The Terran Cycle Boxset

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  ALF looked over the controls with a critical eye. “If you connect me to the ship’s mainframe I can take command.”

  “You already know the answer to that,” Kalian replied dryly, as his hand rested against the bulkhead. He didn’t need to run through the various controls as Naydaalan did, but instead expand his awareness to feel every inch of the Advent. Now the ship held no secrets.

  Naydaalan expanded on Kalian’s comment, “Charge Ilo was quite specific regarding your freedom, ALF. Until we enter the Starforge, you are to remain inside Kalian’s exo-suit.”

  “Hmph…” ALF turned away.

  Kalian had been given the same orders three months ago when he first arrived aboard the Sentinel. The Highclave didn’t want ALF in any way connected to the ship’s systems, ensuring his isolation and the safety of their own network, especially after the chaos caused by the destruction of their core AI, even if it had been a cube.

  Naydaalan settled into his seat, to the right of the viewport. An array of holograms, predominantly orange, came to life around him, presenting the Novaarian with multiple readouts. All four of his toned arms moved in different directions as if he possessed tentacles.

  “The drive is coming online now,” Naydaalan reported. “The Sentinel’s starrillium has been used to charge the intrinium, so when we reach Terran space, should we need to, the Advent can make a sub-space jump. After that, we will have to find a local star and recharge the cells.”

  “Sounds great,” Kalian said with little sentiment. “Take us out.”

  Relaxing into his human chair, to the left of the viewport, Kalian watched as the Advent lifted silently from the hangar bay floor and pivot towards the rectangular port, where a fine force-field separated them from space. Telarrek remained fixed in place, observing their departure with a stony expression. Kalian nodded at the Novaarian, understanding his trepidation. The ship slipped through the shields and pivoted once more to glide over the shining green hull of the Sentinel.

  Kalian could feel the constant flow of anger, bubbling just under the surface. ALF had reminded him time and again that most of that anger stemmed from the part of Savrick that was forever trapped inside his mind. After Savrick had invaded his thoughts on Naveen, Kalian had failed to remove the echo that stained so many of his emotions. He had often looked at Esabelle and had paternal feelings towards her, as Savrick once had. Of course, Savrick wasn’t the only echo inside his head. Kalian could still feel Li’ara’s imprint firmly inside his psyche. After saving her from a certain death, when the Helion had been plummeting towards Naveen, Kalian had ignored ALF’s warnings and entered Li’ara’s mind to trigger and enhance her own immune system.

  With a long, hard blink, Kalian shut down his chain of thought and collated everything he could find inside his mind, concerning Li’ara, and locked it away. His mind was more akin to a computer after Esabelle’s teachings, allowing Kalian to sift through his brain’s maze-like network and make adjustments.

  When he opened his eyes again, the Advent was breaking free of the Sentinel’s green bulk and heading towards the distant moon. Naydaalan dragged his long finger down the hologram to his left, increasing the thrust from the engines. The Starforge began to take shape in front of the viewport almost immediately. The structure’s crescent moon-shape quickly changed from the size of Kalian’s hand to that of a modest starship.

  “I input the coordinates myself.” ALF was standing between Kalian and Naydaalan. “We will arrive three-hundred thousand kilometres from Albadar’s surface.”

  In the silence of space, the Starforge became visibly active. Previously unseen lights flickered across the two arching limbs until they reached the pointed ends that didn’t quite meet. The two points exploded with electrical energy, firing purple lightning at each other. In the blink of an eye, the lightning erupted along the inside of the crescent limbs, building with more and more energy. Within a few seconds, the lightning grew in size and converged on the empty centre. The massing energy expanded with a flash of light when the event horizon was created and the universe’s natural laws broken. The lightning continued to race around the circumference, jumping between the two points, however, the centre of the Starforge was simply black, a dark spot against the starry backdrop.

  “Is it going to hurt?” Naydaalan became very still in his seat.

  ALF didn’t take his holographic eyes off the Starforge, admiring his work. “No. My designs were specific, not just to the Starforge but also the Advent. The hull has been polarized. It wouldn’t have been my first choice but your shield technology is too primitive to be fitted into a ship this small. Another enhancement I shall have to tackle upon our return…”

  “Naydaalan.” Kalian waited for the Novaarian’s attention before looking to the flashing comm panel.

  The Sentinel was giving them permission to enter the Starforge. The Advent’s thrusters were engaged to maximum yield, pushing it through the centre of the crescent station. The stars disappeared, followed by the surrounding limbs until only darkness lay ahead.

  ALF smiled as the abyss engulfed them. “Time to go home…”

  2

  The light of two suns beat down on the arid surface of Vosk, heating up the desert planet to a temperature that couldn’t support plant life. The world was barren from pole to pole, with nothing except mountains to bottomless gorges to offset the flat terrain.

  The cube-mind opened its eyes, having closed them before the suns rose. He sat with his legs crossed on the hard, sand-coloured ground. Meditation was new to him, a practice of his host’s, the Terran. The realisation forced the cube-mind to its feet in a rage, an emotion that manifested itself in the form of an explosive wave of telekinesis. The ground cracked open and a cloud of sand was thrown into the air. The cube-mind balled its fists and screamed.

  As Professor Garrett Jones had slowly infected his parasitic master, so too was Malekk infecting the cube-mind. The host was strong, being a Terran, but the cube that had taken control of Professor Jones had been broken since even before it poisoned Savrick’s mind. The cube-mind that now possessed Malekk had been whole and perfect when it took control. But still, the Terran fought back. Their consciousnesses were beginning to merge like two storms colliding together to form a new and different storm. An abomination.

  This is why their kind must be destroyed...

  With that bubbling anger, the cube-mind descended into the darkest depths of Malekk’s head and confronted the caged Terran. Naked and alone, the Terran stood in ankle deep water that appeared to go on forever. The cube-mind had placed Malekk in a prison inside his own brain, but somehow the bipedal disease continued to infect the body.

  “What are you?” Malekk asked, looking into the shadows for the cube’s skulking, hidden form.

  The cube-mind could feel the Terran puncturing the cage and searching through its memories of eons past. The cube made attempts to shut the intrusion out but found Malekk’s probing reach to be out of its control. Over the last three months, the Terran’s awareness had become brighter, until he was as the cube saw him now, fully conscious and aware of his imprisoned existence.

  The first two months had been spent aboard the small craft that the cube had used to escape the fiery inferno of the Starforge. The small vessel had nothing but thruster capability, extending the journey to Vosk by two months. It was a fraction of time for the cube-mind however, who had lived underground on Trantax IV for thousands of years, waiting. For the last month, the cube had taken the time to try and master the Terran abilities that Malekk possessed. Despite being a disease that required eradicating, the Terran were deeply powerful beings. It was a shame they were toxic, otherwise, they would have made an invaluable addition.

  “WHAT ARE YOU?” Malekk screamed into the ether.

  The Terran whipped his head around in an attempt to lay eyes on the ever-moving consciousness of the cube-mind. Malekk dropped to one knee and pressed his fists into the water. The cube could feel him trying to relinquish c
ontrol of his motor functions again, as he had tried to do for several days now.

  That will not work…

  Malekk stood up and frantically searched the abyss-like surroundings. The cube’s mind had come from every direction, tormenting the Terran.

  “What are you?”

  You have seen what we are.

  The cube-mind knew everything Malekk had scoured through in its memories. Perhaps that was what frightened him so much.

  “You are a plague!” Malekk spat.

  Ironic, coming from one of your kind. In all the universe there is no greater disease than you.

  “I will take back control! If a human can do it then I can.” Malekk appeared ready for a fight.

  Foolish biped… the fight had already been won.

  You have seen and heard all that I have, yes? Then you know that your entire civilization was brought to its knees by a fraction of our being. With mere suggestions, one such as I created a war that tore the Terran apart from the inside. You are wholly mine.

  The cube-mind relished the scorned expression upon the Terran’s face. As Malekk had looked into its memories, so too had the cube looked into his. Malekk of Crychek had been a Gomar sympathiser, turning on his own people to help Savrick, a hero in Malekk’s eyes. It must sting to know that every action of his hero had been guided by a fellow cube-mind.

  “You will pay for what you have done to my people!”

  Your people are already forgotten. We look to the Conclave now. Their civilisation will sustain us, and those few who remain of your kind will perish with them, ending the threat.

  Malekk smiled arrogantly. “You know what? You’re right, we are a disease. But do you know what diseases are good at? Adapting. You keep pushing back and we keep on surviving. Kalian Gaines keeps on surviving.”

  The cube had heard enough. The fact that it had descended to this level to merely converse was just more proof that the Terran was indeed infecting the nanocelium. Time was running out.

  Adapt to this…

  The shadows behind Malekk exploded with sound, as something massive awoke in the dark. The Terran stumbled back in the shallow water, away from the crashing sound. The noise grew and grew until it was louder than Malekk’s voice. The cube-mind ascended through the layers of the Terran brain, leaving Malekk to be swept away in a tsunami of water. Perhaps it would slow down the rate of infection for a while. The cube wasn’t hopeful.

  Back on the surface of Vosk, the cube-mind examined its new and unusual body, as it so regularly did. The Terran’s pale skin was interlaced with strands of dark nanocelium that ripped through the flesh like worms. The armour it wore was the same Malekk had been buried in when the crew of the Tempest abandoned him, two-hundred thousand years ago. The white armour was now covered in dirt and ash with a few streaks of red blood. The cube knew it belonged to Esabelle and Kalian, as its host no longer possessed blood after the nanocelium infected him.

  A familiar presence tugged at its attention. Another part of the Vanguard, a part of itself, was close by. Looking up at the pale blue sky, the Starforge was easy to see, resting just above the planet’s thin atmosphere. It was one of four that Protocorps had been tasked with constructing by the ‘AI’ centuries ago, though Kalian had seen to the destruction of one already.

  But it wasn’t the Starforge that the cube-mind had detected since the super-structure had been above Vosk for centuries under construction. The cube-mind used its host’s Terran abilities to sharpen the body’s eyes and focus on the faint dot that streaked across the sky. Spinning end-over-end was a cube identical to the one which had housed its own mind.

  “Finally…” It remarked. The comment in itself was unusual, as no words were required. Speaking out loud with no else present was an entirely redundant use of time.

  I am truly infected.

  The cube strained the host’s neck, as it felt Malekk’s presence just under the surface. The Terran had already recovered and begun his assault anew.

  Before leaving for the Starforge, the cube decided to test some of its new limits. If it was going to be stuck inside a bag of organic waste it might as well make use of the advantages. Concentrating on the mountains in the distance, the cube extended the host’s hand and flexed the five digits. Telekinesis was a truly wonderful gift, wasted on the Terran. Too far to be heard, the cube could only watch as the mountains slowly crumbled and imploded, before exploding as if a volcano had been unleashed on the land. Moments later, the ground under the host’s feet trembled and cracked.

  The cube twisted Malekk’s mouth into an insidious smile. “Kalian Gaines will not survive this time…”

  Malekk’s body fell into a crouch and launched into the sky. The surface of Vosk dropped away as the cub ascended ever upwards, using telekinesis to fly through the atmosphere. With no need of oxygen, the cube-mind continued at an incredible speed, breaking through the planet’s paper-thin halo with the faintest of afterburns. With nothing but space in front of it now, Malekk’s body headed towards the modest hangar bay inside the Starforge.

  A small task force, armed with intrinium rifles, was waiting for him. They were all on the Protocorps payroll and Shay in origin. Most of them looked upon Malekk’s corrupted form as if he were a god. His combination of organic and machine was a level the Shay had dreamed of since they invented the wheel.

  Sitting a few feet above the hangar floor, the icy cold cube remained apparently dormant, surrounded by the Shay. Malekk’s hand was forced to caress the side of the cube like an old friend. The host’s strength was used to push the cube along, deep into the heart of the Starforge where it could be integrated into the mainframe. Only a powerful AI could manage the mathematics required to activate the Starforge’s systems.

  As this cube was being inserted into the mainframe, so too were the other two cubes that had been travelling through space for the last three months. The Vanguard had released them, allowing them to slip through the Helteron Starforge, shortly after it had been used to disintegrate the Gommarian.

  “Your orders, sir?” A Shay, who’s uniform identified him as the commander, stood beside Malekk.

  The cube-mind despised having to communicate with insects. “The operation of this station is no longer your concern. Instruct the teams on the other stations to direct the cubes as I have. Your soldiers are to remain aboard and protect them with their lives.”

  “We await ascension!” The Shay genuflected and bowed his head as if kneeling before a deity.

  Malekk’s face broke into a scowl, disgusted. “Indeed…” The cube-mind walked away, contemplating the Conclave’s ascension.

  3

  “I have eyes on the target,” Roland whispered under his breath.

  To the other patrons sat in the dingy bar, the bounty hunter appeared as any other Laronian, with holo-bracers around his neck and wrists. The illusion could only be shattered if someone touched him and realised his skin wasn’t as smooth as the blue aliens.

  Roland couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the lack of response in his earpiece. “Len put the goddamn snacks down and concentrate, or I swear the next time I set foot on the Rackham I’m gonna stick my boot right up your-”

  “I’m here!” Ch’len quickly replied through a half-eaten mouthful of grub.

  “Get your head in the game.” Roland sat hunched over the bar, blending in with the other detritus, while keeping a close eye on his target.

  “You’re oddly focused for a small-time bounty like Lan-vid…” Ch’len sounded suspicious. “Are you sober?” the alien asked with disbelief and a hint of fear.

  Roland rarely worked without being under the influence.

  “Payday’s a payday,” he quipped.

  “I don’t get it,” Ch’len continued, “the bounty is only valid if Lan-vid is dead. Why can’t you just walk over there, put an intrinium round in his head and get back to the ship? We’ve done a dozen jobs like this!”

  Roland turned away from the dimly-lit bar, as his constant
talking had attracted a few curious looks. “Maybe if you stopped filling your methane-clouded mouth with food for two seconds you would have heard my plan. We’re on Sebula, security here is a little tighter than the planets we usually hunt on.”

  Ch’len blurted, “Then why are we hunting some two-bit low-life on the Tularon homeworld when we could be hunting bigger bounties on planets with less security?”

  Roland sighed. “Planetary security aside, this particular bar is packed out with an unknown amount of allies, and the only thing I’m certain of is that everyone here is armed. If I walk over there and kill him I’m gonna have to fight every low-life in this place.”

  There was a pause on Ch’len’s end. “You are sober!”

  “Just monitor the network.” Roland turned back to the Shay, Lan-vid, who was losing badly in a card game the bounty hunter didn’t fully understand.

  Ch’len audibly stuffed more food into his mouth. “I know what happened on the capital planet was some pretty bad shit, but it’s made you soft like that pink stuff you call skin.”

  The nerve struck, Roland tapped his earpiece, silencing the Ch’kara, and pulled his collar a little higher. The animal-hide coat fell to the floor, concealing the Tri-rollers on his thighs, as well as the arsenal of other weapons he had strapped to various body parts.

  Using the built-in touchpad on the sleeve of his coat, Roland checked the temperature outside. It was several degrees below freezing, warm for the native Tularons. Their natural furry coat kept them warm on a planet that had frozen over thousands of years ago. After joining the Conclave, their cities had been redesigned to allow aliens, who weren’t accustomed to the low temperatures, to move about freely without going outside.

  To avoid any extra attention, Roland had parked the Rackham on an outdoor landing pad, two hundred floors up. Nobody wanted to investigate a ship in these temperatures. It merely appeared as if they couldn’t afford to park in the hangar bay.