《Time Immemorial》 Time Immemorial - Restart (Prologue) Time Immemorial - Humanity has lost Prologue PART ONE ¡°Steer ship to the right 18¡ã and progress forward.¡± A lone space frigate drifted through space with only one goal in mind - return to base without dying, however that job proved extremely difficult as not only were they outnumbered, the enemies that were giving chase were technologically superior. However they had one ace that could turn the entire situation around and return safely. ¡°Admiral?! With all due respect, there¡¯s a minefield in that direction!¡± One of the frigate¡¯s main pilots stood up to contest the old admiral¡¯s orders. She was a young woman only in her early twenties who had risen quickly through the ranks not because of skill or experience but because times were desperate enough that even a newbie could be sent to the front lines. Normally this would be an action worthy of being court martialled as the admiral was no mere admiral but the fleet admiral for humanity¡¯s largest space fleet. However the young woman¡¯s words were not met with aggression, and no one else on the bridge had felt that it was out of place. This was because despite being humanity¡¯s last hope, the admiral had failed. All of Earth¡¯s last defense had fallen and civilians wiped out; the enemy had caused the Sol to go supernova. This meagre group of pilots and engineers in a small frigate were the only remnant of humanity left. Well, not entirely, there was one more person waiting for them in nearby space port. ¡°It¡¯s fine just do it.¡± The Admiral replied coldly. The admiral, aged 49 had enough experience to know what he was doing, thus the crew hesitantly followed his orders. Navigating any sort of ship through a minefield would be deemed impossible, after all that was the purpose of the mine field. On the other hand it was true that the only way to outrun the enemy ships would be to run straight through a place the enemy dare not follow. It was a gamble with heavy costs. The small white frigate turned its engines and flew straight into the metallic heart of the minefield. The admiral personally gave directions to the pilots, telling them to execute what sort of movements with precise timing. ¡°Right 7¡ã for 12 seconds, left 23¡ã 14 seconds then up 42¡ã 11 seconds.¡± For a while it was progressing smoothly, almost as though the hand of god was guiding them. The enemy ships did not give chase as they realized the implications of doing so. The frigate cocked itself right for 12 seconds, the left 14 seconds, however on the 10th second as it ascended a floating piece of debris knocked the ship slightly out of the angle. ¡°What?!¡± The frigate shook and spiralled slightly out of control, but it was enough to send the ship into a large spherical bomb. The explosion gave off a chain reaction causing all the nearby mines to detonate simultaneously. A light show like none have ever seen played out in the emptiness of space and with it the last remnants of humanity. (Second Attempt) ¡°Steer ship to the right 18¡ã and progress forward.¡± ¡°Admiral?! With all due respect, there¡¯s a minefield in that direction!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine just do it.¡± The crew begrudgingly listen to the instruction of their admiral¡¯s suicidal orders; the thought that maybe the admiral wanted to go out with a bang crossed many of the crew member¡¯s minds. ¡°Right 7¡ã for 12 seconds, left 23¡ã 14 seconds, up 42¡ã 10 seconds then immediately stop.¡± The frigate soared through the minefield with uncanny precision; like threading a string through a needle. As the pilots executed their admiral¡¯s orders perfectly the thought that this might work popped into their heads, and with it an intense rush of ecstasy. The enemy ships, not wishing to continue pursuing them through such a hazardous area, turned tail and ran. As they magnificently executed the third order of the admiral¡¯s a small piece of debris flew past the ship. A single nudge from it would¡¯ve been enough to cause the ship to veer off course and collide with the mines. The pilots were amazed at the admiral¡¯s uncanny predictive capabilities, they started to recognize why he was known as humanity¡¯s greatest chance against the enemy. ¡°Steer straight for 4 seconds, turn left 14¡ã for 5 seconds then right 12¡ã for 2 seconds. Once out of the minefield hit quantum drive to hanger 657.¡± ¡°U-Understood!¡± The frigate started to move once more. Straight for 4 seconds. Left for 5. Then right for 2 seconds. However that proved to be a fatal mistake as once they successfully navigated through the minefield a moderately sized fleet awaited for them with weapons ready. A large golden dome like vessel, dwarfing the human frigate 10:1 in size, floated directly above them. Without even a warning signal a blue beam of energy shot down from under the golden alien vessel and completely annihilated the small frigate. (Third Attempt) ¡°Steer ship to the right 18¡ã and progress forward.¡± ¡°Admiral?! With all due respect, there¡¯s a minefield in that direction!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine just do it.¡± ¡°Right 7¡ã for 12 seconds, left 23¡ã 14 seconds, up 42¡ã 10 seconds then immediately stop.¡± ¡°Steer straight for 4 seconds, turn left 14¡ã for 5 seconds then right 12¡ã for 1 second and stop. When ship stops release all cluster bombs in the armoury and hit quantum drive to hanger 657.¡± ¡°Sir?! Releasing all the cluster bombs in this situation will incinerate the ship!¡± ¡°No, if we¡¯re quick enough we can quantum jump just milliseconds before the detonations begin.¡± ¡°But with all due respect, our skills are insufficient enough to pull off such a manoeuvre!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. I trust you all.¡± Hearing such words from their admiral the young pilots and engineers could say anything. A small smile etched across the main pilot¡¯s face. ¡°Hehe, alright, if the admiral says he trusts us then I guess we have no choice but to do it!¡± The main pilot of the frigate was a young male just fresh out of pilot academy. Though he had graduated with full honours and as the academy¡¯s ace, real war proved to be much more different than earlier thought. Luckily through grace of the admiral¡¯s command he become one of the very few survivors of mankind. ¡°But, what point is there for releasing the cluster bombs? The sweeper isn¡¯t picking up any sort of enemies. I still think that this is an unnecessary risk.¡± The young female pilot couldn¡¯t quick understand her admiral¡¯s orders. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sure the admiral¡¯s planned for something so let¡¯s trust him as he does us, okay?¡± The main pilot placed his hands on her shoulders to reassure her. ¡°I¡­ guess.¡± Not being able to fully comprehend the best she could do was go along with the dangerous plan. Once again the frigate started to move just as the admiral had ordered them. ¡°Steer straight for 4 seconds, turn left 14¡ã for 5 seconds then right 12¡ã for 1 second and stop. When ship stops release all cluster bombs in the armoury and hit quantum drive to hanger 657.¡± The main pilot had memorized his admiral¡¯s orders perfectly. All orders were executed perfectly and it was now time for the homestretch. Co-ordinating with the people down at the armoury, the main pilot hit quantum drive just as the cluster bombs were released. Only as they left the minefield, did the young engineers and pilots understood the reason behind their admiral¡¯s orders. A chain reaction caused by the detonation of the cluster bombs resulted in the minefield flaring up the entire space sector. The enemy ships that were lying in wait, trying to ambush them at their exit were caught in the unexpected blast of the bombs and were consumed. ¡°What?! But how did?! What?!¡± The young female pilot screamed out as she saw the entire scene play out before her on the main monitors. ¡°As expected of the admiral, to think that was the reason for the cluster bombs.¡± The admiral¡¯s temporary secretary remarked. She was also a young rookie straight out of the administration branch of flight academy, but was forced into the front lines. The lone frigate flew quietly back to their only remaining base. What they would do or if there was anything left they could do was a mystery. PART TWO Drifting through space was a small space station, though most of it was destroyed; only one part of the station was left intact - hanger 657. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Standing before a force field separating the vacuum of space and oxygen inside, was a moderately aged woman. Medium sized red hair and sharp blue eyes, she gazed out into the distant void that was space wondering how everything went wrong. It had been only 30 years since humanity made contact with alien civilizations. Three in fact. Three separate alien civilizations all at a similar level of technological advancement as the human race, however that turned out to be a huge problem. As mankind discovered faster-than-light travel, it truly became a space-faring civilization and started to expand to other exoplanets. The other civilizations also had the same idea and soon tension began to rise between the four advanced civilizations. A free-for-all war to conquer the galaxy began. All attempts at negotiations and diplomacy proved to be futile. The only way to ¡®converse¡¯ with the aliens were through firepower. Unfortunately for humanity, it was the first one that was knocked out of the space race as the aliens chose to make Sol, humanity¡¯s sun to go supernova wiping out the entirety of human civilization. Remnants of humanity afterwards were slowly destroyed and in the end only a meagre few dozen remained. A white frigate entered the hanger creating considerable updraft and noise but the aged woman standing in the same room didn¡¯t seem to mind. Landing perfectly the people inside the ship got out to meet the woman. ¡°Welcome back Admiral.¡± The red haired woman greeted as she offered a handshake. The admiral couldn¡¯t accept it and only turned his gaze. ¡°Please don¡¯t call me that, I¡¯ve failed humanity.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve all failed, not just you admiral. I¡¯ve also failed as the leader of humanity.¡± The aged woman was not any old woman, but the president and representative of all humanity. From a population of trillions she now governed only a few dozen. The admiral walked closer to the edge of the force field and joined the madam president in gazing out into the distance. A new war was beginning, between alien kind. Eventually two of the alien civilizations will collapse just as humanity¡¯s did and a singular empire of the victor will span throughout the galaxy. A grim reminder that humanity has lost. ¡°Admiral, you¡¯ll have to go for a long walk this time.¡± At the madam president¡¯s words the admiral flinched but did not respond. The other young pilots and engineers only listened in with curiosity. Naturally they knew not on what exactly was being said. ¡°¡­ Is that an order from the president?¡± The admiral asked. The madam president shook her head in denial. ¡°A plea from one of the last humans. I feel terrible for making you go through the entire war a second time but we have no other choice remaining at this point.¡± ¡°I had¡­¡± The admiral paused to gather his thoughts. ¡°I had planned on going for a walk from the time our sun went dark.¡± ¡°That¡¯s reassuring.¡± ¡°Umm, excuse me for interrupting but what exactly is going on?¡± The young female pilot interrupted the admiral and president¡¯s talk. Normally it wouldn¡¯t have been an action the young pilot would¡¯ve taken but in such a situation she thought it was necessary to know all the details of what they were going to do in the future. ¡°Of course, I suppose there¡¯s no point in hiding it any further now that the situation has escalated to such a degree.¡± The madam president cleared her throat to explain the situation to the young people. A generation of humanity who was literally the last. They gathered closer and listened tensely. ¡°The admiral over there is what we call a [time walker]. He can freely go back in time as he wishes and change the outcome of whatever he wants. Long ago our scientists tried to create an immortal soldier, not one with super strength, speed, reaction or anything of the like but a soldier that would never die.¡± The young crew scratched their heads in confusion, what did immortality do with reversing time? The madam president continued. ¡°Dubbed the [Human immortalization] project our aim was to bend the rules of probability for the selected soldier. Since immortality in the traditional sense proved impossible after many attempts we began research into ¡®quantum immortality¡¯. This soldier would never be shot, never run out of ammunition, and never killed in any situation, all because they were able to manipulate probability.¡± It was a subject much too hard for the young crew to understand but they continued to listen. ¡°To manipulate probability one needed insight into future events, and as such we began research into such phenomenon. Doing so drove the project further and further from its core thesis and eventually we shifted our gaze from the manipulation of probability to researching into time itself. What we found out was that the past, present and future all happen simultaneously on the 4th dimension and by tapping a person¡¯s consciousness into that 4th dimension it was possible to send them back in time. Of course there was a limitation on this, that being that a person cannot travel before their birth or beyond their death and only consciousness will travel not their physical bodies.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve read something similar in a book but every time that person goes back in time to change something a different world line is created?¡± The young female pilot asked. ¡°No, there are no such things as world lines, as I¡¯ve said before the past, present and future are all simultaneous, the only difference is that the future is a direct consequence of the past and present. If a person changes something in the past it will be reflected in the future, that is all.¡± ¡°What about something like the ¡®grandfather paradox¡¯?¡± The young male pilot asked. ¡°Were you not listening? I said it was impossible for the person to travel to before their birth. Everything has a representative timeline on the 4th dimension, but a person can only travel between his timeline. It is possible to affect the timeline that comes after his but impossible to tamper with timeline that come before. In essence this is more a power to change the future than the past.¡± A tense silence swept through the young crew members. ¡°So you¡¯re saying the admiral is this time traveller?¡± The young female secretary asked. ¡°Yes, he is the result of our research, a [time walker]. Right now the only way to save humanity is to go back and prevent its destruction from the first place.¡± The admiral stepped in to reiterate. ¡°However simply avoiding the fate of our solar system isn¡¯t enough I need to return to a time before the war even began and prepare new plans using the knowledge I currently have. But doing so will ensure that the present will be different than now. It could be that some of you or even all of you will never be born in the new present.¡± The Admiral made a sour face. The young crew members became weary but one stepped forward. ¡°It¡¯s fine admiral. Without you we would¡¯ve been killed right away, so it¡¯s you who we owe our lives to. That being said, we are all soldiers and will proudly throw down our lives for the greater good of humanity.¡± The young male pilot offered a salute to end his speech. Slowly, one by one the other crew members came up and also saluted. Tears, clearly visible in their eyes, they were scared and trembling but they had accepted their fate. ¡°I¡­¡± The admiral started to waver, seeing their crying faces he just couldn¡¯t. ¡°Admiral, we understand our current situation. Even if we continue like this there will be no point, so even if it means our deaths, please save humanity.¡± The young female pilot who had doubted the admiral from the start pleaded. ¡°Well admiral?¡± The madam president asked, she had also offered a salute to the admiral. ¡°I understand, I will go back and save everyone. I am proud to have served with all of you. Thank you for your service.¡± (Galactic War - Second Attempt) 35 years ago It was the first time that the admiral had ¡®walked¡¯ so far into the past and there were a lot of things that he had forgotten as well. Thus in order to acclimate better and give him enough time to plan out his moves he decided to travel back 35 years into the past when he was still 15 and in flight academy. The second galactic war was about to start. Time Immemorial - To 35 years ago before everything began (Chapter 1) Time Immemorial ¨C To 35 years ago before everything began Chapter I PART ONE [Time Walking] ¨C The ability to transfer one¡¯s consciousness onto the 4th dimension thus allowing oneself to travel freely through their own timeline. I¡¯ve abused this ability countless times during my service as the Fleet Admiral of the [World Fleet]; the single largest space fleet mankind has amassed. However, even then the furthest I¡¯ve used the ability to ¡®walk¡¯ was only a week or two at best. Usually with such a miniscule difference in time scale there are no noticeable temporal feedback since the new body my consciousness travels to is always similar to the old one. However this time is different, I¡¯m walking from a 49 year old body to a 14 year old child¡¯s. I did expect to get hit by a temporal feedback but the amount that I calculated was beyond my expectations. Currently I had no idea where I was but from contextual evidence I was lying down on a floor. Due to the temporal feedback I could not move or feel anything as my body became numb. I was only able to deduce that I was on the floor because that was the most logical position. I couldn¡¯t see or hear anything either; my entire neural feedback was offline. I was only able to register a large black void as I waited for someone to find me. ¡­ ¡­ As a being who dealt with time not only on a strategic level but a mental level I had a near perfect biological clock. So I had accurately guessed that 4 hours had passed since I blacked out and slowly my sight returned to me. The first thing I saw was the orange glow of the sun; afternoon, most likely 16:42, deduced from the angle of the sun and my biological clock. ¡°Ah? [Leon] are you okay? Can you hear me?¡± Judging by the spring-like sensation on my back I was on a mattress, and based on my visible surrounding it appeared to be some sort of medical clinic. It wasn¡¯t too advanced so perhaps one at a school? Anyway, a young female voice came from my left side. I tried to fix my head to her position but pain started to flow back into my body and I was unable to. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and then tried once more. It still hurt but I tried to ignore it as best as possible. Long red hair, sharp blue eyes, though still full with childlike innocence. Slightly plump but that was proof of her fortunate lineage. It was the madam president when she was younger - [Erin Syhildr]. I suppose she is what you could call a friend from childhood. To think this docile, rabbit-like and innocent child could lead the entirety of the human race in a war against three technologically superior alien race is a mystery to me still to this day. ¡°Leon? Can you see me?¡± [Leon Rommel] - my name. She asks in a soft and frightened voice, to which I answer with a warm smile. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be up in a bit, just give me a few minutes to adjust.¡± ¡°Adjust?¡± She parrots my words as she tilts her head in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Vital signs - all normal, pulse - regular, no visible or associated injuries, pain - minimal. It looks like the long walk was a success. Since I¡¯ve integrated with my young mind my memories should return to normal and I should be able recall memories of this era and the future with relative ease. ¡°Oh, is the kid finally awake?¡± A woman wearing a white lab coat and reeking of cigarettes come barging into the medical faculty. Her soft brown hair glistening in the orange light of the sky but the wrinkles on her face reveal a lot about her stress levels. That or it could also be due to the smoking. If I recall correctly she was this flight academy¡¯s resident nurse - [Andrea Lee]. ¡°I¡¯m quite fine, Miss Lee.¡± She briefly gives a sigh of relief before shifting back to her stern expression. ¡°If you¡¯re fine then get out of my room.¡± Trying to comply with her wishes I pulled up the blankets and got up from the bed starting with my left leg. However it seems the mental integration hasn¡¯t perfected yet and I ended up falling flat on my face. (Second Attempt) So as to not look stupid and as a test to see if I could I reset the time to before I fell off the bed. It seems that my ability hasn¡¯t changed and it¡¯s working as intended. ¡°Sorry Miss Lee, please give me a few more minutes.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Giving an unmotivated reply she walks over to her desk and starts to read my medical report from the holofile. ¡®How nostalgic¡¯ I thought seeing that holofile. They¡¯re like tablets but holographic, in the future we have [implants] that allow us to see augmented reality straight from our eyes, effectively getting rid of such tech as holofiles. I did have implants but since I¡¯ve gone back in time I suppose they¡¯re gone as well. After a few more minutes of resting I decided to get off the bed and this time perfectly manage to walk off without that prior embarrassment. ¡°Thank you for letting me use the room to rest. Erin and I will be heading home now.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re fine? The medical reports make it sound like it was something serious.¡± I reply with a smile. ¡°I assure you, it was simply a fainting spell I experienced from the heat, nothing more, nothing less.¡± ¡°Well, if you yourself say so. Then scram already.¡± ¡°Of course, please excuse us.¡± I grabbed Erin¡¯s hand and dragged her out as well. PART TWO Now, if I¡¯m recalling correctly, I should be living in the [Syhildr] residence along with Erin as my father in this timeline are overseas with important administration work. As for my mother, I believe there was a complication with my birth causing her to lose her life. I would feel more sadder but to be honest I haven¡¯t met her and I¡¯ve already grown, of course that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not grateful. She is, or was my mother after all. ¡°Leon are you really okay?¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Erin asks, flustered, or so it appeared due to the orange hue from the sunset. ¡°I¡¯m quite fine, please don¡¯t worry yourself.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re talking all funny! Like you¡¯re being distant and formal, I don¡¯t like it.¡± If I didn¡¯t know better I would say she was on the verge of tears. I was never too good with children but I suppose it¡¯s fine to spoil her a little. I placed my hand on her head and patted her gently. ¡°I¡¯m fine, you don¡¯t have to worry Erin.¡± She stares back at me with a reddened expression then immediately turns away and pulls my hand away from her. ¡°I-if you say so then let¡¯s go home, the maids are probably worried about us!¡± She tosses me her bag and runs off with a smile. ¡®Maids¡¯. I remember now, the [Syhildr] family was an ancient and powerful group, even their head is part of the upper echelon of the unified world government of 2400s. They have a strong lineage and powerful underground networks. Perhaps I could use them to my advantage, or maybe I don¡¯t really have to seeing as how Erin will naturally grow up to become the world president. It might actually be better to start gathering allies from different factions. In this world, there is only one government and no country borders, a good thing but there are still factions that vie for power, it¡¯s no better than what it was like in the 21st century. Well, I have all the time in existence to plan out my steps. It¡¯s best not to rush this delicate procedure. PART THREE An excessively large mansion greets us, with a front garden decorated with such artful masterpieces that it would put the Mona Lisa to shame. A white marble fountain, trees cut up into shapes, pavement that is presented perfectly. This was only the branch house of the [Syhildr] family as well, a place where Erin and I live, under the care of the servants of course. As for her parents, they¡¯re very busy with administrative government work, though I try my best to fill in as her ad hoc parent, even back then, as a form of repayment for allowing me to stay at their residence. As we enter a line of maids come to greet us. ¡°Welcome back young mistress, young master.¡± They call us in a unified choir as they bow. ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± Throwing her shoes off, Erin runs in with myself quietly fixing her shoes that were thrown haphazardly across the entrance. The maids give me a sympathetic look as they try to help me out as well. ¡°Please leave such activities to us.¡± One of the maids call out, actually she was the head maid of this establishment. Her name, if I¡¯m correct was [Chelsie Omec]. She has long black hair tied up elegantly in a pony tail, thin black framed glasses that give off an air of the upper class and azure eyes as deep as the ocean. Not a single fault could be seen from her, as expected of the head maid to keep up an impeccable appearance for the whole day. ¡°Leon! Come quick!¡± I could hear Erin call out to me from the kitchen, probably because she¡¯s hungry. ¡°Thank you.¡± I respond and follow after Erin. PART FOUR [The Aries Flight Academy], one of the most prestigious academies in the entire world, of course the daughter of the Syhildr would be sent to such a place. Despite the name, this place also functions as a normal school with normal classes, it¡¯s just that there is a great emphasis on training pilots as well. Of course those under the age of 16 cannot enlist in flight courses so currently I¡¯m attending normal lectures until then. I did enlist when I was 16 but I chose to come during my 14th year to give myself some time to plan for the future. Though it doesn¡¯t really matter since I have unlimited time, juggling between classes, planning for the future war among other things was a hassle. ¡°Leon, since you seem like you have a lot of free time dozing off during my class why don¡¯t you come up to solve this equation?¡± As I was sorting out my memories and thoughts I was called out by the teacher. Math class as it were, well juvenile mathematics wasn¡¯t really much of a problem for someone who could swim through 4th dimensional space. I could hear the chatter and giggling of other children as they thought I was being chewed out for not paying attention in class. Well, they were half true, but you¡¯d need to give me a question at the highest level of math to trip me up. I calmly picked up the holopen, pens that work on holoboards and started to write out the equation, in fact I went the extra mile and did the simple equation in base 9 values. There was no other reason except for the answer being spelled out as [V1C7012Y]. Of course the teaching staff here are leagues above the average so he instantly recognized my math and was infuriated. My math wasn¡¯t wrong but the other children didn¡¯t seem to recognize what was happening and went silent. ¡°So you want to play games, is it? Well why don¡¯t you go play games with the principal?¡± He¡¯s insinuating that being sent to the principal would result in my expulsion. A mere threat. How do I know? Because the principal of this prestigious academy was a very busy person with a lot of administrative work needing handling to run this place. There¡¯s no way this teacher would send me to the principal for disciplinary action. But then a thought occurred to me. The principal of this academy - [Charles Gottfried] is a person with quite a lot of power in terms of politics. He¡¯d have to be, since his school has the unique position that houses the children of incredibly powerful people. Someone like him would definitely be a good candidate for my future plans. ¡°I understand, I will see myself to the principal¡¯s office immediately.¡± ¡°Wha-?!¡± The entire class went silent as I casually walked out of class. Now I just needed a way to convince this busy man to my side.