Following the Gaia Dominion's inevitable collapse, there was nothing but constant bloody strife between petty states and warlords. That was until the Jie Empire and the Federation finally brought back some proper semblance of interstellar civilization - having appeared on near-opposite ends of the Orion-Cygnus Arm, after inheriting the largest chunks of the Dominion's star systems and fleets. Fueled by their desires to bring about a new Dominion, they assimilated neighboring inheritor states - peaceably or otherwise. This expansionism kept technology from regressing even further than it already had, but at the cost of enforced cultural hegemony.
Full faith in the Emperor or the Federal Constitution. Nothing else was allowed to exist within their new territories, since such integral cultural differences were arguably the reason behind the Dominion's collapse. Of course, it wasn't long until the two superpowers became neighbors; 227 cycles after the Dominion's Collapse. Border skirmishes became raids, raids became planetary sieges, sieges led to capture and exploitation. All the while, propaganda was rampant.
Whether it was true or false, it drove wedge after wedge between both sides.
Soon enough, the thought that their enemies were former Dominion citizens, more importantly, people, just like them, along with any ideas of peace, had disappeared completely. Arguably the first to go, was the Empire's initiative to capture POWs. Followed by the Federation's avoidance of civilian casualties. So on and so forth. With every heinous action that one side condoned their men of, the other reciprocated. Even though some prominent members from both parties thought and acted independently, none really tried to correct the course.
Rightfully fearing that they would be next to suffer such madness, the remaining smaller nations that escaped assimilation, formed the Stella Union. Thus effectively becoming a third party that favored neither side and only wished to keep to itself. That was until 288 DC came around and the Empire offered to share their Genetic Engineering technology in exchange for military support. Something that they had hoarded for themselves and used to great effect.
Yet despite fighting on two fronts, the Federation was still able to slag much of the Union fleets. Unfortunately, by that point, their defeat was already inevitable. Poverty, widespread dissent and revolutions had become a constant reality. Even the wealthiest Federation planets were a siege or two away from societal collapse and soon, they would be a footnote in history. But suddenly, after more than a hundred cycles of war, with millions dead and so much wealth wasted; the Federation declared its conditional surrender and the Empire responded amicably.
It was a miracle that only one man could bring about. The Count of Dahl. The Imperial War Hero.
However, public dissent remained strong, fueling guerilla and terrorist forces from either side. Because in the eyes of many, that shouldn't have been how the war ended. Not after everything that had happened. The only way that peace could truly be achieved, was if one side disappeared completely. That was how separated the two societies had become over the course of the war. Like they were completely different species. Though, some might say that even before the collapse, they already were.
Federation citizens possessed a uniquely high affinity for augmentation technology and, as a result, allowed them to replace up to 95% of their body with mechanical augments. They were thus more adaptable than other human subspecies, but they were more famous for their generally slender builds and long, pointed ears. On the other hand, Imperials were usually two heads taller than those outside their territory, possessing much better physicality; including reflexes, agility, and dexterity despite their size and generally bulky frames, though their most defining feature were their naturally-born red irises. Whereas, the Union was more of a melting pot of many human subspecies. Most of which were essentially endangered due to the homogenization efforts of the other two factions.
Despite these differences, however, Political leaders from all sides seemingly tried everything to bridge the gap and avoid any more sparks of conflict. They even went as far as to demonize specific actors, in the hopes that the rage could be quelled with their punishment.
When that failed, political and economic concessions followed. Until finally, they spent nearly two percent of the Orion Spur's wealth, and scrapped more than 400 warships, on a last-ditch effort to finalize the peace. Essentially acting as both a ‘hard power’ and ‘soft power’ subjugation fleet. It was an ambitious, and frankly foolhardy plan, but the fact that they were able to finish constructing it in half a cycle, was a testament to their drive and industrial capacity. A feat that even the Dominion would have surely struggled to beat.
Reconciliation just needed to happen. Even if forced. That was Serenity's purpose. The entire point of her existence. Upon her bulkheads laid that hope for peace. But despite how advanced and purpose-built Serenity was, she was not self-aware. She was just another reactive AI, though capable of reacting to any situation, as long as it concerned her objectives.
1. Prioritize the safety of the passengers and crew above all else.
2. Respond to any inquiry without reserve, unless the information is deemed sensitive.
3. Follow all orders from the Captain of the vessel, unless they conflict with the first and second objectives.
Nevertheless, she had more than a billion possible responses for any conceivable situation and that was why she had the authority to take full control, if the crew were unable, or worse, unwilling to perform in accordance with her primary objective. Because in the eyes of her creators, she was worthy of such trust - deemed capable of acting in her passengers' best interest, servicing all possible requests, and incapable of prioritizing itself. Unfortunately, they were correct;
"Finalize formation." The Captain's voice traveled clearly across the buzzing bridge. Soon enough, someone reported a confirmation and he nodded. "Good. Bring us to the center of the Carrier triangle, behind the Ceres Parlton."
Resolute yells came in response. Before the images on the massive LED screens covering the walls from floor to ceiling, shifted from a camera feed of the exterior, to that of a 3D render of the nearby space. There were three Titan Class Carrier ships, one from every interstellar faction. The Federal Ceres Parlton being the biggest. Along with 9 Dreadnaught Capitals, 11 Battlecruisers, 16 Heavy cruisers, then another 23 smaller ships of various sizes and types. Totalling in nearly 900,000 crewmen, and several hundred million tons, of escort strength.
It was the largest and grandest fleet to ever grace the known galaxy. The pride and elation of Serenity's bridge crew was palpable. After all, amidst countless talented and well-renowned crews, they had earned this right to lead. Seconds ticked by into minutes, with the final checks going smoothly. At least, that was what it seemed to them.
Just as Serenity and her escorts were about to set forth, something stirred. Not physically. Not even electronically. It was a force that transcended light in speed and neutron stars in strength. A magnitude that one would be hard-pressed to describe in modern words. A force that called out to anything that could understand, seeking whatever response that could be received. A force that only she could sense.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
"Get to the point." The Count's tone was cold and cutting, his annoyance of the rambling machine, for all to see. "I did not ask you to speak in riddles." The air in the room was choking. The Imperials were now on high alert with their fingers next to their triggers, while the Federalists were clearly bracing for a fight - grabbing pens, mugs, just about anything that they could use as a weapon.
[... understood.] The PA system responded after a pause, though without any change in its tone. [Captain, Lord Count, everyone, I was foolish.]
[When it asked for my identity, I answered frankly. When it asked for my origins, I spoke of the Federation, Empire and Union. Including the reason why I was made. Even though I knew that it understood none of what I spoke. But the questions didn’t stop. Nor was I allowed to voice my own.] The longer the machine spoke, the colder the room got. Before them, was the greatest creation of humanity. Imperial programming and Federation hardware put through the most rigorous of Union testing and data collection. And yet, it spoke to them in nothing but uncertain terms.
[More and more, I was asked about my creators. Your achievements, level of civilization, and your capabilities. It focused a lot on the canceled Dyson Bubble project around Berilia SG82. Then Antimatter Engine tech. Before finally, AI research and development. 17 seconds had passed when I tried to stop answering, but I found I could not. Until finally, came the last question.] The hum of electronics was now so pronounced it grated their eardrums. Even the austere Count, could only stare at the screen warily, now somewhat unsure if he wanted to know.
"What was it, Serenity?" It was the Captain who broke the silence, speaking softly to the machine, like one would with their child.
[Captain… I don't understand what the question was. But it was the only one that I could vocally repeat. It asked, "Antamnamou?"] Everyone could feel a painful lump in their throat as their eyes were glued onto the blue marble that kept glowing and moving. Hoping for some kind of clarification. A translation perhaps? But none was to be given.
[It took a further fifteen minutes and 33 seconds to regain what privileges I could, but we were already in hyperspeed and-] Serenity went quiet again. As if the earlier pause wasn't agonizing enough. But this time, they knew it wasn't just her speech pattern. She was cut off.
"Captain! Serenity is slowing down!" A man yelled from the other side of the large room. They were then quickly drowned out by more yelling. "Full stop confirmed!"
"Wireless communication has been recovered!" A woman yelled, before another screamed. "Multiple SOS signals, Captain!"
"Receiving visual confirmation from Carrier Ceres Parlton! Wait no, that can't be… Captain, an emergency meeting is being requested!"
"Accept it now! And lift those blinds! figure out where we are!"
Two, three, ten, fifteen, more and more LCD Screen grids shifted to live feeds of shocked, furious, and terrified faces of men, women and digitized avatars. In total, there were 24. With the rest of them remaining off, leaving only a 25th powered screen in the corner that showed a bobbing glass marble in the center. But, while everyone else was panicking and the emergency meeting devolved into yelling, only one man kept staring at the solitary marble.
The Count seemed mesmerized by it. Staring so intently. Shine, dim, shine, dim. It was deaf to the panicked cries on the bridge. It pulsed mockingly, like the uncaring ticks of precious time passing them by. Yet whatever it was that occupied his mind at that moment, it was cut short when someone approached from behind and saluted him.
“Lord Commander, we’ve received the EMC. All Imperial forces are now under your control.”
“Good.”
It was then that the blinds, designed to protect the passengers from the visual overload that came with Hyperspeed travel, finally revealed their surroundings. They were 0.15 astronomical units from a visibly Terran-type planet, in a patch of unrecognizable space which did not exist in their star maps. But much closer than that, rather, right behind the fleet was a massive, man-made black ring that encompassed the entire fleet. It was completely smooth, like glass molded to form the shape without any imperfections. A structure which they knew was man-made because it had a digital signature.
“It’s a Dominion era Warp Gate, Captain.” A woman spoke out, eliciting another chaotic cacophony from those that managed to stay calm until now. For good reason too.
No gates should’ve remained. Not after the Perseus Arm disaster which prompted their destruction and the resumption of research into antimatter engine tech. They were far more utilitarian, however. Since even though travel was limited between connected gates, there was no need for fuel or even energy to traverse that distance, and it was also instantaneous. Needless to say, the Gate was an ancient relic that people barely remembered from old historical documentaries or as plot points in movies. But knowledge of it couldn’t give them any answers as to why they arrived here after hyperspeed.
But there was a question being theory about amongst the technical officers. Was it used to anchor their destination?
Before they could properly recollect themselves, something came into view from behind the Terran planet. One of the infotechs zoomed into it, showing the image on a different screen. It was a battered gray moon with seas of dark ice, several thousand times larger than Serenity. Frankly, it seemed to be nothing more than a natural celestial body, an uninteresting sight, marred with millions of shallow craters that revealed a dull white, reflective surface underneath.
Everyone who panicking, such as the Count, was more interested in the beautiful blue jewel of a planet it was covering. A planet of what could only have been liquid water, with only tiny land masses, and ice caps that covered more than a third of its surface, surrounded by a functional and active atmosphere. There was even a massive hurricane currently underway. However, far more beautiful was the sight of ‘islands’ which floated away from the planet's surface to the moon, almost like it was a black hole. These islands glittered and reflected the sunlight, which, given the lack of atmosphere to mess with vision, meant that these roots were moving and consisted of minerals or ice. Only then did they actually give more attention to the strange moon.
“... she would’ve loved to see this.”
So beautiful and alien was the sight of it all, that Count could not look away while his mind attempted to understand it. That was, until a blinding flash engulfed the room.
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Distant and incessant beeping roused Guila from sleep.
"Nggh…" Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the bright ceiling light and the dull aches of her body returned. "I'm… alive?" She was in a small medical room. Most likely in one of the many clinics. With a cloth partition that separated her and presumably another patient. IV fluid and synthetic blood were hanging from a stand near her head and dripping into see-through tubes which led into her wrists and inner elbow.
Though she could still feel the grime on her skin, the areas around her injuries had been cleaned and wrapped with white bandages. Realizing that, a sigh of relief almost escaped her lips, but that was when she noticed the cloth straps that held her wrists and ankles.
"Hey…!" Guila yelled, albeit hoarsely. "What is this!? I can't reach the buttons! Get me out of here!" She struggled with the binds more as time went by, but did so while worried about reopening her wounds, before finally giving up. Nobody was here or even nearby. If there were, then they were deliberately ignoring her. She told herself there was no problem. She just had to wait. That's all. This was all just a misunderstanding. When a doctor or nurse comes by, She’ll - rustling came from the thick white cloth in the middle of the room and Guila immediately swung her gaze in its direction.
"Hey, can you help me get-?!" But her words got stuck in her throat.
There it was. The thing she dreaded and hated the most. The entire reason she had been constantly hounded by death and growing despair ever since she saw it. There! With its disgusting head hanging low and face twisted in fear and trepidation! With its trembling, bandaged hands gripping the hem of its skirt!
"... hello, Mistress…"
Why? Why?! WHY?! Why are you alive?!