“I need to check on our new additions to the maintenance crew, make sure they are starting to fit in. I’ll also talk with Ensign Ellie, see if she has any ideas how we can get in touch with Cain.”
A Bridge Filled with Androids
It took the Marines four hours to cover ten kilometers through the heavy woods of the aviary. They made it intact, no one worse the wear, even though Fickle kept making pain faces in Cain’s direction. Bull seemed immune to pain. His wound was far worse than Fickle’s, but he didn’t flinch as he stayed on course. His friend Ascenti frolicked among the trees twisting and turning through the branches, driving smaller birds in all directions.
When Cain joined the first half of the platoon at the forward bulkhead, he saw the catwalks crisscrossing the vast wall before them. The Marines spread out and established a perimeter with Stalker barking orders. The second half of the platoon rolled in after the major and filled in gaps, strengthening their position.
‘There is food for all here, not far,’ Lutheann told him. He nodded to her and called the lieutenants to him.
“Have Spence and Tobiah go with Lutheann. She says there is food for all. Fifty percent stand-to, half watch while the other half set us up with fire and food, then we rest. I’ll take a select group to the bridge tomorrow.”
Cain’s leadership team left him standing as they dashed off to give orders. Tobiah seemed ecstatic to go hunting. He’d also sensed the creatures and was hungry. Spence could only follow the fleet ‘cats and although Tobiah was slow for a ‘cat, he was much faster than any human. Three Wolfoids joined the foray into the woods.
The major saw Starsgard with his blaster out, leaning against a tree and watching an avenue of approach. Cain joined the older man.
“Hey, Doc, I’d like you to go with me to the bridge tomorrow. I’ll have no idea what I’m looking at while I’m up there,” Cain said quietly.
“It’d be my pleasure, Major,” Starsgard replied, not taking his eyes off the brush.
“I need to get to a communication terminal. Do you know what one of those looks like?” Cain asked.
“I do. They have one in Space School. I don’t know how to work it, but I can figure it out,” he replied confidently. Cain slapped the private on the back.
“Thanks, Doc. I’m going to need all the help I can get up there.” Cain stood up straight as he walked back to the center of the clearing. Brutus stayed by his side. “You didn’t want to hunt, little man?”
‘Not this time. Lutheann went,’ Brutus answered simply.
“If we go back to Vii from here, we’ve failed Master Daksha and all the SES,” Cain thought out loud.
‘I think the SES is failing you. Why are they making this so hard?’
“I can’t tell you that, because I don’t know. You said it wasn’t Dr. Johns or anyone else at the command center. Who else has the power to reprogram Holly, cut me off from the rest of the universe, send minions of all ilk my way? It’s too bizarre for words, Bee.” Cain scraped grass and weeds away from an area where they could build their fire. He moved stones to line the outside. “I can only hope that we get in touch with the ship. I think when we’re on board, everything will be fine. Then we can prove that we are defenders of freedom, not a threat to it.”
‘The Elders have lost faith in the ‘cats and the Tortoids. The pure-heart test is outside the understanding of the clones, the computer, any of those who haven’t been touched.’ Brutus carried an ageless wisdom with him. Cain wondered if the ‘cat wasn’t part Tortoid.
“How can we change that, Bee? We need people to believe in humanity and not fixate on the nightmares that could be. The harder they try to prevent us from being able to secure freedom, secure the peace, the more they are driving us toward their worst-case. Why can’t they see that?” To Cain, the problems were being created by those purporting to hate a military component. The control of information, the restriction of movement, those things that rubbed up against the fabric of a peaceful and freedom-loving society.
Create a threat then offer security at the price of personal liberties. The slippery slope. Who stood to gain from that path? Cain still couldn’t see who or why. It made no sense, which frustrated him further. He had a job, clearly outlined by Admiral Jesper, under the direction of the mission commander aboard his spaceship. It was cut and dry. Maybe that was why he was a Major of Marines and not on the Council of Elders. He was a tool for someone else to use. As long as it was Master Daksha, he could accept that. Anyone else? Not so much.
The screams of a multiple ‘cats simultaneously attacking their prey sent birds fleeing from branches. The Marines brought more and more firewood, banking it for a nice fire.
‘You need to build a spit,’ Luthie said proudly. ‘A big one.’
“We need a spit, industrial size, if you get my meaning. Let’s move, people. Chow is on the way,” Cain told Stalker and she took care of the rest. Of all that motivated his Marines—pride, honor, courage, loyalty—the one thing that resonated the most significantly was chow. Cain tried to think if he’d denied them food too often or worked them too hard.
“That’s ridiculous,” he laughed to himself. Corporal Jo was nearby and looked at him oddly. He waved her away. He’d seen in one of the training manuals where someone had noted that it was crucial to tell the Marines that hot chow was on the objective. It made no sense at the time, but was perfectly clear now.
Spence appeared and pointed back the way he’d come. Sergeant Night Stalker tagged five Marines to accompany him as he headed back. A big spit, Luthie had said. They’d eat well that night. Plus, there was a stream where they could refill their flasks and where the Lizard Men could soak their skin suits.
They returned triumphantly, ‘cats joyfully darting past the legs of the bipeds, large capybaras cleaned and ready for the spit on poles carried between Marines. The large spit wasn’t large enough, so they decided to cook the capybaras in two shifts.
As Cain had thought, it was a good night of eating, storytelling, and always watching, the woods, the catwalks, anywhere that an enemy could appear.
When morning came, Cain picked those who would accompany him. The lieutenants decided on the security detail of those who would remain in the access corridor, a tube-like area that led from the elevator to the bridge.
Starsgard, Fickle, Pickles, Stinky, Ascenti, and Brutus. He chose the Hawkoid because they were the most mobile in zero-g. The others had skills with data and systems. And then, because Cain loved a good pep talk, he brought everyone in close. Stinky shook his head.
“We’re going to the bridge where there will be Androids. We are going armed, but we cannot be threatening. Lieutenant Black Leaper will lead the way. His role on the Cygnus-12 gave him insight into bridge operations and numerous systems. He will pave the way while we wait in the corridor. Our whole goal is to get to the communication system. There are people I need to talk with. Then we’ll be coming straight back here. Any questions?” Stalker was anxious to join them, but with Cain and the lieutenants all going, she had to stay behind and watch over the rest of the platoon.
The bridge team climbed the nearest stairs to the first catwalk, strolled to the door, and opened it. A small elevator beyond suggested that there would be no room for an extra squad to provide security. Bull and his squad looked upset, but Cain told them to wait on the catwalk and be ready in case he called for reinforcements.
“We’ll be in touch,” Cain told them. He was always hesitant to use the mindlink with the Marines as it could give them access to his thoughts. It was a fairly intimate exchange, even if only topical. But it gave anyone who used it a distinct advantage over those who relied on technology. ‘We’ll stay in touch this way, because it is best that they not know you are here and waiting,’ he told them all over the mindlink, looking from face to face. With a terse nod, he entered the elevator and the others squeezed in behind him. Pickles carried Ascenti at the front.
“Bridge, please,” he told the elevato
r.
“You are on the thirty-fifth radial, Deck 2,” the elevator replied pleasantly. With a cylindrical ship and the elevators traveling across the diameter, they could transit any radial, making it important to tell it which one the user wanted. The elevator provided the information they needed to return to the place from which they came. Otherwise, he would have had no idea what to tell it for their return trip.
They knew they’d entered the central hub when they floated off the floor. The elevator stopped and doors opened. Handholds lined a long cylindrical corridor that ended in a hatch-like door. Pickles tossed Ascenti through and he flew casually toward the far end.
“How’s that arm, Fickle?” Cain asked out of the blue as he saw a happy expression on the private’s face.
“I hadn’t thought about it,” he replied, flexing his arm. Cain smiled at the man.
“Hot chow and a good night’s rest will fix just about anything, won’t it?”
They floated out, one by one, using the handholds to pull themselves toward the bridge. Brutus was instantly miserable, clinging to Cain’s harness since his paws were not well-suited for using handholds. Cain pulled himself with one hand, using his momentum to drift with the others. He rested his other hand on Brutus, to help keep the ‘cat calm since he needed his special talents to see into the minds of those on the bridge, assuming there were clones and maybe even regular humans serving there.
Ascenti misjudged his momentum and smashed into the hatch, but it was talons first and he gathered his wits quickly to look through the small window. The space was massive, similar in configuration to the New Command Center, but bigger with wide aisles holding aids to movement, handholds and such. The space was shaped as a half-sphere. The entirety of it looked open to space showing the stars, the moon, and Cygnus VII. Workstations were arrayed three-dimensionally. Zero-g allowed them to maximize their use of space.
Ascenti counted at least twenty personnel at various workstations, which made the bridge look mostly empty. He estimated that over one hundred people could work on the bridge at one time. The Hawkoid pushed away from the hatch and coasted down the access corridor toward the rest of the Marines.
“Twenty or so, scattered far and wide. I see ten of those as Androids, Major. The rest appear to be human,” Ascenti reported.
Cain nodded. The plan didn’t change. Stinky moved in front of the others and using the access badge he’d gotten on his trip to the med lab, he opened the hatch, floated through, and casually closed it behind him. Cain pressed his face against the window, trying to understand the configuration and where a communication terminal might be. Everything looked the same to him. He pulled Starsgard forward for a look. “What do you think, Doc?”
“Oh my! This is much larger than I envisioned. I’d heard about it, of course, but, my, this is impressive!” Starsgard looked through the window, a huge grin on his face, then got to work, systematically following each spoke to find the comm terminal.
The major craned his head back and forth, peeking past the doc and trying to get a view of the Wolfoid’s progress. He’d made it to the central console where a magnificent gimballed chair was located. It freely rotated so the captain could see any of the bridge personnel, anything outside the ship, no matter which direction. An old man sat in the chair, his floating white hair gave him a wild look. He gestured in one direction. Starsgard caught the movement, his vision following the line of consoles.
“I think I see it,” Starsgard said, pointing in the same direction as the captain. “All the way up front, against the view screen.” He leaned aside so the major could get a better look.
“Then that’s where we’re going. View screen?” Cain asked.
“Yes. It is the best view screen the ancients ever built. The ship is not open to the universe. The bridge area has multiple layers of armor to protect the ship from impacts, asteroids and such. The ship achieved nearly eighty percent of light speed for a significant part of its journey. At that speed, even a pebble could tear the ship apart, so there was armor, there was an energy shield, there were sensors, and other deflectors. Hitting something at that speed could ruin your day, Major. The interstellar space engine has made all that irrelevant. That’s why the new ships don’t look like this.” The doc returned to looking through the window. Cain felt like a student in one of Starsgard’s classes, but he’d always believed that you could learn something from everyone if you only listened.
“Thanks, Doc. You and I will go straight there, assuming that’s what Leaper suggests. There, he’s waving us in. Keep your weapons under control, people. Watch the Androids, but don’t be obvious about it. Pickles, you bring up the rear, right behind me.”
Ascenti flew through the hatch first, casually, under control. He had no desire to fly into anything in front of the bridge crew. Starsgard was next with Fickle right behind him. Cain stayed close to them with Brutus attached to his harness through judicious use of his claws. The Lizard Man seemed the most casual as he pulled himself along the handholds, looking about him as he moved.
An Android close to the parade of Marines stopped what it was doing and stood, watching the group approach. Fickle fumbled with his blaster as he tried to wrench it free from the holster. Cain slapped the man’s hand. “Leave it, Private. We don’t start the fight.”
Fickle hesitated as he adjusted his grip on the handholds. They spread out around the ship’s captain to greet him and thank him for allowing them access.
“I’m Captain Atwood, from a long line of Atwoods that have captained this ship. I’m pleased to meet the famous Cain!” He held out a hand and Cain did his best to shake while trying to hold himself steady with his other hand. “The lieutenant said you need to use the comm system. Follow that radial to the last set of terminals. Do you know how to use it?”
“I appreciate your help, Captain, and famous? Not quite, just trying to do right by the SES. Doctor Starsgard here says he can figure out how to work the terminal. I’ll let you know how it goes.” Cain shook the man’s hand one more time as the captain looked oddly at Private Starsgard, dressed in a strange green splotched uniform, but he’d been called “doctor.”
As Cain moved forward, the Androids, one by one, stopped what they were doing and stood facing the Marines. They had magnetic anchors on their boots to hold themselves in place. Ascenti banked and turned, flying inches above the Androids’ heads. Stinky remained with the captain, making small talk while he watched. He cradled his lightning spear in one hand, fingering the activation trigger.
The muscles in Cain’s back tightened. Brutus didn’t think the captain harbored any ill-will toward them, or any of the other clones they passed. The Androids were a blank to him. All he could do was watch them and hope. With a sigh of relief, they reached the terminal and Starsgard activated it, then started studying it.
“You can use your implant to get some help, Doc,” Cain suggested. “Just don’t look at me while you have the window open. When you have the information you need, don’t minimize the window, close it completely.”
The private’s eyes unfocused as he conferred with Holly regarding the communication terminal. Cain stood behind him, watching the Androids who watched back. None of them had resumed their duties. They were all the old model, the questionable Androids. Cain examined the bridge, looking for an alternate route to minimize the Marines’ exposure. He had a couple options that were better than the route past Captain Atwood, but none of them were great. The adrenaline surged through his body as he felt a fight coming on. He turned so the Androids couldn’t see as he caressed the blaster at his side. It was dialed to a narrow beam.
‘Stinky, I need you to make sure none of the Androids leave. It would be bad if they caught us in that corridor. Better to fight them here. I smell a battle brewing,’ Cain said over the mindlink.
“Got it, Major. I’m directing the beam toward the current coordinates of The Olive Branch.” Starsgard stepped away from the terminal, slapping the major on the back as he
went by.
“Be ready, Doc,” Cain whispered. The private nodded almost imperceptibly.
“This is the Cygnus-12. Greetings, Traveler, how can we help you?” Tandry’s face filled the screen. She used the ship’s previous name. He liked her open defiance. She smiled when she saw him.
“Great to see you, Tandry!” he started. “No time to chat. Can you patch me through to Master Daksha or the captain, preferably in their quarters, please?” She looked away for a few seconds before her image was replaced by that of the Tortoid.
“Cain. We were hoping you’d call,” Daksha said without further explanation.
“I just wanted to report that we’re having a great time on the Traveler. You can see that we’re on the bridge, but the forward core is where we’re getting the most from our exercise time. We’ll return to Vii in about three weeks. After that, another couple weeks of training and then we’ll catch the first shuttle to the shipyard.” As Cain spoke, he shook his head, trying to let the mission commander know that he was lying.
Master Daksha nodded slowly as he calculated his next words. “Things are going swimmingly here. Briz is working wonders with the new power system. The forward module is something you will have to see. There’s a port-side access that is cutting edge, but otherwise, we’re running tests and doing what we do. I think Ensign Ellie is looking forward to having you back on board. She is hoping to call you in five days’ time. Will you be available?”
Cygnus Expanding: Humanity Fights for Freedom (Cygnus Space Opera Book 2) Page 25
