Significantly Advanced Tech

Through the Portal and Back Again

The Captain slid back a chrome lid and revealed half of an ancient star map. His exact DNA replicas moved about the bridge keeping the Dodecahedron Gravimetric Phase Shifter gliding rapidly through space. The clone playing the role of Captain on this flight leaned forward dramatically onto the table and looked at each of the non-clones, one by one, square in the eyes.

Surrounding the underlit table were Taegu and Macrai of Varan, Abaddon St. Baal of Hades, the ancient human Sister John Murphy, and Pippalotti Ritz of Grandor.

"Well, let's see if it matches up with yours?" When dealing with species who valued individual identities the #71s found it useful to use a spokesperson.

Abaddon tucked up his wings and eyed Murphy as she pulled his half of the map out of her pocket and set it on the table. The two pieces fit together perfectly.

"Both are scribed in Melock's hand," she said.

The Captain rubbed his chin and cranked one eyebrow upward. 

"When read together, they show a completely different set of coordinates. Helm!"

His commands were relayed to every clone on the ship, uplinked to their deep space guild, and transmitted back to #71EEB8 space. The ship took an impressive 47.6-degree starboard turn, opened a new gravity well, and fell into it.

"ETA to adjusted coordinates: 32.8 seconds." The clone piloting wasn't used to saying these things aloud but did so for their guests.

Murphy held her gold electro-bat in front of her like a samurai warrior and whispered, "I'm ready."

"Ready for what?" Pippa's nervous smile was as golden as Murphy's bat.

The ship disengaged its gravity drive and slung wide around a celestial dwarf. All eyes turned to the view screen and a large metal oval floating in space. It was crawling with Ibi-Ero Makina robotic lifeforms. Its construction appeared complete and at its center was a Makina assault craft.

"One organic life form detected," informed the clone monitoring the sensors.

"Melock!" Pippa, Murphy, Abaddon, and the clone Captain all said simultaneously.

Turbo bolts fired towards them from the Makina ship as the clones moved in to engage. The oval ring began to rapidly spin like a gyroscope. A blinding white flash blotted out the Makina and burst from the oval toward the #71 ship.

"Prepare yourself, Pippa!" Murphy spread her legs in a fighting stance as the ship began to violently shake.

"For what!?" She reached for Abaddon's hand but it was too late.

The light consumed half the clone vessel and the line where it stopped went down the center of the bridge splitting the geometric orb in two. Pippalotti and Murphy were gone along with the front half of the ship. The remaining clones were sucked out into space. Bodies floated everywhere. The massive steel oval slowly spun down in the distance. Makina soldiers drifted helplessly in the void.

Abaddon floated with his great wings spread out in a swan song. His head turned and looked back at the only other living beings left on the bridge. The two Varan women, whose scales protected them from the vacuum, were scurrying along the control panels. When they saw Abaddon was still alive they linked arms and grabbed him by the wing. They reeled him in through a pressure door to a part of the ship that still had an atmosphere.

~ Exit ~

Dear Reader,

I must take a moment to address the idea that even in a world were angel-winged birdmen in expensive suits like Abaddon or space hardened species like the Varan exist, it has become apparent that when Melock the Wise, the most powerful of all wizards, steps into the picture, things get a bit skewed.