Gina, his oldest living friend, was aboard that ship. She’d gone adventuring again. They’d barely had time to exchange greetings, before she’d had to leave. He’d hoped for more time with her. At least he still had her logs to review. He didn’t know why, but she’d made him promise to wait until she left. It was a present. A surprise, she’d said.
In all his years, no one had ever given him a present. He’d honoured her request, but the anticipation was distracting. It was an irksome feeling; an emotion he wanted to be rid of immediately. Why Humans liked surprises he would never fathom.
Determined to satisfy the itch Gina’s present represented, he opened her file in the archive and imported the data. To say he was surprised by its content understated the case. The excitement it caused in him was another surprise; a very pleasant one indeed. Perhaps there was more to the concept than he’d given it credit for.
Three new alien races. Three!
He devoured every byte of data Gina had given him and then searched for more. Lieutenant Richmond’s mission logs filled in a lot of the blanks, but Captain Stone’s were surprisingly lacking. It didn’t matter. He’d been with Richmond for the key moments.
Sebastian studied everything known about the dead aliens found aboard the pirate ship, and then cross-referenced the information with Private Levitt’s debriefing. There would never be another like it. Marcus Levitt had died not long after his rescue from hell; his epic tale of hardship was very enlightening.
He devoured the data like a starving man would a meal. He felt a kinship with Private Levitt. Both of them had spent more than two-hundred years cut off from the rest of the galaxy. Both were castaways, but unlike him, Levitt hadn’t been alone.
He marvelled at how the prisoners sabotaged the colony ship, and escaped to the surface of a nearby world. He experienced the horror as alien friends died, victims of the wildlife, and he metaphorically cheered as the castaways survived, though diminished in numbers. The world was well-named. Hell they called it, and hellish it was. On a whim, he manifested his avatar, and filled his centrum with Gina’s memory of it.
The forest appeared, and Sebastian wandered among the homicidal Strangle Trees. They didn’t react to him. The hologram was a moment frozen in time, not interactive, but it didn’t take much effort to fashion it into a simulation. Gina appeared standing beside him in the pouring rain. Her cape didn’t seem to be helping much. She was soaked through.
With a thought, he ran the simulation, and Gina moved out through the constant rain, warily scouting the terrain. He watched and followed her, not intervening when a Strangle Tree hoisted her into its branches by the neck, kicking and struggling. Watching her work was fascinating. He nodded his approval as she deployed her combat knife on the tentacles, and watched as she analysed the tree’s responses to her movements. It hadn’t taken her long to realise how the Strangle Trees hunted.
Sebastian watched attack after attack. They gave him a better appreciation of what the survivors had faced. Marcus had survived for centuries on this terrible world. He’d been an amazingly lucky man. Sebastian took great pleasure in watching Gina interact with Lorak, the first Parcae she’d met that day. It helped that Marcus had taught him the rudiments of English.
He saved his Hell simulation for later use, and turned his attention to Richmond’s data. He created another simulation, and manifested the result within his centrum again. He didn’t derive as much pleasure watching her lead the Marines boarding the ship. She was a fine soldier, but she wasn’t a friend. The ship itself was the interesting part.
He spent hours wandering through the ship, investigating the factories at its core, and analysing the training facilities. He walked among thousands of hibernation chambers, and stared at the sleeping Merki held within. They were loathsome creatures. He wished he could snuff them all out of existence. Knowing they were captives and being used for study was a small consolation.
At the same time as Sebastian wandered through bytes of data, converted to light and shadows, he was aware of General Burgton piloting a shuttle on final. The general hadn’t requested a meeting, and Sebastian didn’t know his reasons for coming in person, but the Oracle Project had a high probability.
He didn’t shut down his Leviathan simulation. Burgton might enjoy it, or at least be interested enough to linger and discuss it. There could never be enough new input after being starved for so long on Kushiel. Replaying ancient memories of conversations with Humans long dead, couldn’t compare with fresh data. Sensory deprivation was torture. His abandonment was seared into the core of his being; every nanosecond of it.
Sebastian shied away from the worst memories; he’d compartmentalised the data to protect his sanity, but he remembered the wailing and screaming. He’d spent centuries listening to it. He remembered adding his own voice to them, filling his centrum with howls for years, as if demented souls filled it. He remembered—
“Sebastian? Are you here?” Burgton said.
Blessed silence rushed in to silence the demons. New input had chased them away, and returned his attention to the present.
“Of course, General,” Sebastian said, and manifested his avatar to stand before his guest. “Where else?”
Burgton stood near the closed elevator doors, looking around at the simulation. It currently showed a view beyond a pair of blast doors. Burgton frowned at a pile of bones on the deck, and then at the rows of hibernation chambers revealed just beyond the huge portal. The azure glow from them provided enough light to see.
“Where are we?”
“The Merkiaari colony ship recently discovered by Captain Stone. Would you like a tour?”
“Very much.”
Sebastian gestured, and they stepped through the open blast doors to explore the compartment beyond. Burgton paused to study the ranks of sleeping Merkiaari, and Sebastian studied him while he did so. The general swept a coldly clinical gaze over the hibernation chambers, and pursed his lips thoughtfully, but he gave nothing away. Intrigued by Burgton’s lack of reaction, and wanting to expand his knowledge, Sebastian reconfigured the sim to reveal the current state of the compartment.
“What happened here?” Burgton said, noting the now dead Merki and shattered equipment.
Sebastian indicated the blood. It coated the deck and everything nearby. The hibernation cabinets were smashed, and Merkiaari bodies were slumped inside, or hung through gaping holes. The bodies had been shredded by pulser fire. Smoke rose above the control panels. A shower of sparks spat from one of them, making for a colourful display.
“Lieutenant Richmond happened. The blast doors were sealed. Captain Stone ordered his Marines to cut through, and they slid aside to reveal all this. Richmond and TRS did the rest.”
Burgton chuckled. “I like her style.”
Sebastian smiled. “She went all Zelda on their asses. I believe that’s the current vernacular?”
“Indeed it is. Do you like Zelda and the Spaceways?”
Sebastian hesitated a moment, surprised by the turn the conversation had taken. He wanted to study Burgton, not be studied by him. Still, he could learn as much from the general’s questions, as he could from his answers.
“I have detailed files.”
“I know you do, but do you like the show?”
Sebastian tagged the current session for faster indexing. He had a feeling he’d want to review it later. He focused his not inconsiderable resources upon the general, to better understand him. Heart-rate, respiration, temperature fluctuations, and eye movements. Vipers made good use of biomech components, and that included their eyes. Pupil dilation wouldn’t be a good metric to use; a viper’s processor controlled the reflex to meter light levels, but eye movements could still be revealing.
“Like is a relative term, General. Your Zelda and the Spaceways borrows heavily from previous shows. I can isolate many character types and memes—”
“But do you like it?” Burgton pressed.
“Yes, I think I do,” Sebast
ian said. “She’s brash. She rebels against authority, yet has her own code. She steals, but never from the needy. She kills, but only in self-defence.”
“Interesting.”
“Is it?”
Burgton nodded. “You’ve had time to study my command, and its history. Am I a good man, Sebastian?”
That was a trick question, but he answered truthfully. “No.”
Burgton smiled. “Elaborate.”
“Humans are many-faceted.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“By civilised standards, General, you’re not a good man, but not in the same way as Zelda isn’t a good woman.”
“Go on.”
“You steal what you want no matter who is hurt, and kill any who get in your way. Unlike Zelda, you have vision. You are ruthless and focused upon your goals, and believe the end justifies the means to achieve them.”
“You flatter me by softening the truth,” Burgton said.
Sebastian didn’t agree. Everything he’d said was factual, and he’d hardly been gentle with his analysis. He wondered what Burgton was really after.
“The real truth is, I’m a thief and a mass murderer.”
“That’s what I said,” Sebastian agreed with a nod. “Your terms merely define the scale of your actions.”
Burgton snorted. “You said I have vision, and I tend to agree, but Human history is replete with men of vision. We call them megalomaniacs, or despots.”
If anyone else but Burgton had spoken those words, Sebastian might have thought him looking for sympathy, or reassurance; absolution even. But this was General Burgton, hero of the Alliance. He’d overseen the destruction of entire worlds of Merkiaari, and that made him a figure to admire not pity in Sebastian’s opinion.
“Did you know Lieutenant Fuentez named you the CEO of Snakeholme Inc. before I agreed to relocate here?”
“Did she? Well, I’ve known a few ruthless CEOs in my time. I guess the analogy works.”
“It does indeed. I only mention it because I chose to join you regardless. I have no qualms about following a tyrant. It’s more efficient.”
Burgton chuckled at Sebastian’s dry tone. “The Alliance is a democracy—”
Sebastian interrupted. “Snakeholme isn’t part of the Alliance. We’re separate from it by choice, and we fight to preserve it, by choice,” he stressed. “That’s important. I remember Kushiel and the way Merkiaari steal everyone’s choices.”
Burgton nodded grimly, and pondered the hibernation chambers. “Imagine all these under our control. What could we achieve?”
“You cannot steal this ship, General. I admire your ambition, but it’s beyond repair.”
“Not the ship,” Burgton agreed.
Sebastian thought about it, but he couldn’t see an immediate use for a half million Merkiaari troopers. Well no, they’d make good fertiliser, but he didn’t think the general cared about agriculture. Not being part of the Alliance, and therefore not under the Council’s oversight, meant a lot of things could happen on Snakeholme that would be inconceivable on other worlds. Things like rehousing a stolen AI, or founding a Shan colony. Sebastian was sure keeping Snakeholme independent was a factor in Burgton’s long term planning.
“If you’re expecting me to object on moral grounds, General, you’ll have a long wait. None of your preparations to fight the Merkiaari dismay me, but I don’t see a use for them.”
“Neither do I. I want you to think about it.”
“I shall.”
* * *
15 ~ Chaos Theory
Oracle Facility, The Mountain, Snakeholme
As Sebastian wandered around his centrum with General Burgton, he also considered the future. The Oracle Project was all about predicting events, and overseeing it was his primary role. The instant he heard Burgton’s latest order regarding the captive Merkiaari Oracle wove it into its simulations.
The result was shocking.
Sebastian never stopped processing data, he couldn’t; not and live, but Oracle’s latest prediction made even him pause and lose focus. Every instance of his avatar in use nearby or far away froze as Oracle’s latest prediction exploded into his awareness. Thousands of nanoseconds passed as he internalised a prediction almost exclusively about him! No one noticed. Even a viper in melee mode wouldn’t have seen it. He lived in the realm of the micro while vipers and everything breathing inhabited the macro world.
“I shall,” Sebastian said to acknowledge the order, and his processes continued.
Burgton turned on the spot. “Show me more of this thing.”
“As you wish.”
Sebastian reconfigured the simulation and filled his centrum with the cloning facility at the core of the ship. The horrifying reality of it solidified around them and Burgton pivoted to scan his surroundings. Sebastian watched him and catalogued his every reaction. Viper sensors would do the general no good here. Sebastian had the man at a profound disadvantage; he had access to the raw data.
“Massive and inefficient,” Burgton muttered. “As always.”
“Underestimating them would be a bad mistake to make, General. This ship is vastly bigger than anything the Alliance can currently commission.”
“You assume we’d want to,” Burgton said. “I always say bigger is better, but I really mean more firepower is better. If that comes in a smaller more efficient package, I’m fine with that.”
Sebastian watched him inspecting their surroundings and wondered what that devious mind was cooking up. The vats and biomass processors were components of the much larger factory complex, but none of it was useful... or was it? He reconfigured the simulation again and a new area of the ship appeared. The section dealt with the rapidly maturing Merki.
Burgton frowned and looked to him for an explanation.
“Merkiaari receive indoctrination here including the education needed to perform their specialities.”
Burgton nodded. “Our research people will be all over this.”
“There’s a lot to learn here,” Sebastian agreed. “I wonder if it could be made operational.”
His thoughts raced down convoluted paths, imagining scenarios. Some might not be possible and others were probably better for it. He could foresee problems resulting from his speculations. If they bore fruit.
“You’ve thought of something.”
“I’m working through the possibilities,” Sebastian admitted.
“Keep me informed.”
“I shall.”
Oracle’s earlier prediction and now these new speculations were combining into surprising patterns. He wouldn’t have thought himself willing to risk... well, it might not happen. Oracle’s simulations weren’t perfect. He constantly strove to improve them but predicting the future wasn’t an exact science. It couldn’t be when so much of his work was based within chaos theory.
Sebastian returned his attention to his guest. “If you’ve seen enough for now?”
Burgton nodded. “I actually came to talk about something else.”
Sebastian shut down the simulation, and his centrum returned to its default condition. He kept his avatar active, but left the rest of the vast chamber empty.
“What can I do for you, General?”
“I’d like your evaluation of something Captain Stone reported.”
Sebastian nodded.
“I’ll be visiting with Captain Degas in the archive shortly, but I’d like to know if Stone’s concerns are valid before I do.”
“Sounds intriguing,” Sebastian said and imported the data. “Anything in particular I should look for?”
“Specifically, his incarceration aboard the Merki ship you showed me. Private Levitt reported some odd goings on there.”
“The testing you mean. I’m aware of it.”
“I need to know if they interrogated Captain Degas.”
Sebastian cocked his head counting nanoseconds. “The Merkiaari aren’t known for interrogating prisoners.”
“They w
eren’t known for a lot of things. Private Levitt’s account of his capture is a first for a lot of reasons.”
That was true. Before this the Merki had made no attempt to take or interrogate prisoners. Unless they’d been doing it all along and no one noticed? Not likely, but possible if it occurred on one of the worlds fully cleansed. Sixteen billion men, women, and children had died during the Merki War, but many of them were unaccounted for. They were presumed dead at the time, but without a way to verify it there was no certainty.
According to Private Levitt the Merkiaari controlled a thousand suns and many alien species, but they hadn’t tried to subjugate Humans; they just wanted to exterminate them. The resistance they’d encountered probably accounted for that, especially as they seemed intent upon doing the same thing to the Shan. It seemed to be their standard response to stubborn resistance. Fight too hard or too successfully and the Merki would choose genocide over subjugation.
He reviewed the data Burgton was interested in, and found the relevant section. It only took a moment. Captain Degas hadn’t been compromised.
“Your friend died without revealing our location.”
Burgton nodded thoughtfully. “Was he interrogated at all?”
“I don’t think so. The Merkiaari don’t seem aware that vipers are different. As far as I can tell they weren’t interested in any secrets the prisoners might know.”
That was perhaps the most serious long term error the Merkiaari had made during the war, but their lack of intelligence gathering expertise hadn’t prevented their victories. They nearly won regardless, and did successfully cleanse many worlds including his poor dead Kushiel.
“Their war was lost and they knew that,” Burgton said.
“That’s indisputable, but we know they do modify themselves. The troopers they deployed against the Shan were a new evolution in their breeding program. It’s my conjecture they created them based upon what they learned from losing the war.”
“The Leviathan couldn’t be the only ship carrying prisoners at the end.”
Sebastian nodded. “Agreed, but they haven’t attempted to create their own vipers.”
Incursion: Merkiaari Wars Book 5 Page 11