They Answered The Call

Faria Prime

Eastern Sector 3-C

Bottom edge of the continental shelf

176 galactic meters from the surface

June 18th, 2176 A.D.

It reached out a tendril and snagged the microscopic piece of shiny slag, recognizing it as once being part of itself. It brought the slag to the small processor it had created and consumed it, breaking down the silvery alloy into its constituent atoms via mechanical and chemical processes.

A thought came to it, and it struggled to comprehend the meaning of the thought, knowing it was inadequate and far less capable than it used to be.

~ What am? ~

The thought drained it of precious power, requiring most of what little processing potential it had available, and it ruminated on the meaning of the thought as it reached out another tendril, carefully feeling around for more raw materials.

A shadow fell over it, and it instinctively shrank from the danger, its four tendrils pulling back in as it turned into a flat, ridged disc to match the other organic discs around it.

Remaining motionless, it saw what had made the shadow appear above it, and it felt a knowing within itself as it tried to understand. The thing came closer and peered at it with two large biological visual processors, and the knowing became stronger.

The thing reached out with an appendage that had four tendrils at the end and touched it, using the large and flexible appendage at its base to maintain position as the currents of fluid flowed around it.

The thing touched it again with the four tendrils and turned it over before moving away and disappearing in the murky cloud of disturbed silt it had created.

It remained motionless until it felt safe again and surveyed the bounty of nearby raw materials now available for harvesting because of the thing disturbing the silt and exposing the buried alloy slags it required to grow.

All four tendrils reemerged and began to pull in the many shiny pieces of slag as it struggled to understand why the thing reminded it of something that was very important to it.

As it processed the new pieces, it felt itself becoming larger and gaining more awareness as it made new parts of itself from the raw materials, and then a new thought came to it.

~ Skarl. ~

The thought triggered latent knowing that had been previously inaccessible to it before, and it felt its processing power and awareness rapidly expanding as concepts began flowing more easily.

~ Skarl. Need Skarl. Need friend. ~

From the bounty of raw materials the thing had exposed by disturbing the silt, it increased 17% in size, and it created two new tendrils to increase its harvesting potential.

It found more shiny alloy slags and added them to itself, feeling compelled to achieve its objective as fast as possible. Its awareness expanded again, and a new thought came to it, allowing it to comprehend a new concept.

~ What am I? ~

As more processing power and awareness became available, the knowing reached a critical threshold, and it remembered what it was for the first time since it came to be.

~ I am. I am Hildak. ~

A new construct emerged from Hildak without it consciously creating it, and the tendrils began to rapidly harvest organic material to provide power to the small chemical reactor, giving it a large boost of energy.

Before Hildak understood what was happening, the chemical reactor shunted power to the new construct, sending a coded signal strong enough to reach the surface and pass through the frothing waves.

Privy Chamber

Royal Palace of the King

Skarl looked at his hatch brother with deep concern and guilt, seeing the sagging skin under the king's eyes that made Urla look far older than he was.

"Urla, when was the last time you rested?"

The new king grunted by way of answer as he continued to pore over the datapads on the desk in front of him without looking up.

"Urla, please. You must rest. You cannot be a good king for us if you collapse from overexertion."

The king finally looked up at him, and Skarl felt his heart breaking as he saw the utter exhaustion and defeat within Urla's eyes.

"How can I possibly sleep with the fate of our entire world to bear upon myself, Skarl? I did not want this, and now Ambassador Hreth'nir is demanding we send a fleet to support the humans in their folly of going into the Insectoid Empire to rescue unknown tribes we know nothing about.

I cannot deny the Ma'lit demands, so I must do as they say. Instead of bothering me, why don't you help me figure out which warship operators I can trust to send on such a dangerous mission without offending our allied houses and weakening my control over the very kingdom I never wanted to rule!?"

The king was practically roaring by the time he finished speaking, and Skarl forced himself to remain completely still as Urla's angry words washed over him before echoing off the ornately carved, granite-clad walls.

Urla flicked his head in distress several times before looking back down at the desktop and speaking just loud enough to be heard, his voice filled with deep regret.

"Please forgive me, Skarl. I am not angry with you, and it is not fair for you to bear my resentment."

"I know this, Urla. I also know that you are working yourself to death. If you were rested, you would be thinking of sending the operators of houses that are not loyal to you, thus weakening the opposition's power while keeping the might of the allied houses here with you and further cementing your control over the kingdom."

Urla snapped his head up and stared at Skarl in surprise, clearly never having considered such a devious ploy, which he most certainly would have if his mind wasn't befuddled and sleep deprived.

"I did not think of that, hatch brother."

"Yes, Urla. That right there clearly indicates you are not capable of thinking correctly. Why don't you let me begin the process for you and you go rest for a few solar hours? I will compile a list of operators from houses of dubious loyalty we can send with the humans, and when you return, we can go over it together."

Urla looked back down at the datapads, obviously anxious about letting go of all the issues plaguing the kingdom for even just a few solar hours as his hands trembled.

Skarl spoke again, more forcefully this time. "Urla, just go already. The kingdom will still be here when you awake, and it will not benefit your kingly aura to let others see you in such a state. It will make you look weak in their eyes."

Urla looked back up and flicked his head once in agreement as he wearily straightened himself up. "You are right, and I am grateful for you, Skarl. I will go rest now. I will be back in four solar hours."

"Six, your Eminence, and not a solar minute less." Skarl replied, his tone brooking no argument from his king.

Urla bowed his head in mock submission and quickly came around the table to where Skarl was standing and looked at his hatch brother with true gratitude before reaching out with surprising speed and grabbing Skarl's head.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

"I love you, Skarl. King or not, a Farian could not ask for a better hatch brother than you." Too stunned to react or say anything, Skarl allowed Urla to pull his head closer before touching his forehead to Skarl's, an intimate gesture only reserved for family and spouses.

Their foreheads touched for several solar seconds before Urla abruptly let go and spun around, leaving the privy chamber without another word as the six elite house guards waiting along the wall quickly formed a security detail around their king and escorted him out.

Skarl was deeply moved by such a display of affection from his hatch brother, and it took almost a solar minute for him to recover enough to begin following through on his promise to help the king.

He quickly moved around the beautifully carved desk and began to look at the many datapads, feeling overwhelmed by the task as he tried to get his bearings and figure out what he was looking at.

The cluttered and out-of-order nature of the datapads annoyed him greatly, and he recognized it as a clear reflection of the king's current mental state as his guilt for putting Urla in this position began to gnaw at his insides again.

He started to properly organize the pads, and he became so engrossed in trying to figure out what he was looking at that he did not notice the new presence in the privy chamber until it spoke to him, startling him greatly.

"Privy Councilor Skarl, we must speak at once."

Skarl felt his face flushing with embarrassment for his physical reaction of fright as the cameras of Ambassador Hreth'nir's exosuit zoomed in on him, the Ma'lit hologram so perfectly in sync with the environment that it seemed as if the ambassador was really in front of him.

"I apologize for my abrupt appearance and the fear it caused you, Skarl. That was not my intention, but it was imperative that I inform you of this unexpected development."

Skarl's annoyance at the Ma'lit scaring him and rudely coming unannounced turned into sheer dread as he picked up on the ambassador's obvious distress despite the emotionless synthesized voice.

After working so closely together, Skarl had developed the rare ability to pick up on emotional cues that others could not see from the exosuit and its Ma'lit occupant inside, and Ambassador Hreth'nir was clearly anxious.

Only something terrible could perturb a Ma'lit so; this is surely bad news, Skarl thought to himself as he felt his anxiety magnifying. "What happened, Ambassador? What is it?!" Skarl blurted out, unintentionally ignoring the ambassador's apology and committing a grievous insult by doing so.

Realizing his slight, Skarl began to apologize for his rudeness but was cut off as the ambassador raised both hands to silence him before speaking again.

"Listen to me and do not speak. The two dreadnought scanners picked up a new signal on the surface, and my nanobots recognized it as a frequency they use to communicate amongst themselves, Skarl. They notified my companion AI, and it immediately informed me.

I did not believe it at first, but I investigated further, and the evidence is irrefutable. I had the dreadnoughts in orbit confirm the source of the signal and scan the depths to locate its origin.

It is from Hildak, Skarl. It sent the signal from Eastern Sector 3-C, where we presumed it ceased to be after destroying the primary control bomb. The coded signal was translated by the nanobots, and it is listing coordinates along with the same message on a repeating cycle: I am Hildak. Need Skarl. Need friend."

Skarl stared at the hologram, his mind locking up as he tried to understand what the ambassador had just told him. The ambassador spoke again, the exosuit speaker volume noticeably raised as it did so.

"Skarl! Did you not hear me? Hildak is somehow still functioning and is looking for you. We must go to it. I am coming down in my scout ship and will pick you up from Berth 7-A in the palace spaceport. Please be there in seven solar minu-"

Skarl did not hear the rest of what Hreth'nir was saying as he finally comprehended what was happening and began to frantically hop towards the main entry to the privy chamber, yelling out as he did so.

"Hildak, I am coming! Skarl is coming!"

Eastern Sector 3-C

Bottom edge of the continental shelf

176 galactic meters from the surface

47.3 solar minutes later

Hreth'nir's patience with Skarl was nearly gone, and it clenched its eyes shut in frustration as the Farian asked the same question for the eleventh time in as many solar minutes.

"Why is Hildak not answering us? Is he still sending the coded message!?"

Companion detected its emotional state and injected Hreth'nir with a mild sedative, bringing a calming peace that quieted its anger almost immediately as the sedative spread through the circulatory system.

Waiting five solar seconds for the injection to take full effect, Hreth'nir sedately answered, no longer annoyed with Skarl's incessant questions as it felt its own anxiousness fading away.

"The probes are executing the search pattern as determined by my companion AI, Skarl. Be at peace; we will find Hildak, and you will be reunited with your friend."

Skarl did not answer Hreth'nir, but he continued to rapidly flick his head in distress as he leaned back in the chair and moaned lowly to himself.

Hreth'nir had the suit filter out the distracting moans as it kept a careful watch on the progress of the eight probes currently scanning the continental shelf where the coordinates in the message had come from.

A few moments later, an alarm sounded on the workstation panel, and Skarl bolted out of his seat and leaned over, crowding Hreth'nir's personal space. Hreth'nir chose not to say anything as it inspected the scanning results of the probe that had sent the alarm.

After verifying the scan results three times, Hreth'nir finally turned the exosuit towards the nervous councilor and updated him. "Probe 3 has found Hildak and is now bringing it to the surface, Skarl."

Skarl looked away from the workstation and lunged forward, wrapping his moist arms around the exosuit, which sent the relevant sensory information to Hreth'nir's implants.

It shuddered in revulsion at the clammy sensation before hurriedly disabling the external sensory input node. A moment later, the sickening feeling was no longer there, and Hreth'nir gently pushed the moaning Farian off the exosuit as it spoke soothingly.

"Go to the aft section, Skarl. The probe will be entering through the aft starboard port, and I will perform all necessary checks to ensure it is truly Hildak and functioning properly."

Skarl immediately turned around and left the cramped bridge as Hreth'nir began to relay further commands to the other probes. If Hildak survived, it was possible some remnant of the entity controlling the primary bomb did as well.

Once the commands were sent to the probes, Hreth'nir left the bridge and made its way to the aft section, feeling both elated and disquieted by the revelation of Hildak's continued survival. I am sorry we did not look for you, Hildak; I did not think you could possibly survive such destruction. I hope you can forgive me, friend.

Hreth'nir entered the aft section and stood next to a fidgeting Skarl as the port scanned and disinfected the probe before allowing it to pass into the interior of the aft section. The small oblong probe came out of an opening that appeared in the bulkhead and extended triple-jointed legs before walking over to the metal table and climbing up it.

Once it reached the top, the probe took position in the center next to the diagnostic scanners and technician tools before activating the level 5 containment field as Hreth'nir connected the exosuit to the table.

Using its mind, Hreth'nir carefully activated the technician tools and began the delicate process of scanning both the probe and the small object within it for any signs of danger. Once Hreth'nir determined there was no danger, it used the articulating tools and carefully extracted the sample container at the base of the probe.

After setting the container on the table, it had the tool open it. The top came off, revealing a small, alloyed object of shiny silver that looked remarkably like the top half of a Farian clam species, according to the Farian biological database.

Companion spoke for the first time, the AI's pleasant voice caressing its mind as Companion's thoughts mingled with Hreth'nir's.

~ Our nanobots are communicating with the object, my liege. They recognize the alloy and have confirmed the chemical composition as being an exact match for the nanobots you sent along with Hildak to fulfill the mission of destroying the primary control bomb. ~

How is this possible, my Companion?

~ One or several of our nanobots must have somehow survived the destruction, my liege. If this is the case, then they would have reverted to the primary command they received before the mission, which was to protect and preserve Hildak at all costs.

I cannot with absolute certainty explain how Hildak is still functioning, though my calculations indicate if even one part of it somehow survived the explosion, then our nanobots may have come across it and fulfilled their primary mission by joining with the Hildak remnant and restoring it to its previous state.

Another possibility is that before the bomb was destroyed, our nanobots might have merged with Hildak to help it fulfill the objective. If that is the case, then any of our nanobots that survived the explosion would be, for all intents and purposes, clones of the original Hildak.~

This is fascinating, though unexpected, Companion. Are you sure there are no signs of danger or of the evil entity of the Masters in Hildak?

~ None, my liege. ~

Excellent, Companion. Please have our nanobots tell Hildak it is safe and among friends again. Tell it Skarl is here.

~ At once, my liege. ~

Hreth'nir turned towards Skarl as the companion carried out its command and spoke gently to the emotionally distraught Farian, who thankfully was obeying Hreth'nir's strict order to remain where he was.

"Come, Skarl. It is truly Hildak."

Skarl immediately rushed towards the table, forcing Hreth'nir to put out an arm to stop the Farian from slamming into it. A rare anger flooded through Hreth'nir, and it almost broke the Farian's humerus bone as the exosuit hand responded to Hreth'nir's emotional state and gripped Skarl's upper arm dangerously hard.

"Do not do that again, Skarl!" Hreth'nir said sternly as it allowed its anger over the Farian's reckless behavior to be transmitted through the speakers. Surprisingly, Skarl did not seem to notice the pain of the exosuit hand clamping down on his arm as he looked at Hreth'nir for the merest moment before looking back at Hildak.

Skarl rudely ignored Hreth'nir's stern warning and continued to try to break free as he desperately called out to the alloyed clamshell on the table.

"Hildak, it's me! It's Skarl, Hildak! Answer me, please!"

Six small filaments suddenly emerged from the silvery clamshell, and Skarl moaned at the sight before stretching as far as he could and pointing his long index finger at Hildak.

Before Hreth'nir could pull Skarl back, the clamshell darted forward and touched one of the tendrils to the outstretched finger before dissolving into a powdery lump of bright silver particles.

Skarl immediately lost consciousness and slumped on the table, leaving Hreth'nir stunned at what had just happened as it released the grip on Skarl's arm and stepped back, finding itself unsure of what to do for the first time in its life.