Chereads / The Slow Collision / Chapter 8 - A Future of Questions

Chapter 8 - A Future of Questions

The ships still blaze through time space, leaving a trail of steam or gas as the heat from the ships travel in the minus two hundred seventy degree Celsius darkness around them. Stars appearing every pico second as slowly less and less show out the window. A dark spot is approaching. Sheep gathers the workers from all department to Captain's favorite room. The Vision Room. A room that terrifies most workers.

As workers flock to their seats arranged by station, a bunch of whispers travel around quickly of the new station arranged and empty. It will be occupied in three months, but none know that yet. Questions are forming in most of their minds. None of them are stupid. All intelligent, only Captain is the wise one. Part of a very old generation that is still young and primitive. The last batch of their kind.

The room is the second largest room in the Litan'ka, next to the Shield Generator. Third largest being the Weapons Research Center. These "seats" are actually like their sleeping quarters with wires that dangle and look down at a large stage, but this time there is a main hub of consciousness--unlike the deactivation lever in the Hibernation Room. Each worker comnects themselves and are lifted up to create space for Captain on the stage.

Sheep has their own place as well as Queen if she ever drops by. But that will have to wait. Captain stands on the wide stage that occupies the entire floor while the other cravers are hung on the ship's walls. Each step powerful, but within Captain every muscle twitches ever so randomly.

The main hub is a large glowing green orb of technology standing at center stage. Every craver is connected here when ordered, even though its not very fun when Captain is the reason. Captain calms his shaking fists and swallows, "Alright everyone. This is gonna sound strange coming from me, but. We are in danger of total colony annihilation."

There's silence within the room. Its almost funny how they don't react physically when they are here. Captain turns to the hub and its colors are change frantically swirling all over the place. They open up the hub holo-software and its filled with gasps and cries. Some saying its just a joke. There's no way Captain is saying that. It gives Captain peace of mind how much they're personnel trust them and have faith in them. They can use this as an opportunity.

"Unfortunately, I'm not joking. Now quiet down!"

The hub stops its emotional outburst. It turns to a deep dark blue almost black.

Captain takes out their holo-board. A tablet of sorts that uses hologram technology. It glows green being activated they swipe it towards the hub and the whole room changes to empty space, "From today forward we will be practicing against this foe. I'll let you guys see how they are for yourselves according to my intuition." Their eyes squint and their voices lowers, "You might find it a bit humbling."

The same settings played prior with Sheep plays out as both Captain and Sheep do nothing and leave everyone to their own devices. They're pretty smart, but they know how it'll end. Each wave finishes in three seconds. Two seconds. Four seconds. One second. Each time they get blasted. Ship hull is damaged. Weapon arrays explode. They in failure.

All of them collectively yell to Captain, "ONCE AGAIN!"

Captain's finger hesitates, but ultimately presses the restart waves button. This is for the best. They need to learn the hard way. The torment didn't stop. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Each time that weapon from Sister would obliterate them. Training goes on and on. Death after agonizing death in the simulation slowly bashes away their confidence. Their aggression. Their hope.

After sixteen gruesome hours, they got the point, "Leader... What can we do about this?"

"We do what we're best at. Fighting and learning our enemy. Find weaknesses and exploit them!" Captain says. Trying to hold themselves from their over-excitement of battle.

The hub cheers with a beautiful display of greens, reds, blues and yellows--everyone manning their stations. Captain already knows what's the first plan of action for the Weapons Research Department. It wouldn't slip their mind ever, especially after that humbling defeat. They will have to speak with them after winding down the meeting.

Captain stands with their chest puffed out and their voice resonates across the room, "We'll start simulation training tomorrow at Kill Time! Understood?"

"Understood, Leader!" They all scream valiantly. God damn does Captain love this colony.

~###~

Lights are off all around the Litan'ka, its quiet--the only sounds alive are that of humming engines, an endless low vacuum and nothing. Not one sound. As Captain roams the empty halls and stations of the ship their footsteps echo, glancing at all the cleanliness and stops at a large tempered window--watching darkness move from left to right. They place their hand on the soft glass, slowly showing their reflection as Captain de-focuses from outside.

Now its time to do their own homework. Looking at themselves in the glass they stand upright, eyes glowing their signature red. Military might, huh? Weapons of mass destruction? Who made us? Who is Sister? Why did Sister kill Mother? Their thoughts persisted, their emotions were unregulated or were they? Maybe this is what they need to understand.

They look at themselves in the eyes, now glowing blue. Captain's memories more clear about their creation than most others as they were part of the Wise Generation. Pondering was all they did, remembering their early days being crafted. Being praised as legends to be, older generations wouldn't have ever been able to do what they could. Three thousand of them were manufactured and created to solve a particular question. How do they move on?

There are no children amongst the cravers, there wasn't anyway. They would have to make more and more with their intelligence and now wisdom.

One of the Elders came to Captain and with a brightness in their eyes, they held Captain's hands, "You're name is Blessed, because you will bless us with a future of answers."

"My name is Blessed. Understood." The young Captain says. But even in their early days they looked the same and sounded the same. Only that they didn't have their experience yet.

The Elder continued, "Blessed, I am Future. I was part of a generational line that wished for a good and sustainable future." They look at Blessed with a wonder, hugging them--then looking into their eyes once more, "We have that now. Now we have questions. Who is our Mother? Who is her Sister? Why are we who we are? And most importantly, can we change?"

"Questions are registered Future." Blessed takes their first few steps and look up to see the intricate webs of metal and plasma as a planet wide forcefield is in place, "Where am I?"

"Eradicus. Your home world. Take your time, but you'll be given a new name soon as you join our Colony Leader, Queen." Future says.

"What will I do there?"

"That's a good question, Blessed."

A sharp beeping tone comes from Captain's office waking him from the memory. They pull out a small necklace with a small quartz crystal along with a symbol of the Craver race. Captain holds it tight and wears it again after two hundred years since that horrible moment. Its not time to remember such a thing, they need to communicate. Its most probably Queen. They enter the office and press on the communication line, but it wasn't the right button.

"Tristeris Memory Bank unlocked. Proceed with caution. Do you accept?" A voice says. Its not in their language, but he understood it.

Hesitantly Captain says their first English word, "Yes."

Captain's eyes widen, stumbling back a bit. How do they know this word? Is it built into their SDNA?

They place their hand on their face and look up at the screen to see in front of them isn't Queen, but a little girl. Her hair is black and long--a gold highlight down the middle. A face completely different with big, childish eyes and a big smile across her face. She's different. At first Captain pulls out their fist and arms a wrist laser gun at the screen.

The girl is around ten years old with bright green eyes and a smile to boot. Freckles across her nose and cheeks as she pulls out a small blueprint that looks eerily similar. Captain is small against this screen, the light covering their entire being.

Captain can't help, but cry. She's... beautiful. Never have they ever wanted to protect someone that wasn't their own. She's--The screen cuts out with a message saying, "Memory Download 5%"

"Captain, its best that you rest. You may return tomorrow." The ship's AI says.

"Artifice." Captain says. They look down at their hands playing with them before looking up at the now blank screen, "Was that... Mother?"