Galactic Forge

by Alex Guerra

  While the compounds were the primary target, there was additional collateral damage. Luckily, the conglomerate only reported a few civilian casualties, at least that’s what I heard in passing while in the base. The conglomerate trained their personnel well. They were also fighting for the city they lived in. I wouldn’t want to destroy my hometown if I could help it.

  The least I could do is survey the aftermath briefly.

  Taking the part vendor’s advice, I took to the streets of Gwei-yon. It didn’t take me long to see the damage from the skirmish. The city looked worse in the clear sun than it did on the initial night of the raid. Ill-guided explosives weapons formed craters into the streets and damaged their surrounding buildings had, bringing a block completely to the ground, and it brought a block, completely to the ground. As I pressed on, I noticed that those same craters hit an entire block, completely decimating it to the ground. I hoped that the inhabitants of these areas were present at the time. My journey led me towards some of the military compounds. The destruction and signs of war became clearer, the closer I got to them.

  Bullet holes pockmarked the surrounding areas, tearing buildings and cover into confetti. Looking close enough, there was a slew of colors, long dried and caked onto the dirt or walls. Although hard to tell exactly what the liquid was, I guessed it to be someone’s blood.

  Conglomerate personnel were in the reclaimed compounds. They continued stripping down valuable parts and tech to aid the war effort. Shops not affected by the destruction, continued business as normal, as Nen Guri had mentioned. Others, whose homes or shops had been damaged, had thrown curses and rocks at the conglomerate troopers for their part of the mayhem.

  A trooper took a rock to the back by one of these distressed locals who suffered a significant loss and lashed out at the nearest person responsible. Had I been the trooper, I was unsure if I would find myself reacting the same. They not only took the high road, shrugging it off but tried to go above and beyond. While currently unable to do anything to help them rebuild what they had lost, they instead offered up some of their meager rations.

  I started to see the Conglomerate in a different light. Not only as a resistance force fighting the Vael Empire but soldier-citizens too. They understood each battleground would likely be in someone’s hometown or a neighbor’s backyard. The Vael—quartered on ships and/or outposts and fighting in foreign lands—would probably care little about collateral damage. That in itself was a distinct difference between the two.

  Arthur, are you okay?

  I’m fine—I was just thinking… Dotty, what are the odds I will get back home?

  As of right now, very low. Until we can secure enough power to access The Pillar’s higher functions, interstellar travel of such magnitude will be impossible. So far, every power core discovered is damaged or insufficient in some way. The Yau manufactured the last power core hundreds of years ago. The probability of securing any at full power is like ‘winning the lottery’, as you would put it.

  I scoffed. If you stayed here and continued assisting the conglomerate, how much energy would you need to be useful?

  Currently, Dagger and you are the highest force multipliers I may offer the conglomerate. If we got The Pillar’s power to around forty-five percent of a single power core, I may be able to access some of the ship’s higher functions.

  Okay, that wasn’t too bad; it was way less than I needed to go home though.

  Arthur, power cores are like batteries, once expended, they cannot regenerate energy. Over time, they lose power naturally. This degradation speeds up if the cores are damaged. Restoring The Pillar's combat abilities will take a large amount of energy from the cores at the time of their use. The Yau brought many cores with them aboard their ships and they constantly changed them out.

  The last bit hit me like a ton of bricks, as I took a seat beneath a tree nearby, sinking my head into my hands. It didn’t matter how many cores were originally on The Pillar. The last few weeks were evidence that the cores were no longer a common commodity. At this rate, I was never going back home.

  The utilitarian side of me will have a difficult time going back home if we ever find a power core; not when The Pillar is useful as a super weapon of some kind and can help the conglomerate. I'm sure most people would agree, but they weren’t the ones making such a decision, I was. Not to mention, the power needed for The Pillar to make the return journey to this part of the galaxy after dropping me off. My heart wanted to return to something familiar. I had a good life, and great friends and family. I could see if I ran out of luck or someone wanted me dead, I wouldn’t think twice about staying here. I had something to lose though.

  How did you and Caulder reach my system, again?

  Caulder Erso discovered me during an excavation of some Yau ruins a few months ago. We were able to secure more artifacts over a length of time, one of which was a wormhole manipulator.

  “Yes!” I shouted, receiving some strange looks from the locals near me. I shrank back under the tree again. Why didn’t you tell me that such a thing existed? That’s what you two used to get to Earth then?

  To your system—yes. We explored Mars for more artifacts before the imperial agent ambushed us. Arthur, I already explained this to the officers during the meeting. Don’t you recall?

  You did? I guess I zoned out. So why can’t we just use one of those wormhole manipulators to send me back?

  Caulder and I found the device by complete chance, the odds of which were even less than finding a fully charged core. The manipulator, unfortunately, was left on your planet in Caulder's ship as you and I escaped.

  Why didn’t you tell me to grab it before we left? Anger was rising inside me quickly.

  It was too complicated to convey to you at the time. If you will recall, you were mostly unaware of my presence. Furthermore, my primary objective was to ensure I did not fall into the enemy’s hands. Escape was the priority.

  Well then, how did the agent follow you? Did it have its own manipulator? I asked, picking up a twig and twirling it between my fingers.

  Hastily converting the manipulator to assist us, the wormhole stayed open a bit longer than usual. During this window, the imperial agent must have slipped through unnoticed, before the wormhole’s collapse.

  I sighed as I continued to grasp for straws. Can we build a wormhole manipulator if we found the parts?

  No. While I was able to access certain data on how to use the technology, I was not able to obtain its schematics.

  While Dotty was the most advanced technology in this part of the galaxy, I was beginning to also see its limited capabilities. A computer may be powerful, but without programming to tell it how to do a specific task, it needed to find a way to learn about the subject. It needed an outside source, such as myself or Caulder to better itself slowly over time. While I felt used, I owed my life to Dotty—even if the last few weeks were chaotic.

  So why choose to go to the completely opposite side of the galaxy?

  The discovery of the manipulator gave Caulder and I the opportunity to continue the search further than we were originally able to go. While I advised him to start somewhere closer, he insisted we go as far out into the galaxy as possible. He theorized that anything found on the edge of the galaxy was preserved and untouched more so than anything in our local systems.

  The Yau are profound explorers, so it is feasible they were reaching many far edges of the galaxy for survey. Unfortunately, my data and cartography are limited to our immediate arm of the galaxy.

  You took a chance with Caulder and jumped blindly on a hunch? Seems a bit too high-risk for you. I leveled with the A.I.

  I agree, but I looked at the probability percentages, and Caulder’s theory was valid. There was a better chance to find untouched technology the further away we went from this side of the galaxy. The Yau are curious explorers, and as we continue this journey, Arthur, so too shall we both uncover new and strange things, both of us learning from them. I did not expe
ct to find anything, but when we arrived near Mars, there were some traces of Yau technology. We also found a signal connecting to gateways—like the one found near your home—around the system.

  Unfortunately, we did not have much time to look around. The imperial agent struck gravely wounding Caulder, but he fought off the agent long enough to get aboard his ship. I then charted a course for the nearest of the twelve portals located on Earth, which was the one we used near your home.

  Had it been a different time on Earth, you would have likely landed somewhere else, I thought. That I was here now, was further evidence that luck was a bitch. Even the timing of when I left game night played a role, considering I left about an hour sooner than I usually did. I should have played the lotto more.

  We were fortunate to have landed where we did and that you were nearby. The rest you know.

  One last question. You were able to get into the conglomerate’s systems. Can you tell me how long their most advance exploration ship would take to reach Earth using a cryo-field?

  Current ships and their drive functions would take approximately seven hundred and thirty years to reach the Sol system. Cryo-fields have been around for ninety-three years. The longest service record for a cryo-field is currently eighty years. It continues working to this very day, but only with extensive maintenance.

  The use of this technology is generally, to make jumps lasting less than a few years. While automation reduced the amount of maintenance needed while in transit, it still requires a crew member to wake up and service the ship for around one week every six months, before going back into cryosleep themselves.

  I tossed the twig I had been messing with aside. Power cores, wormhole manipulators, and cryo-fields. The odds were definitely not in my favor. I was screwed.

  “Hey ‘partner’,” came a voice. Dotty translated the term to the nearest English equivalent.

  I looked and saw Seya stepping over some debris scattered along the street.

  “Hope I’m not interrupting,” she said as she approached. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, just taking it all in,” I said, gesturing to the area. “All of it.”

  “Command wished to extend an apology to you again for not being able to help you out in getting you back home. They wanted me to speak to you and give you this.” She twisted a satchel around to her front, pulling out a dataslate and handed it to me.

  I fumbled with the device briefly trying to find a power button before she intervened, turning it on for me.

  “Sorry, I forget this is still new to you,” she said with a guilty smile.

  “It’s okay. What am I looking at?” I looked over the characters morphing into English with Dotty's help. It had a list of names, numbers, locations and other data. Their purpose wasn’t clear to me.

  “New orders mostly, but command wanted to help you prepare for the next leg of the trip. They’ve given you vouchers you can redeem at certain stores, to stock up on food, equipment, and entertainment. Basically, to make some improvements to the quality of life on your ship. I told them how your living situation was a bit…lacking. I figured since you would be spending more time on your ship, that you would want to improve on the amenities,” she said with a shrug.

  I apologize that I did not consider your extracurricular needs.

  Why do you think I spent so much time at the shooting range?

  “That was thoughtful of them. Thank you,” I said, tapping the dataslate.

  “Of course, besides, I want to make a few improvements for myself since I am going to be staying with you on that ship.”

  I blinked. “You’re staying with me?”

  “Yes,” she said flatly. “Or do you want to brave this part of the galaxy with only that A.I. in your head?”

  “No, that’s not what I meant...I just didn’t think you would be continuing with me. Don’t you have more to do here?” I asked.

  “My mission was to make contact with the conglomerate as soon as I could and be caught up to speed with current events. Now that I did that, we need to continue with the next mission. You and I have an important role to play in this war. A role that would be more useful in larger systems away from here,” she said, gesturing her hand to the sky. "Plus, it doesn't look like you can go home yet."

  “What about finding more power cores?” I asked. “Dotty says that we need at least forty-five percent of a power core to access some of the higher functions on The Pillar, and who knows how long that would last? In its current state, the ship is of little use in a fight. Hell, I almost feel bad taking the power core from here, with only nine percent, but every little bit counts.” I tilted my hand slightly. “So, what if the empire retaliates here?” I asked.

  “They don’t need us as bad as some other places do, unfortunately. They will be okay without us as we are only a couple of extra hands at this point, and the recruitment effort will more than cover us,” She pointed at the dataslate. “Those vouchers are a parting gift; we wouldn’t need them if we were staying,” she said, looking down at her hands. “I’ll be honest, Art, Nura and the others also wanted me to try and persuade you to proceed with the upcoming mission. You proved yourself in this last battle. Along with having Dotty in your head, and your two ships, I think it’s fair to say that you are of great help to the conglomerate.”

  I looked into her golden eyes, which were full of sincerity. She was being honest, I could tell that she wasn’t using meat least.

  “I wasn’t the only one fighting out there,” I pointed out.

  “No, but you had a very unique reason to, and I doubt you were thinking about power cores during the mission,” she said. “You naturally fit into the role, we need combat veterans like that to lead others. You care about the people around you. Finding you looking at the trooper’s marker after the ceremony, proved it to me.”

  “If I may say something, Art?” interjected Dotty.

  “Sure,” I said.

  “What Seya says is true, and while I would also want to find more power for The Pillar, I believe helping the conglomerate out, even if it means having only you and Dagger for the moment, would be more progressive in the short term than going off to scavenge the galaxy for power cores. And you’re seeing how that is turning out so far. Rest assured, their discovery is still a high priority, for my own reasons, as well as yours. But we would still be helping the conglomerate, even if means assisting Seya and the other systems with the next mission.”

  “I never thought I would be thrown into an alien war—no offense,” I leveled with her. She smiled at the statement. “It certainly wasn’t anything I signed up for neither. There’s no fighting it then. I guess we’ll be sticking together for a while, huh?” I handed the dataslate back to her.

  “You have objections?” she placed a hand on her hip.

  “Not at all, you’re the closest thing to a friend I have here,” I extended my hand to her. “Partners?”

  She clasped my forearm with a grin. “Partners.”

  “I imagine the sooner we leave, the better. I will defer to your judgment on anything we need for the ship. The beds were a bit hard for my taste, though” I admitted.

  “I’m glad I am not the only one to think so,” she rolled her eyes, “Come, we have some things to grab first.”

  *****

  We used all the vouchers on quality of life upgrades—some top-quality cushions to put over the existing beds, was a priority. Followed by a variety of foods. I had been on a strict protein bar diet and it was wreaking havoc on my stomach. I wanted something other than water to drink as well, which Seya and Dotty helped me find. I was willing to try out a lot of new things, so long as Dotty gave me the go-ahead that it was not toxic.

  It turns out there are three distinct chemical makeups for food. Most beings fall into one of the three categories. Some of the luckier aliens are able to cross into another category based on their species’ fortitude. If you stay within your assigned category, you won’t spend the entire evening on the t
oilet. This still allowed me access to thousands of common dishes. Their appearance, however, left much to be desired. I sampled some of the dishes which had a decent taste but still tasted nothing like chicken—despite the common phrase.

  We continued our requisition of equipment, picking up some weapons. I also managed to pick up an entertainment system. I knew myself too well to think I would be able to get away with just the bare essentials without enjoying some form of entertainment. Hell, during deployment in Afghanistan I was able to bring along some books and even a Gameboy for downtime. For everything else, there was the gym and a stupid amount of running.

  I had Dotty bring Dagger into one of the landing pads at a nearby compound. Some of the conglomerate troopers helped us load the ship up with our new provisions. Seya and I brought back her hoverbike to take with us on the journey when we noticed something waiting for us at the landing pad. Commander Nura supplied us with one of the empire’s robots, referring to it as an “armored suit” and piloted by an individual, despite my initial theory of it being autonomous. It had its previous imperial decals removed or ground down and replaced with official Galactic Conglomerate regalia.

  I remembered the firepower on it during the night of the raid and welcomed it into our personal armory. At first, I protested against the gesture, but the commander was very persistent that it was useful, urging us to take it. There was an accumulation of forty-two of them and they were shipping thirty of them off world. This put me at ease, knowing I wouldn’t be taking a critical piece from the faction.

  We completed our preparations, and Seya and I were reuniting with The Pillar in orbit for a while before taking the next few starlanes to our destination. Vallus was a jungle world residing in a system with the same name. It was closer to the frontlines and was significantly more dangerous. We were uniting with the local conglomerate forces and meeting the council running the operation, which was made up of five veteran councilors who were all commanders at one point. They had at least fifteen years of experience minimum, and some having as many as forty plus years.