich would escape without demerit. It didn’t surprise me at all that Sim Ops were being tasked with first contact with the Aeon.

  “Well,” said Heinrich, “that’s enough for now.” He stood from the table, pressed down his uniform. “Thank you, Commander Dieter, and Dr Saito. We’ll review the intelligence as we approach our destination.”

  “I’ll keep you updated, Captain,” said Commander Dieter.

  “Before
we break, some ground rules are in order for the Sim Ops personnel,” Heinrich said. “Just because we’re on a starship, doesn’t mean that discipline should lapse.

  “I want all weapons and equipment primed and ready for deployment by phase one of the mission. I want full tactical database assimilation by oh-eight-hundred tomorrow. I want all suits marked up, rifles tested, systems activated.” Heinrich clapped his hands together. “Right, now that’s understood, we can all make some progress.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Ving said.

  There was a rumble across the deck, and the briefing room lights fluctuated. Anxious murmurs spread through the room, but the lights came back up again and remained on.

  “What just happened?” I asked.

  “It’s nothing to be concerned about,” Commander Dieter reassured. “My executive officer is running some checks, but we think it’s a faulty power relay.”

  “And that’s nothing to be concerned about?” Lopez argued.

  Dieter nodded. “These things happen. It’s a secondary relay. We aren’t going to drop out of space any time soon.”

  The Navy contingent responded with nervous laughter. Already some of Dieter’s crew had broken away and were working on the problem, reporting to Engineering.

  “That’s enough discussion,” Captain Heinrich said, sharply. “You all have your duty assignments. Make yourselves useful, troopers.”

  The briefing broke up, and each of us received our orders. My wrist-comp pinged with a duty rota, but I wasn’t concerned about that.

  “Hey, Doc,” I called, after Dr Saito.

  “Something I can help you with, Lieutenant?” he asked. His expression was amiable, friendly even.

  “How’s P doing?”

  “Remarkably well,” he said. “It asks after you.”

  “Yeah, about that. Can I see it?”

  “Of course.”

  Two Navy security officers stood watch on the Science Deck entrance, but Dr Saito swiped his palm on the combination DNA and fingerprint scanner and they nodded him through.

  “I have most of the facility to myself,” Dr Saito commented. “Sergeant Campbell has the Simulant Operations Centre, at the aft of the deck, but the main lab is my domain. The facilities here will be essential once we make contact with the Aeon. I’m not sim-operational, but I’ll be able to remotely assess the situation from the lab.”

  “You think that it’s going to happen? That we will really make contact with the Aeon?”

  “I don’t doubt it for a second.”

  “Is your optimism contagious, Doc? I’d like a shot of it.”

  Dr Saito laughed. It was a deep and welcome sound. “Dr Locke’s intelligence will see us through. I’m sure of it.”

  The main laboratory was partitioned into various chambers. The medical posts were equipped with powerful microscopes, specimen analysers, and other devices that I couldn’t even name. The air smelt of fresh coffee and something far more familiar.

  “P!” I exclaimed.

  Pariah loped into view, between medical benches. Its sheer physicality was immediate; it looked as though the alien had grown some more since we had last spoken. That wasn’t the only change. Its hide was stitched with scars now, flesh swollen against its carapace. The xeno tilted its head.

  “Jenkins-other,” the alien intoned. “We are grateful for your attendance.”

  Dr Saito closed the hatch, sealing us inside the lab. “I probably should’ve said: the pariah-form has been assisting me with my research.”

  “We prefer the designate ‘P’,” P said.

  “Got it,” said Dr Saito, with a grin. “P has agreed to stay within the lab complex.” He shrugged. “Which, strictly speaking, doesn’t contravene Captain Heinrich’s directive.”

  “Confinement does not suit us,” P added. “Regardless of what Heinrich-other insists. We must be ready to meet the Aeon, in the Ghost Maker Nebula.”

  “How do you know about our destination?” I asked.

  “We were not at the briefing, but we have been reading the Valkyrie-unit’s mainframe. We have accessed many systems since we came aboard this craft. We are absorbing the other-knowing as well, and our knowledge grows with each passing cycle. We are expanding, Jenkins-other.”

  It swiped a claw—deftly, too deftly for something so big—at the nearest terminal. The machine jumped to life. A review of P’s research into the Ghost Maker Nebula, and the planet Carcosa, appeared on the tri-D.

  “Did you teach it to do that?” I asked Dr Saito.

  He shook his head. “The Pariah—sorry, I mean P—has been accessing the ship’s computers itself. The rate at which it can assimilate information is incredible.”

  The XT was undergoing both physical and mental changes. Just as we studied it, it studied us. As we learnt from it, it learnt from us. Will you like what you find? I asked myself. Understanding human nature might not be a good thing.

  “I’d suggest you keep that to yourself,” I said. “I don’t think Captain Heinrich will be very impressed by that new, ah, ability.”

  “Understood,” said P. “Although we observe that little seems to impress Heinrich-other.”

  Dr Saito and I laughed. Pariah’s face remained expressionless, flat, but I felt P’s presence at the back of my mind.

  “How are you doing now, P?” I asked. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t speak to you before we left Sanctuary. I wanted to check on you.”

  “Jenkins-other knew that we were still functional,” P said. “Our connection remained intact.”

  “I guess so,” I said. “But I’m still struggling to understand what’s happening between us. You’re right: I knew that you hadn’t died. Even so, since Sanctuary… something has felt different. How are those injuries doing?”

  P glanced down at the brace of wounds across its torso. The flesh there was puckered, raw; stapled in places, but imprecisely.

  “Dr Saito provided medical assistance,” P said. “The wounds will close with time.”

  I found myself wincing in sympathy. “The medical report said that you took four spines to the chest, P. Did they get all of the fragments out? That wound under your arm—it doesn’t look very healthy…”

  P lifted an appendage, and I got a better look at the injury. The flesh around the wound had gone a mottled, greyish colour; still weeping ichor.

  “The injuries do not cause us excessive pain,” said P. “The warden-form’s spines were removed. We are still functional.”

  “I’m monitoring P’s health,” Dr Saito said. “I’d be interested to hear more about this ‘connection’ you speak of. I’ve seen your debriefing, Lieutenant. There’s no mention of it in the files.”

  “Yeah, maybe that’s another thing we shouldn’t talk about…” I said, turning to P.

  P had no such compunction, however. “Jenkins-other has touched the Deep,” it said. “Very few others have experienced this connection. We are able to access the mind-link.”

  “‘Mind-link’?” Dr Saito queried. “How does that work?”

  “All who swim in the Deep can access the knowing. Designate Warlord has also experienced this connection. Jenkins-other, and the Warlord, are connected by the quantum-tides. It is how the Collective communicates across space-time. It is why the Collective is so prone to infection from the Harbinger virus.”

  Dr Saito frowned, considering that. “We might be able to use that to our advantage.”

  “The connection is not always reliable,” P noted. “It is variable, dependent on distance and location.”

  “Still, we could use your ability to track Warlord,” Dr Saito said, keen to turn this talent to some tactical use. “In the right circumstances.”

  “Perhaps,” P agreed. “Although, most importantly, it will allow us to communicate with the Aeon when the time comes.” P raised a claw, tapped it against its crested head. “This is Deep-knowing. This knowledge is unpacking in our head, as we expand.”

  “Thanks, P,” I said. “You�
��re one hell of a fish.”

  “Can you tell us anything new about the Aeon?” Dr Saito asked. He’d picked up a data-slate, and was poised to record whatever P told him. “I’ve trawled the Sci-Div archives on the subject. I know almost everything that has been recorded on the aliens, but you’re the primary source, P.”

  “The Aeon were chief among the Pantheon,” P said. “They were responsible for organising resistance against the Shard, during the Great War. Their existence predates the Krell; some Collectives believe even the Shard.”

  “Which makes them ancient…” I whispered.

  “Correct,” said P. “The Aeon possess technology beyond our knowing. They can manipulate time-space. They are capable of great acts of creation, but also of destruction. The Aeon’s age, however, brings other concerns. Some Kindred refer to them as the ‘many mind’, due to their sometimes erratic behaviour.”

  “Why is that?” Dr Saito queried.

  “Advanced age, on the scale by which the Aeon are judged, can lead to deterioration of mental capability,” said P. “They are subject to decay like any other organic species. To combat this, the Aeon collect in Enclaves to amplify their mental strength. They are Aeon colonies; the resting place of what remains of the species.”

  “This is very interesting,” said Dr Saito. “You’ve never told anyone else about this, P.”

  “It’s news to me,” I said, with a shrug.

  “This is new knowledge. As we draw closer to the Aeon’s location, we expect to understand more about them. Our presence in the Maelstrom allows us to tap into the Deep-knowing.”

  “We’re all grateful for your assistance, P,” Dr Saito said, scribbling notes down on his data-slate. His excitement at these revelations was obvious. “I’d like to ask you some more questions. You’ve mentioned their use of quantum technologies. Can they actually change space-time, or merely manipulate perception of the continuum?”

  “We will discuss this further in future,” P abruptly said. “We must rest now.”

  The alien turned and stomped off to an open hatch at the back of the lab. That led to an observation cell, like the one P had used aboard the Providence, except that the lighting was low and the walls were freshly plastered with Krell-gunk. Dr Saito put down his slate, satisfied with what he had been told.