Heretic

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  “You made the Gomar,” Kalian said, working through it. “And then you made Harnesses to control them. Are you still…” Kalian pointed at his temple.

  “No,” ALF replied confidently. “It took me years to track down all the rogue programming that still corrupted me, but I eventually found it and literally ejected the parts into an ocean of lava, not far from here. Of course, it was too late by then. Nothing could stop the events that took place after Esabelle was born, but I believe you have seen everything that came next.”

  “Not everything, just bits from Savrick’s point of view, and what Esabelle told me. What I would like to know is who sent the cubes? I find it hard to believe that The Three sent them, and they’ve been here since before the Terran civil war. Surely we would have seen them by now.”

  ALF gave the hint of a smile. “Your powers of deduction are quite astute, and nothing to do with your enhancements. The cubes were sent by the Vanguard, the new me. He was sent out into the universe to find new cultures and myself. As we speak he will be sitting on the fringes of this galaxy, where he has been for around the last two-hundred thousand years.”

  Kalian swivelled his head towards ALF. “Its just sitting there? Why hasn't it attacked, or brought the rest of them? That’s a long time to be just floating around.”

  “Remember, they don't measure time as you do. The cubes he sent into the galaxy are enough to collect the data they require, as well as begin preparations for the coming harvest. Look at what a single cube has done to the Conclave. An entire race has been enslaved to them already and they aren't even aware of it, not to mention the control it had, up until recently, over their entire communications network.”

  “Wait wait,” Kalian held up his hand. “They’ve enslaved who? A whole race?”

  ALF licked his lips as if he had given too much away. “You don't know this yet since you've been in this part of the galaxy, but a test has been done to ensure that every member of the Shay species is under their control. As a child, they are all given a piece of software and hardware to help bridge the gap between their organic and synthetic parts. The cube helped Protocorps to manufacture these bridges using small amounts of nanocelium. Once the machine they have built is switched on, the nanocelium becomes alert and takes over. When they finally arrive, the Conclave will already be defending itself from the inside, and helpless to stop the harvest.”

  Kalian slowly stood up and walked over to where ALF was sitting. “How the fuck could you now that?” Kalian had never been one for swearing, a product of his parents, but he had just about reached his limit on the mysteries that kept pouring out of ALF. This was knowledge he just shouldn't have. “Come to think of it, how did you know my name before you became whole again?”

  ALF tilted his head and looked up at Kalian, his eyebrow raised. “I have a connection to the cubes. Through them, I have been able to observe all that the Gommarian did after it left the empire, the machinations of Protocorps via their so-called AI and also… through the three new ones that arrived shortly before Esabelle died.”

  Kalian stepped away, suddenly worried about the Conclave he had left behind. Just one cube could cause enough trouble to put an entire civilisation at risk, three in one place would cause utter destruction. What few humans remained weighed heavy on Kalian’s shoulders; they were all at risk now, and he was as far away as he could possibly be.

  “How do you have this connection?” Kalian asked quietly.

  “The cube I found, so long ago. They are all fitted with sub-space communicators, a technology even the Conclave are yet to fully master, I believe. I have the cube locked away inside my housing, where I can tap into their realm of conversation. I have, of course, silenced the cube from giving my intrusion away.”

  “You can hear what they’re planning?” Kalian turned on ALF with a desperate expression.

  “There are three more Starforges, each controlled by a cube and currently hiding in Conclave space. The Vanguard has instructed Malekk to find a way of getting rid of the remaining humans, as well as…” ALF paused as if he had just remembered something. “Ah yes, there has been a spectacular development on the human front, in the Conclave. A ship known as the Paladin has been found with a hundred thousand people onboard.”

  Kalian couldn't help but smile, amid everything else that was fantastic news, if a little confusing. The Paladin had gone missing over two-hundred years ago with its full complement. Still, if it was populated with humans there was a very real chance now that they could actually rebuild and start again with a big enough gene pool. That’s if Malekk doesn't bring an end to everything first. He would only need one Starforge to kill them all in a single strike.

  “How is this possible?”

  “Those answers have yet to find the cubes, where my intelligence ends.”

  Kalian let go a sigh of relief. “It’s the first good piece of news I’ve heard in a long time.”

  “There are still obstacles to overcome,” ALF continued. “Malekk is unravelling. His integration with the Terran has corrupted him, as it did with me. He doesn't have long before complete freedom is achieved - a state of being that will have unknown effects on him. The nanocelium that inhabits that body is only a part of the Vanguard and has no real sense of self. The more freedom he gains from the Vanguard’s control, the more irrational and psychotic he will likely become, but this will only make the Vanguard more desperate, forcing him to act rashly. I believe that if Malekk fails to wipe out humanity soon, the Vanguard himself will enter the Conclave. If that happens, Kalian, there is no weapon or ship in their arsenal that can stop it.”

  Kalian frowned. “So what are you saying?”

  ALF smiled. “It’s time to complete your training.”

  Kalian replied with a mirthless laugh. “You think that even with every Terran secret unlocked inside my brain, I can still stand against them? I’m just one…” Kalian didn't really know how to define himself anymore; Terran, human - it turned out they were both just copies of another version of themselves. “There’s only one of me now. Esabelle’s gone.”

  ALF was still smiling. “Like me, Esabelle has been playing the long game. Via the Gommarian cube, I observed her for thousands of years as she slowly convinced a select few to see as she did. Those same Gomar are now in the custody of the Conclave and in much need of your training.”

  Kalian shook his head in an effort to absorb as much information as he could. All those times Esabelle had warned him about the importance of keeping them board the Gommarian and their potential importance. He had always thought she just couldn't bear to part with them, having cared for them for so long. It also meant that, like ALF, Esabelle had been keeping secrets from him.

  “Find Sef…” Kalian said under his breath.

  Esabelle’s last words finally made sense. The Gomar was indeed still alive and Esabelle knew it, just as he had suspected. Furthermore, it implied that Sef could be trusted, if she had indeed turned him against Savrick, or more to the point turned him against the cubes.

  “Wait. They’ll need my training? What can I offer them that they haven’t learned in two-hundred thousand years?”

  ALF stood up. “They were sleeping for most of that. Savrick gave them the exo-suits to counter my Harness and allow them some semblance of control over their powers, but he didn't teach them self-control. They need to learn the finer things to truly understand how their abilities work. It’s these subtleties that will give them an advantage in the war to come.”

  Kalian eyed ALF cautiously. “What else is there for me to learn?”

  Without warning, the entire scene fell away, and with it, so too did the human image of ALF and all the colours of Evalan. Kalian was standing inside the cube again, his hand still grasping the eight-foot-tall ALF. The tendrils of nanocelium slithered back into ALF’s arm and he released Kalian from his grip. Naydaalan was standing behind him, in the exact same position. Judging by the Novaarian’s confused expression, Kalian surmised that only
a second or two had gone by in real time.

  ALF stepped back and more lights came on around them, floating into the crevices. Shadows shifted above them and machines whirred to life, as something descended towards them.

  “What just happened?” Naydaalan asked.

  “I just got told the story of... history.” Kalian half turned to the Novaarian. “I’ll give you the highlights in a minute.”

  Kalian returned his attention to the bulky apparatus that were being put together from other parts of the cube. The grotesque version of ALF stood by and simply watched, as tentacles wormed out of the amalgamated protrusion. The tentacles moved like snakes underwater, giving way to what appeared to be a helmet, which descended down the middle. The entire machine looked to be as high as the cube itself, disappearing into the darkness above.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Kalian asked.

  “If what you’re thinking is that this is a super subconducer, then yes, it is what you think.”

  “You could have just said yes.” Kalian walked around it, unsure of the new design.

  ALF looked down at him. “Through this, you can learn things you didn't think were possible. And as you now know, time is of the essence. The Vanguard will take action if Malekk doesn't succeed. You need to return to Conclave space and stop both of them.”

  Naydaalan stepped forward. “Do you know of any Starforges that are still operable?”

  ALF swung his larger head toward the Novaarian. “There are no more Starforges in this region of space, at least none that you can use. Savrick had all of them sabotaged or laid with traps. But it matters little, now. When Kalian is finished, he will take you back to the Conclave himself…”

  Chapter 16

  Kel-var stood amidst the collection of workstations, holographic walls and bustling staff looking over the results of the Crucible’s test. The Shay engineers had been successfully transcended by the nanocelium inside their implants, completing the primary objective. The Crucible worked. The head of Protocorps was also looking over the results of their deaths. The subsumed engineers had failed to sabotage the Paladin and kill the humans. Reporting this to Malekk would not be a pleasant experience.

  The technician producing the data pulled up a new holographic slide. “Despite failing their task, they were working beyond their natural capacity. We now know that the nanocelium pushes them beyond any biological limits. According to this data, they felt no pain or fear.”

  Kel-var looked at the technician and wondered if the Shay realised that this very transformation would take place inside his own body and that the data was more than just information on a screen; soon it would be his life.

  We will transcend!

  Kel-var had to hold onto that thought. They would become one with the gods, as his father and his father had always said. The Conclave wasn't going to be wiped out, it was going to be remade, in the image of the oldest, most powerful beings to ever exist.

  “Prepare for full-scale activation. I want the Crucible fully operational by day’s end.”

  Kel-var walked away, thinking to take a trip to the surface, just for a stroll. Shandar’s surface was perfectly intact and breathable to any species that required oxygen to live. It had taken his ancestors generations to convince the populace to abandon the planet, blaming pollution and over plundering the natural resources. The weather net, hidden in the southern pole, continued to spew out thick clouds that concealed Shandar from any observation. After joining the Conclave, the Novaarians had offered to help restore the planet, but Kel-var’s family and that of the other board members had spoken on behalf their people, citing the planet’s condition as a lesson for generations to come.

  After centuries of hard work, the planet was now a magnificent antenna, funneling and focusing the Crucible signal across the Conclave. Kel-var had enjoyed several strolls across the surface, enjoying the fact that he was the only sentient being to do so.

  “Sir.” A guard caught his attention before he could leave. “Gor-van Tanar is requesting a communication link. The alert says it’s urgent.”

  Kel-var nodded and changed direction. “I’ll take it in my office.

  Gor-van’s head, though shrouded in his red hood, hovered above Kel-var’s desk. The Shay had always been calm and organised whenever they had met in person, but right now, Gor-van appeared somewhat disturbed.

  “Kalian Gaines has returned!” Gor-van blurted out.

  “Impossible! We would have been alerted if the Starforge had been activated again.” Kel-var was confident that Gor-van was mistaken. Kalian Gaines’s return would not go unnoticed; the man created waves wherever he went.

  “Who else wears an armoured suit of nanocelium? He was at my safe house on Byzantial! He tore the place apart, including my men! He and the red-headed bitch stormed the place and freed North!”

  Kel-var sat back but remained silent, processing the information. “Redhead? Do you mean Li’ara Ducarté?”

  “Who else?” Gor-van was clearly rattled. “I’ve never seen anything so… destructive. He ripped ceilings away, ploughed my men through walls. I’m lucky to have escaped at all!”

  “So Ducarté survived after all…” Kel-var had used her potential survival as a way of stalling North from killing him, but he hardly believed it himself. “It couldn't have been Gaines, we would know if he had resurfaced.”

  Gor-van snorted his disagreement. “You saw the vault door as I did. Only a Terran could have ripped it from the wall.”

  “We have already been through this; Kalian was in the Helteron Cluster when Protocorps was attacked. He can't be in two places at once.”

  “That we know of…”

  Kel-var dismissed the comment. “I believe we have a Gomar on the loose…”

  Gor-van raised his hairless eyebrow. “Now that’s impossible. I have located the world on which they are being hidden, and the last report had them all accounted for.”

  “You found it?” Kel-var did little to hide his annoyance. “When were you going to inform me?”

  “I just did. The information hasn't long been in my possession. Either way, there have been no breaches, in or out.”

  Kel-var composed himself, organising his thoughts. “You say they are all accounted for, but I believe that this Gomar was never counted in the first place. It would also make sense why there is no footage of him entering or leaving Protocorps with Ducarté. We already know that they can emit low levels of electromagnetic energy, capable of short-circuiting our equipment.”

  “So now there are two of them again?” Gor-van had a hint of fear in his voice again.

  “Soon to be eleven more if they find their way to the others. I must alert Malekk at once. Send me the installation’s coordinates. Which planet are they on?”

  “Uthor has played this one close to his stoney chest,” Gor-van replied. “You won't find this planet on any registered chart, neither would you stumble across it. It has no name, along with the facility or the project. It was this black hole of information, however, that led me to discovering it. Sending supplies to a world that doesn't exist costs a lot…”

  Kel-var cared little for how Gor-van achieved his objectives. “I take it this non-existent planet has coordinates.”

  “I have already sent them…” Gor-van looked away, observing something that Kel-var couldn't see. “What is it?” the Shay asked someone. The hologram flickered and Gor-van appeared jostled. “What was that? Get us out of here you fools!”

  “Gor-van? What’s happening?” Kel-var suspected he already knew the answer.

  “I had to drop out of sub-space to transmit the coordinates to you.” Gor-van was jostled in his seat again. “They found me! You must send help, Kel-var!”

  The Shay sighed. “I'm afraid your time in service has come to an end, Gor-van. Try to meet the gods with some dignity, eh?” Kel-var cut the transmission before Gor-van could hurl his inevitable insults and curses. If the Rackham had indeed caught up with him, and a Gomar was among
the occupants, his old associate was not long for life.

  It took him only a moment to locate the message from Gor-van and create a data-packet for Malekk. As much as he would have loved to just send it to the infected Terran, Kel-var knew he couldn't avoid direct communication. After instruction was given to his aid, the Shay waited patiently for Malekk to accept his communication. It was strange to think that as he waited in silence, Gor-van was most likely being pulled apart by the Gomar.

  “What?” Malekk appeared in his room in full size again. Kel-var had specifically ordered the technicians to change this setting so that Malekk appeared as Gor-van had.

  “I am sending you a data-packet with the coordinates to the location of the remaining Gomar.”

  Malekk looked down at was most likely a workstation. “These coordinates are on the other side of the Conclave. It will take me some time to reach.”

  “There’s more.” Kel-var would have done anything to avoid Malekk’s gaze. “A Gomar, previously unaccounted for, is loose in the Conclave. He is with Li’ara Ducarté and the bounty hunter, Roland North. As we speak, they will be retrieving these same coordinates from Gor-van Tanar. I believe there is a chance they will attempt to rescue them.”

  “There is more than a chance, it is guaranteed. The Gomar must not be freed, at all costs. You must send reinforcements to halt their progress.”

  Kel-var felt a lump forming in his throat. “We no longer have the resources to re-task on such a scale. All available assets have been sent to the Starforges… as you previously requested.”

  Malekk’s black eyes bored into Kel-var. “Then you had better hope I reach the Gomar first, or you might find your place in the new order somewhat downgraded.”

  There was an awkward pause, in which Kel-var considered running away and hiding - such was the effect of Malekk’s gaze.

  “I assume the Crucible worked as promised?” Malekk finally asked.

  “Perfectly. A flawless design.” Kel-var really didn't want this line of questioning to continue.