“You said something else that I found rather disturbing,” George spoke up. “I happen to know that even the full sized ‘top of the line’ subspatial jump ships need to use extreme caution if they plan to allow any alteration of the sidereal component of their jump calculations. None of them would risk using it to access even a known target sidereality without having a ‘significant surplus’ of power to ensure a viably stable sidereal transition. Yet you appear to have intentionally implemented a sidereal vector change in the middle of a ‘low power jump’. To some parallel universe that you think is sufficiently unknown, to keep those pirates from finding us here. All this on a jump that started with a manual subspatial insertion. I don't want to offend you. But are you quite sure that your mentally stable sir?”
“I'd call that a reasonable question George,” the nameless man allowed. “I'm reasonably certain of myself. I also have an unusually comprehensive mental map of all the siderealities in which this region of space overlaps.”
“Would you mind explaining how it was?” George inquired. “That with the massive technological resources you had invested in your secret base. You didn't detect the pirate's attack fleet until after they had already launched so many high velocity relativistic weapons at it?”
“An even better question George,” the nameless man replied. “I had previously decided that my best defense was the fact that nobody knew there was anything there. So rather than risking that somebody might detect my sensor systems. I was only using undetectable passive scanning techniques. If I had known that they would be looking to avenge the losses they suffered when your captain managed to use an ‘unstable warp drive’ as a weapon. They would not have found the destruction of my planet's biosphere so easy.”
“None of that explains why they didn't just squash us with their weaponized manipulator arrays,” Wilber asserted.
“Have you ever tried to get a manipulator lock on actively uncooperative nanomorphic material?” the strange man asked. Then he continued without waiting for an answer. “Because that's what this ship is made out of.”
It was at this point that some of Mathieu's stray vomit floated into his line of sight. A look of disgust briefly flashed across his face and a heartbeat later all of the sickening bubbles of floating filth began to bubble as if they were boiling and rapidly dwindled then finally vanished. As did the stains on any surface the vomit had contaminated. It took less than two subcyclets for all traces of Mathieu's weak stomach, including any aroma, to disappear completely from the passenger compartment.
“Excuse me ‘sir’,” Yolonda asked. “But you did say there would be time for our questions and I have one I hope you'll answer.”
“Very well ask your question,” the stranger's voice said. “If I have the answer, I will share it.”
“Thank you for the assurance,” Yolonda began. “But please understand that you've already said there could be more than one answer to the question of your name. Though I can assure you that it most certainly does matter to me which name you choose to reveal. It matters because depending on that name, I'm hopeful for the first time in my life. That I may actually live long enough to be able to discharge the blood oath I inherited from my ancestral grandmother of many generations ago. Who swore it as a deathside pledge to the brave new friend who had saved my ancestor's life at the cost of her own. A blood oath that otherwise will perish with me, as I have no heir to carry it forward.”
Yolonda hesitated for a moment before she continued.
“Unless I'm greatly mistaken,” Yolonda said. “You are one of those rare individuals who thanks to ‘guild’ nanotechnology are both very powerful and by our standards virtually immortal. Yet, you have apparently chosen to live your long life out here on the outer fringe of inhabited space rather than spend it in the company of others like yourself. Which decision suggests one of two things. Either it is truly by choice, which would imply that your nanites must be of a rare pure strain stemming from the original nanosymbiotic pact and that you have lost patience with the guild's management. The other possibility is that your here because for some reason, the guild has lost patience with you and exiled you from their territory. How am I doing so far?”
The stranger just stood there staring intently at Yolonda for half a subcyclet.
“Your fairly astute for your age young lady,” he said. “And somewhat impertinent I might add. But aside from the fact that most nanosymbionts don't really spend very much of their time actually associating with each other. You also left out one other possibility. It's not quite just a case of only this or that. It could just as easily be a bit of both. But how am I supposed to guess which of my many names might release you from your oath, unless you first tell me something about it?”
“Simplicity in itself ‘sir symbiont’,” Yolonda replied with a smile, “I neither want nor need to know who you are now but rather who you were, before nanosymbionce befell you.”
The stranger appeared to stare blankly at nothing for half a subcyclet, then he closed the hatchway to the pilot's compartment and walked up close to stare deeply into her eyes for a moment.
“Very well young lady,” he began as he made some modifications to one of the acceleration couches. “You shall have your answer. But know that you are asking me to relive more pain than you can possibly imagine. For by calling forth such an ancient memory, I will once again remember all those things that I preferred to forget. This is not something I choose to do lightly.
But you have a rare knowledge and understanding of guild affairs and policy. More importantly, you are either very brave or very foolish. Because the majority of the possible reasons for me to be such an exile would indicate that I'd be quite capable of terminating the lot of you upon considerably less provocation than just being reminded of it. I'm a bit out of practice at judging people Yolonda. But in your case I'm chalking it up to courage. Still, I'm not about to relive those memories alone.
Accordingly I just slaved a custom data infuser into the hibernation systems built into these acceleration couches. It will filter my dreams and help your brain's file the data away without allowing them to overwrite any of your current memories.
The power consumption will be offset by eliminating the need to bother with the pseudo-grav during the charging cycle. It will however be somewhat difficult for you to tell the difference between my own memories and other events of which I have merely acquired intimate knowledge. Nonetheless, by the time my shuttle is ready to continue, all of you will know something of the pattern of events that resulted in my self imposed exile from guild territory. Then, if that isn't enough to answer your question, I will speak the name I used to use so long ago...”
Then the stranger climbed into the seat he'd just modified. As he did so, every occupied couch clicked. Their virtual dreams actually began just before they lost consciousness.
They all regained consciousness simultaneously. The awareness they had shared of each other's mental presence faded as the shared dream ended. Then the lights came on in the stranger's starshuttle.
“Dragonfly repairs are complete,” the computer's voice said. “All environmental systems are on line and operating within normal parameters. Synthuel level at 50% capacity. Awaiting further instructions.”
The stranger was the first to speak.
“Is there someplace I can bring you?” he asked. “Before I go find myself another hiding place.
“But you still haven't spoken the name I'm waiting to hear,” Yolonda protested. “There is no doubt in my mind that you can only be one of the two greatest nanosymbionts ever spawned by guild nano-technology. Both of whom are hosts to the same pure strain of nanites that willingly accepted the terms of the nanosymbiotic pact. It might seem to you that it shouldn't matter to me which of them you actually are. But the subject of my blood oath is the business of only one of them. So will you not tell me who you were?”
The stranger sighed.
“If you must know,” the strange man replied.
“Before I became a nanosymbiont, I was a foolish young man named Jake Peterson.”
“Thank you,” Yolonda emphatically interrupted him. “That is as I had hoped. And this...” she continued as she removed a chain from around her neck. Then she opened the large locket that dangled from the chain, as she finished her sentence, “is for you.”
Within the locket was a large blue gemstone.
“Family tradition says,” Yolonda added with tears beginning to flow from her eyes. “That it contains the last thoughts of one whom you once loved more than life itself. Her last spoken words were a request of my ancestral grandmother, that she would make sure it eventually reached you. Now at last, my grandmother's spirit can rest easy. For in this moment her deathside promise can at long last be fulfilled.”
Silence prevailed within the passenger cabin. None of the five passengers found a word to say as they saw a look of shocked disbelief on the stranger's face. Which slowly give way to equal portions of both despair and of hope. Then the nanosymbiont who had once been a man named Jake reached out slowly with a hand that could be seen to tremble as he gently took the locket from Yolonda. Then without a word he sat cross legged on the floor, and placed the mindstone on the floor before him. Only then did he speak.
“You say she actually wanted this to reach me,” he said. “I'm almost afraid to find out why...”
Then he focused his attention on the ancient gemstone. Which began to glow. None of his five passengers could really know the pain that raged within their strange host but all of them had been moved enough by their virtual dreams to understand some of it. None of them were willing to disturb him as they spent the next subcycle silently watching him cry. When he eventually looked up at them, he saw concern in their eyes and he spoke to them.
“Don't worry, some of these tears are of joy,” he said. “For while long ago a terrible tragedy deprived me forever of my beloved Cindy. I know now, that before death eventually claimed her life, her mind and heart were in fact healed by the wisdom of her sister-queen ‘Kernislarn’ who had entrusted the sacred mindstone of the ‘Sisterhood of Rebirth’ into her care.”
“Synthuel level now at 100% capacity,” the computer's voice said. “Automatically altering orbital trajectory to a slow system departure course. Awaiting further instructions.”
“That knowledge in itself would be cause for rejoicing,” Jake continued. “But I also now know that when her mind was finally free of the horror I'd failed to protect her from. She found once again, that her heart still felt love for me. I won't pretend to understand how the chance results of another terrible tragedy led you to me. But it makes me feel like it's time I returned to the living. For there is work for me to do. I've learned enough from your minds about those pirates to know they are the monsters of this age. And I shall smite them... I shall smite them until they are no more. But first I need to know where to bring you. So like I said, where would you like to go?”
Yolonda shook her head.
“And as someone who's seen the dream record of what you did about ‘the People’ I know that part of you died when you chose to wage such a war by yourself. If you don't intend to repeat that mistake, then you need to share this war with others. Friends who share your purpose. I for one would be honored to share your fight with these monsters.”
“And if my lady would choose to wage this war,” Wilber added. “I could not live with myself if I did less.”
“Where my captain fights,” began George.
“We fight as well.” Linda finished.
“I've come to realize,” Mathieu stated dryly. “That with Donelle gone, I've nowhere I really want to go. I'm not sure I'd actually like to join in your war. But I think I'd enjoy watching you stomp on some of them pirates. Besides if you simply return me to civilization, I'll feel obligated to take the good captain here to court. And I'm no longer sure that's what I really want to do.”
“Enough!” Jake said. “The dream showed you what kind of danger you would face. So why would you choose to join with me?”
“Because, that is what friends do,” Yolonda explained.
“Of course, Jake might not want to risk losing another friend,” Wilber pointed out. “It is after all a painful process that he has been through, I'm sure, altogether too many times.”
“You are right there Wilber,” Jake said. “I have outlived far too many friends. Which inevitably leads to my withdrawing from cycles of living my life and choosing instead, alternating cycles of work, slumber and occasionally a hermit like existence that hardly qualifies as living.
But as it happens, by fulfilling her ancestral blood oath, Yolonda succeeded in returning me to life itself. Embracing it will no doubt force me to again feel such pain. But I think, I could also feel some joy from actually having friends again.”
As he spoke his skin began to take on a healthy hue. His head also began to sprout some light brown hair. His face also sprouted new eyebrows, eyelashes and a short seemingly well trimmed beard and mustache.
“Behold the restorative power of my nanites,” Jake resumed speaking. “This was how I looked the last time I truly felt alive. Before my Cindy was lost to me. Now that her love has returned to me it is fitting that I restore my former appearance as well. Especially if I'm to resume living among friends. So if you are all still willing to join me as I wage a long dangerous campaign against the monsters of this age. Then so be it! It looks like I won't have to fight alone anymore. But if your going to fight them with me, your going to need a few things. Starting with the benefits of nano-augmentation. That is, if you'd like to live through it long enough to make a difference.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” George said.
“But if we're all going to go with you Jake,” Wilber asked. “Where do we go from here?”
“Well for starters,” Jake replied. “I think it's high time I checked on my ‘guild interbank’ investments, as well as a few markers I should still be able to pull in from the remains of the ‘Free Spacer Alliance’. Because if we're really going to put the fear of space in these pirates. We're going to need to build a Free Spacer fleet, the likes of which they have never seen. A few cyclets later Jake initialized a jump into subspace as he had so many times before. But for the first time in a very long time, it's course was towards civilization rather than away from it.
Epilogue
The space pirates had become a dimly remembered nightmare long before Jake again sought solitude. In the process of defeating them he had managed to trigger a revitalization of the fraternal order of Free Spacers. Which in turn had also spurred the guild itself out of the state of lethargy that had seen it's influence dwindle over the last several million years.
Of course this meant that some questors were once again actively trying to hunt him down. Fortunately the shuttle he had named Dragonfly was actually the core constructor module from which he had built the powerful starship he had once named DragonStar. When he had, so long ago, left the Captain and his Nearkin behind him to begin his life of exile.
Now he felt it was time to rebuild it. As he began to look for another out of the way place where not even the guild was likely to find him. In the course of his search Jake explored many forgotten corners of the multiverse. Along with some places that nobody had ever charted. Jake spent much time looking for a place that suited him.
The DragonStar was considerably more complete when Jake shut down the primary stardrive and the inverse temporal dilation field collapsed. He quickly adopted a stealth orbit around the fourth planet out from the star. The DragonStar's scanners had detected certain unexpected signs of life. Unexpected because early indications were that the life involved had a similar footprint to life on a planet capable of supporting human habitation. As it happens, an old guild survey team had actually been there once. According to their report, it wasn't supposed to be so compatible. They had also rated it as totally unsuitable for terraforming as well.
In any case Jake was intrigued enough to
want a more detailed scan. The closer he looked, the more intrigued he got. This planet wasn't just capable of supporting human life. It was in fact inhabited by humans. The signs of their technological advancement however were somewhat inconsistent.
His orbital scans showed traces of space age technology but all of it was abandoned. What people he could find were living with little more than stone age tools. Eventually he pieced together that there had once been a very centralized core of some fairly advanced technology. Which was consistent with the early stages of colonization from a single landing site. But the very core of that technology had largely been destroyed by some cataclysmic event. Apparently the survivors hadn't been able to maintain their technology and their very civilization had collapsed. Further examination showed that the survivors were now in serious trouble. They appeared divided into several different regional tribe like groups.
There was evidence of conflict between some of these groups. It was also quite obvious that their population was in decline. Without help, their chances for long term survival didn't look good. Jake didn't think it would do them much good to suddenly expose them to the technology from an advanced civilization. Even so, he had an idea of something he could perhaps do. It was a gamble that required he interfere with the natural course of the development of a truly primitive society and to do so on such a scale that his enhanced ‘Code of Honor’ wouldn't normally permit it.
Fortunately he had no intention personally of micromanaging their lives to the extent that would be needed to save them however. If he was to help them he was going to need some very unconventional help. He wasn't sure if he could make it happen in time to save them. Indeed he might fail completely but he knew of a kind of symbiotic relationship that he thought these humans might benefit from. It was the fact that this primitive culture was actually the remnant of a failed space age colony that provided a loophole in the restrictions ‘the Captain’ had helped him write into his new ‘Honor Code’.
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