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Outside - The Reflection
:: 01-01-31 ::
Chapter 18: Night of the Soul
Situation Report: 17.77 AHL
The Beastslayer launch to Outside is sixteen hours away. Everything that has happened is hinging on this last day. Outside, the T-Mat, the Galactic Council, the Beastslayer, the Galaxy. What we do will change everything, forever.
The current plan for the Beastslayer is to send it Outside and have Tasiin Limandatt(‘sa) discuss with it, negotiate with it, anything that will convince it to be reasonable. If and only if that has completely failed, Tasiin will attempt to hurt it as much as possible. I seriously doubt he could do much, as does he, but perhaps it will be enough.
On the topic of Tasiin, he has requested that someone go along, a friend in his kiith. I protested this, but both him and his to-be-companion did not seem to heed my objections. When I asked the Bentusi about it, they only replied mysteriously, “He is beyond our power. What he decides must be.”
One other thing about the Beastslayer - sensors show slight gravimetric anomalies around the ship. They have a very distant resemblance to those detected Outside. When they are at their strongest, strange things are reported - fighters being pulled by something invisible, resources saying they saw asteroids appearing out of the distance on a collision course at amazing speeds - and stop in front of them. When I asked Tasiin about it, he did not seem bothered.
The T-Mat Frigate that spotted our fleet has left us in fear of it returning with its own fleet. We do not know when they will come - only that they must be nearly finished gathering. Our fleets have been working at 100% capacity to prepare for the battle. However, they nearly succeeded in destroying us the last time they attacked. They won’t take any chances this time. As long as the Beastslayer jumps Outside before they come, though, all of this would not have been in vain.
Analysis of the subverted frigates revealed that the T-Mat used something similar to the Ghost Ship the Mothership encountered. The T-Mat probably designed it from information the Bentusi had acquired about it and had sold to the other races. Ironically, the information had been bought from us by the Bentusi. The final irony is that the Ghost Ship was meant to be turned against the Naggarok-launchers but was turned against us…and we are trying to atone for what the Naggarok-launchers did.
The carrier Tel-Sall is on its way to the Taiidan Republican colony in the Sharkal system, which has agreed to take in the civilians who were not a significant part of the Beastslayer project. The rest of us will have to face the T-Mat…or self-imposed exile. Even so, there were surprisingly few who chose to leave. On the contrary, a few ships have actually joined us, actively supporting our decisions. Kiithid Sjet, Somtaaw, and LiirHraal, as well as the Taiidan Republican Second Main Fleet, the Frrern, the I’ao, and the Bentusi promise that more ships are on the way.
The Imperialist Taiidani and the Turanic Raiders have stepped down their demands in the Galactic Council. The Bound races now support us strongly. Rumor has it that some of the Unbound races are reconsidering their position. Hopefully, the Council will decide to intervene in our favor. From our agreement with Imperial captain Tequal Nal, we granted him twelve frigates and a destroyer for his communications with the Imperialists. He has so far not attempted to hyperspace away or attack us.
The crew of the Beastslayer has transferred to other ships. I am in command of the carrier Jal-Tor; Shanal Alo commands the carrier Martyrdom; Thenar Soban commands the Avenger of the Burning; and Pukna Somtaaw commands the Explorer-class warship Naab Corum. Complete control of the Beastslayer has been formally granted to Tasiin Limandatt(‘sa).
…Sometimes this seems so strange, leading war fleets again and battling Unbound races. Just after the Hiigaran Landfall, I had served aboard a research vessel, and after years of work, I received command of a Destroyer. After the Beast came, I decided to retire to that I thought would be a peaceful leadership of the Hiigaran team of the Beastslayer project. I thought I would never face an enemy fleet on the viewscreen again. Yet here I am now, preparing to do just that.
But it’s too late to turn back. This has all gone on long enough. By Sajuuk, we will end this one way or another.
We will.
Major Dolann Kaalel
Former Project Coordinator
Hiigaran Team
Commander of the Jal-Tor
*****
Come.
“Stay.”
“Why are you doing this?”
*****
Tasiin felt himself awaken. He felt tired after each dream, which haunted him often, every few minutes in real time. Even being Unbound did not help.
He took some solace in the presence of the Bentusi, in the friendship of Datlai. But compared to hours ago, they seemed…small, young. It was like he was trying to be warmed on a cold night by starlight.
The Beastslayer itself seemed snug. His thoughts raced at speeds he could not even have dreamt of as a Bound person. If it wasn’t for his newfound limbs of gravity through the Beastslayer’s hyperdrive, he would feel far too confined for comfort. Already he began to use the fabric of space as a part of his mind and as a place to hold memories.
Tasiin.
Only then did he realize Outside had been silent since the dream. It had been watching him, observing him, analyzing him. It was preparing like Tasiin for the coming confrontation.
And then it had taunted him.
Outside resumed its deep, penetrating murmur, permeating through the entire Universe.
You find us and our plans amusing? Tasiin asked it, not expecting an answer. None came. You…
Tasiin caused flickers of gravity in space-time as he turned inwardly. He could not help but wish he was back on Kharak. Tasiin felt like he was huddling around a dim light in infinite darkness.
Neither the fleet, nor the Bentusi, not even Outside would know the subtle, gentle undulations of space-time emanating from the Beastslayer was sobbing.
*****
A Hiigaran carrier group emerged from hyperspace. It moved closer to the Beastslayer fleet. Flanked by over two-dozen capital ships, it granted itself to the larger fleet. Messages of welcome were exchanged, followed by strategy briefings, and soon the carrier’s captain was contributing tactics to the fleet.
Walls of Defenders roamed the area. Resource Collectors moved at the fastest possible speeds to collect every scrap of resource from the region. From the massive Bentusi Tradeships, Super Acolytes glided out and arranged themselves in formation. Around the Beastslayer were dozens of frigates, ready for attack.
War was coming. The Beastslayer fleet had to be ready. And so the ships prepared as best as they could. They would not let all that they had done mean nothing.
*****
“It is hurting me…thoughts disturbed…cannot…” Tasiin said in pain. An infinite grief filled his words.
Datlai looked upon the myriad controls. Quickly she scanned them, trying to find desperately the correct one. Frustration quickly set in, followed by fear.
The bridge’s light darkened. Then a redness appeared on the far end of the room. It expanded, filling the bridge like a cloud. The red glow quickly enveloped Datlai.
After a few seconds, the hologram faded out, replaced by a saddened Tasiin. “Had Outside actually tried to layer a piece of itself on the Beastslayer, that piece would have successfully subverted the ship. You would have had the unfortunate experience of becoming a part of that…thing.”
“This is…difficult,” Datlai replied. “I never piloted or commanded a ship before.”
“If you go Outside, though, it would be good to learn. There might be an emergency or a situation in which I would be…unable to control the ship. If you could be ready for anything, I could focus on the task at hand.”
“I understand. However, it is strange that…you are here,” Datlai said, looking towards the captain’s chair, where Tasiin’s Bound body sat rather placidly. “It is very difficult to learn how to run a ship this quickly.”
Tasiin’s face showed a kind of sympathy. His holographic hand reached out, nearly but not quite touching her. “If it is any grim, morbid solace, you would have been together with me. Our thoughts would have been linked. The problem would be that we would have been completely helpless about it, unable to do anything but carry out the wishes of the spawn of Outside.”
Datlai nodded somberly. “Why would the descendant of Outside necessarily be intent on destroying us? If it is like only a cell of Outside, maybe it would not know why it would hate us-“
“Datlai, it is because of what it doesn’t know that it would try to consume everything.”
She nodded again, unsure what Tasiin meant.
“When Outside plants a piece of itself on board a ship, it changes the structure of space-time in the ship’s vicinity. By carefully manipulating gravity, it can - inscribe - a tiny portion of its consciousness into the ship inside whatever materials are convenient, in whatever form is convenient - electrical currents in the hull, neural impulses in the crew, a computer program in the ship’s databanks. In the Naggarok’s case, it was a nanotechnological entity that we know as the Beast. This piece is itself as sentient as any Unbound mind, if not more so. However, it knows that it was part of something far greater, and it is desperate to rejoin that greater self. So the entity consumes anything it can find in hopes of equaling that greatness, or rejoining it. It plots to consume the galaxies, the universe, and believes that it will be immortal in an attempt to mimic Outside. Unfortunately for us, that involves stealing ships, killing crews, and its unwillingness to leave anyone alone, except as tools of itself - like the Taiidan Imperialists were of the Beast,” Tasiin explained. “You do understand why all of this, the mission to Outside, the direness of something like the Beast, correct?”
“I have always known about the importance of this, Tasiin,” Datlai replied. “I did lose Dillat to the Beast. But I thought it might be possible to avoid the infection by some way other than vaporizing the ship.” She sighed from the exhaustion of it all. Even after the conversation and two hours of practice, she was no closer to being adept at working the basic functions of the ship. In reality, it would probably make no difference, but it would ease Tasiin’s mind, and he had gone to the trouble of setting up a general interface to the Beastslayer at what was the trans-hyperdrive control.
Datlai looked up, and too her surprise found that Tasiin looked, subtly…haunted. She had seen him like that before, when he awoken from the dream a few weeks before, when he had been watching the Burning of Kharak. But now, there was something else, a distant, but deep, sense of futility.
The expression lasted only for a moment, as Tasiin tried to cover it up. Datlai, however, had noticed his pain. “I will do my best to learn,” she said, her own demeanor reflecting the sympathy Tasiin had shown her earlier.
Tasiin seemed to take time to analyze her. Then he quietly assumed a neutral expression. Datlai did not react.
“You almost know how to do the important things,” Tasiin said. “You are simply being confused and distracted by the lesser tasks. Remember, the red control on the left I set to scuttle, the blue control on the right is for trans-hyperdrive jump…”
*****
“There are three main kinds of T-Mat vessels,” a holographic projection of Shanal Alo said in the Jal-Tor war room. Shanal Alo was giving a strategy briefing to some of the more inexperienced officers aboard the carrier. Dolann Kaalel watched the briefing. Because Shanal Alo had served in both Imperial and Republican fleets for a number of years, Kaalel agreed to let him speak instead of addressing the officers himself. Nevertheless, Dolann felt drawn to the meeting, so he settled his immediate priorities, and then attended.
“They are the Frigate, the Destroyer, and the Megaship. All three types can take heavy damage. We believe the Frigate and Destroyer can take up to half the damage a Bentusi Tradeship can withstand; the Megaship can take approximately 35% more than a Tradeship. The Frigate packs a powerful, low-coverage ion cannon, and the Destroyer holds two such weapons. The Megaship, on the other hand, holds one weak, but high coverage beam. This is used much like a carrier’s weapons - as a defense against Strike Craft, or unescorted, solitary frigates. Its main use is, again, like a carrier. They can launch Frigates from them, possibly building - or growing - them on the underside of the ship. The Megaship’s ion cannon is quite long range, so it is a threat to Strike Craft that come in the vicinity. Therefore, fighters and corvettes will concentrate fire on the T-Mat Frigates and Destroyers. Capital ships will have a well-rounded attack plan, due to the threat of Frigates and Destroyers to the entire fleet.
“How much losses are expected for Strike Craft,” one member of the gathering asked.
“Not as many as you would think. The T-Mat will be focusing on the Bentusi Super Acolytes because of their firepower. However, the Bentusi, will keep them clear from the Megaships if possible. During that time the T-Mat may easily ignore the other swarms of Strike Craft such as a sphere formation of Attack Bombers. The T-Mat have heavy advantages for a capital ship battle, but we can slowly peck away at them with fighters. The only reason why we weren’t more successful at Galactic Shipyard 0 was that the T-Mat caught us completely by surprise.”
“What about the T-Mat’s subversion weapon?” another asked. “How much of a threat is it?”
“The T-Mat are Unbound - they control their ships like we control our bodies. If they try to take too many, they become overburdened and slow. It would be like if we had to control a thousand limbs. They would all be useless, get in the way of each other. We believe it might be possible for them to take over our entire fleet for a fraction of a second. This would be useful if they were trying to extract data. However, that is not their intent. The T-Mat would quickly become exhausted mentally, and we would still have our fleet. We think that a T-Mat Frigate or a Destroyer can subvert two or three of our frigates; a Megaship might take a carrier and a few frigates,” Shanal Alo explained.
“You said there were three ‘main’ types of T-Mat ships. That implies a non-main type.”
Shanal Alo answered, “Yes, it does. We have to rely on the Bentusi for information on things like this. The Bentusi say that there is an even larger T-Mat ship, a Mothership. There are believed to be two, maybe three in existence. It has a circular center with five long arms radiating outward from it. The arms give it a span about twice that of a Megaship. It is believed it can take about twice to three times the amount of damage a Megaship can take. For firepower, it probably has a powerful ion cannon, as well as the low power, high coverage ion cannons for fighter defense. The primary use of a T-Mat Mothership is somewhat like that of a planet. As a heavily space-faring race, the T-Mat have rejected using real planets for strongholds. Instead they use a massive Mothership as a mobile center of operations.”
“Will we see one?”
“I hope not. By the gods, I hope not. But if one arrives - which may happen if the T-Mat are or become desperate - focus fire on the arms. If one can be sheared off, the central section will have a massive hull breach.
“Any further questions?” Shanal Alo asked. When no one answered, he said, “You are dismissed.” The officers filed out of the room.
“They seemed a bit nervous, but they covered it up. Many crew members would pale before such a huge challenge. You have a good crew, Kaalel,” Shanal Alo said to Dolann.
“I know. Do you really think one of those Motherships will show up?”
“I meant it when I said I hope not. But given how much the T-Mat seemed bent on destroying us, I think there is already one on its way. The only thing working in our favor is that they are slow. Our fleet, if need be, could limp out of the Galaxy, outracing the T-Mat fleet. In that case, self-imposed exile might not be such an illogical thing,” Shanal Alo replied.
“Let us hope that it doesn’t come to that.”
“I already am. Martyrdom out.”
The image of Shanal Alo faded out. Kaalel was about to leave the war room, when a voice from the bridge announced, “Sir, the Beastslayer is hailing you.”
“I’ll take it in here,” Dolann replied.
“Is there something that still needs to be addressed?” Kaalel asked.
“There is. This is very important, but it involves much explanation,” Tasiin replied.
“I have already been listening to explanation for a long time now. A few more minutes will not hurt.”
“The original purpose of the Beastslayer was to develop ultra-fast travel through trans-hyperdrive. If you remember, there are several layers of hyperspace, somewhat like the energy levels in an atom,” Tasiin said.
“I remember.”
“But Outside, by its presence, changes the spacing of the levels of hyperspace. It is like…this will be stretching the analogy, but imagine the atoms in a metal. Each atom would be like a universe. Holding the atoms together is something called a metallic bond - essentially a vast electron cloud permeating the metal. Suffice to say, the way the electrons in this cloud interacts with the electrons in an atom changes the energy spacing of the atomic energy levels. Similarly, Outside interacts with universes to change the amount of energy hyperspace has,” Tasiin explained. “Do you understand?”
Dolann did not quite follow all of it, but knew enough to draw some conclusions. “So you are saying if Outside as a space is destroyed - and considering you remarks about the entity ‘being’ Outside, that might be necessary…if we win, hyperspace will change?”
“Yes. I have done some calculations on what would happen if Outside suddenly disappeared. Normal space would not be affected, or only in negligible amounts. Regular hyperspace would require a larger amount of energy to enter. The exact amount is uncertain, but we would certainly need to upgrade the hyperdrives of most ships for them to still work. I am estimating that roughly 1.5 to 2.5 times as much energy for normal hyperspace would be necessary to jump. Beyond that, the energy requirements become enormous. I believe there is still a reachable, infinitely-high hyperspace - with approximately six trillion times as much energy needed than the present.”
“Would anything other than the energy requirements to jump change?” Dolann asked.
“No. I do not believe anything else will change. That is good, because the atoms making up your body will not dissolve if Outside is defeated.”
“Good. Thank you, Tasiin for the warning. We will examine what will happen to hyperspace carefully.”
“You do not understand. Do you not see what is wrong if we win?”
Dolann shook his head. “Trans-hyperdrive would be more difficult, but we don’t have that. Interuniversal travel, if you atom analogy is correct, would be impossible. I do not think there is anyone uses either.”
“The Naggarok launchers.”
Kaalel was silent.
“The purpose of the Naggarok was to jump to other universes to continue their genocidal quest. When it disappeared, the Naggarok launchers developed a fear of Outside, but they probably still hope to one day to use Outside for their own will".
”Even more importantly, they use trans-hyperdrive regularly. It is one of the biggest advantages in their quest. If my calculations are correct, they would lose that advantage, capable of jumping only to the second or third level of trans-hyperspace."
“Outside showed me what the Naggarok launchers were intending to do. From that, I remember that they…worshipped hyperspace, somehow. I believe they, to some extent, are trying to defend hyperspace and trans-hyperspace as a holy place. They do not anyone else to trample their sacred…”
“Garden,” Dolann finished for him. “Like the Garden of Kadesh. We encountered them while journeying to Hiigara; a few others have sent expeditions to their space. The Turanic Raiders, for example, as well as some Hiigaran expeditions.”
“The Kadeshi were willing to sacrifice themselves to defend their ‘Garden.’ What if we had utterly destroyed that Garden, instead of merely entering it? That is what we will be doing to the Naggarok launchers. They deserve it, but they will devote all of their efforts to finding those responsible and crushing them out of existence. Seeing what they have done when they have merely perceived a threat to trans-hyperspace, I doubt we would want to know what they will do when they find us.”
“The Naggarok launchers are a threat, one we will have to deal with eventually. They are, in fact, the greater short-term threat. However, eventually something like the Beast, planted by Outside, could successfully consume the entire universe. We cannot let that happen by allowing Outside to place itself here. In a few millennia, when the Naggarok launchers find us, we Hiigarans may be Unbound. We could stand a fighting chance against the Naggarok launchers. But against Outside…You hurt it. Has anyone else managed to do that?”
“No. I did not argue that we should not try. We must continue. There is no other way. But even if we do succeed, there will be consequences.”
“There always are, Tasiin. What matters is if we still survive them. If we win Outside, we can win here too.”
“One final thing, then. A trans-hyperdrive jump takes a few seconds to compete. However, if Outside disappears, and the Beastslayer is still Outside, with an incomplete jump…” Tasiin did not bother to finish.
“We would lose you as well. Is there some way you could prevent that?”
“Yes, but that might not be the best option. I believe I can use the Beastslayer’s trans-hyperdrive to…hold on to this universe, in a sense. It is hard to describe, except that if Outside disappears, the Beastslayer could conceivably ‘fall’ back into this universe. The problem is that it would also allow Outside, for the time we are here, to reach into our universe. At the present, its influence here is extremely weak. It would take millions of years of effort for it to do anything useful for itself, and over the million years, entropy would consume all that it had done. But if I hold onto here while I am Outside…”
“How long will it be able to influence us?”
“It would influence us as long as I am Outside, holding on to the universe. Perhaps a moment, perhaps a few seconds, perhaps a minute."
“Could you hold it back? Or, perhaps, distract it?”
“Perhaps.”
“Then the decision is for you. If you feel that you can restrain Outside, then you may do what you are asking, if you wish.”
“I will consider it.”
The communication between the Jal-Tor and the Beastslayer ended.
“So, that is the price we will have to pay. Having what remains of our ancestors eventually come to destroy us. But considering how much we fight amongst ourselves, that might not be so bad.”
*****
Tasiin was warmed by Datlai’s present success in mastering the Beastslayer controls he had set up for her. It was a small relief to know that there was someone else he could depend on.
A small relief only.
But, he did not let her know what he was truly feeling. As he talked to her, the Bentusi, the commanders of the fleet, parts of Tasiin resigned to the dark around him, parts abjectly tried to hold on to whatever was left from before. He felt like he had become pathetic - once he had desperately wanted to be alone, and now that he was the closest he had ever been to achieving that, he desperately, wanted to go back.
Does it ever end? A gentle rippling of space emanated from the core of his being. Tasiin listened to the faint variations of gravity that filled his vicinity, as if expecting an answer.
Is this all there is? An infinity of darkness?
No reply. Outside’s murmur subdued slightly, but he was not interested.
Why?
After an eternity of waiting, a few milliseconds in real time, he retreated again to Datlai.
*****
“What are you feeling, Tasiin?” Datlai asked. She sat in her makeshift quarters, formerly the room of her kiith. “I know you can hear me. But, you do not have to answer. Only know that I am here for you, if at some point you decide you need me.”
Datlai closed her eyes. “And you - the Bentusi…are you still there?” she asked.
“We listen to all that moves through the Void,” the Bentusi replied.
Datlai felt this conversation would be strange. Surely Tasiin noticed it, and had to actually allow it to happen. If he wanted, Tasiin could have severed communications with the Bentusi ships nearby. Perhaps he was curious, or wanted to know what Datlai was thinking. Perhaps he wanted to see if he could find out something about himself by listening.
“Do you know what is troubling Tasiin?”
“We know that he is distant. He moves beyond us as we listen. He seems stronger. We do not know how, but we know that he is beyond Unbound,” the Bentusi replied.
“How much stronger?”
“We are unsure. However, Tasiin’s mind - his song - is…resembles Outside’s. It fills the space around us. It is deep. It arches over us. He does not permeate the universes or even this one like Outside does. He does, however, resemble it when he is near us.”
“So Tasiin is beyond Unbound, then. Far beyond Unbound.” For the briefest moment, she caught a fleeting glimpse of what Tasiin was going through.
“We suspected it when we found his work. We brought him to us, through your kind, and saw glimmers of an Unbound mind. Never did we think that he would come this far.”
Datlai absorbed it all. “Do you think he will survive an encounter with Outside again?”
“We do not know. Perhaps he will fail. Perhaps he will succeed. Perhaps he will betray us. Perhaps he will surprise us.” Datlai somehow knew the Bentusi deliberately left ambiguous whether they meant “surprise” positively or negatively.
“Perhaps. I will be there to find out.”
“We will wait for you.”
“Thank you. Goodbye.”
“Farewell.”
Datlai still held her eyes closed. “I know you are here, Tasiin.”
“Yes,” replied Tasiin, in his Bound voice he used with her instead of his Unbound way of speaking.
Datlai did not bother looking. Only on the bridge, the war room, and a few other rooms could the ship display a hologram. If she tried, Datlai would not see Tasiin. Instead, she imagined him sitting next to her, both whispering to each other.
“The Bentusi are wrong in thinking there is only Bound, Unbound, and beyond Unbound. There are several stages beyond Unbound. The final one is Outside…or me,” Tasiin said, saddened. “A life as an entity that is made of space itself.”
“Tasiin, you are not Outside,” said Datlai.
“No, but Outside is the only other of my kind. There is no one else. When I was Unbound, the Bentusi understood what I was. Now…”
“Tasiin…are you admitting that you are…lonely?”
Silence followed.
“I know you that that no one can understand you. It may be that no one has ever transformed from Bound to Unbound to beyond Unbound like you, so no one has felt what you have. But Tasiin, you are still…Tasiin. You still are, at the core, the same person.”
“Perhaps.”
Datlai thought for a few moments. Tasiin wanted to be persuaded that someone understood him. However, she knew that Tasiin had probably already thought about the main reasons she would use to reassure him, and had convinced himself that those reasons were not enough. So, Datlai tried an indirect way to reach out to him. She smiled as she thought about what she would say.
“Do you remember the first time we met Kesahl Paktu, when we were once out stargazing? She kept on saying that we should be doing something useful, or working on our studies…until you not only convinced her that you not only did not have to study, but that due to quantum physics, she did not exist until we looked at her, so therefore she could not say anything until she did?”
“I do have to admit I was surprised she fell for that,” Tasiin said, with a hint of a laugh.
“Then, sometimes when we met her again, we pretended she didn’t exist.”
“’Can I exist now?’” Tasiin recalled.
“And one time, she met Dillat, who replied, ‘Not for a few more minutes! We are trying to have a conversation!’” Datlai could not help but laugh.
“I remember.”
“Being beyond Unbound didn’t change that, did it? Can you really say no one can share what you are thinking?”
“I suppose not.” After a few seconds, he added, “Thank you, Datlai.”
Datlai held her smile. She playfully replied, “Anything for my kiith-sa.”
*****
Tasiin was charging the Beastslayer’s trans-hyperdrive. It had already taken some time, and would need a few hours more. One done, the Beastslayer could jump Outside after the final farewells had been made. If need be, the Beastslayer could release the energy it was now gaining and fall back to normal space, assuming the space it was in - Outside, or perhaps, the bridge he would be building between the universe and Outside - still existed. He doubted, thought, if that would ever happen.
At least Datlai had convinced him that he was not completely alone. She was on the bridge, at the seat before the control that Tasiin had prepared for her, which was once the trans-hyperdrive control. On her side were a few things Datlai had taken from her quarters: the book most Limandatt had to write down their musings; a small cubical box given made for her by Dillat Limandatt, painted with scenes from the journey to Hiigara on four sides, and on two opposing sides, scenes depicted from her and Dillat’s Dreams aboard the Mothership; and a polished stone taken from the place where Tasiin and Datlai had used to gaze upon the stars and the Mothership, wondering what life would be like on a distant Hiigara. He wondered what she had felt whenever she saw the stone during all of the years he was trying to distance himself from the universe. Despair, or torment. Self-pity, maybe. Possibly, possibly, empathy. Even hope. He decided not to ask. But it was obviously meant enough for her to take the stone with her from Kharak all the way to the Beastslayer, one of the very few things of hers that the Mothership would be allowed to carry.
Then again, the painted cube from Dillat might be just as painful. To know that one of her best friends had become part of something as grotesque as the Beast…He was glad she did not hear Outside, the parent of the Beast.
Datlai was whispering a prayer to Sajuuk. Tasiin listened, like he did with many things, with a distant sadness. It seemed…childish. The only thing that was larger than himself was Outside. He remembered that Outside knew of nothing greater than itself. He could not convince himself there was.
However, as he thought about the matter, he realized he was no different than Datlai. He had asked into the darkness, expecting a reply. Even now, he would look into the void filled only with those who were Bound and Unbound and would search for something. He was calling out to something greater, as Datlai was.
So, his voice joined hers on the bridge. He did not explain his reasons. Whether or not there was something greater than himself was irrelevant to his doing it.
Tasiin felt closer to Datlai, a Bound person, than he did to Outside, one who was beyond Unbound.
*****
Dolann Kaalel sat in the command chair aboard the Jal-Tor. All of the crew was silent as they waited for something to happen. But, nothing had happened in the past two hours. The Beastslayer was slowly charging its trans-hyperdrive module; the Jal-Tor was slowly producing Strike Craft. A few ships had hyperspaced in, mainly small groups of frigates sent in by the less prominent of the member races of the Beastslayer Project.
“Trans-hyperdrive 87% charged. Forty-seven minutes until it is fully charged,” Tasiin Limandatt’sa’s voice announced.
Dolann did not reply to that, but instead asked, “What ships are we currently producing?”
“Twenty Interceptors, twenty Attack Bombers, twelve Defenders, and ten Heavy Corvettes, sir,” someone replied.
“Good. Continue,” Dolann Kaalel sighed.
The minutes slowly drifted past him.
*****
Tasiin felt something. The quantum waveforms around him were changing. They pulled on him, impossible to ignore. It took only a few nanoseconds for him to realize what was happening. For a brief moment, he tried to use his limbs of gravity to stop it, but that began to drain the Beastslayer’s energy reserves too much, and so he relented.
It was too soon. But it was happening.
He sent out an alert to the fleet. Then, Tasiin diverted all of the Beastslayer’s energies into the trans-hyperdrive.
*****
“We have hyperspace signatures! Multiple vectors, incoming ships. Range - one hundred kloms. Most of them have high energy readings,” the tactical officer shouted.
“By Kharak, the Beastslayer won’t be ready for forty minutes!” Dolann Kaalel exclaimed.
“They’re T-Mat ships,” the tactical officer confirmed, dread filling his voice.
*****
Out of hyperspace windows that appeared all around the fleet, T-Mat vessels appeared. Some portions of the vast fleet approached the Beastslayer. From others, ion cannons lashed out. Blue beams hit the outer ships of the fleet. The T-Mat’s intentions were clear.
At the very center of the fleets was the Beastslayer, still not ready to seek its destiny.
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