Chapter 3: Bring Back Memories

"Subject 000179," A voice echoed inside a room. "Time of life?"

"About 3 hours ago sire." A female voice answered.

"My creations are full of surprise, they grew so fast." An old yet sinister-looking man wondered. After staring for a moment, he then fiddled subject 179's body. "Hmm, perfectly built. Good. Good. Send it to the evaluating chamber."

"Yes, sire!"

"And prepare for a complete test." He added. "This one seems different."

After the capsule was cut, liquids of unknown thick substances flowed inside the chamber. 179's body dropped on the floor.

[Is that...me?" Ned came to a realization after he remembered his first ever memory. A memory of his birth as a clone. "That must be the reason why...sometimes, I'm confused about my sentiments towards other people.]

[Yes host, you were built to aid the empire of conquering planets. That is why they developed clones to not be swayed by emotions.]

[Your DNA structure was sequenced without emotions like grief, anger, happiness, fear or love, and many other sentiments to develop a perfect killing machine.]

Ned's memory kept on flowing. Memories of his past, long forgotten.

For days, 179 was taught different military combats and tactics. This includes hand-to-hand combat, rifle firing and assembly, extended weapons training, explosives training, and survival. Every necessary training was taught to all clones to ensure the mission's success rate is at a hundred percent.

"Reporting!"

"At ease trooper!" A bulky humanoid figure approached the rank of clones standing in an orderly manner. He resembled an orc with its muddy green skin and a tooth long enough to maw a lump of meat. He then grabbed the projecting device from the trooper's hand. Pushed the button. Then a holographic screen came into view. A crack then formed on his forehead. "What's this?"

"Captain! That's the report from the cloned subjects of unit Delta!" The trooper cried, looking disciplined.

"I know this is a report!" The orc captain sighed. "But one of them is off the chart! Why?"

"I...I have no idea Captain!"

"179! Move forward!"

"Captain!" 179 then broke the rank. Left first, his feet raced with one another. And moved in front of the orc Captain. "Subject 000179, awaiting command! Sir!"

"For decades, I've trained clones, clones like you. And the result was always the same. At a hundred percent. But you, you exceeded all combat training to a hundred and fifty percent. From hand-to-hand to survival all are at a hundred and fifty." The orc looked 179 with contempt and confusion. He then added. "And one training exceeded three hundred percent. Do you like one-handed sword combat? 179! Answer me 179!"

The DNA structure of clones were all made equal by the Empire's Engineer. By this, one cannot exceed the other. The rate of how they learn, sleep, energy consumption, and many other things are all the same. And the most notable part of being a clone is that they followed orders without thinking about their own life. "No, Captain!"

"No? Good then. With this chart, you are deemed..." But before the orc captain could finish his sentence. Subject 179 stopped him.

"But"

The orc's eyebrow connected with each other. Confused. His jaw then dropped.

"But, I felt that using one-handed sword and plasma sabers are easy for me to handle. They are light and can be used offensively and defensively. Captain!"

Impossible. The orc thought. He had been training clones for years and in front of him, the clone answered him with reason.

"You!" The orc raised his hand then pointed towards 179. "You! Are deemed imperfect. You will be sent to the engineers for re-evaluation!"

"But!" 179 retorted.

"No more buts! Clone." The orc Captain's green face turned tomato. Angry and confused. "Trooper! Send this thing to the engineers, tell them this one needs to be recycled!"

For months, 179 was back again in the evaluation chamber. But this time it was for re-assessment. 179 was strapped in a steel chair, floating inside the chamber. Unable to move and sedated.

Different kinds of species are watching him with a hint of curiosity and amazement. These are the main think tanks of the Cloning System. Aside from the Emperor, everyone was present.

"This is a breakthrough!" A Sapien cried. His three eyes showed glitters of excitement. He resembled a complete human form except with the third eye on his forehead.

"A breakthrough indeed. But we're not sure if this is for the better of the Empire. Or for the worst." A creature with eight tentacles added. His, slimy extremities are leaking of liquid jiggling to grope someone.

Everybody in the room argued about the situation of subject 179. The purpose of making cloned troopers was not because they can be taught easily. But because they do not have emotions. Thus, using them to kill, is perfect for conquering planets. In addition, clones have far better handling of Magic.

"How about we send it to the Magic Tuning facility and teach it magic. He's a clone so it's Element-X absorption must be extraordinary." An old sinister-looking man disrupts their commotion. "We will then decide our next step depending on the subject's result. Everyone, agreed?"

"!".

"Then this assembly is over. Cloned subject 000179 will be sent to the Magic Tuning facility to learn magic handling and drawing. Glory for the Empire!"

Because of the pain, numbness, and confusion. From time to time, Ned was rubbing his temple. His memories coming back was a lot to take in for him. Mixed emotions of grief, sadness, confusion, and excitement filled Ned.

[Wait. So even back in the Empire, magic was already prominent?]

[Yes, In fact, the Galactic Empire of Sskat is right beside the Hole.]

[That is why the Emperor was one of the first to study and use Element-X to its full potential.]

[The Hole?]

[The Hole. In this universe, the epicenter is called The Hole. It is where the Element-X was discovered. It was first discovered by the Terran Empire Sskat. After that, due to the already advanced technology of the Sskat, Element-X or Xerontium was later discovered to nourished all the organisms living in the universe. The closer to the Hole, the stronger and purer the effect of Element-X to a species.]

[Decades after its discovery, Element-X or Xerontium was later discovered to create an already existing element.]

[The process of absorbing, creating, manipulating, and enhancing Xerontium is then called Magic.]

[And let me guess. After Magic was created, the Emperor started his conquest and colonized neighboring galaxies and solar systems.]

[Correct.]

[Continue then.]

Back in his memory. Subject 179 was sent to the Magic Tuning Facility. There he was taught magic drawing - to absorb pure Xerontium then releasing it to form new elements. There he showed unique talent on magic. Was promoted, then sent to different planets for subjugation.

During the subjugation, Ned's empathy towards other species grew even stronger. Confused, disturbed, and bothered, Ned was sent to the last assessment facility.

In a peculiar room, where old records settled in the dust. Wax, that resembles a candle, were used to light the circular room. Plants of different variants were displayed in the corner. Vellums from different planets show that the owner was a collector.

Subject 179 sat on a redwood chair, engraved with careful craftsmanship. Outside the room, Ned could hear a pat- fined and relaxed. The direction of the sound leads to a door which opened not long after.

"So you're 179." A Terran lady approached Ned. Coal-black hair that swayed like a pendulum as she walks. Eyes matched her soft hair. Dark, fine blemish could be seen above her lips that accentuated her already perfect feature. "I'm Kamma and you are?"

"You already knew." Ned looked her in the eyes - emotionless. "Why am I here? What is this place? Am I on another planet?"

"Too many questions, but none answered. Let's introduce ourselves properly first."

Ned sighed. "I'm cloned subject 000179 of the Galactic Empire of Sskat. Satisfied?"

"Thank you 179."

"So what is this place?"

"Well, this place is where I put all my records from different planets. You know, I like to travel to different planets and I kept a record of them. And, You are here because I requested for you. According to the record, you developed emotions. And I'm here specifically for that, to teach you to control emotions."

For years, 179 and Kamma developed a bond that none noticed. 179 became Kamma's assistant. They both traveled between galaxies. Their task was to find planets to be conquered by the empire. They opposed, but the Emperor himself gave them this specific mission.

The more they were together, the stronger the bond they created. Later they created a bond that was forbidden for the two of them - Love. A Natural and a clone.

179 was proven to be a great magic-user. Mastered different combat skills. Can communicate with different species. Great empathy towards the other. But one thing he does not have or cannot have. To reproduce. Clones can never reproduce.

But this did not keep the two from falling in love.

"179 I have something to show you." Kamma flicked her fingers and a device appeared on her palm. "This is a device, a one of a kind, I asked someone to create this."

"What does it do?"

"You'll see." Kamma smiled. Kamma flicked her fingers again and an odd suit dropped on the floor. "But first you need to change your suit."

179 was confused but still had to follow Kamma. Well, because she's a woman. That's what 179 thought.

"Hold my hand then close your eyes. We're going to a place, light-years away from here. What did you consume before?"

"Nothing."

"Good, first-timer will throw-up after their first Jump. Probably. But you'll get used to it."

"What do you me...!"

Swooosh!

Inside the peculiar room, the two of them vanished in an instant. It's like they were sucked by a void.

When they arrived at their targeted location, 179 could feel the breeze on his cheeks. His nose turned red. Temperature dropped. He could hear a distant whistle of an unknown vehicle honking. Birds chirping. 179 slowly opened his eyes. What he saw, mesmerized him. They were at the top of a tower. Tall enough that clouds could be seen in a distance. At the bottom, he could see primitive buildings raised. Above, he could see the jet engine flew.

"Where are we?" 179 baffled. "What is this place? This is not Sskat."

"Yes. We are on a planet called..."

But, before Kamma could finish her sentence, someone interrupted her.