Chapter 184 - Epilogue: Part 8

　　The subsiding, ink-like liquid revealed a pale and humanoid figure. Compared to the size of the Hive, or even a Mech, it was a miniscule thing. The corrosive black substance that could eat away at a Mobile Suit`s armour drained away from the creature`s flesh, leaving it naked and shivering.

　　Kal watched as it slowly stood on two legs, and he was drawn to its face. It could have been a human, its features androgynous and lacking a gender. The creature was unaffected by the void of space. Whatever atmosphere had lingered in the Hive had been destroyed in the explosion.

　　"What&is it?" Praxis asked, and Kal could only shake his head at the question.

　　Kal wouldn`t have questioned its presence if this being had appeared on Terra or any other human colony. Was this a new Vore created as part of their species` evolution? Why was the entire Hive constructed to protect this single, tiny creature?

　　It looked lost and confused as it searched the gathered Mechs and Titans hovering in the space above it. Kal had no idea what it looked for, but it obviously didn`t find it. It grew visibly agitated, and a sinking feeling of worry built up in Kal`s stomach.

　　"Retreat!" Kal shouted as an eruption of Psychic Energy shook the remains of the Hive, spraying black liquid and bits of debris in all directions. Space shook around them, and Kal`s mind was filled with a screeching sound.

　　Like fingers on a chalkboard, a piercing noise blocked all other sounds from Kal`s ears. All around him, Mechs began to shut down as their Pilots clutched their heads in agony.

　　The noise was ringing throughout his cockpit and his mind simultaneously. The strange being had its mouth open in a silent scream. Its head tilted backwards as its shriek affected every human in the vicinity.

　　It was a power beyond what even the Monarchs exhibited, and Kal struggled to block it. Even his Neural Link with the Tyr was being affected, the Neural Burden increasing with each moment. Soon, he would be unable to do anything, and the pseudo-Titan would be unable to obey his commands.

　　The strange creature lacked the fine control that the Monarchs had, but its abilities were beyond comparison. The Psychic attack of a single, diminutive figure stymied the strike force responsible for driving back hundreds of millions of Vore.

　　Kal tried desperately to push past the mental assault, seeking to finish this monster before irreparable harm could be done to the people around him. But even with his experience in Piloting and the frequent mental incidents with Atlas and the Vore, he couldn`t overcome it.

　　His mind was filled with images and sounds, rapidly moving in a nonsensical fashion. Kal couldn`t piece any of them together, and, at first, he had assumed they were just random sensations the creature was using to attack his mental defences.

　　But as the assault continued, they became more precise. They told a story, one that Kal had trouble believing.

　　He saw Terra, the birthplace of humanity. Its surface was scarred and polluted, nearly unrecognizable from its glory during his lifetime. The image shifted, and he was on a barren field. The remains of destroyed Mechs and other weapons of war were strewn about him as far as the eye could see.

　　A group of humans were standing together. They wore strange uniforms with unfamiliar sigils and medals on their chests. A flag flew above them, a map of Terra with blue laurel leaves around it. Dozens of people from different backgrounds and ethnicities stood facing another group.Stolen novel; please report.

　　This second group was humanoid but wore Pilot Bodysuits with their faces covered. There were only a few figures, but Kal could recognize the terror and respect that the humans had for them. They lacked a flag or a common symbol, but Kal knew who and what they were when one of their group stepped forward and removed its helmet.

　　It was an Envoy. Kale could see the resemblance to the poor creatures he had seen on the Dyson Sphere. They had similar features, the artificial skin and eyes that weren`t quite human as they glowed with an intense, inner light. The way the being walked forward while the rest were entirely still screamed to him that they weren`t natural or human.

　　From the humans, a person walked forward and shook the hand of the Envoy, and Kal knew what he was seeing.

　　The peace between the A.I. Collective and humanity after the A.I. War.` Kal thought.

　　The scene shifted, and Kal was back on the Dyson Sphere. Artificial beings walked the city streets, and Kal could feel the Sphere moving through space. Like flowing water, the image carried him along until he was in a laboratory of some kind.

　　A group of A.I. Envoy`s were standing around a strange device. A small, insect-like creature floated within the glass confines of a large cylinder. Kal could read some of the holographic images around the lab, but one word stood out to him.

　　Vore.

　　The A.I. Collective created the Vore.` Kal whispered in his mind, and the images changed again to a memory of utter carnage.

　　A.I. Technology clashed with the Vore in a familiar scene to Kal. He watched as the Vore`s Psychic Virus infected them. Again and again, Kal watched the memory repeat, with minor changes each time. And Kal came to another understanding.

　　He wasn`t watching the same memory repeat. It had happened many times.

　　"There was more than one Dyson Sphere&.more than a single Hive." Kal stated with shock and horror. Knowledge poured into his mind, and all around him, other men and women experienced the same thing.

　　The A.I. Collective created the Vore in order to reach the next level of evolution. The A.I. were digital beings. Without experiencing physical reality, they would eventually stagnate. The Vore were designed to evolve quickly, allowing the A.I. to study their evolution.

　　But their creation turned on them.

　　There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Hives in the universe.` Kal thought.

　　The Psychic scream from the strange creature continued, and Kal could see its similarity with the Envoys. Traces of their shared heritage. Humanity`s heritage.

　　The scream was cut off as a streak of crimson energy vaporized the creature, and Kal followed it back to its source. Prometheus stood in the darkness, glowing as bright as the sun, as Praxis slowly lowered his weapon.

　　"You saw the same thing I did? Where these bastards come from?" Praxis asked, switching to a private channel with Kal.

　　"Our work isn`t over&I don`t know if it will ever be over." Kal replied.

　　Page Break

　　Talha Sun, along with representatives from all of the newly settled colonies, led a force of tens of thousands of Starships to assault the Vore Hive. They were prepared to rescue a beleaguered group of defenders or avenge the dead.

　　They hadn`t expected to find Kal and the others amongst the wreckage of the Vore Hive, slowly picking off the few disorganized Vore that remained. It was a great victory for humanity, and Talha had expected to see her friend and everyone who had fought here to be celebrating when they landed on her Starship.

　　What she hadn`t expected was haunted looks and grim faces from Kal and the others. Talha could understand when he relayed what he had seen, what they had all seen from the strange creature in the center of the Hive.

　　It was inconceivable and horrifying. There were more Hives out there in the depths of space, waiting to devour them all.

　　But there was hope as well. They had defeated this Hive, and Kal assured her that if any others attacked Andromeda, he and the others would destroy them. Humanity would not be defeated.

　　Page Break

　　Flo fell into her mother`s arms, feeling like she was a child again as she cried in happiness and relief. The terror of the battle was fading, and she wanted nothing more than to forget it. She didn`t care that others were staring, even when Katherine joined them, wrapping her arms around Mare and Flo.

　　They would have stayed like that forever if a voice didn`t intrude on them.

　　"Are you alright, Flo?" Kal asked, and his voice broke through their emotional reunion. Wiping her cheeks clean with the back of her hand, she stepped back out of her mother`s arms to look at her father. Wearing a Caledonian Pilot Bodysuit, with his helmet held under his arm, he looked competent and composed.

　　She knew that he had seen the same thing she had, the same images of the Vore`s creation and the slaughter they had both experienced from fighting them. But his presence reassured her, giving her some of that calmness she always felt in his company.

　　Her father was here. Everything was going to be fine.