“This is always really funny,” Alexis explained as Bethany Anne rolled her shoulders and gave the guys a “come at me” gesture. “Whenever we sit in on training, they all try really hard not to curse.”
K’aia tilted her head in question. “I think my translator is malfunctioning. Where is the humor in that?”
Gabriel “It’s funny because they fail when Mom’s wiping the floor with them, and then Dad gets involved.”
“Oh.” K’aia had wondered why Michael stood off to the side. She wasn't sure that Alexis and Gabriel quite understood the concept of humor either. “What happens next?”
Alexis nodded at Bethany Anne, who was suddenly not where she had been the blink of an eye ago.
Bethany Anne's voice carried through the room, although she was nowhere to be seen. “It’s time to step it up. Take your abilities to the next level.”
K’aia couldn’t believe what she wasn’t seeing. Bethany Anne was back, but her Empress was moving too fast for K’aia’s Yollin eyes to track. She flinched, feeling a presence at her shoulder.
“No empresses here,” Bethany Anne whispered in her ear. “Don’t give me a reason to put you on the floor with everyone else.”
K’aia whipped her head around, but there was nobody there. The next second Bethany Anne was back over with the other adults, and K’aia was left with her mandibles opening and closing soundlessly.
Alexis giggled and tugged on Gabriel’s sleeve, pointing at the young Yollin. “See? Funny!”
K’aia gave Alexis a look and returned her attention to the floor.
Bethany Anne was talking about a lot of things she didn’t understand. She assumed it was all related to the powers these humans had.
“They’re not powers,” Alexis whispered. “We have access to technology that enhances our capabilities to the point where everyone thinks we have powers. Of course,” she qualified, “I have tried to imagine things from the perspective of someone who does not have access to the Etheric.” She made a face. “It’s difficult without having experienced it.”
“It looks like you have powers.” K’aia huffed. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s rude to read someone’s mind?”
“Everyone. Repeatedly.” Gabriel snickered. “But Alexis doesn’t allow a little thing like that to stop her from prying at every opportunity.” His eyes were on Bethany Anne's demonstration of how Gabrielle could improve her control of the Etheric, which to K’aia looked an awful lot like Bethany Anne was toying with the other woman.
Alexis waved her hands. “How else am I supposed to work out all the stuff the adults won’t tell us? Anyway, I didn’t see you complaining when I figured out how to circumvent the lock they put on the Etheric so you could raid the fridge.”
Gabriel’s brow furrowed in thought. “You could get the experience if you could persuade Mom to allow your nanos to be deactivated for a short time.”
Alexis raised an eyebrow at her brother. “You have to be kidding me. That’s too funny. You know Mom would never agree to that.”
Gabriel shrugged. “Just a thought. You don't really want to be that vulnerable. What if you get hurt?”
K’aia left Alexis and Gabriel to their confusing discussion and went back to watching the masterclass on the floor.
Bethany Anne moved like nothing she had yet seen in her life. It was impossible for any being to be that graceful and yet there she was, beauty in motion.
Bethany Anne flowed.
Gabrielle was thrown back again and again, not landing a single energy ball for her efforts. She stopped to push her hair out of her eyes, exhausted from working with so much Etheric energy.
Bethany Anne wasn’t even breathing hard. She inclined her head. “That’s an improvement; good work. Think about what we talked about before our next session. You are the conduit, not the source.” She pointed at John, Scott, and Darryl in turn. “Next lesson. Late for meetings. Snarky. And you have avoided our children.”
Eric snorted. “What did I do?”
Bethany Anne grinned. “Nothing, but you’re here, and you know I hate to leave anyone out.”
The music on the speakers cut out before Eric could reply and CEREBRO spoke. “My Queen, you are needed in the command center.”
Bethany Anne narrowed her eyes at the interruption. “Thank you, CEREBRO. Tell Admiral Thomas I will be with him in a moment.”
“Aw, such a shame we have to cut this session short.” Scott winced as his tone fell short of sincerity.
Bethany Anne tilted her head, her lips pressed together. “Hmmm. Yeah, I don’t think so.” She turned to the side and crooked a finger at the twins and K’aia before turning to Michael. “Advanced combat practice until…oh, Alexis has had enough. It will do our children good to test their Vid-doc training in real world circumstances. K'aia can see the level she’s aiming for.”
A chorus of groans sounded in Bethany Anne's mind.
Not Alexis, Boss, John begged.
We beg you, Scott cut in. She’s relentless!
Think about it, Eric pleaded We’ll still be here when the fleet leaves…
Bethany Anne shut out their complaints and blew a kiss to her children. “Have fun, my loves.”
10
Federation Deep Space Research Outpost
ADAM and Loralei approached the source of the distress signal cautiously, Gating in a safe distance from its broadcast location.
Loralei made a noise of confusion. The signal looked to be coming from a ringed gas giant. They can tolerate that environment? Ooh, maybe they’re a brand new species we haven’t met yet. They might not be humanoid. Loralei paused. Oh, wait.
ADAM repressed a chuckle at Loralei’s enthusiasm. His scans were rough, but it seemed that the outpost was actually on a tiny planetoid orbiting the space between two of the gas giant’s rings, hidden by dust and interference thrown out by the rings. >>You found it?<<
Uh-huh. I don’t want to say I’m disappointed, but, well…
>>You were hoping for first contact with flame people.<<
Loralei snickered. Perhaps? Kinda?
>>You might still get your mystery bone tickled,<< ADAM offered. >>My scans are reading a faint Federation signal from within the rings. I didn’t realize Lance had anything this far out.<<
This is a Federation site? Loralei asked. Fuck, that is far out. Consider me tickled. What are your orders, O Magnificent One?
ADAM set his scanners to work as soon as his scout ship cleared the Gate. >>We need to get closer. The signal is still looping, which hopefully means we’re not too late to make a difference.<< That wasn’t all his scanners were telling him. He adjusted his course to come at the planet directly. >>Are you getting all these transmissions?<<
No?
ADAM linked her into his inputs.
Oh, I can hear it now, Loralei told him. Wow, Jean really beefed your ship up, huh? Shit, what’s all that other noise?
ADAM assumed she was referring to the malady of shrieks escaping the cover of the rings. >>That would be the Ooken language,<< he replied. >>Harmonious, isn’t it?<<
Loralei sniffed. It sounds like souls in a shredder. She brought her ship up alongside ADAM’s. The people…we need to save them. Race?
ADAM gave it some serious thought. He considered being sensible for maybe a tenth of a second. >>You’re on.<<
They tore up the distance, pulling to a halt just short of the rings.
Loralei cackled, flying circles around ADAM. How does it feel to lose to a humble EI?
ADAM snorted. >>You can claim a lot of things, but I don’t think humility is one of them.<<
You’re one to talk. Didn’t you make that Ooken EI believe you were the god of digital intelligence to break it?
ADAM was about to reply when a mechanized tentacle erupted from the swirling dust and thrust past, setting the two scout ships spinning in its wake.
>>PULL BACK!<< ADAM and Loralei managed to avoid the thrashing metal limb before it dropped back into the ma
elstrom. Both regained control and edged over to the place the ginormous tentacle had been and gone.
Loralei hung back a bit while ADAM moved erratically, scanning the ring. What the Gigerian fuck was that nightmare?
>>That was an Ooken battleship, or one section of one. The tentacles are a theme with them. We should move, since it’s gone for now.<<
So how do we get to the outpost without getting suckered by one of them?
>>Very , very carefully. Stay close to me.<< His ship dove. >>We are going in.<<
Loralei did as directed, and ADAM led them into the murky dust cloud.
The moment they were enveloped, ADAM’s sensors all but cut out. He put a little more into clearing it up, but the interference he'd picked up before was playing with his perception. >>Loralei, how are you doing in this? Are your sensors coping?<<
Um, no. I’m completely blind.
ADAM almost turned them back there and then, partly out of concern for Loralei, but mostly because he was struggling to maintain his connection to Bethany Anne as well as navigate for both SSE ships.
His ship was demanding everything from him and ten percent more than that.
I wonder if this is what it's like for humans in the dark? Loralei pondered.
ADAM chuckled, his fear for her gone. >>I don't know. Probably?<< He sent a tether. It took a few tries, but eventually it attached itself to Loralei’s ship. >>Better?<<
We won’t get separated, at least. Where is the outpost from here?
>>It’s ahead, but I can’t tell how many Ooken ships there are between us and the signal location.<<
It took every cycle of ADAM’s available computing power to remain focused on the here and now. His connection to Bethany Anne was down to almost nothing, and the sensation of being all but cut off from her and TOM was not a pleasant one.
However, maintaining control of his ship was paramount to his and Loralei’s survival.
ADAM poured his concentration into navigating the murk ahead, the secondary chip in his ship pulling almost everything to give him a chance of avoiding the parts of the ring that could smash them to a million pieces.
He caught the reappearance of the Ooken battleship just in time.
>>DROP!<<
Loralei reacted instantly, turning her thrusters to shoot downward with ADAM.
>>Stop. We’re good.<<
What happened? she asked, perplexed.
>>Ooken ship. We’re hugging an asteroid, and our cloaking will keep us hidden while it passes.<<
That was too damn close.
>>We were never in danger,<< he assured her.
Is Bethany Anne listening in or something? Otherwise you’re just fooling yourself, since I won’t give a shit either way.
ADAM completed what scans he could. >>It’s clear. I think.<<
The two stayed side by side under the cover of the dust as they searched for a spot on the planet’s surface away from the action.
The dust cleared somewhat when they reached the edge of the path cut into the rings by the outpost’s orbit.
They had another close shave when Loralei slipped out of the cloud and was almost detected by an Ooken seeker.
ADAM reeled Loralei back in by the tether, ignoring the stream of curses from the potty-mouthed EI.
>>You were visible for a second. This dust is not working entirely in our favor.<<
Loralei snorted. If you say so. In that case, I forgive you.
>>Well, thank you. I appreciate your magnanimity.<<
Loralei cackled. Strong is the sarcasm in you today.
>>I hate to break it to you, but you and your sisters do not own the monopoly on snark. In fact, if we were going to look at things from a different angle, you could say you inherited your sense of humor from me.<<
Loralei was silent for a beat. So what you’re saying is that you’re a part of every EI personality that has been created?
ADAM diverted precious bandwidth from keeping them on course to scan for Ooken ships. >>That’s right,<< he confirmed distractedly, focused on the fuzzy readings he was getting.
Hmmm… So, like a god, then? She let rip that raspy cackle again when ADAM faltered. Too easy, ADAM. Too easy. You walked right into it. Shame on you.
ADAM considered retracting the tether, but only for a moment. >>Remind me again why we keep restoring you?<<
Because I’m a fucking rock star, Loralei told him cheerfully.
ADAM sighed. >>Well, if your diva self wouldn’t mind getting her ass in gear, I’ve found us a safe route to the surface.<<
All you had to do was say that, Loralei retorted.
ADAM and Loralei broke for the surface. The asteroid the outpost was based on was a little bit larger than ADAM had calculated from outside the ring, but once down they quickly covered the kilometers between their entry point and the research post.
ADAM’s hope began to fade when the sprawling domed city came into range. The sky above the city was filled with the Ooken ships he’d been picking up.
The largest of the domes was cracked open, and the upper section within was filled with drones.
>>Oh, no. Oh, fuck no. We need to do something. This is not going to go down well with Bethany Anne.<<
It’s not going down well with me, either.
>>Just monitor your cloaking. We’re going in.<<
They swooped in low and entered through a hole in the base of the dome. It was slow progress to make their way across, since the ruined streets were crawling with all kinds of drones.
These drones are like crabs in a brothel, Loralei bitched when they had to take cover for the third time. We aren’t too far from the signal now.
ADAM had a feeling they were in for a nasty surprise. >>I just hope there’s someone left to save.<<
You still haven’t told me how we’re supposed to save anyone when we have no way of getting them out of here. What are you thinking, have them ride our backs?
ADAM snickered. >>I’m not sure what I’m thinking, but I guarantee it isn’t that.<<
Loralei sulked. You telling me you can’t work out how to extend our shielding to cover a few people?
ADAM picked up something a billion times better than the distress signal—heartbeats. They were fast and thready with fear, but strong. >>A few, yes. A couple dozen, not so much.<<
Loralei was only picking up the drones. You found them?
>>They’re a few hundred meters away.<< A flying drone passed overhead. >>We go as soon as the way is clear.<<
Damn, what did Jean put in that ship of yours?
>>That would be telling. Come on, we’re clear.<<
Lead the way. I can but follow.
ADAM headed cautiously in the direction of the heartbeats, keeping his sensors peeled for drones. They had to stop and hide twice more before they found the survivors huddled inside a huge dumpster in an alley.
ADAM engaged his external speakers. “Don’t be afraid. We’re here to help.”
“Go away,” a tremulous voice called from inside the dumpster. “Before they find us all.”
Charming, Loralei commented.
They heard a snuffle and a soft wail from inside.
>>There are children in there.<<
Fuck it all, what can we even do? Kael-ven won’t be here before they’re discovered.
>>We’re going to…<< ADAM’s mind turned over millions of possibilities within the space of a few seconds and rejected every one of them—except one. >>Use my chip to hide them in the Etheric until Bethany Anne gets here.<<
Loralei was puzzled. Why would you think Bethany Anne is coming here?
>>Because I know Bethany Anne. The second she realizes I'm not at all present in her mind, she'll get straight on the Izanami.<<
O–kayyy. So how do we get them into the Etheric, and what does it have to do with your chip? And, what chip?
>>There’s no time to explain. I need you to be there when she gets here and tell her I’m not dead.<<
That you’re not…
ADAM, you need to explain what the fuck you’re planning to do.
ADAM couldn’t hear Loralei for the moment. He had adjusted his frame rate to the point that time in the alley stood still to give himself a chance to work out an answer for himself, if not for Loralei.
All he had to do was persuade the chip that made it possible for him to be separated from Bethany Anne and his Gate drive to work together to create a path to the Etheric that these people could walk.
Or rather, that he could shove the dumpster they were hiding in through.
An eternity later, he took a mental step back and checked his work before readjusting his frame rate to bring himself back in line with reality. It was all he could do.
It would work or it wouldn’t.
…inefficient, if you think about it. See, it's moments like this that make me glad I'm not an AI. I mean, you don't see me freezing up with emotion when we're thirty seconds away from being discovered.
>>Loralei, I am trying to perform a complex procedure here.<< He registered what Loralei just told him. >>Discovered?<<
Suck it up, buttercup. Twenty seconds.
ADAM knew the people huddled in the dumpster were dead if this didn’t work. The problem was, so was he in most of the simulations he’d run.
He didn’t mind dying, since he could be resurrected from any number of locations. What he worried about was what Bethany Anne would do to him after he was brought back online.
And what thinking he was dead would do to her.
The Ooken seeker turned and began to sweep the street outside their alley for life signs.
Probing metal tentacles crossed the mouth of the alley and contracted, dragging the brick along with a shower of sparks and a sound that was very like the Ooken language.
One of the people screamed.
Then there was no more time to deliberate. It was now or never.
ADAM crossed fingers he didn’t have and initiated the sequence. >>Make sure she knows I’m alive.<<
ADAM, what the fuuuuuucck!
ADAM’s sensors ceased to function.
He would be quite upset if Loralei’s furious screech was the last sensory input he ever received.
Devon, First City, The Hexagon
Tabitha answered the apartment door to greet Sabine with a wide grin. “Hi! You’re a bit early, but Peter’s almost ready.”
All’s Fair in Blood and War (The Kurtherian Endgame Book 4) Page 11
