Fred 1

An In Constant Chapter

Zachary Furr

    The satellite array that AKEV made up was itself wholly unique. A warp that spanned that galaxy, that intertwined millions of systems, that boasted an defense that could be seen as the envy of any civilization. With such an array of communications at his beckon call, Turco truly was at the forefront of knowing everything that was going on in the galaxy at all times. He simply needed to tap into whatever AKEV satellite was nearby to know all the goings ons in the system.

    AKEV, or All Knowledge Ensures Victory, was the epitome of gaining all facts and truths that could be sought throughout the galaxy. All Whiskien and Nursery militaries were required by law, backed by force, to record all projects. Top-secret, secret, mundane, all the way down to latrine duty, everything was recorded. 

    In this way, Turco had become even more powerful within the Whiskien military. He had more doctorate applications, on file, of any one hundred scientists. Remember that to achieve Doctor status, one must submit seven different thesis’ in one’s given field. For Turco, he had seven hundred and ninety four thesis’ in one hundred and twenty different fields. Meaning that on top of being an Admiral, he also held a vast amount of sway over the civilian populations and he was sought out often for his expert advice. 

    Turco’s advantage was simply that AKEV was a warp that had its concessiness spread all over. All terminals and personal PCs, all connected to AKEV. New ideas and philosophies allowed for lightning fast theories to be seen and explored.

    Now there is a bit of irony here. While there are no secrets between the militaries, they are not privy to the secrets that Turco has a hold of. For Whiskey and the Nursery only knew of about ten percent of the galaxy, a radius of about twenty five hundred light years. Turco on the other hand knew of about thirty five thousand percent of the galaxy. “But you can only know one hundred percent of anything.” I hear you say. But I say this to you Turco has already spanned his reach far beyond the rim of his own galaxy. 

    Through AKEV, he has explored and continues to explore into the vast reaches of space. continuing to search for something that alludes to his sight.

    Of course all warps have names, the AKEV satellite array is no different. It is called Fred. Now Fred’s main body is located in a far away place, in the space between spaces. His main body didn’t even look like it should have been alive. He looked like a giant cube of a building. This form was not his natural pod born form by any means, no, his pod born form looked like that of an ameba. The building was conceived by Thaddeus, and built at the Mel and Ray shipyard. Fred, the ameba, was outfitted with the most advanced warp gate systems that he was able to spread his influence as far as he could.

    “Ahh… Looks like he is finally waking up.” Turco said as he held the rather small warp in his palm.

    Fred tried to feel his head and rub his temples. However it felt like his head was missing almost entirely. His arms and legs felt different as well, like the bones were missing and yet he still had control of himself. He felt like his whole body was wrong. He had been put to sleep as a man, and awoken as something different. It was disorienting. He felt like he was going to puke.

    “He looks like he is going to puke.” Another voice said from somewhere above Turco. Fred saw a small girl that looked like a fairy hovering nearby. 

    “That might be hard for him to do, I don’t see a mouth on him.” Fred heard that and immediately moved his “arms” to feel where his mouth was and felt nothing. No lips, no teeth, not even a vacant hole where his mouth used to be. “But at least his auditory is working. Now Fred I need you to calm down and breathe easy, understand?”

    And it was in that instant that Fred calmed and felt at ease in his new body. He understood that Turco was his master. He understood that he had very little free will in the presence of his master.

    “Now, Fred, I command you to communicate with me and tell me that you are at ease.” Turco said and Fred was unable to disobey. He felt his body contort and move violently as he was forced to obey and forced to react. He was forced to evolve in a painful way. not through his mouth, but rather his mind. His brains were forced to commit to a new line of communication, one that he was not familiar with.

    “I understand.” The words moved across his mind with a surprising ease. But they did not seem to make an outside sound.

    “Ahh… That is indeed interesting.” Turco said, his head popped up in a bit of surprise.

    “What is?” The fairy asked. She had not been privy to the words, as Turco had not asked me to include her in the communication. 

    “Telepathy. I figured that this might be a result for such an odd specimen. Fred, please include Amanda here in future communication.” 

    “I shall comply.” 

    “Wow, that is weird.” Amanda said. “It was like the words were just seen at the bottom of my primary vision pattern.”

    “Like subtitles?” Turco suggested.

    “Like what?” Amanda asked, a bit perplexed at his suggestion.

    “Don’t worry about it.” Turco said as he waved it away. 

    “What sort of tasks shall I perform for you?” Fred asked. “Though I do not know what use I can be to you.”

    “Fred, you are selling yourself short before you have even had time to mature. Aside from me, you are going to be the most important warp in the universe.” Turco patted the odd, misshapen little warp on what was presumed to be it’s head. “You are engineered to be the most spectacular warp ever designed by me. I will tell you your purpose later, for now let us go and grab some food. I suspect that you must be hungry.”

    “I am that.” Fred said. His appendages passed by what was once where his stomach resided. 

    “Amanda, how are the other pods doing?”

    “They are still a day away from being ready.” The subtitles passed in front of Turco’s vision and it must have passed in front of Amanda’s as well for she remained silent and stared at Fred.

    “Fred, can you sense how many others there are in here?”

    “Yes, there are seventeen other warps in stasis that are in mid transformation. Though none seem to be as complex as those that are awake.” Fred did not understand where his new understanding of the world around him was coming from, but he did enjoy it. He could feel all of the minds of those nearby. 

    “Neat. Fred, try and keep yourself in check when around normal people.” Turco said. He opened a warp gate and the trio went to the beach on the uninhabited part of the planet.

    The white sand and the green trees. Some of the fruit was as large as houses and buildings. In fact Fred would have mistaken them for large boulders if not for the bright coloration patterns.

    “Let’s see how you eat, Fred. I am quite curious to see you do so.” Turco said as he placed the little guy on the ground.

    Fred could really feel himself for the first time. He was gelatinous, like jelly. Duh, of course you should know that. He tried to move forward and found that he slid forward like grease on a hot pan. He was quite proud of himself being able to move at all. He got up to the boulder of fruit and lightly touched it with his arm. In that moment, his whole body engulfed the fruit and he began to digest it, all of it, at once. He gradually began to shrink back to his normal size and he was small again, but full of energy.

    “Fred, that was really cool to watch.” Turco said and he clapped his hands in applause. “Do you feel full?”

    The word, “Yes”, scrawled across his vision. 

“Good, let’s test your warp gates. You should have quite the plethora at your disposal. That was the sacrifice for your vulnerable body. Millions of gates, perhaps billions for the simple organism that you have become. And yet you are infinitely more complex. So, start with one and tell me what you think.”

    Fred thought for a moment. He didn’t know where to go so he just looked and saw another piece of fruit. He opened a warp gate and moved himself to the top of the fruit, he sat on it for a moment before he devoured it. 

    Turco laughed out loud, “I guess that first one wasn’t enough. Use another gate and come back to my hand.” He said and held out his hand in waiting. 

    Fred, eager to please, quickly used another gate then fell into the waiting palm. His gelatin form jiggled and wiggled until he settled down. 

    “He is quite the unusual one isn’t he.” Amanda said as she prodded Fred with a finger and made him jiggle around some more. “He is all green and no orange. Does that mean that he sees all around himself all the time?” 

    “Yes. He also has no exoskeleton. He may be the most vulnerable, but he is not really meant for the battlefield, or atmosphere. Fred, you will be the most valuable asset.”

    “Whatever, I can do to serve you.” The words flashed in their subtitle form in Turco’s vision.

    “That’s good to hear. Well let us get started, then.” Turco opened a warp gate and the trio slipped inside really quick.

    The low gravity field of the shipyards above HarBack would have been enough to disorient most people, but Turco and his warps had to be prepared for any environment. It was in the microgravity that Fred showed off even more uniqueness. He jumped down off of Turrco’s palm and morphed his body to become the body of a little green man. 

    The sack of liquid was easier to maintain in higher gravity, but in the low gravity he could move more freely. He moved and morphed back into his human form. He could still not formulate words, other than subtitles, but otherwise he appeared human. Though with no bones in his body he still moved around like a gelatinous sack, with a sort of bouncy motion.

    “Mel should be almost done with your satellite factory. It will be your throne for helping me to rule the galaxy.” Turco thought this, as they were standing in a zero atmosphere environment and null air prevented speech from being heard. “Once we receive the all clear from the yard we will deposit you into your new body, and set you to work.”

    “New body?” The words flashed across Turco’s vision. “I thought that I had already become new?”

    “True your gelatinous form is new, but you lack the exoskeleton that all warps must have in order to protect themselves. You have such a degree for knowing everything that your body had to be built in two parts. The gelatinous core and the cybernetic factory that is to be your shell.”

    The three warps looked up at the giantatic orange station that was nearing completion in the third cradle of the yard.

    Two days later

    Turco, Amanda and Fred had welcomed the newest batch of warps and sent them to the base on HarBack to receive their first set of orders. None of them were terribly exceptional, and none expected to be so. The warps that were made were meant to be transporters and not much more. Perhaps ten to fifteen warp gates a piece. Transportation and observation, that is all they are meant for. That is what they were told and that is what they accepted.

    Turco received a message from Great General Bradley. The shipyard had completed the exoskeleton for Fred. Greatness was upon the brink of realization for the entire universe was ready to be examined. 

    Turco moved himself and Fred to the inside of the factory. The power core was off and the inside was cold. It seemed to be up to the specifications that Turco had laid out for Mel to create. An automatic factory that was equipped to transform any mass of raw materials into small communication satellites and observation drones that would allow Turco to gain all the knowledge in the galaxy. 

    “Fred, this is to be one of the great legacies of my time. A perfect way to catalogue and dissect the entire galaxy and figure out it’s secrets. Fred, get this factory to where you can serve me at the most efficiency. Get the factory working and start producing. If you think that you need any help you come and find me and I will assist.” Turco said and he placed the small, green blob on the floor. 

Fred steadied himself and the factory seemed to respond to his touch. The entire room lit up and the core turned on. The machines started to whir and spin. 

“As expected.” Turco said. “The factory will only work when you are physically touching it. You are the only one that makes it work. Call it a failsafe.”

“This place is my exoskeleton? Does this mean that I am to be a giant among the stars?” Fred moved about the factory looking for a place to rest and gather his thoughts and ideas.

“Hmm…” Turco rubbed his chin in thought. He guessed in a certain sense Fred would become bigger than most planets. His knowledge base, expansion, and expertise would be greater than anything that Whiskey could have ever hoped to produce.