Chapter 58: Entombment
Corvurn's shrylisk resurfaced and allowed its current occupant to slip out. Corvurn, shaking off shrylisk slime and saliva from his body, began to approach the last place that Kay once stood. When that wounded Era Agent threw that device and shouted that command, Kay's mental presence within the zerg hivemind psionic connection had suddenly ceased. When Corvurn came close to Kay's last known position, he was surprised to see a warbling mass of blurring movement that was too quick for him to analyze. What he could see was a huge pyramid shape, a large four spiked shape, several smaller shapes, and whizzing blurs that moved too quickly for the eye to track.
Corvurn paused for many seconds before shaking his head. He connected his mind to the hivemind, and focused on connecting to Othafurn and Virid on the hexagonal moon. 'Problem detected. Command organism Kay disappeared. Temporal tomb attack, Era Agent type attack, possible culprit.'
Virid was, for a lack of a better word to describe how she felt, pissed. 'How dare these Era Agents attack us in such a manner! I wish to personally tear out the innards of the one responsible for this travesty!'
Othafurn had a different opinion. 'Virid, we must not divert our attention to the task at hand. Corvurn? Are the resource tumors absorbing and converting the ambient heat in the underground?'
'Absorbing thermal radiation. Abundant supply. Will convert into bio-matter.' Corvurn answered.
'Good. You need to focus on creating more resource tumors and further evolve The Swarm. If we do not do this, our task will take significantly longer.' Othafurn said.
'Query. What is condition of command organism Kay. Is he retrievable?' Corvurn asked.
Othafurn paused. '... I honestly don't know if he can be retrieved, but... the device that was used on Kay is trapping him in a temporally accelerated field of dilated time. The Era Agents call the device a 'temporal locker', or 'temporal tomb.' It creates two temporally dilated fields, which allows the device enough space to sit between them. The innermost dilated field is super-accelerated, designed to quickly age anyone trapped within it by a short span of time, killing them by starvation, disease, or even old age if they felt merciful.'
Virid felt confused by that explanation. 'They would accelerate time to assassinate their targets? Using such a weapon on The Swarm would prove fruitless, since we have evolved to be biologically immortal.'
'And you are right about that, Virid' Othafurn answered. 'But if I understand the settings and capabilities of the device used on Kay, it has the capacity of accelerating time to an unprecedented degree. One day that passes outside of the temporal fields could be equal to two million and five hundred thousand years on the inside.'
'A worrying difference. It would mean that even a fraction of a second would still mean years in terms of Kay's perspective. Is there any way we can retrieve Kay from his prison?' Virid asked.
Othafurn sighed. 'I doubt it. When a temporal field is generated, it is virtually impossible to deactivate, unless you have unrestrained access to the device on the side that generates it. If you tried to enter the time dilated field, or even try to pass your hand through it, the variances in time will make you cease from existing, since the machine creates distortions that can evaporate any intrusion going through the dilated fields. It will fluctuate the edge of the field with rapid pulses of fast-forwarding and fast-rewinding time that can destabilize molecules and atoms. All physical matter will deteriorate to nothing if its rate of time doesn't match the pulsations of the time dilation's rate of time. Even a hand passing through it will remove it from your arm. I believe there are two temporally dilated fields being produced around the machine itself, one that envelops itself and the other enveloping Kay, which would make it impossible for us to access. At least not without the use of Era Agent technology. In essence, we need their technology to free Kay, but even I have doubts that they hold the key to his freedom.'
Virid hissed. 'Then we should attack the Era Agency and understand how to use their technology. If there is a chance we can free Kay, then we will attempt it!'
Corvurn growled. 'Waste of resources. Requires great effort to understand Era Agency technology. Understanding non-biological adaptations, not part of Swarm evolution. Organism Othafurn contains eidetic memory. Learned how Swarm mutations can adapt to time travel technology. Chosen not to understand technology within contained timeline. Regarded as unimportant. Theory. Era Agency knows Swarm capabilities. May adapt to second intrusion. Perhaps already have. Second intrusion into Era Agency facility to destroy Era Agency regarded as difficult. Contains high risk of failure. Acquiring further knowledge of Era Agency technology will prove difficult. Must avoid further paradoxes.'
Virid paused since she couldn't add anything to Corvurn's rebuttal. Othafurn had something on her mind. 'Then when we have spread to new territories, and spawned more forces, we will attempt to penetrate the Era Agency facility and infest it a second time. Once we do, we will take our time to understand their technology better and use it to save Kay from his temporal hold. I regret to say it, but there is a chance that Kay may have forgotten who he is, or what we are, once he has been freed.'
But before they began to plan a way to infiltrate the Era Agency's facility, a new voice intercepted the three remaining zerg commanders. 'Refrain from attacking Era Agency!'
Corvurn, Othafurn, and Virid tried to find out where this voice emanated from within the psionic connection, but they found nothing. This had never happened to them before. 'Who said that? Show yourself!' Virid hissed.
'Corvurn Junior command organism. Listen. Events must fall into place. Requires Kay to remain inside temporally dilated field. Let him remain. Field will break down eventually.'
'Corvurn Junior?! You're... You're the evolution master created from our evolution master in the other timeline, right? Huh... Keeping track of these events is becoming harder than I had thought.' Virid said, slightly hissing in frustration.
Othafurn, on the other hand, was confused. 'CJ, how are you communicating to us without being present?'
Corvurn Junior sounded exacerbated. 'Have no time to talk. Right now, at war in future. Kay key to winning. Let him reside in temporal tomb. Will be released after time passes. Opening time gate and releasing spore pods to moon location, now. Use unlocked strains and mutations. Key to survival till Kay's release.'
Othafurn was further confused, but she could sense that Corvurn Junior was earnest in his instructions. Just what happened in the future that forced Corvurn Junior to intercept this event and change the passage of time? 'What happens in the future, CJ?'
'Reminder. No time to talk. Must go now. Keep selves from releasing command organism Kay prematurely. Evolution Master Corvurn. Suggestion: run. Ending conversation now.'
Corvurn was hesitant for a few seconds before he asked. 'Query. What did progenitor evolution master mean?'
There was a sudden shaking that interrupted their psionic conversation at that moment. What followed was an unusual change of pressure in the air. Corvurn didn't know what was happening, but he saw the air around the temporally dilated field wavering and expanding, as though an explosive shockwave was pressing the air itself outward, except slowly. Strange, glowing triangles of orange and green started growing out of the temporal bubble at a worrying rate, which began folding over the temporally dilated field to form a geometric pattern while it continued to grow. As the energy triangles became larger and larger, so too did the air distortion continued to expand. When the air distortion expanded enough to surround Corvurn, he noticed that there was no air within the distortion. He dared not to touch the bright triangles since they crackled with an unusual electricity. But also, Corvurn felt both numb and overstimulated when he was within the air distortion. It felt like being in a crowded, overactive room with muted voices. Virid was quick to answer Corvurn's question. 'I suppose it is THAT! Retreat to safer ground, Corvurn!'
Corvurn looked at the shrylisk he had crept out of, then looked at the strange phenomenon happening before him. He shook his head. 'No time to use shrylisk strain. Nydus worm strain, proficient.' He said, making a hasty slither toward the nydus network that was quickly becoming enveloped by the air distortion. The energy triangles of orange and green passed through the underground tower and surrounding buildings, making them explode with electricity and fire. When those triangles passed through them, it had also burned away wood and melted through metal at an astonishing speed. Before the energy triangles could grow big enough to threaten and destroy the underground chamber, Corvurn had successfully escaped into the nydus network and transported himself into a deeper chamber further away.
The triangles grew and grew, becoming larger and larger, getting bigger and bigger. Its growth became so much so that it ate the creep around itself and killed any zerg organism that was unlucky enough to stand in its way, and any zerg that perceived it as a threat to the underground hive cluster. The energy triangles even grew huge enough to start digging into the sides of the underground village's cavern walls. Soon, a tremendous rumble was heard before the roof started caving in, resulting in an avalanche of land to fall on all of the housings and onto this anomalous energy occurrence.
A rumbling was heard at the perimeter defense constructed around the entrance to the underground zerg hive cluster. Every soldier that had gathered there exchanged worried glances with one another, expecting terrible things to happen. The shaking was so bad that Corporal Skedir had to hold himself onto a nearby soldier to keep himself balanced. When the tremors still continued, he decided to splay himself onto the ground and bring out a handheld radio from his person. "Commander Kralluf! There is an enormous quake at my position!"
[Corporal Skedir, be advised that there might be a 'war claw' coming to your position! Evacuate the area and warn the artillery desert platforms to keep their eyes open!] Kralluf warned.
[Sir, this is desert platform 05, we're getting a lot of unusual seismic readings from our equipment.]
[Unusual? I'm gonna guess this is a new zerg tactic! What are you reading?] Kralluf asked.
[... A... A void collapse?! I think soil above the underground location of the zerg nest is destabilizing!]
Kralluf laughed. [HAH! The zerg are getting buried and we didn't even need to do anything! What's the condition of the breaching team underground?]
[Sir, I'm getting a report that the zerg have stopped in their movement. The soldiers down there are experiencing tremors too. ... Oh no... Sir! I am not receiving any more life readings from our men!]
[Is it another zerg attack?] Kralluf asked.
[We are reviewing the live feeds, sir. ... Oh. It appears to be a tunnel collapse, sir.]
[Grr. I don't like this. Have the rest of the breaching team retreat. Apparently, the 'other' infiltrator team did something that caused these tremors to happen. What's the condition on that void collapse?] Kralluf growled.
[Sir, the void collapse has not ceased. I think there is going to be a sinkhole developing soon.]
[From where?] Kralluf questioned.
[Uh... Two and a half kilometers north from the center of the mountain's caldera.]
[And when will it manifest itself?] Kralluf asked.
There was a pause before an answer was given. [... About forty seconds, sir.] Seconds later, a large plume of dust had erupted into the air, generated by the crumbling earth. The plume of dust tainted the ground with more shadow. Searchlights were swiveled to illuminate the rising cloud of particulates that covered the black sky with sandy dust. [Uh... Correction, sir. Now. The sinkhole is being generated now.]
Kralluf growled. [Well that's just swell. Position combat fliers that are fitted with anti-flier weapons around the newly formed sinkhole. We don't want anything flying out of the new hole, like drifters or slayers for example.]
[This is flier interceptor group 3 through 8. Groups 1 and 2 will provide support while we hover close to the area, over.] Soon, fliers flew to the sinkhole that was north of the defensive perimeter, which was slowly growing bigger by the second as more dust shot into the sky while sand and earth fell in. As they circled over the developing sinkhole, they soon began seeing an unusual light being produced from deep within the hole. [Hmm... Is it me, or is there some kind of light coming from the sinkhole?] [You're not the only one. What the hell is it?] [No idea, but it's getting brighter.] [Command, are you seeing this? Check our video feeds.]
There was a pause before Kralluf answered. [... Yeah, I'm seeing it. What the hell is it?]
[We don't know. Is this a new zerg organism we don't know about?]
[Hard to say.] Kralluf answered, unsure. [The information the informant imparted has no relevant data that describes what this is. Continue your patrol and continue reporting any new developments. Over and out.]
[Roger.] The Golden Star Empire fliers continued their lazy patrol around the billowing dust cloud as more soil and sand fell into the sinkhole, widening it further as the light within began to glow brightly. When the dust clouds died down, it enabled the fliers a view of the light within the sinkhole. [Sir, there appears to be a light source at the bottom of the sinkhole.]
[Can you describe it?] Kralluf asked.
[Uh... It looks like... some kind of giant plant thing made of energy?]
[Huh. It kind of looks like a flower. Is it the cause of the sinkhole?] Kralluf asked.
[I'm starting to think so, sir. I can see its petals cutting into the sides of the sinkhole. It's growth is making the hole wider.]
[Don't know why it's all green and orange like that, but I need to know if the defensive perimeter is in danger of being swallowed up in that growing sinkhole.] Kralluf said.
[The flower thing is not ceasing in its growth rate, sir. We don't know how big it will get.]
[Hmm... I REALLY don't like this. Commander Pallax, I think I might need some input here.] Kralluf said.
[I will report this to our informant, and to Emperor Gollog.] Pallax replied. [Commander Kralluf, you are to pull the forces assembled at Red Mountain out and maintain a safe distance from the... 'energy plant'. If it's a new kind of zerg organism, then we have to treat it as though it is an enemy, especially if your forces cannot maintain their positions. For now, I suggest we retreat and study the anomaly in a more secure position.]
More land had shifted and fell into the sinkhole, which continued to widen the hole by a greater margin. Oddly, the dust or particulates no longer rose out of the hole when the sinkhole kept continued collapsing. The petals of the 'energy flower' was now starting to rise above the ground.
Suddenly, the fliers that were hovering close to the energy flower began rapidly falling out of the sky. [Sir! Something happened to my flight controls! It's unresp- *rushing wind* GAUCKHK~!] [One of our fliers is falling out of the sky! Re-*rushing wind* *GACKUCKERCK!] [Move away from the bright flower thing! I think it's causing our fliers to fall out of the sky!] [How?! I see no spines or spores attacking our forces. *rushing wind* HURGHPFT!]
Kralluf was starting to become mad. [Flier groups, retreat from the energy flower's airspace. Artillery teams, aim your ordinance at that thing and fire at will. I won't take kindly to losing the lives of a few of my soldiers to a flower, no matter how strange an anomaly it is.]
Kralluf's desert platforms rotated around and aimed their artillery cannons at the energy flower, at the behest of Commander Kralluf's command. Once the artillery cannons on the desert platforms aimed at the energy flower, they fired a volley of shells that heavily impacted it. The flower seemed to quiver when the shells made explosive contact with it. [Direct hit. It seems to be reacting to our artillery shells. No visible damage, however.]
[Keep on firing then. Maybe it'll stop growing if you hit a weak-spot.] Kralluf ordered.
Several more rounds was fired at the growing structure of energy that kept increasing in size, yet it quivered more violently as it was struck with more artillery shells. The petals extended outward and immediately produced thunderous lightening that leapt out and struck the desert platforms, ionizing the cannons on them and electrifying much of the crew aboard them. [FUCKING HELL! Commander Kralluf, be advised! The energy plant retaliated right back! Some kind of lightning based attack hit us hard! A lot of the crew on the desert platforms have suffered fourth degree burns or are dead!]
[What?! What is the condition of your remaining crew?!] Kralluf ordered.
[Unknown! We are still recovering from the damage!]
[Dammit... I'm sounding the general retreat for everybody right now! Replace the crew of the desert platforms, and get out of there as soon as you can!] Kralluf ordered loudly.
Pallax interjected into Commander Kralluf's command. [This is unfortunate news. What is the energy plant's rate of growth?]
[Sir, it looks like it's nearing a kilometer across. It has reached past the ground level and is still continuing to grow!]
[Any sign of recession?] Pallax asked.
[No sir- *wind rushing* GAWKRF!]
[Respond. What is happening?] Pallax ordered.
[I have no idea, sir. He just... collapsed over like he choked on som- *wind rushing* MBLRGHK!]
A sigh could be heard from Pallax. [... I'm afraid I must agree with Commander Kralluf. I, General Pallax of the four armies of the Golden Star Empire, order everyone at, or near, Red Mountain to retreat immediately!]
Once General Pallax issued that command, the soldiers at the defensive perimeter guarding the entrance to the underground zerg hive cluster was quickly dismantled and abandoned, letting the remaining breaching soldiers a means to escape. When the empire soldiers boarded onto the desert platforms and manned the positions that was recently made vacant from the energy flower's electrical attack, the empire gilanians made their retreat before the air distortion reached them. Many of them were able to find safety, but there were a few straggling soldiers that were caught in the air distortion. They died in a vacuum when the air distortion moved over them, making it impossible to escape when they choked on nothingness.
The remaining forces were moving out of the dangerous range of the spreading air distortion, though the others unable to escape weren't as fortunate. Their tongues swelled and bubbled as they grabbed for their necks, as though a piece of food was stuck within their throats, even when there was none. The unlucky survivors had to make a sprint away from the energy flower to remain in the normal atmosphere outside of the air distortion to continue breathing, but they had to run in order to keep out of the distortion. A few were lucky enough to find a sand board to ride on and make their way away from the air distortion quickly, but others were unable to do so when the air distortion already reached them.
Kralluf growled. [What will it take to take down that energy plant?]
Pallax paused for a few seconds before he replied. [I have no idea. I might have to invite Commander Faddoh to analyze this unusual anomaly. If this is a new zerg organism that we haven't faced yet, then we will have to adapt to its tactics. This disruption to our operation is unfortunate, but we cannot suffer any further losses.]
[Pallax?] Gollog's voice said in an annoyed manner. [Why are our men retreating from Red Mountain?]
[I apologize, sir.] Pallax answered. [An anomalous disturbance had interrupted our operations, and I had to act expediently in order to save our men. Kralluf had ordered his men to fire artillery shells at the anomalous disturbance, but it retaliated with some kind of electrical attack. Many of Kralluf's men perished.]
[This is no good!] Gollog growled. [What am I supposed to do with a rabble of soldiers that ran away at the sight of a glowing garden weed? Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. Pallax, do you know what the light cycle is currently at?]
[47% and waxing, sir.] Pallax answered.
[Good. By the time the light cycle reaches 55%, I will unleash my holy smite attack on that pitiful little sprout. I so do enjoy a little gardening now and then.] Gollog said evenly.
[Very good, sir. That should give us enough time for us to retreat to safer ground and watch your powerful smite attack with awe.] Pallax answered.
Time had passed. The natural rotation of the heavens resulted in the eventual night to turn into morning, followed by dawn. As the darkness crept away, it revealed a sun that brightened the sky over sands and mountain. However, when the sun was set slightly above the horizon, it emitted a devastating orbital laser beam, which was Emperor Gollog's signature holy smite attack, which beamed onto the glowing structure that was erasing the mountain around itself. The energy plant's petals began warbling and shifting colors of green and orange at a rapid pace, which soon changed into a violent shaking.
After a minute of constant barrage of orbital laser, the petals of the energy flower bent and pointed up toward the laser. The tips of the triangular petals traveled up the laser and transformed into electrical energy, becoming like arcing lightning that passed through Gollog's smite attack. Several seconds had passed before the bombarding laser ceased, and the glowing energy plant continued to quivered as it slowly returned to its natural position, its shaking eventually slowing down to a stillness, even when its green and orange petals slowly rotated around itself at a normal speed.
Elsewhere, on the hexagonal moon, the hive cluster developing on it continued to grow uninterrupted. But the newly evolved broodmother was staring intently at the planet above herself, her mind completely focused on something else.
Othafurn quickly noticed Virid's behavior, which prompted her to check up on the broodmother. The leviathan she had used to escape Kiln's surface hovered close to Virid, it's doleful eyes staring directly at the brooding broodmother. 'Virid. Are you worried about Kay?'
Virid sighed, even when there was no atmosphere on the hexagonal moon. 'I was responsible for infesting him. And yet, there is a certain feeling I am experiencing that I have never experienced before.'
Othafurn analyzed Virid's mental acuity for a few seconds before she discovered what was wrong. 'Doubt haunts your mind. It would do you well to refrain from thinking such thoughts. If you feel doubt, then the lesser strains will sense that emotion. Such mental degradation will not be tolerated.'
'Easier said than done. My mental powers have increased significantly, now that I have evolved from a large queen, into a huge queen, and finally into a broodmother. I would even dare say my power is equal to Broodmother Zagara. ... And yet, I can't help it.' She turned to the leviathan that contained Othafurn. 'To lose a commander like him is a serious blow to our forces. The Swarm has became lesser for it, and it infuriates me that our enemies have the potential to rewrite our history still!'
The mental shaking of a head was transmitted to Virid. 'There is something else within your doubt. Is this... attachment?' Othafurn posited.
Virid hissed. 'These new emotions within me are so human in design. I loathe such an unnecessary unfamiliarity, and I further regret you sharing his memories with my own. To understand what those emotions are like from his perspective has corrupted my own, and I now cannot forget such images and experiences. Such... such turgid swill! To think he had the mental alacrity to become a commander of our brood, yet he somehow kept his terran personality quirks that made himself so unique. I'm starting to think that the void we were once floating in had an unintended effect on his brain. Perhaps my own as well!'
Othafurn sighed. 'It was necessary to share those memories with you. Otherwise, we wouldn't have enough time to prepare and adapt to the battles to come.'
Virid sat herself onto the creep and crossed her arms, looking away from Othafurn's leviathan. 'I know... But you didn't need to force those memories onto me so harshly. It's hard to refrain from thinking about him, since you committed so much of his memories into my own. Now, it's hard to differentiate my normal mental state when needless emotions are plaguing my strategic formulations! His past timeline's explanation on how vision works, for example. Near the end of that timeline, I was beginning to understand how vision affected the strategies we formed to thwart Golden Star. But having to learn of that again from his perspective through himself as well, it became so much more ingrained than I had wanted. Vision is a boon to have, but it is a curse when its memories is closely painted by the face and thoughts of someone that is so... So human.'
'You heard the message of the evolution master's progeny. Kay will be released from his temporal hold in time. We merely need to be patient and let him be released on his own terms. It is a sacrifice to our forces, but linearity in the timeline demands its continuation, and its occupants that orchestrates the flow of events must be allowed to move into place on their own volition. It is not an easy thing to follow, but I have faith in Corvurn Junior. And I think you must have more faith in Kay.' Othafurn opined.
Virid was silent for several seconds before she hissed and directed her attention to the zerg, psionically commanding them to continue growing creep and hatcheries. 'You wouldn't say such things when you yourself had already sacrificed so much in the timeline you came from. I know you were holding back on certain memories you didn't want HIM to learn.'
Othafurn took her turn to hiss, making the leviathan look intimidating as it waved its stabbing tentacles dangerously around Virid. 'Do not dare mention this in front of him! If he had discovered what I had to do to get here, then he wouldn't have allowed me to assist The Swarm in the first place. You are not to tell him, or I will rip your mandibles off of your face.'
Virid stared at Othafurn's leviathan, unflinching. '... I won't tell him out of spite. But you must promise me that YOU will tell him. By the time we have conquered this planet and destroyed the meddlesome Golden Star Empire, you will tell him what you did in your past timeline, or he will find out on his own and resent you for it.'
Othafurn was silent for many seconds. Before long, Othafurn finally revealed her answer. '...Fine. I promise I will tell him. Not now... but someday. Now get your fat ass back to commanding The Swarm.'
Virid hissed as she diverted her attention back to commanding The Zerg Swarm on the moon. '... I think Kay's odd mannerisms have been rather ablative around us. What is going to become of The Swarm after we picked up some of his habits? Ugh...'
And so, they continued their task on covering the moon with creep and various bio structures. The spore pod that Corvurn Junior had launched from his location, wherever or whenever that may be, had landed on a patch of creep on the moon that revealed several mutations ready to be unlocked, administering several zerg strains that could be spawned. But after enough time had passed, the people of Kiln would experience a resurgence of zerg in the worst way possible. As prophesied by Corvurn Junior, Kay will make a return in the future.
A/N: Added another note in chapter 54 at the top. Felt like the readers needed a notice before they go on to read a certain story several times over, but with slight differences in the later chapters.