Slave Empire - The Crystal Ship (2 page)

“
I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to start such a dilemma.”

“
No need to apologise. When someone asks you that question,
you say, ‘I am a human’. You gave yourselves that name, and it
defines you, but to others it is meaningless. I, on the other hand,
must offer some sort of explanation for my existence, which is
pretty impossible, since I don’t know. Perhaps I will just say, ‘I
am an Endrix’, and that will be the end of the dilemma.”

Rayne nodded,
eager to get off such a touchy subject. “Fine. So where are your
masters? Why is there no civilisation on the surface? This is a
dead planet. People couldn’t live here for long.”

“
You are right, of course. Farlaw is uninhabited by any living
being but me, and whether or not I am truly alive is debatable, but
I choose to think of myself as being so endowed. I did not say that
you could meet my masters, only that I would tell you about them,
which I will. I can, however, show you the few who are left, but
they are not alive. Would you like to see them?”

Rayne
suppressed a shiver and nodded. Lasers flicked from the sphere
across the crystal columns, and a faint whine came from the wall on
her right. The entire wall slid aside to reveal a vast chamber
beyond, filled with strange paraphernalia. She walked closer,
eyeing the odd equipment. Some of it looked vaguely like medical
paraphernalia, and a padded table stood in the middle of the room.
The illumination increased as she entered the room, and her eyes
were drawn to several cylindrical caskets against the walls. She
approached one, which seemed to be made of clear crystal or glass,
and bent to wipe a thin layer of frost from it.

The face
beneath the glass had pale grey skin mottled by frost, and it
appeared to be hairless, although whether that was the way they
were or if they had shaved for their freezing, she had no way of
knowing. Its eyes would have been large, when open, and it
possessed a pointed chin. The mouth was a lipless slit, and tiny
ears lay flat against its skull. The most prominent and human
feature was its nose, which continued from the brow, high bridged
and straight, with small nostrils.

Rayne wondered
if humans would have looked like this after a couple of million
years of evolution, and noted the five other caskets with dismay.
“This is all of them?”

“
These are the ones who chose to remain and face a possible
future amongst the races that have evolved since their culture
reached the end of its evolution. The rest chose to
die.”

She returned
to the sphere, and the wall closed behind her. “What happened to
them?”

The sphere’s
lasers flitted across the crystal columns. “My masters were the
most advanced beings in the galaxy, perhaps even the universe, but
they reached the end of their evolutionary road and learnt their
final lesson: despair. It seems that when nature can no longer
improve upon a design, it discards it, and so it was with my
masters. They became sterile, and, although adults could live
almost indefinitely, the number of years dictated by the
individual’s wish, their inability to have offspring grieved them
greatly, and most chose to end their lives.

“
All other life was primitive then, still evolving. Many great
civilisations had risen and fallen during my masters’ evolution,
but, at the time of their ending, no others were on an equal
footing. As your new ship has discovered, I am over three million
years old, yet I was created at the end of the Sharvan
civilisation. They searched the galaxy for another race with which
they might be able to breed, thereby allowing their race to
survive, even if in a diluted form.

“
Unfortunately, there was no race that was compatible, so they
were forced to mingle their genes with an unrelated, but similar
life form. The result was a primitive entity little better than an
animal, but one that would evolve swiftly, given the genes it
possessed.

“
I have watched over the seeds my masters planted, and they
have spread far and wide, branching out into an impressive family
of beings, all of which are compatible with the Sharvan. The
oldest, and most advanced of these are the Atlanteans, although
some may argue that the Antians were more evolved in some ways.
Unfortunately, they are now officially extinct, since one male
cannot repopulate his species.

“
These six chose to wait for a time when their descendants
were almost their equals, when they might take wives from amongst
them and know the joy of having children again. Any child of such a
union would far surpass his mother, for compared to your people,
the Sharvan are like what you would call gods. I was created to
take care of them and guard them, which I am more than capable of
doing, with the ship to help me. When this sun dies, I will awaken
them.”

“
Did any others choose not to die, but went off exploring,
perhaps?” Rayne asked.

“
They might have done. I have no detailed records of the
activities of individuals before I was created, so it is
possible.”

“
And where did the Sharvan come from? This certainly isn’t
their original world.”

“
No. Their home world was the first planet, Ivandar, but about
two million years ago, the sun began to expand. The first planet
became too hot, so I moved them to the third planet. But the sun
continued to expand, against my predictions, so I was forced to
move them to the fifth planet as it thawed out. Again, my
predictions were in error, and the fifth planet grew too hot and
unstable, so I brought them here to Farlaw. We are safe here. The
sun has stopped expanding, and stabilised for a while. In another
thousand years, I predict that it will go supernova, but we’ll be
gone by then.”

“
So their entire civilisation is still on the first
planet?”

“
Yes. When they lived on Ivandar, this was an ice world; now
it is the only one cool enough.”

“
Why did all the ships that came into Quadrant Forty-Four
disappear?” Rayne enquired.

“
I could not allow them to find the Sharvan. Such an advanced
species would be perceived as a threat, and others would have been
sent to destroy them. I had to protect my masters. It is my
purpose.”

“
So you killed them? But you said you were
unarmed.”

“
I am. I took them into the first dimension, which you call
the transfer Net, and their ships were destroyed. I regret the
necessity for my actions.”

“
But the Envoy’s ship uses the transfer Net just as you
do.”

“
Precisely,” Endrix agreed. “Hence, I am powerless to prevent
the Envoy from destroying the Atlanteans.”

Chapter Two

Rayne sat down
on the pristine floor, facing the glowing sphere. “Why do you call
the transfer Net the first dimension? What does that mean?”

“
There are three dimensions that my masters found, this one,
which they called the second dimension, and the two on either side
of it, the first and third. The first, as you know, is filled with
unlimited energy, but contains no space, time or matter. This one
is filled with those three things, and the third is nothingness, a
true void in which even energy cannot exist.

“
There is a flow between them. Energy flows from the first
into this one, where it is transformed into matter and time, then
it is sucked into the third dimension, where it vanishes. There are
several theories about its eventual reappearance; one says that it
returns to the first dimension, and begins the cycle again, while
the other says that it is stored in the third dimension, and when
the balance tips, there will be another vast explosion to restore
it.”

“
The big bang,” Rayne muttered. “Okay, this is fascinating,
but not really what I came here to find out. You told me to get a
ship from the Shrike, and I have. So what happens now?”

“
We wait for the Envoy.”

“
And you have no idea of how I’m supposed to stop
it?”

“
No.”

“
And if I lose, what will happen?” she asked.

“
Chaos. The Atlanteans will try to fight the Crystal Ship, but
will be destroyed. The Envoy will return to his universe with the
news of fresh territory for his people, and others will come. None
of the races currently occupying this universe can fight the
Envoys, and many planets will be wiped out.

“
Perhaps I will be forced to awaken my masters to counter the
threat, but this is not something I wish to do. The Sharvan
encountered the Envoys several million years ago. Their culture is
equally advanced, but utterly alien. The Sharvan chose not to
confront the Envoys, from which I deduce that the threat is real to
them as well. Since only six Sharvan remain, perhaps even they
cannot stop the Envoys, and this universe will be stripped of its
life.”

Rayne stared
at the floor, overwhelmed by the enormous responsibility that was
being placed upon her. If Atlan fell, the Envoys would invade, and
only she could stop this happening. It seemed ridiculous,
laughable, that one insignificant human girl should be able to
avert such a mammoth disaster. How could she? What was she supposed
to do?

Somehow, she
must avert this first attack, then presumably no other Crystal
Ships would come. The Shrike had destroyed the first Crystal Ship,
at the cost of his world, and that had deterred the Envoys for
fifty years. Would the destruction of a second prevent them from
returning at all? Endrix seemed to think so, and she had to assume
that he was right. There had to be a chance, however, no matter how
slim, that the Sharvan prediction was wrong, and no Envoy would
ever appear.

Cheered by
this thought, she shifted into a more comfortable position and
changed the subject. “My ship can’t identify the substance the
black ship’s made of. What is it?”

“
This is a question that, regrettably, I am unable to answer.
Suffice it to say that it is a form of crystal unknown to your
people, and to explain its composition would only confuse you. It
is immensely strong and impervious to stress, but porous to the
energy of the first dimension. I believe it was created with energy
from the first dimension, but I am unsure.” Endrix paused. “I am
pleased you took my advice and sought the Shrike’s aid. He has
given you a fine ship.”

She pulled a
face. “It’s just a loan. He doesn’t like me.”

“
If he did not like you, he would not have given you a ship,
Rayne.”

“
Oh, it’s nothing personal. He just thinks I’m a silly young
girl who might become a nuisance with her dumb romantic ideas. He
has a nasty habit of reading minds. He must be a monk, because he
can’t have a girlfriend or wife if he never takes that damned mask
off.” She paused. “Well, I suppose he could, but I pity
her.”

“
I have followed the Shrike’s life with great interest. He is
a fascinating man. He does not have a wife, although the Antians
had the same sort of life bonding ritual as your people did. I
should warn you that I doubt you will ever be allowed to get close
to him. He has a morbid dislike for such things.”

“
Why?”

“
I cannot reveal his secrets.”

She leant
forward, the hard floor forgotten. “You know what he looks like,
don’t you?”

“
Indeed. He looks like an Antian, what else?”

“
No, I mean details. Is he ugly, disfigured, what? Why does he
hide behind a mask?”

“
Ah.” Endrix sounded amused. “I recall no disfigurement, but I
am no judge of ugliness, so I cannot say. He has good reason to
wear the mask, but that I cannot reveal.”

Rayne sighed.
“You’re a big help. So far, anyone who might have told me something
knows nothing, and anyone who knows something won’t tell me
anything.”

“
That is how he has survived. He will not live long once his
rivals know his true identity.”

“
Why?” She raised her hands, forestalling his reply. “I know,
you can’t tell me his secrets.”

“
Correct.”

Rayne rose and
stretched, walked around the chamber twice, then stopped in front
of Endrix again. “Can I stay here?”

“
Why would you want to? This is a lonely and inhospitable
place.”

“
I don’t want to go back to Atlan just yet, and there’s
nowhere else. I just feel like being alone for a while. Perhaps
it’s what I need to prepare. I’ll send Rawn a message.”

“
You are unhappy. You fear the Envoy’s coming, but remaining
alone will only increase your feelings of isolation. You should be
with friends. Forget about the future until the Crystal Ship
appears. Not much time remains.”

She suppressed
a shiver and shook her head. “I need to get used to the idea, and
try to figure out what I’m supposed to do about the Envoy. Also,
I’ll be safe here. The Draycons will never find me.”

“
If this is your wish, I have no objection.”

“
Thanks.” She sighed. “I just need to get my head
straight.”

Rayne returned
to Shadowen to collect some cushions and a little food and water,
then settled down for some in-depth discussions with Endrix. The
entity answered her questions, and created holograms to illustrate
complex things. They mostly discussed the Envoy, and explored
several ways in which she might be able to stop it, but none of the
possibilities seemed more than slightly viable. She returned to the
ship to sleep, spending almost all her waking hours in Endrix’s
company. Sometimes she would just sit, thinking, and Endrix played
weird Sharvan music for her, showing her scenes from the long-dead
race’s past.