Hybrid 3, Chapter 21: Moses

Chapter 21:
Moses

February 28th, 2361

    Back at Lykourgos, Helen’s Bravery orbited around the planet. Alexander was in the medical performing a few daily routines to keep Colonel Chan alive. He took a data-pad to look over the status of his resistance. Many people from different star systems had come to join him in the fight against the Helbots. No one in galactic history had ever kicked an army of machines off a planet. This was big for him, so far.

    Colonel Chan had been in the coma for over a month since Cahan and the Spacers returned. Alexander looked over the vital signs on the wall, but there was still no improvement in the colonel’s recovery. He feared that they needed to get back to the Republic as fast as possible.

    Vyla walked into the room. Alexander turned and slightly smiled as she came in. She said, “Hey.”

    “Hey,” Alexander said.

    “I was about to check up on him, but you seemed to be ahead of me,” she said.

    He shrugged. “I kind of go up to him to let him know what the hell is going on. I even told him that we saved this colony. I just hope that he heard what I said.”

    She said, “Well, I’m sure he is hearing us right now.”

    He chuckled and looked at the vital signs again. “We have to get to Republic space or somewhere where we could get him treated immediately. I don’t know how much time we have until his body shuts down or run out of medicine.”

    “Alex, we will get back as soon as possible,” she said.

    “According to the map, we are just about 75,000 light years from the Solar System,” he said. “We need to know if that relay would let us get there.”

    “Can I ask you something?”

    “Hum, sure, what is it?”

    “How did you know I was on that planet?”

    “My men and I detected your general’s distress beacon as we took our first flight through the Titan relay. I didn’t know you were with those soldiers. But we were able to get you and every other survivor out alive. I am glad that I was able to see you again. In fact, I thought about you all the time.”

    “Really?”

    “For years as I fought those Helbots with my marines, I thought of you. Not just my personal prophecy. My prophecy is to stop the Helbots from conquering the galaxy. And thinking about you helped me get through every battle I went through. Even battles where I faced my near death experience. Vyla, I missed you!”

    “I missed you too!”

    Alexander confessed to Vyla. She smiled as he thought about her and she too thought of him. They stared into each other’s eyes for a while. She put her webbed hand at the side of his face as she rubbed his cheek. He liked the feeling of her scaly hand rubbing him. He then stroked her dark purple hair and she drew closer to him.

    Alpha flew into the room with General Floundo and David behind him. The three stopped at the door as they interrupted Alexander and Vyla’s moment. Alexander looked up and meek as he waved to his other comrades. Vyla covered her mouth feeling embarrassed.

    Alpha shook himself, “I am dearly sorry if we were interrupting anything.”

    Alexander chuckled, “Don’t worry about it. What is it guys?”

    General Floundo said, “Your friend Yuya was toying around with my orb and did something that shocked us.”

    Alexander raised his eyebrows with concern, “What happened?”

    “You have to see for yourself,” said Alpha.

    Uh oh, he thought. I better see what the hell just happened.

    Alexander followed Alpha and General Floundo as they went towards the briefing room. David stayed behind for a while to know what was going on between him and Vyla. He knew they interrupted what they were doing.

    “Vyla, sorry that we had to interrupt,” David said.

    “That is fine,” Vyla apologized. “I just….oh never mind.”

    “You could tell me,” said David.

    “It was the first time Alex ever stroked my hair,” she smiled. “He thought about me forever. He left me and my family as the Helbots came to Purelif, but it was for a good cause. Now that he is back, he looks like a different person. To tell you the truth, he is not the same Alex I grew up with.”

    “You are saying it like this is a bad thing,” he said. “He did nothing horrible to anyone besides pissing off that drug lord with those diamonds.”

    “Well Enrique didn’t deserve those diamonds,” she said. “Alex did because he worked hard for them. Just look at this colony we save and how many people wanted to join the resistance. They are joining because he wants everyone to believe there is a chance in winning this war.”

    “You admire that?” he chuckled.

    She smiled, “I admired him before that!”

    “Oh I see,” he nodded.

    She asked, “Please, keep this between us?”

    “No problem,” he said. “I am sure he would be thrilled to hear that.”

    The two nodded and headed to the briefing room to investigate what happened to Yuya and the Orb.

    In the briefing room, Yuya’s jaw dropped as he and everyone else looked at the Orb. The Orb glowed gold and released a beam, which opened up into a galaxy map. Similar to the one they have in the relays. This map showed a key broken into three pieces, one shaft and a bow split in half. The two halves of the bow stayed at one position whereas the shaft was slightly moving.

    “Yuya, what’s going on?” Alexander asked. “It looks like you have activated some ancient map.”

    Yuya said, “I was carefully examining the orb because Hortor and I were curious. I touched it and moved around at a full circle. Then this happened.”

    Alpha took a closer look at the images on the map. He scanned the map and said, “Those are parts of a key to the Garden of Eden.”

    “How did you know that?” Alexander asked.

    “I scanned the orb and went into my library and found only one bit of information of the Garden of Eden,” said Alpha. “According to this file, the Garden of Eden is a stellar structure created by the Mechaniods millions of years before the Spacers and Titans. The purpose of the structure is unknown.”

    “You don’t know what it does?” Yuya asked.

    “No,” said Alpha. “Only who made it and what those key parts are.”

    “How come the shaft is moving on the map?” Alexander asked.

    “This orb shows you where the parts of the key are located in the galaxy,” said Alpha. “Since this shaft is moving, then that means it is either in a ship.”

    “Maybe it is the Helbots who got that shaft,” said Alexander thinking Cahan and the Helbots were up to something. “We need to get those other key pieces before they do!”

    “Where do you think we should go?” General Floundo asked.

    “Alpha, activate our galaxy map so I will know what star system those pieces are in,” said Alexander.

    Alpha projects their galaxy map next to the Orb’s map. As he turned to make it look like the other one, Alexander spotted where the other key parts were. He said, “The first half is on planet Delhi, located at the Spica system within the Omega Centauri.”

    “That’s in Helbot territory,” Yuya warned him. “If they find us there, we could be screwed.”

    “Unless we send a probe first into the relay,” said Alexander. “A probe could scan the planet and detected with any Helbots are occupying in the planet. Then I would lead a small group into the planet and secure the key piece. If the Helbots find us, then we would rush back to the relay and plant a bomb. We go through the portal and I won’t activate the bomb until we are back on Lykourgos.”

    “That sounds like a good plan!” Howie gave him two thumbs up. “Aoife and I are dying to smash more Helbots!”

    “Remember guy, I want to send a small group, not a huge army,” said Alexander. “I want seven people including myself. Those that want to head to the Spica system, raise your hand.”

    “You can count on me!” Vyla smiled. He was surprised for her to be the first one to volunteer.

    “You can’t fight Helbots without your favorite humans!” Howie smiled as he also mentioned Aoife and Yuya.

    “I want to go too,” said Hortor feeling confident.

    “You still need a Caster on your side and that Caster is me,” said David.

    “Alright, this is good,” said Alexander. “Get your weapons ready and we’ll need two warthogs. The rest of you, dismiss!”

    Helen’s Bravery landed next to the Titan relay. Alexander put on his starsuit and loaded his two shotguns. Vyla and Hortor got their armor on and practiced her fighting techniques with the tridents. Howie, Aoife, and Yuya got their battlesuit ready and loaded the weapons onto the warthogs.

    Alpha hovered to Alexander as he began to turn the engines on. “Alexander, wait!”

    “What is it?” Alexander asked.

    “Just be careful,” said Alpha.

    “I will be back,” said Alexander. “Don’t worry.”

    They drove out of Helen’s Bravery and down into the tunnel. Yuya activated a probe as the portal was opened. He tossed it into the portal and the group waited for ten minutes. His laptop buzzed as it told him that the probe finished scanning the planet.

    “Hey Alex, check this out,” said Yuya. “The Helbots have two cities on one side of the planet. The relay is just at the other side of the globe, just about 20 degrees south of the North Pole.”

    Alexander picked up the Orb and turned its map on. He touched the key piece and the map change from a galaxy to a planetary map. It showed where on the planet the key piece was. It turned out that it was just ten miles west straight from the relay. The terrain was a snowy mountain range.

    Alexander said, “Our warthogs would be able to get through this mountain range without any trouble. Unless there is going to be a blizzard. Let’s hope there won’t be on. Let’s move!”

    The resistance got back on the warthogs and drove into the portal. Ten minutes later, they reach the other end of the portal. The exit tunnel was block by walls of ice. There wasn’t anywhere else to get out of the station.

    “Don’t worry guys, I got this!” David smiled.

    David got closer to the ice and waved his staff. Fire burst out and he blew it directly into the ice. Within seconds, the ice melts a river and chucks broke apart from the ceiling. David luckily got out of the way as the ice continued to melt away. They broke free, but the station was flooded. Then he froze the water again so they could drive out of there.

    “Awesome work David!” Alexander gave him a hi five.

    They drove up to the end of the tunnel. Alexander stopped his warthog and took out a sniper rifle. Aoife took out hers and they both scoped around. There were no Helbots patrolling the area. Alexander increased the magnification on his scope as he looked at the slope of a mountain facing them.

    “Alex, I got something in my scope,” said Aoife.

    “Describe it to me,” he said as he was still looking around.

    “This weird figure in a cloak of some kind is climbing on the cliff of that mountain,” she said.

    He found the figure on his scope. The figure was in a grey cloak with frost and icicles hung at the sleeves. He was still not sure who that could be. So he increased the magnification to get a look at one of his hands. Then the figure showed a mechanical bare hand as it climbed.

    “It’s a Helbot, let’s take it down!” Alexander shouted.

    Aoife and Alexander fired with snipers at the figure. The figure turned to see who that was. Under that hood, he could see it had a mechanical head of an Egyptian Pharaoh with glowing blue eyes. Seeing as it was being shot at, it climbed faster until the two shooters couldn’t aim that far.

    “Damn it, it must be a scout!” Alexander shouted. “Let’s hurry to that key and get the hell out of here!”

    Alexander and Aoife hopped back into the warthog and they zoomed out of the tunnel. They drove across the slope as they got around the valley. He wanted to get that scout Helbot before it reached the base.

    They got to the mountain slope where the Helbot was climbing. Alexander found a tunnel and they drove into it hoping that it would take them to the other side. Two Helbots were running in the tunnel and Howie fired his mini-gun at one of them. Alexander took out his shotgun and zapped the other one.

    As they got near the exit, Alexander ordered everyone to stop their warthogs. He grabbed the sniper rifle again and took cover behind the wall. Through his scope, he could see the Helbot running across the valley. Then more Helbot soldiers were charging after it as if it was their enemy.

    Two Helbot tanks rolled the slope and it leaped over them. Then it turned one of its hands into a series of lasers and ripped out the cockpit. It tore apart a Helbot and gain control over the tank. It fired at the other tank two times until it exploded. It charged after the army and fired at them without mercy. It then jumped out of the tank and the tank exploded.

    As Alexander saw that Helbot fighting other Helbots, he thought this made no sense at all. He thought, who can a Helbot be chased after by its’ own race?

    “Alex, should we get going while they are hunting that Helbot?” Hortor asked.

    “Why would they really hunt one of their own?” Vyla asked.

    “I really don’t know,” said Alexander. “But this seems like a perfect distraction as they are too busy trying to destroy it. Let’s get that key before they really know we are here.”

    They drove the warthogs up the slope and a drop-ship spotted them. The ship fired laser turrets at the warthogs, but Alexander drifted through the snow. Howie fired his min-gun at the turrets and blew up one of them. As the drop-ship lowered down to ram at them, Alexander stopped his warthog and fired his plasma cannon. As soon as it hit the drop-ship, they drove away just as its fragments scattered across the snow.

    They got to the other side of the mountain and drove down into another valley. Alexander spotted the Helbot in what seemed to be a hovering motorcycle. Another army of Helbots ran after it. Alexander thought that it may be after the shaft and the other Helbots would not let it have it.

    There was a small group of resistance on Alexander’s side and there were about a hundred Helbots they needed to fight. He looked up one mountain on the west side of the valley and got an idea.

    “Howie and Aoife, the three of us have to fire our plasma cannons and bazookas at the tip of that mountain,” said Alexander. “This would trigger an avalanche that would bury those Helbots.”

    “Great idea Alex,” said Howie. “But would they stay trapped?”

    “Not if I freeze the snow,” said David.

    “They would still break free, but they may be trapped for about a few minutes,” Alexander said.

    “Let’s do this!” Aoife shouted as she took out a bazooka.

    The three of them aimed their heavy weapons at the snow and fired. The shots went high up into the sky and slowly bend down to the mountain. They crashed into the ground and a massive cloud of broken snow raged down the slope. The Helbots turned around and the avalanche buried them within seconds. The snow stopped moving and the resistance drove over as David freeze it into solid ice.

    As they drove up the valley, they came upon a mountain that turned out to be a step pyramid mostly covered with ice. The pyramid with zigzag steps with Helbots running up after their enemy Helbot. The resistance drove to the base of the pyramid just as the Helbots started firing on them.

    Howie fired his mini-gun as Vyla and Hortor fired their tridents at them. Alexander got off his warthog, sprinted towards the stairs, and fired two Helbots with his shotgun. A group rushed down to him, but he threw a grenade and shattered most of their armor and weapons. He took out his laser katana and sliced them to pieces. His resistance followed him as they make their way to the top of the pyramid.

    As they got to the top of the pyramid, they rushed inside. The center of the floor was sawed opened as Alexander noticed the burning metals of the hole. He took a look at the map and they were right above the key piece. That Helbot went down that hole and Alexander thought that it wouldn’t get away with this.

    “That Helbot got to have gone through that hole,” said Alexander. “Let’s stop it before it gets away with that key piece!”

    Alexander and the others jumped into the hole. They hit the floor of the next room. He looked and saw that the Helbot got to the front of the altar with glowing green crystals and statues of people with animal heads.

    He aimed his shotgun at the Helbot, “Don’t lay your hand on it!”

    The Helbot turned and Alexander’s resistance surrounded it. It raised his hands up as he pulled his hood off. It spoke in a male robotic voice, “Alexander, it is a pleasure to see you at last.”

    Alexander looked at him with confusion, “A pleasure? You are a Helbot who kills everyone it sees!”

    “I am don’t mean you any harm,” said the Helbot. “I am here to secure this key piece as Cahan’s Spacers are after it.”

    “If you are a Helbot, how come you don’t fight on Seiton’s side?” Alexander asked refusing to lower his shotgun.

    “Because your father helped me get out of Seiton’s control and beliefs,” said the Helbot. “He told me to find and help you stop Cahan from using the Garden of Eden.”

     Alexander raised his eyebrows as the Helbot told him that Fabocusa reprogrammed him. He thought it may not be possible for a Helbot to no longer be part of Seiton’s empire. Usually Helbots follow Seiton’s orders and kill without regrets. But this Helbot was kind of like Alexander. He didn’t if he should trust it or not.

    Then Spacer medical probes buzzed into the hole and charged at them. The Helbot transformed his hands into a series of laser saws, drills, electrical rods, and big knives and scalpels. The probes buzzed to it and it whacked each one as they shattered to pieces.

    Alexander fired his two shotguns as they came after him. Vyla and Hortor spun their tridents as they sliced the probes in half. David released bolts of lightning as more probes came down the hole. Aoife, Howie, and Yuya fired their rifles and pistols mercilessly as madmen.

    As the probes were destroyed, a Minotaur crashed down to finish them off. It aimed its mini-gun at Vyla, but the Helbot jumped onto the Minotaur’s arm and sawed its hand off. The Minotaur took out its axe and swung it at the Helbot. It slid across the floor and jumped onto its back. It grabbed the Minotaur’s horn as it spun around to get the Helbot off of it. The Helbot sawed through the neck and tore the head off. As the Minotaur was destroyed, Alexander and the resistance were surprised as that Helbot helped them defeat the enemy.

    The Helbot said, “Alexander, we must secure the key piece and get back into the relay.”

    “How did you know we got to the relay?” Alexander asked.

    “That is what your father and I have been using to travel to other planets,” the Helbot said.

    “Hold on, is that Helbot coming with us?” David asked thinking that would be a bad idea.

    “I don’t like this thing with us,” Hortor crossed his arms.

    “This Helbot just helped us out,” said Alexander.

    “My name is Moses,” the Helbot corrected him.

    “Wow, that Helbot has a name?” Aoife felt shocked.

    “I thought only Helbot generals or commandoes could have names,” said Yuya.

    “I was neither of those,” said Moses. “Alexander’s father decided to give me that name.”

    “Well Moses, can you help us get out now?” Alexander asked.

    “Affirmative,” Moses nodded.

    Moses grabbed the key piece from the altar. Aoife, Howie, and Yuya fired their hooks to the hole and climbed out. Alexander jumped out of the hole along with Vyla and Hortor. They waited for Moses to get out and he leaped out of the hole just like Alexander.

    As the group got out of the pyramid, the Helbot jumped out of their drop-ships and charged after them. Moses sprint up to them and spun his hands of death around as he fried their charged armor and sliced their limbs. Alexander took out his laser katana and sliced more Helbots that were running up the stairs.

    Spacer medical probes swarmed down into the pyramid as angry killer bees. The resistance fired their guns aimlessly as the probes surrounded them. But they sprinted down the stairs as the probes chased them. They jumped back into their warthogs just as Moses jumped into his hovercycle.

    “Follow me!” Moses shouted. “We can get passed the Helbots with ease!”

    The resistance drove their warthogs as they followed him across the valley. The Helbots who were buried in the frozen avalanche burst out of the ground. Hortor and Howie fired their turrets at the Helbots who were crawling out. Some of them were charging at the front of the warthogs. David fired his staff as Vyla fired her trident. Alexander grabbed his shotgun and fired as he was still driving.

    They were able to get across the valley and drove down into a cave. The Helbots were still on their tails firing their lasers at them. Howie fired at them hoping get them off their tails. The warthogs drove up another tunnel. They flew out to the other side of the mountain and slid down the slope.

    Alexander recognized that other tunnel and it turned out to be the entrance into the relay. Moses zoomed into the tunnel and the resistance drove in. The Helbots send their gunships as they spotted the relay.

    Alexander ran into the relay and activated the portal. Aoife and Howie placed the bombs on the platform. Yuya punched in a few codes as the bombs were set to remote detonation. Moses looked at the bombs as he wasn’t sure what the resistance was planning to do.

    “Alexander, are you planning to destroy the relay?” Moses asked.

    “Yes,” said Alexander. “But we have to get back to Lykourgos before we had to detonate the bombs. When we destroy the relay, the Helbots would not get to that planet.”

    “Ah, a very good plan,” said Moses.

    The relay opened the portal and they drove into it. The Helbots got down into the hole and found the relay opened. They began to walk into the relay, when they found those bombs. One of them picked up a bomb and found out that it couldn’t be turned off. As it was about to pull a plug off of it, the bombs were set off and the entire mountain exploded.

    On Lykourgos, Alexander had already pulled the trigger. He took a good look at the galaxy map and saw that the relay’s signal from Delhi was lost, meaning that they had destroyed the relay. He smiled knowing that the Helbots would not come after them for the moment.

    Alexander and the others took a moment to look at Moses as he was still considered a Helbot. He hoped that this Helbot wouldn’t trick them as they take him to Helen’s Bravery.

    “Alexander, I know what you are thinking now. You don’t need to worry,” said Moses.

    “I am glad that you helped us escape from the Helbots,” said Alexander. “But I may be not sure if you would turn against us.”

    Moses asked, “Why would I turn against the chosen one?”

    Alexander paused as Moses said that. He had spent most of his life fighting Helbots because they were created by Seiton to wipe out all life in the galaxy. It seemed odd that this Helbot decided to help his resistance fight against them. He couldn’t tell if Moses was really telling the truth or planning to trick him.

    Alexander said, “Just to be cautious, I want you to be kept under surveillance for our protection.”

    Moses said in defense, “I assure you, I am not here to cause trouble. I helped fight the Helbots, didn’t I?”

    “You did,” said Alexander. “This would only be temporary so that I could get to know you enough to trust.”

    “Very well,” said Moses as he raised his hands up.

    The resistance escorted Moses out of the relay as they aimed their guns at him. They got him into Helen Bravery and opened a small white room in the engineering station. This room had only a camera built into the ceiling.

    Moses scanned the room and said to Alexander, “I promise you, I would not cause havoc to your legion.”

    “Still I need to trust you,” said Alexander.

    “As you wish,” Moses nodded.

    The Helbot stepped into room. David pushed a button at the side of the door and it lit up purple as they sealed the room with a force field. Moses already knew if he touched it, then he would be short-circuited. Alexander ordered two marines to guard the room to keep an eye on him. He felt secured as he got Moses to corporate with him easily. He hoped that this Helbot would actually be on his side. Once Moses was secured in his temporary cell, Alexander rushed into bridge to tell the news.