It Ain't Over

by Robert M Kerns

  For what seemed like the longest time, the woman didn’t react…to the point that Cole feared Srexx might have harmed her somehow with his gene therapy. At last, though, the woman took a deep breath and opened her eyes, blinking them as she looked around.

  “Who are you?” she demanded. “Where am I?”

  “I’m Cole, and I rescued you when you were ejected from a destroyer on the far side of the asteroid field. You’ve been in the auto-doc from a mining camp operated by Trans-Stellar Mining Corporation. What’s the last thing you remember?”

  The woman frowned. “I was aboard the Adran Jordeen. I was the Second Officer, third in command. The first officer asked to see me about a crewman’s training report, and the last thing I remember is something pricking my neck when I entered his office.”

  “Well, according to the auto-doc, you had almost fatal levels of a sedative in your system, and I found you floating in a soft-suit.”

  Cole knew when she’d done the math. He watched her face pale.

  “They…you mean they…”

  Cole nodded. “I’m afraid so. They cast you out to die.”

  “Do you know why?”

  Cole shook his head.

  The woman took a couple of slow breaths before extending her hand. Cole gently grasped it and helped her out of the auto-doc. She was on her feet and looking around the environs when she jerked her head back around to face Cole, her eyes wide.

  “Please forgive me. I’m Lieutenant Commander Sasha Thyrray. My mother would give me a fearful whap for such a breach of courtesy.”

  “Think nothing of it. You’ve had some shocks to your system, and I’m afraid they’re not over yet.”

  “What do you mean?” Sasha asked.

  “Well, we had to evacuate the mining camp. Right before we arrived, there was an explosion in the mining shaft that killed the miners on-shift and led to the deaths of those who responded to the explosion. There were only two survivors, and the camp was leaking air like water through a sieve, so we salvaged everything we could and came aboard this ship. We’re going to Bremerton Station in Andersoll for basic supplies, and then we’ll decide on a plan from there.”

  Sasha gave Cole an appraising look. “So, whose ship is this?”

  “It’s mine. I found it derelict and claimed it as salvage.”

  “Most salvage claims go through the Prize Court,” Sasha said, her eyes flitting to different points around the room.

  “Maybe in the Commonwealth, but we’re in unclaimed space. I’m no pirate, but when a ship is floating idle and unoccupied, I will not turn away…especially when I needed a ship to evacuate a mining camp leaking air.”

  Sasha took a deep breath and exhaled. “So, where does a girl go to get some food around here?”

  “Deck Six appears to be the mess deck. There are all kinds of dining rooms there, so you’re welcome to pick whichever suits you.”

  Cole led Sasha out of the treatment room and watched Sasha’s eyes go wide as they entered the corridor…and it wasn’t even one of the main corridors that ran bow to stern. She spun in place, looking all around her.

  “Cole! Where did you find this ship? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “I told you. I found it floating derelict. I needed a ship, and it needed a crew…so I think we’re both very happy with the arrangement.”

  Sasha’s eyes locked on Cole’s, and she opened her mouth. Just as she was drawing breath to speak, however, Srexx’s voice broadcast over a speaker above them, “Cole, forgive me for interrupting. Sensors have detected a debris field near our current course.”

  Cole looked to Sasha, saying, “You have any issues with Ghrexels?”

  Sasha frowned at the non-sequitur. “Uh…no. Why?”

  “Well, it seems I have to go to the bridge, but you’re hungry. As long as you’re not a rabid bigot, I’ll ask Yeleth to meet us and show you to the galley.”

  Sasha pulled her head back, almost as if she were dodging a physical blow. “Wow…do you sweet-talk all the girls like this or just the ones you save?”

  Cole turned and walked down the corridor. “Hey, we just met. I figured a little tactless conversation was a quick way to drive through your defenses and get an honest reaction. Yeleth and Wixil haven’t been treated well, and quite frankly, I’m not about to let you be alone with them if you’re inclined to continue that trend.”

  Cole wasn’t facing Sasha, so he couldn’t see her glare at him. But even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared. He heard footfalls behind him as Sasha moved to catch up with him, and soon, she was at his side.

  “Mind if I come to the bridge with you?”

  Cole shrugged. “I thought you were hungry.”

  “I can get food later. Maybe the Adran Jordeen is still in the system, and we can find out why they ejected me into space.”

  Sasha shrieked like a terrified child when she floated upward upon entering the transit shaft. Cole tried not to grin at the ‘seasoned’ naval officer’s discomfort. As their feet passed the upper arch of the entry to the transit shaft, their speed increased, and Cole counted decks. At Deck Five, he reached out to take Sasha’s hand, and as their knees were passing the top of Deck Four’s entry, Cole held out his hand almost like he was flagging a taxi in one of those ancient movies his grandfather had loved to watch. Their ascent slowed until they were barely rising at the Deck Three entry, and it was a simple matter to step out of the transit shaft and into the corridor.

  Sasha beat Cole into the corridor, and Cole no longer felt like grinning. Her eyes were wide and her skin pale. She took a deep breath, and Cole could see the effort she expended in regaining her composure and control.

  “Please, tell me there are ladders or stairs somewhere.”

  Cole shook his head. “Nope. Sorry. The cargo shafts at the bow and stern use force-field platforms, though; you’re not just floating up an empty shaft.”

  Sasha swallowed and nodded. “So…the bridge?”

  The hatches leading to the bridge irised open at Cole’s approach, and the footfalls he heard behind him let him know Sasha was keeping pace with him. Upon passing through the hatch that actually opened onto the bridge, Cole went straight to the helm station.

  “What have we got, Srexx?” Cole said as he slid into the seat and accessed the sensor display.

  “There is a rather large debris field off our port side. The debris field itself is still rather compact, though the larger pieces do have vectors that will diffuse the debris. I have concluded it was a ship.”

  Cole frowned. He didn’t want to divert, but he couldn’t bring himself to bypass the debris without checking for survivors. Releasing his breath as a heavy sigh, Cole selected the debris field in the sensor display and programmed an intercept course, keying the command to have the ship’s computer alter their heading.

  Turning back to face his passenger, Cole found Sasha rubber-necking. She stood just a few strides in front of the command chair, her head on a swivel as she tried to take in everything at once. A child-like grin dominated her expression.

  “Like what you see, spacer?” Cole asked, displaying a grin of his own.

  “This is amazing! I’ve never seen a ship this clean before. Oh, sure…we keep the dust and particulates down, but if you asked me, I’d say this ship just left the yard. Where was it built?”

  Cole looked at her with a blank expression. “Uhm…Srexx?”

  “Srexx? You mentioned him before. Is he the owner or an engineer?”

  “Greetings, madam. I am Srexxilan, the fully aware and sentient AI intended to be this vessel’s primary computer. Cole seems to prefer shortening my designation to Srexx. Regarding your inquiry about the ship’s place of assembly, the hull was assembled in the forge at the seventh planet in Baxxilmar system, with the remaining tasks completed at Tirionix Shipyard orbiting the ninth planet in the Xellian system.”

  Sasha frowned as she turned to Cole. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of those systems befo
re.”

  “I should think not, madam. They were named by a civilization that existed some thirty-five thousand years ago…assuming my preliminary calculations to convert units of time are accurate.”

  “Thirty-five thousand?” Sasha’s voice trailed off as her eyes widened, mere moments before those same eyes rolled back in her head and her knees buckled.

  Cole moved to catch Sasha before she struck the deck and hefted her into a bridal carry. He placed her in the command chair, but scanning the various controls on the exterior of each of the command chair’s armrests, he didn’t see an indicator for safety restraints.

  “Vi!”

  Silence.

  “Vilrexicar!”

  More silence.

  “Cole,” Srexx said, “do you mean ‘Vilaxicar’ by any chance?”

  “Yes! Vilaxicar, does the command chair have any kind of restraints to ensure the occupant’s safety?”

  “Yes, Cole-Captain.”

  Cole sighed. “Still haven’t started those Standard classes yet, have you, Srexx?”

  “Ah, well…you see…”

  Cole slid back into the seat for the helm station and smiled when the console activated with the custom layout he’d designed.

  “Later, Srexx. Vilaxicar, please activate the safety restraints for the command chair, and monitor the occupant. Once the occupant displays any behavior indicating consciousness, deactivate the safety restraints.”

  Cole heard a strange sound and swiveled his seat toward the command chair. He saw a faint, emerald-hued energy field shimmering over Sasha’s torso, arms, and head that indicated the existence of force-fields surrounding her and securing her to the chair. He nodded once and returned his attention to the helm console.

  “Please define behaviors that indicate occupant consciousness, Cole-Captain.”

  “Dammit, Cole! Let me out of this chair! What happened?”

  “Speaking is one behavior usually indicative of consciousness,” Cole said wryly and listened as the sound of the active force-fields vanished, then swiveled around to face his passenger. He saw Sasha standing to the left of the command chair, her frown a stormfront threatening impending unpleasantness.

  “Hi, Sasha. You fainted during our conversation with Srexx, and since I didn’t know how long you’d be out, I put you in the command chair. I have no intention of ever trying to hold you against your will.”

  Sasha’s left index finger jabbed at the command chair almost as if she could savage the chair with her fingernail like a dagger. “Not even the Solar Republic has force-field technology that refined. Who the hell are you people? I want answers from you, Cole. Right now, dammit!”

  “Cole, perhaps I should—”

  “Stay out of this, Srexx. You’ve helped enough already.” Cole turned his attention back to Sasha. “Sasha, I am exactly who I said I was.”

  “Then, how do you explain all this?” Sasha waved her left hand in a circle, indicating the ship.

  “I found it inside the mining asteroid. You were in the auto-doc, and I faced several hours of nothing to do, so I investigated the mineshaft to see if I could figure out what happened. I’m pretty sure they hit a pocket of methane and oxygen inside the asteroid with their mining laser, and that pocket was so large, the resulting ignition and explosion killed all the miners in the shaft. Projectiles from the explosion compromised the mining camp’s hull integrity, and I think a sparking keypad I found caused a flash fire from leaking air tanks in the suit locker. When I went back to the asteroid, the ‘pocket’ turned out to be a cavern, and this ship was inside it.”

  Now, Sasha’s eyes gleamed. “Do you have any idea how much it could advance our understanding and technology? Why, studying Srexx alone could leap-frog our computers forward centuries!”

  Cole chuckled. “I’m sure whatever estimate you’d make about how far this ship could advance our technology would still be a massive understatement, but there’s something you need to understand and accept.”

  Sasha shifted her eyes to meet his, her eyes still gleaming. “What’s that?”

  “This ship is mine, Sasha…and Srexx? Well, he’s his own person, and I will not allow anyone to treat him like some kind of lab rat…even for what I’m sure most would say are the noblest of reasons. His ‘body’ being a quantum computer matrix housed inside this ship doesn’t change that at all for me.”

  “How can you call this ship yours? You found it!”

  “And as it was derelict with no signs of current ownership, I claimed it. I wasn’t aware salvage laws made any distinction on whether a ship has to be inoperative to qualify as derelict.”

  Sasha’s eyes narrowed. “Trans-Stellar Mining Corporation claimed this asteroid field. This ship is rightfully theirs.” What she left unsaid was that the Aurelian Commonwealth could seize property of an Aurelian corporation—like Trans-Stellar—on any number of grounds, anything ranging from eminent domain to Commonwealth security.

  “You could be right, Sasha. Let’s check the system comms buoys to see if any Trans-Stellar employee registered a salvage claim for a ship of an unknown design.”

  Sasha’s shoulders slumped, not a lot but enough to notice. “You know they didn’t.”

  “No, of course not. Any Trans-Stellar employee who might have discovered the ship is dead. Srexx, did the mining camp computer indicate how often mining barges visit that asteroid?”

  “If I understand your units of time, the mining camp’s computer indicated another visit from a mining barge is not expected for another eight months.”

  Cole nodded. “Sasha, I saved your life…twice. I’m not asking for slavish devotion. I’m not pressing any kind of claim to your person whatsoever, and you know just as well as I do that there are corners of the galaxy that would recognize such claims. Don’t you think you’re being just a little ungrateful right now?”

  Sasha closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling it. She took another breath and exhaled it, too. Then, she opened her eyes and nodded. “You’re right, Cole. I apologize. This is your ship. I won’t contest that or make anyone else aware of it who might try it. I need a bit of time to collect myself. In fact, I would love to take a shower. Are there quarters available?”

  Cole blinked. “You know, I’m not really sure. Srexx?”

  “Yes, Cole?”

  Cole was sure Srexxilan had been listening to the conversation the whole time, but he would not get into that just then. “Are there any quarters where Sasha can take a shower?”

  “Cole, I am confident we can provide Madam Sasha suitable arrangements for a shower.”

  Cole saw Sasha’s eyes narrow, and he figured he knew why.

  “Srexx?”

  “Yes, Cole?”

  “Let’s not apply the term ‘Madam’ to any woman from here on out. I’m not sure it means what you think it means.”

  “Cole, I am conversant in your Galactic Standard language. I have downloaded and assimilated its lexicon while you were educating Madam Sasha on the concepts of property ownership and basic sentient rights. I am using the proper term. ‘Madam’ without an ‘e’ is a term of respect, an honorific used in the same vein as ‘sir’ for a male of your species. ‘Madame’ with an ‘e’ is the word to which I believe you are referring, which means a woman who manages a house, company, or other organization dedicated to the practice of prostitution. I was addressing Madam Sasha with the honorific.”

  “Srexx, that ‘e’ on the second usage is silent. No one could tell from your usage which term you meant.”

  “Exactly, Cole. Therefore, I shall not fault you for believing I was terming our guest a consigner of whores.” Silence dominated the bridge for several moments, while Cole noticed Sasha’s neck and cheeks becoming an alarming shade of red. Then, Srexx spoke again. “Cole…do you possess information about Madam Sasha I do not that would cause such a mistaken understanding?”

  Sasha’s eyes now appeared to be harder than obsidian, and the tension in her jaw looked sufficien
t to grind enamel to powder. She pivoted on her heel and stormed off the bridge.

  Chapter Ten

  Debris Field

  Pyllesc System

  27 June 2999, 02:35 GST

  A soft tone playing over the bridge speakers drew Cole out of his nap, and as he returned to the world of consciousness, he noticed a warm weight on his chest and lap. Cole looked down and found Wixil curled up on him, dozing and purring. It looked like she had climbed up to sit in his lap and curled her legs and arms under her somehow with her head resting against Cole’s chest just above the top of his sternum. Cole wasn’t sure when—or how—she’d entered the bridge, and she seemed so peaceful he didn’t want to wake her. Still, that chime indicated the ship had arrived at the debris field.

  Cole wrapped his arms around Wixil and tried to stand in a smooth motion that wouldn’t wake her. He managed that. But as he tried to set her down in the command chair, Wixil’s eyes popped open, and she looked up at him.

  “What’s wrong?” Wixil asked.

  Cole smiled. “Nothing’s wrong. We’ve arrived at the debris field, and I need to go to the helm station.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Wixil curled herself into an impressively small and compact ball of fur on the command chair’s seat and closed her eyes once more. Her breathing soon slowed, but she didn’t resume purring.

  Cole shook his head, making a mental note to mention the situation to Yeleth, and headed for the helm station. He found the engines in station-keeping mode, and the sensor display showed a field of debris. The sensor display overlaid data on vectors for the larger pieces, and Cole realized the spherical debris field would become ovoid over the next few days.

  “Srexx, is there any indication of what ship this used to be?”

  “I feel safe in saying this debris is all that remains of an Aurelian Dawn-class destroyer.”

  The sensor reading from the Howling Monkey flitted through Cole’s mind. A Dawn-class destroyer had shot up the freighter he’d been piloting, which he’d assumed was the Adran Jordeen from Sasha saying that was the ship she’d been aboard.