by Marcus Sloss
The calls of rest beckoned as my vision blackened. I heard a mighty roar in the background and then I died.
CHAPTER 6
I heard fast chatter that included a lot of rolling syllables. My throat was parched and I wanted to ask for a drink when I realized there was a tube down my throat. I opened my eyes to a scene that frightened me. I was in a room with two enormous lancers having a heated argument while another lancer was testing a spinning shiny saw. They were all naked and I freaked out a bit.
An alarm alerted them that I was nearing a panic when the chatter and blade stopped.
“Apologies for the tube. New bodies require life support until the mind syncs. How do you feel Mack?” The lancer with the tool asked.
“Doctor? Water please.” I incoherently muttered and the medical lancer somehow understood me.
I suddenly felt the tube coat my throat with water. It was not the drowning sensation I remember from the blood… That gave me pause… the blood in my throat. My memories caught up quickly and I realized if I was alive I was probably in a universe of trouble.
“Yes, I am your doctor, though it has been a while since I used my old tools. Let me get that for you, no longer needed…” He said as he reached over and pried the tube out of my mouth. “Most of our body transfers for the last hundred thousand years have been from stored memories. Which yours is now. Always interesting what the Emperor brings to my attention. Speaking of which, I will excuse myself while you three talk. I will be monitoring your vitals from the next room over.” The doctor vacated the room.
The gurney I laid on folded in on itself as it transitioned from horizontal to vertical. It collapsed as it shrunk until it lowered into the floor leaving me staring at the now smooth floor. I realized I was very naked and the two large lancers were facing me.
“We are the Emperor. I am Chisha,” the left one said. They looked nearly identical to me, yet there were subtle pattern differences. The big factor that differentiated them was the demeanor and posture. Chi was calm, his eyes and gestures patient.
“I am Khisha,” the agitated angry looking lancer on the right said.
I was confused, on many levels. It must have shown because Chi gave a sympathetic nod.
“We restored you for a few reasons, not all of them you will comprehend immediately. Our time is extremely valuable. We have trillions of citizens…” Chi said. Without a pause or indication his brother continued.
“That constantly demands our attention. You are most fortuitous to be graced by our presence…” Khi finished.
Okay, I had heard of people finishing each other sentences but this was so fluid and natural.
“Are you telepathic?”
Khi barred his teeth in anger while Chi soothed him.
“It is a fitting question, while we can communicate on a private level from our augments we rarely do so. It is offensive when you are in front of ourselves.” Chi said.
I absorbed this information by doing exactly what I was just warned was rude. I sent a message to Chi. “Test,” I mentally pushed to the lancer.
“Never again, my brother would kill you for such an offense. A mental conversation is much harder to filter and ignore than a natural audible one.” Chi replied.
“What may I know?” I queried.
“Finally a worthy question. You were marked as a potential candidate to achieve…” Khi started.
“Your species goal of tier four. Our ancient history followed a similar path as yours does now. It was what brought our interest in your species. We sent the ambassador…” Chi continued.
“Havsha to learn if there were ways we could influence your progression. We have seen your historical battles. In the depths of space there rages endless wars over the disputed planets in our universe. We are always in search…”
“Of allies. Your Emperor is moving far too slowly to see you enter the fourth tier and make it to the game of planets any time soon. We indicated…”
“More like marked you as a potential replacement. You would need more real world experience first.” Chi finished.
It was odd to have such a dynamic conversation. I nodded at this, and could at least rationalize it. They liked what I had said to Hav.
“Am I in trouble for Varnn’s death?” I mustered the courage to ask.
“A thorough investigation was done. You should have seen the…” Chi started
“Way your weak Emperor pissed himself when we blinked into space around Earth with our hundred thousand strong armada. He gladly gave up your corpse when we…”
“Demanded it. You were broadcast, yes that term works here, across our empire when you said how you would run your species. The fight with Vernnsha indicated…”
“A rapidly developing event. It triggered our algorithms and odds were generated. We…” Khi said as he joyfully set a paw on Chi’s shoulder and grinned proudly.
“Placed a large bet on you. Varnnsha has struggled to control his temper and it was well documented before this event. The odds were still astronomically in his favor to win. We rationalized…”
“A calculated risk could be taken by gambling on your victory. Very few did, and we profited immensely from it!” Khi said as both Emperors roared in laughter. They gave each other a paw bump. I would have figured that the boss or in this case bosses could not gamble with the citizens but it was a unique culture. They calmed their celebration and continued.
“We were so pleased by the results of your answers, and then your combat prowess we intervened. It was decided to…” Chi clasped his hands together in joy and Khi continued.
“Revive you. There will be some big changes for you. You are augmented now. This is your primary body. If you choose to compete in events with high…”
“Fatality rates, swap into temporary less expensive body. You are now marked by us. It will open many doors for you. Your choices…”
“On what to do next are limitless. Our mark is a gift trillions desire, it illuminates you as a favored of ours. We also are transferring an old private shuttle we no longer utilize to you. You may never sell it and if you die permanently it reverts back to us. Lastly, a grave offense was made…”
“By Milashva. She knew her brother would trigger an event that would bring dishonor to our kind. We do not know why, nor do we care…”
“She was beaten to an inch of her life by her grandfather until we could deem a fitting punishment. We have found it in you. You will be her…”
“Master and she your servant until your permanent death or a thousand years. Do not judge our ways, this is her most honorable path to redemption. With your mark from us, you may be cloned upon death assuming you can afford it. She was another who…”
“Placed a large bet on you beating her brother. As you are now her master you were granted her recent winnings. By human standards, it is a fortune, to us lancers, insignificant. It was…”
“Her only worthy bet. She will go over…”
They both paused as one then stormed out of the room. Leaving me standing there naked in an eerily quiet space. I was in shock and thoroughly confused. I had gotten to meet the lancer Emperor… I was stunned by the entire ordeal. My whole life had been changed. All I wanted was a quiet evening and to lose my virginity to Starla.
I mopped over to the corner and plopped down until my arms were around my knees. I contemplated my situation in the silence. Eventually, the doctor entered again.
“I am Iddysha get up and come over here. It is time for me to teach. Impressive aren’t they. The Emperor has wisely, boldly, and ruthlessly rules for hundreds of millennia. I still get what you humans refer to as goosebumps in their presence. One day you may fathom what honor they have bestowed on you. I will send a file of your historic conversation to your database. For now, let us go over your augmentations of this body.” Iddy said.
I rose from my pose still lost in thought. Barely hearing what the doctor had to say. At least he did not have a saw in his hand this time.
“Good, stand right there,” Iddy ordered as the ceiling dropped a multifaceted tool. “This body is a clone, obviously since your original was destroyed. I was granted permission to add some modification by the Emperor.”
A gentle paw turned my head to the side. A long needle with gray swimming liquid plunged toward my left temple. I expected pain on contact but felt just the slightest of tingles above my ear. Iddy pulled the tool away and proceeded to tap rapidly at a screen being projected from my head. He handled the interface with precision.
“Alright head forward.” I obeyed. “Tap your skull here.”
I did so and was immediately overwhelmed. Humanity had developed visual aids centuries ago but this was something else. It was a combination of detailed information overlapped by streaming content, which was again piled below gambling statistics, the news of millions of species, messages from family, financial alerts, and more. There was so much information crammed into multiple layers I struggled to comprehend it all.
“Only statics of my surroundings please,” I said. A few taps later and the vision quieted. I was getting feedback from the area in proximity to me and that was it. I got my vitals, Iddy’s vitals, room temp, and a long list of useless details. How slick the floor was, how many tiles were on the floor, how much electricity flowed through the walls. I played with the settings until I reduced even more of the information.
“Excellent, you figured out how to adjust it on your own. My first recommendation is to endless tweak it. Now, the Emperor decided to authorize more than a simple information dump into your cornea. Take a finger and swipe it under your eye from your nose to your ear.” Iddy said as he demonstrated to me how to do the maneuver.
I ran my finder under my eye and jolted in shock. Tiny creatures poured out of my temple by parting the skin in a painful manner. A thin metallic shield grew over my face. It happened so suddenly I jolted in surprise. I drifted both my hands over the cover. I could still see perfectly, it was as if I was born with this. There was a mirror on the side wall I darted to.
I inspected my face, it was the same gray color as the needle injection. It contoured to mold to a replica of my features. My large cheekbones, chin dimple, and large forehead were all there. The cover went under my chin and stopped at my ears. There was a stark contrast from my tan ears and the dark gray.
“There are tiny cameras built into back of the mites that protect you. The Emperor found it humorous when I said I could add an augmentation that would protect your eyes. The reference for their humor was that Varnn had left his combat clone in his ship.”
This was twice now that it was mentioned that certain scenarios required a specific type of body. I would need to learn more about this. Unless I died a lot, it made sense to me to always been in the most protective body you could.
“In time you will learn how to control them with a thought. Right now they are activated by input motor controls and limiting their vision to what you are accustomed to. Know that they are capable of much more.” Iddy informed me as he pinched a finger to the cub like thumb. “This triggers the cover to return under your skin. When they are not actively protecting your face they add a protective thin layer to your skull.”
“Is there a training video or something I can utilize later to get a full understanding of this technology,” I asked as I swiped my face bring out the cover again. I anticipated the pain and realized it was very minor. When the shield was in place I mimicked the closing gesture and it slithered back into my head. Watching it in real time was creepy and fascinating.
“Of course, my time is extremely valuable though. You have an expert who was studying your species to lean on for help later. For now, let us go over your next augment.”
Iddy reached down and slid tubes over my hands. They locked at my biceps and hissed with a violent noise of escaping air. Pools of grey liquid flooded the containers as my arms were held straight. While I focused on the swirling goop a needle sunk into the back of my neck. I instinctively reached for the insertion point and squirmed when I realized my hands were locked in place.
“Easy Mack, this is part of the process. That was a pain inhibitor. Watch your arms. They are about to take some damage that is better you did not feel the first time.” Iddy explained as the bots peeled my skin off my arm down to my pearly bone. “Your bone marrow throughout your body has the nesting sack embedded into your structure. The mites will form a symbiotic relationship with you. Onatics long ago learned to reduce any being's reliance on nanorobots, AI, and machines in general. The mites are a subservient species with a bioengineered carapace. They must map your skin, then your muscle, your tendons, and finally the bone. When they have every detail categorized their hive mind will sync with yours. Ensure you consume enough food, if you starve these tiny creatures will die slowly.
“You have enough material here to turn your five fingers into five claws or add a two foot dagger to your wrist. I recommend only changed your fingers for a few reasons. Any projection will be extremely painful, and no you will never get over it. Well… we could silence yout receptors but that would be illegal. It would make you less a being and more of a machine, which is prohibited. So take it from an expert. Modify your bones. Turn the end of your fingers into sharp points or your elbow into a razors edge.”
The bots had completed their mapping of my arms. As the mites retreated slowly into my marrow they knitted my muscle, tendons, and skin back to its original form. The needle in the back of my neck was retracted and the area felt extra tense. I popped my upper vertebrae in response by rapidly tilting my head both ways. The tubes released their pressured grasp and slid off to retract back into the ceiling.
“Every clone from here on out will merely be a standard body unless ordered differently. This one is your combat version, and trust me… Significantly more expensive. The Emperor splurged getting you these upgrade but they bragged about the money gained from your fight. It is my recommendation that you preserve this body and risk a simple clone. Which leads me to my next point.
“You are allowed to change bodies, but only one of your minds may be present at any given time ever. Even if you attempted to create an actual clone of yourself you never could. The rules, laws, and machinery prohibit it. Trust me when I say this, do not get caught up in attempting to circumvent this. The Onatics do not take kindly to such reckless behavior. With that warning being said, you can have multiple bodies on the ready. Your main issue will be the costs. I wager your indentured servant will cover those with you.”
I sighed at that. “I thought slavery was illegal?”
“She is legally your servant, not your slave. A choice was given, and she picked you over permanent death. Her brother was never given an option. I am sure she can explain that to you also. If you want additional augmentations simply locate a regulated doctor like me and get a quote. Well not like me, I am well beyond what you can afford, and I do caution you on using the lowest bidders. I have much to attend to, may your bets all be winners Mack… Oh, I nearly forgot. Your servant is still near death, her family failed to pay for her recovery. If you wish to keep her alive you will need to pay her bills. You can conjure the bill and your account balances with your modified eye.”
While I fiddled with the device Iddy exited the room. This time the door remained open and blue arrows indicated a direction for me to travel. I decided to focus on the arrows and walked naked down a pristine white hallway. I passed paintings, sculptures, exquisite plants, and other decorative items. Everything was perfect in appearance as if some being had spent an eternity getting the decorations exactly this way.
I hoped my eyes were recording this so I could study it later. I debated on slowing but I felt uncomfortable being so exposed on a diplomatic ship while naked. I quickened my pace and extended my steps.
A few bends were followed by a declining ramp. I found myself in front of a large round door. It rapidly scanned me, beeped green, and then red. I placed my hands on the door attempting to manuall
y move it when it failed to automatically open. I was scanned again, green to red. I was going crazy, literally crazy as I repeated the same thing over and over expecting a different result.
I rationalized I had to be missing something and activated my augmented eye display. I played with the overlays until one flashed red. Okay, this must have been the hangup. It was a picture of a crumpled and bloody Mila inside a holding cell. Her vitals were extremely weak and she was on life support. A tally of her bill increased slowly.
Lancers only used the Onatics D-coins. I selected the pay button and it brought up which account I wanted to use. There were three personal accounts, the first from Earth that had three thousand and forty two E-bits. The conversion was a fraction of a fraction of a single D-coin. It was so little the amount covered still reflected a big zero percent. The next account was my Vensi life savings, which held even less than my spending money on Earth. I closed that one and opened the new account.
This must have been the winnings from Mila’s gamble. I scoffed and hyperventilated when I saw the number. I calmed my breathing and digested the information. There were millions of D-coins, four point three million to be exact. I was now, in all likelihood, the richest human in the universe.
Her tally increased from two hundred thousand to two hundred and one as I dallied. I immediately paid the bill. I easily could have bought the Elephants my favorite ZBall team with how much I spent to keep her alive. It was done though and I watched to see how they would recover her from her grave injuries. I was curious as to what magical healing the Onatics had that only us humans ever dreamed about seeing.
I watch the video of her in the sparse cell. The water fountain tucked itself into the wall as did an odd toilet sucker station. I tilted my head in confusion when she raised a hand pleadingly in understanding of what was about to happen. The ceiling shot toward the floor with such force that I felt the vibration where I stood outside the shuttle door. The ceiling and floor separated to reveal a mush of gore – blood, bone, organs, fur, and tissue all mixed in a paste. I vomited into a decorative plant. I heaved and heaved but there was only the water from earlier in my stomach. The image tilted as an acidic chemical spray dissolved Mila’s remains. I had to close it the video.
