Heretic

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  “What’s wrong?” Kalian asked, unaware of any danger around them.

  “Something is happening in the Conclave.” ALF had the same faraway expression his holographic counterpart always had when learning of something no one else could see. “Malekk has failed to kill the Gomar.”

  That was good news, but ALF’s look of concern didn't offer much hope.

  “Is he dead?” Kalian had to know. Only the Gomar had the power to kill Malekk since he was on the other side of the galaxy.

  “The cubes don't know,” ALF replied. “One of them has activated their Starforge and…” The AI gasped quietly. “The Vanguard has entered Conclave space.”

  “Where?” Naydaalan asked, all four of his fists clenched.

  “Arakesh.”

  Kalian’s face dropped. “The habitat. It’s going to destroy the habitat!”

  ALF lowered his arms and cupped his wide jaw. “They risk much by exposing themselves like this. The element of surprise-”

  “Isn't needed when you know you’re already more superior than your prey.” Kalian was pacing now. “They aren't afraid of facing the Conclave in a straight fight, especially if it means they can wipe us out first.”

  Naydaalan stepped between ALF and Kalian. “I still do not understand why they would risk anything by targeting the humans. The Gomar are a threat, and yourself, but the humans on that habitat are powerless. They must know this.”

  “It’s not just the abilities ALF gave us,” Kalian explained. “It’s our natural resistance. They’re afraid of being infected, or at least the big three at the top are. They have the perfect drone army under their control, each one a member of their original race. Any interaction with humans has the potential to undo that. Our natural resistance has the power to set them free, creating….” Kalian looked at ALF, the perfect example, “chaos.”

  Something about his own explanation didn't sit fight with Kalian. ALF was unable to provide a suitable answer for humanities natural resistance to nanocelium.

  “We have to get back, now.” Naydaalan fixed Kalian with his golden eyes.

  ALF rested his overly large hand on Kalian’s shoulder. “Are you ready to make such a jump? We haven't practiced one planet to another yet.”

  “But I have done it,” Kalian pointed out.

  ALF raised his eyebrow. “You almost died in the process. You might recall your organs being in the wrong place?”

  “Naydaalan’s right. We have to get back now. There’s nothing else that can stop the Vanguard.”

  “And you believe that you can?” ALF asked, incredulously.

  “No.” Kalian smiled. “But I know you can. I’ve been having a little look inside this ship of yours. These enhancements you’ve given me allow for a greater insight into, well… everything. I’ve seen the arsenal you have. You said it yourself; you were the old vanguard, before this new one.”

  “I am more than aware of my capabilities, Kalian. I fear you overestimate your own. Humanity cannot afford to lose you.”

  Kalian could hear Li’ara’s voice in his head - something he thought he had under control. “It’s the right thing, and that’s all we can do… it’s all we should do.”

  ALF bowed his head, satisfied with Kalian’s answer. The super subconducer fell back into place and the broken cube disappeared into the darkness above.

  Naydaalan stopped Kalian from taking his position with a firm hand. “It took me longer than my father to see the potential in your people and the good they could bring to the Conclave. Regardless of how long I live, the greatest honour of my life will be to have called you friend.”

  Kalian responded with a genuine smile. “If it wasn't for the work and trust you and your father have for us, humanity would be in a far darker hole. It’s because of you that I call all Novaarians friend.”

  Kalian took his place under the descending helmet of wires and tubes, aware that this next jump might be his last. Even if it was, he was happy to die knowing that he had saved his entire species in the process. In some way, Kalian knew he had come out here to die. A part of him had lost hope and knew that the Terran Empire would offer a fight he might not win. At least this death was less cowardly.

  The faintest of pricks alerted him to the needles piercing his skin, as the tubes wormed under the plating of his black armour. Kalian let go of reality and allowed his consciousness to be pulled down, into the depths of his mind. Flashes of Evalan ran across his vision, followed by scenes from Savrick’s life, both before and after Esabelle was born, and then moments from his own life thundered by and his parent’s faces smiled back at him.

  The images disappeared as quickly as they flashed before him. Now he was standing in a familiar white room, one of the walls replaced with the serene horizon of Evalan. The vault door loomed over him, almost surrounding his peripheral vision.

  “You know what’s on the other side,” a familiar voice said. Alai, the first immortal, was sitting in the middle of the room, with his back to Evalan.

  “Why am I here?” Kalian asked. “I need to jump the ship!” Despite time having almost no meaning with the speed at which he was able to think, Kalian still felt the urgency of his mission.

  “If you want to jump, you’re going to have to open that door.” Alai was calm as ever, his long black hair touching the floor.

  “I don't need…” Kalian couldn't even think it. “Li’ara will just cloud everything. I won't be able to focus.” He didn't want to deal with her death, not now, not ever.

  “Your jumps thus far have been instinctual, mostly based on the memories of others. Now you will need to select your destination, you will have to see it.”

  Kalian frowned at his own subconscious. “You’re saying that if I open that door, I’ll be able to see where I want to go?”

  Alai smiled. “Life is a series of discoveries. You’ll never know if you don't look.”

  Kalian sighed. “You should get a job writing fortune cookies.”

  The circular door appeared impenetrable and foreboding, but inside his mind its weight was inconsequential. With a single hand, waved across the surface, the door rolled aside.

  At first, Kalian couldn't make sense of what he was seeing. His mind worked at incredible speeds to analyze the view and determine the truth behind it. Initially, he knew it wasn't a memory of Li’ara since she had never been on the Rackham with several Gomar. The entire image was frozen as if he were looking at a real size photograph of an event he couldn't understand. Li’ara was standing on the bridge of the Rackham with six Gomar and Roland, who appeared to be piloting. Beyond the viewport, Kalian could see their pursuit of a giant ship, unmistakably the Vanguard. In the distance was Arakesh, the Raalakian homeworld and the human habitat.

  Tears ran down his face when the truth suddenly dawned on him. He turned back to look at Alai, the representation of his subconscious, who had already figured out the truth behind the meaning of the vault door, days ago.

  “What exactly am I looking at?” Kalian reached out, sure that he could touch Li’ara if he wanted.

  “I wouldn't do that,” Alai was quick to respond. “If you cross the threshold, while connected to ALF’s ship, you’ll jump inside the Rackham. Physics might not have much meaning in here, but out there, it’ll turn the Rackham inside out trying to fit ALF’s ship onto the bridge.”

  “This is real, then?” Kalian turned back to Li’ara, desperate to hold her.

  “Your link to her is just as, if not stronger, than your connection to Savrick or even ALF now. She has always been at the heart of your focus, Kalian. Right now you’re looking over the curve. Time, space, gravity… While you’re being powered by ALF’s ship, these concepts cannot bar you.”

  Kalian couldn't find the words to fit his emotions. “She’s alive. How can she be alive?”

  “Sef.” Alai’s response was simple, if baffling.

  “You can't know that. If I don't know it, then you can't…”

  “Now you’re catching on. I
am you, just unfiltered. I don't have the emotions and moral compass that fog every thought and action. I’m more…”

  “Machine,” Kalian finished.

  “Precisely. Sef is the most logical choice since Esabelle told you to find him, suggesting that he is, in fact, alive and operating unseen in the Conclave. You also know that the rest of the Gomar was imprisoned at the time of Li’ara’s supposed death, leaving Sef the only option. There’s a very real chance he’s even on that bridge right now.”

  “How do I get from here to there, without crossing the threshold?” He needed to reach Li’ara now. He had to hold her and feel how very real and alive she was. That desperation was building in him, filling him with more urgency.

  “Look again,” Alai said, nodding at the frozen image with his chin. “See where you want to be and… be.”

  Kalian turned back to the view of the Rackham and tore his eyes from Li’ara, searching for the perfect destination. He smiled, wickedly.

  Chapter 25

  Captain Holt couldn't sit in his command chair, due to the adrenaline that had his gut performing somersaults. It didn't help that at least twenty refugees were huddled and crowded into every available space between the stations. Jed was bent over the top of helmsman Maloy’s station, willing the Paladin’s engines to push harder and provide more speed. The Vanguard was quickly approaching from behind, ignoring the escorting Raalakian ships that fired upon it.

  “God I hope we got everyone…” Captain Fey was on the other side of the bridge, crouched over Commander Vale’s monitor. She gave Jed a look of thanks and respect, no doubt for his role in evacuating everyone and retrieving the Paladin.

  “If we hadn't left when we did we’d be dead already.” Commander Vale never took her eyes off the monitor, watching the enemy’s approach.

  “It’s firing!” ensign Marko announced from behind them all.

  Jed flashed the man a warning look when those huddled on the bridge gasped and screamed in terror. He didn't need panic right now. If they were all about to die, then let death take them without warning.

  “It hit the habitat,” Sam responded from under Captain Fey’s shadow.

  Jed observed the screen beside Maloy and watched the feed of the habitat being obliterated with a single strike. The white flash was soon eclipsed by the sheer size of their pursuer.

  “We need more speed,” Maloy said under his breath.

  Jed was inclined to agree, but the Paladin simply wasn't designed to house so many occupants. The extra seven thousand bodies were taking its toll. For just a moment, Captain Holt thought about the idea of escaping with only a hundred thousand onboard, at least then the majority might have been able to survive. He knew he could never live with that sacrifice, however.

  “We’re being hailed,” Marko said.

  Sam finished for him. “It’s something called the Rackham.”

  “Roland!” Captain Fey appeared hopeful, though Jed couldn't figure out why a single ship would change anything. “Mr. North has a way of making an entrance, and it’s usually one that pisses off his enemies.”

  “Communications just went dead.” Marko’s hands danced across the wall-size screen in front of him. “It's jamming us.”

  “It’s closing the gap,” Maloy said, just loud enough for Jed to hear.

  Captain Holt read the data scrolling down the monitor to his left. There were only three of the escort ships left, the others reduced to smears across the Vanguard’s hull.

  Jed put his hand on Maloy’s shoulder and squeezed. “It’s been an-”

  The viewport gave way to a new, massive object emerging from sub-space. Everyone on the bridge screamed and huddled closer together, believing this new ship was about to collide with them it was so close. Maloy instinctively pushed the Paladin down in a desperate bid to fly under the giant cube. At this distance, Jed could make out the details on the hull, noting the similarities between it and the ship chasing them.

  “What is that thing?” someone shouted from the back of the bridge.

  A horrendous screeching noise tore through the Paladin from above, moments before new alerts flashed up on every screen. The cube-shaped vessel had brushed against the hull, ripping through the sturdy panels as if the ship were made of tissue paper. According to the data readouts, the cube dropped into position behind the Paladin and eclipsed the Vanguard with its own girth.

  With sweat pouring down his face, Jed locked eyes with Captain Fey. “What the hell was that?”

  Li’ara couldn't believe her eyes. The Rackham was far enough away to give them the perfect view of the giant cube, emerging from sub-space, which barely missed the Paladin. The cube was missing all of its corners, but the design was certainly identical to that of the Vanguard. A pit opened in her stomach. She had seen Earth reduced to flames, Century destroyed and now she would bear witness to the end of her kind. Defeating the Vanguard was an almost impossible task, but defeating two of them with one world breaker was hopeless.

  “What the shit is that thing?” Roland, happy to be piloting his own ship again, voiced a question they all had.

  “It’s fallen in behind the Paladin,” Ch’len observed.

  “It’s not pursuing…” Li’ara tracked its trajectory on the screen and looked up to see the cube heading for the Vanguard. Neither reduced speed.

  “Is it a bad guy?” Roland was still taking them in, and fast. The Rackham was already arcing towards the gap between the Vanguard and the new ship.

  “The world breaker is primed.” Ch’len was furiously munching on his usual orange snacks.

  “Pull us out!” Vox ordered. “They’re not slowing down and we’re heading for the middle of it!”

  “Damn it!” Roland tugged hard on the controls and redirected the Rackham at the last second, just as the two behemoths collided.

  Li’ara brought up the view on the holographic monitor and watched with the others. The Rackham was able to avoid most of the chaos, but the Vanguard was an unstoppable force interacting violently with an immovable object. The Vanguard’s pointed ship shattered against the cube’s surface, as if it had been made of blocks or glass, never quite stuck together. The cube continued forward, while the millions of pieces that had once been the Vanguard were pushed across its hull and scattered into space, behind its momentum.

  “Holy shit…” Roland once again voiced the general consensus.

  The millions of pieces were coming back together on the other side of the cube and reforming into the original structure. The Paladin, a tiny object in the distance, was still heading for the sun, desperate to outrun the Vanguard. The collision had slowed it down, but it apparently wasn't enough to destroy it.

  Roland swivelled the ship to acquire a better view. “If that thing can be turned inside out and still keep going, what exactly did we think a world breaker was going to do?”

  “Wait!” Li’ara called, her eyes narrowing on the chaos behind the cube, where the Vanguard was still coming back together. “What’s that?”

  They all saw the brilliant, blue streak of a missile leave the cube and dive into the heart of the forming ship. By the time the Vanguard came back together, the missile detonated from within. The bronze hull swelled, as the nanocelium tried to absorb the explosion, but it inevitably succumbed to the crippling blow. There was no obvious engine or port at the back of the ship but immediately began to slow down and drift off course.

  A spectacular light show erupted from within, when chunks of the Vanguard blew away from the surface, exposing more of the nanocelium inside. The cornerless cube spun on its axis and came about, turning to face the broken Vanguard.

  “What are we watching here?” Roland asked in the quiet of the bridge.

  Li’ara had no answer. She looked to the Gomar, who all stood perfectly still, observing the fight between the mechanical gods. Li’ara wondered if they were scanning the two ships in the same way that Kalian often did. She still didn't fully grasp the connection between the Terran and
the universe, but she had seen Kalian unravel mysteries hidden behind miles of rock.

  “I’m registering a huge shift in gravitons around the Vanguard,” Ch’len said, his mouth finally free of food.

  It’s going to jump, Sef telepathically observed.

  In the blink of an eye, the Vanguard folded in on itself and vanished from sight. The Paladin was just visible to the human eye, thanks to its rounded, swollen midsection, which blocked out the field of stars along its trajectory. The cube floated in and around the debris field left behind by the damaged Vanguard.

  It just floated…

  The crunch of Ch’len’s new mouthful broke the silence. “What happens now?”

  “...Do you copy? Paladin to Rackham, do you copy?”

  Li’ara didn't recognise the voice, but she was happy to hear from them. “Turn them around,” she looked to Ch’len, “bring them back.”

  “What about that thing?” Roland gestured to the viewport and the dormant cube. “Are we looking at the enemy of our enemy or… just another enemy?”

  Li’ara looked out at the unusual ship, devoid of any traditional structures seen on space-faring vessels, and wondered what was going on inside of it. Was this an enemy?

  “The Paladin is turning around,” Ch’len reported. “And something pretty huge is coming up behind us.”

  The Marillion… Sef operated the controls built into his suit’s fingertips and collapsed his helmet, revealing his short blond hair and blue eyes.

  Indeed, the Marillion was coming up behind them, its shining gold surface glowing in the light of the distant sun. Li’ara examined it on the holographic screen, noting the multiple holes and scorch marks as big as any Nexus Class vessel. Its regal appearance was somewhat dishevelled.

  “Open a channel,” Li’ara spoke directly to Ch’len.