Now clear of any potential obstacles, he angled the nose up sharply and pushed the throttle forward. The Phoenix was still buffeted by the wind and rain as she clawed her way up to orbit, but the effect was greatly muted now that the grav-drive was fully engaged. The sky ahead began to lighten and soon they burst through the top layer of clouds into the brilliant sunlight of the S'Toran morning. Jason bumped up the power and came onto the insertion vector Kage had sent to get them into orbit; from there they would break for the outer system.
"Feels good to be going somewhere," Crusher said from where he had his feet propped up on a console. There was a muttered consensus from the others and a general feeling of excitement and eagerness.
"That it does," Jason agreed. Thoughts of side businesses and estranged family fell away as the sky turned black through the canopy. They'd definitely been away from it for too long and the thrill of potential adventure and the chance to do some good was calling him.
Why did we ever settle and put down roots? This is where we belong.
IT WAS the fourth day of the flight to Khepri when Twingo strutted onto the bridge and stood by the pilot's seat, his chest all puffed up. He stood there for ninety seconds waiting for Jason to acknowledge him but was eventually unable to contain himself.
"We're at eighty-five percent of our maximum slip-space velocity, but we're actually going twenty-seven percent faster than the old drive could do when it was at maximum," Twingo said.
Jason turned his head slowly and looked at him with a blank expression.
"And?"
"And!?" Twingo spluttered. "We're not even pushing the drive hard and we're traveling faster than the old system was capable of even in an emergency override condition!"
"Wasn't that the entire point of the upgrade?" Jason deadpanned. Twingo's normally blue face turned a deep shade of purple and the tips of his pointed ears began vibrating, a sign that the stout engineer was completely enraged. He took one step back and then stomped off the bridge. Once he was gone, Crusher and Kage both began to applaud slowly.
"That was perfectly done." Crusher nodded in appreciation. "He'll be pissed for a week after that."
Jason winked at him and climbed out of the pilot's seat. "I'm going to grab something to eat," he said. "I think we can rotate back to normal bridge watches. The drive hasn't even hiccupped the entire flight, so I don't think we need full coverage to babysit it."
Jason walked up to the new food synthesizer, rubbing his hands together in anticipation as the display lit up from his proximity. He scrolled through a few choices before deciding on chicken parmigiana and a glass of water. When they'd left Earth the last time they'd had to reprovision for the flight home since they'd already tossed their old non-functional food processor out. The Phoenix had been loaded up with crates of cryogenically frozen meals from his home planet that, as a token of appreciation, had been expertly prepared by some of the best chefs in Las Vegas. He'd made sure that he kept one of each menu choice in its cryopack until the new synthesizer arrived, then he was able to use those to program the new unit.
The result of all the work was that now he was able to enjoy his favorite meals from home anytime he wanted aboard his ship. Couple that with a custom-designed brew system in the galley that could make coffee even on a ship that sometimes experienced unpredictable gravitational conditions and he was a happy camper. Twingo had designed and fabricated the unit as a birthday present once he'd learned humans placed significance on the day they were born.
"Lucky!" he called out as his friend walked across the main deck towards the stairs that would lead up to the command deck, no doubt going early to start his bridge watch.
"Captain."
"You have a minute?"
"Of course," Lucky said.
"I've been going over the information Mok gave us as well as your own suspicions about what may be happening on Khepri, and I'm a little fuzzy on one detail," Jason said, wiping his hands on his shirt and pushing the tray off to the side. "You said that the remaining battlesynths would have been recalled by your creators."
"Yes," Lucky affirmed but offered no further detail.
"What's the mechanism for this?" Jason pressed. "Have you been recalled as well? Is that why we're going there or is there something you're not telling me?" Although it was interesting to watch battlesynth almost physically squirm, it also let Jason know he'd hit the nail on the head.
"Come on … out with it."
"In nearly every battlesynth there is a module that serves two purposes," Lucky said. "It allows them to be recalled via almost any public communications network they happen to be in close proximity to, and it contains a set of override protocols that make it impossible for that combat unit to refuse commands or disobey. It is a little known failsafe that was built into the weaponized synths."
The implications of what Lucky was saying sent a chill through Jason. It was terrifying and radically altered Jason's admittedly unqualified opinion of Lucky's creators. He'd been led to believe they were benevolent scientists and engineers who had given birth to an entirely new and unique species that they set free out of their own magnanimity. From what he was hearing now that might not be the truth.
"Okay," he said slowly. "So I'm guessing you either don't have one of these units or had it removed at some point?"
"I never had one," Lucky said. When he fell silent Jason made an impatient motion for him to continue. "I have no desire to relive my construction, but I will say that had it not been for a series of unfortunate coincidences I would not have been a battlesynth. The Master that was responsible for my transition from awakening to full operation did not wish to see me live a life I did not choose for myself, so he installed a module that would pass all the final inspections we went through prior to being deemed fully operational, but it would not enable a Master to remotely compel me against my will."
"We're going to have to sit down sometime and you can tell me the whole story," Jason said. It was the most he'd ever gotten out of his friend about his past, much less the story of his birth, for lack of a better term. He was honored that Lucky chose to confide in him.
"So I'm guessing you wanting this mission had little to do with the ConFed's imminent collapse?"
"I am unsure what side we should be on regarding the dissolution of the ConFed," Lucky said.
"You're kidding!" Jason's mouth hung open. "After all we've seen and fought against?"
"I am not arguing in favor of the ConFed, only that we do not know what the unintended consequences might be if it was suddenly gone," Lucky said in his infuriatingly calm way. "Regardless I do not think we will make a difference one way or the other no matter our opinions. Greater forces moving against one another will determine that. But if we find out that the Masters on Khepri have decided to use what few battlesynths are left for a political goal, we might be able to do something about that."
"Fair enough," Jason conceded. "We have nine more days at our current speed before we reach your homeworld. I'd appreciate it if you could put together some sort of plan of attack. I'm sure you have some ideas of where we should begin poking around, and I'll also need you to get a mission brief ready for the others so we're not wandering around aimlessly."
"Of course, Captain."
Jason slid his tray over to where the service bots would be able to quickly grab it and headed to his quarters. He felt like Lucky should have trusted them more and been upfront about his reasons for wanting to go back home right away, but he also understood the reluctance. A couple centuries of being lied to and manipulated builds up a lot of scar tissue. He tried not to take it personally that his friend still withheld things from time to time.
KHEPRI WAS everything Jason had expected. The pru were a highly evolved species that had lived on the planet for close to a million years according to the data he'd read on the flight out. The scars of early industrialization were erased and the cities were models of an eco-friendly existence. The world was unique in that the ocean
coverage was equal to the total area of the three large landmasses whereas most worlds tended to be either mostly water or mostly dry.
As the Phoenix loitered in a high holding orbit waiting for permission to land, the crew watched and read as much from local news sources as they could. The political discussions in the media were open and frank, allowing them to get at least some idea of what might be happening on the planet. Mok's request was so vague that had Lucky not jumped in Jason would have laughed in his face.
Trying to find random evidence of potential insurrection on an unfamiliar planet was next to impossible. Jason had agreed to come because, in addition to allowing for a more complete shakedown of his ship, he assumed that Lucky knew something he hadn't yet shared with the others.
"We've received a request from Khepri Landing Authority," Doc said from the copilot's seat. "They want to slave our autopilot to their system."
"Acknowledge the request and send them the access codes to the repeater," Jason said. He figured Khepri would require they hand over control of the ship; most of the core planets did. It made sure a pilot unfamiliar with the approach or their unique rules wouldn't cause any holdups or mishaps. It also allowed the authorities to hold and detain ships as they pleased. But, like most smuggler ships, the Phoenix had the equipment to receive the commands and give the proper feedback responses giving the illusion the ground system was in control, but at any moment Jason could still fly the ship if they had to bugout or avoid the local authorities.
"Handshake is complete, the autopilot is now taking cues from the repeater," Doc said. "It looks like the ground system is satisfied that it's in control of the ship; we'll begin to deorbit within the next few hours."
"That box was oddly expensive for what it does, but still worth every credit," Jason said. In the early days they'd been detained twice and the ship searched by local authorities when it was suspected they'd been involved in narcotics trafficking and a sudden rash of deaths respectively. They'd been innocent of the former, but not the latter. After the second instance of having to argue with the authorities about the weaponry in the armory, not to mention the nature of the gunship itself, Jason had invested in the expensive modification to their flight control avionics.
"What do you think we'll find down there?" Doc asked.
"Only one person aboard knows right now, and he isn't saying," Jason said.
Their attitude began to change in accordance with the instructions coming from the surface, the Phoenix reorienting herself to decelerate and enter the atmosphere on a shallow trajectory over the largest ocean. He looked and saw they had been cleared all the way to Cenk Vale.
"Hopefully he at least clues us in by the time the government official that checks out our idents and questions the nature of our visit is standing at the bottom of the ramp." As he was saying this, Lucky walked onto the bridge.
"I have used the fabricator to produce the clothing you will need to wear once we are on the surface," he declared. "I will brief each of you on the role you will need to play to not attract attention."
"This should be interesting," Jason muttered as Lucky left without another word or waiting for an acknowledgement of his demands.
7
"Please state your purpose."
As predicted, a representative of the Kheprian government was waiting on the ground the instant the ramp lowered to the tarmac with a thud. Jason stepped up, feeling ridiculous in his new clothes, and presented the official with a data card Lucky had also provided. Then he looked around with the bored expression he was told to assume.
The pru gingerly took the card and pressed it up against the device he carried so it could be read. Lucky had told Jason he was being given the credentials of a mid-level representative that would typically be sent to Khepri as a precursor to a request for an official visit. When pressed as to why he was providing falsified idents instead of Kage, Lucky had replied that before he'd been released from the production facility, his Master had programmed into his auxiliary processor a full set of Kheprian high-level encryption algorithms that had allowed him to access the secure databases from orbit. From there it had been a simple matter to add the Phoenix's false registry and Jason's assumed identity.
"Thank you, Administrator Wuk," the official said respectfully and handed the card back. "Does your battlesynth escort work for the Ministry of Martial Affairs or is it a personal guard?"
"It is attached to House Teludal as personal security," Jason said in Jenovian Standard. "It was sent to ensure my safe passage."
"Very well." The official now looked bored as he finished processing their entry. "I'm sure it knows the restrictions in place for foreign visitors and its own kind … just be sure you follow its advice."
"Of course," Jason said. "Enjoy the rest of your day."
"You're sure about this?" Crusher asked from the top of the ramp once the official was gone. "Why can't some of us go as your staff?"
"Low-level administrators don't have staff," Jason said. "Lucky and I should be more than capable of handling any trouble we might run into. The point of this is to be unmemorable … a Galvetic warrior walking with a battlesynth leaves an impression."
"I think we should have another ground car on standby in case you run into something you can't handle," Crusher insisted.
"Agreed," Jason said after a moment of thought. "Kage, arrange for another vehicle."
Within minutes, a fully automated luxury ground car slid silently up to the ship on its low-power repulsor drive. Jason and Lucky climbed in and were whisked away, passing the second car as it made its way across the parking apron.
"So where are we going?" Jason asked, his patience with his friend's mysteriousness beginning to wear thin.
"We are going to meet with the one person I feel I can trust on Khepri," Lucky said. "The Master that ensured my free will once he learned what I would become."
"Lucky, that was centuries ago," Jason said. "He can't still be alive, can he?"
"He is," Lucky confirmed. "But he is rapidly approaching the end of his life. Pru are long-lived, but once advanced age sets in the decline is rapid. Before you ask, the Master is a man of some prominence in his field. I am able to track him through publicly available releases."
"Gotcha," Jason said.
The car ran along on an elevated roadway that skirted around the perimeter of Cenk Vale, affording Jason unrestricted views of the gleaming, towering buildings that made up the city center. It was spectacular. The only other modern city he'd seen that was more impressive was the concentrically built Avarian capital, a city that had been rebuilt all at once, allowing the designers to achieve a uniform look. Cenk Vale was obviously a city in constant transition as new buildings would supplant the older ones through the millennia. Jason shook his head and laughed, realizing that the city had been there since before humans had discovered fire and crawled out of their caves.
"We will be leaving the city center for the outlying estates soon," Lucky said. "I have not been needlessly secretive about this, Captain, but protecting the Master that risked so much to help me is paramount. Should it be discovered what he did it would no doubt result in action against him and his family, even after so many years."
"Yeah, you've been more annoying than usual with the lack of information," Jason said. "But I trust you. If you say there's a good reason then I'll take your word on that and hope you'll fill me in when you can."
As Lucky had said, the car soon edged off the main roadway and began to decelerate, aiming for one of the banked, curving ramps that led back down to the ground road system. Jason had read that on most of Khepri it was illegal to pilot a vehicle manually and that they'd abandoned air cars once traffic had increased to the point that the lines of vehicles crisscrossing the sky became an eyesore. Instead, they used ground, subterranean, and lifted roadways to shunt the massive volume of traffic around and through the cities.
The car dipped down off the platform and, after another half-kilometer, entered one
of the tunnel entrances for a high-speed connector. It smoothly accelerated to over four hundred kilometers per hour and slid into the other traffic without issue. It was an impressive system that merged the efficiency and speed of mass transit with the convenience and privacy of a personal vehicle.
"How much further?" he asked.
"We will be exiting the rapid transit tube momentarily," Lucky said. "Once back on the surface it will be another twenty-eight minutes.
The time passed quickly and soon the car came to a stop before a nondescript gate set into a high stonework wall. As soon as the vehicle quit moving a holographic representation of a pru appeared on Lucky's side.
"How may I assist you?" it asked. Lucky opened the window and emitted a sound that made Jason jump from its harshness. It almost sounded like com static, but he realized the battlesynth must be transmitting an audible data stream. The hologram flickered a bit before straightening.
"Proceed," it said in a monotone voice, the polished demeanor dropped. The gate slid aside and the holograph disappeared before the car glided through and down the long, tree-lined drive.
"This is the retirement estate of the Master I spoke of," Lucky said. "His name is Krunt Teludal. My hope is that he is still connected to the Office of Synth Oversight enough that he may have heard rumors about what is happening on Khepri. Otherwise, we will likely have no success discovering what Mok wants us to find."
"Can't argue your logic," Jason said. "This is a hell of a longshot even by our standards."
The pair was met at the three-story building by another hologram, this one much more substantial-looking and able to physically manipulate objects. It opened the door and wordlessly motioned for them to enter. The house's exterior was angular and harsh, clashing with nature and not at all what Jason would have expected for a country estate on Khepri based on what he'd seen so far.
They continued on until meeting up with something that made Jason's heart skip a beat: another synth. He'd encountered more than a few of them in his time in space, but this one so closely resembled Deetz he had to do a double take to make certain it actually wasn't the homicidal psychopath they'd left as a pile of melted slag on Earth.
Omega Force 09: Revolution Page 5
