They fired additional rounds, but even the Kutuzov’s weapons began to fail. The targeting was misaligned, and numerous shots misfired. Two more black robot ships were destroyed, but Keah knew she didn’t have much time before her entire battle group fell apart.
NINETY
EXXOS
Walled off and frustrated, Exxos could only watch the battle from within the entropy bubble. The Shana Rei would not let him participate, and so they trapped him—protected him—in his own isolated pocket universe.
Given time, the robots would learn how to manipulate the physical laws of that sub-universe, perhaps even create matter, shape existence to their own desires. The black robots could be gods. They could be masters.
All in due time. First they had to survive the Shana Rei… and preferably destroy them, along with all sentient life, so they could have the universe to themselves.
At the moment Exxos was more interested in the clash taking place in the Plumas system. That small Roamer settlement should have been an easy target to annihilate, just like Eljiid. Exxos had not expected to find the human military ships there. Nevertheless, he was excited by the opportunity to unleash the destructive power that the Shana Rei alliance could generate.
How he longed to be part of the battle, not just trapped here, but the capricious Shana Rei had kept him apart—either as a hostage, or a distant commander. He wasn’t sure which. The creatures of darkness left much to be understood. Their thought patterns were different from anything the black robots had previously encountered, and the Shana Rei were not inclined to explain their rationale.
They had singled him out as leader of the black robots, unique among them, and he accepted the role. Although the robots themselves were identical in their basic structure and programming, each one had personal experiences assimilated over thousands of years. But he could only watch as his comrades soared toward the human battleships in new vessels the Shana Rei had manifested for them. The modified ships should have been sufficient to obliterate an undefended Roamer water-pumping station.
Imagining the potential of their incomprehensible benefactors, Exxos had redesigned the robot attack craft. The Shana Rei were devoid of knowledge about physics, science, engineering, but they could create matter in whatever form they desired, so long as they had a basic pattern. The robots understood the structure of ships, the mechanics of engines and propulsion systems, the layout of electronics, circuitry paths, weapons systems. Exxos convinced the creatures of darkness to create enhanced ships according to new plans.
And now they wouldn’t let him fly as part of the attack.
The Shana Rei drained energy from the vacuum and also created huge hexagonal cylinders, traditional shadow ships such as ones they had used in their previous appearance millennia ago. The effort of creation caused them pain; even in his entropy bubble, Exxos could hear the Shana Rei moan and scream. That pain transformed into anger and violence, which they unleashed at Plumas.
With robot battleships in the vanguard, the black hex cylinders loomed forward. The CDF Juggernauts and Manta cruisers struggled to meet the attack, but were unprepared. Exxos listened to the dance of radiofrequency chatter, heard the defiant General declare revenge against the hated black robots. But Exxos understood that revenge went both ways, and he intended to hurt the CDF for all the destruction they had visited on his fellow robots in times past.
The robot ships hammered the CDF shields with unexpectedly powerful weapons, draining the energy reserves of the human vessels. They were reckless; they took risks and inflicted great damage. The robots targeted one Manta with their bombardment until its shields failed and the engines exploded. And they continued, relentless in their goal…
A rippling inkblot appeared inside his entropy bubble, hovering before him with a staring singular eye. “This must end soon.”
“It will. Look at our success so far.”
The CDF released weapons in a flurry against the robots, but they did not know how to deal with the Shana Rei. Their very proximity to the black hexagon ships caused significant disruption in the human vessels. Electrical and mechanical systems began to fail, and they lost control. A Manta cruiser careened into one of the giant hexagons, but left no mark on the black hull.
The Shana Rei had overwhelming power—that much was obvious—yet even as they moved toward the Plumas moon, the creatures of darkness were desperate to withdraw and fold themselves back into the fabric of space.
Just a little longer.
Exxos possessed a database of all the worlds and races that needed to be destroyed. The Shana Rei claimed that some minds were a brighter fire than others; some thoughts hacked like sharp blades, while others were mere annoyances. The Ildiran thism was among the worst, as was the worldforest mind with its green priest telink network. Exxos would gladly destroy it all. Removing this human infestation at Plumas, as well as the CDF battleships, were just small steps toward that goal.
From inside the entropy bubble, the Shana Rei said in its pulsing voice, “Victory here will silence a few small whispers, but what drove us from our void is a far more powerful enemy—an intelligence that has only begun to awaken.”
NINETY-ONE
ZOE ALAKIS
Tom Rom was late.
If any other employee missed a scheduled return to Pergamus, Zoe Alakis would have been annoyed. But Tom Rom was never late, and that made her worried.
He was an independent man. She had no chains on him, nor did he want any. His loyalty to her was a bond that could not be broken by the pull of two opposing black holes, and even Zoe didn’t know how she had earned such devotion. He was also diligent and should have been back from his trip to the Ildiran sanctuary domes four days ago.
His last contact had been from Ulio, where he’d stopped to refuel and resupply, and he had added a code phrase to his message to let her know he would make a brief trip to Vaconda, as he had many times before.
But he should have been back days ago.
Zoe contemplated sending out searchers to trace his route from Ulio, but if Tom Rom didn’t want to be found, no one would ever track him. What if he was hurt? Or lost? If it would help, she might even leave her sterile dome and go after him herself. Only for him. But that would be a last resort.
Her concerned thoughts were interrupted by a message from Orbiting Research Sphere 12—Dr. Hannig’s lab. The scientist looked worried, and his bristly white hair had a distinct sparkle of perspiration. “Ms. Alakis, we’ve had a… slight problem.”
Zoe’s eyes hardened. With the dangerous work on Pergamus, there was no such thing as a “slight” problem. She even momentarily forgot about Tom Rom. “What sort of slight problem?”
His chuckle held an undertone of anxiety, so she knew not to believe his dismissive attitude. “It’s probably just an administrative error. Nothing to worry about, but I wanted to let you know.”
Her expression turned icy, her voice even colder. “Details, please.” She leaned closer so she could watch his face.
“As you requested for the library, Ms. Alakis, we finished our work with Tamborr’s Dementia, isolated the virus, purified it, and stored it in capsules. One of our notebooks states that we had twelve vials, but our final inventory lists only eleven. We’ve double-checked it, and I just wanted you to know there was an accounting error in our original submission.”