by M. D. Cooper
“So, what’s going on?” Cargo asked. “Got another super-secret, super-dangerous mission for us?”
“Yes,” Tanis replied simply. Silence met her statement and, after another sip of coffee, Tanis continued, “This one is for Sabrina, though you guys make a great team, so I hope you’ll sign on.”
“It is,” Tanis nodded. “You caused the…situation so it’s only fitting that you are instrumental in cleaning it up.”
“Uh oh, what’d ya do, Sabrina?” Misha asked.
Jessica watched a small smile play at the corners of Tanis’s mouth as she spoke. “There’s this little thing happening in the Inner Stars. It started about eighteen years ago, a rebellion amongst the AIs.”
Cargo snorted. “I knew that would come back to bite us in the ass.”
Sabrina responded.
Tanis held up a hand. “Sabrina, for the record, I agree with what you did, and not just because it saved Jessica.”
“So, you want us to go back in?” Jessica asked. “Back into the Inner Stars? I distinctly recall saying something along the lines of ‘no effing way’ not too long ago.”
“I do, but it’s strictly volunteer,” Tanis replied. “The problem is that the AI are not all of one mind. Most are following the path that you, Sabrina, along with Iris, Erin, and Hank, laid out for them. But some are not. Those are broken into two camps, from what Sera knows. The first is a group who wish to destroy all humans. It’s composed of AIs from cultures that were much less accommodating of AI than most. There are others that have been either courted, or subverted by Airtha—we’re not entirely certain which. We’ve also learned from Garza that the Orion Guard plans to use this rebellion as a way to marshal more interstellar nations to their side—playing up the whole anti-AI, low-tech angle. Bob wishes to send an emissary that will turn those two groups back to a path of coexistence.”
“One of them,” Tanis replied. “Amavia will be the other.”
Tanis nodded in Jessica’s direction before looking to the glowing pillar of light that Sabrina manifested in the galley, smiling at how it pulsed excitedly. “That’s the plan. Amavia and Sabrina are necessary for the mission, so if you aren’t up for it, Sabrina, I need to know now. Amavia, however, has already signed on.”
“I imagine it is,” Tanis said in agreement before looking over the rest of the group. “I can’t force any of you to go on this mission. You all have more than earned your place here, in New Canaan.
“However, Sabrina does not own this ship, and you are also an exceptional crew. It would have a higher chance of success with all of you present.”
Jessica watched the crew as Tanis spoke. Not all of their expressions showed excitement. Cargo, especially, looked unhappy—though that could still be from a lack of sleep.
It was he that spoke first. “Part of what you said is not true.”
“It isn’t?” Tanis asked. “Which part?”
“The part about Sabrina not owning the ship. The ship is hers. I transferred the deed to her already, I just hadn’t announced it yet,” Cargo replied, a smile creeping across his face as he spoke.
Cargo chuckled. “Yes, Sabrina, you own you. Even though I think you have an unhealthy mental attachment to this ship as ‘you’.”
“Does that mean you’re in, Sabrina?” Tanis grinned.
“Good,” Tanis nodded. “Who else?”
Jessica sucked in a deep breath as Tanis’s eyes turned to her they held each other’s gaze, not blinking for what felt like forever. Jessica couldn’t tell if Tanis wanted her to go, or stay. Perhaps it was some of each.
Tanis finally said in private to Jessica.
Tanis said with a weak smile.
Tanis replied.
“I know we haven’t had a chance to discuss this, Trevor,” Jessica said aloud. “I hope you can forgive me for making my decision without talking it over with you, but I will go back into the Inner Stars.”
Trevor chuckled. “Man, that took you two forever to hash out. Of course we’re going back. It’s my fault that Sabrina had to free the AI on Chittering Hawk and then duck out before you all could teach them properly. I’m in, too.”
“Either way, I still feel responsible, and I’m not one to shirk responsibility,” Trevor replied.
Everyone looked to Cargo, Nance, and Misha.
“I’m not,” Cargo shook his head slowly. “I’ve been out in the black too long, I think. I really want to spend some time with dirt under my feet.”
Jessica felt a tear form in the corner of her eye. Hank and Cargo had both become dear friends over the years. Though she reminded herself that this wasn’t ‘goodbye’, it was just ‘see you soon’.
Erin said.
“I wish to say, as well,” Nance said. “I’ve already put in for training at the ISF’s Officer Training Academy.”
Jessica’s eyes widened at that. She had not expected Nance to even consider leaving the ship. The bio-turned-engineer had spent nearly thirty years of her life—over half of it, by Jessica’s count—on Sabrina. That she would leave and join the ISF OTA was completely out of the black.
Her reaction wasn’t unique. Everyone around the table looked at Nance in shock, including Sabrina, whose column of light drooped in dismay.
“I have to,” Nance replied. “It…It’s just too different now without Cheeky here…I
need a bit of stability for a while. I think the ISF will give me that.”
No one spoke for a moment before Misha laughed. “Well, I guess I’m going with you, Sabrina. I don’t know jack shit about New Canaan and its people, but I do know you, and I’m with you no matter what.”
“So, Sabrina, Jessica, Trevor, Misha, Amavia,” Tanis said. “You are all staying. The only one we haven’t heard from is Iris.”
“Then it’s decided,” Tanis said as she rose. “There’s a lot to do and I’ll let Amavia know to come down as soon as she’s completed her preparations. Jessica, if you have a moment…?”
Jessica rose as everyone in the room began to speak in low voices.
“What is it?” Jessica asked.
“Aren’t you going to be, Sabrina? You are the ship’s owner now,” Trevor said as he rose from his seat and stretched.
“Well, you’re the owner now,” Cargo said. “You pick your captain.”
“Pick!” Cargo glowered.
“Great,” Cargo said, a small grin showing on his tired face. “You’ve made your first decision as owner. How does it feel?”
Smiles and tired laughter met her statement, and Jessica followed Tanis out into the passageway.
“What is it?” Jessica asked.
“Just walk with me for a bit,” Tanis replied.
HUYGENS
STELLAR DATE: 03.28.8948 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: TSS Nostra (interstellar pinnace)
REGION: On approach to High Airtha, Huygens System
Adrienne stood at the rear of the pinnace’s cockpit and frowned at the holodisplay of the Huygens System over the shoulders of his children. He was certain Aaron and Kara were less than pleased to have him looming over them, but he wanted to gather as much information as possible about the state of the system before they landed.
Despite all of Sera’s hand waving about Airtha being some great evil entity, nothing appeared to be amiss. There was a slightly larger ratio of TSF to civilian traffic—though that was to be expected with the Transcend perched on the precipice of full-scale war with Orion.
Adrienne sighed quietly. Miguel had been twitchy ever since Tanis Richards’s AI ‘corrected’ him a few hours ago. He had also been vehemently opposed to returning to Airtha, but Adrienne had convinced him that learning what Airtha was up to was of critical importance to the Transcend.
Plus, Adrienne still wasn’t convinced that Airtha was behind all this. He had known her for ages, ever since President Tomlinson had introduced them a few thousand years ago. If she were so evil, and bent on destroying or dominating the Transcend, what had taken her so long?
He would announce that everything was proceeding according to plan in New Canaan, while beginning his own investigation into Airtha, her origins, and her possible goals.
Adrienne knew that he would have little time to do so. Sera had already begun sending out her message drones before he left, and even though the destination systems were told not to spread the news of the President’s assassination in New Canaan, it would only be a matter of time before word reached Airtha.
If she did have evil, nefarious goals, they would certainly be revealed at that point.
If nothing else, Miguel did possess the knowledge of how Angela had freed him from Myriad’s control. Should they discover that Airtha did not have the Transcend’s best intentions at heart, they could use the hack to free the AIs of the Huygens system. With their combined might, Airtha would be overwhelmed.
Adrienne considered that if Airtha was behind the attack in New Canaan, he could likely spin the President’s death to be her fault. Liberating the AIs of the system coupled with that revelation would certainly solidify his position as the Transcend Interstellar Alliance’s new President.
“What’s our ETA to High Airtha?” he asked. “I need to get down there as quickly as possible.”
“I’ve sent in our request to the STC—we’re waiting for their response,” Kara said in her eerily synthetic voice, a result of the mods she and Aaron had undergone.
“Just got our place… Damn! We’re number three-seventy-two,” Aaron added. “Going to be a bit.”
“Why aren’t you in the high-priority queue?” Adrienne demanded.
“This is the high priority queue,” the Kara replied. “It seems like half the government officials in the Transcend are descending on Airtha.”
His children, and primary protectors, shared a worried look, and Adrienne shared their sentiment. There were no major summits planned. In fact, with war looming, all regional leaders should be ensuring that their sectors were on a war footing, not convening in Airtha.
“Miguel, are you certain there is nothing on the beacon about this?” he asked aloud.
“There’s nothing on the news feeds, either,” Kara added. “You’d think they’d be all over an unexpected influx of officials like this.”
“You certainly would,” Adrienne agreed as he stroked his chin.
“I can jump the queue,” Aaron said. “It’s not like STC is gonna shoot down a ship with you on it.”
“No,” Adrienne shook his head. “Our fiction is best maintained if we don’t act suspicious. Remember, when we land, no word about what happened in New Canaan. Governor Richards is amenable to our terms and President Tomlinson is in negotiations with her. I’ve been sent back to attend to matters of state while he wraps up his work there.”
“Of course, sir,” Kara replied.
“Are you certain?” Aaron asked nervously. “If what they were saying in New Canaan is true, then Airtha is the most dangerous threat the Transcend has ever faced.”
Adrienne smiled and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Aaron. We’re going to get to the bottom of this. If Airtha is the enemy, we’ll take her down. Just like we’ve done with everyone else that has gotten in our way.”
* * * * *
Adrienne ducked under the low-hanging nose of the pinnace as he walked down the ship’s ramp onto the pad. Around him, the smell of ionized atoms, from grav drives and platform lifts running overtime to manage the influx of ships, hung thick in the air.
The spaceport was humming with activity, but beyond its bounds, thick green forests carpeted low hills and birds soared overhead in the blue skies. Soon they would be driving through their shrouded passages before taking a tunnel up to the ring above.
Aaron and Kara followed behind him, and he knew they were surveying the area for threats and dangers—as they had been trained to do so long ago.
It was a good thing, being able to trust people to have one’s back. Long ago, Adrienne ha
d relied on allies and hired security to keep him safe, but over time, all of those had let him down.
Instead, he decided to breed his allies. Kara and Aaron were the latest of his children, a brood now numbering in the thousands, all carefully modified from inception to possess a fierce loyalty to him.
He was especially proud of these two—they were twins who loved one another nearly as much as they loved him. Their dedication to his safety and his grand designs had caused them to slowly modify their bodies into what they believed was the perfect form to carry out any mission he required.
Perfect until they came up with the next modification.
Kara moved past him and he saw that her lower set of arms hover close to the sidearms strapped to her hips, while her upper arms were raised, ready to grab the large rifle which hung across her back, carefully placed between her wings.
“Oh, it feels good to stretch,” Aaron said from behind him, and Adrienne glanced back to see him unfold his wings and spread them out, the six-meter span of black polymer blotting out Huygens light, creating a dark silhouette behind him.
Aaron cocked his head, and Adrienne imagined he was smiling, though it was impossible to tell through the featureless black oval that was his head.
He hadn’t seen either Kara’s or Aaron’s face in years, supposing they still had them—there certainly wasn’t room for a nose. They had affected their featureless appearance to strike fear in their enemies, to never allow a facial expression to give away their intentions. It was effective; even Adrienne could rarely tell what they were thinking, though he had picked up on cues over the years.
Ultimately, their personal alterations to better protect Adrienne pleased him. It showed that they had dedicated every part of themselves to him. Mind, body, and soul.
He thought of them as his dark angels, though they preferred to be viewed as demons.
“Father!” a voice called out from across the platform, and Adrienne zoomed his vision to see one of his sons, Lear, waving from beside a black groundcar.
Adrienne replied to Lear.
