Galactic Destiny

by Alex Guerra

  The image faded out, and the two women stared at each other for a time.

  “Can you show me the time you saw Ibram before this moment?” asked Seya.

  “It seems like weeks,” said Ellia.

  “Please try,” said Seya.

  A blur of images spread across the screen with little sticking out.

  This must be the blocked memories, I thought.

  The current scene was set in a garden. Arranged in a way to complement each other, foreign and exotic plants stood guard along the perimeter. In the center, short, colorful flowers in full bloom formed the sigil of the Darkkon Empire. Surrounding the sigil were large, purple arrows in cardinal directions and smaller ones located between them. In the center, a diamond with a circle divided horizontally, and yellow on top with red on the bottom. Adorned at an angle, a yellow ring circumnavigated the Darkkon sigil.

  Her boys were running around, playing with Prince Ibram. Immersed in his children’s play, he wrestled them in the strange and well-manicured aqua colored grass. I leaned closer to the screen, ensuring this was the same man we saw moments earlier. The princess had a dataslate casually resting on her lap as she watched her family. After a time, he walked over to meet his wife, sporting a large grin on his face, and fresh grass stains marking up his princely garb.

  Definitely, not the same person, unless he’s bad at goodbyes, I thought to myself.

  “I have isolated the missing time and marked it,” said Seya. “Was there anything special that should have happened after this time? Any special events or meetings planned before you left?”

  “My youngest son’s birthday. It would be a day or two after this memory,” she said, tearing up again. “How could I forget my little boy’s birthday?”

  “I remember receiving gifts from all around the empire for my birthday,” said Seya. “A kind gesture from those loyal to the royal family or…” Seya paused, thinking. “Or someone who felt they’d fallen out of favor.”

  “I would remember receiving a gift out of place or inappropriate for my son,” defended Ellia.

  “You don’t even remember attending his birthday,” said Seya. Ellia didn’t have a response for this. Seya reached across to the box in the center of the table and punched in a command sequence.

  “If she has had some sort of mental block placed on her memories,” I asked out loud in the observation room. “How does Seya plan on getting past that?”

  “I’ve used this device a few times before,” said Kayton. “The device bypasses these blocks or repressed memories by trying to establish the missing memory between two known memories...” She paused as if to say more.

  “But?” I urged.

  “But Ellia will be experiencing the events as if it were her first time. I have seen both good and bad reactions in these cases,” said Kayton.

  “So, this machine, it can see past the block?” I asked.

  “That’s what we’re hoping for anyway,” said Kayton with a shrug.

  In the glass room, Seya finished the command on the box. “Now, this may seem a little more invasive than what we’ve currently done, but it is the only way to see what you have forgotten,” explained Seya. “It will be uncomfortable but try to bear it.”

  Ellia gave a slow nod and awaited the procedure.

  An aide greeted Prince Ibram as he walked out of a bedchamber. There was something he needed to look at ahead of their son’s birthday. Several presents had already arrived—many of which were flowing out of the entrance to one of the back rooms.

  “Before the royal family receives any gifts,” explained Ellia, “they are thoroughly examined ahead of time for any danger. The palace is trained to look for a boobytrapped present.”

  When the prince returned, he had a hand to the side of his head. Ellia quickly crossed the room to him, her eyes full of concern.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Ellia, putting a small hand softly on his arm.

  “Nothing…just a sudden headache,” said Ibram, wincing in discomfort.

  “I’ll have someone get you something to drink,” she said, quickly.

  “No, it’s alright. I already took something for it. I’ll just lie down for a while before the ceremony.” He got into the bed and draped the crook of his arm across his eyes. He heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s pounding.”

  “I can call for the Medicus to see you,” said Ellia, worriedly.

  He waved a hand, dismissing the idea. “I’ll be okay. I’m going to rest a while,” he said.

  “So, he had a headache. Nothing odd there,” I said.

  “Yeah, doesn’t seem like much,” said Kayton.

  The image changed to their son’s birthday celebration. Many well-dressed aliens attended the ceremony with the strange ensemble speaking among themselves in rather pompous accentuations of gestures and words. A luxurious banquet was set for the guests in the massively decorated room, whose ceiling reached up to thirty feet high, inlaid with ornate designs, and highlighted with jewels at its centermost points. When the image panned, four thrones sat in a straight line. The two thrones in the middle were for Ibram and Ellia with Ibram to Ellia’s left. The eldest son sat to the far left while the youngest sat to the far right.

  “More lavish decorating. How does anyone live like that?” muttered Kayton.

  Guests stood up with a raised glass in hand and spoke to the family briefly when the young prince opened their gift. An alien with a crazy hairdo that twirled at all angles gave the child a custom-made sword.

  “He’s a little young to be playing with a sword, don’t you think, Lord Egrin?” said Ellia.

  “Your Majesty, it is never too early for a prince to grow accustomed to such a fine weapon. If it’s any consolation, the sword has yet to hold a proper edge,” said the barrel-chested alien with a large smile.

  “What do you say, Idra?” said Ellia to her beaming little boy.

  “Thank you,” he said in a tiny voice.

  “I’ll make sure to get him another one as soon as he grows a little more,” said Lord Egrin before sitting down.

  Ellia turned to face her husband. His face was neutral, and his eyes stared well into the distance. He was taciturn and only snapped out of it when the princess reached out to touch his arm.

  He blinked and looked around the room. “Yes, uh…thank you Lord Egrin, a great coming of age gift. I still have my own,” said Ibram, with the briefest smile before shortly returning to his haze. “If you all will excuse me for a moment.” Standing up, he walked behind the throne room and through a door.

  “Interesting,” said Seya. “Have the rooms changed at all? That doorway leads to an annex not often used.”

  “No, the annex is still in that direction. Strange, he never goes there,” said Ellia. “What do you think he was doing there?”

  “I’m not sure…Let’s continue and see if there is anything else out of the ordinary,” said Seya.

  The scene shifted once again through the guidance of Seya. Ellia entered her bedchamber.

  “Ibram?” she called out into the massive room, receiving no response.

  Walking further inside, there were the distinct sounds of the shower running, and his clothes were loosely draped over the end of the bed. When she went to move the clothes, a cube—white and semi-opaque like a salt crystal—fell out of a pocket. Looking back towards the bathroom, she paused briefly before slowly reached out her hand to examine it.

  Her hand stopped just before touching the item and then recoiled as if she touched fire. A faint ringing grew to deafening volumes as she clutched her ears. Bumping into the dresser behind her, ornaments jingled or toppled. The ringing faded, and when she regained control, her husband stood in the doorway wet and naked.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, in a quiet, accusing manner.

  “Ibram…what is that thing?” she asked, pointing to the cube.

  His eyes followed her finger to the cube. Narrowing his eyes at her, he said, “Nothing to concern yourself with.�
� Walking over to the bed, he picked up the cube without any reaction. “It was careless of me to leave this out. I wished to save you from its influences before your trip, but you leave me no choice. It needs you to forget all this.”

  Holding the cube up to her face, the ringing started once more. Not able to bear the assault on her mind, she fell to her knees and clutched her head.

  “Stop! Ibram!” she begged.

  Daring to look at her husband, there wasn’t an inkling of remorse on his face. Expressionless, he inched the cube closer to her until it nearly touched her. The scene blurred as her vision faded. When she came to, she was lying in bed while he spoke to a white-robed individual.

  “She’s not feeling well,” said Ibram in a quiet voice to the man beside him. “She started behaving erratically before she fainted. I’m going to give her some space and let her rest. I will be in the study for the time being,” he said as the robed man nodded and came over to comfort Ellia. When she tried to speak, she could only mumble.

  “It’s alright princess, rest now. I will fetch the Medicus,” said the aide, gently pressing her back into the bed.

  Ibram walked out of the room without even looking back.

  The imaged ended with the memory.

  “Ibram—he did something to me?” asked Ellia in confusion. “What was that thing he was holding?”

  “If I may…” interjected Dotty over the intercom. “I have good reason to believe that the cube we saw was of Yau origin—another artificial intelligence.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t remember your crystalline version looking like that,” I said.

  “This may be a variation of my own design. A crystal A.I. can still influence a person or animal of their choosing. If you recall, I had you running through the woods shortly after our encounter, Arthur,” said Dotty. The room awkwardly looked at me for a moment.

  “But, I wasn’t acting anything like Prince Ibram,” I said, wanting to shift the focus back to the cube.

  “The A.I.’s programming may be different than my own. One of the last commands I was given was to assist anyone who opposed the Vael Empire, as they brought the downfall of my creators,” said Dotty. Revenge was programmed into its very core.

  “If that’s the case, then can we assume that this A.I.—if that’s what this is—is working with the Darkkon Empire. That would make it an enemy, right?” I asked. If Dotty had its choice of a host, I doubted I would be in its top one million people. If this cube A.I. we saw just stumbled upon Prince Ibram and controlled him, then it won the proverbial lottery.

  “Inconclusive, although in light of these events, the probability of such a claim to be true has now increased,” it said.

  “Dotty, do you have the same capability of blocking memories?” I asked.

  “I do not,” it answered.

  “Wait, you’re saying that my husband is being controlled by that…thing?” asked Ellia.

  “Your husband wasn’t always this distant, correct?” asked Seya. “If the cube could do what Dotty says, then it would be a good reason for your husband’s sudden change in behavior.”

  “That still doesn’t explain the fact that a planet has been destroyed. There isn’t a single known weapon in the galaxy that could do that much damage,” said Lena. “I doubt the Darkkon have such a weapon.”

  “Have you seen anything the Empire could use to do such a thing, Ellia?” asked Seya.

  The princess shook her head. “No, never.”

  “Maybe the Empire has obtained a fully upgraded Yau ship,” suggested Dotty.

  “Are you saying that if we fully upgraded The Pillar, it would be able to cause as much damage?” I asked.

  “No, not our ship,” said the A.I. “Something larger, and more powerful.”

  “Is such a thing even possible?” scoffed Lena.

  “I have a few schematics of other Yau ships, but there is nothing in my database that would fit this profile,” said Dotty.

  “Can we send a message to the Darkkon Empire to let them know that something is controlling Ibram?” asked Ellia.

  “The Circles have had no success in contacting the Darkkon Empire. They are either ignoring us or blocking all communication entirely. We are considering contacting the Vael directly to see if they know anything about this,” said Lena.

  “Even so, how could the prince convince so many officials to agree with destroying a planet—with Princess Ellia on it no less?” asked Kayton. “There’s no way the Darkkon are entirely heartless.”

  “How many people can an A.I. influence at once?” asked Seya.

  “My influence is limited to a single individual at a time,” said the A.I. “But if an unknown ship boosted its signal…theoretically, it could influence hundreds, if not thousands.”

  “So, there is a chance this new A.I. is actually controlling the command tier of the Darkkon Empire?” I asked, fearing the answer.

  “It is possible, yes,” said Dotty.

  “Then there’s nothing else we can do,” I said with a sigh. “The empire’s ships are no longer in Vallus space as of a few days ago, so they may be on their way to another system at this very moment. We don’t have the numbers for a head-on assault, and sending the current fleet out to each surrounding system would spread us too thin, right? Recruitment needs to be a top priority, as well as building new ships and fabricating manipulators. In the meantime, the team and I should go to the coordinates as soon as Dotty deciphers them to look for answers. There’s a chance we can find something that will help us with the war.”

  “Actually, Arthur, I have finished isolating those coordinates during this meeting but did not want to interrupt. I will share the information with you at this meeting’s conclusion,” Dotty interjected.

  “What coordinates?” asked Lena.

  “It’s just a hunch, but Dotty and I found an old record of living Yau off one of their damaged vessels on Harkloon. In the video, it has coordinates where the crew escaped to, and Dotty has been working towards determining where the coordinates lead.” I shrugged and addressed those in the observation room. “Our ship has limited function right now. With the lack of power cores, we would be useless in a fight, and we are the only military class ship able to use a wormhole to move about. We should take the initiative and see what we can dig up.”

  It was the only action we had left. One ship, even one as powerful as The Pillar, would make little difference in a fight against the Darkkon in its current configuration. My gut twisted thinking about the situation.

  “We can stay in contact with the new skip drones. We will take a few with us and report back with anything we discover,” I said.

  “Very well then,” said Lena. “I trust your judgment.”

  “What about me?” asked Ellia.

  “Until we find out what’s going on, this is the safest place you can be for the moment,” I said. Lena nodded in agreement, finally realizing the gravity of the situation. “Princess, I know our relationship is rocky at best right now, but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for what’s happened to you.”

  “You have my word that your safety is the highest priority while you are on Fengar,” said Lena.

  “Please…find a way to cure my husband,” pleaded Ellia. “He’s a kind man, and he would never do something like this on his own.”

  “We will do whatever we can,” I assured her.

  The meeting concluded, and my team and I met outside the small fort.

  “So, we’re finally leaving this planet?” asked Bon.

  “That’s the plan,” I replied to the marksman “We’re grasping at straws right now, but we need to find something that can give us an edge. At least until we figure out exactly what’s going on with the Darkkon prince and his super weapon.”

  “Good, I don’t want my troopers getting soft now,” said Kayton.

  “Everyone, get your stuff packed up and onto Dagger by sundown. We need to get moving right away,” I said.

  Seya moved over to me wh
ile the group began to head onto the dropship and asked, “What do you think we will find at these coordinates?”

  “Not sure.” I shrugged. “Something, hopefully.”

  “And if it turns out to be nothing?” she pressed.

  “I don’t know, Seya. I can have Dotty continue looking for power cores. At least we can travel faster now,” I said. There was a change in Seya’s mood like something was off. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing…it seems as if there are no straight answers to any of this. Every day brings something new that none of us could have thought about. It makes it difficult to plan ahead,” she resigned with a sigh.

  “What was it like…seeing your brother for the first time in years?” I asked.

  “Strange,” she said.

  “That’s it?”

  “Yes, strange. I saw a glimpse of what he was like as a child when I saw him playing with his children, but the rest of it…” she trailed off. “If something is controlling him, we need to stop it, Art.”

  “I know. I’ll do everything I can to make sure we don’t get a repeat of Vallus,” I said, placing my hand on her shoulder.

  Maintaining her iconic stoic expression, she gave me a curt nod. “Thank you,” she said, turning on her heel to follow the rest of the team to the small ship.

  *****

  As soon as I got into the privacy of my room, I messaged Dotty.

  So, what’s the destination?

  A desert planet called Garos-227. It would have taken thirty-seven starlanes to reach the it from its original departure point of Harkloon. Luckily, we may now use a wormhole to get there.

  Another desert planet, great. I rolled my eyes. The manipulator would deliver us there in minutes, but it couldn’t change the heat or sand. Dotty, how did the Yau ship on Harkloon warp to Garos? I thought there wasn’t a manipulator aboard.

  There wasn’t, not in the same way The Pillar does anyway. The Yau ship was a variation of The Pillar, and much older…The ship did not have an A.I. like myself, but it did possess escape pods. I theorize that the manipulators were present on the escape pods, but for unknown reasons, it was not available to transport the entire ship.