by M. D. Cooper
The governor smiled as he looked over the crowd. “Wouldn’t miss it. Might be the last time I get to see my girl in some time. You be careful with her when you go out there.”
“Don’t worry, the I2 is a lot tougher than she looks.”
Jason gave a soft laugh. “And that’s saying something, because she looks damn tough with all the work you did. I’m glad you renamed her. I know its bad luck and all, but it wouldn’t feel right to have the name of our home be applied to a feared warship.”
“Don’t worry, Bob spent a year scouring the ship for any reference to its old name before we performed the ceremonies.”
Jason raised an eyebrow. “Bob?”
“Personally,” Tanis replied. “He was very fastidious about it.”
“His unhealthy obsession with luck.” Jason shook his head.
Tanis replied.
“Tanis!” a voice called out, and they turned to see Finaeus approaching. “I haven’t been able thank you personally yet! Chief Engineer of the I2! This is the role of a lifetime—even a lifetime as long as my own.”
“You’re very welcome.” Tanis gave an awkward smile as Finaeus took her hands in his. “No, seriously, you’ve saved me from Seraphina’s insistence that I take her place as the President of the Transcend. I can never repay you. There is nothing I want less in this galaxy than to become the next Tomlinson on that throne.”
“But you’d wish it on Sera?” Jason asked with a raised eyebrow.
Tanis couldn’t help but notice that Jason appeared legitimately upset. That flame he burned for Sera appeared to still be lit after all these years.
Who knew…with Elena no longer in her future, perhaps Sera would eventually resume her dalliance with Jason.
“Well,” Finaeus replied with an elbow to Jason’s side, “better her than me, don’t you say?”
If there was one thing that Tanis had learned about Finaeus, it was that the man missed nothing—though it never seemed to stop him from digging himself into verbal faux pas. It was almost as though he liked to create conflict around himself.
“Yes, I suspect it is better,” Jason replied with little humor in his voice.
“Speak of the devil,” Tanis said as Sera approached the group.
“Oh, this can’t be good,” Sera said with a shake of her head. “What are the three of you up to?”
“Just thanking Tanis for taking me in so that you’ll leave me alone,” Finaeus said.
Sera laughed, a sight that warmed Tanis’s heart. Too little laughter had been heard of late.
“You know I’m coming along, right?” Sera asked. “You’re not getting away from me that easily.”
Finaeus’s eyes darted to Tanis. “Really? I have a job and I’m still in range of Seraphina’s insistence that I take her place?”
“Seriously, Uncle, I haven’t pestered you about that in days.”
“That’s because you haven’t seen me in days.”
Tanis felt a hand touch her on the shoulder and turned to see Cary and Saanvi, each holding several BLTs.
“Better grab one, Mom,” Saanvi said while gesturing to the almost empty platter. “They’re nearly gone.”
“What the…” Tanis muttered. “I just brought these out here!”
“Everyone loves a good BLT.” Cary shrugged. “Should make it the official food of the colony, or something.”
Tanis picked up two sandwiches, not ashamed to double-fist them if it meant she would get her fill.
“You guys are looking pretty good,” she commented before taking a mouthful.
Saanvi smiled, and Cary spun in a circle. “Yeah, dress blues are our color for sure,” she said.
“I meant your health,” Tanis replied, “but yes, you look good in uniform, too. How have the first few days of OTA been?”
Saanvi frowned. “Like you have to ask, Mom. They’ve been brutal. I didn’t even know half the things that we’ve had to clean even existed.”
“And I’m certain we have twice the classwork of any other cadet,” Cary added. “At least that task master of a commandant let us come to this party.”
“That commandant is right here,” Joe said from behind the girls, and Tanis almost spit out a piece of lettuce as she laughed at the expression on their face.
“Umm…sir…Dad?” Cary sputtered. “Sorry?”
“Dad is fine,” Joe replied.
“But we’re in uniform,” Saanvi said.
“Yes, but I’m not,” Joe said as he stretched. “Probably the last time, too, for the foreseeable future. I’ve ordered a cot for my office.”
“Don’t work yourself too hard,” Tanis said.
“What about us?” Saanvi asked. “Shouldn’t he work us less hard?”
“You?” Tanis asked. “No, quite the opposite. The more work you have, the less trouble the pair of you can get into.”
“JP!” Tanis exclaimed as the young blond man approached, lanky arms swinging at his sides. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“I didn’t expect to be, ma’am, sir,” JP replied with a deferential nod to Tanis then Joe. “But Saanvi got me a pass to come up, so here I am!”
Tanis noticed that Saanvi’s eyes were wide with surprise, and Cary’s had that mischievous twinkle that was present more often than not.
“How are Blossom and West Wind?” Cary asked. “Are you making sure they get their exercise?”
“Of course,” JP replied. “Though soon that will be Pita’s job—I’m joining you two at the academy next week!”
Joe nodded to Tanis from behind the girls and JP, and they stepped away from the kids.
“Hear that, honey?” Tanis asked Joe. “Angela’s latest is Feleena.”
“Huh,” Joe said as he took Tanis’s hand. “Feleena…what about Faleena, has a bit of a ring to it.”
“I am,” Tanis replied. “Oh eight-hundred tomorrow. We’ll make a baby.”
“A little less intimate than the previous time,” Joe chuckled.
Tanis leaned her head against his shoulder for a moment before they began to walk through the crowd, greeting every person they met, shaking hands, smiling, sharing in the joy that was building as the late afternoon light from the long sun began to fade.
An hour later, they found themselves at the beach, where a fire was burning on the sand, the crew of Sabrina seated around it, sharing in one last communion before they departed the next day.
Sera and Finaeus were with them, and Tanis took a seat as well, while Joe begged off to speak with Admiral Sanderson about a logistical issue that couldn’t wait until the next day.
Jessica smiled and patted the space on the log next to her. “Glad you made it, Tanis, we were just taking bets on how many more times you’re going to have someone stab you in the heart. Any assassin worth their salt has gotta realize by now that taking off your head is the only way to go.”
“Seriously?” Tanis asked as she looked around the group. “This is what you do for fun?”
“Well, it started with how long it was going to take me to accidentally lop off a limb running my farm planet-side,” Cargo said.
“But any conversation about losing limbs eventually shifts to you,” Sera said. “You are the queen of getting blown up and being put back together again.”
“A what?” Misha asked.
Tanis joined in the conversation, and eventually placed a bet on the number of future chest wounds she’d take before someone put one in her head—sixteen. It was morbid, but the way Sabrina’s crew examined the options had her in stiches more than once.
Across the fire, Amavia was mostly silent, though she did make a few astute observations about Tanis’s ability to defend herself and how that affected the odds.
Tanis did her best not to consider how bittersweet it was. Cargo, Hank, and Nance would be leaving Sabrina while Amavia would join them, along with Erin in a mobile form—one that was eerily similar to Ylonda’s old one.
“So, are you ready, Captain Keller?” Tanis asked Jessica when the talk of odds and her death shifted to a new topic.
“Is that a trick question?” Jessica laughed. “Of course not. Not even a little bit. We’re just going off to stop the onset of the third sentience war. No big deal.”
“If it makes you feel any better, it’ll probably just be considered a part of this war with Orion,” Tanis said.
“Mmmmm…nope, doesn’t make it feel better.”
“Well, we’ll be out there, too,” Tanis offered. “I imagine the early battlespaces will all be in the Inner Stars.”
“Not going to focus on your little civil war first?” Jessica asked.
“Well, we will, but I’m putting that in Greer and Isyra’s hands to start with. Our initial work there will mostly be drawing lines.”
“That thing you told me about…” Jessica began.
“It’s still a thing. I need you to be careful.”
“Sounds like we all need to be careful,” Jessica replied.
“About what?” Misha asked.
Tanis smiled. “These days? Pretty much everything.”
“Amen to that,” Cargo said as he raised his glass. “Everyone watch their backs and get home safe.”
Tanis replied.
STARFLIGHT
STELLAR DATE: 06.19.8948 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: High Carthage
REGION: Carthage, New Canaan System
Tanis’s gaze swept across the assemblage, settling for a moment on the face of each member of Project Starshield’s leadership. Some she knew well, Earnest and Abby foremost—her long feud with Abby finally healed in recent years—Erin, of course, and others who she had worked with for centuries.
Governor Andrews was present, as well, for this, one of their last official acts during the transfer of power.
Others she knew less well. Many had been children back in Victoria, two were even original Hyperion crewmembers, the ones who had opted for rejuvination and joined the Edeners—now Carthaginians.
Even so, she trusted them all implicitly. These sixteen AIs, men, and women would save New Canaan. They would ensure that no further attacks came, that no enemy fleet would ever pass through New Canaan’s heliopause again.
“You know what this means,” Tanis said as she looked over the team before her.
Earnest was the first to speak. “Starshield is no longer sufficient. It assumed that we had an ally in the Transcend that we could trust enough not to invade us. Now we are exposed to all.”
“That is correct,” Tanis replied. “As my final act as governor, I am transitioning Project Starshield to Project Starflight. The next time someone comes calling, we won’t be here.”
Whispers and muttering erupted around the table, and, as Tanis anticipated, Abby was the first to speak.
“Tanis, we could be attacked next week. It takes a long time to move a star. Centuries, millennia!”
Tanis nodded. “Our only other option is to leave New Canaan, but I’m done running. I know you are, too.”
“Technically, if we run away with our star, we’re still running,” Earnest said with a small grin. “Nevertheless, Tanis, if you’re suggesting this, I suspect you have a plan.”
“And don’t say Sahkarov drive. That will take forever to move Canaan Prime,” Erin added.
“You’re right,” Tanis agreed. “We’d also have to build the Dyson sphere much closer to the star—too close for most of our worlds. The Starshield Dyson sphere is still a go for placement at the heliopause, but we’ll ensure, first and foremost, that it obscures Canaan Prime from any nearby systems, then continue to erect the entire shield.”
“And moving the star?” Grishom, one of the senior engineering architects asked.
“Angela and I spent some time researching options. We looked at a Sahkarov drive, at focusing the star’s jets, flares, magnetics—even using black holes to pull it like the Transcend is doing with Huygens. However, all of those are too slow. We need something faster. A lot faster.”
Tanis saw that the faces around the table, human and AI alike, were serious and nodding. She allowed a slight smile.
“Angela and I think that we can use asymmetrical burning. We’ll target the north pole of Canaan Prime and harness a third of the star’s energy output, directing it out the pole. I’ve put the details your R&D net. If our calculations are correct, we can get Canaan Prime accelerating at one to the negative three meters per second per second. That rate of acceleration should remain consistent.”
“Shit...” one of the engineers whispered. “If this is right…if we can do this…we can move Canaan Prime nearly half a billion kilometers in a year.”
“I bet we can do better than that,” Earnest said with a glint in his eyes. “If we can burn asymmetrically, we can burn on the star’s equator for the planets, using mirrors to give them enough light, and the rest of the star’s energy going straight out the north pole could even trigger some coronal mass ejections to kick-start the whole thing.”
“It has merit, Tanis,” Abby said. “I’ll admit, the idea of becoming a K2 civilization excites me.”
“If we’re using the star’s energy for propulsion, does it really count as K2?” one of the engineers asked.
“How will we support Starshield’s energy requirements? If we’re sending most of Canaan Prime’s energy out the north pole, we’ll limit solar radiation to Starshield,” another added.
“Just the opposite,” Grishom exclaimed. “It lessens Starshield’s requirements. Even if people jump in a hundred AU from Canaan Prime, they won’t be able to see it. The star will be black at many latitudes, and we’ll focus the light on the planets that need it. We’re going to need to step up our mining operations to pull this off.”
Erin gave a short nod to Tanis. “You got it. I also have crews spinning up crawlers to go through the wrecks. Once we’ve stripped them down, we can use their hulls for raw construction materials—either of new ships, or whatever you need.”
“It still won’t be enough,” Earnest shook his head. “If we tore down one of our terrestrial worlds, sure, but we can’t do that—can we?”
“No,” Governor Andrews replied. “Definitely not an option.”
“I don’t think we’ll have to,” Tanis added. “I can secure one hundredth of a solar mass’ worth of carbon and oxygen. It may take a few years to get it all here, but it’ll be yours.”
A dozen questions er
upted around the table. Tanis was offering them ten times the mass of Carthage in a matter of years.
“Seriously, Tanis,” Abby asked, her voice rising above the others, “how will you do that?”
“I know the location of a white dwarf mine,” Tanis replied. “They’ve joined in our cause and have committed to supplying New Canaan with as much raw mass as we need.”
Earnest barked a laugh. “You don’t think small, do you, Tanis?”
Tanis stood. “You’re one to talk, Earnest. You built the largest colony ship ever, and invented picotech. I’ll leave you to plan it out.”
“But I want a timeline by end of day tomorrow,” Jason added.
Abby’s eyes snapped up to lock on his. “Shit…. Jason, you know this will take decades. This is unprecedented—even the Transcend hasn’t done anything like it.”
“What?” Tanis grinned at the team. “You can’t best the Transcend? Pull Finaeus in, then. I bet he’ll have some ideas.”
Earnest stroked his chin. “He would at that. You’ll give him clearance?”
“Done,” Jason nodded.
“OK, people,” Earnest rubbed his hands together. “We’re gonna move a star!”
NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS
STELLAR DATE: 06.23.8948 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Undisclosed
REGION: Jokar, Transcend Interstellar Alliance
Andrea reclined in the lounge chair and closed her eyes with a soft sigh. Why she hadn’t taken a vacation in years was beyond her. Of course, having all her responsibilities removed was quite the liberating event.
Fuck ’em—let the whole damn Transcend fall to pieces, for all she cared. Just give her a warm star, sparkling beach, and crystal blue surf dancing a dozen meters from her feet.
She heard footfall nearby and opened an eye to see a young man approaching. His perfectly tanned body was naked and ready for her inspection—or pleasure, should she desire it. Exile certainly had some excellent fringe benefits.
“Would madam like another drink?” the young man asked with a bow.
“Perhaps,” Andrea said. “Bring me something new, something I’ve never had before.”
“Of course, madam. Is there anything else you wish? Food, music, or perhaps company?” he asked, his voice soft and smooth, its deep tones pleasuring her ears.
