Morphus returned to staring out at the Corporeals' homeworld, before asking, “Can you locate Goliath?”
The image of the man stood up, and pointed to the panoramic window, which then changed to show a star map of the galaxy. The map zoomed in towards the galactic bar near the center of the milky way.
“This is where you exiled Goliath to, during your final conflict with the great ship,” said the Telescope. Then it pointed again at the map, and it zoomed out, leaving the map annotated with a succession of glowing purple dots. “Since the great ship detected the radiation pulse from System 5118208, Goliath has made these jumps.”
Morphus followed Goliath’s trajectory through thee stars. It was clear that it was heading towards the area of the Orion Spur where the humans’ sun was located.
The Telescope pointed again, and the map zoomed in to a region of space centered on the sun. “These are the worlds now inhabited by the corporeal-human seed race,” the Telescope continued. Then a red star appeared on the map. “And this is Goliath’s current location.”
Morphus studied the map, and frowned; an expression it had picked up from the Liberty Devan entity, who seemed to do it with regularity. The great ship was only two jumps from the outermost system with a human populated planet. However, based on the Telescope’s readings, it had remained in its current system for far longer than its previous jump points.
“Why has it halted its progress in that system?” asked Morphus.
“It is preparing,” replied the Telescope. It was beginning to mimic some of the nuances of human speech, and on that occasion, it sounded suitably enigmatic.
“Show me,” said Morphus.
The map gradually enlarged, as the Telescope refracted its gaze through the complex web of portals, to look upon the system where Goliath lay in wait. All around them the vast array of crystals began to shimmer and glow, creating an intricate ballet of light that to anyone else would seem merely random. Then the great ship appeared in front of them, and Morphus understood why it had paused.
“It is collecting its seed ships,” said Morphus, watching as the vessels – tiny in relation to Goliath – flew back into the great ship’s hull.
“Most were destroyed, but some remained dormant,” said the Telescope. “It will use them on System 5118208, and the worlds that its spawn spread to.”
Morphus nodded and turned to the Telescope, as the section in front of them again became transparent. “Thank you. Now I must return and recover the sole remaining crystal. It is the only hope of defeating Goliath.”
“The crystal you speak of is no longer unique,” the Telescope added hastily, as Morphus grabbed hold of the flight controls, intending to leave. “Goliath’s seed ships have also been collecting fragments from the other fallen Revocaters.”
Morphus frowned, “It has acquired the means to recombine a crystal?”
“Yes, a technology stolen from the Revocaters,” replied the Telescope, darkly. “And the great ship has already succeeded. With a functioning crystal, Goliath now possesses the ability to cast its own portals.”
Morphus nodded again, “Then there is no time to lose,” it said, while turning its ship towards the exit.
“Wait, you will require a Revocater,” replied the Telescope, with an urgency that made Morphus stop and take notice. “You cannot defeat Goliath in this vessel, even if you are in possession of a crystal.” The Telescope had adopted an almost theatrical tone, and its slow-drip of information seemed to suggest it had developed a flair for the dramatic. Morphus could not blame it; the AI had spoken to no-one for thousands of years, and was making the most of the opportunity while it lasted.
“There are none,” said Morphus. “I will have to find another way.”
“One still remains.”
Morphus frowned, “How? Goliath made sure to destroy them all. And the great ship makes no mistakes.”
“The prototype remains,” said the Telescope, with a twinkle in its simulated eyes. “It is still here, in this system. It was inactive and its crystal was transferred to another Revocater, which is why Goliath did not see it.”
“Is it operable?” asked Morphus, feeling what the humans might call excitement tingle through its circuits.
“Yes,” replied the Telescope. “All it requires is a pilot. I have transferred its location to you.”
The hexagonal door that allowed Morphus to enter then opened again. “Thank you for your assistance,” said Morphus, as it thrusted the ship slowly towards the sea of stars outside.
“Be wary” said the Telescope, continuing its dramatic delivery. “I have watched Goliath for longer than my memory circuits can recall. It has grown cruel, and more powerful.”
“The great ship will fall” said Morphus, with absolute confidence.
“How can you be sure?” asked the image of the man.
Morphus again looked at the Telescope, as the ship passed the threshold, and the apparition in the second seat began to fade away. “I know, because I have a weapon that I did not possess the last time I faced it – hope.”
CHAPTER 5
Morphus had already been dispatched to System 5118208 when the destruction of the Corporeals’ homeworld occurred. Employing all its cunning, Goliath had lured the Revocater armada away from the Corporeals' planet. It had then waited, patiently, until each of the Revocaters had been deployed, each guarding one of the dozens of seed planets. The Corporeals had allowed a single Revocater to remain to protect the homeworld. In addition to a fleet of smaller warships that they had hastily constructed after Goliath’s rampage had begun, the belief was that this force would be sufficient to protect them. They could not have been more wrong.
Morphus had only ever seen images of the homeworld’s destruction, sent by the Telescope to inform the Revocater fleet of Goliath’s crime. Now, as it flew over the surface of the planet, towards where the Telescope had said the prototype lay hidden, it saw it differently. The images the Telescope had transmitted spanned the entire EM spectrum. However, in the visible spectrum of light that its binocular, humanoid vision could perceive, the broken towers and overgrown streets seemed haunting somehow. The carcasses of its former sentient organic population had fed this wilderness or turned to dust long ago. However, not everything had been lost. According to the Telescope, there was still something of the Corporeals’ heritage entombed below the surface. And if the Telescope was correct that the prototype Revocater remained, the hope that Morphus held within its circuits may not have been in vain.
Morphus slowed to a hover over the experimental complex, which now lay beneath a layer of rubble, soil and overgrown weeds. It scanned below the surface detritus and found that the hangar doors of the complex had remained closed, and appeared undamaged. However, the subterranean facility was without power.
Morphus continued to circle around the perimeter of the shipyard, looking for an entrance, until it eventually found a service tunnel. Arming its weapons, Morphus carefully vaporized the dense foliage and rubble that blocked the entrance. With the obstacles removed, it discovered that the doors were open and the service tunnel was clear. The human corporeals would call this luck, and Morphus knew it would need more of this, if it was to succeed.