Faster Than Light: Babel Among the Stars

by Malcolm Pierce

  *

  “So, what were you able to find out?” Seth asked. He swirled his drink in front of his face. It was a strong Linarian gin mixed with lime juice, and he had to keep himself from sipping it too quickly. He didn’t want to get drunk. He was afraid he might let something slip.

  Willa Green shrugged. “About Lachesis?” she asked. “Not that much. Why didn’t you just ask your new military friends? I’m sure they’ve got better data than I’m able to dig up.”

  “Because I don’t want them to know I’m poking around,” Seth replied. He set down his glass. “That’s why I came to you.”

  Seth and Willa sat at a quiet bar near RSIR. It was the first time Seth had seen anyone from the school since he charged the stage at the Chairman’s assembly. For weeks, he’d been sequestered from the public. He was practically property of the Republic Military. As the de facto spokesman and civilian voice within the enforcement of the Spatial Preservation Act, they wanted to control him.

  That was then. This was now, after the attack near the Mid-Canada zone. Absalom was beginning to trust Seth, and when he told him that he had a date with a former classmate, the commissar didn’t question him. He didn’t even send along a military escort.

  “It’s an interplanetary corporation operating mostly on Yuan and Quantron,” Willa finally said. “They started as a mineral outfit a couple centuries ago, buying up a few established mines and stripping uninhabited star systems. They were a second-rate operation, and didn’t have much influence until about fifty years ago. Then they began to expand aggressively, forcing their way into several other industries. They sold off their mines fairly recently, and now deal in less tangible goods.”

  Seth raised an eyebrow. “Pharmaceuticals? Recreational drugs?”

  “They have a chemical productions subsidiary, but that’s hardly where they get most of their profits. Mostly they buy struggling businesses, rehabilitate them, and spin them off to investors. Its a very profitable operation.”

  “That all goes away after the Fall,” Seth replied. He looked off towards the back of the bar. Was that what this was all about? Were they just after money? It didn’t feel right. As much as he hated the Spatial Preservation Act, opposing it because it would hurt profits was just despicable. Brainwashing someone to steal a starship for money wasn’t much better.

  It couldn’t be that simple. Seth refused to believe it. If they were trying to get the Heilmann Drive plans from him, it made sense. If Lachesis could produce its own faster-than-light starships, then it would be able to prevent the Fall. In fact, they’d be able to profit from it. But what could they do with a single vessel? The theft of a lone starship would not re-open the trade routes. It would not allow them to continue their interplanetary business. A galaxy full of ships, zipping between worlds, was the only thing that kept them afloat. One wasn’t enough.

  They couldn’t be haughty enough to believe they could reverse-engineer the Heilmann Drive. Hundreds of scientists had tried over the last two thousand years. It was impossible. The only way to build one was to follow the plans exactly. It was all so intricate that once it was put together, there was no good way to figure out how to take it apart without detailed instructions.

  So why did they want him to steal a ship?

  “You could have found all of this yourself,” Willa said. “All it took me was a records search and some time on the net. Why did you need me?”

  “Because I’m sure they’re watching everything I do on the net,” Seth replied. “I can’t let them find out that I’m interested in Lachesis.”

  Willa sighed. “Oh Seth, you’re always up to something. What is it this time? Do you think you can somehow leverage your job with the military into a way off of Earth before the Fall? Maybe you think you can swing a job with Lachesis? Good luck with that. They’re probably going to collapse after all is said and done.”

  Seth glared at her. “At least I’m doing something,” he said. He wasn’t sure why he was so angry. He should have been glad that she was missing the point of his questions. There was just something about her tone that frustrated him. It was like she disliked him for his ambition. Why was that such a bad thing? “How about you? What are you doing? The Fall is going to make RSIR obsolete. They don’t need diplomats anymore.”

  “I... I am trying to figure that out,” Willa replied. “But I’m sure that the Republic has some plan for us. They’ve spent so much time training us, they won’t throw us by the wayside.”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time they destroyed an entire profession,” Seth said. “But if you have faith in them, who am I to argue with you?”

  Willa turned to look him straight in the eye. “What’s going on with you, Seth?” she asked. There was something strange and unfamiliar in her gaze. She often teased Seth about his plans, and about his distaste for the Republic. But now it was like she was finally taking him seriously. “A few months ago, you were talking about bringing down the Republic. You wanted to start a revolution. Now... You’re working for them. You’re making speeches in support of the Fall. Everywhere you go, you’re side-to-side with a commissar, like he’s your best friend.”

  Seth laughed. He put his hand on Willa’s shoulder. “You’re my best friend,” he said. “You know that.”

  “That’s why I’m worried.”

  An awkward silence set in between them as Seth tried to figure out what to tell her. He wasn’t even sure what he was doing anymore. His plan to steal the Heilmann Drive design documents fell through. Now he was just a shill for the government, the last thing he wanted in his life. The most hopeful facet of his life was that a corporation he’d never heard of wanted to brainwash him into stealing a starship. At least that was something. At least it was interesting.

  “What if I have the only starship in the galaxy?” Seth asked.

  Willa laughed. “Ah! Another crazy scheme. This actually makes me feel better.”

  Seth looked at her, his eyes wide. “But lets just say, theoretically... What happens if there’s only one starship? And one person in control of that starship? Think about what that would mean.”

  “Someone would kill you. If not the Republic for stealing the ship, the first government that wanted to take the ship from you. It’s crazy, and like all of your plans, it’s just a fantasy. People have tried to steal ships before. It never works.” Willa smiled. “But it’s good that the real Seth is back.”

  The more Seth thought about it, though, it wasn’t just a crazy plan. It made perfect sense. As Civilian Liaison to Absalom’s team, Seth had access to every ship that was decommissioned. Thanks to the Lachesis brainwashing attempt, he knew the exact layout of the Europa Station. That was where all the ships were stored prior to being taken apart. He also understood how to power up a starship.

  Time was running out. If he didn’t do something, the Republic would destroy the last Heilmann Drive in existence. If the original plans were truly lost, it could never be rebuilt. The dozens of planets across the galaxy would be forever stranded, forever alone, and it would be the end of human society.

  If just one thread could be preserved, if just one ship could survive, there would still be hope. And if Seth was in control of that hope...

  He could rebuild the system the way he saw fit.