The Colony Ship Vanguard: The entire eight book series in one bundle

by John Thornton

  “Tiffany? There seems to be other people pursuing us. Any suggestions?” Paul said through the communication system. “We do not have either of the weapons.”

  The AI Tiffany responded, “The man called Grandpa Gari was concerned about what he called the authorities. Paul, it is essential that you not lose the communication system. Is there some way you can hide it? Without the communication system, I have no way of helping you or leading you back to the teleportation pad.”

  The poitevin were now at a complete run, the sleigh bouncing wildly over the snowy landscape. Ferdinand was nearly panicked as he glanced back and forth at the pursuers. The people in the white suits were maneuvering their way along keeping up with the sleigh. They were quite adept at using the rails attached to their feet and the poles in their hands. The snow and ice seemed not to hinder their speed at all.

  Ferdinand was fearful and agitated. He kept yelling to the beasts, but they were already at their maximum speed.

  One of the pursuers dug deeply in with the poles and sped a good distance directly ahead. The other three stayed alongside the sleigh. The lead figure stopped and pulled an arm-length object off of his back and pointed it at Ferdinand.

  Ferdinand pulled back on the reins, and the beasts slowed and then finally stopped. While the lead figure kept the object pointed at Ferdinand, one of the others skied up to the sleigh, pulled the rails off of his booted feet, slid them and the poles onto the sleigh, then climbed on. Standing right by Ferdinand the figure was obviously directing Ferdinand which way to go. Ferdinand appeared resigned to do so. And so he directed the beasts to continue pulling the sleigh, but at a much slowly and safer pace.

  Far overhead, the sky tube got brighter. The gray of night passed away and the brightness of day dawned. Even with the light of day, Gretchen and Paul could not make out much about the people who were directing their travel. Their white suits hid most of the features, and Ferdinand’s body language was one of capitulation. In the distance a group of buildings peeking out of the snowy landscape appeared and that was their destination.

  The sky tube was bright, and the wind had calmed, by the time the animals pulled the sleigh into the town. Most of the buildings were the same as the others, all apparently made from light-green colored permalloy. They were rectangular with a central door and two windows, one on each side of the door. They had pyramid shaped roofs which the snow slid off. The buildings were uniformly laid out, and were very orderly. There were pathways between the buildings where the snow had been scraped away from the ground and piled at regular intervals. There was a roadway of sorts that went down the main passage of the town.

  At the center of the town, was a large three-story building. It had a flat roof and numerous windows. This building also was made from light-green colored permalloy. There was a sign over the door which read ‘Constable’ in white lettering.

  Stopping at the large building, the people in white suits took off their skis, and one by one stacked them into a small shed. There were always several surrounding the sleigh. The poitevin stomped and snorted as they stood waiting in front of the door to the large building. Three of the four people in white suits hurriedly ushered Ferdinand, Gretchen, and Paul into the large building. The fourth then drove the poitevin and the sleigh away.

  They entered the large building, and immediately felt the warmth inside. They shut the door behind them. The inside of the building was lit by artificial lights in the ceiling. The three people in white suits pulled back their heavy hoods, unzipped their snow suits, pulled off their boots, and put on indoor shoes. They were wearing some kind of uniform which consisted of a gray shirt and black pants. There were emblems on the shoulders. It was revealed that they were one man and two women. The man was clean-shaven with short black hair, olive colored complexion, and a surly look on his face. One of the women had very light blonde hair combed into a braid down her back. The other woman had very dark brown hair and coppery skin.

  “Remove their winter clothing, and put them into the holding cells,” the blonde woman commanded. “I will interview Ferdinand first.” She then confidently strode to a door, opened it, and entered a small office.

  “Yes, Constable.” The surly man pushed Ferdinand from behind. “You heard Constable Larissa. Strip the outerwear off.”

  Ferdinand complied and pulled off his winter garb. Gretchen and Paul had more difficulty, as they were not used to those types of clothing. While removing the hood, Paul slipped the communication system off of his ear and placed it into an inner pocket in his Dome 17 pants. It would not escape a thorough search, but it was the best he could do.

  “Follow Rosalia to the holding cells,” the man ordered. His eyes scrutinized both Paul’s and Gretchen’s clothing.

  Rosalia led them to the back of the building where there were eight holding cells arranged in an octagonal pattern. Each cell had steel bars across the front, with a small door, and permalloy walls, ceiling, and floor. There were no windows. Light came from overhead fixtures. They were each put into a separate cell, and the steel doors were locked.

  “Calentin, have you seen clothing like this before?” Rosalia asked her fellow guard.

  “Who knows what kind of clothing smugglers will wear. They are scum and endanger us all by breaking the quarantine. If I had my way, they would all be shot on sight. But the governor wants to question all smugglers who are captured,” Calentin replied as the two guards left the area.

  “I am sorry we were unable to escape,” Ferdinand stated. “I did not realize they had a ski-patrol out as well as the troopers on snowshoes. I hope Grandpa Gari was able to make out better than we did.”

  “I do not understand why these people have locked us up. Can you help me understand?” Gretchen asked.

  Before Ferdinand could answer Constable Larissa walked into the holding cell area. She too was wearing the grey and black uniform, and had a utility belt at her waist. In her hands was a mug of some kind of steaming liquid which she sipped at.

  “Ferdinand? You are a trapper, and you know the Wilds well. Why do you consort with smugglers?” Constable Larissa asked. Her large blue eyes stared at the holding cell where Ferdinand stood.

  “I do not know what you are speaking of,” Ferdinand replied haltingly. There was a quaver in his voice, which did not go unnoticed by Constable Larissa. “I was only transporting these people into town. I know nothing else about them.”

  “Ferdinand, please extend your left arm. We will make this official,” Constable Larissa said.

  Ferdinand pulled back his shirt sleeve and extended his left arm between the steel bars of the cage. A tattoo of the letter E was clearly visible under the hair on his arm.

  Constable Larissa rolled up her own sleeve, exposing a similar tattoo of the E. “You see Ferdinand, we belong in this habitat. You and I were born in this habitat. And in this habitat we shall die. We shall not hasten our deaths and endanger our brothers and sisters by breaking the quarantine.”

  Ferdinand trembled a bit, but was able to speak, “I agree we are both from the habitat the Wilds, and I know nothing about breaking the quarantine.”

  Larissa clucked her tongue a bit and said, “Yet you are in the company of these smugglers. Now how did that happen?”

  Ferdinand looked at the floor, and fear was in his words. He replied, “I know nothing of smugglers. I was just helping some people who were lost. I could hardly ask them to expose their marks outside, could I?”

  Constable Larissa took a long drink from the mug. She stared hard at Ferdinand, who could not meet her gaze. “I wish you would not lie to me, Ferdinand. I will not abide lying. I shall return to you in a moment.” She confidently walked to the holding cell where Gretchen was held prisoner.

  “Hello, my name is Gretchen. I am a stranger to this ship. My companion Paul and I came here from Earth, we need your help,” Gretchen said as she met Constable Larissa’s gaze.

  “You are a brazen one, I give you credit for that. But why would I e
ver help a smuggler?” Constable Larissa stated, not so much a question. “But let us not forget the formalities. Please expose both arms and let me see them.”

  Gretchen rolled up the sleeves of her RAM clothing and extended both her arms between the bars. Her smooth dark skin was unmarred by any marks or tattoos.

  “Thank you for your co-operation, you have just proven you are not from this habitat. My orders are to bring all smugglers to the governor’s residence in Miass. In case you are unaware, that is at the other end of this habitat. That means a long journey in winter’s weather, one that I do not look forward to enduring. But we must make this official.” She stepped over to Paul’s cell.

  “I am Paul. I am not a smuggler. Gretchen and I came to the Vanguard seeking a refuge for our people. We need a viable biological habitat, and this place seems suitable. We are not smugglers and seek to do no harm to anyone. Our people are in desperate need, will you please help us?”

  Constable Larissa considered Paul’s words before she spoke. “Is the smuggler’s life so bad that you seek to give it up? I have never heard any smuggler doing that before. Has the outbreak devastated your people? Or perhaps the Roe? Nonetheless, you are in my custody now. Please expose your arms and let me examine them for the official record.” She nodded toward a small inverted dome on the ceiling.

  Paul exposed his arms and extended them through the bars.

  “You are more cooperative than I expected. You also have proven you are not from this habitat. You are smugglers and I am forced to transport you to the Governor. However, I must attend to your comrade Ferdinand now,” Constable Larissa said. She walked back to Ferdinand’s holding cell.

  Speaking with an authoritative tone, Constable Larissa said, “Ferdinand. My dear Ferdinand. You attempted to flee from me and my troops. I personally have found you to be in the company of smugglers. You have lied to a Constable. You are in violation of the quarantines laws. The authorities are hereby set to render judgment.”

  Ferdinand began to weep.

  Constable Larissa opened the pouch on her utility belt and withdrew a device which resembled Willy’s pistol. “The outbreak must be contained.” She fired the handgun. There was a loud report, followed by the sound of Ferdinand’s dead body flopping to the floor where it shook for several moments before lying still. A pungent and rather burnt smell filled the area.

  “What!” Gretchen yelled. “He saved our lives! What did you do?”

  Constable Larissa turned back to Gretchen, her eyes deadly and cold. “Aiding and consorting with smugglers is a capital offense. He endangered E Habitat. He shall do so no more. A notice will be sent to all households explaining why Ferdinand was executed. We may not be able to stop you smugglers from breaking into our habitat, but we can encourage our people not to cooperate with you. They must report your presence at first notice.”

  She then turned and began to leave the holding cell area. “The doctor will be in to examine you, and clean up the mess in that holding cell. Should you be found to be infected, there will be no trip to Miass.” She closed the door to the holding cell area.

  “Gretchen, she just murdered that man. These people are crazy, we must escape from here,” Paul said.

  “I agree. But how?” Gretchen replied. “We have no tools and we are locked in these cells.”

  Paul turned his back to the inverted dome on the ceiling, then took the communication link from his inner pocket and placed it over his ear. Quietly he said, “Tiffany? Have you been monitoring what has happened?”

  The AI Tiffany replied, “For much of the time I had only audio input. I am making conjectures, but we need much more additional information. I have no course of action to suggest regarding your escape. I did hear a loud sound consistent with the report from an old style firearm. Those are unlike the weapon systems Willy designed for you, which employ acceleration via electromagnetic field generation. The means of projection in old style firearms was due to the control explosion of a chemical compound. That resulted in the projectile, commonly called a bullet, being ejected at significant speed from the barrel of the weapon. From what I heard, Gretchen and you were not injured; however, I believe you did witness a murder. I am sorry for the trauma you suffered. I am contemplating potential courses of action you might take.”

  “Thanks. No offers of humor this time?” In resignation Paul squatted down and then sat on the floor his back to the steel bars of the holding cell.

  “Paul,” Gretchen called, “I tried to explain to that Constable our need, and our mission. I do not understand someone being so dismissive of our situation. And then to just murder that man. Are the people on the Vanguard barbarians?”

  “Several times they have mentioned something about quarantines; I wonder if that is tied in with the diseased man we encountered in the hallways?” Paul replied.

  The door to the holding cells area opened. A machine rolled into the area. It was box shaped about one meter high. It was propelled with six wheels, three to each side. A multi-jointed arm was located on its top. The arm had a complex grasping mechanism at its end. The machine was white colored with the insignia ‘CPO MD 147’ printed in black letters on the sides of the machine. It moved with nearly silent efficiency. The machine rolled to the holding cell which contained Ferdinand’s dead body. The barred door opened. The mechanical arm extended and touched the dead body in several places. Then, a small panel flipped down and from within the machine extended two telescopic poles between which was a thin fabric. Using the arm and the twin rods, the machine rolled the body in the thin fabric until it was cocooned completely. There were no drips or loss of body fluids after it was encapsulated. The body was then dragged into the open area in front of the holding cells. The machine rolled back into the blood streaked holding cell, and sprayed the entire floor and walls with some kind of disinfecting foam. The form absorbed all the blood and body tissues which were left in the room, then dried to a flaky substance. The machine then vacuumed the dried substance away leaving the holding cell unmarred and unmarked. The floor, walls, and ceiling all looked perfectly clean again. Gretchen wondered how many times the machine had done that before. Exiting the holding cell, the machine’s arm grasped the wrapped body and it was dragged away.

  “That robotic machine is the most sophisticated piece of technology we have seen on the Vanguard,” Gretchen stated.

  “Yes, it did a thorough job of cleaning up the murder,” Paul said with contempt. “That seems to indicate they do killing a lot.”

  “They do seem barbarous,” Gretchen added. Paul and Gretchen discussed the machine, but even with Tiffany’s feedback they were unsure of its implications.

  Time passed, but nothing happened for a while. They both sat on the floor, with their backs against the wall, watching and waiting. They were tired and weak from the ordeals. As they sat, they dozed off.

  Then the white machine rolled back into the holding cell area. Both Gretchen and Paul awoke and jumped to their feet. It approached Paul and stopped just outside of the bars of his cell. A small display on the front of the machine lit up. A mechanical voice came from the machine, “I am Doctor 147. I am here to examine you for any trace of the infection. Your cooperation is requested, but not essential to this examination. If you resist, sedation will be utilized. Do you understand?”

  Paul looked at the machine in surprise. He had not considered that it might speak to him, even though he was very familiar with conversation with AIs. It did not speak like one of the artificial intelligence systems from Dome 17, however, it also did not sound like a human’s voice. “May I ask a question, please?”

  The machine responded, “Yes. Please extend one of your arms so I may take samples. What is your inquiry?”

  Paul extended one of his arms. The mechanical arm from the machine gently took his hand in its grasp. “My name is Paul. Are you an artificial intelligence? I am unfamiliar with the type of machine I see, what are you?”

  “I find it highly unlikely you a
re unfamiliar with automacubes. Automacubes are ubiquitous in all areas of the Vanguard. Are you attempting an equivocation? To answer your inquiry, I am an artificial intelligence system connected in with the Vanguard’s lattice.”

  The automacube’s mechanical arm softly took blood, skin, nail and hair samples from Paul. Paul asked it another question. “How shall I address you?”

  “I am designated Doctor 147. I am analyzing the samples as we speak. Correlation with other known smugglers is being done. Thank you for your cooperation.” The machine spun on its six wheels and rolled over to Gretchen’s holding cell.

  “Doctor 147, we are not from the Vanguard,” Gretchen stated as the automacube approach her cell. “We came from Earth in the scout ship. Who can we speak to about getting assistance for our people back on earth? It is a dire emergency, and lives are at stake.”

  The automacube paused in front of the holding cell. “I am Doctor 147. I am here to examine you for any trace of the infection. Your cooperation is requested, but not essential to this examination. If you resist, sedation will be utilized. Do you understand?”