Ex Nihilo - Abyssal Prophecy

Chapter 20

A dull hum filled the reactor room, and heat caused all of the workers to sweat. Only Lord Hephaestus and Vulcan seemed immune to the sweltering heat as they worked at installing the energy-to-matter converters. Several of the workers relaxed near a fountain, watching their lord and the alien installing the devices. They were enthralled by how well the two worked together.

            Despite his large hands, Vulcan was installing small cables with deft precision. On the device, lights appeared, showing the power was running through the machine. Soon,  the machine hummed along with its counterparts.

            “Number four is operational,” Vulcan reported with his slow steady voice.

            “Power output to the converters is stable.” Lord Hephaestus replied. “I have to admit this technology is in much better shape than I initially believed.”

            Vulcan felt a longing for home and drank in the atmosphere of the room. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the feeling of heat on his rock. It reminded him of the great forge that gave birth to his race.

            Watching the screen Lord Hephastus saw the first convertor diagnostics finish. Opening the report he read through it with great speed. In the report there were a couple minor issues with power consistency, but he was certain he could iron them out. He thought the power inconsistencies might have something to do with the raw power output of the gravitation reactor.

            “It appears I’m going to create some sort of power regulator to stabilize reactor output.” Lord Hephastus said. He accessed the design program on the console and began the work of creating a new regulator. Once the program was open he synced his mind with the console. On the screen the program produced the design of the new regulator. Feeding the design into the first working energy-to-matter convertor he fired the machine up.

            In a matter of minutes the machine had constructed a complete power regulator. The machine reported the exact specified dimensions and materials. Walking over to the machine he opened it up to pull out the new part. Bringing it to his eye he activated his atomic scanner in his cybernetic eye. After a few moments he turned to Vulcan with a smile.

            “It work’s more or less perfectly.” Lord Hephaestus tossed the new power regulator towards Vulcan, who caught it in the palm of his massive hand.

            “Good design.” Vulcan congratulated. He admired the precision of the regulator when it snapped into place with no trouble. He active the diagnostic on this machine and moved to the next.

            With a thought, Lord Hephaestus set the first converter into creating enough of the power regulators. Caught up in his work, he didn’t hear the doors open behind him.

Matthew and Dhakan looked around the forge for a moment and then headed towards Lord Hephaestus and Vulcan.

            “I didn’t see you, little ones, but I was consumed by my work,” Vulcan apologized.

            “It’s okay, my friend. I was just basking in this wonderful heat--something I assume you are enjoying, as well. It’s been quite some time since you were home in heat of Adar,” Dhakan stated.

            “It is making me quite homesick.” Vulcan sighed.

            “Adar. What is that?” Matthew asked.

            “It is a great forge created by the remnants of my people’s home world. There are many forges like this one, and all are connected to the central great forge in the center. It is there that the Geodoian elders construct and give birth to new geodes. I was forged there.” Vulcan puffed up with pride.

            Hephaestus raced over to scoop Matthew up in a loving embrace. Matthew struggled, gasping for air. Hephaestus laughed for a second and released his little brother. With a pat on the back, he smiled.

            “Sorry, Matthew. I do not know my own strength sometimes. I’ve already begun designing your new custom power armour, and with these new energy-to-matter converters, it’ll be the finest armour ever created from this forge. How are you enjoying your ascension?”

            Matthew reached out with his neural implant, and the machines of the forge responded. His mind flooded with a thousand machines whispering to him. The information was overwhelming, and the pain forced him to shut the connection down. Rubbing his incision, he felt the beginnings of a headache. He grimaced in pain.

            “Still trying to get adapted to it,” Matthew stated. “What you do here is amazing, my brother.”

            Hephaestus accessed the design program with a thought. Once the design was complete, the first energy-to-matter converter whirred to life. A few moments later, Hephaestus opened the door of the machine and pulled an aegirine  amulet out and turned to his little brother.

            “I missed your sixteenth birthday and your ascension. Take this.” He placed the amulet around Matthew’s neck. “This crystal will reveal to you your true self, and I hope will help you heal your relationship with our father. With it, may you face whatever is to come with confidence and integrity.”

            “I am at a loss of words. This gift is very considerate. I had only intended to stop and see if you and Vulcan wanted to Join Dhakan and me. We’re heading to the Original Sins to meet up with other crew of the Death’s Reaper. I am sure Nemesis would love to spend some time with you, as well.”

            “No, thank you,” Vulcan replied in his low, rumbling voice. “Too much work ahead. We should begin connecting the FTL drive. Once that is done, we’ll still have to figure out how to make it compatible with your ship's reactor. Come, Lord Hephaestus.”

            Vulcan was already moving to fetch the FTL drive from the skiff.

            “Sorry, Matthew, but work must come first.”  Hephaestus approached Vulcan and began helping him move the FTL Drive. The two worked together to move it off the lift and headed towards the reactor.

            “I have long wished to build some of the FTL drives listed in the ship's datacore, but without the resources, I haven’t been able to. Assuming we can make this work with our reactor, I am left with one question. How exactly does this FTL drive work?” Hephaestus asked.

“Similar to your gravitation core it will produce an artificial gravitation field. With enough power, the FTL drive alters the mass of the object caught in the field and the engine's power increases exponentially. It creates a temporary space that exists outside of normal time-space.”

            The two began discussing the best place to set up the FTL drive. Words were no longer necessary. They moved with the same intention. Matthew and Dhakan watched the two very different people join together in their mutual love. It was almost magical.

Matthew motioned for Dhakan to follow him. He knew that once his brother had a project, he wouldn’t stop until it was completed. The two left the forge, but neither Vulcan nor Hephaestus noticed.