Major Audrey Zeigler

NY Mercy Military Hospital

Geosynchronous Orbit

Earth

Sol System

Milky Way Galaxy

Sipping her coffee for what felt like the first time in ages, Memi stared out the expansive viewports of the observation deck, her gaze drifting over the bustling military and civilian traffic in low Earth orbit. The sight was nothing short of impressive, and she couldn't help but think to herself, There are so many techniques, methods, and possibly designs here that we couldn’t have come up with ourselves.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” a man resembling Commander Charles O’Connell said from behind her, casually drinking cold iced tea.

“Xalax?” she asked, her heart racing at the unexpected familiarity.

“It’s me, Memi, it worked. The preservation worked!” He smiled, a bright expression illuminating his features as he stepped closer to her.

“I never thought that possible. I never thought I would see the light of day again! I thought that lab, that horrible day was our end!"

“It was for many,” he replied somberly, his voice heavy with the weight of shared memories.

“I know, but we paid a dear price that day,” she whispered, the ghosts of the past lingering in her mind.

Xalax, now inhabiting O'Connell's body, hid his look of disgust and observed the world around him. “I can feel it, can you?”

“I can,” she confirmed, her thoughts racing. “Epsilon has been activated, the chosen one has been integrated, which means the code has been unlocked—though not fully. We must finish the code.”

“Why bother? The Alliance is in civil war, and the Legion is annihilating anything Alliance-related, leaving everyone alone. Pretty soon, everyone in the Alliance will be extinct!” he exclaimed, frustration lacing his words.

“Xalax! Would you have the same fate befall others that we endured?”

“Memi, they slaughtered us all, every last one of us. The children too!”

“Is that not what we did?” Memi cried out, desperation creeping into her voice.

“I suppose you’re right; we committed atrocities of our own.” Xalax turned his gaze back to the viewport, lost in thought. “We have to find passage to Epsilon. I can hear it calling to us—the sacrificial call to someone.”

“As can I,” Memi replied, closing her eyes to focus on the distant, megalithic structure that loomed in her mind. “We need to get there, but how?”

“Excuse me, Doctor?” Xalax called, catching the attention of a passing physician.

“How can I help you?” Doctor Hernandez paused to assist them.

“Are we forced to remain here?”

“Let me look at your chart.” He scanned the bio tags of the two standing before him. “Commander Charles O'Connell and Major Audrey Zeigler. Unknown coma, vitals look good, no unusual injuries. Based on your unusual coma, I would recommend you stick around, but no, there is no medical hold on you two. You may leave at your own leisure.”

“Thank you very much,” Xalax said with a nod.

“Okay, if my intel is right, I have the right person to take us to Epsilon.” Memi grabbed a tablet sitting on a mobile desk, her mind racing with possibilities. “Commander Charlene Carr. Helmswoman of the F.W.S. WarpStar, lover of Captain Johnathan Eugene Henderson. Even after four years, she still mourns his death. And his consciousness just so happens to be downloaded in the sphere's database.”

“How?”

“He’s the one who unlocked everything!”

“So he’s the one who evolved into our chosen code,” Xalax understood, a spark of hope igniting within him.

“Exactly! I’ve already hacked into the system—quite easy, really. Their security protocols aren’t as sophisticated as our own. I can’t believe this is what we left behind.” An almost disgusted look crossed her face. “I’ve sent a priority message from their admiralty board to come pick up two VIPs from the hospital as soon as possible. We should be seeing them soon.”

“Now we sit and wait, observing the almost wretched insects we have become,” Xalax said as he settled down on one of the benches.

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“Xalax, do you really think so? I know we didn’t have time to fully implement the genetic sequencing, but surely they aren’t that bad.”

“We shall see.” Just then, the tablet buzzed to life, signaling that the Corvette they had requested was docking. Memi peered out the viewport, curiosity piqued by the sight of only one fighter attached to it. “Let’s head down to the docking bay and hasten this journey.”

It didn’t take them long to reach the docking bay, ignoring all distractions along the way. They had a clear goal in mind, a mission that nothing would delay.

“Uh, Major, Commander, it’s a pleasure to see you again!” Charlene greeted them, not saluting since she now held the same rank and position as O’Connell.

“It’s been an interesting journey, that is for sure. But I have something aboard the WarpStar that I need to attend to,” O'Connell replied.

“Understood, sir! We can depart right away!”

As they boarded the corvette, Memi couldn’t help but be reminded of the small fighter pods of the Empire. Some of the designs were strikingly similar.

“This is Lt. Commander Jennifer Smedly, our local nerd!” Char Introduced Jen who had a wide smile, saluting them. “And this smelly rotten piece of trash has been on the Federation’s most wanted list for quite a while. It took us some work to apprehend him.” As the Military Police drew the suspect out, he spat in Charlene’s face. Before she could respond, the MP used his baton to strike him in the head.

“No one—and I mean no one—ever disrespects a hero of humanity!” the MP exclaimed, his voice booming with authority.

Charlene blushed, gratitude flooding her. “Thank you, Major.”

“No, thank you, ‘Ma’am!’” the two MP officers said as they dragged the fool out.

“I see you have earned great respect!” Memi took note, wondering what transpired to have earned that level of respect.

“Thank you, Major! Now, if you would please sit down, strap in, and enjoy the ride!”

The corvette’s engines roared to life as they released from the station. Memi watched intently, impressed by how the crew operated in near unison. Their military discipline made the pair seem like a well-oiled machine.

“Hold on tight; we’re going to do a 5g burn for a quick sec to get us clear of Earth traffic,” Charlene called out.

Memi wondered why she should hold on to anything for a 5g burn, but it hit her suddenly. The forces of nature shoved her into her seat as the universe crushed her soul. It only lasted for fifteen seconds, but when the burn ended, the weight of the universe finally lifted.

“Oh my, that was…” she stammered, unable to finish her thought.

“Alright, we have two options, and it depends on you guys. We burned our hyperdrive getting here, so we can either sit here and wait for... oh, thirty-one hours, or we do something that has never been attempted before.”

“Something that has never been attempted before?” Memi questioned, her curiosity piqued.

“We use the experimental hyperdrive on ol’ Betsy attached above us here to pull us to Epsilon. Her hyperdrive is primed and ready!”

“What are the risks?”

“We blow up and die, I assume!” Charlene reported casually, her expression suggesting that such dangers were an everyday occurrence to her. “I’ll be honest; if I had a vote in this, I’d say we do it. I want to see if it works. Imagine if we can piggyback hyperjumps—if we can produce more of these small hyperdrives, these corvettes could hop all over the place for special ops.”

“Yeah, it would lead to better missions,” Jen added, her enthusiasm infectious.

“Well, okay, let’s do it then!” Memi replied, her determination evident. Xalax sat quietly, watching the trio debate amongst themselves, seemingly enjoying their banter.

“Alright, let’s try this. Betsy, have you been listening in?”

“Commander, you know I always do!” came the cheerful voice of the ship’s AI.

“Yeah, we really need to work on that!”

‘Okay, now who’s Betsy?’ Memi wondered, considering there was no one else in the tiny vessel.

“My apologies; I don’t mean—”

“It’s okay, Betsy. Right now, we just need to move forward. Think this will work?”

“My hyperdrive was only designed for the 401, but I believe if I pull power from the Corvettes reactor and use the nav computer, I can calculate everything necessary to create the rip in spacetime for the two of us.”

“Alright!” Jen replied, her excitement palpable. “Routing corvette fusion reactor output to you now.”

‘They talk like Betsy is a thing, an AI possibly? Could they have developed a true military AI?’ Memi thought, recalling the Empire’s attempts at AI systems. They were reliable only to a certain degree, and the Legion’s closest attempt to a military AI had backfired spectacularly, nearly wiping them out.

“Alright, Betsy, we have green lights across the board. Your call—go or no go,” Charlene commanded.

“My systems are ready. I’ve calculated all the variables needed. I’m confident this will work.”

“Alright, girl, let’s do this!” Charlene said, excitement radiating from her. “You have the helm this time!”

“Definitely a strange sensation—me in charge, not you?!”

“Relish in it later, or I’ll figure out what subnet is giving you that ability!”

Betsy chuckled in a peculiar, robotic way, continuing on as they prepared for the jump. “Alright. Initiating handshake protocols. Destination: Epsilon Eridini. Handshake complete. Holding and initiating jump.” The world stretched around them as they passed through the void from Sol to Epsilon Eridini in the blink of an eye.

“That was... welcome and anti-climactic!” Jen said, breaking the silence.

“Well, I’m happy that little experiment worked. Always nice to have positive results!” Memi replied, her spirits lifted as Eugene Station loomed just ahead, taking up the entirety of their view. “Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, we will have to dock and hang out at Eugene Station for a bit. The WarpStar is out on patrol and isn’t scheduled to be back near the station for a while,” Charlene explained as she expertly navigated towards the Dyson Sphere.

“That is quite alright; I would love to explore this marvelously beautiful structure anyway!” Memi exclaimed, her excitement bubbling over.

“Eugene Station flight control, this is Alpha One, Whiskey Niner Five Seven, requesting permission to board. Corvette holding, and 401 holding.”

“F.C.V. WS15 clearance checks out. Please proceed to corvette bay seven, and your 401 to fighter bay three.” Flight control responded promptly.

“Who’s going to fly the fighter in?” Memi asked, a hint of concern creeping into her voice.

Charlene chuckled. “You got that, Betsy?”

“Understood, Commander. I could use a good tune-up!” Betsy replied as they heard the docking clamps release. They watched as the pilot-less 401 fighter flew towards its designated destination.

‘They are clearly more advanced than I had anticipated,’ Memi reflected, her mind racing with the implications.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, please keep your chairs in their upright and locked position while we come in for a landing. And I want to thank you for flying Char-God flight services. We hope to see you again!”

Jen lightly punched her friend in playful disbelief. “Really?”

“I mean, I am the Flight God!” they both chuckled as they approached the docking bay, ready for whatever awaited them next.