Dark God's Gift: The E.R.O.S. Device

By H. Wolfgang Porter

ARES Armament Corporation, Experimental Weapons Facility, EREBUS-Class Corporate Deep Space Planetary Station - ARES 04

     There were no standard viewports to be found on ARES 04. It wouldn’t have made any difference if there were. On an EREBUS-Class Station deep within a Dark Matter Cloud outside the Milky Way Galaxy, there wasn’t much to see.

     Here in Communal Activity Facility 51, there were many Active Wall Displays showing planetary scenes and starscapes from various viewpoints in the Galaxy all to remind the viewer of home. For those who needed more sensory input, there were halls with Hard-Light Arrays replicating planetary environments from the precise atmospheric conditions down to the texture of the ground.

     Alicechild 88130 took in her faux surroundings of a pleasant beach at sunset. It was a re-creation of the ‘super-earth’ AIPOTU, the most Earth-like of all known extraterrestrial planets. The system’s Orange Dwarf Sun HESTIA cast the fake horizon into a blaze of flaming colors to rival any ever seen on the ‘Motherworld’.

     Not that Alicechild had been to either planet. The HESTIA System lay on the other side of the galaxy and Holy Mother Earth was only open to five hundred human pilgrims for seven days once every two hundred years. It was unlikely she would ever set foot on humanity’s birth planet. AIPOTU was a much more likely option when she accrued enough leave in another fifteen years.

     The faux beach was relaxing, but watching paired and grouped humans, aliens, manufactured beings and combinations thereof also enjoying the sunset was irritating. For ten years and six months, Alicechild served in the Experimental Weapons Facility as a Weapons Development Engineer. Recently, she’d been up for the supervisory position but got denied because her ‘interpersonal relationship skill rating’ was subpar. ‘Manu Alice’ was what her colleagues called her when they thought she wasn’t listening. She once overheard a fellow engineer say, ‘She’s got everything a man or woman would want in a Manufactured Being, except a Personality Emulation Module.’

     Alicechild could not fault her detractors for their assessment. As a Modified Human Grade - 2.6 age 83 Earth Standard Years, she was by all standards considered a physically ‘desirable female.’ But, her colleagues were correct. She had no ‘personality’ to speak of. For the most part, it did not impact her work or work ethic.

     Her DNA Donors submitted her zygote to a Colonization Bank where it lay in cryo-storage for one hundred and fifty-eight Earth Standard Years. Reared in a Colony Preparatory Facility, she was slated for Planetary Agricultural Engineering on a world orbiting a Blue Giant Star. When it came time for final Genetic Modification, Alicechild proved capable of higher modification. So instead of a Mod - 1.5 ‘Farm Engineer’, she became an MHG - 2.6 which was too high for her slated profession. Alicechild’s new modifications led to much greater intelligence, strength, and durability.

     The ‘side-effects’ of her unscheduled high modification left her with the red skin and black hair required to live under a Blue Star, while far stronger and tougher than required for an ‘engineer’. There was a bid for her conscription into the military, but her Tactical Reasoning Scores were not high enough to get her an exemption when they were looking for Mod - 3 Humans or better. Finally, a bid for the Corporate Security Forces came in, but they too were only looking for Mod - 3’s.

     However her Engineering, Weapons Technical Comprehension and Usage Scores caught the attention of an ARES Armament Recruiter and she was snatched up. So instead of working under brilliant open skies and creating adaptive processes for growing food in challenging environments, Alicechild was deep underground on a black frozen world outside the perimeter of the galaxy.

     Though she wasn’t bitter at the change of course her life took, it was disheartening being among beings she was often smarter, stronger and tougher than. Those attributes caused beings to avoid her other than in professional settings. Alicechild did on occasion partake of CAF 51’s Pleasure Club and engaged the services of its ‘Manus’. Nothing however, seemed to reach her. Not the male, female, transgender, multi-gender or asexual versions managed to get a reaction out of her. It was as if she too was a ‘manufactured being’ receiving services from a manufactured being!

     One thing was certain, Alicechild knew another fifteen years of being passed over professionally and ignored socially did not seem a desirable prospect. She had tried to make ‘friends’ among her colleagues to no avail. The closest she’d ever come to making acquaintances was with the MILKYWAY GALACTIC AUTHORITY Special Forces members stationed on ARES 04.

     The ‘SpecFors’ were the ‘Guinea Pigs’ who tested experimental weapons and armor systems developed by her department. They treated her with respect and often tried to make her ‘laugh’ which they were never able to do. Since they were test subjects, Alicechild was not allowed to fraternize with them. Because of her ‘low interpersonal attributes’, she was deemed the perfect choice to conduct testing with them.

     As the faux sun finally descended, the beach was lit by equally fake and foreign stars. Mercifully, Alicechild’s chrono alarm flashed in the upper corner of her Personal Heads-Up Display alerting her to an unscheduled meeting being called. The report time was thirty Local Standard Minutes. Instead of using the nearby Particle Wave Transport Pad, Alicechild opted for the ‘Tubeway’.

     Boarding the Tube Capsule, the unit’s AI dryly queried, “Destination and required time of arrival?” Nearly as dry she responded, “EXWEPFAC, Level 776. Twenty LSM's will suffice.”

     The AI then queried, “Passenger Alicechild 88130, the capsule will traverse open ocean for fifteen LSM’s. Would you like the bulkheads to be clear, opaque or have them display the local planetary news broadcasts?” Thinking over the choices Alicechild replied, “Clear will be fine.”

     The Capsule’s bulkheads sealed with the crackle and hiss of molecular bonding while her transport chair conformed to her body. Being 2.2 meters tall, tended to be an inconvenience on a station designed for those averaging 1.8 meters. Though she had to duck down when entering the capsule, the transport chair made up for any difficulty. The bright white interior lighting faded to red and the capsule launched into the vast network of Plastiform tubes.

     Using a light static charge of similar polarization, the capsule flew effortlessly through the dark Station Tube lit only with marker lights to give passengers a sense of motion as they flashed by. As the final set of amber marker lights flashed past, the capsule exited CAF51 Station and in came the sound of being underwater. The audio feed was relayed into the capsule adding to the impression of truly traveling in open water.

     Through the transparent bulkheads, Alicechild could see past crystal clear plastiform transport tubing as white and bioluminescent creatures swam past. Many swarmed about attracted to the Kilometer Marker Lights while others preyed upon them. Looking back, she could see thousands of lighted structures dotting the underwater mountain where CAF51 was located. Spread out for thousands of kilometers were structures for housing, medical facilities, sporting arenas, agricultural and a multitude of service facilities supporting the primary function of ARES 04...weapons development and testing.

     Alicechild looked upwards beyond the floating creatures, transports, transport tubes and structures. Instead of stars were twinkling warning marker lights on the ‘frozen sky’ sprinkled across stygian darkness. The capsule she rode in was five thousand meters above the seafloor. Twenty-eight thousand, six hundred and eighty-five meters above her lay the near immobile mantle of ice over forty-five point eight kilometers thick! Beyond the motionless fifty degree Kelvin surface where no life could survive was the Dark Matter Cloud encompassing the void of intergalactic space.

     The nearest sign of life out here was OASIS 171 another EREBUS - Class Station sitting just sixty-seven Light Years between the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy and the edge of the Intergalactic Dark Matter Cloud Line. The nearest inhabited star to OASIS 171 was in the BELLEROPHON System a mere eighty-eight point three LY’s away. ARES 04’s location was classified and navigation within the Dark Matter Clouds added variables of distance and time not encountered within galactic space. So at best it was safe to surmise, it was ‘far’ away.

     The thought of being so isolated even with more than one point six billion human, alien and manufactured personnel all working and living around her, Alicechild could not clear away her sense of gloom. Exactly twenty LSM’s later, the capsule pulled into the EXWEPFAC Station and then descended deep into the mountain facility to reach Level 776.

     The AI gave an approximation of a cheerful human voice and said, “Thank you Alicechild 88130 for traveling the ARES 04 Tubeway. Please deposit five hundred sixty nine Capital Chits for your fare.” Alicechild called up her financials on her PHUD and deposited the Digital Funds into the capsule’s account. ‘Robbery’, she thought as she exited.

     Immediately after entering the receiving platform, Alicechild was greeted by one of the Facility Guards. “Hello Engineer Alicechild. Been to the ‘beach’ I see!” In an attempt to ‘improve’ her interpersonal skills, the Engineer took note of his name and stats displayed in her PHUD and replied, “Yes, uh... Security Officer Grade 7 Sterns. You are correct. I partook of a beach simulation twenty-six LSM’s ago.” She did her best to smile, but it was obvious from all the guard’s reactions it did not have the effect intended.

     Without another word, Alicechild went through the gauntlet of identification, weapons and cleansing scans. Once clear, her Personal Body Membrane was calibrated to operate in the sterile environment of the Research and Development Facility where she worked. Of all places on ARES 04, this was where Alicechild felt most comfortable. If only her colleagues were similarly focused on the work as the many Mechanical Manu’s employed in the facility.

     ‘That would be nice,’ thought Alicechild as she stood before the Engineer’s Entrance. Looking towards the door scanner, the R&D Department’s AI acknowledged her and opened the heavy series of doors. Unlike most access points on the station, Molecular doors were not used. Instead, an ancient system of heavy locking doors on interior rollers was deployed for all access points in the R&D Department.

     Each door was smaller and thicker than the last. Anything short of a Nickle-Iron brick from a planetary core being Particle Wave Transported into the R&D Department with no safeguards would have little effect should something overload or go dangerously haywire.

     Arriving at the main conference room precisely thirty Local Standard Seconds before the start of the meeting, Alicechild took her usual seat and awaited the meeting’s start. With all thirty of her fellow Engineers and Researchers present, exactly at the five LSS mark, the R&D Department Director Avery Shasta entered the conference room.

     Corporate etiquette dictated all stood as the deep purple-skinned man moved to the front of the oval shaped room. Over his PBM, Director Shasta wore an ancient style garment called a ‘Labcoat’. He was the next highest modified person to Alicechild in R&D at 2.4. The Director at four hundred sixty-seven was an accomplished Engineer and Researcher who could trace his lineage to ‘Pre-Awakening’ scientists on Mother Earth sixty-five thousand ESY’s ago. He seemed excited and looked as if he had not been on a regular sleep interval for some time. Without the usual opening meeting protocols, the Director instead spoke aloud to the Department AI.

“R&D Prime, dim conference room lights seventy-nine percent and activate bulkhead audiovisual feed.”

     The Director turned his back to the assembled scientists and the AI responded, “Compartment Lights dimmed to seventy-nine percent. AV feed activated. Please select files for presentation Director Shasta.”

     From the hardlight display projected from the front bulkhead, the Director began pulling files out of a simulated vault and tossed the 3D representations over his shoulders into the air where they floated about the conference room. The last file pulled, Director Shasta left to float near his head.

“See these files people? Within each directory are the sum total of forty-thousand investigative tests and evaluations from every research facility on ARES 04. Can anyone guess what all forty-thousand tests and evaluations have in common?”

     The collection of scientists and engineers present sat quietly for they had no idea. Grasping the file floating near his head, the Director reached in and flung something into the air towards the center of the conference room. It stopped abruptly to slowly rotate in three-dimensional space.

     Alicechild used her PHUD’s optical array to magnify the strange object. Filling her viewing area was a jewel-like object made of an oval and two ever smaller circles within. The three shapes were all joined and to Alicechild’s eyes, the object looked to be a representation of a planetary system. At some angles the object resembled translucent crystal. But at others, it took on the look of dense copper-colored metal with golden flecks. It looked fairly thin and most assuredly of ‘alien’ design.

     Director Shasta now intense said, “This is what all those tests were trying to figure out. Out of all forty thousand, not one found any conclusive data!”

     The woman who received the promotion Alicechild was denied spoke up in disbelief. “Director Shasta... that cannot be correct. The ARES 04 Research Station is rivaled in the galaxy only by PROMETHEUS Group and ZEUS INTERSTELLAR facilities. How can an object defy examination by such advanced minds and technology?”

     The Director turned bleary brown eyes towards the gold-skinned woman and asked, “Does everyone share Supervisor Ono’s assessment?”

     Alicechild certainly did not. However, the data presented so far was incomplete. “Director Shasta, can you tell us more about the object? I find it difficult to make an informed guess with a lack of data.” All eyes turned to Alicechild and she could feel their scorn for challenging the popular supervisor’s statement.

     Walking over to the object, Director Shasta used his hands to manipulate the 3D representation so it expanded three times in size. “That is an excellent perspective Engineer Alicechild. I’ll save you the trouble of reading all forty-thousand files with their two hundred seventy-nine thousand, nine hundred and eighty-five separate documents and give you the ‘condensed’ version. I don’t know... and no one else does either.”

     Not to be outdone, Supervisor Ono spoke up sharply. “Director, surely there is something relevant to go on? What periodic isotopes are present in the object? What band of radiation does the object emit if any? What is its quantum energy signal? What size is it? How much does it weigh? Where was it found? There has to be something?”

     Smiling the Director pointed to Supervisor Ono and replied, “Only one of your questions has an answer!”

     Alicechild felt her brows knit at such an answer and she asked, “Where was the object found Director?”

     Stabbing his finger in her direction the Director shouted, “Precisely! It was found by an Under Ice Survey Team six Local Standard Years ago three meters into the bottommost layer of Ice.”

     There were gasps among the research staff and Alicechild queried, “But that layer of ice is at least five point seven billion years old Director. Who could have made such an object with a level of technology that defies our efforts so long ago?”

     Shrugging his shoulders Director Shasta turned about to the others in the room and said, “Nobody knows. The one and only conclusive consensus from all examinations points to this being some type of device. Most likely, it is a weapon of uncannily ancient and advanced design.”

     Supervisor Ono interjected by asking, “Director, where is the corroborating data to support the hypothesis of this being a weapon?”

     The Director stepped back towards the front of the conference room and said, “R&D Prime, run AV feeds for test subject files series 44K-771778.”

     The AI brought up a holographic display visible to all in the oval shaped room. “Running initial files requested. Displaying classified AV feeds Director.”

     For several minutes, Alicechild along with her colleagues were unimpressed with the initial test recordings. All procedures and proper protocols were followed by the various testing departments as the feeds ran in stacked rows simultaneously. It wasn’t until the testing researchers sent in Manu’s to directly interact with the object that gasps filled the compartment. By the time pairs of biomechanical Manu’s were sent in wearing Industrial Grade Personal Protective Suits, the closed room held in the horrified screams of those watching the feeds!

“Lights!”

     All present felt their eyes hurt for an instant as filters for their ocular arrays adjusted. Director Shasta now serious looked to the many faces and only saw one which was unfazed. “Well, there you have it people. We are the last line in the code. It has fallen to us to figure out how what is being called an Extramaterial, Resonating, Obliteration Sequencer or ‘The EROS Device’ functions as what is obviously a devastating weapon!”

     Shaken by what she’d seen but eagerly Supervisor Ono queried, “D-Director, who will lead the research project?”

     Turning away from the Supervisor, Director Shasta looked at Engineer Alicechild 88130. “I’ve already selected my Lead for the project Supervisor Ono. The rest of you will support the endeavor with anything and everything the Lead requires. We have exactly two Local Standard Weeks to get this done before based on our findings, it either gets shipped to ARES Headquarters for production or to the TARTARUS Facility for destruction.

     We can not fuck this up people! Our careers and reputations are on the line here. I expect no less than your absolute best efforts. Project Leader Alicechild, report to the Secure Testing Wing for initial briefing at 07:00 tomorrow. Afterwards, you’ll put your team together, submit your recommendations for testing methodology and required test subjects by 10:00. Get some rest tonight. There won’t be much chance to do so for the next couple of weeks.”

     Surprised but not sure of what to feel, Alicechild stood along with the others as the Director exited the conference room followed by his Biomech Manu’ Personal Assistant. She tuned out the derisive looks and grumbling chatter over ‘why and how’ she got the Leading Position on the EROS Device Project.

     It occurred to the Engineer if the device was actually a weapon, it was incredibly effective. Seeing what it did to those Mech Manu’s was disturbing. The fate of the Biomechs was enough to turn her stomach. Yet, Alicechild felt little emotion even towards finally being picked to be Project Leader. Let alone feeling any concern for her soon to being in close proximity of this EROS Device which was most likely as the Director described as it being, ‘a weapon of uncannily ancient and advanced design.’

****

To be continued....    Go to Part 2 

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