Homunculus: Angelic Requiem

This story is a sequel to a previous story; Homunculus Children of Mankind. It is another science fiction short story. Now this is just part one; I started this a good amount of time, and worked on it today. Due to other projects, I don’t always have time to work on it, but am going to try. However, the seeds to the coming story are set, and I hope that people enjoy the first part of the story;

Present Location: Star System Tanis, Milkyway Andromeda Border
Present Station: Draconis Orbital Fortress
Present Time: 301 PD (3230 AD)
Present Objective: Exterminate the Bugs on Apocrita for human development…

It felt the movement of liquid around it. It was weightless, ethereal almost, as It felt it’s mind reaching toward consciousness. It was almost there, It could feel it. What It was, It had no idea, but it could feel a burning desire within It. As if It was being tasked with a purpose. What that purpose was, It didn’t know, but it was there, and it was getting closer.
As It floated, it felt a burning sensation on It’s neck, which if It’s mouth had not been blocked, It would have screamed from the agony. However that didn’t stop It from thrashing in the liquid, It’s limbs smashing into something solid.
As the searing pain receded, It started to wonder how it knew It was floating in liquid, that It’s limbs had touched something solid. That It has limbs. It’s eyes fluttered open. It was overwhelmed by green light, which bit at It’s eyes, forcing It to close them again.
A muffled voice penetrated It’s ears, “Update on Cloning Tube Five Alpha, the Homunculus inside has reached final stages. Initiating birthing sequence.”
It felt the liquid swirling around it, only to be replaced with warm wet air, It’s confusion started to rise. What was It, what was It feeling? A hissing sound filled It’s ears, and It reached up to grasp at them.
It opened It’s eyes again, the light blurry and bright, but no longer green. It felt It’s weight shift as It stepped onto It’s feet. It’s knees almost buckled, but It stayed upright. It reached up towards It’s face, and felt the mask around It’s face.
Panic started to well up inside It. It grasped at the mask, and It’s panic doubled as the tube around It slide open. Two men stepped forward, one injecting It with a syringe. It felt It’s panic weakening, and It slumped into one of the man’s arms as the other unhooked the mask.
“Looks like she’s a healthy clone,” the man holding Her remarked brushing Her hair away from her neck.
“Barcode shows no sign of damage,” he continued.
“Update on Cloning Tube Four Delta, the Homunculus inside has reached final stages. Initiating birthing sequence,” the same voice, though this time louder, announced.
“When it rains, it pours,” the man holding her remarked with a chuckle.
“Tell me about it, alright get her over to processing, I’ll go help James with the next one,” the other one stated before walking away.
“Leave me with the heavy job,” the one holding her remarked as he threw her over his shoulder.
She whimpered as he started walking away from her tube, and despite her eyes being blurry and unfocused, she could see multiple tubes around her filled with green liquid.
“Update on Cloning Tube Ten Gamma, the Homunculus inside has reached final stages. Initiating birthing sequence,” the voice announced over the speaker system.
She tried to see around the man who was carrying Her, but whatever they had injected her with it had robbed her muscles of their strength.
“Hey, Valerie! Got one of the Homunculi for ya!” the man carrying her yelled out.
“Yeah, which batch? Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, or Epsilon? Be specific!” A feminine voice yelled back.
“Jeez, Alpha! It’s not like their not marked with their information,” the man spat back.
“Yeah, well all you do is collect and monitor them, you don’t have the paperwork involved,” Valerie shot back.
“I have plenty of paperwork,” the man grumbled and slung her up like a sack of potatoes onto a hovering gurney.
“Update on Cloning Tube Eleven Beta, the Homunculus inside has failed, initiating tube flush,” the voice, which She now realized was an artificial intelligence, ran out.
“Damn it, like that,” the man groaned.
“Relax, as long as twenty of them survive, the brass will be happy,” Valerie casually remarked.
The one named Valerie reached down and picked Her head up in one hand, while she used a scanner on what had to be Her barcode to scan the back of her neck.
“Homunculus clone Five Alpha of batch One oh One confirmed fit for service,” Valerie stated as she placed Her head down.
She gazed up as Valerie started talking, the drug that she had been injected with wearing off, and was shocked by the large scar running down her face. She heard the man grunt, and twisted her head to scan in time to see the barcode on his neck as he walked away. He had to be like her then, a, a clone?
She turned her gaze back toward Valerie and caught her staring down at her with pity. Seeing the spark of understanding in Her, Five Alpha, Valerie sadly smiled and shook her head.
“Welcome to the service,” Valerie sarcastically stated as she bushed a button.
The hovering gurney sprang to life, and Five Alpha watched the metallic ceiling slip by. The flashing lights, and the sounds of the station, overwhelmed her senses. She clamped her eyes shut, but had to suffer the sounds, for even though the drug was wearing off, she still had no strength to lift her hands to her ears.
Soon though, her hovering gurney slid into a quiet area, and she opened her eyes. She was in what appeared to be a locker room, with a uniform at each locker, and as she strained to rise she saw that there were already three other getting dressed. She heard a cough, and struggling she saw an older man standing with his arms crossed behind his back glaring at her.
“Well, do you plan on laying there naked all day private?” He asked.
However something clicked inside her head, and she knew that his question wasn’t a pleasantry, it was an order. She knew what she was, she was Five Alpha, she was a soldier, and she followed orders.
“No sir,” she weakly mumbled as she struggled up from the gurney and stumbled over to the locker with the number 5 on it.
“I’m a sergeant private, don’t you dare sir me again. You say yes sergeant!” The sergeant spat out, and she felt her face blush.
“Yes sergeant,” she weakly corrected as she pulled on her underwear.
“Better, ah another recruit,” the sergeant casual remarked as another floating gurney entered the room.

She felt her two hearts beat. Something inside her let her know that it was time to emerge, her body was ready to serve the Mother Hive. She pushed out with her limbs, but something felt wrong. She only had four limbs, her body was supposed to have six. Her body tried to move her missing limbs, and there was nothing. Despair filled her, she was a defective unit, as soon as she hatched the Nursery Tenders, her sisters, would process her.
She wanted to be useful, she had been laid by the Mother Queen to be useful, and yet she was defective.
She pushed out of her egg, and landed onto the floor of the Nursery in a puddle. She didn’t even try to get up, she lay there waiting not even connecting to the Hive, resigned to her fate. And yet as the seconds slipped by she grew worried by the delay. The Nursery Tenders should have descended onto her, ripping her defective body apart, so why were they not?
Was her Hive sick? Was that why she was defective?
She reached out with her mind, seeking the Hive, terror filling her.
Which vanished the moment she heard her Sister’s voices. She let the peaceful bliss of their minds washing over her, and their concern as they felt her despair. A shadow fell on her, and she looked up in awe. Above her one of the Mother Queens stared down at her, she felt her Mother Queens concern wash over her, and she stood up.
Another tremor of fear filled her, she was standing on two limbs, and her body was straight. Why was her body straight? All of her instincts ate at her, and it was hard to keep her thoughts and emotions straight. She truly was a monstrosity, a horrible defect, a genetic failure!
(My child you are not a defect) she felt the Mother Hive hum at her.
‘I’m not?’ she asked, and grasped at her mutilated mandibles in terror, as her voice echoed around her.
(Fear not child, We have crafted you in the same manner as we have crafted all others) the Mother Hive hummed at her.
‘I don’t understand,’ she meekly replied, horrified by the sound of her voice.
(Hatchling, We are at war) she felt the fear in the Mother Hive’s hum, and it took root in her core.
What could scare the Mother Hive so deeply that it would shape an abomination?
‘Another Hive?’ She blurted out.
(Oh Hatchling, if only it were that) the Mother Hive hummed, a touch of humor joined the fear as he tasted her feelings.
It wasn’t a mocking humor either, it was a sad humor. One that understood her feelings, understood how wrong she felt, but knew the necessity of it.
(Hatchling, we are a war with beings from another planet) the Mother Hive vibrated with wonder at that thought.
So much, that she felt elated at the thought as well. Another planet? The Mother Hive knew that it existed, all of the Hives knew that other planets existed, but they had not found ways to travel to them before. It seemed that another race had.
Images of aliens, covered in exoskeletons filled her mind, and she marveled at them. Even when those same aliens started to attack and kill her Sisters. They were truly alien.
And then it dawned on her, and she looked down. She was a hybrid of the two, the Mother Hive had shaped Children to appear as those from another planet.
(Yes Hatchling you were shaped to speak with the beings, to seek a peace with them,) the Mother Hive vibrated with pleasure at her understanding.
‘I am a new caste?’ she asked, though she knew the answer.
(Yes, you will be the Voice Caste, for the beings who we are at war with only seem to understand, spoken words,) the Mother Hive vibrated with sorrow.
She understood, for she could feel her Sisters’ memories and feelings, how their pleas for understanding had failed. The lament at how long it had taken the Mother Hive to understand the beings from another world. The lament of how many Sisters and Brothers had been lost because of this failure.
Her purpose filled her, and she took a tenuous step.
‘I will make peace Hive Mother. You did not shape me in vain,’ she stated with the entire conviction of the Mother Hive behind her will.

She sat staring up at the suit. It was a dull grey, massive, unmoving, and uncaring. It was her suit, it had her name on it. 5A 101. She glanced down the row, at the other unmoving monoliths. Empty grey skins. There was only five of them, five suits for five clones that survived the incubation tubes. Five out of twelve. Her squad, her family. The new Alpha Squad.
They would drop tomorrow.
Her programming was present within, and it felt right heading to battle. That was what soldiers were for. And yet, deep down, beneath her programing, something squirmed. She didn’t know if she wanted to be a soldier. That feeling was dangerous, it was what got soldiers killed, and she forced herself to ignore the feeling.
It remained however.
She heard footsteps, and stood as the squad corporal came in. He to was an Alpha clone, but they had seen leadership qualities in him, and he’d been given a promotion. Corporal Ten Alpha, someone she would listen to because he outranked her, but who she would rather not spend time with.
“Five Alpha, what are you doing in the loading bay?” He asked frowning.
“Preparing for tomorrow,” she answered back getting to her feet.
“What, getting nervous?” He asked with a taunt.
She frowned, then shook her head, then started to stride past him.
“I am fine, just looking forward to getting off this ship,” she coldly stated.
“Poor little Five Alpha, missing the comfy beds of the station?” He asked with a pandering sneer.
“The ship’s to crowded,” she answered striding past him.
He chuckled, and followed behind her. Inside, bellow her programing, she simmered. She hated how sarcastic the man was, how nasty he could be, and would rather not have to deal with him.
Which, none of it made it’s way to the surface, her face remained passive. She was a good soldier, and she took his abuse with passive acceptance.
“Well since you’ve remembered your a soldier, we have a briefing with the sergeant, and he wants all of us there,” he chided her.
“In the briefing room?” She calmly asked.
“Where else,” he answered sweeping past her, almost as if he needed to be in front.
She let him, not even letting it bother her, though she wanted to bash his head into the wall.
Her face remained passive.
It didn’t take long to reach the briefing room, which was full with the sergeant, Six Alpha Nine Nine, and her squad, the One oh One clones. The Sergeant turned his one good eye on her, and his grizzled face became a disapproving frown.
“Private Five Alpha, you need to stay within the designated areas,” he growled out.
“Got it sergeant,” she replied back.
“Good, go sit by Six Alpha and Four Alpha,” he ordered.
He waited till she had sat next to her sister and brother, then turned back to the display showing a mountainous terrain, “Now as I was saying, when we drop, I want you all sharp,” he drolled out.
He touched the screen, and one spot of the map zoomed in, showing a massive network of caves.
“Here is the Bug holes, we’re going to be entering the right here,” he pointed at the far left, “It’s the largest and easiest for us to enter in our Exo Suits. Once inside Ten Alpha will take Four Alpha and Seven Alpha down the right tunnel, while I will take the left with Five Alpha and Six Alpha,” he continued to droll out.
“Oh, was hoping Five Alpha would be with me,” Ten Alpha teased.
“And I wanted ya to shut your mouth,” the Sergeant shot back, “All of you are babes in the woods, none of you have even seen a Bug.”
“Sir, we’ve all gone through simulations with you,” Four Alpha piped up.
Five Alpha glanced over at her sister, she actually appeared younger than her, despite being germinated before her. That part of her, hidden beneath her programing, hated that. She had no idea either, nor did she understand why she felt hot and bothered around her either. Even sitting next to her now was disturbing.
“Simulations be damned,” the sergeant shot back, “Simulations of what the Bugs were like a year ago. They ain’t worth the memory they take up in the computers.”
“What are you saying sergeant,” she asked finally ignoring Four and sitting up.
“The Bugs ain’t no pushovers, not like they were in the simulations. The Bugs adapt, and they adapt fast,” the sergeant pulling up five different bug types.
“The smashers, last campaign was able to smash our Exo Suits like they were cans. The cutters, were able to cut the suits in half. The spitters, their acid was corrosive enough to melt the metal of our suits, ever smelled burning flesh? I have, even with the suit’s filters. Even the these, the skunks, were able to get through our suit’s filters. Are you understanding?” He asked, his voice an icy calm, which echoed around the room.
Five found herself swallowing.
“Messy business, and the reason we had to retreat and regroup. The Exo Suits have been updated, however that may mean nothing,” he continued closing the screen.
“What about the last one sir,” Ten asked.
Five felt herself tense as pain appeared on the sergeants face. The room dropped a couple more degrees as the sergeant shrugged then sat down.
“The shriekers, you see one, you run,” he remarked, “the simulations of them are trash. They’re screams with rupture your brains. Suit ain’t gonna filter their cries out, and if they’re directed at you, the suit will cry blood. It ain’t a sight you want to see.”
Five felt the rest of her squad glancing around, but she kept staring forward, right at the older clone in front of her. He was two cycles older than her, grizzled and wounded, and she wondered if there were supposed to be more. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. Each was currently on a frigate heading deep into the Bug’s system. Each was only a squad of soldiers; ranging from six like her own, to Gamma with twelve. Fighting a war with five squads seemed a good way to loose a war.
It wasn’t a good way to fight a war, unless they where the first wave of a new invasion force. They were being sent in like sacrificial lambs. Underneath her programing she felt a growing anger at being created to die. However her programming was stronger and understood. She was a soldier, and they need a beach head for those coming in after them. If that meant she had to die with her squad, then that was how it was supposed to be.