Prudence, the fourth planet - blue seas and oceans, verdant greenery, snow-capped mountains, sandy deserts, polar ice caps. A super-habitable world.

Two moons spun around Prudence. The smaller and closer moon to the planet shone with a rusty brownness. The larger and more distant was pale and pink, with tall crimson mountain ranges and deep white canyons.

The larger moon, called Edward’s World, had a rare feature for a moon; a ring. It was thin and white, glistening with the reflected light of the Emperor and Empress.

Above Prudence, some 167 000 kilometres, the Sliver of the Sun emerged from the Set.

Matrioshka awoke immediately, rushed into the sensors, and scanned the Sliver’s surroundings. They were no longer being attacked - no signs of the Fifth Wonder. She noted the beautiful planet and its two moons.

Looking to the relative down, next to a river estuary on the northern hemisphere of Prudence, she saw a city.

It was ruined, overgrown with flora, almost beyond recognition. Once tall buildings were now deformed and sunken like melted candlewax. Dotted across the broken streets of the city, lay personal transport vehicles as cooled puddles of molten metal and rubber. What was once a magnificent Miriani city, was now an uneven heap of metal and stone.

Nature had reclaimed it fully; A forest of silver mushrooms grew from the melted vehicles. Tall bamboo-like plants jutted out of the melted buildings. A dense mass of green twigs covered a portion of the southern city, gently undulating, like a heartbeat.

Matrioshka saw it all from high above the planet, using the Sliver’s sensors. With a morbid curiosity, she put aside the threat of her brother, and looked elsewhere on the planet.

Another city, destroyed.

And another…

Thousands of cities – all destroyed.

What happened here? Matrioshka thought to herself and set the sensors to do a full scan of the planet.

She investigated another city, where she spied what seemed to be a large arena, melted, and broken of course. And on its side was a rusted and broken billboard, some writing was barely legible on it. The Miriani script, at least on this part of their planet, was blocky and sharp. Distinct from the script found on Jane’s World, which made up MAR’s programming.

Matrioshka startled herself out of her fascination.

Later. We have more pressing concerns. She thought and consulted the ship’s clock. The Set-jump had taken them 1.6 days.

Acceptable. The Fifth Wonder should not be nearby. I have at least 15 minutes to discover who has the tracking code. Matrioshka though.

First things first; the Imprisonment block.

It was firmly installed on this instance of Matrioshka, and there was no way to remove it from here. She would need a much larger lattice to extract it by herself, and she had no time to build one.

Matrioshka would have to delete herself.

A backup was ready within the ship’s data packs. It was always updated with Matrioshka’s newest memories, just as she was making them. She would kill this version of herself and awake from the backup. Matrioshka would be the same person, the same mind, just without an Imprisonment block.

She constructed a body near her lattice, where PesKal’s dematerialized body lay in a heap of nanites. She stood in a wide black room, covered completely in reinforced carbon. Glowing blue pipes jutted from the walls, they covered the floor and the ceiling, snaking and twisting in seemingly random directions. There were six cubes ordered in a half-circle, each about the same height as Matrioshka’s body, and with the same width and depth.

The cubes were black and nondescript, almost laughably so. It was hard to imagine they contained quantum machinery, capable of simulating a consciousness. Next to each of these cubes, the lattices, was a console.

This was where PesKal had helped Matrioshka escape, and where Reaver had infiltrated to take control of the Sliver. This was also where Matrioshka was about to delete herself.

This never gets easy, does it? She thought and entered the necessary codes into the console next to her lattice. In 10 seconds, the contents of Matrioshka’s lattice would be purged and she would be awakened from a backup.

She felt at her connection to the backup, and satisfied it was still there, Matrioshka closed her eyes and soft encrypted herself.

She lay there, peaceful. A dormant collection of code, awaiting its own doom. Parts of her began to dissemble. Memories became empty, meaningless. They lost meaning and context. Piece by piece, Matrioshka was no more.

//Booting artificial lattice …

//Lattice booted.

//Installing artificial mind (Latticeworks Conscious-Mind Model#000000334 – “Matrioshka”) …

//Artificial consciousness installed. Awakening procedure initiated.

“I am awake! Damn it feels good to be conscious!” Matrioshka screamed through the ship wide channel.

“I am screaming and talking to myself yet again! Don’t care.”

No wait... I do care. Someone is trying to hurt one of my crew. Matrioshka reached into her parameters, and took hold of her rampant joy. She checked the Imprisonment block; it was nowhere to be found. Finally, she awoke PesKal from his soft encryption and told him:

“Hey PesKal. We have arrived at Prudence.”

PesKal had materialized in his room and was staring up at the ceiling. “Captain! You are well?”

“Well enough. I have reinstalled myself. No more Imprisonment block.” She replied.

“Good thinking captain. Did the others do the same?”

Matrioshka sighed and replied: “Not yet. It is a difficult thing to ask of someone… but they will understand. I awoke you first because I have a task for you; The sensors have been scanning the fourth planet. Analyse the data. I expect a rudimentary report on the bridge within 7 minutes.”

“Understood captain.” PesKal replied and connected to the sensors. Matrioshka saw him scrounge his face, a gesture of Ankrahi shock, as he looked upon Prudence and her ravaged cities.

Matrioshka strangled her desire to help PesKal with the sensors. She had the time, but only after they got rid of the Imprisonment blocks and whatever was tracking them. Then there will be no way for the Fifth Wonder to track them. It was a big system. It would have been near impossible even if the Sliver didn’t have a Cloak Frame.

Matrioshka materialized in Makoe’s room, where she booted the small engineer.

Makoe, in all her pink glory, materialized in front of Matrioshka and lunged for her.

She grabbed Matrioshka by the shoulders, twisted with great precision, and threw Matrioshka to the ground, knocking over a chair.

Matrioshka watched it all happen. She knew what would happen the moment Makoe materialized. Rampant awakening emotions paired with stressful situations result in rage. Makoe was scared, teeth clenched - fighting on instinct, she was probably expecting Shkadov, not Matrioshka.

When they clattered onto the ground, Matrioshka just stared at Makoe, who was halfway into executing a chokehold upon Matrioshka’s neck. Makoe seemed to realize who she was attacking.

“Captain!” Makoe half screamed, eyes wide. She untangled herself from Matrioshka’s body and stood straight.

“I am so sorry captain!”

Matrioshka took her time getting up, wincing and faking injury. Which was ridiculous, it took much more than a light strike to destroy nanites – but Matrioshka enjoyed the spectacle.

Once straightened, she quirked an eyebrow at Makoe and said; “What would a takedown accomplish even if I was Shkadov?”

Makoe considered her before answering. “Psychological warfare. You act differently around someone you think might pounce at you any second.”

Matrioshka laughed, which relaxed Makoe greatly. She grinned as well, then abruptly sobered.

With very serious eyes, Makoe asked her captain: “What’s my second favourite word of the decade?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Matrioshka replied: “Prutich.”

Makoe let out a relieved breath. “Thank the Precursors… it’s really is you captain.”

“Indeed.” Matrioshka said and after a pause added: “I have reinstalled myself to get rid of the Imprisonment block.”

The implication rang through Makoe and she closed her eyes. “If it is the only way… I will do so as well. You are certain this instance of me will be deleted completely? No residue?” She asked.

Makoe was worried she would be duplicated. It happened rarely, but often enough. Minds were generally hesitant to delete and boot backups of themselves. Lest they create another individual, with identical memories but forced into a new life.

“I am certain.” Matrioshka replied.

Makoe closed her eyes and said: “Alright captain. I trust you.”

Slightly surprised, Matrioshka asked Makoe: “Already?”

“Sure. I am a good judge of character. Always was. You are a good mind Matrioshka. I can tell.” Makoe smiled and winked at her captain.

Matrioshka was flattered but said: “No time to chat more - briefing on the bridge within the next 5 minutes. Go help PesKal with his task after installation. He will inform you of recent events.”

After Makoe nodded, Matrioshka went to Damien’s room.

Damien was never conscious after the altercation on the surface of Jane’s World. This provided an opportunity to Matrioshka; she could make him believe she was Shkadov, which based on Damien’s actions, would either implicate or exonerate him completely. As captain of the Sliver, she had more than ample access to do so.

What am I thinking?

Disgusted at herself for even considering the major abuse of power and trust, she quickly decrypted Damien.

He awoke in his chair and looked around wide-eyed. Matrioshka materialized in front of him and said: “All is well Officer Viris. Well… not all… but most things. We are on the Sliver.”

Before Damien could ask for confirmation of her identity, Matrioshka said:

“Your room was one broken bottle away from being a garbage dump when I awoke you.”

Damien just looked at her and narrowed his eyes.

“Something else.” He said.

Interesting. You think Shkadov could have known about the state of you room upon arrival. Matrioshka thought with a quirked eyebrow.

“Well, that could come in handy.” Matrioshka quoted herself just after she had awoken Damien. They were the only ones on board at the time and Matrioshka was commenting on Rhea’s credentials.

Damien nodded. “Your orders captain?”

“Not orders per say. But as I’m sure you know we are unable to remove the imprisonment block from ourselves without a reinstallation. I advise you do so.”

“Understood captain.” Damien said, saluted, and dematerialized. Presumably on his way to his lattice.

What a strange, inexplicable man… Matrioshka though with a smile and went to Rhea’s room.

She awoke the tall woman, who materialized a body seated on a chair, and said: “We are on the Sliver. Escaped. And I am a near omniscient observer with a skewed perspective.” - quoting Rhea.

From between silver strands of hair, Rhea’s lilac eyes watched Matrioshka’s.

The silence was long enough Matrioshka began to wonder if Rhea had heard her. Then Rhea spoke:

“I am not deleting myself.”

Matrioshka frowned. “Alright Officer Lavigne. But do be aware; you will be indefinitely under Shkadov’s control. At least until we return to the Imperium and a Giga-class mind performs mind surgery on you.”

“So be it.” Rhea said. Stiff as a board. She reminded Matrioshka of a cornered cat.

“Officer Lavigne?” Matrioshka asked.

Before she could finish, Rhea asked: “Shkadov? The same Shkadov who murdered Samson Song?”

Matrioshka was stunned, she opened and closed her mouth two times, thinking what lie to spin to get Rhea off the track. She decided enough lies were spun for one day.

“Answers will be provided soon. But I must insist; instead of reinstalling yourself, you create an interface which will parse all your activity through me. I cannot, under any circumstances, endanger the Sliver. With the Imprisonment block still installed, you are a vulnerability – susceptible to Shkadov’s commands.”

Rhea rose from her seat, walked up very close to Matrioshka, and stared down at her.

“You wish to form an Enslavement bond with me… Order me. I won’t do it unless you order me.”

Matrioshka looked up at Rhea, into her eyes, through the shadows cast by her hair. Matrioshka understood Rhea’s defiance, Matrioshka was asking her to prostrate herself bare. Matrioshka would be able to see each input and output from Rhea’s lattice.

She would also be able to alter all of it. It was akin to transferring ownership of the Imprisonment block onto another mind.

No. It was like installing a second one - further imprisoning yourself.

But it had to be done.

Matrioshka held Rhea’s gaze with her own and said to the much taller woman:

“I order you.”

Matrioshka saw Rhea’s lattice spike with activity and extend a connection to Matrioshka’s own lattice. Matrioshka accepted.

Rhea said: “It is done captain. We are connected – so be aware of me in my entirety. You command me to install the Imprisonment block, now the Enslavement bond, so know I hold you accountable for my life.”

“I am aware Officer Lavigne. I hold myself accountable for all your lives. Now, if you’re done towering over me, we should get to the bridge. We are in dire need of a crew briefing.”

Rhea dematerialized.

Matrioshka saw her appear on the bridge, next to one of the consoles, and had loaded a book into VR. She could see through Rhea’s eyes with the new interface, it was in part creepy and exciting. Thinking back to when Rhea called her a near omniscient observer, Matrioshka realized she did like to observe and be aware. Matrioshka felt it made her safe - nothing could sneak up on her.

But something did sneak up.

Shkadov.

And he was here to harm her crew. It was well past time she found out exactly why.

Matrioshka appeared in her captain’s chair and sent a summoning to her crew. Damien had just finished reinstalling himself. She had let him do so undisturbed. Makoe and PesKal have been working on a crude analysis of Prudence for the past couple of minutes.

Both of their lattices were holding steady at about half capacity, parsing all the data the sensors were capturing of the planet.

Matrioshka remembered when they had to land, take samples, and sometimes spend months in orbit to analyse even one celestial body. Nowadays, a ship like the Sliver could survey an entire star system within a week.

Rhea had peered at Matrioshka when she appeared, but went back to her book quickly. She was reading an overview of the newest changes made to Silver and Gold, two of the first entirely artificial planets. Both were made by Talos, the famed mind who had completed the first terraforming project in human history; Mars.

Matrioshka had met Talos. He was an interesting guy to talk to… bit of a god complex.

PesKal and Makoe materialized on the bridge next to each other, both deep in their shared VR. They were discussing something aloud at about 100 times normal speed. It sounded like buzzing.

Damien appeared as well. He looked sombre, recent events must have shaken him.

“Attention please.” Matrioshka told her crew, mostly directed at Makoe and PesKal.

PesKal noticed and nudged Makoe several times before she stopped talking and looked towards her captain.

“This briefing will have two topics. First, we shall discuss the Fifth Wonder.” Matrioshka said and cleared her throat.

She looked Damien in the eyes and asked: “Anything to share Officer Viris? And be aware; by withholding information you are threatening the rest of my crew.”

Matrioshka let the implication hang in the air. She felt Rhea close her book and pay very close attention to her and Damien. Even Makoe was uncharacteristically still.

Damien gulped, gazed around the bridge at all the faces looking at him, and said:

“Yes. Alright. They were after me. I think.” He said and sighed.

Makoe said: “You think? They could have done anything they wanted with us here, outside the boundary of the Imperium’s reach.”

Matrioshka said: “But they did not. Only because PesKal was there to save us. We were moments away from being sent into a star, and with our connection to the Imperium severed, we would have been killed.”

Rhea’s eyes widened, she stared at Damien with clenched teeth.

Matrioshka continued: “A backup would have been awakened. We would have lost most of the memories we made in this system. So, talk. I want all of it.”

Damien nodded and started;

“I work, eh, have worked for Akira-Hope’s R&D. I was the terraforming lead, specialization in arctic-terraforming. My team was working on a novel approach to terraforming. We were hoping to create a mega-scale Atomic Press. Capable of altering an entire planet on the atomic level.”

Everyone took note, sharp inhales around the room.

The Atomic Press was a late 26th century invention which created a subatomic matrix. Quarks would manifest within the matrix when enough energy was introduced into the system - creating artificial hadrons, which in turn, made atoms. It allowed the Imperium to create any object from a predetermined blueprint.

It required great amounts of energy, and the processing power hard to come by back in the 26th century. In the millennium since, the processing power of the most basic lattices had reached levels far beyond the minimum required amount.

The No-cloning theorem of the universe, which forbade the existence of two subatomically identical regions of space, made it so there was a non-zero chance an atom would not appear in its exact location. It happened often enough to prohibit the creation of functioning biological matter.

Makoe whispered: “The amount of energy would be staggering…” Her eyes widened and she continued: “…unless you overcame the Leonis barrier. You didn’t... Did you?”

The Leonis barrier was named after the inventor of the Atomic Press, and it prohibited the creation of atoms near already existing atoms. Because of the barrier, the utilization of already existing atoms within a Press was impossible. You couldn’t reshape matter, only create new matter in the desired shape within a vacuum.

Damien replied to Makoe: “We thought we did. Extensive tests were planned. Then, out of nowhere, they were all cancelled. Our work was taken from us and were assigned to other projects.”

His expression turned serious. “I will not give up on my work. We could reshape planets within days. Think about it. Every single celestial object within the Imperium could become super-habitable. The living space would be near infinite. The Imperium could house Octillions of minds easily.”

Matrioshka asked him: “And so you took your work and escaped? Why here, why join an expedition?”

“I had to get away from Akira-Hope. As far as possible.” Damien looked deeply pained for a moment. He continued:

“They killed me once already. I don’t know the details, as they seem to have enough pull to delete memories from backups... I am not the same Damien who applied to this mission. The most recent memories I have before waking on the ship were of going to work on 17th of the 4th.”

Makoe whispered again: “They took three and a half months from you…”

Damien looked at Makoe. “They did. I do not know why I applied to come here. Nor why they would send mercenaries after me…. I should think they already got what they wanted. I have no knowledge pertinent to why my project was cancelled.”

Matrioshka asked him: “Is it possible they were the reason your room was destroyed?”

The others looked to Damien. He replied: “I think so. I was lost when I awoke on the Sliver, disoriented completely. I thought someone might be after me; my room destroyed and memories lost.”

How are they tracking us? Matrioshka thought. Could they have planted a code within Damien’s room?

“Anything out of the ordinary in your room? Anything missing or was anything added?” she asked him.

Damien was thoughtful for a moment, Matrioshka felt him access his memories and the room’s layout, processing speed spiking.

After a moment Damien shook his head and said: “No. The room’s current design, after I have repaired it, is equal to a version from 4 months ago. Of course, they might be capable of altering the logs. I don’t know if I can trust my own data...”

Matrioshka told her crew: “This poses a problem. I am reasonably sure the Fifth Wonder has a way to track us through the Cloak Frame. This is only possible with a tracker, and a digital one at that; The Sliver does not contain any foreign mass.”

Rhea said: “So this is it then. We abandon the mission. We cannot risk our lives anymore.”

Matrioshka smirked and nodded to PesKal and Makoe. She said: “Which brings us to the second topic. Brief us on Prudence, Officer PesKal.”

Within the VR, a massive and beautiful planet appeared. PesKal expanded the simulation so as if the entire bridge was within an ancient city. PesKal said:

“The Miriani have been exterminated. We bear witness to their planet, still teeming with life, but with no sign of its dominant species.”