Unexpected Destiny

by Trevor Gregg

  Benjam squiggled aside and revealed the device he and Alis had constructed. The base was the approximate size and shape of a briefcase laid on its side. There were several tubes, a cylinder, and other stuff Kyren couldn’t identify scattered around the base of a beach ball sized wire sphere. There was a faint light flickering within the center of the sphere.

  “We had to cannibalize the DS cannon’s EM oscillator, though. It wasn’t the best replacement for an MSE, but it’s done the trick,” Alis informed him. “So unfortunately we’ll have to do without that weapon system.”

  “In order to activate the device, then to arm it, enter this sequence,” Benjam demonstrated. The sphere filled with glowing energy and began to pulsate, bathing them in a sickly green glow. “Then this button here…” he said pointing again, “…detonates.”

  As they returned to the bridge, Kyren asked, “What is our route to the ruins? How long will it take us?”

  Benjam slithered into the auxiliary terminal and began keying in a navigation routine. “Our destination is a binary star system referenced in the data core as FX2099-335A. This system resides in the galactic halo near the center of an old star cluster. The ruins are reported to be on the surface of the fourth planet from the suns. It should take us only a few hours of star hopping to reach the outer halo.”

  “Great, get me a jump solution!” Alis said exuberantly as she slipped into the command station.

  Kyren slid into his respective auxiliary station, a twinge of fear accompanying the trepidation of the unknown. Then he steeled himself for the coming trials, and swore to himself he would save Elarra. Then he went loopy as jump sickness scrambled his brain.

  49

  Skaljir

  It took several hours and far too many jumps for Kyren’s liking, his head pounding by the end of the journey. The ship made its final warp jump into orbit around FX2099-335A’s fourth planet as he sighed in relief. Benjam worked the ship’s sensors while Kyren just took in the view.

  Planet Four, as it was referenced, was listed in the data core as a “gaia” world, lush and tropical. The description was certainly apt, he mused as he stared at the great green and blue orb in front of him.

  “Nothing on sensors yet,” Benjam said breaking Kyren’s reverie. “Alis, let’s take a pass around the planet and I will keep looking.”

  Alis charted an orbital path and fired up the thrusters, and the planet slowly grew larger in the viewscreen. It rolled on beneath them as they grew close, the Ashari’s sensors sweeping from pole to pole in a wide net. They were nearly around the planet when Benjam’s holopanel started blinking.

  “We’ve got signal. Main screen turn on,” Benjam said, and a chart of the signal strength and frequency appeared overlaying the planet.

  Kyren zoomed the viewscreen to the origin point of the signal. He located a massive clearing amidst the unending jungle. There were scattered husks of ancient buildings, but the way was mostly clear.

  “At least we’ve got a landing pad,” Alis said, eying the clearing, “I’ve not seen anywhere else on land I could put down. The vegetation here is incredibly dense, I’ve never seen a place like this before.”

  As the ship began it’s de-orbit, the computer provided a scale reading overlaying the scene, indicating the void in the impenetrable jungle was miles across. Finally on close approach, they could make out details that were invisible from orbit. There were structures in the clearing, though mostly nothing more than skeletal metal frames. They dotted the clearing, in seemingly random placement. The gray ground between was smooth and unbroken, stone or some form of concrete.

  Alis led the ship in a lazy arc around the clearing, providing a close-up view on the expansive main screen. Surprisingly free of debris and vegetation, the spaces between the decayed structures formed courtyards and winding streets that would have been a near maze had the buildings still been intact. She located a suitable landing site between two large multi-story building frames, and touched the ship down lightly like a songbird landing on a branch.

  “Sensors show the atmosphere is breathable, although this air is quite oxygen-rich,” Benjam spoke. “The signal I detected originated from the center of this clearing.”

  “Well then, let’s go have ourselves a look,” Kyren said, tucking the small autopistol he had liberated from captain Gravos into his belt.

  “We need to be cautious, there’s no telling what is out there,” Benjam worried.

  They disembarked the Ashari into the humid tropical air, Kyren leading the way through the maze of skeletal buildings. While there wasn’t any apparent pattern to the layout of the ancient buildings, Kyren did observe that the closer they got to the center, the denser the structures became. They wound their way around the more substantial structures, but stepped through the spindly frames, making toward the central building, which appeared to be mostly intact.

  Soon enough they were standing in front of the massive building, its two large doors ajar, murky shadows lurking within. Kyren motioned for the others to stay as he drew the pistol from his belt. He found the safety and disengaged it, then crept toward the gap between the doors, keeping the pistol raised in front of him. He slipped through the gap and allowed his eyes to adjust.

  The sliver of light falling from the doorway illuminated the floor for twenty or so feet, but it couldn’t reach the heights of the vaulted ceiling or the far wall of the cavernous space. Suddenly, light beamed in behind him as Alis shown her wrench-now-flashlight into the darkened room. As she panned the beam around, Benjam and Elarra came in behind her.

  As Alis slewed the light around so they could see the walls. They were not entirely smooth, they seemed to be etched with tiny circuitry, as if the building were a massive computer masquerading as a mundane structure. The beam stopped on the far wall as she spotted an entrance leading underground.

  “I suppose that’s our only option,” Kyren said, advancing across the space, following Alis’ beam, his shadow on the far wall an inky black giant mimicking his every move.

  They reached the passage leading down and were presented with a long staircase leading deep underground. As they descended the smooth stone stairs, Alis shone her light around the stairwell, illuminating the same circuit printed walls as in the building above. They reached the bottom of the long staircase and looked down a hallway with corridors branching off on either side, spaced about fifty yards apart.

  It took Kyren a moment to realize there was a source of light other than Alis’ wrench. Long strips of a glass-like material ran down the center of the ceiling, and were emitting a faint blue light.

  “Let’s check out these corridors,” Kyren suggested.

  The blue ceiling lights extended down the side corridors. Each corridor the passed ended in a “T” with another hallway, extending off to the left and right. Deciding against exploring the side passages, Kyren led them further down the main hallway. He could see a doorway at the end of the hall leading into a large open space and approached cautiously, pistol held before him. Entering the space he quickly panned around, searching for danger, but the cavernous room was empty.

  Suddenly, a deep throaty growl echoed down the hall behind them, causing him to whirl. Kyren could just barely make out a dark shape at the bottom of the staircase. It strode on six legs, moving fluidly like a great cat stalking its prey. The inky-black fur soaked up the wan blue light as if it were a black hole. Then Kyren spotted the tail, curling up and over the back like a scorpion’s, tipped with a dagger-like spike. While he had never seen one in real life, he knew the beast. He had seen them in vids, and a bot he and his brother had fought once had been modeled after one.

  “Shit, skaljir beast! Run!” Kyren yelled, motioning for them to move.

  As the others filed past, he stepped into the hall and raised the pistol, trying to decide if he should try firing at it. The beast began advancing down the corridor. Kyren glanced behind him and saw the others retreating rapidly. He backed up a few steps and turned and ran
after the others. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the creature break into a run.

  “There!” Benjam said, pointing at a huge door off to the left. Kyren could see it was raised slightly, it looked as if it would be possible to wriggle underneath and through. And it was probably too small for the skaljir beast. He hoped.

  They bolted as fast as they possibly could. As they reached the door, Kyren chanced another glance back and saw the skaljir enter the cavernous space at a run. Alis pushed Elarra forward and she immediately dropped to the ground and shimmied through the small crack beneath the door. Alis went next, then Benjam. As he began to wriggle through, it became apparent to Kyren that he wasn’t going to slip through.

  “Push me, Kyren!” Benjam exclaimed desperately as he struggled to get through the gap. Kyren planted his foot on Benjam’s back and pushed. As the brontian popped through the opening, Kyren looked up. Every instinct screamed to run, so he bolted, knowing there wouldn’t be enough time to get through the gap before it was on him. So he ran faster than he had ever run in his life, not even chancing a look back.

  Knowing the beast’s speed outmatched his own, it would only take moments to catch him. Then he spotted his salvation, another door, barely raised. He put on a burst of speed and dove, sliding through the gap into darkness beyond. And then he was falling through the darkness. A second later he slammed into a steep earthen slope and began tumbling down through the blackness. Bouncing off the ground, his head connected with a rock, and unconsciousness descended.

  50

  Exo-suit

  Kyren came to, sprawled in the dirt, smothered by the darkness. He had a moment of terror as his brain struggled to comprehend his situation. He slowly hoisted himself into a sitting position and gingerly touched his head, wondering how long he had been out.

  “Ow,” he said to no one in particular as he fingered the large goose egg on the back of his skull.

  As his eyes adjusted, he could make out faint light filtering in through a cleft in the cavern wall. He could now see he was in a natural cavern, fifty yards wide, sitting at the bottom of a large rocky slope. It was a miracle he hadn’t suffered any broken bones, he thought. The cleave in the far wall where light was filtering in was big enough for a man to slip through.

  His head swam as he stood. It took a few moments to steel himself and stop the spinning in his head. He approached the cleft in the cave wall and peered in. It made a sharp turn to the right about fifteen feet in. Kyren advanced cautiously down the gap.

  He continued on and the glow became brighter, the blue light of the corridors leaking into the crack. Kyren exited the cleft in the rock and stepped into a corridor much the same as the others they had encountered. He quickly scanned up and down the hallway, reaching to his belt. Cursing himself, he realized he had lost the pistol in his tumble down the rocky slope.

  Picking a direction at random, Kyren set off. After wandering for what felt like an hour, Kyren came to dead-end corridor. The door at the end was sealed, but the control panel set into the frame was lit. Kyren crept forward to investigate, listening for any sounds on the far side of the portal. He reached the door and hesitated. Should he open it? What could lie on the other side, another skaljir beast, maybe. Or a way out.

  He decided to risk opening it, and hesitantly touched the panel. With a clunk and a screech of gears, the door opened a crack and then stopped. He hit the panel again and it opened another few inches, groaning and squealing. A third try opened it enough for him to slip through.

  As he entered the chamber, bright white lights flickered on. He shielded his eyes from the light as they struggled to adjust from the dim conditions. After a few moments he looked around the modestly-sized space. It seemed to be an engineering bay of some sort, equipment was scattered around the tables and low benches lined the walls.

  Against one wall was a large cabinet, taller than Kyren and just wider than his arm span. There was a control panel to the side of the large container and it was lit green. Kyren tapped the panel and with a hiss a door popped open and panels slid back, retracting to reveal the contents of the case. His jaw dropped as he immediately recognized the it.

  He had seen plenty of vids, and the Theta Block police had worn them as well. It was an exo-suit. The armored suit stood as tall as Kyren, its black exterior covered in black plates and metallic mesh. As the doors completed retracting, the exo-suit’s armored skin peeled back, creating enough room for a humanoid figure to enter. Unable to contain his excitement, Kyren climbed into the suit.

  With a clacking and whirring, the suit went into motion, closing up and encasing him. The helmet extended from the collar of the suit and closed over his face. A HUD flickered to life as he flexed his arms and legs, testing the motion of the suit. It moved fluidly, not hampering his movement in any way. It felt like an extension of his own skin.

  He stepped out of the cargo container and examined his forearms, each bearing a boxy rectangular protrusion. He examined the HUD and saw a representation of the suit, status green. He flexed his wrist and turned his hand and was startled as two wicked looking metal blades extended from the forearm. He flexed the other wrist the same way and two blades popped out of the other forearm. Kyren grinned and wondered if it responded to voice commands as well.

  “Helmet off,” he said experimentally.

  With a hiss and a whir, the helmet retracted into the collar. He couldn’t help but feel a burst of excitement. He had an exo-suit! Now to find the way out of this maze, he thought.

  Kyren reached the door and realized the gap was too narrow for the bulk of the suit. He hit the panel and the door made a grinding sound, but refused to move. Subsequent taps on the panel resulted in no more movement. Wondering if the suit had enhanced strength, he grabbed the door with both hands and heaved. With a squeal of metal, it pushed into the wall nearly a foot, leaving a gap wide enough for the armored suit to slip through.

  Returning to the maze of corridors, Kyren continued searching for a way out. The exo-suit’s servos whirred as he walked and the sounds of his footfalls echoed off the filigreed walls.

  “Light on” he said tentatively and panels popped open on his shoulders, and beams of light shown against the far wall of the chamber he had entered. The left wall of the chamber had completely crumbled, giving way to a partial cave-in. The ceiling had also given way, and he could see a beam of light actively sweeping the room above.

  Scrambling up the rocky slope, he peered through the hole into a space mirroring the one he had just occupied. In the doorway in the far wall stood a familiar figure, passing her light through the darkened room and momentarily blinding Kyren.

  “Hey, watch it with that light, lady!” he said jovially.

  “Kyren!” Elarra cried, pushing past Alis, rushing into the room as Kyren struggled to climb out of the hole.

  “I thought you were done for, I’m so glad to see you are okay,” Benjam squeaked. “And I see you’ve found an exo-suit. Magnificent!”

  “Please tell me you’re not as lost as I am,” Kyren said to Alis as she entered the room.

  “I’m afraid I can’t,” she said. “We’ve been wandering these halls since we got separated.”

  “Well let’s see if we can find a way out of here,” Kyren murmured, turning to get his bearings.

  51

  Computer

  They had been wandering the corridors for hours when Kyren noticed the walls began to change. Now, in addition to the circuitry tracing the walls, chips and other electronic components protruded in patches distributed randomly.

  “Is that daylight ahead?” Alis questioned hopefully as they turned a corner.

  Kyren looked down the hall and spotted the glow coming from a branching corridor. It was flickering slightly, the brightness wavering. He stepped out in front and extended the suit’s wrist blades. He reached the branch and peered around, looking into a huge chamber at the end of a short hall. The light within the room flickered and dimmed randomly.

&nb
sp; “Not daylight, but let’s check this room out,” Kyren suggested.

  He crept into the room ahead of them and immediately gawked at the size of the space. A grand circular chamber hundreds of yards across sprawled out before them. Cables and wires hung down in great loops and strands from the ceiling, which was at least two stories above.

  As they walked out into the cavernous space, Kyren could see the chasm at the far wall. The floor ended with a low metal railing. A slender podium stood against the edge, overlooking the pit. There were lights blinking on the podium. Benjam squiggled forward to the panel and began to examine it.

  “It seems to still be active,” he said, punching a button with his tentacle.

  “Wait! Don’t…” Alis cried, but it was too late.

  There was a tremendous hiss of static and a long beep. Then a garbled voice originated from nowhere began to speak, cutting in and out.

  “…computer is onli…please pro… your query…” it said in a metallic robot voice.

  “What are you?” Benjam asked.

  “…am known as Rho Computer… have been desig… tool for Azoria…”

  “What is Azoria?” he said rapidly.

  “Azorians are… that created Rho Computer,” it replied mechanically.

  “What is your purpose?” Benjam followed up.

  “…purpose is facilitation of… activities. Insufficient computational pow… calculate future course.” The computer said enigmatically.

  “Are there any other computers?” Benjam interrupted.

  “War facilit… many loc… galaxy,” it replied