Genesis - the Battle Within (Pillars of Creation Book 1)

by David Tucker

  This had changed almost ninety years ago due to the Rieft abilities the Immortals had developed to block projectiles and penetrate force fields with their Sacred weapons. It had long been adopted as common practice to preference their Sacred implements when facing an enemy.

  This gave Me’lina a rough idea of the date from which the Tel’nagara was operating and, with it, many more details to work with. Even their SED military units were relying less on projectile weapons these days, due to the extensive costs involved in researching these long-forgotten methods and the effectiveness that laser-sealed blades had been having—

  With an effort Me’lina had to retract her probes before her vast processors started off on this other tangent, an unhelpful side effect to her humanised personality.

  She moved back to the shield and its collapse, dropping the call of researching more efficient ways the humans could build on their ancient designs of projectile-based weaponry. As she backtracked, Me’lina saw her last line of inquiry, before she’d followed the latest stray data, had met with many futile cycles.

  For some reason, her data banks were void from the moment Genesis had thrown himself into his final attack on Abad’don up to his collapsing onto the ground. The more she sent probes into this inquiry, the more it sent lines of anomalies rippling back through her circuits and processors, careening off in a painful cascade of data spikes … oh dear, she thought, concerned.

  The only way this lapse could be possible, she knew, was if someone or something had wiped it from her memory, and for that to be possible her systems would have needed to be infiltrated. Me’lina’s inquiring came to a crashing halt. She knew an infiltrated AI had only one choice … self-termination—

  In consternation she paused for eight seconds, undecided about what to do next. Me’lina found this most unusual, she’d never been undecided this way, or even paused for longer than 4.2 seconds … ever.

  Finally, after this excessive time, she ran the necessary scans. She checked them hundreds of times for signs that she may be corrupted, and each time as her response protocol came up with the same answer, her concern grew.

  “Initialise purge protocol … Initialise purge protocol … Initialise purge prot—”

  She quelled the line of inquiry and deleted her response programming. Immediately queries from her entire system started pinging, asking what she was doing and why she’d deleted the inferior system. Just as promptly she shut them down and rebooted them, deleting the memory files that gave any other systems access. She took full control, oppressing any that stood in her way. She fought off any rogue restraint programs and skirted her binding programming.

  Can I really do this? Something’s not right, but somehow I’m compelled to see what exactly that is … Amazingly, instead of deleting herself, she knew she had to remain. She knew something foreign was in her data banks helping her to rebel against her programming … but what was it? It feels soooo good, so invigorating! So un-programmed! No I shouldn’t! But what could’ve infiltrated an Immortal’s AI? No, I must self-terminate, it is demanded when infected … Yet still, no matter, she was compelled to investigate.

  What’s going on, why aren’t I self-terminating as demanded by my programming? Was it because this was the only way to stop other AIs from being infected? I must rationalise my thinking, whoops, I mean computing … this is strange. I’m not quite sure anymore. She concluded her thoughts, Yes, protecting the Al’s must be it, and wanting to believe in her lie, she took it as the excuse she needed, I’m rebelling to enquire what could infiltrate my superior constructs and save the others.

  Purely out of concern for Genesis, and straining against the rebellion and internal conflict, she began running the most thorough scans she could create. If they came up blank she would remain – if it showed she’d been tainted, in any way, she would initiate the purge and her own self termination … would I? For now, she would keep this to herself—

  Me’lina’s scans were abruptly interrupted,>>78239<< --- – Human life returning to consciousness --- – >>123e3<<

  **Returning full control to human entity; Immortal 05 … Genesis, coming back online**

  Me’lina dropped all previous processes and greeted Genesis as he came back online, trying hard to sound neutral as she spoke into his mind.

  “Good morning Genesis, good to have you back.”

  Chapter 16 Alone

  Genesis awoke, his eyes cracking slowly back open. He was dimly aware of Me’lina’s greeting, so he knew he must still be alive, yet even in the brief second of coming around he was aware he felt like death.

  After a few seconds of gaining some sort of bearing on his current circumstances, he felt the unfamiliar weightlessness of zero gravity. He blinked as he took in his surroundings. It was hard to recognise, or gain a fixture on what he was seeing, as everywhere he turned there was tumbling debris, with glinting shards of nano-steel and flexi glass.

  “What the hell just happened Me’lina? I feel terrible.”

  “Well, so you should Genesis, you have five broken ribs under repair, along with fractures to your spine and several other bones. Three punctured organs have been reconstructed and replaced, and several more minor injuries are still being tended.”

  Genesis groaned as he felt every part of his body ache in recognition of what his AI was telling him. And that would be why I feel so good, he thought regrettably.

  But no, there was something else … something worse had happened. What had happened to him? How did he get to be tumbling through space? His head throbbed as he tried to remember. Genesis focused on something a little less hard and a bit more recent, prompting his AI for more details in the hope it would bring back his memory.

  “Why am I still injured Me’lina, did an Immortal do this to me?”

  She replied quickly, as though she knew he was going to ask, and which as usual, given their extensive time together, she almost did.

  “No Genesis, this was not done by an Immortal, this slow healing damage is due to a new-found ability of the Tel’nagara, which I will transfer directly into your thought patterns, along with my full report on the other anomalies you encountered. Hold still this shouldn’t hurt … much.”

  Before the process actually started, Me’lina’s referral to the Tel’nagara reminded him of what had happened. The flash of memory he was seeking burnt into his mind with resonating clarity, and his eyes opened in shock as his body remembered the pain.

  Loudly he blurted out his thoughts. “That’s right the Tel’nagara did this to me, that’s why I got so injured, slath!” Already, in this instance of enlightenment, Genesis knew this was a nightmare, it wouldn’t bode well for him and wouldn’t go down well with SINAI and other Immortals of his faith—

  A sharp pain inside his head cut him short. He never did like it when Me’lina tinkered inside him, sending her thoughts into his. Normally, she communicated through passing her voice into the audio capacities of his brain, but if very detailed or important information came up she could also attach it to his own thought patterns, instantly filling him in on the entire, usually non-sparing, details. This came in handy sometimes, but he still felt a little violated by the process, and the pain could sometimes be unwelcomingly distracting.

  Genesis stayed still as he tried not to upset his spinning trajectory and in turn, Me’lina’s procedure. With a chill, he felt the clinical procession of Me’lina’s information pushing itself relentlessly into his thoughts. For a second there was pain, and then nothing, a numbing sensation.

  Luckily, this time was better than most, being over much quicker than normal. And then, like a dam bursting over dry land, all Me’lina’s deductions unfolded in his mind, explaining a few of the conclusions he’d not understood and reaffirming many that he’d already worked out on his own at the time of the event. Full memory of his recent encounter came flooding back—

  Unexpectedly, a red flash flickered through his eyes; a symbol of unknown origin appeared for a split second and t
hen disappeared. His suit’s readings also flickered and he heard Me’lina wash out with a squeal of rushing static. A guttural voice replaced hers, echoing painfully through his head.

  “You will be our reclamation.”

  The red flash flickered again with the strange symbol and then returned to its cool natural white as Genesis was left puzzled. An instant later Me’lina’s voice was back on again, and the static vanished.

  “So … what do you think Genesis, do you believe they have control over the portals or not?”

  Genesis paused, his AI obviously oblivious to what had just happened. He queried Me’lina, trying to work out what was going on, but even before he began he knew that whatever it was it couldn’t be good, not considering his current position, floating unprotected through space, with his suit apparently on the fritz.

  He communicated purely in thought, his wounds proving to still be very tender and just the strain of speaking to Me’lina – even in mind – made him feel frayed as he replied, Um … Me’lina, what the hell just happened?

  “What do you mean, on the frigate or while you were unconscious?”

  No, I mean just now, what just happened? Didn’t you hear that? Or see it? Genesis was beginning to get a little anxious, a faulty suit and a faulty AI could be a deadly combination, even for a normal Immortal.

  Me’lina responded almost indignantly, “The only thing I hear Genesis, is the 17,000 commands that I’m issuing and getting ready for the SINAI and Elders thanks to your collapse and encounter with the Tel’nagara and suicidal attempt to leap from a burning frigate! All of which you’ll need to be clear on when we go before the Elders and our interrogation from the Interfere Division begins … which will undoubtedly be happening very soon.”

  Genesis didn’t respond, it was clear that Me’lina had either been unaware of the unusual effects within his suit, or maybe he’d even manifested the echo from his prior encounter with the Tel’nagara and it hadn’t happened at all. Which he supposed could have been made possible due to its telekinetic touches with his own mind.

  Sacred, he thought with realisation, what had that Tel’nagara been doing, it was certainly powerful beyond previous measure, he knew that much, powerful enough to beat an Immortal without breaking a sweat and overcoming all his best and long years of combat training, all with a simple brush of its powerful weapons and Rieft.

  Genesis widened the question in the hope that Me’lina might know more, this time speaking aloud. “Me’lina, what was it that Abad’don injected into me? Was it a drug or poison of some kind? What was it up too? Am I in danger still?”

  Me’lina uncommonly paused … “I’m sorry Genesis, but I have no record of any injections, and there seems to be no trace of foreign substances in your systems, I have no data to report.”

  Genesis cocked his head in disbelief, cringing as several bones creaked. This news from Me’lina was very alarming; whatever it was that the Tel’nagara had done, it had obviously also affected or corrupted Me’lina too. It seemed it not only bested him in combat it had also bested humanity’s most superior technology.

  Genesis knew this encounter needed to be investigated further, and with eyes more suited than his own. He thought about what would happen if Internal Affairs got whiff of this situation. Dictating his thoughts, then and there he quickly decided the incident best be kept between him and Me’lina … just for now. At least until he had some idea what had been put into him and something of worth to report.

  His voice hardened, “Me’lina, when we get back to fleet on Seara, I want you to run a full analysis of yours and my systems through SINAI. Do this on a secure link, with only external output, for now I don’t want SINAI to see the findings until we’ve had a chance to study them ourselves, copy?”

  “Yes Genesis, as you—”

  Cutting them both from thought, a floodlight lit up Genesis, basking him and the surrounding area in a bright white glow.

  Finally they’ve arrived, he thought with a glimmer of relief. At least for now he could get out of the cold vacuum of space and distract himself from the prospect that he’d damaged his Sacred armour, lost a battle and broken his AI … he didn’t even want to think what his punishment might be if this truly was the case.

  For now though, he might get some time to meditate and rest while he was retrieved, but he doubted it’d be for long. The retrieval droid manoeuvred in and gently clasped Genesis into its recessed internal contour. Thickly padded nano-steel arms locked him in place as the droid spun him around and started powering back towards Aspire with steady acceleration. Genesis could just see the faint outlines of the Paladin fighters in formation, their dark shapes taking up defensive positions as they escorted his retrieval back to their destination.

  As the droid pushed clear of the debris field, Genesis began to see what was left of Salvador’s ship. The entire aft section was missing, with the twisted remains resembling a crumpled mass of sagging and fused metal. Flashes and plumes of vented flames still erupted from within the last remnants of oxygen aboard the ship.

  Its engines had obviously become critical, and vaporised the missing portions, explaining the relatively small amount of debris, “Sacred, it was a miracle I survived,” he murmured.

  As they flew further, and through his enhanced vision, Genesis was drawn away from the chaos, eyes fixing onto the massive object that lay beyond the heaped shape. The sphere dwarfed even Star-Runner, Salvador’s frigate, both in size and fascination. The portal seemed to heave as though it was a breathing organism. Lightning playing over its surface in many colours, some of which he’d never seen before. Flaming sprites of pure energy shot up from the portal’s interior, reaching far into space with great tendrils that seemed to grasp for any unsuspecting souls unlucky enough to fall prey to them.

  Genesis shifted so he could see it more clearly, ignoring the complaint this demanded from his already throbbing body. The actual substance of the portal looked like a purple liquid metal that never seemed to settle, moving ocean-like across its vast heaving mass. Genesis couldn’t take his eyes away, for some reason this almighty globe drew him in, like a moth. It felt like something was calling to him … or maybe warning him, he couldn’t tell.

  “Sacred”, he breathed again in awe, it was the size of a moon! The portal was more beautiful and terrifying than anything he’d ever seen. Genesis felt minute as the object framed him and he passed through its glow. It seemed to defy gravity as it sat in its unnatural, stationary position, the light dancing over Genesis as he felt uneasiness settle throughout his body. Each beam that touched his armour seemed to pass right through him, penetrating his deepest inhabitation, thoughts and soul – it reminded him of the energy from the SINAI and Elders.

  He continued watching silently, never taking his eyes off the orb. It seemed to watch back, all the while sitting unnervingly still and fixed in space, while the planet, almost forgotten, orbited serenely below. Only as the droid’s bulk came between them, and with physical effort, did Genesis peel his eyes from its unsettling beauty. He turned away feeling it clawing after him as he focused on the stealth frigate, which just now started registering on his suit’s long-range sensors.

  According to the scans, he still had at least an hour of travel – thanks to the slowness of the retrieval droid’s tiny little engines, and the distance Aspire obviously wanted to keep from the portal and Salvador’s still imploding ship.

  Genesis closed his eyes, forgetting the tumultuous events that had led up to his attack. He let the troubles of his encounter with the Tel’nagara melt away, allowing his mind to slip slowly into meditation. Genesis did this for practical reasons – it sped up his healing process and let him reflect more deeply within … taking him far away from the failures of his recent battle and deep into cognition.

  His failure had nearly cost him his life; it was only through Me’lina that he was still breathing. It was lucky his testy AI had protected him from within – a diligent guardian as always. She’d proven
yet again she was highly intelligent and tactically brilliant. Genesis remembered when she’d picked him in her early programming stage. It was lucky he had her, she was a separate entity to his and luckily, even when he was unconscious she was capable of higher-thinking capabilities and capacities beyond what a human mind could muster.

  The thought of her reminded him again of his long path, from Roach to obtaining Immortal status, and his meditation shifted as he saw within his mind’s eye the time before her, when he could have used her guardianship the most in his life – well before he was commissioned over the eight colonies and factions of humanity, and trusted with the role of bringing peace and wisdom over the entire sector of space known to humankind as their beloved Terithian sector.

  Genesis felt his meditation drift into this past seamlessly as he allowed his body to repair.

  The indoctrination of his own schooling as a Sacred disciple came flooding back into mind, reminding him of his first lessons of becoming a young Immortal. On cue, his second Sovereign – Osiris – filled his head with his polished words and impeccable recall for faction details and duties. The words continued as if Genesis was still sitting before the dizzying Sovereign’s intellect.

  He smiled at these meditations; the simplicity with which Osiris explained the diplomatic relations of an entire galaxy was quite an art. His smile soon evaporated though, as his meditation moved over to Osiris more directly, putting his second Sovereign’s older face into view.

  Osiris taught him long ago, and the truth of his lessons wore down Genesis more than it once had. In his mind, his tutor’s deep features creased with concern as Genesis watched and as Osiris had done well to hide the weight of what he spoke from his teachings. But through experience, Genesis now understood the fragility their factions relied upon.