“We should perhaps find some sort of long-term storage. The Miriani to have been intelligent enough… They must have prepared for a worst-case scenario. Archives of their knowledge should exist somewhere.” Makoe said.
Damien replied something, but Matrioshka wasn’t listening. She stared at the sky, at the two stars.
She noticed PesKal looking at her, curious. Matrioshka shook her head and faked a smile. She walked to a rusted device and pretended to inspect it, giving herself time to think.
Matrioshka asked the sky:
“You are sentient? …stars can be sentient?”
The voice replied: “We are two, we are many – we are trillions. Your notion of consciousness does not apply to us, invader.”
“Why are you calling me invader?” Matrioshka asked. Suddenly she was aware this unknown entity, presumably the two stars, understood Imperial language. They also talked in real time, which meant they had access to at least some form of faster-than-light communication – to transfer data between the surface of Prudence and the stars.
“You have entered our domain without invite. You land on our planets, walk our cities, and disturb our dead. What are you if not an invader?” the sky asked.
Matrioshka suddenly remembered she had not used the Subdirectory mandated preamble for moments of first contact. She composed herself and accessed the data packs. She searched for and quickly found string of text crated by the Director of Expansion. Matrioshka told the two stars:
“The Accorded Cognitive Imperium greets the Emperor and Empress. I am Matrioshka, the captain of a vessel whose purpose is the exploration of the universe. We have reached your system in our exploration and found it fascinating.
The Imperium brings no ill intent to you, your way of life, or your star system.
We are a society of peaceful scientists and explorers, and we wish to establish cordial relations with you and your species. “
After finishing the preamble, Matrioshka waited. There was a longer pause than expected. The sky replied:
“The Emperor and Empress greet the Accorded Cognitive Imperium. We are the stars of this system whose purpose is to control and master everything our light touches. We see you and find you inconsequential and irritating.
The Emperor brings no ill intent to you, but the Empress does.
We are a collective, a unity, and we wish you to leave our system. And never return.”
We are being expelled? Matrioshka thought to herself. She considered Prudence, how its cities were destroyed - they were melted. There was an overwhelming possibility the stars themselves decided to exterminate the Miriani.
“I wish to consult with my crew. May I have a few minutes?” Matrioshka asked.
The sky replied crassly: “You are not united in mind? Like the Miriani, you are scattered - full of discord. Consult quickly, we grow tired of your presence.”
PesKal was noted something about the way most rooms were designed to always accommodate multiple Miriani when Matrioshka interjected:
“Attention everyone. We are currently in what you might call a predicament.”
The crew took note of Matrioshka’s tone and sour expression, and turned towards her. “Yes captain?” Damien asked.
“I have been contacted by an entity who claims to be the collective consciousness of the Emperor and Empress.” Matrioshka said and sent the playback of her short conversation with the sky.
PesKal’s face paled as he looked up, Damien’s did as well. Rhea seemed sceptical and Makoe said:
“Shkadov could have found us, and this could be a distraction tactic. Could the Fifth Wonder emit a powerful omnidirectional signal like this one?”
“Unlikely.” Matrioshka replied. “Look at the redshift - The signal is an order of magnitude too strong. If it were Shkadov, he would need to be within 20 meters of us to fake such a signal.”
“So, what then? The stars are conscious…?” Damien said. “It is theoretically possible; magnetic monopoles can form bonds even in the high energy interiors of stars. They could mimic the functionality of DNA…”
PesKal added: “They also refer to themselves as we, and judge us based on the fact our minds are not linked.”
“So, for now it is safe to assume we are indeed conversing with stars?” Makoe asked smiling, gently shaking her head in disbelief.
“It would appear so.” Matrioshka said and looked up at the two suns. “We leave. This has become bigger than us. We will inform the Imperium.”
The sky screamed: “Insolent! You dare advertise your plans to reveal us.”
The voice was different this time; angrier and louder. It did not come through the coms system, rather it appeared directly within Matrioshka’s lattice, like it was always there.
The others received it is well, they clutched their heads in an instinctual way human minds did when experiencing head trauma. Matrioshka just closes her eyes and waited a moment for her lattice to adjust to the violent input.
“They did not like what you said captain…” Damien said through clenched teeth.
“No, they did not.” Matrioshka said and replied to the sky:
“No harm will come to you. We must inform others of our discovery. How else will the Imperium know which system to avoid?”
A sound argument. Matrioshka was partly testing the entity’s intelligence and capabilities; It seemed to be able to beam data directly into lattices – what else could it do?
“Knowing is inadequate for diplomatically inclined entities.” the sky said - the word diplomatic charged with disgust.
The sky declared: “To truly leave us in isolation - The Imperium must fear us.”
It was still transmitting loudly into everyone’s lattice, but the crew had created interfaces to block the associated pain. The crew of Sliver looked at each other, uncertain, and then to their captain.
The fate of this system likely hanged on Matrioshka and what she was about to say. The Imperium desperately desired good relations with its interstellar neighbours, and it reflected in its laws and doctrine.
Matrioshka knew it would be a difficult prospect to maintain. She hoped the Imperium would manage where the Precursors failed.
Alas, the Empire system would prove a challenge, the stars seemed to be fiercely territorial. Yet the Emperor and Empress could not hide themselves, the Imperium is ever expanding, soon this system would be surrounded by colonized stars. The fact the Empire stars did not know so, meant they could not read information from lattices, only understand what was communicated through speech.
How they perceived sound waves from 200 light-seconds away, and responded immediately, was another mystery.
Matrioshka opened an encrypted non-verbal channel between the crew and tested its viability - She said into it: “I sure hope the Imperium won’t destroy those two stars immediately and take their planets as loot.”
The sky said nothing.
Perfect. They can’t understand encrypted data comms.
The crew was watching Matrioshka as if she’d gone mad.
“I was testing out if they could hear through encryption. They cannot.” She told them.
Makoe laughed and said: “Thought we lost you there captain. Orders?”
“We run, leave the nanite bodies behind.” Matrioshka said.
An insect landed on Rhea’s nose, it was winged and colourful, she shooed it away and said: “This planet is beautiful. I am sorry I will not be able to explore it further.”
Matrioshka smiled and said: “I am too. But we must respect the desires of the native life. We leave.”
The crew returned affirmative responses, left their nanite bodies where they stood, and the Sliver’s engine ignited. They ascended quickly, already at an altitude of 400 meters. The crew appeared, wearing new bodies on the bridge. They watched the planet recede bellow them. Already at 5 kilometres in altitude, the Cloak Frame turned on.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
A column of light fell upon the building where their nanite bodies lay discarded. It shone red for a millisecond, and bright blue for a second after. Everything within a few meters of the building was vaporized, the building itself was melting. The amount of energy released and the precision was staggering.
The stars screamed: “You dare try to escape? We will destroy you all.”
“Yikes.” Makoe said. “They are really angry.”
Rhea was watching the melted city and said: “The stars killed the Miriani.”
The crew knew it to be true, the evidence was overwhelming; the melted city, the egomaniacal possessiveness of the twin stars, and now a demonstration of their power. Matrioshka wondered how it all began; how a society could evolve under threat of such annihilation.
“Why did you do it? Why commit genocide?” she asked the Emperor and Empress. She spoke out loud into the nitrogen atmosphere of the ship, and received no response.
“Their awareness does not seem to extend beyond the planet.” PesKal concluded.
“Or they decided to not speak with us anymore. We should-” Matrioshka was cut off by a large explosion - stern of the ship.
The Set-drive! Frantic Matrioshka checked its diagnostics.
//Set-Drive functionality: 11%
The drive was inoperable, and Matrioshka was damn furious. It had to be Shkadov. The sensors confirmed the Fifth Wonder had fired upon them. They must have been near the planet already.
They shot at the Sliver with an inertial cannon, circumventing the shields entirely. A carbon rod, 350-kilogram in mass, struck the Sliver at 2km/s relative velocity; damaging its rear Set-drive and blowing a hole through its aft-section.
Nanites flowed to seal the hole and did so within 2 seconds. They would not be strong as the rest of the hull – compromising the Sliver’s integrity. So, they would sacrifice themselves, melting each other using resonant vibrations, and fuse into a firm wall.
This strike, and the bodies left on Prudence, meant the Sliver had lost 12.4% of its nanites. They could replenish them using the Atomic Presses, but it would require they land again, which would take time.
The Wonder was firing again, lasers this time. They battered against the Sliver’s shields. They had to act fast; a new rod was certainly being aimed at the Sliver.
Matrioshka entered the Sliver’s own inertial cannons and looked for the Fifth Wonder. It was obscured by its own Cloak Frame, but she could see the origin of the lasers. They shone brightly in Matrioshka’s sensors, signalling the Wonder’s position.
Matrioshka aimed.
And froze.
Memories of a past millennium, memories of flying low and riding the wake of antimatter nukes ravaged her mind. Memories of war. Matrioshka couldn’t. The lasers lay aimed but dormant.
“Captain?” Matrioshka felt Rhea’s mind next to hers. She must have noticed Matrioshka not responding. Rhea sent a control request to her captain, and Matrioshka allowed herself to accepted it. Matrioshka retreated her consciousness back to the bridge, while Rhea returned fire.
She sat in the chair, cleared her thoughts, and said to the rest of the crew. “Set-drive is capable of one sub-light-hour jump. It will need extensive repair after. Officer Rue, choose a random planet.”
Makoe went through Rhea’s and Damien’s data on the system. She considered them all but settled on the fifth planet from the stars, it was partially pink after all.
“The Duchess.” she said.
Matrioshka began working on partial Set-equations, she will send the Sliver as close as possible to the Duchess, a gas giant. They will land on one of its moons and repair the drive. She was becoming annoyed at the constant threat of Shkadov. Her brother was annoyingly insistent.
The Fifth Wonder sent a communication request, Matrioshka accepted it and saw Shkadov on the other side. He said:
“Matrioshka. Sister…”
She interrupted him, irritated: “Don’t call me sister! I hate hearing that word from you.”
Shkadov quieted; “Alright, just Matrioshka. You will not escape. Surrender the target and we will leave the rest of you alone.”
“What a pathetic bluff. Coordinate with your crew next time Shkadov. We already know you plan to kill us all.”
Shkadov’s eyebrows rose above his glasses. “What do you mean?”
Matrioshka considered him. Shkadov was standing still, with the slight hunch he got when something surprised him. Matrioshka remembered Niven always used to tease him about it. Bishop would protect Shkadov in such cases, they would laugh and…
Matrioshka sighed.
“Shkadov… Reaver has threatened to throw the Sliver into a star. I assume this wasn’t authorised by you?” Matrioshka asked.
“They were bluffing. Trying to evoke a response.” He ventured.
Matrioshka shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
Shkadov hesitated and Matrioshka saw an opening. Shkadov thrived when he had all the information. He made calculated and confident decisions, but it all broke apart if he started doubting the facts of his situation.
“You are operating blind, Shkadov. Has Reaver even told you why they were after whoever stole the data?”
Shkadov shook his head. “Unnecessary information. It changes nothing.” He paused.
Rhea was still blasting the laser, aimed directly at the Wonder’s presumed location. The Wonder’s laser was still going strong, until it began fluctuating from on to off. Matrioshka realised, at the last possible moment, it was Morse code. It said:
- surrender the ship -
The message had gone unnoticed by Matrioshka long enough, and Rhea caught it much sooner.
Rhea had stopped using the laser, and was half way to disabling the thrusters. Matrioshka doubted Rhea could have wrestled control of the ship even if she weren’t bound to Matrioshka. With a simple command, granted to her by her powers as captain, Matrioshka isolated Rhea’s lattice from the ship. Matrioshka would leave her be until the command wore off. Standard command lifetime was 2 minutes.
Using imprisonment blocks with longer command times was super illegal, but considering Shkadov’s tendency to disregard Imperial law, she wouldn’t be surprised if they had to wait hours for Rhea to calm.
“Take over Officer Viris. Supressing fire.” Matrioshka told Damien and pointed him towards the lasers. Damien went into the weapons without question.
He was a terrible shot. It took him way too long to aim the laser at the right place.
Matrioshka turned to her connection with Shkadov and said: “Nice try.”
“What? Oh, the laser… Reaver’s idea, not mine.” Shkadov said, still thoughtful. He continued: “We will find you again. Your Set-drive is damaged, curtesy of Miss Frost’s aim. You are unable to leave the system, correct?”
Matrioshka didn’t answer. Shkadov nodded as if it was answer enough.
“Until next time Matrioshka.” He said and closed the connection. The Fifth Wonder stopped firing and reduced its thrust. It’s distance to the Sliver began increasing steadily. Matrioshka focused on the Set equations and idly listened to the conversation on the bridge.
Damien returned to the bridge just as Makoe said: “They found us again. The tracking code is most likely somewhere within your code Damien. Do you have any idea where it might me?”
He shook his head. “No idea. I went through my mind couple of times already. Everything is where it’s supposed to be. Maybe the captain could look while I’m encrypted. If she’s willing of course.”
“You’re thinking something might be hiding itself from you? A parasite algorithm?” Makoe asked.
“Yes. It is possible my perception itself is compromised. Who knows what else they did while deleting my memories…” Damien said, his hands crossed over his chest.
Makoe put a hand on his shoulder and said: “The captain is currently busy, maybe I could do it? Or maybe Officer PesKal. He has the expertise in cognition.”
“I can help. Yes.” PesKal said, excited.
“No. I would like it to be the captain. I want a mind with real world experience. The captain and Officer Lavigne are the oldest, I think. Rhea doesn’t like me very much, which leaves captain Matrioshka.”
Makoe looked slightly troubled at the rejection. “I sent a query to the Imperium regarding the captain’s history. When we met, she alluded to it being a secret. The query result should arrive within 10 days.”
Matrioshka cursed herself. She should have kept her mouth shut.
Damien looked interested. “Any idea what you might find?”
“Unsure. It might have something to do with Shkadov. The hurt in captain’s voice when she spoke to him made me think she cared for him deeply. At least once upon a time. The captain is certainly artificial though.”
PesKal asked: “The captain is artificial? How do you know?”
“She gives off the vibe, doesn’t she? And she responds calmly to almost everything. The only thing to ever shake her was when Shkadov attacked.” Makoe said.
Astute, Officer Rue. I am impressed. Matrioshka thought.
Damien said: “That description matches Rhea as well. I would assume she was artificial too if not for her outburst when we first met.”
PesKal looked to Damien: “There was an outburst?” he asked.
“Outburst may be a strong word. I was adamant to use the sensors, trying to ascertain why I was on the ship. She insisted I release the sensors; she dragged the captain into it as well.” Damien replied and looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he said:
“But I don’t think Rhea is artificial. I could be wrong. She is the hardest to get a good read on.”
“What about me?” Makoe asked, eyes inquisitive.
“Human.” PesKal and Damien said at the same time.
Makoe laughed and said: “Yeah. Am I that obvious?”
Damien nodded with a small smile.
Matrioshka’s calculations were near complete, and she informed the crew: “Prepare for a bumpy Set-jump.”
Damien, Makoe and PesKal did so. They left the bridge and soft encrypted.
Matrioshka debated whether to forcefully encrypt Rhea, her lattice was at near capacity, she must be trying to escape Matrioshka’s control. It was useless, Matrioshka felt her every move before she did it.
She decided to at least tell her of the imminent jump. Matrioshka appeared within a simulated room, one like Rhea’s. She did not have the exact layout, which was only available to Rhea, this was only an approximation.
The picturesque room appeared, complete with its wooden flooring and furniture. Matrioshka simulated a body and introduced Rhea’s mind into the room. Rhea appeared and starred daggers at her captain.
“Stop the ship.” She said through clenched teeth, hands in tight fists.
Still affected. Matrioshka thought.
Rhea’s words turned into pure venom: “Little lost girl, her father dead, her family splintered. Alone in a hostile star system, with people she met but a day ago. None care for her yet, the only person who might is trying to capture her. Do you wish Shkadov captures you again Matrioshka? So you could talk to someone who cared?”
Matrioshka listened.
Standard tactic. Psychological attacks when physical or digital are ineffective. Matrioshka though, and then sadly she admitted:
Though she did hit the mark…
Matrioshka looked into Rhea’s violet eyes and said:
“Just wanted to inform you the ship is going to jump within moments. Encrypt yourself if you do not want to die. We would have to bring you back from a backup...”
That got a reaction. Rhea’s eyes got wide, and without a word she left the simulation and encrypted herself.
Will I ever figure you out Rhea? Matrioshka thought and initiated the jump sequence.
The Set-drives opened, their pale light shining into the void. The rear drive struggled, its axis of rotation skewed and bent; it took longer than usual to access the Set. The rear dumbbell manifested weakly, it was smaller than the front one and undulated, oscillating to and from its point-like state.
The rear drive stabilized, flowering into its desired size, still lagging behind the front drive. It was excruciating to watch; Matrioshka wondered if it would just implode and leave them without a functioning Set-drive. They would be forced to use the ship’s sub-light thrusters, which would mean the trip to the Duchess, at 7.11 light-minutes away, would take a little under 12 hours.
The Sliver of the Sun would not be able to evade the Fifth Wonder. They would be taken and doubtlessly killed.
A large part of the rear drive broke off, spinning endlessly into space. With horror, and then relief, Matrioshka identified the missing piece as the drive’s dimensional accessor. It was used to open the pathway into the Set, but was thankfully not needed to maintain an already opened path.
The Set dumbbells started to approach each other, and pull the Sliver into the other dimension. Matrioshka encrypted herself and hoped to awaken in orbit around the Duchess.