PROLOGUE
1 Billion Light Years away
Bling Blab 6 - Judges of the Universe Prison Facility
Six Months Ago
Guard Robot No. 3672 watched as each of the ten most notorious prisoners in the universe were loaded onto his Prison Ship. His ship was parked in a hanger within the Bling Blab 6 prison facility.
They were all bound securely in chains that restrained their unique biology. They had to walk, or float, between two lines of heavily armed Guard Robots to reach the ramp that led up into the ship.
They were all sullen and angry, The ones that had eyes were staring daggers at all the Guard Robots transporting them.
Guard Robot No. 3672 nodded at Glayciar of Eyce, whom he had personally captured. Glayciar acknowledged, always the calm, polite
scientist who just happened to endanger whole planets in his quest to save his people.
Durst of Zand was the only prisoner who was smiling as he was ushered on board.
As the last prisoner was stored away in their cells, each tailor made for them, Guard Robot No. 3672 signed for them all and they became his responsibility.
“The Top Ten!” Guard Robot No. 9985 said, who handed a memory disk to 3672, which contained all the files on every alien, “the worst, be careful,” he said.
“You know me,” 3672 replied.
“I do, you’re old,” 9985 said, “I’m surprised the Judges trusted you with this,” he added.
“Old but highly experienced,” 3672 said with confidence.
In truth 3672 was not confident. Although this transport was completely and utterly secret, he expected more Guard Robots to be going with him, just in case.
The mission sounded simple, transport the Top Ten from Bling Blab 6, formally the most secure prison facility in the universe, to Bling Blab 7, The newest prison and supposedly inescapable. Guard Robot No. 3672 knew though that when simple things went wrong, they caused huge amounts of trouble. If one of these prisoners escaped, the danger to civilians could not be calculated.
3672 did not think that just one Guard Robot would be sufficient if there was trouble.
“Well I’m ready to leave,” he said, he was not one to cower away from a mission regardless of the misgivings he had.
“There is one more prisoner to load first,” 9985 said.
“No I am only taking the top ten,” 3672 replied, “there is no eleventh,” he added.
“Technically speaking you are not transporting this prisoner,” 9985 said.
I don’t understand?” 3672 said, “am I taking this prisoner in spirit?”
"Once it is on board you, me and all the Guard Robots present will have their short-term memories erased. We will not remember loading him on board the ship and you will not remember that you are transporting him,” 9985 explained.
“If I don’t know that he’s on board how can I deliver him to his destination?”
“Once you arrive at your destination the prison will restore the memories so you can complete the transfer. Once the prisoner is on Bling Blab 7 and in his cell, your memories will once again be erased.”
“That is pretty extreme secrecy,” 3672 said.
“The Judges are trying to limit knowledge of this prisoner’s movement. By erasing our memories there will be no record of him ever being moved or even his location. The guards at Bling Blab 7 will be the only ones who know he is held with them. Rumour is the Judges even erased their own memories of ordering the transfer, just to be safe.”
“Who is this prisoner?” 3672 asked.
“The eleventh and most dangerous prisoner in the universe,” 9985 said.
“I’ve never heard of an eleventh, that’s why we call them the Top Ten,” 3672 said.
“I did mention all the memory erasers didn’t I?” 9985 said. “All I know is his crimes are so foul and that he is so dangerous, no one can know where he is, he’s very difficult to restrain and we certainly don’t want anyone trying to free him,” 9985 said.
Both robots turned towards the eleventh prisoner when he entered the hanger.
He wasn’t walking, and he wasn’t bound in the traditional sense. Guard Robots were pushing a box wrapped in chains towards the ship.
The box was mounted on a hover trolley that glided effortlessly towards the Prison Ship.
Every Guard Robot it passed on its way to the ship activated their weapons as the box neared.
Guard Robot No. 3672 followed the box up the ramp and into his ship.
He wondered where the prisoner was going to go, he only had ten cells in his ship.
Once inside his vessel he counted and scanned the ten cells of his normal prisoners. There were five cells on each side of the corridor that ran down the spine of the ship.
The box was taken to the centre of the corridor and when 9985 tapped a button on a remote he held a section of the ceiling opened up and a claw came down to grasp the box.
“I didn't know that was there?” 3672 said.
“It’s a special cell built into every Prison Ship. No Guard Robot knows it’s there because all memories of it are erased from their records. It is designed to hold the eleventh - separate and secret from all other prisoners and guards. It’s on every ship just in case the Eleventh needs to be transported.”
The box was secured in the ceiling above 3672.
Once it was hidden the robots that had brought it on board departed.
“Now for the Memory Eraser,” 9985 said.
He raised the remote in his hand and pressed a button on it.
The ten other cells beeped in response.
“There just in case they heard something,” 9985 said, “now for us,” and he pressed another button.
Both robots stood still and the lights in their eyes flickered.
The eyes returned to normal after a few seconds.
Guard Robot No. 9985 looked at the remote in his hand, then crushed it into pieces.
"Why did you do that?" 3672 asked, “what was that?”
"No idea,” 9985 replied. “But my programming says it’s not important. See you when you get back, good luck transporting all ten
prisoners,” he added.
"It’s an easy journey," Guard Robot No. 3672 said.
9985 left the ship and 3672 sealed it for take-off. He then went and sat in his chair on the bridge.
He started the ship up and the engines powered up, vibrating the ship slightly.
Just before take-off 3672 looked over his shoulder at the ten prison cells.
For some reason he felt compelled to count them all again.
On each plaque next to the cells were the names of the aliens. He scanned them all and listed them - Snorflag of Lavaton, Kutterwood of Ungle, Glayciar of Eyce, Shatter of Krystal, Warter of Layquid, Lology of Fless, Gass of Vaypoor, Durst of Zand, Shift of Tyme and Eyon of Metron
There were still ten.
All present and correct, he thought to himself, then launched the ship out of the hanger of the Bling Blab 6 prison facility and off into
space.
In the ceiling of the prison corridor the last, unknown cell, also had a plaque on it as well identifying the alien within.
It said Unum Decimus of Earth
Bling Blab 6 - Judges of the Universe Prison Facility
Six Months Ago
Guard Robot No. 3672 watched as each of the ten most notorious prisoners in the universe were loaded onto his Prison Ship. His ship was parked in a hanger within the Bling Blab 6 prison facility.
They were all bound securely in chains that restrained their unique biology. They had to walk, or float, between two lines of heavily armed Guard Robots to reach the ramp that led up into the ship.
They were all sullen and angry, The ones that had eyes were staring daggers at all the Guard Robots transporting them.
Guard Robot No. 3672 nodded at Glayciar of Eyce, whom he had personally captured. Glayciar acknowledged, always the calm, polite
scientist who just happened to endanger whole planets in his quest to save his people.
Durst of Zand was the only prisoner who was smiling as he was ushered on board.
As the last prisoner was stored away in their cells, each tailor made for them, Guard Robot No. 3672 signed for them all and they became his responsibility.
“The Top Ten!” Guard Robot No. 9985 said, who handed a memory disk to 3672, which contained all the files on every alien, “the worst, be careful,” he said.
“You know me,” 3672 replied.
“I do, you’re old,” 9985 said, “I’m surprised the Judges trusted you with this,” he added.
“Old but highly experienced,” 3672 said with confidence.
In truth 3672 was not confident. Although this transport was completely and utterly secret, he expected more Guard Robots to be going with him, just in case.
The mission sounded simple, transport the Top Ten from Bling Blab 6, formally the most secure prison facility in the universe, to Bling Blab 7, The newest prison and supposedly inescapable. Guard Robot No. 3672 knew though that when simple things went wrong, they caused huge amounts of trouble. If one of these prisoners escaped, the danger to civilians could not be calculated.
3672 did not think that just one Guard Robot would be sufficient if there was trouble.
“Well I’m ready to leave,” he said, he was not one to cower away from a mission regardless of the misgivings he had.
“There is one more prisoner to load first,” 9985 said.
“No I am only taking the top ten,” 3672 replied, “there is no eleventh,” he added.
“Technically speaking you are not transporting this prisoner,” 9985 said.
I don’t understand?” 3672 said, “am I taking this prisoner in spirit?”
"Once it is on board you, me and all the Guard Robots present will have their short-term memories erased. We will not remember loading him on board the ship and you will not remember that you are transporting him,” 9985 explained.
“If I don’t know that he’s on board how can I deliver him to his destination?”
“Once you arrive at your destination the prison will restore the memories so you can complete the transfer. Once the prisoner is on Bling Blab 7 and in his cell, your memories will once again be erased.”
“That is pretty extreme secrecy,” 3672 said.
“The Judges are trying to limit knowledge of this prisoner’s movement. By erasing our memories there will be no record of him ever being moved or even his location. The guards at Bling Blab 7 will be the only ones who know he is held with them. Rumour is the Judges even erased their own memories of ordering the transfer, just to be safe.”
“Who is this prisoner?” 3672 asked.
“The eleventh and most dangerous prisoner in the universe,” 9985 said.
“I’ve never heard of an eleventh, that’s why we call them the Top Ten,” 3672 said.
“I did mention all the memory erasers didn’t I?” 9985 said. “All I know is his crimes are so foul and that he is so dangerous, no one can know where he is, he’s very difficult to restrain and we certainly don’t want anyone trying to free him,” 9985 said.
Both robots turned towards the eleventh prisoner when he entered the hanger.
He wasn’t walking, and he wasn’t bound in the traditional sense. Guard Robots were pushing a box wrapped in chains towards the ship.
The box was mounted on a hover trolley that glided effortlessly towards the Prison Ship.
Every Guard Robot it passed on its way to the ship activated their weapons as the box neared.
Guard Robot No. 3672 followed the box up the ramp and into his ship.
He wondered where the prisoner was going to go, he only had ten cells in his ship.
Once inside his vessel he counted and scanned the ten cells of his normal prisoners. There were five cells on each side of the corridor that ran down the spine of the ship.
The box was taken to the centre of the corridor and when 9985 tapped a button on a remote he held a section of the ceiling opened up and a claw came down to grasp the box.
“I didn't know that was there?” 3672 said.
“It’s a special cell built into every Prison Ship. No Guard Robot knows it’s there because all memories of it are erased from their records. It is designed to hold the eleventh - separate and secret from all other prisoners and guards. It’s on every ship just in case the Eleventh needs to be transported.”
The box was secured in the ceiling above 3672.
Once it was hidden the robots that had brought it on board departed.
“Now for the Memory Eraser,” 9985 said.
He raised the remote in his hand and pressed a button on it.
The ten other cells beeped in response.
“There just in case they heard something,” 9985 said, “now for us,” and he pressed another button.
Both robots stood still and the lights in their eyes flickered.
The eyes returned to normal after a few seconds.
Guard Robot No. 9985 looked at the remote in his hand, then crushed it into pieces.
"Why did you do that?" 3672 asked, “what was that?”
"No idea,” 9985 replied. “But my programming says it’s not important. See you when you get back, good luck transporting all ten
prisoners,” he added.
"It’s an easy journey," Guard Robot No. 3672 said.
9985 left the ship and 3672 sealed it for take-off. He then went and sat in his chair on the bridge.
He started the ship up and the engines powered up, vibrating the ship slightly.
Just before take-off 3672 looked over his shoulder at the ten prison cells.
For some reason he felt compelled to count them all again.
On each plaque next to the cells were the names of the aliens. He scanned them all and listed them - Snorflag of Lavaton, Kutterwood of Ungle, Glayciar of Eyce, Shatter of Krystal, Warter of Layquid, Lology of Fless, Gass of Vaypoor, Durst of Zand, Shift of Tyme and Eyon of Metron
There were still ten.
All present and correct, he thought to himself, then launched the ship out of the hanger of the Bling Blab 6 prison facility and off into
space.
In the ceiling of the prison corridor the last, unknown cell, also had a plaque on it as well identifying the alien within.
It said Unum Decimus of Earth
