Three weeks after the barrier had been reinforced, they were finally able to open the Hyperlane Network again for normal use. Due to the shift in the barrier’s structure, the previous methods of entering the hyperlane no longer worked properly, and it had taken them this long to create a drive that could be mass produced and refitted to the various ships held at their stations.
As for Dana’s promise to Giles, she had sent an emergency dispatch fleet by asking Aurivy for help. Once they established the nodes in each of the target systems, they were brought back to await the new model of hyperdrive.
Clover let out a long sigh as he leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. This job felt different now. Although there was certainly a risk to space travel before, the risk was not quite as certain. It could even be compared to the difference in safety between traveling by foot or flying a plane. If you get into an accident on the ground, there’s a chance that it won’t be severe, but if you get into an accident on a plane, the passengers are very likely to all perish. On the other hand, accidents were far less likely for aircraft.
Previously, this was a step beyond that. You could spend a century aboard spacecraft and not run into a serious incident. Most of them were just random monsters that could be taken out with a few well-placed shots. Now… it was akin to flying an airplane through a hurricane. If you leave the safety zone, horrible monsters will come for you.
More importantly… they were only meant to be advisors. They would give information about situations that the ship encountered, but weren’t expected to enter battle. Unfortunately, their defender was a Fallen God that could no longer accompany them, and the suitability of advisors was sharply diminished when the situations would no longer match their experience. As such, they had joined the ship’s defense force.
“What are you thinking about?” Lydia asked, coming up behind Clover and wrapping her arms around his neck from behind.
“Oh, you know, my impending mortality, the fate of existence, the usual.” Clover chuckled. “Have we gotten orders?”
Lydia nodded her head. “The captain said that he wants us on standby. They’ve developed anti-memetic devices that should be able to let people fight the monsters as a backup plan, but they’re hoping it doesn’t come to that. If a fight does break out when we leave the lane, he wants us ready.”
“Anti-memetic devices?” Clover asked with a light scoff. “He thinks there’s a blanket anti-meme that can save us?”
“Apparently, this device was created by the A.W.R.G.” Lydia spoke, chuckling. “It uses real-time image and sound generation to replace what we should be seeing and hearing with computer-generated content that has a high degree of similarity. But, since it is only a digital recreation, rather than a true feed, the research group believes that this should be able to protect against any memetic entities that attack through sensory input.”
Clover hesitated at that, but had to agree that it sounded like a plausible theory. As long as the information wasn’t directly delivered, there was a good chance that the memetic effect would be lost in translation. At least, that was the hope. “And, I suppose it’s up to us to test it?”
Lydia paused, before lightly shrugging her shoulders. “Us, or whoever draws the short straw. A lot of vessels are leaving today, so we might not even get the chance to fight.”
Clover wished that would be true. However, he also knew how likely conflicts would be from now on. Not only were they testing these new anti-memetic devices, but they were also in the first fleet of ships that would be testing the new hyperdrives. There were a million things that could go wrong at any given moment.
“Hey, Lyd.” Clover started, deciding to change the subject. Lydia’s canine ears perked up, staring down at him as he tilted his head up to look at her. “I’m thinking about becoming a god.”
Lydia paused again, blinking as she took a moment to process this. “What brought that on so suddenly?”
“Well…” Clover shrugged. “I’ve never done it before because I was connected to the Keeper. What would have happened if my becoming a god caused the connection of our souls to strengthen, and made ‘me’ disappear? That’s why I settled for going through the perfection chambers. Now that I don’t have to worry about that anymore, I was thinking… maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea? If I become divine, I’ll be able to protect us a bit better.”
Lydia chuckled, about to say something when the ship’s engines fired up. “Let’s go. We need to get suited up before they breach the barrier, just in case.” She said, finally releasing her hold on him. Clover reluctantly nodded, and the two left the room to quickly head to the locker room where the new gear was being stored.
The new devices they were meant to wear took the shape of a full helmet with a blackened visor, preventing anyone from seeing in or out. Additionally, there was a pitch black bodysuit to go with it. Once Clover slipped into his new gear, he found that the inside of the visor was also pitch black. It took a few moments before a camera clicked on, scanning his eyes to confirm his identity.
Once the check was complete, his vision cleared… for the most part. However, what he saw was no longer the same locker room that he had entered less than a minute ago. Instead, it looked like a cartoon rendition of that locker room. He blinked quickly, turning his gaze from side to side to confirm that this image was updated in real time.
When he turned to look at Lydia, he almost couldn’t contain himself. Her body was almost comically small, though her head seemed to have grown. “I thought you said this had a high degree of similarity with the real images?” He asked, holding back a laugh.
“It’s supposed to!” She retorted, her hands on her hips. Her visor showed a red, angry emoticon for a face. “This is the Controlled Holographic Information Bypass Imaging Visor, developed by A.W.R.G. Even the suit is designed to remove as much information as possible from being transmitted.” Lydia’s voice was lighter and more airy than usual, likely a result of the ‘information bypass’.
Clover simply let out a chuckle. “Well, if this is the degree of image translation, I’m sure that we don’t have to worry. I just hope that it’s accurate enough to use in combat.”
“Right?” Lydia asked with a defeated sigh. “Anyways… we should be good now, as long as we’re on standby in case we get called. So… about earlier?”
“Huh? Oh, you mean the god thing?”
“Yeah.” Lydia nodded her head in confirmation. “What domain would you be going for, anyways?”
“Why, thinking of becoming a goddess too, and want to make sure we match?” There was a playful smile on his face, which he was sure was translated, given how the ‘cheeks’ on Lydia’s visor lit up.
“You wish!” She retorted. “I was just thinking… rather than matching, maybe I get something that compliments you?”
Clover blinked for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders. “My plan was to go for the Exploration domain. There are a lot of uses for something like that right now.”
Lydia nodded her head in thought. “Then, I’ll get a combat one? So, that way, we can cover each other.”
Clover nodded his head, about to speak up when suddenly a red light flashed through the locker room. “That’s our cue.” He said with gritted teeth, rushing out of the locker room. They knew the drill by now, and immediately headed for the adjacent airlock. “Remember, don’t summon your familiar! We didn’t have a spare suit for him!”
Lydia nodded her head, and the two of them left the ship, finding that there were three monsters attacking. The first was busy tearing a hole into the hull of the ship itself, while the other two were ripping apart the ship’s defensive turrets.
In Clover’s vision, the monster ripping apart the hull looked like a monkey with four arms, while the other two took the form of birds with golden talons. “I’ll get the monkey, you take the birds!” He shouted, rushing for his target. They might have only been advisors before, but they were still strong enough to survive.
Lydia confirmed the plan, charging at the birds. A pair of black blades materialized from the suit, which she used to cleave through the first monster. At the same time, Clover formed his hands into black claws, tearing at the ape. His claws cut open gaps in space, which consumed the monster.
When he turned to look, he saw the second bird flying down towards Lydia. Lydia didn’t seem to have noticed it yet, having just finished off the first bird and was making sure it was dead. Taking a martial arts stance with one foot behind him, Clover threw out a punch towards the second bird. Space broke with a cracking sound, a black sphere engulfing the monster.
Lydia turned around, just in time to see the shattered space mending only a few meters behind her. “Sorry! Like you said, I wasn’t sure my first attack really connected, so I had to double check.”
“It’s fine.” Clover shook his head. “It looks like it’s just these three. Let’s head back inside.”
As he said that, a voice spoke up in his visor. He couldn’t quite recognize the voice, due to it being altered by the visor. “Do not, I repeat, do not remove your equipment upon entering the ship. We have confirmation of at least two additional monsters that have entered the ship. One monster appears to be a… I won’t say it for safety’s sake. I want to say it, so that is probably… I’ll stop there.”
“We have six known fatalities, and sixteen missing people. I have activated the Security Manual. Clover Kyr, approach sector B-7 and engage the monster there. Lydia Kyr, you are in charge of C-3. Under no circumstances are you to remove any part of your suits. You are also not to open any door that does not automatically open in your presence. If anyone asks to know your name, kill without hesitation. Do not respond to any incoming transmissions, even from each other, unless they address you by the name of your partner instead of yourself.”
Those were… certainly confusing instructions. However, both Lydia and Clover hardened their expressions. The number of safeguards provided by the Security Manual highlighted the danger of this event. Clover sent a look at Lydia, nodding his head firmly before rushing back to the airlock.
Inside the ship, Clover rushed towards the elevator, about to press the button to open it when he remembered the instructions. Gritting his teeth, he instead ran for the stairs, which opened automatically to welcome him. He made his way through the halls, soon arriving at sector B-7, where he saw a firefight underway. The creature at the far end of the hall looked like a human in a well-tailored suit, dancing as he dodged every shot fired at him. Every now and then, one of the shots seemed to curve as they passed him, firing back at their origin.
“Good, you’re here!” The vice-captain of the ship called out, narrowly dodging a returning shot. “That’s you, Clover Kyr, right?” He asked, barely glancing towards Clover before turning to fire again. However, before he could get a shot off, Clover had swiped at his head, black claws shredding the space and decapitating him. Clover’s instructions had been very clear. If anyone were to ask for his name, immediately kill.
The other soldiers that had been shooting at the monster looked at Clover in shock, before collapsing on the ground like puppets with their strings cut. Turning to look at the monster, he saw that it had begun running down the hall, so he quickly chased after it.
