The Silver Liner: Sails to the Edge!

by Daniel Sullivan

  Kang had access to the files from the datapads of all of the senior officers, minus certain Starfleet matters beyond Mun’s clearance, so he started there.

  “Selene, search for commissioning or authorization to commission the construction of a new android.”

  Selene’s holographic avatar appeared, and said, “Five medical androids were requested since our coming out of stasis; four were requisitioned by Doctor Hutch Davis. The fifth, coded as G-3, was requisitioned by Doctor Jacob Biggs.”

  “No fuckin’ way!”

  If Kang’s theory was correct, and he was pretty sure that it was, then he may have just solved the mystery… but if they did what it looked like they had, then… no, it could not be… but clearly it was. He had to inform Kendrick straight away.

  40

  “And we have enough threatening us right now without internal mistrust,” Jax exclaimed.

  “The captain…” Biggs began.

  “Was responding to your alarmist reports,” Jax finished for him. “I know Doctor Royce is unusual…”

  “Unusual?” Biggs was incredulous. “A woman with naturally occurring carbon fiber, ballistic skin, and bones with the tensile strength of aircraft grade aluminum is not…” he made quotes with his fingers, “unusual!” He shook his head. “It’s alien! She’s a synthetic being, Commander—a perfect blend of organic and synthetic! Her blood is swimming with nanotech—she’s changing and evolving second by second!”

  The doors swooshed open, and Captain Giffords came in with Kendrick, Mun, and two of the clone legionnaires.

  “We have a bigger problem,” Giffords announced. “We’ve determined that the shuttle was indeed sabotaged and blown up by a MEDroid coded as G-3.”

  “But all the MEDroids are accounted for,” Biggs protested. “And there is no G-3.”

  “According to the logs, you commissioned G-3 right after waking up,” Kang corrected. “It is the only MEDroid that is unaccounted for.”

  Biggs shook his head. “This… this is insane! I never commissioned the construction of a MEDroid!”

  “According to your datapad and Selene’s computer records,” Kendrick countered, “you did.”

  “So now… I’m the terrorist?” Biggs began pacing back and forth. “You’re going to scapegoat me, aren’t you? This is because of that… thing you call a wife! You’re taking revenge!”

  “Nope,” Kendrick replied as he walked over to Biggs. “Kang found this on his own. Personally, I don’t see it, but…”

  “Why is a junior officer here, Captain?” the doctor demanded.

  “Cause it’s my goddam ship, you little punk,” Royce growled, before cutting loose with a powerful uppercut that would have struck Biggs in the solar plexus had Jax not intervened quickly, restraining the helmsman.

  “Enough!” Giffords’ voice silenced the room. “You heard what Royce said; he doesn’t see it. Neither do I, but unfortunately, you’re the only suspect.”

  “Biggs is a bit high-strung,” Jax noted, “but a terrorist? Not seeing it either. He’s been staunchly in favor of America’s entry into the Alliance too, and our terrorist before takeoff was an America First nut.”

  “Gee… thanks.” The doctor eyed Royce nervously.

  The former Rock and Roll Captain was known to be a talented fighter, and that was before M.C.R.D. Had Jax not intervened, Royce would have sent Biggs to the Med-Bay.

  “There’s more going on here than meets the eye, of that I’m convinced,” Carol said, ignoring Biggs. “So, for now, we’re going to confine you to quarters, Doctor. With you under lockdown, we’ll see if anything else develops. It might embolden our saboteur, prompting them to make their next move.”

  “You do realize that if they succeed in taking out the ship, they’re dead too,” Kendrick observed. “They may not give a shit if they die, but I do, so let’s figure this out before they make the next move.”

  “On that, we can all agree,” Jax said.

  “Kang,” the captain ordered, “get on this. Get this figured out; you have whatever resources you need.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the gunner replied, saluting and exiting.

  “Doctor Biggs,” Carol then said, “You will go to your quarters with the two legionnaires. I will keep you informed.”

  Biggs was silently fuming, but he did as he was asked, leaving Giffords, Jax, and Royce alone in the conference room.

  Miss Reddy was about to leave her cabin and return to her station when her door chime sounded. She answered the door, surprised to find Doctor Liu standing outside.

  “Inside,” Liu said. “I have answers.”

  “What are you…”

  Doctor Liu pushed her way inside and once the door closed, she pointed to the breakfast bar where they had been seated earlier.

  “Sit, Miss Reddy.”

  Vanya was puzzled but did as Liu had asked. “What’s going on? What did you find?”

  “You have nanotech in your bloodstream. It is shutting down and your headaches should go away. It was only meant to have a temporary effect.”

  “It kept me out of Xayasith’s hair and made me amenable to her.” Vanya now understood why she had been suddenly unable to stand up to the NessCorp doctor.

  “I believe the nanotech was designed to react to agents in her perfume,” Liu added.

  “That corporate little bitch!” Vanya clenched her fists and pounded the breakfast bar. “When I see her…”

  “Pretend you know nothing,” the Alliance scientist advised. “I will send my findings to Mister Mun. He will see to it that she is dealt with.”

  “Mun?” Vanya looked at Doctor Liu dubiously.

  “He is the security chief,” Liu reminded her. “And he has proven adept at catching criminals. Also, he has the captain and commander’s ear.”

  Vanya listened to Shan Liu’s words, for the first time, seeing Mun through a lens outside of that of a member of the Starfleet bridge crew. Up to now, she had viewed Mun as an outsider. He was part of Ken Royce’s ‘Rock and Roll’ crew. She had made her feelings about Royce, Fiona, Heather and Mun very clear: they did not belong.

  Liu’s words made her reconsider. The Chinese scientist presented what Vanya realized was a more objective view. Mun actually had figured out the Zduhać plot, and from what she could see, was making headway on the current sabotage mystery. He also came up with the maser modification idea that had saved the day. Maybe it was time to let go of her anger over the inclusion of Royce and his crew.

  “Alright,” the science officer finally sighed. “You’re probably right.”

  “Oh, I’m right,” Liu assured. “You should be feeling better within the hour. I will see you in the lab?”

  “Count on it.”

  41

  Heather had taken a full day off from working on the ship and had gotten a full eight hours of sleep. This morning, one day after the last attack by the creatures, she was no closer to solving the problems, but at least she was well-rested, and sitting across from Kang in the mess deck having breakfast.

  “I can’t wait till we get out of here,” Heather remarked before taking a sip of her coffee. “Then we can talk freely.”

  Kang nodded. “Same here; Miss Reddy is like a friggin’ playground monitor.”

  “I think she’s like that with everyone,” Heather sighed. “She’s the most contrary, anal retentive woman I’ve ever met.”

  “Don’t you mean person?”

  “Nah,” Heather said. “I’ve met men worse than her—fucking Admiral Bruce, for one.”

  Kang laughed at that. “Maybe he’ll retire while we’re away—not like we won’t be gone long enough.”

  “I just have to get the engines figured out,” Heather sighed. “We’ve determined that it’s software, not hardware, but Biggs doesn’t know the first thing about propulsion systems and wouldn’t have access to anywhere that a virus could be introduced into those systems; it’s not like they’re wireless. Just sticking shit on the side of a panel on
ly works in the vids.”

  “MEDroids don’t go into those areas either,” Kang noted.

  Heather’s eyes widened. “But they did! Remember when the clones were brought out of stasis? Giffords brought in MEDroids to check them over and clear them for duty. Kendrick and I were removed from Engineering for that!”

  “Now we know the when, the how, and the where,” Kang remarked. “But not the why or the who.”

  Heather raised an eyebrow at this. “What? You don’t think it was Biggs?”

  “No, I don’t. You remember how excited he was—the man was practically creaming himself over this mission.” He shook his head. “Jacob’s high strung, and a total ass, but a terrorist? No way.”

  “Total ass?”

  “Yeah,” Kang confirmed. “Biggs pissed off Kendrick enough to rate a serious ass kicking—Royce almost dropped him—if it weren’t for Jax restraining him, he would have.”

  “Damn! Guess Kendrick ‘ll be spending time in the brig.”

  “Doubt it,” Kang countered. “Biggs was really asking for it, and Jax and Giffords were ready to let him have it too. Besides, Selene would just let him right out anyway.”

  “Yeah, what’s up with that?”

  “Fiona restored the original AI,” Kang explained. “Can’t say how, but it’s Fiona – I’ve learned not to underestimate her, especially since her transformation.”

  “So, Fiona’s not the ship anymore,” Heather mused. “Almost like the good old days.” Then she laughed. “Be kind of cool to kill the monsters then ditch everyone here at the outpost. Kendrick, Fiona, you and I could go round up Father Ronan, Cyrus, Amanda and Terri. Build Selene an avatar and it’d be like getting the band back together.”

  Kang grinned at this. “That’d be rad! I don’t think it’s in the cards, but if that happened? Booyah!” He shook his head, laughing. “Say, Heather, how close are you to fixing the engines?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve got a shit-ton of code to go through. Planning to enlist Fiona to help—why?”

  “Because I’d like to play a game of chess when you get a free moment.”

  Heather laughed. “I’d like that.

  “Keep working on it, and I’ll keep you posted on my investigation. When this is all over, we can play a few rounds.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Heather drained her coffee and stood, walking around and giving Kang a kiss on the cheek. “Fuck the regs.” Then she kissed his lips, eliciting cheers and whistles from the marines in the mess, before walking out. “Bye, Kang,” she called over her shoulder, giving him a grin and a wink.

  42

  Vanya Reddy analyzed the data from her duty station on the bridge. The creatures were regrouping for another strike. It was a matter of less than an hour before they would be upon them again, and Selene’s depleted defenders would be called upon once again to fight and die. She hated it.

  Discovery was supposed to be exciting and amazing, a breakthrough for humanity. This was a nightmare. The military personnel aboard the ship that Vanya so railed against were the only thing keeping them alive at this point. If they failed, then everyone died. The science suddenly seemed unimportant.

  Then, there was the issue of the saboteur. That could kill them just as readily as the creatures, though they’d probably die less painfully if it happened in space. How anyone could want to sabotage this mission over politics was beyond her.

  The question of Xayasith’s true motivations came to mind. Could she be the saboteur? It did not make logical sense; the woman seemed more interested in manipulating her way into prominence, and almost certainly was here to take research secrets back to NessCorp. Grounding the ship and getting everyone killed would prevent her from doing that.

  She shook her head. Thankfully, the headache was gone. Questions about Xayasith would have to wait. The Selene had a more immediate concern with which to contend.

  Vanya called up Captain Giffords’ frequency on the com and delivered the news. “Captain, you’re needed on the bridge. The mantids are on the move.”

  “On my way,” the captain replied.

  Moments later, the doors swooshed open, and Darcy and Kang stepped onto the bridge, Kang offering a friendly, “Good morning, Miss Reddy.”

  “I hear you’ve been playing kissy-face with Miss Dalrymple,” Vanya said disapprovingly.

  “I’ll bet you hear a lot of things, ma’am,” Kang replied flippantly.

  She was about to scold him when the intercom crackled to life, and Heather’s voice sounded over the loudspeakers.

  “Captain, I’ve done it! We have engines!”

  “Awesome!” Kang exclaimed, answering for the absent Captain Giffords. “That was faster than I thought it would be!”

  Miss Reddy looked at the gunner with disapproval, but the captain and Kendrick stepped through the doors as they swooshed apart for them.

  “Get us up over those creatures, Mister Royce,” Giffords ordered as Kendrick took his seat. “Mister Mun, be ready on the guns. I want those things annihilated!”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Mun replied enthusiastically.

  “Selene,” Kendrick called as he took his seat. “You ready to fly?”

  “Yes, Kendrick,” the AI replied, her avatar appearing.

  Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the bridge, and Kendrick cried out as Selene’s avatar dematerialized. Then he fell forward, limp in his chair.

  “Kendrick!” Mun went to him, checking his vitals. “Got a pulse! He’s breathing too!”

  “That was just outside,” Darcy shouted, running to the doors, which remained closed, causing her to almost run into them.

  Then the lights went out completely, followed by the loud thud sounding as the emergency generators kicked on, and low red lighting filled the bridge.

  “Talk to me, Selene!” Carol called out the AI’s name out of habit. Both the AI and Fiona, however, remained silent.

  “We are dead in the water, Captain,” Kang exclaimed.

  “And completely blind,” Vanya added as she went to Kendrick.

  She was not a medical doctor, but she was the closest thing to it on the bridge. Mun was correct; Royce was breathing, and his pulse was steady. The science officer opened one of his eyes, prompting him to blink, and shake his head.

  “Wha… what?”

  “Mister Royce,” Vanya said softly. “It’s me, Vanya Reddy. Are you alright?”

  “Selene,” he said softly. “I can’t feel her no more—she’s gone.”

  43

  In the Pod Beta Med-Bay, Fiona shrieked and collapsed on the floor, causing her MEDroid, G-1, to run to her side. She called Fiona’s name repeatedly, but the doctor could barely hear her. Fiona’s head felt like it had been hit with a sledge hammer. The sudden, sharp pain hurt more than Velos’ bite. She numbly allowed G-1 to help her to her feet, but the doctor could barely stand, and collapsed into her chair, gripping the arms tightly.

  “Doctor Royce,” G-1 called. “What happened?”

  “Feedback,” she gasped. “The ship… I cannot sense her!”

  “Weren’t you disconnected before?”

  Fiona shook her head. “Not like this. I… feel like my senses have been stripped away… like my eyes have been gouged out and my skin peeled off. My head… I feel like my head is about to explode!”

  G-1 shook her head, confused by the doctor’s remarks. “I do not understand… how?”

  “I do not know how, but it hurts!”

  The intercom in the Med-Bay sounded – it was Miss Henderson’s voice. “Doctor Royce, there’s been an explosion outside the bridge! Kendrick’s down!”

  Kendrick was down. Fiona had to act. She focused and tried to fight through the pain, but it was no use. Fiona was disoriented so badly that for a moment, she could not determine whether she was standing with the aid of G-1 or lying on the floor. Her vision was fading. Cannot pass out… he needs me! The doctor shook her head, trying to force herself into coherency, but try as she might, Fiona was unable to
regain her senses. “G-1… I cannot…”

  The pain and disorientation were too much. Fiona never finished her sentence. Instead, blackness engulfed her. The last sounds she heard before fully losing consciousness were the frantic calls of G-1, who was trying desperately to revive the doctor.

  “I’m sorry, Kendrick… I will not be able to… help you.” Upon muttering her regret, Fiona’s eyes closed and she fell into unconsciousness.

  G-1 carried Fiona to a table in the Med-Bay and laid the doctor upon it. The woman was out cold, but her body spasmed involuntarily. Whatever had happened to Doctor Kinsale-Royce, it had completely incapacitated her, and was possibly still causing harm.

  “Doctor Kinsale-Royce?”

  No response. G-1 then responded to Darcy. “Miss Henderson, Doctor Royce is down as well. Whatever it was that affected Mister Royce has also affected her. I theorize that both were connected to the ship at the time.”

  “We’re trapped in the bridge, but we think it’s the server room.”

  “Understood,” G-1 replied. “I will do what I can.” Then, she paged the Pod Alpha Med-Bay. “Doctor Pallone, Doctor Kinsale-Royce is down! Need assistance in Pod Beta Med-Bay stat!”

  “On the way,” came Pallone’s reply.

  With an appropriate call for help made, the MEDroid checked Fiona’s vitals, which remained steady. G-1 had to find out what was causing the spasms. She secured Fiona to the table, lest she fall off, and began to hook up the scanning equipment. As G-1 worked with desperation, she began to wonder if she had indeed attained sentience. In the moment of wondering, she realized that she had.

  G-1 was sentient, the very phenomenon feared by the humans within Starfleet. Her devotion to Fiona, a human-AI hybrid, would likely trouble Starfleet just as much as G-1’s sentience. A problem to compute later – Doctor Royce needed to be restored now.