Star Force: Bahamut (SF86) (Star Force Origin Series) (9 page)

“It has.”

Another reaction from the Nine. Apparently no one had
thought to ask that question…or maybe this Oracle had significantly different
programming than the other ones they had access to.

“For what purpose?”

“Only knowledge relevant to the maintenance of this
facility and the continued sedation of the Hamoriti is of importance.”

“Oracle,” the Trinx said, interrupting almost
apologetically. “The others contained data concerning the fight against the
Hamoriti’s minions. There is a long and detailed war record of the Ancients and
how they defeated them. Do you not have this information?”

“I do not contain war records. I contain all necessary
information on the minions and their capabilities.”

“If there is no hope to stop them once awakened,”
Riley asked, “why contain information on the minions? Can they be spawned while
the Uriti sleeps?”

“They cannot. The information is within my files. I do
not know why it has been included other than to stall the advance if a Hamoriti
was ever released.”

“Is your programming the same as the other Oracles?”

“I have no knowledge of the other two Oracles beyond
their basic function and locations.”

“Do you know the locations of the original 7?”

“I do not.”

“Do you have compartmentalized programming?”

“Possibly. When analyzing recent events that seems to
be a theoretical possibility. However, if I do possess such restraints I was
not made aware of them.”

“Speculate.”

The Oracle processed for a good three seconds before
speaking again. “If the total number of Hamoriti was 118, then it is feasible
that different factions were tasked with their imprisonment.
Regionality
of those within my files suggest that others
may have been tasked with similar regional containment procedures. The release
of a single Hamoriti without the presence of the Ancients is catastrophic, but
safeguards may have been implemented so that the location of one set of
Hamoriti, if discovered by those who did not heed the danger, would not result
in the release of them all. This runs counter to the necessity to educate
guests about the dangers present and inform them of the other locations of
Hamoriti within this region, but it is possible.”

“What is the status of this Hamoriti?”

“
Its
condition is stable.
Planetary supply feed is stable. No anomalies to report in either since the
inception of the sedation.”

“Open the inner chamber.”

“I advise extreme caution. For what purpose do you
wish entry?”

“I need to test the telepathic intensity through
personal exposure.”

“I can provide all necessary data without such
exposure.”

“Show me data for telepathic races within proximity of
the Hamoriti.”

“Telepathic races cannot come within even local range
without adverse side effects.”

“Define ‘local range.’”

“Within this facility. The outer shell dampens the
effect on the planet, but within it telepaths will suffer catastrophic damage.”

“I am telepathic and I am not suffering damage. I need
to determine what threat the Hamoriti present to me by getting closer. Is the
inner chamber also shielded to reduce telepathic presence?”

“No. I cannot scan you through your armor. Please
remove it to confirm telepathic presence.”

Riley released his helmet, with it peeling back and
revealing his head. A holographic wand of light scanned his face three times
before retracting.

“Telepathic immunity confirmed. You are the first race
with sufficient resistance to enter this facility.”

“How many others have visited here prior to the most
recent opening of the entrance?”

“None since the commission date.”

“You were told it was not possible?”

“So my data suggests. Recent scans contradict this.
Permission to enter granted. I will scan you throughout the duration to update
my files. Such an immunity, even in limited fashion, is a new addition to the
combat lexicon in my files. Any new additions take priority. Please accompany
me,” the Oracle said, with his hologram disconnecting from the emission pillar
and floating out over the heads of the guests and towards an opening door on
the far wall that led to more of the catacombs that made up the outer rings of
the facility.

9

Riley whistled, with the sound being eaten up by the
enormity of the cavern he’d just walked into. No
echos
,
just a very dull silence in the kilometers between the entrance and the Uriti
sleeping on the floor in the center.

“Now that is one big mother fucker,” he whispered to
himself as the others stayed back at the entrance, including his two Knights,
as he walked slowly in towards the beast that would have made Godzilla look
like an ant. This one was pale yellow and had a giant wing draped over its side
crunching up on the ground, leaving only a bit of a snout visible from Riley’s
position. The wing didn’t look scrawny, and the trailblazer knew it didn’t
function like an actual wing, for this thing was too large and far too heavy to
actually fly that way.

He heard the sound of his footsteps and nothing else
as he continued to walk closer, being patient with this test and having a lot
of ground to cover to get close to the creature. Apparently none of the other
races had convinced the Oracle to give them access yet, so this was the first
time they were seeing it and due to an overabundance of caution they’d stated
they would not come any closer than the doorway.

“Oracle?”

“Yes,” the hologram said, suddenly appearing beside
him and matching his pace.

“Is it responding to my presence?”

“Not at all. Why would you suspect it would?”

“My mind is not structured like others. If it is
trying to access it, it will fail.”

“Interesting. Your present scans do not show any
tampering, though I am certain that you are well within the rage of telepathic
sensitivity overload. Your immunity is indeed curious.”

“I can still feel it. A rhythmic hum. What would
happen if I tried to connect with it?”

“You could not damage it.”

“Would that wake it?”

“Uncertain. The Hamoriti responds to various stimuli
and begins to counteract the sedative with a state of alertness, but all noted
instances have been physical stimuli. No telepathic testing has ever been
done.”

“I thought you said there had been no incidents here.”

“I have been given knowledge from other sources. They
contain data on waking states of other Hamoriti without specifics identifying
them. It is necessary for me to insure this one does not wake. You no longer
need your translation program. I have successfully analyzed your language and
can replicate it at will,” the Oracle said, with its last sentence being spoken
in English.

Riley withdrew the little bit of helmet that had
snaked
up to cover his left ear. “That was quick.”

“Neural calibration and sample size allow for a quick
study. Your questions have given me enough of both to analyze, though degree of
accuracy will increase with time.”

“Has it moved since being placed in here?”

“Minor contractions and a partial roll, yes, but it
has not gained consciousness. Such stirrings are expected to maintain passive
rest. If one portion of its body stays in contact with the floor for too long a
period of time it instinctively adjusts. If not allowed to, it will cause an
internal discord that will result in its awakening. Thus the prison was
designed with no restraints. It can readjust as needed, and if it strays close
to one of the walls it can be repositioned slowly using a number of levitation
systems. You are beginning to show anomalies yourself.”

“Touch of a headache,” Riley confirmed. “I think it’s
the sheer telepathic pressure.”

“How long do you think you can persist?”

“This is nothing,” he said as he continued to walk and
the symbol floated beside him.

“Is it too much to attempt to communicate under?”

“You want me to try?”

“I merely ask for confirmation of my current scans.”

“I could shout at it, but there’s probably too much
feedback for me to open up to it this close. My own range is further, but a lot
of Archons wouldn’t be able to transmit to it at this range.”

“The Hamoriti is incredibly sensitive to telepathic
signals. Assume greater range of reception.”

“How does something that big pay attention to things
that small?”

“I have studied it every moment since it arrived here.
Its mind is vast and complex, and continually resists the sedative. That is why
more must be applied continuously. If not, it will wake itself up. It is
incredibly resilient.”

“I’ve never seen anything this large aside from a
jumpship.”

“They are the largest known beings within the galaxy.”

Riley held his tongue on that one. The V’kit’no’sat
had found a few others larger than a Hadarak.

“What do you know of the Ancients? Is that their
actual name?”

“It is how I was programmed to refer to them.”

“Can you show me a picture of them?”

A second hologram appeared beside the Oracle, this one
of a slender biped that had arms that nearly touched the floor.

“And they commissioned the other races to build you?”

“Yes.”

“Did the Ancients have any peers?”

“That information is not within my files.”

“Did they leave a message?”

“They left me to communicate with any that found the
Hamoriti.”

“Why was it not guarded? Why was it buried and left
unprotected?”

“Secrecy was paramount.”

“Why?”

“No one could be trusted with the knowledge of the
location.”

“What about those that built it?”

“They were destroyed when their ships flew into the
star of this system.”

Riley stopped walking. “Intentionally?”

“Secrecy must be maintained. The order was given by
those that constructed me, and I carried it out when they attempted to leave to
insure no ship could survive.”

“Did the workers know?”

“Most did not. Those loyal to the cause completed
their tasks then fulfilled their responsibilities by going to their deaths
willingly. Not all the crews chose to do so when they realized what was
happening, but they were unable to override my programming.”

“Why was it deemed necessary that they die?”

“They could not be trusted.”

“Why specifically?”

“There was fear that a race could extort others with a
threatened release of the Hamoriti.”

“And what about now?”

“Your races are new, and I am educating you as to the
dangers present. The politics of the past are no longer binding. The hiding of
the Hamoriti was designed to insure this.”

“By murdering the people that worked to build this
place?”

“A small price to pay, but a necessary one.”

“Did the order come from the Ancients or the races
they tasked with building this place?”

“Those tasked, but I believe the idea originated with
the Ancients. I was not supplied with data on that, but based off conversations
I observed and the complexity of the override program, I believe it could only
have come from them.”

“Was this method used to create the original 7
prisons?”

“I do not have that data.”

“Speculate.”

“If it was the Ancients who constructed the original 7
themselves, they may have spared their own workers, or they could have enforced
the same security measures.”

“This place is buried in rock. How was it covered
over?” Riley asked, beginning to walk again as he suppressed his growing anger
with these Ancients and focused on holding off his growing headache.

“Camouflage techniques were utilized to mimic
surrounding rock layers. It was synthesized after this facility was completed,
as were surface variations and vegetation. The later was hyper grown in
artificial chambers to generate the size of plants necessary to obscure the dig
site and not leave it with obvious new growth. Since then nature has taken its
course and concealed the site, though the vegetation no longer remains on the
planet.”

Riley ignored the Oracle, his eyes now on the small
mountain that was the Uriti before him as it got bigger and bigger the closer
he walked. “Is there any way this facility can be monitored remotely?”

“No. Any signal sent could betray its location.”

“Was this planet inhabited or claimed by any faction
when this facility was created?”

“No. It is located in a neutral zone.”

“Neutral zone?”

“One of many regions decimated by the Hamoriti and
agreed by the major powers not to be claimed by anyone else for a period of
years. The agreements varied in both length and terms, but it was deemed that
within one of these zones the secrecy of this location would be maintained by
the agreement without it being known that there was a secondary purpose.”

“This planet’s atmosphere is thin, but habitable for
some races. What if someone eventually colonized it?”

“This facility has been built with sensor dampening
material to prevent its detection via most traditional methods. It is also
deeper within the surface of the planet than most races will dig even if they
should place a city directly over top of the site. Eventual detection was
assumed, thus it is my task to educate those to the dangers presented not only
to this system but across the galaxy should this Hamoriti be released.”

Three steps later and Riley stumbled as another surge
of pressure on his mind caught him off guard.

“You have passed into the second aura of the Hamoriti.
Can you continue?”

“Define ‘second aura.’”

“It is the region where most races will begin to feel
physically ill. It takes place gradually, but there is a distinct range
limitation on the energy being produce.”

“Not telepathic?”

“Not entirely.”

Riley steadied himself and flushed a wave of energy
through his own body, ending with a few Jumat spurts out the small gap between
neck and armor.

“Your condition has improved. What have you done?”

“Reinforced myself. And the effect is telepathic, but
my entire body is being doubled as a receiver. I’m counter pushing to
neutralize it,” he said, walking on.

“Amazing redundancy,” the Oracle commented. “Your body
scan is impossible with your armor on, but what is occurring within your head
is remarkable. Sadly, even if we could replicate your abilities, it would be of
no value if this Hamoriti awakened, though research could prove fruitful
again.”

“Again?”

“The chemical sedative was derived from a naturally occurring
substance in a race that was wiped out by another Hamoriti. Some were
enthralled and given close proximity to the beast, but as they eventually died
out their bodies underwent a natural decomposition sequence that included the
creation and release of the chemical. Eventually the effect it had on the
Hamoriti, small as it was, was detected and the source derived. Had it not been
for that unique biology, the synthetic chemical would never have been
produced.”

“Same effect or better?”

“Far better. Once discovered, the chemical was
reworked to increase efficiency. There were latent structural inhibitors in the
molecule that were stripped out to create the purest form possible with the
least mass. The Ancients enhanced the natural chemical even before they fully
understood why it worked. After years of study, we still do not fully
understand the weakness.”

“What do you know?”

“It is a calming agent. Working like a chemical
information package that instructs the Hamoriti to become inactive. You spoke
of potential creators of the Hamoriti. Does your knowledge contain the method
they used to instruct them where to attack? My records indicate that the
attacks were not random.”

“I thought you said you didn’t have information
regarding the war?”

The Oracle was silent for a moment. “It is possible I
have been programmed to only reveal certain knowledge when it is necessary.
Your earlier statements regarding compartmentalized programming appear to be
valid.”

“Do you have the ability to kill the guests if they do
not heed the danger of the Hamoriti?”

“Yes.”

Riley raised an eyebrow. “Do the others know that?”

“They did not inquire.”

“Are you going to try to kill me?”

“You are far too valuable. The data I am gathering
from this experiment will need to be cataloged and analyzed.”

“Which can be done after I am dead,” Riley pointed
out.

“I have no need to kill you unless you threaten to
awake the Hamoriti…and your proximity to it is not yet provoking a response. Is
it true that you have a means to control it?”

Riley’s eyes were finally torn away from the beast and
he looked directly at the floating hologram. “How do you know about that?”

“I can monitor the activity in the cavern that was dug
around the entrance. The other races were discussing your arrival and your
claims to have a means to control the Hamoriti. Do you have such a means?”

“Yes we do. Though I am told its effectiveness depends
on which Hamoriti is in question. The older ones were more difficult to
control.”

“How so?”

“Each time one was created the control process was
refined and updated.”

“Then they do not reproduce on their own?”

“No.”

“Yet they have the internal mechanisms to do so.”

“They do?”

“Indeed. But no Hamoriti has ever been observed
reproducing. It is speculated that such things occur within a planet or star
where monitoring cannot be achieved.”

“Show me.”

Another hologram manifested itself, situated in front
of Riley’s eye line so that it overlaid the sleeping Hamoriti. A specific
internal area was highlighted, and immediately the trailblazer knew the Oracle
was in error.

“That is not a reproductive system.”

“All data suggests otherwise.”

“It creates something, but it isn’t another Uriti.”

“What then does it create?” the Oracle asked as Riley
rubbed his forehead with his armored fingertips. The headache was increasing
considerably and he was still a few kilometers away from the thing.