by G. P. Hudson
Breeah’s face softened. “Do not confuse pride with skill, child. Wishing that something wasn’t so, does not change its reality. Your opponent will not flatter you, and praise your accomplishments. He will seek out your weaknesses, and use them to take your life. You have trained long and hard, and your skill is great, but training never ends. You can always learn, always improve. This is our way.”
“I understand, mother,” Anki said, dropping her arms to her side. Had she become proud? Was that why she felt defiant, even though she could clearly see that her mother was right? Why didn’t she feel the same way when her grandfather trained her? It was all very confusing.
Anki cleared her mind, and readied her lariat. She narrowed her eyes, and visualized an enemy. A vicious Kemmar soldier baring its teeth. Her jaw tightened, and her body went taut. Her imaginary enemy snarled, and she attacked. Yet the Kemmar anticipated each move, and sidestepped every strike.
She pursued it with more fury, more force. Still the Kemmar evaded her. Still it taunted her, baring its razor-sharp teeth. At that moment, she became aware of her wrist’s movement, and she understood. Relaxing her arm, she allowed the lariat’s momentum to do the work.
With that one small change, the weighted balls came around and crashed through the imaginary Kemmar. It vanished, and she heard her mother’s voice.
“Yes! Like that! Well done, child!”
Anki slowed the lariat, and caught it. She turned to her mother with a bashful smile.
“How did that feel, child?” said Breeah.
“It felt right,” said Anki. “I’m sorry for being stubborn, mother.”
Breeah stepped up and put her arm around Anki’s shoulder. “It is to be expected, child. Stubbornness is one of the many obstacles a warrior must overcome. You have done well today. Come, let’s find Jon and share a meal.”
Chapter 4 2 1
“Jump complete.”
The battle group arrived at their final destination, a system with a red giant star and several planets in orbit around it. Short of this enormous star, the system seemed unremarkable.
“Report,” ordered Jon. “Are there any contacts?”
“Negative, Sir,” said Petrovic. “Preliminary scans and sensors reporting all quiet.”
Jon looked over at Miira, who stood like a great blue monolith beside him. He had asked her to join him on the bridge just before their final jump. Whatever they found, her knowledge might prove useful. “I don’t see any sign of a guardian.”
Miira stared stoically at the viewscreen. “Perhaps you need to take action first?”
It was as good a guess as any. Guardian or not, if an intergalactic gate did in fact exist, Jon wanted to know about it. “Initiate a blind jump gate activation sequence. Let’s see if this gate responds like the others.”
“Initiating sequence,” said Henderson. “Sending out pings in all directions.”
Jon waited patiently for the activation sequence to take effect. Depending on how far the gate was from their current location, it could take some time for the ping to reach it. Still he was hopeful. If this didn’t work, they would have to expand their search beyond this star system. That was a time-consuming proposition that Jon desperately wanted to avoid.
Minutes turned into hours, and the bridge crew became visibly restless. It had been a long journey. Over six thousand light years, and several diversions along the way. They couldn’t possibly return empty handed, yet that was an ever-present possibility.
“Picking up jump gate activity,” said Henderson.
Jon breathed a sigh of relief. “On screen.”
The viewscreen shifted to reveal the largest jump gate Jon had ever seen. A regular gate was large enough for several starships to travel through simultaneously. This jump gate was easily more than three times that size.
“Alright, this is it. Let’s see where this portal takes us. Helm, take us in. One quarter light.”
The Freedom’s engines came to life and it advanced, the battle group keeping pace alongside.
“Contact!” said Petrovic. “One of the moons around the fifth planet just broke orbit.”
“What? Is it a ship?” said Jon.
“Unknown, Sir,” said Petrovic. “I mean, it must be, but I’m not picking up any energy readings. It is on an intercept course.”
“Sound General Quarters. Put it on screen.”
The main viewscreen transitioned away from the jump gate to zero in on what looked like nothing more than a normal moon, except that it was moving toward them.”
“It is the guardian,” said Miira. “Activating the gate must have brought it to life.”
“Picking up energy fluctuations,” said Petrovic. “They’re off the charts.”
“Is it a weapon?”
“No way to confirm, Sir. I’ve never seen anything like- Reading a massive energy discharge. It’s firing!”
“From this range?” said Jon. Considering the distance between them, it would be surprising if the contact’s weapons could reach them.
On the screen, a massive surge of blue energy erupted from the moon, and raced through space toward Jon’s ships.
“Evasive action,” said Jon, as the energy beam advanced. He hoped the beam couldn’t reach them, but wasn’t going to bet on it. The Freedom changed course, and the energy beam did something Jon thought impossible. It turned. They changed course again, and the beam turned again, zig zagging through space at terrifying speed.
“Initiate emergency jump,” ordered Jon.
“Jump system is not responding,” said Henderson.
“Is it depleted?”
“No, Sir. Jump system is at fifty percent. We should be able to jump.”
Jon opened a comm with Chief Engineer Simmons, as the energy beam closed in on their position.
“This is Simmons,” came the response through Jon’s comm.
“Chief, what’s going on down there? We need that jump system.”
“I can’t explain it, Sir. It appears to be working properly, only we cannot jump.”
“Can you fix it?”
“We’re trying, Sir, but we don’t know what’s wrong with it.”
“Commander Henderson, contact the other ships in the battle group and advise them of our situation. Tell them to jump away to safety.”
“Sir, the rest of the ships are reporting the same problem. None of them can jump,” said Henderson.
Jon looked down at his tactical display to see that the energy beam had almost reached them. It was too late.
“Brace for impact,” said Jon, and the crew hastened to secure themselves.
The beam hit, and began to expand. It stretched out until it enveloped the Freedom, and all the other ships in the battle group. As it did, all ship systems started going dark.
“We’re losing power,” said Henderson. “All systems are being shut down.”
Jon’s comm link with Chief Engineer Simmons had been disconnected. He tried to get her back on, but the comm didn’t respond. “Are the comms down too?”
“Yes, Sir,” said Henderson.
His console went dark, as did all the rest of the consoles and systems on the bridge. The main lights were next to go, but the backups kicked in, providing enough light for everyone to see. The luminescent strips shone without need of the ships power. They would last for at least a full day before they needed to be replaced.
Jon’s feet rose off the ground and he had to grip his console to keep from floating away. He reached up, grabbed Miira’s arm, and pulled her back down before she too drifted away. “The antigrav has gone offline. You’ll need to hold onto something.”
“I understand,” she said.
“Have you had any zero-gravity training?”
“Not much. It is required that all children learn basic zero gravity skills in school, but they are rarely, if ever, needed. I have not practiced zero gravity maneuvering since I was a child.”
“Okay, hold onto something until you feel comfort
able. And even then, don’t let go. I don’t want you crashing into my crew as they go about their duties.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
“Do you have any idea why the guardian attacked us?”
“I don’t know, but this may not be an attack.”
“Really? It fired a weapon at us and disabled our ship. I’d say that pretty much qualifies as an offensive tactic.”
“Perhaps not. Consider that all your systems are currently offline, yet your life support systems continue to function.”
She was right. The air on the bridge continued to be recycled, and replaced by fresh oxygen. If the Freedom’s systems had truly been knocked out, then life support wouldn’t work either. But it did. “I’m not even going to ask how it did that, but I will ask why.”
“I do not believe the guardian seeks to harm us. All my sources suggest that the guardian will decide whether or not we are worthy. If so, it will let us pass. Maybe this is how it determines the answer.”
“It’s as good a guess as any,” said Jon. “It didn’t need to kill our power like that, though. Why wouldn’t it just open a comm with us, and ask its riddles.”
“This is the guardian, not your sphinx.”
“Well, it’s pretty much the same thing.”
Do I have wings? said a low, masculine voice in Jon’s head.
“Did you hear that?” Jon said to Miira.
“Hear what,” she said.
“The guardian. I think it just spoke to me. Inside my mind.”
“It spoke to you directly?” said Miira. “That is a great honor.”
“This thing jumps inside my head, and you tell me it’s a great honor. Are you joking?”
“No, not at all. Respond to it. Quickly.”
Jon sighed, he had no real choice. Are you the guardian? he thought, not sure if he knew how to communicate with the being.
You did not answer my question.
Your question?
Yes. Do I have wings?
Jon was starting to get annoyed. The last thing he needed was a smart-ass guardian. No, you don’t have wings. You’re a moon.
Then why have you compared me to this sphinx?
The sphinx was a guardian as well, from our ancient mythology. Are you the guardian?
Which guardian is it that you seek?
The one who controls that gate.
Ah, then I am not the guardian.
Then who are you?
I am a guardian.
You just said you weren’t.
No, I said I am not the guardian you seek.
Then why are you here?
I am the guardian of the gate.
You just said you weren’t.
No. I said I am not the guardian who ‘controls’ the gate.
Are you sure you’re not the sphinx?
I am sure. Why?
Because you sure do speak in riddles.
Who are you? said the guardian.
I am Admiral Jon Pike, of the United Human Space Force.
Who are you? the guardian repeated.
I just told you.
You gave me a title. Meaningless status. It says nothing. Who are you?
Jon thought for a moment. What was this thing looking for? I am a human, from Earth. I need to speak with the Antikitheri. We need their help.
These are your needs. Who are you?
Jon thought some more. Maybe it wanted something more personal. I am a father. A husband. A son.
This is your past. Who are you?
In that moment, Jon became aware of the symbiont. It had been trying to get his attention, and now that it had, it sent a mental image of the Great See’er.
Who are you? the guardian repeated.
The answer suddenly came to him. Could it be that simple? I am the chosen.
All the systems began to come back online, and Jon felt his feet plant firmly on the floor as gravity returned.
“What happened?” said Miira, who Jon realized had been scrutinizing him. “You seemed to go into some sort of trance.”
“The guardian spoke to me. Telepathically.”
“What did it say?”
“It asked if it had wings,” Jon said with a chuckle.
“Wings?”
“It must have heard me compare it to the sphinx.”
“Interesting. Was that all?”
“No. It asked me a riddle. I thought you said it wouldn’t do that?”
“There was no evidence saying it would.”
“Well I’m glad it wasn’t the sphinx, because it took me a few tries before I got the right answer. The sphinx would’ve killed me by then.”
“What was the riddle?”
“It wanted to know who I was.”
Miira looked dumbfounded. “That does not sound like a riddle.”
“No, that’s what I thought, until it kept telling me my answers were wrong.”
“But you did find the correct answer?”
“Yes. I told it I was the chosen.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I. It is what the Great See’er called me. I guess it was the answer the guardian was looking for.”
“Will it now let us pass?”
“I’m not sure,” Jon said, as he looked down at his tactical screen. The moon still stood in front of the battle group, blocking their path. If the guardian was going to let them through, why wasn’t it stepping aside?
“Sir, the rest of our ships have not had their power restored,” Henderson said ominously.
“It seems the guardian isn’t finished with us yet.”
Chapter 4 3 2
Colonel Bast tried to interface with his ship to no avail. All the systems were dead. What troubled him more was the silence. Since childhood, he had grown accustomed to the interlinked nature of the Chaanisar. Through their brain chips, he and his men were constantly in communication with each other. Yet now there was nothing. No interconnectedness. No communications. Even AI didn’t respond.
“Report,” said Bast, noting that his bridge crew were bouncing back from their original confusion. Being Chaanisar, they responded to the zero g conditions with agility and efficiency. They now worked feverishly to find a solution.
“Power has been disrupted to all systems, except life support,” said Lieutenant Jarvi. “The beam that the alien moon has fired has drained our systems of all power.”
“Our brain chips are no longer interconnected,” said Bast. “But I still seem to have my augmented strength. Are you noticing the same?”
“Yes, Colonel. It seems only our communications have been affected.”
“Why? To what end?”
Understanding, said a voice inside Bast’s mind.
“Did you hear that?” said Bast, noticing the confused looks from his crew.
Every member of his bridge crew indicated they had. Was this why their chip network had been disrupted? So that something could communicate with all of them?
You all bear the mark of darkness, continued the voice.
Bast decided to try and reply. “We were taken from our families as children. Enslaved. Violated with alien technology. Is this technology the mark of darkness you speak of?”
The darkness runs deeper. It clings to you.
“No. The darkness is gone. We are no longer enslaved. We are free.”
Freedom is an illusion. You seek that which cannot be found.
“We seek the Builders. The Antikitheri.”
You seek destruction. Vengeance. Does enough blood not drip from your hands?
The question stunned Bast. It was like the voice had reached inside him and ripped out his entrails. It was true that they had all committed unspeakable atrocities, while under Juttari control.
You will never be free of the darkness. It will follow you forever, along with the tears and screams of your victims.
Bast began to understand. “Perhaps we can never be free of it. But we can atone.”
Is that why you are he
re? Do you seek forgiveness?
“No. We cannot be forgiven.”
You do not believe that. More than anything, you seek forgiveness.
“Untrue. We seek only to serve. That is how we may find atonement.”
Whom do you serve?
“Admiral Jon Pike.”
Why?
“He is the one. He has saved us, and our brethren. He is the manifestation of the prophecy. Only he can lead us to victory.”
Which prophecy?
“Both. Diakan and Juttari. This is why the Diakans worship him, and the Juttari attempt to destroy him.”
Are you Diakan?
“No.”
Does it not trouble you to support a Diakan prophecy? The Diakans despise you and all Chaanisar. Given the chance, they would eradicate your kind.
“We do not serve the Diakans, we serve Admiral Pike.”
And yet, he has become Diakan.
“His symbiont is Diakan. He is human. Like us.”
You lie to yourself. You are no longer human, and neither is he.
“We are human enough.”
You would die for him?
“Without hesitation.”
Yet he is Diakan. Do you not hate the Diakans, as they hate you?
“The Diakans are no longer our enemies. Hatred is a useless emotion.”
You deceive yourself again. You hate the Juttari. Even now, your hatred rages just beneath the surface.
An image flashed in Bast’s mind. His mother bloodied and sobbing. Himself a child of five, fighting against the powerful arms taking him away from her, to the Chaanisar.
Bast struggled to speak, as long forgotten emotions returned. The guardian had somehow disabled the brain chip’s ability to suppress such feelings. Rage filled him as he remembered the horrors of that day, and the many that followed. Looking at the rest of his men, he saw that the same raw emotions flowed through them as well.
Do not lie to yourselves, children of darkness. This is who you are. You hate. You kill. You will never be free.
“No!” said Bast, slamming a fist into his console. “We are more! The Juttari will pay for their crimes. We will see to that. But they do not govern us, and neither does our hatred for them.”
The systems on the bridge lit up, and came to life, as power surged through the ship once more. The chatter of the brain chip network again filled Bast’s head, and he realized that the guardian must have found what it had been looking for. To his relief, he found that his violent emotions had gone.