“Malkovro, what is the maximum velocity we can achieve?” Malber asked.
“Maximum velocity is zero point nine-eight four percent of light speed.”
“Is that fast?” Malber asked.
“Not fast enough,” Noshi replied. “Diorite systems can plot our trajectory and be at our destination months, if not years before we arrive. Malkovro, do you have transport capabilities comparable to the Diorite fleet?”
“Yes, Noshi. I note you have abandoned the Diorite speech patterns you used until now. May I inquire as to the reason for this change?”
“We are human. It is time we remembered that and acted accordingly. Can you activate transport technology to send us to your target coordinates?”
“I await the order of the commander of the bridge.”
“Noshi, can you explain?” Malber asked.
“The Diorites use a transport technology. Ships, organisms, everything is digitized and then transferred as data through quantum entanglement. Effectively it means we go from one point in space-time to another. I have no external frame of reference to compare the transit time against.”
“From our current position to the coordinates loaded into navigation, transit time would be zero,” Malkovro advised.
“This was not part of the knowledge passed down through the rituals.” Malber shook his head. “Tell me, will we be free from the Diorites? Away from the war?”
“Yes, for a time,” Malkovro replied. “There is no certainty of permanent sanctuary.”
“Initiate the transfer to Paradise,” Malber ordered the ship.
“Transfer will commence in four hours, eleven minutes and eleven seconds.”
“What? Why the delay?” Malber almost rose out of his chair.
“There are calculations to be made. A full scan of every molecule in the ship must be completed. Energy needs to be applied to the systems that will initiate the transfer. To initiate a transfer prior to completion would be ineffective at best and result in molecular destabilization at worst.”
“Until then, can you maintain shields and weapon systems?”
“Of course.”
Noshi focused on calming the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. “Malber, keep us moving. The Diorites will be back. We just have to keep moving as far and as fast as we can.”
“Our sub-light speed will increase as we continue to accelerate away from the gravity well of Kursk Seven-A,” Malkovro announced.
“I need to find Erik,” Noshi said. Feeling her way, she reached the bridge steps and let the door hiss closed behind her before sagging against the wall. She sank down as her strength faded and doubt and terror closed over her head like an icy tide.
“Herald?” Timber hesitated. The woman was sitting against the wall with her knees drawn up and head bowed. “Are you sleeping?”
“No, First Trooper Timber, I am awake.” She lifted her head and he saw her cheeks were wet with tears.
“Do you require assistance?”
“I was looking for First Trooper Erik. I wanted to give you all an update.”
“We are returning with this ship to orbital fleet command?” Timber straightened in readiness of a confirming order.
“That is not our current plan.”
“Herald?”
“We are going to a place coded Paradise. Malber-Chun has control of the ship. It is programmed to follow the commands of the descendants of the original crew, which is him and his people.”
“My squad can take the ship by force at your order.” Timber snapped to attention.
“Can you pilot this vessel?”
“Negative, Herald.”
“Then there is a flaw in your logic. You will stand down.”
“Yes, Herald.”
Noshi stood, pulling away from Timber’s hand as he reached out to assist her. “Malkovro, where is Erik currently?”
“Erik is in medical bay one.”
“I know where that is,” Timber said. “Allow me to escort you, Herald.”
“Lead on, First Trooper.”
Chapter 12
Erik stared unblinking at the observation port in the clone-forge. The machine hummed and whirred as he watched a hundred fine nozzles spray a white liquid that set into the shapes of bone and cartilage. The hundred nozzles made a hundred passes, laying cells on a matrix one layer at a time. Reading a blueprint for human flesh and viscera, building a new body from the memory of the old.
The skull closed around the freshly minted brain as the ribs were laid like strips of uncooked pie-crust over a filling of raw offal.
The final touches were drawn out to form a face Erik had never seen before. Clix had paler skin than his and her freshly laid eyes were as dark as her hair.
Erik watched as a panel on the clone-forge lit up in a sequence. The machine’s humming tone changed and then ceased. The front section clicked open with a hiss and to Erik’s unshielded nostrils, it smelled of copper and hot iron.
A mist swirled around the form inside, parting as Clix stepped forward, her hands reaching for the edges of the chamber. The trooper emerged, blinking into the light.
“Trooper Clix,” Erik said. Her head turned and she stared at him for a moment.
“First Trooper Erik. I am ready for duty.”
“Ship?” Erik asked.
“Yes, First Trooper Erik,” Malkovro replied.
“Can you provide Trooper Clix with a uniform?”
“Material items are being printed. Access output via the screen on the left side of the clinic room.”
Clix stood in silence, seeming unaware of her surroundings while Erik navigated the touch menu and returned with fresh clothes for her.
“Dress,” he ordered.
When completed, the dull haze had lifted from Clix’s eyes and she suddenly looked alarmed. “First Trooper, I am without my weapon or armor.”
“You were injured,” Erik replied. “New equipment will be issued to you when necessary.”
“Am I under punishment?” Clix asked.
“Negative, Trooper. Your performance in the battle where you were injured was optimal.”
Clix relaxed slightly. “I am ready to resume active duty.”
“What do you remember?” Erik asked.
“First?” Clix replied.
“Of the moments leading up to your… injury. What do you remember?”
“Yes, First Trooper. The squad was engaged in close-quarters combat with a large force of Zarans. I remember losing my footing. I remember First Trooper Erik pulling me up to my feet and I remember being ashamed of my weakness.”
Erik nodded. The shame of failure in battle was etched in every cell of a Diorite Trooper. He had never questioned it until now.
“There are quarters available. I suggest you rest until your expertise is required.”
Clix saluted and followed Erik to the entrance of the medical bay. “First Trooper, this is not a Diorite troop ship.”
“That is correct, Trooper. We have commandeered a Helos vessel.”
Clix’s eyes widened. “A great victory.”
“The battle is over, but the war is far from won,” Erik replied. “Malkovro, are you able to direct Trooper Clix to suitable quarters?”
“Of course. Trooper Clix, please follow my directions. Your quarters are this way.”
Erik went back to the clone-forge and resumed staring at the now empty chamber.
III
“Erik?” Noshi stood in the doorway, her head cocked, listening.
“Here,” Erik replied, turning to see her.
“The Diorite Commonwealth ships have ceased their attack for now. We are on course to exit the system and in about four hours, we will be at our destination.”
“They are letting us leave? Just like that?”
“There is a Diorite, coded Pizak. My mentor after I left The Mess. He made contact. He has seen the future possible and believes we are important to some great change that is coming.”
“W
hat kind of change?”
“Change reveals itself in time. Often it is only seen in hindsight. Whatever form it takes, we are at the center of it. At least, that is what Pizak has come to understand.”
“I understand less with each passing minute,” Erik muttered.
“You are a great warrior, Erik. You have been shaped and tempered into a weapon of singular purpose. Without an enemy in range of your rifle, you lose that sense of purpose.”
“Good thing this war is never going to end.”
A smile barely flickered across Noshi’s face. “I did not know about the clone-forge. I have experienced interstellar travel, but I did not know that all you are can be extracted after death and reformed.”
“It’s in front of you. The clone-forge. Clix came out of it and she is as she was. Except for her memory of death. That was left out. I have been staring at this thing. Trying to remember if I have seen it before. If I have seen it once, or a thousand times. Do we age when we are reformed? How long have I lived? How many times have I died?”
“Does it matter? You are alive now. Clix is alive. Timber, Silian, all the members of your squad. They are with you.”
“We do not speak the names of the dead. What becomes of those who are lost to us? Are they transferred to other units? Retrained? Or simply stored?”
“I can provide information, should you require it,” Malkovro spoke up.
“You know what becomes of the dead?” Erik asked.
“The dead are stored in digital form. Assessments are made constantly on where the need for human resources is greatest. Data is then transferred to the nearest command location, the trooper is reformed and dispatched into battle.”
“Don’t they question their change in unit?” Erik asked.
“Troopers are trained to obey orders and not ask questions. Is that not true, First Trooper Erik?”
“Yes. That is true.”
“I remember the day you left The Mess,” Noshi said. Her hand found Erik’s.
“I… I stole bread and was running from Calzon and his assholes.”
“Yes, you brought me bread. It was months before I knew what had become of you.”
“I still don’t know.”
“There is still time Erik. You can escape this life. We both-”
“Escape? Into what? I have no other life. I have no other purpose. All I remember is killing. That is where I begin and end. Saying I can be other than I am is the same as telling me I can be a slug.”
“No!” Noshi slapped him on the chest. “You can be human. For thousands of years we explored a single planet. Then we ventured across our first solar system. Generations of our ancestors crossed the endless dark between stars. We are the few that remain. We do not need to be the last.”
“Attention, Noshi,” Malkovro’s voice cut through the air.
“What?” Erik snapped.
“The Diorite fighter squadrons have launched again. Malber-Chun is preparing to engage.”
“Does he need our help?” Noshi asked.
“It is likely. However, Malber-Chun does not currently have sufficient information to make a meaningful request.”
“Drop ship lag,” Erik said. “When we are loaded and waiting to make planet-fall. We wait in the drop ships. I’ve seen troopers go so fucking crazy they have to be taken down. You learn to keep it locked tight. The rage. The hate. The need to get out there and fucking destroy. You tell yourself, soon. Soon I’ll be on the ground. Boots to the roots. Until then you gotta stand strong. Stand cold. Stand ready.”
“I’ll be on the bridge,” Noshi said. Focusing her senses, she followed the patterns of the ship to leave the room.
III
“Maintain distance from target,” Malber ordered. “Fire everything.” Streaks of light blasted across the viewscreens and the flaring wreckage of a blasted fighter spun into darkness.
“Shields are failing,” a woman crewmember reported.
Malber’s hands clenched on the armrests until the material creaked. “Malkovro, divert power from any available systems to increase shields.”
“Done. Time until shield failure now seven minutes.”
“Keep firing!”
Noshi struggled to maintain her footing as the deck twisted and shook. Systems flickered and went dark, the ship’s lighting system dulled, rose again and then winked out. Only a few light strips remained glowing across the floor.
“Shield failure imminent,” Malkovro advised.
“Shargun…” Malber muttered. All his knowledge of the temple was drawn from ritual and the rote learning of sacred traditions passed down by word of mouth through generations. He had reached the limits of his power and it wasn’t enough to save his people and deliver them to the salvation they were promised.
“Malber?” Noshi asked. “Malber!”
“I can’t save us,” he whispered. “I did not. I don’t know…”
Noshi put her hands on the back of his chair, steadying herself as she closed her eyes and reached out.
Pizak…
Noshi.
Help us.
Noshi. You perceive the future.
I only see death. I am afraid.
What is death.
Pizak, please. We don’t have time for debate on the nature of the unknown.
Focus, Noshi. Energy is eternal. The form it takes is transient.
Please, Pizak. We are going to die. All that we are will be lost. We will leave this system and find our own world.
Soon the Diorite Commonwealth with reach those new shores or the Helos will come and your world will end. You know this is true.
We know. Just give us the chance to live and make what we can of the time we have. We may be the last generation of our species. But we have… certainty.
Hope, Pizak caressed her mind with the strange sensation and language. You have hope.
Is that enough.
When it is all you have, it is enough.
“Shields have failed!”
PIZAK! Noshi cried out and felt only silence.
IV
Absence is the void that remains when all possibilities have been excised.
Noshi turned the q’ran of knowledge, the sacred lesson, over in her mind. Considering it from all perspectives, all possible inflections and interpretations. This was an exercise of metra, the meditative trance of the Diorites. When the void has passed, I am all that remains.
Noshi.
She ignored the presence. There was a lot here for her to explore, to seek comfort in and perhaps to understand. Intruders would only contaminate her metra.
Noshi. The presence spoke with Erik’s voice. She took comfort in that, then resolved herself to focus on the mystery of the void.
“Noshi!” Erik had been reaching out to her for a lifetime. He saw each mote of dust, each particle of acrid spark, and every photon of light as unique as a snowflake. Suns swelled warm and yellow, ripening to bloated redness and exploded into supernovae and still he reached for her.
Then, it all came crashing in. Layer upon layer of space and time collapsing in on itself, folding through dimensions until it resolved and he crashed into Noshi, wrapping his arms around her and sending them both to the floor.
“What the fuck…?” Erik groaned.
“We have been transferred,” Noshi whispered. The thin gruel of her stomach acid threatened to explode out of her.
“I’ve never felt anything like that.”
“We weren’t digitized first. We were transferred conscious and whole.”
“Why aren’t we dead?” Erik asked.
“We might be. This could be what death is like.”
“Status… report,” Malber croaked.
Across the bridge, the crewmembers still conscious roused themselves and began to report.
“Ship?” Malber asked. “Malkovro?”
“The Helos has failed you.” A voice reverberated through the hull and reached into the darkest corners of the ship.
&n
bsp; “Who is this?” Malber demanded.
“I am coded Pizak.”
“Where are you? Show yourself?!”
“I am all around you. I have taken the place of the Helos.”
“What happened to the ship?” Malber shouted.
“You have been transported. It was required to prevent your transition to another energy state.”
“Explain what you mean!”
“Pizak, he has saved us,” Noshi said. She pulled herself up, nausea rippling over her in waves.
“Navigation, report! Sensors, full scan. Where are the Diorite ships?”
“Sensors are clear, Commander. No Diorite craft detected.”
“Malber!” One of the crew members rose from their station, an exultant expression on his face. “Paradise! We are at the coordinates!”
The bridge erupted in a chanting hymn that carried more emotion than words.
Timber came charging on to the bridge, his weapon locked and ready. “Erik!?”
“Here,” Erik raised a hand and got to his feet. “Stand down First Trooper Timber. Squad on standby. Await further orders.”
Noshi breathed deeply until her stomach settled. “Pizak, I have questions.”
“I will share what knowledge I can.”
“What happened?”
“You lost everything and found hope. In that I found my own purpose. Your species is the most intriguing the Diorite Commonwealth has ever encountered, Noshi. Of all species, in you we saw potential. We calculated that this potential would only be realized with intensive and selective genetic manipulation through subsequent generations. Perhaps my analysis was correct; perhaps you are the result of an infinity of possibilities within your genetic code. Or perhaps you were always our equals and in our arrogance, we refused to accept that such a thing could be possible.”
“You have transmitted us across the galaxy?”
“The Helos systems were conceived by Diorite minds. Our technology and our understanding of the myriad laws of the Universe brought them into being.”
Hard Corps Page 14