by Frank Carey
"Damn."
"One more thing, Jinx, it looks like Zoe had Bart McSwain killed."
A stream of invectives in Old Elf flowed from the speakers. "I will write a poem for him. It will join Monica's at the shrine. But first, Zoe must die."
"Easy, Jinx, we play this by the book. Let us know the minute you're on-station. Command out."
"Sir, Jinx and Bart dated before she introduced him to Monica," Shasta said.
"In your estimation, Lieutenant, can Jinx handle this assignment?"
"Yes, sir. She and Rabbit are the best pilots we have in this sector."
"Good."
"Commander Sole?"
"Yes, Lieutenant?"
"Charis was created by Zoe,"
"And this could be a trap. That's why I'm sending Recon-9 with nucleonic missiles. For now, we observe while I get on the horn with Space Command and the Tralaskan government. If I detect even a hint of subterfuge, I will order that station, and all aboard her, turned into atomic dust. Watch Commander!"
"Sir!"
"Lieutenant Grey is with me until further notice. Shasta, you're going to brief the brass."
"Yes, sir!"
Shasta and the Station Commander walked out as Shasta's relief took her seat and prepared for the next scheduled call.
###
Bart jerked awake and violently looked around the room. He looked down at Monica's pendant hanging around his neck, and his pistol still in its holster. Rattled, he grabbed the water and drained it. According to his wrist chrono, only a few minutes had elapsed. "Damn, I must be losing it," he said as he checked the probes. Satisfied, that he had experienced a stress-induced nightmare, he grabbed his gear and quickly exited the room.
Bart's plan was a simple one, find an airlock, put a probe in it, and aim it at the door, then cycle the airlock. He had programmed all three drones to launch the moment they hit vacuum, he just needed to get them into space. He pulled up the station's schematics and searched for the nearest airlock. "Dammit, this sub-level doesn't have one. Well, at least sub-level six does..." Then he remembered the strykers had come from the level above him. Shrugging, he headed to the nearest gangway.
###
Recon-9 quietly arrived on station and headed to Charybdis on a course which mimicked the meteoroids around them. After many course changes and tumble maneuvers, they parked behind a large asteroid orbiting near the station. Satisfied they hadn't been seen, they dropped small probes on the rock's surface. Once down, the probes quickly moved to where they could watch the station.
"Space Patrol Actual, this is Recon-9 on station. Probes in place and collecting data. Do you copy? Over?"
"Recon-9, this is Actual. We are receiving you five by five. Report!"
"We are parked within sight of the station. There is a large ship, possibly mechanoid, docked on her port side. The station looks intact, though I am picking up debris floating outside the habitat levels."
"Any bodies?"
Jinx took a moment. "Actual, this is Rabbit. No sign of Bart. The probes' sensors can't penetrate the station's shields."
"Sorry, actual, Bart was a close friend," Jinx said as she composed herself. "Orders?"
"Prepare missiles for launch and stand by."
"Roger that, Actual. Recon-9 standing by." She killed the connection. "Thanks, Rabbit. Now, tell me you brought your special rocks." Jinx looked out the cockpit window and saw her friend sitting inside her ship and waving a softball-sized rock.
"Of course. I just need to measure the relative trajectories of the local debris field so that I can program a random-looking trajectory."
"I love it when you talk tech. Get to work, young lady. We have some spying to do."
CHAPTER FOUR
Zoe stood on the station's bridge surrounded by strykers. Standing next to her was Charis, still wearing her synthetic body. They stood there silent as rocks floated past the station.
"Rocks, rocks, everywhere and not even one I can throw. Charis, my child, how did the transmission go?"
"Fine, mistress. Space Command won't bother us for at least 48-hours. I would guess that it will be longer since this station is low priority."
"Then why have a repair tech stationed here?"
"Bart requested the assignment. He wanted to be away from everything living."
"Why?"
"His wife died saving a station they were stationed on. He watched her death, and it affected him. He read the reports of what happened here and felt he belonged amongst the ghosts."
"Do you hate me for killing him?"
"Mistress, you of all people should know I don't feel emotions."
"Just checking. What is the status of the stryker revivals?"
"Forty-two strykers have survived and are preparing for action."
"GELFs?"
"As you are aware, Nana Tor and Marcus Wen are now part of Elf Marine Expeditionary Force Stryker Team 1, the six other GELF strykers are in Cube rehab."
"What about the fluids?"
"Working... Malfunction. Sub-level-6, Fluid Lab has been disconnected from network. Status... Mistress, the last log entry from the lab indicates the temporal field generator was starting an accelerated time stream test. There are no further entries."
"What was the acceleration factor?"
"Five-hundred-thousand times local."
"What? That's impossible. What was the test duration?"
"One-year."
Zoe's eyes went huge. "Put details on main screen."
The Control Room's main viewer lit up and filled with data. Zoe read it, then read it again. "I want a team of ten of our best strykers in that lab. I need to know what the hell is going on down there. Move!"
Ten of the gathered strykers ran out of the room with weapons drawn while Charis continued to watch out the window with a smirk on her face.
"You, the being without emotion, finds something amusing?"
"Not amusing, just interesting. You created a nanorobot-based life form and let it evolve over the equivalent of a half-million years. I hope they're friendly."
###
Bart opened the door a crack and took a quick look around. The corridor was empty, so he stepped into it, carefully closing the hatch behind him. Checking his map, he headed left. "Six doors... There it is..." A door labeled "Airlock" was embedded in the left wall. He ran over and checked the status display. Seeing all green lights, he opened the inner door and placed the probe inside. He activated its guidance system, then sealed the inner hatch before cycling the lock. The little probe reoriented itself before dropping into other-space. "One away! Safe journey little one." He grabbed his pack and started to head to the next lock when an open lab door caught his attention. He checked his map. "That's not the stryker lab, so why is that door open?"
He walked over and peered inside as the automatic lights came on. The room was completely empty except for a glowing sphere in its center. He stood transfixed by the silver globe.
"Hands up!" a voice said from behind him. Bart turned around to find ten strykers leveling weapons at him. "Identify yourself!"
Bart said nothing as he tried to figure a way out of the mess he suddenly found himself in.
The lead stryker pushed the muzzle of his wrist-mounted rail gun against Bart's forehead. "Identify yourself!"
"My name is..." Bart never finished his sentence. A silver shape rose from the floor. The strykers opened fire on it, but their weapons had no effect on the shape as it engulfed them all. In moments, the strykers were gone, leaving Bart stuck between a big silver shape blocking the door and a glowing silver ball floating in the middle of the room. He looked at the shape and saw a distorted image of himself reflected in its surface.
"Ummm, thanks for taking care of those strykers. Can you tell me what you did with them?"
The shape said nothing as it continued to sit (stand?) between him and the door.
"OK, my name is Bart, what's yours?"
Silence.
"Right.
Look, I've got some work to do, so I'll be on my..."
A piece of the shape broke off and morphed into Monica. Before he could scream, she reached out and touched his arm. "Take a break, lover. You've earned it." She caught him as he fell to the ground dead-asleep.
###
The first probe appeared directly over the Space Patrol Earth Control Center and floated there with its beacon transmitting. In minutes, a station tug was dispatched to retrieve it.
"Shasta, what do we have?" the station commander asked while he stared at the probe.
"Sir, you are not going to believe this," she said before displaying the message Bart sent.
###
The space rock hit the station like countless space rocks did before it, only this one didn't bounce off. It stayed in place as grippers emerged from its sides and grabbed hold of the hull with their magnets. There it sat as others of its kind joined it.
"Actual, this is Recon-9. Do you copy? Over," Jinx radioed.
"Recon-9, this is actual. We read you five by five. Sitrep!"
"Asteroid probes in place and active. Twelve faux-rock probes in place on outer skin of Charybdis and standing by. Over."
"Report received. Recon-9, stand by for priority message from Station Commander, over."
"Recon-9 standing by."
"What now?" Rabbit asked.
"You got me," Jinx replied.
"Jinx, you there? This is Sole."
"I'm here, sir."
"Rabbit with you?"
"I'm here, Commander."
"We just got a message from Bart. As of five minutes ago, he was alive, well, and hiding in sub-level six. Do you copy? Over."
"Wh... What did you say, sir?"
"Lieutenant Bartholomew McSwain is alive, over."
Jinx stared out the window at the station. "He's alive?"
"Yahoo!" Rabbit said as she did an in-place barrel roll.
"Yes, Jinx, that ornery tech is alive. You are to place rocks at all sub-level six airlocks. I want one in his hands ASAP. We can use it to set up a secure comm link with him. Over."
"Roger that, Actual. Probes underway. Recon-9 standing by." Jinx leaned her head back and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she saw an upside-down Rabbit staring at her from above. "You have something to say?"
"How long have you had the hots for Bart?"
"Too long. I lost him once to my best friend. I thought I lost him again, but the reports of his death were greatly exaggerated. I'm not going to lose him again."
"You go, girl," Rabbit replied while returning to her station in the upright position.
"Damn skippy," Jinx replied quietly as she monitored the dispersing of faux rocks.
###
Scowling, Zoe paced the control room like a caged animal, flicking random switches on any console she passed while Charis made sure all controls in the room had been bypassed for safety. "Where are they? I send ten of my top strykers to check out a lab, so what's taking so long? Did they stop at the shop to polish their armor? Charis!"
"Mistress?"
"Scan the lower levels. I want to know what the hell is going on down there."
"Yes, mistress. Scanning... Hmmm, we have a containment breach of lab reactor four. Sub-level six has been sealed-off by the automatic safety system. No sign of the strykers, though the containment breach does coincide with their re-entry into the sub-level."
"Any sign of the fluids?"
"No, mistress, though scans of the level are now made difficult by the radiation levels."
"Then we need to change our plans."
"It would help if I knew what those plans were, mistress."
"Damn, I knew I forgot something. My plan was to take strykers and fluids to Government World where the strykers would take the government hostage while the fluids take over all five InterWebs. Once I am in charge, I will raise Tralaskans to their proper places as the rulers of the League."
"Permission to speak freely, mistress."
"Always."
Tralaska has disavowed you and your beliefs. In my humble opinion, the League will nuke this site the moment they find out you are alive. I suggest you find a quiet, out-of-the-way planet and retire there until natural death overcomes you. People are tired of what you are trying to sell them."
"Are you through?"
"Yes, mistress."
"Are you still working for me?"
"Yes, mistress. I only serve you."
"Good. Do we have any probe bots up here on the main deck?"
"I will check inventory... No, but a crate was delivered to the habitat level before the station was abandoned. I have located it in security closet six."
"Damn, it’ll take time to re-pressurize the whole level..."
"Three hours until minimum safe pressure is reached. We could send a stryker."
"Not to disparage my own children, but this group is just barely above moron. Remind me, is your body vacuum rated?"
"Yes, mistress."
"Perfect. Go fetch the probe bots, then release them in the lower levels. I want to see what the hell is going on down there."
"Yes, mistress." Charis turned and headed to one of the gangways leading to the upper levels.
CHAPTER FIVE
Bart found the next airlock and repeated the launch sequence for drone number two. As the lock cycled shut from the outside, he heard an odd knocking sound. Looking around, he realized something inside the lock was trying to get into the station, so he looked through the inspection window, but found the lock empty. Shrugging, he turned away only to hear the knocking once more. Taking out his weapon and aiming it at the inner door, he cycled the lock open. On the floor of the lock stood a softball-sized rock with metal, spider-like legs. Before he could utter a word, the bot climbed to the top of a pile of crates where it projected an image on the opposite wall.
"Bart!" the rock said as an image of his friend, Jinx, formed on the wall, "is that really you?"
"Jinx! Yeah, it's me. Damn, girl, it's good to see you. Are you crying?"
"Shut up, fool. We thought you were dead."
"What? OK, stop, compose yourself, and explain this to me."
She told him about the message the command center had received from the station. "Bart, unless we're missing something, Charis is trying to help. Though why she tried to kill you..."
"Behavioral modifiers. Charis is an incredibly complex computer program. I'd bet Zoe added behavioral modifying subroutines to her code. If she gets out of line, she risks pain."
"Then how did she send the message?"
"She was probably instructed to send the fake message without any direction as to how she sent it."
"She found a loophole?"
"Yes, she found a loophole. This is conjecture, of course. Zoe may already know we're here and she's just playing with us."
"Bart, Station Commander Sole would like to speak with you."
"Put him through," Bart replied while straightening his tunic.
"Lieutenant McSwain, it is good to see you're alive," Sole said as the image of his face replaced Jinx's.
"Commander, sir!" Bart said while snapping a sharp salute. "Thank you, sir. It is good to be alive."
"Yeah, maybe not. Jinx, Rabbit, this involves you as well. I just got off the horn with Government World. Your orders are to take that station at all costs. If you find the situation is hopeless, you are to detonate the power core. If we don't hear from you in three hours, I am ordering Jinx and Rabbit to fire on the station with four nucleonic missiles. If they see that ship breaking seal, they are ordered to use the missiles to destroy both the ship and the station."
"Jinx, sir. You're asking Bart to die..."
"He knows that, girlfriend. Commander! Message received and understood. Question: What about Zoe? Do I try to take her into custody?"
"What I am about to tell you is so secret, you will need a clearance just to remember it. The Tralaskans have taken out a contract on Dr. Muntz, and the League has taken it. Y
ou are to terminate her and all remaining strykers. We don't care how, but we cannot continue to live under the threat of Zoe Muntz. In effect, the League of Planetary Systems has declared war on Dr. Zoe Muntz. Do you understand, son? She is an enemy of the state and will be terminated either by you, those four missiles, or the battle group heading your way."
"Understood, sir. Consider the problem taken care of. Is there anything else, sir?"
"Isn't that enough? You've had a rough few months, and I wish I could say or do something to make things better, but I can't. You have drawn the ultimate shit card. Give them hell, Bart. Space Patrol Earth Command Center standing by."
Jinx lit off a string of Elf expletives that would make an immortal blush. Bart waited until there was a lull in the stream of curses. "Elanor Rinval, what's going on?"
Her image returned to the wall. She glared at him. "I... I don't know where to begin."
He smiled at her. "El, how long ago did you and I meet?"
"Fifteen years ago. We were at university."
"Were you in love with me then, or did you wait until I met Monica?"
"Damn you!"
He looked to the ceiling. "El, events of the last few hours have shown me that this hermit shit is just that, shit. Yes, I loved Monica, and I always will, but using these bizarre station postings will not bring her back. I want to move on and get back to my life." He leaned forward. "I was wondering if you and I could have dinner when I get back. Just the two of us going someplace nice, someplace that serves wine, maybe with a piano."
She looked at him with her elf eyes while her tail made an appearance over her shoulder. It was as if she had stored her pet snake inside her spacesuit. "I'd really like that. Just don't stand me up. I have a temper, you know."
"So, I have heard. Look, I've got this thing I must do first. I'll talk to you in three hours."
"Three hours it is. Take the rock with you. It makes a good weapon."
