Goddess of the Galacticide Episode 55 - Holy Warriors

Episode 55

“Something terrible has happened,” said Cha Dzeeny.

“You should have more faith in the Shaajis,” said Baaii.

He had beseeched Linuka Omga not to go to the Assembly world, then pleaded not to take young Vriishany along. Both Omga’s went straight into the enemy’s stronghold. He understood the plan, listened to the reasoning, but the haunting feeling never left that the Omga bloodline, stretching back to the First People, could end in an instant.

“It’s taking too long,” he said.

“Relax, Dzeeny. Tswa sni sni, any updates?”

The AI core had suspended its usual hover mode and sat on skipper Oonzu’s pilot plate on the Hikshuur’s cockpit floor, interfacing with the vibrating plate and interpreting its signals. They still couldn’t communicate with the Traaz, but at least they could listen to his ship.

“The independent unit known as Ghost-1 would like to speak to you,” said Tswa sni sni’s motherly voice.

Cha sighed. “Just the guy I wanted to see. That unit has been scanning my every move since the Shaajis left. What does he want?”

The Remnants staying behind on the strange jungle planet Green Wave had insisted that one of their group join their mission to the Assembly World.

“Like you,” said Tswa sni sni, “the unit Ghost-1 requests an update.”

Baaii shrugged. “Let him in, then.”

The cockpit door opened with a creak. A less shiny version of Tswa sni sni appeared and hovered into the cockpit. Cha could never tell if this was indeed their battle companion who helped steal the sphere drive, or a different unit taking a liking to the callsign naming scheme.

“Ghost-1 asks about the status of freeing the core 4007,” said Tswa sni sni.

4007. The machine prophet. Linuka Omga’s ruse to secure the Remnant’s continued support. As far as Cha could tell, no part of her plan for the Assembly world included looking for, let alone rescuing, the enigmatic AI. Once the Remnant became aware of this, Ghost-1 would be as much of a ticking bomb as the causality devices in the freighter’s storage.

“We haven’t heard from her.” Cha’s gruff tone was wasted on the AI core, but he didn’t care.

“According to the Hikshuur’s sensors,” said Tswa sni sni, “the blockade created by Levy Fleet units is still in place, and has brought traffic beyond the moon’s orbit to a halt. Of course, at this distance our sensor data arrives with a significant lag.”

“We need to get closer,” said Cha. “She’s trapped down there. We need to prepare for getting her out.”

Baaii shook her head. “Our orders were to deliver the bomb and then wait at maximum scanner range, as far away from any darkstring connector as possible. That’s what we should keep doing. Trust the Shaajis and wait.”

“The approach scanner tracks a new blip. We scan a single vessel incoming.”

“Tswa sni sni,” said Cha, “get the skipper in here. If this contact is hostile, we’ll need to leave.”

“This might not be necessary, Detachment Leader. We just received a tight-band message with Shaajis Linuka Omga’s code sequence and voice pattern.”

Baaii beamed. “Told you. Let’s prep the airlock and crew for the arrival of the revered sisters.”

***

The Hikshuur’s central airlock whirred open, and a hint of ethanol wafted into the corridor, heavily filtered ship air. The small viewport didn’t do the freighter Linuka Omga commanded justice: a long-range, high-priority transport with clean, sleek lines, human-built but Isonomih-inspired.

Linuka Omga stepped onboard, clad in formal robes suiting her well, but slightly hunched over from whatever ordeal she had gone through.

Baaii and her guards dropped to one knee at once. Cha had hoped for an informal reunion. He did not consider himself nosy and knew when to ask questions and when to leave the Shaajis to her thoughts, but he was dying to hear what happened on the Assembly world.

“Ga gamuu,” was all he could think of, and the marines responded instantly, standing at attention. The royal guards’ reverence was deeply ingrained, but it also negated the personal bonds between his team and the Shaajis—in moments when she had been simply Linuka, wading through the same grime and gore like each of them. The joke he wanted to make about skipper Oonzu being jealous felt frivolous now.

He glanced at Baaii, and her bowed-down head. Protocol demanded waiting for the Shaajis to address them. The AI cores did not feel bound by such rules.

“Welcome back, Linuka,” said Tswa sni sni. “We are content to see you unharmed. Ghost-1 is inquiring about the status of unit 4007.”

Linuka Omga barely moved, her eyes flickered across the group, then rested on the two hovering AIs.

“Ghost-1 already knows,” said Linuka. Her voice was firm and factual. Cold. Cha’s body tensed. Even without multi awareness it was clear there was no good news regarding the machine prophet. Carrying his sidearm only felt like negligence. He was glad Baaii’s guards had their full ceremonial gear equipped, including short range stunners—just in case Ghost-1 would turn aggressive.

“He has seen me descending into the depth of the enemy’s center of knowledge, gaining access to the forbidden rooms, and connecting to the memory bank they used to imprison 4007. The memory was wiped clean. Out of fear or out of rage—perhaps both—the Assembly had decided to execute a helpless prisoner. 4007 has been deleted. The machine prophet is gone.”

Uniforms rustled and equipment clicked. Everyone knew this was bad. The only reason the Remnants were cooperating was gone.

“Ghost-1 calls this outcome unacceptable,” said Tswa sni sni.

Linuka Omga moved past the first row of marines and guards flanking the corridor—silent steps, leaning toward Ghost-1 as if she was to pounce the Isonomih.

“Lies are sweet. The truth is often bitter. Unacceptable to the principled and the faithful. And yet, when we’re operating from the tip of existence, there is no other path and we have to accept what we’re given.”

Was the Shaajis trying to placate or enrage the AI core? She looked ready for confrontation, but her tone was so measured she sounded almost absent. Maybe she mimicked the emotionless demeanor of the Remnant.

The metal body hovered backward, activating the corridor bulkhead, leaving the group behind. Pres nreedz! The Shaajis had just stared down a Remnant.

“But where one prophet falls,” said Linuka Omga, “another one rises. Please welcome Vriishany, the youngest, purest—and now immortal—member of the Omga bloodline. Beloved sister not only to me but also our god-mother Sya.”

If innocence and grace had a child, it would have been the young woman entering through the airlock. However, there was nothing childish about Vriishany Omga anymore. Bright and beaming, draped in white robes, carrying forward the genetics of Pes Pyits’ legendary beauty, who melted even Vnaas the Cruel’s heart.

Linuka laid her arm around Vriishany, straightened her body as if she had just noticed her hunched posture, matching the royal aura of her proclaimed prophet.

“She is the herald of great things to come. Rise, my holy warriors, there is much to be done.”

“What are your orders, revered Shaajisak?” asked Baaii.

“We need to consult with the freed AIs in our memory bank, confirm the necessary procedures for the causality bomb.”

Cha Dzeeny’s hair stood up each time the infernal Võmémééř devices were mentioned. The bomb was inert when they left it at Omech Krreng’s spaceport; why would the AIs need to manipulate it now? Oh, no.

He cleared his throat. “Shaajis, is the bomb not on the freighter with you?”

Linuka Omga locked eyes with him, blue and cold, and dead. “Of course not, Commander, the bomb remained on the Assembly world.”

The Assembly had a causality bomb now.

“Can the AIs help us render it useless?”

“Useless, Commander? They need to help us detonate it.”

Cha looked from Linuka to Vriishany to Baaii. All three looked unfazed by the proposal.

“We… we’re going to destroy the Assembly world?”

Linuka approached Cha, hunched forward, and laid a hand on his shoulder. She grabbed it, and the pressure of her grip pushed through his shoulder pad, firm and hard.

“Nothing gets destroyed, Commander. No one dies. We’re setting them free!”

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