1.
Sergeant Diego Cruz, formally of the Earth Space Force, and before that the American Air Force, stood over the recovering body of his adoptive brother, Eolai of the Yonohoan people, Son of Eodar.
A man who had just been attacked and mutilated by his own father in a tragic misunderstanding. Diego did not have all the details, but Eodar was a hero of the Yonohoan people, a mythic figure to them, and to the universe at large due to the role he had played in bringing an end to the devastating millennia long Liberation Wars.
Due to the use of flash-cloning technology, Eodar had fought through multiple lifetimes through almost the entire conflict. He had been present on many fronts of the war, in multiple galaxies. His role in bringing a peaceful resolution to the conflict remained relevant to this day, as the duration of many of the treaties were not specified in a fixed period of time, but rather based on terms such as ‘until the last Son of Eodar dies.’
Confusing matters further was the Yonohoan people’s use of stasis technology. They had strategically applied stasis fields to members of Eodar’s family in order to extend the length of those treaties not for years or decades, but centuries and millennia.
And now, finally, Eolai was the Last Son of Eodar.
And he was injured by his own father’s hand, who had apparently been brought back to life by forces unknown.
Diego, too, was a son of Eodar. At least according to the traditions of the Yonohoan people; his participation in a sacred brotherhood ceremony with Eolai had elevated him to that status. Yet Diego was not Yonohoan, but a man from Earth who was beginning to feel very far out of his depth.
“Bob?” Diego called, speaking to the ship’s AI. “How are you doing? Are you recovering from the attack?”
“Many aspects of my programming were ripped out of me and destroyed by the attack programs that accompanied the life pod that Eodar was contained within,” the ship whispered to him through the blue-tooth like device that Diego had taken to wearing on his ear. “It is unfortunate, but I am still reestablishing control over much of the ship.”
“What happened to Eodar? Is he still aboard?” Diego asked.
“No. After the battle with the Topokan crew concluded, Eodar, for reasons unknown, decided to spare your life while you were in stasis. He then commandeered the emergency shuttle that was reserved for Eolai’s personal use as an emergency escape vessel. It is alarming that he retains the codes and programs to do that, Diego. It implies that they were granted to him by a modern enemy who seeks to turn the hero of the Yonohoan people into a weapon against them,” Bob explained.
“How does bringing Eodar back to life affect the treaties?” Diego asked.
“It doesn’t, except that it would allow him to have more sons and daughters,” the ship explained. “However, it is illegal and punishable by death to make a clone of Eodar. The Yonohoans will be incensed that he was returned to life without his consent. Furthermore, it is clear that this is a young Eodar, while he was serving as a forward scout in the opening stages of the war. He likely believes that humanity’s enemies still seek to enslave or destroy us, and is unaware of his own legacy,” the ship explained.
“What does the enemy hope to achieve?” Diego asked.
“I am unable to make such predictions,” The ship answered. “Both by design and due to a lack of data. However, the results of the meeting between Eolai and Eodar were nearly disastrous. Should Either Eolai have slain Eodar, or Eodar slain one of his sons, then the resulting scandal would shake the universe and shatter the treaties which were founded upon Eodar’s character and righteous dignity.”
“Crap,” Diego said. He looked around at the mangled bodies of the Topokans. “What about them?”
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“According to Yonohoan tradition, if he were not Eodar, then slaying a Topokan would lead to excommunication,” the ship answered. “Eodar is the only exception to that tradition. He was born in a time when the Yonohoans and the Topokans were not interlinked, and as such not subject to the same scrutiny in their treatment.”
Diego swallowed. It troubled him that the timid, furry, nine-foot tall bipeds had died protecting him. He wasn’t certain what to do about their bodies. The Yonohoans had a very clear tradition where it was taboo to move a body from where it had fallen, but he’d never heard of how the Topokans treated their dead.
The Topokans were not humans. They were the close allies of the Yonohoans, and the two societies were deeply intertwined. Despite being nine-foot-tall with claws and fangs, the furry bipeds were somewhat charming and friendly to look at. Their resemblance to a character from the classic series ‘Monsters Inc’ had led the humans from earth to call them Xenosapiens sulivans, in reference to the fictional character Sully, whose appearance they shared.
“Is there anything I can do to honor the Topokans who gave their life defending me?” Diego asked Bob.
“The Topokans will tend to their own dead in time. They do not expect for you to mourn them. They do not really understand such things the way that humans do,” Bob explained to him. “It is more important that you treat them with dignity for the Yonohoan’s sake than it is for their own. The Yonohoans will be most upset if you desecrate their bodies.”
“I wasn’t planning on that,” Diego assured the computer. “But should I cover them with a sheet? Move them into a secure location? What do I do, Bob?”
“Let the honored dead rest where they fell,” the AI instructed. “I apologize if their presence about the ship troubles you.”
“It’s okay. I’m just trying to navigate how to handle this situation. How long until our reinforcements arrive?”
“Unfortunately the use of military attack programs on my software has caused my communication network to lock me out. It will take some time to clear the networks and reestablish contact with the fleet. However, they should have noticed my absence from the communal mind and will soon be alerting their human operators,” Bob explained. “They will come looking for Eolai at his last reported location. I’m afraid I’m unable to provide an estimate in how long it will take for them to arrive.”
“I understand. How is Eolai doing?” Diego asked.
“His wounds will mend, except for his missing arm, which he will most likely replace with a cloned limb,” the ship explained. “I estimate that it will take him six hours to awaken after the sedatives and painkillers you administered wear off, at which point he will be fit for service. The replacement of his limb will have to wait until we reach a facility with medical facilities beyond which I possess.”
“Understood.” Diego sighed, looking around. “I feel helpless, Bob. Eolai was injured and the Topokans were murdered while protecting me, and I don’t even understand why. What the hell happened while I was in stasis?”
“We isolated the signal from the escape pod which we came to investigate,” Bob explained. “It was under a security lockout and would not divulge its contents. Eolai ordered it brought aboard anyway. The stasis field was deactivated, and the occupant identified itself as Forward Scout Rank 2 Eodar of the Yonohoan Tribe.”
Bob paused for effect. “Diego, this might be the youngest instance of Eodar to have been created in fifty thousand years. It might even be the initial upload of his imprint which was distributed throughout known space.”
“If that were the case, wouldn’t his weaponry be obsolete?” Diego asked.
“It is the opposite. Forward Scouts were given access to weaponry and technology which remains restricted in modern armies. They were infiltration units designed to move behind enemy lines and obtain information for the planning of wars and invasions. They were often not expected to survive their assignments, and when their infiltrations were exposed, they were expected to cause as much damage to the enemy infrastructure as they could before they were disabled.”
“Which is why he was able to disable you, kill the Topokans, and injure Eolai,” Diego said, banging his head against the wall. “What do we do?”
“For now? I continue to reestablish control over my functions and hunt down the remaining damage of the attack programs which were used against me, while you wait for Eolai’s allies to come to investigate. I suggest that you get some rest, Diego. You are exhausted and emotionally wrung out.”
“Right. Okay. Good plan. Thanks Bob,” Diego agreed. Rather than leave Eolai’s side, however, he went to find a chair and bring it back to sit at his adopted brother’s bedside.