The StarMaster's Son Read online

  Kai almost felt a little nostalgia about that. Her dad had run the operation that cleared out the Sibu nuclear silos. That was the mission where the Hellion combat scripts really got sapients' attention.

  She thought of checking the Hellion network's private constructs for updates. Only she discovered her nexus capabilities were restricted. "I appreciate your loyalty. When can I get on the InfiNet?"

  "You've got a neural virus unlike anything in the archives. You'll be under quarantine for a while," Sestrel said.

  Damn. She was worried he would say that. No long-distance communications through her nexus.

  "When can I use it again?"

  "When we wipe out the neural virus," Sestrel said.

  "No shit. How soon will that be?"

  "I'm still analyzing it, so I don't have any real idea yet."

  "Do you at least have any idea what the virus is doing to me?"

  "It's abstracting your memories. In other words, you might be able to remember something, but the virus won't allow anyone else to access them through your nexus or core. Not that anyone would want to right now."

  That gave Kai pause. She was certain that rogue Starbleeder ship did this to her. Their network of scumbag mercenaries and hitmen would've been a thorn in her network's side for half a century now. They must've been trying to cover their tracks. Assuming they were still active.

  "Do me a favor," she said. "Can you check for records of a Hellion ship called Euphrates?"

  "Already did. We only ever found the escape pod. There was no trace of the ship itself."

  "You searched for him?"

  "It's standard operating procedure."

  "Fuck."

  Sestrel gave her an amorous glance. "Well, I suppose if I'd been in quarantine stasis for thirty-nine solar cycles, I'd want to fuck something, too. There's a spare female Terran frame around here somewhere if you wanted to slip into it and—"

  "Does anyone else know that I'm here?"

  "I'm not stupid. The Starbleeders won't find out about you."

  That was a relief.

  "What do you know about the ship that attacked me?"

  "This is the first I'm hearing about it."

  "Is this being recorded?"

  "Yes, this is a scientific endeavor, so I have to."

  "Good. I've got to store a report of this incident one way or another."

  She brought him up to speed on the ship that attacked them. How it shifted the debris around it without a godweb, let alone an energy signature and evaded their attacks. Afterward, she asked, "Are there any records of ships like that in this galaxy?"

  "Kai, I don't know what attacked you, but what you're describing sounds a little crazy. You said the bogey couldn't be detected directly?"

  "Not by any traditional methods."

  "Let me stop you right there. First of all, undetectable and untouchable ships don't exist. Not thirty-nine solar cycles ago, not now."

  "Do you think I'm lying?" Just thinking about how their ion beams and black hole synthesizer failed left her with a frustration that was soon eclipsed by powerlessness.

  "I never said that. But consider this: What if it wasn't an experimental Starbleeder craft? What if it wasn't pushing the debris away so much as projecting a field around it with a different set of physics?"

  Then she got paranoid. Where did Sestrel come up with such a bizarrely specific idea? "You never answered my question. Are there any records of similar ships in this galaxy since the time of my incident? Specifically Starbleeder vessels?"

  "Nothing confirmed. Only shoddy records that might easily be hoaxes. Sapients who believe they've seen the black goo."

  "Now I'm in a circle of idiots...wait, what the hell is the black goo?" It sounded vaguely familiar.

  The uplinker made a face that said, Wow, you are out of the loop.

  "Here," he said, bringing up a data node. "Parse this."

  She did. Apparently, shortly after the formation of the Union Omega, classified data got leaked from the archives of a few Type IV races. According to the ancient myths of the Phaetonians, Wenysh, and Arbiters, since the birth of the universe thirteen billion solar cycles earlier, a force of divergence had existed beyond the known universe. Far beyond the edges of the Outer Rim, the black goo supposedly lurked, hungering for the light of the inner universe.

  "Yes, it made a splash on the scholar realms for a time. Conspiracy nuts thought the Big Crunch was going to force the black goo inward. But it's since been debunked. The Type IV races revealed that the black goo was simply a fictitious creation they used to strategically pressure and scare other races for their own gain. Which explains why it has such an uninspired name."

  "So if I claim I encountered a black goo ship, I'll come off as a lunatic?"

  If technology as she'd described didn't exist, it couldn't be the Starbleeders. Maybe it was some 4th or 5th dimensional entity toying with her?

  The uplinker nodded. "Let's just pretend we never had this conversation. I'll keep the footage private. You'll have enough trouble as it is trying to get back control of the Hellion network."

  "What are you talking about?"

  Sestrel waved it off. "It can wait."

  "You better fucking tell me."

  Sestrel rolled his eyes. "Fine. Since you went under, the Hellion network has suffered a great fallout. The Starbleeders learned about you and your ship's lengthy absence and started rumors that your mother had you killed off. They created a narrative through shell news streams that there was great tension within the Hellion network. It seemed dumb, but sometimes dumb things catch on."

  "The Starbleeders said this? Why would anyone believe them? They're a bunch of trashy killers for hire."

  "Exactly. Their own background as trashy killers for hire gave their arguments a lot of credibility. Plus, they began cleaning up their act and earning more karma. When your parents refused to reveal your whereabouts, things got sucked into a gravity well. Around the same time, several star systems filed injunctions against your brother for his sloppy methods. The Union Omega decided it couldn't continue working with the Hellion network. As a result, the Hellion network got relegated to a combat script service network. It's not even run by your family anymore, strictly speaking."

  Kai issued a long sigh. "Well, thanks for laying it on thick."

  "There's more. The Starbleeder network is currently trying to assimilate what remains of your network. And everything suggests they'll do so within six lunar cycles."

  She felt like she'd been punched. No, being punched would've felt better. Hell, getting kicked in the nuts would've felt better. She knew because once she and her friends had played around in a gender switching sim. That had been a barrel of laughs.

  "As I said, I abandoned emotions, but I do retain a sense of loyalty," the uplinker said. "I'll get you through this."

  "Thank you."

  "I think it would be best for you to go back into quarantine stasis. I'll bring you out once I deal with your virus."

  She flashed a grim grin. "If you put me to sleep for another forty solar cycles, I'm going to terminate you. Just get me to Burkos with my inquisitor frame and—"

  He put her to sleep.

  When she woke up, there was no data node. Only the uplinker's urgent message on her feed.

  Chapter 5

  FELIK

  Felik contacted two more planets. First the inhabitants of Blep. He warped to a Union Omega outpost on Blep. He met with the Ibs, who lived mostly in the jungles and forests, the Pibs, who filled the oceans, and the Yibs, who lived in the icy and desert regions. They all agreed to remain in the Union.

  Then he opened up a virtual construct and invited a representative of the two-centimeter tall Gnaten. Due to their extremely long lifespans, the Gnaten had developed a language that required hours for a simple answer. He killed time
in that construct on various entertainment apps for five hours until he confirmed their continued membership in the Union.

  He kept thinking back to the Chozo's decision. Part of him hoped they might change their mind. Another part of him craved to know why they'd decided to leave the Union Omega. Crazily, he wondered if they'd somehow heard the Saganerio starkeepers' warning about the StarMaster's death.

  All planets in the Union Omega were monitored, and his nexus had access to the data. According to it, the Brayeterans had been stopping by occasionally.

  He updated the ambassador responsible for the Brayeterans. More than likely, the latter was responsible for turning the Chozo away.

  Why a fellow Guardian had been so lax about these visits, he couldn't say. Maybe incompetence. He'd be sure to downgrade the ambassador's karma.

  After his failure with the Chozo, he didn't know what to believe any more. The Chozo were supposed to be reliable, if not resistant. They were a planet the Union Omega viewed as a great investment since their culture was relatively similar to that of humans.

  In a couple centuries' time, they would hopefully develop space-faring technology and prove themselves ready for the Union Omega's standard issue advanced technology. Or they'd suffer some apocalypse, proving they weren't ready. That was the general rule.

  And with the Chozo out of the picture, their neighboring planets would probably fall away, too.

  The final species Felik needed to see on this work cycle was the Wraiths. A dreadful species that had given human explorers nightmares. Felik had watched the ancient video logs. Seventy solar cycles ago, during the Great Cosmic Wars, humans had been branching out as they feared the Minds of Errukav would wipe out homo sapien life. A small group of explorers discovered a seemingly barren stone of a planet with an average temperature of -50 degrees Fahrenheit. The team had a lot of internal divisions and tensions were high from the start.

  Their research mission played out like a horror story. Probes began to malfunction. This worried the crew, which in turn seemed to inspire new technical problems. At the same time, the crew developed cabin fever and an intense fear that they were not alone on the planet. One by one, they began to hallucinate and lose their sanity. Several exposed themselves to the planet's atmosphere without their suits and died immediately. Others turned on each other, performing all sorts of depraved, mutilating sex acts.

  It was the last crew member who realized the planet's lifeforms were communicating with them telepathically. Because most of the crew's emotions had been anger, fear, and anxiety, the aliens had responded with the same thoughts, not knowing that for humans, death was a bad thing. That's when the last crew member understood that the ruins and the corpses they'd discovered on the planet were from other space-faring species.

  Fast forward to the formation of the Union Omega and humanity relishing in the accidental spoils of war. With the field of psionics well fleshed out by then, humans had developed defenses against telepathic attacks.

  From Blep, Felik warped aboard a Union Omega cruiser orbiting Wraith. The ship delivered him to the planet's surface via a drop pod.

  The place resembled a little slice of hell. Jagged, mile-long spires jutted into a blood red sky, overlooking canyons and trenches flowing with magma. Occasionally, the ground beneath him rumbled as red-hot volcanoes erupted in the distance, ash and smoke clouding the horizons. His human instincts made him afraid, but he knew the Wraiths could not sense it.

  Psionic hacking was a common occurrence throughout the Union Omega, so defenses were equally common. The cruiser orbiting the planet housed a psi.disruptor that could limit the Wraiths ability to read his mind. On top of that, his nexus ran security against psi.hacking.

  As he waited, a wave of dust washed over him. A deep, ancient presence reached out to him. Reluctantly, he accepted it.

  As usual he experienced the Wraith's minor sense of confusion as the entity tried to infiltrate his mind but failed. Slowly, it recognized him as a visitor.

  The Wraiths' concepts of existence and communication were totally...alien. They didn't use language or even experience the universe the same way as many sapient creatures. Rather, they acted on impulsive, primal desires. Basic enough that he understood without his translator, though it did process his thoughts into desires for the Wraiths.

  They didn't understand basic formalities, so he cut right to the chase. Expressed the value of their diverse psionic characteristics and his wish for them to remain as part of the Union Omega. Oddly enough, he knew they could relate to that. The Wraiths were a collection of thousands of lesser minds melded into a greater force. Thankfully, they were confined to this rock in space.

  He felt an uncomfortable probing sensation, like the Wraith still wanted to get inside his nexus. They were never so tenacious.

  The ground shifted below him. An earthquake triggered by the Wraiths? How did that make sense? He doubted it was enough to kill his artificial body. At least he hoped not. Buying a new living frame wasn't cheap.

  A sadistic pleasure from the Wraith swept through him. Somehow, it knew of his failure on Chozo. This was not normal.

  a cold voice whispered into his feed. Utter terror cut through him. The Wraiths had never before communicated in words like this, let alone on his feed. For the first time, he considered activating the psi.disruptor to its full extent. Ending the encounter there and then and writing it off as an irregularity. But he'd only be tasked with returning again. Better to get this over with now.

  Yet he couldn't deny the cruel fear stinging him. He'd almost never wanted to be anywhere else as much as this.

  he asked.

  The Wraith and others nearby were enjoying his shock. Suddenly, he was confronted by images of ancient crystals and massive disks buried deep in the planet's cavities, lodged in as lava flowed past. These must've been the forerunners of this planet. The Wraiths' ancestors. News to him. Why wasn't this in the archives?

  The implications unfolded in his head. Like many races, the Wraiths had desired the full technologies of the Union Omega. And it had refused, suggesting they develop it themselves.

  the Wraith completed his thought. That explained the earthquake.

  For a terrifying instant, Felik realized they had increased their own psionic abilities as they'd desired. Enough to pierce his mental defenses and focus their intelligence. Now they only needed the technology to expand.

  He’d heard that if you got psionically hacked in just the right way, it could feel almost orgasmic. Still, he didn't relish the idea of getting psi.hacked at this moment.

  Activating the psi.disruptor's full power would be an extreme decision. The effects would leave the Wraiths in a scattered fugue state for sols. And if they weren't already jaded by the Union Omega's refusal to grant them advanced technology, they would be when he pushed the proverbial reset button. Rebuilding trust would take lunar cycles, maybe solar cycles. Rhona, his boss and proto of the Guardian Mind, would downgrade his karma for sure.

  the Wraith thought. It wouldn't be the first time. Horrific thoughts of his childhood swirled in his head. He hadn't exactly been a hostage so much as a captive, but to a child, the distinction meant little.

  The Union Omega would certainly rescue him again. Yet that might take sols, even weeks. His mind raced with the consuming urge to leave.

  And then:

  Felik left Wraith in diplomatic peace, but near mental panic. He bought himself a dreamer—a fantasy sim that was better than real life, better than the drugs of previous centuries.

  In his dreamer, the StarMaster was never dying. Instead, he offered Felik the position of Chief Philosopher. As support, Felik recruited three of his scion brothers. Together, they en
ded wars, created new automated systems of justice and morality, spread peace and love. They succeeded in making the universe a utopia as Astro Phoenix had once tried and failed.

  Coming off the high of that, he pulled up Rhona's archival notes on the Wraiths without hesitation.

  While I don't loathe the Wraiths, I very much want to see the Union Omega drop the hammer on them. But objectively speaking, they're not a threat. Even with the fastest non-warping starship, the Wraiths are light-years from the next closest Union Omega planet. And none of those planets have wormhole tech yet. And later, I suspect that their forerunners are the Lumerians. They apparently redacted details on their activities in the archives.

  It didn't surprise Felik that the Union Omega caved to the Lumerians' desire for keeping those details hush-hush. In many cases, StarMaster Arteyos and the first New Terran starkeepers had bent over backward to get the major Type IV species onboard their new empire. Without their support, Arteyos wouldn't have been able to concentrate technological and military power in his hands.

  Now he considered how to handle the Wraiths' warning.

  Over the solar cycles, he'd occasionally brought up concerns of seemingly relevant events to other members of the Guardian Mind. They had downgraded his karma. He'd questioned decisions of certain starkeepers. They had downgraded his karma. He'd tried to explain the real reasons, as he had learned from Landi, behind some of the StarMaster's decisions. They had downgraded his karma.

  There seemed little point in communicating the Wraiths' warning to Rhona or the Saganerio starkeepers who'd requested support. He had been trying to work away from his reputation as gullible, even if he could blame some of it on his neural virus. Why risk his living space in Alderson disk #396727-S?

  Bringing up what he'd seen on Wraith and his concerns over what they might be planning seemed unnecessary at best, fodder to downgrade his karma at worst.