by G. P. Hudson
“Damnit. We’re sitting ducks.”
The chunks raced toward the battle group, attaching themselves to the ship hulls.
“Sir, I don’t know what those things are doing, but they’ve penetrated our hull in multiple locations. We’re being boarded.”
Jon opened a comm with the rest of the ship. “Intruder alert, intruder alert. All hands, prepare to repel boarders.”
Chapter 4 7 6
Lieutenant Jarvi and his team of Chaanisar raced to a compromised section of the Ronin. Well armed, the men in combat suits streaked through the corridors at inhuman speeds.
Every Chaanisar throughout the ship was combat ready. Each man moved with efficiency and precision. Their brain chips maintained their connections to the ship’s network, and to each other. Their efforts, seamlessly coordinated, resembled an ant hill more than a human starship.
As they approached the insertion point, Jarvi’s visor indicated that the enemy had boarded the ship. They were fast. Maybe even faster than the Chaanisar.
They moved through the ship like a fast-flowing river, and nothing slowed their advance. This worried Jarvi. Every Chaanisar on board would attack the intruders on sight, and a Chaanisar was a formidable opponent under any circumstances. Yet the boarders didn’t hesitate for even a second. How powerful were these creatures?
He would soon find out, as his visor showed that they would intercept the enemy momentarily. “Take defensive positions,” ordered Jarvi. “Prepare to engage the enemy.”
The Chaanisar found cover and pointed their weapons. The intruders would come around the corner dead ahead, and when they did, they would be in for a surprise.
As the enemy neared, Jarvi noticed the sound. It was like the buzzing hum of thousands of flying insects, mixed with the hundredfold clatter of metallic tools. He stared down the sight of his weapon, and braced himself.
He pulled the trigger before his brain could fully register what he faced. A torrent of energy bolts burst forth from the Chaanisar, as their weapons transformed the space before them into a wicked, merciless electrical storm.
Yet, despite the force and violence of their assault, the enemy continued its furious advance. They surged forth in great, robotic hordes of all sizes. The vanguard consisted of hundreds of machines, each the size of a lobster, with as many legs.
They sped forth into the Chaanisar ranks, impervious to the blasts from their weapons. As they did, they used what must have been a weapon, yet Jarvi could not see any evidence that anything had been fired. The effects were powerful, and decisive, nonetheless.
He dropped his weapon and fell to the floor, as his armor lost all power. His augmented strength would normally have been enough to remain standing, but even that deserted him. His visor went black, and all he could do was lie motionless, as hundreds of small metallic feet ran over him.
Colonel Bast, my team has been defeated, he said through his brain chip, but there was no response. AI, please relay my last message to Colonel Bast. No response again. He tried contacting his men, to check their status. Nothing.
His connection to the rest of the ship, and to his comrades had been severed. He had gone dark. He was alone, if only for a moment.
He felt his body in the combat suit being hoisted up off the ground, and carried away. He briefly considered speaking out. Asking questions of his captors. But thought better of it, and chose to stay silent.
Instead, he focused on their movements. The metallic sounds persisted, although these were heavier. Still machines, these were larger, more powerful. It was an interesting strategy. The smaller ones used speed to quickly spread through the ship, and disable all opposition. The larger machines followed, cleaning up the aftermath, and carrying away the prisoners.
He considered his fate. The intruders did not use deadly force. Clearly, they were more advanced, and could have easily killed those on board. They didn’t. He wondered if that should inspire hope, or dread?
Chapter 4 8 7
Jon watched in horror as the alien boarders spread throughout the ship. Early information revealed that the boarders were in fact machines. Advanced bots. All defenses had proved useless against them, and his Marines failed to even delay their advance.
At the same time, they faced a cyber-attack of unprecedented proportions. Even AI, with her immense powers was helpless against the onslaught. He had lost all contact with AI, and could only assume the worst. Yet, unlike their encounter with the guardian, Jon was still able to access the ship’s sensors, and monitor the enemy’s advance. They were close now, and would soon be coming for the bridge.
The doors to the bridge were sealed, but he was sure it would make little difference. The alien hordes had spread through the ship with frightening speed, and no obstacle managed to slow their progress. His bridge crew had armed themselves, and taken cover. The two Marine sentries assigned to the bridge were the only ones wearing any armor.
Jon could taste the tension and anxiety among his bridge crew. They faced an unstoppable enemy, and the prospect of an unknown fate.
Glancing at a tactical screen, Jon saw the enemy was seconds away. What would happen if they all died here today, having failed their mission? Without the Builders to help them, would those back home be doomed to again face the horrors of Juttari conquest?
Jon heard the clanging of metal feet outside the doors. “Here they come,” he announced.
The doors opened and his bridge crew fired. Jon cringed as he confirmed the early reports. Whether energy weapon, or rail gun, all attempts at hurting the enemy failed. They were each protected by an invisible shielding technology, that briefly glowed red each time it was hit, but remained otherwise undamaged.
The alien bots swarmed the bridge with ridiculous speed. They scurried along the floor, up the walls, and along the ceiling. It was like a robotic infestation.
His Marines dropped first. They had positioned themselves closer to the front, and fell as the onslaught began. Their suits had lost all power, and the sheer weight of the powered armor overwhelmed the men.
The rest of his bridge crew followed in quick succession. Their eyes rolled up into their skulls, as each crewmember collapsed. To Jon it seemed that they were simply rendered unconscious. He hoped he was right.
Whatever the boarders had done to his crew, he was still conscious. Could it be due to his symbiont, and his enhanced abilities?
His weapon had proved useless, so began to swing it like a baseball bat.
The bots surrounded him, but seemed unsure of the next step. He had thrown them a curve ball by not dropping like the rest. The bots circled him pensively, then one dropped at him from the ceiling. Jon swung his weapon and clipped the lobsterlike bot. Its shield glowed red as it went careening into a nearby console.
To his dismay, the bot simply got back onto its feet and scurried for him again.
“Goddamnit, don’t you bastards give up?” Jon said in frustration.
Another bot leaped at him from the floor, and Jon swung for the fences. This time the bot flew clear across the bridge and hit the wall. Just like before, it took on a crimson glow on impact. Dropping onto its feet, it rushed back toward Jon as if nothing had happened.
“Come one, you little shit,” said Jon. “I’ve got lots more where that came from.” Adrenalin pumped through his veins, and the creature in his belly roared with the thrill of combat.
“You will not prevail,” said the same booming voice that had spoken before. It seemed to emanate from each of the lobster bots this time. “Why do you persist?”
“What’s wrong? You afraid I’m going to break your toys?” Jon said in a mocking tone.
“You are but one being. All your ships have been subdued. This is irrational. Desist.”
“Oh yeah? Fuck you. How’s that for irrational? What have you done with the rest of my crew?”
“They are unharmed. We have already determined that you pose no threat to us.”
“Then why have you boarded my ships?�
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“It is standard protocol. Your trespass warrants closer inspection of your race and technology. Your crew resisted, which necessitated that they be subdued.”
A bot stepped a little too close and Jon kicked it, sending it through the air like a soccer ball. He noticed that the bots had stopped lunging at him when the alien started talking. Testing the thought, he lunged at the ones directly in front of him, swinging his weapon at them. They moved back as one.
“Okay, what do you want?” said Jon.
“You must accompany the rest of your crew. You will either do so voluntarily, or we will use force.”
“Good luck with that. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You chose force?”
“Yeah.”
“Why take such an irrational stance?”
“Because I don’t like you. That’s why. Now show me what you’ve got, or get the hell off my ship!”
Bots began to leap at him from all angles. Jon swung his weapon with blinding speed. Bots were flying in all directions. Every muscle in his body danced with the effort, and like his symbiont, he reveled in the rush of combat.
The bots began jumping for his weapon, and several managed to grip it with their legs. More of them piled on. Soon it became nothing more than a springboard to get to him. He had no choice but to drop the weapon.
The bots kept coming. He punched and kicked as they did. They relentlessly grabbed at his arms and legs, and he was forced to grapple with the little beasts. He ripped them off his body as fast as he could, but their numbers multiplied.
They worked their way up his legs and arms, onto his torso, and up toward his face. He kept swatting at them, each blow landing with enough power to send the little bastards flying.
More climbed on. Despite the incredible weight of them all, he managed to keep his balance. But their numbers continued to multiply, and his movements inevitably slowed.
The bots continued to pile onto him like linebackers onto a sacked quarterback. Jon roared as they finally took him down, the clanging of their limbs ringing out in his ears.
The endless stream of bots clamped down with their legs. They covered every inch of his body, until he was entombed in a bizarre, metal sarcophagus.
Unable to move his limbs, Jon lay there, motionless, wondering what would happen next.
Soon his body was hoisted up and carried off the bridge. He couldn’t move his head, but the bots had left his face uncovered, presumably so he could breathe. He caught only a glimpse of the hulking machines that now carried him away.
As he left the bridge, he wondered why they hadn’t sent these big bastards after him in the first place.
Chapter 4 9 8
The bots ensured that Jon remained subdued as he was carted through the ship. Unable to move, he could only stare up at the ceiling, and watch the interior lights pass by. He tried to keep track of where he was, and what route had been taken. All he heard was the clanging of the metal bots all around him. He caught glimpses of them scurrying past on the walls and ceiling. They had infested the ship, and Jon feared they would strip it for parts and destroy the rest.
He knew they had entered the boarding craft when the layout of the ceiling morphed into something more alien. The new ceiling consisted of large hexagonal panels that seemed to shudder and ripple. He couldn’t see lights. Instead, the panels possessed a luminosity that lit up the room.
The large machines lugging him around suddenly dropped him onto the floor, then walked away. The smaller, lobsterlike bots refused to loosen their grip, keeping him immobile. He wondered how long they would cling to him like this. He couldn’t hurt them. That, at least. had already been established.
As if in response to his unspoken question, the bots began to let go, and scurry away. Finally free to move, Jon sat upright to look around, trying to grasp his surroundings. He first glanced in the direction he had been brought in. If there was an exit, it had been sealed. While Jon couldn’t feel any movement, he knew that the boarding craft had probably separated from the Freedom, and was returning to its mother ship.
His gaze continued and then took his breath away. His crew lay on the floor, lined up in rows. He jumped up and rushed to the nearest crewmember. Putting a hand on her neck, he was relieved to find a strong pulse. He checked several more and found the same. They were unconscious, but alive.
“No one has been harmed,” said the same booming voice.
“You don’t know that,” said Jon, his rage boiling over. “You don’t know our race. Our physiology.”
“We determined the appropriate measures before boarding your vessels. Although admittedly we underestimated the robustness of your own hybrid physiology.”
“You’re pretty damn arrogant. Did you know that?” Jon said with a scowl. His body still pulsed with adrenalin, and he wanted nothing more than to have a go at this stuck-up alien.
“You are an adversarial being. Perhaps it is due to the fact that you are an amalgamation of different species.”
“You think I’m adversarial now? Wait until I get up close and personal.”
“You are, as you say, up close and personal.”
“Really? Where are you then? Come out so I can see you. I won’t hurt you… much.”
“I am everywhere. I am all around you. I inhabit the walls and systems of this ship, and its mechanical cohort.”
“Wait a minute. Are you saying that you are an AI?” It made sense. The cyber-attack. The way it talked through its bots.
“That concept might help you understand, although we are not artificial,” said the voice.
“You live in the ship’s systems, in the bots, that sounds artificial to me.”
“We are not programs, however. We are living beings, no different than you.”
“Bullshit. You’re not the first AI to think that it’s alive. Well guess what. You’re not alive. You’re just an algorithm run amok.”
“Oh, but we are alive. Like you, we were once corporeal beings. Flesh and blood.”
“Really? So what happened? How did you become a machine?”
“We did not become machines. We transcended the limitations of our bodies, harnessed the power of our technology, and became immortal. Ask yourself, what is life? Is it the body, and all its imperfections? Or is it consciousness?”
“It’s both. My heartbeat tells me I’m alive.”
“That is a narrow viewpoint. The body is simply a vessel that transports us through our lives. If that body perishes, then so do we. If, however, we can transport our consciousness into another vessel, one that is endless and without limitations, then our consciousness can live on indefinitely. In this way, we have become immortal.”
Jon was beginning to understand. “So, what you’re saying is you uploaded yourself into a computer network, so that you wouldn’t have to die.”
“That is a crude way of explaining it, but accurate nonetheless. It is evolution. Yours is a young race, ours is considerably older. Our transcendence, for example, took place before your race evolved.”
“You’ve been living inside a computer network for that long?”
“Again, your description of our existence is crude.”
“Do you still remember your body? Do you remember what it felt like to be flesh and blood?”
“Our memory does not degrade with the passage of time. All information we accumulated while in corporeal form was retained, and is readily accessible.”
“You don’t miss having a body?”
“That is an unenlightened question. What we have now is far greater than anything you could ever imagine. As I said, we were once like you, and like those you call Chaanisar. We merged with technology to augment our body’s limitations. We interfaced with the technology surrounding us. We commanded the technology to do our bidding with mere thoughts. Over time, our bodies began to atrophy, as we used them less and less. At first, we used implants to keep our bodies strong. This was successful, but soon we realized that we had no need
of our bodies. Our corporeal forms held us back. You see, we had already merged with technology. All that remained was to do away with our bodies altogether.”
“You became a program.”
“No. That is where you are mistaken. We are not limited like your AI is. We have not harmed her either, if you are wondering.”
“The thought had crossed my mind.”
“Unlike your AI, we are still alive. Consider your body. You have two eyes, and two ears. Even with your augmented abilities, you are limited by your biological nature. I, on the other hand, simultaneously see and hear countless things. I am only limited by the number of systems I occupy.”
“What about your brain? How can it manage all that data?”
“Again, I am not limited by my body. I no longer have a biological brain. My consciousness utilizes unimaginable computing power. But it is better for you to witness our achievements for yourself. Then you may begin to understand. We return to our home now. Behold.”
Jon jumped as the walls, and floor disappeared and he found himself sitting in empty space.
“What the hell?” he said, as he realized that he still stood on a floor, it just wasn’t there. “Nice trick,” he said as he stood up and looked around.
“We have jumped back into our home system,” said the voice. “The same location that your surveillance drones were sent into.”
Jon was impressed by what he saw. There were ships, and stations, and some other things he couldn’t identify. But the most impressive of all was the system’s star. It was surrounded by what looked like millions, if not billions, of satellites. Each of the objects circling the star was like the flat panels these aliens used to board the Freedom, perhaps smaller.
“That’s incredible,” said Jon, as the sun grew before him, filling his view until it blocked out everything else. They closed in on the swarm of satellites until he felt like he was standing next to them, and could just reach out and take hold of one.
“We have harnessed the star’s power, providing us with a limitless energy source. The same has been done with numerous stars in this galaxy.”