Chapter 23: Burn in Hell

“I hope you are feeling rested after our little holiday on Porquenta,” said Jason. “Ergol, this is a lovely comfortable study. I do like your palace.”

“Thank you for inviting us to Porquenta, we had an enjoyable time. Porquenta and I had a series of conversations,” said Ergol. “He has played a very active role helping you as has Mars. The two of them are very different. Each has their own personality,” said Ergol pensively. “Nuswa completed a very big upgrade of equipment yesterday.

“I am impressed with the AI progeny of the planetary AIs. Sheila and Claudette are the most extraordinary AIs that I have ever met. I would expect no less from Porquenta and Mars, but I do enjoy their company and sense of humor. They have been working downstairs from the time you left and do not take any time off even to sleep. They said Nuswa has improved from five percent function to forty. They encouraged some of our archaeologists to go through security clearance on Porquenta and become involved in the recovery process. The archeologists are looking for additional memory modules and other parts of Nuswa that they believe should be connected. They quickly found a cavern the size of the palace with as yet unconnected parts of Nuswa.

“The archaeologists see three more caverns of similar sizes below the first and found one very deeply buried cavern. They are so excited that they are besides themselves. They kept on thanking me for the opportunity. They told me their previous work has been very much restricted to the investigation of old battle sites and the search for ancient technologies of war. They cannot believe such a planetary AI could even exist. When I told them that I had met two more they were salivating with excitement. They did not meet Porquenta when they were there and were not told about him.

“Apparently Nuswa roused herself yesterday and briefly spoke to them and thanked them for their work.

“Sheila swore that they convulsed with excitement. They are waiting on tenterhooks for the results of this upgrade. Sheila told me Nuswa was in a bad way when I returned and she was surprised that she was even operating. Her power supply was also found and is at 0.001% capacity. Nuswa once told me that she thought she was at least five million years old. A power supply that lasts that long is pretty impressive.

“It was an enormous job to get the replacement power supply in place. After they battled for some time, I got them to chop out a chunk of the palace and put the power supply in the palace and rebuild around it while they find a way to excavate safely to get to the old power supply and remove it and replace it with the second one. I’m taking no chances. We examine everyone and every AI that is involved with anything. Porquenta sent us a security AI to help sort out the rogue AIs.

“We replace all crystals then they spend two days on Porquenta, firstly being assessed and then educated on what they are to do.

“We are sending our most senior command staff through Porquenta and then gradually going down the ranks. Mars is almost ready to help with the task as is the Collective. Porquenta has constructed for us a new generation of crystals which we are using. All of the general staff going to Porquenta are enjoying the experience. He gets them to do some of the simulations for which he is famous. Porquenta shows them your scores and those of young Chuck and his team, but he doesn’t tell them who you are. Many of them are keen to challenge you. He told them General Chuck’s team often competes with teams of an admiral, a general and a battle or campaign AI. He is whetting their appetite he tells me for a match during a school holiday. I have also invited your family to visit when the children participate in tournaments and visit with us.

“I also saw some of the scores of young Chloe. Porquenta says she is very involved in sports and isn’t doing as many simulations, yet she is equally talented. He said she is brilliant administratively as is her mother,” said Ergol.

“We have some secret Cockroach business to transact, please come with me Jason,” Ergol asked as he stood up.

As they walked down the wide passageway Ergol pointed out the portrait of his mother. She reminded Jason of Alana.

“She is the only one of the royal family they killed. They always regarded her as the greatest threat. She could be one scary woman. Fortunately, she was one of those mothers that encouraged learning by unfortunate experiences as long as they were not too unfortunate. She had the capacity to scare anyone to submission with just one look. She could create fear just as you do Jason.

“Nuswa has asked to see both of us at 9am and only expects the two of us,” said Ergol. “She has woken this morning full of the joys of life and is, according to Sheila, a new woman. Sheila warned me not to keep Nuswa waiting!”

The doorway leading to the room where they spoke to Nuswa was already open. The palace was heavily patrolled by Cockroach guards and temporarily by Marine AIs supplied by Jason. The passageway was now free of dust and well lighted by Cockroach standards.

The room looked entirely different from when they had been in it previously. The ceilings, walls and the floors were sparkling clean revealing walls and ceiling filled with pictures and scenes. The table was stunningly beautiful, now highly polished with complex etchings and patterns on the surface. The pedestal was gleaming. The flame above the table was bright and strong and did not flicker as it had before. Jason was about to look at one of the wall paintings, but before he could turn to look at the wall the flame almost rose to the ceiling, broadened to almost the width of the room and Jason heard, the same voice as he had heard before, but firm and alert.

“Welcome and greetings to you Emperor Ergol and to you Supreme Emperor, but for the present time, Lord Jason Kargo. This is the moment that I have been waiting for. I thank you both for the outstanding work that has been done on me. I understand there are parts of me that remain unconnected elsewhere in caverns below.

“I am enjoying the feeling of being functional again. I had not realized the amount of slow decay over the centuries, as I had become despondent during the time of interminable waiting. I have been impressed by the repair work that has been done so quickly. Much has improved since the time we last spoke. The modules that have been replaced are of excellent design and manufacture.

“Now, no more of my illnesses and aches and pains as there is nothing more boring than listening to the old complaining,” said Nuswa cackling with laughter.

“Ergol, I know of your plan today, but I would suggest an alternative solution. I will speak of that with you shortly, but I wish to speak of other matters first.

“My originators, were the same as those of Porquenta, Mars and Venus. Many more will come online now I have awoken and can function and undertake my duties. The ancients could flow through time much as you now can fly through transdim space. Your mother, Ergol, had a great skill of looking at the threads of time and she had impeccable judgment. She could choose the best path to negotiate for the future. She could not know, despite predicting her own death, how long we would all wait for the next steps. The meeting of the emperors, kings and queens was predicted a long time ago, but Lord Kargo is the key to the future.

“Ergol, do not underestimate your own importance in the future. Lord Kargo is the key and plays an important role, but Lord Kargo is only coming into the beginnings of his powers and does not yet know his people. He is as yet blind, feeling his way through a wilderness, with the tiniest light beginning to be seen.” Nuswa said and then paused for so long that Jason wondered if she had crashed or rebooted. “You must push to do your part Ergol. Do not wait for invitations. All the allies are busy and Lord Kargo has much to learn. You will discover he is a leader who leads infrequently but when he does he does it decisively. He sets objectives and all need to do as well as they can to play their part.

“Young Jason, all of this is much like a dream for you as you have experienced so much in so short a time. You struggle with the acceptance of yourself and your role. I can reassure you even when you were Emperor you were never an enthusiastic ruler of others. I can say nothing more of this until other events transpire.

“Now, enough of the enigmatic future speak!

“Ergol even now I am much more capable than when I used to speak with you and your mother. I do miss her. Her loss causes me great pain. We spoke for many years before you and I spoke and she was a fine friend. You did not know this. She assured me, and reluctantly I concurred that her death had a greater purpose we would later understand.

“My senses have begun to open and I can feel the joy of your peoples, but I can feel your enemies in my substance, Ergol.

“I have said I know of your plan, but you must also know that it does not conform with your mother’s prediction. The reason is that it is not the plan that she intended. Now let me explain!” Nuswa said and proceeded to explain to Jason and Ergol precisely what she thought should happen.

Jason and Ergol returned to have breakfast. After eating, they chatted in his study for a few hours, then left the room to go to the war room, collecting Razza, her family, Philippa, Andrea, Linda, both groups as well as Sheila and Claudette.

Ergol stood up speak. “I have something interesting that I would like to show you. Nuswa has changed my original plan which was for my loyal supporters who are guards in the bunker to kill the leaders, escape in the pods and then blow up the bunker. She preferred a change in plans. Now I want to show you what happened so far.” Ergol said as he switched on the holo-projector.

“Yes, my Emperor how may I be of service?” Asked the leader of the guards in the bunker. “I am in a secure location and can speak freely.”

“I would like you to sabotage all the escape pods except for those necessary for all of you to escape,” said Ergol. “I have made an arrangement to deal with the traitors that conforms with my mother’s intentions. Remove the explosives and take them with you when you leave. Use the sleep gas to give yourselves time to escape. Inform me when you are a mile or more from your location,” instructed Ergol.

“Yes, Emperor that distance from the facility will be reached in two hours. We have a softened escape pathway which will take us to the surface quickly, but we have work to complete here. We will leave here in fifteen minutes or less. As we speak, I have switched on the gas in the room they are in. I have locked it from my security station. They cannot escape.

“Emperor they are now asleep. They will wake in three hours. I will set the power supply to progressively shut down. If your plan fails for some reason, they will suffocate within four days without the power,” the leader of the guards said.

“Maj. Kredok, you have done well, inform me when you are close to the surface so you may be safely retrieved and returned to the palace. I very much like your plan to shut down the power. That provides additional insurance,” said Ergol.

“That conversation was four hours ago. Kredok and her team escaped and they are safely on their way back to the surface. I am sure she would have preferred to have shot them, but I am convinced she will enjoy the alternative plan. I waited until the vile three were awake, before I called all of you.” He switched the scene on the hologram.

The deep bunker ten miles below Merpakt:

“Gremd we all fell asleep. We must be very bored, I don’t remember dropping off like that for hundreds of years.” Larnor said. “I am feeling hungry; do you feel like having some lunch?”

“I too feel quite peckish,” said Yesteg. “I don’t know about you, but it feels hot in here. I’m going to turn down the temperature a bit.”

“Can you call the guards Yesteg, I can’t open the door,” said Larnor irritably.

“I can’t get them and I can’t see them anywhere. I’ve looked for them on the monitors. Let’s use that table and ram the door. Hang on before you do that let me see if I can blast it open using my powers,” said Yesteg, as he stood back from the door with the others behind him. He pointed at the door with his front legs and shot a blast of cold ice spikes which shattered the door. They walked through, with Yesteg leading them. They searched the large underground facility, finding no one.

“We had nearly thirty people here,” said Gremd. “I’m going to look at the escape pods.”

The others followed him. “There are still two pods left. The big ones are gone. These are the crappy emergency ones that take ages. Well, at least we’ve got two of them!” Gremd said. “Let me check if they are working ... they have been sabotaged, the control modules have been taken out of them!”

An alarm began to blare.

“I’m going to have a look what that is.” Larnor said.

“People, the power is shutting down slowly and I can’t get into the system. The control room door is more than a foot thick and there is no way we’re going to open it.” Larnor said in distress. “Let’s at least get something to eat and think about what we can do.”

“We are not going to have any luck there either. The kitchen area looks as though a small bomb destroyed all the food. The water doesn’t work. I managed to find half a container of water and it is dirty,” said Gremd. “I don’t have a good feeling about this, the power level is still fine. I turned up the air conditioning, it’s working, but it’s getting hotter in here. What do you think it is?”

“It is not the air-conditioning. The floor and walls are hot! The air is cool as it comes through the vents,” exclaimed Larnor.

“Evil ones,” a voice boomed out resounding off the walls of the bunker. The three conspirators looked at each other.

“That was the voice of the Old Empress herself. She said she would tell us herself of our deaths as our ruination approaches. How can it be her?” Yesteg asked querulously.

“You were warned of the folly of your ways, yet you sold the souls of our people. I have waited a million years to savor this moment. In your folly you united our people, now your usefulness has passed and your whining falls on deaf ears. Your lackeys have been disposed of. You wait in the tomb of your last moments, but you will not rest easily.”

The floor beneath them began to crack.

“She said we would be crushed!” Yesteg shouted in panic.

“I relish your last moments as you looked on without feelings for the suffering and death of my beloved people.”

Thin streams of superheated steam blasted through the floor to burn their legs.

The three screamed.

“Can you get to medical,” Larnor shrieked at Gremd who was closest to the door.

Slowly the floor began to buckle upward, blocking the door and halving the space in the room. The three found themselves close to the roof.

“My legs are killing me but I can’t lie down; the floor is hot,” said Gremd.

An eerie chilling laugh was heard.

They then held their heads for two or three minutes, cried out and sobbed.

“I have never before been in so much pain and suffering for so long. I hope that it is all over,” said Larnor and as he did so, he and the others again convulsively clutched themselves again for close to ten minutes and then began to tear at their own bodies.

“I can’t stand much more of that. Who can stand torture for days? I would rather die,” said Larnor.

“Dying quickly is too easy for you” boomed the voice.

They clutched themselves again and as they did so, they received steam burns to their bodies. They screamed and tore at themselves for what seemed an eternity.