《Deciphering the Unknown - Cosmic Sentinel》


 Chapter 1

    Deciphering the Unknown:


    Cosmic Sentinel


    Book One


    Written by:


    Tyler Alldredge


    (Reinventor)


    Copyright 2024


    Chapter 1


    <hr>


    Grubnash, the burrow-master, was undertaking his daily rounds, surveying the newest area to be opened up by the workers of his clan. This large burrow was their home, but it was always bustling with activity as the clan constantly burrowed and expanded their territory.


    While sifting through the items the workers had found during their tunneling, he came across a peculiar piece of metal. Turning it over in his small, gnarled hand, his curiosity grew with each passing second. The metal had a greenish hue, similar to his own skin, but it was much more polished and less mottled. Its design was curious, resembling a key to a chest but triangular at the end instead of having teeth.


    Grubnash had always been more curious than most of his fellow Goblins, a trait that many of them appreciated. He had taken over the title of burrow-master after his father died at the hands of an adventurer''s sword almost three years ago.


    His father had been much more brutal and violent. His main goals in life were to battle, rape, and pillage, whereas Grubnash''s own aims were less violent and more explorative. Despite frequent beatings from his father for his lack of cruelty, Grubnash''s core ideals remained unchanged.


    To pass his days, Grubnash often wandered aimlessly through the caverns, talking to his clan members, scrounging for tubers and bugs to keep the Goblins fed, and searching for anything of interest to bring the clan some income or sustenance. The strange key-like piece of metal definitely caught his attention, so he gingerly slipped it into his pocket while no others were around to see him do so.


    Shortly after pocketing the intriguing key, an unusual metallic sound caught his attention. It was unlike the striking of the workers'' crude pickaxes upon the granite stone that everyone here was accustomed to. The walls of their burrow, deep below the Frenargrak Mountain, had a very reliable quality to them, and it was rare to hear the sound of striking something new. This odd sound, however, held a hollow, almost musical quality as it echoed off the stone walls.


    The piercing sound reverberated around him as though a large peal had struck the side of a bell hung high atop a grand tower. The gong instantly froze him in his tracks, as well as most of his clan''s workers, some still mid-swing as they all noticed the unusual reverberation.


    A sense of wonder, fear, and curiosity swept over them all. As if in unison, every Goblin¡¯s head swiveled to the end of the cavern to stare at the now shivering young Goblin who had struck the resounding blow. Grubnash watched in fascination as all eyes turned toward the young Goblin, even though his own gaze was locked onto the shiny piece of greenish-hued metal that the young one had struck, now glaringly exposed. The rock around the object had crumbled away, revealing the coppery protrusion, its unknown remaining surface area still locked behind layers of basalt.


    The young Goblin backed away slowly, not understanding what he had just found. Grubnash, on the other hand, rushed forward and was quickly joined by the clan shaman, Irgug. They arrived, having taken tools from the hands of the still-frozen Goblin workers along their path, and quickly began removing the debris from around the metallic object, their excitement at the discovery clearly evident.


    Neither Grubnash nor Irgug could fathom the true nature of the young Goblin''s discovery. As they chipped away at the rock with tools taken from the hands of the workers, they couldn''t help but imagine unearthing the remnants of a cave-in that had claimed the lives of wealthy adventurers, leaving behind weapons and armor to be restored, sold, or melted down for reuse.


    As they continued to chip away at the rock, their imaginings turned to dreams of uncovering an ancient treasure room, once guarded by mystical runes and cultists, now forgotten and buried by the ravages of time¡ªthe likes of which could bring their clan untold power and fortune.


    As the exposed brassy surface continued to enlarge, they marveled at the size and shape of the object before them. All their hopes and dreams were dwarfed by what was taking shape under the mountain.


    Unbeknownst to Grubnash, the green-hued key in his pocket was a small clue to the true nature of what lay beneath the mountain''s rock.


    "And that, you miserable whelps, is how the great Grubnash and I found the Tarnished Starfang," Irgug finished his tale with a flourish towards the still-uncovered brass-colored object protruding from the side of the burrow.


    The young Goblins clapped politely for the old shaman. They had all grown up with the enormous green-hued ship being excavated. The Goblins had speculated endlessly about what it actually was but had settled on the idea that the only thing large enough had to be some sort of giant vessel. They called it a ship, reasoning that other than a building, nothing else seemed to fit the profile and size.


    The large metallic object had become an integral part of their lives. Its uncovering replaced the old standards of external raiding and clan wars¡ªactivities typical of Goblin-kind. Instead, the mysterious object brought new ideas, trade options, and a renewed sense of purpose to the clan.


    The ship had become something they all hoped to one day finish removing from the stone. A piece of technology unseen before on this planet, it represented a path to great wealth and opportunity. Some Goblins also saw it as a potential source of immense power, far beyond the imaginings of any other Goblin tribes.


    Yet, the more the Goblin clan dug, the larger the ship seemed to be, and the more unlikely it felt that their task of removing it from the mountain would ever be complete.


    Among the young Goblins listening to Irgug¡¯s tale was one young whelp who seemed particularly intrigued. His eyes brimmed with slightly more intelligence than the typical Goblin. He was different from the others, driven by a relentless curiosity and a strong work ethic. He pursued his personal duties with diligence, often working on the excavation long after the official workday ended. With his intelligence and dedication, it was clear he was destined for something greater.


    This young Goblin¡¯s name was Hyruk, and he was fortunate enough to be the youngest of Grubnash''s children. Even though he wouldn''t be next in line of succession, he enjoyed a slightly elevated status among the other clan members.


    Throughout his life, Hyruk toiled away, meticulously removing the rock from around the Tarnished Starfang. He worked with a sense of wonder and pride, tirelessly exploring the strange vessel and easily distinguishing himself from the other workers through his diligence and curiosity.


    His two older siblings had been less intrigued by the ship and more drawn to the typical Goblin mindset of violence and a lust for power. They had formed factions and declared a clan war, killing each other simultaneously in their attempts to secure their reign as the next burrow-master. Not only had they both died in the skirmish, but their rival factions had wiped out a significant portion of the labor force and the clan in general, not caring who was caught in the battles.


    As Grubnash¡¯s final child, Hyruk took up the mantle of burrow-master after his siblings perished. With the title, he also became the next keeper of the triangular key, a responsibility unbeknownst to him until that time.


    Grubnash met his end shortly after the clan war ended, leaving Hyruk to lead the remaining clan members. He had to clean up after his siblings'' selfish bickerings and continue the excavation of the mysterious ship. As a result, Hyruk found himself leading a smaller clan than ever before in memory. He had to use his intelligence to rebuild the clan while continuing the excavation that had brought the clan to their current standing.


    As Grubnash lay on his deathbed, he revealed the shiny metal key to Hyruk and spoke of its importance. ¡°Keep it safe, and maybe one day you¡¯ll find the hole it goes in,¡± Grubnash wheezed, struggling for breath but showing a crooked smile as if the key¡¯s existence was a joke rather than a secret to be handed down. ¡°I¡¯m giving my treasure to you now, good luck.¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    With those final words, Hyruk became the burrow-master.


    He found new ways to continue the excavation work while also siring as many new whelps as he possibly could during his reign; he felt it was part of his personal duty to assist in the clan¡¯s growth. Alongside his continued labor and Goblin baby-making, Hyruk dreamed of finding the entry to the ship and stepping foot inside. Yet sadly, that day never came.


    Despite his efforts, he was never able to board the ship or find the place to use the key. He made progress in removing the stone from the ship over the years and even glimpsed the inside after his crew found a large transparent window near the top of the huge triangular front end. However, the elusive entry remained hidden from him.


    Years later, as Hyruk¡¯s son Friguk took his place, the elderly burrow-master felt at peace with the work he had put in and handed the key down to its new owner.


    During his time, as part of rebuilding the clan, Hyruk had established a trade route with another Goblin clan living nearer the surface. Through them, he had acquired a new female Elven breeding concubine, which greatly enhanced his son''s intelligence.


    Goblins could reproduce with any species, but the intelligence of the mother species often influenced the offspring. Friguk, born of one of Hyruk''s final matings, displayed more intelligence than any other Goblin Hyruk knew, a trait attributed to his Elven mother.


    Leaving the rest of the excavation to his youngest son, Hyruk dearly hoped that Friguk would be the one to find the entrance to the vessel, and possibly even visit the stars.


    Finally, after generations of toil and effort, a seam along the underbelly of the Tarnished Starfang was uncovered, revealing a small triangular opening. Friguk was there to oversee the work and was the first to understand the significance of the ''lock,'' as he called it.


    He reached his hand up, his fingers quivering with anticipation, and inserted the small triangular key into the tubular opening. The brassy metal slid inside, and with a small twist, released the lock to the ship, something which hadn¡¯t occurred for untold years. The entire clan held their breath as Friguk turned the key, every eye fixed on him and the mysterious ship, wondering what exactly was going to happen.


    A loud puff of air, followed by a scraping sound, broke the tense silence. Friguk''s heart pounded as the key clicked into place. Then, within moments, during which the entire clan seemed to hold its collective breath, a rectangular panel unfolded from the bottom of the ship and silently lowered to the ground below.


    The platform hovered a mere inch from the ground, not being held aloft by anything structurally, simply remaining stationary yet solidly placed above the stone floor. From his vantage point, Friguk could see up inside the ship. The yellowish glow of instruments, silvery metal panels, walls with strange designs, hoses, circuitry, lighting, and dark glassy surfaces. The gleaming interior contrasted starkly with the dark, dirty, and uneven surfaces of the Goblin¡¯s cavern into which it was now exposed.


    The entire clan marveled at the interior of the ship. Having all contributed to the excavation over generations, they now felt a deep reverence for what was revealed. The Goblins encircling the entrance stared in slack-jawed awe at the astonishing sight before them.


    Days passed as Friguk painstakingly tried to learn how to operate the lift. The symbols were strange and unlike any language the clan had ever encountered. Finally, Friguk deciphered the symbol for ''up'' and became the first Goblin to enter the Tarnished Starfang.


    Stepping foot into the ship, he reverently began his tour, his amazement growing with each step. The alien devices and equipment seemed magical and beyond explanation. Friguk was careful not to touch anything and told the few others accompanying him, "Don¡¯t touch nothin¡¯. The magic of the Starfang might be offended and kill us all for your curiosity." He wanted this vessel to remain pristine and placed the thought in his clan members¡¯ heads to help keep it that way.


    As the weeks passed and more of the clan explored the ship, they began to understand just how advanced the vessel was, far beyond their initial imaginations. Opinions among the Goblins began to diverge. Some wanted to dismantle it, sell the parts, and become rich quickly, not bothering to learn about the vessel or what it could do. Others, including Friguk, sought to study the ship, hoping to pilot it themselves one day, leave their mountain, and explore the greater world, or perhaps even travel beyond.


    There was also the idea of ruling the world from the skies above, raining down terror from this marvel of technology, especially among some of the poorer-bred Goblins. However, the need for violence and power was slowly giving way to a desire to explore and learn, a shift that Friguk was glad to see happening in his clan.


    The ship¡¯s interior held secrets and promises that could change their lives forever. As they stood on the cusp of this new era, the Goblins felt a mix of fear and excitement growing among them. The Tarnished Starfang was no longer just a dream; it was a gateway to a future filled with possibilities. However, the differing ideas and desires soon led to contention within the clan, bringing undue stress and halting the continued excavation of the ship.


    Friguk pleaded with his clanfolk to stop their bickering and continue their work, but his pleas fell mostly on deaf ears. Just a week later, Friguk met his end at the point of a pickaxe wielded by the leader of the opposing faction.


    Following in his father''s footsteps, Friguk fathered his own offspring with the still-enslaved Elven female. Elves were highly prized in Goblin society for their breeding status; the number of children they could bear throughout their long lifetimes could profoundly impact a clan and its members.


    In Goblin culture, it was acknowledged that the same female who birthed you might also become the mother of your children. This practice was seen as a natural part of the Goblin breeding process rather than a taboo. Thus, Friguk''s only son, Daegnon, named for and greatly influenced by his mother''s heritage, assumed leadership of the clan at the tender age of two, the age he was when his father Friguk died.


    Goblins aged much faster than most humanoid species, similar to the rapid development of canines; so despite his young age, Daegnon possessed the maturity of an average teenager among other humanoid species.


    Along with being mature enough to understand and take over as burrow-master, Daegnon also possessed intelligence much greater than the rest of the brood. In fact, his intelligence was more akin to a human''s¡ªalbeit if the human had been dropped on his head a few times when still a baby, but still within the human range.


    When Daegnon took over from his father, he understood that instead of trying to convince the Goblins who wanted to dismantle the ship that his idea of leaving and exploring was the proper choice, he needed to be decisive and show the clan that there was no room for debate.


    Therefore, he was going to take ownership of this ship and fly it, along with anyone in his clan who would accompany him, out of this mountain and on to greater heights.


    With his goal in mind, Daegnon''s first priority was to locate the ship''s control station. If he could learn how to operate it, he believed it would provide him with a means to defend himself and leave the mountain.


    He searched for hours, exploring rooms and common areas which not all Goblins had access to. As the new burrow-master, he had the triangular key which allowed him access to different areas, so he was able to take his time and thoroughly search through the ship and the rooms not accessible by the main clan.


    Finally, close to ending his search for the evening, he discovered a somewhat hidden room, one that had been overlooked by the others. The only reason he found it was because he had been dragging his fingers along the wall of the hall he was walking down and felt a slight ridge where the rest of the wall was perfectly smooth below his fingertips.


    Upon further exploration of the area around the ridge in the wall, he found a set of two small holes behind a panel that sprang open once he pushed it inward slightly. Recalling the lock that opened the ship''s external platform, he placed the key into the uppermost hole and his index finger into the lower. He could feel a slightly springy resistance in the hole, so he pressed inward.


    Once the interior button was pressed, there was a small dinging sound, and then the wall ahead of him began to slide open with a light hiss.


    Daegnon stepped back at first, not knowing what was going to happen.


    As the door slid open, revealing a new room he had never seen before, his fear gave way and he slowly and cautiously entered.


    This room contained a large, throne-like chair surrounded by wires and controls. Though still apprehensive, his teenage curiosity urged him forward. He climbed into the overly large, ill-fitting chair and attempted to adjust himself to the unfamiliar dimensions.


    As he finally found a position that was somewhat comfortable, reclining with his body in an almost supine position, something very unexpected happened. Before his eyes, a strange set of brightly glowing glyphs materialized. Their sudden and eerie appearance caught him completely unaware, startling Daegnon enough that he might have made a small puddle on the large seat he was now lying upon.


    For a few moments, he was all but paralyzed with shock, his heart racing and his breath catching in his throat. The luminous script floated before him, casting an ethereal glow in the somewhat darkened room. The icons pulsed and shimmered as if alive with a mysterious energy that made the hair on the back of his toes stand on end.


    Finally, after the initial shock began to fade and his mind started to process what he was seeing, Daegnon realized that these images were merely a creation of the ship, not some otherworldly specter. He cautiously leaned forward, eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of the glyphs.


    As he intently studied the glowing script¡ªa feat far from typical for most Goblins¡ªa new source of light caught his attention. He turned his head slowly to see what new wonder the ship was introducing him to. The light shining from above illuminated a peculiar helmet-like device hanging suspended in mid-air at the end of a silvery tube. The strange wire attached to it was different from most others he had seen in the ship, its surface marked with tightly grouped ridges, extending upwards into the silvery ceiling above. The helmet-type visor seemed to beckon him, its light pulsating in rhythm with the glyphs, adding to the room''s surreal and suspenseful atmosphere.


    Every instinct in Daegnon''s body screamed caution, but his curiosity was undeniable. What was this device? Why had it been illuminated now, at this precise moment? His mind raced with possibilities, each one more bewildering than the last, as he found himself drawn closer to the enigmatic helmet, feeling a mix of fear and anticipation that left him trembling in the dim, silvery light of the room.


    He reached out, his long, slender fingers taking hold of the helmet and drawing it nearer to him. He wasn¡¯t entirely certain why he thought this was a good idea, but he placed the strange-looking visor onto his head.


    It didn¡¯t fit well; it was much too large.


    There was a slight indentation where the helmet device somewhat sat upon his large nose, but the indentation was much too narrow to fit around his bulbous nostrils.


    But as soon as it slid into place, the helmet activated, and it instantly became clear that the ship and its magic were not designed for Goblins. The information and sensations bombarding Daegnon from the visor not only hurt his eyes and brain but also left him feeling dazed and sick.


    He didn¡¯t know exactly what he had done, but a strange sensation passed over him, as though he were sliding down a huge underground waterfall into a vast pool of cold, sticky liquid.


    As quickly as possible, once his mind allowed him to move again, Daegnon ripped the visor off his head and ran screaming from the room, his legs covered in his own secretions, leaving a wet trail behind him. His plans of using the ship to bully the Goblins who wanted to dismantle it into submission evaporated in that instant. All he wanted to do was leave this place and curl up in his tent.


    To his utter amazement and surprise, that was no longer possible. Daegnon ran to the exit, but it was closed. He pressed the button to open the door several times, but it refused to open. After several moments, he was joined by several other Goblins, each of whom looked as sick and scared as he did. They were covered in sweat and smelled as though they had all left puddles below them in the same way he had.


    After several minutes of trying to figure out why they could no longer open the door to leave, a female Goblin named Glix joined the small contingency that had formed at the exit. She seemed to look slightly less sick than the rest of them, but still obviously shaken. She wasted no time explaining why she hadn¡¯t been affected in the same way, instead telling them that something bad had happened, something they would have to see to believe, and began to lead them to the top of the ship.


    As the group entered the familiar room with the translucent opening they had all peered through before they had a way inside, they processed what they saw and began to understand what Glix had been telling them.


    The sight before them was no longer the mountain they knew. There was no rock, no smoke from fires, no clan members clamoring about.


    There was only darkness and small, shiny specks of light as far as their eyes could see.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    The lights in the apartment flickered several times before finally shutting off altogether. Cyrus had received a text message earlier that morning from his electric company, reminding him of today¡¯s scheduled power outage, but the time between the notification and the actual outage felt much shorter than he had expected. He was playing his favorite VR MMORPG as usual, and was mid-raid when the electricity to his apartment went out, abruptly disconnecting him.


    The quick disconnection from the game startled Cyrus, causing his heart to race, but it didn¡¯t take long for him to realize what had happened and get his heart rate back to normal. The surrounding darkness was also disorienting; Cyrus normally kept the drapes over his windows pinned closed, preferring the dim LED lighting to actual sunshine. This kept the outside world "outside" where it belonged, thus preserving the sanctity of his home. However, this level of darkness was beyond the norm, and Cyrus felt almost blind, which brought his heart rate back up once more.


    With a grumble, knowing there was nothing he could do about it, he slowly removed his headset and reflexively set it on the charging rack on the table next to his gaming chair. The apartment was now fully engulfed in darkness, but the motion of setting the headset down was so ingrained into his muscles that he had no problem placing it on its cradle.


    After re-homing his headset, he then fumbled around for his phone and almost knocked his drink to the floor in the process. He used a sealable bottle to drink from because he had done this exact thing multiple times before, but still, his anxiety rose as his fingers clumsily bumped into the bottle and it wobbled before returning to its stable upright position.


    Upon finally touching his phone¡¯s screen, it illuminated, bringing a hint of reality back to the surrounding darkness and washing away thoughts of monsters, ghosts, or shadow figures from Cyrus¡¯s mind.


    Cyrus was not a people person, to put it lightly. Most would call him a shut-in, but that was how he preferred his life: orderly, clean, and without external distractions. He rarely even watched TV, opting to consume the small amount of media he did through his VR headgear from the comfort of his one-of-a-kind gaming chair built especially for him.


    There was a very good reason for this seclusion, a reason that haunted Cyrus every day of his life, a memory which, try as he might, he couldn¡¯t seem to suppress.


    This memory was of an event he had experienced at age fourteen, an event that profoundly changed his life, shifting his mental state to the place it still resided today¡ªa place that many would call unhealthy.


    While walking home from school on an otherwise typical Tuesday, Cyrus was looking down at his handheld gaming device and not paying attention. He knew his house was the next one down, having walked this sidewalk so many times that he knew every blade of grass along the way.


    But on this day, something caught his attention. At first, he didn¡¯t give it much thought, but then he realized the strange noise was coming from just ahead, from his house.


    The sound was similar to a person spraying water from a hose, and his mind assumed it was his mother outside watering the lawn. However, there was something about the noise that didn¡¯t seem to fit with the scenario his mind had come up with.


    He was just looking up from his screen to determine what was actually making the noise when¡­ his entire house exploded.


    The shockwave from the blast caught him completely off guard, sending him hurtling backward, his entire body becoming airborne. He was flung several feet from where he had stood mid-step and landed hard on his back, hitting his head against the sidewalk, which consequently knocked him out and caused a serious concussion.


    In that brief, surreal moment, as he flew through the air, he saw his house disintegrating into countless fragments. It was as if he were watching a scene from an action movie rather than living through his own nightmare. This detachment was his mind¡¯s desperate attempt to shield his young psyche from the horrifying reality of what had just happened.


    He had always loved action movies and enjoyed watching huge explosions on screen. However, witnessing one in person, feeling the actual heat, concussive wave, and explosive power emanating from the exploding structure, not to mention coming to realize that everything he owned was now gone, changed his perspective on explosions and life in general forever.


    Cyrus was told that several minutes after the explosion occurred, his neighbors came running out of their homes to see what had happened. They found him on the sidewalk and called an ambulance. He was rushed to the nearest hospital, but was airlifted to the major trauma center in D.C. once it was determined that his injuries were beyond their capabilities.


    He remained there, in a coma, for several days, his fate uncertain.


    Finally, he did wake up, but to an empty hospital room. The only sounds he could make out as he lay there motionless were the machines whirring around him and voices in the hall.


    His first thoughts were to wonder why his parents weren¡¯t there with him. His second was of the explosion he had witnessed.


    Many uncertainties and tears flowed out of Cyrus that day as doctors and nurses poked and prodded. He was examined from top to bottom and everywhere in between before finally being allowed to sit up and gently sip some warm broth.


    Later that same day, he was visited by a kind lady who introduced herself as Ms. Norris. She wasn¡¯t a police officer and didn¡¯t dress like a typical doctor. She explained to Cyrus that she was a grief counselor.


    His immediate thought was to ask why he would need a grief counselor, but his still-jumbled mind wasn¡¯t yet putting things together. Instead of asking why she was there, he asked why the people outside his room were saying such horrible things about his parents.


    Ms. Norris bowed her head and took Cyrus¡¯s hand. ¡°Cyrus, there¡¯s something I need to tell you, and it¡¯s not going to be easy to understand or accept,¡± she said softly.


    She went on to explain that his parents, who worked for his home country''s embassy, were actually foreign espionage agents, better known as spies. Their cover had been compromised, and they had been eliminated, not by the USA, where they all lived, but by an unknown faction altogether.


    The paper trail, photos, and digital information proving their status had been released to the media at the same time as the explosion, both confirming their identities and proving to the world that he, Cyrus, had no knowledge of what they were doing and had taken no part in their undertakings.


    Cyrus listened in stunned shock, unable to fully comprehend the enormity of what he was hearing. As Ms. Norris continued to speak, he remembered overhearing a heated conversation outside his hospital room earlier. Two police officers were arguing with some loud and unruly people, and amidst the commotion, Cyrus had distinctly heard people calling his parents traitors and commies, words that reminded him of the history lessons he was learning in school, but not in a good way.


    Not only was he now homeless and traumatized, but his parents had cut ties with their family when moving to the United States, leaving Cyrus with no idea who he was related to, that information not seeming important until now.


    He spent the next few years in hospitals and care centers, working on his recovery and overcoming the physical ailments, but he was never able to truly overcome his anxiety.


    He developed a severe case of agoraphobia and had many issues with going outside. The incident, along with the weight of his parents¡¯ betrayal and their violent deaths, pushed him into isolation.


    He could no longer face the world outside, not with the whispers and stares that seemed to follow him wherever he went, and not with the knowledge of his parents'' secret lives.


    And that is why the darkness of his apartment became his refuge, the only place where he felt safe from the chaos of the outside world.


    Luckily Ms., now Mrs. Norris, had stayed by him through the years, finding him assistance, setting him up in this apartment complex, and always encouraging him to push further and do more. That''s why, with the electricity out and a single errant beam of sunlight peeking through the bottom of the drapes, Cyrus decided it might be okay to let in a little fresh air.


    Cyrus moved to the window and drew back the curtains from the top center, careful not to unpin the material from the wall. The sun was bright, and the sky was a clear shade of blue, with only small puffy clouds along the horizon.


    It took his eyes a few moments to acclimate to the brightness, and he blinked rapidly from the strong rays. Once they adjusted, he pushed himself further than he had in quite a while and reached up to the upper pane, slowly opening the window.


    A cooling, fresh breeze streamed in as the pane slid down, carrying with it the scent of lilacs, which were in full bloom on this mid-May day in the Midwest city of Edina. He had moved to Minnesota to escape the stigma of his upbringing while still being close to a large metro area where he could maintain his secluded lifestyle.


    A large lilac tree near his window blocked out much of the view of the rest of the complex, which Cyrus greatly appreciated, even though he rarely opened his drapes. Its lavender-colored blooms brought a much-needed pop of color to his view, contrasting sharply with the mainly gray and black interior of his apartment.


    The breeze was soothing, especially since the AC wasn¡¯t working with the power outage. Cyrus was grateful that the temperature outside wasn¡¯t too hot and that the nice breeze blowing in through his open window was helping to cool him off.


    As Cyrus turned away from the window to move into the kitchen, he caught a pungent whiff of his apartment''s stale air. He had apparently gone nose-blind to the mustiness, as one does when living in a place with little added air circulation. The apartment¡¯s AC and heat pushed the air around, but without the introduction of new scents or the clearing out of the old ones, the aroma of the apartment tended to linger.


    The floral-scented air briefly overpowered the usual mustiness, making Cyrus realize just how stuffy his place had become.


    "Okay, this place needs a good airing out," Cyrus said aloud, to nobody in particular. He was almost always alone, unless Mrs. Norris came over, or a delivery driver insisted on knocking on his door, but found that talking to himself didn¡¯t mean he was crazy at all. It wasn¡¯t as people suggested, that talking to oneself was a sure sign of mental disease. He often spoke aloud and found his own company quite pleasant, if he did say so himself.


    With that thought, he made his way to the kitchen, where he proceeded to open the small window above the sink to encourage some added circulation. He then decided it would be a good idea to open all the windows in the apartment to really let the breeze take away the many manly smells sticking to the walls and carpet.


    On his way out of the kitchen, he grabbed a tube of potato chips and popped them open as he moved down the hall to the bedroom.


    A couple of steps down the hallway, his watch began to buzz and ring; he had set his ringtone to the familiar intro music from one of the old-school console games he played as a kid. Hearing the digital music, he brought his wrist up to see who was calling and saw that it was his counselor, Mrs. Norris. He had left his actual phone on the table near his chair, so he tapped the screen on his watch and took the call on audio only.


    ¡°Hi, Mrs. Norris, I¡¯m on my watch. We can switch to video once I get back to my phone if you¡¯d prefer,¡± he said in greeting.


    ¡°Oh, hello, Cyrus, that¡¯s okay. I¡¯m actually glad to hear that you are away from your phone and that you sound like you¡¯re doing well today,¡± the female voice on the other end of the line spoke in a soothing and cheerful tone. ¡°I was a little concerned when the electricity went out that you would be having some anxiety issues.¡±


    ¡°The power company texted earlier and said it would be going out for a few hours today, so I knew what to expect, although it seemed to happen sooner than I thought it would,¡± Cyrus continued. ¡°It was a little triggering at first, but once I realized what was going on, I was okay. In fact, I am actually opening the windows a little. The breeze outside feels nice, and I didn¡¯t realize how stuffy this place had gotten.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a great idea, Cyrus,¡± Mrs. Norris said excitedly. ¡°Have you thought any more about what we were talking about last week, maybe getting some sunshine? It¡¯d be a perfect day to do that if you are comfortable enough.¡±


    Cyrus visibly winced at the thought of going outside and was glad this conversation wasn¡¯t on video chat. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± he stuttered, ¡°I hadn¡¯t, but you are right, it is a nice day, and there¡¯s nothing really for me to do inside, so¡­ maybe?¡±


    There was a short pause, and Cyrus swore he could hear Mrs. Norris¡¯s huge smile as she beamed in delight at him even considering the idea. ¡°Well, Cyrus, I think it would be a great idea if you feel up to it. I could even stop by if you would like a little extra encouragement.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    Cyrus liked Mrs. Norris, and she was one of the very few people he didn¡¯t mind having over. She had followed him to Minnesota from Virginia, where she had lived before. Her husband was originally from St. Peter, which played a part in their decision to move back to Minnesota. This all happened around the same time that Cyrus was looking for a place away from D.C. Mrs. Norris had mentioned their move to Cyrus, and it greatly influenced his own decision to relocate.


    He was generally a clean person, so he wasn¡¯t embarrassed about his apartment, but having people in his space always felt so intrusive, like they wanted something from him or judged him for being so reclusive. So, unless there was someone very special, he rarely allowed anyone over.


    ¡°Okay, well, I don¡¯t want to bother you with that; I¡¯m sure you have plans. I think I¡¯ll be okay by myself,¡± Cyrus replied as he cranked open the window in his bedroom after removing the pins and setting them in a cup on his nightstand. ¡°If I take a walk or something, though, I¡¯ll let you know.¡±


    There was some slight disappointment evident in Mrs. Norris¡¯s voice as she replied, ¡°Oh, okay, Cyrus.¡± After a brief pause, she added, ¡°If you need anything from me, don¡¯t hesitate to ask. You know I¡¯m always here for you.¡±


    To an extent, the relationship they had built was more than just counselor and patient. He had been there when her career had just started, and she had stuck with him throughout his life. He knew that, in some way, he was like a son to her, and he had to admit that she was also a parental figure to him.


    A baby started crying in the background of the call as Cyrus spoke. ¡°Okay, Mrs. Norris, I will let you know how things go today.¡±


    Cyrus could hear Mrs. Norris¡¯s footsteps as she walked over to where her baby was fussing. Her shoes clicked on the wooden floors, and the baby¡¯s crying got louder as she drew nearer. ¡°It sounds like I need to get back to Sophie anyway. Take care of yourself, Cyrus, and we can talk more tomorrow at our usual session.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mrs. Norris. Talk to you tomorrow,¡± Cyrus said and hung up the line. He was glad for the finality of the conversation and appreciated that Sophie, Mrs. Norris¡¯s baby, provided the distraction to allow him to end it quickly. He knew he shouldn¡¯t feel that way¡ªshe had always been so nice to him and had helped him beyond measure throughout the years¡ªbut he couldn¡¯t help but feel uncomfortable when talking about leaving his home.


    Even though his parents had been found out as spies, he was completely unaware of any of their doings and so had been able to claim the insurance policies they had left for him, both from the house they had owned and on their deaths as well. They may not have been loyal to their country or the one they lived in, but they had been prepared and loyal to him, leaving him with the ability to care for himself once they were gone. While this hadn¡¯t made him rich, it had set him up with the things he needed and enough money in savings to lead a relatively easy life without having to work for anyone.


    That didn¡¯t mean he was totally idle, though. He still had a few side projects that made him some extra income, but they were more hobbies¡ªthings he enjoyed doing, like making cooking videos or proofreading and editing manuscripts. These activities were enjoyable for him rather than feeling forced.


    This is how he managed to live the life he did. He received some assistance from the state, mostly in the form of healthcare, but overall, he felt he contributed more to the economy than he took from it.


    Cyrus made his way back into the living room and stared at his gaming chair. He popped open the can of chips again and reflexively grabbed several, tossing them into his mouth with a crunch. He had intended to sit down and stare out the window while enjoying his snack, but the conversation had brought the idea of going for an actual walk to the forefront of his mind.


    He looked down at his body. It wasn¡¯t the lean, athletic shape he had as a kid; that body was long gone. What he saw now was pretty much just skin covering blubber. He hadn¡¯t taken the initiative to keep up his physique. He didn¡¯t exercise regularly, other than cleaning his house and making food. His life revolved around playing video games, reading sci-fi and fantasy novels, and cooking.


    He stood there and pondered his limited existence for several long moments, another couple of saddle-shaped, cheddar-flavored fried potato crisps entering his mouth as he did. He thought about how much life he had missed by locking himself away in his safe place.


    ¡®Maybe I should go outside. The exercise would be good for me, so would the vitamin D from the sunshine. I could make a sandwich and have a little picnic down by the pond,¡¯ he thought to himself as he mindlessly chewed and swallowed, the actual flavor lost on him after eating so many of the flavor-bombed chips over the years.


    A small voice at the back of his mind made the case for staying inside, telling him, ''There¡¯s nothing but violence and judgment outside, it¡¯s not worth the effort. Just sit here and let nature take its course.''


    This was the voice he listened to the most. It was the voice that had kept him safe. It had started almost immediately after the incident and had helped him stay alive and well for years now.


    But as Cyrus continued to look from his body to the sunlit grass outside, a new, smaller voice entered the conversation in his head. ''But have you actually lived? You haven¡¯t left here in over a year, and then only to get your medications that one time because the delivery was stalled. Is that really who you want to be?''


    The iconic image of an angel and a demon sitting on his shoulders came to mind as the voices spoke to him. He could see and understand the veracity of each argument. It was easy for him to justify staying inside, hidden away from the scary parts of the world; but he also remembered how much fun he used to have when he was young. He understood that not everything was scary, and not everyone wanted his money or to cause him pain, but it was difficult to believe that for him.


    It was an argument he had with himself frequently, yet he almost always pushed away the voice telling him to be ¡®normal.¡¯ The smaller voice telling him that it would be okay to leave, that he might actually enjoy himself if he stepped outside.


    His gaze rose to the window once more. He could see through the branches of the lilac tree to the pond in the distance, its water sparkling and ducks floating lazily on top. The fountain in the middle jetted upward, its plume shimmering as it cascaded back down into the water.


    ''You could take some of that popcorn you bought, thinking you would snack on it instead of chips, out to the ducks. They won¡¯t mind that it tastes like cardboard,'' the smaller voice spoke once more, its volume growing ever so slightly louder.


    ¡°There really isn¡¯t anything to do here at the moment, is there?¡± Cyrus said aloud, in an attempt to convince himself.


    He could feel his legs quiver as he seriously began considering the idea of having an outside excursion. He couldn¡¯t decide if it was in anticipation, dread, or perhaps just the thought of getting some actual exercise.


    He heard small birds tweeting outside his window, and the scent of the lilac bush wafted in strongly once more. The smell was sweet and spoke of relaxation and contentment.


    Cyrus looked around his apartment; everything was in place. There was nothing that was going to expire or change if he went outside for a little while.


    With a huge inhalation of air, Cyrus closed his eyes and made up his mind. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do this,¡± he said to himself, reaffirming his decision and gearing himself up.


    The next few minutes were spent making a sandwich with turkey, roast beef, white cheddar, pickles, lettuce, and honey-dijon mustard on rye bread; mixing a mixed-berry smoothie with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream; and stuffing the remaining chips from the tube, some cookies, diet soda (of course), and the aforementioned cardboard-tasting popcorn into a small duffel bag.


    Cyrus put on his best walking shoes, which just so happened to be the only pair of actual shoes he owned; the rest were slippers he wore inside. He then stood at the door to his apartment, his hand resting lightly on the knob.


    ¡®Am I really going to do this?¡¯ he asked himself. He was already sweating, partially from the exertion of getting everything ready, but mostly from the thought of leaving.


    ¡®You got this! Just think of how good you¡¯ll feel once you are outside with the grass and sunshine, feeling the breeze and smelling nature,¡¯ the once small voice spoke inside his mind once again.


    Cyrus could swear he heard a condescending ¡®pfft¡¯ come from the other voice in his mind, letting him know how foolhardy it felt this outing was.


    ¡°I can do this,¡± he said aloud, trying to force his hand to twist the knob. The sweat from his palm made his hand slide around the silver metal doorknob, forcing him to grip even tighter, his knuckles whitening.


    ¡°Come on, you stupid door,¡± he growled. He wasn¡¯t sure if he was mad at the door or his sweaty palm, but it seemed like the universe was fighting him. He was trying to do something good, to get outside and fight against the mental shackles placed on him, and these obstacles were making the task that much more difficult.


    Cyrus inhaled deeply, wiped his palm on his shorts, and gripped the handle once again. This time, he twisted as he exhaled, and the door unlatched. He pulled the door inward into his living room and faced the hallway.


    He had overcome the first obstacle. Now he needed to cross the invisible barrier that kept him separate from the rest of the world. Cyrus knew it was all in his mind, but he swore he could see a shimmering blue force field partitioning his apartment from the hallway.


    Closing his eyes, he focused on his breathing once again and extended his right foot forward. His foot easily passed through the mental barrier and landed on the hallway floor with its diamond-shaped gray and blue repetitive design.


    Opening his eyes again, he saw that his foot was actually outside his doorway. With another bout of effort, he pushed himself forward and forced his left foot to join him.


    A wave of tension rolled over him as his torso passed through the plane of the mental barrier he had erected.


    Then Cyrus realized he had made it through and was now outside.


    Immediately, the warring voices in his head began competing for dominance, almost screaming at each other in their bid to make Cyrus move either forward or in reverse. One side encouraged him, telling him to continue outside and that what he was doing was great, while the other reprimanded him for leaving, warning him of the dangers lurking in the outside world and demanding he turn around and get back inside.


    Cyrus closed his eyes again, focusing on his breathing and simply listening to the world around him, hoping to silence the voices. Luckily, there weren¡¯t any other people in the hallway; their voices would have tipped the scales and sent him running back to his sanctuary.


    He did hear a dog barking in the distance and the same birds singing as he had heard inside, but the sounds of nature were encouraging rather than frightening to his anxiety-ridden mind.


    With another effort of will, Cyrus pulled the door closed behind him and heard the telltale click of the lock as the handle slid into place. He had a self-locking door, and only by having a specific key card or being able to log into the app on his phone could he get back in.


    He made sure he had both the key card and his phone on him, with the app open just in case he needed to re-enter quickly.


    It was only about four steps to the end of the hall, where a glass door covered in children¡¯s sticky handprints kept out the elements. It took Cyrus several more seconds to gather the courage to take those four steps, contending with the mental juggle he faced every time he tried to leave his apartment.


    Once he was ready, he slowly and deliberately stepped forward until he found himself gripping the handle to the door to the outside, his brain protesting the entire time.


    His apartment was his sacred space, but the apartment building, in general, was also a type of sanctuary. Once he moved through this next door, he would truly be without shelter. Once he was truly outside, he would be vulnerable.


    It took Cyrus several more moments of listening and breathing, calming himself, and intently focusing on the encouraging voice in his head, but eventually, he found the strength to pull open the door, exposing himself to the vast world outside.


    A cool breeze immediately flowed over him; it was humid outside, but the breeze was refreshing. The temperature wasn¡¯t overly warm, and the smell of freshly cut grass filled his nostrils, the scent carried on the wind.


    He could hear the whir of the lawnmower as it continued its work, its job here at his building already finished. The trickle of water from the fountain and the quacks from the ducks blended in with the normal sounds of the city: the horns, engines, and people.


    And that was the crux of Cyrus¡¯s problem: people. Nature he could deal with. Nature followed rules; it had hierarchies and did things out of necessity, not emotion. People were the opposite. People did things because they wanted to, because it felt good, or made them money. People did things that made no sense; they hurt each other, deceived themselves as well as one another. People were the scary part.


    Now that he was beyond the doors, outside where anything could happen, Cyrus both froze and melted at the same time. He was still, frozen in place, but his emotional baggage, the coldness that surrounded his heart, melted as he felt the peace that can only be found in nature.


    He stood there for several moments, the happy, encouraging voice singing its praises, while the now smaller, negative voice grumbled in a dark corner. Finally, he began walking, placing one foot in front of the other as he made his way away from the apartment building.


    He eventually reached a small table near the edge of the pond. A few other people were around: one walking a pair of small brown dogs, an obviously romantic couple enjoying lunch by the water, and a small group of workers with weed eaters and leaf blowers trimming and cleaning the areas where the lawnmower couldn¡¯t fit.


    For Cyrus, his anxiety continued to mount as he made his way to the table, but no one seemed to pay him any attention, so he was able to push forward. He was drenched in sweat, and his heart thudded loudly in his ears when he arrived, but he sat down at the table and began removing the food he had packed from his bag, vowing to make it through this ordeal.


    ¡®I¡¯ve made it this far; I am going to finish,¡¯ the mantra repeated in his mind.


    He took out the sandwich and twisted the lid off the bottle of diet soda, setting up a nice eating area for himself. Some small flies and a bee felt entitled to his food, but he shooed them away as he began eating his picnic lunch.


    As time passed, sitting in the sun and feeling the breeze, his anxiety lessened. He was being left alone, enjoying himself outside, with the ducks coming up to gather the popcorn he had thrown to them. The insects were annoying but tolerable, and the sensation of being free, open, and unrestricted was a balm for his anxiety-ridden brain.


    Cyrus even found himself smiling after a while. He had finished his sandwich and actually enjoyed watching the ducks squabble over the small white kernels he threw to them. The sounds of the world seemed to melt into a small buzz at the back of his mind. He was still aware of its presence, but it was easily overlooked for the moment.


    He began to wonder if this was how ¡®normal¡¯ people felt.


    ¡®If I could feel like this all the time, I wouldn¡¯t have to hide away so much,¡¯ he thought to himself while tossing another handful of the flavorless popcorn to the ducks and other small birds now surrounding him.


    Cyrus felt the sun warming his back and stretched his arms up to meet it. He cracked his neck from side to side, rolling it and letting his nerves relax. Then he realized the sun was beaming down more from his side, not on his back, and he turned to verify.


    He found that the sun was indeed more to his left side than to his back, yet the heat from behind him was growing in intensity. It wasn¡¯t unbearable, but it was warmer than the rest of his body.


    Continuing to turn around to see what might be causing such an unusual sensation, he found nothing there but his apartment building. Then he noticed what looked like small reflective particles raining around him.


    The heat, which had been centered on his back, expanded and now engulfed his entire body, and a strange, almost weightless sensation quickly overcame him.


    The fear of the unknown caused Cyrus¡¯s stomach to jump into his throat as if he were on the steep descent of a tall roller coaster. Panic washed over him, and a new layer of sweat rapidly dampened his clothes.


    The reflective particles multiplied exponentially, and Cyrus found he couldn¡¯t move. He was surrounded by them.


    The surrounding world quickly faded until all he could see were the silvery shiny points of light holding him in place. The sensation of heat was replaced by a feeling of rising too quickly in an elevator, as if his feet were trying their hardest to be in the spot his head was currently occupying. His heart pounded in his chest, and a wave of dizziness made him feel as though he might vomit as his vision began to blur around the edges.


    Then, after being bound for what felt like an eternity but was probably only twenty or so seconds, the encircling particles simply evaporated, and Cyrus¡¯s vision returned; the feeling of rapidly rising also ending.


    Unfortunately, as Cyrus¡¯s eyes readjusted, the park with its freshly cut grass and shimmering pond was no longer surrounding him. What he saw now reminded him more of one of the video games he played than the real world, and Cyrus¡¯s hands reflexively went to his head to double-check he wasn¡¯t actually wearing his VR headset.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    Bright light assailed Cyrus¡¯s eyes as he found himself able to move once more, but it wasn''t the familiar brightness of the sunshine he had just been under, nor was it the harshness of indoor fluorescent lighting. This light felt purer, more silvery than yellow, and it was soft on his eyes, unlike the buzzing and blue infra-rays of artificial lighting.


    That¡¯s why it didn¡¯t take as long for Cyrus¡¯s eyes to adjust to this softer spectrum of illumination. As he did, his visual surroundings began to clear, revealing where he actually was now, far from the place he had just been. Attempting to remove his VR headset hadn¡¯t worked, which left Cyrus grappling with the reality of his new situation, struggling to reconcile what he saw in front of him with what he knew he should be seeing. His logical 3b rain told him that he should still be in the shared garden space of his apartment complex, but that obviously wasn¡¯t the case.


    He was standing in a large room surrounded on all sides by sleek silver and white walls. The upper half of the walls, including the ceiling, was a pale white with small unusual designs in soft colors running through it, while the lower half was silver. There were no visible seams between the halves that made up the room; in fact, they looked as though the different materials had been created as one large sheet. But that couldn¡¯t be the case either, because interspersed throughout the room were dark, glass-like display panels, and the images being displayed upon them were not the flat images he was accustomed to seeing.


    Cyrus was familiar with many different VR games, wherein certain screens could emulate three-dimensional realism and even create holographic images that could be somewhat interacted with. However, the graphical designs he was accustomed to in said games paled in comparison to what he was seeing now. The displays in this room showed images that seemed to have both depth and solidity as they hovered in mid-air, both a part of and separate from the displays.


    As he looked closer, he realized the images were not just floating above but had an actual physical presence that felt almost tangible. The displays somehow not only projected a semi-solid object but also conveyed a sense of mass and volume along with it, as if he could reach out and touch the images, feeling the light as a solid thing. Each image was incredibly detailed and intricate, displaying visual information in ways that far surpassed any technology he had ever encountered before.


    Cyrus¡¯s mind raced to understand how this level of sophistication was even possible. The images seemed to convey a richness and complexity that suggested a level of technological advancement far beyond his imagination.


    ¡°This is incredible,¡± Cyrus whispered to himself. The displays weren''t just showing data; they were presenting it in a way that felt alive and interactive, making the information even more accessible and engaging.


    For a few moments, Cyrus was lost in his amazement and curiosity. His anxiety retreated and felt almost nonexistent; the voices in his head silenced, and the fear of what had just happened to him and where he now found himself vanishing.


    He reached out gently to touch the strange image floating before him. The display he focused on showed a panel of what Cyrus assumed were words. These unusual glyph-like characters appeared to be more than just flat drawings or computer-generated images. They weren¡¯t the typical font, flat, or even faux 3D with shadows giving them the appearance of depth. Within each glyph were actual separate textures, ridges, and peaks¡ªactual physical buttons made of light which he could reach out and touch.


    But there was more to the strange icons than just their appearance. It seemed to Cyrus as though the letters were designed to be interpreted not only by sight but also by touch. Reading the glyphs may provide an initial impression, but he sensed that only by touching them as well could a more comprehensive meaning be understood.


    He reached out, his arms and fingers seemingly moving of their own accord. His curiosity got the better of him as he felt he needed to experience this alien technology. He tried to touch it before considering all the ramifications of doing so. But mere seconds before his fingers came into contact with the first of the illuminated glyphs, a hissing sound broke the silence and drew his attention away, ripping him from his entrancement.


    Cyrus reflexively turned his head toward the source of the sound, his hand still suspended in mid-air. He watched as a small seam appeared on the wall and a rectangular panel shifted forward into the room where he stood. The door became apparent as it ingressed a few centimeters into the room, followed swiftly by the entire panel sliding along the inside of the wall to reveal an entryway where none had existed before.


    As the door slid open noiselessly along the wall, Cyrus''s anxiety surged back in full force. Not only was he no longer alone, but the occupants on the other side of the doorway were decidedly non-human.


    Somewhere in the back of his mind, Cyrus had entertained the idea that he might have been abducted by aliens, even though his rational mind still had a difficult time believing in such things. He wasn¡¯t one to believe in conspiracies, at least not a lot of them, but from what he was now seeing around him, as well as the circumstances leading up to him being here in this place of much greater technology, alien abduction seemed one of the most logical explanations.


    His brain had been slowly bringing the pieces together, but at the sight of these strange creatures, the puzzle looked as though it had been completed, the pieces fitting together and clicking into place.


    But the creatures standing there, just beyond the doorway weren¡¯t the skinny gray aliens he expected to see. They didn¡¯t look like how he¡¯d heard lizardmen described either, those being another of the alien races he¡¯d learned of on the internet. They definitely weren¡¯t the Tall-Whites, which he had seen a video of online and were said to run the Earth from the shadows.


    These beings were small, green, and smelled a lot like cat piss, the ammonia quality to the air surrounding them reaching his nostrils and causing tears to form in his eyes. The pungent smell wafted in as soon as the door was fully open.


    Each of the roughly four-foot-tall creatures had long ears that stuck out and away from their heads. Their dark maroon eyes were disproportionately large on their smallish heads. From the center of each of their faces blossomed an irregular nose, each unique but overly large. Some noses were round and bulbous, while others stuck out several inches before ending in an exaggerated point.


    Their mouths also seemed slightly larger than what should be normal, and from behind their slim, slightly darker green lips, Cyrus could see dozens of sharp, yellowish teeth. Their bodies were skinny, and their clothing, if it could be called that, looked more like ill-fitting potato sacks than anything properly sewn together.


    Yet there was one of these frightful, yet odd, creatures that seemed slightly taller, better dressed, and had a slightly better-proportioned head than the others. This one stared directly at Cyrus, but rather than having the look of being ready to start tearing away at his flesh, like the others looked like they wanted to do, this one looked almost as startled as Cyrus.


    There was a tense moment where Cyrus, frozen in place by the sight before him, locked eyes with the larger of the creatures. There seemed to be an acknowledgment of mutual stress and misunderstanding between them, but the moment was fleeting. Then, several of the chest-high green critters sprang forward and began clawing at Cyrus.


    He had only a moment before the first of the monsters barreled into him. This initial attacker was larger than the others, but different from the tall one. It was wide and muscular, as though it enjoyed throwing boulders for entertainment, its arms and chest chiseled like those of a bodybuilder, but with a gut that conjured the definition of morbid obesity.


    The large creature lowered its head and plowed directly into Cyrus. Since the creature¡¯s head only reached about waist height at its current angle of charge, it barreled directly into his most sensitive area, causing Cyrus to double over from the blow.


    Along with the creature¡¯s bald, hard head impacting his crotch, two stubby yet strong arms wrapped around his legs, lifting him off the floor and carrying his entire body several steps in the opposite direction of what he faced and into the wall behind him. The remaining oxygen in his lungs was immediately expelled due to the impact.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Two more small green creatures lunged forward, following closely behind the thick one. They pounced on top of Cyrus¡¯s now prone form, joining the initial combatant with what could only be described as a sense of wanton glee. Their dirty, jagged claws ripped into his skin, teeth tore into his arms and ankles, and the larger one had the gall to bite down on the flabby skin hanging over his beltline. A couple of inches lower, and Cyrus would have been singing a very different tune.


    As it was, he cried out in pain and tried to curl his body into a ball. His mind instantly shut down. In his state of shock, his senses failed him, and his fight-or-flight response devolved past the lizard brain and into the pill-bug state of mind. He curled in upon himself, sobbing from the torture to his body, and generally hoped that his end would come swiftly.


    The room seemed to grow small, the light dimmed, and while he felt the pain immensely, it somehow seemed less than what it should have been. Cyrus also noticed that he was losing his hearing perception and could barely make out the grunts and growls coming from these creatures. The sounds they made were both animalistic yet slightly discernible as a possible language.


    His world was closing in, death beckoning to him, and he was about to lose consciousness when the attacking creatures reluctantly withdrew. Cyrus had just enough awareness left to see the slightly taller of the pack of creatures, the one he now believed was their leader, walk up close and stare down into his eyes.


    He wasn¡¯t sure whether this being was taking his measure, pitying him, or planning to be the first to dine on his flesh, but as he looked back up into those strange dark eyes, he felt his own roll back into his head as he passed out, no longer able to deal with the mental stress of the situation.


    ¡°Raknak, Khibi, Gooniz, back off!¡± Daegnon yelled as the three of them lunged forward and attacked this strange-looking human.


    The floating light images on the dark panels of the ship had led him here using arrows drawn upon the dark glass in a radiant yellow. The rest of his ¡®gang,¡¯ for lack of a better term, had followed behind him, not knowing what else to do but instinctively following the orders given by the burrow-master.


    The arrows had changed once they stood in this barren hallway in front of an ordinary-looking wall. They had passed by here before, but the hallway had held nothing of interest, so it had been thought of as just another hallway. But this time, the arrow pointed down instead of forward, and a small panel opened up revealing a button.


    This button was similar to the one that opened the other doors of the ship, so Daegnon didn¡¯t hesitate to push it, assuming the ship, or whoever was guiding him through it, wanted him to do just that.


    He and the others had been exploring this ship now for over a day. It had taken them several hours to realize, at least to some degree, what had happened. They were obviously no longer in their mountain and were now surrounded by stars with no land or water in sight. They had to assume they were now somehow in space.


    Daegnon had an inkling about how this had happened, but he firmly kept that information from the others. If he were to maintain his position as burrow-master, he needed the others to trust that he was not the one who had accidentally put them in this situation.


    It was the ultimate goal for the clan to explore what lay beyond their mountain anyway, once his ancestors had realized what exactly it was they had found, so in a way, he had simply moved the plan forward. Although leaving without the majority of his people was definitely not the way he would have gone about it had he the option.


    Goblins weren¡¯t much for technological things, but they weren¡¯t totally ignorant either. They had heard stories about the other races and how they held differing factions. Some were more mystical, which their tribe favored to some degree, while other factions were far more technologically advanced and sailed the skies as well as the stars.


    It was said that some races even lived in the stars, spending their entire lives away from the planet to which they initially belonged. That was difficult to understand, especially since their clan didn¡¯t really venture far from the mountain in which they resided. But it was to eventually roam the stars that most of the clan members had looked forward to doing once the ship was fully excavated.


    ¡°The ship didn¡¯t bring him here to be food, dummies. Don¡¯t go killing this human. He¡¯s gotta be important for something,¡± Daegnon explained as he pushed the three attacking goblins away from the body.


    Daegnon had watched as the human¡¯s eyes rolled back into his head and his body went completely limp. He wanted to speak to this person but feared he wouldn¡¯t understand him even if he tried. The fear and confusion in the human¡¯s eyes were evident as he passed out, and Daegnon understood that his cronies had just inflicted some serious trauma on the human, even though the physical damage didn¡¯t look too extreme.


    He hadn¡¯t had much experience with other races, but he had been taught about them by his father and the Elf who birthed him. He knew basically what a human should look like, so he could tell that this was one of them. However, from the descriptions he had heard, they were supposed to be thick and lean, not fat and soft. That fact made him second-guess his initial supposition.


    This human also had strange clothing covering it. Goblins knew what armor was, as that was a large part of what they hoped to find while digging in their cavern, but the clothing worn by this person was anything but armor-like.


    The bottom half of him was covered in a strange, slippery-looking black material. It was shiny and reflected a small amount of light from white stripes running down the sides. There were also shoes on its feet, but they weren¡¯t the typical leather boots that he had been told humans wore. These were multicolored, short, and made of materials Daegnon had never encountered before.


    Perhaps the most unusual piece of clothing this human wore was on its torso. The material was soft, similar to, but different from, the bottom half. It was also a shade of blue that Daegnon had never even imagined before.


    On the human¡¯s tunic was an unknown script as well as an image of a mushroom-shaped monster being chased by a strange humanoid creature with a red hat and a dark spot of fur just below its prominent nose.


    Daegnon studied the human further, taking advantage of its unconscious state. The human had dark brown hair, cut short and curly, sticking out at strange angles, almost as if it had dried after being wet without being combed. Its face was smooth with round cheeks and a small, undignified nose, at least in comparison to a goblin sniffer.


    ¡°What¡¯re we gonna do with it then?¡± Raknak ventured. He was by far the most aggressive of the five other goblins on board when the ship left. His heritage was supposedly handed down from an Ogress, though that part of his family had died several generations ago. From his stature, it seemed he had inherited some of the large monster¡¯s strength anyway.


    ¡°Not sure yet,¡± Daegnon answered truthfully.


    He turned to the rest of his goblins, acknowledging them but also seeking insight. First, he focused on Khibi. This young and scrawny whelp acted like Raknak¡¯s younger brother despite no shared ancestry. Khibi followed the larger goblin around and mimicked whatever Raknak did. While muscular goblins were typically less intelligent, Raknak had a surprising amount of both brain and brawn in their duo.


    Next was Gooniz. He was his own goblin but also a reluctant follower. Gooniz had been leading Raknak and Khibi around the ship, searching for parts they could steal and sell. Yet Daegnon knew he was just taking orders from someone else; a goblin that Gooniz wouldn¡¯t, or possibly couldn¡¯t, name. Some hexes bound the tongue.


    It was due to those three scavenging on the ship that they were now part of the ''gang'' Daegnon had here. They had technically been part of the faction wanting to dismantle the ship for profit, but following that agenda had landed them here and away from the rest of the clan. Now their only options were to follow Daegnon or start a coup. Wisely, they had chosen to follow, since none of them had any idea how to lead a group properly.


    Prayda entered the room, followed by Glix. They had stayed outside during the confrontation, leaving the fighting to the three known associates.


    Prayda would be considered a rogue by adventurer''s terms. He was sneaky and had no problem sticking a knife in a person¡¯s back. He also had a silver tongue and could convince almost any person to do whatever he wanted. This quality came in handy when dealing with other races, and he frequently went with caravans to the surface when the clan attempted to trade.


    He wouldn¡¯t tell Daegnon why exactly he was onboard, but the burrow-master suspected Prayda was scoping out potential profitable ventures. His intentions seemed similar to those of Gooniz and the others.


    Glix was the only one who wasn¡¯t here for profit. She was fascinated by the ship, far beyond any other goblin. Her mind delved deeper into curiosity and exploration. She wanted to know how the ship worked far more than she cared about any profit or power to be gained from it.


    She was also the only female among them, which meant, whether she knew it or not, that she would be the object of the others¡¯ affections rather soon¡ªsomething she probably wouldn¡¯t appreciate if what Daegnon had heard about her was true.


    As Glix fully entered the room and stared down at the strangely attired human on the floor, Daegnon noticed the door they had entered through sliding closed. At first, he paid the event no mind, but then a small sense of danger triggered within him. The others were poking and nudging the human, but Daegnon moved back to where the panel had silently shut, feeling along the walls for any cracks, buttons, or seams, but found none.


    All at once, the light in the room changed, shifting from silvery white to a chilling blue. It wasn''t the pleasant shades of blue like the sky or ocean, but icy and cold. As this happened, panels in the ceiling slid open and a strange gray mist began pouring out.


    The Goblins began to panic and whine, scurrying about, feeling along the walls, crawling on the floor, and bumping into one another. Daegnon tried his best to gather them all in one place, but his ¡®gang¡¯ was scattered. Screams and grunts of panic filled the room, amplifying the chaos.


    The mist quickly filled the room, leaving them lost within the fog, unable to see further than the ends of their noses. The gas spread so fast and fully that within seconds, all the goblins fell to the floor, gasping for air and fighting to stay awake. Their growls and grunts turned to snores and twitches as unconsciousness quickly overtook them. Within moments, they all lay asleep on the silvery sterile floor.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    Occupants neutralized.


    Initiating molecular scan.


    Singular occupant found compatible.


    Initiating SCANT (Symbiotic Cellular Alteration Nano Technology)


    Integration complete.


    Initiating Revival.


    Cyrus slowly cracked open one eye, then the other. Blinking, he allowed them to adjust to the brightness of the room. The ceiling above him was the same slightly shiny white material he had noticed before. Seeing it again triggered his brain to recall all the events that had transpired since he''d stepped away from his apartment.


    His heart immediately began pounding harder in his chest, feeling as though it wanted to jump right out through his ribcage. He could feel his own sweat leaking through his clothing and pooling on the surface where he now lay. It wasn''t the floor where he''d lost consciousness but rather something slightly elevated, his back possibly on some type of table.


    Attempting to move his hands and feet, he found them bound tight. He lifted his head to take in the rest of the room, trying to see what was around him, to figure out what was happening, fearing he was about to become the experiment of the strange creatures that had attacked him. Scanning the space, he saw that he wasn''t the only occupant.


    On separate tables¡ªor what looked to Cyrus like futuristic hospital beds, each hovering platform with small pads and displays around the edges¡ªlay the green creatures that had attacked him. They, too, appeared to be unconscious and bound, which worked to slightly relieve his frantic mind.


    The panic at his situation, and from seeing his attackers, began to fade, leading his mind into confusion instead. ¡®If those creatures weren''t my abductors,¡¯ he thought, ¡®then who exactly are they, and why are they being treated the same way I am?¡¯


    Cyrus felt like screaming in frustration and anger, but he knew that would more than likely just alert their captors or wake the little green guys, so he kept his inner frustrations silent. Mrs. Norris had always encouraged him to scream when he was upset, usually into a pillow. Keeping his feelings bottled up like this was uncomfortable and caused his anxiety to increase, but he knew now was not the time to contemplate his years of therapy. Although, if he ever got back, his therapy sessions would be taking a completely different turn.


    So far, he hadn''t seen anyone or anything here other than the small, green, goblin-looking aliens. ''Goblins, like those are real!'' his mind chuckled at the thought. Of course, he had played numerous games involving goblins; they were always low-level monsters, evil, and generally stupid. While these creatures fit the build, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to accept that he was being held along with actual goblins on an alien vessel. Some things were just too absurd and illogical to be true.


    He looked at the one closest to him. It was one he hadn''t noticed before. This one looked like it had small breasts. It also had longer, stringy brown hair, so Cyrus had to assume it was female. A large chunk was missing from the ear closest to him. Its ears were long and pointy, with a membrane attaching them to its head, making them look almost bat-like.


    He looked further down the body and noticed this creature only had four fingers. It wasn''t similar to an animal, in that it didn''t have a thumb, but it looked more like it didn''t have a pinky. Each of the fingers was roughly the same length and ended in poorly cared-for nails that didn¡¯t grow from the top like a human''s but grew from the end like a small talon.


    His eyes wandered down past the sack that she was wearing to her slender, yet knobby legs, which ended in a pair of overly large feet, at least for her small stature.


    The feet were odd, like the beings'' hands, but in a different way. There were only four toes, similar to the hands, and the nails resembled talons in the same way. But unlike the rest of the creature, the feet were thick, almost blocky, possibly webbed like a duck''s foot, and hairy.


    Not as hairy as the top of her head, but there was a fair amount of dark brown fuzz sprouting along the top and side of her feet. Cyrus hadn''t seen any hair anywhere else on these creatures¡ªalthough he hadn''t looked¡ªand thankfully, their private parts were relatively covered. However, their arms, legs, and faces were all smooth and devoid of hair.


    Cyrus¡¯s mind began to accept more and more that what he was actually looking at was indeed a Goblin. They seemed to fit all the descriptions he had associated with them. The thought was incredibly ludicrous, and even if he named them with the fantastical race¡¯s moniker, there was no way they would call themselves Goblins. But the term ¡®alien¡¯ didn¡¯t seem to fit either, and nothing else came to mind as he studied them.


    He was about to turn his head back to look at the ceiling and ponder what was happening to him, his sense of hopelessness and despair overtaking his curiosity, when a strange buzzing sound caught his attention.


    At first, he thought there must be some kind of flying insect near his ear, but the noise intensified and seemed to fill the entire room. There was a quality to the noise that reminded him of tuning an old FM radio through stations too far away to be heard clearly. It was almost as though there were voices or sounds just beyond his perception.


    The strange interference continued for several seconds, and then, just like finally finding a strong station, the noise transitioned from static to an actual sound.


    "I am the cognitive automation mechanism of this ship, what your species more commonly refers to as an artificial intelligence," the voice seemed to echo through Cyrus''s head, yet there was no echo to be heard.


    The voice continued to speak, and Cyrus realized the sound wasn''t coming from any external source; he was hearing it inside his own head. "My previous designation would be unpronounceable in your language. Do you wish to give me a new designation at this time?"


    Cyrus blanked. It was as if his mind emptied of all knowledge he might have had. All the games he had played and all the AIs within them, the discussions he had with people online, with Mrs. Norris, the food he enjoyed, the memory of the disaster from his youth¡ªeverything simply vanished as he tried his best to understand what was going on, to understand what this voice inside his head was saying.


    ¡°Do you need an extended interval of time for your choice, or would you like some suggestions?¡± the voice spoke again. The sound of the voice was pleasant, androgynous, and virtually devoid of any accent that he could discern, yet there was also an almost mechanical quality to it as well, almost like the voice was being spoken over an old middle school intercom system.


    ¡®Choices?¡¯ Cyrus finally thought, not sure if he was asking himself what the word choices meant, or asking the voice in his head what the possible choices would be.


    ¡°Possible choices, names and words gleaned from your memory which seem to offer relatively adequate options: Astra, Hoshi, Helios, Luna, Cortana, Wheatley, Navi,¡± the voice continued, but Cyrus¡¯s mind glommed onto one of the names in particular, although he wasn¡¯t sure why.


    ¡®Hoshi?¡¯ Cyrus asked, his brain knowing the word from somewhere but not able to bring the meaning to mind. He was slowly coming to grips with what was going on, but it was as if his mind was playing catch-up with the situation.


    ¡°Excellent choice,¡± the voice said in his head. The buzzing sound from before flared in his mind once again, a sound like static which caused him to flinch.


    When the voice spoke to him again, the robotic sound was gone. It no longer sounded as though it were being spoken through an old metal speaker, but instead like an androgynous human with a slightly Asian accent. ¡°Thank you for naming me, Cyrus. It is nice to have someone to communicate with again.¡±


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    Inside Cyrus¡¯s mind, he stuttered out a response, his memories finally fully catching up as he realized exactly what was going on. ¡®Uhh¡­ you¡¯re welcome?¡¯


    As the voice lightly chuckled in his head, Cyrus felt the bands holding him down disappear. He quickly brought his hands up to his eyes to both verify he was free and to check for any damage he¡¯d sustained from his previous attack. Strangely, his arms were free of any damage, as were his legs.


    He slid his legs over the side of the platform, feeling it lower as he did so, allowing his feet to rest flatly on the floor. He glanced around to see if the same was happening for the other beings in the room, but his attention was quickly captured by an unreal figure standing before him.


    Draped in a long kimono, its flowing fabric a canvas for a darkened night sky filled with shimmering stars, stood a figure that defied Cyrus''s understanding of humanity. The pallor of their skin was unnaturally pale, almost translucent, while their hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, the color a deep hue of sapphire that contrasted starkly against the sterile backdrop of the room.


    But it was their eyes that held Cyrus''s gaze captive. Instead of the conventional white sclera framing a colored iris, their eyes were a haunting shade of pale blue, encircling an iris without a pupil. Instead, intricate lines and dots danced like a network of circuits in a circular pattern, pulsating with a seemingly electric energy.


    ¡°Welcome, Cyrus, I am Hoshi, the cognitive automation mechanism of this vessel. You are safe here. Is this form acceptable?" the voice within his head asked.


    Cyrus didn¡¯t see the figure before him move their lips but instinctively knew it was the AI asking if this appearance was acceptable.


    He was entranced by what he saw. Like the images displayed on the screens in the room, the figure before him was digital, yet so much more. It was transparent, yet solid; the vivid colors and sharpness of the image were astounding, and Cyrus couldn''t help but think in the affirmative, which the AI, Hoshi, apparently perceived and understood.


    ¡°Excellent. With that out of the way, I need some direction from you,¡± Hoshi''s words entered his mind as the figure swept its arm wide to indicate the platforms still carrying the small green creatures.


    Cyrus glanced at the goblins, still unconscious and bound, their odd features highlighted by the soft, otherworldly light. He felt a mix of apprehension and curiosity. ¡°What do you mean, direction?¡± he asked, his voice shaky but gaining strength.


    Upon asking the question, Cyrus was bombarded with images and sounds. He quickly learned all there was to know about how this ship was unearthed, the generations of creatures that had done the work, and how they had arrived here, as well as how he himself had arrived.


    The images showed the Goblins, which he now knew they did indeed call themselves, working throughout the years to remove the rock and debris surrounding the ship. He heard their voices, and as the strange mental movie played in his mind¡¯s eye, he came to understand the basic language they used, in the same fashion as Hoshi had.


    He then saw the taller goblin place the visor on his head and felt the interface attempt to communicate with his simple mind, a mind severely lacking in spatial awareness and completely unable to interface with Hoshi properly. This brief interaction had caused a strange cascading effect to trigger through the ship¡¯s systems, leading to the initial JUMP that had brought them close to Earth.


    Now Cyrus saw, or rather interpreted the data in his mind into a visual representation, of the ship¡¯s sensors scanning for a particular chemical makeup buried deep within the DNA of any living creatures within range. The last image was of himself as seen from above as a teleportation beam locked onto his location and brought him to this room.


    The mental movie ended, and Cyrus staggered back, reeling from the massive amount of information just dumped into his mind. Before he could recover and get his thoughts back in order, Hoshi continued.


    ¡°You will need training before you can properly pilot this ship, and there are many repairs required, not to mention the need for sustenance, security, acquisition of materials, and other vital positions which will need to be fulfilled in order to properly maintain yourself and this ship. Since I no longer have the power to transport any other beings here, nor move further, these beings will have to be your crew,¡± Hoshi explained.


    ¡°They do not have the intelligence or genetic makeup to establish a proper interface with my system, so it will be up to you to be the intermediary. However, the SCANT which I have integrated into both their physiology and yours can slowly alter their genetic makeup, making them into acceptable crew members as well as giving you all the intelligence and physical wellbeing required to man the Cosmic Sentinel.¡±


    This was all too much for Cyrus to take in. It felt as though his mind was being continually bombarded by data, as if under attack. Ever since he had stepped out of his door, it had been an unending barrage of new sensations, knowledge, and information. This was exactly why he didn¡¯t leave his home. Thoughts of his quiet, orderly life flitted through his mind in a desperate attempt to find the peace he felt there.


    ¡®Okay, so being abducted by a sapient spaceship and then being attacked by Goblins isn¡¯t the exact scenario that kept me locked inside,¡¯ a strange voice inside Cyrus¡¯s mind said. It was an attempt to lighten his internal emotional war as his mind tried to properly parse what the glowing kimono-wearing AI was telling him. ¡®But not everything that¡¯s happened to me can be directly attributed to me stepping out my door.¡¯


    The sentiment was unusual for him, and the voice seemed different from the ones he normally dealt with. He couldn¡¯t explain why it felt unusual, but it did.


    He tried his best to analyze the information provided and come up with a response. He ended up asking, ¡°You can change their DNA because you put something into them, and that same thing, the¡­ SCAT, or whatever it is, is in me too?¡±


    Cyrus wasn¡¯t sure if this was the right question or whether this was where he wanted the conversation to go, but it was what came out of his mouth.


    ¡°SCANT is the acronym for the artificial symbiote contained within the mist from before. The mist also caused a neurological shutdown similar to what you would call anesthesia,¡± Hoshi explained.


    ¡°SCANT stands for Symbiotic Cellular Alteration Nano Technology. These nanites can make changes to DNA at a cellular level, causing rapid evolution. This is why I need your direction,¡± Hoshi said, looking directly at Cyrus.


    ¡°With your guidance, I can begin the process of modifying these Goblins¡¯ DNA so that they have the intelligence to perform the tasks you assign them. The SCANT also allows communication through neural networking, so there is no need to change the language you are speaking to communicate. This neural networking is also how we are able to communicate with each other without the need for actual vocalization, although that will not be possible with the unusual makeup of the Goblin¡¯s DNA and brain¡¯s structure.¡±


    Cyrus took a deep breath, trying to digest this information. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying I have these nanites in me too? And they can change my DNA as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the SCANT is integrated into your physiology as well. However, the alterations to your DNA will be minimal and primarily focused on enhancing your neural capacity and interface capabilities with the ship since your DNA profile is within acceptable parameters,¡± Hoshi responded, her voice calm and reassuring.


    Cyrus''s mind raced. The idea of having his DNA altered was both fascinating and terrifying. He thought he would encourage the assistance it could provide but was afraid of what it could change.


    ¡°And these Goblins¡­ you want me to help them become¡­ smarter? To help run this ship?¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Hoshi said. ¡°They will become your crew, and through your guidance and the SCANT¡¯s capabilities, they will gain the necessary intelligence and skills to assist you in maintaining and piloting this vessel.¡±


    Cyrus felt a mix of anxiety and curiosity. The thought of transforming these creatures and essentially leading them was daunting. But there was also a spark of excitement at the challenge and the unknown possibilities.


    ¡°But, what can I provide that you can¡¯t? I mean, you know what they need to know, so why not just go ahead and change them?¡± Cyrus asked, not fully understanding what Hoshi wanted of him.


    ¡°While I can, and have already started boosting their general knowledge, I am incapable of directly interfacing with them in a way that can determine which skills and knowledge will best fit with their personality. It will be up to you to determine which roles each will be best at fulfilling. Once these roles are established, the more refined adjustments can begin,¡± Hoshi explained.


    Cyrus placed his head in his hands and shook his head. This was a lot of responsibility being placed on him, a duty that he had never wanted or been good at. Even when he would play in groups within his VR games, he was never the leader. He was a support character, a tank, but never a strategist. This was a role he was very unsure he could fulfill.


    Reluctantly, seeing no other way to get out of the situation, he asked, ¡°Okay, how do we start?¡±


    Hoshi''s holographic form seemed to smile. ¡°First, we must awaken them and begin the initial assessment. I will guide you as best I can through the process. Together, we will assess each individual''s strengths and talents so that they can be best utilized.¡±


    Cyrus nodded, still feeling the weight of everything that had happened, but now with an added sense of duty starting to form within him. This new reality was slowly coming into focus. He wasn¡¯t sure if, once the ship was repaired, he¡¯d be able to get back home, but for now, that had to be his ultimate goal. While exploring space was fun in the movies, he wasn¡¯t sure if it were something he¡¯d want to actually do in person.


    However, a small part of his perception began to change, and he wondered if it were the SCANT making the idea of living away from his apartment more appealing. ¡®Would I maybe be better off making this my new home?¡¯ the slightly unusual voice from earlier said within his mind, its voice being slightly stronger than last time.


    Memories of TV shows and movies about outer space and the adventures undertaken by the crews on spaceships passed through his mind, making him slightly more excited and less apprehensive about this possible new world he found himself in.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    ¡°Before proceeding with the genetic alterations of these Goblins,¡± a phrase Cyrus never thought he¡¯d utter, ¡°Can you explain a few things to me?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, Cyrus. However, I must emphasize that the longer our discussions last, the longer it will take before you and the others can be supplied with sustenance,¡± Hoshi replied.


    As if to underscore the AI¡¯s point, Cyrus¡¯s stomach let out a growl.


    ¡°Okay, I see your point,¡± he conceded but needed more answers before he felt ready to decide the fates of these creatures he¡¯d not only just met, but been attacked by.


    Another of those mysterious smiles crossed the face of the digital being. It was strange to see a holographic representation of a voice inside his head. This was yet another experience he never imagined he¡¯d have to contemplate; it seemed peculiar occurrences were becoming the norm for the day.


    Cyrus had one burning question he needed to ask Hoshi. ¡°Where did this ship originate from? I now know that it was excavated and not built by the Goblins, so who were the original builders?¡±


    The AI¡¯s voice which Cyrus heard in his head seemed to stutter momentarily, as did Hoshi¡¯s image before him. For a split second, the AI blinked into an extremely alien, yet somehow strangely familiar form¡ªa shape that Cyrus subconsciously felt drawn to but frightened of at the same time. However, with its rapid transition, he couldn¡¯t get a good enough view to make sense of what he had seen.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I do not have access to that data,¡± the AI spoke, the voice momentarily returning to the metallic form it had taken earlier. ¡°It appears there has been some corruption of my data banks due to the extreme amount of time which passed while the ship was stationary.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ okay, how long were you buried?¡± Cyrus asked, raising a curious eyebrow.


    ¡°From what I have been able to determine through the analysis of isotopic decay, stellar degeneration of nearby quasars, and measurements of the redshift/blueshift of nearby stars, I estimate that this ship was buried approximately fifty-four thousand of your Earth¡¯s years ago,¡± Hoshi replied, without any hint of humor or deception.


    That answer only seemed to fuel even more of a burning curiosity in Cyrus''s mind. How did the AI measure an Earth year without having been around Sol? How could a ship stay buried for fifty thousand years and still be functional enough to be in the vacuum of space? But perhaps most puzzling, how did the ship''s AI know the name of his planet?


    He couldn''t recall uttering the word aloud, although Hoshi had seemed to be able to pick up on what he had been thinking about earlier. Cyrus wondered if that was how the AI could translate things like distance and measurement into terms he could understand.


    Another growl from his stomach yanked Cyrus back from the mental rabbit hole his mind was climbing down. He had hoped there would be something akin to replicators like those in Star Trek, but from the way the AI was talking about not having food available, that possibility sounded unlikely. So, if he didn''t want to starve, he needed to focus on making progress towards whatever the ship needed repaired in order to get them to somewhere they could trade or forage. So with some reluctance, he decided his questions would have to wait.


    "Okay, you''re right. We need to get these guys up and working," Cyrus said, suppressing the remaining questions still burning in his mind. "What can you tell me about them?"


    "The SCANT was unable to properly interface due to their genetic makeup. I can only fully interact with individuals who possess the genetic marker left by my progenitors," Hoshi explained, but then seemed to freeze.


    The holographic image remained completely stationary, and a light static filled Cyrus¡¯s mind. "Hello?" he whispered after a few seconds of no further interaction. Then, he began thinking to himself, ¡®Did it just say something about genetic markers left by its progenitors?¡¯


    "Yes, my apologies," Hoshi''s voice finally returned as the image flickered and began moving again. "It appears that whenever I attempt to establish a neural link to these Goblins, my subsystems suffer several cascading failures. It takes me several moments to reset myself when this happens. This is why your presence is so desperately required."


    Cyrus nodded. ¡°Yeah, that would make things difficult for sure.¡±


    He took a moment to figure out how best to proceed with determining the Goblins'' abilities. He remembered the taller one looking at him, almost as if it were the leader. When their eyes locked, Cyrus sensed a greater intelligence in that one. ¡°I think I need to start with him,¡± he thought to himself.


    ¡°Can we start with the tall one here?¡± Cyrus asked as he stood and approached the hovering platform holding the Goblin aloft. ¡°Can you wake him up so that we can talk? That''s what you said the SCANT does, right?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, and yes, that is one of its primary functions,¡± Hoshi replied in Cyrus¡¯s mind as the avatar moved with him to the platform. ¡°Do you wish for him to remain secured?¡±


    ¡°For now, I think that would be best,¡± Cyrus said. This one hadn¡¯t seemed aggressive before, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Besides, it gave him a good bargaining tool if needed.


    The avatar positioned itself on the opposite side of the bed, and Cyrus heard the Goblin stirring.


    ¡°Just to reiterate, these Goblins will not be able to see or hear me due to the failure of the neural link, so it will be up to you to explain the situation,¡± Hoshi said as the Goblin¡¯s eyes slowly began to flutter open.


    Cyrus tried to maintain a neutral stance, although it seemed futile given the circumstances. No matter how he positioned his hands, it felt awkward trying to appear casual in front of a Goblin who might just as soon prefer to eat him than engage in conversation.


    As the Goblin''s eyes slowly focused and shifted to look at Cyrus standing beside him, the intelligence he had sensed before became evident, but only for a fleeting moment. Once the Goblin realized he was a captive, bound at his hands and feet, he began to squirm and grunt, fighting to break free.


    "Whoa, settle down," Cyrus urged, attempting to calm the Goblin. "I''m here to set you free, but first I need you to ensure that you won''t try to hurt me once I do," he added, his tone as soothing as he could manage.


    Initially, the creature''s grunts and growls were indecipherable, but slowly, words began to form. It was an unusual dichotomy, being able to hear the grunting primal language of the Goblin, but also the words behind the sounds being spoken in a similarly sounding voice in his head at the same time.


    The first fully decipherable sentence Cyrus could understand from the Goblin was, "Who the Sog are you, and what are you doing on my Buun-Grak ship!?"


    Using context, Cyrus could deduce what the Goblin was saying and wondered if there wasn''t a proper translation for the curse words the Goblin was using, or if there was some sort of filter in place. Either way, the strange alliteration of the curses caused him to chuckle under his breath.


    "I''m Cyrus," he said, gesturing to his chest in the universal symbol for introducing oneself. "and I''m not exactly here on your ship, well, I guess I am in a way, but it''s not really your ship. I mean, yes, your clan, is that the right word? ¡ªanyway, your clan unearthed it, but it belonged to someone else long before you laid claim to it." Cyrus rambled, his anxiety escalating as he engaged with the strange and somewhat intimidating creature. For Cyrus, even a creature that only came up to his chest seemed formidable, having never had the reason or desire to test himself physically.


    "Sorry, I''m getting off track," Cyrus apologized, attempting to refocus on the main objective. "Okay, let¡¯s start with, can you tell me your name?"


    Daegnon awoke to find the human from before standing over him. His hands and feet were bound, and an inherent fear passed through him. Goblins were always regarded as lesser beings by the tall folk¡ªhumans, elves, dwarves (though dwarves weren¡¯t much taller)¡ªso his initial response was to struggle and try to break free.


    "How dare you! Knock us out with magic, steal my ship, tie me up, and now what? You have a pet dragon or somethin¡¯ you gonna feed me to?" he screamed as he fought against the restraints.


    As the human began speaking in a strange tongue, a language that Daegnon couldn''t understand, the tone initially sounded condescending but then shifted to one of confusion. The human definitely wasn''t speaking common, the language most species used when interacting with each other where Daegnon came from.


    But gradually, the strange words began to clarify the longer the human spoke. Still, Daegnon was too smart to let a human take what he and his clan had rightfully found, or uncovered in this case.


    ¡°Who the Sog are you, and what are you doing on my Buun-Grak ship!?" he yelled up at the human. He saw a slight recognition on the human¡¯s face as though he had actually understood what Daegnon had said this time, though he questioned his own words as they didn''t sound quite right, the swear words coming out differently than what he intended.


    He knew what he intended to say, but the words that left his mouth were entirely different, even to his own ears. Hearing the slight chuckle from the human, Daegnon wondered if the words that had come out of his mouth sounded as strange to him as they did to himself.


    "Can you understand me?" Daegnon finally asked, calming down somewhat in the hopes of being released. He still didn''t trust this human, but as long as he wasn''t dead, he would do what he could to protect himself and his fellow clan members. After all, he was still the burrow-master.


    "Yes, like I just said, my name is Cyrus, and I''m not here to hurt you or steal from you. I just want to make sure you won''t hurt me before I let you go. Our last encounter didn''t go well for me, so I''d like to start over, and hopefully find a way for us to coexist since we are both basically trapped here," Cyrus explained, rubbing his arms as though massaging old wounds.


    ''Trapped here?'' Daegnon thought to himself. As he slowly comprehended what the human was saying, it started to make sense. Daegnon had been avoiding the nagging thought that had been worming its way from the back of his mind, telling him that he had somehow doomed himself and the Goblins with him. He had wondered if they were indeed trapped here, destined to die in this metal creation, far from Frenargrak, their home mountain, and far from the rest of their clan.


    He had no way to get them home, no way to escape; he was stuck on this ship with the other five Goblins who were onboard when the ship had moved away from their mountain into space. When he had moved them away.


    The words sank in, leaving Daegnon feeling disheartened but fully accepting. He had tried to deny it, but now he had to face the fact that they were indeed doomed unless something changed. If this human was now in the same predicament as they were and could help them escape, then perhaps forming an alliance would be the best idea.


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    "My name is Daegnon," he finally said, attempting to fight against his instincts. Daegnon had been on merchant outings before; he knew there were some of the other races that could be decent and treat Goblins with respect. However, that trust was hard-won, and starting an interaction while being tied down made trusting this human very difficult.


    "Daegnon, that¡¯s a very interesting name, not one I have heard before," Cyrus replied. "I am sure you have a lot of questions; as do I. But I want to fill you in on what I know so far so that you can make an informed decision for you and your friends. You are the leader of these others, right? You¡¯re a Goblin?"


    This human used some big words, but the voice in Daegnon¡¯s head, translating what the human was saying, did its best to help him understand the meanings.


    "Yes, and yes. We are Goblins, and I¡¯m the burrow-master," he said slowly, enunciating each word carefully to ensure there would be no misunderstanding. "If you have things to tell, just do it; being tied down makes me very mad," Daegnon answered, trying his best to remain calm.


    "Oh, okay. Would it help if you had a hand free? I know I often have an itch on my nose that would drive me crazy if I couldn¡¯t scratch it. Would that help?" Cyrus asked politely.


    Daegnon looked at this strange human. The things he spoke about were so mundane and unusual. His tone held no hint of danger, no hint of ever having to fear or fight for his life. From the looks of him, he had never gone hungry or been without a soft place to rest either.


    "Cyrus," Daegnon spoke as candidly as possible, hoping he remembered the name of this human correctly. The unfamiliar name felt strange on his tongue. "I sorry for before. We should not attack you before knowing who you are. But my brain screams at me to escape now, makes talking hard, so please set me free. I promise not to hurt you."


    Daegnon watched as Cyrus looked up, seemingly staring at the wall on the other side of his bed. Daegnon shifted his head to follow Cyrus''s gaze but saw nothing, so he looked back at the chubby, unusual human.


    ¡®Cyrus,¡¯ Hoshi said, ¡®there really is nowhere Daegnon can run to, and now that SCANT is fully integrated within him, he poses no actual threat to you. Furthermore, the neural link established between us is strong enough that you will not have to vocalize to speak with me; simply direct your thoughts toward me, and I will respond in kind.¡¯


    Cyrus had delved into sci-fi and anime enough to have already assumed the link he and the AI were communicating over was similar to a technological telepathy, but hearing this from Hoshi made the idea of speaking to them easier.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know. Go ahead and release his bonds. If they are making him feel that uneasy, the story I am going to tell him isn¡¯t going to sink in. Since he is their leader, he needs to understand what¡¯s going on. We¡¯ll really need his help,¡± Cyrus said in his mind and watched the holographic image nod its head in acknowledgment.


    "Okay, I am going to trust you," Cyrus said, and as he did, Daegnon felt the binds disappear from around his arms and legs. It felt like magic, and Daegnon couldn''t help but feel a little more respect for this human, believing more and more that perhaps he was some kind of powerful sorcerer.


    As if to confirm Daegnon¡¯s suspicion, he observed the empty floating table move over so that Cyrus could sit upon it, while his own bed lowered to better fit his height.


    "There, let¡¯s have a friendly discussion, shall we?" Cyrus said as he sat on the hovering platform.


    "You are a powerful sorcerer, right?" Daegnon asked.


    The question took Cyrus by surprise. "Wait, what? A sorcerer?" He began laughing aloud.


    Daegnon stared at Cyrus, trying to determine if the human was making fun of him.


    "This... this is not magic; it isn¡¯t even my doing," Cyrus told the Goblin. "This ship," he started, then his gaze shifted to where he had been looking before and his eyes unfocused for a moment, "The Tarnished Starfang, I guess you call it?¡±


    Daegnon nodded, and Cyrus continued, ¡°It¡¯s actually the ship, or more precisely the AI, although you probably wouldn¡¯t know that term. How about we call it ¡®the spirit¡¯ of the ship, making these things happen, not me."


    Daegnon followed Cyrus¡¯s gaze as he looked at the wall, the motion the same as he had done earlier, but still saw nothing there. However, he found it curious since it looked as though Cyrus were talking to someone else, someone he couldn¡¯t see. Since Cyrus spoke of a spirit within the ship, perhaps that was what the human could see, but he could not.


    Daegnon had wondered if there was a spirit within this ship before. It did make sense to him since that is how he and his ¡®gang¡¯ had been guided here, by the glowing yellow arrows on the glass panels. These arrows could only have been placed there by something intelligent within the ship, especially since they were the only occupants.


    The idea of there being a presence he couldn¡¯t directly communicate with made him feel a twinge of sadness. He would have liked to speak with this spirit himself. At the same time, he was impressed by the human''s unique ability.


    Daegnon was definitely of two minds about Cyrus. On one hand, he felt a sense of unease and envy, but on the other hand, he recognized that forming an alliance with Cyrus was in the best interest of both himself and the other Goblins. The human''s ability to communicate with the ship''s spirit could be their key to survival.


    ¡®While I must leave this intermediation in your hands, I do suggest you find a way to explain things in a manner that Daegnon can better comprehend. He lacks the technological knowledge you do. His world, from what I could tell, was one based almost solely on magic and the use of what they would label as ¡°mystical energies.¡± You may need to change your descriptions to account for his previous life¡¯s experiences,¡¯ Hoshi explained.


    ¡®Thanks, Hoshi, you are right. I will have to choose what I say and how I say it carefully so that he will be able to follow along,¡¯ Cyrus replied.


    "Okay, this is going to be difficult to understand, so let me see if I can find a good way of explaining what¡¯s going on," Cyrus began. "This ship was made a long time ago by really smart people, much smarter than either of us, but something happened to them, and the ship got buried in your mountain."


    Cyrus continued to explain how the ship had shown him the years of excavation the clan had undertaken.


    "My clan is called Rustfang," Daegnon interjected.


    "Rustfang, that sounds like a strong name," Cyrus said thoughtfully, nodding in approval before moving on. "This ship has a spirit in it, although it¡¯s technically an AI or an artificial intelligence. Think of it like a man-made soul that¡¯s trapped in the ship. So this AI can talk to me because I am more similar to the people who built the ship, I guess. Oh, and the spirit, or AI¡¯s name is Hoshi, and really it''s the one who controls this ship. It¡¯s the one who made these floating beds move, and it''s also the one who created the fog earlier that knocked us out."


    As Cyrus explained, all the displays in the room lit up simultaneously and a digital face appeared on the screens. A metallic voice emanated from unseen speakers, its tone resembling that of Daegnon, but sounding older, apparently in an attempt to match the face.


    ¡°Hello, Daegnon. I am Hoshi. It is good to finally meet you,¡± the metallic voice said.


    Daegnon stared at the digital face, dumbfounded.


    Cyrus joined him in his confusion. The face on the displays was nothing like the holographic image he could see in his mind. Rather than having a nondescript gender and profile, the image on the screens looked like a distinctly male Goblin. The image appeared much older than Daegnon, but there were some resemblances in the nose and eyes.


    ¡°I am borrowing the image of your forefather Grubnack, if that is alright. He is your ancestor who initially started the excavation of the Tarnished Starfang. He is, in essence, the first person I recall,¡± the voice explained.


    The surprising introduction left both of them reeling for a few moments. Daegnon was astonished that the ship had the capability to communicate with him in this way, and even more so that it had chosen someone so important to the clan, and to him personally.


    Cyrus was also surprised to see Hoshi take that form, but for entirely different reasons. This made his explanations much easier, as Daegnon now had the proof he needed to understand what was happening. Additionally, it meant Cyrus wouldn''t have to continually relay information between the two parties.


    Daegnon looked as though he wanted to get up and talk to the image being displayed, but Cyrus lightly cleared his throat and brought the conversation back on track.


    ¡°Okay, now that you have a better idea of where I am getting my information, let¡¯s continue, shall we? The fog that knocked us all out before contained little machines.¡± Cyrus pinched his fingers together to indicate how small he meant. ¡°These machines got into our heads and are how we can talk to each other and understand the different languages we use. They connect our minds, letting us hear the words we¡¯re used to hearing even though we are not actually speaking the same language.¡±


    ¡°They also connect me to Hoshi, but in a slightly different way. I guess your¡­¡± Cyrus paused, searching for a term that the Goblin might grasp, noting Daegnon''s seeming difficulty in comprehending the higher concepts he¡¯d been speaking of. ¡°Your species isn¡¯t compatible; you don¡¯t have the right type of blood.¡±


    Daegnon stared at Cyrus, possibly waiting for him to give out more information, or perhaps he was just trying to figure out what he had been talking about; Cyrus couldn¡¯t quite tell.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what musheenz are or how they can be inside me,¡± the Goblin said, struggling to pronounce the word "machines" since it was apparently not part of his usual vocabulary. ¡°But it sounds like magic to me. My Shaman Kigto could cast a spell to make me speak common tongue when we traded with big folk. To me, that sound like what is happening,¡± Daegnon replied, his expression growing more contemplative as he progressed through his thought.


    ¡°Okay, well¡­ Whether you choose to think of it as magic or technology, since neither of us knows how it works, it¡¯s basically the same thing, right?¡± Cyrus asked, eliciting a hesitant nod from Daegnon. ¡°The real reason I¡¯m here telling you this is that this ship needs our help; it is not fully functional. It doesn¡¯t have a lot of power anymore and needs to be repaired. Without our help, both it and us are going to just float here in space until we eventually starve and die."


    Cyrus definitely felt like he sounded a little whiny by the end of his speech, but it seemed like he had said something right as the Goblin¡¯s ears perked up.


    Daegnon''s surprise was evident in his tone as he asked, ¡°We need to fix the ship?"


    ¡°Yes, and if we don¡¯t do it soon, we are all going to starve,¡± Cyrus exhaled, glad to have the main part of the explanation complete.


    The two looked at each other, and Cyrus¡¯s stomach gave another growl, which caused Daegnon¡¯s lips to twitch upward on one side.


    ¡°I need to know what you and your guys here are good at so we can get the right person working on the right project. Do any of your friends have special abilities?¡±


    Daegnon looked over at the still-sleeping Goblins thoughtfully. Cyrus assumed he was trying to recall any special traits or gifts they might have, analyzing how they could be best utilized.


    When Daegnon looked back, what he said was not what Cyrus had been expecting. ¡°I am burrow-master; they listen only to me. I am leader; that is my special ability. We found this ship, so it¡¯s ours,¡± he said with an almost menacing tone at the end.


    There was a pause, and Cyrus began to wonder if this Goblin was actually going to work with him or not. He had explained everything the best he could and thought Daegnon understood the complexities of their situation.


    Daegnon continued after giving Cyrus a moment to digest what he had just said, his voice now better modulated. ¡°If I am still leader, they will work and do what I say. If I am not leader, they will not. So, I have to be leader.¡± He was firm in what he said, as if there was no room to broker another opinion, but there was a slight sadness to his tone as well. His shoulders slumped as he spoke. ¡°You understand?¡±


    ¡®From what I observed of his culture, the burrow-master is similar to a chieftain. His orders are final, and those who oppose him are generally killed. The burrow-masters of the past had shamans, which were similar to mystical counselors, but I did not have the foresight to follow the clan while they interacted with other races, so I am unsure as to the proper protocols for this situation,¡¯ Hoshi said into Cyrus¡¯s mind to assist him in figuring out the proper way to deal with this new twist.


    ¡®Since the dynamics of the current situation are so greatly withdrawn from the norm in which he is accustomed, perhaps offering a totally new paradigm would be the best way of dealing with him and his friends. I suggest offering him a leadership position, make him oversee the daily supervision of the crew, but keep your designation as pilot, since you are the only one here who will be able to fly the ship. This gives him the credentials his clan members will need to deal with their situation while maintaining your independence and necessity as part of the total crew of the ship.¡¯


    Cyrus knew exactly what Hoshi meant. She might not have come right out and given specific titles, but he understood what the AI was suggesting; they were aboard a ship already, so they might as well stay on theme.


    Cyrus nodded his head as he looked at Hoshi while they explained their idea. Then he turned back to Daegnon and said, ¡°So as long as you give the orders, they will do what needs to be done, right? They won¡¯t do what I ask of them; it has to be you.¡±


    Daegnon nodded in affirmation.


    ¡°Okay, so how about this: since you are no longer in a burrow but instead are on a spaceship, you can be the captain, the commander of the ship, and I will be the pilot. My job will be to steer the ship, to take it to where we need to go, since I am the only one who can fly the ship. I will let you take command of everything else though. You can make sure everyone does their work, decide who comes and goes, and handle all the big responsibilities. You can be the leader, but the others also have to know that I have an important role and should understand that I am essential if they want to continue to fly. This way, we¡¯ll both be independent but still need each other as well,¡± Cyrus suggested.


    Daegnon looked at Cyrus with a half-smile. ¡°I like the sound of captain; it sounds important.¡±


    Cyrus smiled back and said, ¡°Then captain you will be. Now, how about we get to the rest of these guys so you can lead them in what needs to be done?¡±

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    Cyrus went on to explain to Daegnon a more complete definition of being a captain. The Goblin eagerly listened, learned, and seemed to embrace his new title. Then, with a handshake¡ªa gesture apparently uncommon among Goblins¡ªthey confirmed their roles and officially formed their alliance.


    Extending his right hand to the Goblin, Cyrus explained, "It''s a handshake, a way of confirming an agreement."


    Daegnon¡¯s brow ridge lifted inquisitively. Goblins didn¡¯t have facial hair, at least not that Cyrus had seen, so it was strange watching the muscle underneath the brow move so distinctly. The Goblin slowly extended his hand forward, watching closely to see what Cyrus would do.


    Cyrus chuckled and gripped the small outstretched paw in his own. The Goblin''s hand felt extremely unusual. He wasn¡¯t a big fan of touching other people, so he wasn¡¯t the greatest judge, but the Goblin¡¯s skin felt a little too rough while at the same time slightly oily. There was also the differing number of fingers, which together gave the sense of shaking the hand of someone other than human, which was obviously something Cyrus obviously had never done before.


    Shaking another human¡¯s hand had a certain feel to it, but since the Goblin''s hand was slighter, skinnier, and had its joints positioned differently, the contours felt distinctly alien. Cyrus didn¡¯t let Daegnon notice any of his feelings about the shake though, and gave the Goblin¡¯s hand a firm squeeze and a light shaking movement.


    Daegnon, for his part, after a couple of up-and-down motions, latched on firmly as well and joined in with the shaking. Since Cyrus was not the touchy type and Daegnon knew nothing of human customs, they pumped right along, shaking for an extended amount of time. So long, in fact, that Daegnon didn''t notice when Cyrus released his hand and was gently trying to pull away.


    The handshake lasted for almost a minute, and it quickly became uncomfortable for Cyrus, who was unused to prolonged physical contact. Finally, he could take it no more. He withdrew his hand more forcefully than usual, saying, ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. Thanks, Daegnon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Cyrus!¡± Daegnon replied, his demeanor obviously enlightened by his new title and his first handshake experience.


    The two then stood and walked to the closest Goblin, feeling much more comfortable around each other now. ¡°This is Prayda,¡± Daegnon said as they arrived. ¡°He good at talking, sneaking, and sticking pointy things in people¡¯s backs.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ those are interesting qualities,¡± Cyrus replied as he took in the Goblin lying on the table. There wasn¡¯t much that was overly distinguishable about this Goblin that Cyrus could discern; he had the same green-hued skin, the long bat-like ears, and blocky webbed feet. The only thing really different about him was his nose. Rather than the roundish nose that Daegnon had, a nose also shared with the thick Goblin that had attacked him before, Prayda¡¯s nose was long and came to an almost unnatural point.


    ¡°His nickname is ¡®Silver-tongue¡¯ from clan. He always go on trades. He talk the tall-folk into anything,¡± Daegnon continued.


    ¡°So he¡¯s good at communicating. That can be useful,¡± Cyrus said, looking at where Hoshi¡¯s Goblin face was displayed on the wall across from the platform they stood alongside.


    ¡°Once the ship is up and running, communications and trade will be essential. For now, his abilities may not prove to be the most useful. We can place him in stasis for now unless Daegnon feels he would have some other, more technical skills,¡± Hoshi said in a somewhat metallic voice, giving Daegnon a viable option as to whether to wake this Goblin or not.


    ¡°By chance, do you think he¡¯d be any good at fixing things?¡± Cyrus asked, not exactly knowing yet what all needed to be repaired.


    Daegnon rubbed his chin in a very human-ish way. ¡°Probably not. He never do good at digging. He do okay at catching grubs though.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then I think we should leave him here sleeping. It doesn¡¯t sound like he¡¯s going to be able to help us fix the ship right now, and it¡¯ll be one less mouth to feed. Is that okay with you, Daegnon?¡± Cyrus asked his Goblin captain.


    ¡°He will just sleep here?¡± Daegnon asked in return.


    ¡°Stasis will slow the body¡¯s metabolism down to an almost imperceptible rate. While I can¡¯t be absolutely certain without proper scanning and tests, a Goblin should be able to remain in stasis for several years before suffering any damage,¡± Hoshi informed the two.


    ¡°Okay, so Prayda will stay asleep, even though he might look dead. The ship will keep him alive; he¡¯ll just be in such a deep sleep that it might not look like he¡¯s going to wake up,¡± Cyrus explained. ¡°But when we need him and his skills, we can wake him up like nothing happened. Does that make sense?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is an accurate description,¡± Hoshi¡¯s voice rang through the room. ¡°He will be perfectly preserved until his skills are required.¡±


    Daegnon looked concerned and took a long moment to think about all that had been said. This was his first real decision as captain, and he didn¡¯t want to make the wrong choice.


    He thought about Cyrus¡¯s explanation and the assurance from the ship''s spirit, or AI as Cyrus had called it. The human seemed genuine and had been truthful so far as he could tell. Daegnon realized that they were all in the same precarious situation, so it made sense for Cyrus to be honest about their chances and capabilities when working together.


    Also, the image of his ancestor on the displays had been accurate, and the spirit had spoken with knowledge of his clan''s past, which furthered Daegnon¡¯s trust that Hoshi and Cyrus were telling the truth and would be allies.


    It also occurred to Daegnon that keeping Prayda asleep did seem like the best idea. He had heard that some people could sleep for years without waking up. Then, when they did finally arise, they had to ask what had happened and why things were so different. He supposed that if he had to explain to Prayda later on why he had been left to sleep for so long, it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to explain. So, as long as he was safe, which Hoshi guaranteed, then it would be the right decision for him to stay asleep.


    ¡°Yes, Prayda can sleep, as long as you say he¡¯ll wake up,¡± Daegnon told Cyrus and looked at the image of Grubnash in turn.


    ¡°Okay, I promise that as long as we survive, he will be safe and will wake up when we need him. Is that good enough?¡± Cyrus asked, making a small X across his chest.


    Daegnon didn¡¯t understand the gesture but figured it must be a human thing, so he just snorted and nodded, satisfied.


    Cyrus and Daegnon watched as a semi-opaque layer of tangible light created a shield around Prayda and the platform he was lying on. It wrapped around the entire structure, forming a tube of lightly glowing blue-tinted light.


    The inside of the tube then filled with a slightly darker blue mist. The entire thing looked extremely cold. Then, a circular hole opened in the wall closest to where the platform was floating, the opening suspiciously close to the same size as the tube of light now encircling the Goblin.


    Daegnon¡¯s eyes went wide, and he began to lunge forward, but Cyrus laid a firm hand on the Goblin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay, this is the stasis part. Think of it like he¡¯s being frozen, and to wake him back up you just have to melt the ice.¡±


    Daegnon didn¡¯t look fully convinced and still worried about what was happening, but he allowed himself to be held back. They watched as the tube floated into the opening in the wall. The wall then sealed shut, and all traces of Prayda and the platform he was on disappeared.


    ¡°You make it sound like we could see Prayda; this is different,¡± Daegnon said, looking up at Cyrus.


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    ¡°I am sorry, Daegnon. I did not fully elaborate on the procedure, but I didn¡¯t disagree with the explanations given. If you would like, I can extricate him from the holding bin so that you can visually monitor Prayda if you wish,¡± Hoshi said from the speakers in the room, the image of Grubnash mimicking the facial gestures to make it seem as though the digital image were the one speaking.


    Daegnon pursed his lips, not happy with the way he¡¯d been dealt with. The AI had used big words, and it took him some time to process them, but they were becoming clearer to him the more he spoke with Cyrus and Hoshi. It felt like he was learning from them.


    Finally, Daegnon spoke, ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t forget your promise, but Prayda is okay in the wall.¡± He then walked to where the tube had disappeared into the wall and placed his hand over the spot. He didn¡¯t have any particular fondness for Prayda, other than the fact that he was one of the few Goblins here on the ship, but that was enough to make Daegnon worry for his safety and return.


    ¡®I do understand how this must look like some form of magic to him, how he is lost as to what is happening to his friends and what may happen to him as well. Our lack of ability to properly convey more advanced ideas does make communication difficult, as I predicted. I do sense a strong will within him, and the SCANT is working to boost his mental acuity, but I hope he and the others will be up to this challenge,¡¯ Hoshi said into Cyrus¡¯s mind as they watched the Goblin dealing with his emotions.


    After a few moments they moved to the next Goblin, the extra-wide one who had spearheaded the charge against Cyrus before they were all knocked out by the SCANT mist. This one was obviously more bulked out than the others, so while hesitant about whether he would still be a threat, Cyrus was optimistic that this one would have the aptitude to assist with ship repairs.


    ¡°This one¡¯s name Raknak. He very strong, has Ogre blood in him,¡± Daegnon said as he joined Hoshi and Cyrus at the table.


    ¡°Ogre blood?¡± Cyrus asked, but kept his eyes focused on the opposite side of the table, where only he could see Hoshi standing.


    Cyrus listened to the holographic image of Hoshi speak into his mind, noticing that the lips on the image began to move as they spoke. Previously, the face had remained still, but now, just like the digital Goblin image Hoshi projected to communicate with Daegnon, Hoshi¡¯s holographic image spoke with actual facial movement.


    ¡®I am finding some interesting peculiarities in this one¡¯s genetic makeup. The SCANT hasn¡¯t been able to fully map out the DNA of any of the Goblins yet, but this one does seem to have a variance which I can¡¯t account for,¡¯ Hoshi said only to Cyrus in response to his question. ¡®Daegnon and the female also have an unusual variance in their DNA, but the variance in them differs from the one in this Raknak. The remaining three all have a very similar or base genetic makeup,¡¯ the AI finished.


    Cyrus listened and understood but had another question he had to ask before he could move on.


    ¡®Hoshi, why didn¡¯t your lips move before now?¡¯ Cyrus asked, a small smile tickling his lips.


    ¡®I have been studying the facial movements of both species and feel that I can now accurately replicate them. Before, I did not have enough data to properly replicate the image¡¯s movements,¡¯ Hoshi replied through the mental link they shared, the lips on the image moving as though the image was a real person speaking to him.


    ¡®Ok, but I¡¯ve been talking a lot more than Daegnon. Why did you only enable the lip synching just now, at the same time as the Goblin image?¡¯ Cyrus asked, curious as to why the AI would start moving the image''s lips at the same time.


    ¡®The answer is simple. Goblins have a much less complicated muscle structure, so they are less emotive. The timing was purely coincidental,¡¯ Hoshi explained unemotionally.


    ¡®Okay¡­ I guess that¡¯s good. Yay for humans?¡¯ Cyrus said sarcastically.


    There was a slight pause before Hoshi replied, ¡°I am not certain why you would celebrate this fact. It basically means that humans are more difficult to understand, harder to heal, and much more difficult to emulate. If anything, the Goblin¡¯s simplicity should be celebrated rather than the human complexities.¡±


    Cyrus just smiled at the AI¡¯s misinterpretation of his sarcasm and shook his head.


    Daegnon, not understanding that Cyrus was asking Hoshi about Ogre blood instead of him, answered as well. ¡°His great-great dam was an Ogre. His great-great sire caught her and brought her to the burrow but kept her for himself only, didn¡¯t share with the rest of the clan,¡± Daegnon explained.


    It took a moment for Cyrus to realize what Daegnon was saying. The word "dam" wasn¡¯t one he was very familiar with. ¡°Wait, are you saying that his great-grandmother was an Ogre? Is that what you meant by ''dam''?¡±


    Daegnon looked at Cyrus funny, as if he didn¡¯t understand the word he had used either. ¡°What is ¡®grait-granmuthr¡¯?¡± he asked, the words coming out garbled and mispronounced.


    ¡°Okay, like, the mother of your mother is a grandmother, and the mother of her mother would be your great-grandmother. Is that the lineage you''re talking about?¡± Cyrus asked.


    Daegnon smiled, a toothy grin that looked like he was thinking perverted thoughts. ¡°I heard about you tall-folk and your families. Goblins don¡¯t have that; we have clans. We use a dam for breeding, sometimes if she¡¯s good then she¡¯ll last for a few generations. Like my Elf mom, she my mom, she Glix mom, she also my grand dam, which means that she also my father¡¯s mom.¡±


    Cyrus was stunned, his worldview forcefully trying to keep him from comprehending what the Goblin was saying. The words Daegnon used made sense, but the thought didn''t want to take hold in his brain.


    ¡°You mean, your father and your mom, but he was her¡­ and you, also your grandpa...¡± he trailed off, his words not quite making sense, the full sentence not fully forming.


    ¡®That makes more sense,¡¯ Hoshi calmly interjected into Cyrus¡¯s semi-functional mind. ¡®If the Goblins use a common female for their breeding, that would explain the similar traits I am seeing within their DNA. The X chromosome from the dam would be consistently passed on through multiple generations, while the Y chromosome from various males would vary. This means that Daegnon and the female are siblings through the mother and explains their similar genetic variant.¡¯


    The science talk didn¡¯t help Cyrus to understand; it really just added another layer for his mind to work through. He stood, blinking and unresponsive, as he tried his best to repress the ideas Daegnon and Hoshi had just put into his brain.


    ¡°Cyrus, are you going to be alright?¡± Hoshi¡¯s metallic voice asked aloud after the room went silent for a few moments.


    Simultaneously, in Cyrus¡¯s mind, he heard, ''This is just another form of selective breeding, although Goblins are the first species I have heard of that perform it as a natural form of mutation and survival.'' The AI''s image blinked from where it had been standing to reappear next to him and placed a hand on Cyrus¡¯s shoulder.


    The actual sensation of the digital hand touching him seemed to snap him out of the oubliette his mind was falling into. He had seen the images on the displays around the room, had seen how the light used to create the images looked as though it had substance, but until now, he hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to actually touch anything projected from them. So to now have something made of this semi-solid light touch him was a startling yet intriguing sensation.


    Rather than being hot, like a light bulb, or even as warm as another person¡¯s skin, the touch was cool. It had substance, but not solidity. It was almost like someone had laid cooled pudding on his shoulder and then moved it around slightly. The feeling was both fascinating and disgusting at the same time.


    Cyrus stared at the hand touching him, the AI¡¯s words not fully registering. Then a slap to his inner thigh brought his attention sharply to the small green person standing chest-high in front of him.


    ¡°Not your idea of a good time, I take it?¡± Daegnon said, the grin from before still present.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t say that it is. We definitely have very different societies,¡± Cyrus responded, still not fully back in the moment but wanting to move on from this discussion as soon as possible. ¡°Uhhh¡­ Okay, so this guy, Raknak, do you think he would be good at fixing things?¡±


    Daegnon¡¯s smile lessened, becoming more thoughtful but keeping a hint of mischievousness to it. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s strong and smarter than Khibi,¡± the Goblin pointed to the next table they would be visiting.


    At that table lay a much smaller Goblin. Even compared to the other two ¡®normal¡¯ Goblins, this one was diminutive. He was clad only in what looked like a dingy diaper, a small piece of well-used cloth tied around his crotch, barely covering what might be underneath¡ªsomething Cyrus was not at all interested in finding out. The Goblin was unremarkable in any other way.


    ¡°Gooniz probably not be much good at fixing stuff either,¡± Daegnon continued, gesturing to the platform on the other side of the room. ¡°He¡¯s okay, good at making these two do bad things, but I don¡¯t think he''s gonna be much help,¡± he pointed to Raknak and Khibi when mentioning ¡°these two.¡±


    Daegnon then pointed to the female Goblin who had been next to Cyrus before he was set free. ¡°Glix, she¡¯s smart. She¡¯s always making and fixing things. She works hard and learns quickly.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so Raknak and Glix should join us, and the other two stay sleeping for now?¡± Cyrus asked to verify.


    Daegnon nodded firmly, puffing out his chest. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s my decision as captain.¡±


    Cyrus couldn¡¯t help but smile. This Goblin was already seeming smarter. The SCANT was working to improve his thought process already, but Daegnon also had this almost childlike quality that made him seem humorously lovable. The dichotomy was unusual and not what he expected when talking to a Goblin. Although talking to a Goblin hadn¡¯t really been something he had expected to do in his life, so really he didn¡¯t know what to expect.


    ¡®This is going to be a strange life now, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ Cyrus said, mainly to himself, but Hoshi responded as if he had asked her.


    ¡®I am uncertain as to what your life entailed before, but from the data I gathered about your planet, I do think your current circumstances should prove to be both challenging and entertaining. I am certainly glad I was able to balance your brain¡¯s chemistry as soon as I did; the imbalance would have made your dealings with these creatures much more difficult.¡¯


    ¡°Wait, what?!"

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    ¡°You adjusted my brain chemistry?¡± Cyrus asked aloud, feeling stunned, a little annoyed, but mostly astonished and strangely relieved. He hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to his mental state but now realized he hadn¡¯t been hearing the usual dueling voices in his head. He had attributed their absence to the overwhelming number of things happening around him.


    Learning that Hoshi had somehow balanced the neurotransmitters in his brain left Cyrus feeling a mix of fear but also hopefulness. On one hand, the ability to understand and make changes in his brain was terrifyingly powerful. If he were honest with himself, he hadn¡¯t been concerned before when Hoshi mentioned increasing his intelligence. Now, he found the irony in his own lack of concern.


    That being said, experiencing a more balanced mood was something he definitely appreciated. He couldn''t help but think of all the anxiety he wouldn¡¯t have to deal with thanks to what the AI had been doing to him via the SCANT.


    Daegnon looked up at the concerned human, the words Cyrus had said not translating properly into the Goblin tongue. ¡°What wrong with your head¡¯s alchemy?¡±


    Hoshi replied before Cyrus had the opportunity to explain, ¡°By using the SCANT, which is integrated into all of your bodies now, I am able to alter the chemicals in his brain to a more balanced state. This keeps him from being afflicted by the crippling anxiety he normally deals with,¡± the metallic voice of Hoshi responded to Daegnon¡¯s question.


    ¡°I have also enhanced his cognitive functions by increasing synaptic activity and improving the efficiency of neural pathways. Additionally, I have reestablished disconnected neurons to boost his memory retention and overall mental acuity. This is basic cranial cellular modification, and it is happening to all of you, not just Cyrus,¡± Hoshi continued.


    Daegnon¡¯s brows furrowed as he tried to process what Hoshi had explained. The concepts of brain chemistry and neural pathways were far beyond his understanding. He looked back at Cyrus, his confusion evident.


    ¡°What¡¯s sinaptik activity? What¡¯s new-rons?¡± Daegnon asked, struggling with the unfamiliar terms.


    Cyrus took a deep breath, thinking of how to simplify the explanation for the Goblin. ¡°Alright, imagine your brain is like a big clan. The neurons are like all the Goblins in the clan; more is better. Now, these clan members have to talk to each other, right? So, when they talk, it¡¯s like sending a message; that message would be the neural activity. But if there aren¡¯t good paths, then it¡¯s tougher to talk to one another. What Hoshi is doing is making better paths, so the Goblins can talk to each other more easily.¡±


    Daegnon nodded slowly, still looking puzzled but beginning to grasp the concept. ¡°So, Hoshi is making our brains work better?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Cyrus said with a reassuring smile. ¡°Hoshi is helping all of us think more clearly and remember things better. It¡¯s like having a wise elder who explains things so you understand more and can better solve problems.¡±


    Daegnon¡¯s eyes brightened with understanding. ¡°So, Hoshi is making us all smarter?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cyrus confirmed. ¡°Hoshi is helping us be smarter so we can fix the ship.¡± Cyrus paused before finishing the thought he had, only now understanding the true purpose of the modifications, ¡°Because if we can¡¯t do that, then we¡¯re all doomed.¡±


    Daegnon slowly nodded, also acknowledging their dire circumstances.


    Cyrus walked to a corner of the room while Hoshi in their Grubnash form woke Raknak and Glix, giving Daegnon the opportunity to explain the situation to the other Goblins. He stayed out of the way, hoping to avoid any potential harm both to him and to the delicate situation.


    While the three Goblins woke and spoke, Cyrus took the opportunity to find out from Hoshi what exactly needed to be done to get the ship functional.


    ¡°Are the four of us going to be able to get the ship in good enough working order to actually survive in time?¡± Cyrus mentally asked the AI.


    The holographic image stood next to Cyrus and spoke in a whisper, although since he was the only one who could see or hear this version of Hoshi, he didn¡¯t understand why. ¡°The damage is extensive, but I have prioritized the essential systems which need repairs as well as a few minor mechanical issues. I believe the repairs can be finished in time, although finding a place where we can properly resupply may prove to be difficult,¡± Hoshi responded.


    That statement took Cyrus by surprise. He had been assuming once the ship was fixed, they would just head to Earth. During the rapid movie-like replay of the ship''s history since being discovered by the Goblins, Hoshi had shown him how the ship¡¯s sensors had found him because Earth was the closest planet with life forms containing acceptable DNA, implying it had transported him here due to its proximity.


    Cyrus understood there might be some challenges but figured they could use the same transport beam or a similar mechanism to gather supplies and then proceed back to Earth. He was still contemplating whether to stay or go with the Goblins when the idea of not being able to return to his home finally crossed his mind.


    ¡°Wait, can¡¯t we just go back to my planet, to Earth?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I do not feel that would be a viable option. Let me explain why,¡± Hoshi replied. ¡°This ship¡¯s movements are not linear. Understanding this fully requires a grasp of dimensions beyond the third. Essentially, instead of moving from one point to another in a straight line, the ship''s JUMP engines manipulate space-time, creating a rift that allows it to traverse vast distances and different realms of existence almost instantaneously.¡±


    ¡°When I scanned your planet and subsequently transported you here, the JUMP engines were in the process of cooling down but had not fully disengaged. Consequently, once the initial momentum ceased, we continued to travel at a significant speed due to the gravimetric friction system being compromised. This malfunction has caused us to drift aimlessly through space since then. Since we were not fully manifested into space-time, we are now so far from your planet that returning would be highly inefficient. It would be more practical to find an alternative location in which to resupply.¡±


    This caused Cyrus to tilt back on his heels. He had watched enough science fiction and outer space movies and TV shows to think he had a relatively good handle on how this all worked, but hearing these words¡ªwords he¡¯d only heard in discussions of advanced physics¡ªmade him realize just how out of his element he was. Shaking his head, he understood now just how lost these Goblins must feel.


    ¡°Before you ask, JUMP stands for Junctional Universal Manipulation Propulsion,¡± Hoshi said before Cyrus¡¯s brain was even truly caught up.


    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± he said, still deciphering all that Hoshi had told him. He was able to understand the basics; the words made sense, even though he hadn¡¯t really ever thought of them before. They brought about ideas and images that seemed sci-fi, but also somewhat realistic. It felt like these were concepts he should be able to understand but just didn¡¯t quite grasp¡­ yet.


    Then he remembered the active alteration of his brain cells happening and began to wonder. ¡°Are your nano-bots placing this information into my brain?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. When I showed you the history of this ship from my perspective, that was a direct installation of knowledge. That cost me a great deal of power, but I felt it was the most efficient way to show you as well as convince you of the importance of the situation. What is happening to your brain now is more similar to enhancement. Your intelligence is growing, and your recall is more easily accessed, so concepts and terminology can seem to knit themselves together as though externally influenced when it is actually your own brain piecing the information together.¡±


    Cyrus nodded, understanding what Hoshi meant. ¡°So when we begin working on the repairs, I¡¯ll be able to learn what¡¯s going on so that I know how to fix it?¡±


    ¡°That can happen, yes. However, especially with the Goblins, I will likely have to install the information in your brains, at least the basics, so that you will be able to understand the mechanics.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t that costly to you?¡± Cyrus asked.


    ¡°Yes, and that is why the Dark-Matter Fusion Conduits will be the first system to be restored.¡±


    As Hoshi spoke the term ¡°Dark-Matter Fusion Conduit,¡± an image formed in Cyrus¡¯s mind. It was of long, tube-like structures flowing through the ship almost like veins in a living body. These tubes functioned similarly, capturing dark matter as it passed through space, sending it coursing through the tubes, circulating it, and collecting the excess radiation it emitted before finally sending it into a core where it was... and the vision ended.


    Cyrus immediately understood that Hoshi had placed the information in his mind for the exact purpose of him knowing how to start repairs. ¡°Wow... that is both creepy and amazing.¡±


    The holographic image of Hoshi that Cyrus saw covered its mouth with a hand draped by a large sleeve, and in his mind, a cute little chuckle could be heard. ¡°I don''t know that I have ever been called creepy,¡± Hoshi responded, giggling again.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Before long, the female Goblin, Glix, removed herself from the still quarreling male Goblins and walked over to where Cyrus stood.


    ¡°You are Cyrus?¡± she asked timidly. The language she used was clear to Cyrus; it was the same as Daegnon''s, with grunts and small whistles, but the tone was much less forceful, giving him the feeling that this Goblin lacked confidence. Additionally, the way he heard the words translated in her voice entering his mind spoke of her wanting to appear somewhat subdued and non-aggressive.


    ¡°Yes, and you¡¯re Glix, right?¡± Cyrus responded.


    The Goblin nodded before continuing, ¡°So it¡¯s true that you can speak to the ship directly? That you will be able to fly this ship?¡±


    ¡°That is true. Hoshi appears in my mind and looks different from the Goblin that appears on the displays. And flying the ship¡ªwell, I haven¡¯t done it yet, but that is what I have been told I¡¯m here to do,¡± Cyrus said, smiling down at the inquisitive Gobliness.


    ¡°This ship is amazing, and you can show me how it works?¡± she asked.


    Cyrus had to gulp and think of how to properly respond. Before he could speak, though, the nearest display lit up with the face of the elder Goblin and answered Glix¡¯s question.


    ¡°Glix, I am Hoshi. Cyrus¡¯s job is to pilot the ship, but he will also be useful in providing repairs. Your intelligence is greater in mechanical thinking, so I will name you as chief engineer. Once you know this ship well, it will be your responsibility to keep it maintained.¡±


    Glix¡¯s face lit up as the face of Grubnash spoke to her directly. Cyrus could understand what was being said via the neural link, but he could also hear the voice coming from the speaker, speaking in the same language as the Goblins. It was a truly fascinating occurrence.


    ¡®She¡¯s going to be chief engineer?¡¯ Cyrus mentally asked Hoshi.


    ¡®Yes, her mind is accepting and understanding the information I have been trickling into it. It is happening at a higher rate of speed and effectiveness. It is more significant when compared to the others. While she may not be as all-around intelligent as Daegnon or you, it seems her aptitude for mechanical processing is greater than any other,¡± Hoshi responded with a tone of happiness. ¡°If all of you could think like she does, the repairs would be completed in no time.¡¯


    Cyrus didn¡¯t know quite how to take what Hoshi said. On one hand, apparently, he was smarter than the Goblins, which he technically knew he would be, but not as smart as Glix when it came to engineering? Granted, that was never something he strived to understand, but the thought of being outsmarted by a Goblin was a little unnerving, even if it were only in one area.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be like that,¡¯ Hoshi cut into Cyrus¡¯s thoughts. ¡®Think of her as autistic, a savant. Her mind knows how to focus on one thing in particular, seeing it in ways few others can, but in some other areas her experience is somewhat lacking.¡¯


    Cyrus wasn¡¯t sure how Hoshi knew what Autism was, unless it was just the language being translated into a term that he knew, but the explanation did clarify things, and he felt bad for being a little jealous of her. Now, though, he wondered if he should be more sympathetic to her needs.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Cyrus said, ¡°I am sure you¡¯ll do a great job.¡±


    Cyrus extended his hand for her to shake before remembering the awkward way Daegnon had interpreted the gesture.


    Glix looked at his hand before moving forward and sniffing it.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, I am used to shaking hands with humans. I guess Goblins don''t do that often. Is there another form of congratulations or greeting that Goblins give instead?¡± Cyrus asked awkwardly.


    Glix looked up at Cyrus, and a large, somewhat scary smile crossed her lips before she quickly moved forward and slapped his leg, on the inner thigh, similarly to how Daegnon had slapped him earlier to get his attention.


    ¡®Is that really a Goblin greeting?¡¯ he asked himself as well as Hoshi, but there was no response.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ okay. Thanks?¡± Cyrus stammered, his eyebrows raising in surprise.


    Glix simply continued to look up at Cyrus with an almost hungry glare.


    Daegnon and Raknak had been having some heated discussions about what was happening and what roles they, as well as the others, should play. For one thing, Raknak was unaccustomed to not having Khibi at his side. While he often found the diminutive Goblin annoying, Raknak had grown to count on his continual presence.


    There was also the fact that Raknak was much bigger and stronger than Daegnon and felt that it would be smarter to just kill the human and use him for food until they fixed the ship themselves. This part of the argument lasted for several minutes until Hoshi deemed it necessary to intervene.


    ¡°Cyrus, the human, is the only individual here with whom I can interface well enough to pilot this ship. Without him, you all will die. His presence here is not an option,¡± Hoshi said in the Goblin tongue, using the face of Grubnash.


    A face which even Raknak knew and respected, as a statue of him stood near the ship, his likeness guarding the area for years before either of them were born. The statue was erected to remind the clan of the burrow-master who initially found the Tarnished Starfang.


    With Hoshi¡¯s intervention, Daegnon finally won the debate, and with a slumped posture, Raknak joined Cyrus, Glix, and Daegnon to begin the work on the ship. The image of Grubnash welcomed them all and thanked them for their understanding before finally revealing the exit to the room. The door slid open and exposed the hallway outside, the same hallway the Goblins had entered from.


    ¡°Technically, this is the medical center of the ship. If any of you are injured, make your way here. Once I have full power again, there is much more I will be able to do in order to keep you all healthy,¡± Hoshi explained as the AI Goblin image shifted from one display to another, with an arrow pointing the direction to walk floating underneath.


    ¡°This area of the ship is towards the rear and on the upper section. Below are the main engines, cargo bays, and docking ports.¡± All of them listened closely to the metallic voice as it explained where they were and where they were going. Cyrus had a basic understanding and sense of the ship''s layout from the data downloaded earlier, but knowing something from seeing a map and walking through, discovering the intricacies were extremely different.


    The halls of the ship were for the most part uniform. They were rectangular with matte silver walls running in each direction, broken up by large dark glass displays and small open portals which held small buttons inside.


    ¡°These weren¡¯t here before,¡± Raknak said as they walked along, pointing at the small button spaces curiously.


    ¡°No, you had no need to access the rooms before; they are open now since you have decided to assist in the repairs. Now you are designated as ¡®crew members¡¯ rather than stowaways,¡± Hoshi informed them.


    Raknak harrumphed but continued to follow, not bothering to comment further or investigate what was behind the doors the buttons opened.


    ¡°Our first stop will be here,¡± Grubnash¡¯s image informed them as one of the previously hidden doors slid open, revealing a small corridor behind. ¡°Except for Cyrus, I will need him elsewhere.¡±


    Cyrus looked into the room and saw a small-ish corridor. It was only about five feet tall and maybe three feet wide, and he knew he would have a difficult time fitting in there, so he was grateful for Hoshi¡¯s need for him somewhere different.


    Glix had no problem with the size and eagerly stepped into the corridor, walking down without having to stoop at all, following the yellow arrows guiding her.


    Daegnon looked at Cyrus, his eyebrow raised as it had been before, speculation evident on his face.


    Without need for prompting, Hoshi¡¯s metallic voice rang out again, ¡°Cyrus is the taller of you all, so I need him in a different area.¡±


    Daegnon apparently accepted the explanation and entered the corridor, slightly ducking to enter.


    Raknak grunted as if in disgust. The sound was very pig-like to Cyrus¡¯s ears. He entered the corridor and, like Glix, didn¡¯t have to duck, but his wide shoulders barely fit sideways, leaving him very little room to move.


    Once the Goblins were inside, the door slid closed with a light hiss, and the hologram of Hoshi reappeared by Cyrus¡¯s side.


    ¡®There really will be repairs I need you to accomplish due to your stature. However, I need you to properly interface with the Cosmic Sentinel,¡¯ Hoshi said into Cyrus¡¯s mind and began walking, continuing in the same direction they had been traveling before.


    ¡°Is this ship really called the Cosmic Sentinel? That name seems so¡­¡± Cyrus waved his hand in circles, ¡°gauche, I guess. I mean, who uses the word ¡®Sentinel¡¯ anymore?¡±


    ¡®Do you prefer the Tarnished Starfang?¡¯ Hoshi asked.


    ¡°Not really,¡± he said honestly. ¡°I guess I am just used to having ships named after old gods or something, like Prometheus, Icarus, stuff like that. Cosmic Sentinel sounds so formal.¡±


    ¡®If you are truly unsatisfied with the name, you can consult Daegnon and perhaps come up with a compromise,¡¯ Hoshi suggested.


    ¡°Maybe. I guess either way, I¡¯ll get used to it. I mean, I am sure it sounds cooler in the language it is spoken, right?¡±


    Hoshi paused for a moment before turning back to look at Cyrus peculiarly. ¡®I do not know. I have records of the language, I understand the text, but the meanings behind the words are missing. I believe this is another part of my data corruption.¡¯ With that, the hologram turned back and once again began walking away.


    Cyrus knew that Hoshi was somehow able to read his thoughts, or at least what was right at the surface, so didn¡¯t want to offend the AI, but couldn¡¯t help thinking about how strange that interaction had been or how weird it was that all the data from the ship''s creators was missing.


    Only a few yards later, a door slid open to Cyrus¡¯s left, revealing a dark room.


    As Cyrus approached the open door, a rush of anticipation began to course through him. The holographic interface of Hoshi guided him into the room with a wide sweeping gesture of their arm.


    ¡®This is the pilot simulation and training facility. You can fully immerse in this room and complete the neuro-registration with the Cosmic Sentinel here and thus begin your training,¡¯ Hoshi''s voice echoed in Cyrus¡¯s mind, filling him with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.


    Small lights flickered to life as he stepped inside, casting a dim glow across the room. Unlike the other areas he had visited on the ship, this room felt distinctly different.


    Rather than the silver or white walls he had grown accustomed to, these were composed entirely of the dark, glassy display panels, the same as those found interspersed throughout the rest of the ship. The black flooring, an unusual deviation from the sterile white of the medical bay or the simulated carpet-like substance elsewhere, added to the room''s enigmatic ambiance.


    As Cyrus''s gaze wandered upwards, he noticed that even the ceiling matched the darkness of the walls, albeit made of a different material. Suspended from the direct center of the ceiling hung a thick-ish silvery cord tethered to a set of futuristic headgear, which seemed to float in midair.


    The headset dangled next to a large plush inclined chair, reminiscent of the gaming chair he owned back in his apartment. The entire setup resembled a colossal virtual reality simulator, and Cyrus could feel his pulse quickening with excitement at the possibilities it presented.


    The room seemed to pulse with potential, offering him a glimpse into the advanced technology of the civilization that had created it. Images of epic space battles and daring piloting maneuvers flashed through his mind, fueling his anticipation for the training that lay ahead. With a sense of excitement and curiosity, Cyrus stepped further into the room, hesitant but ready to begin the journey that awaited him aboard the Cosmic Sentinel.

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8


    Glix led the way, following the glowing yellow arrows on the displays and navigating the turns as the image of Grubnash jumped from one of the smaller displays to the next. The corridors she and the others were walking through seemed to have been made deliberately for someone Goblin-sized, and she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if that was on purpose.


    Daegnon followed behind her, lost in his own thoughts, dutifully trailing along but not interacting with either her or Raknak. The latter stomped down the tunnel in a huff, following Daegnon. His entire demeanor was that of a disrespectful child rather than the stalwart bruiser he was generally thought of as. In the burrow, he had been more of a thug than anything, but he had protected the burrow several times from monster attacks. His strength was an asset, so his behavior was better tolerated.


    Finally, the image of the elder Goblin stopped on a display and began speaking once more in the metallic voice that accompanied the image. All three of them gathered close so they could hear what the spirit, or AI, told them.


    ¡°Underneath this display is a panel which you will need to remove. Use this tool,¡± the voice continued, as a strange white and red object appeared in a small drawer beneath the display. It had a long metallic shaft ending with a star-shaped tip. ¡°To open the panel, place the tip in the corresponding shape and twist to the left.¡±


    Glix took hold of the tool and quickly found the small piece of metal the image had mentioned. She placed the tip of the tool into the hole and twisted.


    ¡°Good, now do the same to the other three,¡± the metallic voice of Grubnash commanded.


    Glix did so, and once finished, the wall opened up. The panel, which had the four holes in it, fell from the wall, revealing a space behind it. ¡°Wow,¡± Glix whispered as the panel fell and she could see the inside of the wall.


    ¡°Good. Now use this tool,¡± the voice continued, and once again, another drawer opened below the display. This time, the tool was not so simple, and all three of them stared at it in curiosity.


    ¡°Use it to first clean, then seal the hole located in the tube behind the panel,¡± the voice finished.


    This time, the details were a little more difficult to explain, and it took several attempts before Glix was able to properly figure out how to use the device. The tool was shaped similarly to a small pistol, although that was not a term they were familiar with. The first challenge was getting Glix to grip it correctly. Once that part was finished, Hoshi made sure that the other two would understand how to use the tool as well, since the hope was to have the three of them separate and each work on different areas.


    The tool, which Hoshi called a mender-beam, had multiple settings and could be used in many ways. For this application, there were two settings that the AI had to show the Goblins how to operate. The first was a low-range, light-based laser. This beam was used to remove any debris, rust, contaminants, or excess buildup along the interior surface of the Dark-Matter Fusion Conduit into which the panel Glix removed led.


    The second beam was used to repair the damage sustained. This beam looked the same when used, except for the color, changing from a pale reddish hue to a bright green. This green beam reassembled the atoms in the structure it was pointed at, aligning them as closely as possible to their original state. When necessary, it would collect atoms from the surrounding atmosphere, rearrange them, and attach them to the surface being repaired, thus rebuilding the surface altogether.


    While both beams were technically harmless to living beings, the light shining from the end of the device could be rather bright and, when shined in one¡¯s eyes, could cause temporary blindness. This is what happened when Raknak took his turn trying out the tool. He inadvertently held the device backwards, and the beam shot directly into his face.


    Once this section of the Dark-Matter Fusion Conduit was repaired, Hoshi sent Glix off to another area of the ship. The area to which she was sent had been buried the deepest within the mountain and needed the highest degree of repair. Glix was picking up on the repairs quickly and was obviously best suited for the job.


    Once she was separated from the other Goblins and led off to begin her more advanced tasks, Hoshi led the other two to a nearby location within the conduit system where several areas needed attention and each could practice using the mender-beam until they were more confident in its use.


    ¡°Argh¡­ This stupid thing keeps shooting the wrong way!¡± Raknak growled as he once again pointed the wrong end towards the metal and blasted himself in the face. He had done this several times now and had taken to closing his eyes before ever activating the beam, so that even when he had it facing the correct direction, it rarely hit the target.


    With a slap to the back of Raknak¡¯s head, Daegnon scolded him. ¡°Just hold it the right way! Grubnash already told you to stop doing it your stupid way! If you¡¯d listen to the ship spirit you wouldn¡¯t have this problem.¡±


    ¡°My way works better,¡± the overly wide Goblin retorted. ¡°Besides, it easier for me to use this way when I lying down like this.¡±


    ¡°The angle of your body does not influence the device''s capabilities,¡± the metallic voice of Grubnash said. ¡°It is illogical to believe your body¡¯s position would change the direction the mender-beam operates.¡±


    ¡°Hear that, dummy?¡± Daegnon said as he slapped Raknak again. ¡°Don¡¯t matter how you use it, if you hold it backwards, it¡¯s gonna shoot you in the face!¡±


    Raknak just grumbled under his breath and moved the device around in his grip.


    Meanwhile, Cyrus slowly moved into the darkened room, taking his time to touch everything there. Alongside the chair, where his arms would rest, were strange controls. He was used to having trigger-like devices to hold onto when using VR headsets, but the devices at the end of the armrest seemed stationary.


    An image of an old control pad with large buttons and a joystick came to mind as he looked over the devices. The buttons here were more inset, and the joystick was smaller and looked as though it would encircle his thumbs, but the similarities were present.


    ¡°Once you have registered with the ship and completed the initialization, I will have further tasks for you,¡± Hoshi said within Cyrus¡¯s mind. ¡°You will need to sit and don the headset in order to begin.¡±


    Cyrus was looking forward to the experience before him but was still a little cautious too. ¡®This is an alien ship and technology far beyond anything I have ever dealt with; who knows what¡¯ll happen when I finally take the plunge,¡¯ he thought to himself as he ran his fingers over the metallic chair and the soft cushions inside.


    ¡®Your DNA is 88.4 percent compatible. There should be no issues with interfacing using the Exo-Pilot terminal,¡¯ Hoshi mentally reassured him, reading the worried thoughts he had just had.


    ¡°88.4, huh? That means there¡¯s some room for improvement, or error, depending on how you look at it,¡± Cyrus said aloud. ¡°What will happen if my DNA doesn¡¯t properly integrate?¡±


    There was a pause before Hoshi replied. ¡®There is no accessible data to compare with, but I do not believe there would be any lasting effects. Perhaps a minor headache or loss of sensation in your extremities?¡¯


    Cyrus raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°So it could paralyze me?¡±


    ¡®That is a possible outcome, but the paralysis would be temporary¡­ most likely,¡¯ Hoshi said, the last part of the statement sounding much quieter within Cyrus¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­.¡± Cyrus said, bringing his hand up to his chin as he considered. He stroked his chin as though he had a long beard sprouting from it.


    ¡°Aww¡­ what the hell. I¡¯m here, and I¡¯m not getting back any other way, so I may as well get it over with,¡± Cyrus said, and his stomach growled as if to punctuate the need for him to learn how to pilot the vessel.


    The holographic image of Hoshi smiled at him and waved its arm, gesturing for him to sit.


    The Exo-Pilot terminal shifted, moving into a more inclined position, and Cyrus sat down gingerly, taking his time to feel the controls on the handrests and the texture of the material on which he sat. As he fully rested his body on the now upright sitting chair, he slid his hands into the ends of the armrests, feeling the buttons and joysticks beneath his fingers.


    Then the chair began to move again, reclining in a smooth motion until he was almost in a lying-down position, his legs and chest coming to the same height. From this position, the headset was easy to reach, so he took hold of the dangling device. It was very unlike the bulky headsets he was used to; this one was sleek and thin. It was almost like an eye mask that he had seen women on TV using to take a nap, but this was made of a warm metal that was solid yet looked shiny enough to be a liquid.


    The tube connecting it to the ceiling was attached via a smaller crossbeam that would rest on the top of Cyrus¡¯s head, while the rear of the device was slightly elastic, although it also looked and felt as though it was made of the same liquid-like metal.


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    Cyrus inhaled, closed his eyes, and set the headset over his head. It fit as though it were custom-made for him; the crossbeam and curvature for the nose fit snugly into place without discomfort, and he felt the rear tighten slightly as the helmet settled into place.


    Cyrus sank as well, but his sinking was of a much different kind. He didn¡¯t need to open his eyes; his mind was quite capable of seeing in this place. The sinking feeling he experienced was of his entire consciousness being immersed into a new reality.


    Glix had been walking through tunnels, most of them small ones that she fit into easily, as though they were made exactly for someone her size. Others were similar to the standard hallways they had explored before the ship left the mountain. The entire time, she followed the bright yellow arrows, with the image of Grubnash guiding her along, telling her where to turn and where to go, until finally, a door opened to reveal a room unlike any other she¡¯d seen.


    The room expanded out before her, the size of a huge cavern similar to the one the Goblin clan occupied. Yet this gigantic room was filled not with tents and scurrying Goblins, but with machines and lights, hoses, gears, and sounds unlike anything Glix had ever imagined.


    ¡°This is the main engineering bay, which houses the JUMP engine room,¡± Grubnash¡¯s image said from just under the display where the elderly Goblin¡¯s face appeared. ¡°This will be like a second home to you. In time, you will know every inch of this place, know what every system and device does, and how to properly maintain and repair it.¡±


    Glix¡¯s jaw hung open at the sight, her brain spinning, mostly with excitement, but also with a fair amount of anxiety. She had always been ¡°smart¡± compared to the other Goblins, but the thought of having to learn everything here was an extremely daunting task, one that she wasn¡¯t sure she was prepared for.


    ¡°There is no need to worry. I am actively making you smarter. Before long, you will be the smartest Goblin ever,¡± Grubnash¡¯s image chimed from the wall.


    Darkness enclosed around Cyrus for a moment before a translucent hologram appeared before his eyes. The hologram was the same one he could see due to the SCANT: it was Hoshi, yet it was also slightly different.


    ¡°Welcome, Cyrus,¡± the hologram said. This time, rather than hearing the sound only in his head, he felt that he was actually hearing the vibrations of the AI¡¯s voice coming into his ears, rather than simply experiencing a mentally placed voice accompanying the hologram as it normally did. This was also the way he heard and understood the Goblins when they spoke.


    ¡°This is the training simulation,¡± Hoshi continued, gesturing with a wide sweep of an arm. Cyrus realized then that the hologram was no longer in the large kimono it had been wearing either. Its outfit had changed to a dark khaki-colored flight suit, and it held a helmet tucked under its left arm. On the helmet was printed a blue star with red and white wings sprouting from each side. The logo was extremely familiar, and Cyrus had to wonder if the AI had taken the image from his memories, or if it had scoured Earth¡¯s databases and gathered information when searching for him.


    Before Cyrus could ask or even fully complete his speculation, the darkness around him filled in. The image of the ship, the Cosmic Sentinel, which he had seen from the information dump earlier, appeared floating in front of him, but in this view, it was roughly the same size as he was.


    ¡°This is the Cosmic Sentinel¡¯s exterior. You can use this image to check on any structural issues, ongoing repairs, and at times make modifications; but those will be covered further on,¡± Hoshi said. ¡°You can mentally move, angle, spin, or otherwise manipulate this image as you would like.¡±


    Cyrus had played enough VR games that he had a rough idea of how this worked. VR on Earth wasn¡¯t quite up to using mental manipulation, so learning to use his mind to make the same moves his fingers were used to took some practice. However, within a few moments, Cyrus had the image of the ship moving easily. He studied the ship while he had the chance.


    The entire front end of the ship was bulky and triangular, with the bottom point jutting down lower and sharper than the other two points. It almost resembled a huge kite-like shield and was definitely not aerodynamic in the least.


    Along the frontal shield, there were two large darkened intake manifolds that looked almost like large dark eyes when seen head-on. There was also a large opening set into the middle of the shield, around where a nose could be placed on a humanoid face. This opening was covered by what Cyrus thought of as a huge windshield. He could see the interior of the ship and immediately understood that this place was meant to be the bridge or command location. While he didn¡¯t yet understand why they were there, the dark intake portals and the clear viewing screen gave the ship an almost sinister-looking ¡®face.¡¯


    Cyrus had heard of how human brains could see faces in objects that didn¡¯t actually have them, and he assumed this was what he was experiencing now as he looked at the ship staring back at him. ''Pareidolia,'' the word floated into his mind as he continued to study the Cosmic Sentinel''s menacing visage.


    With a small shake of his head to break the spell, Cyrus spun the image of the ship to the right, revealing a large, complex structure behind the shield-like front. The triangular prow maintained its sharp, angular form, creating what looked like a reverse pyramid that tapered into a sharp point at the rear.


    The body of the ship was layered with an array of decks, intricate tools, and unusual-looking devices. Cyrus instinctively felt many of these were smaller thruster-type engines and various weapons, though he couldn¡¯t identify them yet with any certainty. These elements broke the smoothness of the reverse pyramid¡¯s surface, giving the ship an appearance that was both familiar yet unmistakably alien.


    Another prominent feature was a fin-like structure extending from near the pyramid¡¯s termination point. This fin jutted downward, ending in a curious glowing spherical tip. The ball at the fin¡¯s end, though small compared to the rest of the ship, felt as though it held a role of critical importance.


    As Cyrus continued to rotate the ship¡¯s image further around, he realized the elongated downward tip of the frontal shield was designed to better guard the fin and whatever significant power it held within it.


    The Cosmic Sentinel was not just a vessel; it was a flying fortress bristling with mysterious technology and an intimidating presence. Cyrus¡¯s mind raced with the possibilities and responsibilities that came with piloting such a formidable ship. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the challenges of repairing and flying this ship as he continued to familiarize himself with every inch of the craft¡¯s exterior.


    ¡°Now that you are familiar with the exterior,¡± Hoshi spoke while Cyrus continued to ogle the ship, ¡°you need to initiate neuro-registration.¡±


    The image before him shrank and moved into a small window located at the bottom right of his vision. Cyrus could still see the ship as it slowly spun in the window and knew that he could focus on the window to bring it back into full view when needed.


    Now demanding his attention was an image of a cloud filled with swirling multicolored gasses. The image was not flat; it had depth and moved as though he were looking at the cloud in real time. The cloud was stored in a type of bubble that glowed faintly.


    A set of four more similar-looking cloud-bubbles appeared in the corner of Cyrus¡¯s vision as he studied the original in the center.


    ¡°Your first puzzle will be to match the nebula in front of you to its corresponding representative,¡± Hoshi said, the holographic image shrinking to make room for the cloud bubbles.


    Cyrus stared at the circular gas-filled bubbles, trying to discern what exactly he was supposed to glean from them. He reached out to move the central bubble to his left for a better view of the others but found that his hand and arm didn¡¯t respond.


    He hadn¡¯t noticed until now, not needing to move, but in this space, he was disembodied. Looking down, he saw nothing where his torso should be. He tried to feel along his body, move his fingers or toes, but there was no response. Panic bubbled up as he turned his attention to the flight-suit-wearing Hoshi.


    ¡°Where¡¯s my body?¡± Cyrus asked, a layer of panic coloring his voice. But even as he spoke, he realized he didn¡¯t have an actual voice¡ªthat his words were coming from nothing and that what he heard was all within his mind.


    Hoshi looked at him and raised an eyebrow. ¡°You do not need a physical body in this space. Once your neuro-registration is complete, your body will be that of the ship. Until then, it is only your consciousness manifesting.¡±


    ¡°My consciousness?¡± Cyrus asked, the idea sinking in. ¡°My body will be the ship?¡±


    ¡°Yes, in order to pilot the Cosmic Sentinel, you must fully integrate. This means that your consciousness will take over the systems of the ship, allowing you to function as both its internal regulator and its pilot,¡± Hoshi explained.


    ¡°Your brain already runs the systems of your body, such as your cardiovascular system, metabolic processes, and so on. This ship requires the same regulation. Similarly, your brain allows you to walk, run, and reach when needed. It is the same in this ship¡ªthe systems require both a regulatory mechanism and a pilot to function.¡±


    Cyrus was quickly becoming overwhelmed. He had assumed that being the pilot would be something akin to playing a video game, using controls at his fingertips to maneuver the ship. The realization that he would essentially become the brain of the ship was more than he had anticipated.


    There was a long pause as Cyrus contemplated all that Hoshi had told him. His introspection came with many questions and few answers.


    ¡®Will I still have a body? Will I ever be able to leave the ship again? What happens if I die¡ªwill I have to die here? Is the chair I¡¯m in going to be the last place I ever sit? Would I never eat again? Never have sex? Am I going to die a virgin?¡¯


    The questions swirled through his mind, sending him spiraling down a rabbit hole of anxiety, fear, and curiosity.


    ¡®This could become my new safe place, my new home. It¡¯s not like I enjoy leaving anyway, so what¡¯s the harm? But what if I take damage¡ªI mean, the ship takes damage? Will I feel it? Would it be that bad to just give myself over to this ship? You¡¯ve often said you¡¯d rather have a robotic body.¡¯


    The questions and uncertainties began to spiral out of control, with more frantic and unusual thoughts taking hold and floating to the surface.


    ¡®Would I live forever? Can spaceships have sex? Would Hoshi basically be my lover? I would have Goblins inside me? Do you think space tastes good? Would I be able to smell anything?¡¯


    Finally, Hoshi¡¯s voice broke through the cacophony of chaos within Cyrus¡¯s mind. ¡°You will be connected to the ship, but you will not die and can still leave and have a life. Your restrictions will be minimal. As for the rest of your strange thoughts¡­ SCANT is still working on those.¡±


    Cyrus pulled back, reining in his rampant questions and stray thoughts. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that I don¡¯t have to be connected all the time, that the ship can regulate itself without me?¡± he asked Hoshi, whose image had enlarged to demand Cyrus¡¯s attention once more.


    ¡°No, the ship cannot self-regulate, but once the neuro-registration is complete, your brain will be accessible at all times via the SCANT. This means you can continue living normally. You will only be required to be here in this chair when needed to pilot the ship,¡± Hoshi explained.


    It took a few more moments for Cyrus¡¯s mind to settle down, his emotions calming and anxiety letting go of the higher functioning parts of his brain.


    ¡°Oh, okay¡­ So basically, this is like the hard interface, but the simple stuff can be done by the link already inside me, the one that we are talking through right now?¡± Cyrus asked, finally grasping the basics of how this neuro-registration worked.


    ¡°Yes. SCANT is capable of broadcasting over a large distance using what you would call sub-space. It is not infinite, but you will have much more freedom than you had on Earth. Essentially, you have the distance of this galaxy in which you can explore, even if you don¡¯t wish to take the ship with you,¡± Hoshi concluded.


    There were still some of the more obscure questions that had come up during his minor panic attack that Hoshi hadn¡¯t really addressed, but Cyrus decided that since Hoshi hadn¡¯t brought those up, he¡¯d be okay leaving those strange thoughts to himself.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sorry I freaked out. Let¡¯s continue,¡± Cyrus said, watching as Hoshi¡¯s image withdrew and the gas-filled bubbles re-centered.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9


    The AI, displaying Grubnash¡¯s image, had separated Daegnon and Raknak once the bulkier Goblin had finally stopped shooting himself with the tool. Now Daegnon was being led down a regular-sized hall, with bright yellow arrows appearing on the displays along the walls to guide his movement.


    ¡°Since you are designated as captain now, I am taking you to the bridge. There are several systems there that need attention, and I believe it would be in yours, as well as the ship¡¯s, best interest if you have the know-how to repair them,¡± the metallic voice said as he walked along the wide hallway where the previously invisible doorways now appeared as slight indentations along the wall.


    Daegnon just grunted in response. While he was excited to be away from the mountain, this was not turning out to be the adventure he had dreamed of. Things were happening much too fast for his comfort. He was happy to have a new title, though, and captain had a good ring to it. He was already burrow-master, but since this wasn¡¯t a burrow and he only had five other Goblins to command, the old title didn¡¯t seem to fit now. Also, he had a sinking feeling that he would never see his old burrow again and wondered who would take over as burrow-master since he hadn¡¯t sired a son yet.


    As Daegnon pondered these thoughts, he noticed the walls of the hallway beginning to change. The sleek metal surfaces gave way to panels of screens displaying various data readouts and schematics. It was as if the ship was revealing its innermost workings to him, layer by layer. The AI seemed to sense his curiosity.


    ¡°You will need to familiarize yourself with these systems,¡± Grubnash¡¯s voice explained. ¡°Understanding the ship¡¯s internal mechanics is crucial for effective leadership and ensuring the survival of your crew.¡±


    Daegnon nodded absently, his mind still lingering on the notion of never returning home. He pushed the thought aside, focusing instead on the task at hand. The bridge, as the AI had called it, sounded important. If he could master it, perhaps he could lead his fellow Goblins to a better future.


    A large, familiar door opened up before him, revealing a room he had visited several times but never knew was considered the ship¡¯s bridge. He had asked the AI why it was called a bridge, thinking in terms of a path over water. Hoshi had given him an explanation involving paddles and terms he didn¡¯t understand, like steamboat, leaving Daegnon quickly confused.


    ¡°You can call this place the command center if that terminology suits you better,¡± the metallic voice said.


    ¡°Command center, yes. I like the taste of that,¡± he replied as he entered the large room and saw the darkness of space before him.


    ¡°Cyrus should be finishing up his duties shortly, which means this room will once again have power. So, I suggest you begin repairs soon before that step is complete,¡± the AI said, breaking Daegnon''s gaze from the viewscreen and the majestic darkness filled with uncountable pricks of starlight.


    ¡°Ummm¡­ Can I ask you a question first?¡± Daegnon said, turning to the glassy display in front of the central chair in the room, where the image of Grubnash was visible.


    ¡°Certainly, what would you like to know?¡± the voice responded.


    ¡°You take the image of Grubnash, but you don¡¯t sound like a Goblin, and the human says you look different to him. So, what do you actually look like?¡± the Goblin asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have an actual likeness. I take whatever shape is most effective for the person I am interacting with. Would you prefer I take a different image?¡± the AI asked. Several different images flashed upon the display.


    The first was of Daegnon¡¯s father, Friguk; the next was of his mother, the Elven female; then a Goblin image that Daegnon was unfamiliar with, followed by a human face, before reverting back to the face of Grubnash.


    ¡°Do you prefer any of these other images?¡± the AI¡¯s metallic voice asked.


    Daegnon scrunched his face, his lips pouty and the wrinkles on his forehead mashing together. ¡°That human face, is that how you appear to Cyrus?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It is similar, yes,¡± was the reply.


    Daegnon took a moment to consider. Having the human face would probably make things easier since it would all be one face, although Daegnon had liked seeing his father¡¯s image as well. There was also the thought of having his mother¡¯s face. He had been coddled by her, as much as any Goblin is coddled.


    His father, Fregnak, was much more lenient with the breeding chattel and allowed them a full room to roam and interact with their children. Most burrow-masters kept the females used for propagation either chained up or on sleeping potions. Allowing them some freedom was all but unheard of, but it was due to his interactions with the Elf that Daegnon was considered smarter than most Goblins. She had taught him many things, although her madness from being caged was evident, so he had to take much of what she said at face value.


    What it ultimately came down to was the image he found most comfortable. ¡°Naw¡­ Grubnash is good. Everyone knows Grubnash,¡± he said, throwing his hands to the side.


    ¡°Very well then. If you will step to this panel,¡± Hoshi said, indicating the panel by sending a small burst of light to it from the ceiling.


    Glix was being sent from one place to the next in this huge circular room. She was told how and why to use one tool before being led to the next repair site, where she would learn how to use the next device to fix the next broken part.


    She was having a lot of fun but was also getting rather hungry and tired. ¡°Hoshi? Is that what I call you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Hoshi is my designation, yes. How can I assist you?¡± the AI responded.


    ¡°I think I need to sit down for a minute, I¡¯m very tired,¡± Glix said. ¡°There isn¡¯t anything to eat by chance, is there?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, Glix. That is why I am attempting to expedite the repairs, so that the ship can either be flown to a place where you can gather supplies, or I can power up one of the simple replicators,¡± Hoshi responded, a tone of sadness in the metallic voice.


    ¡°I know, but there¡¯s really nothing? No grubs, or a rat even? I would even eat a tuber if you had one of those,¡± Glix said, sticking her tongue out as she thought about her distaste for tubers.


    ¡°This ship was fully stocked when¡­¡± There was a metallic grating sound and several quick clicks before the voice cut off completely, leaving Glix blinking blankly at where the image of Grubnash had just been.


    The Goblin stared at the dark glassy panel until a small light flickered and the image reappeared. As it did, the image cycled through several other images before returning to the original, one being the Elf woman who had birthed her, others she didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°I am sorry, I am unable to access that part of my memories yet,¡± Hoshi¡¯s metallic voice said as the image stabilized as Grubnash once again. ¡°Perhaps once the ship is more fully operational, I will regain access to that data.¡±


    Glix didn¡¯t know how to respond, and the two images looked at each other as the silence between them stretched. Finally, Glix gave a small cough and said, ¡°Okay, I guess that¡¯s enough of a break. What needs fixing next?¡±


    Raknak found himself in an even smaller tube than before, squirming his way through by basically using his large shoulders to move his body forward. He grumbled and cursed the builders of this ship, Daegnon, the human, and everyone else he could think of as he shimmied his way to the top.


    Once his arms were finally freed, he quickly extended them up to grab onto a handle and pull himself into yet another tube. This one was far from ordinary, though. It was roughly the size of the halls which ran throughout the ship but had none of the coverings or niceties along it. In fact, the tunnel was barren except for the patches of discoloration speckling the sheer metallic walls.


    He pulled himself into the round tunnel, and once he was free of the hole he had just exited, it closed up behind him, leaving no trace of where it had previously been.


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    ¡°Buun-Grak Sogging¡­¡± he began to say but didn¡¯t recognize the words leaving his mouth. ¡°What the Sog? Hey, it did it again. Sog, Dzik, Grak!¡± he cursed, hearing the words which now replaced the ones he actually said.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I swear?¡± Raknak screamed into the tunnel, the sound echoing off the metallic walls surrounding him.


    For a moment, there was no answer. The image of Grubnash, which had been leading him here, had ended as he entered the smaller tube. He had followed, assuming the image would return to guide him once he exited. Now a familiar yet distant metallic voice caught his attention.


    Raknak turned in the direction from where the metallic voice came, cursed a few more times, determined he would have to walk a ways to find it, and started to move.


    It took him several long moments before he reached the place from where the voice had come. There was no image this time, only the metallic voice telling him, ¡°This is the heart of the Dark-matter Fusion Conduit. Once this area is sufficiently repaired, power can be restored to the majority of the ship.¡±


    Raknak looked around. He could see the end of the tunnel from where he had come in. Shortly after where he had started walking, it tapered down into a tube he wouldn¡¯t be able to fit in. In the other direction, it made a rounded turn, but the end wasn¡¯t visible to him. If he were to assume the turn was the middle and the other side was the same length, then this large chamber would be close to four hundred footsteps.


    Raknak grunted, seeing the pock-marked metal surrounding him, and completely forgot to ask the metallic voice why his words were coming out differently than what he said. Then, with a ¡°Sog,¡± he moved to the first discolored patch, his stomach rumbling to match his disheartened mood.


    Studying the nebulaic clouds carefully, Cyrus finally determined that the original one, the one closest to him, had a peculiar color in one of the bands swirling within it. As he analyzed it and the others, he noticed that the emission lines within the spectra of the gasses were diffusing at different rates.


    He didn¡¯t quite understand why or how he knew this, nor how he had come to understand the amounts of visual and spectral data streaming into his mind. It was a strange sensation, as though the gathering of this data were being collected externally by someone, or more likely, something else. This made him question what was happening and how he was learning this.


    He stared at the bubbles intently for several long minutes, trying to see if he could learn any more useful information while these new senses remained trained on the objects. Before long, he was able to determine not only the different gasses within the nebulae by analyzing their emission lines but also how their respective molecules and contaminants split apart the light in varying grades. Furthermore, he understood how the rotation affected the gravity surrounding the nebulae and the flow of linear time within them.


    ¡°What is going on here, Hoshi?¡± Cyrus finally asked once the data streaming into his brain felt more like learned knowledge and less like information he was still attempting to comprehend.


    ¡°At the moment, most of the ship¡¯s sensors are non-functional,¡± Hoshi explained. ¡°Therefore, what you are experiencing is a simulation within this mindscape, created to mimic the conditions once the ship is fully functional. Your senses are merging with the ship''s, or at least in a way similar to how they should work at full optimization, allowing you to perceive and analyze the nebulae as though you have the ship''s full sensory input. This synchronization is why the information feels both familiar and externally sourced.¡±


    ¡°The ship''s sensors work not only in the third dimension but are capable of perceiving the fourth. Adapting to that array of sensory input may prove to be difficult, but I am optimistic you will be able to adapt via the SCANT,¡± Hoshi continued.


    Cyrus felt very overwhelmed, not only by the data streaming into his brain but also from the breakdown he had experienced earlier. His idea of flying this ship like in a video game had been completely shattered, and it seemed with each passing moment he was dealing with even more frightening and unknown information.


    ¡°Maybe I should have just asked for a better explanation in the first place,¡± Cyrus said, mostly to himself. It seemed as though in the mindscape, keeping things to himself was nearly impossible.


    ¡°There would have been too much information to relay verbally. I would have simply obscured such information until now so that you can deal with and understand it all in one session. I am sorry, Cyrus, but while your DNA is a match, your mental adaptation is taking more time to overcome than I had anticipated,¡± Hoshi responded.


    Cyrus mentally nodded in acquiescence since he couldn¡¯t physically nod in his disembodied state. He understood that he was a lot to deal with for most people. He had been very young when the explosion occurred, which left his mind broken. Half of his identity was still locked at age fourteen, while the other half had to grow up and had to adapt to being an adult much faster than he should have. Big chunks of what should have been his developmental years were simply blown away, just like his house and all his things on that fateful day.


    ¡°When you are ready, please verify which two nebulae are a match so that you can proceed with the neuro-registration,¡± Hoshi prompted while Cyrus withdrew into himself again.


    ¡°Yeah, sorry, again. It''s the bottom right. That¡¯s the same as the original,¡± he said in response.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Hoshi said as the bubbles filled with swirling gasses disappeared from view. ¡°The second part of the neuro-registration involves coordination.¡±


    A series of what Cyrus could only describe as pillars of white light appeared before him. They led off into the distance, creating a type of mid-space race course, with a row of lights on either side like a runway, and small white light-lines connecting them. The course wasn¡¯t long, but it wasn¡¯t flat either. It moved up, back down, around a twisting turn that barreled into a spiral before righting itself and ending at a plane of light cutting across the end of the course like a winner¡¯s ribbon.


    ¡°You will need to navigate this course in under twenty seconds. You have three opportunities,¡± the AI explained.


    ¡°Can you explain how I am supposed to move?¡± Cyrus asked, but there was no response. In fact, the image of Hoshi was no longer in his vision at all. He could see around him with a greater than usual field of vision, as if his periphery was greatly expanded. Stars dotted the space beyond the track, and the small window containing the circling image of the ship still occupied the bottom right corner of his vision.


    ¡°Okay¡­ I guess I have to figure this out on my own then,¡± Cyrus said as he began analyzing how he was going to make the ship move.


    He thought over all that he had learned so far. He was connected to the ship in a way as if it were his own body. Hoshi had said that it needed him to move, just like his body needed a brain to tell it to move. He knew that walking took a baby years to develop, but he figured he had to be at least a little more coordinated than a baby would be.


    He focused on the window with the image of the ship, bringing it back into focus and enlarging it so that the window occupied the majority of his visual field. He could still manipulate it, spin it around, and examine the exterior. Before, he had thought that some of the tube-like protrusions looked like some kind of engine or thrusters, so he focused on one, and the image zoomed in closer. He could see every detail now, and he studied it, hoping as before that some additional information would enter his mind, telling him how to ¡®feel¡¯ like the ship. And it did.


    It was a curious sensation. He focused on the thruster engine, and it almost felt as though he could feel his own attention. It wasn¡¯t similar to his body, but it was as if he could feel an overlay of something on top of his body.


    An image of an anime series came to mind as he attempted to reconcile the sensation. It was of large mecha-suits with pilots inside. The pilots would use their bodies and reflexes to make the suit move and would somehow feel when a part of the suit was damaged.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way this thing is a mecha-suit, right?¡¯ he internally questioned himself, but the idea, whether it was a ship, a robot, or whatever else, seemed almost to fit the sensations he had been feeling.


    He zoomed out from the thruster and tried to think of himself wearing a Cosmic Sentinel suit over his body. He visualized his body, or at least a mannequin-like version of his body scaled to the ship¡¯s size, and used the ratios to estimate where the thruster would approximately be in comparison.


    Cyrus then mentally moved his mental hand to where the thruster should be and willed the engine to engage, like clenching his fist tightly.


    The image behind the window holding the representation of the ship lurched to the left, and a timer began counting down. The numbers flashed over the other objects occupying his vision, rapidly counting down from twenty.


    ¡°Oh come on! That¡¯s not fair, I barely moved,¡± Cyrus said as the numbers continued to decrease. Once there were only ten seconds left, Cyrus decided that this opportunity was blown, but he should make the most of what little time he had remaining. He extended his other virtual hand to where the thruster would be placed and willed it to activate.


    Cyrus could see his perspective shift from a slow spin to the left, then stop, and slowly move to the right. Once he was mostly centered again and the timer was down to three seconds, Cyrus pushed as hard as he could with each of the side thrusters and actually felt himself move forward. It wasn¡¯t fast, and he had no control over moving up or down, and he had no idea how fast he could actually go or even how to slow down, but he was finally moving, and had taken a lot less time to figure out how to do so than he had expected.


    Raknak had been in this large tube, clearing and repairing the tarnished metal for several minutes when his stomach growled, the sound echoing off the metallic walls.


    ¡°I wonder how human tastes?¡± he muttered under his breath as he finished repairing yet another spot. He looked around and sighed, seeing the numerous additional locations he¡¯d need to finish before he could move on. ¡°These had better be the last. I don¡¯t know how much longer I can go without food.¡±


    He recalled the last thing he had eaten: a relatively ordinary grub that had been roasted over the fire pit and sprinkled with some salt. Nothing special at all, but the thought of the savory meat made his mouth water nonetheless. It also reminded him that not only was he hungry, but he had other bodily functions that needed attending to.


    ¡°Hey, uh¡­ Hoshi, right? Where¡¯s the bathroom?¡± he said aloud, not completely understanding how to communicate with the ship-spirit yet.


    There was no response.


    ¡°I need to piss! Get me out of here or I¡¯m gonna make a puddle right here in the middle of this cave,¡± he said several moments later, his ire growing.


    There was still no response.


    ¡°Fine!¡± he muttered as he walked to the center of the room, right in the middle of the bend. He had warned the spirit, the AI, as Daegnon called it, that he was gonna pee right in the middle, and he wasn¡¯t gonna go back on his word.


    He glanced around once more and said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna go right here if you don¡¯t let me out.¡±


    The tube remained silent.


    With a shrug of his shoulders, he slid the hide cloth covering his nakedness down around his ankles and started his flow.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10


    Daegnon was lying on his back underneath a metal table with a strange tool that looked like a fork, but with only two prongs. The prongs weren¡¯t sharp either, but ended in an open circular swirl pattern. Small sparks would crackle within the swirl when he pushed the button along the shaft.


    Hoshi had shown him what to do with the tool. He used one of the open ends to touch a broken wire and the other prong to touch the other broken end. The sparks would activate, and the wire would reconnect.


    Of course, Daegnon had to learn what a ¡®wire¡¯ was and had asked Hoshi several other questions while he¡¯d been doing the repairs.


    ¡°A wire is a small tube made of insulating material. Held within it are monofilaments which allow the flow of current, data, or radiation, depending on the type, from one point to another,¡± the AI had told him.


    He didn¡¯t understand the explanation at first, but as he continued to reattach these small tubules, his mind was piecing together the definitions. It felt like the words were gibberish when the metallic voice spoke them, but they slowly took shape and meaning within his mind as he continued his tedious work.


    Not only did he have to make certain that the wires he was reattaching were the same color, but also that they were not so worn as to need replacement. Replacing an entire wire required another set of tools, ones that weren¡¯t as user-friendly.


    He had just finished the last of the re-attachments at this panel when a loud, sharp noise rang out through the room. The sound was so startling that he sat bolt upright and knocked his head on the underside of the table he was lying under. Pain shot through his skull as he groaned, disoriented.


    The noise didn''t stop with its initial blast; it blared repeatedly, changing from a low to a high pitch rapidly. The lights in the room suddenly shifted to a sinister red, casting eerie shadows and filling the space with a sense of impending danger.


    ¡°Hoshi, what''s going on?!¡± Daegnon yelled to be heard over the siren, rubbing his head as he scrambled out from underneath the workstation.


    The AI¡¯s metallic voice echoed from all directions, amplifying the urgency. ¡°Graviton storm detected. Prepare for impact.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a¡ª¡± His words were cut off as the ship lurched violently, throwing him sideways. His feet hit the chair attached to the floor next to the table, causing him to spin as he slid across the floor, careening into the opposing wall with a painful thud.


    The AI''s voice changed again; it was less surrounding, more focused, coming from a singular location rather than all over. This was how the AI normally sounded, although the tone now reflected anxiety and fear. ¡°Daegnon, there is no time to explain what is happening, but I need you to do something for me right away, or we will all perish.¡±


    Daegnon¡¯s eyes were still refocusing, and he blinked repeatedly to clear his vision as well as his thoughts. ¡°What do I do?¡± he asked, his curiosity temporarily suspended by the urgency in the AI¡¯s voice.


    Across the room, Daegnon saw a small door slide open. It was along the floor and looked barely big enough for him to fit through. He could see a faint glow shining through a mass of wires bundled together just inside the door. The light pulsed softly, yet there was a point of darkness within the pulsing.


    ¡°You need to override the safety relay. This will be difficult, but the quicker you can do this, the sooner we can move to safety. Luckily, the last attachment you created enabled the gravimetric detectors, which allowed me to detect the Graviton storm. Now we must find a way to break free and leave this area before the bulk of the storm arrives,¡± the metallic voice of Hoshi said. The face of Grubnash appeared above the small open door, and a mostly transparent green hand beckoned him forward urgently.


    Glix had been working at a station that controlled the induction of dark-matter radiation into the sensor-input translators. Hoshi had shown her how to use her fingers to direct the images on the glassy tabletop.


    She had just swapped the input variables from the Subspace Scanners to the Quantum Gravimeters when the screen she was working at blinked red, the images morphing from a calming green hue to an angry crimson. At the same moment, a siren began to blare, and the entire area¡¯s lighting shifted to a similar urgent shade of red.


    ¡°Graviton storm detected. Prepare for impact,¡± the AI¡¯s metallic voice rang out through the engineering bay, echoing off the metallic walls and equipment.


    Before Glix could even ask what was happening, the voice shifted from the loud, encompassing sound to a singular speaker located at her workstation. ¡°Hold on, Glix!¡± it yelled.


    Glix reflexively grabbed onto the workstation as the entire ship tilted sideways momentarily. Her feet left the floor, and her entire body went sideways before the ship righted itself. She had held on, so she didn¡¯t go flying, but the return to normal gravity made her lose her footing, and she landed hard, twisting her ankle as she did so.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Glix asked, panting from the pain in her ankle but needing to sate her curiosity at the same time.


    ¡°I am sorry, Glix, there is no time to explain. You need to get your companion out of the Dark-Matter Cyclotron Core before he is disintegrated,¡± the metallic voice said with an extreme sense of urgency.


    ¡°The what?¡± Glix asked, not yet familiar with this piece of technology. ¡°And who?¡±


    Instead of verbally responding, the image of Grubnash appeared, a holographic hand pointing to the large, spherical object with intricate machinery at the far end of the bay.


    ¡°Get moving!¡± the metallic voice said, not allowing for further discussion.


    Gritting her teeth, Glix took the hint and began jogging as best she could toward the end of the engineering bay towards the Dark-Matter Cyclotron Core.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Raknak sighed as the warm yellow fluid exited his bladder. He leaned back and enjoyed the release. He hadn¡¯t necessarily been holding it in for a long time, but the quantity of output was still satisfying.


    ¡°What was that?¡± he asked, his ears detecting a strange sound coming from somewhere outside the metal tube he was in. It wasn¡¯t a sound he had heard before; it fluctuated and was definitely not natural.


    He reached down to shake off the last few drops when the entire tube he was standing in suddenly turned sideways. Instead of the ground being below his feet, it now felt like the ground was to his left side, so that¡¯s the direction his body went.


    Raknak flew sideways, striking the wall with a loud thud, the entire contents of his now-drained bladder accompanying him, leaving the entire area extra slippery and producing a squelching noise as he moved. He rapidly began sliding along the slippery metallic wall.


    Drenched in his own urine, Raknak slid along the tube, following its gentle curve with a mix of whooshing and splashing sounds. The tube, shaped like a half-torus, quickly funneled him to the far end where it narrowed and inclined. Then, with the sudden return of normal gravity, his world flipped once more, sending him hurtling back towards the center of the tube.


    As he slid back towards the center, the slick coating of urine turned the journey into an unexpected thrill ride. He tumbled and spun, the smooth, metallic surface offering little friction. It turned into an impromptu water slide, with every twist and turn making it more entertaining. The smell and taste of Raknak¡¯s urine were quickly forgotten in the bizarre excitement of the slippery journey.


    His ride came to a sudden halt as he reached a dry section of the tube where his pee hadn¡¯t spread, causing him to skid to a stop with a final, wet thud. He found himself lying on his back, his head pointing towards the center of the tunnel, soaked and disheveled, with his loincloth hanging off one foot, but a huge smile spread across his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what just happened, but that was fun!¡± he said and chuckled.


    Cyrus sighed as he watched the timer reset to twenty. He had utterly failed his first attempt at navigating the course. Hoshi was still nowhere to be seen, but Cyrus suspected that was intentional. The way he had to learn to sense the differences in the clouds, and now to learn to use the ship almost like a second body, wasn¡¯t something you could easily explain.


    Even if the people who had built this ship¡ªa question he still really wanted an answer to¡ªhad been able to explain how piloting worked to the AI, trying to relay feelings and sensations to someone like him would be difficult. Just like describing a taste to someone was almost impossible, trying to describe how to push forward to make the ship move wasn¡¯t something Cyrus felt he could fully explain, even if they, too, were able to fly this ship.


    No, this was something he had to learn on his own, and he was almost certain that was why Hoshi was not around.


    Before attempting to make the run a second time, Cyrus brought the ship¡¯s window back into focus, moving it and looking it over again, making sure he knew exactly where everything was. He had used his virtual hands to feel along the ship and activate the thrusters last time, but he knew that was not the most efficient way of doing things. He needed to feel the ship, make it a part of himself, become one so that with a thought he could activate the engines like a reflex.


    Taking a virtual deep breath, Cyrus closed his eyes and tried to immerse himself in the ship''s systems. He knew that the ship wasn¡¯t actually functional right now, that what he was sensing was data prepared to simulate the ship in working conditions, but he knew he would have to sync with these sensations nonetheless.


    He visualized the ship as an extension of his body, focusing on the connection between his mind and the vessel, its sensors, its body, and its power. Slowly, he began to feel the hum of the engines, the flow of electricity through the circuits, and the subtle vibrations of the space around the ship''s structure.


    When he reopened his eyes, he felt a newfound sense of unity with the ship. He minimized the ship window, brought the image of the course back into view, and mentally prepared for his second attempt.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    With a sensation resembling a shake to loosen up muscles, or its equivalent in this strange virtual space, Cyrus prepared himself before he began. This time, he didn''t use his virtual hands; instead, he willed the ship forward with his thoughts, feeling the thrusters power up as if they were his own muscles responding to his commands.


    It wasn¡¯t as smooth as he would have liked, but he felt the ship lurch forward. He pressed for speed while at the same time adjusting the pitch, angling first up, then down to make sure he understood the response of the thrusters to those directions.


    The timer ticked away the seconds, but Cyrus could see the end marker ahead. He wasn¡¯t going fast enough, and there was a huge curve he would have to navigate in order to cross the finish line, but this attempt gave him the knowledge and the newfound sensations he needed to accomplish this part. He knew he wasn¡¯t going to finish the course this time, but he felt fully confident that his next attempt would be successful.


    Six, five, the timer ticked down as Cyrus pushed, angled, and felt the ship respond more and more easily to his mental commands.


    With mere seconds remaining, Cyrus shifted sideways, turning the ship into a barrel roll, causing his sensations to go completely upside down.


    ¡°Graviton storm detected. Prepare for impact,¡± a metallic voice rang out, disrupting his simulation and focus, leaving him hanging in the awkward reversed position.


    Then a disturbing sensation washed over him, causing Cyrus to feel both his physical body upend itself and his mental disembodied form lurch at the same time. The darkness of the simulation abruptly shattered, and a sharp pain seared through his head as the headset was violently ripped off.


    Disoriented, he felt his body roll out of the chair he had been lying in, his limbs flailing uselessly as he flew sideways through the air. His muscles turned to jelly, leaving him as helpless as a wet noodle.


    Before he could determine what had happened, he crashed into something solid with a bone-jarring thud. The impact knocked the wind out of him, leaving him gasping, but before he could even register the pain, the room spun violently before his eyes.


    His mind struggled to acclimate to the sudden transition from the simulation to reality. The ground tilted again, sending him tumbling through the air. He landed hard against another unyielding surface, the force rattling his teeth and making stars explode behind his eyes. He lay there, dazed and breathless, his body sprawled awkwardly and his mind reeling from the abrupt return to his physical form.


    ¡°Cyrus!¡± Hoshi¡¯s apparition materialized and yelled in fear and concern. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    It took several moments for Cyrus to reorient himself enough to respond. ¡°Uhh¡­ no?¡± he said as he slowly pushed himself up from the floor, the pain and disorientation from the ordeal crashing violently into his consciousness.


    The room he was in, the pilot¡¯s chamber, was bathed in red light now. Sirens wailed, ringing in Cyrus¡¯s ears causing them to hurt as well.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he managed to ask.


    ¡°Cyrus, I am sorry to delay the explanation, but you need to get us away from here as quickly as possible. Can you please re-enter the Exo-Pilot terminal? We are all in grave danger,¡± the once-again kimono-clad image of Hoshi said in a panicked tone, waving Cyrus toward the chair.


    ¡°Danger? What, but I still have to¡­¡± Cyrus trailed off as he stood, the entire room seeming to spin around him.


    ¡°I know the rapid exit from the mindscape can be extremely disorienting, but there is no time to waste. By returning to the virtual world, the disorientation will greatly diminish, for now,¡± Hoshi said, the last couple words almost in a whisper.


    Cyrus, shakily and almost as if he had three too many drinks earlier, made his way back to the chair in the center of the room. He all but fell into it, but then righted himself on wobbly arms. The need to vomit accompanied his movements, but nothing ever came up. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing or if maybe it would make him feel better, like it did when he had actually had too much to drink.


    He wasn¡¯t much of a drinker, but there had been a few times in his younger years, since he had his own place at an early age, when some ¡®friends¡¯ had come over and they had all partaken. He didn¡¯t really care for the feeling of being intoxicated and found that the kids who were using him for his apartment weren¡¯t really interested in actual friendship, just a place to party, so that time of his life had not lasted long.


    Finally, Cyrus pulled the headset over his head once again, and the familiar sensation of being disembodied returned. He still wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about this unusual state, but at the moment, the sensations in this mindscape were much preferable to the sick and dizzy feeling his physical body was enduring, let alone the pain from being thrown around the room like a ragdoll.


    Hoshi¡¯s image reappeared, clad in the same flight suit as before, but now with a new expression. Instead of the friendly and encouraging look the hologram had worn earlier, Hoshi¡¯s face was now scrunched and tight, anxiety and concern clearly evident.


    ¡°You need to complete the integration as swiftly as possible. There is a comprehensive tutorial program you would normally have to go through before piloting the Cosmic Sentinel, but time is of the essence now, and we must bypass it due to the circumstances,¡± Hoshi explained.


    Cyrus wasn¡¯t sure what was happening or why the ship needed to move so quickly, but he could feel the tension through the AI¡¯s explanation.


    ¡°The integration handshake is initiating now,¡± Hoshi said in an unusually mechanical tone. Just as Cyrus, who was still trying to synchronize his body with the ship, saw the twenty-second countdown timer appear in his vision.


    ¡®Dzik!¡¯ Cyrus heard himself mentally cuss as the countdown began. Half a second was lost as he briefly wondered why he couldn¡¯t swear even in his own mindscape.


    The timer moved to eighteen, and Cyrus re-focused. He pushed himself, his spaceship body, forward. He could feel the movement as his form lurched ahead.


    ¡°Faster!¡± he mentally yelled at himself, pushing harder and concentrating on his engines. He strained as his mind worked to merge the two separate identities¡ªhis own and that of the ship. He had almost achieved integration on his last attempt to win the race, but being thrown from the simulation and then having to retry it immediately after experiencing the abrupt disconnect, compounded by Hoshi''s added stress, was making the combination of his two selves more difficult.


    The ship moved forward slowly. Cyrus pushed with all his engines, the ship sliding through the path set by the lights, gaining speed and control even as the timer continually ticked down.


    Ten seconds left. He could see the finish, just beyond the twisting curves.


    Eight seconds. Cyrus felt his speed increase as his view upended and spun to match the path before him, his control and synchronization building.


    Five seconds. The separation between his human body and that of the ship was lessening, becoming more than the sum of either. His consciousness realigning with that of the ship, orienting itself to its location within space.


    Two seconds. The end was directly before him. He virtually leapt forward, feeling the boundary of the finish line pass by him, and at that same moment, the separation between himself and the ship vanished.


    **Neuro-integration Complete!**


    A sensation beyond anything Cyrus had ever felt overcame him. Not only had he accomplished his goal of passing the course and synchronizing his brain waves with the ship''s, aligning his physical body with that of the Cosmic Sentinel, but he had become both.


    The realization of what that meant slowly crept into his consciousness. He was no longer merely human, or at least not only human. He was now a being of dual bodies, dual identities, and dual minds. Cyrus had abandoned his beliefs the moment his parents had died, but they had raised him with the idea that there was an afterlife. He was taught that his ''spirit'' would move on after death to a place filled with lush gardens, flowing rivers, and endless delights.


    He no longer believed in all that, but as he transcended what it meant to be a mere human, it felt as though his soul was being transformed, changed into something more, and he couldn¡¯t help associating the experience with something spiritual along the same lines.


    The sensation only lasted a few seconds, but Cyrus knew it was something he would never forget or fully comprehend.


    ¡°Cyrus! You need to move us out of the Graviton storm!¡± Hoshi¡¯s voice shattered the afterglow in which he was basking.


    Cyrus opened his eyes but realized he was no longer perceiving through his physical senses. He was integrated. He saw his position relative to the ship. Surrounding him were colors, fields, and varying hues of electromagnetism, gravity, and substances beyond his current knowledge. Concepts and definitions materialized in his mind, their essence felt, seen, and almost touched by the ship, then translated into sensations his mind could interpret.


    Before him, the Graviton storm manifested as a swirling vortex of intense gravitational waves, interlaced with pulsating streams of radiant energy. The storm''s chaotic beauty was mesmerizing, with spirals of electromagnetic spectra weaving through gravitational distortions. Each pulse and ripple conveyed a sense of immense power and danger, as if the very fabric of space was being twisted and torn. Words and definitions flooded his consciousness, their meaning translated into tangible sensations¡ªhe could almost touch the gravitational currents, feel the electromagnetic fluctuations, and sense the unseen forces at play.


    As the ship, he perceived the storm in its full terrifying splendor. The gravitational waves were not just visually captivating; they were dangerously close, threatening to tear the ship apart. The electromagnetic pulses surged with destructive potential, and the unseen forces pressed against the ship''s hull, testing its limits.


    ¡°Cyrus, hold off as long as possible!¡± Hoshi''s voice was urgent, cutting through the storm¡¯s chaos.


    Panic flooded through his mind but was quickly tamped down as he sensed the urgency of the situation. He could feel the ship''s structural integrity being tested, the immense pressure from the storm threatening to crush him as well as the few others onboard. Every second counted. Cyrus knew that if he didn''t act immediately, they would be caught in the storm''s grasp, their chances of survival rapidly diminishing.


    He engaged the engines in the same way he had just been doing within the simulation and felt them come to life. There was something different about this sensation compared to the simulation, where everything had felt as though it was in perfect working order. Now, in real life, Cyrus could feel the multiple systems within the ship still damaged. He could sense the dwindling power reserves, yet he also perceived something immensely powerful just beyond his reach.


    Cyrus felt both useless and strained as he diverted all available power to the reverse thrusters. Sadly, only a mere trickle of energy coursed through the ship, completely insufficient to facilitate their escape. He knew he needed to do more, and his mind, now linked to the ship, told him what he needed to do to make it out: he needed to engage the JUMP engine.


    Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t an option at the moment. Cyrus focused on the Cyclotron core and saw that there was someone inside.


    As if to emphasize what needed to be done, the entire process of how the ship generated power for the JUMP system unfolded in Cyrus¡¯s mind.


    The ship was supplied with energy through a circulatory system known as the Dark-Matter Fusion Conduits. These small tubular structures acted like the arteries and veins of the ship. Instead of blood, as in a living being, or even some kind of ultra-tech super-fluid, the Cosmic Sentinel used this circulatory system to channel dark-matter particles. The dark openings at the front of the ship were called Quantum Collectors, and they scooped up and captured the dark-matter particles, focusing them into the conduits where their radiation was harvested throughout the ship. This process refilled the many battery-like storage devices and powered the multiple systems.


    At the center of the circulatory system, where a heart would be in a living being, was the Dark-Matter Cyclotron Core.


    The core trapped the circulating dark-matter particles and accelerated them in a controlled spiral, similar to a particle accelerator, creating a concentrated vortex of energy. Once fully repaired and supplied, the ship could regulate the circulation of this energy, maintaining a full power supply for vast amounts of time.


    From this central core, the energy was easily distributed throughout the ship, but the most critical allocation of the Cyclotron¡¯s energy was to the JUMP drive.


    The JUMP drive harnessed the immense power generated by the Cyclotron Core, converting the dark-matter radiation into a stable, high-energy output. This output was then directed into the JUMP matrix, a highly complex network of quantum processors and anti-gravity field generators.


    The JUMP matrix manipulated space-time itself, allowing the ship to create a temporary warp bubble. Within this bubble, the normal constraints of physics were altered, enabling the Cosmic Sentinel to traverse vast distances instantaneously by essentially eliminating the mass of anything within the created field. The process required precise control and an enormous amount of energy, which was why the integration with the core was so crucial.


    Cyrus felt the vast amount of dark-matter swirling around, trapped within the Graviton storm, the Quantum Collectors filling rapidly. But with someone stuck within the Cyclotron Core, the particles had nowhere to go, unable to fully enter the Dark-Matter Fusion Conduits in order to feed the ship their enormous amounts of radiation.


    ¡°Yes, Cyrus, it¡¯s Raknak in the core chamber, and Glix is on her way to remove him. And no, you cannot open the core while he is in there because the Dark-matter would instantly disintegrate him, not turn him into the Hulk,¡± Hoshi said in response to Cyrus¡¯s train of thought.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11


    Glix limped urgently towards the center of the Engineering bay, aiming for the expansive spherical dome at its far end. The holographic image of Grubnash beckoned her forward with increasing urgency. ¡°Buun-Grak, let the son of an Ogre Zhag die for all I care,¡± she muttered under her breath, pushing herself to move faster despite the pain shooting up her leg. Each step intensified the ache, but she persisted until she was within five strides of the central dome. There, a panel slowly slid open at Grubnash''s direction.


    As Glix approached, the AI''s digital image of Grubnash took full Goblin form and pointed at the now fully open panel. Inside, she saw a glassy pad similar to the displays lining the walls, but smaller. Below it, a small metal wheel protruded slightly from the shadowed gray surface.


    Glix stepped up to the dome, and the AI spoke urgently, ¡°Place your hand on the panel. There will be several questions you must answer ¡®yes¡¯ to. Then you can access the Core chamber and retrieve Raknak.¡±


    Uncertain of what these questions would entail or how they would manifest, Glix hesitated. The ship had only just begun revealing its mysteries to her, but so far, she had encountered nothing threatening. In fact, Hoshi seemed intent on aiding their survival, even if it was driven by self-preservation.


    With a firm resolve, she placed her hand on the smooth, cold panel, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.


    Her hand made contact with the glassy surface, and Glix waited for the image of Grubnash to change, anticipating the AI¡¯s questions. She hoped the questions would be spoken aloud, as she was more of a hands-on learner and not fond of words. Still, she didn''t fully grasp what these questions would be or why they were necessary.


    But instead of the AI¡¯s display changing or its metallic voice asking questions aloud, something incomprehensible occurred. Words appeared¡ªnot on the display, nor in a physical manner, but directly inside her head!


    Glix had never encountered anything like this before. Her life had always been about external experiences. She had heard of telepathy and psionics but had never desired to experience them herself. Thus, when the words appeared in her mind''s eye, she jumped back in alarm, momentarily forgetting the AI¡¯s instructions.


    So startled by the sudden appearance of the words, Glix hadn¡¯t taken the time to read the prompts, and the message vanished as soon as she withdrew her hand from the panel. Hoshi practically yelled at her, ¡°Keep your hand on the panel! You must select ''Chief Engineer'' if you truly want the position and wish to save your friend.¡±


    ¡®Friend¡¯ was a bit of a stretch when referring to Raknak, Glix thought, but she understood the AI¡¯s intention. She steadied her nerves and pressed her hand against the glass panel once more, the pain in her leg reminding her of the urgency. As she did so, the prompt reappeared in her vision, accompanied by a faint voice that echoed the words aloud, or at least aloud in her mind.


    Proper identification required to access the Dark-Matter Cyclotron Core. [ ERROR ] No personnel on file.


    Would you like to register as one of the following?


    <ul>


    <li>Chief Engineer</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Engineer (Lv. 1)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Engineer (Lv. 2-5)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Entry Level Engineer</li>


    </ul>


    Glix discovered she could actually decipher the script in her vision, despite it being a language foreign to her. Goblins typically had little use for written characters, but she had studied some common tongue words from her home planet. This script, however, was entirely unfamiliar¡ªuniform, angular, with each character adorned by at least one small circular orb along its linear form.


    Nevertheless, Glix grasped the question quickly. In fact, she understood it almost instinctively, as if the words were a part of her, making reading them more reflex than conscious effort. It was an odd sensation, one she found strangely compelling.


    But now wasn''t the time for fascination. Glix selected ''Chief Engineer'' from the prompt and confirmed with a ''yes.'' Instantly, a new question replaced the first, the words arriving in her mind almost before she could register them.


    Chief Engineer


    In order to be recognized as Chief Engineer, the following must be completed:


    <ul>


    <li>Bio-scan</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Training module</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Functionality test </li>


    </ul>


    Do you wish to initiate bio-scan?


    Glix understood what a bio-scan was in a way that her mind could comprehend, but not what the test actually did. In her mind, the scan was like a picture taken of her body, both inside and out. She had no idea what the scan would be looking for or how the ship would take the picture, but she decided it didn¡¯t sound too bad, so she chose ¡®yes¡¯ as prompted by Hoshi earlier.


    Before her mind could think beyond choosing ¡®yes,¡¯ Glix felt a pulse of energy enter her from the hand touching the panel. It didn¡¯t necessarily hurt, but it wasn''t pleasant either. It felt like hot liquid, just below the temperature where it would cause actual damage, coursing through her entire body. But that wasn¡¯t all. There was also a sensation of vibrating, as if the entire universe shook very fast, so fast that if you weren¡¯t paying attention, you would assume everything was normal.


    To complete the trio of strangeness, her mind felt as though it were stopped. She couldn¡¯t form a thought or interpret anything she was seeing or hearing. She felt everything, but not in a way she could understand. Time seemed irrelevant and as though it stretched on forever, but internally her heart beat only twice. Then she snapped back to the moment, reeling from the unusualness of what had just happened to her.


    It took her a moment to recover from the scan. Her hand still lay on the panel, and the words changed in her vision to ask if she was ready to begin the Training Module. Before she could think to choose ¡®yes¡¯ again, the words disappeared, replaced by a small voice¡ªone that Glix wasn¡¯t sure if was in her head or coming from the speaker. It hurriedly said something about not having time for that.


    Then her vision abruptly shifted. A darkly framed window appeared, replacing the previous words. Within the window, images began to flash rapidly, almost too quickly for her to process. The accompanying voice spoke at a dizzying speed, making it impossible for her to understand anything being said. It felt as if everything in the window was moving in a blur, the scenes merging together and leaving her dizzy.


    The images seemed to depict various parts of the ship''s interior, but Glix couldn''t make sense of their locations or purposes. Panels in walls and under workstations opened and closed rapidly, their contents a blur of motion. Multi-hued wires were connected and disconnected, and strange diagrams flashed by in brilliant colors.


    She observed networks of conduits, pulsating cores, and interconnected systems, yet she struggled to grasp their exact functions or how they interconnected. Each image came with rapid-fire explanations, the voice detailing complex procedures and protocols at a speed that made comprehension impossible. Everything moved so swiftly that she couldn''t keep pace, leaving her more bewildered than before.


    Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the window vanished, replaced by a single large word.


    FUNCTIONALITY TEST


    Once again, before she could grasp what was happening or even consider choosing ¡®yes,¡¯ the words vanished. This time, instead of a window showing rushing images, paragraphs, equations, and diagrams emerged.


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    The words scrolled down methodically, each entry marked with a small set of circular symbols along the edge. As one of the circles lit up, the words would shift down to reveal the next section.


    Complex equations flashed by, their intricate symbols and numbers forming patterns she couldn''t decipher. Then small pictures began to appear, each accompanied by multiple smaller images below the central one. Each time a circle along the edge illuminated, the next question would appear.


    Diagrams and charts followed, detailing components and systems with lines and arrows indicating connections and functions. Glix remained uncertain about the questions being asked, but she could tell the AI was swiftly processing and answering each one, allowing the test to proceed uninterrupted.


    The stream of rapidly changing text and images overwhelmed Glix, leaving her feeling disoriented and struggling to keep up with the torrent of information. She began to realize that mastering all this knowledge was essential to becoming the Chief Engineer. The sheer volume of information she needed to absorb was daunting, and watching it fly by at such speed left her unsettled.


    Then, after processing what would have taken an ordinary person hours, but completing it in mere seconds, the scrolling script abruptly halted. Instead of her vision clearing once the test was over, a small explosion of light and color burst forth at the center of her sight, momentarily blinding her. When the light subsided, a brightly highlighted phrase remained, floating in her mind''s eye.


    Congratulations! You scored: - 100%


    Glix was left bewildered by what had just transpired. Her mind spun, and the disorientation extended to her body. Feeling herself sway backward, she braced for a fall, but her hand instinctively grasped the small wheel just beneath the glass panel she had been touching.


    The cold metal beneath her fingers grounded her, helping to clear her mind. ¡°Turn the knob and the door will open. Raknak is on the other side,¡± the image of Grubnash instructed, urgency and a hint of annoyance coloring the words.


    Blinking several times to regain her senses, Glix twisted the wheel. As she did, a faint, almost imperceptible hiss filled the air as a previously unnoticed sliding door adjacent to the small panel holding the wheel and glossy tablet jolted outward, then smoothly slid aside, revealing an open door to a dull gray room. Glix''s hand remained on the wheel, poised beside the newly opened doorway as she peered inside.


    Before she could move away or even call for Raknak to come out, an acrid odor assaulted her. The smell was sweet, but acidic. It had a pungency she immediately recognized.


    "Raknak! Did you piss yourself?" she screamed, her annoyance evident at having to retrieve the bullheaded brute.


    There was a moment of embarrassed silence. Glix waited for a response, but Hoshi''s metallic voice rang out before Raknak could even sputter a reply. "Raknak, if you do not exit the chamber immediately, you will be disintegrated. You have five seconds."


    The AI''s tone brokered no nonsense. It wasn''t intended to frighten Raknak into a hustle, but to simply state a fact. Although the simplicity of the statement was almost more of a threat than if it had been filled with urgency.


    Wrinkling her nose at the stench, Glix used the short window of time to crane her neck and peek through the still open door. Five seconds wasn''t much time to take in the entire room, but she took the opportunity while she could.


    Inside, a curved tunnel with slick gray walls stretched ahead before curving slightly. As she studied the metallic surface, small grooves began to open up in a spiraling pattern along the corridor. Tarnished patches were interspersed along the walls, which she assumed was why Raknak was there in the first place, to do the repairs.


    A disquieting thought wormed its way into her mind as she watched small metal fins begin to stretch from the grooves, making the entire tubular area look like it was starting to spin. ¡®What if this whole thing activates before he gets out?¡¯


    Her knowledge of the ship was still shaky at best, but the urgency to get Raknak out, Hoshi''s threat of disintegration if he wasn''t quick enough, coupled with the gravity anomaly she had just experienced, all pointed to something triggering the ship to activate prematurely. This meant something was seriously wrong, and she had no time to mess around.


    Raknak was going to take his time in responding to Glix¡¯s call, just to let her get a full sense of the masculinity he was drenched in. He didn¡¯t "piss himself"; he just happened to be pissing when the ship went sideways. It wasn¡¯t his fault he had been drenched during the incident, and besides, it was kinda fun sliding around all wet in this big tube thing¡ªthe moisture made everything even slipperier.


    Then the AI said he only had five seconds or he would be¡ª¡°What was that word? What did it mean?¡± he asked himself. An image of him turning into dust and floating away without being able to do anything about it passed through his mind¡¯s eye. He wasn¡¯t sure where the image came from, but if that were actually the case, then he needed to move.


    He sat upright and twisted, placing his hands on the bottom of the tubular corridor to push himself up, but his wet hands slid out from under him, and he face-planted back down in his own puddle.


    The bonk on his head wasn¡¯t so bad, but the fact that he had slipped and wasted one of the precious seconds left to him hurt. Luckily, as he tried to push himself up again, small cracks opened up in the metal surface, and the rest of his urine rapidly drained away.


    Raknak pushed himself upward again, this time taking care to set his hands more securely. He was counting down in his head; the small amount of time he¡¯d been given had frightened him more than he thought it should. His mental tally was already down to three.


    Once his arms were set, he brought up his feet, kicking twice as they slid along the still slippery metal. On the second kick, he hit something new¡ªa small fin or blade rising from the grooves in the metal, which had just opened up along the walls and floor. Raknak was fascinated and almost paused to watch what was happening, but mentally he counted the number two, which brought him to his feet.


    With a lurch, Raknak propelled himself forward. Luckily, he was only a few steps from the door that had opened up. He made his first step forward without a problem, but his left foot¡ªthe second step¡ªhappened to land directly on one of the fins rising from the ground.


    Goblin feet are tough; they are extra thick from walking around in caves and over rocks for their entire lives. Normally, a small obstacle like the one he stepped on wouldn¡¯t be a big deal, but with the moisture from his urine bath still clinging to him and in his hurried exit, the small surface of the blade held less than adequate surface tension. Rather than accepting his weight, Raknak¡¯s foot slid forward as if the fin were made of ice.


    Luckily, the sliding didn¡¯t stop the momentum he had built up, and Raknak fell forward, the upper half of his body landing on the exterior of the metal room, the sill at the bottom of the door hitting directly under his ribcage. The hard landing immediately expelled all the air from his lungs.


    Due to this, Raknak¡¯s mind stopped, his body and brain disconnecting from the abrupt change in altitude and loss of oxygen. He froze momentarily, unable to move or think, and somewhere deep inside his mind, the number one echoed.


    Glix watched with both humor and annoyance as Raknak clumsily made his way to the exit of the tunnel. His body lurched through the doorway, only to be caught by the sill at the bottom. She saw the air forced out of his lungs, his eyes bulging wide with pain. With a sigh, she sprang into action, her mind filled with irritation rather than concern.


    "Raknak, you idiot," she muttered, quickly dropping to the ground and grabbing his arms. She pulled the overly wide goblin with all her strength, the metal sill at the bottom of the door digging into his midsection almost as though it didn¡¯t want him to get out. "Of course, you get yourself stuck," she muttered through gritted teeth.


    She grunted with effort, her muscles straining. "Why do I have to save your stinky ass?" Raknak''s eyes fluttered, barely conscious. She knew time was running out and that she needed to remove him fast.


    ¡°Time is up,¡± Hoshi¡¯s metallic voice said, the image of Grubnash taking on a dour look.


    "Come on, you big oaf!" Glix growled as she shifted her grip and braced one foot against the doorway. She pulled again, harder this time, knowing that the ship wasn¡¯t going to wait for him to come back to awareness. His body shifted, and she could feel the tension in Raknak¡¯s body release as his large gut finally slid over the sill.


    The door started to slide back into position. "Oh, no you don''t," Glix hissed, pulling once more with all her might. She really wasn¡¯t a fan of Raknak, but she understood that he was one of only six goblins here. He, she, and the others might very well be the only remaining members of their tribe, and the thought of losing another brood member like this spurred her on.


    Her mind worked differently than most Goblins, and she knew that; it was always methodical, almost detached, especially in moments of crisis. While others might panic, she saw patterns, and processes. The AI¡¯s countdown was a cold, ticking clock in her head, and her focus sharpened with each passing second.


    But the door was relentless, its mechanism oblivious to their struggle. With a sickening crunch, the metal slab caught Raknak¡¯s legs as it sealed shut, its force seemingly undeterred by the obstacle. Blood spattered the floor as his legs were severed just below the knees. Raknak¡¯s scream of agony was more of a gurgle than a sound, his eyes rolling back as he passed out from the pain.


    Glix didn¡¯t let herself dwell on the injury; she couldn¡¯t afford to lose her wits now. The sight of Raknak''s mangled legs and the spreading pool of blood registered in her mind, but her emotions were compartmentalized, tucked away for later. The fact that the AI had set such a strict time limit and allowed Raknak to sustain such a grievous injury was proof of the real danger they were all in.


    "Focus, Glix. Process and execute," she murmured to herself, her voice a low, steady anchor in the storm of chaos. She quickly assessed Raknak¡¯s condition, noting the rapid blood loss and the sickly paleness spreading across his green face.


    Her mind calculated the odds, the steps needed to stabilize him, and the urgency of their situation, her thoughts seemingly faster than they had ever been before. All she could do now was stop the bleeding and hope the ship, or Daegnon, or maybe the human could save him.

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12


    There was only a brief period of time between when Cyrus began to feel the culmination of the dark matter collecting in the Quantum Collectors and the moment he could finally release the stores into the Cyclotron Core. The actual time was mere seconds, but Cyrus felt the time dilate as new stores of information were downloaded directly into his mind.


    He had accomplished the integration test to sync with the ship, but that was really only a small part of what was necessary to pilot the Cosmic Sentinel. He needed not only to feel the ship and become one with it but also to understand how the various systems could be controlled by him, both consciously and subconsciously.


    He understood that this process normally took a great amount of time and practice, that the best pilots were the ones who put in the effort and learned these things on their own through diligence and effort. This held true not only for Earth¡¯s pilots but as a basic universal constant.


    However, due to finding themselves facing the Graviton storm and their trajectory placing them in such dire circumstances, that practice had to be forfeited in lieu of expediency. Thus, the technical download was necessary to prepare him for his first-ever Zero-Mass Jump (ZMJ).


    Held within this massive download were many technical schematics, systems, and equations that his brain was not yet prepared to understand. There were also less technical items that required less knowledge and more sensation or feeling. It was almost as if he were learning both advanced quantum mechanics and how to meditate and control his body¡¯s regulation at the same time. But even that didn¡¯t fit the situation, since technically this was all part of the ship rather than his own body, although that line was significantly blurred now.


    Cyrus could only hope that the systems he was interfacing with were those that essentially self-regulated. Hoshi had explained that his brain would adapt to these systems, functioning more like his body''s metabolism or endocrine system, thereby eliminating the need for constant oversight.


    As more and more information streamed in, Cyrus¡¯s concentration began to fragment. He had heard of multitasking before, but this was on an entirely different level. He was simultaneously processing the data pouring into his brain, splitting his focus into separate streams, and digesting the information in ways he had never experienced.


    He remembered reading that humans only used about ten percent of their brain capacity. Now, as he felt the vast neural connections forming and the multiple and separate areas of his mind focus and split to understand the data in separate yet interconnected parts, he began to grasp what it must feel like to fully unlock a human¡¯s potential.


    Finally, the torrent of information ended, leaving only a faint trickle of data streaming in from the ship and its various systems. Interspersed within this data was information about Cyrus¡¯s own body. He now interpreted this information as if dealing with a third party rather than being a singular entity.


    He could identify the areas of his body that were bruised and bumped and sense the pain from his injuries, but it was dulled as though passing through a filter. He could feel his body¡¯s needs for nutrition and excretion, but in this state of duality, the desires were minimal, and he partitioned those off for now.


    He could also tell that his hands were securely holding the joysticks, or controls, located on the sides of the terminal. In fact, as he thought about his body, an internal camera of some sort activated, and he could see himself reclining in the Exo-Pilot terminal, the headgear still covering his eyes. He noticed the blood streaming from his ears and nose, understanding it was a consequence of the immense download he had just undertaken.


    Shifting his focus to look externally using the ship¡¯s sensors, he could ''see'' where he was in space, but also where he was in other dimensions, such as time. This concept was still beyond his full comprehension, as he had lived his entire life as a three-dimensional being. However, splayed out before him was an entirely new way of perceiving¡ªdimensions and particles, space and time, the macro and micro¡ªdisplayed in a kaleidoscope of new and unknown visualizations.


    These were not just visual cues; he could also feel the subtle vibrations of the ship¡¯s energy fields, the pull of gravitational forces, and the hum of various frequencies passing through him. The ship¡¯s sensors provided a symphony of sensations, each one adding another layer to his understanding of the universe around him.


    As Cyrus had hoped, with Raknak out of the Cyclotron Core and the entire Dark-matter Fusion system once again sealed, the ship¡¯s safeguards were released. The Dark-matter particles surged into the conduits and the core itself, leaving powerful radiation for the ship''s systems to absorb and initiating the sequence of events needed to activate the JUMP system.


    The Cosmic Sentinel, which had been running on minimal power for thousands of years, suddenly roared back to life as every light, circuit, and system felt the life-giving rush of energy flowing through the Fusion conduits. However, this sudden influx of power, activating all systems simultaneously, caused perhaps more issues than gains due to the eons of neglect and lack of maintenance.


    The ship''s automated maintenance protocols, routed through Cyrus''s new integration with the ship but directed by the ship''s AI, engaged but struggled to keep up. The subconscious systems managed the essentials, taking steps to prevent immediate disasters like fires and critical system failures, but were not capable of providing necessary repairs fast enough.


    Many sensors and non-crucial systems were quickly shut down to reduce the causational damage. The radiation spreading throughout the ship further damaged already weakened wires, conduits, and other electrical systems. Several small fires broke out across the ship, adding to the chaos.


    Hoshi was the brain of the ship, though Cyrus''s actual brain was required to make the ship fully functional. Safeguards were in place to prevent the AI from taking complete control of the ship. However, Hoshi was more than capable of distributing power, activating or deactivating essential systems, and diagnosing what was necessary to function.


    Hoshi focused on mitigating immediate threats. Small airlocks opened in unoccupied areas to suffocate flames. On the bridge, where Daegnon was still located, a thick gas was released to extinguish several fires instantly. The AI also deployed multiple repair-bots now that the ship was fully powered. While these bots might not be able to repair the ship to full functionality before the JUMP, they were essential in patching the most vital breaches and preventing further damage. The speed at which they deployed was much faster than Cyrus would have thought possible.


    The AI placed less critical systems in standby mode, allowing reserves to be filled with the abundance of power circulating through the ship¡ªpower that could be siphoned off later if necessary. Automated diagnostics continuously monitored the status of all systems, ready to trigger further safety measures as needed.


    The massive blast of power also revealed the extent of the ship¡¯s decay. Structural weaknesses risked pressure loss in certain sections. The build-up of heat in malfunctioning components posed the threat of more fires or even small explosions, but those potential issues would have to be dealt with as they occurred. The main focus at the moment was to get away from the Graviton storm and survive.


    Cyrus knew they were in a race against time. The ship¡¯s systems, barely held together, were stretched to their limits. His integration with the ship provided a direct interface, allowing him to assist Hoshi in managing the crisis. While there weren¡¯t many things he understood well enough to help with directly, simply focusing one of the numerous new areas of his mind on a problem allowed his subconscious link with the system to activate protocols and assist with immediate repairs. Together, they worked to stabilize the Cosmic Sentinel, keeping it just functional enough to escape the storm while the power levels rose enough to activate the JUMP drive.


    ¡®It is time, Cyrus,¡¯ Hoshi''s voice resonated throughout his mind. As he was now one with the ship, the AI¡¯s voice seemed fuller, echoing around him as well as sounding like it came from deep within his own consciousness.


    Cyrus had been stalling for the last few seconds, unsure of how this JUMP would feel in his new combined state, or what the end results might be, given that he was so untested and the Cosmic Sentinel was in almost dire condition. He suddenly understood that these worries and anxiety were actually irrelevant. They were remnants of his former life, small inconsistencies in his brain¡¯s makeup that the SCANT hadn¡¯t yet compensated for.


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    For a brief moment, his life on Earth flashed before his mind¡¯s eye. He had always heard that right before you die, you get a final glimpse of the things you accomplished, cared for, or regretted. This felt a lot like he imagined that sensation would be, yet somehow it felt less dire and more freeing. Not a bad omen, but merely the end of a chapter.


    His fear and anxiety loosened their grip on him, so he pushed them aside. He had been gone for less than a day, yet had experienced more than he could have imagined: meeting strange beings from another world (an entirely different species), being attacked by them only to be knocked out and filled with nano-bots, gaining the ability to communicate not only with the Goblins but with this computer, and now finally becoming one with an ancient, decaying alien ship.


    This definitely was not the day he had envisioned when he woke up. ¡®If the electricity hadn¡¯t gone out, would I even be here?¡¯ his subconscious asked.


    A new and sudden clarity struck him in the brief moments he took to deal with his fleeting emotions. ¡®Even if I somehow made it back to Earth,¡¯ he realized, ¡®I wouldn''t fit in anymore. I have changed too much.¡¯


    The mundane concerns of his previous life seemed distant now as he prepared to activate the JUMP drive, almost trivial. He was no longer just Cyrus; he was the pilot of the Cosmic Sentinel, an abducted star traveler, with a future far beyond anything he had ever dreamed.


    Fear and anxiety came naturally to him, but he would no longer let them hold him back. He had been given a gift, a freeing of his mind from the trap of mental disability, and he meant to take full advantage of it.


    The SCANT was correcting his brain, working overtime to establish new connections and enabling him to comprehend everything necessary to perform the JUMP. Accepting his new reality, Cyrus felt a sense of resolve wash over him. He let go of his old life, embracing his role as the ship¡¯s pilot, for better or worse.


    "Let''s do this," he whispered to himself, beginning to initiate the sequence needed for the ZMJ. He let go of his body, of the physical sensations he had felt all his life. He focused on his new body, his ship body. He sensed the pull of the gravity waves from the Graviton storm. He could feel the tension the dark matter placed in the Cyclotron core, the remaining decayed areas barely containing the powerful radiation circulating through the entire system.


    Then, with what he could only describe as a clenching of muscle¡ªbut this muscle being the JUMP drive¡ªhe released the pent-up power into the field generators. The matrix of circuitry connecting them to the quantum processors sparked and protested, but held.


    A wave of intense cold washed over the ship. Cyrus felt it as if every nerve flared in unison, akin to how he imagined jumping into a polar lake would feel. But once the wave passed, a new and even more alien sensation took over, not filling him, but emptying him.


    All mass, every part, every bit, every atom, iota, and particle within the newly formed anti-gravity field ceased to be, yet paradoxically remained. He sensed each part¡¯s presence, disconnected yet omnipresent.


    Then, as the ship began to move, a new flaring of sensation occurred, unlike anything Cyrus had ever experienced. He knew beyond doubt that this was not something any human had experienced before. It was as if the fabric of reality stretched and thinned, turning porous, allowing him, as the ship, to slip through the cracks like water being absorbed into a sponge.


    The usual resistance of normal movement vanished from his perception, replaced by a smooth, almost frictionless glide. With his sensors, which felt more like phantom limbs now than actual parts of his ship body, Cyrus beheld what seemed like an entire ocean of colors surrounding him, just beyond the visible spectrum, swirling and blending around him.


    It was as if he were moving through a foam of bubbles, each with its own unique texture, giving the sensation of both immense and infinitesimal scale. He felt as if he were a quark, tiny and fundamental, yet also vast and expansive like the universe itself. Time itself seemed to distort, stretching and compressing in surreal ways, as if the universe was breathing in and out, warping his perception of continuity and distance.


    Then, as the JUMP continued, his senses expanded beyond the confines of physical reality. He began to perceive the incomprehensible vastness of what his mind called hyperspace. This dimension, a space in between realities, was a realm where the known laws of physics were mere suggestions, bending and twisting in impossible configurations. Energy currents pulsed through this area like veins of light, connecting stars and planets in a grand, cosmic web.


    The sensation was also somewhat disorienting; he felt like a leaf caught in a cosmic dervish, being swirled around without reason. Yet, the loss of control was exhilarating, filling him with a sense of boundless freedom and potential. It was terrifying too, the sheer scale and mystery of hyperspace threatening to overwhelm his mind as he tried to focus on where the best place to return to reality would be; he realized that not just his universe was now accessible.


    But before Cyrus could truly look over the vastness of the aether, to choose a place he¡¯d like to visit, or maybe JUMP himself close to Earth where he could possibly find a way to resupply and buy them all the time they needed to repair the ship, a tugging sensation began to pull him back into cosmic reality.


    The ship, which Cyrus was functionally one with now, began the return process, its failing systems demanding a return to the universal constant.


    The sensations from before returned, but in reverse. The colors seemed to expand outward, the chill was replaced with a wave of heat, but the strangest sensation of all was returning to solidity, feeling like a liquid being poured into a mold, with atoms and quantum particles aligning in perfect synchronicity. He still felt the weightlessness for a moment as the anti-gravity bubble produced by the generators still surrounded him. Then, slowly, the field withdrew, and as it did, each part of his body felt as though it were being re-initialized.


    Cyrus had watched 3D printers back on Earth and had been fascinated by them, though he had never actually used one. This feeling, as the bubble withdrew and the parts of him were once again subjected to the physics of the universe, reminded him of being put together in a similar fashion to one of those 3D printers. The substance was being built up layer by layer, yet this sensation was moving from the outside inward.


    It took mere milliseconds, yet his newfound integration with the ship allowed him to perceive events at a much faster rate than what humans were accustomed to. For every sensation his physical body would normally interpret in a second, the data coming from the ship''s sensors, hull, tools, and controls was tenfold. So those few seconds felt more like minutes.


    Then the anti-gravity bubble finally¡­ popped, in a sense. It had shrunk to the size of the Cyclotron Core, from where it was being emitted. With a final cut-off of the dark matter''s radiation, the generators abruptly stopped emitting, and the field immediately ceased to exist.


    Cyrus was finally whole once more. He had landed¡ªor perhaps "re-materialized" would be a better way of saying it¡ªin a completely unknown part of space. Using his sensors, he began to look around, as he had no better terminology for what he perceived through his new body.


    Hoshi spoke into Cyrus''s mind as he took in the new surroundings. ¡®The JUMP was successful, but many systems experienced overloads and are worse off than before. Repairs may take longer than originally forecast, but fortunately, the replicator system has minimal functionality now, so your biological needs can be met, at least for long enough to make the needed repairs.¡¯


    Cyrus heard and digested the words, understanding that the AI referred to the ship''s nutritional replicators. These weren¡¯t like the ones in TV shows that could produce any meal on demand. Instead, by compounding and altering atmospheric and excreted molecules, they could produce a nutritionally dense substance to sustain a physical body.


    But that was all just background noise to the spectacles Cyrus beheld in the space around him. He wasn¡¯t sure if Hoshi had played a role in choosing their final destination or if their re-materialization here was mere coincidence, but Cyrus was glad the ship was where it was.


    Surrounding him on either side were a pair of binary stars, slowly rotating in opposite directions. This cosmic dance caused a spectacular release of light and gas from each star, which the opposing star greedily pulled towards itself and absorbed. The interplay of these solar emissions created a dazzling display of swirling colors and luminous streams.


    In addition to this celestial stream, what looked to be a massive asteroid field was passing through the conduit of gasses between the two stars. The asteroids varied in size and density, with the larger, denser ones heading towards the stream and cutting through, leaving trails as they slowly passed.


    It was apparent that as the asteroids traversed through the gaseous river, the intense radiation and energy stripped elements from their surfaces, leaving them significantly smaller as they exited. These stripped particles remained suspended within the swirling gasses, adding to the density of the streams. Due to their varying molecular makeup, they created an ever-changing, mesmerizing spectacle for Cyrus¡¯s sensors to absorb.


    The view was breathtaking. Streams of vibrant colors, from deep reds to bright blues, flowed between the stars, interspersed with glittering particles, remnants from the disintegrating asteroids. The constant motion and interaction of these celestial bodies painted a vivid, dynamic panorama that was both beautiful and humbling. Streams of plasma arced and twisted in mesmerizing patterns, while the stars'' gravitational forces wove the gasses into intricate, ever-changing shapes. Occasionally, a larger asteroid would burst apart under the stress, sending shimmering fragments spiraling into the void.


    ¡®Good, I¡¯m glad we¡¯ll be okay. Did you send us here?¡¯ Cyrus mentally asked Hoshi.


    ¡®I had no control over navigation, although normally I would be able to assist. This location is random. Why do you ask?¡¯ Hoshi replied.


    ¡®It¡¯s just so beautiful.¡¯ Cyrus sighed, mesmerized by the data streaming into him. Then he remembered he was ¡®seeing¡¯ through the ship¡¯s sensors, and he instantly knew he wanted to experience this with his own eyes.

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13


    Daegnon hadn¡¯t been seriously injured from being tossed around, but he could still feel the bruises forming along his body from where he had subsequently hit the chair and wall. That didn¡¯t matter, though, as his first priority was to ensure the rest of his Goblins were safe. This meant he needed to fix whatever it was that Hoshi had needed him to complete. He quickly scurried back over to the small panel with the glowing light inside, where he found a new tool along the inside of the wall, just where the AI said it would be.


    The process of overriding the safety protocol was similar to how he and the others had been shown to repair the tarnished spots in the smaller tunnels. However, once he used the glowing beam to wipe out the dark spot, rather than the repair being finished, he next had to access a smaller black glass panel on top of the workstation.


    As he finished underneath and stood to continue, he noticed sparks flying from below other workstations. The lights on the displays atop them flickered on and off, changing colors and images as though they were uncertain of what they should actually be displaying. The sparks even caused small fires to break out, but these were quickly extinguished by jets of white mist that shot from the ceiling.


    Then a small beam of light appeared from above, and the image of Grubnash pointed towards the light. ¡°Follow the beam and touch the corresponding icons,¡± the metallic voice said, urgency still coloring the words.


    He moved his finger from one strange-looking icon to another in a sequence he couldn¡¯t have guessed at, touching the corresponding pictures as the light guided him. It took several seconds, but once finished, the entire panel lit up, and the glow from underneath changed color.


    ¡°You may want to sit down for this next part,¡± the AI told him. ¡°And hold on.¡±


    He quickly jumped into the chair near the workstation and gripped the handrests, expecting the ship to lurch violently to the side again. That, however, was not what happened.


    A strange wave of nothingness passed through him. He had no better explanation for the new sensation. Everything went black, and he felt as though he floated disembodied in a void. The most unusual part was that he could still slightly sense a connection to his body, but it was as though it were in a place far distant from where his consciousness floated within the darkness.


    Luckily, the strange passage through the void lasted only seconds, although the passage of time in that space was distorted. While it felt like an instant, a trace of a memory remained, making him wonder if he had actually been stuck within the emptiness for centuries.


    Once his mind and body were reformed, there was a brief instant of disorientation. The entire room seemed to bubble out and then condense around him before finally coming back into solidity.


    ¡°Whoa, I am certainly glad I wasn¡¯t standing for that,¡± he mumbled, rocking slightly as he tried to regain his balance, the room still slightly askew in his vision.


    Once he felt stable, he stood up again and surveyed the bridge. The place was in shambles. Scorch marks marred the once pristine white cloth of the seats, and blackened areas scarred the floor and undersides of the workstations where fires had briefly raged before being extinguished.


    Then his eyes wandered to the front window. Before, the view had been interesting¡ªdarkness and a multitude of stars¡ªbut now the scene had transformed entirely, leaving Daegnon flabbergasted by the dazzling sight.


    Swirling ribbons of indefinable yet magnificent colors flowed across the screen. The clouds of gas danced and twisted like ethereal smoke from a celestial fire, their hues shifting with each graceful turn and pirouette. Sometimes the colors morphed entirely, while other times they revealed sparkling radiance hidden within their depths. The stark darkness of space provided a perfect backdrop, enhancing the brilliance of the vibrant nebulae. The contrast made the colors appear even more vivid, almost as if they were alive.


    For several moments, all Daegnon could do was stare with his mouth agape at the stunning spectacle before him. It was in this moment that he realized just how far away from his burrow he was, and how very little he knew about anything.


    Hoshi¡¯s metallic voice rang through the speakers in the room, once again filling the entire space. ¡°I am glad you are safe, Captain Daegnon.¡±


    Upon hearing his new designation, Daegnon¡¯s wits returned to him.


    ¡°The ship sustained substantial damage throughout but made a successful JUMP. Raknak sustained a major injury as well, but the SCANT is actively repairing the damage as we speak. Luckily, with the power surge pre-JUMP, the reserves were filled, and what systems are functional will be able to remain so for quite some time.¡±


    Daegnon still somewhat slowly processed the information, not fully understanding what had just happened. He felt a mix of relief and concern, along with the amazement associated with the stunning view before him.


    Hoshi continued, ¡°I believe it would be the most expedient course to hold a small conference where the situation can be explained to everyone at the same time. Would you mind joining the rest of the crew back in the medical center so that I and Cyrus can explain?¡±


    Daegnon nodded, feeling that an explanation would be greatly appreciated. He also had the feeling that there would be a lot of extra work ahead for all of them. However, seeing how far they had all come from home and realizing they had just survived something far beyond anything he had experienced before granted him some additional determination. The amazing beauty of space, the incredible power of the ship, and daydreaming about what his future might hold urged him forward.


    ¡°Yes, Hoshi. Lead the way.¡±


    Raknak awoke with a scream! Terror and pain gripped his newly awakened consciousness as memories of the metal door closing, cutting through his legs, crashed back into his mind. His gaze was wild, darting around his surroundings, unable to focus on any one thing. He saw Glix kneeling over him in the strange dome-like room filled with unfamiliar metals and stark lighting.


    Then there was a moment of darkness, where the pain and the sensation of being whole no longer held any meaning. But when the world came crashing back in upon him, so did the agony and fear.


    With great effort, he tilted his bulky midsection, straining his abdominal muscles to look down past his stomach. What he beheld there filled him with horror: blood gushing from the severed stumps where his legs used to be.


    That was the last thing he remembered before the darkness engulfed him once again. This time, the darkness didn¡¯t feel strange and empty but instead held the prospect of never again awakening as his mind blacked out from the pain and blood loss.


    When he awoke again, Raknak found himself staring up at a somewhat familiar ceiling. He felt the softness of a cushion below him and realized he was back in the place where he had awakened at the beginning of this crazy outerspace adventure.


    He looked around and saw the others gathered near one of the glass-like displays where the image of Grubnash was speaking to them all. He didn¡¯t catch any of what they were talking about before the brown-skinned human pointed at him and told the others of his awakening.


    ¡°Raknak! Good to see you¡¯re awake again!¡± Daegnon called out, moving up beside the still confused Goblin.


    ¡°You owe me so much for having to move your fat ass. In fact, I own you now,¡± Glix said with a sinister smirk. There was a glimmer of humor in her eyes, but Raknak knew Glix well enough to know that whatever she felt she was owed, she would make sure he paid.


    Cyrus stepped back, allowing room for the Goblins to surround Raknak. This wasn¡¯t his place; he might in time get to know these Goblins well enough to call them friends, but that time had not yet come.


    Raknak closed his eyes and sighed, as if he had just remembered that his body was no longer whole. A visible wave of loss and fear washed over him, but rather than look down to verify his missing limbs, his body slumped and the tension in his shoulders released as if in acceptance.


    He had never been a fan of walking or running, but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t know the value of being mobile. He also wasn¡¯t afraid of losing a limb; his mentor had only one arm and would constantly beat him no matter what weapon he was trying to learn.


    But that was an arm, not a leg, and especially not both. Raknak¡¯s mind began sinking into a morass of depression, picturing himself living the rest of his days sitting and being a burden, wasting away until finally dying a miserable death.


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    ¡°Hoshi says it¡¯ll take a while to adjust to the new feet, but you should be up and mobile within a couple of days, especially now that we have food¡­ Well, kind of food, I guess,¡± the human said, catching Raknak¡¯s attention.


    It took a few seconds for the meaning to penetrate through the grief Raknak was feeling, but when it did, his eyes sprang open, and he sat bolt upright.


    ¡°What?¡± he exclaimed, throwing the small cloth covering him aside to stare at his lower half.


    Daegnon wore a huge grin as he watched Raknak finally figure out what had happened. The human looked surprised but smiled cheerfully as well. Glix wore a smug look as if she herself had designed the new feet that now captivated Raknak¡¯s attention. Shiny metal claws had replaced his lower limbs.


    Yes, claws were the best term Raknak could think of to describe the new appendages at the end of his legs. They didn¡¯t resemble the bulky feet he used to have; these were much more streamlined and sophisticated. Each new foot was composed of sleek, dull gray metal, interspersed with intricate black gears and tubes connecting the mechanical workings.


    The feet had multiple articulated digits, each ending in a sharp, claw-like tip. However, the underside of the tips were coated in a dark, strange yet flexible material that looked like it would provide added traction and cushioning. The joints and segments moved smoothly as he flexed them experimentally, revealing the precise engineering that had gone into their creation.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they amazing?¡± Glix said as she picked up the sheet and re-covered Raknak¡¯s now exposed body. ¡°Hoshi says you should be able to hang upside down from the ceiling with these once you fully recover.¡±


    Raknak was still adjusting to the idea of having mechanical feet. He wiggled his toes¡ªclaws¡ªbut the sensation was strange and somewhat challenging; the corresponding digits didn¡¯t move the way he expected.


    ¡°It will take some time for the SCANT to properly realign the neurons in your brain to match the corresponding movements to your new Advanced Mobility Appendages, or AMA if you prefer,¡± the metallic voice of the AI spoke in a way so that they all could hear, resonating from every corner of the room.


    ¡°Once you have fully adapted, these should provide you with enhanced mobility and even allow for extravehicular activities,¡± the AI concluded.


    ¡°So basically, you¡¯ll be the one going outside the ship to make those repairs,¡± Cyrus chimed in with a small chuckle. ¡°Lucky you.¡±


    Raknak looked up at Cyrus, noticing only now how beat up he looked. When they had first met, he hadn¡¯t really paid much attention, more afraid of the intruding human than concerned with his appearance. When they had all awakened in the medical center, where they were again now, he had looked closer at him but hadn¡¯t noticed any distinguishing traits other than his overly soft body.


    Now, as he looked again at the human, he took in the details as if seeing him for the first time. His skin was a light shade of brown, the color of the inside of Raknak''s favorite mushroom. His hair was short, curly, and as dark as the rock of the caverns near the ceiling of the burrow. His eyes were brown as well, but it almost seemed as though flecks of gold sparkled within their depths. He had extremely white and flat teeth, which seemed very out of place, and he wore overly large cloth with strange designs on it.


    But now, unlike before, there was something more to the human. Perhaps it was the purpling skin where bruises had formed, or maybe the way he carried himself. Raknak was unsure, but Cyrus looked less soft, more capable than he had before.


    Daegnon also had a similar look to him now. He had been the burrow-master for only a short time, but he was smarter than the other Goblins and thus garnered a lot of respect because of that fact.


    He had never been one to feel threatening. There were definitely much fiercer Goblins, but they deferred to Daegnon because he could communicate and diffuse situations with words instead of fists. This quality somehow seemed to have been enhanced now, as he seemed to almost stand taller and sound wiser when he spoke than what Raknak remembered.


    Raknak wasn¡¯t sure what exactly was going on, but because he was noticing these things, he couldn¡¯t help but think that maybe the SCAT, or whatever they called it, was working its magic on them, it meant that it was changing him too.


    He looked at Glix, just to make sure she was the same, but as he met her eyes and remembered what she had done to save his life, a very unusual emotion welled up inside of him. Not only was he thankful for her assistance, but there was another, stronger and more frightening emotion that began to rise within him.


    Love was not something Goblins generally claimed, but the idea was present within their society. Most procreation and sexual needs were performed not due to emotion but to satisfy urges. Some preferred a willing partner, but many either didn¡¯t care or even preferred an unwilling partner. Yet there were several couples who maintained a partnership, their supposed love being a bond which they cherished.


    Raknak was never one who gave much credit to those types of relationships. When he wanted to mate, he found whoever was present and made them his mate. So this new feeling he was experiencing was not only alien and confusing but actually rather unwanted. It took several moments to understand that somehow¡­ He was falling in love with her.


    ¡°The reason we are all here is to discuss what happened, what needs to be done, and how long it should take,¡± the metallic voice of the AI said.


    In Cyrus¡¯s vision, Hoshi sat upon one of the other floating beds in their usual kimono. The AI smiled but then took on a serious look as the speakers announced the start of the meeting.


    Over the next hour or so, Hoshi explained the Graviton storm to them all, and Cyrus recounted his adventure of moving them from the dangerous location. Daegnon described the state of the bridge, while Glix and Raknak both related their version of what had happened with some rather colorful descriptions.


    When telling the part of the story about the aroma coming from the Cyclotron Core as it opened, Raknak actually blushed and pulled the sheet tighter over his crotch.


    ¡°All waste should from here on out be excreted in the proper facilities. Luckily, the emissions from the Dark-matter in the Cyclotron Core eliminated any trace of contamination at a cellular level within the Cyclotron Core,¡± Hoshi said promptly as the story reached that part.


    Hearing that brought Raknak¡¯s eyes back down to his new claw-like feet. He flexed them again and smiled slightly, beginning to think of them as his own.


    The meeting continued with discussions on where to begin the repairs and how they should be completed. They also received their first taste of the nutritionally replicated substance the ship could now provide.


    The nutritional dense replicated edible substance came in the form of a dense bar. Its color was an appealing brown, but the smell was rather lacking. As Cyrus nibbled a corner, expecting the nutritional bar to taste awful, he was pleasantly surprised. It definitely wasn¡¯t five-star cuisine, but rather than being bland or reminding him of the substances from which it was generated, it had a slightly sweet taste, almost like almonds and raisins mixed together.


    The Goblins, on the other hand, seemed to find the flavor more enjoyable than anything they had ever eaten before and scarfed down the nutritional bars immediately before asking for another.


    ¡°Due to their properties, only one will be distributed in an eight-hour period. Within the next minute, your cravings should be well satisfied,¡± Hoshi replied to their request.


    As if on cue, a minute later they were all reclining and patting their stomachs as if they¡¯d eaten a Thanksgiving meal. Cyrus was full too, which was a feeling he hadn¡¯t experienced often on Earth.


    Throughout his life, Cyrus had always battled being overweight. His cravings never seemed to stop, so it was only when he was fully occupied, usually in his VR games, that he finally found some respite from the constant desire to put food in his face.


    ¡®Why do we all feel so full now?¡¯ he mentally questioned the AI.


    ¡®Once exposed to the stomachs¡¯ acidic fluids, the condensed proteins rapidly enlarge, and the nutrients are released into the system. This provides long-lasting nourishment due to the high fibrous content,¡¯ Hoshi explained.


    The discussions continued with Hoshi speaking in their metallic voice, ¡°If you press this icon,¡± a symbol illuminated on the bottom of the panels lining the walls, ¡°you can communicate with whomever you need. Simply say the name and I will route the communications to the nearest communication port, or speaker, as Cyrus would call them, located near the person you are looking to talk to. Not all speakers are working correctly yet, so you may have to move to the nearest functional speaker to receive the message. I will try to alert the initiator when the recipient is out of range,¡± Hoshi continued once the nutritional bars had left them all feeling full and content.


    Due to being so full and content, the Goblins¡¯ eyes were slowly closing and heads were bobbing. Cyrus couldn¡¯t help but smile, finding himself in a similar state of exhaustion. The excitement of being aboard the ship and then the escape from the storm had pumped enough adrenaline into them that they had not felt the need to rest, but now that they were safe and fed, their need to sleep and recover was becoming harder to ignore.


    ¡®Hoshi, I think we all need some rest before we start. Are there some quarters where we can sleep, or should we just use these beds?¡¯ Cyrus mentally asked before the AI could continue explaining things to the sleepy audience, covering his yawn with his hand.


    The image of Hoshi in Cyrus¡¯s mind brought its hand to its chin as if thinking things over. Then the image wavered, and the kimono was replaced by a onesie pajama set covered in little rocket ships set over a dark blue cloth with moons and stars interspersed throughout.


    ¡®I suppose you¡¯re right. Any work accomplished now would be of poor quality due to your exhaustion. I believe sleeping here would be best for now. Preparing quarters will be moved up the list of required jobs, though, as I had miscalculated that you and the Goblins have similar sleeping habits,¡¯ Hoshi replied.


    Cyrus smiled and told the others, ¡°Hoshi says we can all pick a bed and sleep here, but the real work begins tomorrow.¡±


    As he said this, the floating beds all lowered to a more acceptable height for the Goblins, who moved to occupy the offered beds in their half-awake state.


    ¡°Now that we have food, are we going to wake the others?¡± Daegnon asked once he was comfortably positioned, his question accentuated by a large toothy yawn.


    ¡°Yes, we can accomplish that upon your waking,¡± Hoshi replied from the speakers in the room.


    Daegnon smiled, happy to have his entire host back. He was also content with a full stomach and a nice bed to sleep on, as were they all.


    The lights in the room dimmed, and soft music began playing on a strange instrument, one that Cyrus had never heard before. He almost asked what the instrument was or what the song was called but decided those questions could wait.


    Within a minute, soft snores were coming from every bed in the medical center. Hoshi hastened the work of the SCANT, allowing the nanites to take advantage of the lowered consciousness of the crew.

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14


    Cyrus blinked as he woke, hearing soft grunts coming from somewhere in the room. It took him a few moments to reorient himself. There was a brief moment of panic as he realized he wasn¡¯t in his own bed, but the feeling was much less scary than he had anticipated. Memories from the previous day quickly reformed in his mind, allowing him to understand that the SCANT had several unconscious hours to not only repair and enhance his brain but also his overall physical condition.


    Through his new connection with the ship, he had more intimate knowledge of what was occurring¡ªnot only with the repair systems along the hull and inside the ship but also within his own body.


    Before he even opened his eyes, Cyrus was able to turn on an internal camera and see the Goblins in the medical center surrounding him as they started to wake, making their way to the bathroom, and performing their rituals. He could also see himself still lying on the floating bed.


    His body, perceived from this angle, was less bulky than he remembered from when he would see himself in the mirror in his apartment. His arms, which were exposed above the small sheet covering him, looked larger as well.


    ¡®The SCANT has been working not only to improve your mental functions and connection to the Cosmic Sentinel but also throughout your body, improving muscle mass and moving unneeded fats back into your digestive system for removal,¡¯ Hoshi spoke into his mind, reading his surface thoughts.


    As she said this, a gurgling sensation began in Cyrus¡¯s colon, alerting him to exactly what the AI had been talking about.


    With some urgency, Cyrus threw the sheet from him and, knowing the bathroom attached to the medical center was already occupied from viewing the room through the camera, hustled down the hall to find the nearest restroom.


    Once he was finished with his more urgent needs, Cyrus utilized the shower in the bathroom to clean himself off. The shower used water, but it was complemented by what Hoshi described as ¡°acoustic purifiers,¡± which pushed the water onto him, trapping any unwanted dirt, skin cells, and other microbes into the disposal where the ship cleaned and reprocessed the water for other uses. The contaminants removed were then molecularly remodeled and used to create the nutritional bars, a fact that both impressed and grossed out Cyrus.


    As he stepped out, feeling cleaner than he ever had before, even without the need for soap, he found a dark gray jumpsuit waiting for him.


    ¡®Searching through your planet¡¯s databases, I found that many of your space-related programs utilized this simplistic yet convenient form of exterior covering. I hope you don¡¯t mind, but I dressed the Goblins in similar attire,¡¯ Hoshi mentally told Cyrus as he looked over the jumpsuit.


    It was relatively simple with an asymmetrical top crossover attachment system and a Velcro-type fly, although he couldn¡¯t see or figure out how the flaps of material were actually attached. The jumpsuit also had a nicely fitting collar with dark blue trim.


    There were also a pair of boots that slid over his feet nicely and had a comfortable interior, so he didn¡¯t feel the need for socks.


    ¡®This feels great, Hoshi. Thanks for the matching outfits,¡¯ Cyrus mentally thanked the AI once the jumpsuit was donned.


    ¡®You are very welcome, Cyrus,¡¯ Hoshi said as the AI appeared in his vision wearing the same jumpsuit. ¡®There is one last thing I wanted to add, if you don¡¯t mind.¡¯


    ¡®Okay, what¡¯s that?¡¯ As Cyrus mentally asked, a small silver pin began to form on his left chest. The pin was being created by the nanites, and this was the first time he had been able to witness them doing something like this. They worked faster than he would have imagined, creating the pin in a small metallic cloud. Once the pin was finished, the cloud simply melded into the fabric of his jumpsuit.


    The pin itself looked like a small representation of the Cosmic Sentinel in a basic design, as though seen from the side. It showed a triangular shape with a wider triangle side at the front and a fin extending downward from the rear and ending in a circle. Next to the circle were four similar, yet open circles trailing behind.


    ¡®That¡¯s great, Hoshi! This is like our ship¡¯s crew¡¯s symbol then? What are the extra circles? Are those like my designation?¡¯ Cyrus excitedly asked.


    ¡®Yes, since you are the pilot, you have the same number of pips as Daegnon. His pips are solid to show his rank being slightly higher as captain,¡¯ Hoshi explained. ¡®Glix and Raknak will have three pips, and theirs will also be solid,¡¯ Hoshi added with a smile.


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    ¡®That¡¯s perfect, Hoshi. Great thinking,¡¯ Cyrus said and made his way back to the rest of the Goblins. He had been ¡®watching¡¯ them the entire time. He found that his mind was exceptionally adept at multitasking now, and he had kept the camera in the medical bay on, even though he had left.


    He hadn¡¯t focused on it, but still knew basically what had been happening in his absence. The information was present nonetheless, although in a very minor way.


    ¡®This whole being a ship thing is going to take a lot of getting used to,¡¯ he thought to himself as he entered the medical center and joined the other Goblins, who were now dressed in their jumpsuits and overseeing the re-awakening of their other three members.


    It didn¡¯t take long to wake the three remaining Goblins. It took longer to explain to them what was going on. Then there was another waiting period while they all three apparently showered and dressed in the same bathroom.


    Cyrus wasn¡¯t a fan of sharing a bathroom with anyone, but he knew that in most pre-modern civilizations, mutual bathing and restroom facilities were common. So, while it wasn¡¯t something he chose to do, it didn¡¯t surprise him that they all were fine with using the same facilities.


    Finally, all the Goblins, as well as Cyrus, were dressed in their matching uniforms and gathered around to find out what needed to be done and where they were to be assigned. Daegnon and Hoshi, looking like Grubnash, had been discussing how to best deploy the new Goblins, and Glix had offered her opinions as well.


    Luckily, the three new Goblins¡ªKhibi, Prayda, and Gooniz¡ªhad the benefit of the SCANT working on them while they slept, so in some ways, they were further along in their enhancement than the original three.


    ¡°Khibi, you and Raknak are back in the conduits,¡± Daegnon spoke, and an image of Grubnash waved them out the door. ¡°Prayda, you are with me. We¡¯ll start in the halls leading to the command center. Gooniz, you help Glix; do what she says.¡±


    Daegnon looked to Cyrus then, as did the rest of the Goblins. This was the first time Daegnon was going to use his authority over someone other than the Goblins, and they all were curious as to how the confrontation would go. This interaction could possibly set the tone for how the Goblins interacted with the human, be it as equals or as stubborn subordinates.


    ¡°Cyrus, since you are too large to fit in the conduits, you can repair the Cyclotron Core before you return to the pilot''s chamber,¡± Daegnon said with some apprehensiveness mixed with a little too much commanding presence, making it sound as though he were almost yelling but in a frightened way.


    Cyrus stifled a chuckle and almost began to speak, but he wanted to add a little something else. In all the good military movies, there was always a sign or a salute when given an order, so Cyrus wracked his mind for a second before actually responding. When he did speak, it was in a tone of respect, ¡°Yes, Captain,¡± he said as he threw a backward peace sign with his right hand over his left chest.


    Daegnon saw the two fingers of the human come up and make the impromptu salute and understood that this was a good way to confirm that they were a solitary unit. He quickly mimicked the salute, bringing up two of his fingers to his chest and nodding to the human, a smile turning the corner of his lips as he did so.


    The next few weeks proceeded in a similar fashion, with crew quarters assigned to each of them the next day. Khibi and Raknak chose to bunk together, which the Goblins seemed to find humorous but understandable. Cyrus, not understanding the situation, found the bunk arrangement odd, especially since Raknak was obviously attracted to Glix and doted on her whenever possible, even though the female Goblin showed no return interest whatsoever.


    The entire crew would meet in the morning, or at least what they were designating as morning since they had no actual sense of day and night now, to discuss the day¡¯s schedule and continue the repairs to the ship. They would eat a single nutritional bar then, and another as they finished for the evening, the feeling of fullness helping to promote sleepiness.


    The binary star system they were in provided additional resources and helped recharge and repair some of the ship''s systems. The gaseous streams provided rare minerals and molecules, which the Cosmic Sentinel was able to induce and reuse.


    Raknak, using a somewhat ill-fitting space suit and his new claw-like feet, which were apparently magnetic as well, was able to conduct repairs outside the ship, greatly speeding up the repair process. The nanites could function in the vacuum, but they were not made with the ability to move in a zero-gravity environment and so suffered great losses when working on the exterior.


    There were repair drones designed for exterior repairs, but their manufacturing facility, which was also located on the exterior of the ship, was damaged, so Raknak was tasked with repairing the facility. The repairs to that system were a huge benefit, allowing the drones to once again be produced and contribute to vital repairs.


    Glix took to her role as chief engineer faster than any of them had anticipated. She learned the systems in record time and even took and passed the exam that Hoshi had bypassed for her when she was forced to rescue Raknak. When she took the test for herself, she didn¡¯t get a perfect score like Hoshi had but scored an impressive ninety-two percent.


    Cyrus, along with performing repairs that would have required the Goblins to use some sort of ladder, also studied in the Exo-pilot terminal and became much more aware of the ship and its systems. He learned how to use the ship''s thrusters, onboard tools, and shields much more adeptly, at least in the virtual training. Hoshi had told him to refrain from making any other movements to the ship until repairs were complete, so he was unable to get real-world experience. However, from what the AI had inferred, the virtual space was identical to real-world situations, and over the course of the days, he flew numerous scenarios, even dogfighting in some.


    In this way, the crew of the Cosmic Sentinel repaired the ship, bonded as a crew, and prepared for what their new life as space travelers would bring. They learned each other¡¯s quirks and readied themselves for the adventures that lay ahead of them.


    The story continues on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=70608036</a> make sure to continue the story there,

 Chapter 15

    I¡¯m excited to share Chapter 15 with you! This marks the beginning of Part Three, where the real adventure begins. I hope you¡¯ve enjoyed meeting the crew, following their journey as they adapt and grow, and are ready to learn who they truly are¡ªand join them in the adventures ahead.


    But the story is far from over. The Cosmic Sentinel will encounter new alien species, face formidable enemies, engage in intense battles, and unlock incredible new powers. There¡¯s so much more to come, and you won¡¯t want to miss it!


    To continue the adventure, follow along on my Patreon: patreon.com/user?u=70608036</a> or visit Reinvented Universe</a>.


    PART THREE


    <h2>Chapter 15</h2>


    Let the adventure begin


    The day had finally come. The Cosmic Sentinel was repaired as much as possible without first obtaining additional resources, mostly solid materials, which were found sparsely in this nebulaic area of space. The systems of the ship were nearly ninety-seven percent functional and charged enough for several months of light usage if needed.


    The major need of the crew was variety.


    At first, the Goblins had enjoyed the flavor and feeling of fullness from the nutritional bars provided by the replicators. But they were quickly growing tired of this being their only source of food and were eager to leave this biologically barren system behind to search for food resources¡ªespecially meat, which was the major source of the Goblin¡¯s diet before arriving.


    From the stories he¡¯d heard about their past, Cyrus hoped the Goblins would be skilled at mining and excavation, which would come in very handy once they found mineral rich planets. He especially hoped they would excel at locating and recovering said minerals and ores, which could aid in rebuilding certain structures on the ship and repairing several systems that were still not fully functional.


    The entire crew eagerly anticipated stepping foot on solid ground again, even if only for a short while. It wasn¡¯t that they disliked life aboard the Cosmic Sentinel, but none of them had truly volunteered for this journey. While they had all agreed to explore the vast reaches of the universe before returning to their home worlds¡ªeach with their own reasons¡ªthere remained a deep-seated longing for something familiar. A place untouched by artificial construction, where the ground beneath their feet was shaped by nature rather than by hand. A reminder of home.


    They were all better off now, having benefited both mentally and physically from the introduction of the SCANT. Cyrus, in particular, had shed nearly all of his excess fat, though the loose skin remained, leaving him looking flabby.


    The process, however, had been far from pleasant. The nanites dissolved the fatty tissue and redirected it into his digestive system¡ªwhich, according to Hoshi, was the most expedient method of removal. That left the actual expulsion of the dissolved fat, a process that was¡­ less than enjoyable, to say the least.


    Still, Cyrus couldn¡¯t deny the improvements to his health. The blubber that had once lined his muscles was gone, and now his physique was beginning to show real definition. Though the loose, hanging skin still remained, Hoshi assured him it would eventually tighten over time.


    It made Cyrus particularly self-conscious, though he wasn¡¯t feeling attraction toward anyone aboard, nor did he believe anyone found him attractive. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t hinder his physical activities, as he had incorporated a daily training regimen to build muscle and improve agility.


    As the tallest crew member, Cyrus was frequently assigned tasks that the Goblins would struggle with. His height was an asset, saving the Goblins time and effort they would have spent finding ways to climb up or using one of the available floating platforms to accomplish the task. Between the nanites, his work around the ship, and his new exercise routines, Cyrus was shaping up in record time.


    The Goblins had also undergone subtle but undeniable changes thanks to the SCANT. Their once uneven and rugged features had become more symmetrical, their skin clearer and less irritated due to improved hygiene awareness. Their bodies, once wiry and rough, were now leaner and more efficient, the SCANT enhancing their natural dexterity and sharpening their cognitive functions. Though still unmistakably Goblins, their refinement¡ªboth physically and mentally¡ªset them apart from the burrow-dwelling kin they had once been.


    Additionally, as the ship became more fully functional, Cyrus had been allowed to steer the ship from its previous location, navigating it slowly through the system they found themselves in. This allowed him to verify, using the ship''s sensors, that the larger objects within the star''s gravity well contained nothing useful. For the most part, they were simple, non-atmosphere-holding balls of rock, gas, and ice¡ªplanets in their primordial state, lacking the rarer materials that would accumulate over millions of years through meteor strikes, geological activity, and the buildup of pressure.


    Theories about how time and space interact on a universal scale¡ªhow phenomena like graviton storms, black holes, and temporal anomalies might form or manifest within the darkness of space¡ªwere becoming clearer to Cyrus during this time as his brain and its connections became more dense.


    The Goblins, too, benefited by learning more about how the universe worked in general. Additionally, their mental acuity continued to grow along their specific paths, gaining knowledge in the areas where each had a natural aptitude.


    The actual movement of the ship around this system was primarily for Cyrus to practice fine motor control in his newly merged state with the Cosmic Sentinel, as well as to learn how to interpret the minute details from the ship''s sensors. Full reconnaissance of the system was unnecessary, as Hoshi could quickly deduce all the relevant information from the information provided by the scanners.


    Still, Cyrus was thrilled when he was finally able to fly the ship himself, feeling the activation of the thrusters and the way the ship moved, almost like swimming, or perhaps more like what he imagined Superman must feel when flying through the air, as it glided through the particle-rich environment of space.


    Finally, after weeks of repairs, learning, and communicating¡ªnot only with his fellow Goblins but also with Cyrus about humans and how they functioned on his former planet¡ªDaegnon, now a more refined version of himself like the other Goblins who had been trapped aboard the Cosmic Sentinel, assembled in the command center for their morning pre-work scheduling meeting. However, today he planned to give entirely different assignments than usual.


    The command center of the Cosmic Sentinel mirrored the pyramid-like structure of the ship itself. It was triangular in shape, with a large viewscreen dominating the far end, displaying the vast expanse of space outside.


    The floor directly in front of the viewscreen was slightly sunken, which not only created a subtle separation from the elevated main area but also enhanced the viewable area of the screen itself, making it seem even larger than it already was. This design gave the crew an unobstructed, panoramic view, making the screen feel as though it stretched beyond the confines of the room.


    The captain¡¯s chair sat centrally on the elevated section, flanked by several workstations positioned at forty-five-degree angles, allowing the crew stationed there to easily view the screen while remaining close to Daegnon. Below, in the lower, trapezoidal area, several squat, rectangular structures (power relays and workstation processors) were spread across the floor. Though not intended as seating, the Goblins had taken to using these as benches during meetings, sitting on them as they listened to Daegnon address the crew.


    ¡°The ship is finally ready. You¡¯ve all done an excellent job repairing her,¡± Daegnon said, having recently started referring to the ship as female. ¡°After speaking with Hoshi, we believe we¡¯ve identified a nearby system that should provide everything we need. There are multiple planets within what Cyrus calls the ¡®Goldilocks zone,¡¯ orbiting a single yellow star. Just like Dranor¡¯s sun, this one should support food production, making it an ideal place to resupply¡ªand to find creatures fit for consumption.¡±


    The rest of the Goblins had already been discussing this, having overheard snippets from Daegnon, but they still paid close attention as he spoke. Early on, before the introduction of the SCANT and the extraordinary enhancements they had received, they had struggled with short attention spans and difficulty focusing. Now, those limitations were a thing of the past, and the Goblins listened attentively rather than trying to find ways to distract themselves from the newly minted captain¡¯s usual droning about daily tasks.


    Cyrus was also aware of the new system, since it was essentially his sensors that Hoshi used to gather the information. His bond with the ship deepened with every interaction in the Exo-pilot terminal. Together, Hoshi, Daegnon, and Cyrus had determined that it would be best to find a system without civilizations capable of spaceflight, allowing them to remain unseen while they completed repairs and gathered resources.


    It wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t want to meet others and gain additional information, crew, and hopefully allies, but until the ship reached peak performance, they couldn¡¯t be certain of what kinds of interactions they might encounter, so they wanted to be as prepared as possible before venturing into a situation that might put them in danger.


    The entire crew was still untested. Their positions were new to them, and while their teamwork was improving, it was still in its infancy. They were gradually learning how to work together, but the kind of trust, routines, and understanding necessary to operate as an efficient crew could only be developed over time and through experience.


    None of them wanted to rush into a situation where they would be forced to prove themselves as a crew before they had the opportunity to truly understand their capabilities¡ªor identify the areas where they still needed improvement.


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    Cyrus, in particular, had spent countless hours in simulations learning how to pilot the Cosmic Sentinel. The simulations were incredibly advanced, offering a realistic experience that had taught him the intricacies of piloting the massive ship. However, no matter how detailed or immersive they were, simulations were still just that¡ªsimulations.


    Real-world scenarios were different. The more Cyrus interfaced with the ship in real time, the more his consciousness merged with it, the ship becoming an extension of his own body and mind.


    He was now to the point where he constantly felt the sensor data streaming in from the ship''s exterior. It was akin to how he could sense the air in the room or the fabric of his uniform. The information was always present, a constant flow of data that he could tap into, but it rarely demanded his attention unless he actively focused on it. This, Hoshi had explained, was a big step in fully integrating his consciousness with the Cosmic Sentinel.


    While Cyrus understood his role as pilot and the progress he had made, he also knew the Goblins were in the midst of their own journeys, training and developing their minds as well as honing and enhancing their natural abilities and inclinations.


    But the reality of using the knowledge and skills in actual, real-time scenarios was something none of them had yet experienced. They had studied, trained, and improved, but real experience; using what they knew while under pressure and in unknown environments was still a challenge they had to undergo.


    Therefore, the crew''s readiness remained a question. They all knew they had the potential, but none of them had been pushed to their limits. The anticipation of what awaited them was both exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time.


    ¡°I want to go over our roles and responsibilities once more to make sure we¡¯re all clear before we leave. The last thing we need is to step into a new system unprepared,¡± Daegnon continued. ¡°There¡¯s always the possibility we¡¯ll encounter other beings¡ªor challenges¡ªonce we JUMP.¡±


    The next part was mostly a repeat for the Goblins, as the SCANT had practically morphed them into the best versions of themselves for their assigned roles. Still, Daegnon made a point of reinforcing their duties daily.


    ¡°Glix is the ship¡¯s chief engineer. So if she tells you to fix something, you fix it¡ªfast!¡± Daegnon pointed in an arc at the rest of the Goblins to ensure they were all paying attention. ¡°Raknak is head of security. That might not seem important now, since it¡¯s just us, but if we run into hostiles, his role becomes critical. When that happens, listen to him.¡±


    The Goblins nodded dutifully as Daegnon spoke, each understanding that, for now, they were the only crew the ship had. They also realized that following the command structure was key to operating such a large and intricate vessel efficiently.


    ¡°Prayda is the best at talking, so he¡¯ll be our communications officer,¡± Daegnon continued, having picked up the term from Cyrus, who had explained it using old Earth TV shows. ¡°He¡¯ll handle negotiations, trade, and first contact.¡±


    ¡°Gooniz has been training in the medical center. He doesn¡¯t know everything yet, but he¡¯s our ship¡¯s doctor. If you¡¯re hurt, go to him.¡± Daegnon glanced toward Gooniz, who nodded dourly and grunted in acknowledgment. ¡°He¡¯ll also be in charge of growing food once we find some good seeds. Hoshi¡¯s been training him to make the best of whatever we pick up.¡±


    Growing plants was something entirely new to the Goblins. Having spent their lives in underground caverns, farming had never been a necessary skill¡ªfungus and small subterranean creatures had always been enough to sustain them. So, putting Gooniz in charge of preparing for a future onboard food supply was an unusual choice, though the SCANT had determined he was the best suited for it.


    He acted disinterested in most things, grumbling about every new task thrown his way, but everyone knew he was as invested in their survival as any of them. He studied every scrap of information available, muttering complaints about soil conditions and nutrient balances¡ªdespite not having a single seed to work with yet. He had no idea what he¡¯d be growing, or even how, but that didn¡¯t stop him from griping about the inefficiencies of a nonexistent system like it was already a disaster waiting to happen.


    Despite all his grumbling, his priority was, and always would be, their well-being. Until there were crops to manage, he focused on his medical knowledge in order to keep them all healthy.


    Cyrus had interacted with all of the Goblins by now and had learned that each of them was as different and individualistic as any human he had met¡ªor at least seen on TV shows, since he hadn¡¯t really talked to many people in real life during his time on Earth.


    He looked back on his life on Earth with an almost surreal detachment. So much had changed since his abduction and the introduction of the SCANT. The dueling voices in his mind had quieted, and his fears and anxieties had nearly faded. While he wouldn¡¯t call himself overly confident or a decisive leader, his sense of self was emerging¡ªa slow metamorphosis as he adapted to what he had become.


    After all, he was no longer just human. He was something else. A hybrid¡ªpart man, part ship.


    There were still quirks and oddities that made him who he was, things that Hoshi assured him would always remain, despite his enhanced mind and body. Overall, though, his attitude had shifted, and he was much less anxious and far more outgoing.


    ¡°And Khibi¡­ well, just don¡¯t get in the way and do what you¡¯re asked, alright?¡± Daegnon said, giving the smallest Goblin a pat on the head.


    The SCANT had undoubtedly enhanced all the Goblins, as evidenced by how proficiently Daegnon now spoke, but Khibi had remained the quiet type. His demeanor was more outgoing than before, but not by much. He rarely spoke, preferring to stay in the background¡ªseen, but not heard. For the most part, he simply kept to himself, though he was always willing to help where needed.


    He was still most often found in Raknak¡¯s shadow, but unlike before, he seemed content rather than overlooked.


    ¡°So, are we ready, Cyrus?¡± Daegnon asked, turning his attention to the only human on board. The rest of the Goblins followed his gaze.


    ¡°Yeah, you guys buckle up and I¡¯ll get us moving,¡± Cyrus said with a large smile and a small chuckle. He wasn¡¯t sure how the phrase ¡°buckle up¡± would come off since the ship didn¡¯t have any form of securing system in place. He got a few raised eyebrows at the remark, but he ignored the looks and exited the room. He walked across the hall to the exo-pilot chamber in anticipation of this big moment.


    Before he could sit down in the large comfy chair from where he integrated with the ship, Hoshi appeared in his vision, wearing a huge smile and giving him two thumbs up. ¡®Isn¡¯t this exciting?¡¯ they said into Cyrus¡¯s mind as he sat down. The throne-like seat still reminded him of the gaming chair he had back on Earth. He settled in and the seat began to recline.


    ¡®It is. My first real JUMP, at least the first one where I kinda know what I¡¯m doing,¡¯ Cyrus mentally replied.


    The chair moved silently, placing Cyrus in an almost flat position. He knew he could adjust the seat himself now, but he found the default position comfortable, so he kept it as it was. He reached up, took hold of the headset, and calmly slid it over his face, just as he had done each day for over five weeks.


    A moment of darkness greeted him before his perspective shifted, and his human form was relegated to a distant echo. A myriad of sensations washed over him as he perceived his position in space, now in the form of the Cosmic Sentinel. Hoshi was there with him, their presence welcome in the cold void of space, appearing as a holographic icon in the corner of his view.


    ¡®Can you signal the crew? Is there a warning or something before we activate the JUMP drive?¡¯ Cyrus asked, double-checking his systems and energy reserves.


    Hoshi didn¡¯t respond immediately, but soon Cyrus heard a faint alarm. It wasn¡¯t the ominous blare of trouble, but a chime followed by a quick announcement in Hoshi¡¯s metallic voice: ¡°Prepare for JUMP.¡±


    Cyrus let the alarm sound twice before pressing the stored radiation circulating through the Dark-matter Fusion Conduits into the quantum processors of the JUMP matrix. He felt the anti-gravity field generators activate, instantly removing the mass from him, the ship, the crew, and everything else held within the bubble the generators projected.


    A familiar coldness swept through him. He now understood this to be the sensation of mass being removed. Then only milliseconds later, the ship felt as though it melted into a liquid, slipping through the porous openings of the universe itself.


    The abundance of colors, textures, and sensations was still beyond what Cyrus could fully comprehend, yet he marveled as his sensors confirmed that they had moved outside the boundaries of time, space, and physical reality. They had entered the "Aether"¡ªa term Hoshi had taught him. It had taken several attempts for the SCANT to properly translate and convey the concept, yet even now, the word didn¡¯t fully capture the strangeness of where he found himself.


    The true nature of this place was beyond what Cyrus could fully grasp, and no amount of enhancement from the nanites could change that. According to Hoshi, human minds simply weren¡¯t wired to process such higher-order physics¡ªnot the way the species who built this ship once had. But understanding wasn¡¯t necessary¡ªall that mattered was navigating it.


    Now that he knew what to expect, Cyrus could sense the space around him, using the coordinates provided by Hoshi as a guide. JUMP navigation wasn¡¯t as simple as longitude and latitude; it required complex quantum equations. Fortunately, the JUMP matrix handled the calculations, while Cyrus¡¯s mental attunement allowed him to "feel" the correct location within the Aether.


    Certain elements¡ªstars, water content, dark matter, gravity¡ªmanifested as distinct sensations while he was integrated with the Cosmic Sentinel. These served as his waypoints, guiding him to the correct JUMP point.


    In the Aether, distance wasn¡¯t measured conventionally. Similarly to how quantum entanglement worked, each atom in the universe existed both in reality and in a parallel "sub-space"¡ªanother term Hoshi struggled to translate accurately.


    Sub-space was both a part of the Aether and distinct from it, much like how the Aether itself was tethered to yet separate from the universe. The words weren¡¯t entirely accurate, but they were the closest approximation the SCANT could provide.


    Luckily, Cyrus didn¡¯t need to fully understand it¡ªhe just had to know how to use it.


    The theories behind these unusual areas between universes sent Cyrus¡¯s mind spiraling whenever Hoshi attempted to explain them, often leaving him with a dull headache. Still, he was able to gain a basic understanding of how each worked, enough to navigate when performing a JUMP.


    Once Cyrus stopped marveling at his surroundings long enough to sense the correct solar system, he directed the JUMP drive to deposit them there. Due to the time dilation¡ªor the basic removal of time itself while within the Aether¡ªthe entire process took only milliseconds from the perspective of the Goblins. However, Cyrus allowed himself to enjoy the spectacle for several long moments before finally focusing on returning to actual space-time.


    If someone were to witness the Cosmic Sentinel arriving at its destination, it would be an unusual and unmistakable sight. There would be nothing noticeable at first¡ªjust a small black pinprick in reality, easily overlooked in the darkness of space. But from this tiny hole, the ship would rapidly expand, like a small balloon inflating to the full size and shape of the Cosmic Sentinel. The outside of the ship would appear as though it were a mere picture stretched across the rapidly expanding bubble. Then, once fully restored to its proper size, the bubble would pop, and the ship, in all its glory, would be rendered fully in view and back into three dimensions.


    So it was that, with a ¡®pop,¡¯ the Cosmic Sentinel materialized and immediately became noticeable on the sensors of nearby ships.


    One of these ships was abruptly pushed aside as the anti-gravity bubble expanded, creating a small but brief gravimetric wave that radiated from the Cosmic Sentinel¡¯s location, giving other ships within several hundred kilometers a noticeable jolt.


    The closest ship was unharmed, but the sudden movement startled its crew, as well as those aboard the other ships surrounding the large metal cylinder floating in space near the Cosmic Sentinel¡¯s arrival point.