Arz: Helium Sonata — Part 1

This is the first part of an ongoing science fiction series

“Lochart to Actual, passing delta now.”

Light dripped through the cracked ceiling, virtual drops cascading as she walked across the shattered floor far below. Purpose sped up her stride, more light spilling out from under a baroque door at the far end. Each step echoed off the empty space, dust catching the light on the way down. Alone with the echoes only her thoughts kept her company, and the knowledge of what might await.

Pausing three steps from the door she took in the intricate carvings inlaid within the tarnished gold. Motifs of the Unifier and his marcher hosts cast in neat squares, martial and resolute. Around each panel fine filigree writing in archaic common made her smile as she read the homilies and rubrics; of courage, of sacrifice, and most of all perseverance in the longest nights. Here was all the Unified Code writ large for literate and illiterate alike, though in the dusty time since the Unifer’s ascension such things as illiteracy were long past.

Thoughts of childhood sermons and admonishments fluttered like the dusts of mote around her, intrusive and not entirely unwelcome. For all the rigours of duty and completing the mission, there was still time to appreciate the small things.

“Actual to Lochart, do you have sight of the code?”

Blinking, she refocused. “Lochart to Actual, affirmative, setting Della on it now.”

With a slight nod she set her personal AI scrutinising the door; over ten seconds it virtually peeled back the gold, then the steel, revealing the underlying structure of interconnected data threads.

“Sjel, there are many extra-reality threads here, likely leading back to Syriana. Would you like me to continue?” Della’s voice purred in her mind as the AI’s avatar virtually appeared off to her right.

It took her a moment to take in all the data, analysing the composition of the threads, knowing each one likely led to a similar door elsewhere in the United Earth Territories. However, the connections through the UET’s vast extra-reality intelligence Syrianna complicated things.

“Can you pull those leads without the Arz Palatine noticing?”

Della seemingly flinched at the mere mention of the Palatine. “Yes, though it may be simpler for me to parse the address nodes at the other end and let the team do the rest.”

In the seconds it took her to work through both sides, she noticed Della’s connection to Syrianna increase in bandwidth as the AI drew down extra computing power. Usually Della was all keen to explore and poke around, but unauthorised poking around with fourth age tech was a sure way to draw unwanted attention.

“Fine, just map the nodes and crack it open.” She paused, allowing Della to begin the sequencing. “Lochart to Actual, standby for upload of nodal mapping. Passing echo.”

A brief pause. “Actual to Lochart, understood, awaiting data.”

Della’s manifestation visibly worked it’s way across the threads, faster than she could fully comprehend. Soon enough the AI had parsed each thread, recording the nodes at the other end. With a small chime the upload completed. Then Della set to work unlocking the door.

For something so old it was in robust shape, though not surprising given the sterile environment they were in. High background radiation lingered from millennia old neutron sweep that did for the original inhabitants, and if it were not for the contents beyond she would have gladly left this place alone.

Her eyes lingered on the door’s central motifs, the Unifier receiving the call and his ascension at the end of the fourth age to usher in the current fifth. While she considered much of the creed overblown, she saw something fitting in the neatness of it all. His creation of Syrianna ushered in an unprecedented growth of human civilization, peace with the local stajne kinder, and an immortality of sorts. It was not for her to question the logic of it all, just that it was almost window dressing at this point.

Another chime, and with a great groan the door gradually began to move out towards her. Quickly she side stepped to her left, allowing the portal to swing wide enough for her to step through.

“Lochart to Actual, passing gamma.”

Scanning the room, Della pulled up the data in her heads up display. Oxygen nominal, radiation low, and power settings on low recycle. Four thousand Terran years and the batteries were viable, for which she was thankful. The last three vaults had leaked power and the contents were desiccated. Not this one.

As her eyes adjusted to the orange light, she made out row after row of cylinders filled with amniotic fluid. Not all were switched on, indeed as Della started an inventory it was clear only twenty percent were in use and functional. But it was enough. At least for their needs.

Della stepped back out into view, switching form to a cat, jumping from row to row assessing the viable contents. “None are connected to an external network, each is essentially a neural network supporting its own protoverse.”

She stopped herself from gasping. Even twenty percent of the plant’s inhabitants would be enough to glean answers about this place prior to the war that destroyed it. “Nice work Del, time we brought in the team.”

“Lochart to Actual, omega achieved. Contents secured, around twenty percent viable, requesting ExoGenosis team now.”

“Actual to Lochart, omega received. Good work Commander, see you on the flip side. Actual out.”

She allowed a smile, knowing that the hard graft was only just beginning.

Changing channels, she buzzed the ExoGenosis team. “This is Commander Sjelby Lochart to Exo-Theta Six, all secure, you can bring in your team.”

“Roger Commander, thanks for the hard work, see you shortly. Six out.”

In the minutes that followed she gave Della time to explore and catalogue, something the AI took great pleasure in doing. Given her KriegenHex upgrades she always made time to stimulate Della in more ways than just rote missions and lock picking. There was something playful about the AI’s desire to get out into the world, if only through the limits of her own horizons.

Each time Della scanned a cylinder the briefest glimpse of the protoverse within crept into her consciousness, each as different as the person who created it. This was the stuff of raw knowledge, people who sacrificed their physical forms in the time before Syrianna granted perpetual uploading of consciousness. That the great seal on the door hinted at the conflict which ended this idyl, likely they were schematics who rejected the Unified Path, which was why it was paramount the Palatines did not hear about this unsealing.

As the ExoGenosis team filed in with their equipment and banter she took one final look at the vast room, hoping that somewhere in here would be the answer of how, exactly, this planet was plunged into existential war.