Gates of War - Chapter 7 (Commander SI - Multiverse)

CID: Day 40

I was barely able to handle it.

To say that it was a bit difficult to focus and put all of the data from one hundred thousand individual lines of thought in a proper place once you are finished reading, was like saying the ocean was wet.

I was glad I had the presence of mind to only do one data core at a time, and while it was time consuming, I had accomplished the task. My database was pretty much filled with all the historical, social, medical, scientific, engineering, and economic knowledge mankind had ever recorded ...up to the 20th century anyways.

The first datacore contained only the earliest parts of mankind’s development as a species, while the second contained everything up to the 24th century, and the last contained everything ever done during the 25th, and every piece of military hardware, software, wetware, and dirty secret and super weapon ever devised.

I could have just skipped, but I felt it was important to take it all in, and of course learn how everything led to what it did. It’s important to know where things came from so you understand why it led to where it is now. The last portion covering everything up to the year 2000 was the same as the history I knew, so I didn’t know where the timeline differed. Given this was a fictional world, it didn’t really matter to be honest. Still it was interesting to me, as I love Alternate Universes and the idea behind them. That and time travel.

It was also a bit of a trip to look at all the crap mankind had devised during the 20th century, especially in the area of war making. I had all kinds of nasty ideas, ranging from plasma throwers to a modernized Lazy Dog Bomb made from ultra-dense materials. Most of them would likely not lead anywhere, but it was still fun to experiment.

While this was going on, I had realized early on that my Phoenix fighters wouldn’t be enough to search an entire solar system for two or three powered down ships. It would take years. Decades even if there’s as much debris in this system as there was in the Sol System. So, I grumbled and actually built a new unit. It wasn’t hard to do actually as I had a base design already in the form of the assault shuttle from Nimue’s Cave. The spacecraft was the size of a Boeing 747 jetliner, and as such possessed more than enough space within it for the simple change I enacted.

In the end I replaced all the equipment and materials with standardized ones my units used. The shuttle was as hard to kill as some of my larger naval units like the Kraken under the best of circumstances. I was enthused enough by the time I finished “modernizing” the unit that I decided to make more than one class for the unit, and in the end designed two that I was certain about.

The first model kept to the original purpose of the multi-role spacecraft, and that was combat. With access to the power and metal networks, I simply added weapons onto it along with a few toys the original lacked. All of the railguns and missile launchers were replaced with my own variety of kinetic accelerator cannon and missile launcher, along with the addition of a pin-point laser defense system across the surface of the craft for anti-missile/fighter/kinetic penetrator defense.

I also added a bomb bay with access to a nano-core so as to not just make and drop gravity bombs, but also large missiles for tactical field purposes, the primary one being artillery. If it can be a bomb or cruise missile, it can make it. Nukes, Fusion Bombs, Antimatter, Thermite, Napalm, Plasma, Cluster versions of all that, etc. It can do it all.

The second model was the Reconnaissance unit I had intended from the start. Like the Assault Model, I changed everything to use my tech base, but in the place of the weapons, piloting compartment, ammunition magazines, and so on, I replaced with a scanner array that was equal to my advanced radar tower in capabilities.

The main issue was the reduction in range. It was better than basic, but without as wide a net as the Advanced Radar systems. Even so, it made for a good recon unit when I needed eyes and couldn’t rely on something more static. I made a few dozen of these and sent them on their way through the system.

While they are going for obvious objects seem out of place, the majority are currently moving through the asteroid belt. So far, they have covered about twenty percent of it, and nothing was found as of yet. Twenty percent may seem small, but it’s not an insignificant number when one realizes the damned belt is 25.8322 AU’s in circumference, and 1.2 AU’s long and tall.

When you take into account the fact that the shuttles have to go back and forth about the thing in order to cover a single area, this means the Recon Shuttles have covered 2,307,191,616 miles in the short time of 2.3 earth days I had spent reading. That means it was traveling at a velocity of approximately 0.06c on average. All this without being destroyed by loose dust particles, radiation that normally wouldn’t be all that meaningful suddenly being a torrent, and the occasional pebble hitting the proverbial windshield at relativistic speeds.

Progenitor Capabilities are bullshit.

Unfortunately, the only noteworthy thing of that twenty percent were the asteroids that contained elements and minerals not found on terrestrial planets according to the progenitor database. Normally these would be mined, but with the advent of metal extractors, which can take said resource and then remake it into whatever alloy one desires, mining specifically for these minerals and elements became unnecessary, and redundant. Despite this, it did make me realize that placing extractors on the larger bodies would be a good investment. I’d need it for the Interspatial Gateway.

That’s not as important as the decision I had made during my time researching, and studying of the datacore.

I had given deep thought about this world’s situation for at least a relative two years, and made the decision to not undo the timeline of this world. I knew that Nimue, as Merlin, would eventually win and beat the Church under her own merit and abilities, and uplift humanity in time if the most recent book had given any indication.

The three primary reasons for going through on that line of action were simple.

First, it would require me to conquer and subjugate this world, which frankly, left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn’t want to be the benevolent dictator, nor conquer humanity even when it would be the most expedient choice.

Second, even though it would take practically no time for me to take the world, the idea of my uplifting humanity would ultimately backfire on me as I was far too forceful in my ways, where subtlety was needed. While I’ve read a lot of various works, both good and utter crap, for the most part...subtle isn’t what I want to do at the moment.

Lastly, it was going to happen anyways, so why change what was obviously going to work? Especially since I hadn’t done any real butterflies except the whole kinetic platform and the laser net.

Now one could argue that I could do the same thing, and with vast more resources than Nimue had access to. I could do far more, reach far more, and hit far more than she could have ever done with just herself and the equipment left behind for her. I would counter that she was a fully trained soldier of the federation, and thus possessed all the necessary qualifications to accomplish the mission she was set for, whereas I was a guy shoved into the head of a giant self-replicating robot of doom. Subterfuge, sabotage, etc. Could I conduct a shadow war on Safehold in order to liberate it and then uplift humanity? Absolutely.

But it’s not my strong suit, nor what a Commander was made for.

No...my heart was in the fight against the Gbaba. My heart was set on getting out there, and reclaiming what was lost, and giving back all that was dealt to humanity tenfold.

So I decided instead to let Nimue do what she was originally going to do, at the time she was supposed to, the way she was meant to...though I have to wonder how pissed she would be if she did all that and found out that the platform was never a threat in the first place?

...Hmm...maybe I should give her a leg up. I mean...there’s no reason to not let her do it in a way that lacked constraints. She definitely will not be doing it the same way as last time if I went that route though.

...Fuck it. So long as she doesn’t go dictator (which she will not), and does things right, then I have no reason to limit her and keep to the “timeline”. Which I was about to wreck by killing the Gbaba off anyways.

Upon making this decision, I returned a few units to the Mountains of Light, exactly where the cave once was, and dug it back out again. This time however, I did it my way, rather than just restoring it.

It will take a month to complete the task, but it will get done, and I will proceed with my own plans while it’s happening. Beginning with redesigning and building of new toys for my arsenal. I started with a new design of SNARC I made, code named “Stinger”. It wasn’t dissimilar to the SNARC, except for the fact it possessed laser weapons capable of multiple modes of fire, a connection to the energy network for unlimited power, and possessed armor that made Federation Battle Plate look like balsa wood.

Following this I then made a new version of the Skimmer. The Skimmer is a covert flying unit that was basically a larger version of the SNARC, was Nimue’s primary mode of transportation across the world, and general field base when need be.

Using it as a baseline, I created the “Hornet” unit. Hornets were drone versions of the Skimmer, equipped with laser weapons, along with a pair of mini-missile launchers that fired guided missiles the size of a human forearm, in groups of four per launcher. Also being tied to the energy and material network, they had unlimited power and ammunition. I also, on a whim, included the ability to carry a Stinger unit internally, because what is a Hornet without a Stinger?

God I’m a nerd.

After this point, I realized that my Recon Shuttle, and Assault Shuttle designs probably would benefit from having its own squadron of Stingers for defensive and tactical purposes. So, I redesigned the A.S. with twelve, and the R.S. with twenty-four. That will be interesting when the time comes to apply them, with similarities to Funnels from Gundam, or Bits from Macross II.

The last thing I worked on, that I really focused most of my attention was the PICA. The first thing I did was change all of the components and equipment to Progenitor grade materials. This in turn strengthened it immensely, both in durability and capability. I also equipped it with Smart Skin technology that not only allowed the unit to look perfectly human, and change its skin, hair, and eye color at will, but also allowed for a form of visual cloaking...provided it was naked. I’d need to make a sneak suit for her and my use so that wouldn’t be necessary.

This portion was the easiest part for me to change. I then added to it new equipment in the form of a Nanite core, and thanks to the tractor beam technology of the TFSF, it possesses nanolathe beam projectors built into the palms, chest, and for emergencies, the eyes and mouth.

This component not only allows the PICA to actually construct and deconstruct objects at will, but also do it from a distance of three hundred feet, and with precision. Also, since they used tractor beam technology, all of the projectors doubled as tractor beams of differing levels of strength due to the projector’s size. This would allow the PICA to pick up objects, throw them, pull them, and perhaps even act as a motive system. Allowing the PICA to possibly “power jump” off the ground via pushing, and “Web Swing” about via pulling. I looked forward to testing that.

A small, happy note, was that the tractor beam could be focused like a laser beam. This made my submarine fabricators more capable as the nanobots took a ride on photons directly at the spot the beam was aimed at. So, no more problems underwater...or rather pinpoint accuracy from a distance was no longer a problem.

I was so impressed with this, that I had actually changed my own projectors to allow myself these capabilities. So, I can either spray may nanites as normal, or I can spray as a beam from a distance of a mile. As a result of this, all my fabrication facilities and units have this change as well. Though technically the fabrication satellite had such a system already, it was only efficient when building large objects like a Titan or Teleporter. Now it can build objects as small as a Stinger if I want it to.

Although it possessed access to the energy and material network for unlimited resources, I placed in a failsafe in case it got cut off for any reason from the network. A power cell, or battery, with enough contained energy to power even myself for a few weeks non-stop. For the PICA however? It would take decades to run out of power, and with the ability to absorb materials that can be converted into energy by the Nanite Core, the unit had potentially unlimited power.

The reason I put such features into such a unit was for the next part. Which was the only really difficult part. I had to make a control unit that could act as a brain...for me. I wanted to be able to completely transfer over to the PICA without anything lost, if it were possible. Fortunately, Progenitor Technology and knowledge was bullshit. While in actual time, it took me less than an hour to do, it took a relative 416.6 days to accomplish. The brain was complete, and now fit with the schematic. I accessed the ground vehicle factory, and began constructing this new PICA, which I renamed the Avatar Unit.

Yeah...real creative...shut up.

I walked myself over and began building a harness for my Commander Shell as the Avatar came to a finish and walked off the factory floor. Although the Avatar can change itself to male or female if I desired, I decided to make this one male in shape, and adjusted it so it was six feet tall, with capabilities to adjust up and down six inches to its height for whatever reason. I also had it dressed in a white jumpsuit in order for it to not be naked when it walked off the platform.

As I was building, I took direct control of the machine and took it through its paces. I had a ball doing backflips, jumping fifty feet into the air while running over one hundred miles per hour, tearing the ground behind me from the sheer force of my feet pushing me forward. I tested to see if I could pull an “Alex Mercer” and run up walls, and while I could in fact do that, I found that I needed to pull a “Goliath” and shove my hands through the surface since I couldn’t stick to walls.

Still, being able to shove my hands into solid rock, and pull myself up with enough force to fly upwards around thirty-five feet with no strain was exhilarating as hell. Running about and leaping from building to building, rock to rock, defying gravity and turning my lifeless rock into a playground was sheer joy.

I began implementing the tractor beams from my projectors into my jumping about, and learned something interesting, though in hindsight it made sense. Turns out physics doesn’t like being left out when it comes to tractor beams and changes the commonly accepted tropes in science fiction. Normally you have ships like the Enterprisefrom Star Trek pulling a ship along via tractor beam or pushing a star, or moon, or comet out of position for whatever reason.

Now while I can’t say why that works in that universe, maybe something more exotic like Gravitons, in this universe, the force of push and pull is in direct proportion to the mass of the objects doing and being pushed/pulled.

So, while I could easily pull a handgun to me from a distant spot, if I tried to pull a giant boulder, I would actually be pulled to it instead due to its mass being greater than my own. If I were to push a rock the size of a football away, it would do so. If I were to try and push a boulder the size of a house away, I would be pushed away from the boulder instead, unless I was anchored to something heavier, like the planet.

I knew prior to this the amount of energy/force you use affects how hard you are pushed and pulled as well, but I hadn’t realized until a few failed ground launches that the force of the tractor was actually causing damage to the structure of the tractored object.

The photons grab onto the atoms, and the bonds between those atoms in order for the tractor beam to exert it’s pull/push upon said object, or portion of said object. Turns out however that if you overdo it, you break stuff, or not enough, and you slip your grip.

Like a person not holding onto a slice of bread enough to keep it in their hand, or squeezing so hard the bread is crushed. Actually…the “Tree Walking” exercise from Naruto is a better example, only with technology.

With this knowledge and experience in mind, I found that I could pull a Spider-Man and swing about structures, and launch myself off the ground, and even keep myself airborne with proper timing as I push off the ground from the air. Of course, I also quickly learned to weaponize this effectively, and the tractor beams became as effective as the Gravity Gun from Half-Life.

Flinging pebbles over several kilometers per second was fun as hell. Pushing a section of rock further into a boulder, which in turn caused it to explode, was both awesome, and terrifying to behold. Human bodies will not like having pieces of itself shoved deeper into itself.

With that, the fun came to an end as I realized I needed to finish building this Harness, and test the Avatar’s Fabrication Projectors. I sighed, much to my pleasure at being able to, and then focused on producing a vehicle from the Library Core. Nothing more than a simple quad. Light erupted from all of my projectors upon a point in the air, where the four-wheeled vehicle took form and came into existence.

It took only thirty seconds to build it, but once done, I grinned. This was nothing one couldn’t purchase during the late 20th century, but I felt this...satisfaction of having made something even as simple as this with a new unit. A unit that never was made with this in mind.

I then set to absorb the machine, and watched as the nanites that made up the vehicle quickly broke themselves down and returned, filling my pool once more. It took only ten seconds.

However, that was all well and good, but what about things that were not made with nanites?

Which is why I looked to a nearby rock. It was natural, and made of nothing but minerals and elements. With a shot from my projectors, it was enveloped with the tractor beams field, and I lifted. It hovered above the ground at four feet, and I sent the nanites to do their work. The rock was quickly enveloped with blue and silver light, and I felt materials being added into the core a moment after.

The Rock slowly was whittled down to a pebble, before disappearing entirely. The material was taken apart at the atomic level. Protons, neutrons, and electrons separated into individual objects and recombined into the resources needed to create more nanites. The amount I gained from this test was...miniscule, but still, progress.

I had finished creating the Harness at this point, and released my direct control over the Avatar. I ordered it to move over to its place on the structure as I backed myself into what was essentially a control throne. It would handle the general portion of the process I was about to undertake, while I handled the portions that required a direct, and vigilant control.

The various ports and connections connected me to the harness, and through it, to the Avatar. Now, with it and me in our place, and the harness ready...it was time to see if it could handle a small piece of me, without my control over it.

“Hang onto your butts.” I said out loud, anxiety laced in the dull tone.

For a moment everything was normal...then suddenly everything went all frazzled. Like reality decided to stretch my consciousness, and my brain, like hot taffy. Then it ended, as I saw through two sets of eyes. I spared a line of thought, which took immediate control of the Avatar, and then moved on its own, and without my personal direction.

That was weird as hell. I was connected to all the units under my command, and could take control of nearly all of them individually, but I had to think for each part individually as well, and it was all part of a greater whole. Almost hive mind like, except it's all me, and I was aware of it all at once. Here... I was controlling it, but at the same time I wasn’t. The Avatar was me, but it wasn’t. It was individual from myself, yet part of me. It was and was not. The mental sensation was quite confusing.

“You alright?” I heard myself speak. I looked down upon the Avatar of myself, who looked both concerned and as confused as I felt.

“...I’ll handle it...but this is weird. Like a disconnect from yourself, that possessed a thread of connection.”

The Avatar nodded. “I feel it as well...I can feel my connection to you. I know I am just a piece of the greater whole that is us...but at the same time I feel like I am separate from us...from you. I feel like...there’s a weight on my mind, but it’s a distance away from here.”

The Avatar me massaged his head, as if to handle some kind of stress induced pressure. I wish I could do that right now. I detached myself from the Harness and stomped out slowly, mini-me moving aside and looked up in some wonder as I strode by. A small part of me realized what he was experiencing through the link and was both envious at his feeling it, and in equal fulfillment at having my feeling what he felt, even if peripherally.

“Well...I can say this little project worked.” Avie-me quipped.

“Yep. Now for the next part.” I turn towards him and asked worryingly. “...You ready?”

He appeared to take a breath, not that there was air to breath really, and then nodded, eyes shut, readying himself for a possible cease of existence.

“Let’s do this.”

With quickness, like pulling a band-aid, I severed the connection to the Avatar, while leaving the data I place into it...and I had my thought process back. The Avatar was still active, but I didn’t know if it would-

“It worked!” The Avatar shouted in relief.

...I slouch in relief myself. “Good...Now I know I can make independent instances of myself, and even a full transfer if need be.”

Avatar-me nodded in agreement. “We can totally pull a Brainiac now.”

“Let’s not go that far just yet.” I replied with a vocal grimace.

“You know what I meant.” Avatar me said in slight irritation. “Anyhow, let’s finish this.”

I nodded and pulled him back entirely...and once more my thoughts feel complete as the Avatar shifts and stands to attention. I command it to return to the harness for the time being as I looked over the data, I gained from other me there. There were things that needed improving on the design, and I would add them soon, though I have to see what works and doesn’t via simulation.

The most important thing however, was that the design of the “brain” was correctly done. However, it could only hold a part of me. A part that didn’t have access to all the Commander data I had. Just my personal memory and personality, and knowledge in the use of the Avatar unit. Still, with this, I was on my way to a full transference.

I can also make free-moving clones of myself now. They could act as agents, independent or otherwise...in fact. That’s the term for that exact thing from this point on. The unit is called an Avatar. The Unit, which a copy of “me” is inside of, is an Agent...actually, scratch that. They’re the opposite. A unit without me is an Agent, and one with me is an Avatar. Good.

For now, however, I will continue what I had been doing before.

Now. Where are those damned ships already!?