The TALE of the TESSERACT
10: The Database
"Some of our theoreticians suggest that the motivation for the Grox's actions may lie in the difference between machines and organic life, though there seems to be no way to test this hypothesis." (Books of Science)
"Descend!" Chase exclaimed, with mock enthusiasm.
Chase touched down first, stepping out of the way so that Roku and Maruck could follow suit.
"Where are we?" Chase asked, all three of them looking around. They had "parked" the Tharak in what appeared to be a closed off room. The walls were a shade of dark blue, composed of a shiny metal, and just far enough apart to allow the Tharak to fit comfortably inside. There was no distinction between the composition of the walls, the floor, or the ceiling. Everything appeared to be all one unit. The Tharak was nestled perfectly inside of the room, its engines hovering feet from the walls, and only about 4 feet above Chase, Maruck, and Roku.
There was, however, one exit. A medium sized iris-door, with gray blades, and a dark blue outlining. Plastered next to it was a sign. It read: Landing Registration
Roku turned to Maruck and said, "7714-3B."
"Oh… that's where we are," Maruck said, with a small smirk.
"Would you guys not do the thing where you make me feel like an idiot!" Chase exclaimed, "I just saved your buts back on Kepla-2!"
"Ok.. ok… were on a space station above the Archive planet," Roku said, trying to hold back a laugh, "but trust me… you're gonna want to see it for yourself."
Roku walked over to the sign near the iris door.
"Well then… what is this place?" Chase asked, gesturing towards the room they were currently in.
"Oh… yeah. It's sorta like a parking spot. Everyone that comes to this planet has to land in the space station and register. Simple security measures, seeing as this planet doesn't technically belong to anyone," Roku explained. He held his hand against the sign. It lit up, revealing a glowing translucent screen. It wasn't long before Chase realized that it wasn't any regular sign at all, but a fully operational hologram touch-screen. Roku was typing something in mid air.
"What are you doing?" Chase said.
"Logging us in," Roku said, typing quickly on the hologram keyboard, "Let's see… Maruck of the Scorpnak… Roku of the New Tharians… and… oh wait, how are we going to do this? I don't think Chase has a database pass…"
"Oh wait… let me," Maruck said. He ran forward, skidding to a halt in front of the holo-screen. He reached out and placed his hand directly on top of the hologram projector. A bolt of electricity shot through his arm and into the system.
The screen lit up with a message:
Captain Maruck has an invite-a-friend pass for one day into the database.
"Very nifty indeed," Roku said.
"So I can get through now?" Chase asked, hesitantly.
"Yeah… so long as you promise not become a terrorist," Maruck responded.
Chase laughed, and moments later the iris-door opened, sliding out of the way to allow the residents of the landing room to exit.
They walked into a hallway.
It was short in width but was incredibly long lengthwise. It was made of the same blue metal that was in the previous room, and was equally as bland architecturally. What was different was the incredible amount of identical iris-doors that lined the walls. Occasionally one would open to allow an alien creature to walk in or out.
"So this place is kinda like a parking garage… yeah? Except with spaceships" Chase said.
"Exactly," Roku said, then turning to Maruck, "Ok… you can lead the way."
"With pleasure," Maruck responded. He trotted forward down the left side of the hallway. Roku quickly sped off after him, and Chase knew instinctively not to get left behind. The three of them were walking briskly down the corridor, passing by at least a dozen iris-doors.
"Excuse me for sounding repetitive, but… where are we going?" Chase asked, trying to keep up with Maruck.
"Right here," Maruck said, coming to a stop. The three of them were standing around a yellow circle in the floor. It was radiating white energy, eerily similar to something that Chase had seen before.
"That's a teleport pad… isn't it?…" Chase said.
"It is…" Roku said, "So what do you suppose happens next?"
"Oh come on I'm not that stupid," Chase said.
"So… are suggesting that you are… at some level… 'stupid?'" Maruck commented.
"Oh shut up," Chase said.
Chase took a deep breath and stepped forward onto the teleport. Instantly, his world was filled with color. Bright shining lights, whirls of energy, an incredible spinning sensation, and then…
WHAM.
Chase materialized on the receiving teleport, stumbling out of the way. Chase quickly lost his balance and fell over, in a fashion that would have normally made him look drunk. He noted that this teleport was much more turbulent than his previous endeavors.
Roku appeared shortly after, and was predictably followed by Maruck. The two of them began laughing at the sight of Chase stumbling around, obviously dizzy from the teleport.
"Yeah… not every teleport operates in exactly the same way…" Roku said, almost as an afterthought, "That one took us through the planet's atmosphere."
"Could have warned me…" Chase said, finally managing to stay balanced.
"But… hey…. Um… look where we are!" Roku exclaimed.
The three captains examined their surroundings.
Chase gasped in awe.
They were inside of an enormous building, similar to a cathedral. The ceiling was at least two football fields' tall, with huge towering archways, and gigantic chandeliers. The teleport they had emerged from was located near a wall that appeared to serve as the back of the building. The walls and ceiling were a shade of blue similar to the landing room, but the similarity stopped there. The design of this place was incredibly intricate, with paintings and patterns etched into almost every surface. There was a huge portion of the ceiling that was made of glass, allowing Chase to see the sky above. It was green, with… oh… of course… TWO suns blazing above.
When he stared straight forward, he saw a single pathway leading directly through the center of the room. Branching off from it were… Chase couldn't even count how many… pathways leading to the sides of the cathedral building. At the end of each pathway was an elevator leading to other levels of the gigantic room.
"What is this place…" Chase asked.
"The Alliance Archives," Roku said.
Chase continued to look around. He felt minuscule in comparison to everything here. Lining all of the pathways were towering bookshelves. Or at least they looked like bookshelves. When Chase squinted he noticed that they were filled with thousands of glowing rectangular contraptions, each one producing a small hologram. The bookshelves continued on many levels, with bridges, and hovering platforms connecting them above. This place was a huge, intricate, and incredibly amazing, and… by everything that Chase knew… a library. Creatures and aliens from empires that Chase had never dreamed of were walking along the pathways, bridges, hover-platforms, and archways. They were walking around the towering bookshelves, sometimes pulling down the contraptions to examine them. Chase realized that these "contraptions" were indeed "books." Books that had been condensed into a hologram form.
"Alliance… ar… archive?" Chase stammered.
"Yes."
"It's like a library," Chase said.
"Sort of," Roku explained, "But its more of a database of all of the knowledge that the galactic alliance has accumulated. Everything of value in terms of history, technology, and even myths are stored within this database."
"That's why we had to go though the security check." Maruck said, "This planet doesn't belong to anyone. It's middle ground. A place where anyone can come for information."
"Exactly," Roku said, "And I bet you can take a guess as to why were here."
"We need to learn as much as we can about our current situation. We can't keep jumping into battles blind," Chase said.
"Very True."
"So what do we do?"
"Go over here," Roku commanded, taking a quick stride forward.
"Stop doing that!" Chase said.
They continued walking forward, down the long pathway, passing by huge bookshelves, and hovering platforms. What appeared to be an information booth came into view. It was a small circular desk, with a large "I" hologram being projected above it. An android was stationed at its center, and was presently conversing with a group of fish-like aliens. The android was humanoid, but its features were so simple that it couldn't be considered any particular creature. Roku stepped up from behind, clearing his throat loudly.
The android spun around, immediately spotting Roku.
"Oh my, are you that being for which my programming refers to as 'Captain Roku Azero.'"
"Yes… I just need a quick instruction," Roku said, trying to ignore the staring faces from the fish aliens on the other side of the information booth, "I need to know where I can find information on the Amahani Empire."
"Section BRQ, just down there," said the android, gesturing towards the pathway to their right.
"Thanks," said Roku, quickly beginning to walk off between the two bookshelves. He gestured for Maruck and Chase to follow him.
"Wait…" said one of the fish aliens, "Are you really Roku?"
"Kind of busy actually," Roku responded, almost automatically.
Chase held back a laugh as the three of them walked swiftly down the pathway. Thousands of hologram books were visible on the enormous bookshelves to their left and right. They continued their brisk pace until they came upon a large screen in an empty portion of the shelf to their right.
"And this is?..." Chase asked.
"An interface. All of the information from the data-books in this row can be viewed through here," Roku explained, pointing at the screen, "We can use this to figure out what we need to know."
Roku rapidly began pressing keys on a pad below the screen. Chase spun around on the spot, admiring the incredible size of the place they were in.
"I still can believe you guys take this stuff as normal…" Chase said, "I mean… this is just incredibly…" It was then that something caught his eye. As Roku continued to type away furiously on the interface screen, Chase looked closely at one of the data-books a few yards away. He couldn't believe it.
Chase promptly looked at the sign that labeled their current row.
The one that contained the interface that Roku was using was labeled: Class-4 Empires (A through D).
The row that contained the data-book that Chase was interested in was labeled: Recorded Civilization Stage Planets (R through V).
Then it was confirmed.
Chase briskly stepped towards the shelf. He reached up, having to stretch his arm to reach what he wanted. Chase finally grasped it, pulling the thin data-book off of its shelf. The moment it fell into his hands, the center of the device lit up, causing a hologram to appear millimeters above its surface.
There was no denying it now. The letters on the hologram clearly spelled out the words "Sol III."
"Guys," Chase said, "I think I found something."
"Not now. I'm kind of busy," Roku responded, attempting to search through the database.
"There it is," Maruck said, quickly pointing towards a link on the screen.
"Agh yes, thanks," Roku said, selecting it.
"Guys seriously I think this is important," Chase tried to say.
"Did you hear something?" Roku said, with an expression of one trying to hold back laughter.
"Nope."
"Seriously, this IS important," Chase continued.
"Here we are," Roku stated, as the screen lit up with text. At the top of the page was the label "Amahani Empire."
"Now we can figure out more about Mr. Grand Master," Maruck said.
Chase sighed, walking up to join his comrades. He had given up on trying to interrupt them, but still had the data-book grasped in his hands.
Roku read the information out loud:
The Amahani Empire is the forefront of Shaman empires. Widely considered to be one of the most peaceful races in the galaxy, they have become in tune with nature, and have made sure to ignore quarrels with all neighboring empires. They remained insignificant in this database until one of their own, Captain Dimitri, reached the center of the galaxy…
"Wow," Maruck commented, "That sounds nothing like Grox dictator material."
"That's what I thought too, it just doesn't make sense…" Roku said.
"Is that all we came for?" Chase asked.
"Well I suppose if we stumble across anything else that we could look at that as well" Roku began.
"Like this," Chase said, holding out the data-book on Sol III.
"Where did you find that?" Maruck asked.
"We happen to be in the same row as Civ. Planets. It's what I was TRYING to tell you," Chase exclaimed.
"Give it here," Roku exclaimed, holding out his hands. Chase deposited the book into Roku's arms, a look of pride on his face, like he had done something worthy of praise.
Roku touched the main data-book screen, bringing him to the actual contents. An introduction was visible on the front page, along with a slowly rotating picture of Earth from space.
Roku read aloud the text:
The third planet form the yellow star "sol," Earth is a haven for its present inhabitants. 70% of the planet remains water, and the atmosphere is composed of 80% nitrogen. The planet began to form somewhere between galactic date 2500b7 and 2700b7. Studys show that for a good portion of the planet's existence it was stuck in a Kronon Lock. This was not discovered until recently when Captain Marks of the old Tharian empire broke the lock. He used his biorod on the planet, sparking life into its frozen ecosystem. It was then that animal evolution began on the planet, and the humans began to evolve.
Information about the creation of the planet's kronon lock, and its origin, remain speculative, and as such are not included in this archive. Some of the speculation surrounds the mysterious "Jaxxod."
"Marks? What… who's that?" Chase said.
"Yeah… he's my ancestor. But this is some interesting information," Roku said.
"Wow… 2500b7! That's forever ago!" Maruck exclaimed.
"Ok… not to sound stupid… but… what's the deal with the whole galactic date thing?" Chase inquired.
"Yes I should explain," Roku said, setting the data-book aside, and turning to fully face Chase, "First you must understand that the galaxy rotates around fully once every 250 million of your earth years."
"Yeah…"
"The Galactic date is based off of that. The fist four numbers are a reference to the amount of time passed in that rotation. It's a type of "percentage" out of 10000 instead of 100. The letter after that represents the rotation that the galaxy is in. First is a, then b, then c, then d, then e, then f… and so on," Roku explained.
"But what's that last number?"
"Agh… that's the reference number," Roku continued to explain, "It shows how many times the dates have been through the alphabet. After z comes a1, then b1, and so on."
"Wow… so what's the date now?" Chase said.
Roku and Maruck exchanged glances.
"9210k58…" Roku stated.
"What… but that's… that's," Chase stuttered, trying to do the math in his head.
"Over 300 billion years later, yes," Maruck finished for him.
"But all of our scientists said that earth was only 4 billion years old!" Chase exclaimed.
"Yeah… carbon dating can be easily thrown off by a kronon lock," Roku explained.
"Ok, what is a 'Kronon Lock?'" Chase asked.
Roku spun back around towards the interface monitor behind him. After a few seconds of swift typing another screen came up. The title at the top read "Kronon Lock."
Chase read the text out loud:
A kronon lock is a highly advanced piece of technology used by only some of the strongest empires in the known galaxy. The technique takes advantage of the property of regular atoms to emit low-level kronon energy. A typical "kronon-lock device" would freeze that energy, thereby stopping the atoms from having any real interaction with eachother. In essence it is the opposite of a monolith. When used on a planet it stops it from evolving any further. The entire planet practically "pauses," until the creator of the lock sees fit to end it.
"Do you see now?" Roku asked.
"So… there is a bit more to this than we thought…" Chase said.
"Indeed," Roku said, "But this still doesn't explain the 'Grand Master.'"
Chase sighed. He couldn't believe they had come all the way to the largest collection of information in the galaxy only to find nothing helpful. But hold on…
"Wait… what about that 'Jaxxod Empire' thing. The last text said that they could have caused the kronon lock."
"Hmm…" Roku said, turning his head back to the computer. A minute or two of navigating later he pulled up a page on the Jaxxod Empire. Unfortunately, it wasn't as in-depth as they had hoped. It simply said:
Little is known about this empire. Information only remains speculative, and is thereby not included in this archive.
"Well that's not helpful!" Maruck exclaimed.
"Well… it is considered a factual database," Roku said, "but I might be able to pull up something a little less factual."
"Like what?"
Roku began pounding away on the keyboard once again. It was clear he was searching for something important.
"Let's see… I wonder if they even have it… they should… I mean it is quite prevalent in our galaxy…" Roku said, talking to himself as he navigated through multiple menu screens.
"What is?" Maruck and Chase said in unison.
"Here we are… the Book of Spode!" Roku exclaimed.
"What?"
"I remember hearing something about the Jaxxod from a particularly nasty Zealot race. Let's see if it's in here…" Roku explained. He pulled up a search window, typing in the phrase 'Jaxxod.' It came up with three results, and Roku eagerly selected the first one.
"Why would the book of Spode have any reference to the Jaxxod Empire?" Maruck questioned.
"You know just as much as I do," Roku responded. He pulled the text open to full screen, promptly beginning to read it:
The Jaxxod empire thrived billions of years ago at the heart of our galaxy. They were leaders in science and technology, and many regarded them as the ultimate power. The empire credited their achievements towards a powerful object that had fell on their planet in the year 3659b6. They investigated it and realized that it was unlike anything they had ever seen before. The empire's home world, Xorgo, was a thriving metropolis. They were the strongest empire for their time, and their lead captain Stekvan Gallindo vowed to make sure his empire was protected from all forces of evil. The empire disappeared from the galaxy after an unknown event.
"Wow… that's interesting. A little bit less reliable though," Maruck stated.
"Look at the date!" Chase exclaimed, "They became powerful just a galaxy rotation before earth was formed! They existed at the time of the creation of Earth's kronon lock… I bet you anything…"
"Wait," Roku said.
"Huh?"
"Not you… but something in that text. The empire became powerful because of an object that fell from the sky… an object unlike anything they had ever seen before…"
"You don't think…" Maruck said.
"The hypercube… yes. Whoever these Jaxxod are, they became powerful because of the hypercube. This object has existed for longer than ANY of us have thought. What is this mess we have gotten ourselves into?"
"So let me get this straight," Chase said, speaking up, "The object that made Roku's race as powerful as it is also advanced this other ancient race nearly 300 billion years ago?"
"Correct."
"And both empire's became so powerful they are renowned as legends?"
"Yes."
"And now it's in the hands of quite possibly the most evil individual I have ever seen in my entire life?"
"And now you see where we stand."
"Then... we have to get that cube back."
"Yes, yes we do."