He was made of solidium, an extremely rare metal, well known for being exceedingly hard and light. His face, which was not very complex, was not capable of demonstrating expressions or emotions. After all, he was only a prototype.
When the project began, The Union placed its trust in A-Corp and financed the entire programme, in order to create robots specialised in tasks of colonisation of new planets. It was the beginning of the Coloniser project, which culminated in the creation of robots capable of thinking like humans.
After years of investigation, the Coloniser robots were completed, and put to the test immediately in terra-formation tasks on Venus.
This turned out to be a disaster.
The Colonisers rebelled against their creators in the year 2185. Three years later, they escaped into space, leaving no trace. Nothing more was heard from them, but the repercussions were enormous. Peoples’ insecurity limited the advance. Never again would they trust a robot that was capable of thinking like a human. As a result of all this, The Galactic Union prohibited the mass fabrication of such advanced artificial intelligence, and set out stringent regulations in the field. This was the type of robot that Denn was travelling with. A truly special robot.
“My model is C0-UN1,” replied the robot.
“Is he your robot?” Senlar asked Denn.
The robot turned his head towards Denn, interested in his answer. Bornew responded to his look with a smile, and answered Senlar’s question:
“He doesn’t have an owner: he’s a free robot.”
“I’ve never heard of a robot without an owner.”
They continued their way towards the place where the rest of the people were. It was a huge area. The main plaza, the station marketplace, was a circular space surrounded by shops of all kinds.
The plaza was a pleasant place. In the centre of it, a fountain of clear water reached majestically upwards. Trees and exotic plants gave freshness and greenery to the place, and multiple benches allowed visitors to the station to sit comfortably to chat, or simply to rest.
In the plaza, there were hundreds of people waiting for some explanation or indication from the station security. Denn was able to detect the unease in the air. Only a few were calm. There were men, women, and children. All human.
“Wait here while I find out what’s happening,” said Senlar.
Senlar moved away to speak with the captain of the vessel, leaving them there. A young boy, who had been listening to the conversation between them, approached CO-UN1, and asked him:
“What type of robot are you?”
“Type?” asked CO-UN1, surprised.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. Wow, not like any information or domestic help robot. Are you a battle robot?”
The majority of the robots of the time were manufactured with inoffensive appearances. After what had happened with the Colonisers, people did not want to be near a robot that looked powerful and dangerous. CO-UN1 was very different; he was designed for strength, agility, and speed; his appearance was that of a machine prepared for battle.
“That’s right, young man,” interrupted Denn. “He’s a battle robot. In fact, he’s my friend. We’ve been together in many battles.”
“Really? Cool!” the boy exclaimed enthusiastically. He turned back towards a girl, and beckoned with his hand for her to come over. “Dani, come and see this.”
Dani was the boy’s sister, a very pretty girl, with light brown hair and green eyes, and in her twenties; only a child for the times.
“My name’s Qein Dontes,” said the boy, “and this is my sister, Dani.”
“Pleased to meet you, I’m Denn Bornew, and this is my friend C0.
Dani looked at him with mistrust.
“So the robot isn’t just your companion, he’s your friend as well. Tell me, then, how is it that a moment ago I heard you asking him his name? Anyone would say it’s obligatory for a person to know the name of their friends.”
Denn smiled.
“The thing is, I’m not good with names. It happens to me all the time,” joked Denn. “What was yours?”
“Dani!” A look of vexation appeared on her face. Denn thought that she looked very attractive.
Before they could carry on with the conversation, Senlar interrupted. He came accompanied by the captain, who wanted to speak with Denn.
“Captain, this is Denn Bornew, the man I told you about.”
The captain had an ex-military look about him, of adult appearance, and with a forbidding face. His combed-back grey hair revealed his experience.
“So you’re the Tau Ceti sergeant that Senlar told me about. My name is Val Afkbar, I’m the captain of the station.”
To Denn, that name somewhat rang a bell. He was not sure where it was familiar from, but he had undeniably heard speak of ‘Afkbar’ at some point.
“Afkbar? That sounds familiar... Why does it sound familiar to me?” asked Denn. Senlar was looking somewhat uncomfortable; it was as if he wanted to silence Denn with his gaze. “Do we know each other?”
“No, we don’t know each other.”
Afkbar was the surname of a recognised family of space pirates that for years had been operating in a zone outside of the limits of The Galactic Union, a long way from the Primary Systems. However, they were well known enough for it to be almost obligatory for a member of the galactic army, like Denn, to have heard of them.
“Hmm! It’s funny, I thought I’d heard your name before.”
“It doesn’t matter. Since you’re a soldier from The Union, you could be of use. Will you allow me to take a scan of your iris?” Captain Val was not asking out of politeness, but rather because it was illegal to scan the iris without permission.
The captain’s intention was to confirm whether Denn Bornew really did belong to The Galactic Union army, verifying it on a database to which he had access.
Bornew agreed, accepting his fate. If on Earth they had sent the arrest signal for Denn before they were able to cross through the first wormhole, he would be at a loss. Alternatively, the signal would not arrive, since they were now many, many light-years away from any known system, and the database could only be updated near one of them.
“You can scan my iris,” said Denn, and in an instant, a novel device, a pair of augmented reality lenses over the captain’s eyes, which connected wirelessly to a bracelet on his wrist for processing data, scanned Bornew’s iris, confirming his identity.
“It seems you are who you say you are,” said the captain.
Denn felt an immense sense of relief at not seeing hostility in the captain. The order of capture had not arrived. He had passed the most important test in gaining the trust of the station authorities.
“If you want to help, Senlar will tell you the details,” said the captain, and immediately, without saying another word, turned on his heel, taking some of his subordinates with him.
“Did I say something wrong?” Denn asked Senlar, who was still looking a little uncomfortable.
“Are you stupid or something?” interrupted Dani. “Afkbar is the name of one of the most dangerous bands of pirates in the galaxy. He’ll most certainly belong to that family. He must have thought you were tormenting him for you to ask where you knew his name from.”
Senlar nodded.
“Oops! I told you I was bad with names,” claimed Denn, with a laugh. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have things to talk about with this man here. It was a pleasure meeting you... Umm! ... What is your name?”
Dani took her brother by the hand, and left, furious.
“I’m only joking with her,” said Denn, addressing C0-UN1, who, had he been able to, would have answered with a smile.
Senlar rushed to speak first; he wanted to be sure to avoid any further interruption.
“Look, Denn, right now we can’t really properly know what our situation is. I’m going to get everybody together and explain to them what we know. Many of them are already suspecting that an intruder took the station,
so hiding it won’t be of any use. The best thing to do is be open about it. Would you be able to help me? Your presence could give them confidence.”
“But first, tell me, do you know anything about who is responsible?”
“No. The men who were in the control room were attacked. They were rendered unconscious before they even knew it.”
“Are they all right?”
“Yes, they’ve woken up, and they’re not hurt, only a little dazed, although they’ll certainly wish they still were unconscious so as to avoid the scolding that Val’s going to give them...Let’s go and speak with the people.”
Denn nodded.
“Okay, let’s do it.” Denn walked calmly towards the centre of the plaza, with the intention of talking to everyone. He stood up on a bench and began: “Attention!” he said, as he waved his hands to get the attention of those present. “If you could all come closer for a moment, that would be appreciated... Attention please!”
Senlar looked at him, pleased; it was not necessary for him to gather all of the people, but he did it anyway. It turned out that Denn did have the charisma expected of a sergeant of The Galactic Union.
“My name is Denn Bornew, from the planet Nec. I am a sergeant in the Tau Ceti army. I’ve been asked to help the station’s authorities. I know you must all have a lot of questions. This man here is Senlar Belmy, First in Station. Let’s listen to what he has to say, and try to cooperate.”
“Thank you, Denn.” Senlar came forward in order to immediately take the floor.
It was important that he spoke to them. The atmosphere was filled with a thirst for some sort of explanation. The frightened faces worried Denn a little.
“Somebody broke into the control room,” began Senlar, “and for reasons still unknown, transported the station through several wormholes. Unfortunately, the jump-gate station’s system suffered damage, and we will be here for a while, at least until we manage to repair it. Furthermore, the person who did it has still not been located. We are working to find them, which is why nobody should move away from here.”
“How could this happen?” asked someone.
“Calm down, please.” Senlar could understand the peoples’ desperation, and knew that somehow he needed to reassure those present. “You should know that, at this moment, we are out of danger. In the station there are close to eighty security officers. We urge you all to share anything you feel is suspicious; our officials will be glad to listen to you. We have already regained the control room, and have isolated the remaining areas of the station. The first thing we must do is register on a database everybody still on board.” Two officers approached; they only needed their eye devices, which were connected to their wristbands, in order to call up the database. They put down some seats and sat down. “If I could ask you to form two lines so that these officers can take your information. It’s everything we can do for now, and as soon as there is news, we will share it.”
The people proceeded to give out the information requested of them by the officers, who with rapid hand movements in the air, input the data into those advanced devices on their eyes. Senlar moved to one side and, moving his hand, indicated for Denn to come closer.
“What’s wrong, Senlar?”
“Whilst we’re registering all these people, we’ll have time to study the situation better. As is the custom, two of the officers who have to stay until the end of the evacuation are mechanics, and right now they are trying to repair the systems. We’ll see what news they have for us.”
“How can I help?” asked Denn.
“The captain has sent four groups of ten people to inspect all areas of the station. He has asked me to stay here with several soldiers in order to monitor. The Second in Station, him over there,” he said, pointing to a man, “will be taking a further group to inspect. Could you and the robot join up with his search group? The robot’s sensors could be of help.”
“No problem.”
Cooperating was the best thing that Denn could do. Now he already had a new plan. He was going to carry out any request from the station authorities, and wait until they repaired the jump system. Once it was finally fixed, and they were able to travel to some inhabited system, he would attempt to steal the evacuation ship, in order to continue with their escape.
“Just give me a moment to talk to the robot.” Denn moved away a little, and called over his companion, so as to speak in private.
“Are we in trouble?” asked CO-UN1.
“Don’t worry,” replied Denn, smiling. “In any case, the one who’d get into trouble is me.”
Before carrying on, he paused to make sure that nobody was listening to them, and after confirming that they would be able to speak freely, he continued:
“We're going to have to cooperate with these people. None of them suspects us, and we want to keep it that way. If anyone asks you anything, you just need to say that I bought you on Earth before coming to the station. That's all."
"But, didn't you say that we were friends in the army?"
"I think that everyone will understand that I was only trying to entertain the boy. Besides, if anyone were to ask, it would be fairly complicated inventing stories about the two of us fighting together in the army. Don't you think?"
"I would have liked to have been your friend in the army."
"We've only been together for a day, and you're already that attached to me? Do you not have any other friends or something?" Denn let out a laugh as he gave the robot a few pats on the back. He wanted to make him feel as though he were a friend.
“No, I don't. You only activated me yesterday. Do you remember?"
"Of course I remember. I'm only pulling your leg. That's what friends do." C0-UN1 felt happy; it was the first time that anyone had ever called him friend. "Don't worry, C0, something tells me that soon we'll be having a few adventures."
“C0? Why do you call me that?"
"That’s your name."
"No, my name is C0-UN1."
"Don't you like C0?"
"It's not that, it's just that it is strange to me."
"I'm not going to say all the letters and numbers in your name every time I want to talk to you, C0."
"Why?"
"I thought you were supposed to think like a human," said Denn in a joking tone. “There’ll be time yet to teach you various things. Now, let's go and see who the Second in Station is."
Denn and C0-UN1 approached the man. 'Hello!' he said, to no response. The Second in Station was not as friendly as Senlar. He was a contentious person who was constantly looking to making everyone else feel somewhat diminished.
He'd worked at the station for a little over a year, and just like Senlar, before being transferred to the station, he had been part of the Solar System army. They weren’t First and Second in Station for nothing. They had some qualities that were worthy of rewarding with a position of high command. But they possessed another distinctive feature which at that time frightened people. The same quality that brought about their transferral from the army to the jump-gate station. They had both suffered a strange change in their bodies.
Whilst on a mission with the Solar System army, upon travelling through a wormhole, their minds became connected with that of another being in a parallel universe.
Before finally discovering the wormholes, many scientists believed in the existence of a multiverse. An infinite quantity of parallel universes coexisting in an almost infinite space, but it was not until the period in which they began using the wormholes that this theory was confirmed.
And it happened precisely that, without prior warning, and without any explanation, some of these universes became randomly connected whilst a certain wormhole was being used. It was on several occasions that the strange phenomenon manifested itself; when a person was travelling through these wormholes, their body mixed with that of someone else in another universe, becoming one same being. One person receiving the other in one of the two universes. They called it convergence.
>
Many did not know whether the being ceased to exist in the other universe. At first, it was thought that only memories were transferred, but some more isolated cases allowed it to be ascertained that it was definitely not limited to memories. Sometimes, a convergence separates, forming two beings in one universe. Perhaps the subject was transferred from the other universe, or perhaps it was only a perfect copy.
A convergence is one of the most interesting mysteries of the universe. It is The Union of two lives. The memories of both beings are combined into one single body. Sometimes, the person changes very little: they cannot really explain the memories of the other being, but on other occasions the memories received are so vivid that the personality of the subject changes forever.
In that epoch, it was decided that any member of the galactic army who was to suffer a convergence was too unstable to remain in service. As such, there was the order to transfer all such people to less risky posts until further investigation into the matter was possible.
Denn still did not know it, but on the station he had already met some convergences. The First and Second in Station were working there because of it. He himself had a lot in common with them. A year ago, he had suffered a convergence. The memories that he obtained from the parallel universe were enough to impel him to carry out his daring plan: to steal C0-UN1 from a laboratory on the planet Earth.
“My name is Denn Bornew, and this is C0,” he persevered, addressing the Second in Station, who was still not returning his greeting.
"I'm not interested in the robot's name. They've told me you're both going to help us. Is that true?"
"It is," replied Denn. "I didn't catch your name."
"I didn't give it."
Denn hated him immediately. His name was Neil Gobi, an earthling from the City Below the Desert, descended from a family that had instigated a rebellion against a powerful nation on the planet.
Due to the problems of over-population being experienced on the planet Earth, in addition to the wars, many people were mired in poverty. His family had migrated from the continent of Europe, in the year 2060, in search of a better place to live, but the nation denied them entry. They created a city in a desert, and fought for decades until peace was agreed.
Convergence: Genesis Page 2
