by Sarah Noffke
“They won’t be, if you keep slouching over your desk,” Marilla reprimanded.
Liesel took the other parts of the yoga swing from Marilla and hung them from the short beam. “The jung-fibres do sound amazing, though. I’m glad you got to experience them. Chester, remember that conversation we were having about how there’s a synchronization to life, and that we’re all connected?”
“I remember you said you could prove it, and then coordinated a distraction so you didn’t have to,” Chester joked.
“Ricky Bobby, how do the jung-fibres work?” Liesel asked, standing on her tiptoes to hang the yoga swing on the last hook.
“They read the consciousness of the host and then construct the setting they find,” Ricky Bobby stated without missing a beat.
“Why?” Liesel challenged.
“Their purpose is unknown, according to my research,” Ricky Bobby said.
“And yet you chose this activity because you thought that it would have the best chance of altering the morale of the ship, isn’t that right?” Liesel ventured, testing the security of the swing.
“Experiencing a reality of our choosing is considered a magic of sorts,” Ricky Bobby reasoned.
“I’d agree with that,” Chester said.
“So you’re telling me that the best thing we can do is experience ourselves?” Liesel’s eyes stayed pinned on her work, although the question was obviously directed at Chester.
“I’m not sure I see where you’re going with this,” Chester admitted.
Liesel withdrew a wrench from her overalls and tightened the bolts in the ceiling. “Before, you stated that life was meaningless, and that the uncertainty of it made it so our main purpose was to preserve ourselves for as long as possible, until our inevitable death.”
“I stand by that notion,” Chester said, starting to realize the trap he’d walked into.
“And you, Ricky Bobby?” Liesel asked, tightening another bolt.
“I reserve the right to change my mind,” the AI said, his voice low.
“Because if life is meaningless, the act of experiencing ourselves should matter very little. Actually, if we aren’t even connected, it would be impossible for the organisms to read us and create our virtual reality.” A beat later, Liesel added, “In theory of course.”
“Look, Liesel Diesel. I like video games, and those are simulations, but that doesn’t mean there’s a purpose to all this,” Chester argued.
Marilla shook her head. “But that’s exactly what it means. What if the purpose is to experience ourselves? And that’s what the jung-fibres do, in essence. The only way they can do that is through connectivity.”
“And still they will come to an end, and I will, and you too, sweet Mar. Life is progressing toward a breakdown,” Chester stated.
“‘Life’, as in form, but not in consciousness.” Liesel slid the wrench back into her pocket. “I’d venture to say that consciousness is timeless.”
“Well, here we go talking about souls and stuff again,” Chester joked.
“You can call it what you want,” Liesel stated. “But, just for fun…Ricky Bobby, when did the jung-fibres originate?”
There was a moment of silence. “I don’t have a date of origin for the jung-fibres.”
“And why not?” Liesel asked.
“Because they originated with consciousness, a starting point which can’t be determined,” Ricky Bobby answered.
“Because before we had the ability to actualize, there was no history,” Liesel stated triumphantly.
“The consciousness of our life is, in essence, the purpose,” Marilla said, sounding breathless. “To know we exist and to experience ourselves—that’s the reason for all of this. Making even our eventual end, not a concern, but rather a comma in a never-ending sentence. Consciousness always was and always will be, and transitions us forevermore. As long as there’s awareness, there will be no end.” Marilla paused, then turned to Chester with a smile. “She’s deflated your whole point.”
The hacker shook his head as he shrugged his shoulders, admitting defeat.
“I couldn’t have put it better myself.” Liesel pulled the ferret from her front pocket, where he’d been napping. “Would you please hold Sebastian?”
Marilla took the ferret, showing him extra fondness.
“A mind-blowing philosophical conversation, followed by, ‘hold my ferret’,” Chester said with a laugh.
“The revelations of life often happen during mundane, day-to-day activities,” Ricky Bobby stated.
“So you think this was mind-blowing, eh?” Marilla asked, her brown eyes wide with excitement.
“I thought it was interesting, but I’m not sure if it will change my life,” Chester admitted.
Liesel tested the yoga swing one more time, yanking on it. Then she stepped off the ladder, angling her head downward. She wrapped her legs around each of the strands of fabric, securing herself with the handles that hung down, doing a full inversion.
With a red face, she said, “A Zen Proverb says, ‘Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water’.”
Julianna had been exercising in the workout facility, running on one treadmill, while Harley ran on the other, when Penrae had burst in. The Saverus had spoken so fast that Julianna had to make her repeat herself three times. Her emotional state was causing some strange side effects—namely, she was shifting through different forms, like a wire had been fused wrong.
“I really hope I’m right,” Penrae stated as they hurried down the long corridor, headed for the Intelligence Center.
“We’ll find out momentarily.” Julianna gave Penrae a look of encouragement.
She was finding her current reality a bit strange, with the large snake on one side of her, and her new dog friend on the other.
Pip, will you please have the captain meet us in the Intelligence Center? I think he was planning on resting for a little while, so you’ll have to wake him.
How do you know he is napping? Was that what he told you when you slipped out from between the sheets?
Pip, you and I aren’t friends anymore. And no. Will you just tell Eddie that we might have a breakthrough?
I would, but I can’t seem to reach him.
Julianna halted. What? Is everything okay?
Yeah, it’s fine. I’m just not trying, is all.
Pip, seriously, this is important.
Then I’m sure that Ricky Bobby will do it for you. He’s good like that.
Why won’t you interface with Eddie? You wanted to be in his head.
Rick Bob said he’d take care of it. I’m going to ring off. I’ve got a splitting headache.
Pip! Pip! Julianna called after the AI, but received no reply. When she rounded the corner into the Intelligence Center, she halted, surprised by the sight before her.
Liesel, the battlecruiser’s chief engineer, hung suspended by fabric a few feet off the ground, her legs in a butterfly position, and her hands praying in front of her chest.
“It was Shunryu Suzuki who said, ‘The world is its own magic’,” Liesel shared, her tone airy.
Julianna cleared her throat, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. “Chester, we need you to do some quick surveillance on Savern. Penrae has just woken from a dream.”
The Saverus took a deep breath, still looking rattled. “It’s true. I think I saw a vision of the ark on Savern.”
Chester, Marilla and Liesel simply stared in awe as the Saverus shifted into the form of an elderly Asian man, then to a little girl with pigtails and then back to her original serpentine body.
“Right, can you give Chester some specifics?” Julianna stated, trying to snap everyone into focus.
Running footsteps stole everyone’s attention again as Eddie appeared in the doorway, anticipation on his face. “I just heard from Ricky Bobby. What’s the news?”
“Nothing yet,” Julianna stated, turning back to face Penrae. “Go on, then.�
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“In my dream, I saw a place I know from the Saverus’ history books,” Penrae began, flickering through a few different forms as she spoke. “I’m not sure how I didn’t consider it before, or why it randomly occurred to me now, but it absolutely makes sense.”
“Do you have anything specific?” Chester asked.
“In the dream, the ark was on Savern, in the north of the western hemisphere. That region is the birthplace of the Saverus, and is considered holy ground.”
“Chester, does that give you enough information to start a search?” Julianna asked.
The hacker was already busy typing on his computer, sifting through various records. Marilla had also hurried to her own desk and was hurriedly searching.
If I were Ricky Bobby, I’d be telling you a big, fat ‘I told you so, regarding the little getaway, Pip stated.
But you’re not, and he doesn’t gloat like that.
But still, that little R and R does seem to have had its benefits…aside from you and the captain, if you know what I mean. Hint, hint.
I thought you had a headache?
Of course I didn’t. That’s only something you say when you want to get out of something. You’ll learn that, especially now that you and the cap—
Finish that sentence, and I will have you disconnected from me.
You should know that your threats trigger my abandonment issues.
When were you ever abandoned?
It’s previous life stuff.
Julianna rolled her eyes, tuning back in as Penrae explained what she’d seen.
“That area is quite large; it will take the scanner several hours, if not a whole day, to do a thorough sweep,” Chester stated.
“Wait, your scan includes the entire country of their birthplace,” Marilla stated.
“Riiiight…” Chester drew out the word.
Marilla continued to type frantically. “But if you narrow the prameters to include only historical sites, and confine it by markers I’ve cross-referenced from Savern’s history based on importance, then…”
Chester picked up a transmission that Marilla messaged over, and copied the information into the scan. “It boils the search down to a less than hundred-mile radius,” he finished for her.
“Which will take how long to search for something that meets the ark’s description?” Eddie asked.
Chester’s computer made a ding sound.
“Approximately no time at all,” the hacker grinned.
He pulled up the location marked in red, and zoomed in, revealing a giant warehouse that almost blended in to the yellow hue of the sand, except that it sparkled, since it was covered entirely in gold.
“I believe we’ve found our ark,” Eddie announced excitedly.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Hatch’s Lab, Ricky Bobby, Tangki System
“Don’t touch that!” Hatch warned.
He waddled around the corner to stop Eddie, who was extending a hand toward a device floating in a small antigravity chamber about the size of a shoe box.
Eddie’s hand snapped down by his leg, and he skirted his eyes to the side like a child caught doing something wrong. “I was just stretching.”
“Right,” Hatch said, sounding unconvinced. He reached out and opened the container, plucking out the device, which mostly contained a small, handheld screen.
“Ricky Bobby said you had something we’d need for the mission,” Julianna stated.
“He was right, but I can’t make the captain a brain before you need to leave,” Hatch said, offering Eddie an unsympathetic smile. “Sorry, Scarecrow.”
Eddie laughed. “And you call yourself a wizard.”
“Mechanic, actually,” Hatch corrected and held up the device. “Once you find the client in the ark, you’ll use this to lead you to the receiver, which will be where the Saverus plan to relocate Savern.”
“And then it’s ass-kicking time,” Eddie said with a smirk.
“How do we know that the client for the Tangle Thief will be located inside the ark?” Julianna asked.
“Because that’s the best spot for it to be when operated,” Hatch explained. “The Saverus will be most concerned with the ark—”
“Which is why they’ve plated the building in gold,” Eddie interrupted.
Hatch rolled his eyes. “Yes. This is not a rerun, kid. I swear, whatever you do, don’t breed. Well, I don’t have to worry about that, now, do I? No one would be stupid enough to partner with you.”
“Funny you should say that,” Pip interrupted overhead.
Julianna shook her head. “Hatch, you were saying? The ark is the best place for the client?”
Hatch stared up to where Pip’s voice had broadcast from, but shook his head. “Yes. The pulse sent out from the Tangle Thief will be strongest at its location, to ensure that it is transported. For instance, the bottom of the planet, which is several thousand miles from the northern hemisphere, might actually not make it in the transport, since the device wasn’t designed to move objects as large as planets.”
“So the Saverus would put the Tangle Thief in or around the ark,” Julianna confirmed.
Hatch tied two tentacles behind his back and nodded. “It would go to reason. Which is why I put a tracker into this instrument.” He held up the device. “If you’re within range, it will help you find the client.”
Julianna took the device from Hatch, turning it over in her hands. “And once we locate the client, we hook it into this, and it gives us the location of the receiver?”
“That’s correct, Julie,” Hatch confirmed, two of his tentacles searching under a workbench. Finally, they retrieved a chrome box, which he lifted and set on the surface of the table.
“What’s that?” Eddie asked.
Hatch gave him a repugnant look. “A box.”
“Right,” Eddie chirped cheerfully.
“What’s it for?” Julianna asked.
“Great question,” Hatch replied.
Julianna gave Eddie a commiserate expression, slightly smiling at Hatch’s obvious bias toward her.
“Once you locate the client—and I do hope you do that fairly quickly, since I’m not ready to be sucked into oblivion,” Hatch urged.
Eddie laughed nervously. “We’ll do our best, boss.”
“That’s very comforting. Once you locate the client, stick it in here.” Hatch opened a door on the side of the chrome box to reveal a hollow interior. “This device will render the client ineffective, throwing the best wrench we could hope for into the Saverus’ plans.”
“You’re known for throwing wrenches, aren’t you, Hatch?” Eddie said playfully.
Hatch ignored him. “So there you go. I’ve given you a way to find the receiver, and a method for stopping the Tangle Thief’s usefulness. That’s all I can do.”
Julianna nodded her head in the direction of the chrome vault sitting on the worktable. Eddie took the cue and retrieved it. “Thank you, Hatch. You’ve given us everything we need. This is great.”
Hatch’s cheeks puffed out as he averted his eyes. “I admit that what I’ve given you is pretty incredible, but it will do you no good if you’re not able to locate the client in time.”
“Don’t worry,” Julianna said, her tone thoughtful. “We won’t let you down.”
Hatch shook his head. “No, I’m not sure I’ve said things the way I meant to.” He opened his mouth, but hesitated for several seconds. “What I meant to say was, everyone is depending on you two. We stand to lose so much if you’re not successful. But of all the people who could have been chosen to lead this mission, you are the very best. If Ghost Squadron can’t stop the Saverus, it can’t be done.”
Julianna and Eddie both stared at Hatch in quiet disbelief for several seconds.
“Well, don’t just stare at me like a bunch of idiots!” Hatch yelled. “You have a damn mission to go on. And need I remind you, you’ll be safe in the ark, so do your damn job and protect the rest of us.”
Julianna laughed, holding up the device. “We’ll see you soon, Hatch.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it,” he said.
“And get ready for a bumpy ride when we return, ready to end the Saverus’ fleet,” Eddie added.
Hatch shook his head at him, rolling his eyes again. “Oh, get out of here, already. The moment’s long since passed.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
En route to Planet Savern, Q-Ship, Tangki System
Heat rose off Savern in waves, blurring the structures and red rocks. The planet was covered in sand and sharp mountain ranges. On the edge of a northern coast, a large warehouse sat at least a mile from any other structure. In these holy lands, only the old buildings still stood, which was why the brand new warehouse stood out…well, that and it was plated in twenty-four-carat gold.
The cloaked Q-Ship landed inside the fenced perimeter of the warehouse, not attracting any attention from the guards. Julianna lifted the Saverus goggles to her eyes and peered at the uniformed security patrolling the perimeter. They had the appearance of ordinary humans, but with the goggles, they were revealed to be shapeshifters, their snake forms similar to Penrae’s.
“The Saverus dare to construct a gold building on this holy land, but they’re not brave enough to reveal their faces,” Eddie said, taking the goggles to see for himself.
“No one knows that we still exist, or that our numbers are as healthy as they are,” Penrae reminded him.
“It looks like your chance to jump is in about twenty seconds,” Julianna said, having timed the rotation of the guards as they patrolled.
“I’m ready,” Penrae assured her, standing and pressing down her white lab coat. She had assumed there would be scientists inside the building, taking care of the native animals and plants.
Her extensive knowledge of how the Saverus operated had been invaluable to plotting Ghost Squadron’s strategy. In a strange turn of events, Penrae had become an important member of the team.
Penrae straightened the heart-shaped glasses on her face. She’d taken the form of a young woman with long, red hair and speculative green eyes. “I’ll radio you when I’m through security.”
