“Yesterday three skitters perked up and saluted me as I walked by my fighter,” Minh-Chu said. “I tried scanning them to find out if someone programmed them to do that, but my comm couldn’t make heads or tails of their software anymore. I had to ask the old fashioned way, ‘did someone tell you to do that?’” Minh-Chu mock-asked in baby talk. “They all flashed NO on their shells, then they got back to work on my fighter. My Uriel’s never been in better shape, and those things are storing themselves in the reserve storage, so I’ll have a robotic service crew with me now. The only downside is getting ridiculed by Singe now that she’s caught me in the middle of a baby talk conversation.”
Moira and Jake both laughed at Minh-Chu’s expense, and even Alice couldn’t help but let a chuckle slip. “So they’re safe from viruses,” Moira said. “But you have a Tower of Babel situation going on now; how do they communicate quickly?”
“I’ve seen high speed morse code using vibrations and light, audio streams, even herd behaviour,” Jake replied. “I don’t think they’re having trouble. A few have started talking too, but most don’t even try unless you tell them to. That’s an unexpected bug.”
“A big one,” Moira said.
“They’ll do it if you order them to,” Minh-Chu said. “I just haven’t bothered yet. I’m wondering how these things will develop on their own.”
“I’m still sceptical of all of it being for the best,” Moira said. “But I’ll give it time.”
Alice hadn’t paid much attention to the skitters – something she decided to change, since they had the same software capabilities as the Andos she encountered. The skitters just seemed like basic worker bots to her, like a mobile tool chest, or hull finishing bot, but if they were capable of running complex software, the situation was different.
“Alice?” Jake asked.
She glanced at her comm unit and realized that her father was reconnected with the ship’s sensors. Alice stepped out into the hallway and took the few steps onto the bridge. Minh-Chu looked over his shoulder and smiled. Moira, who sat at the Operations station, sent her a look that seemed to say ‘sneaky brat’ and Jake regarded her with a little surprise. “Everything okay?”
“Fine, I just didn’t want to interrupt you,” Alice said, the first excuse that came to mind. She pressed on to the question on her mind. “What about the Andos? They turn on and can’t help but tie into whatever communications systems they can listen to.”
“The bot bays on Haven Shore are switching them on in an isolation room,” Jake replied. “Then ordering them to deactivate their wireless systems. It’s the best they can do it, but at least they’re not going suicidal.”
“Oh, what if one of them decides to activate their wireless later?” Alice asked.
“The techs are cutting receivers once the bots are activated. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s either that or recycle all the Andos for raw materials.”
Alice couldn’t forget the anguished expressions on the Ando model androids she killed in the forest, and still had doubts. “If it’s the best they can do,” she said, conceding for the time being.
“Why is it so complicated to deactivate Andos?” Moira asked.
“All their primary systems and functions are hard-wired on a single chip,” Jake replied. “The tech is so small most nanobots can’t disable something without affecting the nearest neighbouring system. The Andos have to do it themselves, and in the wrong conditions, they could access the wrong function and any number of things can go wrong. On the other hand, they’re hard-wired pacifists.”
“What about the variable operating system you were talking about?” Minh-Chu asked.
“The basic structure of their operating systems are hard-wired,” Jake said. “So, in the new age of software, they’re the least useful bots we have. It used to be the other way around, they were top of the line.”
“Everything changes,” Moira said. “Speaking of, what do you think of the new Warlord, Alice? How does it compare to the Samson you knew years ago?”
Alice could only regard her with confusion for a moment, then she realized that Moira had no idea that Alice had undergone a great transformation. “I don’t really remember. Everything before the Battle of Port Rush is pretty blurry.” Moira still seemed expectant, so Alice continued. “I died a couple times, might have lost a few things when the last body kicked it.” She could feel the mood of the room darken, but didn’t know what she could say to recover some levity. “I like the Warlord, though.” Moira nodded and looked to the operations station. Her father offered her a little smile, and Minh-Chu returned his attention to the navigational systems. “I think I’m going to head to my bunk, good night.” She didn’t wait for anyone to wish her good night before leaving the bridge, but heard everyone but her father do so.
Before she was all the way down the corridor she could hear him behind her, and she turned towards him.
“I’m not good at this yet,” Jake said. “Usually fathers have a grace period while they’re changing diapers to get used to the idea of talking to their kid.”
Alice had no idea what to think of what he was saying, but felt that she was disappointing him somehow. “I’m sorry I didn’t regenerate as an infant in the middle of the battlefield?”
“Wait, that’s not what I meant,” Jake replied. “I’m just saying I’m still getting used to having you around.”
Alice could see the indicator that her father was connected to the ship flash and disappear from the corner of her eye. He was so intent on whatever he was saying, that he couldn’t maintain a mental connection to the ship. “Okaaaaay,” Alice said, earnestly making an effort to understand him.
“I don’t know how much of my conversation with Moira you heard,” Jake explained.
“You could check the security tracker,” Alice replied.
“It doesn’t matter,” Jake said, waving the notion off like an invisible insect. “What I’m telling you is that I spent so much time looking for you, when I didn’t know any other way to connect to my past, then I found you in time to see you sacrifice yourself while commanding in my place on the Triton.”
“I don’t remember that,” Alice said.
“And that brings us to now. I never expected to have a daughter, especially someone who has so much to learn.”
“Gee, thanks,” Alice said sardonically. Was he trying to tell her she was an amateur? Or was he trying to gently put her in her place?
“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but I have a chance to help you become someone you’re really proud of, and I want to tell you that whatever happened with the Rangers was my fault.”
“Psh, right,” Alice said, half involuntarily.
He gently grasped her chin and looked into her eyes. “I know you wanted to be part of the Rangers, but you would have listened to me if I told you to stay here. That puts everything that happened while you were away on me, and I was kicking myself before I found out what happened with the Andos. I don’t want to be the kind of dad who lets other people raise their kid, even if you’re almost a woman already. It’s hard for me to have you here sometimes, because I know how dangerous it is, and I want to protect you, but I’d rather have you here than leave you back on Tamber.”
“So I’m some little girl you want to keep your eye on now?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I want to be able to spend time with you like other families do. What’s happened to Frost and Moira brought that right back into focus. Families should stick together, even if there’s only two of us.”
“A family that raids together, stays together,” Alice said, her irritation abating a little. What her dad was saying came from a good place, even if it was hard for him to communicate it. “I’m glad I’m back here, with you.” She let him off the hook with a self-indulgent hug. She let go long moments later. “Good-night, Dad. Get some sleep after watch.”
“Good-night,” he replied. “I’ll try.”
CHAPTER 32
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Unsettled Settlement
“I should move my office up here,” Carl Anderson said as he looked through the tower windows. The craggy surface of Kambis filled the night sky. Glittering cities dotted the looming landscape above. The black, high tide ocean stretched out to the horizon, reflecting light cast onto it from the planet Tamber orbited.
Ayan had made the top level of the former Order of Eden bunker’s tower her personal office and quarters. It was her father’s idea. The top level of the tower was the first the robotic crews finished assembling, and it wouldn’t be practical for any official usage for several days. Fixtures like displays, furnishings, and other necessary parts for official use would be installed later, leaving the tower top completely unused and empty. Meanwhile, the bunks below were full, and officer quarters in the bunker were used for families, and Ayan didn’t want to displace them.
The tower was built directly into the centre of the former Order of Eden bunker and doubled as a massive shield emitter platform. That was why it was finished over the last few days, even though it would be mostly empty until the power systems and other fixtures would be in place. The shield system was the only functional electronic device in the upper levels.
Most of the surfaces inside were still bare dark grey metal, with minimal lighting from independent fixtures and only a small portable materializer for food and drink that required a great deal of water whenever it made anything. It was a large space with only one partition for a hygiene closet. Her bedroom space was pushed to one side, just out of sight behind a makeshift curtain and it consisted of a cot, a storage crate for a bedside table, and a small security safe.
Normally she’d stay on the Clever Dream, but she decided to provide an example by living in the newest part of the Order of Eden bunker. Besides, there were memories living in the captain’s quarters of the Clever Dream she didn’t care to face. Lacey had set up her cot behind another curtain, on the other side of the lavatory. There was no other furniture in that large space.
“It took the bots we have about a day to build it. There are supports and specifications for hangars and other outbuildings inside the bunker, but I still haven’t decided what we’ll actually put up. I’ll see what Lee says when he gets here,” said Ayan.
“I’d offer to bring a few creature comforts from Haven Shore, but they’re short on anything with a cushion too,” Anderson said, sitting on a narrow ledge beneath the transparasteel window. The view over his shoulder, Ayan’s view, was darker. The light from Kambis drowned out most of the stars between the horizon and the large planet, but she could see the yellow sparkle of lights from the coast of Port Rush. When their side of Tamber rotated away from Kambis, low tide would reveal a landmass between the former Order of Eden bunker and the sprawling port. It would also reveal wrecks and other waste that were partially drawn out into the ocean, or brought up. Scavengers would be going to war.
There was no way Ayan could have known how hard the first three days of recruitment and aid would be. The bunker she stood above had only processed eight hundred and twelve. The other bunker processed a little over five hundred, and the Triton managed to bring over eighteen hundred aboard. Luckily enough, more than eighty percent of them had some skill that would be useful to the Triton or the people on the ground in Port Rush. The rest were children and their parents, who Oz was able to relocate to the Triton. Many of them were hesitant about resettling on a combat carrier, but most changed their tune once they saw the clean living quarters and well-kept habitation areas. They didn’t get access to the apartments overlooking the Botanical Gallery; Oz had decided that those would be reserved for people who had proven dedication to the Triton. Any new resident who cleared through security could visit the park grounds in the Botanical Gallery, however, and there was a ring of family apartments nearby that were practically untouched for decades. Ayan was told that families were beside themselves when they saw the available facilities aboard the ship, and the three to four room apartments where they would be located. The promise of the Triton was simple: they settle in for free after a security check, wear a comm unit that tracked them and their children, then find a job after two days of being aboard ship. If they couldn’t find a job, Crewcast would assign them a temporary position while they waited in line for something better. Anyone could leave at any time, but there was a job for every skill set.
Ayan was hoping to work her way up to offering the same deal on the ground, where she owned several former Order of Eden bases through claims made by the Rangers. She’d been down into the heart of the bunkers, the more cramped berthing they used as a hold-over area while they cleared people for the Triton or took volunteers who wanted to work for Ayan and the Rangers on the ground. It was cramped, but people were happy to receive the ration packs Ayan brought with her. It was a trick of timing that worked in her favour. The ration packs were going to arrive whether she was there or not, she just made sure her visits were timed with them whenever she took a tour of the facilities.
The extra food was provided by Triton Fleet, which was given a wealth of shipping containers of the stuff by the Warlord. She was more than thankful for the tons of rations, especially since the bunkers didn’t have materializers. Even the fabrication systems inside were rudimentary, and the food was well sub-par. They made fixtures, parts to repair the bunker, blankets, thin brown vacsuits for people who didn’t have proper clothing, basic communication and computing units that looked like wrist straps, and other basic, important supplies.
By her estimation, those systems would last years with proper maintenance, and someone was already working on programming a few skitters to do the upkeep. People in the berths were happy to see Triton and Ranger security people. She was dressed as one when she took her tours, and she kept her faceplate dark so no one would recognize her. In the short time she was there, she saw two families reunited, and there was a feeling that most of the people down there were already looking out for each other. That wasn’t universal, but people seemed to offer each other a helping hand when it was needed, and most seemed to be getting the first good rest they’d had in weeks, possibly months.
There was a minority that had serious problems, however, and it was that minority that Ayan was about to meet with. She checked the thin curtains that hid her cot, tall backpack, armour, and rifle.
“So, who is this malcontent we’re about to see?” her father asked.
“His name is Clyde Dominic. He says he represents the Free Citizens of Rega Gain, but I’ve never heard of them. When I assumed he was their leader, he was actually offended,” Ayan sighed and shook her head. “He said theirs is an organization of full equality, so there’s no leader. He’s just delivering their message.”
“Oh, like that cult on Terra Zeta, the Free Born,” Anderson said, smiling.
“Sorry, who are they?” Ayan said.
“You mean, who were they. Their colony was just discovered. In their statement they said the Holocaust Virus was a sign that the end was nigh, and their spirits would be carried to the afterlife if they died before robotic life took the universe. They claimed to be leaderless too, but it only took a few of them to open all the airlocks and kill all four thousand and twenty there.”
“It would be nice if the Order of Eden caught that kind of crazy,” Ayan muttered. She shook off the notion. “Sorry, I’m tired,” she said.
“Most people would agree with you these days, don’t worry.”
“I should be focused on the work here,” Ayan said, trying to fend off the negativity that threatened to press away her good mood. “The logistics of building a permanent base here and helping the people stuck in Port Rush are so complicated that it actually makes sense to forget the big picture for a few days. Taking care of these people has got to be the top priority.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Carl said. “But I don’t think you can forget the big picture. That’s one of your best assets: you envision something and strive for it. Go ahead and concentr
ate on setting things up here, but delegate the minutia. That’s what the more experienced Rangers are for. Most of them are former slaves and refugees, so they know exactly what the people they’re helping are going through.”
“You’re right, and a genius,” Ayan replied.
“I’ve just finished a few more orbits than you have,” Carl replied. “Let go of your vision for a couple hours at a time so you’re sure people are being treated properly, but get back to big picture thinking, that’s what people need from you.”
“You don’t even know exactly what I’m planning,” Ayan said. “No one really does.”
“The fact that you won’t say it aloud tells me that I’ll be amazed when you’re ready to tell me. I’ll wait.”
The sound of the lift rumbling up the centre of the tower drew both their attention to the double doors at the centre of the large room. “We have this to get through first, and I have a feeling it’s going to be interesting.”
The doors opened and Lacey was the first to emerge from the large elevator car. She had taken to wearing the same outfit as Ayan, a white medium armour vacsuit and a sidearm. It wasn’t how Ayan was used to seeing her, but the simple uniform suited Lacey better than it suited her. Lacey was taller and more well proportioned, so she made the unforgiving white suit look good in comparison to how Ayan saw herself wearing it. The Triton emblem was placed on the upper left side of her chest, right shoulder and the middle of her back. The rank insignia matched Ayans’ Commander markings, only there was a green border drawn around it to mark her as Ayan’s official handler. Instead of the rare Violator handgun, Lacey carried a triple mode weapon called a Ziffer by its users that could stun, fire energy, or launch tiny superheated corrosive slugs.
Behind her was a man who was dressed in tattered ground dweller’s clothing – a loose shirt that might have been blue once, and heavy protective trousers. His boots were sealed to the knee, and Ayan could see the collar of a protective suit peeking up from under this planet side clothing. Two empty holsters made it plain that he was normally armed, and they had to take his weapons when he entered the base. He set a determined gaze on her the moment he emerged from the elevator. She had the distinct feeling that he had every intention to make the meeting as difficult as possible.
Randolph Lalonde - Spinward Fringe Broadcast 08 - Renegades Page 25
