Universe of the Soul

by Jennifer Mandelas

  “Yes. It's what has always set us apart as designers. Our programming is infinitely more adaptable than that of any other design in the Commonwealth.”

  “Exactly. Which is why we have had to destroy sixty percent of the Tarkubunji made humacoms here at the facility – they wouldn't desist, and we were unable to contain them.”

  Floyd jerked as though he'd been shot. “Destroyed?”

  “Yes. Nothing but scrap now. I lost more of my own troops against that handful than the rest of them combined. You make very aggressive models, doctor.”

  Destroyed. Murdered. Floyd felt as though Stroff had slaughtered his child. “You monster!”

  “Now, now, no name calling. I'm afraid I'm running short on time. We have a full schedule to keep; the rest of the humacoms are to be recalled in the next forty-eight hours. But we have to deal with this, first.”

  Stroff turned to the two humacoms who hadn't moved throughout the entire discussion. He shook his head when he saw the way they stood close together. “I have to admit, Tarkubunji, that your human mimicry programs are really top notch. You would never think that their reactions were programmed. It truly is an art. However, you really outdid yourself with these two. C.G.P. 00232 is probably the most valuable piece of equipment on the planet, if not in the entire Commonwealth. And 00297, very versatile, with an incredibly strong power base, it really is impressive. And such a pity.”

  He turned back to Floyd. “After some discussion with the security members of the board, it was agreed that no attempt at a recall was to be made on 00297. Given the data extrapolated from your designs and notes during its construction, and the performance reports since, it would be a waste of my resources. The only sensible thing to do is to destroy it.”

  “NO!” Shouted Floyd, lunging forward only to be grabbed by two of the colonel's securicoms.

  “No,” Zultan whispered, his voice not even carrying to Cassie.

  “Just try it,” Cassie taunted, drawing her ATF.

  No, Cassie, Zultan warned through their IM system, They know your programming, and have been programmed to counter every move you make. You can't win this.

  I'm not just going to let them off me!

  And I'm not going to let them blast you into scrap metal.

  The conversation ended when one of the securicoms raised its weapon to fire. Before it so much as cleared its holster, Cassie had shot it twice, through the head and chest. “Guess you didn't study my programming enough,” she said, and using Zultan's arm as a springboard, Cassie launched herself into a back flip over the taller humacom. She landed on the shoulders of a securicom. Pulling out a second, smaller ATF that had been concealed at the small of her back, she shot the guard through the top of its head while using the other to blast off the arm and head of another one on her right.

  She was turning on the next when Stroff barked into his communicator, “Send in the backup squad!” and the lab doors opened to allow a full squad of securicoms to rush in.

  Floyd struggled helplessly against the two bodyguards who had pulled him up against the wall to avoid the conflict. “Stop!” he shouted, although no one could hear him.

  Cassie could easily see that the odds of survival were zero on her side, but she still picked her best target, raised her blaster – only to find her view blocked by a familiar back.

  “Hold your fire!” Colonel Stroff shouted. “You can't risk damaging the database!”

  Have your logic wires crossed? Cassie demanded. You can't put yourself in the line of fire!

  I won't allow them to shoot you, Zultan replied. I…can't allow it. My logic program won't complete the scenario.

  Cassie rose to her feet, resting her head briefly against his back. C'mon Harddrive, you know my programming won't allow any harm to fall on you, even at the cost of myself. Move over. I can take most of them before I fry.

  No.

  Silence fell over the lab as the standoff continued. Zultan had maneuvered himself to completely block Cassie from the view of the securicoms. It had been a good move, but everyone knew it couldn't last indefinitely.

  Before the colonel could send for another backup team, Floyd called out desperately, “Colonel! You don't have to do this! There's another way!”

  Stroff cast a scathing glance over at the struggling scientist, glasses now askew on his face, white lab coat ripped at the shoulder. “Oh, is there?”

  “Yes,” Floyd frantically tried to regain the screaming shards of his mind in order to speak clearly. “I…I can do it.” He suddenly felt Zultan's gaze snap to his, although he avoided looking. “There's a voice-controlled deactivation sequence in all the humacoms my father and I built.”

  “Really?” the colonel smiled unpleasantly.

  Floyd stared at him helplessly. “I can't stand by and watch you destroy her like that. Not when I can do it peacefully.”

  Now the colonel's smiled widened. “Ah, the heart of a true humanitarian. Very well, doctor. Deactivate away.” Then, to the two bodyguards, “If this doesn't work, kill him.”

  “Sir,” Zultan cried out, staring at Floyd with a mixture of horror and accusation in his eyes.

  “I'm sorry, Cassie,” Floyd whispered. Then in a louder voice he said, “Tarkubunji, Floyd, access code 20034538. Password, heistonanetta.”

  Behind Zultan, Cassie's whole body went rigid. “Access granted.”

  “Initiate program aurora.”

  “Warning, once activated, this program cannot be canceled.”

  “Understood.” Floyd's voice broke. “Initiate.”

  There was a second where nothing happened, and then Cassie sunk to the floor. Still blocking the steadily aimed weapons of the securicoms, Zultan turned and knelt down beside the body of his firewall. He had felt the moment her systems had been overridden by Floyd's command, and stared down at her lifeless face for several seconds before rising and stepping away. The securicoms rushed past him; the lead removed one of its cords from its port behind its ear, and connected with Cassie. “No sign of activation, sir.” it called to the colonel.

  Stroff turned to Floyd. “Very good, doctor. Nicely done. I wish we had known you had such a program sooner. It would have saved a lot of trouble.”

  “What are you going to do with her?” Floyd asked numbly.

  “I'll send it over to Recycle. See if they can salvage any of the better parts.”

  “What about Zultan? He's vulnerable without a firewall system.”

  The colonel patted his shoulder. “Don't fret, Dr. Tarkubunji. Interstellar has agreed to look over your notes and create a new firewall system for us. The board thought it would be beneficial for you to work with other humacoms to…broaden your perspective. Now, enjoy your vacation.”

  The last glimpse Floyd had of the lab was of Zultan gently placing Cassie's body on the diagnostics table.

  If I were but a speck of dust

  Without a thought or care

  I'd wander blithely through the world

  Beyond the atmosphere

  There'd be no borders I couldn't cross

  No lands I couldn't see

  Through earth and air and timeless space

  No forces could harm me

  I'd hear songs from all the galaxy

  Dance to tunes denied to me

  But unless you were a dust mote too

  The one thing I would miss is you

  - G.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “I thank you again for your wonderful hospitality,” Adri bowed to the two dozen junusarians who had gather to watch her departure. The headmaster raised his right wing in a token of farewell, his feathers picking up the light from the setting sun star and glimmering as if covered in hundreds of tiny dewdrops. His clawed hand-like appendages remained calmly folded across his middle. The junusarians made an impressive spectacle as they stood or flew around the departing ship. Taller than Adri, their fierce feathered faces were greatly offset by their quiet, deep-thinking natures.

  The paci
fistic natured junusarian monks had been more than gracious hosts to the battered Advance Force soldier. Even when the week of recuperation turned into three and their empowered guest grew less and less gracious. Blair had failed to mention that, while a week of rest was all her body needed, the junusarians were not space travelers, and in fact, did not own so much as an air bike. Thus they had to wait for another two weeks until a space merchant happened to dock at the monastery as it made its way to the Uthrib Space Mission on the Commonwealth side of the galactic divide.

  Despite her disgust at the unavoidable delay, Adri did not let the time go to waste. As soon as her legs could support her, she explored the giant monastic complex where the local group of junusarian monks lived in near silence. Most of the complex was underground to avoid the melting heat amplified by the surrounding desert. She discovered that most of the complex was very old; older, in fact, than the High Temple in Corinthe, the capital city of the Commonwealth. When she asked Blair whom the monastery was dedicated to, he just smiled and nodded his head without answering. Adri figured it out for herself only a day later when she stumbled upon the temple's inner sanctum, hidden at the core of the monastery seven stories beneath the planet's surface.

  The coincidence was far too massive to avoid, so Adri tried not to think about it.

  Shouldering the borrowed travel bag full of gear, Adri walked up the gangplank to the entrance of the little freighter. It felt strange to be wearing civilian clothes. It didn't help that most of the clothes were old castoffs that the monks had collected over time. Adri's current wardrobe consisted of a small pair of boy's pants that were too long in the legs, boots that were a little big, and a shirt that fit well as a tunic. She had finished the outfit off with a long jacket that nearly fit. Not bad, considered how few humans stopped by here. When she reached the top of the gangplank, she turned to watch Blair giving a final bow to the headmaster before picking up his own bag and following her up. He still wore the baggy desert garb that was adapted from the junusarians’ monastic robes.

  “Are you going to miss home?” Adri asked as the gangplank withdrew noisily into the belly of the freighter and the blast doors fell down over the entrance, blocking the view.

  “Yes.” Blair stared at the closed door for several seconds before turning to Adri. His face was, as ever, calm and impassive. “But I was always meant to leave.”

  Just then the captain of the freighter ambled up. He was a short, portly human with an amiable attitude and a perpetual smile. He and his first mate, who looked much the same, couldn't be more obliging to the two unexpected passengers they had taken on. They had landed on Junus two days before in need of some minor repair to their engines. Surprisingly, the prospect of unpaying passengers was welcome to them with little question. Then again, the monks offered their facility free of charge. “Get you set up, right away,” he said to them, guiding them around the cargo hold and into the cramped common space that served as the ship's kitchen, dining room, recreational room, and whatever else it was called upon to be. In one corner of the room sat four jump seats, which the captain directed them to. “Strap yourselves in. Jiko and I are about ready to take off. We'll tell ya on the overhead when it's safe to wander about the cabin.”

  Adri smiled blandly after him as she sat down on the cleanest looking seat. If both she and Blair hadn't already agreed that her identity (both as an Adept and as a Commonwealth officer) ought to be concealed for as long as possible, she would have had a few things to say about her knowledge of space travel. As it was, she tried to play dumb as much as it was bearable.

  “Captain Arkow certainly seems obliging,” Blair commented from beside her, strapping himself into the seat.

  “Yeah,” Adri tightened the last strap before leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes. “He doubtlessly wants us to be comfortable so we won't go snooping around and find his smuggling cache.”

  “Smuggling? How did you know about that?”

  Adri waved her hand dismissively. “It's written all over his face. Anyone without a secret to hide would act more put upon to take on a couple of non-paying passengers. Instead, he acts as though he's an uthrib on his Life Quest walkabout. Definitely has a secret, and the most obvious one would be smuggling. Besides, look where we are, right on the border between the Coalition and the Commonwealth. He lands in an out-of-the-way place like Junus in order to avoid detection. Obviously a smuggler.” She opened her eyes and turned to stare at him. “How did you know?”

  Blair adjusted the straps that went around his chest and hummed. “Like you said, Rael. It's written all over his face. Are you going to do something about the smuggling?”

  “No,” she frowned at Blair's passive face for a long moment before relaxing again. “I'm not a patrolman, and I couldn't enforce anything even if I was. Besides, they're giving us a lift.”

  For someone who had spent the last nine years of her life aboard a military space vessel, journeying in a merchant freighter was a bit like riding an air bike after traveling in a luxury shuttle. The initial takeoff was jerky, causing both her and Blair to grab hold of their harnesses, and the exit through the atmosphere left something to be desired. It left Adri wondering if the engine repairs had been done correctly. She sent more than one devastating glare in the direction of the pilot's cabin as they were flung to and fro by the friction of leaving the atmosphere and entering space. At last, however, the incessant jolting and banging ceased and the smooth gait that Captain Arkow had praised at last made itself known.

  As soon as the gravity levels reached normal, Adri unfastened herself and stood, pulling her limbs into a series of stretches designed to help the human body adjust to the artificial gravity and other changes due to space travel. Beside her, Blair watched and eventually followed suit.

  Adri frowned as the young man's usual gracefulness was replaced by hesitant awkwardness as he copied her stretches. A new thought occurred to her. “Blair, have you ever done any space traveling?”

  Blair finished the stretches and glanced over at her. “Why?”

  “You don't seem…”

  “As co-ordinated?”

  “Yeah,”

  Blair kept his head down. The gem on his forehead caught the grubby light and flashed. “Yes, I have. A long time ago. I traveled with my family away from our home planet in a mass evacuation. I got sick on the journey, like many others. The transporter eventually left the ill and infirm on Junus before continuing on. I've been there ever since.”

  Any amusement Adri had felt over seeing Blair out of his element ceased. “What about your family?”

  “I was the only one that was ill.”

  “I see.”

  Blair finished his stretches with a roll of his shoulders. “What happens now, Rael?”

  Adri wandered around the cramped common space, gauging the area with a soldier's practiced ease. “No doubt good Captain Arkow will show soon, and after that I imagine we'll be left to ourselves for the greater portion of the voyage.”

  “Good,” Blair replied. “That will give us plenty of time to work on your control.”

  Scowling, Adri turned to glare at the young man who stood so calmly across the room. His arms hung loosely at his sides, the baggy brown tunic that she had never seen him out of draped in a nondescript fashion. Even his golden blond hair hung down to his shoulders in a nondescript way. If it weren't for that blue gem on his forehead and the intensity of his eyes, Adri thought he could have passed unnoticed in a crowd of three. “Do you practice being invisible in that monastery of yours?” she asked in aggravation.

  “Do you practice shooting a blaster?”

  “So it's part of your whole pacifism thing?”

  Blair nodded. “Violence should always be avoided if possible.”

  Adri rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Spare me the lecture. Violence is my best feature,”

  “I might have to agree with you,” her companion replied blandly. “For it certainly isn't your command of patience, tranqui
lity, diplomacy, or open-mindedness to the naked truth.”

  Realizing she had left herself open for that one, Adri conceded defeat. It was not much fun to argue with someone who always seemed to have right on their side. “Fine, we'll do some mystic training.”

  Blair nodded and resumed his seat, closing his eyes in apparent meditation. Adri had a sneaking suspicion that the whole discussion had been leading to that one topic. The little monk was devious that way.

  “I'm not, actually,” Blair said suddenly, his eyes still closed.

  “Not what?” Adri demanded.

  “Not a monk. Only junusarians are allowed to enter that particular order, due to the necessity of flying from shrine to shrine around the planet, which I obviously can't do. I was merely a layman whom they allowed to participate in their daily lives.”

  Did I think out loud? Adri puzzled over it for a second before a door slid open and Captain Arkow stepped in with his trademark smile.

  “And how are ya doing now? I admit we got off to a bumpy start, but the rest is smooth riding until we reach the space mission.”

  “How long until then?” Adri asked.

  Arkow rubbed his thigh. “Ah, about thirty-one standard hours, give or take. You are welcome to move about here as much as you wish, the meal simulator is over there in the corner, and the seats fold down to make bunks. No blankets, I'm afraid.”

  “Mm hm,” Adri stared at Arkow cryptically, guessing that the blankets had been commandeered to aid in shielding the contraband cargo somewhere in the ship's hold.

  Arkow cleared his throat and shifted his gaze away from Adri's. “If there's anything you need, just hit the communicator switch here by the door. Jiko or I will see that your stay is as comfortable as we can make it.” With that, he scurried out.

  The door closed, and the tiny blinking light showed that the lock had been engaged. “Well, he certainly doesn't trust us,” Adri said dryly.