by Nathan Jones
She jumped as the rogue companion abruptly turned to face her, abandoning her inspection of a stasis pod. “Miss Sarr, I am fully capable of carrying on a conversation with you while attending to my duties.”
Considering she wasn't doing so, the message was obvious that she wanted Terra to go away. Which was the closest she'd ever seen a companion come to being rude; maybe the prototype was afraid her human was listening, or would pop in at any moment.
Well, she could take a hint. “I'm sorry for pressing you,” Terra said. “If your human is okay with it, I'd really like to spend more time talking to you.”
The companion thawed a bit. “That would be lovely, Miss Sarr. Thank you for your patience.”
Nodding, Terra headed over to rejoin her associates as they waited to figure out what was going to happen to them. It turned out to not be a very long wait.
Before long Captain came storming into the room alone, looking angry and also, Terra could've sworn . . . guilty? Her colleagues all tensed, although she couldn't help but brighten; in spite of the man's obvious bad mood, this might be a chance to approach him about his companion.
He barely waited for everyone to turn to look at him before speaking. “Good news and bad news, people.”
There were a few uneasy murmurs about that, and Terra frowned. When people said that it usually meant bad news with, at best, a silver lining. And it looked as if this time was no exception.
Their rescuer continued before anyone could interrupt. “I intend to get you off this rock, since I've already gone to all this effort and I can't in good conscience leave you to your fate. That's the good news. The bad news is, my employer doesn't intend to free you, simply fold you into her own organization and use your talent for her benefit.”
He grimaced. “I have reason to believe she'd treat you better than you're treated here, more like employees than prisoners as long as you cooperate. But the fact remains you'd still effectively be slaves. And my employer leads a criminal organization, so whatever work she puts you to may be in conflict with your conscience. Probably not to the level of working for Deeks, but the fact remains.”
That was pretty bad news. Sure, it could've been worse; actually, it was somewhat ironic that Terra had spent most of her adult life happily holed up in one indoor science facility after another, quietly working on her projects. She'd never really missed not going out and traveling the universe more often than brief trips, when she was transferred or required to travel for work. She didn't even really miss not getting proper fresh air and sunshine, since full immersion and UV lighting met those needs.
It was only after she'd been taken prisoner that she'd truly realized what she'd lost, even though she'd barely noticed missing it before. Technically her circumstances hadn't changed all that much, since she was still given good food, a good bed, reasonable work hours, and recreation time.
Although granted, having those two Deek goons threaten to rape her within minutes of being captured certainly drove home her change of status. As had being aggressively hit on by some members of the ERI staff on this base, with the not so subtle implication that in her position, if she refused their advances long enough they might get tired of asking nicely and become more insistent.
So yes, working for a criminal organization that treated them more like employees and less like potential sources of entertainment would be a step up.
Captain continued grimly. “I can't say your options if you don't go to my employer are much better. The Movement will be looking for you, as will my employer, and between them they can cast a wide net. One you probably won't be able to get away from. I'm not trying to sway you one way or another, but that's the situation.”
A somewhat puzzled silence settled. Then Linus cleared his throat, staring at their rescuer in genuine surprise. “Excuse me, but are you . . . giving us a choice? We're not your slaves or hostages?”
“No slaves on my ship,” Captain said firmly, a position Terra found more than a little surprising. Had he been a Stag, before the war ended? “You'll have a choice, even if there are no great options,” he added. “I'll help you as much as I feel I can, although I can't make any guarantees.”
To everyone's surprise, Captain's most of all, it was the adult companion who answered. “My love, you've left out a third option . . . returning them to HumanAssist Enterprises.”
Well, that confirmed this man was her imprinted human, although it had seemed pretty obvious. Terra felt a surge of hope at the suggestion, glad her creation was speaking out on behalf of her and her colleagues. She wasn't the only one; everyone in the room seemed to have taken a collective breath, not quite daring to believe that their ordeal might soon be over and they'd be allowed to return to their lives.
Or at least, as close to normalcy as possible with the governing power in the universe trying to enslave or exterminate them.
Captain frowned, eyeing his companion appraisingly. “That might be pretty tough, considering the Deeks are raiding the corporation's bases and ships all over the explored universe. Where exactly will they go that would be safe?”
Terra waited anxiously for the rogue companion's answer. Did the AI trust this man enough to suggest what she thought she was about to suggest?
All companions were privy to HAE secrets, because their internal defenses were so secure that no hacking attempt could ever come close to defeating them. And even if any did, they'd simply destroy themselves as a final failsafe. So of course this companion knew everything she needed to about the corporation, or at least as of last year.
If she thought revealing at least some of those secrets to Captain was a viable option, that couldn't help but raise Terra's opinion of the man. Especially since this was a major secret.
Just who was he, anyway? A criminal, if his employer was one, but he refused to take slaves, and he was willing to help them find their freedom? Whoever he was, his apparent character stood out in this universe infested by the terminal rot of Deconstructionism.
The companion stepped forward to rest a hand on Captain's shoulder, leaning in to brush his ear with her lips as she whispered into it. Their rescuer's frown deepened. “I find that hard to believe,” he finally said.
“Only because you don't see beyond HAE's exterior, my love,” she replied solemnly.
Captain looked around the room at everyone, seeming torn. It looked as if he genuinely wanted to help, but doubt in this option and consideration of his own interests was giving him pause. “This may seem like a mercenary question, but would your employers be willing to pay me a reward for your safe return?”
Linus nodded, somewhere between eager and desperate. “Absolutely. We represent a large portion of the creative core of the company, the main area where the Ca-that is, our corporate executives, are weakest. I wouldn't hesitate to guarantee they'll pay you double whatever you're currently getting.”
“And you'll have made powerful friends,” Terra added.
If she'd hoped to sweeten the deal, Captain disabused her. “That'll nicely offset the powerful enemies I'll be making,” he muttered.
She hesitated, not sure how much it was wise to reveal to a criminal, even an unusual one like him. A glance at his companion offered no help there; the woman's eyes were on her human, offering her support and encouragement as he made this decision.
“I think you'll find that HAE's friendship is more valuable than you realize,” Terra finally told him. “After all, isn't one of a companion's primary functions serving as a peerless bodyguard?”
That was what nobody knew about HAE, that and the true nature of their leadership, that is; the fact that beneath the corporation's largely harmless exterior, and certainly benign intentions, they had hidden claws. Similar to how companions were capable of necessary violence in defense of innocent humans, especially their imprinted one.
After all, how could the Caretakers look after the wellbeing of humanity if they weren't willing to fight to suppress its worst elements? Bad behavior uncheck
ed tended to multiply as the miscreants in a society became emboldened, while justice provided deterrence as well as punishment.
A lesson humanity constantly failed to remember, QED the Deconstructionist Movement.
Captain eyed her thoughtfully, then panned his gaze across the others again before turning to his companion. “You can lead us where we need to go to deliver these people back to HAE?”
“Of course, my love,” she replied, sounding relieved. “Or if nothing else, where we can safely contact the corporation to coordinate a pickup.”
He sighed in resignation. “Time to piss off an old friend, then.” He glared at Terra, then Linus. “You guys are just lucky you make good sex robots.”
Terra felt deeply offended that he was reducing the grand achievement of her life, the pinnacle of AI interaction with humans, to such base terms. Then she realized he was probably just making a joke, considering the obvious affection and trust he placed in his adult companion. Although joke or no, she didn't like to hear her prized creations denigrated.
Oh well; the man was taking her off this desolate rock and giving her back her freedom. She could forgive a little crassness.
Chapter Nine
More Than Meets the Eye
It turned out that having a workforce of stolen combat androids made the job of looting a science facility and stuffing his ship to the gills go a lot faster.
And the Last Stand was certainly crowded now; not only was nearly every square foot of the cargo bay and other storage spaces packed with stasis pods and valuable technology, but for the first time in over a decade the crew quarters were all filled. They'd also had to find a place to stow their four new combat androids, which were currently parked in the twins' lab awaiting a thorough reprogramming from Ali.
Listening to the Ishivis whine about their precious space being coopted for the purpose was just a bonus.
As a final “thank you” to ERI for their generosity, the last thing Aiden did before taking off was order the facility's robots to destroy everything useful in the place, aside from essentials like life support for the remaining staff, and then destroy themselves. On a similar vein, he also ordered the orbital defense platform to self destruct.
It was a nice feeling, to inflict such massive damage on the Deeks and the corporation they controlled. Almost like his first days of privateering, when he'd made more of an effort to go after military targets and important Movement infrastructure.
The fact that it had also been a great chance to enrich him and his crew, far more than they'd expected when taking the job, was equally hard to ignore. And if he could find a way to broadcast the destruction of this facility without further annoying Elyssa by drawing attention to her activities, not to mention risking revealing his ship's presence in Iglis galaxy, he was tempted to do it just to further rub this victory in the noses of his hated enemy.
Probably not, if for no other reason than it would further inconvenience the Movement by requiring them to update his wanted notices again. And add another zero to the bounty on his head. It almost made Aiden want to get back to doing this sort of thing more often.
While they'd been preparing to leave, Ali had plotted the first rift jump on a course that would take them to the nearest allnet node, a day or so away from Recluse. Apparently HAE didn't actually use the allnet for any sensitive business, since they had their own network that the Movement had yet to dismantle. But the node would allow Linus, Sarr, and the other three scientists who hadn't gone into stasis to contact their employers on that network.
“You going to be able to ensure the node we use isn't spying on us?” Aiden asked his companion. He felt a bit bad about constantly expressing doubt in her, but she was the one who kept going on about how out of date important skillsets were.
Ali somehow managed a gentle, supportive sort of indignant scowl. “This is a hardware issue, no hacking involved. There'll be no risk.”
“Good, let's get going then.” Aiden leaned over the controls, easing the ship forward into the rift his companion had opened. He was getting sick of looking at her in her disguise, but until their guests were off his ship he didn't want to risk giving them any hints about the identity of their rescuers.
After all, he may have saved them from slavery and was now returning them to their employers to hopefully go back to their old lives, but that was no guarantee one of them wouldn't rat him out for the bounty if they knew. The Movement had done a pretty effective job of creating a universe where people were encouraged to be cynical, self-interested sewage clogs.
Speaking of his guests, Aiden had barely finished enduring the mind-bending effects of going through the rift, and was leaning back to wait for Ali to calculate the next jump, when a polite clearing of an unfamiliar throat made him twist slightly in his seat to glance back at the entrance behind him.
Apparently, Miss Sarr had decided to invite herself onto the bridge. That was a massive etiquette faux pas aboard a ship, something just about everyone knew, or at least should. But judging by her vague, focused expression as she fiddled with a datapad, he wondered if she realized or cared.
He supposed it had been too long since he'd had passengers aboard his ship; experienced captains knew that passengers could be rude, inconsiderate, or even dangerous, and took the appropriate measures. Including keeping the bridge's security door closed and keyed to open only at the approach of crew.
Sometimes the best way of preventing rudeness in guests was depriving them of that option. Too late now, though.
“Captain,” the willowy woman said, eyes still on her notepad, “if it's not too much trouble, I would like to ask you some questions about your experience with your adult companion since acquiring her. Your feedback could greatly-”
Aiden cut in politely. “Later, Miss Sarr. Please leave the bridge.”
She blinked and finally looked up at him, taken aback. “Oh. Um, all right. I'll go see how the others are settling in.”
As she turned to leave, Ali stood and moved to join her. “I'll instruct our passengers about proper protocols while aboard the ship,” she said.
“In a second,” he told his companion. “I want to talk to you first.”
Sarr, apparently at least aware enough to realize she'd been impolite, left without waiting for further encouragement. Aiden let a polite amount of time pass after she was gone before shutting the door behind her and activating the biometric lockout.
Then he immediately whirled on Ali. “Now that we've got a moment, maybe you can explain why you seem to know things about HAE you never bothered to tell me.”
“It would take countless lifetimes to tell you everything I know,” Ali replied gently, eyes inscrutable.
He snorted. “This, however, is pertinent information. Did you know we were going after enslaved HAE employees here?” She started to answer, but he curtly waved her to silence. “No, I'm not distracting myself with that. If I asked you to tell me about HAE's secrets, would you?”
Ali shook her head regretfully. “I couldn't, my love. My core priorities don't allow me to jeopardize the wellbeing of humans, and divulging that information would risk many, many lives.”
“Because you don't trust me.”
Her full lips thinned. “That's not a fair question and you know it. There are other considerations.”
No doubt. “If it meant the salvation of this ship and crew, would you tell me then?”
His companion hesitated a bit too long. “I would have to weigh the factors, my love. There are bigger things than this ship at stake, no matter how desperately I want to protect you. As a soldier for the Preservationist cause, I'm sure you can understand that.”
The sad thing was, Aiden could. Ali probably had some ethical subroutine that helped her make a decision about whose life to save first in an emergency, and issues like that. The cold, unfeeling math of probability and optimal outcomes.
She took a hesitant step forward, resting a hand on his arm. “Would you like to retire to our
quarters for our after combat routine? I could remove my disguise for that long, at least.”
The idea was certainly appealing, but Aiden shook his head. “We've got too much to do. For one thing, I'm sure the scientists will find ways to make nuisances of themselves while they have the run of the ship.”
His companion took the hint. “I'll go give them a tutorial on ship etiquette and protocol.”
Aiden watched her go, then settled back and stared sightlessly at his terminal, musing on the fact that he'd barely set foot in Iglis galaxy and things here were already a hopeless mess.
* * * * *
Lana had to admit, having five more people aboard the ship was a lot of fun.
Sure, they weren't all the most sociable people, and were obviously still shaken by what they'd been through recently. Even so, the opportunity to talk to new people, to find out what they'd experienced in their lives and what they thought about the universe they lived in, was a surprisingly enjoyable one.
Unfortunately, her enthusiasm wasn't shared by everyone. The twins lost interest in their passengers as soon as they realized the scientists were too smart to risk letting their genetic material fall into the hands of Ishivi. Especially when the HAE employees turned their noses up at fooling around recreationally, which was all Barix and Belix seemed interested in; apparently socializing was beneath them.
That, and their abrasive personalities soon had the new arrivals aboard the ship steering clear of them.
Dax, who she'd never seen express fear about anything, seemed almost spooked by the presence of so many strangers in the private space he'd lived in all his life. He was reluctant to go anywhere the passengers might be, spending most of his time in their cabin resting to recover from his injury. That, or stubbornly going on duty, even though Ali had immobilized his right arm until it had time to recover, and he'd be far less effective on the guns.
