SODIUM:6 Defiance

by Arseneault, Stephen

  Chapter 16

  The Ogle had two battleships on patrol while the remainder of their fleet was docked. Reconnaissance showed that eight new battleships were under construction, they were attempting to rearm. Their actions however, would bear no fruit as our overwhelming force was staged for an assault that they would not see coming. I was giddy with anticipation.

  Captain Ross was busily working to perfect her squad’s techniques. They would flow down a hallway while pumping out a continuous stream of gravity pulses. One advantage of the gravity pulse weapon was that the effects would extend for a short distance around corners. Those who waited in ambush around a corner or behind cover would be knocked backwards with the force of a sledge hammer. It was a deadly and affective weapon.

  The captain was also one of the few Marines who practiced full shield drifting. The gravity weapon could be fired while shields were at full and the soldier invisible to the enemy; drift through a wall behind your target and let them have it, it was my kind of warfare.

  After a day of practice and a good rest the squads were rounded up for their final briefings. Ross' squad would be jumping to an Ogle space station as the assault began. Her team would be responsible for clearing a one kilometer long corridor. I looked forward to tagging along with her Virt.

  I took a moment to check on Zack and his crew. They were slated for planet-side two hours after the initial raids were to begin. Their transport would drop through the Ogle shields in a Starburst module where it would then race to a city designated as D12. Our intel teams had determined that it was the Ogle capital and that a special complex located deep within the city housed the Ogle Kurrat, their ruling council.

  The sensations and the effects of seeing and hearing through the Virt were nothing short of remarkable. If there had ever been a form of entertainment on Earth, that made use of Virts, most citizens would never have left their chair. My heart was racing while only watching the preparations.

  The Marines were soon gathered in the staging area and when the first horn sounded they made their way into a transport. Three minutes later a second horn sounded and the transports lifted off and lined up, each behind a Starburst module. When a third horn sounded the Sodium skins of the ship's dock deactivated allowing the Starburst modules to depart. Three seconds later the dock shields flipped on and the ships were once again invisible.

  The first battleships of the assault had moved in close to launch their cargo. Five seconds later Ogle guns fired in defense, but they were too late. Three million highly trained vindictive Marines were quickly aboard their stations and docked ships, clearing the way for the planet-side assault. The two patrolling Ogle battleships were each met by a full AMP fleet and had fallen in a matter of minutes.

  The docked warships never left their bays as hordes of Marines swept through them, terminating every Ogle they encountered. The cats fought with ferocity but their weapons, shields and tactics were no match for the invading force. Within an hour of the battle's beginning all 18 of the Ogle battleships and virtually every ship in their star system had been captured or destroyed.

  As the two hour mark approached the last of the space stations had been cleared, the invasion was going exactly as planned. The estimates were that just under 6,000 Virts had been lost during the initial assault while their natural counterparts sat safely back home. The Ogle dead numbered close to 15 million. As a species they were fully committed to the cause and each would fight to the death, even if that death was certain, which it was. They were not a species that could be held captive.

  Jenna Ross and her team had done an exceptional job in clearing out their assigned objective. They had terminated 128 Ogle without casualty. The same tactics I had the pleasure of watching the day before were put to use with precision and power. Their portion of the battle had taken only 22 minutes.

  With the space stations offline the battle turned towards the planet. I switched views to Zack's Virt and watched in fascination as boots hit the ground in D12. The Ogle buildings were strange and somewhat resembled the carpet covered cat house we had on the farm when I was a child. Open ports on their sides with narrow walks to the ground or other buildings were the common architecture. The structures reached up to 70 stories in height while maintaining the outer crosswalks.

  Zack and his team were assigned one such tall building and were quickly moving from floor to floor, blasting Ogles, as the insane cats sprang towards them. It was a bloodbath, but when fighting a crazed species that could not be reasoned with and who would not surrender, there were no other options.

  As Zack's team climbed each floor the décor became ever plusher and ever more bizarre. Scratching poles adorned with precious cloths and cages with a variety of small animals were common. I had no doubt that the small animals were viewed more as snacks than pets. After clearing a room Zack stopped and raised the shield on his helmet. The stench was horrifying and the shield was quickly closed.

  When the final floor had been cleared Zack's team was then ordered to close in and attack the Kurrat. The palace building was a maze of tunnels lined with statues of former Kurrat members. Again the cats fought with ferocity, but their efforts were futile as the Marines moved quickly through the palace.

  I was on edge by the time the teams reached the inner chamber. It was protected by a static field. I watched intently as two Marines came forward with a device, setting it on the floor in front of a protected door. Three minutes later a window was opened through the static field and a gravity pulse blew the door off its hinges. The Marines streamed in and the 16 members of the Ogle Kurrat were dead within seconds.

  Twelve hours after it had begun the battle for the ogle home world was over. Never had I seen, or ever dreamt, of such a fighting force as the one now fielded by the AMP. It was awe inspiring and at the same time chilling to see how quickly an entire planet could be overrun. The AMP force was truly something to behold.

  Minor skirmishes continued for most of the day before all weapons went silent. The entire Ogle species had been eradicated. I was not a fan of genocide but in this instance the species in question was not redeemable. They had no conscience, no empathy, and no compassion for others. They were vial, murderous and undeserving of walking amongst others.

  With the war over the AMP force next made a call on the Meche. They quickly surrendered and were placed under control of a military governing council as they were disarmed. It would likely take many years of good behavior before AMP Command had any thoughts of loosening our tight grip on their activities. They had been a force for evil and only time would tell if they could be turned. Their immediate surrender was a good first step.

  Probes were sent to every star system in our arm of the galaxy in search of the Frekkin. There were no signs of factories or residues from manufacturing of additional ships aside from those that had been in the matrix. From all the evidence we had the Frekkin had sacrificed themselves to try to defeat the Ogle. We had no understanding of why and with only Frekkin citizen remaining, who had been a captive, it was a question that would likely never be answered. The Frekkin's worshipers, the Por Hollis, had perished along with them.

  After decades at war our little universe was peaceful. The hostile species we had encountered had been eliminated or subdued. Many good species had perished, but the AMP stood strong. There had been thousands of battles and billions dead, but the war was finally over. In the end, it was our defiance that had helped us to persevere, our defiance of the rule of others that drove us to overcome, to survive.

  Several months of post war celebrations and other activities brought us to a point where the doors at DaCuban were once again a thing of fascination. My Virt had been trained to a level where she could move effortlessly and perform most tasks. She boarded a ship for DaCuban and the following day was standing before the great doors. The eight other species, now free captives, stood on the deck before the doors. They awaited the opportunity to take another try at solving the great mystery, this time, as free ci
tizens.

  I watched intently as one by one the species bowed down to the crystals in front of them. The doors moved back with each new participant with the Human being the last. When the Human leaned forward and placed his hands on the crystal the light in the middle began to glow, but the doors did not move. Again, we were denied the knowledge of their secret.

  I then stepped forward and asked if the Human was a natural or a Virt. The answer was simple, natural humans no longer traveled; it was a Virt and therefore did not have the natural DNA of Man. I requested that a natural be brought out to the site where we would know once and for all if the figure on the great door was indeed Human. A volunteer was soon on his way.

  The following day the natural Human was the first to place his hands on the crystal before him. The light glowed and the great doors slid backwards by five meters. I was excited beyond belief as each of the other species placed their hands on the crystals. Anticipation had only grown when the final species, the only surviving Jessian, placed his hands on the crystal.

  The light in the Jessian crystal began to glow and the great doors began to slide. I waited eager for what was coming, only to have my excitement dashed as nothing further happened. The doors did not open, their mystery was not revealed.

  For seven days we sat before the great doors, trying every order of the participants, trying at different times such as at high noon or midnight. But the great doors would recede no further than under our original attempt. Time and again our efforts were without reward, we were at an impasse.

  The lone Waffen then stepped forward and offered a suggestion. One of the rows on the door had a Waffen, a Human and a Kurtz. It was the only row that had all three participants present. Eyes rolled and grumbles could be heard from those in the crowd who now believed the mystery could not be solved. The three species stepped forward and began to bow.

  As the Waffen touched the ring the crystal in its center began to glow and the doors slid backwards. The Human was next and again a glow was followed by the moving doors. The Kurtz volunteer, Hershen, then knelt down and stretched out his arms. He placed his hands gently on the crystal as he let out a long sigh. The crystal began to glow and the door slid back. Once again the crowd moaned as the doors fell silent.

  I watched on with my own disappointment, but I noticed something different just as the three species began removing their hands. As everyone's focus was trained on the doors the light before the Waffen had begun to change color from red to green. When the three participants stood I called for one more try, the crowd again began to grumble.

  I stepped forward and insisted that I had seen something the others had not and that we make another attempt. Several politicians in the crowd stepped forward demanding to leave as the days of attempts had been nothing but a waste of time. They had business at home to take care of, many things to correct and many things to achieve.

  I then went into a short tirade about why the doors were important. It was evidence of beings more highly evolved than us, beings that could one day return with technologies... and weapons, that were superior to our own. After several minutes of patriotic fervor the politicians stepped back and gave approval to proceed. I had given a speech that they did not want to be on record as being against.

  Again the Waffen knelt and his crystal glowed. The Human was then followed shortly after by Hershen for the Kurtz. The door slid to fifteen meters and the crystals continued to glow. As the three species continued to hold their position several minutes passed before the Waffen crystal began turning green. Another minute passed before the Human crystal turned, followed by another for Hershen.

  We watched intently as the three crystals then began to pulsate. When the glow from the crystals turned to a pure steady white the great doors began to glow, the left door a deep red and the right a bright blue. In an instant the two doors shot backwards into the mountain revealing an oval room within. A Virt scientist was the first to enter, walking slowly down the corridor to the room that lay at its end.

  Holo-displays of each species lined the long corridor. Symbols flashed beside each as the scientist moved slowly along. When he entered the room he was confronted with two doors. The door on the left had the ominous deep red glow, while the door on the right had the friendly bright blue. The scientist stood for several minutes before a holo-figure of an unknown species appeared before him. The figure stretched out his broad arms and then began to speak.

  "Welcome Human. Your arrival has been as expected. This portal was constructed many millennia ago by beings other than ourselves. Its true purpose is unknown, but we have gathered that it was placed here as a decision point for each of the sentient species in our galaxy. Every 30,000 years a new set of species, from the rows on the doors, has evolved to the point where their reasoning and cooperation unlock the pathway to this room. Those species are then given three choices."

  "They can choose to remain in the galaxy where they are, they can choose the red door to the left or they can choose the blue door to the right. My own species, the Biln, was the last to move through the doorway. This message was left for the benefit of whoever came next."

  "If you choose to remain where you are, you must keep in mind that other species, some of them very powerful and very hostile, still inhabit this galaxy. There will be periods of great peace and advancement followed by millennia of war and sorrow. In the end, you will either rule this galaxy you have called the Milky Way, or you will perish as a species under the brutal fist of another."

  "If you choose the red door to the left you will be taken to a new galaxy where the driving forces of your species will be exploration, discovery and conquest. It is a galaxy filled with strange wonders and beings with cultures that you will struggle to understand. Some inhabitants will be hostile while others will eagerly become your friends. This door, the red door, is not for the weak, but for the strong, curious and courageous."

  "If you instead choose the other door, the blue door, you will be taken to a galaxy where your lives will be filled with nothing but days of peace and harmony for 30,000 years. Your lives will be long, your sadness little and your toils few. Beyond the blue door is a place where there are no wars, a place where life is filled with pleasure and happiness, a place without worry or pain. When the period of peace has expired you will enter a period of unknown. We were not told what may lie beyond."

  "The two species that passed through here alongside the Biln each chose a different path. The Merrick received the thrill of exploration, discovery and conquest; the Nefarians chose to stay here in an attempt to live within this galaxy. And my own species, the Biln, chose the comfort and security offered by the blue door."

  "It has been 30,000 of your years since this message was recorded for your benefit. I cannot speak of the Merrick or the Nefarians or their condition. Perhaps you have encountered the Nefarians in your travels. They are a good species but can sometimes be difficult to deal with. They also made their choice of staying with the intention of dominating the galaxy, something to keep in mind should you stay and cross their path."

  "The decision your species makes is all inclusive. Everyone will be compelled to follow the choice that is made. There will be no holdouts, no fighting to stay, and no splitting apart of your kind. You will all move forward or none will move forward."

  "The doors will remain open for 19 of your Earth days while your decision is made. If your choice is indecision, your species will remain where you are and all knowledge of the doors will be erased from your memories. This planet will not be available for exploration for another 30,000 years."

  "When the decision is made, if the red or blue door is chosen, only one individual needs to move through the doorway for the process to begin. Be warned... once a door has been breached there is no turning back. Your species will depart by means unknown to a destination without return. You are advised to take care with your decision."

  "As one final note to the other species that are present at the opening of this
doorway. Only the three species of the row may make the transition to another world if that is their decision. Any other species who have attained the knowledge of the doors will soon forget of their existence. Only those who have opened the doorway may proceed down another path."

  "For the species who choose to remain you will soon forget about the doors. For those choosing the red or blue door your technologies, and the memories of them, will be left behind. A new set of technologies will be given to you to begin your journeys."

  "For the blue door you will be transported to a city like none you have ever seen. It will be filled with beauty, warmth and comfort. The technologies it offers will easily care for your daily needs and simple desires. Your days will be filled with happiness."

  "For the red door you will be transported to a powerful space station in a distant galaxy, one capable of holding your population. Again, your daily needs will be provided for, but your wants and desires will have to be satisfied through your explorations and conquests. New weapons, new defenses and new ships will be at your disposal. But hardships and dangers will have to be overcome."

  "As a final warning to those who choose a door, all memory of your existence here will be forgotten and memories for your new lives implanted. It will not change who you are, only what you remember from the past. For those who choose to remain here, your memories will remain intact except for those pertaining to this site. Your daily lives will continue as they have been."

  "If you should ask, over the next 19 days, this message may be repeated as many times as you desire. The decisions you make will be irreversible and the path of your species forever changed. Do not make the decision lightly and protect the doorways from those who might run through, sending your species to a destiny they might not desire. It was the fate of the Merrick, one selfish individual thrust it upon his species, sending them forever to a destination that was not of their choice. Be vigilant of the doorways until your decision is made."