Beast

by Patrick McClafferty

  “Are you all right? You—went off somewhere else.”

  He took a deep breath, clearing his dark thoughts. “I was just remembering all that has happened to me in the past few months subjectively, but years actually, and wondering if I made the right decisions.”

  Her jaw tightened. “As far as I’m concerned, you certainly did.” Her voice was low. “I would have been dead several times over if it weren’t for you.” She grinned as she stood to leave the bridge. “Look at you now: a captain of a starship with a whole universe stretching out in front of you.”

  He returned the smile as his brain reengaged. “When we get the little mess here cleared up, I think we may pay a short visit to Mother Earth and express our displeasure at their attempted murder of your family.” He laughed grimly. “After we pick up our family, of course.” He stared at the view screen. “It’s too bad we don’t have…” He frowned. “Gibbs, can we establish communication with that other mostly whole warship?” He gave Elora a quick wave as she departed the bridge. “The one with the bow shot off?”

  “Yes, Solomon, but why?” came the AI’s melodious reply.

  “Since they have power, I was wondering if the repair systems simply need to be turned back on and pointed in the right direction. Eventually, we would have a second ship at our disposal.”

  The AI was silent for a time. “The ship in question is the Naschx'we Zhudovy, and you could classify her as a light to medium cruiser.”

  Solomon stuck a finger in his ear and wiggled it around a bit. “We’re going to have to change that name pronto.” He rubbed his jaw, frowning and thinking of the nearly jewel-tone red of the ship in question. “I dabble in naval history, Gibbs. What do you think of the name Diadem?”

  Gibbs replied immediately. “It suits the ship. Back in the day, the HMS Diadem was a Dido-class medium British cruiser, well-armed and fast. Diadem is also a jewel in a crown.”

  “Show-off. So mote it be then. Once the computer on the Diadem is up and running, have it query the other power sources to see if they, too, can be repaired. No sense wasting good resources.”

  “I quite agree, sir.”

  “Could you show me an exterior view of the Lost Horizon? Now that I know what is what on the ship, I’d like to see it for myself.”

  The view screen swung to show the great olive-green ship, from the bow and above. A corpse no longer, the great ship was slowly coming back to life. The dusty coating on the hull seemed to have been cleaned off, and as he watched, red running lights appeared on the ends of the curved towers that he knew were integral parts of the FTL drive, actually projecting a distortion in space-time before the ship so the ship could “fall” down the distortion. The view changed, and Solomon could see a gray cloud swirling about the damaged engines. The stump of the missing engine had already been attacked by the repair nanites. The blasted sections had been removed, and new metal was clearly visible. Warm yellow light streamed from ports, and vast panels set between the protective leaves, which were sensor arrays, glowed silver. The Lost Horizon looked every bit a slightly battered killer, but at the same time, the beauty of the ship grabbed at his heart. He hadn’t expected that. He watched the ship for some time.

  The AI’s soft voice interrupted his reverie. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Solomon, but I believe that Miss Fontaine would like your presence on the hangar deck, where the cold-sleep capsules are located.”

  Solomon stood. “If it’s not one thing, then it’s another,” he grumbled, turning for the door.

  The Fontaine children stood in a loose knot in the spacious hangar, looking first at Elora and then at Solomon as he entered. Before he could say a word, Hepzibah, the eldest of the surviving children, stepped forward, her hands on her hips and face grim. “Elora won’t tell us a thing that makes sense, so talk… older brother.”

  Solomon looked at the hard hangar deck and grimaced. “Gibbs, could you please have your nanites fabricate a few chairs for us?”

  “Certainly, Captain.” The AI’s voice echoed slightly in the hangar. A gray mist that had enveloped and was quickly disassembling the recently vacated cold-sleep caskets swirled away to form seven folding chairs, all with thick blue padded seats. The family stared at him as if he had just muttered “abracadabra.”

  Holding Hepzibah with his eyes, he waved to the chairs. “You all might as well sit. This could take a while.”

  His sister glared at him for a moment longer before she sat, crossing her arms tightly beneath her breasts.

  Solomon sat with a sigh. “It all began when I woke from cold sleep, with all the alarms in the world ringing around me.” He spoke in uninterrupted silence for another hour.

  Mila squeaked once and glanced at her sister when Solomon described transferring a Kiniseri Construct to Elora. As he spoke, his brothers and sisters relaxed. He waved a hand at the surrounding hangar as he finished his tale. “And that’s how you all came to wake up here, in the hangar of the new Lost Horizon.”

  Smiling, Hepzibah stood to give him a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I should have known, brother, that you were looking out for us… again.”

  Tristan, Jax, and Mila were more reserved, choosing to simply shake his hand. He supposed that in their situation, he would be nervous, too. Brigit didn’t know whether to salute him or hug him, and Solomon solved her problem by giving her a hug of greeting and a warm kiss on the cheek. For some reason, he knew that Elora noted things like which women he kissed and with what level of chasteness.

  Hepzibah’s smile turned sad. “It appears that Father was correct in putting you in charge once more. How many times does it make now that you’ve saved us?”

  Solomon returned his sister’s smile. “I no longer count, Hepzibah. You are all my family, and I will do whatever it takes to see you all safe.” He turned slightly to include the rest in his smile. “I hope that you all had a pleasant sleep, because I am about to put you all to work, as a part of the command staff of this ship.” Every face was flustered, and he laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t drop you in cold. There is a machine on this ship called the Educator that will teach you all you need to know in a few hours. Hepzibah, you will be the chief physician and run sick bay.”

  She nodded slowly. He grinned at her, thinking that they would have to sit down and have a long talk about equipping the entire Fontaine family with the Kiniseri Constructs. He feared it would be an interesting conversation.

  “Tristan and Jax, you two geniuses will get engineering and maintenance. Sorry, I know that it’s a big job, but I just don’t have enough warm bodies right now to fill all the positions.”

  He smiled at the youngest member of the family. “Mila, you will work in life sciences, and you will have your own position up on the bridge.” Her returning smile was tentative at best, but it was a beginning.

  Then Solomon grinned at the former marine corporal. “You, my dear, will be my tactical officer. I realize that you are only a corporal, and I can’t have a lowly corporal as one of my bridge officers so… congratulations on your field promotion, Ensign Brigit Uí Dubháin.” He gave her a sharp salute then shook her hand. The young marine flushed red in embarrassment. “Of course the real brains on this ship is the AI from the Lost Horizon, because I really couldn’t captain a rowboat around a very small pond. Please introduce yourself, Gibbs.”

  “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Gibbs, and as Captain Draxx told you, I am the artificial intelligence who runs the ship. If you have questions, you may ask me by simply speaking into the air, or ask Captain Solomon Draxx or his second-in-command, Elora Fontaine. Speaking of our good captain, don’t let him fool you. Solomon is a natural leader, and his duty in the marines gave him piloting experience with a number of different aircraft, although none was a starship. While it will still take my repair systems several weeks to finish rebuilding and repairing the engines that were damaged, I advise you all to begin courses in the Educator immediately. We will begin the first of our operationa
l drills in one week.”

  Solomon blinked at this announcement, since it was news to him.

  “In the meantime, I will show you to your quarters. Mila, if you would like, I can bunk you temporarily with Elora… until you get used to all this.”

  Elora smiled at her younger half sister. “That would be very nice, Gibbs.”

  Mila’s voice was little more than a whisper. “Thank you.”

  “Very good,” Gibbs replied. “The dining hall is only a few steps away from your quarters, and my repair systems have just finished cleaning and refilling the Olympic-sized pool so that you all might take a relaxing dip this evening.”

  Mila’s eyes got very wide. “Swim?”

  Solomon laughed. “You just talked yourself into a corner, my friend. These people grew up on Mars and have probably never seen a pool big enough to swim in before.”

  “Thanks,” Gibbs said dryly.

  “No charge.” Solomon chuckled.

  “I should probably let you know,” Gibbs continued, “that I have begun making repairs on the power system of the captain’s pinnace. The ship will be fully operational by the time we reach Shangri-La, and we can use the pinnace to transport colonists to the surface.” The AI paused as the new crewmembers slowly moved out of the hangar, chatting animatedly with Elora, who kept shooting looks in Solomon’s direction. “Speaking of transport to the surface,” Gibbs said for Solomon’s ears only as the last person left the hangar. “The Diadem has informed me that she has two thirty-man combat drop shuttles and six Sabina-class fighters available in her hangars. Like our auxiliaries, the power systems on these will need repair and recharging.”

  “How did the AI on the Diadem fare?”

  “Worse and better,” Gibbs replied cryptically. “The base personality matrix of the Diadem was destroyed, however much of the simple memory storage was saved. In the Lost Horizon, the ship systems were so complex that each system had its own subsidiary control structure, usually located at the site of the activity, like a system located near the navigational controls and another by the weapons systems, another by life support, et cetera. In the end, the disparate systems wound up saving the ship when the central computer was destroyed. To make a long story short, Diadem has informed me that three of the other power sources we detected could possibly be salvaged and recommissioned. Two of the sources were frigates, and a third, a fleet combat logistics ship. If this could be repaired, it would prove an invaluable source of spare parts and repair services. The other power sources are simply remains of power systems sputtering into slow failure.”

  Solomon thought about it for a moment. “If the personality matrix on the Diadem was fried, what did you use to replace it?”

  “Ahhh,” Gibbs murmured hesitantly, “I used a part of my own personality matrix. I twinned myself and set the operating personality to female, rather than male. While my own personality was named Gibbs and styled after a British butler, the new personality in the Diadem is named Areto and is styled after one of the Amazons in ancient Terran mythology. I felt that a more aggressive personality might be called for at this particular place and time.”

  “Oh no!” Solomon groaned. “I may have to switch my command over to her when she becomes operational, just to hold her in check. I know my mythology, Gibbs. Areto was an Amazon who went with Pantariste to kill the captains and soldiers of Herakles to avenge the murder of Hippolyte, an Amazonian queen. Needless to say, the Amazons won the battle."

  “Oh.” Gibbs’s voice was flat. “I may have erred, sir.”

  Solomon sighed. “We all make mistakes. What else do I have for today?”

  “I believe Elora wished to speak to you regarding the colonists. Several names on the list are former military.”

  Solomon rubbed his hands together. “Excellent. What else?”

  “There is a special cryogenic chamber on this ship that seems to contain dormant Kiniseri Constructs.”

  Solomon frowned. “How many are we talking of here?”

  After an uncomfortable pause, Gibbs replied, “In all likelihood, thousands, sir, if not tens of thousands. It appears that this ship was a central storage facility for the entire fleet.”

  Solomon found himself sitting on the cold deck. Tens of thousands!

  “Is there any way for us to tell if the Constructs are still… viable?” he asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach. “I wouldn’t want to infect anyone with something that was… dangerous to their health.”

  Gibbs was silent for several seconds. “The safest way to proceed would be for a person who already has a viable Construct within them to be infected with one of the Constructs from stasis. The current Construct could be counted on to try and preserve its host’s life.”

  “The operative word there is ‘try,’ Gibbs.”

  “Knowing how you feel about Miss Fontaine, sir, when will you try this on yourself?”

  “No sense in delaying this. Is Hepzibah alone?”

  “Yes, sir. She is lying on her bed, but awake.”

  Solomon pushed himself to his feet. “Let’s get this over with then.”

  He touched the entry panel beside the door and heard the thin musical chime from inside.

  “Open!” Hepzibah’s soft voice called out. With a soft hiss, the door obediently slid open, and she smiled warmly as he entered. “Solomon, what a pleasant surprise.”

  “I need to speak with you, Hepzibah.” His voice was a little grimmer than he’d intended.

  Her smile wavered and vanished before she swung her feet to the floor. “What is it, Solomon?”

  He studied the lines of her face for a moment: the tiny laugh lines at the edges of her sea-green eyes, the little hints of silver in her dark luxurious hair. All the Fontaine children, both male and female, seemed to be exceptionally attractive. Of course Solomon never considered himself in that exalted category. “I need your help.” He took a deep breath then told her why.

  Hands folded calmly in her lap, she listened carefully as Solomon spoke, and when he was finished, she studied him just as carefully as he had studied her. “I believe that you really love Elora more than a brother usually loves a sister.” There was an impish light in her eyes.

  Solomon snorted, barely concealing his laughter. “Didn’t you know? Elora and I are brother and sister in name only, and actually not even that, since Giuseppe had my name legally changed to Solomon Draxx. Elora is the daughter of Lucinda and Thomaso Strangini. Nothing of our DNA is remotely similar, except, of course, the changes made by the Kiniseri Construct.” Her eyes widened, and he bored right on. “However, I would do the same thing even if she were my biological sister.”

  She blinked. “I believe that you would, brother.” She reached out to touch his cheek. “So that is why you look so young.”

  He shot her a sour look. “I would gladly have a few gray hairs in exchange for a normal life.” He studied her face. “So, will you help me?”

  She laughed. “Of course. I would help you even if you weren’t trying your best to save our family.” Her face became sober. “This could be dangerous.”

  His look was level. “That’s why I’m speaking with you, and not Elora.”

  She nodded. “When?”

  He chuckled grimly. “Are you doing anything between now and dinner?”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “Great!” he said with feigned enthusiasm. “I need to speak with Elora right now, and I’ll meet you in sick bay in an hour.”

  Hepzibah’s face was concerned. “Are you sure about this?”

  Solomon slumped. “Not really, but it’s the best I can think of to keep you all alive. Elora’s own Construct has been a great benefit. If what I’m doing is a little risky…” He chuckled. “I think that it’s worth it. In a worst-case scenario, Elora would take over, drop the colonists off on Shangri-La, and return home to Mars. After that—it would be up to her.”

  “You have a death wish,” Hepzibah said flatly.

  Solomon grimaced. “I
suppose that depends on which side of the equation you stand on, sister dear.” He turned and left the room.

  When Solomon entered their room, Mila was sitting on her bed, looking at the shining stars outside her port, and Elora looked up from her computer terminal.

  “It took you long enough,” Elora said, her voice waspish.

  Solomon groaned inwardly. “I had some things to discuss with Hepzibah. What do you have?”

  She stared at him, as if trying to find fault in his words, and gave up. “Out of one hundred ninety-three colonists, twenty-two were former military. Of those, twelve were career soldiers; five marines, five air force, and two army.”

  “Excellent!!” Solomon stepped forward and gave Elora a quick kiss on the cheek, grinning as she reddened in embarrassment and confusion.

  “That really is super.” Mila was smirking from the bed. “Now, I need you to start plugging names into bridge slots. Take the technical types first. If there are any pilots, assign then to the auxiliaries. I’ll need at least five marines or army for landing parties.” His brain was whirling. “Gibbs, how are we doing for hand weapons?”

  “This ship, of course, has a good armory, but, like other systems requiring power supplies, the weapons need some work.”

  “Can you get ten weapons ready by the time we reach Shangri-La?” Solomon asked.

  “Perhaps, if I get right on it. I’ll get you eight for certain.”

  “Thank you, Gibbs. Make it so.”

  Elora was staring at him.

  “What?”

  She frowned. “Who put the bee in your bonnet? I’d say that you’ve had too much expresso today.”

  Solomon silently berated himself. “I guess I’m trying to do too many things all at once,” he lied. I have to get everything moving in the right direction in case…