Immortality

“Stop them!”

“Help me!”

“Containment breach, level six, red alert, commencing lockdown. Please evacuate.”

The first two screams were from lab techs, the last from the computer safety system. Nyx watched as the screens showed chaos. Her lab was being destroyed, and she was smiling.

It had worked.

The souls had found themselves stuck inside the new vessels. Only a few years of testing was needed to find a way to create a space for the soul. Nyx had never expected it to work so easily. Her techs had simply adapted another project to suit this one.

It was a white jade and turquoise combination, being the best at channeling the spiritual energies. They took the work Theadora had finally completed, and added the crystals into the compartments. Her work was flawless, the vessels were shaped exactly like the humanoid they had discussed. The inner workings were all there as well. Places to add the crystals were first, they needed to bind the souls of their test subjects.

Next were power generators. And then they needed a way to link the soul to the body itself. A soul imprisoned in a non moving body was undesirable. Having the limbs move was easy enough for the master smith. The individual fingers and toes even had joints, and compartments for small hidden weapons. Theadora had been over the moon with joy when told to go all out on these.

A new weapon, designed to take human life away from the battlefield. The smith had set her entire workforce to designing and prototyping these weapons. Nyx had even stopped in to see the work once, wearing an illusion of course, but was surprised to see her precious metal being used as a tool.

Theadora was swinging a hammer made of the auratite. It was so loud, that her beat had been setting everyone else’s rhythm. But the line up of mannequins quickly let the hammer slip her mind. She had over a dozen prototype vessels ready. All of them equipped with every containment slot that had been ordered.

This smith was becoming the most crucial piece in Nyx’s plan. And now that they were this far, she would need to have her closer. She had succeeded in creating an immortal body for the mortal souls. Never mind the fact, that as soon as the soul became aware of its situation, it went berserk. That could be fixed in the next generation.

Nyx watched on, waiting to see the capabilities of her new warriors. The eyes went blank, the body began to radiate purple energy. Their hands and seemed to twitch and flex, as if they were stretching and learning how to move. Several of them unleashed wicked, sharp blades from their forearms.

One split it’s arm into three, each appendage was left with two claw like hooks at the end. They didn’t seem to discriminate between what they destroyed, or whom they killed. Lab techs were screaming and running out of the containment room. The newly aware vessels had started chasing after them.

First experiments always had their catches though. She would have to find a way to smooth this little hiccup out of her creations. She watched the man who had once been a planet dignitary, tear apart one lab tech after another. His bare hands tearing into their flesh with ease.

One lab tech had grabbed a reactive repeater from a locker. The rapid fire plasma bolts didn’t seem to affect the new vessels at first. The purple energy flared brighter for a second. All of the vessels turning to state down the tech with the gun. Then they all charged down the technician.

White hot bolts of plasma sliced through one vessel. Still the newly immortalized soul was forcing its way forward. The lab tech had backed up against a wall now. The vessel closing in on him, the plasma fire creating a strobe light effect on the cameras, but Nyx watched on. Just before the vessel reached the tech, one plasma bolt found its home, just under the neck of the vessel.

The body dropped. Like a puppet cut from its strings, the berserk rage ended. Laying on the floor, the vessel wasn’t moving. The purple energy radiating out from it earlier was gone. The lab tech was also sitting on the floor now. Repeater still clutched tightly in his hands.

Nyx smirked when she saw the wet puddle that was growing from under him. The others had hesitated at seeing one of their own slain. Now they saw the mans fear, and attacked. His body became nothing more than paste and a smear of green blood.

“Schedule the next six. I think we might be on the edge of breaking through.” Nyx’s commands were never ignored. A few looked hesitant, but they knew if they didn’t act immediately, they would be on the floor when the next one got loose.

And so the next six batches would be ordered. Theadora would improve the small things, but Nyx was happy with what she had already. Each batch would have a thousand soldiers. She would take the federations army and begin switching their souls over. The elite forces first.

She could wait to give her sons and their warriors vessels until she had them perfected. Hizumi would need one as well, not that Nyx wanted her to become more powerful. For now, Nyx needed to keep her council in line. Which meant she needed bodies for them.

Who should get the first?

Each would get their own set eventually, but she wanted to keep the power hungry ones grasping. That’s why she said six batches.

Isold needed one. His planet was still a war front. The other five, she would need to think more on. 

Nyx smiled as she gazed into the now burning lab before her. The monitor screen was starting to crackle with static, the picture becoming distorted by the heat. 

She had a new idea, watching the remaining two vessels square off against each other. She decided to send one of the six batches to a test world. She needed to know the limits and capabilities of these vessels, and her technicians would demand more data before becoming productive on the next generations of them. 

Nyx even had the perfect world, full of willing natives that would fall over themselves to be the first at anything. They would love to get a chance to test her creations for her, without any questions asked. Which test world would be suitable? 

She couldn’t choose a barren world, there would be only internal conflict. Her metropolitan planets would just give the testers a chance to lay waste to cycles of building and hard work, so that wouldn’t do either. Maybe an unconquered planet, let the vessels loose upon non conforming natives. 

The signal to read the vitals and functions of the vessels required a space needle though. She had time to think, and it would be wise to use it. Maybe she could get Gastov involved, he always loved being the cause of political upheaval. He also always had extensive lists of interesting people and places. Perhaps he even knew a world to test the vessels on already. 

The last remaining vessel let out a victory cry, the pile of debris at its feet frozen solid. Chunks of what used to be body parts, and vessel parts alike, lay on the frosted floor. Steam rose from the expelling heat, obscuring the floor in a thick haze. Nyx put a hand on the lead tech, the man almost fell away in cowardice. 

“Make sure that one is given a proper cage to roam in. The northern caves should do nicely.” She let her words sink in, the man clearly half a step behind but slowly understanding. “Clean up the mess afterwards, I want the bodies checked for any recyclable parts. When the next wave of vessels arrive, split one batch in two. Half are for your experiments here, continue onto the next phase. I need them to be aware of whom they used to be, not flying into a psychotic rage, just because they have no other emotions. The other half, send to the port dock. I will make arrangements for them from there.” 

The orders given, Nyx turned to leave. Councils meetings were next on her agenda. Hizumi would return soon as well, that girl would need a heavy hand to push her in the next direction. Nyx had plans for her, and Hizumi was determined to find any loop hole that allowed her to change her path. Searching for resources in the Cluster gave her many opportunities to become side tracked. 

The deadline for her return was in two rotations, Nyx almost wanted Hizumi to skip out. To try and run, let the girl think herself cleaver. If the vessels worked out properly, Nyx had already insured that those closest to her plan, would never be able to escape her desire.