by M. D. Cooper
Katrina paused, her eyes meeting Joe’s. “So Bob altered the AIs’ weapon.”
“Tanis,” Joe said quietly.
“More importantly, Tanis and Angela. I know that for most people, Tanis is a curiosity. Sort of a ‘why hasn’t she gone insane, yet’ enigma. Xavia believes that Bob has been subtly altering Tanis to make her more powerful than a non-ascended being would otherwise be. Which is what’s so interesting about your daughters. Well, specifically Cary and Faleena. Though the fact that your daughter can do what she can with Saanvi is very curious.”
Joe couldn’t stop his eyes from narrowing. The way that Katrina spoke of his daughters like they were an experiment bothered him even more than the thought of Bob altering Tanis and Angela.
Katrina carried on, either not noticing, or not caring about Joe’s clouded expression. “Anyway, it makes me wonder if Bob intends for Cary and Faleena to be a backup in case something happens to Tanis.”
Joe leant back against the room’s desk and turned his head, slowing his breathing and willing himself to calm down. Katrina stopped, finally realizing that she’d best be silent for a bit.
After a moment, Joe spoke. “These are some…incredible? incredulous? preposterous? accusations you’re throwing around.”
“Some of this is supposition. Some is evidenced by what I’ve seen or been told. Obviously, the core AIs and the Caretaker—which may be more than one entity, I’m not certain—are the enemy, and not exactly sharing their plans with us.”
Katrina took a step forward and met Joe’s eyes. “But I do know for sure that Xavia is endeavoring to see the Caretaker fail. She does not believe that humanity must be kept in check with war and destruction. However, she does not want Tanis to ignite the stars into an all-out war. She believes there is a way to establish a peace for humanity.”
“And what is that?” Joe asked.
“I don’t know, not exactly, anyway. It does involve Tanis, but Xavia doesn’t know Bob’s intentions. Bob has been manipulating you and Tanis for years, Joe. He’s been manipulating everyone on the Intrepid, and now this colony!”
“Why do you think he’s been ‘manipulating’ us?” Joe asked. “Perhaps we know exactly what’s going on.”
Katrina snorted. “Right, sure. Tell me another one, Joe.”
“We do know that Bob doesn’t share everything with us. He confessed long ago that he can predict the future with great accuracy, however, he has also admitted there are things he’s gotten wrong—probably because the other AIs fed him lies at some point that he thought were true, and it altered his algorithms. Either way, we don’t want to have some AI telling us the future. Does he alter things by knowing? Of course he does, it would be impossible not to—at least so long as he’s with us. But he’s remained with us because he wants to help keep us safe. Plain and simple.”
“So you trust Bob with your lives?” Katrina asked.
“Absolutely.”
Katrina raised an eyebrow. “Even if he’s fundamentally altering Tanis?”
“I’ve known Tanis for a long time,” Joe replied. “I know she and Angela are merging, becoming something more. If Bob is involved, perhaps he’s helping that process go smoothly. I imagine I owe him a debt of thanks. It’s probably his alterations that have kept the two of them from going insane.”
Katrina took a step forward and stared into Joe’s eyes. “What has made you such a believer in Bob’s altruism?”
“Centuries of mutual trust. Why do you believe Xavia so much?”
“Because I’d be a despotic empress without her.”
Joe nodded slowly. “So you say. But I don’t think I can believe you, so long as her remnant resides within you.”
He turned to the door as it slid open and nodded solemnly.
“Trine. Take it out of her.”
FALL
STELLAR DATE: 08.17.8949 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: ISS Aegeus approaching Pyra
REGION: Albany System, Thebes, Septhian Alliance
Judine Station turned out to be just another leg in the journey. Before they’d arrived, General Mill’s ship departed for Pyra, deeper in the system.
Luckily, Tanis had managed to make contact with the general’s ship; they had a meeting set up for shortly after the Aegeus arrived at Pyra.
The locals—Thebans, as they were known—were not excited about having a warship of unknown provenance travelling through their system. Only a short year ago, they had been a sovereign alliance, but after being attacked by Nietzschea, they had joined the Septhian Alliance for protection and stability.
The Thebans were still working out how to cooperate with the Septhians. As a Septhian herself, Oris’s assurances that the Aegeus was an allied ship were falling on deaf ears.
Oris had sent dispatches back to Lisbon to see why the authorizations for the ISF fleet had not reached Albany, but at best, those confirmations were over a month away.
Tanis could reach out to the I2 over the QuanComm network and get new authorizations, but with the way the Thebans were acting, she doubted they’d trust anything that didn’t come through proper channels.
Tanis nodded as she stepped off the lift and walked down the corridor to the flight deck where her pinnace waited.
“Afternoon, Admiral,” Brandt drawled as Tanis walked into the bay. The commandant was bent over a crate, a tray of food before her while four Marines stood nearby.
Tanis saluted the Marines, and nodded for them to board the pinnace. “Finishing your lunch, Commandant?”
“Yeah, I hate to eat and fly. Not sure why, just feels weird to me, it’s a new thing. I think I’m getting senile or something in my old age.”
“You realize we’re flying right now, Brandt.”
“Yeah…well, it’s different on a cruiser. I’d die if I didn’t eat on ships; I almost never set foot on dirt anymore.”
Tanis snorted a laugh. “Well, there’ll be food on the station too, so don’t gorge too much.”
Brandt finished her sandwich. “All set. Let’s get this show on the road.”
They boarded the pinnace and took seats in the forward cabin.
The captain made a choking sound.
Tanis could hear Angela attempting to perfect her groan and decided to ignore the AI.
Tanis laughed, and Angela replied on her
behalf.
The pinnace drifted out of the bay and cleared the Aegeus before boosting toward the station. Tanis watched idly as the pinnace filtered into the traffic around the planet, closing on Appalachia Station, where they’d meet General Mill.
Brandt whistled as she looked out of a window. “Stars, this place got pummeled.”
“Which, the station, or the planet?”
“Both. Though I was talking about the planet. There’s a big stretch of seacoast that’s just black. I guess that’s where their capital used to be. Most of their leadership got taken out when the Niets hit. Explains why they joined up with Septhia after that.”
“The Niets?” Tanis asked.
“Yeah, the Nietzscheans, Niets…. Haven’t you noticed that’s what the locals all call them?” Brandt asked.
“No,” Tanis shook her head. “I guess I’ve not been in touch with the folks.”
“Too much time as special-famous-visiting-dignitary-Tanis.” Brandt shook her head and squinted at Tanis as though evaluating the name’s fit. “I wonder if we can make an acronym for that.”
Tanis couldn’t help but laugh at Brandt. The woman was imperturbable about pretty much everything.
“Dunno,” Brandt mused, a hand tucked behind her neck, fingering her short locks as she thought. “Doesn’t have the right ring to it. However…Dignitary-Aristocratic-Famous-Tanis is perfect.”
“Stars, what did I do to deserve you two?”
“Not sure, must have been pretty awesome. You’re lucky to have us.” Brandt reached out and punched Tanis in the arm. “Ow! Damn. I forgot you hadn’t gotten a real left arm yet.”
Tanis held up her left hand and changed it from flesh tone to silver, then back. “It’s just so damn handy…”
“I got your back,” Brandt said, and let out an exaggerated groan. “That do?”
Tanis slid her lightwand out of her left arm and activated the electrostatic monofilament, watching as it shot out of the hilt before the electron flow activated.
“That seems longer than it used to be,” Brandt commented. “Are you compensating?”
“Funny. I was just demonstrating the benefits of a non-standard limb.”
Tanis sighed and switched off the light-wand and slid it back into her arm, straightening her jacket. “Here I am, trying to lighten up, and I get chastised. There’s no winning with you.”
“Lighten up. I see what you did there. It’s not like every Marine doesn’t have one of those, Tanis.” Brandt shrugged and pulled hers out of her boot. “I just don’t need to tuck it into my body. Anyone who tries to get this thing away from me can pry it from my cold, dead hands.”
“Where do you think I got my first one?” Tanis asked. “They weren’t standard issue in my branch. The CO of the 242nd Marines gave me this one as a gift.”
“Ender?” Brandt asked. “He was a good guy, I served under him way back, you know.”
Tanis snorted. “Of course I know. Who do you think recommended you to me before we left Sol?”
“Shit, Tanis, two centuries and there’s still new stuff to learn.”
Tanis pulled up the map and saw that the meeting with General Mill was not to be on his berthed ship, but rather in local recruitment office run by the Marauders. “Wonder if he doesn’t trust us, or if it’s just where he is right now.”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Brandt replied as she rose from her seat.
Outside the windows, they could see the dull grey bulkheads of the station surround the pinnace, and Tanis rose as they settled into their cradle.
Brandt shook her head. “ ‘Vac-Cav’. These guys are always so clever.”
The four Marines were already down the ramp, eyeing everyone in the bay—which held a dozen other passenger ships—with suspicion.
As she stepped onto the deck, Tanis spotted a woman weaving her way through the crowd with two soldiers at her back.
“Marauder insignia,” Brandt commented. “Looks like a captain.”
The woman approached and offered her hand. “Admiral Richards, I’m Captain Ayer with the Marauders.”
Tanis clasped the captain’s hand. “Very nice to meet you, Captain Ayer. This is Commandant Brandt.”
Brandt shook Ayer’s hand. “Also known as her personal security guard. The admiral gets in a lot of trouble.”
“Uh, yes, of course,” Ayer nodded. “Normally you wouldn’t be allowed on station carrying arms, but with a Marauder escort, I can bring you and two of your soldiers to the general without the need to leave your weapons behind.”
Tanis nodded, and Brandt signaled two of the Marines, corporals Johnny and Anne, to join them.
Angela interjected.
Brandt barked a laugh, and Tanis tried to ignore their banter as she spoke with Captain Ayer.
“Folks seem a bit on edge here in the Albany System.”
Ayer nodded as they wove through the dockworkers. “A bit. Having your worlds almost get crushed by a Nietzschean invasion will do that. Not to mention that they’d been trying to avoid absorption by Septhia for decades.”
“I heard about that,” Tanis replied. “I understand from what I saw on the feeds that your Marauders aren’t looked at too fondly for how things went last year, either.”
Ayer nodded slowly. “There’s some tension. Less here at Pyra. They saw us pull out all the stops to drive the Niets back.”
Despite Ayer’s words, Tanis could tell that more than a few locals were casting the Marauders—and Tanis’s party—unkind looks.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, passing onto a broad concourse that led through the station. Ayer passed by a maglev platform without boarding, and Tanis guessed it was because the locals wouldn’t want to stand cheek by jowl with a bunch of soldiers.
Eventually, Ayer spoke up. “I have to admit, Admiral Richards, I’m curious what brings you here. It’s hard to believe that you’re the Tanis Richards, but the nets are ablaze with speculation about your ship. It bears a striking resemblance to ones seen at Bollam’s World twenty years ago.”
“I’m looking for someone,” Tanis replied without addressing all Ayer’s questions. “Someone that was operating in Genevia at the beginning of the war with Nietzschea. There aren’t a lot of people still around from back then, and I don’t have time to perform a vast search across the stars. General Mi
ll was around then and may know about my quarry.”
Captain Ayer frowned. “That’s not why I thought you’d be here at all. There’s scuttlebutt that you’ve come to help us with our fight against the Niets.”
“I’ve come to help the Septhians help themselves. Though I suppose that will extend to the Thebans and your organization.”
Tanis watched Ayer’s lip twitch, as though she were considering what to say and stopping herself. Finally, she spoke.
“Well, maybe you’ll reconsider after you talk to the general.”
The rest of the walk was made in silence. Five minutes later, they arrived at an establishment, tucked between a bar and a clothing store, with the Marauder logo above its entrance.
Once inside, Captain Ayer led them past several desks where men and women were talking to candidates, before passing into a short hall.
Off to one side was a break room with a few tables and a chiller plastered with plasnotes. On the other was an open door that lead into a conference room.
Brandt nodded to the two marines to wait in the hall as Captain Ayer led them into the room.
At the end of the table—which was half covered in plaswork and holos of nearby star systems—sat a tall man with broad shoulders and greying hair.
“General Mill, Admiral Tanis Richards, and Commandant Brandt of the ISF,” Ayer said before walking around to the far side of the table, where she stood waiting for the handshakes to be completed.
“Please, have a seat,” General Mill gestured to the chairs around the table once the greetings were over with. “Pardon the mess. I just got out of a meeting with a local security agency that would like to join up with the Marauders. We were evaluating deployment options.”
Tanis sat and nodded to the star systems hovering around the table. “The Septhians give you a lot of leeway in their alliance.”
General Mill nodded. “That they do. We’ve been instrumental in bolstering them against the Niets. Without the Marauders, you’d be sitting in Nietzschea right now.”
