by G J Ogden
“There are only two to go,” said Hudson. “You take the one on the left, I’ll take the one on the right.”
Hudson aimed, but then two more drones scuttled inside the room from the corridors on the side walls.
“Shit…” said Hudson, realizing he’d again spoken too soon.
Then the sound of metal clacking against metal reverberated down the chamber from the rear, and another drone entered behind them.
“Back up!” said Tory, who was already stepping away from the end wall. “We can use the central mass as cover.”
Hudson also started to pace away from the drones, but now all four were slowly stalking them. “Morphus, if ever you were going to help us out, now is the time!” he shouted out into the air.
They reached the hexagonal mass and pressed their backs against it. Tory crouched and took aim. “I think we’re on our own,” she said. “Keep your groupings tight. If we’re lucky, two or three shots should be enough.”
Hudson nodded, and took several deep breaths. His hand was already shaking so much he doubted he could get three shots on target, never mind in a tight grouping. He was about to fire his first round when there was a deep, resonant thud from the far wall. It sounded as though a huge bolt had just slid open in a vault. The seed drones stopped, and looked back as the center of the wall began to open up, like an iris. Hudson and Tory stood up, to get a clearer view of what was beyond, before they saw someone walking out of the iris towards them.
“Is it Morphus?” asked Tory, as the figure cleared the threshold and entered the room.
Hudson smiled, and shook his head. “No, it’s not Morphus,” he said, recognizing her purposeful walk immediately. “That’s Liberty.”
“What’s she got in her hands?” asked Tory, noticing the two shimmering staffs in Liberty’s grasp. “And why the hell are her arms glowing?”
Liberty punched the tonfa towards Hudson, and he ducked instinctively as a bolt of energy flashed past. Turning behind, he saw the seed drone that had entered from the rear collapse to the deck. There was a hole cut directly through its central mass, as if Liberty had bored into it with an enormous drill. He spun back to Liberty with the intention of asking how she’d done it, but his mouth just hung open.
“Well, don’t just stand there!” shouted Liberty, throwing her arms out wide. “Shoot the damn things!”
Tory reacted before Hudson could regain his senses, shooting the drone on her far left four times and putting it down. Liberty darted forward and attacked the drone nearest to her, unleashing whip-like talons of energy with each flourish of the glowing tonfas. The machine was split in half, as if struck with an enormous cleaver.
Another seed drone advanced on Liberty, but Hudson was ready this time. He pulled the trigger of the six-shooter and hit the drone’s rear quarter, causing the machine to stumble and falter. Hudson cocked the six shooter and fired twice more, striking first to the drone’s central mass, before taking one of the scythe-like legs clean off. Liberty moved in and finished off the machine in another impressive display with her strange alien weapons.
A single drone remained. Its arrow-like body jolted from Liberty to Hudson and then to Tory, as if it were unsure of who posed the greatest threat to it. It then darted for Tory, but the crack of the Winchester stopped it in its tracks. Hudson fired again, this time hitting the machine dead center, before Liberty moved in, punching the tonfa towards the drone and finishing it cleanly.
Hudson was left breathless and shaky, hardly believing that they’d survived the onslaught. He peered around the chamber, but other than the smoldering remains of the seed drones, and themselves, it was clear. He turned back, but was almost knocked off his feet as Liberty flung herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck.
“You made it!” she cried, beaming a smile at him.
“Apparently, so did you,” replied Hudson, smiling back at her. Then he noticed the glowing weapons that were still wrapped around his neck. “Though you appear to have found a couple of new alien artefacts since we were last together?”
“Long story…” said Liberty, stepping back, and nodding respectfully towards Tory, who returned the gesture, “and we’re short on time. Do you have the crystal?”
Hudson took the rucksack off his back and held it out to her. “Two parts of an alien crystal, a recombination chamber, and a whole bunch of fragments,” he said. “I sure as hell hope that Morphus knows what to do with it.”
Liberty slid the tonfas through her belt. “I hope so too,” she said, more somberly, “because the CET fleet is all but gone, and we only have a few minutes before Goliath reaches Earth.”
Hudson nodded, “If that ship is half as smart as Morphus says it is, then this crystal should certainly get its attention.”
Liberty took the rucksack from Hudson, and peered inside. The fragments of crystals were glowing, like her augmentations. She smiled, and her own eyes took on a steelier edge. “It’s time we kicked this bully where it really hurts.”
CHAPTER 28
Hudson and Tory followed Liberty through the iris-like opening in the wall and into the Revocater’s navigation hub. The iris then closed behind them, once again sealing off the titanic vessel’s effective command center from any other seed drones that may have made it inside. All three then hurried to the far side of the navigation hub, and found Morphus standing in front of two wildly different starship flight decks.
On the left, Hudson immediately recognized the layout as being the same as that of the Orion. However, the consoles on the right were a wild juxtaposition of modern, high-end cockpit design, with something straight out of the Dam Busters. He watched as the ball turret rotated rapidly in midair, and saw the bolts of energy race out into space all around them. Then Hudson noticed who was controlling the turret, and had to do a double-take. He turned to Liberty, full of questions.
“Is that Tobin or have I finally lost my marbles?” Hudson asked, a little louder than he’d planned.
“Hey, Hudson,” replied Tobin from the turret. “You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t get up,” he added, while destroying several seed drones that were attempting to ram the Revocater.
Hudson turned back to Tobin, then to Liberty again, but with all of the questions fighting for precedence, he was unable to articulate any of them.
“He was almost killed by a seed drone while we were fighting on the surface of the Corporeals’ home world,” Liberty began, anticipating what Hudson might want to know. “Morphus healed him with that strange glowy metal, and now he’s basically the Revocater’s gunner, in that recreation of a B17 Sperry ball turret.”
“Makes perfect sense to me,” interrupted Tory, placing her hand underneath Hudson’s chin and gently closing his gaping mouth. Then Tory turned to Morphus. “So, alien lady, what do we do with these crystals?”
Liberty handed the rucksack to Morphus, and the entity removed the recombination device, before examining the crystal shards and fragments.
“This will be sufficient to recombine a crystal,” the entity said, and Hudson heard everyone in the room let out a collective sigh of relief. However, Morphus did not allow any time for celebrations. “We must be ready the moment the crystal chamber comes online,” it added, with a cautionary tone. “Goliath knows that a single Revocater cannot defeat it. It has toyed with us until now, intent on tormenting my programming for as long as possible. But once it detects the crystal, the great ship will unleash the full extent of its power on this ship.”
A pillar then rose up between the two stations, and Morphus placed the recombination device on top. It sank into the alien metal and Hudson watched through a transparent window as the two objects blended into a seamless whole. Four tubes connected the device to the pillar, just as Hudson had found it on the other Revocater. Morphus then placed the crystal shards on top, and Hudson watched as they also sank into the metal. A few seconds later, they were visible through the window. Hudson took a deep breath and let it out slowly. They were
finally ready, he realized.
“Liberty, please set a collision course with Goliath,” said Morphus, turning to the Revocater’s augmented human pilot.
Liberty’s eyebrows shot up on her forehead. “You want me to do what now with Goliath?” she replied, in the manner that people often ask others to repeat instructions that seem patently insane.
“I want you to set a collision course with Goliath,” answered Morphus, restating its precise instruction. However, the disturbed look on Liberty’s face encouraged the alien to elaborate on its reasons. “At the moment, Goliath is content to methodically whittle this ship down. It wishes to cripple the Revocater, and force us to spectate, safe in the knowledge we cannot stop it,” Morphus added. “But if Goliath believes we will ram it, in a last-ditch effort to thwart its victory, it will turn from the planet and confront us.”
“And that’s what we want?” Hudson cut in. Like Liberty, he was struggling to see the benefit of Morphus’ new order.
“I assume you do not want Goliath to remove the planet’s core, causing Earth to crumble to dust?” replied Morphus, with a slight eyebrow raise of its own.
Tory laughed, and Liberty and Hudson scowled at her, failing to see the funny side. “What? The alien lady has some sass!” Tory said, shrugging.
“Trust me, Liberty Devan entity,” said Morphus. “Time is short.”
Liberty shot an uncertain glance at Hudson, but at this point he had to take Morphus on faith. He nodded back to her, and Liberty returned to her station, before turning the Revocater towards Goliath and increasing their speed. Hudson and Tory waited with Morphus, and watched as the recombination chamber began to glow brighter, like the raging furnace of a steam locomotive.
The floor shook again, and Hudson saw the diamond-like shape of an infiltrator swoop past the panoramic view that wrapped around them. Tobin quickly spun the turret after it and destroyed the vessel with a swarm of energy bolts. However, Hudson could see that others were combining from the hundreds of seed drones that were still buzzing around them. There were now fewer than twenty CET vessels left in Trent’s once mighty war fleet. In less than an hour, Goliath had almost wiped out Earth’s entire defenses.
Suddenly there was a thud from the far side of the chamber, followed by several more sharp, metallic strikes. Hudson and Tory exchanged nervous glances and turned to Morphus.
“Seed drones are attempting to break through,” the entity explained. “I have used the last of my available resources to seal off the engine and reactor chambers, to prevent the drones from detonating inside and crippling the Revocater.” A second pillar rose up behind Morphus, and Hudson saw that it again contained the glowing alien ammunition. “I must now focus my energy on confronting Goliath,” Morphus added, in its usual, highly understated manner. “Please assist me by holding off any seed drones that manage to break through.”
Hudson and Tory met each other’s eyes briefly, then began hastily reloading their weapons. Though Morphus had made its request sound no more urgent than an invitation to answer the door, both of them knew the consequences should the seed drones get inside and destroy the crystal chamber, or even Morphus itself.
Tory finished pushing the alien .44-40s into the six-shooter, and closed the cylinder. “Take this again,” she said, holding the six-shooter out to Hudson. “You’ll need more firepower than that little pistol can deliver.”
Hudson nodded and took the revolver. “I don’t imagine the people who made these weapons thought that this would be the frontier they’d be used in.”
Tory finished sliding the last round into the Winchester and cocked it. “No, but this time the stakes are far higher than the Wild West,” said Tory. “Let’s just hope this isn’t our last stand.”
Suddenly, the intense light from the hexagonal pillar diminished. Hudson glanced back and saw that a fully-formed crystal was now visible inside it, and was glowing vividly. Then he heard another powerful, low thrum harmonize with the sound of the Revocater’s immense reactors.
“Morphus…” Liberty called out. The distress in her voice caused Hudson to look up at the screen. The reason for Liberty’s concern was immediately obvious – Goliath had turned towards them, and was closing rapidly.
“It’s coming straight at us,” Liberty continued, breathlessly, “and the Shaak radiation levels are beginning to climb!”
“Reduce speed and stand by,” said Morphus, before the entity sank into its pod.
“Stand by for what?!” cried Liberty, slowing the mighty Revocater so that they now sat toe-to-toe with the great ship, but Morphus had already disappeared and merged with the Revocater. “Damn, I wish it would stop doing that!” cried Liberty, turning back to the view outside, which was now utterly consumed by the vast form of Goliath.
The new sound that had begun when the crystal was recombined now overtook even the thrum of the Revocater’s reactors. The entire crystal chamber and hexagonal pillar was now glowing, as if it was white hot, but strangely Hudson could still look at it without hurting his eyes.
“Shaak radiation levels just doubled!” cried Liberty. “And that was double a level that was already off the chart…” Hudson ran to her side and read the instruments.
“Wait, some of the Shaak build-up is coming from us,” said Hudson. Then he looked up at Goliath on the screen, stalking them as if they were a wounded animal. “It’s not just Goliath that’s trying to cast a portal; Morphus is too!”
Tory rushed up beside Hudson, and they all watched as the two titanic vessels prepared to throw each other across the galaxy. Two massive swirling vortices of energy began to form between the rival vessels, pushing against each other like giant sumo wrestlers. The thrum inside the navigation hub rose to a near-deafening roar, and it seemed like the entire frame of the Revocater twisted and groaned under the immense strain. The standoff continued for several more seconds, neither one of the two mighty ships giving an inch, but then the conjoined vortices began to slowly creep back towards them. The titanic frame of the Revocater began to buckle, like a soda can slowly being crushed.
“Morphus, what’s happening?” shouted Hudson, peering around the chamber for any sign of the entity.
“We’re losing, that’s what is happening,” said Tory, pensively.
Hudson met Tory’s eyes for a moment, and he could see that she sensed defeat. Peering back outside, it was now clear that Goliath was pushing the portals back towards the Revocater. The great ship was overcoming Morphus with sheer, brute strength.
“No, we can’t have come this far only to lose now!” cried Hudson, thumping the console. Then he turned to the pod that Morphus had sunk into and stared down into it. “Morphus, there must be something more we can do. Anything!”
There was a moment’s silence, like the wait for the executioner’s axe to fall, before Morphus’ voice filled the chamber.
“There is only one option remaining,” it said, its voice sounding strained and weak. “You must all leave. To defeat Goliath, I must give all this vessel has, and more. For humanity to live, I must die.”
CHAPTER 29
Morphus’ shock announcement hit Hudson like a hammer strike to the head. For several seconds he just stood over the alien entity’s pod, completely lost for words. He turned to the others for inspiration, but each of their faces wore the same stupefied expression as his.
The words continued to echo around Hudson’s mind. Morphus had literally taken a bullet for him on New Providence station, and during their time together he’d developed a genuine fondness for the entity’s curious ways. It wasn’t just a machine; it was a friend, and just as much a part of the crew as Liberty, Tory and Tobin.
“Morphus’ you can’t sacrifice yourself to save us, not again!” said Liberty, as she and the others joined Hudson beside the entity’s pod, “There must be another way.”
“There is not.”
The voice came from the center of the chamber. They all turned to see Morphus standing there, in the female form
they had grown accustomed to. Hudson and the others hurried over to Morphus, before Hudson noticed that it was still connected to the deck, as if its boots were fused to it.
“Come on, you have to give us another option,” said Hudson, echoing Liberty’s views. “You can’t just throw your life away like this.”
The entity returned a warm and reassuring smile, and in that moment, Hudson realized that Morphus was the most human it had ever looked.
“This is my function, Hudson Powell entity,” said Morphus, calmly. “I was created specifically to protect corporeal life.”
Hudson shook his head. “Maybe that’s how they built you, but you’re more than that to us,” he hit back. “You’re not expendable, Morphus.”
The vibrations through the deck were growing stronger, and Hudson could also see that sections of the far wall were close to being cut through by the seed drones outside. They were out of time, and out of options. Despite their protestations, Hudson knew Morphus was right.
“I am the last Revocater,” said Morphus, firmly. “You are the last sentient corporeal species in the galaxy. I am one – you are many. It is that simple.”
“To hell with that,” said Liberty, with matching determination. “You have just as much right to exist as we do. There must be another way!”
Morphus shook its head, solemnly. “I can only hold off Goliath’s portal for a few more minutes,” it said, as parts of its body destabilized and turned to liquid gold. “You must leave. You must survive. Otherwise, I will have failed again.”
A chunk of the far wall fell through into the navigation hub, and the scythe-like leg of a seed drone poked through.
“I thank you for your companionship,” said Morphus, as its form began to reintegrate with the ship. “Do not be sad.”
Liberty reached out and held the alien entity’s hands, refusing to let it go. “Come with us, please…” she pleaded, but Morphus continued to melt away.
