by Foxx Ballard
“Stop!” Lais called out, raising her hand. “This isn’t working, they’re too fast.”
Rusty pulled out Buck, but even as he did so, a cloud of hundreds of drones caught up and circled around them, filling the air with their whining buzz.
Angel landed next to them, breathing hard, her wings hanging limply. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I’m holding us all up.”
Lais shook her head. “It’s not you, they’re faster than us, anyway.”
Jack rolled up slowly beside them. “Why aren’t they attacking?”
Synth-E-Uh pointed up in the sky at two lines of white smoke in the distance that showed fighters were heading in their direction. “Because they’re waiting for the cavalry, they just need to keep an eye on us.” Lais picked up at least six more fighters on approach through the buzzing drones. They were screwed.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Captain Leucantis, WOLF Carrier Nemesis, Orbit, Incarcerata IV
“YES!” Captain Leucantis shouted, holding her hands up in the air like she had just scored the winning kick in a game of cyberball. The surrounding viewscreens were being relayed from one of the drones circling the captives. Well, soon-to-be captives. “Get the dropship over there before they decide to resist. I think they finally realize the futility of their situation.”
She sat back in her chair, letting the arm-charger couple with her forearm again. Soon enough, that would be a thing of the past. She upped the pleasure center voltage a little higher than average, reveling in the moment, which inevitably resulted in her glancing over at the Commander.
As usual, he was ignoring her, but it didn’t stop her from examining his sculpted musculature… She put the voltage down a bit. So hard to find the perfect setting that didn’t have her drooling over him. She really needed an upgraded autonomic controller, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, this far from Earth.
“Patch me through the drone’s audio so they can hear me.”
“Yes, Captain,” the ship’s feminine AI answered. “Go ahead.”
“This is Captain Leucantis, of the WOLF Carrier Nemesis.” She let that sink in for a moment. All their heads turning to face the drone she was talking through, told her she had their attention. “Resistance is futile.” Inwardly, she laughed. She loved that saying. “We are sending a dropship to your location. Please board it so you can be transported to the Nemesis.”
The biobot with the atom drive, the one in the sexy black outfit, had beautiful skin that made her look human. Now I’m jealous. Leucantis looked down at her own skin with the metallic sheen. I need to get that upgrade. While she was musing, the biobot spoke.
“What do you plan to do with us? If you are just going to take us and throw us on a different prison planet, what’s the difference between there and here, really? We weren’t going anywhere.”
The first pair of fighters arrived and hovered behind the cloud of drones. More were arriving shortly. She just had to wait for the dropship to arrive, so time to read them their rights.
“Military protocol for Incarcerata IV states—” Leucantis had to look it up in her HUD. “Modern technology, as recognized by the Earth Collective, including, but not limited to, robotics, AI, weapons, transportation and fabrication, are not permitted on Incarcerata IV, and must be removed as deemed appropriate by any WOLF military presence in the area.”
The smile forming on the biobot’s face was puzzling. Strange time to smile. Leucantis continued.
“We’re the WOLF presence and I’m deeming it appropriate to take you—”
“Which am I?” the biobot asked.
Seemed like a silly question, but okay, she would go along with it. “You are the ‘Modern Technology, as recognized by the Earth Collective’. You are a fully enhanced human—”
“I am no human, and I have not been enhanced.” The woman put her hands on her hips. “I am a Technoid, we are not yet recognized by the Earth Collective. You have no authority over me. You’ve scanned me, you must know this.”
“One moment, please.” Captain Leucantis disconnected from the drone. “Paligrad, get in here!”
In a few moments, the projected image of Xeno-Science Officer Paligrad appeared below her on the science-designated holopad.
“Yes, Captain?”
“Have you been following my conversation with the—woman—outside?”
“Yes, Captain.” He stood patiently, waiting for more instructions.
“Is what she says true? Could this really be a First Contact situation? How would she know our language?”
“I would need to do more scans, Captain. If you will permit me?”
She nodded and Paligrad appeared to turn to the side and was talking to someone else, out of sight. Leucantis reconnected to the drone and noted that one of the fighters had pulled forward and was scanning the group again. Sand was blasting out from the jet wash of the fighter, causing the Goblin and the Valkyrie to shield their eyes, but the droids and the woman seemed undisturbed as her black cloak billowed and snapped behind her.
After a few moments Paligrad turned back to face her, holding his steno-tablet against himself protectively, his huge rocky fingers drumming on it nervously. Seemed like a defensive gesture of someone that was afraid of reprisal. She crossed her arms and waited for his report.
He cleared his throat, a deep rumbling sound, and then continued hesitantly. “So… I guess the Atom Drive should have been our first clue that we were dealing with something alien. Her nanites and power structure… even the basic body structure, the epidermis… is beyond our current manufactured specifications. But in my defense, Captain, the brain… The brain is emulated so close to that of a human that we thought it was human, just replaced neuron for neuron by nanites, like yours.”
“And? It wasn’t?”
“As best as we can tell, it was grown through several stages. We could not have assembled something so complex with our present fabricating techniques. And there is a portion of it that doesn’t match normal human brain structure, a small additional node on the hypothalamus that appears to constantly regulate the Atom Drive on the quark level of integrity.”
“So, it’s alien.”
“Most definitely, Captain.”
Leucantis banged the arm of her chair in frustration and ignored the ship’s pleasant warning of a fine. Didn’t seem like she would be getting a substitute power core anytime soon. She switched back to the drone. It looked like the fighter had backed off, having completed its scan, as it had moved to a distance where the group on the ground was no longer assaulted by the blowing dirt.
“So we’ve confirmed that you are alien, despite you looking human. If I may ask, how did you come to learn our language so quickly?”
The alien woman appeared thoughtful for a moment and then answered. “I assimilated a Human AI while I was grown, so I gained its knowledge.”
At that moment, the dropship could be seen landing in the background, and the roaring flame and smoke drowned out everything else until the ship was settled on the now-scorched ground.
Leucantis was at a momentary loss about how to proceed. First Contact protocol was very specific. It allowed for communication, but no interference unless threatened, until a Promotions Team could be sent from Earth to establish negotiations on behalf of the Earth Collective. Explorer ships had a team on board, but hers was just on a routine patrol of a prison world, resources had not been allocated for that. It would take over a hundred years before the first team would arrive. Leucantis sighed. She had such dreams for an unlimited power core. The places she would have gone. “So I guess you’re free to go. We’ll just take the droids and the weapon, if you’ll—”
“Pardon my interruption, Captain Leucantis, but… what is your definition of ‘Modern Technology’? Anything invented in the last one hundred… three hundred… even five hundred years?”
Captain Leucantis laughed. “Well, even three hundred years is pushing it, but sure, five hundred years on t
he outside.” She stopped laughing and then smirked. She knew what the alien woman was getting at. “How old are they?”
The alien woman gestured to the droid that had monitors for a face and chest and it happily rolled forward, facing the drone camera.
“Jack Hammer here, Madame, a pleasure to make your acquaintance! Since my age seems to be in question here, I would like to confirm that I am a mere nine hundred and forty-nine and a half years old. I have at least another good fifty years in me! And my partner…” he said, as he indicated Synth-E-Uh. “Is the same.”
“Well, actually,” Synth-E-Uh corrected. “I’m five years older than that. It takes time for an AI to process a personality with acceptable traits.”
“Yes!” Jack said excitedly. “My creators at CompsoStar said I was the fastest and most dispensable—oh, sorry, must be a memory fault. In-dispensable robot ever produced!”
Using a control lever on the arm of the chair, Captain Leucantis adjusted the facing of the drone back to the alien woman.
“We’re obviously not needed here. We won’t interfere if you don’t, say, blow up the planet. The Earth Collective still sends prisoners here. You know my directives. I apologize for seizing your zeppelin, it’s anchored a few miles up the coast from here. We will be watching.” She turned off the drone, and the viewscreens around the ship all changed back to the open view of space. “Pack it all up!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
LAIS: Southeast Farrun
And just like that, they were left alone. Lais watched as the swarm of drones buzzed collectively over to the dropship and entered the open hangar. It seemed so quiet suddenly with just a light breeze blowing by them, until the roar of the dropship blew an opaque cloud of dust and dirt, which blocked out the sun for several seconds, before it started to streak up into the sky. The several fighters that had been in attendance took off in escort. Soon there were just white streaks of smoke stretching up in front of the blue moon. Lais marveled at the image. It was picturesque in a way, like a painting that she would have placed in a prominent place in a home, over a mantel, or in a viewing room.
When her gaze lowered, it fell upon Rusty and Angel standing side by side. Him staring up at her and her staring down at him.
Lais squinted and pointed at them. “You two—”
Angel sighed and nodded with a shrug and a sheepish smile. “Turns out, I’m in heat. And Rusty is being very patient with me.”
In heat, that explained a lot. Jealousy bit her briefly, but she overrode it with happiness for her friends. Jealousy was a wasted emotion. “I’m very happy for you both.” She gave them an honest smile.
“So… what say we head up the coast? Find our airship, and hopefully Mogul?”
“Can we rest for a bit?” Angel asked. “I’m just not made for long-distance flying.”
“You can squeeze in on my chassis,” suggested Synth-E-Uh. “The three of you can ride on me and we’ll just make a little extra space by attaching a few crates to Jack.”
Five magnetic crates fit on Jack’s chassis without interfering with his mobility, which was enough space for the three humanoids to ride on the front of Synth-E-Uh. So after a little adjustment, they were all speeding up the coast to find the airship.
Lais watched Angel and Rusty exchanging glances and knew they were communicating mentally. She smiled and looked out at the terrain they were zipping past, giving them what little privacy she could.
“I wonder what Chais is doing?” she whispered.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Chais: Central Lounge, Mobile Breeding Hive, Farrun
Chais had grown tired of hanging in her private queen’s chambers and she was bored with making things for the war effort. She changed her matter-converter back into a rifle and stuck it on her back with a magnetic clank. You could only stare at orange waxy walls for so long before needing a change in scenery. It didn’t help that Dacnil constantly visited, trying to pry more technological secrets from her.
When she approached the wax door to her chamber, she knocked, and the iris parted, revealing two Chakran guards on the other side of the doorway. One looked back at her, with its ant-like face and two pairs of eyes, waiting for her command.
“I’ll be heading to the lounge,” she informed it, knowing the guards would automatically follow. For her safety, or at least that was what Dacnil wanted her to believe.
The gears in her limbs buzzed and whirred as she fast-walked towards the lounge, the sounds amplified by the hexagonal wax tunnel she was in. She marveled at how the corridor lit up as she approached. It was responding to the Chakran guards behind her, of course, but otherwise it was as handy as motion sensor lights back on Earth. The lighting had been a new addition when the Chakran had recognized that not all humanoids could follow scents through their feet and relied on sight. There were even visual signs on the walls now to provide directions for those scent-impaired individuals, since non-Chakran were joining the Hive every time there was another raid on a village or town. The Chakran were efficient, but boring.
After she passed through several curving corridors, Chais stepped through a large waxen opening, far larger than the door to her personal chamber, and was struck with her usual feelings of amazement at the opulence of the Central Lounge. She loved it here, in this room. The buffets, even though she couldn’t eat them, she admired for the plethora of decorative foods and drinks provided to the populace, Chakran or otherwise. The burbling brook that ran from a fountain through the middle of the room. Some sort of pump system, it had to be, but was it mechanical or somehow natural? The high domed ceiling with its crystal chandeliers emitting rainbows of light. The relaxed atmosphere of lounging Chakran, and other races, since they had ‘assimilated’ three more tribes on the planet’s surface. Thankfully, the flesh-beings kept each other occupied and didn’t bother her much.
The last tribe had surrendered without much incident, having heard of the floating Chakran hives that were traversing the skies, assimilating villages. Of course, things weren’t always so effortless. The tribe before that was Galantar and there were large losses. Few would surrender. The ancient enmity between the Galantar and Chakran had been dormant for centuries, but that truce must have been thin, because it was forgotten in a moment by both sides.
Chais took a seat in an area that had an empty circle of couches so she wouldn’t have to engage anyone in conversation. She just wanted to relax and examine the architecture. For having no understanding of engineering, the Chakran were exquisite builders.
Keena arrived, and it occurred to Chais that it must be close to dinnertime. It was late afternoon on this planet, the sun would be setting soon. The young woman ran to give Chais a hug as soon as she saw her, so Chais stood and returned it, not really feeling the attachment the girl felt, but being polite.
Keena was wearing white, matching Chais’s cloak and armor, but the design of the clothes was different from the last time she had seen her. This one was more of a full-length, form fitting bodysuit with no collar. She had a dagger on her left hip and the laser pistol Chais had made for her on her right, in its holster. Now that the young woman had been eating healthy foods for some time, the gauntness in her features had disappeared. She was quite fetching, so far as humans considered each other.
“Oh! I charged your backup clip.” Chais reached back under her cloak and pulled off the magnetic battery clip that had been charging from her power core, handing it to the young woman.
“Thanks!” Keena replied. “I haven’t had much need for more practice, so the first clip is still full, but I’ll hang onto this just in case.” She tucked the battery clip into a pocket on her belt that was designed for it, just behind the holster. “I’m going to grab some food. Do you want anything?” she asked with a wink.
“Go get your food, tease,” Chais responded, swatting the woman’s behind before she could dodge out of reach. There was a time when these interactions gave her a form of satisfaction. Humor, affection. Now they
were leaning more towards annoying. It was starting to make sense why the Technoids didn’t involve themselves much with the flesh-beings. Anyone that could live for a thousand years didn’t need to form the same attachments.
While Keena was filling a bowl with choice delicacies, Hirk arrived, his large, dark, bat-winged form, all bone and muscle, contrasting with his chrome armor. The Galantar still had a sword on his left hip and carried his shield. Seemed like he didn’t feel comfortable here yet. Chais didn’t blame him, neither did she. The Chakran were so polite, and yet there was always the ever-present knowledge that they couldn’t leave the floating Hive of their own accord. Hirk acknowledged her with a nod, but headed straight for the buffet tables beside Keena.
She took the moment to stare at the ceiling, with its many crystal chandeliers, until a motion on one caught her eye.
Drak’s small draconic form was hanging nonchalantly from the chandelier above her, his dark-purple, crystalline body hidden well amongst the chandelier’s crystals. At her notice, he let go and opened his wings to stop his fall as he landed on the arm of the couch next to her.
“I was wondering when you were going to notice me, kid,” he said as he rolled his serpentine body to lie on his side, propping his head up with one arm, as if he were a roman noble waiting for someone to serve him his food. “Have you ever thought about returning to Earth?”
Chais crossed her arms and looked at the Drakkenfang. It was a strange question. Even though her conical head had nothing to show in the way of expression, she made sure her body language reflected how she was feeling or thinking. At least what she figured they wanted to see. “I hadn’t given it a lot of thought, considering the situation we’re in with the Chakran and the lack of technology on the planet. What good is thinking about returning to Earth?”
