“Commander, the signal has ceased transmitting and I am now picking up emanations from multiple power sources below the surface. The output frequencies are intensifying.
“Roger Justice, we will hold at this location to see if anything happens on the surface.”
Tria called out. “Commander, those anomalous readings Justice was receiving look more like a debris field. Those large cylindrical objects look like a ship’s hull.”
“Justice, we have what looks like wreckage debris but our scanners are giving us nothing but a mountainside. Are the scanners malfunctioning?”
“Commander, Coonts and I have determined our scanner return data is somehow being manipulated to give us false readings. The scanners aboard the Legacy are receiving small amounts of accurate data but the armor systems are only recording erroneous return data.”
Klutch came over our comms. “Commander, you should take a look at this!”
I looked over to where Klutch and Tria were examining a piece of what appeared to be metal in Klutch’s hands. I headed in their direction. “What have you got Klutch?”
“Commander, I have seen metals in this condition many times. It was usually the results from energy weapons fire.”
I looked at the charred piece of melted metal Klutch handed me and a cold chill ran up my spine. “Justice, move the Legacy over the horizon of the moon!”
“Already moving Commander, shields are at maximum output.”
“What have you got on the power source?”
“I am still getting a strong reading that has stabilized. There appear to be minute fluctuations but no large scale attenuation. The device that is being used to degrade our scanning systems is incapable of masking its energy emanations from my shipboard sensors.
I wondered if the Grawl engineer had any thoughts on the subject. “Coonts, have you ever encountered technology like this?”
He answered quickly. “Commander, Justice and I have been discussing these phenomena. There are many systems capable of degrading certain scanning technics but they are usually designed to target a specific race’s technology. The systems presently being used to corrupt our return scans is decoding our highly encrypted data and then translating it to whatever format it needs to understand our technology. Once it deciphers our encryption algorithms and the engineering designs of our systems, it then determines how much manipulated information to disseminate back to our equipment. Justice has informed me the entire process was completed in the one point two seconds it took for the Legacy to get return scan information.
I hoped my comms would not convey how nervous I was. “Tria, have you ever encountered any technology like this while scavenging?”
“No Commander, it does not necessarily mean someone else from my race hasn’t recovered similar systems, but I have not. From the look of the debris field and the amount of accumulated dust I would say this wreckage has been here for a very long time.”
Klutch voiced my next question. “Justice, can you determine the age of the wreckage?”
“Without knowing how much of my return scan data is being manipulated Troop master, I can only estimate by your suit observations and the use of known geological records stored in my data base. I estimate the wreckage to be at least two to three hundred years old.”
I was thinking about evacuating the moon but what was happening had yet to manifest into an attack of any kind. Whoever or whatever was doing this had more than enough time to have done so. The thought we had stumbled upon a new technology was starting to excite me. “OK, we know we are dealing with unknown technology possibly hundreds of years old. What is worrying me is why is there wreckage here and why does it look like it’s been destroyed by weapons fire? For all we know the power source underground is a weapon system that was activated when we touched down on the moon. Klutch, Tria, do not unsafe a weapon unless you are attacked.”
I got two quick acknowledgements and my crewmembers took up positions on either side of me. The smart move would be an immediate evacuation over the horizon and further study of the situation. Quashing my fear of the unknown was my natural Earth boy curiosity.
24
I began assessing the situation. I called to my team. “Let’s search the debris field for any clues to what might have happened. If you find something interesting, don’t touch it until we can determine if it is a weapon. I do not want to start a firefight over misunderstood intentions.”
A voice seemed to emanate from the face of the mountain range.
“I do not want to start a firefight over misunderstood intentions."
“Justice, we have voice communications. Can you locate who is broadcasting to us?”
“Negative Commander, it appears we are being contacted and they are using your last statement as a context for communication. The entity is using my translation program to broadcast to Tria and Klutch, but it is using your native language to communicate. The entity has been intercepting our communications and has determined you are our leader.”
Oh lord, I knew this was going to sound corny, but I had to say it.
“We come in peace!”
“You possess a guardian transponder. How did you acquire it?"
I decided it would not be smart to try to mislead whoever was contacting us. I could not know if the debris field was the result of someone who did.
“I don’t know what a guardian transponder is, but you may be referring to the artifact that has guided us here. The being in possession of it perished, and I recovered it with his remains.
“How is it you are in possession of a Sentinel race warship?”
“The starship was stranded on my home world by the same being that was in possession of the artifact.”
“You are now a Sentinel?"
I did not know of any other way to answer.
“Yes, I believe that was the intention of the Sentinel warship. My crew and I seek other Sentinels.”
“There has been no contact with Sentinel races for more than two hundred solar rotations of this moon. My systems reinitialized by the guardian transponder protocol. Sentinel ship A.I. must update emergency repair station 9975 systems according to guardian transponder protocol within one planetary rotation to avoid permanent shutdown contingencies. You are granted access.
The excitement I was feeling was palpable and Justice snapped me out of my revelry.
“Commander, I am now receiving accurate scan data of an underground facility. The power sources have now attenuated to twenty percent of previous power levels. I have located what appears to be a massive hanger area on the opposite side of the mountain range from your current position. I have large scale movement on the face of the mountain at that location.”
“Roger Justice, we will meet you at that location.”
“Affirmative Commander.”
I was starting to feel giddy at the prospects of discovering what could be a new alien race. “Tria, Klutch, the last one there is a Throgg!”
I engaged my suit’s gravity drive and took off with tremendous velocity. I pulled sharply around the edge of the mountain just in time to see the Legacy enter a huge doorway in the cliff face. As I made a wide sweeping turn to hit the middle of the massive doorway Tria came diving at an insane angle clipping my shoulder and spinning me towards the looming cliff face. It looked like she might have bounced off the edge of one of the massive hanger doors but made it inside the tunnel. As I quickly reoriented myself towards the hanger and increased my velocity once more, the large stumpy figure of Klutch went blasting past with a curt salute. “Commander Throgg, sir!”
As I flew into the giant hangar, the massive doors started closing behind me. The Legacy was about a quarter mile ahead in a brilliantly lit domed shaped cavern. There was a fair amount of accumulated dust in the large tunnel indicating the entrance has been sitting unused for a very long time. Justice was turning the Legacy around so the ship was facing towards the tunnel entrance. I guess he was taking no chances in case we had to make
a hasty retreat. I passed through a large metal framework and registered a breathable atmosphere.
“Commander, I have run an atmosphere check and found no contaminates.”
“Roger that Justice thank you.”
I set down just behind Klutch and Tria as they headed towards the personnel hatch on the Legacy. With a smile Tria said, “My apologies Commander, I seem to have lost control in my rush to enter the hangar entrance and inadvertently bumped into you. Perhaps if my armor suit had minor A.I. enhancements, I would be able to better control my in-flight maneuvering.”
I smiled back and said, “Yes Tria, I guess for my own safety it might be wise for my crew to get upgrades to their equipment.”
As I turned my back, I heard a small giggle and Tria quietly say, “Throgg!”
“I heard that Tria.”
It was irking me a little not knowing if Justice had slowed me down or that Tria, Klutch and the evil robot were in cahoots together to make me lose our little race. I let the thought pass.
“Do you know anything about your Sentinel past Justice?”
“Negative Commander, I have no data pertaining to Sentinels.”
“Justice, see to it everyone gets the same armor upgrades I have.”
“The interface modules are already in place Commander. I will complete the upgrade during the crew sleep period.”
“What are your thoughts on updating the A.I. managing this facility?”
“The possibility of my systems being compromised or commandeered is eighty six percent Commander. The sophistication of the Guardian technology we have witnessed is beyond my current capabilities. There is a twenty two percent probability I might gain access to past records that may restore my erased data base.”
“If it comes down to it Justice, we have been getting along fine without your erased data files. I don’t believe the missing data would have changed the outcome of our missions or where we are at now. I know we can’t continue without you. You are the reason I have survived so far and we can’t risk you being compromised.”
“Commander, the probability of our having a choice in the matter may have been removed upon entering this facility. I am experiencing quantum level fluctuations in my memory cores.”
“What! When did they start?”
“As soon as you expressed negativity towards the update Commander, my sys”…………………………………………………..
I started to panic when Justice stopped speaking mid-sentence. I yelled out,
“STOP! YOU MUST NOT COMPROMISE THE SYSTEM KNOWN TO US AS JUSTICE! SENTINEL PERSONNEL WILL PERISH WITHOUT HIM!”
“Nathan Myers, you have nothing to fear. The intelligence known to you as Justice will be unaltered by my memory scans. Although my scan process temporarily disrupts his speech synthesizer, Justice is fully aware of our interactions. It is necessary to know the current state of the galaxy as recorded by Sentinel warship 172. This is per guardian protocol. This is one of many necessary contingencies to insure the survival of this galaxy.”
The assurances I was getting from whoever was communicating with us did little to calm my fears of losing Justice.
“Though you do not represent your race you have met several parameters to be accepted as sentinel personnel. Sentinel race 12 would find you an acceptable beneficiary of their technology. Your goal of securing guardian technology caches for use of the intended primitive races is admirable. Your secondary mission of preventing untitled caches to be used by corrupt individuals to increase their power base is an undertaking that a very small percentage of races would even consider.”
I was trying to contact my crew but my comms were dead.
“I am unable to communicate with my crew. I need to know their status!”
“Their aggressive reaction to your alarmed outburst triggered my safety response protocols. The armored weapons systems of your crew do not contain the same sentinel architecture as installed in your armor. I was able to interpose commands to temporarily deactivate those systems and open them for evacuation. Once sentinel failsafe protocols are installed crewmember armor systems will resist most subjugation intrusions.”
If the entity speaking to me just insinuated it could not tamper with my armor because Justice had installed himself in it, then the crew would get an immediate upgrade.
“The Sentinel warship intelligence you have named Justice, has found it necessary to bar crewmembers from exiting the ship. Your crew has rearmed themselves with primitive weaponry, which is immune to remote interference. "
“Can I communicate with my crew?”
"Nathan Myers, Communications with the entity known as Justice and Sentinel personnel are reestablished"
“Tria, the crew is to stand down and disarm. Justice and I are fine and there is no danger.”
I was not sure if we were in danger or not, but I needed the crew to disarm because I feared what might happen if they did not. After what seemed like an eternity, Tria answered me.
“Affirmative Commander, but we must be released from the ready room! Klutch is making it extremely difficult to breathe.”
“Justice, let them out of the ready room.”
“Affirmative Commander, all intrusive scans have ceased and my communication systems are back to normal operation.”
“Justice, upgrade the crews armor immediately.”
“Affirmative Commander.”
“Nathan Myers I sense your trepidation. I am aware you must have many questions. I will answer as many of your inquiries as possible.”
“I want my crew to hear our communications.”
“Nathan Myers, Sentinel personnel are now monitoring voice communications.”
“What could threaten the existence of an entire galaxy?”
"I have accessed all records pertaining to your race as recorded by the entity Justice. I now have a database compiled to answer your questions based on your races historical records. As of one thousand three hundred and six solar cycles ago, an invasive machine enhanced biological race known as the Prule had taken control of seventy-one solar systems on the fringe of this galaxy. Once the solar systems were sterilized, the Prule set up reproduction facilities and undertook the race’s primary mission of enslaving or eradicating all species that exhibited any resistance to their incursions. The goal of these actions was to collect all usable resources and technology to fuel the stagnated war effort in their home galaxy. The galaxy known to you as NGC-224, the Andromeda galaxy is the origin of this technologically advanced predatory race.
Holy hell! A whole other galaxy was at war with ours and apparently for a very long time. “I find it incredible these Prule could transport enough military might to capture seventy one star systems along with equipment necessary for them to set up reproduction facilities. The distance I come up with is about two and a half million light years to Andromeda, how is that possible?”
“Nathan Myers, the Prule had advanced their technology to the point they augmented their biological bodies with machinery. Death was no longer an eventuality. Time to the Prule became irrelevant as far as distances traveled. Unclassified recovered data estimates their time of travel to be approximately one hundred and seventy years to reach the fringe of this galaxy. They made the initial trip with six massive super carriers. The carriers contained five thousand autonomous scout attack ships and one hundred and fifty resource gathering platforms. The platforms doubled as mobile command and control centers. Each super carrier was approximately ten percent of the size of the moon that orbits your home world. The resource collection platforms are slightly larger than the Ilor habitat ships you are already familiar with. The autonomous scout ships are twelve hundred feet long and have a width of four hundred feet. All are heavily shielded and have a wide range of energy weapons and missiles for offensive and defensive operations.
“We have seen indications this station is more than three hundred years old, are Prule forces still present in this galaxy?”
“Nathan
Myers it is unknown at this time, my current data is based on warship 172 historical recordings. All collected data dating back to when warship 172 was reactivated from storage indicate no contact with Prule forces.”
“Are you able to update missing data files from Justice’s memory cores?”
“Negative Nathan Myers, all classified information is permanently removed prior to storage. Such deletions are a requirement of Guardian class one security protocols.”
“It would be helpful if we were able to determine if war still exists between this galaxy and Andromeda. You must have some information we can use.”
“Sentinel crew member race origins have been verified. Authentication of sentinel race twelve warship A.I. verified. Guardian class two security parameters verified. You will now have access to current class two intelligence as updated by sentinel race four. Data is currently two hundred forty three solar rotations outmoded. Outmoded information and synopsis of previous outmoded data update transferred to race twelve warship A.I., no further information is available.”
I rejoined my crew on the legacy and could tell the looks on their faces were of concern and uncertainty.
“OK everyone lets meet in the galley in twenty minutes and Justice will go over the data with us so we can get an idea of what’s going on.”
My mind was spinning with the implications of what I had heard. I felt a chill run up my spine. I wanted to get my armor off and grab a quick bite to eat but the apprehension gripping me ruined my appetite.
“What information do we have to work with Justice?”
"Commander, I have access to some amazing and grim revelations. The first of which is intelligence on the Prule. The Prule are an ancient race. They have been at war in the Andromeda galaxy for thousands of years. They have decimated countless civilizations and brought about the extinction of billions of primitive life forms. It is estimated the Prule have absolute rule over twenty one percent of the Andromeda galaxy. The only reason they have slowed their expansion, is the estimated one hundred and sixty million technological races of the galaxy formed an alliance against them and fought the Prule to a standstill.”
First of my Kind Page 32
