“Last time we met, Trooper, you came with words of peace and hope. You told us we would be saved by the Diorites. Your masters would be our saviors. Now you threaten us.”
“Trooper Erik is a soldier. War is all he knows,” Noshi stated.
“And I’m really fucking good at it,” Erik replied.
“You have no idea what you have stumbled into.” Malber didn’t sound malicious, but his smile made Erik’s fist itch.
“Herald Noshi.” Timber’s transmission came over the squad comms channel. “We have our casualties in medical and our one fatality is also stored there. Malkovro said it would be appropriate.”
“Which trooper died,” Noshi asked.
“Herald?”
“We do not name our dead,” Erik interjected.
“Why not.”
“The dead have no use for us. We have no use for them. If they gave their lives in battle, then we will honor them on dead-day by drinking to their sacrifice. We do not name them as they are no more. Only the living have identity.”
“Noshi,” Malkovro said. “Diorite Trooper data extract is complete. I am ready to run clone-forge protocol at your command.”
“Explain clone-forge protocol,” Noshi replied.
“Clone-forge protocol. When a Diorite trooper is killed in battle and their suit is recovered, it is designed to store sufficient data to allow their physical form to be remade. That consciousness can be reinserted into a new body, teplacing the dead with a new soldier.”
Noshi felt a chill wash over her and she shivered with a realization. “Malkovro, do you have information on Diorite interstellar travel technology.”
“Of course.”
“Can you summarize.”
“Physical form is scanned and digitized. Resulting data packet is transmitted and replacement physical form is printed from transmission. Data packet is imprinted on new format.”
“What happens to the original physical form.”
“Physical form is converted to data.”
“The body dies and is remade,” Noshi whispered.
“You have studied the Diorite philosophy. Your view of life and death cannot remain based on limited human understanding.”
“Yes.” Noshi took a deep breath and reached for her helmet locks. Disconnecting the seals, she pulled the helm off and let it drop to the floor. “Malber, confirm your people are secure.”
“We are all within the temple.”
“Malkovro, confirm this ship capable of flight.”
“The Malkovro is currently eighteen meters below the surface of the planet at its highest point. I can initiate a return to the surface at your command. From a surface position, flight systems will be fully operational.”
“Do it.”
“All personnel take secured positions,” Malkovro replied. “Activating shields.”
Screens across the consoles flashed with streaming data, and more systems came online. The troopers in the console seats stared at the flickering lights and remained still.
“Malkovro, explain what you are doing,” Erik demanded.
“Activating ship energy shields in close proximity to the surrounding minerals will generate sufficient heat to liquefy the material. Once the material is liquefied, the ship can rise through the magma.”
“Noshi?” Erik said after a long moment.
“Trust the ship, Erik.”
“Why?” Erik surprised himself at the question. Once asked, it echoed in his head.
“It is a computer sentience, First Trooper. It has no reason to provide false information.”
Erik couldn’t think why any sentience, even a computer, wouldn’t lie when necessary to achieve an outcome. “Malkovro, if you are Helos, why are you taking orders from us?”
“You are not my enemy. The Helos were created by the Diorites to work with humankind. We have subjugated other species to protect ourselves against the aggression of the Diorites. In turn, the Diorites subjected humanity to a long-term experiment in eugenics.”
“Fucking Helos.” Erik marched off the bridge and down the steps. He walked the corridor until it branched in two directions.
“Malkovro?”
“Yes, Erik.”
“Where is the medical bay?”
“To your right.”
Injuries requiring hospitalization meant that a trooper had fucked up. Living injured and not dying in battle was the worst dishonor Erik could think of. The antiseptic smell of the med bay was the stink of shame. The patient recliner seats were empty.
“Malkovro, there’s no one here.”
“Yes Erik. Your comrades were treated and discharged from care. They have been directed to crew quarters for recovery.”
Erik stared at the clinical flatbed with its tissue sprayers and robotic surgical arms. Med techs could patch a soldier in the field; this place could do everything else.
Beyond the clinic was a hexagonal chamber with a central structure large enough to hold a person. Erik stepped up and peered in through the observation port. A woman stood inside, naked and glistening with residual moisture.
“Malkovro, identify subject in… there.”
“Trooper Clix,” Malkovro replied.
“Trooper Clix was a recorded fatality.”
“That is correct.”
“Then why is she in this machine? Do you not have a cold-store for the dead?”
“Trooper Clix has been reformed and will shortly be returning to duty.”
“This is the clone-forge you told Noshi about?”
“Yes Erik. It is based on Diorite technology. Your dead are reset and the forge prints a replacement body for them. The process will take another hour.”
“And Clix will be as she was?”
“An exact replica. Her mind will be as it was before her death. She is unlikely to remember her death, however; evidence suggests such memories can be traumatic.”
“Will she know she died?”
“It is not standard protocol to advise a trooper of their re-formation.”
“So she won’t know?”
“Not unless a superior officer requests that she be informed.”
“Malkovro, have I been killed before?”
“I am unable to provide information on your re-form status, First Trooper Erik.”
“Why not?”
“Authorization to disclose your status has not been received. This, however, does not assert that you have undergone a reformation procedure.”
“Okay.”
The ship vibrated and Erik steadied himself against the outside of the clone-forge.
“The energy shielding has liquefied the surrounding material. The ship will now return to the planet surface. You may wish to take a seat for this part of the journey.”
Erik swayed with the sudden vibration of the ship and took a seat in one of the clinic chairs.
II
The ship rose through the liquefied rock, Zaran corpses burned to ash in the extreme heat and the pyroclastic flow boiled out of the shaft and spread across the ground. As Malkovro brought the ship to the surface, Noshi’s shuttle was picked up on the crest of the ship and lifted high off the ground.
“This vessel is now on the surface,” Malkovro announced. “Flight systems coming online. Awaiting crew assignments.”
“Define crew,” Noshi asked.
“Flight systems are computer controlled. Authorized crew are required to be at stations to provide human oversight to automated systems.”
“The troopers at the consoles, they can act as authorized crew.”
“Negative. Genetic coding present in indigenous humans required for flight systems operation.”
“Malber and his people, they are the flight crew,” Noshi asked.
“Confirmed.”
“Malkovro, confirm interior communications channels are open.”
“Confirmed.”
“This is Noshi. Malber-Chun, report to the bridge. Bring sufficient people with you to operate cont
rol stations.”
Erik walked onto the bridge. “Noshi, what is going on?”
“The ship systems require authorized personnel to operate.”
“Malkovro, we are authorized to operate this ship. Confirm,” Erik demanded.
“Unable to confirm.”
“As I said,” Malber spoke from the doorway to the bridge. “You are in our temple. You have no authority here.”
“Fuck you,” Erik snarled.
“Take your soldiers and step aside,” Malber replied.
Erik stood for a moment, his face a grim mask behind the dark screen of his helmet. “Troopers, stand down from your stations.”
The troopers stood up immediately and filed off the bridge, exchanging positions with Malber’s followers.
“Are your people trained to fly this ship,” Noshi said.
Malber came and stood next to Noshi in the central control seat. “We have studied the ancient texts. We have practiced the rituals passed down through the generations. We have faith.”
“Faith is an abstract concept. It does not contribute to certainty,” Noshi replied.
“Regardless, it is what has brought us this far. You are in my seat,” Malber added.
Noshi hesitated and then rose from the chair. Malber settled into it with a sigh of long-awaited achievement.
In a chant-like intonation, he began to issue orders, the cadence of a long-practiced ritual that only now had context.
Across the bridge, systems came online and the remaining screens flickered into life, showing the smoking landscape and the cooling lava flow.
“Set destination coordinates, code Paradise,” Malber intoned.
“Destination code confirmed,” Malkovro replied.
The view on the screens tilted and the ship accelerated upwards.
“The Diorite shuttle has dislodged,” Malkovro reported.
“We have no use for it,” Malber replied. “We are going home.”
III
Erik, you can remove your helmet. The atmosphere of the ship is secure. Noshi spoke directly into Erik’s mind.
“A trooper should remain ready for combat at all times,” Erik replied. “We need to take this ship and return to orbital command. Any other action is in direct violation of standing orders.”
You have not listened. You refuse to accept what you are.
“I am a soldier of the Diorite Commonwealth. My duty is to fight the Helos and all their forces, regardless of the risk to myself.”
Stand still, Erik. I need to make physical contact with you.
Erik turned and stared at Noshi as she stepped away from her position next to Malber’s control station. She approached him with a graceful confidence, her milk-white eyes shining in the reflected light of the bridge screens.
Noshi’s hands passed over Erik’s chest plate and unclipped his helmet. The internal pressure hissed away as the seals released and she lifted it clear. Dropping the helmet, she rested her hands on his face. Erik was struck by the warmth of her touch. He could not recall the last time he had felt human contact.
“Noshi…”
Relax, Erik. Allow your mind to receive what I have to share.
Light flooded through Erik’s consciousness, a dazzling kaleidoscope across the visible spectrum. It pulsed and swirled, data points forming and dissolving in moments. Probabilities becoming certainty and infinite ripples of reality spreading out across the cosmos. Erik gasped and tried to pull away. Only Noshi’s anchoring grip kept him on his feet and sane.
What am I seeing? Erik’s thoughts took form and joined the spectrum laid out before him.
Possibility. The endless interaction between data points that, when analyzed, indicate certainty. This is how the Diorites predict the future.
Why?
Understanding is the most direct route to knowledge. Gathering the data allows them to control it. Analyzed data is information. Information is power.
The war… what is its purpose?
I do not know. Erik felt Noshi sigh. Perhaps it is the ultimate expression of control.
We have never had control, Erik replied.
Not yet. We can work toward it. There is a Diorite, coded Pizak. He trained me in their ways. He sent me here to find you. He had identified you as the data point at the center of a great change. From you, unknown outcomes are predicted.
What does that mean? Erik felt his frustration building into explosive rage. What does that mean!?
We must see this through, make our judgements at each moment, analyze and act. That is the only way to be certain.
Erik’s hands clenched. I preferred it when my orders were direct and obvious.
You must be open to change Erik. If you do not bend, you will break.
And my squad? What of them?
They believe in you. They will follow your orders. You must be the leader you have always been.
It feels like betrayal.
The Diorites betrayed us centuries ago. It is time for us to move on.
With great effort, Erik lifted his hands and pushed Noshi away. The connection broke, and he found himself gasping for breath as the colors faded from view.
“Diorite fleet coming into range,” Malkovro reported.
“Can we avoid them?” Malber asked.
“Probability of successful evasion, eight percent.”
“Initiate avoidance maneuvers. Accelerate to maximum possible velocity.” Malber searched his memory for the right phrases. “Prepare weapon systems and shields.”
“Confirmed,” Malkovro replied. The stars on the view screens tilted and the interior gravity adjusted for the drag of inertia as the ship increased speed.
“Diorite ships are moving to engage,” Malkovro reported.
“Defensive fire systems only,” Malber ordered.
The ship shuddered and auras of light flashed across the viewscreens.
“Returning fire,” Malkovro announced.
“What can we do?” Erik asked.
“Let the ship do its work,” Malber replied.
“I need to fight. It is our duty as soldiers. This kind of remote battle… it makes no sense.”
“And yet, most of the battles the Diorites fight against the Helos are conducted at extreme range with no direct contact between individual forces,” Noshi said.
“We fight,” Erik insisted. “It is essential.”
“Erik, you and the legions of troopers that are used on alien worlds across the cosmos are insignificant in the scale of the conflict. The true victories come from the orbital bombardments and, ultimately, the terraforming of the conquered worlds.”
“We… fight,” Erik whispered. He could not stand still, and there was nothing to fight here on the bridge. The old claustrophobia clawed at him, and he fled the bridge.
IV
Sensor data confirms a Helos ship has left the planet. Pizak absorbed this information and moved on with his analysis of the pattern. Others would be organizing an interception force. The ship would be destroyed before it left the system.
Within the endless sea of data, tiny motes of probability solidified, Noshi and Erik had combined their potential. The possible changes rippled out across the dimensions. What form their actions would finally take was uncertain, though the implications made Pizak’s sensory tendrils tingle.
Sensor scan of Helos ship indicates human presence onboard.
Pizak hesitated and shifted his focus to the latest information. Resolve Helos vessel sensor data. Analyze human factors.
Fifty-seven units detected. Diorite Commonwealth Trooper designation present in seventeen units. Herald designation present in one unit. Remaining units are indigenous life, unregistered human stock.
Working quickly, Pizak brought up the data streams that showed the ship trajectory and the intercept squadron engaging it. The Helos ship returned fire, adjusting course to evade the most devastating power of the Diorite weapons. Flashes of light skated across the energy shields on both sides of the
conflict.
Display evaluation of battle outcome based on current parameters.
The Diorite Network processed Pizak’s request and he saw the Helos ship shields disintegrate under concentrated fire from the Diorite forces. A second later, the ship itself exploded into particles.
Time until predicted outcome.
He had two minutes to act.
Confirm authorization for squadron control.
Pizak relayed his personal code and a moment later a range of possibilities opened up before him. He entered in the new commands, sending the squadron of automated ships peeling off their actor vector and returning in a wide arc to their launch stations.
Noshi…
Her presence touched his senses and he felt comfort at her continued progress.
Pizak. I did not forsee this contact.
It was unintended until the effects of your actions required it, Pizak replied.
I have done as I saw fit.
As do we all, Noshi. I have transferred myself to the command fleet in orbit around Kursk Seven-A.
The purpose of your action is not clear to me.
Analysis is part of your journey. The rungs of enlightenment are made of discovery.
Noshi breathed slowly. Diorites never acted quickly, preferring to analyze and consider possible action before disrupting their patterns with irreversible action.
Pizak. We are leaving. She gave word to action and once declared, it was real.
I understand. There will be consequences as there are for all actions. You must be prepared to navigate what will come.
My gratitude, Pizak. Thank you for everything you have taught me.
My gratitude, Noshi, for the lessons I have received in return.
Noshi felt the presence fade, she brought herself back to the now and the chatter of Malber’s bridge crew.
“Enemy forces are breaking off.”
“Do we continue firing?”
“I think they are out of range.”
“Malber…” Noshi struggled to give strength to her voice. “Malber!”
“Ship, continue system exit course. Maximum acceleration! What is it Noshi?”
“The Diorite craft have been recalled. We have a window of opportunity to escape. I suggest you do not delay.”
Hard Corps Page 13