Into the Deep (The Conclusion)

The bridge was empty, save for a single figure slumped against the main console of the Cypher warship. Its reptilian eyes scanned the four figures who warily approached, and its left arm, a cybernetic construct, twitched uncontrollably from time to time, evidence of the fact that this creature’s biological systems were struggling to prevent their robotic enhancements from rejecting the living tissue.

In a way, the Cypher had helped humanity by their advent. Humans had learned to design machines which could directly interface with earthling anatomy, and be used almost like an extension of the human body. And while humanity had not reached the level of Cypher tech, wherein all Cypher were part biological, part machine, the flipside was that if the average human’s machine malfunctioned, he could go on living, as long as his organic form wasn’t damaged. Not so the Cypher. Damaged machine components meant almost certain death.

The individual before them was definitely the definition of damaged components. The damage to its frame had been curiously wrought by Cypher weapons, given the nature of its wounds. It lifted its head, and made a short series of chirps that almost sounded musical. Then it died. The troopers looked at one another. This was the first recorded time a Cypher sought to initiate communication with humans. Ming was quick to attempt a translation; United Earth Forces had been able to crack Cypher language, which had been pivotal in message interception and counterstrategy. He turned to the other troopers, confusion etched onto his features.

“It said, ‘run!’” he said.

“And I guess that’s why,” Duma stated, pointing. The walls of the interior of the ship seemed to be slowly blackening, an oily substance beginning to coat them. From the oil, figures began to protrude slowly. By then, the troopers were already running as fast as they could, back towards the Kestrel.

“Wait! Are those Cypher?!” Lori asked incredulously. Of course, no one waited, but yes, the forms were definitely Cypher. The most confusing thing was that the Cypher, instead of attempting to fire at the running soldiers, simply gave chase, as though they had lost their minds. They were also awfully silent, which was very wrong, as Cypher were a rather communicative species, even if they didn’t deign to concern themselves with interacting with humans.

“Duma to Kestrel! Prep for an emergency take-off. All combat units aboard, prepare to give us support fire,” the Commander yelled as the four ran down the twisting passageways of the Cypher ship. An affirmative response assured the troopers that when push came to shove, infantrymen were relatively reliable. As the troopers ran into the hanger, energy projectiles and slug whizzed past them, striking their pursuers. They reached the Kestrel without relative incident, and the ship launched quickly, speeding off into the great beyond, even as the pursuing Cypher tumbled into the void of space.

“Engage weapon systems and fire on the engines,” Duma commanded. Quickly, the Kestrel looped round, raining plasma fire on the Cypher ship’s explosive propulsion systems, which would have been ineffective had the larger ship’s shields been on. As the warship disintegrated in a noiseless detonation, the Commander gave orders: the Kestrel’s next stop would be Earth.

“Why?” asked one of the infantrymen.

“Because we have something of dire import to report,” Ming replied. “A new enemy has joined the war, one so problematic to the Cypher that they’re willing to interact with us. Something on that ship seemed to have taken over the Cypher’s cognitive functions. If it’s a disease, it will be very devastating if we can be infected by it as well. Command needs to know, the war just got longer. Our war with the Cypher was just us on the edge of the precipice, staring into the deep….”

The End..

Thanks for coming!

That little boy,

@pearlumie