“…..ase th south…… Id lather shop with life cap… dead sample…. rea.. the plant.”
Being interrupted when in such a pleasant dream, I slowly realize I must be getting defrosted from cryo-sleep.
“Serr, eh swood becoming to any minute.”
I don’t know if it’s the freeze talking or if these people have some heavy accents. Thinking that I open my eyes and I see a familiar sight of a barrel in my face. I look around to scan my surroundings, must be Installation 04 though it’s a much smaller room than I would think they would dissect me in. Only about the size of formal living quarters but they had plenty of equipment if they wanted to.
Due to my training I quickly identified all personnel in the area and automatically assigned them to threat levels. Four man squad with what seems like out dated gear and armor but look well trained as they keep me away from themselves and a male officer and two female civilians behind them. Weapons trained on vital areas in case I decide to get rowdy.
I also notice the females blushing and trying to avert their gaze from my naked body and while I’m lost in thought the officer speaks up with a demanding tone, “Identify yourself, creature.” Oh good it really was just the drowsiness from the cryo.
“One must always give his own before asking for another’s” I say while smirking. I love giving officers shit just to see how the react. Most of the time it results in me getting slapped or shot, but he is too far away to hit me and his men look too well trained to fire just because they don’t like what I said.
Surprised at my words he continues with his previous attitude, “My name is Commander Glenn, you are on my ship the Marathon of the United Space Coalition. Now identify yourself.”
“Space Coalition? I have never heard of such a thing.” Seeing my puzzled expression one of the females decides to but in as well, “I know this must be confusing and a little hard to accept, but from what we believe you have been in stasis for over 500 years.” Still trying to not look at my junk.
I relax and look to the small woman who tells me I am now a time traveler. Over 500 years? That doesn’t explain their tech and seems a little too farfetched. Maybe that mystery man’s Installation 04 is some kind of looney bin full of psychos thrown together to see if they could write Shakespeare. And those soldiers are actually guards. Would explain why they haven’t tried to kill me when I gave their commander sass.
The taller woman could tell I didn’t believe the first one and started pulling out records of my pod onto the monitor. “Records on your pod were corrupted so we have no idea when they put you in stasis.”
“We say 500 years cause that was the last time the Coalition found anything related to the Empire besides the founding your pod,” said the smaller woman.
I see, better not tell them anything other than the bare essentials to get them to believe me. I’m not going to trade this possible stretch of freedom to be a sample under the knife again.
“My name is….…. Alexander,” I cringe at the reluctant use of the only real name I ever had, “and I mean you no harm, so could you please get these guns out of my face, sir.”
Hearing my name the crew visibly sigh and the soldiers relax their aim. “Well Alexander it’s nice to have you aboard. These two ladies are Doctors Karen Cineal and Mara Ricia, they will be looking after your health as you acclimatize to being outside stasis again. We are bringing you and your pod to the capital planet of the U.S.C., Amasis for study.”
“If you are still bringing me to your planet, why am I defrosted when I will have to go on ice again?”
They look at me like I’m speaking in a different language. Way to not make me feel like a weirdo who takes 500 year naps for fun.
The small woman named Cineal began “The Alcubierre drive was designed at the height of the Empires power in Imperial year 2496……. 923 years ago.”
Raising his hand to his face in a studying glare Commander contemplated her words. “So he is even older than we thought.”
“Sir, even with stasis it is impossible to be that old. The cryo would eventually kill him, that’s why they woke up the crew every 5 years back before the warp drive.” The tall women named Ricia was beginning to get heated.
Fuck I better throw them off track with something. But before I could Dr. Cineal came to my rescue. “The gravity generators on the capsule could have been designed to keep the cryo from killing him somehow.”
Close doctor, they were only designed to kill me in the chance cryo couldn’t keep me detained. But with that guess, Dr. Ricia and Cineal began to discuss or maybe argue this new theory. It’s hard to tell and I feel delighted until Dr. Cineal pulls this out of her hat.
“We can argue all day but we have the person who was in it and could most likely shed some light on our problem in theory.”
DAMN IT!
“Just sleeping with something doesn’t mean he knows how it works.” Commander Glenn to my rescue! A little poor choice of words but I may have misjudged officers. “Now I’m going back to the bridge and leaving two Marines here. It’s just a precaution for the doctors’ sake, I have no idea what it must have felt like to have 500 plus years of blue balls.”
Too soon. I look menacingly while I watch him leave the room. Then shift my gaze past the Marines and to the two women and see them look away with obvious discomfort. I don’t know if I should laugh or cry.
“Well now I feel even more awkward for being the only one naked in this room.”
This gets a rise from a couple of the Marines as one brings me some clothes. The two doctors show a grim blushing expression to each other. HA! Finally got some shielding from all these horribly disguised glances at my dick!
I look towards the name tape of the Marine who gave me the clothes. Private Jenkins? He looks similar to the man I fought with on my last battlefield. Even got a similar boyish face and red hair. Well it’s a common name anyway, I doubt he is related.
“So am I going to get a bed or do I have to sleep in the pod some more?”
“From the Commanders reaction to you I wouldn’t doubt you would receive a bunk with one of us,” Jenkins says as he starts calling the Commander to verify.
“In the meantime would you allow Dr. Ricia and myself to check your health? Just in case anything foul happened during your unfreezing.”
This tiny woman just wants to find me out huh.
“As long as it’s just a basic scan, I don’t want to be restricted for a long period again.”
She points towards one of the many tables in the room and I lay onto the closest one and begin to get scanned while Jenkins dejectedly tells me I am bunking with him. Poor guy seemed to have his own room despite only being a private.
“So about this warp drive,” I begin after Cineal confirmed I was at 100%, “is it really based on that old 20th century theory by …… what was his name again, something Alcubierre?”
“Miguel Alcubierre, and yes it is loosely based on the same theory,” cuts in Dr. Ricia.
“So it was possible,” I quietly wonder aloud to myself, “How does it work? From what I remember it required a fictional elements like dark matter and negative mass to even begin making rough prototypes. Oh and please make it simple please, you’re talking to a space traveling caveman”
“Basically we use a gravity core similar to the ones on your stasis pod to compress gravity so dense it distorts space similar to a black hole. Using that phenomenon we have the negative mass necessary to build the ‘bubble’ for the Alcubierre warp. But this act also opens a wormhole at the destination of the jump as well, so it’s based on two different space travelling theories!”
I asked for simple and she gives me a fucking Einstein-Rosen Bridge. I applaud her as she stands looking proud of herself, “Lucky for you I understood most of that.” She blushes as she remembers her blunder.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
“Well at least she answered your question, Alexander,” said Dr. Cineal, “but I have one for you as well. What are you? You’re human but more than human. Advanced biologically but primitive technologically. It’s very confusing.”
I look at the group of Marines relaxing by the door discussing the ships food quality and how shitty their sergeants have been acting lately then return my gaze to the doctors.
“I’m afraid if I give you that information I would be subject to invasive experiments and tests.” Their disappointment is clearly visible as they pout and all I could do is sigh. “But I will tell you that I am mostly human and have been only modified through genetic manipulation and cybernetic augmentations. And please, just call me Alex.”
Having an answer improves both of their moods. “Empire scientists must just be a higher level of understanding of human enhancements compared to our own knowledge of human augmentations,” says Dr. Cineal, “Guess there is no need to have him go through all that when we already have a basic understanding of his constitution with the examination we did of him already.”
Well that seemed to have worked that problem out and I didn’t even half to threaten anyone. All my secrets are now safe from them. I’m about to ask more questions about this ‘United Space Coalition’ as they call it when we hear an ungodly load rumble coming from me.
Choking from laughing so hard, Jenkins points for me to follow him to the chow hall of the ship followed by everyone else from inside the room.
One thing I noticed about this ship the Marathon, is that it’s huge as shit. The science lab where I was awakened in was near the bottom of the ship on the 8th floor. Once we got to the nearest elevator I noticed there was 20 more floors below that. Most of them being battering decks, guess that’s why the lab was so small. This is definitely not a research vessel.
As we were moving though the ship towards the chow hall I ask plenty of questions to learn more about the U.S.C. and how they found me. Of course I answer their own questions as cryptically as possible as to not give away too much information when we finally arrive. I could tell from the smell of food getting stronger as we got closer to two double doors passing many shiny collars on the way through.
Shortly after getting my food I sit down next to the squad of Marines and the doctors to continue our interrogation of each other. Looks like we are eating chicken, potatoes and gravy with an assortment of vegetables for sides. Nice to see food hasn’t changed since I’ve been out cold.
“Hey Alex, were you a soldier for the Empire. I ask because you seemed to know what you were doing around those officers with that beautiful salute back there and all those scars.”
“Jeez Jenkins, if you hit on him like that he might start coming on strong himself,” jokes another of the Marines named Lance Corporal Adams. He’s physically older than Jenkins probably joined the military late. He’s got a gritty face and dark brown hair.
I laugh aloud as Jenkins tries to reach over the table to give Adams a smack. “Actually yes I was. I was a Colonel.” Jenkins and the rest pause as they look to me.
“I know it’s not for me to say but why was an officer of your rank the one in that pod,” questions Dr. Cineal, “Were you the ranking officer of the station?”
“No, but I was the Commanding Officer of an entire Auxilia Company of Marines before I was put to cryo-sleep to go to the next battlefield,” I lied.
“What’s this Auxilia thing, Colonel?”
Looks like the squad of Marines are going to start calling me by my rank now. “Don’t call me that. From what we know the Empire doesn’t even exist anymore so neither does my rank. Back when it did though the Empire encompassed many worlds and systems and used an archaic ranking system where Sol born and descendants were of higher rank than other common world members of the Empire.”
Not even trying to hide my growing anger I continue on while increasing my volume.
“Basing itself on the old Roman empire of Earth, members of those systems that wanted to join the military were considered less noble and were herded into the Auxilia Companies commanded usually by a pure Sol elite. Also those companies were the first wave against the Empires enemies and slaughtered by them and allies alike generally abandoned and betrayed by their commanders well in advance.”
After my winded explanation silence included not only our group but also the next few tables. I continue with one final sentence, “That’s why it was nicknamed the Fifth Reich.”
Murmurs began in the neighboring tables that started to spread throughout the whole chow hall.
“How barbaric,” Dr. Ricia looks sadly in my direction.
“Yes Dr. Ricia, I lost many friends that way and it’s the reason I distrust officers.”
After eating our fill and getting over the gloomy atmosphere we started our separate ways. The Doctors were heading towards the bridge to give the Commander their findings while the squad and I head towards the ships PX to get me some uniforms made. Seems I’m going to be part of the crew now. I guess it’ll be nice, better than being frozen.
After getting my uniforms made and being supplied gear, Jenkins and I started towards our room when I hear a ringing I’m familiar with. I start towards the door the noise is coming from.
“Where are you going, Alex?” Jenkins sighs and starts following me.
I open the door while the noise increases in volume. Inside I find a blonde haired woman fumbling with one of my oldest possessions. A little thin black box that reflected light softly off its transparent glass case projecting soft music outside of it.
“This is some primitive music box and this music is so weird. I wonder what planet and what era this music is from,” she mumbles.
“It’s from Earth,” my answer surprises her as she didn’t even know we entered the room. “All the songs are pre-Empire.”
Her eyes become moons, “You can’t be telling the truth that’s thousands of years ago. How could that music be saved on this box?”
“It’s a family heirloom.” I lie only slightly this time. It kind of was, I received it from one of the doctors who made me, while he got it from his grandfather. “All those songs were collected and saved throughout the generations of my family.”
I move towards her and retrieve the music box from her and swipe the pause button to stop it from playing. She sighs sadly as the slow soothing music stops playing.
“What’s the name of that song? It was played so beautifully.”
“Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven. He went deaf shortly after composing this song.”
“It’s sad that he went deaf, he could have made numerous songs just as beautiful as that one. Are there more songs on the box? Especially if there are more like that one. What’s that thing called anyway?” She’s starting to get excited at the prospect for more music.
“It’s called MP3 player, this style was made by a company named after a fruit I recall my grandfather telling me. There are over a thousand songs on this thing. I’ve modified it over the years to allow me to continue using it. And you don’t have to worry about Beethoven, he made his most famous songs while deaf.”
While I walk out the room I sync the player to my internal cybernetics and begin listening to the flow of music again after centuries. I’m glad my collection has survived through my blunders. Music of the Empire was always boring and never had any vocals. At least this way there is someone who didn’t ‘Forget about Dre’, whatever that means.