by C. Gockel
His lips parted, and his eyebrows rose. “This is just an avatar. I still have my armor.” At his words, armor crawled up his body until he was fully covered. “Don’t worry.”
“I will worry,” she protested. He was on Time Gate 5 fighting Infected.
He stepped toward her. Even if she couldn’t smell him, he looked so real. Volka reached up to touch him...and had a moment of disorientation. She could see her hand on his chest, but there was no cool hardness of armor beneath her fingers, or the barely perceptible hum he had instead of a heartbeat. She pulled back at the same time he reached up to put his hand over hers. Their hands passed through each other, and she gasped in dismay. Swallowing, she clasped her hands in front of her and gazed up at him. His expression was stern, like it was when they were in the midst of their misadventures. Was she endangering him by calling him here? Bracelet had insisted Gate 1 would never put her through if that were so. Still, he might not have a lot of time. “I didn’t get to say goodbye,” she blurted out.
His expression softened for just a moment, and then hardened again. “Darmadi?”
It was thoughtful of him to ask. “He is in the hospital. The new doctor, Elam, said he will be fine. But his recovery may take a while, and it will have to be here in the Republic.”
“Perhaps he won’t want to go home.”
“Of course he will want to go home,” Volka replied and rolled on the balls of her feet. “I wanted to come to Time Gate 5 and see you, but Carl and Bracelet convinced me that it was a bad idea, and that I might endanger you and your mission coming without alerting you.”
His gaze softened again, and he reached out to touch her cheek. She looked down at his hand. It was oddly too in focus for something so close, and she couldn’t feel the rough pads of his gloved fingers against her skin.
She swallowed and met his eyes. “We’re going to leave soon, and you won’t be with us.”
His gaze became harsh again. “What? Where are you going?”
“On a mission to find where Reich’s gate-less ships went. Intelligence is sure the Dark is creating an armada.” 6T9 wouldn’t be the technical translator for her during the mission or be able to defend her—not just physically, but emotionally. Galacticans thought of her as being a simpleton because she was uneducated and etherless. Sixty always put them in their place.
He cocked his head. “They’ll need someplace with materials. Worlds formerly occupied by the aliens—The People—might be a good start.”
He put that together so fast. “I wish you were coming with us.”
“I wish we could be together, too,” he replied, raising his other hand to cradle her face.
For a horrible moment Volka had a sense of foreboding. Alaric had said those words, or close to them, on more than one occasion. But he had meant it differently. Alaric had meant they could never be together openly. Sixty had already proven that he wasn’t ashamed to be with her. Wishing she could feel his mindscaped fingers, she whispered, “If I came and got you, would it hurt the people of System 5?”
Sixty’s shoulders fell. “I can say no, and you could come snatch me away.”
“But that would be a lie,” she guessed.
Exhaling, he closed his eyes. His hands drifted down her cheeks. He was experiencing the sensation of touch, and she was jealous of that. “I’ve already been useful mediating between the Luddecceans here and the gate.”
Swallowing, Volka’s ears curled, a mad vision of swooping in with Sundancer and bringing him back bursting like a soap bubble. “You always do the right thing.” It was in his programming.
His eyes opened. He shook his head … and vanished.
“Sixty!” Volka shouted, rushing through the space he’d just occupied, as though she could catch him.
The gray of the mindscape disappeared. The hair on Volka’s neck stood on end.
Bracelet gulped. “Miss Volka, Time Gate 1 has interrupted the session. That means—”
“That Sixty’s in some sort of trouble,” she whispered, shoulders sagging.
And she could do nothing.
3
First Strike
Galactic Republic: Time Gate 5
The mindscape vanished, and 6T9 found himself standing outside the airlock again. Gate 5 piped into his mind, “Two minutes until decon is complete.”
6T9 took off his left glove.
Davies said, “Sir, Gate 5 said that you might have news for us?”
“Captain Darmadi is expected to make a full recovery,” 6T9 replied, thrusting the glove into Davies’s hands. “Hold this.”
Spinning, 6T9 punched his unprotected fist into the airlock door. His sensors screamed. The synth skin around his knuckles became deformed, pockets of synth blood burst, and ligaments popped from their attachments. The wall was barely dented.
“Sir?” Davies said.
Through Davies’s helmet, 6T9 heard Lieutenant Grayson exclaim, “What was that?”
Reattaching the ligaments in his knuckles, 6T9 lied. “Had to relieve some excess power. May I have my glove back? Thank you.”
Slipping the glove awkwardly over his injured knuckles, he inwardly fumed. If he had remained with Volka, he wouldn’t have had the chance to kill Darmadi. He would have gone on the exploratory mission. Now he wouldn’t be there for her if Sundancer fell to the Dark’s weapons … Volka could be stranded without anyone knowing where they were.
She had Bracelet! Could Bracelet be traced? Carl believed that Q-comms could act as tracking devices. Gate 1 had been able to relay 6T9’s location when he’d been kidnapped, but Gate 1 could have done that by monitoring the ethernet. 6T9 almost went back into a mindscape to demand the answer of Gate 1, but realized he had a more reliable source of intel. “Time Gate 5,” he asked in the ether. “Can Q-comms be used as tracking devices?”
“Yes,” Time Gate 5 replied.
Gate 1 had let them battle the pirates who kidnapped Alexis alone! The Galactic Fleet could have utilized the pirates’ gate to send in reinforcements, Volka would never have had to murder infected children, and 6T9 would never have failed her. Rusted gears, 6T9 had never believed James when he said the gates liked playing God, now ... 6T9’s fist pulled back, ready to punch the door again.
“But there are limitations.”
6T9’s fist remained at his side.
The gate continued. “If the general location is unknown, as it was the case when you were pursuing the pirates who abducted Alexis Darmadi, it is time and resource consuming. Gate 11, Gate 2, Gate 4, and I lent our processing power to Gate 1 to help find you, but even so, Carl’s species found you first.”
6T9 released a breath. His fist unclenched.
There was a whirring and a clank as the airlock began to open. Preparing to turn to the doors, 6T9’s gaze rose and just happened to catch on Davies’s. “Captain Darmadi is the best Captain in the Guard,” the sergeant said.
Not knowing what to say, 6T9 turned away. There was a whoosh of air, and the doors ground open. In the vid feed the Luddecceans had been packed in the airlock in a disorderly mob. Now, they stood in neat, tight lines, literally shoulder to shoulder at parade rest in the compact space. At the very front stood a man with his hands behind his back. The name tag and ribbons on his chest demarcated him as a Commander Ko, but 6T9 did not recognize him.
“Who is this Ko?” 6T9 asked Time Gate 5 silently.
“Darmadi’s first officer,” Gate 5 replied.
6T9’s circuits lit. Commander Ran, the man who had offered Volka his “patronage,” had been replaced? 6T9 wasn’t sure if he was happy or sad to be deprived of the opportunity to shove the man out of an airlock.
Ko gulped audibly, and then Lieutenant Grayson strode to the commander’s side.
“Visors up!” the lieutenant shouted. Visors snicked open, and 6T9 could really see who he was facing. All of them had wide, fearful eyes. Half the eyes were human, and half were weere. He noted the direction of their gazes and realized his machine entourage was
making them uneasy. 6T9 glanced down at the closest member of said entourage, the chrome pointer sitting beside him. It gazed back up at 6T9 with adoring, glowing, orange eyes, and its segmented tail thumped against the deck. 6T9’s Q-comm sparked. The most logical response to the Luddecceans’ fear was reassurance.
Commander Ko approached him. “Could you get those things out of here?”
6T9’s nostrils flared. He found himself wanting to punch Darmadi again, this time for sending him an officer that couldn’t play well with machines. Empathizing was logical, but 6T9 turned on the lights in his eyes, just to be terrifying. “Those things are your allies. Get used to it, Commander.”
Ko gaped at him. “You’re … you’re ...”
“Android General 1.” 6T9 smiled tightly.
One of the ‘bots behind him whirred, and the chrome dog rose from its haunches.
Clearing his throat, Grayson said, “We were to rendezvous with the local police force.”
Gate 5 piped into 6T9’s mind, “I told my police to concentrate on securing the quarantine, and that I would rendezvous with the Luddecceans.” An inset in his vision displayed police officers in riot gear, backs to an airlock door. A crowd of civilians stood before them.
To the Luddecceans, 6T9 said, “The gate’s security is busy at the moment.” Turning off the power-consuming lights in his eyes, 6T9 shouted into the troops, “Any wounded?”
From the back of the airlock, he heard the familiar voice of the Merkabah’s physician. “Yes.” The man hadn’t been afraid of 6T9 when he’d been aboard the Merkabah, and, in fact, had confessed to wishing he could avail himself of 6T9’s help.
“Bring them through, Doctor, and your medical staff as well,” 6T9 commanded.
Lieutenant Grayson—not Commander Ko—gestured for the men to make way, and seconds later, the Luddeccean doctor was emerging from the throng, guiding a Luddeccean cradling an arm. Behind the doctor came staff 6T9 recognized, supporting injured comrades.
6T9 addressed his chrome canine. “Kurz,” he said, using the shortened version of the machine’s model. “You know the way to the hospital?”
Standing, the chrome pointer’s ears perked, and it declared with a German accent, “Naturally, General!”
“Lead these men to the hospital.”
“Yez, zir! My purpose iz to point directions!” it replied, wagging its tail. 6T9 knew what Volka would say to the dog if she were here. He found himself saying it for her. “Good boy.” The tail wag became a full body wag, and 6T9 knew the mechanical beast was probably overheating in a programmed facsimile of joy. He could almost feel it himself … or maybe just speaking for Volka had brought her closer for a moment.
6T9 patted its head. Cheerfully bounding back, Kurz turned, raised a paw, pointed its nose, and declared, “Zis vay, Gentlemen!”
The doctor blinked owlishly at Kurz and then at 6T9. “It is good to see you again...General. I’m afraid I didn’t know your rank when we last met. You must excuse me if I was impolite.”
“I was traveling incognito.” The lie flowed easily—because he was designed to play roles? “Follow Kurz. Your men need the hospital, and I suspect it will need you.”
The doctor glanced at the other officers. Grayson nodded and then Ko did more slowly. Clearing his throat, the doctor said, “That’s a good doggie ... Please ... ah ... point the way.”
“Vow-vow!” declared Kurz, leading them off, pointing, of course. As it escorted them down the hall, 6T9 heard Kurz declare, “Az a doctor, I’m sure you’ll be relieved to know that I am completely hypoallergenic.”
As soon as the medical staff and the injured were on their way, 6T9 inclined his head in the opposite direction. “Follow me.”
Ko took 6T9’s right, Grayson his left. Davies disappeared into the troops with Falade and Lang. 6T9’s own troops still lined the hallway. As a show of strength, it was helpful, but it was also a waste. 6T9 reached into the ether. “Five, are there any sex ‘bots in my army?”
The gate’s voice piped into his mind. “Yes, sir.”
“Give them medical apps and get them to the hospital.”
“Yes, at once.”
“And get any security ‘bots back to the front lines.”
“Already done, sir.”
6T9 glanced at an unobtrusive DusterBuster ‘bot hovering a few paces ahead, a faint light aglow in its inflatable body. When empty, they were no larger than a fist, but could expand to the size of a large balloon. They were adept at filtering allergens and pollutants from the air. “Send all the DusterBusters to vents that lead to the quarantined area,” 6T9 continued, still over the ether.
“I have sealed those.”
“Get the DusterBusters there anyway,” 6T9 ordered. “If any vent is compromised send them in.”
Whirring to life, the DusterBuster tore off down the corridor with a happy, “Whee!” Other happy cries erupted down the hall.
“Tell your men they’re friendly,” 6T9 ordered the two officers.
Grayson repeated the assurance, and 6T9 heard the lieutenant’s voice echoed in over a hundred helmet radios.
Ko grumbled. “Those don’t look like combat drones.”
“They are air purifiers,” 6T9 replied. “They’ll be able to keep the Dark from spreading through the air if the Infected force open any vents.” He didn’t think that they could filter out the Dark, but they could block any openings with their expanding bodies.
He eyed the menagerie of ‘bots saluting him down the hall. He had to find ways to repurpose them. They were so varied; he wasn’t sure how to best utilize every—
Ko cleared his throat. “The gate’s time bands were damaged when the Merkabah was destroyed.”
Static flared beneath 6T9’s skin in annoyance. He had eyes. He’d seen that, and even if he hadn’t seen, he’d have known. If the time bands hadn’t been destroyed, the Infected would have spread throughout the galaxy. Stifling his ire, he tried to focus on how best to utilize his forces—
Ko continued. “Our engineers estimate that they are repairable. Gate 5’s external defenses are down, and the Infected still have ships. They’ll be able to protect any Infected that make repairs. If you don’t mind me suggesting it, sir, some of our troops can fire at anyone or anything that attempts it.”
6T9’s Q-comm lit. He should have thought of that.
Ko lifted an arm in the direction they’d just come from. “I can station two rifle teams in the airlock we deconned in.”
Grinding his teeth, 6T9 halted. It would have been helpful if Ko had brought that up a few minutes ago. Turning, about to say so, he was taken aback by the slight sheen on the man’s brow. Ko was afraid. Possibly of him. 6T9 had encouraged that fear and caused this inefficiency. Shaking off annoyance at Ko and himself, 6T9 drew up a schematic of the gate’s inner ring in his mind. “There are twelve smaller airlocks for repair ‘bots,” he suggested. “Their openings are more defensible. I entered the gate through one. Sergeant Davies could—”
“Here, sir. I heard, sir,” Davies declared, emerging alongside the crowd as if by magic, Falade and Lang at his heels. “I agree with the general’s assessment, Commander. A single fire team could hold a mechanical room like the one we came in. The entrance of the airlock you were in is wide enough to drive a two-team lizzar wagon through.”
6T9’s Q-comm informed him a fire team was four men, usually led by a sergeant. He blinked at Davies’s team of three. “Are you missing a man?” he blurted, forgetting he was a general.
Eyes darting to him and back to Ko, Davies for a moment looked confused—no, 6T9 realized—the look was anguish. The sergeant stood a little taller and said quietly, “We lost Ito.”
There was a moment of silence. Ko sighed so softly 6T9 suspected that only he and the weere heard it. “I’ll want to know the details later.”
“Yes, sir,” Davies replied. There was another beat of silence and then Davies forged on, as though he hadn’t just reported the death of a friend, and 6T9
wondered if he wasn’t the only one playing a role. “The airlock we were in was filled with—no offense, General—a lot of junk. I saw drone bits. I think some of the Merkabah’s boys could turn them into something usable. We could launch them from the airlocks.”
6T9 blinked. He’d thought of using ‘bots, but hadn’t thought about using the “junk.” “It’s a good idea. ‘Bots won’t be able to kill—drones manned by humans can.”
Commander Ko said, “Make it so,” and issued some orders to other members of the Guard. They gathered with Davies.
To 6T9, Ko said, “Do you have guides to these other airlocks?”
6T9 reached out to the ether and a soft hum started from down the hall. “I do.” Seconds later, thirteen nearly perfectly spherical ‘bots zipped into view. They bobbed in the air in the equivalent of a bow. 6T9 said to Davies, “These are Directory ‘bots. They’ll show your teams the way.”
Shifting on his feet, Davies eyed the ‘bots somewhat apprehensively, and this time 6T9 tried to be empathetic and see what he saw. The Directory ‘bots were nearly black spheres, as wide as a man’s torso, and rather ominous when 6T9 thought about it. A question would turn their bodies into luminous maps, but they hadn’t been given a question or destination yet. To Davies, 6T9 said, “They can take you anywhere on the gate, give you more details than Kurz, help you find a particular piece of junk if you ask, and when we’re done, show you where to get the best pizza. Their job is to know where everything is.”
“Errr…” Davies flushed. “I just ask them?” For a moment, 6T9 felt like he had gone offline. Davies was talking to him, and knew he was a machine. “Yes, like you would me.”
Davies stared at 6T9 a beat too long before turning and bowing politely to the ‘bots. “Sirs, would you guide me to the nearest maintenance airlock.”
