“I so needed this,” Sandra commented.
“Me too,” began Linda. “Isn't this the part where I jokingly offer to wash your back if you'll wash mine?”
Sandra shook her head.
“No joke,” she said. “Back washing is fine with me. Front washing, not so much.” They both giggled. “But not,” Sandra continued. “Until I've soaked for a couple of...”
The intruder alert startled Sandra so much that she jumped. Pushing herself to a more upright position with her foot. Then she suddenly realized what her foot was pushing against. She quickly pulled her foot back.
“I'm sorry Linda,” she said, “I didn't mean to... Err tell me my toe wasn't...”
“Would if I could Sandra.” Linda said with a grin. “But I'm afraid your big toe is no longer a virgin.”
Meanwhile Sandra was busy climbing out of the tub.
“Not what I wanted to hear.” she replied. “I gotta go, Damn it!”
Sandra grabbed her minimally charged nanite control system and began running down the stairs. She had only gone down two flights of stairs when the alert signal changed from intruder alert to her personal attention signal but the location code didn't change.
Something major was going on in the large portalizer chamber. She was tempted to override the elevator's lockdown mode but she decided to stay on the stairs. Accordingly she palmed a certain brick at the bottom of the stairs. The concealed identi-scanner triggered a hidden access door to open, giving her access to a long spiral staircase that very few knew even existed.
When she eventually reached the correct level she opened another concealed access door. As she stepped inside, she saw a strange alien design craft filling most of the chamber. Then she noticed the three people in the chamber. Jake was busy connecting a cable from the strange ship to a primary power grid circuit. She was about to tell him that the primary power systems were down when she noticed the outwardly shell shocked appearance of Cindy and one of the Eastman twins. Then it dawned on her that there wasn't anybody else there.
“Jess?” she asked. With a slight quiver in her voice.
Jake just shook his head.
Suddenly Sandra was leaning against the wall. She looked inquiringly at the other man.
“Your brother?” she asked.
“Adam couldn't make it,” Al answered hoarsely.
By this time Jake had finished patching the shuttle's power systems into Hillside's and most of Hillside's major systems were suddenly coming back on line.
He turned to Sandra, looking deeply into her eyes.
“Are you OK Sandra?” he asked.
“Not really Jake,” Sandra replied. “But I will be. I always knew something could happen to him when he went off planet with one of you. The pain will eventually fade and I'll be OK. Just not yet.”
As she said this Sandra had also been busy watching Cindy. Now she nodded her head in Cindy's direction.
“What's up with her?” she asked.
At that moment Sam walked into the chamber. He was listening when Jake sighed.
“I'm afraid I've lost her,” Jake explained. “She'll live. She may even eventually heal. But even if she does, she won't be mine anymore.”
Then he nodded towards Sam.
“I hate to ask this of you Sam,” he said. “But would you mind keeping an eye on Cindy for a while?”
Sam looked a little puzzled but he shrugged, turned on his heels and started walking towards Cindy.
After a slight pause Jake turned back to Sandra.
“I'm sorry to do this to you Sandra,” Jake said gently. “But there is no time and I need your help.”
As he said this he pressed the call button on the elevator, just as Hillside's power levels became sufficient for it to be automatically restored to service. The elevator itself had evidently been near the portalizer chamber when the power failed as the door opened immediately. Sandra followed him inside.
“What with?” Sandra inquired, as the elevator door closed behind her.
“Jess told me once,” Jake explained, as he pulled the emergency stop. “That without a sentient nanosymbiont, I can't risk inverse temporal dilation. Unless I've managed to build a complex bond with an AI system. He also told me it would likely take me the better part of a century to accomplish that. So I need you to help me build a semi-symbiont AI system.”
This time there wasn't anything vague in the way Sandra said, “What?”
“We'll have to modify one of your VR chambers,” Jake continued. “So we can use it to help me imprint a blank AI matrix.”
Sandra looked horrified at the idea.
“No Jake, that's just too damned dangerous,” she said. “I don't know why you want to take such a long range flight so soon. But whatever it is, it can just plain wait another week until Steve comes back.”
“I'm sorry Sandra,” Jake began again. “But the way things are I need to be in inverted dilation within the next 36 hours.”
To attempt such a thing without years of thought mapping the database. In order to properly sync with the way Jake's mind was organized, was unthinkable. Yet Sandra could tell that Jake was quite serious about it.
“Alright then,” she said. “Tell me what could possibly be so important as to risk turning yourself into a zombie for!”
Jake held out a small flat device.
“I did say I was sorry Sandra,” Jake said. “This data tab contains a copy of Jess's final augmentation report.”
These words affected Sandra like a slap in the face. Jake hadn't said it was an extract from the report. He'd said it was a copy of it. This was something Steve's oath to the guild wouldn't have allowed. She looked closely at Jake's face and saw that a tear was slowly working it's way down his cheek.
She took the data tab and plugged it into her nanite control system, which would filter the direct report enough to protect her brain. Then she donned a custom headset.
When she came to her senses her hands were on fire with pain. She looked at them and saw that her knuckles were bleeding as were the tips of her fingers where some of her fingernails had been torn off.
Then she looked up at Jake's face just in time to see the remains of one of her nails fall out of the torn flesh of his cheek. His face was full of bloody scratches. One of which raked across his left eye, which had nearly been torn out of it's socket.
Even as she realized what she had done however, she could see that Jake's nanites were busy repairing the damage. Then as she watched the miracle of Jake's eye healing from within, she became aware that her hands had stopped hurting. She looked down just in time to see her missing fingernails grow back.
“I'm sorry Jake,” she began. “I just wasn't ready for...” Jake gently placed a finger on her lips.
“No Sandra,” he interrupted. “Like I said, I'm the one who's sorry. I didn't want to put you through that. But I couldn't think of any other way to convince you that I need that AI, right now.”
“But I shouldn't have taken it out on you like that.” Sandra protested. “Now I know what they are, what they did and what they will do if we don't stop them. Yet it still doesn't matter, we should wait for Steve. Steve loved Jess too you know. He won't let them get away with this. He will do something about it.”
“Which is precisely why we can't wait Sandra,” Jake began. “Steve will realize, as I have, that there isn't time to goad the council into acting. They've been ignoring the warning signs of this for centuries now. They won't be quick to change that behavior. And even if the council voted unanimously to commit the entire guild fleet to a state of war. They couldn't mobilize it in time to stop these monsters from starting their planned explosion of galactic conquest.
These monsters are like a malignant cancer. They must be totally eradicated before they begin to spread.” Jake paused for a moment. “Don't you see Sandra,” Jake continued. “Steve would simply make the same decision I have. Only in his case, his oath to the guild would stop him from doing it right. Heck,
as much as he would agree with me, he'd have to try to stop me. Oh there's a good chance that the guild would eventually win this war. But not before many thousands, nay, make that millions of worlds are consumed. Quite possibly including this one.
Steve would know all that of course. So after he stopped me from going, he'd most likely decide to do it himself. But without the time to get the consensus of the guild council or even a quorum of fellow questors, He would have to resort to the total trans-vengeance protocol. Which would allow him to complete one final task before all of his nanites would be forced to self destruct. And that would be the end of him.
But since I'm not yet beholding to guild regulations, I can and must, act. My chances of surviving this aren't much better than Steve's would be. But unlike him, I'd have some chance of it. And because I'll have left a little sooner than he could have. I'll have a much better chance of finishing the job before they explode across the galaxy, in a wave of conquest that even the guild may be unable to stop.
Please help me. I know you think it's too dangerous. But the fact is, it's something I must do. And I need the advantage of being awake for most of the many long subjective years of the journey. In order to have enough time to fine tune my plan of attack. So that I might figure out how do it in such a way as to have even a slight chance of coming back alive. But either way, I'll be leaving on schedule.” With that said, Jake turned around, opened the elevator door and stepped off the elevator. Next to which he saw Sam leaning against the wall.
Sam was crying.
“I'm sorry Sam,” Jake said. “I shouldn't have put this on you.”
“No I'm sorry,” Sam replied. “I didn't really mean it. But when I was busy blaming you for what happened to Sue, I wished this on you.”
“That's not the cause of this Sam,” Jake said. “You were hurting and you were right. I didn't fully understand.”
“But now you do Jake,” Sam said sadly. “And I'm sorry. I know I didn't cause this thing to happen to Cindy. But I'm still sorry for your pain. I don't know what I can really do to help. But I'll try to keep an eye on her. Who knows, she used to like me you know. Maybe her memory of that will help.”
“That is all I can ask for Sam,” Jake replied. “Thanks! And don't worry about me, or my feelings. Anything that helps her remember how to feel again... Anything!”
Suddenly Jake turned away and quickly stepped back into the elevator.
***
It hadn't been easy to convince everyone that he had to do this alone but once they believed him, that his best chance of coming back alive would be if he didn't need to find a way to preserve anyone else's life, it became a little easier. Jake had used about one third of the energy from One's shuttle to construct the core of his new personal ship.
He had left Hillside with half of the remaining two thirds. Most of what he had left still remained in the form of that high energy pseudo matter that his enemies used for fuel. Which Jake had started referring to as synthuel. They had been fortunate to have commandeered One's personal shuttle. It had been the only shuttle on board the enemy ship with a large enough fuel reserve to get the job done.
“Star Dragon to Hillside control,” He spoke into his communication system. “All onboard systems are go for launch. Please initialize the portalizer sequence at your earliest convenience.”
“OK Jake,” Sandra's voice said. “Portalizer shielded launch sequence, Jake zero zero one, is initialized. Fare thee well Jake. Don't forget to come back to us.”
“Well that is the plan!” Jake replied. As his new ship began to move towards the portal. Then he quickly added, “Farewell Hillside. Commencing silent running. Star Dragon out.”
Then he was gone.
Chapter 36 Sorrow
Questor's nano-symbiont gently prodded it's host mind to full consciousness. He quickly scanned the status board. All systems were functioning normally. His symbiont had done a masterful job of inserting the shuttle into normal time. Close enough to Earth that a voice transmission would experience a transmission delay of only 0.1 subcyclets each way. Next Questor hailed Hillside control. 0.2 subcyclets later he received a signal acknowledgment from Hillside's computer. To his surprise however, it took less than another 0.2 subcyclets for Sandra's image to fill the communication console's display screen.
“Welcome home Steve,” Sandra's voice said.
Though her eyes told him that something was terribly wrong.
“What's the matter Sandra?” he demanded.
“We've had some casualties Steve,” Sandra's voice said. “I'm sorry to tell you that Jess, Stephanie and Adam are...”
At this point Sandra's image showed her breaking down into tears as she was unable to finish telling him. Steve sent a coded command signal to Hillside's AI with precise coordinates for an immediate portalizer aperture and began matching speed with the Earths crust. Two cyclets later he was in the portal chamber, holding Sandra like a baby as she cried into his shoulder.
“There's more.” She managed to say between the sobs that were racking her body.
She held out the data tab Jake had given her. She had added as complete a report of everything else that had happened since Steve left as she could manage. As Steve reached for it she pulled it back slightly.
“You won't like this,” she said. Then as she let Steve take it from her she added, “I'm sorry Steve...”
There wasn't anything else to say. Steve had begun to access the data. Suddenly he sagged and fell to his knees as his mind generated so much pain and anger that for a moment even his symbiont wasn't able to keep him on his feet. He would have fallen further but Sandra supported him as much as she could. Then suddenly all emotion faded from his face and Sandra found herself talking with Steve's symbiont.
“Don't worry Sandra,” the flat emotionless voice said. “He will be alright. I had to induce a temporary sleep state because I couldn't abide his pain. He would want me to tell you that this wasn't your fault.
When he wakes he will need someone to cry with. Since Stephanie and Jess are both gone, you are the only remaining member of the group that he isn't ashamed to show such weakness to. Would you be...”
Sandra placed a finger over Steve's lips.
“Of course I will!” She interrupted, “I just hope my own sorrow doesn't make things worse.”
“I calculate that he will heal faster if he finds that he can offer you a measure of comfort,” the symbiont said after a brief pause.
Sandra looked into the emotionless eyes as she replied.
“Would you object to my cuddling with Steve's body while he sleeps?” she inquired.
In lieu of answer, the symbiont took Sandra by the hand. Steve's symbiont led the way to his private study and sat with her on the couch within. Once there he reached out and gently pulled her to him.
“Take what comfort you can,” the symbiont said. “He will find this in his memory when he wakes.”
Sandra placed her head on his shoulder and quietly cried.
The symbiont calculated what his host-mind would do to soothe this woman's pain. It wasn't logical that gently caressing her back and shoulder should really offer her any comfort. Especially since this particular woman was aware of how little emotion the symbiont felt when the host-mind wasn't actively involved but it couldn't see any valid reason not to try.
Sandra knew what it was doing. She knew the symbiont was only emulating Steve's behavior but she also knew that Steve would have wanted to offer her such comfort. So she allowed the physical sensation to lull her slowly to sleep.
While she slept, the symbiont sifted through the information from the data tab. It correlated it with the embedded hidden message that Jake had left in it for Steve. There was no reason to rush off anyplace. It was already far too late to stop his apprentice from committing a deed so terrible that he would almost certainly be better off if he didn't survive the doing of it. The symbiont also analyzed the data on the condition of Hillside's wounded. It calculated that Al
would eventually heal without further intervention. It wasn't as sure about Sam but it was quite sure that there wasn't anything that Hillside could do to help Cindy. Her mind was far too severely wounded.
Sandra woke slowly. She knew immediately that it was Steve rather than his symbiont that was caressing her so tenderly. She could tell by the stream of tears that ran down his face. She was about to thank him when she heard someone walk in.
“Hello Otmer,” she heard Steve say. “It's been a long time.”
“Call me Darg!” she heard the newcomer reply, “Otmer died years ago. I've come to offer my condolences on your loss. And to ask your advice about my world. For I must soon return to do what I can for my people. I think I shall return to Twin Falls and see if I can use what influence I yet wield amongst the Brethren and some of the mountain people, to help what's left of my world through the difficult times ahead. But should I council my people to rebuild or to dig in and hide? Did your apprentice really drive the dragons from my world?”
“You will need much help Darg,” Steve said. “But I can assure you that those particular dragons are gone for good. For by now Jake has smote them, all of them and there are no more of them anywhere. Though I also tell you truly that the cost to himself has been far too great.”
***
The Captain was puzzled by the massive void he'd detected near the outer edge of the galaxy. He was sure that he would have noticed it on his last trip through this region. Since he hadn't, he must conclude that whatever caused it was a recent phenomenon that had to have occurred in as little as the 11 overcycles of real time since the last time he had passed through this region of space.
The void was roughly spherical and spanned more than 100,000 galactic standard light years. It was also empty. He could find no trace of the 95,789 star systems that his star map indicated used to be there. There was no matter, no residual energy, no particles for his ship to feed on. The Captain quickly plotted a new course through other healthier regions of space but even as he locked it into the navigation system he detected the faintest trace of an automated distress signal.
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