Destroyer by Fox Chris

Author:Fox, Chris
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-03-27T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 36- Licking Wounds

"Show me this VI, and make it quick. I've got about four hundred other things to deal with," Captain Dryker said as he ducked under a bundle of exposed wiring, and into what passed for a conference room aboard the Johnston.

Nolan was seated at the far side of the table, staring intently at the crazy contraption Lena was working on. She'd constructed a small black box, with a number of wires extending from the side. Those wires wrapped around the cube they'd liberated from Purito.

"I just need one more minute," Lena said, without looking up from her work. She connected a final wire to one of the cube's facets, then soldered it into place. "There we go. I can turn it on whenever." Lena blinked up at him, using a paw to smooth her golden fur.

"Do it," Dryker said, settling a hand on the grip of his sidearm. There wasn't any threat here, but turning on an alien artifact didn't seem like a good idea, no matter how badly they needed the information.

Lena pressed a button on the side of the black box, and it began to hum. A moment later multicolored light burst from the top of the device. It coalesced into a holographic figure, roughly two feet tall. The figure was dressed strangely, but it was undeniably Primo.

"Welcome to installation 419," the figure said, bowing. "I am Ducit Alba. How may I be of assistance?"

"Do you know where you are?" Dryker asked. He released his weapon, crossing his arms.

"I do not," the hologram said. It looked around the conference room. "This architecture is strange. Have I been removed from installation 419?"

"Yes," Nolan said. He met Dryker's gaze, then raised a questioning eyebrow. Dryker nodded, and Nolan continued. "You're aboard a human vessel. Roughly twenty-six millennia have passed since you were left in installation 419."

"Calculating," the hologram said. It flickered briefly. "A complete galactic rotation has occurred. If our theories were correct, the Eradication has begun."

"Eradication?" Dryker asked. He dragged a chair to the side of the table closest to the VI, then sat down.

"I was created during the final war, along with many others like me, to serve as a record. When victory became impossible, we shifted the focus of our efforts. If we could not defeat the Void Wraith, we hoped to ensure that our offspring would have the necessary tools to do so when they came again," the VI explained.

Dryker was silent for a long moment as he considered. "What can you tell us about this final war?"

"Prior to the war, our civilization spanned the bulk of this galaxy. We'd colonized over four hundred worlds, and used our Helios Gates to travel between them. Our empire existed for over ten millennia." The VI flickered again, and the room began to smell of ozone. Lena knelt next to the box and began fiddling with it. "Then the Void Wraith arrived. First, they came in secret. They built fleets in the corners of our empire, and used stealth to grow in strength.

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