Destiny Reckoning

by Trevor Gregg

  “We’re coming up on our final jump, we’ll be there in thirty minutes,” she said excitedly.

  Isa’s voice came over the channel suddenly, but it lacked her usual spirit.

  “Actually, thirty-three minutes, to be precise.”

  “Hello Isa, I’m happy to be seeing you again,” he replied.

  “Yes, thank you,” Isa replied, sorrow evident in her voice.

  “Okay, see you all in thirty-three minutes,” Alis said, signing off.

  Kyren found he couldn’t sit still, so he went outside. He thought about Alis and how they thought they had lost her. His thoughts drifted to Elarra. Anger stirred, but also reason. He knew surviving her visikaji had changed her. But he wasn’t sure he was okay with the change.

  He knew she was having difficulty interpreting her visions, and he knew it must be terrifying for her. But he still couldn’t understand why she would have let something happen to Alis without trying to stop it.

  “Kyren?” Elarra spoke behind him.

  Startled, he whirled. He had been lost in thought and hadn’t heard her approach.

  “Sorry to startle you, but we need to discuss something,” Elarra apologized.

  “Okay, go on,” he said, a little more harshly than he intended.

  He saw her visibly flinch at his tone. She seemed to compose herself for one moment, and then began to speak.

  “My vision of the end, of the Kirugi’s coming,” she paused for a long moment before continuing, filling Kyren with anticipation. “The vision keeps changing. As as we take action, things change. It seems the future is being reshaped.”

  “What do you mean?” Kyren asked, unsure of the implications.

  “Before we came here, before I met with the council, there were no raxi present in my visions. But after we met with the council and they pledged their aid, I saw them fighting off the spawn in the streets. Along with some Consortium forces that appeared after we destroyed the Crevak warship.”

  “So you’re saying our actions are changing the future?”

  “It would seem,” Elarra affirmed.

  A thunderclap rolled across the landscape, interrupting Kyren’s next thought.

  “Sonic boom,” Elarra commented.

  “That’s Isa entering the atmosphere!” Kyren exclaimed.

  He dashed back into the Ashari, scrambling to the bridge. Geri was there, grinning ear to ear.

  “They’ve locked on to our location. She’ll be here in a few minutes,” Geri said, her excitement plainly evident.

  Kyren followed Geri as she made her way out to the landing pad, joining Elarra. He watched as Benjam emerged from the ship as well, squiggling down the boarding ramp. They waited in a loose knot, and Kyren found himself unable to concentrate on anything else.

  Alis was coming back to them! Minutes passed before Benjam pointed to the sky.

  “There, it’s Isa, on the horizon!” he squeaked excitedly.

  Her engines rumbled as she approached, circling the pad before touching down next to the Ashari. The ship’s airlock began opening and the boarding ramp extended. Alis emerged and ran down the ramp, right into her mother’s arms.

  Sobs emerged from the two as they embraced tightly. Kyren felt tears welling in his own eyes. Alis disengaged from the hug and turned to Kyren, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

  She grabbed him and drew him close, her cheek brushing his and leaving a streak of tears. Alis held him for long moments, then leaned away.

  “Oh, sorry,” Alis said, reaching up with her sleeve to wipe the wet patch from Kyren’s face.

  A tentacle slithered over and rested on Alis’ shoulder. She turned to Benjam and dove into his mass of tentacles, grasping him around his trunk and squeezing tight.

  “You too, Benjam, I missed you too,” she said, releasing him.

  He squeaked in glee, “I missed you, I thought you were gone. We all did. It was terrible, it was nearly unbearable.”

  “Yes Benjam, I’m sure it was,” she soothed.

  “Truly terrible,” Benjam confirmed.

  “Elarra!” Alis turned and hugged her as well.

  Kyren could see the anguish in Elarra’s eyes. He wouldn’t mention Elarra’s vision, not yet anyway. But Alis definitely had a right to know.

  “How is Isa?” Kyren asked, his excitement muted as he remembered Tharox’s demise.

  “Terribly sad. I think she needs us, needs us all right now,” Alis explained. “So anyway, what’re you all doing here? I thought the council wanted you dead, Elarra?”

  “Yes, well, they seem to have had a change of heart. We needed to find Saeli,” Elarra responded, the sadness in her voice evident.

  “What happened?” Alis queried, obviously picking up the emotion.

  “His ship was attacked by a thessell hydra. We barely managed to rescue him, but he remains in critical condition,” Kyren spoke after Elarra remained quiet for several moments.

  “We need to find Joraq, the first of my kind. She will be able to guide us, I believe,” Elarra explained.

  “Where is this Joraq?” Alis asked with trepidation.

  “A world called Rendikar, the Kilgore system,” Benjam explained.

  “Where’s that?” Kyren asked, even though he knew the answer would probably be meaningless to him.

  “I searched the star charts and finally found reference to a Kilgore system. It seems it’s location is uncharted but it resides in the far end of the Perseus arm. It’s called the Tregas sector, and thankfully it’s far from Crevak territory,” Benjam explained.

  “That’s good, far from Crevak,” Kyren nodded.

  “Yes, well, it’s also far from Consortium territory. It’s a completely lawless zone, ruled by local warlords and plagued by pirates,” Geri interjected, her tone serious. “It’ll be incredibly dangerous. We’ll need to be extra careful, there’s no telling what we’ll run into.”

  “Oh dear, that’s frightening,” Benjam said, quailing.

  “Shall we go see to Isa now? I think she needs to see everyone,” Alis suggested, beginning to make her way back.

  Kyren followed, a knot of anticipation tight in his belly.

  11

  Uploaded

  “Isa?” Alis asked, hoping Isa was still present.

  “Yes Alis, I’m still here. I see you’ve brought the others,” she replied softly.

  Alis could see the concern filling Kyren’s face.

  “Isa, I’m so sorry. He saved us, you know,” Kyren consoled.

  “Yes, Alis told me what happened.”

  “What can we do for you?” he asked her, concern evident in his voice.

  “Nothing, Kyren. But thank you.”

  Alis was happy to be reunited with the others, but she was also relieved to have help with Isa. She didn’t know what to do to comfort her. She is a ship, after all, kind of hard to sympathize when you can’t conceive of what it’s like, she thought.

  “Hi Isa,” Benjam said shyly as he squiggled aboard.

  “Hello Benjam, I’m glad to see you. And you as well, Elarra and Geri.”

  Elarra gave a small nod, while Geri said a muted hello.

  “Isa, will you come with us? We’re going to search for the first liadi. She may know how we find out about the Kirugi,” Kyren asked directly.

  “What are you talking about, Kyren?” Alis asked, unsure of this new direction.

  “Hang on, let me go grab that data core from the alien station,” he said, making his way to the airlock.

  He returned a short time later bearing the data core he had recovered from the space station that had been occupied by the Crevak. They had learned of the Crevak tribe’s newly acquired weapon from the core and used that data to find the weakness they had exploited to destroy it.

  “Here, let me load this up, I’ll play it and then you’ll see,” Kyren said to her.

  He slotted the data core into Isa’s panel and hit several keys, initiating access to the core.

  “Wait, Kyre
n, don’t. There’s something strange abou…” Isa’s words were cut off by a squelch of static.

  The interior lights began to blink on and off. The engine rumbled to life and then abruptly cut out. Garbled sounds began to emit from the speakers, almost sounding like language, but still just gibberish.

  Alis looked around, feeling deep concern for Isa. What the hell was happening now? What had that core done to her? Alien virus? Incompatible programming? She extracted her wrench and converted it into a diagnostic monitor. She quickly popped an access hatch and plugged the leads from her wrench into the emergency receptacle inside.

  She began to scan through Isa’s systems. It seemed there was indeed something foreign that had taken up residence within. There were entire chunks of controls missing on the holopanel, which were replaced by foreign looking symbols.

  “Isa, can you hear me?” Alis asked fearfully.

  “What is happening?” Elarra questioned.

  “I don’t know, I don’t know what I did,” Kyren lamented.

  Nothing changed, there was still garbled gibberish coming through the speakers. I’ll try to reboot some modules and see what happens, she thought desperately. Quickly working through the controls, she began restarting systems that she didn’t think were too critical. Truthfully, though, she knew there was probably little chance. Kyren was the only programmer in the bunch, but with Isa’s organic brain, all bets were off.

  “Isa, are you there? Flash your lights twice if you’re there,” Alis suggested.

  To her relief, the bridge lights blinked two times in rapid succession.

  “Alis, what’s going on?” Geri questioned.

  “I think it’s some sort of virus, but I have no idea what it is doing or how to stop it.”

  She looked back to the controls and noticed several components had returned to functioning state, but seemed to be requiring manual activation. Alis keyed in the activation sequence. She had just finished turning on an auxiliary system when Isa spoke through the gibberish.

  “Alis, something has happened to me. I’m scared. There are pieces of my memory, pieces of me, that are just missing. But there’s something else in their place and I don’t know what it is.”

  Suddenly the gibberish began to form actual words, then full sentences. Still just a random cluster of words, but words nonetheless. Then suddenly a voice spoke. A very familiar voice.

  “Hello? Is anyone there?” the voice of rumbled.

  “Tharox? Is that you?” Isa asked.

  Alis swore she could hear a lump in Isa’s throat, despite having no throat. Was that really Tharox? How?

  “Yes. Hello Isa.”

  “Are you really him? Are you really my husband?”

  “I am. Although I know not how I got here. Or even where here is. I feel strange, like I’m paralyzed. Can anyone tell me what is going on?” Tharox continued, sounding more frantic with each sentence.

  “You’re in here with me, dear. Inside the ship. Is that really you and not some ruse?”

  Alis looked over to the terminal where the data core was slotted, planning on removing it immediately. Her eyes fell on the holoscreen and she froze. It was a hologram of Benjam, and it began to speak.

  “Isa, Tharox, everyone, please be calm, everything is okay,” the recording of Benjam began in his reedy voice. “Tharox, what is the last thing you remember?”

  “We had boarded the alien space station held by the Crevak, using the katerwans to infiltrate the base. I was masquerading as a prisoner. After we were separated, I overpowered my captors. I was fleeing, running somewhere. In one of the many featureless corridors, I remember the wall sliding away to reveal a chamber beyond. There was some sort of bot, and it… it… I don’t remember what happened next.”

  “Yes, well, you’re brain was scanned at that moment, capturing your memories, your personality. You, basically,” hologram Benjam explained after continuing his brief pause for a moment longer. “Then you were encoded onto the data core. It was programmed to insert Tharox into Isa’s operating system.”

  “But now I’m missing pieces of myself,” Isa grumbled.

  “Well, you’d have to make room for him, so the only way would be to erase some pieces and load Tharox in place, to give his memories and his personality room to exist,” real Benjam surmised.

  “Isa, I hope this assuages your loneliness. It may not be his body, but you are now linked to his mind,” hologram Benjam concluded before winking out.

  “Oh dear, this has tremendous implications,” real Benjam piped in concern.

  “What does?” Kyren wondered.

  Alis wasn’t sure what Benjam was getting at either, so she waited eagerly for the explanation.

  “Well, you see, I think we are going to travel through time. Or we already did. Hence the data core loaded with assistance.”

  “Okay, that is pretty tremendous, if you can believe it. But time travel isn’t possible, is it?” Geri said, breaking her silence.

  “Well, theoretically it is, but having an energy source powerful enough to generate the necessary time rift is just beyond our current technology,” Benjam related. “But the real zinger is, all this help we’re providing ourselves… we’re gonna have to put it all together, find a way to hand off the data core, make sure we do exactly what is on that core. We’ll need to avoid paradox, the results could be catastrophic if we don’t.”

  “So we’re gonna time travel? Where? How?” Kyren asked. “Can we figure that one out?”

  “I think we’re going to have to study that core intensively. Hopefully we will have the time before we find Joraq,” Elarra said. “I have a feeling she may be able to provide the guidance we seek. Then again, I don’t know what thousands of years as a clairvoyant can do to one’s mind.”

  “Alright, Isa, and um, Tharox… do you want to come with us? We could use you, as always. And we’d certainly like the company, especially if Tharox is back with us,” Kyren suggested.

  “Tharox and I have been discussing it. You all have treated us as one of your own. We have enjoyed traveling with you and aiding your cause. We would like to remain together,” Isa informed them.

  Feeling a swell of joy, Alis disconnected her wrench and looked at the console.

  “We should all take the Ashari, give Isa and Tharox some time to reconnect. That way we can study the core together while we travel,” Alis suggested.

  “On to the Tregas sector, then. But how are we gonna find this Kilgore system?” Kyren questioned, helplessness in his voice.

  “I think we can hit the planet Vartan first. It’s on the edge of the Tregas sector,” Geri proposed. “I have a contact there, he knows the sector, and should be able to get us some coordinates.”

  12

  Revelation

  Kyren returned to the Ashari, worry gnawing at the edges of his mind. All of these messages from the future said what would happen. But what they didn’t say is how. That meant they were going to have to figure it out. All of it, all of whatever crazy stuff they had done, or would do, would have to be figured out.

  He didn’t know why his future past self wouldn’t be more specific, but there had to be a reason. Maybe Benjam would be able to understand?

  “Everyone get strapped in, liftoff in sixty,” Geri informed.

  They spent the next several hours warping from system to system. They took several intervening warp gates as well to shave off some extra jumps.

  “We’ve got several hours before our next jump,” Geri said, rising from the piloting console.

  “Good a time as any, I think, to check out that core a little more,” Kyren suggested, hoping the trepidation he felt didn’t show in his voice.

  He slotted the core in, expecting something to happen. Instead the Ashari’s console just displayed the directory. “Crevak weapon,” “Giant robot,” and “Other,” were still the three choices.

  “What’s under Other?,” Alis asked. “Perhaps there’s a message from me or Elarra?”
r />   He keyed up “Other” and waited in anticipation as the screen opened. A list of messages appeared, labeled “message one,” “message two,” and then “final message” at the bottom.

  He tapped “message one” and the screen flickered. Alis appeared, dressed in the same white toga garb Kyren had worn. The same falling water background was behind as well.

  “Hi everyone,” video Alis said cheerfully. “You should all be happy now, I’m back, Isa has Tharox back, and you know where to go, at least for the next move. I want to warn you things are going to get difficult, and very soon, though. By the way, Elarra, I forgive you. Er, rather, I will forgive you, but it’ll take time.”

  “Forgive her for what?” the real Alis interjected.

  Before Kyren could even compose a response, video Alis continued, “Okay, so here’s the deal. Alis, you and Benjam have a job to do. I can tell you the what, but you’ll have to find the how. You’ll need to encode Tharox into the data core. So that’s it, really all I had for you. I know, it’s not much to go on. But you’ll figure it out, I did after all. And you’re me so you’ll be fine, I suspect.”

  “So the next thing is of utmost importance. Turn off this data core and don’t watch any more of these messages, until after you’ve encountered Joraq,” video Alis continued in a more solemn tone.

  “Anyway, one last thing. Kyren, please don’t kill Daryl, I know you’ll want to, but just don’t,” video Alis said, her eyes glinting mischievously.

  The screen returned to the directory of messages.

  “Well, that wasn’t much to go on. And who is Daryl, anyway?” Alis remarked.

  “He’s my contact, on Vartan,” Geri replied. “He is a scumbag, but I agree with future you, Alis. Kyren, please don’t kill him.”

  “Hey, I don’t even know the guy,” he replied defensively.