The Catherine Kimbridge Chronicles #1, Inception (32 page)

Amazingly some of the systems were still operational. Several of the AI platforms were reporting active ongoing operations. What these operations were, was still a mystery. Many of the ancient system's interlinks had failed over the ages. Yarin and the other members of his triad Yakin and Yurka were using specialized archeological nanites to selectively repair some of the systems interfaces so they could retrieve the system logs.

The communication console, which had been inactive began to flash a rapid sequence of multi spectral colors. Yarin was unable to understand the message. There had been too much semantic drift over the millions of years since his people had left this system. He engaged his encounter unit and was immediately devastated by what he was receiving.

"
The current system scheduled for eradication has been destroyed by a nova event initiated by a defending species. Weapon Platform 6 was rendered inoperative as a result. No protocol exists for this contingency. Requesting instructions.
"

***

"Orbital insertion confirmed, Commodore." Lt. Carstairs said from the helm.

Cat looked out the forward view screen. She could not remember a more beautiful sight. The Hupenstanii's solar system was host to sixteen planets. Planet four was massive, five times the gravity of earth, but solidly in the Goldilocks zone. It was a blue orb with hazy clouds of water vapor.  Two new moons orbited this world, each roughly seven tenths the size of earth. Their orbits were precisely tuned to remain tidally locked with the planet. Each of the moons was also a water world with significant land masses. The D'lralu population enjoyed relative safety for the first time in generations.

A third moon which was slightly larger also orbited the giant water world. This world was rockier, but still had a surface that was fifty five percent water. It was on this moon that the Hupenstanii made their home.

"Open a channel using the new LRH transmitter Ziggy. Let's make sure everyone is OK after their ride." The LRH was an acronym for the Limited Range Hyper-field technology the Hoppers had shared with other members of the GCP. It was instantaneous like entangled quantum communications, but it did not need paired receivers to operate, and was ideal in the current environment because it's signals could not travel beyond a very specific range... Thus limiting the potential for publicizing the presence of a sentient species.

"Channel open, Ma'am. I have a Third of the Seventh named Commander Mirdan on line."

"This is Catherine Kimbridge from the Yorktown. What's the status of your people, Commander Mirdan?"

"Welcome to New Haven, Commodore!  The transition was a bit traumatic but we survived." he admitted. "There was some minor damage as water lines readjusted... Nothing we didn't expect.  We are a little warmer in this orbit but we are erecting a solar umbrella that will provide power and about a three percent reduction in ground level radiation. We can adjust our terraforming to compensate for the rest. All in all I'd say we came through pretty good."

"That's great news, Commander. We have twenty engineering teams on the way from Earth to help with the recovery effort. Have you gotten the new nanite fabricators online?"

Mirdan crossed his upper arms in a very human posture. "To be honest, no. Our engineers are having a hard time adapting the technology."

"I can loan you my Chief Engineer. She is an expert with these technologies. I'd also recommend bringing a Heshe AI into the effort. We need to get those systems up or Earth is on its own."

Mirdan leaned closer to the video pickup and uncrossed his arms. "We'll take all the help we can get. Our scientists are not used to using AIs. Ours have never been sentient.  I understand humanity had sentient AIs even before you had access to the Heshe."

"True," Cat confirmed. "But the Heshe systems are far superior. I would characterize them as a true lifeform in and of themselves."

"Well I will, as you humans say, light a fire under our engineers to make better use of them. Don't worry, Commodore. We will get those factories up and producing ships to protect Earth just as soon as possible."

***

Yakin and Yurka watched the colors fade on their friend and leader Yarin. The Heshe communicate via chromatophores in their skin, which rapidly change colors in order to relay information. This visual system of communication was orders of magnitudes faster than verbal communication but was limited to line of sight. The Heshe's biology compensated by evolving a large number of eyestalks which provided a true 360 degree field of vision.

For a Heshe to drain of color was the human equivalent of falling mute in response to utter shock. They both quickly flashed a question.

"By the Creator, what is wrong?"

Yarin flashed a solid red which was the foulest of Heshe curses. "I fear our ancestors are the source of unimaginable death and destruction."

Yurka responded with a soothing flood of lavenders. In her female mode she was always the most calming of the three.

"We knew this to be so. When our people decided to walk the Way and embraced the Spirit and the Word of the Creator rather than the destruction of the Father's children, we left behind the sins of our past. This is why we now call ourselves the 'Heshe'...
Those that love the Creator, his children and his service.
"

"You don't understand" Yarin flashed in the deepest blues and grays. "The machines of our ancestors are even today destroying worlds. We must make this right... even if it takes us a thousand generations."

***

"Captain! Admiral Faragon! Sirs... You need to see this." Lt. Jim Cortez was the somewhat excitable communications officer on the completely rebuilt and enhanced battleship the GCP Avenger. In this particular case the excitement was warranted.

Two massive alien craft appeared in near Earth orbit despite the human's hyperfield inhibitor array. They were bristling with weapons, and their energy signatures were off the charts. Each vessel appeared to be a large square platform a kilometer thick and perhaps four to five kilometers wide

"Battle stations!" Captain Jason Ruck yelled to his bridge crew.

"Lieutenant... Give me fleet wide... NOW!" The Admiral screamed over the alert klaxons.

"Channel open, Sir."

"Attention fleet. This is Admiral Faragon.  Two weapons platforms have materialized in Earth orbit. Do not fire on these platforms. Our defenses are out of place, and we are heavily out gunned. Our best road forward for the moment is dialog. Until further notice, Exodus 14 is in effect. Gather whatever population your ships can accommodate and ferry to the promised land. Admiral Faragon out."

"Sirs," Lt. Cortez interjected. "I'm receiving a transmission on a Heshe channel from one of the alien platforms. They are asking to speak with Lieutenant Commander Catherine Kimbridge!"

"Why am I not surprised." Admiral Faragon said with a grin.

***

Cat stood on the bridge of the Yorktown still in orbit around New Haven. A real time holographic display of the bridge of the Avenger floated in front of her. Her commanding officer, Admiral Faragon and her close friend Jason Ruck, seemingly stood a few feet from her via the magic of holo projection. The situation had been explained and a relay channel to the orbiting platforms was opened.

Immediately a familiar form appeared. Eight ridged legs supported a bulbous head replete with eight matching eyestalks.

"
Greetings, beloved of the creator."

"
Yarin?"

"
Indeed
."

"I don't understand. How are you... Why are you here?"

"
Regrettably, I am here to address the sins of my people's past. Humanity need no longer fear aggression from the Uruk. We have killed them."

Cat stood in stunned silence. The Heshe could not kill. It was why they choose to leave this region of space rather than fight with the D'lralu. That they could kill the Uruk was incomprehensible.

Yarin saw the puzzlement in Cat's face. Of all humans, this one he knew the best, having spent years studying her in the most intricate detail, in an effort to repair her damaged organic shell.

"
Your Bible contains a passage in the Book of Romans.  'Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God...' So it is with us. Before life evolved on your world, we were an old people. We were the Uruk. We lived our passions. We killed because we could and because it gave us a sense of security. In time we realized that life had a special value and that the taking of it was wrong... We became the Heshe. This was many millennia ago. We had thought our old self was dead...
"

Cat interrupted, "If you ceased killing other races..."  Yarin briefly flashed a bright yellow that Cat had learned meant shame. "I'm sorry... I know it was not you. But if your people learned to revere life, how is it so many have continued to die. Are there others of your race that still believe as the Uruk?"

"
Yes and no. Our sun evolved as suns do and became a red giant. We fled our home world and headed out into the stars. Several hibernated systems survived the transition of our sun to its red giant phase and reactivated. They resumed their original programming.

We recently rediscovered our home world. Shortly thereafter we intercepted a message requesting permission to destroy the Earth system. The weapons platforms currently in orbit around Earth were to be the instruments of that destruction. When we discovered what happened, we reprogrammed the AIs on those platforms to act only as defensive platforms. They are specifically prohibited from engaging in offensive operations. In addition, their systems and AI have been repaired and upgraded. They are our gift to your Galactic Coalition of Planets.
"

Admiral Faragon spoke up from the bridge of the Avenger. "While we appreciate the gift I'm sure you can understand why a simple 'whoops' hardly addresses what has happened... Not just to humanity but to countless worlds for countless years."

"
Admiral, the Heshe owe a life debt to all the races our creations destroyed. We will pay that debt even if it takes us a millennium.
"

Moments later the Heshe disappeared and humanity was one again at peace.

Cat woke from a light sleep. Her body probably didn't need sleep, but she enjoyed dreaming. She looked at her computer console. She had no idea why she had suddenly awakened.

"
Greetings, beloved of the creator."
The voice appeared to float within the room and Cat assumed it was being fed directly to her encounter unit.

"Greetings, fellow beloved of the creator... To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"
The Heshe have a plan to pay our life debt. It will take longer than the recorded history of your world. We will share with you what we seek to do but please understand, you of all your race will live to see it to fruition.
"

"I don't understand?"