by M. M. Perry
Marcus flinched ever so slightly before continuing.
“In any case, you won’t be working with me, per se. Though you are still, of course, under my supervision.”
Marcus let these words sink in before he continued.
“You’re here at the request of this gennie, who is here at the request of the captain. I don’t get a say in the matter. It certainly wouldn’t be my choice to distract our mission with the rather useless contributions of a slightly above average Tesla, second engineer at that. But, there it is.”
Naomi continued to remain quiet, trying not to make eye contact with Marcus or the gennie. She now understood why she felt uneasy around the woman, but she was shocked to hear someone speak so harshly to someone like her. She thought the gennie might say something in retort, but she didn’t. Marcus, looking even angrier he hadn’t elicited a response from either of them, glared at Naomi and left without saying anything else.
“I apologize. Marcus was quite unhappy when I was assigned to this unit, and even more unhappy when I requested your aid. I should introduce myself. I am Alphea. I’m pleased to meet you. I’ve read your files, and I think we’ll get along well. I’m also sure, despite what Marcus says, that you’ll be essential. You patched up the regulator within an hour of finding out it was malfunctioning. I must applaud you. You were quick on your feet when many would have panicked. Marcus won’t say it, but I will. You’re the second engineer that got us this far,” Alphea said, reaching out her hand in greeting.
Naomi took it hesitantly.
“Is it because I’m a gennie?”
“What?”
“Your hesitation, is it because I’m a gennie? I assure you, once you get to know me I’m much less intimidating.”
Naomi straightened up, trying to show more respect.
“No…I mean, yes, obviously there is some of that. But… you call yourself a gennie?”
Alphea smiled at Naomi and Naomi felt uneasy again. It was an odd feeling, being so thoroughly appraised and examined. She felt small in Alphea’s presence, which, considering she often felt small when she thought about her part in the fleet of colony ships speeding towards Mission’s End, was quite the accomplishment on Alphea’s part, and all she had done was look at her.
“Well, I think the name is pleasant enough. Genius, or Genetic Genius I suppose, I find people are even more awkward if they feel the need to call us that. Gennie is the name you picked for us. I don’t see any reason to force you to use something else. You disagree?”
Naomi had been thinking as Alphea spoke. She jerked at the question.
“Um, no. I mean, well, for a few weeks there was a gennie in early Childhood Learning. When the other kids called him a gennie, he didn’t care for it much. I mean, he never said anything, but I could tell he wasn’t happy about it.”
Alphea processed this information and tilted her head, placing her hand on her chin.
“Let’s see, probably a little younger than you, oh, I believe you’re speaking of Cadmus. I’m sure of it. It couldn’t have been Basilia. She would have been a few years older than you and, of course, a she. I was twenty when Cadmus was developed. It was difficult for me to relate to his problems by then, so much other work on my mind. Basilia tried, but she was also beginning to solve problems for the crew. He’s just so self-conscious and I didn’t know how to solve that for him.”
Alphea glanced over at Naomi and could see the engineer was confused by her verbal musings without deeper context.
“He’s more sensitive,” Alphea said, deciphering her own words for Naomi.
“Oh.”
“Sometimes that happens. We’re still human, even if sometimes we act oddly compared to the rest of you. Emotions still kick in. We just think a lot more about them I suppose. Analyze everything too much to communicate those feelings to you. It’s our shortcoming, I assure you. No need to worry about calling me a gennie. Or Cadmus anymore. In fact, if it annoys him, I encourage it. He’s grown up to be a bit stuffy.
“I know for conformity’s sake we continue to only develop a gennie once every ten years, but we’ve all suggested it might be worth the loss in percentage to speed that up. It would help with this sort of thing if we had anybody else like us our own age to share these things with. It matters little now, as we’re very close to our goal anyway. But,” Alphea looked off into the distance somewhere over Naomi’s shoulder and began to speak her thoughts aloud again. “With the apparent loss of the Tereshkova, and none of the other ships close to our percentage of conformity, it seems the prudent measure might be to crack a few more of those eggs open, just in case.”
Alphea looked lost in thought.
“The Tereshkova isn’t lost is it?”
Alphea turned back to Naomi, her mind brought back to the engineer.
“Our hope is that it’s fine. But, there are troubling signs. And we’re working to complete the plans to investigate directly. Here, see.”
Alphea turned to the simulation table. She pressed the key to reset and a three-dimensional projection of the thirteen manned colony ships and the single unmanned supply ship appeared. Two rows of flat ships lined up like sardines, seven in each row. Naomi moved closer as the simulation zoomed in on the last two ships in the procession. She resisted the urge to reach out and touch the Magellan, her own ship. The simulation zoomed even closer. Naomi could see a tiny shuttle take off from the Magellan toward the Tereshkova. She was impressed that someone had already come up with the formulas to make sure the shuttle could continue to match the speed of the two colossal colony ships as it traveled the gulf between them. She had thought they were weeks away from planning the trip.
“It looks good, doesn’t it?” Alphea asked, her face close to Naomi’s cheek.
“Right now, yes,” Naomi said, knowing it would fail.
She was sure that’s what all the groaning had been about a few moments ago.
“Correct. The problem is when it leaves the energy shielding around the ship. See,” Alphea said as the shuttle moved closer to the middle of its trip.
Without warning the simulation shuttle blew up. Naomi jumped at the sight.
“Yes. The debris problem. The shuttle just doesn’t have the size. We need to put a power source in there capable of running a shield that could stop debris from destroying a ship traveling at these speeds. Even a grain of sand has tremendous power when it encounters something going that fast. The shuttle is simply too small. But, we’ll figure it out. I’m sure of that.”
Naomi stepped back from the simulation. She shook her head.
“You’re speeding up the trip then.”
“Yes. We’ve stopped everything else we were working on to get this going. Our hope is to launch within the week. We can’t risk waiting when we aren’t sure of the situation on the Tereshkova. There’s fear that, well, the part may be in danger, that’s all we need to discuss right at this juncture.”
Alphea looked up to see Marcus standing much closer than before, absently tapping at a workstation. She scowled.
“This… this is all beyond my abilities,” Naomi said, watching as the simulation ran again. “You must know that. Marcus was impolite, but he is correct. I don’t belong here. I wasn’t bred for this type of job.”
Alphea laid her hand gently on Naomi’s shoulder and guided her further away from where Marcus was attempting to eavesdrop.
“A couple things,” she said as she walked Naomi to the far end of the large room. “First, genetics does not define all we are capable of. Our genes simply assign us the tools we get to start with. It’s up to us to augment those tools to fit the need. Second, it isn’t just your work with the repaired power regulator that qualifies you. You possess something few on this ship do.”
“What’s that?”
“Intimate knowledge of a number of people on the Tereshkova. You’ve been communicating with one in particular regularly over the last year. You’ve made a deep connection. No doubt were told things that Command on Tereshkova woul
dn’t necessarily want us to know.”
Naomi looked around guiltily. Carrie had told her a great deal of things she knew her friend wasn’t supposed to. She instinctively clammed up.
“Naomi, no one else suspects this, or you would have been pulled into Command a long time ago for intel.
“I’ve been watching you for a while now. Ever since you solved our problem with the power regulator on the engine so quickly. I like to keep an eye on people I think are capable of more than they’ve been assigned.
“One of the things I was designed for was to find the strengths and weaknesses others missed. You’re a strength. But, I digress.
“I noticed all the times you connected to the Tereshkova. Even listened in on a transmission once. I know you were friends with that young woman you were chatting with. I’d planned on warning you. All transmissions from the ship are logged. But, a curious thing happened when I attempted to scrub those transmissions so you’d be safe. Someone had already done it. I don’t know who, or why. I’m still trying to figure that out. I only know it’s very likely someone from Command trying to keep you out of trouble. Command doesn’t know about your conversations with Carrie. And, I have not and will not betray you to Command, of that you have my absolute promise. Command and I are not on the same page when it comes to many things. This is just one of those things. You can trust me.”
Naomi looked up into Alphea’s eyes and searched them for signs of deceit. She wondered if she’d even be able to tell if a gennie was deceiving her. Naomi looked away from Alphea and walked over to a console, her fingers mindlessly trailing along the metal as she stalled, unsure of how to respond. It was a huge risk to trust the gennie, as much as she wanted to. Alphea was offering answers to questions that had been stewing in her brain for more than a week. But if she was wrong, and Alphea wasn’t on her side, she could see in her mind’s eye the dark recesses of a counselor’s room and all she would lose inside. She took a deep breath and turned back to Alphea, nodding bravely - or foolishly. She’d find out soon enough.
“Good. As I was saying, you know far more than most who’ve had contact with the Tereshkova because you earned someone’s trust over there. Our negotiators took a year to get a tenth of that trust. I’m not even sure they attained it at all. The Tereshkova has gone dark on us, and we have very little to go on. Which means if there are people over there alive, they aren’t asking us for help. You can see how much they trust us after all.
“It comes to you. You know more about the people on the Tereshkova than anyone else on this ship. Command won’t know the hearts and minds of the civilians. They never truly do. But you’ve spent a year listening to one person tell you a story of life on the Tereshkova. If there’s anyone alive, it would be good to send someone, well, how to put this, who appears as non-threatening as possible. Someone who has a friend over there still, with any luck. It was hard enough convincing them we would do everything in our power to aid them should they need it in exchange for the part. It’ll be a whole other thing altogether when we board their ship with an armed party. We’d like you to head up the team to go over and discover what happened.”
“Head the team?” Naomi asked, shocked.
Alphea walked Naomi to the door of Experimental Engineering, noticing Marcus was edging closer again.
“Yes,” she spoke softly. “I need you. I need someone who isn’t going to cover up everything they find. Someone who’ll help me see with untainted eyes. Someone unlike Marcus, or anyone he’d choose. Something has happened on the Tereshkova that has great consequences for the Magellan. I need to know what it is, without Command’s interference. I’ve read your file. I’ve watched you for a year when no one else was, except, of course, our unknown ally. I trust you to do what I’m asking. Do you understand what I’m asking?”
“Yes. I think I do.”
Two
Naomi walked into the dining hall, stopping at the empty table her friends always ate at. She was never the first one there. She looked down and saw the table had not yet been raised. She pressed her foot onto a round, orange circle on the shiny, white surface of the floor. She stepped back as a table and four stools rose out of the floor. She slumped onto one, sad Todd and Maria had already moved on. She knew they were likely dining with their new unitmates.
Jeremy plunked down next to Naomi and gave her a hug.
“Hey, Todd wanted me to tell you, he saw me as I was jogging here, they don’t have this dining area anymore. Theirs is in the rear of the ship now, close to where you used to work. He says we can come down and visit and meet with his new unitmates if we like.”
A series of floating trays hovered over to their table. Each tier of the device had different meals on it, freshly prepared. Jeremy was picky about choosing his, but Naomi grabbed a meal absently.
“No,” she said, picking up her multi-utensil and stirring her vegetables. “Let them get to know their new unitmates. We’ll probably be switching, too. Don’t the family units have their own eating areas?”
Jeremy swallowed, then taking a drink from his water cup, nodded.
“Oh yeah. You’re right. I didn’t get any alerts to be there tonight though.”
Jeremy looked at the softly glowing screen on the wrist of his jumpsuit. His vitals glowed the normal white, and underneath were several messages Naomi could see he’d already read. He tapped one to bring it to the top of the screen.
“We’re to report to Third Family Administrator Jonathon Spock. I think we get a tour, then we’re introduced to our new unit. Then tomorrow we meet the children we’ll help socialize. From then on it’s the Family life for us, yeah?”
Naomi smiled at Jeremy’s enthusiasm. He looked genuinely happy to be going to Family with her.
“You never mentioned until yesterday you wanted to do this. I mean, I know we can change our minds at any time, but, I guess I assume people who go into Family talk about it a lot. Jenny and Manuel did. You remember them? They were in our unit for such a short time.”
Jeremy took another bite of his food and nodded.
“Oh, yeah. But I think they were both bred to be teachers. That’s probably why they rushed into Family so eagerly.”
Naomi leaned on her hand and looked up into Jeremy’s face. She smiled at him and he smiled back at her.
“I guess… I mean… we need to make sure this isn’t about… a secret declaration of monogamy. We… don’t want to do that.”
Jeremy stopped eating and pushed away his tray. He took Naomi’s hand in his.
“Pod talk, Mi, but,” he leaned in closer and spoke quietly, “we’re max compat, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, we’re solid. It wouldn’t matter where we went, we’d be happy with each other. Comfort in each other. You’ve been sad, and distracted lately. I know you grew close to Carrie over the last year. I thought meeting some new people might help. If it doesn’t, we’ll go back to General Leisure.”
“You’re sure? Because if anyone suspected monogamy…”
Jeremy pulled Naomi off her stool and onto his lap. He pushed her hair away from her ear and spoke quietly into it, looking to everyone around them as if they were merely taking comfort in each other.
“Naw. I said it. We’re solid. In all the years since… I’ve never asked for that. That’s for people afraid. I’m not afraid. You ain’t going nowhere. I ain’t going nowhere. Bit of intimacy to help another end their day, give them some comfort, it doesn’t change what you and I got. We’ll always end up back in the same pod. Been that way for what, eight years now? We been good that long. Two more years, we can hold out for anything, even if that was what we wanted, and I’m not saying we do. I ain’t pushing for it. I’m not holding out on you. I promise. I wouldn’t risk that, not for anything. I just thought you needed some new experiences. We both do. To get us through.”
Naomi leaned against his shoulder.
“Sounds good.”
“Good,” he said, helping her back to her
stool. “Finish up eating. We have about twenty before we have to be there.”
They finished their dinner and got up to go. They exchanged tales of their work day as they headed to Family.
“You met a gennie? And are working with one? Is it strange? To work with one I mean,” Jeremy said as they briskly walked down the hall.
“Well, she’s very sure of everything. She’s actually made me feel a little better about the Tereshkova. She doesn’t doubt at all we’ll get a shuttle over there.”
“Yeah,” Jeremy said squeezing past a trio of giggling girls who had noticed him. “I was going to tell you, the guys in the hangar, they’ve sent over about a dozen more to work on that shuttle. Making all kinds of adjustments. I had to take a class of newbies through on a tour. I noticed they’re picking up the pace.”
“I’m supposed to be on that shuttle. Go over to the Tereshkova with a team,” Naomi said.
“Really?” Jeremy said. “Well, they better make sure it’s safe. You get spaced out there, it won’t be just you goes missing. My head’ll be gone. Counseling for sure.”
Naomi hushed Jeremy quickly.
“That’s pod talk for sure,” she said quietly as she stopped him. “You can’t say stuff like that where people can hear you.”
Jeremy nodded, counting in his head.
“It got away from me.”
“I know. It’s okay, I did kind of drop it on you. I should’ve waited for the pod to mention it.”
Jeremy took a deep breath before abruptly restarting the conversation.
“So anyway, they’re heading over there then, yeah?” Jeremy asked, resuming their walk.
“That’s what Alphea says.”
“Alphea? I don’t know that gennie. I’ve met two, though briefly. Basilia was one. Something starting with a C was the other one. Don’t remember,” Jeremy said. “Did you know, they name them like they used to name big storms on Earth? And just one name, they don’t get last names like we do.”
“What do you mean, like the storms on Earth?”
“Well, like, maybe they don’t do that anymore, we don’t know I guess, but in flight training, we get all kinds of simulations. Storms and the like. And we’ve got to read up on storms, how they work, how they form. In the histories, they talk about these really big storms, so big you can see them from orbit. They call them hurricanes. And they name ‘em. I was talking to Corrine about it and she said they name the gennies the same way. Each name based on the alphabet. Bit weird they don’t get last names if you ask me.”
