***
Gunthix meditated as the shuttle poured power into the engines. He had to override its standard power ratio that save the engines from overheating and forced it to go faster. After several quiet hours, the giant station appeared as a tiny dot in his view screen. He pressed the emergency button on the control panel and prepared for a hailing from the station. A voice poured into the craft as he waited, “Shuttle, we have received your emergency signal. We are requesting your current status.”
He carefully answered, “My engine is damaged and I am venting atmosphere. I request permission to come aboard.”
He was answered with silence. Gunthix knew the station wasn’t prepared to accept unauthorized visitors, but scans of his shuttle would prove that his craft was damaged. They would be forced to take him in and likely detain him. After a tense wait, a different voice answered, “Shuttle, you will be permitted to board but will be detained until we can be certain of your origin.”
His craft shook as the station’s tractor beam grabbed hold of his shuttle and dragged him in. “I understand.”
The shuttle landed lightly as an armed guard approached the door. It lowered and the unprepared soldier was welcomed by a burst of gunfire. He looked down at his chest, dropped to his knees, and recollected his thoughts as Gunthix exited the craft. Gunthix looked down at him and watched the life in his eyes dim away. A few screams sounded and a red light filled the hanger. He began shooting short bursts at anyone in the hanger in search of any more opposition, reloaded, and exited the hanger.
He examined the control panel, fired a burst at it, and disabled the door. As he walked away, he stopped and studied the door, calculating the chances of it containing the explosion. He walked down the empty hallway and entered the central node of the station to the unwelcome stares of several scientists. With a grim smile, he raised his arm, showed the detonator to the group, and pressed the button. An explosion responded to his silence and an alarm began screaming. The occupants of the room rushed for a door leading to another hanger in hopes of leaving the station. A monotone voice filled the station, “All hands. We are under attack. Begin evacuation immediately.”
Gunthix smiled to himself and studied the station’s diagram; searching for his goal. He found it and entered a hallway to another part of the ship as the monotone voice repeated itself.
He found a door that was striped in red. A scientist rushed out and collided with Gunthix, stood up, and ran away scared. Gunthix entered the room and discovered it was dark except in the corner to his immediate left. He approached the corner and discovered a cylinder-like tank, lined on both sides by control panels. The hunter examined the controls and told the computer to raise the protective shield of the tank. The shield complied and rose slowly, revealing a naked body.
One of the computer screens began providing information. Gunthix leaned in and read:
‘L-201: Buster. Although a near complete clone of L-172: Gunthix, this prototype is designed to excel in all aspects against its predecessor. Future versions will have additional genetic material added and will cease to be clones. This clone, along with all future creations, will utilize the latest innovations that have been created alongside the new Lariot Program II.’
Images showed on other screens of prospective armor and weapon designs. One of the monitors began blinking and producing a light beep. He studied further and leaned toward the tank. “You know I’m here, don’t you?” he spoke quietly. The beeping increased its speed. He studied the body further, taking note of its development. He raised his rifle and began deciding whether or not to end its life. A different beep sounded and the body’s eyes opened.
“Don’t do that,” a voice sounded from within the darkness. Gunthix turned his head as the lights turned on in the rest of the room, revealing hundreds of identical pods and Scientist Cylos.
XIV
A staff member rushed into the dining hall of the Great Palace and knelt beside Empress Kerrigan. “Great empress,” he spoke rapidly, “we have reports the Gunthix has resurfaced and is on board the space station Hephaestus.” She set her fork down and waited for more information. He understood the signal and continued, “Admiral Mars and his battle group are already underway to surround and apprehend him.”
She closed her eyes and asked, “What about Styx and Charon?”
The staff member swallowed hard and then answered, “They are out of the system. It will be a long-cycle before they could possibly make it back. There are reports that he is lightly armed and without any form of space craft; he destroyed is only means of transport as a method of evacuating the station.”
Empress Kerrigan nodded and then motioned for him to leave.
***
Scientist Cylos walked calmly toward Gunthix. He lowered his rifle, but didn’t kneel for the first time for her. “They say he is beautiful,” she spoke softly. He studied the body again and noted that it had closed its eyes.
“How many are there?” he asked quietly.
She smiled and answered him without taking her eyes off of the floating body, “A full two hundred. Most of them are at least a year’s worth of development away from where he is.” He imagined a full battalion of these creations and prepared for the impossible as he approached the center of the room. “They will never know the love that I gave you three,” spoke Scientist Cylos, “All they will know is that they are bred for war.”
Scientist Cylos turned to Gunthix and watched him raise his rifle. “I know what you are here for and it’s not to waste bullets on these tanks.” He lowered his rifle as she spoke. She motioned for him to follow her as she exited the room. “Empress Kerrigan’s greatest hope lies in this section of the station, but I have other plans.” She spoke as she walked easily through the hallway. She stopped in front of a door striped in blue.
They entered the room and Gunthix discovered machine equipment, complimented by computers and control panels. Scientist Cylos approached a table holding a black skeleton and spoke, “Echo, activate.” The skeleton stood up and Gunthix noticed a deep blue glow inside the eye sockets.
“Hello, Scientist Cylos,” responded the skeleton.
“Echo is the fifth of a series of droids that are designed to replace soldiers,” spoke Scientist Cylos as she approached another control panel, “Echo, this is Gunthix.”
The droid stood silently for a moment and then answered, “Former High General Gunthix of the Lariot Program. Champion of Princess Iris. Recently escaped from Exile and is currently suspected to be on board the space station Hephaestus. It is good to meet you.” The skeleton extended its hand in an attempt to shake hands.
Gunthix imitated the motion and shook hands with the cold metal. “They started with a robot, meant to be a robot.” Scientist Cylos spoke as if she was giving a lecture, “It was capable of killing, but was impossible in terms of tactical knowledge. It was decided to develop a neo-cortex similar to a living brain. After several failures, Echo was created. He is the perfect war-droid.”
Gunthix turned and asked, “He?”
The skeleton answered, “I prefer ‘he’ to ‘it’. I have developed a personality. Subsequent models will not have a personality unless activated in a command position.”
Scientist Cylos rejoined the tense standoff and spoke quietly, “We must go, and I have more weapons for you.”
Scientist Cylos exited the room and continued down the hallway, followed by Gunthix and Echo. She led quickly down the hall, ignoring all the doors until they were at the end and faced with a large black door. Upon entering the door, the group saw a massive black sphere in the center of the room. It was obviously being held in the air by magnetic means. Gunthix tried to imagine the size of the sphere as Scientist Cylos led them to a control panel. “This is Project Prophecy,” she spoke again as if she was lecturing, “It is truly a change in warfare. Gunthix, do you remember that star core you retrieved?” He remembered his first combat mission with his former squad and the precious
diamond they had retrieved. “Conventional power cores create remarkable amounts of energy. The core inside this one increases that amount a thousand fold.
“With all that energy,” she continued, “this space station can manufacture, piece by piece, weapons, star ships, and even a warp gate. The most important aspect of that core is what it can do uniquely: warp independently to any location without the need for warp gates.” Gunthix imagined the speed that an armada could conquer a system if it could enter a system suddenly. Echo continued where Scientist Cylos left off, “The goal of this theory is that a Prophecy space station could warp into a system, undetected, and observe. It would then build a warp gate, allowing for an armada to enter.” Gunthix imagined the drastic change in space warfare that this weapon would usher in. Entire armadas could circumvent exterior defenses and strike their targets with ease.
A hologram sprung up above the control panel, displaying the sphere. Scientist Cylos pressed a button and the sphere extended on its vertical axis, revealing three rings at the center. The rings extended out and formed three, rotating decks around the center. “This is the station when it is in its deployed state. It extends multiple manipulators that vent plasma, cool, and begin forming whatever is required.” She looked at Echo and nodded. Echo walked toward the sphere as the hologram changed, showing a warship that Gunthix hadn’t seen yet.
“I have loaded the technical data of several important weapons of war into the mainframe of the Prophecy. It includes multiple ship designs, war-droids, and this,” she spoke reverently; “This is a modified battle cruiser. I designed it entirely with you in mind.” He nodded and studied it. The ship was a beautiful Guntherian design: a single, curved hull that was crowned by two wings from the end that curved downward to protect the hull and the cannons. Instead of the single, aligned cannon that cruisers normally bear; this had two, straddled underneath its wings. He noted several hangers along the side of the hull and calculated the number of fighters and bomber it could store. It was a bird of war unlike anything of its size in the current fleet. He looked through the hologram and watched a small elevator extend from the bottom of the sphere. Echo entered it and the elevator retracted.
“Gunthix,” Scientist Cylos spoke quietly, “Study this star map.” Gunthix studied it carefully. It was a standard spiral galaxy with several arms. He noted that it hadn’t been charted yet by the empire or even the Galactic Federation. It belonged to no one. “Only you will be able to board the craft with the security settings I am implementing.” She pressed a button on the console and the room began getting darker. She stared at the sphere as it began spinning and spoke, “It is time I show you the final weapon that you need.” She briskly left the room, followed by Gunthix, and entered a nearby door that was striped in silver.
In the center of the room was a gigantic stand holding what appeared to be an even larger eight-limbed monster. Scientist Cylos walked briskly to it and spoke, “This is an exo-suit, meant to boost the strength of anyone and armed heavier than a tank.” Gunthix examined it closely. At the shoulders, it carried two Gatling-guns. At the end of the arms, it carried rocket launchers that fed as a revolver around the wrist. Below its arms were two cannons, similar to the one he was familiar with. It was a weapon of war and he thought it was beautiful.
She pressed a button on the control panel and the monster split down the middle, exposing its inside and delicate controls. “It is completely self-contained. They designed it for extended space flight. Thrusters in its legs and back allow better control than anything else. You can outmaneuver even the best Asp pilot. This model is called Crux.” She motioned for him to enter the suit.
“Why are you doing this?” asked Gunthix impulsively.
Scientist Cylos stared at the giant monster and cried. “I have seen things,” she whispered, “amazing and terrifying things. I remember a time when I was a young girl that all I wanted was two things: to serve the Empire and to have a family of my own. My personal military career was spent developing fruitful military equipment, but I did meet the love of my life.” She paused for a moment and wiped the tears away from her eyes. “We loved each other deeply and had planned on combining our genetic material to have a daughter. It was the greatest idea: a culmination of genius scientific mind and great military career.” Scientist Cylos smiled for a moment and touched her breast.
She sighed and continued, “But her military career took her away from me. They tried to tell me the details, but I didn't care. To them it was just another death, only important enough to type into a grand collection of data. To me it was so much more. I thought I would never know love again.” She looked at him and smiled. “I committed myself,” she continued with a cheerful air, “to the Empire. I was terrified that I would lose the only thing left in my life: the Empire. The empire was all I had left after her death. I want the Empire to survive. Unfortunately, that means that you must stop it from destroying itself.” She looked at the suit again as a sign for him to approach it. He complied.
Gunthix aligned himself with the suit, placed his legs inside its legs, and leaned back. Scientist Cylos pressed a button and the suit closed, encompassing him in darkness. A voice echoed in his ear, “Crux, powering up.” A series of pops sounded as hoses disconnected from the stand. Gunthix moved his arms and the suit responded without pause. He took two slow steps and began examining his extended skin. The weapon responded to the slightest movement, even breathing.
The suit continued checking its systems as he tested his flexibility. Gunthix eventually caught the eye of Scientist Cylos. She looked up at the monster with motherly eyes. “You were meant to be the hero of the empire,” she whispered, “I never imagined the amount of Guntherian lives you would be forced to end to be that hero.”
His H.U.D. watched a tear fall down her face. The suit automatically performed a weapons system check, rotating the rocket system and the Gatling-gun “I must destroy everything,” he said quietly, but his suit bellowed it. She slowly nodded her head in agreement and walked toward the exit. “Wait,” he begged, “What are you going to do?”
Scientist Cylos stopped and turned her head, “I’m going to overload one of the cores. That will destroy this entire station and everything with it.” He stood in silence at the coldness in her words. He had planned on destroying the station in her exact words, but he wasn’t prepared for her to commit the act. “There are no ships left in the hangers,” she answered his next question slowly, “If you exit the station soon, your suit will survive the explosion.” The words came to him painfully, as a tactical officer would say, instead of the mother he idolized her as.
Her words struck at his core and rang loud. He didn’t see any need in arguing, she had planned this long before he had even entered the station. She turned around and approached the massive weapon that was encasing her non-biological son. Scientist Cylos reached up and placed her hand on his chest, imagining a pulse. “Your choice has been made for the empire,” she whispered, “but there is a final choice that has to be made. You must decide whether to stop the empire or merely slow them down with the hope that the Empress' staff will convince her against this decision. The choice is yours.”
XV
“Admiral Mars, the fleet is in formation and prepared,” spoke a lieutenant on the bridge of the flagship Dragon.
Admiral Mars nodded and pressed the control to broadcast to the entire fleet, “Fleet, everyone knows why we are here. The high traitor Gunthix is on board the station Hephaestus and we are here to apprehend him. If he attempts anything at all, he will be killed.” He examined the tactical map and tried to imagine the sight of it. Two dozen capital ships waited in a circle around the station, the spaces in between were filled with frigates and fighters sitting in wait. His fleet was small for an admiral, but he knew it was only a matter of time until he commanded a full battle group of over a hundred warships. He secretly hoped that their target would provoke their wrath. Until then, he patiently waited and watched the
screen.
Several lights began blinking and the image on screen exploded. The shock waves spread out and rocked the craft in the orbit. Frantic calls for dodging shrapnel and pieces of the station called out through the radio channel. The screen zoomed in on the image of a giant beast as it rode the shock wave toward one of the battleships. Admiral Mars pressed the control again, “All ships, power up weapons and launch all remaining craft.”
***
Gunthix rode the wave, anticipating when they would attack. He selected the battleship Whisper as his first target.
“Gunthix,” his helmet echoed, “You are ordered to stand down.”
He studied the ship’s internal diagram and found the shortest route to its dual core system. The massive ship barely paid any notice to him as he flew below the giant wings, racing between the giant anti-ship cannons. He set his jets to land on the side of the massive ship and began using his hydraulic powered arms to rip through the hull.
“Again, stand down Gunthix or we will open fire.”
He ignored the echo in his helmet and continued through the decks. Sirens blared inside the ship and a call for everyone to evacuate sounded. He reached the room containing the cores and waited.
“Gunthix, this is Admiral Mars,” his helmet echoed has he raised one of his arms, “This is your last chance.” He fired a rocket and the core exploded, launching him back out into space.