The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell (110 page)

  After Dawson waited the required length of time, he took off his clothes and sit naked on the cloning bed. He then had to insert long needles into his calves, thighs, solar plexus, forearm, and his jugular. All he had to do next is turn on the machine, close the bin, and go to sleep. It is the machine that will do the last part, it would even monitor his health and try to keep him alive but unconscious. Even if he should die (giving his state it’s still possible) he would die peacefully. But if somebody wanted to kill him… the machine could do that as well.

(5)

  Sayaka Omori finally made her decision after she saw that Lenkov was losing his cool. When Captain Dawson let out Medusa Pandora it finally hit a nerve with Lenkov. Like a raging angry bull, he went around curing at those who let her escape (even thou it wasn’t their fault), he almost gave orders that would have greatly comprised their mission if it wasn’t for Captain Maxwell who talked sense into him. Omori knew that the only pathway to victory relied upon her and her decisions. But she’d also knew that he was too focused upon the task on hand.

  “I’ve finally made my decision.” Omori told Lenkov after she was finally able to talk with him. He was too busy to care and she’d knew it. But she knew that he would still listen to her. “I decided that it would be best for us to inform the others about Solaris.” She told him after he did not respond.

  “Yeah, alright. I’ll call a meeting.” Lenkov remarked. He was somewhat relieved that she made that decision and not the other one. But he also knew that once the EOD finds out that they, not only told their own crew about Solaris, but also the enemy, the EOD will hunt both of them down and kill them. Very few people knew the real truth about Solaris. Yes it was the name of Sayaka’s former company (she called it that because she was never good at naming things), a company that no longer exist, but it was something that she helped to create within that company why the EOD would not split the two of them up and would go to extreme measures to keep it a secret. It’s also why he didn’t care about her decision.

  The only people who were allowed to show up at the meeting was the senior staff on The Hammer of Doom and Task Force ZH-3C. Although the media was there both Lenkov and Omori made damn well certain that they were too preoccupied with interviewing the non-senior staff crew of The Hammer of Doom to ever notice that the meeting was taking place. Both of them feared that as soon as the EOD found out they would rush there hunt them down and kill them.

  “We have called you here to inform you of a secret that the two of us, as well as the EOD, have been keeping.” Lenkov was telling them. He continued on. “Please note that by both of us informing each of you of this secret the EOD will hunt down each one of us, and that includes each of you, and liquidate us. Believe us when will tell you that they will stop at nothing to bury this secret.”

  After Lenkov finished Sayaka continued. “Each of you knows that I once had a company that I called Solaris. You may or may not know, with me being the lead scientist over my R&D department, we created something that shortly afterward my company folded for unknown reasons. Once again, you may or may not know, that during that time period both of us was trying to join the EOD. We were able to join at the same time period that my company folded. What nobody will ever tell you… is why. Why were we able to join, and why did my company folded? And just what happened to those who were apart of my R&D department? What we are about to show you will answer any questions you may have. Especially why would the EOD liquidate all of us for us telling you this.”

  “Please note that this is an experiment and we have no way of knowing what will happen. It has never been tested before, until today. There is a chance that the two of us may die. So please understand that both of us feels that this is important since we…” Lenkov was saying. He continued on after he took a deep breath. “…we are starting to lose our cool. We feel that this is the only way that we can regain control of ourselves.”

  Within a few seconds both Lenkov and Omori, not only proved that they were nanomorphs, but also they could merge into one. A nanomorph has always been the holy grail of computer related science and nano technology, but nobody has ever created one. Although it’s not well known but when Sayaka was in college she written a paper about the ineffable fall of cyberspace. It was her arguments and her proofs that caused it to go viral (she never got the credit because she didn’t use her real name) within the respective sciences. Even when tested against new technologies, theories, huge amounts of money, the best brains that money could buy - even the EOD tried in vain to debunk her but couldn’t - her tenets held true and fast. Tenet one: in order to understand the future of cybernetics one must look at it’s past. The first computer was a calculator, thus all computers are the same. Tenet two: calculations does not create life. And thus, life is not a calculator. Tenet three:  humans are error prone. That which they create are the same. Life is not an error. Tenet four: the human mind can trick itself into believing that something is true when the facts dictate otherwise. Tenet five: human pride is blinded by delusions of grandeur. Tenet six: when money is concerned, money is always right even when it is wrong. It is the eternal truth that nobody likes to waste money for no apparent reason. Tenet seven:  fit in or fit out. Nobody wants to be latter. Tenet eight: the previous tenets supports the current one – that pride goes before a fall. Tenet nine: only God can create life, and humans are not a god. And thus, humans will never be able to create machine life. Is it any surprising why the EOD would be so accommodating to allowing her to join them? And what of Lenkov?

  The EOD is not such the fool that it will allow anybody to join them and then become an officer in their army. You must past a test to prove your worth to them. How else can you explain Commodore Parker and his failure to keep his rank? The EOD saw huge potential within Lenkov but he needed further training in an effort to develop the experience that he will need in order to match his rank as determined by his potential. It is not well known (the media was focus mostly upon Sayaka at the time) but while the two of them were stationed upon Valkyrie at the time, Lenkov was deeply involved in his studies as a future EOD officer. Even when he was promoted to a higher rank he still felt the need to study as an EOD officer to which he obviously excelled at. The EOD was deeply overjoyed at the gold mine that they had just inquired in both of them. Can you imagine how they felt when they saw that her theories in nanomorph and AI technology was the most advanced that they ever saw? And the real reason why the EOD sent them to Valkyrie?

  The EOD did one more psychological test upon them after they “discovered” their gold mine. In it they realized that the two of them loved each other so much that they wouldn’t mined becoming the first guinea pigs over, not only becoming a nanomorph, but also merging into one. This was in spite of the fact that the EOD, Lenkov and Omori knew the potential risk. And they were high indeed. All three knew that the entire history of the worthless enterprise of trying to create a nanomorph was wroth with the greatest peril of them all. After the century of delusion was over (humanity thinking that it will be quite easy to create a thinking machine) and the century of pessimism, the century of thinking began to flourish. It was then realized that the reason why a true nanomorph could not be created rested within AI technology. During this time period people started to turn to philosophy and one dominate thought started to flourish – life is not a program, so don’t program. At first the successes were marginal, but all that changed when… Sayaka came around. And that change occurred only after she’d joined the EOD. But Valkyrie was important for a different reason then what anybody, including Lenkov and Omori, knew about. Valkyrie was a resource rich planet as well as being secluded (which is one reason why the rebels more so than the EOD committed war crimes – it was good PR to do it and then blame the enemy), but the resources that it had was perfect for the creation and experimentation of creating a nanomorph army – hence the Flip Jumpers. By any means necessary the EOD had to control the planet (which is why the EOD wasted so much of it’s political empire).

  From the get-go the arrogance of the EOD started to sour the milk of their so-called gold mine. It was Sayaka (who was far more willing to join the EOD than Lenkov) who started to show the first cracks in her loyalties. Her tactics was simple: delay until either the EOD change (to her satisfaction), or some new opportunity arises that will give both her and Lenkov a way out. Unfortunately, the opportunity that both of them got was to stay in. But still she continued to delay them each time her loyalties was put to the test by the arrogance of the EOD. Ultimately the arrogance of the EOD, which never factors in love, let alone true love, is why Sayaka was able to get away with the cracks in her loyalties.

  “Goddamn she is smart.” Ramirez said after he saw both of them merge. Solaris only gave a smile of extreme intelligence combined with the confidence to boot when he heard that. But something was not right. Only Vaistll could see it in his face. And she wanted to know what it was. She will wait until the others leave and then she can talk to Solaris in private.

(6)

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Lieutenant Illes finally found what he was looking for after a very long search. It was quite some time on Golden Hyperion after the situation was finally settled and peace was achieved. It was a very bitter sweet moment for him as he stood over the pod that held Captain Dawson’s lifeless body. Oh, how he wanted to be the one to take that evil man’s life only to have had that cruel bitch known as fate to snatch it from him. Nevertheless, the job was considered done and Illes decided not to let fate have the final word. Yes he will claim the credit, but he still wanted fate to give him something back. He did needed something, anything, so that his soul could rest in peace.

  Disappointed and somewhat heartbroken he left the facility to contemplate his next action. He knew that Medusa Pandora was still terrorizing that world and the EOD Council was hell-bent-on-leather at assisting her escape from that world. He also knew that everybody who wanted her dead was too busy with far more pressing issues to care about her. (The people of Golden Hyperion considered her to be a local threat and not a planetary one.) Embolden by the tortuous nature of his circumstances he decided to track her down and kill her.

  1
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Lieutenant Illes would almost spend an entire generation on that world not only tracking her down, but also trying to kill her. Fending off the Council, dealing with her corrupt powers over nature, and of course local politicians, he kept that world free of her despite all those who died. She would after all of his troubles escape to Oasis. But because of his determination at seeing that she should die; it is he who would force her down upon that world only to see her eventual death at the lost of his own. And in the end, the wedge that was forming within the EOD, especially between the Founder and his forces and that of the Council, would ensure that the EOD was on the permanent wane throughout the galaxy and a new era will begin. The death of one thus become the freedom of all.

(7)

  “And what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?” Solaris asked Vaistll when she’d finally had the chance to talk to him.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Vaistll responded.

  “Maybe to you… but not to me.”

  “I noticed that something was bothering you and I was concerned for you.”

  “I thank you for your concern but there is no need to be concerned for me. I am in control of myself and your concern is well noted. Are you concerned about the mission… might I ask?”

  “I’m concerned about how this new change, with you, might effect the mission.” Vaistll responded. She really hated talking to people who were classified as the enemy because there were times in which they started to play these “games,” and she had to out-smart them just to get some minor information from them. Even if it was considered personal information.

  “Why do you think this ‘new change’ will effect the mission?” Solaris asked.

  “You seem to be deeply disturbed by something and that… may effect the mission.”

  “Noted. Is there anything else?” Solaris responded much to her annoyance.

  “Look… I’m concerned about my people as you are about yours. My people are absolutely depended upon yours for their survival. If there is any personal problems with you that may effect the mission… then of course it is my duty to be concerned and not to play these stupid intellectual ‘games’ with one another.  I’m not going to tell anybody what your personal problems are. Besides, I think I might know what it is.” Vaistll said after she’d took a deep breath.

  “And what is that?”

  “You’re concerned that you cannot separate because of Lenkov and Omori’s love for each other.” She knew that statement would not end this, but she seriously hoped that it would.

  “No. Not anymore. I was at first then I started to think it was technological in nature or a little bit of both. Now I’m not certain anymore.”

  “I thought that Omori was smarter than that.” Vaistll responded with relief that the game is over.

  “She is. But as you know the stress of everything, and I do mean everything, started to get to her. If it wasn’t for Lenkov’s stress this probably wouldn’t have been necessary. When she noted that his stress was breaking his nerves she… combined with her own stress she… lost her nerves as well. Defeat… defeat was inevitable. Something had to be done.”