Failure after Failure after Failure, struggling and failing to make something out of the tangled mess I called a genetic code. Dozens of misshapen masses of cancer and diseases had been incinerated, The diseases novel things hidden within me presumably to stop just what I was attempting. It felt like the room should have been some vile thing, with unmentionable fluids mixing with a thin layer of blood on the floor, but the room was starkly clean and sterile, bright enough to be uncomfortable.
This attempt however, I had hope for. Already it had taken a recognizable human shape, and its genetic code didn't seem to be fraying apart or shifting into some new bio-weapon.
It just wasn't enough, it'd be months before this thing developed into anything I could take from the tank, and years before it reached adulthood. Calling it an it felt wrong, it was me in that tank another body. Just not one that I could inhabit just yet.
I had sacrificed my morals, and any pretense that I hadn't already done so with my machines, and made Life and it wasn't even going to help me with any speed.
Just another thing on the pile.
I took a deep breath, trying to slow my less productive thoughts, so what if it didn't pan out as well as I could have hoped, I had other options. I had prepared for this eventuality, not to this scale certainly but I already had plans to intervene more and the squadrons I had prepared would stop or at least contest the bugs.
It'd be fine. I'd have to set some things into motion earlier than I wanted but that just required my personal attention.
This war isn't working. We aren't going to win, we can't expand forever. Eventually we will run out of room or stumble upon something worse than the bugs.
Well that's stating the obvious dumbass, but we can't exactly give up here.
Yes but the solutions we have tried have only ever made things worse.
We all know we need to find one that works, but none of the super weapons are easy to mass-produce and even if they were after the initial alpha strike weapons drop in effectiveness.
Then why are we making weapons? We know how the bugs work, we've been fighting them long enough for that. We just need to come at this from a different angle, using what we've learned.
A static hum fills the air as my mind sends a message to the Steadfast, the teleportation signal slowly passing through the layers of interdiction fields I'd hastily designed and put into production.
The first thing I needed to do was set up the enclave and get the humans, aliens, and androids in it. A spot on the moon was being prepared even as my form vanished and was routed through the Steadfast and towards the androids earth. Empty buildings and basic decorations forming the moment I gave Labyrinthine the order and specifications.
Later, within the day, I would remove this as its own habitable space station, with plant life, a park, and enough buildings and room to expand for minor trade to occur between each embassy, several open market spaces prepared and accommodations made for all known species.
Then the second thing on my task list would be getting the humans on it, they were currently in talks with the androids, having extended their stay marginally after conferring with their superiors.
The teleporters were routing me towards said meeting, I'd be intruding on the talks but really the time for patience and learning was up, I'd be speeding things along and the androids could get more experience talking to the other races at the conclave.
And the third thing I needed to do was explain to Balistraia why I needed a live command bug. Fun.
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Commander White sat at the head of the table with the other members of the council, looking at the humans before her. Only two of which she had any familiarity with.
The current talks had been going on longer than she really wanted them to, White not having a particular interest in trade deals unlike her move civilian minded compatriots and while the subtle probing the humans leveled had been amusing for awhile it had quickly grown repetitive and annoying.
She knew the majority of her impatience was her desire to oversee the current battles and help out where she could, and that it wasn't the humans fault but the annoyance lingered.
Currently Chantelle, who was the closest thing to a head of commerce they had, was negotiating the trade of metal and simple lasers for Eezo, one of the few materials the Maker struggled to produce. Just about the only thing the humans could actually supply that was cheap enough for androids to actually consider buying it.
A broader trade deal, with restrictions on most varieties of factory tech and android weaponry, had already been worked out. Allowing android and human companies to conduct trade with relatively few tariffs on either side. She knew a majority of androids and machines had a ….fascination with human trinkets and White had little doubt human merchants would quickly learn what actually sold.
The only reason Eezo was being discussed specifically was the human governments heavy regulation on the trade and acquisition of the substance, and considering it was the only known method of FTL to the humans she well understood their hesitance to trade it in any significant amounts, no doubt most of their supply went toward constructing new ships. Especially now that they knew the hostile nature of certain parties in their home universe.
Still if the androids wanted to start building their own spaceships and reduce their reliance on the Maker's own fleet they would need a supply of it, at least until they found their own sources.
Not that there was much desire in the average android to distance themselves from the Maker, more a general desire to explore new places. And the Makers ships didn't really ferry any androids out to explore or visit distant stars.
White was distracted from her thoughts as her advanced sensors picked up a minute fluctuation in the rooms magnetic field, only the rooms still turrets keeping her from tensing as she stared at the distortion only visible to androids with advanced (And expensive) combat modifications, of which only Anemone also possessed. Within half a second and with nary a sound the Maker appeared in the room, sans his armor and already facing the human delegation.
Her thoughts raced as she opened a communication channel with him, her mind brushing against the vast intelligence within that small vessel. Her tone was as firm and cold as ever, long used to the sensation. "What exactly do you think you're doing?" A fair question, but the Maker was anything but comprehensible and his whims were many. She'd long given up on predicting what exactly he would do.
The reply was instantaneous, "I'm making an Enclave, well a mobile city/space-station, as a place for people to conduct trade and grow diplomatic ties" While rapid the reply lacked that tell-tale sensation of the Makers direct attention, the bulk of his mind elsewhere. Not quite ignoring her, but close enough. Which only grew White's faint annoyance as her response was a touch more scathing than most androids would be willing. "And this couldn't have waited until after the meeting?" The response was slower, though only her internal clock's precision allowed her to make note of the difference and she felt a sliver of his attention fall on her. His response was… sheepish and vaguely embarrassed "I uh…. Hmmm, I suppose it could have waited but honestly do you care?"
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It was White's turn to be somewhat embarrassed she supposed, it would be readily apparent to the Maker that the only android actually interested in this discussion was Chantelle and she doubted the humans partially liked discussing the minute details, but it was still something that needed to be done. Her tone showed none of that vague feeling however, instead chiding. The Maker might be a highly intelligent individual but his youth still shone through in most of his actions. "It may be boring, but such discussions are necessary. But I suppose that it is irrelevant now given your sudden appearance."
The entire conversation had passed within half a second, her own processors aching slightly from the strain, both from the speed and from directly contacting the Maker.
The human delegation was still recoiling from the Makers sudden appearance, his form so very different from their own. His skin filled with visible golden, silver, and purple lines crossing the surface like etchings, though she knew the purple was his blood and the silver and golden lines was subdermal armor. His skin was flawless and hairless, his hair falling to the small of his back in a copper mane and his eyes metallic and piercing. His hair actually sounded very faintly metallic when a breeze ruffled a few strands.
An android looked more human than the Maker, and it had taken a while for the androids to get used to the humans not looking, acting, or feeling like the Maker. They simply lacked his presence.
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Langley froze as the creature's gaze fell on him, the hair on the back of his neck rapidly rising as he struggled to take in a breath. The rest of his compatriots fared little better, a few reaching for weapons they didn't even bring into the chamber. The android's own subtle surprise doing little to calm his racing heart.
The thing looked human shaped, it was even beautiful, but whatever it was wasn't human. The similarities only made it somehow more alien than proper aliens. Something in his brain nagged at him that this thing was dangerous.
When it spoke the words drifted into his ears almost before he could realize it had begun talking. "I see your discussion with the androids has borne fruit, that is good though no doubt you have more to discuss with them." Without even waiting for Lanley or the others to muster the will to speak the thing continued. "But I must interject myself into these talks, a change in circumstance means I must accelerate certain plans and these discussions are part of one such plan."
Who was this if these talks were a part of its "plan"? The androids didn't seem concerned or surprised by what the thing was saying, their faces a mix of stoicism and awe. "I will be establishing an enclave within my territory, various races from your reality and others will be invited and encouraged to conduct trade and grow diplomatic ties there. A portal to the enclave will be established upon a world of your choosing. I do not particularly care how you go about conducting trade or if you choose to pursue diplomatic relationships with the various parties but any direct or overt hostile action will be dealt with at my discretion"
And with that the thing was gone, not even giving him the time to ask any questions or respond to the demand, it didn't really seem like they'd be getting a choice about if they wanted to go to the enclave either. It took Langley nearly twenty seconds to compose himself, the androids waiting patiently for the diplomatic envoys to recover. Finally Langley hesitantly asked the question at the forefront of his mind. "What…. Just happened?" A smile came over Anemones face at that question, not patronizing, something more sympathetic and understanding than that. "That man you just met was the Maker, talking with him is usually an… experience. He rarely makes direct contact without good reason."
That was the human the androids had spoken of so often? The driving force behind the fight with the 'bugs'? Langley felt a shudder grow in his spine at the memory of that 'man's' gaze, pinning him in place, making his body grow still as to avoid drawing attention. That thing might have been human, but he doubted that much.
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Balistraia felt some odd mixture of annoyance and frustration rise up in her at the mission her commander had given her. "You want me to do what?" Her commander often had idiotic ideas but this had to be one of the worst yet. Her commander responded, knowing that with her memory the question she had asked wouldn't be answered by simply repeating the mission. "Look I have a somewhat good idea here, I just need a command bug to test a few things and try something"
It took some effort to calm her thoughts, beginning to think more rationally and consider just why her commander would want to do something so idiotic and risky. Command bugs learned and adapted at a rapid pace, and letting one live for longer than necessary made them a significantly greater threat. Having one within a factory was just asking for a disaster. "And what exactly is this 'good' Idea?"
Her commander paused, taking a few instants to compose his answer. "The Bugs adapt in response to threats right? And they obviously consider us threats, which is fair given the whole war thing. But this all started because of the pollution right? Accidently poisoning the bugs and causing them to come here to defend themselves from the accidental attack." All of that was true, but failed to answer her question. Still she was a machine, and did not lack patience. "And now the pollution is too weak to actually hurt them, and the only times we actually hurt each other are when we deliberately attack each other. So the bugs only consider us a threat now because of something that is no longer true." Balistraia was starting to see where the commander was going with this, and if she was right he was utterly mad.
"Well if we are a threat, but don't need to be one. And command bugs are smart enough to understand advanced tactics and have even started responding when androids speak…. Why can't we try teaching a command bug that we aren't a threat?" ……….Balistraia had been correct, Her commander had finally gone insane. But…. if they locked the command bug in a non-essential base what did they really have to lose? Beyond the absurd resource cost, capturing and containing a command bug would no doubt have. "Commander, I mean this most sincerely, This is a terrible idea. But it could work."
It wasn't like reality was any more sane than her commander.