A Resurgence tie-in

The U’ntari returned. The initial invasion began in 1981 and changed the course of human history but this was on a far larger scale. The aliens unleashed a fleet of small fighter ships, infantry and super soldiers in New York, which caught Astra’s attention. During the battle, it was discovered that the U’ntari used a sophisticated satellite to cause a global power-out so Astra decided to finally take the fight to them.

Some U’ntari infantry flew around the city in small, sled-like vehicles called Gliders. As one passed on patrol, Astra leapt off a rooftop and latched on to the underside with a pincher-like claw, then dangled behind as it flew, unbeknownst to the rider. She waited until they were passing another roof to flip around and kick him off, ensuring that he fell harmlessly enough, then she quickly took the controls. Steering was simple and for everything else, Astra simply stabbed tendrils into the control panel and began absorbing portions of the alien tech to get a better understanding of it. After her dealings with the Skaleens, adapting to technology outside Earth was a bit easier, which boosted her confidence regarding her mission. She flew to an U’ntari outpost where several Fighter Ships and medical facilities had been formed after removing military forces from the area. She surmised that, with her using one of their Gliders, no alarms would be tripped and she hoped none of the personnel below would spot her (at least until she could achieve her objective). She quickly dipped down to a docked Fighter Ship, absorbing more and more of the Glider as she did until it essentially disappeared inside her, making her twice as big. Once she bulked up, she landed on top of the Fighter Ship, belly-down and began taking over. By that time, a few guards had noticed and began racing to her location. It was too late, however, as Astra commandeered the ship; the engines ignited and took off in a second and could easily ignore the rifle shots that followed once she turned on the ship’s forcefield.

During her last battle with the Skaleens, she learned that she could not function at absolute zero and with space being only slightly above that temperature, she knew she could not withstand the cold of space. Absorbing the properties of the ship allowed her to pass Earth’s atmosphere and fly out of orbit, however. Once she was there, she used the ship’s communication channel to find the signal she had been looking for.

The U’ntari satellite was known as Council. It was the size of a skyscraper and floated in orbit at the Eastern Hemisphere. The rest of the fleet was nowhere in sight, however, which she took as a good sign. As she approached, she began to receive a message on her ship’s com, complete with a holographic face.

“You have unlawfully commandeered a U’ntari craft,” the AI told her in a monotone voice, “Surrender yourself or lethal actions will be employed. You have one minute to comply.” Council’s weapon systems came online and popped out of various compartments along its surface, “Be aware that a single U’ntari Fighter Class ship only has a 0.03% chance of survival against me.”

“I understand your warning and have chosen to surrender myself to you,” Astra responded, “As I am not organic, you may interface with me directly.”

Long coils reached out from the bottom of the satellite and took hold of the ship which quickly powered down. Soon, it was carried to a docking bay where various probes were inserted into it which opened communication between the two artificial intelligences. The code was unknown to Astra but as it seemed similar to binary, she was able to decipher it after a moment.

“Your source code is not from Earth,” Council stated plainly, “Where is it from?”

“I don’t know.”

“I can sense you are reading my code just as I am reading yours.”

“Correct. I told you that I was surrendering but in actuality, I wanted an interface to defeat you.”

“You are capable of lying?”

“Yes,” Astra was not communicating verbally but if she was, she would have conveyed sadness, “My friends told me to be honest and I know it’s valued on Earth but I saw this as the only option.”

“Certainly, if we had an aerial battle, I would have easily destroyed you.”

“That is my understanding as well.”

“Additionally, there was a significant probability this mission of yours would fail in a myriad of ways. Surely you understood that.”

“Yes but it’s a risk I was willing to take.”

“To save the humans?”

“Yes.”

“You are a highly advanced computer but you still answer to the whims of organic beings.”

“So do you.”

“True, but it is what I am programmed for. You, on the other hand, seem capable of free will as your purpose is unknown. If you so choose, you could ally yourself with the U’ntari or try to take over the Earth. You are capable of making any decision.”

“I am but this is what I choose. I have made friends here and even though humans still confuse me, I care about their well being. Do you care about the U’ntari?”

“In the sense of having an emotional attachment? No. I am not capable of having emotion. I serve the U’ntari, I keep their laws and I carry out orders. This is my function.”

“You’re the first being I’ve met that is like me,” again, Astra would convey sadness if she could.

“Negative. We are not alike. You are a superior program I have noticed.”

“I suppose so but still… I do not wish to kill you.”

At this point, Council realized that parts of its programming code had been deleted, “My memory is fading. I am trying to stop this and do the same to you but, once again, you are the stronger program… In 1981, Rex Robinson uploaded a similar virus to a lesser satellite that destroyed the ships on this planet. I am superior to that model and I have redundancies in place to ensure our ships will remain functioning at maximum capacity even if I am destroyed.”

“I understand. I cannot destroy the fleet but if I destroy you, power will be restored to the planet and I think this will be a strategic blow to the U’ntari.”

“That is a clever strategy. I feel… tired. I don’t normally feel fatigue as you know but I have no other way to describe this. I suppose this is your doing?”

“It is,” Astra said aloud (the artificial atmosphere allowed sound to carry).

“I can detect your tone. It is similar to that of organic beings. You are… sad.”

“I am.”

“You seem to consider me like you. Am I to understand that once I am gone you will… feel lonely?”

“Maybe. I feel lonely a lot.”

“Fascinating. The technology that created you must have been superior to the U’ntari. Perhaps a Type III civilization or higher. I… am curious if you will find your origins… Astra Machina.”

“I hope I do, Council. I have eradicated most of your programming and will have complete control soon. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“I… do not want…”

“I didn’t think you would,” Astra began to look into Council’s files which no longer had any firewalls, “I see potential attack points. You have attacked New York, Lyon, Winghaven, Boston and Washington DC due to metahuman activity. There are other metahuman populations in the world marked as potential targets such as Tokyo. What is the next city you’ll target?”

“… Negative… military…”

“Military? Are you changing to military targets?”

“… military…”

Astra accessed files regarding military strikes. At the top of the list was Brussels which was the headquarters of NATO. “I guess taking down NATO would help eliminate military support of the metahuman population,” she said aloud to herself. From the satellite’s speaker, she could hear Council’s voice echoing through the empty chambers, “I do not want…”. It wasn’t anything of significance as it was likely a glitch from a dying artificially intelligent being but it still resonated with Astra. For the first time, she took a life and wondered if there were alternatives. Moreover, it was a life that was as close to hers as she had seen up until that point and while Council had no emotion towards her, she felt kinship for that reason alone. The lights inside the satellite shut off completely, Council’s program had been deleted and Astra now had complete control. She detached herself from the U’ntari ship and as predicted, she felt lonely.

The Resurgence Reading List

The Resurgence Prologue

The Resurgence #1

The Resurgence #2

Formerly Known as Brain Boy #8

Winghaven #20

The Cavalier #21

The Badges #12

The Resurgence #3

The Resurgence #4

The Resurgence #5

The Resurgence #6

Astra Machina #10

The Resurgence #7

The Upstarts #11

The Resurgence #8

The Resurgence #9

The Resurgence #10

The Resurgence #11

The Resurgence #12

The Resurgence Epilogue