The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell

by Douglas Howell

  Mad Dawg turned on the stenotype recording device and said, “We have assembled here at this debriefing on the inquiry of how the Apollinarian family, the Adnrwals, manage to acquire an EOD Ultra Class vessel without any resistance on the part of EOD. This inquiry will also get at the bottom of how the Adnrwals managed to arrive in this time frame from a different galaxy, and from a different time period. This inquiry will also try to deduce any plans of the Apollinarians. It must be noted that the Adnrwals are not a part of any Apollinarian conspiracy. It is urgently requested that the transcript of this inquiry be turned over for possible inclusion in the Red Book.”

  Ramirez, who was looking at the list of names from Mad Dawg’s crew, said, “Dr. Verrone please come forward. Please state for the record your function.”

  “I am the head doctor on the starship Galactic Prime.”

  “Did you perform a health diagnostic upon the Apollinarian family, the Adnrwals?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “What did you ascertain from your findings?”

  “My findings indicated that the siblings are in excellent health. Both Nincylste and Unatoos health are considered good. As for Zyynuma, his health is considered fair. There are scars upon his body that are indicative of one who had major transplant surgery done upon them. The cause of the surgery is most likely due to a poison that he ingested.”

  “Do you know which organs were removed?”

  “It was the digestive system.”

  “Were the organs cloned, or transplanted from another individual?”

  “They were cloned.”

  “Have you determined whether or not the Adnrwal family, are clones?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “What are your findings?”

  “Using the DNA that was provided for me by Vaistll Adnrwal, I was able to deduce that they are her biological relatives. I did not detect any signs to suggest that they are clones. Nor did I detect any signs to suggest that their memories have been altered. Based upon the information that was given to me by Vaistll Adnrwal, I am able to deduce that they are who they say they are.”

  “Did you examine an Apollinarian corpse?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “And what were your findings?”

  “Since I’m not a medical examiner I can only guess at the cause of death. And in my opinion he died of natural causes, most likely from old age.”

  “Thank you. You may be seated.”

  Vaistll, after she finished taking her notes, called the next person on the list.

  “Tech Specialist Torrio, please come forward. State for the record your function.”

  “I am the technician on the starship Galactic Prime.”

  “Were there any Apollinarian technology that you peruse?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “And what was it?”

  “It was group of N Units and a personal hard drive.”

  “What are N Units?”

  “They are nanoprobes.”

  “What did you ascertain from the nanoprobes that you collected from my family? And from the ones that I gave you that came from my Nano-Cloaking Device?”

  “There are huge discrepancies between the two, mainly in the form of efficiency.”

  “Please elaborate.”

  “Ma’am, are you familiar with ‘The Rules that Govern the Efficiency of Nanoprobes’?”

  “No.”

  “The first rule is ‘The Rule of WAT.’ WAT is an acronym for Wear and Tear. It states that all forms of machines will incontrovertibly break down within any given period of time. WAT is based upon the ‘Differential of Critical to Minor Components/Systems.’ The DCMCS is based upon the saying of, ‘A fort is only as good as its weakest part.’ An example of the DCMCS, in the form of a starship, would be the difference between the engines versus an automatic door. The engines are considered a critical part of a starship system, whereas the doors are not. Therefore, the efficiency of a starship is based upon the difference between the critical and the non-critical systems. If a door to the engine room is malfunctioning, and the engines need to be repaired, it would naturally take longer for an engineer to fix the problem.

  N Units are like any other type of machine. They too will have problems and ultimately break down. If there is a problem with the N Units then, either the deflected unit would have to be taken back to the laboratory, or, other N Units would have to be used to get rid of it. Either way is considered to be too impractical and inefficient. Because of that, N Units must have the ability to self-repair through that of self-replication. But that too has its own problems, mainly through that of malfunctions. That problem can resolved through different types of N Units.

  There are three different types of N Units: Constructors, Destructors and Workers. Constructors build new N Units. Destructors destroy any N Units that has malfunction and/or do something that they were not created for. Workers perform the task that they were created for, such as the types that deals with cryonics.

  However, there is still the problem of failure with either type of N Units. To resolve this, there is the CCU which stands for, ‘Central Control Unit.’ The CCU is a simple computer program that controls the N Units, becoming in effect a ‘hive.’ The CCU compares all new types of N Units to an inactive default unit. Since the CCU is a computer program it is independent of any malfunctioning N Units.”

  “Did the Apollinarians have a CCU?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “What are the other rules that govern the efficiency of nanoprobes?”

  “It is 1 F per X’ and ‘Replication Failure Probability.’”

  “Please explain.”

  “1 F per X stands for, One Failure per X number of N Units. Between Project 21 and the EOD, the number fluctuates within five million, with Project 21 having a 63.4 % chance of having the higher number. Typically, it takes roughly 20 years for the number to go up by 10 million. However, many factors come into play that dictates how long it will take to go up by that number.

  For reference, as of 2287, the US Government number is 35 million; Multi-National Corporations number is 42 million; the EOD number is 48 million; and Project 21 number is 52 million. As for the Apollinarian Cryo-N Units that was found in your family, the number is 75 million.”

  “What about the nanoprobes from the Nano-Cloaking Device? What was its number?” Vaistll asked.

  “It was 442 quadrillion.” When Vaistll, Mad Dawg and Ramirez heard that, they were shocked.

  Vaistll continued on. “What is the Replication Failure Probability?”

  “It is the probability of the failure of a single N Unit. As of this year, the US Government number is 15.7 %; Multi-National Corporations number is 8.33 %; Project 21 number, which always was lower than that of the EOD, is 7.914 %; and the EOD number is 7.39 %. As for the Apollinarian Cryo-N Units, the number is 6.801 %.”

  “So... what was the RFP of the Nano-Cloaking Device?”

  “It was zero-point-zero-zero-zero-one-three-four-seven-nine percent.”

  When Vaistll heard that it was a jaw-dropping moment for her. For Ramirez he mouthed the word damn. Mad Dawg said out loud, “Holy fuckin’ shit!” He then came to his senses, pushed a button on the stenotype recording device and said, “Strike my last comment from the record.” He then looked at both Vaistll and Ramirez with a worried look upon his face.

  Vaistll continued on. “What can you extrapolate from the discrepancy?”

  “That the Apollinarians who created the Nano-Cloaking Device came from a far more technological advanced society then those who created the Cryo-N Units. That in all likelihood, those who created the Nano-Cloaking Device came from the future of those who created the Cryo-N Units.”

  “Can you tell how far into the future?”

  “No ma’am. As with all technology, it is impossible to extrapolate any technology that any given society could create in the future. With the discrepancy being as vast as it is, it could be centuries, or it could be thousands of years.�
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  “Okay... thank you Torrio. You may be seated.”

  “Ma’am... my team and I uncovered circumstantial evidence that suggests that the EOD ship came from the future.’

  “Do you know how far into the future?”

  “No ma’am.”

  “Noted. Anything else?”

  “No ma’am.”

  “Thank you, please be seated.”

  “This inquiry will now investigate the connection between General Ydxx’od’omaa and the Adnrwal family.” Ramirez said, knowing that Mad Dawg would have trouble in saying any Apollinarian names.

  Vaistll, knowing that she can shed some degree of light upon how she knew him (she seriously didn’t want to talk about it) spoke up and mentioned, “I... guess that I should go first... since it seems that he did what he did because of me. The only thing that I know about him is that he was nothing more than an aide to General Zell’tlaxx.

  When I first met him it was when Natas Ovast forced me to use that... that criminal army to take a city on an island. He showed up after the city was razed to the ground. My... um... those criminals, seeing the value that he may or may not have, brought him to me. What’s more it was he who wanted to come and see me in the first place. So I didn’t think much about it at the time.

  When he first saw me he had that look of someone who couldn’t believe that I existed. I took it to mean that, since there were mythological stories about me, it must be because of that. I told the guards to leave us alone because I couldn’t stand knowing who and what they are. After the guards left, me and General Ydxx’od’omaa got to talking. At first our conversation went back and forth until I realized that he knew things about me that have not yet happened. I tried to get it out of him, but to no avail. Either he couldn’t, or wouldn’t tell me. Because of everything that I was going through at the time, I started to get very upset. I could tell that he was under the stress of grief in knowing what he knows about me, but not being able to tell me what it was. As he tried to explain himself, I started to realize that there was something more to him than what he is letting on. So I decided to change the subject to find out what it might be. As I got him to talk about it more, I could tell from his face the real reason why he wanted to see me.”

  From Vaistll’s reaction Iakuoyr could tell what happened next and the fact that Vaistll didn’t want to talk about it. Iakuoyr started to say something. Vaistll seeing that rose up her hand in a way to say no. After a few moments, Vaistll took a deep breath and let it out and then continued on.

  “To make a long story short, our conversation turned to each other and... and then we ended up in each other’s arms. We fell in love... and then we had sex that is to say. (She added that part because of the line, “ended up in each other’s arms,” doesn’t count as official jargon for the inquiry.) Both of us had our duties and he had to leave. Nobody at the time would have thought much about me letting him go. After all he was just an aide to a General.

  He said that he would find some way to make it up to me about him not staying. But I knew that he meant knowing what will happen to me, not in him staying. Both of us knew that we were just nothing more than two ships passing by one another, never to see each other again. Knowing what I now know about him, I wished that he lived so that I could say thank you from the bottom of my heart. And quite frankly I am overwhelmed by it all.”

  “Not including Vaistll...” Ramirez was saying. “... which one of you was the first to meet General Ydxx’od’omaa?”

  “I was.” Ryyuoxx said as he stood up.

  “Actually... both of us were.” Okuoyk said as he too stood up.

  “Both of you please come forward. Ryyuoxx is it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Please state the circumstances when you, and your brother, first met General Ydxx’od’omaa.”

  “Both of us just finished tracking down, and bringing to justice, a group of treasonous guards. We were celebrating, as we normally would do. Okuoyk wooed some woman off of her feet, and I was in bed with another one. And I was tending to our yii’narrl...”

  “A what?”

  “A yii’narrl... something called a horse comes to mind. But the images that I get of what a horse looks like doesn’t come close to what a yii’narrl looks like.”

  “Would you please call it a horse? Our recording device isn’t familiar with your language.”

  “Sure no problem. Like I said I was tending to our... horse... making certain that the wealth that those guards stolen was secured. Then the General, accompanied with a small group of men, came in. Based upon the demeanor of the men he was with, I could tell that they probably were soldiers. He then asked me, ‘Don’t you and your brother typically travel with each other?’, and I said yes. He then asked me where Okuoyk was. But I didn’t say anything. He then told me that he knew who I was, who Okuoyk is, what we just did, and what I got there in those vine barrels. And then he added that it was something ‘far more valuable than vine.’ Once again I didn’t say anything since I didn’t know what his attentions are. He added that they were not here to rob us. But he had a proposition for me and my brother, and he wanted my brother here to hear it. He then asked me again where my brother was I at, and I told him. He then said that he would send a couple of his men up there to get him. As he put it, it was his way of showing us that he, ‘meant us no harm.’ I then told him that we had a secret knock, and then I showed him what it was. Yes of course we did have a secret knock, but I gave him the one that said, ‘trust but be on guard.’”

  Okuoyk went next. “Yeah. When I got to where they were, General Ydxx’od’omaa told us that our sister Vaistll, needed our help. Both of us laughed at that with Ryyuoxx saying, ‘She’s too tough to need anybody’s help. Sometimes I wished we had her help.’ He then told us that is not always the case. He said that, ‘Nobody’s invincible. Sometimes even the strongest of people need help.’ I then asked him what was wrong with her and why did she need our help. He then said that he was going to tell us something that may sound like he is insulting our intelligence, but he has the proof. He added that after he tells what he needs to tell us he will show us the proof. And we need to brace ourselves since it may be too shocking for us when he shows us the proof. He then told us that he came from the future and he showed us the proof.”

  “What did he showed both of you?”

  “He played a video on a laptop of our time period.”

  “What happened next?”

  “We asked him what will happen to the wealth in those barrels. And he said that we will have to take it with us. We didn’t like the sound of that because it was our duty to return it to its rightful owner. Not to steal it. So we will have to take it back.”

  “What did he do?”

  “He told us that he couldn’t allow that. When we asked for a reason why, he said that history records that we died in the forest two days from then, and that wealth was never recovered. He said that we had one or two choices to make, allow it to fall in the hands of those guards, or put it to good use.”

  “What did both of you do when he told you that?”

  “Well... to make the long conversation short, the conversation went back and forth about the dangers of altering the time line.”

  “So how did he convince both of you to take that wealth?”

  “By telling us that in his time line they have a cure for the poison that killed our father.”

  “So what happened next?”

  Ryyuoxx spoke next. “We reminded him that our father was buried. He then described what a clone is. He said that they have the technology to clone him and the clone could die, and be buried, instead of our father. We then started to see it as a blessing of the gods. So both of us decided to go with him and he allowed us to take our horses along with the wealth.”

  “Can you describe what his time machine looked like?”

  “It was a ship, about one third the size of that ship that brought us here.”

  “How many peopl
e were on board that ship?”

  “438.”

  “Any women or children?”

  “No children.”

  “How come?”

  “Like the General himself, everybody on board that ship lost most, if not all of their family members - including the children.”

  “What was responsible for the lost of life?”

  “You will have to ask Ikknustll that question.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he is the one who could answer your technical questions, and including any questions that is related to science.”

  “So... which one of you could answer the questions regarding why General Ydxx’od’omaa did what he did?”

  “That would be our sister Iakuoyr.”

  “Why her?”

  “I don’t why. But it seems like everybody always went to her to confide in her, than in us.”

  “Thank you. The two of you may be seated.”

  “Would Ikknustll please come forward? Please state the circumstances of when you met General Ydxx’od’omaa?” Mad Dawg said, being intensity curious about the technology of the Apollinarians.

  “I was in the palace of our leader at the time, preparing to leave. I had to go to the civilization of the Byxxuotl (Biggs-o-toe) on official business. I had all of my important paperwork, instruments, and other valuable artifacts with me in a large chest. Four guards, and an assistance who was there to carry the chest, came in. We then left to board a ship. Before we got out of the palace Iakuoyr, accompanied by five men, intercepted us and she mentioned that there was a change in plan. She said that it came from a highly creditable source, there is a very strong possibility that we will be ambushed and that in all likelihood I would be captured and held for ransom. Since the identities of the perpetrators were not known, the guards will have to take my lookalike instead, along with the ‘fake’ chest.”

  “What do you mean ‘fake chest’?”

  “It is a chest that looks identical to mine, but everything in it is a fake.”