Celestial Incursion (Edge of the Splintered Galaxy Book 1) Page 12
Pierce shook his head. “I’m not a terrorist.”
“It says here in your reports, they pulled memories from your mind about a woman named . . .” Moriston double-checked his files on Pierce to ensure he had the right name, he did. “Pernoy . . . says here her husband was a member of that group as well as his brother. Her daughter Eupiar was also a known associate of the HLF.”
Moriston’s HNI scanned Pierce’s facial expression change and sent him a notification that something was afoot.
“But I think we’re getting off topic here, the HLF is a thing of the past,” Moriston said, grinning. “Though, to this date, we still have outstanding warrants for the arrests of HLF members still alive and at large in the galaxy. But, you and Rivera, you two wouldn’t have anything to do with that group, right? I’m sure McDowell would attest to that if he were still alive.”
“I . . . suppose so.”
“Hmm, you were also the last person to see McDowell alive, weren’t you?”
Earth Cube, EISS HQ, Interrogation room
Geneva, Earth, Sol system
August 3, 2118, 16:57 SST (Sol Standard Time)
“Please state your name for the record.”
“Chief Engineer Jasmine Rivera.”
The same opening questions were asked, the same ‘I can’t remember’ reply was given. Moriston was growing tired of the process. His after-work beer was waiting for him, it was the only thing that motivated him to push on and finish. His HNI brought to his attention that Rivera’s long golden-brown hair was about four inches longer than her most recent file photo, while the roots were her natural Filipina black color. More proof the Carl Sagan’s crew spent time out of cryo during the sixty-eight-year gap.
“I’ll cut the bullshit,” Moriston said. “We at EISS wouldn’t be very good at our jobs if we didn’t have a database with personal information on all UNE citizens. We know that up until you rejoined IESA, you spent a lot of time living in Manila.”
“I’m from the Philippines,” Rivera said. “What’s wrong with me living there?”
“It’s a former UNE red zone where most of its human population was sympathetic to the Hashmedai that lived there. And thus, were prone to aiding the HLF.”
“So, you think I’m a member?”
“It would explain a lot, the Carl Sagan going missing and its EVE AI having emotions. Perhaps an HLF member sabotaged the ship.”
“And then made a pact with alien invaders that attacked the Empire?”
“Maybe said HLF member was tricked into thinking it was going to work out? Look, all I know is, only the senior crew of the Carl Sagan was found along with you. You are the only person of that bunch that would be capable of pulling off a heist like that. The only thing that could have stopped you would be EVE . . . unless she was replaced with a copied and reprogrammed version.”
“The reprogrammed EVE you are referring to was created by Marduk aka the Architect of Sirius, complete with emotions.”
“Right and Foster foolishly brought that AI aboard, in which it proceeded to compromise your computers, correct?”
“It was taken care of; no damage was done in the long run. The original EVE was put back in control of the ship.”
“Did you delete the modified EVE?”
“No, it held onto archived data we discovered which was deleted from an ancient computer we found. If we deleted the modified EVE, we would have lost the data as well.”
“So, you kept an AI that was capable of hijacking the Carl Sagan for it to try again?”
“We placed it in a compressed file and physically kept it away from the network.”
“So, let me get this straight, if the modified EVE were to try and recapture the ship again, someone would have had to release it back into the AI core on purpose?”
“Yes.”
“And out of all the people we recovered from the Carl Sagan, who would be knowledgeable enough to do such a thing?”
Rivera’s face tilted upward and made a dejected sigh. “. . . Me.”
“The Carl Sagan did drop off some personnel planetside before going to investigate the ship that entered the system. But none of those people were from your engineering team; those people remained aboard when the Carl Sagan vanished. You are the only engineer left; the copied EVE no doubt was installed and overwrote the original EVE. Any idea how that happened Rivera?”
Earth Cube, EISS HQ, Interrogation room
Geneva, Earth, Sol system
August 3, 2118, 17:29 SST (Sol Standard Time)
“You sicken me.”
“Oh?” Nereid murmured, giving Moriston a childlike glare. “Why is that?”
Moriston grimaced at her, examining her human-like appearance. A quick glance and one would think she was a young woman with long, dark blue hair. But brush away the hair that fell over her shoulders and neck, and one would see a pair of gills. According to Foster’s report, she was some sort of genetic mutation of her species, the Undine, a species that closely resembled the mythical Sirens.
Foster even went on to say that the Undine were the Sirens the ancient human civilizations wrote about, and they had been visiting Earth during those ancient times. The scientific community, however, wasn’t entirely convinced, especially when they learned Doctor Pierce was her science officer.
“You are a byproduct of murder,” Moriston said to her in a cold tone. “You mother mated and killed McDowell, one of EISS best agents at the time. She then gave birth to you with his stolen memories. Luckily for us, McDowell’s knowledge of EISS secrets are years out of date. We don’t need another alien that has critical intel on Earth.”
“It is not anyone’s fault his life was extinguished,” Nereid said. “It is the way my people evolved, we can’t change that.”
“Murder of a human is murder, period.”
“Some female spiders on Earth eat the males after mating with them do they not? Spiders being a species you share your world with.”
“If I see a spider, I introduce it to the heel of my shoe.”
Nereid’s hands covered her mouth. Shock and disbelieve was written all over her face. “You would kill it?”
“Without hesitation, I don’t want those things crawling around in my presence.”
“Killing for survival, food, or reproduction I understand, but killing a spider just because it’s a spider?”
“Insects are an annoyance to me and others, they die when spotted.”
Nereid’s face turned a shade paler as Moriston’s mouth erupted with laughter aimed toward her. “Didn’t your stolen memories of McDowell reveal that?” he asked.
“I haven’t unlocked all of them yet,” Nereid said, staring down. “But I hope to one day learn what it’s like to be human.”
“You want to learn what it’s like to be human? Forget his memories, pick up a history book and read about the crusades, the conquistadors, World Wars One and Two, the holocaust, 9/11. War, fighting, domination, removal of things that is in our way, these are the real elements of human nature.”
He had no intention of asking Nereid any questions, only to express his hatred for her existence at the cost of McDowell’s life. He never understood why Foster sought to make Nereid, an alien, part of the crew, as she had no authorization from IESA to do so. Moriston made sure to note that in his reports, since Foster tiptoed around that detail in her reports.
Earth Cube, EISS HQ, Interrogation room
Geneva, Earth, Sol system
August 3, 2118, 18:56 SST (Sol Standard Time)
Moriston’s final interrogation began at last, and it was about time too, he really needed that beer and some alone time before he wrote his report. Tolukei sat down with him, the other alien crew member, though his presence was known.
Before the rise of human psionics, the UNE relied on their alliance with Radiance to supply the young Earth fleet with shipboard psionics, Tolukei being one of them. Unknown to the Carl Sagan’s crew, Tolukei was a Muodiry, a term given to Javnis w
ho became psionics without the aid of Radiance technology.
Radiance, to this day, believed that psionic powers originated from their gods and so take credit for spreading the gift of their gods to the people of the galaxy, including humanity. Javnis Muodiry was the first sign their religious texts were not correct. Radiance began a campaign after their discovery to debunk, or remove, Muodiry from their society.
“Please state your name for the record.”
Tolukei’s four eyes, from beyond his cloak covering his lizard-like head, stared into Moriston’s soul.
“So, Tolukei, why did you betray the crew when the Carl Sagan was boarded by the Architect?”
Silence.
“Tolukei, were you the one responsible for the crew losing their memories? You do possess a level of psionic powers that Radiance themselves kept secret from us.”
Silence.
“Did you know if the Architect was in the system before the Carl Sagan departed from Earth?—”
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” an EISS agent transmitted to Moriston via HNI.
Moriston sent his reply back over the HNI link. “Whatever it is, it can wait, I’m with the last crew member now.”
“It’s urgent, he’s about to—”
Light rays from the halls entered the dark interrogation room as the door swung open. Before it stood an angelic figure, almost quite literally. It was a Linl psionic Crimei, viceroy to the Radiance council.
He possessed the new Radiance psionic cybernetic upgrades, which consisted of multiple ethereal batteries attached to his back. When activated, they would spread out and resemble angel wings laced with wires, tubes, off-world metallic parts, and blue glowing lights. His bare and exposed chest was dotted with other strange alien devices which enhanced his psionic powers, though his were more advanced than the ones covering Tolukei’s chest.
“Never mind,” said the agent on the HNI link. “There he is.”
Moriston cut the link and stood up to confront Crimei, whom shoved him aside and walked directly behind the chair Tolukei sat on.
“Tolukei has been instructed to not answer any human questions on this matter,” Crimei said.
“Instructed?” Moriston spat. “He’s been in a holding cell since his arrival with no contact with the outside world.” Wait, they’re both psionics, they probably spoke telepathically.
“I’ll be taking Tolukei back to Aervounis,” Crimei said. “The Radiance council would like to speak with him personally.”
9 Peiun
Rezeki’s Rage
Dark Energy Maelstrom
August 3, 2118, 09:14 SST (Sol Standard Time)
Meanwhile . . .
The Rezeki’s Rage was trapped, lost, and no longer existed in the known universe.
Acting Captain Peiun and his small bridge crew struggled to understand what had become of normal space and time after being consumed by the maelstrom, forged by the invader fleet. Sleep deprivation, unattended injuries, and critically damaged ship systems weren’t helping. The call was made for all crew members to get examined by doctors and rest up, after confirming the invader fleet had vanished within the ethereal realm they meandered into.
Peiun made a quick and long-delayed visit to the infirmary and had his neglected minor injuries tended to by the over-tasked doctors and menders. It gave him a second chance to catch a glimpse of the staggering number of critically injured crew personnel that rested motionlessly on medical mats on the floor, like the two charred engineers he stepped over to exit.
The unsettling infirmary visit served as a reminder of the challenges that remained ahead, as the Rezeki’s Rage was in enemy territory as far as he was concerned. Then there was the active duty roster. Including himself, there were only four officers remaining able to tend to bridge duties. If we suffer another attack like this, a badly damaged ship will be the least of our concerns . . .
He twisted and turned through the dark corridors arriving at his quarters after being discharged from the infirmary. His tired body thanked him as he sat at the foot of his rough bed, and his tired brain goaded him to lie down and sleep. It took him two minutes to muster the will to unwrap his belt from his waist and his short plasma sword holstered to it, sending it to the hard floor with a thumping noise.
Another noise followed, it was his door chime.
“You may enter,” he called out to the unexpected visitor behind the door.
An alluring figure with deep red glowing eyes emerged from the doors that slid open. She sauntered under the dim light overhead, wearing a red lace blouse and skirt, the uniform of a servant. Her long, purple hair draped over her shoulders, and her skin was blue like the skies of his homeworld.
Servants weren’t uncommon aboard Imperial ships in this day and age. Gene therapy played a major role in that as the Hashmedai population continued to grow, while old-age deaths became the subject of history books and frightening stories told to children. A larger Imperial population meant a larger pool of able bodies to be assigned to the role of a servant. The empress saw to it that high-ranking personnel aboard ships had servants that would attend to all their needs, firmly believing that happier captains and admirals would be more productive and run more efficient ships.
Peiun, being a lieutenant, was only able to have servants clean his quarters once every five to six days, and nothing else. The servants often performed those duties while he was on duty. The young servant before him was indeed a puzzling matter, especially at this time.
“Did you forget something?” he asked her.
She made an entrancing smile, one that paired with her elegant bow. “I am Careiah, the captain’s personal servant.”
“The captain’s quarters are a deck above,” Peiun said. “Though, he’s dead if you haven’t been made aware yet.”
“I am aware of that, you are now the captain.”
Careiah’s entrancing gaze remained fixed on Peiun as her hands leisurely peeled her blouse off her chest. It prompted Peiun to remember the other reason servants were placed aboard ships. Hashmedai assigned to military duties were encouraged to use gene therapy to keep their age during their prime to possess stronger memories and physical prowess. The side effects? Raging hormones. Those that had personal servants had certain needs which needed to be taken care of, the deceased captain being one of them.
I’m still a lieutenant, I’m unworthy of this! In panic, Peiun stood up from his bed racing to shift her attire back on her body to cover her captivating exposed breasts, he failed. She held onto Peiun’s hands in a playful manner, giggling at his advance, and guiding them closer to the coldness of her chest.
“This is unnecessary,” Peiun spoke, much to the disappointment of the excitement growing in his pants.
“I’m following my orders,” said Careiah, leaning her lips closer to lick his neck.
“I’m an acting captain, nothing more—” She guided his hands down to her waist. For five seconds he fought how to speak properly. “It would be dishonorable for me to take advantage of you.”
She ended her playful approach, tilting her head at him with a wincing glare. “You don’t find me attractive?”
“That’s not the case at all!”
“And I find you attractive, so it’s okay to touch me.”
“My rank is not officially captain, and therefore I should not be able to have you.”
Careiah loosened her hold on him and stepped back to retrieve her top. “Very well.”
“Please assist the other servants in their duties; there is no need to pleasure anyone, especially given our current status.”
Careiah was fully clothed as she took her leave, giving him a neutral look when the sliding doors shut. Peiun fell back to his bed, running his hands through his silver hair, groaning loudly at the thought of what he could have been doing right at that moment, had he not sent her away.
He did not sleep well.
Peiun spent the better half of his day, after his short sleep, assessing the multi
ple compartments of the ship that had taken major damage during the invader’s surprise attack.
Repair crews had been hard at work using their Hashmedai tools to restore power, patch up crumbling corridors, and even rescue crew members that had been pinned under fallen equipment. Repairing external damage to the ship along with hull breaches would have to wait, however. He found out why as he strode into the cargo hold which had been sealed off when the wall that separated it from space was blown apart.
Peiun stood wearing an environment suit next to Alesyna, who made use of a psionic barrier to keep her body safe. Beneath her personal bubble of glittering purple psionic energy waves, was her psionic outfit. It was a long, black mesh dress that seamlessly plugged into her cybernetically augmented body. The dress, in some way, was an extension of her cybernetics, giving her psionic abilities increased range and potency. It was a step up from the old psionic cybernetics used in the previous century, in which the user was required to have sizeable segments of their body exposed in order for the implants to function correctly.
The two gazed blankly at the hull breach that afflicted the cargo hold and the mystical sight of the swirling clouds and gases the maelstrom was made up of beyond the vaporized hole in the wall. Alesyna pointed and directed Peiun’s attention to the edges of the hull breach as well as the floor and ceiling next to it. The floors, walls, and ceiling, they were all disintegrating into nothing as ripples of white light radiated away from them.
“Is this a result of the maelstrom we’ve entered?” Peiun asked.
“It is,” Alesyna said.
Her left hand rose commanding a drifting cargo container to do the same. The container swayed back and forth while in sync with her hand movements, before she pushed it outside beyond the gaping hole in the wall, with a single thought of her psionic mind. The container vanished from existence seconds later as it crossed the threshold out into the maelstrom’s eerie and twisting clouds.