Chapter 04

The four crew members of the Krysalyn were gathered on the bridge, watching the central display that showed live footage of the human in the containment room. The camera captured his figure as he calmly ate the meal Nyxis had prepared. His movements were methodical, controlled, but there was something striking about his presence. He was immense, his height even more prominent with his upright posture, even when leaning against the capsule.

"He's really huge," Byra remarked, her voice tinged with admiration and a hint of apprehension. She leaned closer to the screen, as if she could measure his height just by looking. "Look at the size of that thing."

"But he accepted the food well," said Tila, her ears slightly tilted forward, a reflection of her curiosity. She was trying to focus on any signs of strange behavior, but so far, everything seemed normal.

"And now?" Tila asked, turning to Kador, who remained seated in his command chair. "What do we do?"

Kador crossed his arms, his reptilian gaze fixed on the screen. He seemed to ponder carefully before answering. "Well… now we have to try to communicate with him ourselves. We need to understand more about what he is and where he came from."

He paused, then looked at the display again and asked, "He's safe, right?"

Nyxis responded with her usual analytical calm. "From my conversations with this human, he is a soldier. He introduced himself as CloneMarine 42785/B. He appears emotionally stable and shows no signs of fear or anxiety. As a clone soldier, I believe his creators may have limited the intensity of those emotions in him."

This made Tila furrow her brow. "That concerns me a little. Isn't cloning prohibited in the Federation?"

"Yes," Nyxis confirmed, "the practice is prohibited under Federation law. However, his species is not part of the Federation. Given the significance of this discovery, they could eventually become candidates for membership. This could allow for a reassessment of cloning policies for this specific species."

"But… why would they need a marine that big?" Loran asked, with a mix of incredulity and fascination. He leaned against the wall of the bridge, arms crossed as he stared at the screen. "I mean, seriously, what's the point? Just looking at him is intimidating."

Nyxis responded, still processing the data. "That I still need to determine. However, his size, strength, and emotional stability suggest he was created for intense combat or missions in hostile environments. There are many gaps about the conditions of his creation that we need to fill."

Kador's eyes remained fixed on the screen as he tapped his fingers on the side of the console. He knew they were dealing with something unique—and potentially dangerous. But for now, the human seemed cooperative. "Alright, keep interacting with him for now and see what you can find out," the captain said.

---

The human was kneeling beside his capsule, his hands moving over the worn panels as he accessed the remaining functional systems. He was lost in thought, inspecting the state of the capsule, when Nyxis's voice broke the silence.

"Did you enjoy the food?" the AI asked, her calm and unassuming tone echoing through the room.

He paused for a moment, looking around the space as if trying to locate the source of the voice, before replying with a short laugh. "It's better than the rations I ate for years." He stood up, stretching his body, still stiff from cryosleep. "How did you manage to make that? It felt… almost normal."

"My crew has access to a food synthesizer," Nyxis explained. "It's common technology in the Federation, capable of replicating a variety of meals based on biological data and preferences."

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Interesting… but that brings me to another question: where is your crew? It feels like I'm trapped here as a prisoner on this 'ship.'"

"You are not a prisoner," Nyxis replied. "The crew is cautious. They want to understand more about you before making direct contact. I, as merely an artificial intelligence, am not at risk of harm during our interactions."

The human chuckled, a dry and brief sound. Shaking his head, he returned to tinkering with the capsule. "I won't harm anyone on this ship unless my life is threatened. That's not what I was trained for."

"That seems credible," Nyxis replied after a brief moment of analysis.

There was a pause as he continued checking the capsule, before Nyxis asked the question that seemed inevitable. "What were you created for?"

He stopped for a moment, his gaze lingering on the capsule's panels. Taking a deep breath, he began speaking while continuing his work. "In my home system, called Sol, we had a war… or were having one, for all I know. It was a war against separatists from Mars."

He paused briefly, realizing he needed to explain further. "Mars is the fourth planet in the system; Earth is the third. Mars was colonized a century ago, but Mars… well, Mars became corrupted by some senseless nationalist rhetoric. They started seeing themselves as something different from us, as if they were better because they lived far from Earth. That led them to sever all ties with us without warning."

The human sighed, running his hand over the cold surface of the capsule, as if the physical touch helped him organize his thoughts. "And before we knew it, they already had ships and were attacking us. They blocked our trade routes to the outer planets of the system. That's how the war began."

"I see," Nyxis said, processing the information. "How long did the war last?"

"Fifty years," he replied, shaking his head with a mix of frustration and exhaustion. "Five decades of fighting that went nowhere. We were at a stalemate until our government decided to create a new class of soldiers. That's where I come in."

He lifted his mission tablet, checking its data as he spoke. "I'm a clone, as you already know. But I'm not the only one. There were, or maybe still are, thousands like me. All created for one purpose: to win the war. Our existence is utilitarian, designed to follow orders and achieve victory."

"And how did you plan to win?" Nyxis asked.

"The war led us to one of the greatest discoveries of our species: the FTL drive. It gave us the ability to cross distances in impossible times. We used these ships to attack Mars directly, reaching its orbit faster and trying to end the rebellion once and for all."

He paused, his gaze growing distant. "But… something went wrong. As far as I remember, the engine on my ship malfunctioned. We made a jump to an unknown area of space, far from the Sol system. The last thing I recall is the ship's alarms blaring and the order to enter cryo-pods. We were ejected from the ship just before it exploded."

"Exploded?" Nyxis asked, curious.

"Yes," he said, his voice quieter now. "I think the ship's life support was already failing. The pressure was dropping, and probably only a few of us managed to get into the pods in time. After that, all I know is that my pod kept drifting… until you found me."

He leaned against the capsule, his eyes tired as he tried to gather his thoughts. "I'm probably… the only one left."

The sharp sound of an alarm echoed through the containment room, pulling the human from his thoughts. He immediately raised his head, frowning. The noise was urgent, like a warning of something critical.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, his voice firm but tinged with distrust.

Nyxis's response came quickly, but there was something different in her tone, as if the AI were processing information at high speed. "At the moment, I cannot answer. I will return shortly."

Before the human could react, the room fell silent again, save for the muffled, persistent alarm sounding in the corridors. He narrowed his eyes, intrigued. Something was happening, and he didn't like the feeling of being left in the dark.

---

On the bridge, the lights flickered an intense red as the alarm blared loudly, putting the entire crew on high alert. Kador was already on his feet, his posture rigid as everyone rushed to their stations.

"What's happening?" demanded the captain firmly, his reptilian eyes gleaming with intensity as he turned toward the main screen.

Nyxis responded almost instantly, her voice maintaining composure despite the situation. "A ship has been detected on the radar. Investigating now."

"Target on radar," announced Byra, her fingers flying over the console in front of her as she magnified the sensors.

"What is it?" Kador asked, moving closer to the central panel.

Byra shook her head, her ears lowered in a sign of concern. "I don't know…"

"I've completed my analysis," Nyxis interjected, her voice sounding more tense than usual. "It's an illegal ship, possibly pirates."

For a moment, silence filled the bridge as everyone absorbed the gravity of the situation. Kador broke it with a clear command: "Prepare the engines for a jump. We can't deal with pirates."

Tila, seated at her station, turned to him, her large eyes filled with worry. "How did they find us?"

The captain let out a short sigh, clearly annoyed with himself. "We were careless. Left the ship parked here too long. We've become an easy target."

Before he could issue another order, Nyxis's voice interrupted again, now laced with urgency. "Captain, our jump system is inoperative. The pirate ship appears to be using a rudimentary FTL blocker, but it's effective against our vessel."

"Can you disable it?" Kador asked quickly, his tone carrying the weight of expectation.

"To deactivate the blocker, I would need direct access to the pirate ship's systems," Nyxis replied, the clarity in her analysis making it clear this would be an extremely risky task.

Kador clenched his jaw tightly, muttering under his breath. "Damn it.