Pursuit of the Bold

by Jamie McFarlane

  "No way," I said. "We barely scraped through some of those passageways. The back plate would never make it."

  "It is remarkable how you are capable of intuitive calculations of this nature," Jonathan answered. "And you are correct, the back plate and ammunition pack storage both have dimensions incompatible with the passage in its current form. There are, however, only eight locations that would require widening. To be specific, a total of twenty-seven cubic meters of material would need to be removed."

  "If only we had someone who was familiar with mining equipment." Tabby's voice wafted down the hallway just before she appeared. Her tousled, long amber hair and puffy eyes were a good telltale that she'd just awakened.

  "Coffee?" I asked, handing her my cup. "Sendrei says we're cowboys now."

  "Cowgirl," she said foggily, as she accepted the cup and looked into it suspiciously.

  "What would you require to remove that much material?" Jonathan asked, projecting the sideview of a tunnel onto the galley's bulkhead. The pinch-points were well identified, and I recognized a few of them from the scrapes the mech suits had left behind.

  "Ideally, we'd have a mining laser. We would bore holes and pop 'em with a controlled gas expansion. That far underground, we wouldn't dare risk using direct explosives. A cave-in would be … well, I think we all understand that would be bad," I said. "That Class-A replicator we were going to give the Jarwainians is too small to build anything but the bags. We'd need to get the Class-C going. I think we'd have to build a bore instead of a laser; build time on a Class-C for a halfway decent laser is at least twenty hours."

  "How long for a bore?" Tabby asked. "Do you even know how to use a bore?"

  I chuckled and raised my eyebrows at her. "Of course. Hoffens are, if anything, good at using even the most Luddite technology. Fact is, a quality hammer bore is almost as fast as a laser. It just requires more attention and leaves a mess. Lasers are pretty much point and shoot. Given that Gaylon Brighton isn't going anywhere anytime soon, we can scavenge her for material."

  "Popeyes aren't much protection from ships," Tabby said.

  "Agreed," Sendrei said. "First order has to be repairing Gaylon Brighton's turrets and power supply."

  "Anyone think this ship will sail again?" I asked.

  "No way," Tabby answered.

  I nodded in agreement with her statement. We'd been lucky to sail her up against a Kroerak frigate. That luck had run out when she'd been impaled by a dozen lances.

  "We should move the turret to a position worth defending," I said, "along with the med-tank and replicators. Like Sendrei's cowboys, we need to build a fort and bring everything inside the walls. If we're spread out when the Kroerak come, we'll have trouble putting up a defense."

  "Move it where?" Tabby asked.

  "To the bunker where the Piscivoru are holed up," I said. "Engirisk was excited to start looking through all the technology that had been left behind. How about this? Jonathan, you and Sendrei get Gaylon Brighton's turrets, Class-C replicator, and med-tank portable. We can use the stevedore bot to move them once you get them freed up. Tabby had the Class-A mostly removed. We'll take it over to the bunker and negotiate with Noelisk and crew. They already have power and hopefully we can just connect the Class-A."

  "We have constructed a power regulator pattern for the purpose of connecting human technology with the Piscivoru," Jonathan said. "This part sits within the completed bin labeled 'A.'"

  His statement reminded me that he was not a single entity but a community of 1,438 silicate-based sentients. The fact was, they'd likely already discussed everything and come to the same conclusions hours ago.

  "What are we missing, Jonathan?" I asked.

  The collective was generally unwilling to change plans we came up with. In some circumstances, like with the communications and arranging to disassemble the Popeyes, they would act independently.

  "There is a matter of food for the Piscivoru," they said. "There existed an unusual symbiosis between Kroerak and Piscivoru. While the Kroerak hunted the Piscivoru, the Piscivoru in turn fed on the fallen Kroerak. The Piscivoru have become dependent upon Kroerak as their primary source of protein."

  I shuddered, recalling the disgusting crunch of Kroerak shell. "I think Sklisk said there were supplies in the bunker."

  "We estimate there is perhaps enough for sixty days with proper rationing," he said. "If the Kroerak do not return with ground forces, and if an effort to replace this food supply is ignored, the Piscivoru will starve."

  "Anything else?" I asked.

  "We think it likely an advanced guard of Kroerak will arrive as early as ten days from now. Whatever our preparations, we should execute them with due haste."

  "Have you been in contact with Thomas Anino?" I asked.

  Jonathan held a quantum crystal that allowed direct communication with Thomas Anino, the inventor of TransLoc. While no longer operable, TransLoc technology had originally given humanity access to the stars. Unfortunately, it had also given the Kroerak a way to invade Earth.

  "Our communication has been limited," Jonathan answered. "We believe, as do you, that quantum communications may not be completely secure. Thomas Anino knows of Loose Nuts' limited success in tracking down that which the Kroerak most fear. The details of the utilization of Iskstar have been withheld, however."

  "I appreciate that," I said. "I'm not sure what the Kroerak would do if they thought we were developing technology as powerful as Iskstar. If I were them and I believed that intel, I'd throw everything I had at the problem."

  "We also believe this to be true," Jonathan said. "It is prudent to assume the Kroerak are aware of your victory and are indeed amassing attacks on multiple fronts."

  "Time to stop talking and get to work in that case," Tabby said, stuffing the rest of a meal bar into her mouth before washing it down with scalding hot coffee.

  Sendrei nodded in agreement. He would work on freeing the top turret and a power source while Tabby and I met up with the Piscivoru.

  "Did you lose your brush?" I asked as we walked up the incline leading forward. Tabby's hair was always meticulously kept. As we walked she flipped it back, obviously annoyed.

  "Did you see it?" she asked, pulling her hair over her shoulder and holding it in place. "It wasn't in our quarters."

  "Probably fell out. I patched some pretty big holes in the head. It won't take even three minutes to make one on the Class-A," I said. "We can do that first if you want."

  "I feel selfish, but yeah, we need to do that," she answered. "Otherwise, someone is going to get beaten."

  "Why don't you grab a couple of blaster rifles and I'll get started on the replicator." Avoiding a Tabby beating, physical or verbal, was always high on my priorities.

  "You're the best," she said, pecking me on my grimy cheek.

  At the replicator, I punched in the plans for her brush. Technically, it was more than a brush as it kept a person's hair at exactly the right length in addition to styling it to specification. I personally didn't use the brush more than once a ten-day and was due. In the last few months, my normally reticent beard started to fill in on my chin and I was toying with the notion of growing it out. Tabby wouldn't love the idea, but it seemed a manly thing to do. Since I was generally the physical lesser of my peers, especially since Nick was no longer traveling with us as much, I figured I should give it a try.

  "M-1911," Tabby said, joining me at the replicator, handing me the replica slug thrower I favored. I'd already extracted the power coupler Jonathan had programmed and was just pulling out her brush.

  "Thanks," I said, affixing the holster to my favored chest position. "Grab an end."

  Tabby had been working on the replicator, preparing to give it to the Jarwainians. She'd already installed handles so it could be carried easily by two people. Massing thirty kilograms, the device was bulky as well as heavy.

  "I have it. Grab the material bags," She grasped both handles and lifted from the deck with her grav-sui
t.

  We exited the ship into a rainstorm that had spent most of the morning intensifying. I had twenty kilograms of raw materials and Tabby had the replicator. As it turned out, our second crash site wasn't quite as conveniently located as our first had been. By the time we arrived at the building beneath which the bunker lay, my arms were tiring from the bag's weight. A younger Liam would have tasked a stevedore bot to carry the loads, not caring whether that was the lazy way to do things. Tabby, however, was my kryptonite in this. If she could handle the replicator, I would man-up and do my part.

  Dropping through the rubble of a recently demolished series of floors, my eyes finally lit on the blue telltale of an Iskstar staff. One of the Piscivoru guards stepped out from the shadows. As soon as she saw who it was, she nodded and continued along her close-in patrol route.

  "Liam Hoffen, welcome." The comm in my ear chirped to life with the unmistakable sound of Engirisk's voice. "You have brought machines. Is there purpose to this?"

  At the far end of the hallway, which was still mostly obstructed by fallen building debris, a meter-and-a-half-tall hatch opened and Engirisk appeared. The height of the hallway – what remained at least – was far too short for either Tabby or me to walk upright in. Fortunately, our grav-suits allowed for horizontal travel and we glided through.

  "Replicator machine," I answered. "I think we talked of this when back at the Iskstar grotto."

  "So, this is a replicator. I would never have believed such a thing existed, although Tskir assures us that Piscivoru invented a similar technology before the fall of Picis."

  "Do you have a place where it could be set out of reach of the rain?" I asked.

  "There is a partially full cavern … no, that is not the correct word according to the device that speaks to my ear and presents ghosts to my eyes. There is a warehouse beneath us," he said. "Not only does it have room enough for your machine, but it also has ceilings beneath which you would not be required to bend when walking upright."

  "Sounds perfect," I said.

  "What is it that you wish to create with your machine?" he asked as we settled on the ground in front of him, the debris now cleared from the doorway.

  "It's probably a conversation for Noelisk and the other elders as well," I said. "It is our analysis that the Kroerak are likely to return with a considerably larger force. They will hope to capture us before we're able to escape Picis. We also think they'd make an even stronger push to eradicate your people."

  "Noelisk and Ferisk rest now as do the other elders," he said. "I find I am unable to sleep. Technology I have studied my entire life has suddenly become available to me and I find I must use it. We also believe the Kroerak will return, if for no other reason than they have always been here. There is a faction that seeks to return to the mountain and hide within its depths."

  "Why?"

  "They would return to the nature of the first people, before language and society," he answered. "They believe it is only by living this way that they can truly be free."

  "Sounds like hiding to me," Tabby said.

  "It is not within our nature to seek battle," Engirisk said. "I have spent much time learning of how the Kroerak so easily murdered our people. In the beginning, we met the Kroerak with open arms only to be slaughtered by the billions, a number so large I cannot rectify its meaning. There were a few who resisted, but even with our advanced technology, we lasted for only a half a pass around our star."

  "You lasted an entire half a stan?" I asked. While he spoke, my AI displayed that Picis had roughly the same orbital distance as Earth did around the Sun.

  "The Kroerak were not well organized," he answered. "Our people, while trusting, were difficult targets for their warriors. Three cities constructed great weapons that fired upon the ships in the darkness above the sky. Dskirnss, the city where we now stand, was one of those three cities. Enough of history, what is it again that you wish to create with your machine?"

  We’d need to work hard to keep Engirisk on task and I had to be careful about getting him overly distracted. "Defenses," I said. "We'd like to talk to the elders about placing the weapon that was atop our ship onto the bunker. It's not enough to defend against orbital bombardment, but we believe it would provide a significant deterrent to anything short of that. We'll need the replicator to make parts so the weapon can be moved."

  "There is another entrance," Engirisk said. "One for which I can provide access, or at least so I am told by this Ay Eye." I smiled, the translator program had finally rectified Engirisk’s 'kroo ack' as Kroerak, but was stuck on the acronym for artificial intelligence.

  Glossary of Names

  Liam Hoffen – our hero. With straight black hair and blue eyes, Liam is a lanky one hundred seventy-five centimeters tall, which is a typical tall, thin spacer build. His parents are Silver and Pete Hoffen, who get their own short story in Big Pete. Raised as an asteroid miner, Liam's destiny was most definitely in the stars, if not on the other end of a mining pick. Our stories are most often told from Liam’s perspective and he, therefore, needs the least introduction.

  Nick James – the quick-talking, always-thinking best friend who is usually five moves ahead of everyone and the long-term planner of the team. At 157 cm, Nick is the shortest human member of the crew. He, Tabby, and Liam have been friends since they met in daycare on Colony-40 in Sol's main asteroid belt. The only time Nick has trouble forming complete sentences is around Marny Bertrand, who by his definition is the perfect woman. Nick’s only remaining family is a brother, Jack, who now lives on Lèger Nuage. The boys lost their mother during a Red Houzi pirate attack that destroyed their home in the now infamous Battle for Colony-40.

  Tabitha Masters – fierce warrior and loyal fiancé of our hero, Liam. Tabby lost most of her limbs when the battle cruiser on which she was training was attacked by the dreadnaught Bakunawa. Her body subsequently repaired, she lives for the high adrenaline moments of life and engages life’s battles at one hundred percent. Tabby is a lithe, 168 cm tall bundle of impatience.

  Marny Bertrand – former Marine from Earth who served in the Great Amazonian War and now serves as guardian of the crew. Liam and Nick recruited Marny from her civilian post on the Ceres orbital station in Rookie Privateer. Marny is 180 cm tall, heavily muscled and the self-appointed fitness coordinator — slash torturer — on the ship. Her strategic vigilance has safeguarded the crew through some rather unconventional escapades. She's also extraordinarily fond of Nick.

  Ada Chen – ever-optimistic adventurer and expert pilot. Ada was first introduced in Parley when Liam and crew rescued her from a lifeboat. Ada’s mother, Adela, had ejected the pod from their tug, Baux-201, before it was destroyed in a pirate attack. Ada is a 163 cm tall, ebony-skinned beauty and a certified bachelorette. Ada’s first love is her crew and her second is sailing into the deep dark.

  Jonathan – a collective of 1,438 sentient beings residing in a humanoid body. Communicating as Jonathan, they were initially introduced in A Matter of Honor when the crew bumped into Thomas Phillipe Anino. Jonathan is intensely curious about the human condition, specifically how humanity has the capacity to combine skill, chance, and morality to achieve a greater result.

  Sendrei Buhari – a full two meters tall, dark skinned and heavily muscled. Sendrei started his military career as a naval officer only to be captured by the Kroerak while on a remote mission. Instead of killing him outright, the Kroerak used him as breeding stock, a decision he's dedicated his life to making them regret.

  Felio Species – an alien race of humanoids best identified by its clear mix of human and feline characteristics. Females are dominant in this society. Their central political structure is called the Abasi, a governing group consisting of the most powerful factions, called houses. An imposing, middle-aged female, Adahy Neema, leads House Mshindi. Her title and name, as is the tradition within houses, is Mshindi First for as long as she holds the position.

  Strix Species – A vile alien species that worked
their way into power within the Confederation of Planets. Spindly legs, sharp beaks, feathery skin and foul mouthed, most representatives of this species have few friends and seem to be determined to keep it that way.

  Aeratroas Region – located in the Dwingeloo galaxy and home to 412 inhabited systems occupying a roughly tubular shape only three hundred parsecs long with a diameter of a hundred parsecs. The region is loosely governed by agreements that make up The Confederation of Planets.

  Planet Zuri – located in the Santaloo star system and under loose Abasi control. One hundred fifty standard years ago, Zuri was invaded by Kroerak bugs. It was the start of a bloody, twenty-year war that left the planet in ruins and its population scattered. Most Felio who survived the war abandoned the planet, as it had been seeded with Kroerak spore that continue to periodically hatch and cause havoc.

  York Settlement – located on planet Zuri. York is the only known human settlement within the Aeratroas region. The settlement was planted shortly before the start of the Kroerak invasion and survived, only through considerable help from House Mshindi.

  About the Author

  Jamie McFarlane is happily married, the father of three and lives in Lincoln, Nebraska. He spends his days engaged in a hi-tech career and his nights and weekends writing works of fiction.

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  For more information

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  jamie@fickledragon.com

  Acknowledgments