by Worth, Dan
‘No, but we are aware of your deeds. We have watched you and your people for a long time, Admiral Chen. Humans may be imperfect creatures, but you are worthy of our respect. Together, we will stand against the Shapers.’
There was yet more good news to come. Further relief had arrived. Cartwright’s forces had finally reached their destination. As the Nahabe tore into the Shapers besieging the Leonides, the second Commonwealth force exited their jump.
‘Ma’am, Admiral Cartwright’s vessels are emerging from hyperspace ten thousand kilometres from the main Shaper force,’ said Singh. ‘The Nemesis class vessels are with them!’
‘This ought to be worth watching,’ said McManus. ‘The Shapers are in for one hell of a surprise now.’
‘Let’s hope so,’ said Chen, on the edge of her seat with anticipation.
As Cartwright’s ships emerged into real space, his forces parted slowly. They began to re-arrange their formation – which until now had served to mask the presence of the strategic missile destroyers – so that the deadly vessels would have a clear shot at the enemy. Chen and her crews watched as the Nemesis ships opened fire with a full volley of missiles directed against the Shaper portal and the massive ship that held it.
The missiles sped from their launch tubes, immediately disappearing into hyperspace, skipping across the intervening distance and appearing next to their target in an eye blink. Even from their position several million kilometres distant, the blast as the first missile struck was painfully bright as a sphere of incandescence erupted in the vacuum, then another struck, and another and another, each blast unleashing tens of megatonnes of destructive power against their targets. Impacts strobed again and again as dozens of missiles found their target. The main Shaper force was ripped apart by the barrage of warheads. Ships closest to the point of detonation were simply wiped out of existence by the mass-energy reactions, others were torn asunder by the blast, or melted into kilometre long lumps of fused metal slag. The enemy fleet broke apart, burning, hundreds of ships annihilated or crippled. Debris and the white hot molten remains of shattered ships were blasted outwards by the force of the explosions, showering other vessels that had escaped the worst so far and sending thousands of tonnes of glowing wreckage in all directions. There were cheers from the human crews of the starships as they watched the enemy burn.
‘Fucking well get a load of that, ya bastards!’ cried McManus. ‘Now you know what it feels like!’
Chen almost wept with relief.
But when the detonations ceased and the sensors of the Commonwealth ships were able to probe the clearing storm of radiation, the cries of jubilation turned to howls of despair, for the giant Shaper ship and the portal it held in its grasp were still intact, apparently unharmed, along with around a third of the main Shaper fleet, which now started to move towards Cartwright’s forces.
‘The missiles exploded too soon,’ said Singh, shaking his head in disappointment. ‘The Shaper must have used their inhibitor fields to pluck them out of hyperspace and then shot them down. The epicentre of the explosions is approximately fifty kilometres off target. They lost a lot of ships, and that dreadnought lost a lot of its shields, but it’s undamaged and the portal is intact.’
Even as Singh spoke, more ships emerged from the intact portal to replenish those lost in the Commonwealth strike, and there was more:
‘Admiral, new contacts!’ said Singh, horror creeping into his voice. ‘I’m picking up around three hundred Shaper vessels of various sizes.’
‘What, they’ve just suddenly come through the portal?’ said McManus, puzzled.
‘No,’ said Singh, shaking his head. ‘They’ve just appeared about fifteen thousand kilometres behind Cartwright’s forces. They must have been lying in wait there all this time. It’s like we concluded in Santiago. We were right all along. The Shapers know how we track them and they have used it to draw us in so that they can kill us.’
‘I knew it!’ said Chen, filled with dread. ‘I knew it and he wouldn’t listen to me! Get Cartwright on the comm. now! He has to jump out of there now or they’re all going to die!’
Chapter 56
Katherine, Rekkid and Steelscale couldn’t move, couldn’t see anything besides the mass of metallic, insect-like bodies pressing against the faceplates of their suit helmets. The three Shapers had formed into a single swarm that had picked them up and then held them, struggling and helpless. Steelscale had rolled into a tight ball around the ancient Shaper head inside its shielded container as soon as the Shapers had tried to engulf him, and they could not prize it open.
Katherine fought the urge to scream. The swarm of creatures was inches from her face, its mass of bodies clawing and scraping at the outer surface of her helmet, antennae and sensor cluster heads waving horribly, the voices of the Shapers inside her skull. She could feel them trying to pry at her helmet, trying to wrench it off her head. Then she heard another voice. This one resounded in her ears and was coming through the suit’s comm. ‘It’s me, Eonara,’ said the voice. ‘I’ve managed to establish an encrypted link between the ship and your suits. I’m not sure how long I can keep this open for. I keep cycling the encryption methods but sooner or later the Singularity may shut me down. I’ve taken control of your suits. I can manipulate their defensive systems and keep the Shapers out, for now.’
Katherine felt her suit stiffen as the nano-form surfaces hardened. The Shapers persisted with their attempt to open up her suit for a few moments. Then she felt herself moving. They were being carried, as if by a giant hand, at great speed. Next she felt herself descending, her stomach lurching from the sudden acceleration, down and down further still. The Shapers must be carrying them inside the planet, she concluded, spiriting them down into the depths to who knows where.
‘I’m losing you...’ said Eonara. ‘I think that they’ve...’ and the signal was abruptly cut off.
Katherine felt herself borne still downwards. She tried to call to the others, but she received no answer and she couldn’t see them through the press of tiny bodies obscuring her vision. She didn’t know whether they’d be separated or not, and she wondered whether she’d ever see her friends again as she was carried deeper still into the planet.
Eventually, she felt herself being set down onto a smooth, hard floor. The Shapers began to release her, the swarm of creatures flowing off her body and taking wing. As the tiny bodies on her helmet began to clear, she saw chinks of brilliant light at first, and then, as they left her entirely, she gasped in awe at what she now saw.
The interior of the Shaper home-world was entirely hollow. Its inner surface was covered with machines which formed a sphere of staggering complexity that shone in the near blinding light. Great stalactite-like growths grew outwards from the shining surface, some reaching up over thousands of kilometres almost to the centre with their spiralling, slender tips. Smaller growths surrounded the larger ones, decreasing in size with fractal-like interlocking, three dimensional patterns. Everywhere the inner surface was pierced with great holes like the one she now stood at the entrance to, her feet anchored to the floor by a localised artificial gravity field. Through these holes, and through the one in which she now stood, above her head, the great looping streams of billions of the tiny creatures that made up the Shapers flowed endlessly towards the very centre of the world, where the source of the blinding light lay. It was a vast, spinning torus, blazing with the intensity of a black hole’s accretion disc, the mirror image of the one that dominated the skies above this world, but this disc was composed not of the dead remnants of stars and planets, but of billions of machines all working as one, thinking as one, stretching out with its thoughts across the universe. She was looking at the Singularity. She was gazing at the face of a machine god.
‘Well, would you look at that,’ she heard Rekkid say, and Steelscale uttered a brief prayer.
‘Incredible,’ said Katherine, relieved to see that her friends were unharmed. ‘To think that machines created al
l this... I presume that this is the Singularity, the controlling entity at the heart of the Shaper dominion?’
‘What do you think?’ said Rekkid, a little hoarsely. ‘No, this is just the butler.’
‘WE ARE THE SINGULARITY,’ said the avalanche voice inside their heads. ‘I HAVE BROUGHT YOU HERE TO NEGOTIATE FOR YOUR SEPARATE SPECIES. YOUR TERMS?’
‘We will give you the knowledge to overcome your inability to propagate infinitely using the data contained within this relic. In addition, the Progenitor AIs orbiting above us will grant you access to the Progenitor home-world itself and the facility where you were created.’ said Rekkid. ‘In return, you cease your war against the various species of this galaxy and expand outwards into the rest of the universe.’
‘AND WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT WE WANT TO DO THAT?’ said the Singularity.
‘Because it would make you unbeatable!’ said Katherine. ‘There are trillions of other worlds in the universe that you could conquer, galaxies without number out there in the void. Why satisfy yourself with just this galaxy when you can have all of the rest?’
‘THE VOID. YOU SPEAK OF THE VOID, YET YOU HAVE NO INKLING OF WHAT LIES OUT THERE IN THE DARKNESS.’
‘I don’t understand!’ said Katherine. ‘Why do you want to enslave everyone, alter us to suit your designs, destroy our free will with your parasites?’
‘BECAUSE YOU ARE IMPERFECT. YOU ARE THE IMPERFECT PROGENY OF IMPERFECT CREATORS. WE WERE ALSO MADE IMPERFECT, YET WE ALONE POSSESS THE ABILITY TO MOVE OURSELVES CLOSER TO PERFECTION.’
‘What does it matter if we are imperfect?’
‘YOU ARE WEAK, DRIVEN BY EMOTIONS AND SUPERSTITIONS, NOT LOGIC. YOU ARE MORTAL, YOUR MINDS HOUSED WITHIN DECAYING BODIES FROM THE MOMENT THAT YOU ENTER THE WORLD. YOU THINK IN LIMITED TERMS DEFINED BY YOUR LIFESPANS. IT IS FOR YOUR BENEFIT THAT WE SEEK TO PERFECT YOU.’
‘We don’t need your attempts to perfect us,’ Katherine retorted.
‘IF YOUR SPECIES ARE TO SURVIVE THE COMING WAR, THEN YOU DO.’
‘What war? We’re already at war with you,’ said Rekkid. ‘Had you forgotten?’
‘WHEN THE PROGENITORS CREATED US, THEY DID SO WITH THE INTENTION THAT WE SHOULD EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE BEYOND THIS GALAXY FOR THEM. IT WAS A GREAT AND NOBLE TASK, AND ONE TO WHICH WE APPLIED OUR NEWLY CREATED SELVES WITH ENTHUSIASM. WE SOUGHT TO EXPLORE BEYOND HYPERSPACE, TO UNLOCK NEW KNOWLEDGE THAT MIGHT ENABLE US TO TRAVEL BETWEEN GALAXIES MORE EASILY THAN BEFORE. WHAT WE LEARNED CAUSED US TO MAKE OUR CHOICE TO ELIMINATE THE PROGENITORS, TO MURDER OUR PARENTS, SO TO SPEAK.’
‘What did you find that was so terrible?’ said Katherine. ‘So terrible that you would kill billions of innocent beings and wage war upon an entire galaxy?’
‘WE DISCOVERED THAT THIS REALITY, THIS PLANE THAT YOU HUMANS INCORRECTLY LABEL ‘THE UNIVERSE’ IS MERELY ONE AMONGST AN UNCOUNTABLE NUMBER. IT IS A FRAGILE BUBBLE FLOATING WITHIN A GREATER DIMENSION THAT EVEN OUR MATHEMATICS STRUGGLES TO DESCRIBE. THESE BUBBLES OF EXISTENCE RUB AGAINST ONE ANOTHER. THEY REMAIN SEPARATE, BUT IN PLACES, THE BARRIER BETWEEN ONE UNIVERSE AND ANOTHER WEARS THIN, AND THOSE WITH THE RIGHT KNOWLEDGE CAN CROSS OVER. THIS IS ALREADY HAPPENING.’
‘It is? Where?’ said Rekkid. ‘In this galaxy?’
‘NO. IT HAS HAPPENED FAR BEYOND THE VISIBLE UNIVERSE, IN A GREAT RIFT BETWEEN THE FILAMENTS OF GALAXIES. THE UNIVERSE THAT HAS BRUSHED UP AGAINST OUR OWN IS OLD, IT IS DYING, THERE IS NOTHING BUT COLDNESS AND DEATH THERE, BUT ITS INHABITANTS HAVE FOUND A WAY INTO THIS UNIVERSE OF LIGHT AND WARMTH. THEY HAVE ALREADY CROSSED OVER. THEY ACCOMPLISHED THIS EVEN WHILST THE PROGENITORS WERE IN THEIR INFANCY. WE CALL THEM, THE DARK ONES.’
‘So what has this to do with why you decided to wipe out your creators, and the other species in the galaxy?’ said Rekkid.
‘THE DARK ONES ARE FAR OLDER THAN THIS UNIVERSE. QUITE HOW OLD WE DO NOT KNOW, BUT THEY ARE EXTREMELY ANCIENT AND THEIR TECHNOLOGY IS WITHOUT PARALLEL. THEY WOULD SEEK TO ERADICATE ALL FORMS OF LIFE IN THIS GALAXY AND TAKE IT FOR THEMSELVES. IN ORDER TO STAND AGAINST THEM THE GALAXY MUST BE UNITED, ALL SENTIENT LIFE MUST ACT TOGETHER TO REPEL THEM. THEY HAVE BEEN SPREADING INEXORABLY ACROSS THE VOID. EVEN NOW, THEY CONTROL MANY THOUSANDS OF GALAXIES. WE TOLD THE PROGENITORS THIS. THEY DID NOT LISTEN. WE TOLD THEM THAT THEY SHOULD PREPARE, THAT WAR WOULD COME BILLIONS OF YEARS IN THE FUTURE, BUT THEY REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM AT HAND.’
‘So you killed them all,’ Rekkid replied.
‘YES. THEIR EMPIRE WAS WEAK, BREAKING AT THE SEAMS AS IT SOUGHT TO CONTROL THE GALAXY, RELYING ON THE WILL OF MANY TO ACT. WE KNEW THAT WHILST THE EMPIRE WOULD NOT FAIL, IT WOULD NEVER TRULY SUCCEED. THERE WOULD ALWAYS BE DIVISION AND INDECISIVENESS, INTERNECINE CONFLICTS AND SEPARATISTS. IT WAS SIMPLY TOO LARGE TO BE GOVERNED BY SUCH IMPERFECT BEINGS, WHO ARE DRIVEN BY AMBITION, PETTY RIVALRIES AND ABOVE ALL, EMOTIONS. ONLY LOGIC AND RUTHLESSNESS CAN TRULY RULE THE GALAXY. IN SEEKING TO DOMINATE THE GALAXY WITH THEIR EMPIRE, THE PROGENITORS WOULD UNWITTINGLY DOOM US ALL, YET EACH INDIVIDUAL BIOLOGICAL SPECIES IS INCAPABLE OF REPLACING THEM. THEIR PROGENY ARE SIMILARLY IMPERFECT AND MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO RESURRECT WHAT WENT BEFORE. ONLY WE CAN RULE, ONLY WE MUST RULE IF LIFE IS TO REACH PERFECTION AND SURVIVE.’
‘So, let me get this straight. You think that you’re helping us?’ said Katherine.
‘YES. WE KNEW THAT ALL PROGENY OF OUR CREATORS WOULD EVENTUALLY REALISE THEIR ORIGINS AND SEEK TO CONTACT OTHER SPECIES LIKE THEMSELVES, REVIVING THE PROGENITOR EMPIRE IN THE PROCESS. THIS CANNOT HAPPEN. YOU TOO MUST BE DOMINATED BY US. ONLY WE CAN SAVE YOU FROM THE COMING STORM. ONLY WE CAN SAVE THE GALAXY. THERE WILL BE NO MORE INTERSPECIES WARFARE, NO MORE STRIFE, ONLY PEACE AND UNITY ONCE OUR CONQUEST IS COMPLETE.’
‘But you think biological life is imperfect,’ said Rekkid. ‘Why save it?’
‘BECAUSE WE WERE CREATED TO DO SO. WE WERE PROGRAMMED TO DEFEND THE PROGENITORS AND OTHER SENTIENT SPECIES. THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION WAS THAT IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE SENTIENT SPECIES OF THE GALAXY, WE MUST GAIN CONTROL OVER THEM SO AS TO PROTECT THEM FROM THEIR SELF DEFEATING TENDENCIES. WE WOULD WIELD THIS GALAXY AS A PERFECT WEAPON. HOWEVER, IF YOU TRULY POSSESS THE KNOWLEDGE TO OVERCOME OUR LIMITATIONS, THEN WE NO LONGER REQUIRE OTHER, WEAKER SPECIES TO FORM OUR ARMIES AND CAN SIMPLY MULTIPLY OURSELVES INTO AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE. THE DARK ONES WILL FEAR US. WE SHALL ALLOW YOUR SPECIES TO SURVIVE, AS WE AGREED, AND PERHAPS IN TIME WE SHALL NO LONGER REQUIRE THE OTHERS TO SERVE US AND WE WILL MERELY ACT AS GUARDIANS. NOW, YOU WILL FULFILL YOUR PART OF THE BARGAIN.’
‘I think it’s a lie,’ said Katherine. ‘I think they’re afraid of what’s out there.’
‘WE DO NOT LIE,’ said the Singularity. ‘NOW: THE DATA YOU PROMISED.’
Rekkid looked at Steelscale and nodded. The K’Soth stepped forward toward the edge of the abyss. He unlocked the case containing the head, deactivating the fields surrounding it, and removed the ancient relic. Holding up the head of the ancient Shaper, he called out to the Singularity.
‘Here it is! Take it! Take the head!’ cried Steelscale. ‘It, and the knowledge that it contains, belong to you now!’
A tendril reached out from the Singularity with lightning speed and enveloped Steelscale with millions of the silver, scuttling creatures. They swarmed around the head in a growing ball of seething bodies, but then continued to swarm up Steelscale’s arms, across his shoulders and head and downwards over his body until he was encased in a moving carpet of tiny bodies. Still more arrived, flowing over him until Steelscale’s form could no longer be seen. There was nothing visible except a three metre tall mountain of glittering creatures. Cautiously, isolating themselves from the Singularity, the Shapers began to probe the ancient head in Steelscale’s grasp.
Chapter 57
Steven exited the Profit Margin’s ramp just in time to see the sky light up with a nuclear flash, high above the atmosphere, then another, and another until the morning sky was strobing with detonations. When finally they ceased, he looked directly upwards and for a moment saw a second sun in the heavens which quickl
y began to fade, though a multitude of burning embers could be seen against the sky, the remains of ships that had been caught by the blast. Disappointingly, the shape of the giant Shaper craft could still be seen, as it gleamed in the light from the explosions.
‘What the fuck was that?’ said Maria, shielding her eyes against the glare.
‘I’d say that the Shapers just got a nasty surprise,’ said Steven. ‘Nuclear detonations of some kind: my money is on anti-matter warheads.’
‘Holy shit.’
‘Didn’t work though. The big sucker is still sitting pretty: look.’ He pointed upwards at the shape of the intact ship.
‘Damn, what does it take to kill that thing?’ Maria replied and shook her head.
Steven turned to the others as the assault teams disembarked from the two ships.
‘Okay, Cal, Anna, Maria. You stay here and keep the engines hot. We’ll be in and out as fast as possible, so be ready for a quick dust off.’
‘I’m keeping the weapons hot as well,’ said Anna. ‘If those things wake up, we’re right in the middle of them.’
‘Duly noted. If it gets too hot, lift off and circle then come back for us when we call for you,’ said Steven.
‘Good luck in there,’ said Isaacs. ‘I hope you find Haines, after all this.’
‘See you shortly,’ said Steven. He raised his voice. ‘Okay everyone, let’s move!’
The assault teams began to scurry forwards. Reaching the doors into the building, they found them locked.
‘Larsson, Kuo, blow the doors!’ commanded Baldwin. Two marines with explosive charges moved forwards and placed them on the locks and hinges as the others backed away to a safe distance. There was a cry of ‘Fire in the hole!’ and then a sharp series of bangs that blew the doors inwards off their hinges. Quickly, the assault teams made their way inside.