War Core Wednesday! War Core 4, Chapter 2.

Chapter 2.

Hugh tried to enjoy his journey to Harmony Station, it was perhaps the first time that there wasn’t some disaster wasn’t looming on the horizon to spoil the experience. His sector of space was now quiet, other than the Ssath who he didn’t have to worry about for a while. This trip was going to be one that he could finally relax and take the full allotted time with. Stars flew past him as his core was transferred to the station, Hugh liked to think that he would eventually get to know the various stars and systems just from the constant exposure, but the universe was just too vast, and he had no desire to become an astronomer. It wasn’t too long before the huge station appeared and then his vision went blank as a new body was prepared for him.

The feel of the cold steel war core shelf he was laying on was accompanied by muscle cramps in his legs and arms as the newly created body came to consciousness. Hugh coughed and blinked his eyes as a headache started right behind his eyes. His previous arrivals and transitions to a new body were less painful, and he hoped that something hadn’t gone wrong this time. Sitting up was rough, and caused new spikes of pain to shoot through his head, accompanied by a nauseous feeling in his belly. Had the GCA printed him a body that was suffering from a hangover?

Minutes passed and the pain receded. After a while he felt well enough to stand up, the dirty linoleum floor felt cold under his feet. The body was a freshly made one and the GCA didn’t waste the effort to do things like toughen up the soles of his feet as much as they would normally be for a human his age. By the time Hugh finished dressing, he was feeling almost normal. A trip to the restroom and a long drink from the faucet was the last thing to do before leaving the replica dirty hospital that was the human section of the station. Why couldn’t the GCA replicate a luxury hotel instead of this dump?

Outside the room, a long hallway with doors to other hospital rooms greeted him. They would be keyed to the other human cores that were on leave, and he couldn’t access them without specific permissions. At the end of the hall were a set of double doors that swung out into the station proper. Hugh had kind of hoped that at least one of the other cores would be here in the hall, there were three others at the station right now, and while they were all cores he hadn’t spent much time with, he was looking forward to getting to know them.

“Human, you are Hugh Logan, are you not?” A voice hissed at Hugh just after he entered the main walkway of the station. Turning, Hugh was startled to see a massive Ssath leering down on him, the thing seemed to be all teeth and claws. The Ssath couldn’t really do anything to him on the station, not unless it wanted to face a harsh penalty from the GCA, but he couldn’t help but feel fear at the monster’s presence.

“Yeah, that’s me, what do you want?” Hugh snapped back, trying, and failing miserably, to seem tough and fearless.

“Good, I need to apologize for startling you, and for my behavior at our previous meeting. I am Hssim, of the Ssath people, and I greet you honored foe,” Hssim said, clacking his claws together in what might have been a formal greeting, but the action gave Hugh the image of a chef sharpening his knives before carving into a hunk of meat.

“Well, this is unexpected, but since it seems you’re not going to take a bite out of me this time, pleased to meet you, Hssim,” Hugh said with little feeling.

“Again, I apologize for my prior actions but know that this is the last time I will do so. A Ssath admits his mistake, but he does not grovel. Our people are enemies, but I think we share a common foe. Maybe we can go somewhere and speak privately? I have a message from Stephan Wagner that I’d like to pass on to you,” Hssim said.

“What do you know of Stephan? I’m surprised the Ssath had enough influence points to purchase the information after the beating we gave on the last invasion. Whatever your scheme is, I want no part of it,” Hugh said, walking away and hoping his trip wasn’t going to be cut short by a raging Ssath.

“I can smell your fear, but do not worry, I will not harm you here, I merely wish to speak. Stephan sacrificed himself for you and the other cores, and he sacrificed himself for me as well. I’m alive today because of him, and what we discovered together will change everything,” Hssim said, moving aside to let Hugh pass. Could the Ssath be on the up and up? It was unlikely and Hugh was more inclined to believe that this was some scheme they had cooked up, purchasing the information and using what Stephan had done for Hugh to play on his emotions.

He stopped and turned back to face the Ssath, but there was no way for him to read the creature’s expressions. It was something he’d have to remember to bring up back home. Maybe these various alien creatures had some kind of tell in their manners or behaviors that they could exploit when interacting with them on the station. Mostly, he suspected the various species were focused on the battlefield where the cores were faceless command posts or avatars, but here, maybe they could read something more into their actions while they were in flesh and blood bodies. It didn’t seem like talking with the Ssath could do any harm, Hugh certainly wasn’t going to do or say anything that would violate the non-hostility pact that had been forced on the Ssath.

“Okay, you’ve got my attention, let’s go to the restaurant, I’m hungry and I’m not going to miss out on the chance for a good meal because I was chatting it up with a giant dinosaur,” Hugh said, making his way toward the same restaurant that he had visited each time he was on the station.

He hadn’t seen any aliens like Hssim eating there and he figured that they probably had to eat somewhere else, where the raw meat was served. They might only eat live prey, and if that was the case, Hugh was glad he didn’t have to eat at a table next to something like that. Hssim gave a hiss of annoyance but followed behind Hugh. It didn’t take long to reach his destination, and Hugh was a bit curious whether the place would even let Hssim in if his dietary needs didn’t match what they served. No alarms sounded and he didn’t get any system prompts when the Ssath walked in behind him.

“Well, we’re here and I’ve ordered my meal, what is it you are so desperate to tell me?” Hugh asked, opting for a plate of pasta with marinara sauce, along with some garlic bread and a salad. He opted to go without any meat in his meal on the off chance it would annoy Hssim.

“Stephan and I were dead; the system had selected us as casualties in the battle for the Krixnas homeworld. We were selected to die, but the system offered us an out, a chance at life to participate in something called the battle pits. I met Stephan there when he saved me from one of the beasts inside that place. He saved me and we fought together to try and survive. I don’t know how long we were in there, but it wasn’t an honorable battle, it was a slaughterhouse and the GCA made us act like prey in the pen, always running and fearing for our lives,” Hssim said.

Hugh took back what he thought earlier, he could read the Ssath’s expressions, at least in this case. Hssim had the haunted look in his eye that Hugh had seen in many veterans who had seen far too much combat. The look was called the thousand-yard stare, and Hugh wondered if his eyes would have that same look if and when he ever was done being a core and returned to being human.

“You survived, but Stephan obviously didn’t. I have a hard time believing you were best buddies and now we can all play nice. Why don’t you cut to the chase and tell me what you want?” Hugh asked.

“Cut to the chase, I like that expression. We use something similar, we say ‘bring down the kill’, a bit more aggressive perhaps, but it fits my kind. No, I wouldn’t say Stephan Wagner and I were close, but we respected each other. He was a warrior and placed his comrades' lives ahead of his own. That is something we honor as a Ssath, a true warrior, even if it comes from a species that we regard as prey, is to be revered. Perhaps revered even more so since they are likely rarer among your kind,” Hssim said.

“A lot less rare than you think, given that our cores just destroyed the greatest warriors of the Ssath empire,” Hugh replied. He knew he should keep calm, but he couldn’t let Hssim insult humans as weak when they beat the supposedly superior Ssath warriors.

“Bah, those weren’t the greatest warriors, I am the greatest Ssath, and I was fighting alongside Stephan while that folly of an invasion was going on. Now, I have taken command of my people and will lead them against the true enemy, we will trouble you no longer if you do not trouble our people. This I swear as the Great Leader of the Ssath Empire,” Hssim said. Hugh was about to discount his boast when a system prompt confirmed it.

Hssim, the leader of the Ssath Empire had offered you an unconditional peace treaty. This treaty will extend in perpetuity and neither side may invade or engage in conflict with the other. While you lack the negotiating authority for your people, your proximity to the Ssath leader has enabled this prompt to appear in your interface. The appropriate authorities in your world have received the offer and will decide on it for your species.

“Wow, I guess you are a big shot after all. So, why chase me down here on the station? You mentioned a true enemy, is there another hostile species knocking on your door?” Hugh asked.

“No, not a species, another threat that I think you understand, the one that controls this entire farse of a system. The one that controls the conflict and keeps us at each other’s throats. Stephan and I found out a great secret, and it’s one we can exploit to shut this all down,” Hssim said, waving his claw around to show he meant everything.

“Woah, can you even say that, aren’t they kind of listening in right now?” Hugh said, worried he was going to be ejected from the station for listening to Hssim’s revolutionary spiel. He felt the same way but wasn’t so overt in his belief that the GCA were the true villains here.

“That’s just it, that’s what we found. We found that nobody is listening. Nobody is leading the GCA, it's all running on automation. Whatever species made up this GCA are gone, extinct, or shipped off somewhere else. Believe me, Hugh Logan, the GCA is nothing but an automated system, following its programming and nothing more,” Hssim claimed.

“How do you know this?” Hugh asked, genuinely interested in the conversation the first time, but still convinced it was some kind of ruse.

“When we conquered the battle pits and were offered a prize. Part of my victory was a parade where the citizens of their greatest city could cheer my success. When I arrived there, the place was dead, with not a living being in sight. Everything was automated, and that presents both an opportunity and a threat to us all,” Hssim said.

“What kind of threat? It makes sense that things are automated for a species as powerful as the ones running the GCA,” Hugh asked.

“It’s automated, but the system can’t remain that way forever. Who knows how many centuries, how many millennia the living members of the GCA have been absent? Their technology is impressive, almost godlike in its construction, but almost godlike isn’t perfect and things are starting to fail. In their capital city, the drones cleaning and repairing things are breaking down. There were also system errors when I tried to return to my people. They are minor errors in a rarely used system, but what happens, Hugh Logan, what happens when the greater systems start to fail? What happens when the system error decides our worlds were casualties in a conflict that doesn’t exist?” Hssim asked.

“I’ve never had any issues. I admit, the system is strange and doesn’t always make sense, but everything seems to work as it should. Granted, I am no fan of the GCA and the way they’ve ruined my life, but their tech is amazing,” Hugh replied.

“The systems controlling the battles for possession of the universe are the most used systems, and they likely have more of a failsafe integrated into them. Still, with no living being to fix or guide them, they will eventually succumb to wear and tear. As I said, they are nearly perfect, but nearly perfect isn’t perfect, is it? Before they fail, the GCA’s conflict system may cause untold damage. I have no desire to see my species destroyed due to a system glitch, and I assume you have that same desire?” Hssim asked.

“Of course I do, but if, and that’s a big if, what you say is true, how do we fix things?” Hugh asked. There was a remote possibility that Hssim was telling the truth, and Hugh was curious what the Ssath’s endgame was for this little meeting.

“To fix things, we must go back to the blood pits, but this time, voluntarily. We go back but not as individual contestants, we form a team. Once we win, we can ask a boon of the GCA, and that boon has some very powerful options. One of those options is to shut the whole system down and let the various species live and evolve without the GCA’s influence. We will be free, all of us. Who knows, we might even be able to take some of the GCA’s knowledge back to our people before the system crashes,” Hssim said.

“Why do you need me? Why not just gather up a bunch of your Ssath cores to do this?” Hugh asked.

“Only one entrant from each species is allowed, and we need a team of six. You’re the last one we need, and I selected you because you’re one of the few cores that have held their own against the power of the Ssath. If we are to win, we need the best, and other than myself, you rank up there with the most dangerous cores,” Hssim said. Hugh couldn’t tell if he was praising or insulting Hugh, but if what the Ssath said was true, this could be the end of the GCA.

“What do we have to do? I’m not saying I believe you, but if there is a chance to defeat the GCA, I’m willing to dive a bit deeper into it,” Hugh said.

We only need to go to the nearest kiosk. You’ll see everything I told you is correct once you get there. I’ll invite you to join our team. This will be dangerous and many of us may face destruction inside the blood pits, but if we can prevail, we’ll save all our people,” Hssim said.

“Okay, I’ll check out the kiosk, but no promises. If anything looks sketchy, I’m out,” Hugh said.

“I’m not asking you to trust me, the GCA will confirm everything. The only piece you might not see is the reward offerings. My team back home paid a healthy price to research it, so unless you want to go back home and have your people start their own investigation into the prize pool options, you’ll need to come with us,” Hssim said.

“What’s to stop me from just starting a different team and joining in?” Hugh asked.

“You may, but first, you’ll have to find the option inside the GCA kiosk, then research how to enter the contest. You’ll also need to form a team of six, and only one human can be on the team. By the time you go home, and your people conduct their investigation, my team will already be on their way to winning the prize. I can tell you if there is a way to glean a fraction of the GCA’s knowledge before we shut things down, I will not share it with your people, but if you join me, we’ll all share equally,” Hssim said.

There was some risk, and this might still just be a way to get around the restrictions placed by the GCA to keep the Ssath from invading human space, but then again, if what Hssim said was true, Hugh could shut down the whole corrupt system. The GCA were sticklers for their rules, so he would see what information the kiosk gave him once Hssim sent his invite.

“Let’s go find a kiosk, if what you’re telling me is true, it’s time to shut down the GCA. If you’re trying to pull a fast one, it’s not going to work,” Hugh said.

“You will see that it is all as I have described,” Hssim guaranteed. Hugh thought the Ssath was trying to smile at him, or it could just be that he was sizing Hugh up for a late lunch.