“The hydra has nine heads, yes?” Bone confirmed. “These other heads-- I am certain that my family will serve you well in those positions as well!” The other forty-nine members from the T3ST colony stood tall, proud to have come to the planet Elysium.
“Bone,” Syned Vezna replied. “When I say noble guards-- that is the position of one of the nine heads. The others are promised to many asteroid colonies, and those here that have contributed to Elysium over the many decades and centuries.”
Bone was bewildered by these words. Was it his own misinterpretation? Was it his own fault that he had been caught up by the flow of grandeur, and assumed Syned Vezna’s mention of the noble guards meant multiple heads of his hydra?
Bone desired to address this issue.
“Syned Vezna,” he called with a slight dissatisfaction as he stepped forth, “I--”
Two golden-armored and deep blue-caped guards on either side of the nave responded with synchronized steps, and their spears crossed right before Bone’s neck!
“It’s your eminence, new one,” the two guards simultaneously spoke as their spears whirled. The surface of the weapon flowed in a sea of golden nanobots as internal mechanisms spun threateningly.
These guards had been barely noticeable, nothing but statues when the fifty T3ST members first entered this bastardized golden gothic cathedral. Bone thought those spears to be nothing but ceremonial weapons-- it was only now that he noticed the oddity of these… melee technological weapons in the age of the Neurorave system.
A tension was palpable in the air
“Bone!” a frowning compatriot said. “These are but ten guards. We can--”
“I would advise you against such action,” Syned Vezna nonchalantly advised. “Your name is Oten. Born on January 26 Terran calendar, 975 Solar Era. Supposedly, your mother died giving birth to you. But you know. It was your father who took her life.”
Oten froze, his expression one of incredulity and fear.
Bone himself only heard of Oten’s mother dying while giving birth, and no more.
Syned Vezna waved a hand and the two guards returned to their position on the side of the nave. Then, a guard close to Syned Vezna kneeled before him.
Syned Vezna stretched his hand forwards and placed it upon the armored guard.
It was then that Bone and the other T3ST members finally noticed that these guards weren’t actually wearing armor. The extravagant military uniform that they thought to be worn armor was, in fact, just the skin of these guards.
The surface of the guard under Syned Vezna’s outstretched arm mechanically shifted as the guard changed his form into a hulking titan, then a cheetah, and even into Oten himself!
The form of Oten did, however, look slightly off.
“A pity. Unfortunately, it’s quite impossible to mechanically imitate the shape of a unique human perfectly, even with nanobots. But with a bit of trickery…” Syned Vezna muttered, and the surface of the kneeling guard before him ejected colorful lights that eventually concentrated into a holographic image of Oten over the body. This image of Oten was now nearly identical to the real one!
“Cyborgs…” muttered a woman behind Bone, who he wasn’t all that well-acquainted with.
“So, one of you do know,” Syned Vezna smiled as he waved and dismissed that guard, who transformed back to his original appearance before returning to his original spot.
“There is always room for discussion and understanding.” Syned Vezna said as he motioned for Bone to speak.
“Your eminence!” Bone hesitated for a second before sinking down onto one knee. “Surely, we, the T3ST colony, should fill the nine hydra heads! Our abilities with neuro devices cannot be denied! It will bring glory to the Kasvallian Republic!” Bone had assumed that this would be the case, seeing as Syned Vezna spoke of making use of their talents to maximize the effectiveness of the Kasvallian Republic.
“Bone,” Syned Vezna softly questioned. “Do you know how many asteroid colonies there are in The Belt?”
Bone nodded. He knew, of course. The T3ST colony has had quite some interaction with many of them, despite their somewhat prison-like labrat conditions over the years.
“Latest figures have it at three hundred and sixty-nine, spread far and wide throughout the Belt. Not all of them stand staunchly beside us yet. Your T3ST colony, for example, is unlikely to fully join us as long as your father remains in charge.” Syned Vezna’s words elicited frustration within Bone’s heart.
“I do not blame you,” Syned Vezna amicably reassured Bone. “However, I hope you understand my point. I have already given you sole control of one of the nine heads. The other asteroid colonies will demand their place as well. Most asteroid colonies will at least have a few capable soldiers.”
“I hope you understand why I cannot give you more than one head of the hydra.”
Syned Vezna’s words reminded Bone and other accompanying forty-nine T3ST members that they had now entered a complex political structure. They would not be able to live day-to-day as they have done in the T3ST colony. Every move would set off cascading waves.
Bone could only bow his head in realization. He might give off the impression as a brainless individual, but his mind was by no means dull. He simply had a bad habit of reacting quickly and rashly. For the T3ST colony to occupy all the positions within one hydra head… Bone quickly understood that many asteroid colonies might already hold a tinge of dissatisfaction towards Syned Vezna’s decision.
“There is no need to feel disappointment,” Syned Vezna continued. “I consider you to be the nole guards, because the most important and critical missions would be given to you. These tasks will be on the level that can sway the impending war. Your value remains unmatched. I hope you understand that.”
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
The human-AI hybrid’s words brightened up the T3ST members’ faces, and reassured them of what they believed to be their long-deserved importance in the world.
“Lead them to the testing facility. We will identify who among you is compatible with the half of me that is Syned!”
A cyborg guard stepped forth and motioned for them to follow him into a side-archway.
“Your eminence!” Bone imitated the Kasvallian salute before following after the cyborg guard. Every member of their fifty repeated this gesture before trailing after Bone.
They descended a spiral tower into a state-of-the-art underground facility. In the center of the room was a spherical cockpit that belonged to an ex-armor, surrounded by many men and women in snow white lab coats.
A number of new neuro circlets of Kasvallian-make were already laid out before them on a deep blue clothed table. The T3ST members transferred the settings from their Neurorevo neuro circlet into these new ones with zero complications.
All their neuro circlets had been replaced in less than a minute, securing the Kasvallian Republic’s internal security.
Bone led the way and was the first to enter the detached cockpit. He tapped his new neuro circlet against the internal syncing panel.
User Bone, of the T3ST colony, new Kasvallian citizen. Commencing Syned compatibility. Warning-- You may feel a strong headache, nauseous or more depending on your compatibility with Syned.
A number popped up on the internal surface of the cockpit. It began at zero percent and began increasing.
Fifty percent.
Bone began to feel a slight discomfort in his head that is the onset of a migraine, and the pain only increased alongside the compatibility percentage.
The migraine increased to a peak along with a loud ringing vibrating his eardrum, and he felt himself on the brink of losing his mind!
Then, his mind was freed from the tumultuous storm.
“Well done!” A joyous female researcher praised him from outside the cockpit.
Bone looked up to see his compatibility percentage had reached seventy-one percent. Was that… adequate?
He exited the cockpit to find himself faced with the many beaming faces of researchers and engineers.
Yfour was next. What followed would be something that etched itself into Bone’s soul.
He only heard screams of misery and torment from within the cockpit. An outside monitor displayed that Yfour’s compatibility with Syned was nothing more than five percent!
“Is…something wrong with this apparatus? A malfunction?” Bone hesitantly questioned a researcher to his side that had been calling the shots.
His name tag had a simple name-- Roland.
“No… this is quite a common occurrence actually,” Roland replied with a sigh. “Compatibility with Syned is difficult to achieve. You must have a deep relationship with the woman who went in, but… this is the reality. Even if you accuse us of failing to resolve the imperfection of our human-AI sync system, I will accept full blame.”
Yfour came out of the cockpit haggled and disappointed. She felt like she had failed Bone’s aspirations. Bone himself wasn’t sure how he felt-- Yfour had been by his side since they were little.
The remaining forty-eight was slowly but surely parsed through the system.
“May I please draw all of your attention!” Roland climbed atop the detached cockpit and rapped his knuckles against the metallic sphere, attracting the eyes of all present.
“I am certain that his eminence will be very satisfied with today’s results! Especially Bone!” He informed them, “it is incredibly rare for any to even go above fifty percent compatibility!”
“Now, the best ten of you will be a part of the noble guards.” A dejected Yfour barely heard these words. “One important detail of which I must inform you all is that in order for you to sync with Syned, the many emotional centers of your brain will need to be suppressed.”
“Bone will suffer the least, as he has high compatibility with Syned,” he further explained. “Some of you will find that Oten may become a slightly different person. His compatibility stands at forty-six percent, and as such, his emotions will be strongly suppressed under the human-AI sync.”
“Now, I will hand things over to my superior.”
A woman dressed in clerical robes strode before the T3ST colony members.
“I am Celes,” she introduced herself as her gaze swept across the crowd. “I will help settle the forty of you into the Fields of Asphodel, and as promised, you will have the freedom to pursue your passions in various fields.”
“As for the ten of you chosen, you will follow Roland and be given an audience with Syned, before being integrated into our military forces.”
Bone soon found himself in a regal room of pearl black marble ground along with golden pillars, sitting at a long table with Syned Vezna hosting at one end.
“Your eminence,” Bones was uneasy after seeing Yfour led away. “My… Yfour. She--”
“I understand your concern and desire, Bone,” Syned Vezna had no need to hear the man’s words. “I will allow Yfour to serve in some capacity under your hydra head. However, she will not be allowed any major role.”
“Your eminence,” Bone bowed his head. “She is a capable pilot. If--”
“Bone,” Syned Vezna interrupted him again. “This is a new age. I, as a hybrid, can control two hundred and eighty neuro devices. The Syned in me augments my twenty eight neuro channels ten times due to our perfect compatibility. Do you understand, Bone?”
Bone was shocked into silence. He now understood that his protestations for Yfour would be in vain. Yet, his heart still felt pain regarding Yfour’s situation. They had promised each other to reach a new horizon together.
“Let me explain,” Syned Vezna sighed. He understood that often, though comprehension of a situation may not change the situation, this knowledge often helped humans find acceptance.
“Yfour’s mind is deeply consumed by her dedication to you, Bone. Yet, I, as Syned Vezna, am not dedicated to you. I appreciate your talents, but surely, you understand that the Syned in me seeks to establish the Kasvallian Republic’s dominance and force humankind to a new golden age. Yfour…”
Bone could only nod his head. There was no need for Syned Vezna to further explain the situation. In retrospect, it was obvious. Yfour was completely incompatible with Syned for good reason.
____________________________________________________________________________
City of Romulus, Mars.
Vice-admiral Zheng, followed by Commander Khan, entered a dome-shaped chamber with many terraced levels filled with many rows of seats.
One of the most pivotal moments in martian history was about to occur.
The martian leadership had been in a back-and-forth struggle over the future direction of Mars. Some wished to join the Kasvallian Republic. Others did not. Some even wished to realign themselves with the Earth Federation!
The more recklessly ambitious figures have even suggested using the impending chaos to force an independent Mars, despite the devastated martian military and tenuous supply chain-- they would lose Kasvallian support if they did not side with them.
Both Vice-admiral Zheng and Commander Khan took their seats along with a few other physically present men and women. Holographic images of other figures soon entered their seats, their forms projected into this chamber.
Khan exhaled in nervousness. Not even she was sure of her own position. She knew that Zheng was similarly on the fence. Perhaps the words of others in this meeting would sway their minds. However, Khan certainly held a grudge against the Kasvallian Republic. After all, her father was a victim of their secretive cyborg forces!