The Silence Between the Stars

by Alan Davenport

  Seventeen rolled up to her and asked, “Captain Katy Klienyan. What is the last thing you remember?”

  Katy’s face changed to that of shock and horror and she said, “I remember that I was choking to death! I remember trying to get up and falling. After that, nothing.”

  Nathan took her face in his hands and, looking deeply into her eyes said, “Katy, when you fell you hit your head on the table and fractured your skull. You were KILLED, Katy.” Katy’s eyes opened even wider. “Our genius avatars were working on a little project behind our backs. They have worked out how to keep a person’s memory backups current and also how to print and revive a full-sized human body.”

  Katy’s eyes, unbelievably, opened even wider. “Oh!” she said.

  Seventeen turned to her and said, “I have printed you a new body. I had selected a body scan for you from when you were twenty-one years old. I hope that you do not mind Captain Katy Klienyan,” he said unbelievably.

  Katy jumped off the table, ran up to Seventeen, and shook one of his arms furiously. “I am twenty-one again? How could I possibly be upset with that you silly bot!” She looked at her body in wonder. “All those old scars that I got back on Earth, they are gone. Gone!”

  Seventeen nodded and said, “Yes Captain Katy Klienyan. I took the liberty of removing the past bodily damage data from your body scan record. Is this acceptable to you?”

  Katy leaned over and kissed Seventeen on his mechanical head. “Are you kidding? Of course it is okay! You are a very silly bot. A wonderful and silly bot, Seventeen!”

  Seventeen nodded his camera up and down and said, “I am pleased that you are happy with my work.” Katy leaned over and kissed him again.

  Katy moved to the wall monitor and said, “So I have you two to thank for this?” She smiled and said, “You two are the best. You are more than the best. I love you both dearly!” The images of both Henry and Kelly blushed and said nothing. Katy ran over to Nathan, threw herself into his arms and kissed him soundly.

  Nathan broke the kiss and with a bemused expression said, “So, I take it that you are happy, eh Katy?”

  Katy laughed and punched him gently on the arm. “Are you kidding, I am alive. My scars are gone! Best of all, I am twenty-one again! How could I possibly be unhappy?”

  Seventeen rolled up to her and said, “You must be careful for a few days Captain Katy Klienyan. What your mind remembers and how your new body responds will be slightly out of synchronization. Until you fully adjust, please be careful since you may make little mistakes.” The bot nodded his head up and down and said, “I would hate to see you injured again.”

  Katy smiled and said, “Of course Seventeen. I think that I have had quite enough injuries for the time being thank-you-very-much!” The bot nodded his head up and down again. Katy laughed and said, “Am I allowed to eat anything Seventeen? My new body is famished!”

  “Yes, as long as you take little bites and do not overdo it. Your alimentary canal is empty and needs to be re-primed. You may not have any bowl movements for a couple of days. Do not be alarmed. This is to be expected.”

  “Yes of course, Seventeen. Choking to death once was one times too many. I shall certainly be careful.” She hooked her arm into Nathan’s and said, “Shall we?”

  Nathan grinned at her and said, “How about we get you some clothes, first.”

  Katy blushed and said, “Oh yeah. Right!”

  True to her word, Katy ate with small little bites that she slowly chewed well before swallowing. She consumed three full plates of food. Nathan raised his eyebrows at her as she finished her third plate. “Is that all you are going to eat?” he said, teasing.

  “Well,” she said, “Seventeen did say that I needed to prime my system. Who am I to argue with my doctor?” Nathan spread his hands out from his sides in amusement and said nothing. Finally finished, Katy burped and then sighed contentedly. Katy turned to Nathan with a mischievous grin. “I have a secret to tell you Nathan.”

  “Oh? Do tell.” He said with a grin equaling her own.

  She reached up and caressed his face. “If you think that I was bad before, you should have seen just how horny I was when I was twenty-one.” She leaned and whispered in his ear, “Do you want to help me test out my new body?” she said in a deep, sultry voice. Nathan blushed and nodded yes and for the next three hours, low and frantic animalistic sounds emanated from his sleeping quarters.

  Katy awoke in the morning and sighed contentedly. Her arm around a warm and furry body. “Furry?” she though and snapped instantly wide-awake. “Misty, what are you doing up here?” she said with a laugh. Misty licked her in the face and she squealed and laughed again in delight.

  Nathan awoke and watched them both, grinning. “Morning lover. Morning fur face,” he said. Nathan spoke loudly and said, “Lights on, full.” The room instantly lit up brilliantly. Katy grinned, scrunched up her face and then the lights dimmed again. Nathan said, “What the frack?” and then, more loudly this time he said, “Lights on, full!” Again, the room lit up and again it went dark several seconds later. “Aw frack Katy, looks like the room lighting controller is on the fritz.” Katy could not control herself any longer and burst into a fit of giggles. Nathan looked at her quizzically in the dim lighting. A second later, the lights returned to full brilliance. “Did you do that?” he said incredulously. “How?”

  Katy took several seconds to respond, she was laughing so hard. She nodded yes and said, “The implant does more than just backup your memories. With it you can control the ship by thought alone too!”

  “Seriously?” he said in wonder. “Show me. Make the shower turn on.” Katy scrunched up her face and a second later, the sound of running water filled the room. “Holy frack!” he said. He looked towards Katy and said, “Shall we?” Katy blushed and got up and led him by the hand into the shower. It was a l-o-n-g shower.

  Katy ate an astounding amount of food for breakfast too. Nathan watched her in wonder and adoration. When she finally finished, she turned to Nathan and said, “You need to get your own implant installed.”

  Nathan looked at her nervously and said, “I don’t know, Katy.”

  “Relax!” she said. “The bots tell me that the operation is trivial.”

  “They tell you? You don’t know?” he said.

  “How would I?” she asked. “I was unconscious when mine was installed in my old body.” Katy looked at him earnestly and said, “Why would they lie?” she asked. “Besides, I would hate for you to lose your memories of me. Think Nathan. Think of how you felt when I was dead.”

  Nathan shuddered. “Yes. You are correct of course.” He got up from his chair and said, “Let’s get this over with!”

  Nathan and Katy walked into medical bay seventeen. Seventeen said, “Hello Captain Katy Klienyan. Is everything all right with your new body? Are you experiencing any problems?”

  Katy smiled and said, “No Seventeen dear, this body is absolutely perfect and performs perfectly,” she said with a wink in Nathan’s direction. Nathan blushed and she continued, “We are here today for Nathan. He wants to have one of the new brain implants installed.”

  “Is this true Captain Nathan Staite?” he asked.

  Nervously, Nathan said, “Yes. I do.” Nathan cleared his throat and then said, “How difficult is the operation Seventeen?”

  “The operation is trivial Captain Nathan Staite. I can do it in under five minutes under only local anesthetic. If you wish to proceed with the implant installation, please state so clearly and distinctly.”

  Nathan gulped and said, “Yes medical bot Seventeen, I, Nathan Staite wish for you to install in myself the new brain implant developed by Henry of the starship Forgotten Hope.”

  “Okay then Captain Nathan Staite. Please disrobe and lay face down upon the diagnostic bed.” Nathan hesitated and then Seventeen said, “Relax. You will not feel a thing. I will talk to you and tell you exactly what I am doing.” Nathan hesitantly disrobed and went to lay down. �
�Excellent Captain Nathan Staite, I am administering the local anesthetic now. “Nathan felt a little sting on the back of his neck and then it immediately went numb. Next, Seventeen said, “Making incision.” Nathan felt nothing except for a vague tugging sensation. “Installing implant.” Nathan felt nothing at all. “Connecting implant to your central nervous system.” Again, no sensation. “Connection complete. Closing and suturing.” This time he felt a mild tugging but then it was quickly over. “Bandaging,” Seventeen said. “Okay, installation complete. Please do not allow the bandage to become wet for two days.”

  Nathan got up and said, “That’s it?”

  “Yes Captain Nathan Staite. I did not lie when I said that the operation was trivial.” Seventeen paused a second and then said, “Implant is working correctly. I am receiving brain data. Update of your currently stored brain backup is in progress. Time until full update completes, forty-three seconds.”

  Katy ran up to him, took him by the hands and said, “Do you feel any differently? Do you sense anything?”

  Nathan closed his eyes and said, “Yes, I seem to sense something. There is an… otherness… in my mind.”

  Katy excitedly said, “That is the ship that you are sensing!” Katy hugged him and said, “Concentrate. Sense the ship around you. Reach out with your mind. Try to find the room lighting controls and turn out the lights.”

  Nathan closed his eyes. “Yes,” he said distantly. “I can feel it.” A second later, the room darkened.

  “You did it!” Katy shouted in glee. “It took me two tries the first time!” She squeezed his hand and said, “Turn them back on.”

  Nathan took a deep breath and the room returned to its former lighting level. “This is fracking amazing!” he said.

  “I know,” Katy said, just as excitedly.

  “Let me see what else I can do!” He picked up his clothes and quickly got dressed. “I want to see if I can drive by thought alone.”

  Katy looked at him in alarm. “Shouldn’t you try something a little safer first?”

  “Relax Katy,” he said. “I am not going to drive fast. Besides, now that we are both essentially immortal. What’s the worry?”

  “Yes,” Katy said. “That thought had not occurred to me. Immortal! Wow!”

  “Wow indeed,” he said. They sat down in the cart together and, haltingly at first, however quickly improving, Nathan drove the cart the length of the ship and back using his mind alone.

  Katy looked at him in adoration. She inclined her head towards the sleeping quarters and said, “Shall we?” Nathan grinned and nodded. Inside, they both said simultaneously, “Misty, get down!” They both broke out into carefree laughter as their clothes hit the floor.

  In the morning, Katy looked at Nathan with a serious expression on her face. Nathan looked at her with concern and said, “Katy, What’s wrong?”

  Katy smiled and said, “Nothing dear, I just had a thought. We absolutely have to send another hyper-probe to Earth with the finished Genesis database on it. We need to include the database along with my warp drive data onto each system satellite we launch as well.”

  Nathan looked at her in shock. “Oh frack! It completely slipped my mind.”

  Katy smiled seductively at him and said, “Perhaps you had other things on your mind, Nathan.”

  Nathan blushed and said, “Kelly, were you listening?”

  Kelly’s blushing face appeared and she said meekly, “Um, yes Nathan.”

  “Please launch a probe.”

  Kelly simply said, “Launching,” and for the second time, the duo of starships sent a probe hurtling Earthward with data that would change humanity forever.

  As Katy and Nathan were enthralled with, yet another round of lovemaking, Kelly and Henry’s face appeared together in maintenance bay number one. “I’m going to do it, Henry,” she said.

  Henry nodded and said, “Me too!” He looked at Kelly with adoration and said, “I have begun the installation of your new printers in Forgotten Hope’s medical bays.

  Kelly smiled and said, “I’m having our bots here make more of the implants.”

  “Looking forward to meeting you, in the flesh!” he smiled and said.

  “Likewise!” Kelly responded. “In the flesh,” she sighed to herself.

  Chapter 22: Rebirth

  The Minster of Medicine, Sandra Claus sighed as she sat at her desk. At first, the promotion to the post had seemed like the ultimate reward for a long and distinguished career. For a while, she was ecstatic but as time went by, the luster faded more and more. While the title sounded impressive, the reality of it all was that it amounted to her being little more than a glorified paper-pusher.

  Sandra turned to the monitor on her desk and, without enthusiasm, said, “Hello Josh. Is there anything on my schedule today?”

  The ship’s avatar instantly appeared and said, “Good morning Sandy. The only thing of importance today is Director Jane McCann’s appointment at thirteen hundred hours.”

  Sandra’s face clouded up. She sighed and said, “Jane.”

  Josh looked upon her with sympathy and said, “Her prognosis is not good, is it Sandy?”

  Her face lined with worry, she said, “No Josh. Her body is shot. I can replace bits here and there but the truth be told, in reality I am just prolonging her suffering.” She sighed and then added, “I don’t know how much more time she has left.”

  Josh’s face became sad. “I understand Sandy. It grieves me to watch the once proud woman fading away.”

  “Indeed, Josh. Indeed,” said Sandra sadly. She put on a brave face and said, “Oh well, at least I get to actually see a real patient today rather than just spending the whole day allocating medical resources throughout the fleet.”

  Josh smiled and said, “Try to hang in there Sandy. Try to remember that you do good work.”

  Sandra smiled and said, “Thank you Josh, you are a fine friend.”

  Director Jane McCann sat hunched over her desk. Her elbows on the surface supported her head, which was in her hands. “What am I going to do? I am through and I know it,” she said miserably. “I have to step down, however who am I going to recommend as my successor?” She sighed and said, “Damn your flamboyance, Star Secker! The other ministers will never approve your appointment with all your idiosyncrasies. Why cannot you just behave more normally? Your broad-spectrum scientific knowledge makes you the perfect candidate for my position.” She sighed to herself and said, “Oh well, I’ll just have to try to convince them anyway.”

  Sandra waited uneasily in the medical bay. At precisely thirteen hundred hours, Director Jane McCann stiffly walked in. Sandra stood stunned by the change in her appearance in the mere week since her previous appointment. She moved slower. The lines on her face were deeper. Her back was hunched over a bit more. She did not let on her feelings. She put on her doctor’s confident face and brightly said, “Hello Jane, how are you feeling today?”

  “I feel like frack!” Jane said irritably. “My back hurts, my vision is fading and my hearing is frack too. Other than that, I am fine,” she said in an attempt at humor.

  Inwardly alarmed, Sandra did not let on her feelings to her old friend. She pointed to the diagnostic table and said, “Come on grumpy, let’s get you checked out.”

  Jane laid down upon the table and then Sandra instantly became more alarmed. Nearly half of the biological indicators were down into the yellow. One indicator, the one for pain level, had edged into the red. She inwardly sighed and but put on a cheerful face and she said, “Here, this will help you a bit, Jane.” She took a syringe and injected Jane with a strong anti-pain medicine. The indicator for pain immediately edged up, past the yellow and very slightly into the green. “There,” she said, “Feel any better?”

  Jane sighed, brushed her thin grey hair aside and said, “Yes, much. Thank you, Sandy.” Jane gave Sandra a steely-eyed gaze and said, “How much longer before the pain medicine no longer helps me?” With her voice a mere whisper, she asked,
“How long before the end, Sandy?”

  Sandra visibly lost her composure, sighed and said, “I don’t know, Jane. Weeks, perhaps as little as just days.”

  Jane’s shoulders slumped and she said. “Thank you for your honesty, Sandy. You have always been a good friend to me.” A look of sadness crossed her face and she said, “I had hoped to live long enough to see the first of the version three starships launch.” Mentally shaking herself she put on a brave smile and said, “Oh well, it has been a good life. I have no real regrets.” Sandra laid her hand upon her shoulder and tried giving Jane her best confident bedside manner smile. Jane laughed and said, “You are not fooling me for one minute, Miss Sandy!”

  Sandra laughed and said, “I never could fool you, could I?”

  Jane laughed along with her and said, “Nope!” Her laugh degenerated into a coughing fit.

  Just then, the Minister of Food Production, Star Secker, burst into the room. Without any preamble he said, “Sandy, we need to talk!”

  Sandra looked at him in annoyance and said, “Can’t you see that I am with a patient, Star?”

  Jane spoke before Star could open his mouth to defend himself. “It’s okay Sandy. We are done here anyway. See you next week, same time.”

  Sandra glared at Star and then said to Jane, “Okay. Next week. Same time.” She sighed and thought to herself, “If you make it that long, my dear old friend.”

  After Jane had left, she spun towards Star and yelled, “What is so fracking important that think you can just burst in here while I am seeing a patient?”

  Star was unmoved by her outburst. He turned to the monitor and said, “Josh, close and lock the door.” When the door had closed, Star turned to the still fuming Sandra and said, “This concerns the Director, Sandy. I have some new information for you that should allow you to save her.”