Heretic

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  Kalian continued to use every acrobatic manoeuvre he knew to evade the hungry Bragans. Every now and then he was forced to send a ball of organic plasma in their direction to steer them off course. When his speed worked against him, Kalian had no problem charging through a wall and allowing his nanocelium suit to take the brunt.

  The sound of the Advent’s engines broke through the sound of the chase. Kalian pushed his senses and felt the craft rising gently into the air. Changing direction at the last second, Kalian ran through the wall to his right and leaped upwards, pushing through the multiple ceilings, until he came to rest on the building’s third floor. The Bragans were close behind, finding different ways onto the floor in an attempt to ambush him. For all the prey that they had ever hunted across Albadar’s scorched surface, a Terran was not one of them.

  Kalian launched himself from the torn building, passing through the jagged hole where a wall had once been. The Bragans skidded to a stop at the ragged edge and huffed in frustration at their elusive prey. Kalian came to land gracefully on top of the Advent, where he altered his body’s electromagnetic field, magnetically binding himself to the hull. Naydaalan continued to manoeuvre the ship, angling for a straight shot into the sky. Kalian could see the radioactive storm now, almost upon them.

  “You’re going to have to be inside for what happens next…” Naydaalan’s voice came through the helmet.

  Kalian could feel the Advent’s thrusters gearing up for an expulsion of gravity-defying force. “Open the hatch on top.”

  Having dropped back into the ship, Kalian quickly made his way back to the bridge and took his seat beside Naydaalan. A wiggle of his fingers deactivated the helmet and gloves in his suit. So sensitive were his nerves now, that Kalian could feel every nanocelium scurrying across his skin.

  The Advent shook gently as the storm began to encompass them. Warnings came up, alerting them to potentially harmful particles that could damage the hull and interfere with the ship’s sensors.

  “I am starting to get the feeling we are not welcome here,” Naydaalan commented.

  Kalian was inclined to agree. “If there was ever any answers here, they’re long gone, along with everything else.”

  Naydaalan keyed the ignition and sent the Advent hurtling into the sky, tearing free of the encompassing storm. Kalian sat back and watched the grey become blue before finally fading to black. The stars greeted them with their familiar sight and promise of endless wonder. Kalian massaged his forehead, noting the absence of any sweat, considering the speed and length of his run. Esabelle would be proud…

  Kalian brought up the nav-comm and input a new set of coordinates.

  “What are you doing?” Naydaalan asked.

  “Plotting a new course,” Kalian replied, flatly. He silently berated himself again for the way he continued to treat the Novaarian.

  “But there’s nothing there.” Naydaalan examined the coordinates that would put them relatively close to Albadar’s star.

  “I know. It’s for Esabelle.”

  Naydaalan looked at Kalian and nodded after a moment of respect. The Novaarian accepted the coordinates into his console and redirected the ship.

  Kalian made his way to the hold, while Naydaalan saw to their flight path. A rectangular outline was visible on the far wall, where the Conclave engineers had placed a cryo-pod, specifically built to keep Esabelle’s body from degrading. Kalian could feel her beyond the wall. The daughter of Savrick was nothing more than a collection of dead cells now, all her potential and incredible power gone, forever. Esabelle had been stronger than him, she could have taken the human race into their next phase with an experienced, guiding hand.

  The memory of Malekk snapping her neck flashed across his eyes, the image as sharp as the moment it had happened. Sometimes Kalian cursed his Terran brain.

  As was becoming his habit, Kalian relied on his telekinesis to pull the pod out of the wall. The seal hissed and a cold breeze accompanied the pod as it slid into the hold. Kalian didn’t bother wiping the glass to see inside, but instead waved his hand over the entire pod, removing the covering completely. He put the glass covering down gently, not wanting to ruin the moment of seeing her again. Esabelle demanded respect and more ceremony than she was going to receive. Had Kalian not made it abundantly clear, the Highclave would have confiscated her body and experimented on her. He didn’t want the Conclave to see him as a threat, but sometimes it served its purpose.

  “We are here, Kalian.” Naydaalan’s voice came over the hold-speakers.

  Kalian knew what he had to do. It was the oldest Terran tradition that demanded that any death should see the person’s body returned to the star of their birth. Esabelle had been born on Albadar over two hundred thousand years ago. Kalian tried to settle his feelings, knowing she was finally home and at peace, a part of the universe once more. It was more than Li’ara had gotten. There was nothing left of her to bury or cremate, and there was certainly no star to return her to.

  He could do nothing for Liara now. At least he could still send Esabelle’s body into the next life with the respect she deserved. Without her, Kalian would have felt an outcast aboard the Gommarian, as well as lost as to how to develop his powers without ALF. His time with Esabelle had been brief, but her impact would be unforgettable.

  “You may have been the oldest being in the galaxy, but you deserved more life than was granted.” Kalian didn’t consider her virtual existence inside the Gommarian a life worth counting.

  With only a glance at the door, leading to the bridge, Kalian keyed the lock, sealing the hold off. After altering his suit to cover his hands and head, he instructed Naydaalan to turn the hold door towards the sun. The room instantly depressurised with a loud hiss, though the artificial gravity kept everything in place when the door finally opened. At this distance, Albadar’s star was the size of Kalian’s closed fist, burning brightly in the dark. The HUD informed Kalian of the instant rise in temperature inside the hold. Despite the cold vacuum of space intruding the ship, the light of the sun could not be contested.

  Kalian used his physical strength to lift Esabelle from the table. Her long, dark hair flowed over his hand, reaching for the floor. Even in death, she was beautiful. For just a moment, Kalian stood in the open doorway, holding Esabelle in the light of her birth star. The echo of Savrick’s personality, which occasionally crept into his own identity, rose to the surface and settled in Kalian’s gut like a block of ice. All at once he felt as if a friend, mentor and daughter had been taken from him.

  When the moment passed, Kalian gritted his teeth, buried his anger and released Esabelle’s body. The daughter of Savrick rode telekinetic waves across the threshold and into space. The effect was similar to watching a person float under water. It was peaceful. Standing on the very edge of the threshold, where the artificial gravity came to an end, Kalian stood and watched Esabelle’s body drift into the void. It wasn’t long before her features sunk into darkness as her body became a silhouette against the sun.

  “Kalian.” Naydaalan’s voice spoke of alarm, breaking Kalian’s reverie.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Naydaalan sounded busy on the other end. “Sensors have detected movement in the debris field. It appears the nanocelium traps have formed a new design and are traversing the solar system. They will be at our location in minutes.”

  Kalian thought about the distance between them and the debris field and gave the nanocelium credit for their speed. With a lasting look at Esabelle, he closed the hold door and re-pressurised the room. She would be stardust once again.

  Falling back into his bridge chair once more, Kalian observed the feedback from the sensors. The nanocelium had clumped together to become three separate entities, each capable of near light speed. Naydaalan was all calm, his centuries of experience and training shining through.

  “Long-range sensors have located three Starforges in nearby systems.” The Novaarian was inputting all three coordinates into the nav-comm
. “Any preference?”

  Kalian closed his eyes, hating what he was going to do next. After a quick play with the holographic menu in his suit’s palm, ALF’s image returned to the bridge.

  “I take this to mean you’ve seen reason?” the AI said lazily.

  “Just give us the coordinates to the Criterion, or I’ll put you back in your box.” Kalian was in no mood to barter words, having just released Esabelle back to her star. He purposefully kept his awareness to the confines of the ship, not wanting to touch her body as it descended into the sun.

  Naydaalan hesitated before inputting the new coordinates, but a firm nod from Kalian had the Advent turning to port. Alarms rang out, warning them of the nanocelium’s proximity.

  “This will be our last jump on our current fuel cells. We will need to recharge inside a sunspot in the next system.” Naydaalan primed the Advent’s weapon systems as well as the Solar Drive.

  “There is a perfectly good star in the Criterion’s system,” ALF explained. The AI looked at Kailan, aware that he had the final say.

  Kalian could see the closing gap between them and the weaponized nanocelium. They had to leave, whether it was to find a working Starforge or get the answers they sought. But something about ALF’s constant guidance to the Criterion put Kalian on edge.

  ALF said, “Don’t let Savrick’s feeling towards me cloud your judgement. We need answers, and the Criterion may hold some…”

  Kalian didn’t look at ALF but instead locked eyes with Naydaalan - who was keeping amazingly calm considering three murderous machines were closing on their position. The golden swirls of the Novaarian’s eyes, that always reminded Kalian of galaxies, held trust for him. Naydaalan would go wherever Kalian instructed; a trust the rest of the Conclave did not share.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Kalian nodded at the coordinates from ALF.

  Naydaalan activated the Solar Drive. “I do not think we were welcome here anyway…”

  The Advent was flung into sub-space, leaving Esabelle to return home.

  Chapter 10

  Kel-var Tionis made the mistake of looking up. Above his head was a ceiling of jagged rock that stretched the breadth of the cavern, surrounding the Shay. Between him and the surface of Shandar was tons upon tons of earth. He felt momentarily trapped underground, claustrophobic even. The Protopcorps chief had spent his entire life looking down on the worlds he inhabited, whether that be from his office in the headquarters - situated at the top of Clave Tower - or his many homes in the floating towers above Shandar’s atmosphere.

  Now he was stuck, hiding underground like some animal. He had everything he could possibly need inside the installation, food, drink, entertainment, girls even, should the mood strike. Nothing compared to his freedom. The Shay reminded himself that when they arrived and ascension was achieved, he would have ultimate freedom. The entire universe would be his to explore and enjoy, and the Conclave and their petty laws would be nothing but dust, nourishment for their glory.

  As ever, there was another voice in the back of his mind, a nagging, troublesome voice. Where he envisioned freedom and power, the little voice spoke of Kel-var’s fears. Would the Shay species transcend, or become slaves to their will? Every family member he had ever known had always spoken of their inevitable change when they finally arrived. The notion was firmly locked into his psyche, but after witnessing first-hand what the cubes did to Professor Garrett Jones and the Terran, known as Malekk, Kel-var was not so sure anymore.

  The Shay leaned against the railing and looked out on the Crucible. The machine was of a design that predated the Conclave, given to them by the first cube Kel-var’s family discovered so long ago. Four pyramids occupied the cavern, each structure the size of any tower that floated above Shandar. All four of the pyramids had been positioned and built into the cavern walls to ensure that their apexes met in the middle. One hung from the ceiling, while two others extended out from the walls and the last pyramid sat on the cavern floor.

  The machine had never been fully tested since once it was activated there would be no turning back. Small experiments had taken place over the centuries, but Kel-var knew that when the Crucible was turned on, no one could stand inside the cavern as he did now. The sheer power of the machines would turn any being’s insides to mush.

  The metallic clatter of robotic legs on the cavern floor resounded from behind Kel-var. A Shay guard, whose name he could not recall, approached with haste.

  “What is it?”

  The guard cleared his throat. “There’s a priority communication for you, sir.”

  “Gor-van?” Kel-var asked with a bored tone.

  The guard hesitated. “No, sir. It’s…”

  Kel-var swivelled on the guard. “I will take it in my office.” The Shay dismissed the guard and half ran, half walked to his office.

  The holographic emitters in his office were far too real for Kel-var’s liking. Pacing up and down, in front of his desk, Malekk never took his black eyes off the Shay.

  At last, he spoke. “I have received a data-packet from Gor-van Tanar.”

  Kel-var disguised his discomfort with a raised eyebrow. “Oh yes?”

  “When were you going to inform me that a hundred thousand more humans have entered the Conclave? Or that the Highclave has built a Starforge and Kalian Gaines has passed through it, to the Terran Empire?”

  Had Gor-van been sitting in the room with him, Kel-var would have killed him right there and then with his bare hands. It had always been an unspoken rule that Kel-var was to be the line of communication to the prophet, or Malekk, as he was all they were left with after the humans blew up the cube at Protocorps.

  “They are of little consequence.” Kel-var tried to act casual. “The humans are in their devolved state and pose no danger to our plans. They will die with the rest of them. And Kalian Gaines will likely never return from the Terran Empire. Our spies report that they didn’t even have a plan for getting themselves back to the Conclave.”

  “And what of the Starforge?” Malekk was standing still now, which only worked to unnerve Kel-var all the more.

  “It is the first of its kind,” Kel-var explained. “The Highclave have already put plans in motion to erect surface-based Starforges on all the core worlds, it’s creating quite the stir. If anything, this will help us in the final stage, allowing for easy travel between worlds.”

  “Where did they learn to build such machines?” Malekk’s voice was not natural.

  “The AI, from the outpost on Naveen. It is from the -”

  “I know where it is from,” Malekk interrupted. “Is this ALF still in Conclave space, or has it fled with Kalian Gaines?” The holographic Terran approached Kel-var, walking right through his desk.

  “Yes, it is with Kalian. The AI is restricted to his exo-suit.” Kel-var could see the subtle changes across Malekk’s face. Even though his human features were hard for the Shay to read, he could see the concern creep across Malekk’s ruined face. “Is this a problem?”

  Malekk focused on Kel-var for a moment. “Rogue artificial intelligence is always a problem. Especially that one.”

  Kel-var scoffed in an attempt to downplay the level of danger posed to them. “I don’t think they can cause any disruption from the other side of the galaxy.” The Shay’s expression dropped under Malekk’s scrutiny. “Can they?”

  Malekk moved away. “They will be dealt with should they decide to meddle. For now, we will concentrate our efforts on the Conclave and the remaining humans. To that effect, my master wishes the Crucible to be tested. Should it fail to work in its moment of need, your race will never transcend. I trust you can see to it.”

  An idea was forming in Kel-var’s mind, an idea that would serve multiple purposes. “The human ship containing the new humans is currently undergoing repairs on the edge of Conclave space. A team of Shay engineers has been granted access…”

  “Align these goals and prove your worth, Tionis. Should either of us fail, the V
anguard will breach Conclave space and see to the humans' destruction personally. This will escalate events ahead of schedule and take away our element of surprise. This is not preferable, but inevitable should we fail. The Terran and their lineage must be wiped out.”

  “It will be done. However, the Crucible will require time to conduct an experiment on such a small scale. It was originally designed for a much larger activation.” Kel-var hated being the weakest person in a conversation and had to work at not fidgeting in his seat.

  “Just get it done.” Malekk looked about to leave when he turned back. “And I want the location of the Gomar, now.”

  “We’re working on…” Kel-var stopped speaking when the image of Malekk faded away.

  The Shay sat back in his chair and breathed a sigh of relief. He brought up the info on the four Shay engineers who had boarded the Paladin. Along with their personal details, Kel-var pulled up specific data pertaining to the operating implant inside their brains. The special microchip allowed the Shay to sync perfectly with their artificial limbs and attachments.

  This particular operating system had been mass produced and inserted into every Shay as a child. Thankfully, it was one of the hundreds of enhancements created for the Shay, as well as other species, and so had been overlooked by the Conclave’s investigative team. Even now, no one knew they were manufactured by Protocorps.

  Kel-var tapped the surface of his glass desk and waited for a response. “Prep the Crucible. I have four test subjects. Make certain to programme them for maximum destruction, I want them to kill everyone they see…”

  Chapter 11