Chapter 9: Master Genesis

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“The Master Ayas?”

“The most powerful of the nine Chaos Ayas,” Kaoné stated.

“Oh, the Chaos Ayas,” Scott nodded, “I’d heard a li’l about those when readin’ the Relaynet databases. Not a lot of public information though… anyways, accordin’ to Shepherd that thing is probably the cause of the Battlecruiser appearance. Is there anythin’ you can tell us about it?”

Kaoné glanced over at the other Nimalians.

“Don’t look at us,” Siyuakén frowned, “You’re the Nimaliakian; you should know more about the Ayas than any of us.”

“Yeah, but even then I don’t know that much…” the Materiatechnic sighed.

“Even if it isn’t much, anythin’ helps,” Scott urged.

“…The Chaos Ayas are the only known generators of Chaos Energy,” Kaoné explained, “They can interface with some technology to massively increase its power. They were mostly used in high-level, highly-classified CSA tech, mostly space-borne weaponry. They’re also useful to Chaotics, somehow, but the CSA classified most of their research on that. From what I learned in school, Tekdecé and Nimaliaka were making progress toward having access to that research, but then…”

“Let me guess: the Chaos Quake happened?” Davídrius snorted.

“Yeah,” Kaoné nodded, “The Chaos Quake happened and the Chaos Ayas all disappeared. Ever since then everyone’s just stopped thinking about them, kinda, but now, here’s the Master Ayas…” She looked up to Scott. “Where did you find this?”

“You’d have to ask Shepherd,” Scott replied, “It was somewhere down in the caves east of here.”

“I don’t get it…” Captain Lead frowned, “Something like this… it’s just an object, right? Why did it disappear? Why did it show up here?”

“If you want answers to those questions you’d have to ask a Riveranian,” Kaoné responded, “And even then, the answers you’d get would be all speculation.”

“Well. Wow,” Scott scratched his chin warily, “If even you don’t know that much about these Ayas, I doubt we’ll be able to find anythin’ out. You should take the Master Ayas.”

“Wait, really?” Kevérin stared wide-eyed at the researcher, “You’d – you’d just hand it over to us?”

“Hold on, slow down,” Lead quickly spoke up, “We can’t just give it to you. We don’t have that authority. We’ll need to go through the proper channels first…” he took a moment to give Scott a reprehensive sidewards glance, “…but I’ll see what I can do with that. In the meantime, the four of you can help with investigating the Battlecruiser or the caves, as we discussed earlier.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Siyuakén nodded, “…where do we go?”

“I’ll show you around,” Scott replied, “Cap’n, you can go see about the Master Ayas. I’ll show them the caves, and the Battlecruiser.”

Lead nodded curtly and saluted before spinning around on his heel and walking out of the room.

“Alright then!” Scott clapped his hands together in anticipation, “Let’s get to work. Follow me!”

*             *             *

2 Hours Later

“So.”

“…Er, yes?” Siyuakén responded uneasily.

“Hmm…” Captain Shepherd crossed his arms and glanced between Davídrius and Siyuakén slowly. “…The two of you are Nimalians, huh.”

“Yeah,” the Introtechnic replied impatiently, “What of it?”

“I never thought my first alien encounter would be so…” Shepherd thought for a moment, “…underwhelming.”

“Tch,” Davídrius scowled, “Underwhelming, he says. Well why don’t you just take a look at– wait– aw…”

Siyuakén sighed in annoyance as she watched the Introtechnic reach for the Sword Boxes that weren’t there – he had been forced to leave the weapons behind on Nimalia, not just because his encounter with Ind left them in an unusable state, but also because the Nimalians were wary of frightening the Earthians with the blatant presence of bladed weapons.

Shepherd glanced down at Davídrius’s hands as he grasped at nothing. “Impressive,” he deadpanned.

“With all due respect, your comments aren’t helping,” Siyuakén responded.

“…Right. Sorry,” the Captain apologized, “I’ve been a little out of it ever since the incident with that… gray sphere.”

“The Master Ayas,” Siyuakén corrected.

“If you’ve been feelin’ out of it, why not go check in with the doctor, or somethin’?” Davídrius questioned, “There’s gotta be at least a medic here, right?”

“There is, but Sunova – this colony – isn’t as well developed as our other colonies,” Shepherd commented, “It’s pretty much unexplored frontier out here, except for the fact that we have easy access to home, thanks to the Interstellar Gate. We don’t have the men for me to waste time in the infirmary due to a little drowsiness.”

“I think you might be underestimating the potential of the Ayas,” Siyuakén frowned.

“And I think you might be underestimating us Earthians,” Shepherd retorted, “…bah, ‘Earthians’. Who gave us that name? Is everyone in this galaxy named after their home planet like that?”

“Nimalians, Earthians, Citans, Siions, Dra’kis…” Davídrius counted off with his fingers, “…hmm, sorta.”

“Even the Taizen civilizations are named similarly,” Siyuakén commented, “Only the Drakkars aren’t. So don’t complain.”

“Drakkars? Those are those creepy faceless aliens, aren’t they?” Shepherd questioned, “Are they different from the Dra’kis?”

“Heh,” Siyuakén smirked, “You’re far from the first to have asked that. Yes, they’re different. There’s no connection, really, except that the Dra’kis are a part of the Core Space Alliance, which is constantly at war with the Drakkars.”

“Meanwhile, in the world of stuff that’s actually relevant,” Davídrius snarked, “I was told we’d be helpin’ you look through some caves or somethin’. Well… I don’t see any caves.”

“Of course not. We’re still at the Receiving Base,” Shepherd stated, “The caves are a two-hour drive to the east.”

“Two hours?!” Davídrius balked, “…I think I’ll just run over there and get a head-start.”

Siyuakén crossed her arms. “And if you get lost in the caves?”

“Never mind getting lost, you’ll never be allowed in without my clearance,” Shepherd cut in, “How would running – oh, you’re one of those people with superpowers, aren’t you?”

“I am indeed a Chaotic,” Davídrius replied proudly, “A Superspeed Introtechnic, I’ll have you know.”

“Well you’ll have to keep that ‘superspeed’ of yours in check then, because you aren’t going anywhere without me.”

“…Tch.”

“…Is that all?” Siyuakén redirected the conversation.

“For now, yes,” Shepherd replied before turning around. “Follow me. I’ll brief you some more while we’re on the way.”

*             *             *

2 Hours Later

“Wow. This… is really…”

“Exciting?” Scott threw in, glancing over at Kaoné as he sat down in front of an array of consoles.

“Try depressing,” Kevérin frowned as he looked around at the walls and various consoles. “Everything’s grayscale and boxy. Are all Earthian ships like this?”

“Oh. You’re talkin’ about the design aesthetic,” Scott replied nonchalantly, “Eh, SERRCom is less concerned with visual design than they are with performance. Most Earthian militaries are.”

“Of course they are,” Kevérin sighed, “If I’d known how bland this ship would be…”

“Kevérin,” Kaoné cut him short.

“Hah, don’t worry,” Scott chuckled, “I’m not a fan either. But, still! Think of all the possibilities this ship represents!”

“It’s also possible that there’s nothing special about it, besides being your first Battlecruiser,” Kevérin countered.

“Hopefully, you’ll be able to help us find that out,” Scott responded optimistically.

“Maybe,” Kaoné glanced at Kevérin uneasily, “But we didn’t think about all of the technology here being in your language. The universal translator tech only works for audio…”

“Wait, what?” Kevérin looked back at the Materiatechnic incredulously, “You don’t have the visual translation patch? For your glasses?”

“I thought that was relay-dependent,” Kaoné frowned, and then turned her attention to one of the screens Scott was working with. “…Yeah, I can’t read it.”

“Oh. Well I got a local copy of the patch when I got promoted to Transfer Captain. I can read things just fine.”

“…Wow. Visual translation, you say?” Scott shook his head in amazement, “Not quite as impressive as real-time audio translation, I’ll admit, but I’m still amazed that your glasses can do that and still remain so slim. I wish Earth and the colonies would setup proper relay networks and adopt the AR technology.”

“It can actually get annoying at times,” Kaoné refuted.

“But it’s still pretty useful,” Kevérin stated, “Just point me to the engineering room and I can start checking things out.”

“…This… is the engineering room,” Scott replied slowly.

“…Right! I knew that,” Kevérin nodded curtly, “I’ll, uh, sit over here, and start looking things through.”

“Aw, what about me?” Kaoné complained, “I can’t read any of this…”

“Maybe you should’ve thought about that before volunteering to come up here,” Kevérin responded unsympathetically.

“Hmph,” the Materiatechnic scowled. Great. Now, what do I do…

*             *             *

“…This is it.”

“Eh what.” Davídrius deadpanned as he looked about the empty cave, save some industrial lighting and wires leading out to the cave exterior. “…There’s nothing here.”

“Of course there’s nothing here,” Shepherd snorted, “We removed the Master Ayas.”

“I was expecting something more… significant,” Siyuakén frowned, “Like, maybe a pedestal. Or engravings. Anything that would stand out.”

“There was nothing else,” Shepherd stated, “Just that gray sphere, sitting on the ground. I thought it was just a rock until I realized how well-rounded it was; that’s why I picked it up.”

“And that’s when the Battlecruiser appeared?” Siyuakén turned back to the Earthian, “when you touched it?”

“It is.”

“You’re sure they’re related?” Davídrius questioned.

“I’m certain,” Shepherd crossed his arms, “When I picked up that stone, there was this bright flash of white light… I’m not a Chaotic, so I can’t sense Chaos Energy as well as you – in fact I can’t sense it at all, usually.”

“None of you Earthians should be able to,” Davídrius commented, “None of y’all are Chaotics.”

“And that’s the thing – I felt something happen,” Shepherd insisted, “I don’t know what sensing Chaos Energy is like, but I’m certain that the Master Ayas did something.”

“So you think it just… summoned the Battlecruiser?”

“Maybe,” the Captain glanced over at Siyuakén, “…It sounds far-fetched, I know, but I think that’s what happened.”

“I’m not sure I’d be surprised if it is…” the Electrotechnic replied, “I don’t know much about the Ayas, but I’ve heard my share of tall tales about them… if you consider that they might be based in reality, then the Master Ayas is certainly a very powerful object.”

“That kind of power…” Shepherd scowled, “I hope the top brass don’t get any crazy ideas.”

“That researcher guy seemed just fine with handin’ it over to us,” Davídrius responded.

“To you?” Shepherd drew back slightly.

“Well, to Nimalia,” Siyuakén corrected, “We don’t know as much about the Ayas as the CSA, but I’m sure that we’ll be able to figure out and do more with the Master Ayas than you.”

“…Maybe,” Shepherd replied slowly, “I am against blatantly weaponizing the thing, but I’m not so sure about just handing it over.” He then brushed his hands and stretched, turning to face down the cave. “I suppose the decision for what happens to it is out of my hands though. We should try looking around. With any luck, there will be something else significant down here.”

“…Is that what we’re here for? A goddamn treasure hunt?” Davídrius complained, “Why can’t there be anything exciting?”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Siyuakén countered, “Without your weapons, you won’t be much help in a fight.”

“Not much help–?” Davídrius bristled, “Look, despite what happened back in Treséd I can totally hold my own in a fight!” 

“I’m just saying,” Siyuakén responded lightly, “You… didn’t do so well against that woman.”

“I was caught off guard. I’ve fought the Bleeders before and won! Several times!”

“You couldn’t win against the Chaotics, though.”

“I just said: I was caught off guard! I’ve never fought a goddamned Chaostechnic before. And Stren’s a double Chaotic. He wouldn’t just go down that easily!”

“Kevérin and I were able to deal with them just fine on our own.”

“You’re tryin’ to say that you think I’m worthless, aren’t you?!”

“No, I’m just–“

“Bullshit! You listen here–!”

“Hey,” Shepherd cut in, turning to glare at the two Chaotics just as Davídrius was practically shoving his finger into Siyuakén’s face, “I don’t know what the problem is between you two, but I’d appreciate it if you could keep it to yourselves.”

“…Tch,” Davídrius drew back, and then glanced over at the Captain. “…Sorry.”

“Wait, you–“

“Don’t,” Shepherd cut Siyuakén short. The silence that followed was quickly replaced with a quiet whistling sound.

“That’s a breeze,” Davídrius commented, “…Why’s there a breeze down here?”

“It means there’s either an exit or some other large open area nearby,” Shepherd replied, “You asked for something exciting; maybe this is it.”

As the Captain moved on, the Introtechnic shot a quick smirk toward Siyuakén. She sighed before stepping forward to follow Shepherd. The trio continued walking through the caves in silence, taking several turns before reaching a long and straight tunnel with a light at the end.

“Light?” Davídrius questioned, “That means it’s outside, right?”

“Maybe,” Shepherd responded, “I’ve yet to see any here, but there’s plenty of subterranean fauna that emit some sort of light back on Earth. It could just be a massive cavern.”

“Well I’m goin’ ahead to check,” the Introtechnic declared before dashing off. Within a second he had reached the cave’s end, skidding to a stop just before a short cliff. As he slowly looked around himself, he whistled admirably.

“What’s there?” Siyuakén shouted as she came running down the tunnel after him.

“I dunno if it’s actually worth anythin’,” Davídrius replied, “but it’s a huge cavern filled almost entirely with gold!”

“Gold?” Shepherd repeated incredulously before arriving at the cliff side next to the two Nimalians. He glanced around a bit before scratching his head confusedly. “This… doesn’t feel right.”

“What do you mean?” Siyuakén questioned, ignoring Davídrius as he jumped to the ground below and then sped off to the other side of the cavern.

“I… I don’t know,” the Captain scowled, “I have a feeling that we shouldn’t be here. But I don’t know why.”

The Electrotechnic turned back to look at the huge cavern. “Nothing seems off to me…” she frowned, “hmm, maybe Davídrius found something. He’s coming back.”

A moment later the Introtechnic leaped up to the cliff side and landed in a crouch. As he stood up he glanced between Siyuakén and Shepherd warily. “Somethin’ weird’s up with this cavern…”

“What’d you find?” Shepherd questioned.

“At the far side of the cavern, there’s this little room,” Davídrius explained, “There’s four pods in there, I think they’re stasis pods. Well, they hafta be; they look like they haven’t been touched in forever an’ a day. The kicker is what’s inside.”

“Well don’t keep us waiting,” Siyuakén responded impatiently, “What’s there?”

Davídrius glanced back at the far side of the cavern uneasily before returning his attention to Shepherd and Siyuakén. “…They’re kids. There are children inside those stasis pods.”

*               *               *               *               *

==================== End of Chapter 9 ====================

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Data Entry: IID Process – Preparation for Off-World Travel

                While all of the sentient races of the galaxy have surprisingly similar physiologies, members of each race are not wholly compatible with members of the other races. A virus that causes a mere fever in one race could be devastatingly lethal to another; spoken languages differ significantly and provide a barrier to communication. Even subsets of the same race may have these issues, such as when the Europeans first discovered the Americas in Earthian history. To prevent these issues from being barriers to communication and cooperation, the Installation, Immunization, and Disinfection Process, known as the IID Process, was developed.

                The IID Process is a three-stage process that any individual must go through before they are allowed to travel to other worlds. The first stage is Installation, during which technology that will allow easy off world communication is installed in or on the individual. For the most part, this only includes Real-Time Audio (RTA) translation, which is a neural implant that translates spoken foreign languages in real-time, and Real-Time Visual (RTV) translation, which is a database that links to the user’s AR Glasses and allows them to translate text in real-time. RTA translation, by means of neural interfacing, is completely localized and will work wherever the user goes. RTA translation only accounts for the one or two official languages of a civilization, however – for example, as English is the de facto language of SERRCom and Earthians in general, only that language will be translated by non-Earthian RTA. RTV translation, however, is relay-dependent, as AR Glasses do not have the storage capacity for all of the galaxy’s written languages. Certain individuals of special designation (such as Nimalian Transfer Captains) can receive an upgrade to their AR Glasses that allows them to store the RTV databases locally, but this is not an option for the majority of the galaxy’s citizens.

                The second stage of the process is Immunization, which is exactly what it sounds like. Individuals are vaccinated against major diseases and infections that appear around the galaxy such as the Citan Remalson Aggression Plague or the Earthian Influenza. This stage rarely causes lasting harm, but it is still the most dangerous stage of the IID process. It is possible for the Immunization process to fail and for individuals to catch these diseases anyways, but there is approximately a one in a trillion chance of this occurring.

                The third and final stage of the process is Disinfection, which is also exactly what it sounds like. Whereas the Immunization stage is meant to protect the individual from contracting diseases, the Disinfection stage is meant to prevent the individual from introducing pathogens to a foreign environment in which not every inhabitant has been through the IID Process (i.e. if a Nimalian were to visit the Citan homeworld). For those who travel by spaceship, the Disinfection stage must be completed every time they disembark unless the ship’s life support systems are capable of keeping the ship void of pathogens; even then, these systems must be certified by the disembarkation civilization. For those who travel by Interstellar Gate, the Disinfection stage is unnecessary; through currently unknown means, Interstellar Gates are capable of detecting pathogens and destroying them during transit. Remarkably, there has never been an incident with a ‘Gate mistaking harmless material for pathogens, though the fact that this ability remains a black box has caused a non-trivial amount of galactic citizens to forego travel by Interstellar Gate.