Rebel Command: Frontier Zero

by Jack Adams

  “No,” Jubilant said. “Something much grander but first you must throw down your aspirations of conquest and domination. A new era which heralds an end to tools of offensive violence begins now.” And another pulse of light erupted from Jubilant's body blinding all who saw it.

  –

  Ephemris intently and joyously scanned the heavens above for the last time. Or at the very least the closest a synthetic intelligence could come to experiencing joy. During her finally sweep she noted the sudden rearrangement of the orbital defense drones which had circled the planet for uncounted centuries. Only a few times had the moved from their programmed trajectories and that solely to intercept an intruder who would attempt to land on the planets surface. Ephemris' data banks did have a few records of such an incident but they generally only involved a few drones shifting from position to engage an intruder. After all, only a few were more than powerful enough to cripple most of the larger battlecraft employed by the various species in the Refuge. However,this was the first time, perhaps the only time, when the entire defense cluster shifted its formation to engage a fleet of perceived hostiles.

  With glorious unison the drones swirled into spirals and circles which spilled into one another. Further and further they moved from the planet to engage the Faux-led fleet. As Ephmeris brought the Ace of Spades into a carefully calculated terminal descent she noted the telemetry of the drones in action. Such mathematical precision would be difficult to qualify in human language but the closest term Ephermis could immediately conjure was sublime. But what struck the AI with a sense of awe even more was the reason these drones were maneuvering. They like her, were burdened with inspired purpose, the protection of their creators. Unlike her, though, those drones were only protecting the remains of their makers. Ephemris on the other hand could still protect the life of her owner and his companion. With another trajectory adjustment she locked the spacecraft on its final course.

  Although invisible to human eyes, Outbound's defense drones unleashed potent energy beams which easily ripped through the coalition fleet. Hundreds of once mighty battlecraft were reduced to mere irradiated scraps of metal. Ephemris could pick a few of the fleets transmissions. Most were just scrambled messages of shouts and screams followed closely by the sounds of internal spacecraft hull buckling and explosions. A few were clear with respect to signal strength but totally incoherent shouts to attempt to take command of and manage the armada. From what Ephemris could detect they were unsuccessful. As the Ace of Spades hull began to glow white hot as it dragged across the upper atmosphere of Outbound. The plummeting hulk was not, however, alone as the remnants of the Faux fleet of continued oppression accompanied the craft in a marvelous shower of heated metal. Before Ephemris found herself unable to send or receive any message due to the affects of atmospheric reentry, she beamed a single data packet to the Echoshard. After that the AI reveled in her time in mere nanoseconds and accepted with dignity her final defense of Finder's life.

  –

  “Get down,” Finder commanded as he attempted to push Jubilant off of the platform but found his hand warded by some manner of force field. As plasma bolts zipped past him he ducked behind one of the nearby scepter pillars and fired back at his aggressors. In addition to tracking the approximate movements of the Faux Finder kept a watchful eye on Jubilant in the bizarre, colorful suspension field she was encased in. Apparently, she was impervious to any damage even that which came from the Faux's powerful rifles but there was a look of fear in Jubilant's eye. Wonderful, now she was no longer under the direct influence of all of the Apocryph AI! But she's clearly in fanger of something.

  Trading volleys with the Faux Finder's mind raced to figure out what it was she was trying to communicate to him until he saw the pattern of her eyes. She kept looking at Finder, then the Echoshard and in an instant Finder figured out what she was attempting to say. Removal of the Echoshard would severe Jubilant's connection to Outbound and leave her in a vulnerable state. The two of them both new that she wouldn't survive in an open firefight. Someway, somehow Finder had to protect her from the Faux onslaught even though he could barely do the same for himself.

  “Give us a little more time,” Jubilant asked in a booming voice. Finder nodded at the splendorous figure and poured plasma at the Faux attackers. In an attempt to draw the trooper team away from Jubilant and the Echoshard he banked right and dodged between pillars, sending a few bolts of plasma along the way. Finder smiled as the team followed his lead until he saw Txaenid break from the pack. Instead of pursuing Finder, he launched himself towards Jubilant. He's figured it out!

  Taking cover behind one of the far pillars Finder switched targets from the trooper team to Txaenid. From where he was he reached just a little more past the edifices corner to get a perfect bead, until he was struck once on his pistol hand, then again on his side. Injured and unable to reach his firearm, Finder attempted to shelter behind the pillar, but the advancing Faux were too close to him. Txaenid was to close to Jubilant. It was all over.

  “There!” Jubilant's inhuman voice echoed. “She's here, they all are. Finder get off the platform now.” And as she finished speaking Finder's ears started to ring with the thunderous noise of multiple objects crashing through the planets atmosphere. For a moment everyone's gaze drifted upward and saw a blistering fireball brighter than the suns and getting much much closer. Although barely, able to move Finder, pulled himself to the platforms edge and just managed to fall to safety before the remaining Faux were consumed by the fiery remains of the Ace of Spades.

  –

  Six months after Jack Finder and Carly Jubilant became the first beings in known memory to land on Outbound the entire Refuge experienced a rebirth. Using her unique connection to the planet Jubilant contacted the ancient Apocryph machines and implored them to revitalize the magnetic stability of Nestle. In addition to that, she and other researchers discovered the secrets to the Apocryph's long-guarded terraforming technology. With these two breakthroughs the Nestle worlds went from near dead or dying to vibrant and comfortable once again.

  The ancient machines which had for centuries guarded the Refuge still remained, though this time imbued with new purpose. Rather than endure the ongoing ages of time waiting for creators which appeared long lost and never to return, they took comfort in acting as aids to the new coalition of humans, Ophidian, Stanchion, Faux, Wisp, Effulva and other sentient beings who had made the Refuge their home. The strange fungal and plant forms which covered Nubilous grew to be healthy once more and the Effluva who populated the wrold thrived. The Wisp homeworld of Sanct was no longer a drying moon suffering desertification but a patchwork of savanna's and tropical forests. Ait home of the Hyla no longer suffered temperate extremes of boiling oceans at the equator or severe freezing at the poles, but instead attained climatological balance. The forests of the Ophidian homeworld Swale no longer faced the threat of constant asteroid bombardment from a thinning atmosphere. Even the Faux homeworld Vertex, was rescued from certain doom due to human intervention and beneficence.

  The most change, though, was on Outbound itself. Formerly a world strewn with technological junk and irradiated debris, human colonists from Farside and the rest of the Refuge flocked to their adopted home planet. Within the course of a year, the revitalized throne world became truly fit for the kings and queens who had come to claim it. Cities cropped up all over the world along with verdant forests, auric prairies, and azure lakes. And with humanities newly acquired respect and equity a new era of peace and prosperity ensued. Although they were long gone, the goals of the Apocryph had been achieved. The Refuge had found a new set of guardians to protect life and maintain balance, not through violence and intimidation but through discover and cooperation. Hierarchy had been replaced by equity, brute violence and control being abandoned in favor of open trade.

  Epilogue

  Over the course of the last twenty-one years Citadel Gaze had consistently experienced repeated bought's of sensation organic b
eings would describe as elation. Or at least as close to the feeling that an AI could come to sensing such an emotion.

  Over the course of twenty-one years the humans had radically and forever changed Klubindi. While wielding the Scepters they drastically altered Outbound's climate, turning the mausoleum world into a vibrant planet. Half of the world was made a massive metropolis with spires and constructs made of titanium, aluminum and exotic composites and the other half a verdant paradise of trees and grass and moss and the other vegetative forms the humans had planted from their homeworld.

  From orbit the once dark world shrouded in sickly pale brown clouds and a swarm of menacing machines was now a mix of green, azure, and pearl. Encircling the planet, the former human space settlements from Farside and Apocryph drone guardians formed a sterling ring, which added a regal element to the throne world.

  With Outbound claimed by worthy heirs, humanity used the ancient Apocryph machinery to restore the outer worlds. The dying worlds around Nestle, were restored with life anew. A once downtrodden species became the dominate socioeconomic force in Refuge.

  Citadel Gaze was extraordinarily pleased with the spontaneity, bravery, and progress humanity had achieved in such a short time. Perhaps, the AI pondered, they may not only live up to the legacy of the Apocryph, but surpass them, as well.

  –

  Perched on a cliff while overlooking the setting suns, Finder mulls over the curious mixed sensation comfort and stagnation he had found himself in over the past year. With the loss of the Ace of Spades he had stayed primarily with Jubilant on Outbound. Still wary of other humans he kept his distance from most people, insisting that he stay on the fringes of human settlements, only venturing into populated areas out of necessity and not without a lack of surreptitiousness and haste. Even with a sudden new beginning, Finder knew that old grudges rarely died slowly.

  Without the expenses of a starcraft and the handsome money Jubilant had paid him, Finder had tabulated that he could live for years on Outbound without having to work again. Whats more, Jubilant insisted on giving him a monthly stipend as a continued thanks for his assistance to her. At first Finder refused her generous gifts, but eventually capitulated when it allowed him to purchase a private abode near a rock cliff far from any city. He kept telling Jubilant that his self-imposed isolation was derived from the fear of still being perceived as a pariah. And while that explanation was largely rooted in truth, it was not a complete account.

  Even after all of this time, Finder still felt weighed down.

  “I've spent all of this time flying from world to world, looking for a place to ease my conscious, to atone for what I've done,” Finder said aloud. A breeze picked up behind him and the sounds of grinding dust could just be heard. “And even after what I've done, what we've done I still feel heavy. Like a bird attempting to flutter off while lifting a stone, I'm held forever near the ground.” As Finder finished his voice rose in volume as if carrying out a conversation. He turned to find Jubilant standing at point, among two phalanxes of men in dark, ash-colored hoods. Finder squinted to see the clothing concealed by their cloaks and noted the curious dark blue togs. They were uniforms: Vigilant uniforms.

  Finder broke his typical stone gaze and flashed one of his rare smiles at Jubilant. “What did you do, Carly?”

  “They are here, we all are here to show you our appreciation. We want to give you something.”

  Finder's smile evaporated. “Thanks Carly, but there's nothing here that can give me that I want.”

  “I know,” Jubilant said while rummaging in a small satchel. From it she pulled the Echoshard, but it looked different. It was wrapped in bright, silvery metallic tabs and bands of wire coils.

  “Why are you giving this to me? This device is at the center of your life's work.”

  “I no longer need it,” Jubilant shrugged as she pressed the shard into Finder's hand. “Besides it doesn't work anymore. I was analyzing the data streams several months ago and found that most of the original data had been overwritten. IT would appear that our friend truly shall be able to honor her promise to you.”

  “Our friend...?” Finder questioned as he gazed into the crystal and as he did he heard the faintest of whispers. They were not menacing whispers at all, but instead the sounds of a mechanical, whimsical voice. “Ephemris!”

  “It would appear that she downloaded herself into the shard prior to The Ace of Spades fully hitting the atmosphere. Oh, and in case you're wondering, she's just as what she's been saying while she was in my custody, only two topics have been covered. The first being your health and safety, and the second pertains to when will she be able to act as support on another starcraft. One with you as captain, of course.” As she finished Jubilant snapped her fingers and Finder heard a booming roar tear through the air. The noise seemed to come from below the cliff face and rise with the rushing tide. The wind began to violently batter his hair and ripple his clothes. Finder squinted in the gale to see a new starcraft before.

  “Gift of the Vigilant Order, on behalf of humanity,” Jubilant announced. “The engineers just referred to it as the MX-01A, but I started to name it the The Ace of Spades mark II. I hope you don't mind.” A wide smile cracked across Finder's face, wider than one had in many years. It was a melancholy smile full of sorrow for his past life and an abundance of mirth, joy and satisfaction. He said nothing, instead only walking forward to board the ship and inspect every square centimeter of it. Jubilant simply stood back and waved the row of Vigilant's away. She knew that they knew Finder was grateful, it was better this way.

  “Where will you go, Jack?” Jubilant asked, standing at the entrance of the new Ace. Finder had scarcely moved for the past three hours, performing giddy inspections, running diagnostics, and pre-flight checks. He didn't respond to Jubilant's question. Again she repeated her question, gently. Finder popped his head out of an access panel to look at her with a strange look. He shook his head and grasped her by the hands.

  “You know I'm not sure,” he said candidly. “All of this time until now, all of those years floating through space, just making it by, I thought this was what I wanted. A comfortable life without anything to worry about. But I miss it all. The excitement, the risk.”

  “The near-death escapes?”

  “Well, almost all of it.”

  “All pre-flight sequences, have been completed, Captain. We are ready to depart.” Ephemris reported.

  “Sounds like you're ready to go,” Jubilant whispered to which Finder backed away into the depths of his new vessel with a face covered in something between a blank expression and a smile. The roar of the enginges picked up and gusts of wind whipped in every direction. “You never did answer my question, Jack.” The access bay panel began to shut and Finder's expression turned into a more definitive smile.

  “I'll go where ever the star wind takes me.”