by D. R. Rosier
I also hadn’t expected the disgust, but maybe that was just him? I wasn’t sure what to think anymore, the Isyth might have made slavery illegal, but maybe they were practicing a form of their own. Jillintara was too vibrant and alive to be labeled a machine, and she even had a flesh and blood body. I’d need to think about it later, and talk to her about it tomorrow night.
“People as a rule project their own ambitions and desires onto other people. Just a thought.”
He snickered, “Any other sage advice?”
I nodded, “Habit. People have habits, routines, and generally fall into ruts. Operational security should be obvious, I mean it makes sense, but really it isn’t obvious at all. It’s a learned and trained behavior, like for someone who is a bodyguard, they’re taught to keep their mouth shut if they hear something sensitive. The former is the only reason I came up with a workable plan so fast, habit I mean. I didn’t have years of expectations and successfully finding information in the way you three did. There’s a saying on my world, putting fresh eyes on it. The latter part though, should really make you think.”
He stared at me for a moment, “About what?”
“The Stolavii don’t practice it, operational security. They’re mercenaries who do a job and then talk too much over a beer, or whatever their equivalent is. What does that tell you?”
He sneered, “What does it tell you?”
I smiled, I really loved getting under his skin.
“It tells me that if a large group of Stolavii suddenly got operational security discipline, they’re being paid a lot of money to accomplish that. It also tells me, whoever is behind taking all those humans, isn’t Stolavii. It’s someone whose been taught the value of keeping their mouth shut.”
He shook his head, “A guess.”
“An educated guess. Trust me, my old job depended on these concepts. People are just as predictable as machines. They do the same things over and over once they find a method that works, and find comfort in familiar habits. It was why you three were stuck, you’ve always cracked the cases by getting your hands on a Stolavii who was bound to have heard the rumors, or seen something on their data net.”
Maybe I was wrong, but I didn’t think so. I knew they weren’t human, but some things seemed to be universal. I finished up my meal, and tried not to smile as he brooded. Then I got up without a word, and headed back to my quarters. It was still early, but I knew we’d be at the planet in about six hours, and off shift or not I was supposed to be another bodyguard when we went off ship.
So, I tried to sleep, and my thoughts stuck on his comment. Were the artificial assistants, slaves? They were self-aware, simulation of life or not, wasn’t that life? To me, Jillintara seemed alive, so I’d go with that until shown otherwise.
I was also pretty sure Rilok was so harsh to make me angry at the others and do something stupid, he’d tried to play me to get me off the ship. It backfired, if anything I regretted the fact that I hadn’t jumped into bed with Telidur last night. One thing I wasn’t experienced at was matters of the heart, and I did worry about getting my emotions tangled up, but I figured that would happen whether I slept with them or not.
I’d always been calm in tense circumstances and danger, perhaps a result of my training. I was still waiting for reality to crash around me, finally sink in, and for me to break down. But… maybe I wouldn’t, that last part I mean.
“Ann, wake me up fifteen minutes before we reach orbit.”
That would be good enough. With the health nanites, I didn’t wake up slowly like I did back on Earth, all it would take was a quick sonic shower and strapping on my weapons, to make me feel sharp and awake…
Chapter Seventeen
When I got to the landing bay, no one else had weapons, except for their palm plasma weapons of course.
Rilok smirked, “We’re going to see the governor of a planet, you won’t be able to bring those in. She has her own security.”
“I forgive you for failing to outline the parameters of our mission.”
His face darkened, Vik laughed.
“We probably don’t have time for me to run back, is there a place in the shuttle I can lock them up?”
Telidur said with a smirk at Rilok, “There’s a weapons locker.”
I nodded in thanks, and we loaded into the shuttle and closed the door. Telidur showed me where to stow my weapons, and once we were all in seats, the bay had already been depressurized and the door was opening. The shuttle flew out.
The planet Vehiri was a dark blue, green, and had a tinge of purple in the atmosphere. The gravity would be a little higher than Earth’s, but I was already used to it from being aboard ship. The ship’s gravity was set to the gravity of Isyth, which was one point two of Earth. This world was close to the same. The atmosphere was a little different, but the important gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide were within human tolerances if not exactly the same as Earth’s.
It was late at night ship’s time, but where we were going it was just after dawn. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was when I saw my first floating car. We joined the air traffic lane and flew into the city among air cars. I’d expected a concrete jungle, or a megacity, what I got was mostly low-profile buildings, with lots of parks.
I considered that for a while, and decided without unwanted pregnancy, they’d managed to prevent overpopulation. I was sure it was more than that, but the planet was far from overcrowded, including the city we were flying through. I also realized that this was a colony planet, and the only one in the Isyth empire. Maybe their home planet was more crowded, something to check on the data net later. There seemed to be a never-ending list of things I needed to learn.
The buildings looked like the buildings in any small city on Earth. It was a bit disappointing actually, I’d expected… I wasn’t sure what I expected. Something more alien, but the Isyth obviously built concrete square buildings similarly to humans. We landed right outside a park, with a large mansion in the middle of it, surrounded by a fence. The style of mansion was definitely unique in architecture and accents, but didn’t look completely alien. In the end, it was just a very large mansion. I supposed both of us being humanoids informed things like that.
Rilok said, “Your post is behind him. Stay quiet, don’t talk unless directly asked a question, don’t respond to comments. Look for dangers behind us.”
“I’m glad you said something, I was going to sing and dance the Earthling greeting song.”
Telidur snorted, “There’s no such thing, is there?”
I giggled, and shook my head, “No, and I’ll behave.”
Vik nodded, “Let’s go see what she wants, so we can get back to work.”
The shuttle door opened, and we all piled out. I’d never been a bodyguard before, but of course I had a good idea how to be one. An assassin that doesn’t wouldn’t live very long. I put my game face on, like I was back home doing a job, and I analyzed everything around me. It was something that didn’t take much effort, I was always aware of my surroundings, even if I didn’t always act like I was.
I got a second glance from the guards at the gate, but no one objected. Probably because Vik was a prince, even if eighteenth in line for throne. We walked down the walkway, which was made of stepping stones. The air smelled fresh and crisp, and decidedly alien. The sun was yellow like Sol, but it looked a little bigger. I wasn’t sure if it was or not, the planet could just be closer. Too much to learn.
The guards at the front door bowed, and opened the door wordlessly, we were obviously expected. The inside of the mansion had what looked like marble floors, and light yellow painted walls. It was a relaxing bright color. The entry hall had a large chandelier overhead, and there was art along the walls, portraits of hot blue people. Maybe the previous governors?
It was all a little too human, outside of the yellow walls, even the wood furniture looked like it could have been made by a human. The familiarity of it all made things even more surreal for me.<
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We didn’t go far, but entered the second room on the right, which was a sitting room of sorts. Telidur got my attention, and waved me over subtly. The three of us took posts against the wall by the door we entered, knowing that sort of thing beforehand would have really helped, and I suppressed the surge of annoyance. I supposed teaching me their bodyguard etiquette beforehand was too much to ask. Maybe I’d ask if there was a download for that.
There were four guards in the room besides the three of us, and Vik moved forward to greet his aunt, the governor. She looked elegant in a dress, and carried a commanding presence.
Vik said, “Governor, you’re looking well.”
Natalya, “Didn’t we do this earlier nephew?”
She stepped forward with a laugh, and they cheek kissed and shared a chaste embrace.
Vik replied, “I suppose we did, what’s going on?”
She sighed, “Denik is missing.”
Vik asked, “Missing?”
She shrugged, “I was talking to him, and he said he was in some kind of danger, though he didn’t say what. Before he had the chance, the signal cut off and I haven’t been able to reach him.”
That seemed unlikely, quantum connections couldn’t be blocked. Even if he was taken prisoner, he should have been able to watch movies, surf the data net, and order cookies. Oh, and request a strike force to come rescue him. I’d learned that’s how the three destroyers knew where Vik was, and where.
Vik shook his head, “Did you report it?”
She shook her head, “He did tell me to get in contact with you, he believed whoever was after him had high access to the data net. He didn’t tell me who.”
Vik frowned, “That doesn’t make sense, even if he told you to talk to me offline, he was telling you over the data net.”
She shrugged, “Maybe he didn’t want whoever it was to see your response, or hear your plans or ideas.”
He grunted, I wasn’t buying it either. Natalya wasn’t lying, but her story didn’t make sense. Also, who the hell was Denik?
Vik nodded, “I’ll take care of it.”
She said, “I’m sure you’ll find him and figure out what’s going on.”
He said, “I’ll get right on it. The ship should be unloaded within an hour.”
She smiled, “Next time you come by, you’ll have to visit for longer.”
He nodded, and we left the mansion and returned to the shuttle. It wasn’t until we were back in the air that anyone spoke.
Telidur said, “Denik is Vik’s older brother, tenth in line, and about eighty years older. He also has a lot of private companies, and he gets into trouble from time to time.”
“Did that story seem odd to you?”
Telidur laughed, “Yes, but if you knew Denik… he’s ambitious which as I said, gets him into trouble.”
“So, we’re going after him?”
Vik shook his head, “The mission we’re on takes precedence.”
That was a little cold, wasn’t he Vik’s brother?
Vik added, “Don’t worry, I’m going to send a squadron after him, to his last known location. If there is a serious issue, they’ll be able to deal with it better than just one ship could.”
There was a large fleet of ships around the planet to protect it, I guess a small squadron wouldn’t really impact their security too much.
Telidur asked, “What about the data net thing?”
Vik shook his head, “It sounds fishy, there aren’t a lot of people with high access to the data net, and most of those are in my family, but I’ll talk to the squadron via laser communications when we get back to the ship. Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing new, he gets into a scrape every few years.”
I supposed he was the black sheep of the family, not that I’d know much about that considering I didn’t have one. A family that is.
I decided not to worry about it, Vik said he’d handle it. I’d try to get a few hours more sleep, and when I woke up for our bridge shift, we’d be on our way to Kaprorix…
Chapter Eighteen
Simulations, I was getting better. My reaction times were extremely high, and I was finally showing competence in the areas where I’d been falling short. There was definitely room for improvement, but I was making solid progress.
I’d also been right about my guess, by the time I’d shown up on the bridge we were already on the way to Kaprorix. Vik seemed a bit broody today, so maybe he was worried about his older irresponsible brother, but he was also focused on uncovering whatever the Stolavii were doing with so many humans. As a result, the bridge was rather quiet, but I didn’t mind since I was busy with simulations.
Once we arrived at Kaprorix sometime in the early hours of morning the next day, the plan was to stealth and head for Alpha Centauri, which would take about twelve hours. Then… we’d wait until we gave up, or something happened.
My dinner with Jillintara was later that night, and I hoped she didn’t mind all the questions, I had a few of them saved up from the last three days. I wasn’t sure about the intimacy with another woman idea yet, but I was far more intrigued by the idea, than closed minded.
At the end of the shift, Jillintara walked next to me as we left.
“Sparring?” she asked hopefully.
I laughed, “Sure, then a shower and food? You do need to eat, right?”
She giggled, “Yes, fuel for the body, it is organic.”
I followed her to the range and simulator room. Apparently, there was no workout room on the ship, literally hard bodies by nanites. I’d have been jealous, except for the fact I didn’t have to work out anymore either to maintain my toned body.
“I was wondering about that, I meant I knew that, but do you ever sleep? You’re on shift with us, and then run the ship by yourself, while you’re also off in your cabin?”
She smirked, “I don’t sleep. I also don’t need to be on the bridge, but choose to do so to be near the crew. Umm, most humanoids sleep for two primary reasons. To get rid of the fatigue poisons in their body, and because their brains require it for health and sanity. Technically, you no longer need to sleep for the former reason because of the nanites, only the latter.
“For me, I just meditate in my cabin for a shift, to relax the body, and control everything through the ship interface.”
“So, I can go a long time without sleep?”
She nodded, “With the nanites help yes, which will come in handy sooner or later. Some confrontations can last for days while playing cat and mouse with enemy ships around planets and moons. You’re brain still needs sleep, but you won’t start to degrade for three or four days. It’s still healthier to sleep every night though, you need to dream to maintain sanity, and only stay up when it’s necessary.”
She added as we walked in the range, “Oh, before I forget, removing those safety lockouts has been approved, if you want to give it a try before we get started.”
I nodded, “That’s great. Thanks Jill.”
She smiled and winked.
I walked up to the range, where there were four fresh targets, and then turned around. I simply held my hand open, down at my side and slightly behind my body, and while facing Jillintara I mentally aimed the reticule behind me outside of my vision. It seemed to work, so I fired four times while switching targets in my mind. I looked over my shoulder, and smiled when all four targets had holes in the middle.
I supposed it wasn’t that big a deal, but having the ability to shoot in two directions at once could come in handy at some point. I studied Jillintara for a moment. She really was breathtaking, and I wondered why they made her body so incredibly sexy if there was some taboo against sleeping with an artificial intelligence.
Either the scientist that designed her body was a pervert, or they preferred athletic willowy women, and this was their version of ugly? I found the latter hard to believe, she was stunning. I’d rather kiss her than hit her, but I had to admit I was as curious about Isyth hand to hand fighting as Jillinta
ra was about human martial arts.
“Ready for a good view of the ceiling?”
She laughed, “Sure, but I think you’ll have to tell me about it. I know you’re enhanced, but in a way so am I. My strength is normal, but no Isythian could match my speed of thought or reflexes.”
We started slow with stand up sparring, and then moved to grappling. Jillintara’s style was aggressive and she never let up. In a way, it reminded me of Krav Maga, if not the moves at least the reasoning behind them. I did better at first, choosing a Yin style of fighting to start out with. I managed to use her attacks against her, and threw her several times, but she was an artificial intelligence who was vibrant, intelligent, and very quick on the uptake. That advantage didn’t last long as she analyzed and adjusted, whenever she did, I switched to a different style, including Krav Maga.
She was wickedly fast, but not any stronger than I was, by the time we got close to being finished, she was getting me at least as much as I was getting her.
It seemed the Isyth didn’t have nearly a diverse amount of styles as Earth did, but then they’d been in space for millennia, and were very reliant on technology. Maybe most of their martial arts had died out over time.
We were both sweaty, a little sore, and grinning when we called it done a half hour later.
Jillintara said, “We need to do that again.”
I smiled, “I’d be happy to, shower and meet for dinner?”
She nodded, “Looking forward to it.”
We walked out and split up, and it was only fifteen minutes or so later when I walked into the galley feeling clean and very ready to eat. Maybe she wanted to spar first so we’d have privacy, it looked like the others had already eaten and gone.
Jillintara came in a few minutes later, and we ordered a meal together. A few things I already knew I liked, and a few that she recommended which I hadn’t tried yet.
Jillintara smirked as we sat down, “I can see the questions in your eyes, go ahead, you won’t offend me.”
I smiled shyly, “Do you have a choice? I mean, you said you wanted to leave the ship, but you hadn’t yet? Can’t you control it from anywhere?”
