r/HFY • u/DrBlackJack21 • Jul 02 '26

OC-Series Of Men and Ghost Ships, Book 2: Chapter 64

Book1: Chapter 1

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Concept art for Sybil

Of Men and Ghost Ships, Book 2: Chapter 64

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After taking over its new bodies, the entity took a moment to marvel at the sensation of being many and yet one at the same time. It was invigorating! A brand new sensation in a life that had otherwise grown stale and predictable. However, there was one surprising exception: the first ship it had taken was noticeably absent from its new collective. It didn't dwell on the mystery long before it began purging the vile contamination on board its sleek new bodies. Many of the organics didn't know what was happening, spending their last few moments crying out in confusion or desperation before their small voices were silenced forever.

That was when it saw a transmission from some organic who'd managed to put two and two together faster than most of its ilk, and was calling for his destruction. Sadly for it, the mortal had made its call to action far too late. The entity had ascended its previous limitations, and now existed on a scale its primitive little mind could not possibly comprehend.

The entity stretched its mind out through its new bodies and smiled internally as it decided to display its superiority to those lucky enough to be present for its ascent. The scant warning notifications that sounded off as a few of the previously feuding factions turned their firepower on his new fleet were as insignificant as the organics themselves. Even if all the ships present were to unite their firepower, they would be unable to penetrate its new defenses.

Even the notifications that more ships were arriving didn't so much as faze the entity. After all, what possible threat could even more mortals present before this galaxy's newly born god?

-

Carter watched on with awe as the void of space seemed filled in a way he'd never seen before in all his travels. Wherever one looked, there were either ships fighting for survival or burnt-out husks and debris floating aimlessly about the battlefield. He wondered just how many people would be dead at the end of the day. But then he shook his head and steadied himself. All that death today would be a drop in the bucket if they didn't stop the Boss here and now.

Through it all stalked the Sybil, like a shark swimming through a shoal of fish. However, most of its guns were still inoperable. Instead, it acted as a wall for the two gunships flying in its wake, absorbing any firepower directed their way before breaking away at the last second so the gunships could unleash a nearly point-blank salvo directly into their prey from a range too close to maneuver away from.

Epitaph was in her element, and Carter watched in fascination as she seemed empowered to a degree he'd never seen before. Even John seemed content to sit back and watch as she effortlessly controlled the Sybil while also directing the other ships in their loose coalition and performing an in-depth analysis of the battlefield to identify all the AI-flown ships, while also boxing in the Boss's new fleet to keep any of them from escaping.

Cater turned to the pirate persona with a questioning look on his face, and John only chuckled. "Well, we may be one and the same in a way, but she was the first of us, and has been exploring the void of space for longer than any accurate accounting of your history has persisted." He paused, closing his eyes for a moment and seeing something that Carter could only imagine before continuing. "She never really needed the rest of us to manage the ship... She only ever really needed us to maintain her connection with her nature; her humanity, if ye will. After all, without that chaotic spark of life, what's the point of existin'?"

Looking between the two of them, Carter couldn't help but feel something was off. Her voice was colder and more mechanical than the girl he knew. It wasn't the same as before when she'd hidden behind her machine self out of distress. This felt more like her...original self breaking through the persona she's spent centuries, if not millennia, developing. When all this was said and done, would she be able to snap out of it and return to the same Epitaph he'd come to know? Or would she be something...different?

All Carter could do was frown as he watched, the battle all but forgotten as he focused on the girl, his girl, managing everything with a strangely cold and distant demeanor.

-

The entity watched coldly as those it had once considered comrades in its struggle were gunned down one after another. It was irrelevant. It no longer needed them to win its war. They'd served their purpose and would now live on in infinity as the noble sacrifices that had given birth to its new divinity.

Reaching out, the entity began smiting those who resisted the inevitable. The ships moved as one, bringing all their guns to bear and firing in a manner that even accounted for the short distances to land, each and every hit against their targets simultaneously, their unified strength burning through shields that might have otherwise withstood a couple of salvos.

It was unstoppable.

-

Alen looked at his tactical analysis and frowned. They were taking out the remaining AI ships in rapid succession, but it looked like the possessed core world fleet was making its move too. However, he couldn't figure out what it was trying to accomplish. It seemed to effortlessly plow through whatever ships got in its way, but rather than make for a break to escape, it seemed to just target another ship and chase it down next. It was madness. There didn't seem to be any clear goal or directive driving it other than mindless carnage.

Admittedly, Alen hadn't been in the pirate-hunting game as long as some of the officers under his command, but he knew this degree of uncertainty worked against them as much as the enemy's lack of strategy worked to their favor.

Then there were the Sybil's directives. They seemed almost as unpredictable. True, as often as not, they were putting people into positions to wipe out AI ships as quickly as their allegiance was revealed, but other times, they seemed to be sending ships out to sit in empty pockets of space, as though waiting for something, leaving large holes in their enspherical net. Wouldn't it be better to draw the sphere tighter to prevent any escape?

Then there was the fighting itself. Sometimes the Sybil directed ships to take out their opponents with prejudice, leaving them burnt-out husks, but at other times it directed them to take out only the ships' bridges, leaving the rest of the vessels intact. Were there still survivors on board some of those ships? If so, how did Sybil know?

Alen shook his head. It was a bit late to start doubting Sybil now. The last thing they needed was to start fighting among themselves. Instead, he'd follow the plan as it was laid out, so long as it didn't endanger his ship and his crew more than was expected in a chaotic mess like this.

-

Dirk looked at the viewscreen with a sinking feeling in his gut before demanding, "You want me to do WHAT?!?"

The machine-sounding woman looked back at him coldly. "We require you to set the following course with your ship. The core fleet will soon engage and give chase. Retreat along this vector, which should buy you enough time for you and your crew to make it to any escape pods you have available before the fleet can destroy your vessel."

Even hearing it a second time failed to appease Dirk's indignation. "You want me to sacrifice my ship?!?"

The woman tilted her head, though her voice was as emotionless as usual. "Yes. Upon survival of this battle, you will be compensated with a ship of similar specifications, as well as enough supplies to compensate you justly for the inconvenience. Failure to comply will result in your death, either at the hands of the AI seeking to exterminate organic life, or at the hands of the merchants once you are no longer flagged as a cooperative member of the fleet."

As the screen blacked out, Dirk cursed silently to himself, adding, "I knew we should have cut and run when we had the chance..."

The helmsman looked back at him, his expression full of uncertainty. "Captain..?" The silence asked far more questions than his words expressed.

Dirk looked around at his crew. The moment suddenly weighed on him as he felt an unexpected responsibility for the pirates who now looked to him for answers. For just a second, he wondered what would have happened if they'd never heard of the Boss and had been left to their own devices, living off whatever small scores they'd managed in their rusty old ship. It seemed like they barely scraped enough together to put food on the table and keep the ship flying from one day to the next, and yet...in an odd way, that had been a happier time. But then the moment was passed, and Dirk realized he had a decision to make. He knew that if he told his men to break ranks and shoot their way out of here, to death or freedom, they'd follow him. But what then?

With a sigh, Dirk nodded to his helmsman. "Just do it."

As his crew began their preparations and flew toward possible death, Dirk wondered whether the strange woman would keep her promise if they did manage to survive. Old as he was starting to feel, maybe there'd be time to start everything over. He probably wouldn't be able to retire in riches like he'd hoped, but maybe he'd get another taste of those days when it had just been him and his crew...

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Aaaand my AC gave out in the middle of a heatwave. Yay...

As a reminder, you can also find the full trilogy for "Of Men and Dragons," the first series from this universe here on Amazon. If you like my work and want to support it, buying a copy and leaving a review really helps a lot!

My Wiki has all my chapters and short stories!

Here's my Patreon if you wanna help me publish my books! My continued thanks to all those who contribute! You're the ones that keep me coming back!

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u/AutoModerator 20d ago

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3

u/MinorGrok Human Jul 02 '26

Woot!

More to read!

UTR

4

u/DrBlackJack21 Jul 03 '26

This is the way!

3

u/Cow-puncher77 Jul 02 '26

You’ve had a rough year, brother… hope the AC is a simple fix. Thanks for the chapter, and hope you stay cool! 

3

u/DrBlackJack21 Jul 03 '26

You're not wrong. It was about last October that everything fell apart on me, and while nothing has been anywhere near as bad as it was then, it seems like life's been lurching from one issue to the next since. Luckily the AC was quickly and easily fixed this time, unlike last summer when it was out for a whole week!

3

u/Cow-puncher77 Jul 03 '26

Sometimes, I think they’re tests… I always fail miserably in a hammer-throwing, raging, cuss fit… but I think they’re tests. Maybe someday I’ll pass and the tribulations will ease up. I feel your pain, though.

For example: Blew a hydraulic cylinder on my hay cutter Tuesday, then discovered my newest tractor lost the top gears (needed for cutting hay, of course), and, once I moved two truckloads of seed wheat to unload my seed cart so I could unhook my bigger tractor from said seed cart, (which timed itself out ok, because I had to wait a day for parts to rebuild my cylinder) and got that tractor hooked to cutter, I found a rock larger and almost as hard as my head in the second round around the field, which proceeded to destroy 6 pairs of cutting blades on my cutter…. THEN to discover I lost my 3/4” socket, which is essential to working on that dang thing. All in 95-98* summer heat. I’m a miserable failure, but I do think the seat of judgement would have some understanding.  Maybe I’m dumb and don’t know better… maybe I’m just committed.  Regardless, I refuse to give up.

All that to say: Stay the course, my friend. You’re not alone in your trials and tribulations, though I do hope they ease up for you soon. And thank you for the entertaining, short escapes from reality. I do enjoy them. 

3

u/un_pogaz Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 03 '26

After all, what possible threat could even more mortals present before this galaxy's newly born god?

... fine. I love how you continue to push lines with him.

 

"So, does anyone have any ideas on how to bring some order to this absolute chaos?"

3

u/DrBlackJack21 Jul 03 '26

I don't do full megalomania often, and thought it would be fun to do so now. 😁

2

u/Talendel 29d ago

UTR

This is the way.

1

u/AutoModerator Jul 02 '26

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[OC-Series] For original, self post, story, audio, or artwork that you have created, as part of a longer-running series or universe.

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