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

by John Thornton

  “That patrol cat?” Brinley said quietly.

  “Patrol cat?” Larissa asked. “Did one of those get in the vehicle with you?”

  “No. I was just thinking out loud, sorry. I will see you when I arrive in the Wilds. It looks from this schematic that my time of arrival is about an hour.”

  The time passed quickly as Brinley considered the ramification of there being flooding on the transport system. She seriously doubted it could happen due to an accident or some mechanical failure. She knew the triple and quadruple redundancies that were inherent in the transport system’s physical set up. Those made for an accident flooding highly unlikely.

  “So who would flood the transport system?” Brinley asked herself.

  She vividly recalled fleeing from areas flooding before, and that had been orchestrated by the Jellies. Hugging herself a bit as she remembered, she spoke again. “What would the Jellies gain by flooding the transport system?”

  Nothing the Jellies had done made logical sense, at least from the fragmented facts she knew. Brinley spoke out her conclusion, “The Jellies use water, and they are alien, therefore it was reasonable to assume they could be involved. But to what end?”

  Adjusting the controls and realigning the drive system took some time, as the power systems for the vehicle fluctuated. The fusion pack was supplying a steady stream of usable energy; however the delivery of that energy went through the cobbled together system Brinley had made, and that took oversight and tweaking to keep it functional.

  While doing those ongoing repairs and tuning, Brinley contemplated. Her secondary suspect for the flooding was the CPO as they had also been the responsible ones behind the attacks on the shuttles. Knowing and understanding the motives of the CPO was difficult, not as foreign as trying to see things from an alien mind’s perspective, but still hard. Especially since Brinley had learned that there were no humans in the needle ship where the senior officers of the Central Planning Office operated. Her entire life she had been taught that the Central Planning Office consisted of the descendants of the Vanguard’s original crew, while the Free Rangers were descendants of the people who followed pilot Baldwin in open rebellion against the CPO.

  “But the CPO is not even people,” Brinley said aloud. “All those midshipmen, gefreiters, and chiefs are androids.”

  She adjusted the controls again and kept the vehicle on course. “I will go insane if I do not talk to someone else about it. She then remembered the strange switch on the multiceiver which was labeled ‘Doctor Chambers’ and considered that. “Tiffany made this. Tiffany was the AI from Dome 17 and really helped us a lot. Perhaps Doctor Chambers is like that.”

  Brinley activated the switch on the side of the multiceiver.

  The screen came on and showed a tall and well build man. He was sitting at a desk with his back to her.

  “Excuse me?” Brinley said.

  The man swiveled around in his chair. He was dark skinned with short black hair and a friendly smile. He peered directly at Brinley. “Hello. Tiffany told me I had a couple other clients who might drop by. How can I help?”

  Brinley studied the man for a moment. There seemed to be a tan overtone to everything in the image. There were books and assorted other items on shelves behind him, as well as a monitor with screen. On the wall were some paintings which were tastefully made. “I am Brinley, a friend of Gretchen and Paul.”

  “I am Doctor Chambers.”

  “Are you an artificial intelligence system like Tiffany?” Brinley asked.

  Doctor Chambers laughed a hearty laugh. After a moment he replied, “That is a topic of considerable discussion. I do not feel like an AI, yet Paul and Gretchen tell me I am a construct of Tiffany’s manufacture. I can tell you that a real life Doctor Chambers lived in Dome 17 and knew Paul and Gretchen very well. I feel like I am that person. Do you want to give me a Turing Test?”

  “You do not sound like the AIs I know, and that is good enough for now. I am looking to talk to someone who will listen,” Brinley said. “I have about twenty minutes until I reach my destination, and you know Paul and Gretchen and what they have gone through. May I speak with you?”

  “Sure. What is happening?” He leaned forward in his chair and studied Brinley. “To begin with, I know you are not from Dome 17.”

  “No, I am not. I was born on the Vanguard.”

  “And that is different as well. No one is born biologically in Dome 17, but that is another topic,” Doctor Chambers said. “Please share with me what is happening with you.”

  “I have heard something about your age-mates, but what is happening with me is I am trying to find a way to defend the Vanguard. So may I bounce some ideas off you about the dangers and enemies we are facing here?” When Doctor Chambers nodded, Brinley continued and explained the background of the Jellies, the androids, the children in the Gardens of Delight, and even Larissa. She finished by saying, “That revelation of the CPO consisting of all androids is still rejected by most of the people I tell, if I share it with them at all. Only Larissa, Gretchen, and Paul firmly believe it. The androids look and sound human. Each individual CPO member of a group looks identical to the others of that same officer class or group. They are different in appearance from the individuals in other ranks. They called themselves novanthropoid personnel. The only real people involved with the CPO are the Constables and Governors, but they were in the habitats, and not allowed in the needle ship. Larissa has been talking to them with mixed success. Maintaining the quarantine is of prime importance to the CPO. Does destroying the transport system serve that end? Or is this all done by the alien Jellies?”

  “Brinley, you have shared a great deal of information. I cannot address the motives behind androids or aliens, but I can tell you those who seek domination of others do try to isolate and separate them. There is an old saying, ‘divide and conquer’ and I think that applies. The androids and the Jellies will have different perspectives, a different filter if you will, for how they see the situation on the Vanguard. Neither group will see it like you do. I think it is important to speak about the stress you are under. Defending the Vanguard from these threats, and the others that you may encounter will challenge all that you have and all that you are. Right now in that vehicle you are alone and isolated. I can honestly tell you, isolation will not help your situation.”

  “I am trying to work with Larissa, and I think I can do that. It has to be done. Now I see the vehicle is approaching my destination,” Brinley said as she looked from Doctor Chambers to the schematic. “I need to dock this vehicle and consult with Larissa. Thank you for your time, it was helpful to talk to you, Chamey”

  “Chamey? Now that is a new title. Just more for me to ponder. Brinley, call on me anytime. I will be here for you,” Doctor Chambers stated.

  “Even if you are not a real person either?” Brinley said, half as a joke and half seriously.

  “That will be for you to decide. However, I will never be a threat to you, and that you can depend upon.”

  Brinley stopped the vehicle. She then made it back up and follow the docking slot into the portal hatch. The schematic showed it was located under the town of Orsk, in E Habitat, the Wilds.

  Brinley pulled out her pistol and had it ready as she pushed the button to open the door. There was a popping noise and the vehicle dropped about a third of a meter. It was a jolting experience. The portal hatch door was misaligned, but was about half way centered on the doorframe of the docking hub.

  Brinley leaped out as the vehicle began to shake again. Just as she landed, the vehicle disengaged from the partial docking which had happened, and there was an ear splitting siren which went off.

  Whoeee. Whoeee. Whoeee.

  The portal door on this side slammed shut and air hissed around it as it was sealed over. Brinley watched as a blue engineering automacube rolled quickly over to the portal hatch. It connected several cables into the wall and the loud siren stopped. The machine then began to weld and secure t
he door shut. The portal doors at this location were thicker and heavier than at some other places, although Brinley had worked with various different kinds of portal hatch doors.

  “Well you did make it here,” Larissa said from the doorway. She was wearing an olive green utility suit. Strapped to her thigh was a holster with a Dome 17 style pistol. She had various other pouches on her belt and an L-ROD was in her hand, now aimed at the ceiling. Her neatly braided blonde hair was impeccable.

  “You came armed to see me?” Brinley asked with a touch of suspicion.

  “Yes. There have been troubling developments, and I was not sure who was coming into the transport hub here. A few minutes ago, a different vehicle docked and you were not in it.”

  Brinley looked around and noticed that the area around the transport portal was a mess. The back wall had impact damage from high caliber weapons’ fire. Across the floor near the door was a dark reddish brown streak.

  “What happened?”

  “An unknown vehicle docked. I had two troopers here waiting for you. When that vehicle’s door opened a security automacube came blasting its way out of the vehicle. One trooper was killed, the other was seriously wounded, but they did destroy the automacube in the firefight. That portal hatch was sealed over, but we left the second operational in case you came. I decided to meet the next incoming vehicle myself. TSI-463, my personal attendant AI was able to tell when a vehicle was approaching. That gave me about a five minute notice, but was unable to give more information than that. I am pleased you made it.”

  A white automacube rolled into the room. It began to spray a gel all across the floor.

  “Come with me Brinley, this area needs to be sanitized and sterilized. I waited until you arrived to have it done,” Larissa said.

  Brinley followed her out of the room. “So an automacube came here and attacked your troopers?”

  “Yes.”

  “How did that feel for you? To lose people you knew to some mindless machine on a kill spree?” Brinley asked. She grabbed Larissa’s arm and turned her so they were face to face. “How was that?”

  Larissa’s cold blue eyes met Brinley’s warm hazel eyes. Neither said anything for a long moment. Brinley continued to hold Larissa’s arm.

  Finally Larissa said, “I have told you I would change things if I could. I cannot change the past. I admit you have been hurt terribly, and I admit to my role in causing that. Now do you want to try to kill me? Or should we work to defend the Vanguard from the Jellies and the CPO? It is your choice.”

  “Do you ever feel anything?” Brinley asked, her mouth a tight thin line.

  “I feel your hand grabbing me,” Larissa replied. “I would not tolerate that from anyone else.” She had not lowered the end of the L-ROD which was still pointing away toward the ceiling, even though her right hand still was on the handgrip near the trigger assembly. “I also felt it when you shot me.”

  Brinley’s glare was intense, but Larissa’s eyes were steady.

  “There is not much of a scar,” Brinley said as she glanced up at Larissa’s forehead.

  “Some of the worst scars are not visible. I am certain I do not need to tell you that,” Larissa replied and her mouth twitched just a bit.

  “I know that is true. Absolutely true.” Brinley looked down at the blood stain on the floor. The white automacube was waiting to spray the sterilization gel on the places where they stood. “Tell me about the trooper who died.”

  “Ryan was a good man. He was good to his wife, and to his three daughters,” Larissa answered as she too looked down at the bloody trail. “He will be missed. I will ensure his family is cared for, always.”

  “And the wounded trooper?” Brinley asked.

  “Vivian was taken to the medical center in suspended animation. The best treatments are being given to her. She was about your age, smart, muscular, and dedicated. I pray she has a full recovery.” Larissa’s voice softened. “I feel every one of the losses. I know now that the Free Rangers were not the enemy I thought they were.” She looked back at Brinley. “I was wrong, and I would do it over far differently if I knew then, what I know now.”

  “I believe you,” Brinley managed to say. “Hearing that the automacube attacked here, just…”

  “It reminded you of my own, what you would call wicked actions. It did that for me as well. No one escapes memories, not even me. That is partly why I was standing guard here alone, waiting for you. I did not want to risk anyone else if that vehicle had been another attack.”

  Brinley and Larissa looked at each other again and nodded.

  “So who is behind these incidents?” Brinley asked and finally let go of Larissa’s arm.

  “That is unclear. Let us proceed up to the command center and I will share all we have learned.” Larissa walked ahead toward the elevator. They rode up in silence.

  The elevator doors opened and revealed that top floor had been extensively remodeled. What had once been behind a false façade to make the place look like a typical house in Orsk had been gutted and rebuilt. It was still the same size and shape on the outside, continuing somewhat the illusion of being nondescript, but inside was a technological command post. There was a large bank of active displays across one wall. Desks and chairs were along the other walls. Troopers were working on assembling weapons, making charts, and also speaking on multiceivers. Two desks were set up for assembly of the L-ROD weapons. There was a gravity conduit located in the corner. The majority of the activity was around that part of the room with stacks of papers, books, graphs, and other items set into piles and in some kind of order.

  “I had the headquarters relocated here, near my old building. That was where you and I first met, I believe. Routine activity is still happening over there. If the enemy attacks they may head for the Constable’s or Governor’s center and I wanted our command post to be in a different location. I had hoped the transport hub below us would provide us with an escape route, a sort of back door, or bolt hole, but that is not possible now.” Larissa walked out the front door. “Come with me.”

  Brinley followed.

  The sky tube was shining brightly down on the town of Orsk. The fresh air smelled nice, and there were some blooming flowers along the edges of the buildings. Their yellow, gold, and red colors were pretty in the light. Birds were flying overhead, some landing in the trees nearby and others flying over on errands of their own. The animals were oblivious to the danger which threatened their very existence. One bird was particularly noisy as it pounded its head into a tree nearby. It had a bright red colored head, and yellow and black stripes on its feathered body.

  Outwardly, the command headquarters house was much the same as the others houses in the town of Orsk. It was made from light-green colored permalloy, rectangular, pyramid shaped roof, with a central door and two windows, one on each side of the door. Had Brinley not known what was inside it, she would have considered it just one of many houses.

  The people from Orsk were walking back and forth going about their daily business. In the distance Lake Orsk could be seen. A couple fishing boats were lazily moving by. Across one side of Lake Orsk was a system of surface skimmers. They were still in place removing the toxins which had come into the deep lake. That poison had been checked, thanks in large part to the help from the scientists in another habitat, the Woods, who were similarly treating their Lake Kama.

  Larissa noticed what Brinley was seeing and said, “We are working hard to restore Lake Orsk, but it will take time.” Stepping closer to Brinley, Larissa kept her voice low, “The bigger situation is more serious than I wish for the troopers to presently know. I also did not want to speak over the multiceiver in case someone else has a capability to illicitly listen. Remember how the Jellies knew our speech?”

  “I will never forget that incident,” Brinley replied. “I am not sure how they learned our language.”

  “You are a bright one, that is for sure. I too have pondered how an alien would learn our language. Th
ere are several possibilities, including the idea the CPO is working with the Jellies. Of greater concern, however, to me now is that I believe the lattice may be compromised by Jellie activity,” Larissa said. “The lattice is not responding in a logical or rational manner.”

  “It could just be the androids of the CPO,” Brinley replied. “Now that we know what they are, that probably changed their interactions with us.”

  “Yes. I considered that possibility as well. The CPO does not recognize me as a Constable or Governor anymore. They also have rejected most of the other Governors and Constables, except in B habitat: Heartland. Those Heartland leaders refuse to even listen or respond when I speak to them. This recent loss of the stand-alone AIs is a very serious threat to us. We cannot defend the Vanguard without a system of functional AIs. That is essential. Our stand-alone AIs were responsive and recognized the Jellies as a threat.”

  “The CPO still does not acknowledge that?” Brinley asked in surprise. “Did you show them the recorded incident with Lyudmila?”