Dark Energy by carlsojos

Chapter 37

Zelan, could you repeat your last transmission?

Unidentified vessel, this is the automated computer system. Please state vessel identity, origin, destination, and purpose. I wake up to see Etirn working away at the controls again. I don't think he's had three hours of sleep in the past three days.

This is Rappy one, from Motavia University, Motavia. Intended destination is Zelan Artificial Satellite, for the purposes of scientific research and temporary lodging.

Understood. Roster indicates there is currently no personnel available to greet you immediately. Are there any biological requirements among your personnel?

Etirn looks confused. ...Yes?

Understood. Life Support is activating, and will be ready by confirmation of hard dock. Please follow IDS protocol, frequency one-three-seven-point-four-zero.

Please be advised, I do not have a functional IDS system.

Understood. Engaging emergency lighting at an open docking bay. Please be careful. Over.

I look to Etirn. What's an IDS?

Shit, I don't know. I just think it's safe to assume that Rappy doesn't have it, cause I designed it. I look out the window, and see a massive object floating in front of us. It almost looks like a city of steel floating in a dark oblivion to me.

Rappy one, Zelan. Your CVEL is greater than zero-point-one. Please decrease V-Zelan.

What does that mean? Etirn says into the radio.

Rappy one, you are closing too fast. Your V-Zelan is currently four-zero-six-point-three.

Etirn yanks a lever, and I feel our vessel going backwards. In spite of Etirn's efforts, we run into the floating fortress with a sickening crunch. A sleeping Ray is launched from his seat into the open latrine.

What the hell, Etirn?! Ray climbs out of the latrine a little dirtier. He looks downright pissed.

Good morning! I seem to have crashed. My ears pick up a small hissing sound.

Etirn, do you hear that?

Hear what?

There's a hiss. Etirn looks at some dials and gauges.

I'd say that means we are leaking air. Yep, we're losing pressure now. I assure you that we have a problem now.

Ray looks worried. Are we going to die?

I'll know in just a second. Zelan, you read me?

Zelan is now at Alert Mode 2.

Rappy is losing air, going critical in a few minutes. Is the life support ready to evacuate Rappy?

Yes. Once Rappy is safely evacuated, please remain in the offloading area for incarceration.

Something mechanical moves outside, and Etirn starts prying the ship's door open with a crowbar. The radio's words suddenly hit me. We're being arrested?

Etirn gives Ray the crowbar, and turns to me. Right now, it's either that or an extremely painful death of turning into a marshmallow. I don't think it's wise to try to find out what I mean right now. Unfortunately, I do understand, from looking at fish pulled from deep-sea nets. Ray managed to get the door halfway open, and we dive through it, through an airlock... and land on the hard floor of Zelan. Why don't we float here, too? Etirn is the last one through, and he closes the airlock just as our crumpled tin can becomes dislodged. I watch it slowly float away through a viewport for a minute.

Etirn, might I ask how we are to return to Motavia after we're done here?

Etirn tries his best poker face. That's a very good question, but I can't answer you yet. First, I think we should look around. I could sense some uncertainty, but I decide not to question further. I don't like the concept of being arrested more than being uncertain of the situation.

We slowly make our way through the large satellite, making sure we don't get seen by anyone. I eventually realize that the entire place seems deserted, but we continue in the shadows regardless. We eventually find ourselves in a room containing what appears to be what would happen if that little processor we found in Zema had overdosed on steroids. Processor cores ran a solid twenty feet up the wall. Even Etirn was shocked. This has to be largest computer I have ever seen... Etirn looks almost enchanted as he slowly stepped up to the terminal at its base. He opens a small panel and begins connecting his computer up.

I put my hand on his shoulder. Do you remember what happened last time you did this? I definitely don't want to be fighting for my life, when we don't have an escape this time.

Etirn just shrugs. This one is already running. I just want to see if this system can broadcast over radio. Remote. Diag.

CONNECTED ERROR: IO not labeled. ERROR: too many IO channels.

Etirn mutters something incomprehensible. Ray pats him on the back. Even I can tell that's a fancy machine. I can see how it can outsmart that little box of yours.

That's the first time Diag's ever failed outright. Guess I gotta try the easy way. Etirn closes his computer, and turns his attention to the terminal itself. He has no other problems finding what he wants. Nothing's locked on the terminal... There's a high-power transmitter on this satellite. Let's see if I can phone home...

Freeze! Someone found us! This can't look good....

Ray shakes his head while he and I slowly raise our hands. I think we're busted.

The person behind us steps a little closer. If you reach for your weapons, I will fire. Man at the terminal, slowly, with your arms away from your sides, get up and away from the computer. The voice is female. Etirn gets up, I notice him slip his weapon out of its holster and hide it up a sleeve as he got up and turned around.

Did I do something wrong, ma'am?

You ram a ship into Zelan, but instead of trying to explain how it happened, you leave the docks, and I find you hacking the primary system that controls the ecology for all of Algo! Now you wonder what you did wrong? Put your hands up!

Etirn puts his hands together in a strange gesture, sticking his fingers up his sleeves. Ha ha, yeah, about that... In the blink of an eye, Etirn reveals his firearm and levels it at the stranger. DROP YOUR FUCKING WEAPON! I turn to see a girl with green hair, holding a weapon much bigger than Etirn's, and with an angry expression on her face. She doesn't even pretend to be afraid... why's there a wire running from the weapon into her arm?

Drop the gun!

GET ON THE GROUND OR KISS YOUR ASS GOODBYE! But I do concede that Etirn is much louder.

Drop the gun and surrender!

Seeing that the two are going towards violence, I try to defuse the situation. I hold my arm in front of Etirn, claw extended. This is out of control! Both of you, put down your weapons so we can talk! Etirn glares at me, then grudgingly holsters his piece. I look at the girl; she's still holding onto it, but it's at least lowered.

She drops it to the ground when she sees my face. Rika?! She walks closer. I notice that what I thought looked like armor actually seems to be a part of her. How did you get here?!

I'm not Rika. But I would like to ask you some questions about Rika.

She looks a bit confused. Could you tell me what your names are, then? I'm Demi.

Blades, ma'am. I'm a hunter.

Post-Graduate Etirn Bay. Technology Department, Piata campus.

And I'm Marika Ashley. I'm a Sophmore at the University.

The girl starts thinking of something, Ms. Ashley...? My surname seems to remind her of something.

Yes. I'm afraid I don't know much about my family. My parents were killed when Aiedo burned down.

The girl suddenly reaches a conclusion in her mind. Oh? What year is it?

Etirn shrugs. Oh... 3295, if I'm not mistaken.

I've been in hibernation nearly 1,000 years?

Etirn tries to nudge the conversation along. I don't know about you, but I'm trying to learn as much about Pre-Collapse technology as I can. Marika here is on a quest to learn the origins of her family. This Rika you mention, keeps turning up in our research. It seems to me that she's an artificial being, but how can such a thing happen a thousand years after civilization lost its understanding of technology? Was there a scientist at the time I don't know about?

Demi shakes her head. No. Rika is Seed's daughter. Etirn is about to interject, but Demi anticipates the question. Seed was the primary computer of the Bio Plant.

How can a computer have a living, breathing person as a daughter? Could you elaborate a little?

Before the Great Collapse, the Bio Plant was responsible for introducing new species of flora and fauna that symbiotically acted to maintain the terraformation of Motavia. It is at that time that, under orders from Mother Brain, a being that is an improvement on the Parmanian race was to be created, a New Parmanian, or Numan. The results of the project was named Neifirst. She was deemed a failure, but the subject escaped termination, in the process stealing genetic information on several dangerous creatures that had been developed, but not released. She then hijacked Climatrol resources to create what is now known as Biomonsters.

How does this affect Rika?

Neifirst was eventually killed by a wanted criminal, the same one who later destroyed Mother Brain, but beforehand, something unusual happened. Another being separated from Neifirst, in a process not unlike Mitosis, if the records are to be believed. This new being, Nei, was physically inferior to Neifirst, but also featured a more sophisticated psychological profile that was capable of intricate emotions. She was, in essence, the first Numan emotionally capable of love and attachment. Unfortunately, the only records available are notoriously unreliable, but somehow, Nei died at approximately the same time as Neifirst. When Zelan went online as the new control system under my master's supervision, Seed swore that he would use the information from the project to create a child that would thrive in the world after his destruction.

Destruction?

Yes, it was discovered that shortly after the Great Collapse, Seed had begun to lose the ability to control the Bio Capsules, which began pumping out harmful biomonsters at a gradually increasing speed. Seed knew that the only way to permanently stop production was to self destruct.

Etirn pipes in, That's why, when we found Seed, he reported that his explosives wouldn't work, huh? Because he had already blown the charges?

You've met Seed?

We met what's left of him. A friend named Dora was in charge of a team of archeologists, and she found the ruins near Zema.

Ray decides to mention Etirn's mistake. Numb nuts here managed to turn Seed back on, and the facility was overrun with critters. I was contracted to help move some machinery out before they destroyed the entrance.

Demi shakes her head. That's not good. Even without an exit, it's only a matter of time until something makes one. We need to talk to Wren. He'll know what to do.

Etirn asks, Who's Wren?

My master. He left me in charge of Zelan because he wanted to check something on Kuran. I hibernated since everything looked stable. Now that I think about it, it's been quite a while for him to be gone without a single message.

Just curious, what is Zelan and Kuran for, anyway?

Oh, forgive me. After the Great Collapse, Motavia and Dezolis began turning uninhabitable without anything controlling the climate systems. Zelan was converted from weather prediction to a control center to maintain the minimum requirements for life on Motavia and Dezolis. Kuran was a communication satellite, which now supports Zelan by handling most of the more tedious communication and computation tasks. We should go there now.

I try to stop Demi. Wait! What happened to Rika?

There's no time right now. We need to go to Kuran to find out what to do about the Bio Plant!

Demi leads us back to the airlocks and opens one of them. We funnel in. Much to my relief, the gravity doesn't stop when we enter the ship. Ray seemed disappointed, much to my amusement. I notice Etirn's attention was drawn towards the pilot's chair, however. Demi closes the doors behind us.

What in the world is this? Etirn was almost mesmerized by the controls.

This is the Landale. It is a luxury interplanetary spaceplane. Demi sits down at the helm. I'll make preparations to launch immediately.

Etirn sits down in the other seat in the front. Do you need any help?

With what? Demi doesn't look up.

It took me a lot of work just to crash the Rappy into Zelan.

No, thank you. Buckle in, we're launching now. A small burst to clear the dock, then a larger one, and Zelan grows smaller as we leave it behind. I have to admit, that was pretty fast.

After a few minutes of silence, Etirn speaks up again. Does this ship have a radio? That's what I was looking for on that terminal.

Yes, I have a high-power transceiver on board. What frequency do you need?

Whatever my headset transmits in. Motavia University will probably want to know what happened. Demi holds Etirn's headset for a few seconds, then gives it back.

Okay. Motavia University? Landale. Do you copy?

There was a short pause. Who?

This is the Parmanian ship Landale, calling Motavia University. Do you copy?

I don't see your callsign on my data sheet. Who's on the line?

Etirn takes the mic. This is Post-Grad Bay. Do you know that one?

What?! Impossible! It sounds like someone fell over, followed by some talking away from the radio.

Another person responds; the technology professor? It's good to hear you, Etirn! What happened?

I kinda broke Rappy. Right now I'm hitching a ride in another ship to a classified location.

Demi broke in, Our destination is the artificial satellite Kuran.

Who's that?

Etirn answers with a small smile. Somebody who wasn't very happy when I drove into her satellite. Etirn feels his seat with one hand. You know, I do believe that Sandworm Leather seats are an interesting concept for a new feature when we build Rappy 2.

A short pause. Do I want to know what you're doing right now?

Saving the world. I hope you don't mind me killing the radio for a quick nap. We need to automate the next ship I fly a little more. End Transmission.

Etirn.... The radio sounds a bit agitated to me.

Cut the connection, Demi.

She flips a switch. Done. Go ahead and get some sleep. It'll take an hour to reach Kuran.

I pull out Professor Mahlay's biography for the trip. He talks about a black magician, who destroyed the town of Molcum, and somehow turned Zema's people to stone. It leads to a climax with the death of a hunter named Alys. I pull out my book of pictures, and compare the name on the grave. I wonder if there's a connection? I notice that Hahn stops the story at this point, and instead goes on to hold several interviews; I had already read Fal's, but there is also a Rudy, and a Pyke. A translator's note states that Pyke is a Motavian name, with an older equivalent being Gryz.

Next chapter

Join Phantasy Star Cave discord server and hang out with other RPG buffs. It’s free. Let’s beat quarantine boredom together!