Tempest: Book Two of the Terran Cycle

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  “Does it not interest you? Worry you?” Elandar walked round the cube to stand between it and Savrick. “What is it? Where did it come from? Why is it so happy to help us?”

  “It came from a time before the Criterion, a creation of our ancestors.” Savrick didn’t look him in the eye.

  “I know you don’t believe that. I know I don’t. This was not designed by our people. All of my senses tell me it is... alien.” Elandar’s disdain at the word was evident on his face.

  “I only know that it’s broken.” That got Elandar’s attention. “I believe if it was at full power, it would have taken me over the first time I touched it.” Elandar took a few extra steps away from the cube. “It doesn’t just use nanocelium, it replicates it. I can feel them inside me now, whispering in my mind. It can communicate with me, but it cannot use me.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Elandar gave him an appraising look.

  “Yes.” Savrick’s tone was commanding - he was not to be judged again.

  “So it’s sentient, it’s alive?”

  “I’m not sure you could say it’s alive. I believe it’s part of something much larger, something worse. But as you said, it gave me knowledge and power, and more than anything I wanted to be free of them. I didn’t question its motives, Elandar. I just wanted to use it. Why it’s helping us, I have no idea. But it does want to see the end of Terran life, I can feel that much. So for the time being our goals are the same.” Elandar made to ask more questions but Savrick silenced him with a hand. “See to our pilot.”

  Elandar looked rebuked but followed his orders and left without another word.

  Savrick commanded the heavy doors to seal him in with the cube. He hated this next part. Allowing it to physically connect with him, and commune like a real being, was a disturbing experience. He slowly walked towards the cube, manipulating the electrical signals to his Sinoatrial node in an effort to keep his heart-rate level. He had put his people on a course that put all Gomar in danger. He had to see it through.

  The dark tentacles stabbed into his exposed arm before his hand even passed through the hole. He was dragged in until the armour around his bicep wouldn’t fit, leaving him on his knees. Having already disconnected his pain receptors, he felt only the microscopic probes making contact with the nanocelium in his bloodstream.

  We have been disturbed.

  The words resonated inside his mind as if they were his own.

  “Elandar is no threat to you, he was only concerned.”

  As are we. You are forgetting the brutality you suffered under the Terran rule. They must be wiped from history. You have been given the necessary tools to perform this task. See it done.

  “I forget nothing! I need more! This war is taking too long. They inhabit over a thousand worlds and all you give me is one ship! We waste time with ground battles and skirmishes for territory when we should be obliterating entire systems. I need more Eclipse missiles.”

  More resources are required for construction.

  “You mean you’re broken!” Savrick wanted to pull away but felt the cords tighten around his arm. He hated the malevolence that accompanied its every word. He was fighting for the freedom of his people, to make his wife’s death mean something, but the cube had a completely different agenda.

  Our entry into the Terran Empire was taxing, internal systems have been compromised. But it will not stop the inevitable. We are coming...

  Savrick recalled a similar conversation decades ago, on Hadrok. Those three words had haunted his dreams ever since, making him doubt the help the cube had given the Gomar. Savrick felt a pulse through his arm and couldn’t stop the barrage of images attack his conscious mind. He screamed into the dark, as he was forced to kneel there for another five hours, and relive the death of T’lea.

  Li’ara couldn’t switch off. She tapped the lower frame of the window incessantly and tried to stop herself from pacing the room. Naydaalan had kept close by since they left Kalian in the med bay. His presence felt reassuring like a silent guardian keeping her together. She hadn’t wanted to leave Kalian but new developments required her presence elsewhere on the Nova. They had been escorted to the Charge’s briefing room off the bridge. It was a long room with a circular table in the centre and an L shape view-port off the port bow.

  She looked out on the gleaming hull of the Nautallon, High Charge Uthor’s personal ship of choice. She recalled the name from some ancient legend on Arakesh she had read about in her free time.

  Having already docked with the Nova, multiple teams of engineers and technicians had come across to help in repairing the ship’s damaged systems. Li’ara knew what was coming. Too much had happened since they left the Gommarian, too many Conclave soldiers had died at the hands of a human, if Garrett could still be called that. Uthor would demand answers and she would have to give them to him. She wished Kalian could be with her for this part. He had always said that it would eventually come to this; they had kept too many secrets from the Conclave.

  The Raalak’s heavy footsteps weren’t hard to miss coming up the corridor. Naydaalan straightened up and gave her a steely gaze, lending him confidence and strength. Li’ara replied with a small nod before turning to the face the door.

  It was impossible to get a reading on Uthor’s expression; like every Raalak he always looked angry. Charge Versanti accompanied him with an entourage of officers. Uthor fixed Li’ara with an unwavering glare but remained silent in her presence. A quick look to Alvara and the Charge dismissed her subordinates and sealed the room with only the four of them.

  “I suspect you have a lot of questions.” Li’ara’s voice was croaky from lack of speaking.

  “Is this the part where you tell me about the cube hidden in the bowels of the Gommarian?” Li’ara was too exhausted to hide the shock on her face. “I have already spoken with your Captain, Commander Ducarté. You saw what Professor Jones did on this ship; can you imagine what he has done on your own?” Li’ara didn’t think she could feel any worse right now, but the sinking feeling in her gut just found a new level. “They have many casualties but the ship remains in a better condition than the Nova. Lucky for them he was more interested in retrieving the Trantax cube.” Uthor slowly moved round the table to look upon his own ship through the view-port.

  “What did the Captain tell you?”

  “Why, so you can get your lies straight? You will tell me everything you know and I will decide on the truth. Lie to me again and you will never see Kalian Gaines again.”

  Naydaalan stepped forward, puffing his chest out in a challenge. “You cannot do that! My father should be present if a human is to be questioned.”

  Uthor turned from his ship to face the young Novaarian. “Out of respect for your father I will let that go. But if you speak to me like that again, I will have you mining Intrinium on the moons of Veridian for the next two hundred cycles.” He whipped his head around to Li’ara, “Speak.”

  “We don’t know where the cubes came from, either of them,” Li’ara began. “Savrick found the one on our ship over two hundred thousand years ago on a planet called Hadrok. It helped him to overcome the Harnesses that limit the Gomar, and ultimately start the war that ended with creation of life on Earth. We think it may have had a hand in making the Gommarian.” Uthor’s dark eyes pressed into her like probes. How much did he know? She had no choice now; the only way to move forward was to lay everything out.

  “Savrick’s daughter was plugged into the ship and used to pilot it, against her will. She is the one who... who told us all this.” Uthor already knew about Esabelle, she could tell. For the Captain to have told her so much, Li’ara could only surmise that Garrett had left them in a bad way. “Esabelle was the one who helped us take the ship in the end. She’s on our side.” She tried to emphasise that point. Another Terran would be seen as a mounting threat to the Conclave, especially one hidden from them. “There are twelve other Gomar onboard, all of them unconscious and locked away in Rem-stores.
They pose no threat now.”

  “You have told me everything, as Captain Fey did. But the Captain does not know everything since your departure. Your actions on Naveen and against my men require an explanation, a good one.”

  Li’ara looked away in thought for a moment. This particular secret was a big one. If the Conclave knew they had been in league with an A.I. from the Terran civilisation, and not to mention more powerful than their own, there would be serious consequences. Not just for her but also for Telarrek, Ilyseal and Naydaalan.

  “I am waiting.”

  “As you already know, when the Terran had finished on Earth they left an outpost on Naveen. Should we ever make it that far, it would tell us everything we needed to know about where we came from. That information came in the form of an artificial intelligence known as ALF.”

  Uthor shared a look with Alvara, her expression easier to read than his. They were concerned.

  “What kind of A.I.?” the Charge asked.

  “He’s only a part of the whole. His physical housing was destroyed by the Gomar.” Li’ara couldn’t believe she had used ALF’s own annoying line. “He controlled the Terran Empire much the same way yours does, only a little more God-like. He’s as old as the Terran, that’s why we had to retrieve him from Naveen. We hoped he would know more about the cube on Trantax, but he didn’t.”

  “It was on Trantax? Where is it now?”

  Li’ara looked at Naydaalan for help but knew there was nothing either of them could do. They had come this far, she had to hope that working together would benefit all of them.

  “He’s inside Kalian’s suit.”

  With that Uthor gave Alvara a look she clearly understood. The Charge turned on the spot and marched out of the room without a word.

  “Where’s she going?” Li’ara couldn’t conceal the distress in her voice.

  “I don’t think you fully understand the danger an A.I. poses. There is a reason we have contained ours and limited its growth. I can’t even imagine how dangerous an artificial intelligence is from the Terran Empire. The suit must be quarantined immediately, with or without Kalian Gaines inside it.” Li’ara could feel a threat on the tip of her tongue before Uthor continued. “What is the interest in these cubes? Are they Terran in origin or not?”

  Li’ara took a breath, “ALF didn’t think so. There’s a Terran word inscribed on the side but it didn’t mean anything. We don’t know why it’s even on the cube. We need to see the one on the Gommarian for a real comparison. Can you tell me what happened?”

  “It seems Professor Jones interacted with the cube against your Captain’s wishes. They do not know what happened after that, but he is clearly not the same being who went into that chamber. Our scans show he is teeming with the technology you call nanocelium.”

  “Esabelle thinks it’s alive. That its only purpose is to seek out and end all human life. There’s even a chance that what it’s done to Garrett, it did to Savrick millennia ago.”

  “But you don’t know where it came from, or who sent it?”

  “No.” That was question Li’ara wanted answering more than anything.

  “I find it troubling that the Terran civilisation came to an end after the discovery of that cube, and that we have just found one in our own borders.”

  “We tried to warn you last-”

  Li’ara was cut off by Uthor. “You gave us half-truths and lies. So far, the only threat we have faced has come out of that monster of a ship. So now the two of you and Kalian Gaines are coming with me on the Nautallon where we will rendezvous with the Gommarian. I’m sure it doesn’t need explaining to you that we are assuming complete control of it and those aboard. We should have done it much sooner, perhaps then so many lives may have been spared.”

  Li’ara could think of nothing to say. He was right. Uthor was doing everything she would in his position. They had been surprised by too many human lies and secrets. This was the expected reaction. With that in mind, Li’ara thought about the secret mission Esabelle had left for. She couldn’t imagine what they would do if they discovered an unchecked Terran on one of their worlds. And with Roland no less - he was trouble enough.

  “There’s something else you should be aware of, before it becomes a thing. Esabelle left the Gommarian before we did. She’s trying to locate Roland North and bring him in before he causes too much damage.”

  “The damage has already been done, Commander Ducarté. We are well aware of the pair’s recent activities. Perhaps you could shed some light on why they have attacked Protocorps Headquarters on the Capital?”

  Li’ara recognised the name from Telarrek’s warning about Roland. Why would they both attack the headquarters? She could offer no explanation for their actions; it was as much a mystery as the cube.

  “Do you know what is inside Protocorps?”

  “Up until a few days ago I’d never heard of it,” Li’ara admitted.

  “It is the central hub for the Conclave artificial intelligence. I don’t believe in coincidences. You tell me about the A.I. recently acquired from Naveen while at the same time a Terran and a known human criminal attack the Conclave A.I. I do not like that combination of facts.”

  “Neither do I, but we should get answers before any judgment is made. Now that we all know the same thing we should work together.” Li’ara could feel the adrenaline wearing off, leaving her tired.

  “They were unsuccessful in reaching the A.I. but caused tremendous damage. Protocorps’ personal security firm have reported deaths among their casualties. I can’t even count how many laws they broke. They were able to escape thanks to the girl’s abilities and that Terran ship, the Rackham. In the meantime we will continue with our investigation onboard the Gommarian.”

  “What about Professor Jones?” Naydaalan asked.

  “We are using every tool at our disposal to hunt him down. The Terran ship makes it harder. Do you have any idea why he would want the Trantax cube? Or even how he knew about it?”

  Li’ara knew it couldn’t be for anything good. What would he need from a second cube that he couldn’t get from the Gommarian cube?

  “I have no idea what he wants with it. Nobody on the Gommarian knew what we were leaving for, and Kalian and I didn’t know until the Highclave told us.”

  “He left your ship and headed directly to Trantax IV. He knew exactly where to go.” Uthor stroked his rocky chin.

  “Is it possible he had help?” Naydaalan offered.

  “You think someone inside the Conclave is in communication with this, monster?” Uthor looked troubled at the prospect. “I don’t see how it is possible. We monitor all communications in and out of the Gommarian and there was none prior to his escape.”

  “Well someone must have told him where to go; the galaxy’s a pretty big place. He knew to come here and he already had a plan. Destabilising the Starrillium not only allowed him to escape with the cube but it also nearly took out his biggest threat.” Li’ara massaged her sore shoulder from the encounter with Garrett.

  “Kalian...” Uthor checked a message on the screen built into his sleeve.

  “Have we been able to identify the attackers on, Trantax?” Naydaalan asked.

  “Not yet. Their ship’s navigation and log were automatically stripped when we attempted access. They had no form of identification. Great measures were taken to conceal the markers in their DNA. Upon death a toxokatic chemical was released into their bloodstream to destroy their chromosomes. I have not seen such precautions in mercenaries before. Their hardware is untraceable, no doubt acquired from the black market. Their employer will have to remain a mystery for now, but their services would not have come cheaply if their numbers and weaponry are anything to go by.”

  “Then there is a third party involved,” Naydaalan added.

  “It seems there is no end to the mysteries that follow your kind, Commander Ducarté. I will bear all this in mind for my report to the Highclave, but right now I would settle for knowing what the Pro
fessor plans on doing with the cube.”

  Garrett looked helplessly through eyes he could no longer control as the view-port gave way to a magnificent space station. In the shape of a crescent moon that didn’t quite meet at the ends, the station could easily fit the Gommarian or the Marillion through the internal circumference. Lights were visible across the hull indicating activity inside, towards the bulk in the central curve of the crescent. Three massive spheres extended from the station at random spacing across the dull grey exterior.

  What is this?

  He knew from the holographic readout that he was in the Helteron cluster, between the borders of Shay and Laronian territory. He tried to get a better look at the console, an array of contrasting holograms in the pitch-black of the darkened ship. It seemed his parasitic occupant did not require light to see its surroundings. His body stood up against his will and exited the bridge, obscuring his view. It was infuriating to be trapped in his own body, his free will stripped from him.

  His body stood inanimate in the gloom for several minutes while the ship docked with the station. Garrett found his own lack of movement disturbing in the dark. He didn’t blink, breathe or twitch so much as a muscle, like a machine powered down. He felt a cold dread as the realisation sunk in; he was truly dead. There was no coming back from this now. Whatever damage the cube had done to him would be irreparable at this point; his organs would have shut down and his nervous system was no longer his own. He was dead.

  He was washed in white light as the ramp beneath his feet descended forty-five degrees. The cube had been right in front of him the whole time. His strong hands clasped around the edges and pushed the heavy relic down the ramp with no sign of any strain on his body. Two lines of soldiers met him at the base of the ramp, all clad in black armour and face masks to suit their species. At the sight of him they all took a cautious step back, but made no move against him.

  They’re expecting me.

  His body released the cube and stood aside as the relic was hoisted by a small crane onto a hovering platform that fitted its size perfectly. Without a word between any of them, they all followed the hovering cube as it led the way through the maze of corridors. There were guards everywhere, patrolling all the walkways, each heavily armed. After several Translifts and over two miles of walking Garrett was stood before a long blank wall with a single horizontal line running through it. It was at least twenty metres across with seven black miniature rectangles placed side by side above the line. His body never moved to examine the room or locate the door from which six finely dressed Shay came. They regarded his presence with quizzical expressions and no lack of disgust.