The Icarian Legacy Collected Edition: Brave Souls - First Strike (Volume 3)

by Kocho Trajchevski

  “Not you to sir. Not you to.”

  The sound of laughter after this came from every marine on the line.

  Both Ellis and Fillip laughed as well.

  They never noticed the AI watching them.

  “Marines… they never change.” - And then she laughed as well. He laugh was a women’s laugh, gentle and compassionate but also sincere and real.

  The soldiers looked at her with looks that showed surprise.

  She returned their gaze and winked at them.

  “You don’t believe that you are the first marines that walked the decks of this ship. Do you? Hope you are as funny as the last ones. I really liked that bunch… really liked them.”

  The last words showed her inner pain. It was obvious that she could feel and that she could think. She was not just a computer program that became active. She was a real person. She was just different but still human.

  “You miss them don’t you, your last crew.”

  She turned her blue eyes and looked directly at Fillip. It was a look that was the same look that he had seen a million times before on so many human faces. He could see the pain in those eyes.

  “I know you do.” -he repeated as she looked at him.

  “Miss them? Yes I do. Even do now they are nothing more than dust, just a memory of a moment in time that passed twelve thousand of your years ago. For me that moment seems like it was yesterday. I still see them laughing, crying, still see their joy when they saw this world for the first time, the sadness and the tears when they saw their homes for the last time, the joy of every victory, the pain of every death and loss, still remember the talks that I had with each one of them. You see they were more than just my crew, they were my friends...true friends.”

  Both Fillip and Ellis smiled with a smile that held compassion.

  “Then remember them with joy. Remember them because they live still through you.”

  They both pointed to the place where every Alteran had his heart.

  “They are still alive there.”

  That last move showed her that they understand her, and even more showed her that they had already taken her as one of their own. They were younger but they were the true descendants of her creators.

  A smile appeared on her face. It was a sweet smile that looked so sincere and real that Ellis and Fillip almost forgot that she isn’t real.

  “Thank you.”

  “I will be here when all the others arrive. Have to finish something first.”

  Before they could answer she faded away.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The scientists arrived slowly in groups and with them came several soldiers. The soldiers stayed on the bridge until the last of the scientists arrived and then without a word went on with their search of the huge ship. With the gravity on the search went faster.

  Half an hour later the captain, several members of his crew and several scientists from Deadalus arrived on the bridge as well.

  They were accompanied by Gama team. Herrick and his team were the closest team to the Deadalus and were the first team to finish their search.

  As the scientist arrived they spread out through the bridge and started checking and looking at the activated screens and consoles. The soldiers saluted and spread out as well in a protective formation taking positions that allowed them to cover every angle.

  Jennings and Linda went straight towards Fillip and Ellis.

  The soldiers saluted when the captain arrived.

  “So where is our host?”

  The question came from Jennings. The captain limped a little and that brought smiles on their faces.

  “Your buttocks sure took a beating sir.”

  Jennings smiled on that comment. So did Linda.

  “It sure did, but I’ll live. From what I heard several of your jarheads took quite a beating to. I think i heard something about doors and bulkheads, and floors.”

  “Yea they had quite an adventure.”

  “So did several of the scientists and engineers. You should have warned us about that.”

  Ellis sighed.

  “We would’ve if we had any idea. She did it without telling us anything, although she might have said something. She spoke a lot but no one understood her at the time.”

  Linda raised an eyebrow.

  “At the time..?”

  Fillip smiled and looked at her.

  “Yes. She was speaking on the language that our dead friends used long ago at the time. But she is a fast learner. She first spoke Latin, and now she speaks English… and several more languages probably.”

  Before she could ask how that was possible he continued.

  “Before you ask how think about the fact that she is an advanced AI, probably like the ones from our SF movies. She can probably hack any system we have here and on Earth without breaking a sweat.”

  Anaya chose that moment to appear before them.

  “Actually I’m quite similar to the AI’s from a game you played on your world. I believe you called it HALO…interesting story by the way...touching.”

  As everyone else before both Jennings and Linda reacted with backing up when they saw her. The others watched her with awe.

  She smiled on that reaction. She knew that she represented something that they knew was possible but that was far ahead of their time. And the fact that her creators were people as well only made that worse. She smiled on the thought of the computer game she just mentioned. The story reminded her of the struggle and the war her creators had at the end. And the things not just in that game but in so many other computer games and shows she managed to find on the net. The sheer imagination they had. She knew that many of the things she saw were unrealistic but many, so many things were things that were achievable and possible. Many of those things their ancestors had. And about many others they knew and planned. Humanity, this humanity was way behind but she was here now and she planned to give them that technology, slowly to let them achieve it and reach their destiny. All they needed was time and with the probe she discovered and the short battle she observed, she knew that time was something that they might not have. The Dacarians were somewhere out there, and they knew of Earth. And somehow she knew they were coming.

  She knew what her mission was now and gave her a new purpose. Humanity, the descendants of her creators, their destiny was now in her hands and she knew that was the reason that Talia told her that she has a new mission so many cycles ago. She somehow knew. This was her mission.

  “I guess it’s time we introduced our selves. I’m Captain Jennings, this is my first officer Linda and I guess you already know Major Ellis and Colonel Stefanovski.”

  Anaya smiled and turned towards the captain.

  “I’m honored to meet you captain, honored to meet all of you. My name is Anaya Argos of Alteran. And I welcome the children of my creators back.”

  Jennings smiled and bowed. The others did the same. Not knowing how to react she bowed as well. That brought smile on their faces.

  “We have a lot of questions Anaya. And …”

  Before he could finish she interrupted him.

  “I would like to apologies for the accidents that your men suffered while I activated the ships systems. The reasons for my reaction will be explained soon.”

  Jennings and the others watched her with faces that showed their surprise at her words.

  She smiled at their reactions. She understood them as well. She knew that for them she was a computer program and they still expected somewhere deep inside them that she starts acting like one. From the entertainment videos and games, SF novels and even science projects she managed to find on their net she knew that they knew that she is a reality but a future one, not one for the present.

  “Your apology is accepted Anaya. And thank you.”

  “Can you tell us the reason for the sudden reaction you had? One moment you were talking with us and the next…”

  The question came from Edward. He was standing behind her and looking
at her with curious eyes.

  As he waited for her answer the hologram disappeared and it appeared shortly after near what appeared to be a door on the wall several meters behind Fillip. As she did a section of the wall retreated and they saw that there was an office of some sort there.

  Before they could say anything she spoke.

  “If Captain Jennings, his first officer, Mr. Hanson and both the major and the colonel will join me I will explain.”

  After this she glided in the room behind her. Without saying anything the major and the colonel went after her, and after a moment’s thought Linda and Edward followed. The captain before going gave some instructions to the others on the bridge and then went inside. As soon as he entered, the door slid shut.

  Although they were separated from the rest of their man none of them showed any sign of fear. On their faces Anaya saw only curiosity. She stood quiet for s minute and allowed them to look at the office. She looked at it herself as well. It was the captain’s room. The place where so many decisions were made, where she received so many orders, including the last one he gave her, the one order she disobeyed. She could still see his face on that last day when he went to his new home.

  “I guess this was the captain’s room.”

  The comment came from Jennings. She smiled and looked at him.

  “He was a Rear Admiral actually.”

  As she said that a screen appeared on one of the walls and on it they could see a face of a young man wearing a dark blue uniform. He had short black hair, full lips and green eyes. His face looked worn and serious, a face of a man who has seen hell.

  “His name was Caius Mavrikas, and he was my first and last commander. He was born on a world called Kirin, the same place where this ship was reactivated during the last conflict. When he left these decks he was forty three of your years old. He was one of the youngest admirals and one of the best I had honor to serve. I only hope that my next commander will be as good as he was. And he has to be.”

  It took a second for her last words to register.

  “What do you mean with that?”

  She turned at Jennings who asked the question.

  “You wanted to know the reason for my sudden reaction and activation of this ship.”

  “Yes.”

  “When you activated the chip and I woke from my hibernation, I immediately started receiving the data from the sensor sweeps and from the Icarian probes that are scattered through this system. I also hacked your planetary network in order to try to understand you better and to learn the languages. You see I never expected that you will be at this level of development.”

  “You expected us to be on a much higher level didn’t you?”

  “Yes colonel. And I expected to be found much sooner, not twelve thousand cycles later.”

  “So you searched the reason for that.”

  “Yes and as I did I found disturbing things in your past…things that showed that your planet has been visited many times by other races. At first I feared that they were the reason for the destruction of the last of the Alterans.”

  As she spoke video images appeared on the screen. They all looked at the strange looking ships that were descending on the planet in the past. And they all suddenly understood. The images showed the time table. The first landings stated somewhere around 8500 BC, and the last one was somewhere around 1200 AD on the American continent.

  The first one to break the silence was Linda. She looked at the images of the ships in horror and turned towards the AI.

  “O my God. They were taking slaves weren’t they?”

  The AI turned towards the screen and looked impassively. And yet Fillip thought that he could see a little trace of anger.

  He coughed a little and asked.

  “What made you realize that they are not responsible? It’s clear that they have advance technology. And if your ancestors went to the planet with none then…”

  The AI smiled than and looked at him with a look that looked so human.

  “Besides the obvious time table that shows that more than 1500 cycles passed since the crews of this fleet landed it was the obvious lack of any resistance and their inferior technology. And then I noticed the time changes that happened on your world since they landed. It was a natural disaster that stopped your ancestors, a disaster that gripped your seventh continent in Ice and probably sealed their and your faith at the time. From your languages I think that some must have survived because the Alteran language is the basis of your ancient languages and from the rapid advancements in some cultures. They probably started to share small insights that allowed your ancestors to advance a little faster at some things.”

  “Then they are not the reason for your reaction?”

  “No. But they are the starting point.”

  As she said that a new image appeared o the screen. It showed four of the strange looking ships and it showed a fifth ship that they were fighting. As the image on the screen was zoomed, all five of them gasped. Anaya noticed their reaction but didn’t react.

  “That ship, it is different but it still seems strangely close relative to the cruiser in Norfolk. The one our fleet engaged and destroyed.”

  Ellis, who was the only one that actually saw the ship closely just nodded and stared at it.

  As they watched two of the strange ships exploded and the other two were damaged. The cruiser showed damage as well but it was nothing compared to the one that the smaller ships had. As they watched the smaller ships accelerated and crushed at the large ship. The explosion that followed destroyed all three ships. The scattered pieces of the ships fell on the moon below.

  “Was that Titan?”

  “Yes it is the moon that you call Titan.”

  Fillip turned his eyes of the image and looked at Anaya.

  “That ship was the reason for your reaction? You know the race that created it?”

  The AI didn’t answer him. The images changed to show the crash landing of a small craft on the American continent. The year showed 1947. As they saw that they all smiled.

  “So that was true…”- the comment came from Ellis.

  Anaya smiled and looked at him.

  “Yes but from the speed it crashed with I doubt they found much. It was a scout vessel.”

  The screen then shifted and it showed the four ships they all knew entering the Solar system. They all knew the year. As they watched a small craft exited one of the ships and it took a stationary orbit in deep space.

  It shifted to the battle in the Mediterranean and then it stopped.

  “You know that race? You know of the Dacarians?”

  Anaya just nodded. As she did that her face was serious. And at that moment they all understood.

  “O my God. That can’t be true. The technology gap…we don’t stand a chance, do we?”

  Edwards voice showed fear, the fear they all felt.

  Fillip smiled and pulled out the medallion he was wearing around his neck. He looked at it.

  “He called them Alterans. That was the name he used before he died.”

  Anaya looked at the medallion in his hand. She recognized it easily.

  “Where did you get that?”

  He raised his head and looked at her.

  “From a dying enemy before he died, as a proof that honor exists even among enemies.”

  “Yes it has that meaning.”

  Fillip looked at her and approached her.

  “The Dacarians are the enemy the Alterans fought and lost. They are the ones that destroyed our ancestors. Aren’t they?”

  She turned for a moment and glided toward the screen. The image of a Dacarian legionary appeared on it. She looked at it with eyes filled with hate.

  “Yes. But they were not alone in that. No they were smart. They knew that they can’t destroy you on their own, so they used the younger races, the ones we protected and convinced them to turn against us. And then they finished the job, and destroyed them as well.”

  Fillip stood
beside her and looked at the image of the Dacarian. He looked similar to the ones he killed. He couldn’t understand the symbols beside him, and the armor was different, and as he looked he noticed that the sword that they wore today was not there. Instead a strange looking knife hung at his side, where the gladius stood today.

  “This is our enemy.”

  “Yes. This is what they look like. We never learned about their home world but from their constitution they come from a high gravity world probably seven of your world’s gravity. They are much stronger fiscally, and have long life spans. They are merciless fighters, have no fear at all and usually fight till death. At the time they were an Empire.”

  As he looked at the image Fillip remembered the Sicarian.

  “They fight with honor as well. Tell me Anaya do you know anything about a race called Sicarian.”

  Before he could describe the tall blue alien an image of the race appeared on the screen, and Anaya looked at it. The Sicarian was tall. He wore a white uniform that was littered with decorations. He held a strange looking staff weapon in his right hand.

  “I know them. I know the traitors.”

  Her voice was cold.

  “The traitors…?”

  She turned and looked at Jennings. Ellis and Fillip both turned.

  “Yes they were one of the races that betrayed you, although they refused to attack your worlds and only fought your ships. And they were one of the first ones to realize their mistake. They retreated before the end together with the races they were allied with.”

  Fillip turned and looked at the image. It didn’t look like the torn and shattered Agnail. But he knew that he must have looked like that before he was captured. It was hard to believe or to have bad feelings toward them as he remembered the dying Sicarian and his words.

  “They might have betrayed them but they repented. Before he died he said that the Dacarians conquered his home world. And he suspected that they destroyed his race.”

  The AI turned toward him.

  “Who said that?”

  “His name was Agnail Makon Curas and he died with honor after he gave me the coordinates for the Dacarian fleet.”

  As he said that she turned and looked at him.