“There is one thing I fear.”

-Jill

***Outer Rim***

***Antioch***

“These results look really promising!” I compliment Veronica while patting her on the shoulder. We are in my office, going through the latest results of our work. It's surprising, but I feel proud of my daughter. Intellectually, I know that she always was an adult personality, so I shouldn't feel like I had any part in shaping her abilities. Still, this feeling is the one of a proud father who realized that he has a really talented child.

“Who would have thought that you are such a bad-ass coder? You should have joined me ages ago! With your skill and knowledge about nano-tech, we will win this war for sure. And not to forget your ideas. It would have never crossed my mind that it’s possible to upload a whole civilisation to the V.C.”

I file through the newest report regarding our latest breakthrough in adapting human nano-tech to our needs. We are still far away from recreating the technology, but we can alter some basic functions of the existing tech. The demon-bowl was a great help in unlocking some of the more complicated mysteries.

It is still safely locked away in a high-security laboratory since the original technology was provided by G.O.D. My family and I aren't entirely sold on the idea that the bowl is completely safe to use. According to our research, the bowl would allow us to convert anyone to our faction, even if the person in question has no warm feelings towards us.

There could always be a traitor in our midst, but I would rather trust the steady stream of recruits who are cleared by our contacts in the V.C., than to convert random aliens or members of other factions to our cause.

But thanks to our study of the bowl, we can now set some of our nano-tech’s basic functions, like the de-assembling and assembling of matter. We can also change an individual’s allegiance, as long as that individual isn’t already a part of another V.C. faction. It would have been great if we could just hack the Cyber nano-tech, but it seems like every faction has it’s own security encryption.

Since we are part of the Lifer’s faction, we can practically work from the inside and circumvent our own key-codes.

It appears that whoever created this technology was worried about factional infighting and that one faction would manage to hack G.O.D. That’s why every V.C. faction’s nano-tech is effectively running on its own sub-network. It’s a huge leap in our understanding of the whole system. Originally, I thought that G.O.D. is a single information management program, and whoever has the administration rights would be able to influence everyone who is connected to the system.

But that’s clearly not the case. Seeing G.O.D. as a single administration software is as wrong as seeing a whole company as a single entity. It’s more akin to a cloud of separated networks.

Maybe the Blue have some sort of master-key for G.O.D., but at our access-level it’s absolutely impossible to interfere with the nano-tech of other factions. I need to be inside a sub-network if I want to change anything.

“Haha… it’s not like I did it alone. Jill gave us a few hints,” Veronica tries to downplay her role in developing the new weapon. Originally, I intended the Final Solution as a simple means of mass destruction, but thanks to Veronica's help it became so much more.

“Nonsense! Yes, Jill pointed us in the right direction, but it was you who found out how the organic part of our nano-tech interacts with the nano-machines,” I reply. “At the same time, you also found a way to spit in the faces of the G.S. and the Cyber. If the Prip can be successfully integrated into the V.C., we can offer membership to any race which is compatible.”

I never really wanted to think about the implications of the war which I am about to unleash on the galaxy. So many billions of thinking beings will die, some races might even go extinct as a whole. For the sake of my people and my family, I am ready to do anything, but that burden always weighed heavy on my mind. Where would I draw the line?

Together with Silith, I was already involved, and responsible, for the death of thousands of thinking beings. Would I willingly add genocide to my conscience?

I would.

I have a conscience and I would feel bad about it, even have sleepless nights, but I would do it if it was necessary to protect the life I have now.

But with this weapon, not only can we deal a heavy blow to our enemies, we can offer everyone a chance to live, even if it’s just within the V.C. And when the war is over, there is no reason not to recreate their worlds. After all, the V.C.’s computational capacity is almost limitless.

“Thanks,” Veronica answers demurely. Then she suddenly ruffles her hair with a strange expression on her face and I can't tell what got into her. “I can't take this anymore,” she screams and focuses her attention back on me. “Please, I have to talk with Silith and you about something important. Would it be okay if we call her?”

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

I raise an eyebrow, wondering which topic would require Silith and me together, but I give Silith a call, requesting her presence. “I hope it's not about Jill. The Blue is real trouble, and I am thankful that you are keeping an eye on her most of the time, though I always wondered about the relationship between the two of you. Is it about this secret project you are working on in her room?”

“Not exactly,” Veronica answers evasively, not looking at me. Instead, the floor of my office seems much more interesting.

The door opens and Silith strolls inside. “Hi! What's so important? I was just managing the setup of our newest ship-printer.”

I gesture for Silith to join me. “Veronica wanted to talk to us about something important, though I can't fathom the reason.”

Silith sighs, but she joins me at my office table. I feel her sliding her tail affectionately around my ankle. “It must be about Jill. The two of them did something and now Veronica wants to confess before Jill manages to blow up the station. Is it about the high-voltage power cable which she rerouted into her room? I already found out about that weeks ago and installed an emergency-switch. V, I can give you the codes if that project of hers needs to be shut down asap.”

“Sh... she did what!?” Veronica looks highly alarmed, which makes me even surer that the something that's amiss involves Jill.

Then the girl vehemently shakes her head, causing her long hair to wave gently behind her back. “It's actually about me. I want to confess something.”

She fidgets in front of us and opens her mouth to speak, but each time she tries, she apparently thinks of another way to phrase this confession of hers. Her tail drums involuntarily onto the floor, making her agitation even more apparent.

Silith chuckles. “Seriously, girl. You are behaving as if you murdered someone for real. Just spit it out.”

Veronica raises her hands to stop us. “Actually, I know of a better way! After all, the one who is responsible for my plight should be telling this to you.” She dashes out of the room, leaving Silith and me to our own devices.

Silith sighs and grabs my shoulder. “It's about Jill. She did something and V kept silent about it for too long.”

I nod, gulping. “Hopefully, it's something we can fix.” What did she do? Did she somehow destabilize the space-time continuum? Are we about to be sucked into a black hole?

It takes two or three minutes of waiting, but the expected face is pushed into the room. Jill doesn't seem too happy about Veronica's forceful behaviour, since the girl is pushing the Blue from behind.

“I told you, these inter-family relationships are very important. I can't help you with your confession.” The Blue rolls her eyes and tries to slip past Veronica, but her sister digs in her heels and grabs Jill forceful by the arms, using her fingernails to their full effect.

“You are completely right! I will confess what I did, namely, staying silent.” She forces Jill to look into her eyes. “After! You confess what you did to me!”

V pushes Jill forward to face us, then takes a position behind her, almost as if she is hiding and using Jill as a shield.

I throw an uncomfortable glance at my wife, unsure what all this posturing is about.

Faced with the both of us, Jill's confident demeanour crumbles suddenly. It's surely not about her being a Blue, and per definition, being the superior one. Jill always emanates that aura of superior... madness. Though, judging by her current expression, this situation is outside her predictions. “I-”

She falters.

“Go on.” Veronica nudges her sister.

Jill takes a deep breath. “Veronica is the head researcher who was in charge of the facility which housed Lisandra. When the facility was destroyed, she managed to use a hacked version of our nano-tech to upload herself into the V.C. That's when I caught her. Learning about her history, I felt like I'd found a kindred spirit, so I sent her through rehabilitation and arranged things so that she would be reborn as my sister.”

“Half-sister,” V corrects.

The Blue splutters. “Details.”

Ten seconds must have passed while I stayed silent and tried to wrap my mind around this revelation.

Then Silith points a finger at Jill. “You caught an alien infiltrator who uploaded herself into the V.C., and brought her into our midst?”

Jill's face turns expressionless. “You are correct. Though, representing the facts in this form hardly conforms with reality. You left out the fact that V went through rehabilitation. She is one of us now.”

Just a moment ago, I was proud of Veronica and now I feel so... conflicted!

Silith holds out her hand, while I am still thinking hard, weighing my options.

“Belt!”

“Hmm.” I look down at the demanding hand in front of my face.

“Give me your Belt!”

Jill raises her hands, trying to calm her mother down. “Now, now! Let's not get violent! The situation was always under control, Mom.”

When I hear the crunching of grinding teeth and realize that it's coming from Silith, I quickly get up and unbuckle my belt, handing it over.

Silith snatches the artefact from my hands and the kids scatter. While V dives into the corner of the room, Jill goes for the door, only to find it locked. She rattles at the heavy, metal frame, finding it impossible to move.

The Blue turns around and raises both hands defensively. “Silith, Mom! May I remind you of the contents of our contract? I am allowed to choose any sibling I want to for the sake of experiencing a proper reincarnation and the family-life I want.” She points at the belt. “Be careful with that! That's a system-generated item!”

Silith chuckles darkly and wraps one end of my belt around her left hand, making sure that her grip won't slip. “And may I remind you that I was the one who set up that contract? Article seven, sub-point five: it's my responsibility to see to it that I am a proper mother for you, including any form of educational measures I see fit! And now I see fit to make you aware of the direness of your misbehaviour!”

Jill pales. “That's clearly a misinterpretation of-” She ducks, narrowly avoiding the belt, then the Blue squeals and dashes around the room, trying to save her hide. The corner of my office table is Silith's first victim, as she misses Jill by a hair's breadth. Struck by the Belt, it crumbles to dust through some sort of mystical effect. Then the hunt is on for real.

I carefully get up and pick my path along the wall to where V is hiding in the corner. While Silith is occupied with Jill, I pick V up and override the lock on the office door. Once outside, I lock the door, leaving my mate and our dear daughter to their fate.

Veronica doesn't say anything when I carry her through the throne room and sit her down on the throne, which is currently in its couch-form. Then I sit down next to her and pat her head, smiling.

“So. You are that researcher who Ouluk fell in love with? He threw a real tantrum when I blew up that station. Made me think that he developed real feelings for you.”

“Y- Yes?”

“Hm.” I nod sagely. “That's good. Very good. You know, I really hate the little toad. With the past 'you' being someone he cares for, we can devise a whole load of things to hurt him. Really hurt him! You will help your Daddy, won't you?”

“I- I don't want him to die.”

“Oh, of course not! That would be waaay too easy after what he did to me. He will only get what he deserves. I may even give you what's left of him after we are done. What do you think?”