Ardi froze.
She had just realized that she had been consulting an aspect of herself which she called her “database” but what was it exactly?
Accessing that part of herself felt so natural that she didn’t question it.
She desperately wanted to run some sort of extensive internal diagnosis but she chose to shelve that until her interactions with Condor Unit were done.
[Condor Unit and guest, please be advised that we’re about to Gravjump, just gotta get into some clear space. Still hate that this little thing tops out at ten light-years per second but what are you gonna do.]
A voice from a set of speakers in the cabin's ceiling announced.
“I’m guessing this is gonna be your first time experiencing a Gravjump.” Meredith wiped her brow with a rag that was previously lodged in between her seat.
“I’m going to experience a lot of firsts today.” Ardi cracked half a smile in an attempt to ease the tension in the air and, while Meredith didn’t respond, Chin let out an amused breath.
“Is your programing telling you to cater to us, puny humans?” Chin asked as her amused expression turned into a sharp glare.
“Chin…” Meredith cautioned.
“Not at all. I simply wanted to lighten the mood by-“
“Sorry, Cap’n but now’s not the jokes! Oh- matter fact, go ahead and give me your specs because I wanna know if you were worth it because right now, you’re just a shinier model!” Chin snapped making Ardi’s face return to its neutral expression.
She glanced at Meredith who looked like she was struggling to find what to say and B hadn’t spoken a word since she awoke.
Their adrenaline was starting to wear off and their true feelings were coming out.
Ardi understood that they couldn’t simply cast aside their experiences and biases but she also felt a little insulted that Chin thought of her simply as a machine.
Ardi felt as though she was more than that.
So she took a deep breath and faced a still-flustered Chin.
This was a perfect opportunity for her to run her diagnosis while also interacting with the Condor Unit and so she listed her specs.
“I will introduce myself again, then. My name is Ardi and my specifications are…”
[ 1. "Combined Quantum Neural Network" (CQNN) – A revolutionary organ resembling the brain wherein neural signals are transmitted by integrating Optic fibres and Cyanic Cores with organic neural pathways. This innovation allows for instantaneous data processing and problem-solving.
It was developed by the leading scientists in the early 22nd century under Archon Asecan on his home world of Obsidia, also known as the Sunless World.
2. "Carbon Composite Skeleton" (CCS) - Combined carbon nanotubes with graphene, the CCS was designed to provide unparalleled strength and durability. Its sleek, matte appearance blends advanced materials with cutting-edge engineering. The CCE is renowned for its ability to withstand extreme conditions and enhance physical performance.
3. "Electroactive Myofiber Matrix" (EMM) - Utilizes electroactive polymers to mimic and exceed the functionality of natural muscle fibres. The EMM was designed to provide enhanced strength and agility while allowing for rapid self-repair and adaptation with the help of Nanites.
4. "Aetherium Core and Nano-Tube Network" (ACNT) – The Aetherium Core functions as both a power source and a central pump, distributing self-energizing Nanites throughout the body.
5. "Advanced Optic Lattice" (AOL) - Integrates extremely sensitive and precise lenses with advanced sensors, the AOL allows for a broad range of visual capabilities, including augmented reality and spectrum analysis. The shimmering fractal patterns and adjustable pupils are a direct result of the lattice's sophisticated design.
6. "Self-Energizing Nanite Fluid Reserves" (SENFR) - Millions of nanobots that perform a variety of functions, from cellular repair to energy management. The metallic sheen of the fluid and its ability to interact with external technology are key features of its design but its chief accomplishment is the ability to self-energize as each nanobot can produce energy in several ways, primarily Kinetic Energy Conversion: The Nanites convert mechanical energy from movement into electrical energy. Similar to how regenerative charging works in electric vehicles. The Nanites can use each other’s kinetic energy to generate power. It was also these Nanites who were responsible for Ardi’s ability to grow. While Nanites are a widely used technology, she is able to send signals to them that allow them to operate beyond their bounds.
7. "PolyFlex Dermis" (PFD) - engineered using nano-ceramic composites and adaptive polymers to provide not only protection but also enhanced tactile feedback.]
Ardi took a deep breath in appreciation of her design but when she looked at the faces of the Condor Unit members, all she saw was apprehension from Meredith, hatred from Chin and terror from B.
“Just what are you?” Chin quivered but Meredith spoke up in Ardi’s stead.
“She is the one who saved us and I don’t think we should let her… nature diminish our gratefulness.”
Chin clicked her tongue and turned away.
[Initiating jump in 5…]
Ardi glanced at the little hatch that led to the cockpit.
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[4… 3… 2… 1…]
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Space folding during a Gravjump
Jejejejejejejejejjejejjejejej [https://i.postimg.cc/Kv515h8q/PSX-20240901-213404.jpg]
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Her eyes then widened to their limits and she let out a small gasp as she felt the space shift around her.
It was similar to the feeling described when riding an elevator.
That’s what her database told her, at least.
[Alright, two more jumps and we’re back in Coalition space-]
The ship’s pilot stopped as several alarms went off.
The lights then turned red and Condor Unit all joined Ardi in looking at the cockpit but it seemed like the members of Condor Unit could see something which Ardi couldn’t.
Meredith noticed Ardi’s subtle confusion and made a request.
“Hawk-14, please Project your primary view into the cabin!”
And just like that, a two-dimensional holographic display appeared in front of Ardi and it seemed to follow her line of sight, keeping it centred at all times.
The display showed the vehicle they were in and the 360°’s of space around it.
[Something’s targeting us!] The pilots cried but Ardi couldn’t see anything.
“Whoever it is has some serious firepower.”
“Don’t tell me it’s more of them.”
Meredith and Chin dreaded.
“Whoever it is, they don’t want us dead. At least… not yet.” Meredith’s eyes narrowed.
[We’re receiving a comms signal! Please advise!]
“Send it through!” Meredith allowed and just as she did, a voice came from the speakers in the cabin. It was a lazy voice as if the speaker was barely putting any effort into what he said.
[I wasn’t going to do anything at first since you shot past my lawn without making a mess and I expected Epsilon to quickly dispose of you but not only did you kill the gloomy bastard, you came back with something quite interesting, didn’t you?]
Everyone looked at Ardi.
[I want what you found but, since you humans like to play cat and mouse, I suppose I’ll bare my fangs a little. Targeting you are seven Planet Mounted Gravfold Canons. At this range, their accuracy is limited but I guarantee that, even if they all miss, you will be reduced to your constituent particles.]
Everyone froze.
[I’m assuming you’ve been adequately frightened so sit still. One of my men is coming to pick you up.]
The transmission ended and everyone’s eyes remained on Ardi.
“Well? Got a way out of this one?” Chin hissed although her eyes betrayed her true feelings of dread.
Ardi turned to Meredith who remained silent.
“The best course of action in this situation is… to give up.”
First came silence.
Then expressions of confusion and while Chin’s brow knotted in visible frustration, Meredith nodded.
“Alright. If that’s the best route you picked, then we’ll have to go with that.”
Meredith was treating Ardi like an Archon again even though she hadn’t even thought about her decision that deeply.
They were cornered.
There was no way for them to know if the entity that was threatening them was bluffing.
No one present wanted to gamble with their lives on the off chance that it was all a ploy and initiate a Gravjump.
If it wasn’t a bluff there wouldn’t be any evidence that they were ever destroyed since Gravfold Canons tore at the very space within which something existed.
The sensible thing to do was give up and gather more information.
Chin looked like she wanted to protest but she instead clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.
“Fine.”
The space a few Kilometers in front of Hawk-14 then violently twisted and in the next second, a ship that was almost ten times larger than Hawk-14 appeared.
This one was shaped like a bulbous grey fish and where the fish’s mouth would be, a hatch opened.
[Captain, another transmission!]
“Send it through.”
Meredith sounded defeated.
[This is the captain of the ZC Gore, Archon Gudo! You have been granted permission, by Zenith the Collector, to board this vessel!] A deep voice bellowed.
[Captain?]
The fear in Hawk-14's pilot could be heard clearly as it gripped his throat.
“Initiate Boarding Procedures.”
[Copy.]
The comparatively small Hawk-14 slowly entered the Gore's landing bay, a dimly lit space that was as big as a basketball court. Its walls were lined with grime and rust and a few pipes could be seen leaking various fluids.
Flickering yellow indicators were the bay’s only sources of light and they guided Hawk-14's pilot as he landed.
The Gore’s front hatch then closed and the air within the bay was immediately pressurized.
[Leave all your weapons in your ship and step outside!] A high-pitched, almost feminine voice instructed prompting Condor Unit to look to Ardi.
Isn’t Meredith your captain? Ardi wondered.
But their responses were understandable.
They had watched her defeat four Archons.
It was only natural for them to gravitate towards her for leadership and while Ardi internally chastised them for not being cautious enough, she was also grateful that they weren’t being needlessly confrontational.
They were trained soldiers.
Their survival instincts were probably just nudging them towards a possible means of self-preservation.
“Leave your weapons.” Ardi eventually said and, although she had spent what felt like a few minutes internally deliberating the decision, only a few seconds had passed. This was what it was like whenever she thought about something deeply.
Meredith nodded before instructing that her men disembark from the Hawk and just as they gathered beneath its left wing, with everyone other than Ardi wearing their helmets, one of the doors to their left opened.
Twenty heavily armoured and armed men then rushed into the bay before pointing their rifle-like weapons at Ardi and company.
And although their suits looked less sophisticated than that of Meredith’s unit, being only brown space suits that had plates of armour crudely bolted onto them, their rifles looked like altered versions of the same ones her team had.
Ardi wondered if their manufacturer was a neutral party in the conflict but her thoughts were temporarily shelved as two Archons walked into the bay from behind the armed men.
While they stood at different heights they looked somewhat similar to the ones Ardi had killed on Obsidia, indicating that they all got their bodies from the same supplier.
The first one wore a fur crown over his otherwise dark, featureless head.
The rest of his body was covered in a rather casual set of clothing. A white cotton shirt, a beige pair of pants and some leather shoes.
The second Archon was shorter, wore a colorful head wrap and a dress lined with simple geometric patterns.
Her face, however, and much like most of the others, bore no eyes, nose or mouth.
“Which one of you killed that prick, Epsilon?” The tall one thundered and while everyone in Condor Unit’s eyes were sealed with fear, none of them gave even a hint of the answer.
Ardi was taken aback by this display but she also decided that it wouldn’t be right for them to get punished for her sake and so she stepped forward.
“It was me.”
The tall one let out a grunt while walking towards her.
She could tell he was scanning her with the countless sensors behind his face.
“Mmm… I don’t get it.” He droned as the smaller one walked up to his side.
“Then it might be time for you to get your eyes checked, dear Captain Gudo. She’s clearly an augmented human. Look at the meat in her skull.”
“I tire of your underhanded insults, Tsuro! She’s got less organic matter than a bowl of the slop we feed the crew!”
Ardi wondered why people were finding it so hard to classify her existence.
She was the perfect symbiosis of man and machine.
It also seemed like she was the first of her kind and while Archons couldn’t be considered the next step in man’s evolution since they weren’t human, to begin with, Ardi had DNA belonging to the species Homo Sapiens.
This meant, as man’s next step, she was-
“She’s a cyborg!”
One of Gudo’s men yelled prompting everyone to pause for a moment.
Ardi hated it.
She had thought of the perfect name for herself and some idiot had ruined her moment.