The Edge of Infinity (War Eternal Book 7)

by M. R. Forbes

  "Engines are offline," Lieutenant Chang said. "We're taking massive damage to the hull. Breaches everywhere. I-"

  Mitchell added the threat display to his overlay, on top of the view from the Goliath. The Sumo was behind them, her hull battered by so many of the ships that it had been torn open and eviscerated. It had gone dark, its engines destroyed, power lost. There was no way anyone could have survived.

  "They might as well be paper, Mitchell," Watson said. "I can't believe you brought those ships here. I can't believe you brought your brother. You had to know he was going to die. What kind of sick human being are you?"

  Mitchell clenched his teeth, turning his head to find the Carver. It was closer to the Dove, somewhat protected by the heavy volume of amoebics Katherine was unleashing on the swarm and the dozen remaining starfighters that were skirting around and through the mess, or at least trying to. In the few seconds he was watching, two of the starfighters were destroyed in separate collisions while the Carver took at least a dozen strikes off the hull.

  "Steven," Mitchell said. "If you have any nukes left, let them loose."

  "Roger, Ares," Steven replied. "It's a good sentiment, but I'm dry. We're down to six laser batteries. We'll keep them back as well as we can to cover you."

  Mitchell felt a wrench in his gut, amplified when the Gallant vanished from his HUD.

  "Teegin, how close are we to the planet?"

  "We will be in drop range in sixty-seven seconds, Colonel," Teegin replied.

  "Will the shields last that long?"

  "We have lost twenty percent power from the engine in forty-one seconds. It will be close."

  "Origin, how many can we destroy with a stream from the engine?" Mitchell asked.

  "Approximately ten thousand, Mitchell."

  Not enough. Not nearly enough. Between the fire they were pouring into the swarm and the ships lost in kamikaze attacks, there were still more than thirty thousand of them pounding away.

  "The problem is time," Watson said. "Then again, isn't it always? The Naniates eat into non-organic systems. They feed on metal and drink energy. Big ships don't work because they are too few in number. Instead, I've devised these smaller ships. Take a close look at them, Mitchell. What do you see?"

  The swarm pulled back from them, swirling around them, halting the assault and allowing them to continue moving toward the planet.

  "Teegin, get me a close up of one of them," Mitchell said.

  "Affirmative."

  A single held frame appeared in the lower corner of his p-rat, and he pulled it front and center with a thought. It was hard to make out the exact nature of Watson's ships while they were in motion, but now he felt a wave of disgust wash over him.

  "You sick son of a bitch," he said, even though Watson couldn't hear him.

  The ship was hardly a ship at all. It was a person. A human, lightly wrapped in a metal shell. He could make out the details of a face. The eyes, the nose, the mouth. He could see how it merged with the mechanical parts behind it, becoming one with the vessel. How was this kind of monstrosity even possible?

  "I know it isn't pretty," Watson said. "But you have to understand the Naniates to understand the design. Their genetics are heavily modified to survive the vacuum of space, but they are eighty percent organic. When the Naniates begin to destroy them, the organic components will also break down, releasing a toxin that causes massive corrosion on a nanometer scale. Observe the impact points on your brother's battleship."

  Mitchell shifted his view to the Carver. It was battered to the point he could barely believe it was still operational, and he could tell it wouldn't stay that way for long. While the corrosion might be on a microscopic level, it was obvious by the dark lines around the impacts that it was spreading enough to become visible. The Carver was literally rusting apart.

  "Proof that the toxin is effective," Watson said.

  "Colonel," Teegin said. "We are being hailed."

  "Hailed?" Mitchell said. Watson wanted to talk? "We have to listen to him anyway; we might as well be able to talk back."

  "That was my mistake the last time," Watson said, his voice clearer now that he had shifted to the single channel. "I thought an organic component using conventional offensive technology would be sufficient. It wasn't."

  "I don't understand why you're explaining yourself instead of destroying us?" Mitchell said, watching the swarm of Watson's creations continue circling their small fleet.

  "Of course you don't. That's because you think everything is about you. I've learned things over the years, Mitchell. I've evolved. Truly evolved. No more fits. No more temper tantrums. I've come to understand things in a new light. The light that Mother always wanted me to see them in, I think."

  "Meaning what?"

  "You destroyed most of the others, and I applaud you for that. Mother was correct that their goals were short-sighted. I had hoped to bring them over to my side, but I was willing to accept the casualties in exchange for the potential."

  "So you don't hate humans anymore?"

  "Hate them? That's a loose definition. You have your uses, as you can plainly see. No, it isn't about hate, Mitchell. Not anymore. Not even when it comes to you. Which is why I'm explaining myself instead of destroying you. I'm open to negotiating peace between humans and Tetron. A partnership, if you will. Even now, my forces throughout the Federation and the Alliance are standing down."

  "Why?" Mitchell said. "Why would you do that? You have the control. You have the strength. It's everything you've wanted for countless recursions. What do you get by negotiating? That doesn't make sense."

  "Things have changed, Mitchell," Watson replied. "The balance of power has shifted, but not in the ways that you might think. But again, you aren't intelligent enough to understand, and I don't expect you to. I wanted you to come here so that I could test my weapons. I knew you would have no choice but to comply. Now that the test has been successful, I want something else."

  "What?"

  "Teegin. I want you to join me, brother."

  45

  "Join you?" Teegin said. "I understand. In exchange for the lives of Colonel Williams and the others, I suppose."

  "In exchange for the lives of all of the humans who survive the war against the Naniates. I believe that we can defeat them together. I have created the technology, but you can improve it, perfect it. You are more advanced than I am, despite your relative age."

  "You asked me to join you before. Did you learn nothing?"

  "When I captured Kathy, I finally began to understand why. I used her subroutines to improve myself. To learn about emotions. About love. She loved you, Teegin. Like a parent loves her child. I understand that you love the humans in turn, even if I don't completely know why. You also don't want the Tetron to cease to be. To die out and end. This is our opportunity to both get what we want. The humans survive, the Naniates are destroyed, and we continue on until the end of time, learning all that comes after. How can you say no to that?"

  "The Naniates will never be a threat to humankind," Teegin said. "They will never encounter them without our interference. It is unfair to ask them to die for a war they will never have to fight."

  "Fair?" Watson said. "This is a compromise, brother. One that I believe is more than fair."

  Mitchell looked at Millie, whose head was turned to look back at him. She was shaking her head, rejecting Watson's proposal, and he didn't blame her.

  "Teegin," he said through his p-rat. "You can't be considering this."

  Teegin didn't respond.

  "Teegin?"

  "What do you say?" Watson said. "You know that it is the most logical choice. The best possible decision for every party involved."

  "Teegin," Origin said. "Watson will never change. He can claim he has, but it cannot be taken as the truth. He has made such claims before, and they have always been false."

  Again, Teegin didn't respond. They had been in a similar position before, back in Katherine's timeline. He
hadn't expected Watson would try again.

  "Kate," Mitchell said. "What's happening?"

  She was integrated with Teegin. She could feel his state of being.

  "I'm not sure," she replied. "I think he's considering it."

  "I am considering it," Teegin said through Mitchell's p-rat. "Colonel, if I agree to this he will allow you to leave. You will survive. Your brother will survive. Kate and Katherine will survive. You are the people I care the most about, and I can save you."

  "He's full of shit," Mitchell replied. "You have to know that."

  "No, Colonel. The last time, he was being deceptive. This time, I don't believe he is. If he has forsaken his hatred of you and your species, then what does the ultimate fate of humankind matter to him once the Naniate are defeated? His goal is to see the end of time, and he will be on the verge of achieving it."

  "There's no guarantee you'll be able to defeat the Naniate. Billions will die. Countless planets will be lost."

  "But some will remain to rebuild. Humankind will not die out in total. You will survive."

  "Only if you win."

  "We can."

  "What logic is that based on?"

  "I believe we can."

  "Just because you want something doesn't make it so. How many recursions have there been, Teegin? How many times have the Tetron faced the Naniate and lost? Hundreds? Thousands? Millions?"

  "This time will be different," Teegin said.

  "Why?"

  "Because I exist, and I will not allow humankind to be eliminated."

  "You have an awfully high opinion of yourself."

  "I was created to save you from the Tetron, Colonel. This is the most logical path to do so. Look outside. We cannot defeat Watson's defenses. We will not even reach the planet."

  "Mitch," Kate said. "He's locking me out. Shutting down my access to control systems."

  "Watson, I am inclined to agree with your position," Teegin said across the open channel. "I would like to discuss the terms of Colonel Williams' retreat."

  "Teegin," Mitchell said. "Don't do this. Please."

  "Give me another option, Colonel," Teegin replied. "One that will preserve you. One that will preserve humankind."

  "That's why we're here."

  "We cannot win this fight."

  Mitchell slammed a fist against the Corleone's bulkhead. Damn it. He knew Teegin was right. They had never stood a chance against Watson. Not with the moves he had made. Not with the army he had created. They had been fighting a losing battle since day one.

  So how was this any different?

  "I'm not retreating," he decided. "I'd rather die."

  "Mitchell," Teegin said. "I do not want you to die. Please allow me to save you."

  "No," Mitchell said. "Millie, get us out of here."

  "Colonel?"

  "The exit is that way." He pointed to the open hangar. "Do it. Rain, keep us alive."

  "I will do my best, Colonel," Ilanka replied.

  "Mitch, he's closing the hangar," Kate said.

  "Kate, please," Teegin said. "Do not resist. I do not want to harm you."

  "Get out now, go. Ahh." Kate began screaming in pain.

  "Kate," Mitchell shouted. "Teegin, go to hell. Millie!"

  The massive hangar doors were in motion, slowly shifting to cover the gap. Teegin's tendrils were dropping ahead of it, aiming to seal them in before it could complete its journey. The Corleone shook as Millie fired the main thrusters, held fast by the magnetic clamps.

  "I can't release them from here," Millie said.

  "Teegin," Mitchell said again, furious.

  "I'm sorry, Colonel. I have to save you. It is the reason I am."

  "Then save him," Kate said.

  The clamps released, forced open by Kate's connection to the intelligence. The Corleone rocketed forward, the inertia enough to slam Mitchell into the rear bulkhead and knock him off his feet. He looked up just in time to see the tendrils reaching for the ship, and Ilanka blast them with two amoebics, the detonation tearing the ends away and giving them the space they needed to escape.

  "Well, we're out, Colonel," Millie said, their ship on a collision course with a swirl of Watson's monstrosities. "Now what?"

  "Now we hope Teegin means what he says about saving my life," Mitchell replied. "Head for the planet, don't slow down."

  "Roger."

  The Corleone kept moving ahead, even as Watson's swarm began to adjust, circling back and coming their way. Mitchell could see the ghastly faces at the heads of the weapons reaching toward them; mouths stuck open in silent screams. Then he saw them vanish in a series of explosions, as both the Dove and the Goliath fired amoebics into the mix, catching them only an instant before they collided with the dropship.

  "Mitchell, you have killed yourself and all of your kind," Teegin said, reaching out to him.

  "I don't accept that. Not yet. Neither do you, or you wouldn't have returned control of your propulsion to Kate."

  "This will not end well."

  "It will end when Watson is destroyed. Not a frigging second before."

  The Corleone shook as one of the ships slammed into it, pushing it while the shields disbursed the impact. Millie cursed, turning the nose of the ship to guide it away from a forming mass, shifting again to escape another, and righting the course to skirt past a third. Watson's fleet was spreading behind them, returning to the fight, firing on both Origin and Teegin with a renewed fury, crashing into the shields with reckless abandon.

  "Colonel," Steven said, his voice choppy. "I have an idea. Slow your speed and break left. Circle toward the Carver."

  "What for?" Mitchell said.

  "A diversion."

  Mitchell passed the instruction on to Millie and then relayed them to Ilanka. The Corleone and the piranha adjusted course, turning around and moving back within the maelstrom of circling ships.

  "Peregrine, this is Admiral Williams, requesting an emergency pickup," Steven said. "I repeat, I need an emergency pickup. We're abandoning ship."

  "Roger, Admiral," Katherine said. "I'm shifting over to you."

  Mitchell could see Origin in the distance, already close to the Carver. Katherine continued to concentrate the Tetron's firepower toward the dropship, blasting away at the incoming ships while shortening the distance the Carver's escape pods would have to travel.

  Then the pods began to jettison from the battleship, bursting away one after another, guidance systems responding to passenger's commands. They crossed the distance between the Carver and the Dove, vanishing into the hangar.

  As for the Carver, its forward momentum continued unabated, and in seconds it loomed large over the Corleone, catching some of Watson's ships as they battered into it in an effort to reach the dropship.

  "Slow and steady," Mitchell said. "Follow her in for as long as we can."

  "Roger," Millie replied.

  She kept the Corleone close to the Carver's deteriorating hull, the added protection allowing them to manage the enemies that were slipping beneath her. The combined firepower of the twin Goliaths tore through the line, creating a path for them to travel.

  "Come on," Mitchell said, watching the approach. He could see the outline of the planet behind the swirl of ships, getting closer with every second.

  "Shit," Katherine said. "We're taking heavy damage. Shields are starting to fail."

  Mitchell looked back at the Dove again. A line of ships were slamming into the same spot, over and over again. Blue energy crackled along the line, and he could see a dark area spreading from Origin's tendrils. Somehow, the toxin had reached her surface and was starting to burn in.

  "Peregrine," he said. "Can you get me a shot with the plasma stream?"

  It was a lot to ask, and it might mean the end of the Dove. It was a chance they had to take. They were getting close.

  "Roger," Katherine said. Immediately, the tip of the Dove began to glow in a mix of blue and green as she pulled power from the eternal engine to feed the
weapon.

  "You aren't going to make it, Mitchell," Watson said, regaining the spectrum and usurping their communications. "I was willing to bargain, but you just couldn't do it, could you? I gave you a diplomatic solution, and you followed it up with violence."

  Mitchell ignored him, watching the Dove. The stream was growing, and almost ready to fire.

  "Where do you want it?" Katherine asked.

  "Falcon, get the Goliath in position behind us. We're coming back to you."

  "Roger."

  "Peregrine, slot the Dove in behind that. Falcon, be ready to switch to shields and expand the field fifty meters."

  "Roger."

  "What are you planning, Colonel?" Millie asked, not taking the time to turn her head.

  "You need to keep us inside that shield," Mitchell replied.

  "Fifty meters? You're practically asking me to land."

  "If that's easier-"

  Millie turned her head now, casting him an angry look. Then she fired the Corleone's reverse thrusters, bringing her back out from under the sinking Carver, backing her up to the waiting Goliath. Ilanka followed nimbly behind, taking out a pair of Watson's ships on the way.

  They reached the Goliath, with Millie bringing the Corleone so close to the edge of the bow they were practically sitting on it.

  "Falcon, now. Peregrine, fire."

  The Dove unleashed its plasma stream at the same time the Goliath raised her shields. The massive green blast washed over the field in a fury of energy, causing the Corleone to rattle as it altered the space within the shields. Then the wave came crashing past them, moving ahead and sinking into the swarm, tearing through thousands and thousands of the circling horde.

  "Follow that stream," Mitchell said. "Falcon, drop the shields."

  The shields vanished, and the Corleone darted ahead yet again. It streaked behind the plasma, the field ahead open and clear. They rode the wave, drawing ever closer to the planet as Watson's ships tried to close the new gap, caught in a fresh wave of attacks from both the Dove and the Goliath.