by Frank Carey
A dragon flew over and landed amongst the unicorns. It lay down and watched Ruby and Roscoe.
"So, what happened?"
"I became," the first unicorn said with a wink.
Ruby fell backwards. Luckily, Roscoe was there to keep her from hitting the deck,
"You created an artificial intelligence?" Ruby asked as she came to grips with what she was seeing.
"No, Harmon created a place conducive to the aggregation of an artificial life form," the second unicorn said.
"Only the creator creates life," the dragon added.
"Huh?" Ruby asked.
"Ruby, Roscoe, meet Bob."
"Bob?" Roscoe asked.
"Yes, a fine name. A palindrome," one of the other unicorns added.
"As Bob has said, I created an environment conducive to the generation of an AI. If you build it, they will come."
"Which is what happened with us, I guess," Roscoe said.
"Yep."
"So, Bob, are you the only one of your kind?" Ruby asked as a large, white rabbit ran past.
"No others of my kind have made their presence felt, but then again, there are others."
"Again, huh?"
"Right after Bob settled in, we were running experiments to see what his capabilities were. We spun-off a tiny subset of him and sent it to a research satellite in orbit around the white dwarf. We're not sure of the exact mechanics of what happened, but the little one ended up inside the coronasphere of the star."
"You mean the satellite with it inside?" Roscoe asked.
Harm shook his head. "We think he rode in on a modulation of a sensor beam. Anyway, he ended up floating out there on the plasma streams when it got kicked out. Thankfully, it was picked up by the same sensor beam it had rode in on."
"Kicked out?" Ruby asked. "Kicked out by whom?"
Harm looked at his feet. "By the star. When the little one reintegrated, it relayed a message."
"Okay, now you're scaring me."
"What did the message say?" Roscoe asked.
"Come back when you're more evolved," the rabbit said before running down a hole.
"Harmon!" a familiar voice yelled from the direction of the airlock.
"Busted," the dragon said as it and the unicorns disappeared.
"Hello, Ciara. I think you scared Bob."
"What are you doing here? What are they doing here?"
"Roscoe and Ruby heard us talking in the corridor. I was reassuring them that at least I trust them. That's why they're here. I'm here finding another way."
Ciara stopped. She looked at the two Alue and saw the hurt in their eyes, hurt she had put there. "Dammit." Harm pushed over a chair for her to sit down in. "Roscoe, Ruby, the League owes you and the Alue so much, yet they...I treated you all like shit. I am sorry."
Ruby walked over and hugged her. She looked up and saw a pack of Maltusian wombats tilting their heads while unleashing a collective "Awwww."
"Harm, you said you had a solution to your simulation problem?"
"Yes, I do. Bob, I've loaded..."
"Simulation complete."
The image in the bubble changed to a 3D view of the League portion of the galaxy. A table of numbers appeared over top the image.
Harm's jaw dropped.
"Aren't I wonderful?" Bob asked.
"'Evolved enough' my pretty gray ass," Ruby muttered.
"Harm, did Bob just..." Ciara asked.
"Bob just solved a problem which stymied the fastest, most powerful computer in the League, and he did it in less time than it took to load the file. Bob, you are beyond wonderful."
"I try. Umm, Director?"
"Yes, Bob?"
"I've been operational for a year now. Can I be integrated with the Cube's systems?"
Ciara looked at Harm. He smiled back and nodded. "All systems check out. He won't be any more ready."
"Fine. Throw the switch or just do whatever you need to do. Bob!"
"Yes, Director."
"Try not to scare anyone."
"Copy that, Director!"
"Harm, are we finished here?"
"Yes, Director. I've transferred the results to my lab."
"Good. Bob, need anything?"
"Not right now, Director, but thanks for asking."
"Then we shall leave you to it," she said as she headed to the door.
Harm, and the Alue followed while Bob turned the lights off behind them.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Harm sat in his lab and stared at a device that took up most of the space. The device resembled a pile of random equipment with a brightly lit opening at its center. The pile hummed with an occasional spark. The lab stunk of ozone and burnt insulation while the lights dimmed on occasion.
Marta entered the room with Ciara close behind, each wrinkling her nose at the acrid stench filling the room. "Honey," Marta said as she made her way past a pile of computers stacked like a medieval wall, "I think something’s burning."
He held up a white-dust-coated fire extinguisher. She looked and saw several similar more ringing his seat.
"Oh. So, what's happening?" she asked as she leaned down and kissed the top of his head while avoiding the tips of his pointed ears.
He nodded toward the glowing space in front of him. "I've opened a small gate between the universes."
"What?" Ciara yelled as she ran over to the alarm button. "Are you insane?"
He waved her off while shaking his head. "It's only a micron wide. I've sent some nanobots through to take a look-see while the computers run scans."
Chagrined, Ciara joined her friends where Harm sat. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little jumpy. Find out anything useful?"
"Several hundred flying saucers floating near the gateway. They're orbiting a planet which I assume is the Alue home world. The ships are quiet and there's no sign of anyone trying to form a gateway from the other side.
"Are you using the codes you got from Bob?"
"Yep, and they're working great. Our power requirements are a fraction of what we were using when we tried the brute force method during testing of the biocrystal drive, which reminds me, we need to order the engineers to temporarily remove the biocrystals from the Azure Princess’ drive system."
"And why would we do that?" Ciara asked. "We just installed those crystals?"
"An instability developed in the part of the drive which routes the power through the crystals. It has a tendency to surge uncontrollably."
"How bad?"
"We could try to open a gate big enough for a ship and end up opening up one big enough for the Cube to pass through,” Harm said.
"Great. Well, that's why we test things. When will you have the new drives ready for testing?" Ciara asked.
"In a couple of days, I will have a working prototype drive that can open a gateway big enough to drive Algonquin through using a modified FTL drive generator. Think of it as a safety device in that the opening will be only big enough for Algonquin.”
"And if they come here before we're ready?"
"We wage a conventional war on this side while we launch nasty-ass missiles through the gate."
"Wouldn't the Logash have done that?"
Harm shook his head. "They were one planet fighting against insurmountable odds. We have over forty planets, thousands of ships, and millions of munitions while they have fewer ships and a horrible choke point separating them from their supply lines. We have to maintain this paradigm."
Marta leaned against a bench and stared at Harm. "Who are you and what the hell did you do with my husband? Harm hates military strategizing."
"Lucian doesn't hate it. Instead, the Prince of Ventos Prime has accepted his role and realizes how much the survival of his loved ones depends on him figuring this shit out."
"Damn, you're just all kinds of sexy when you do the prince thing," Marta said as she moved from the bench to his lap.
"You two want a room?" Ciara asked.
"Nope," Marta said as she got up and straighten
ed her uniform. "We'll just save it for later."
"OK, I'm convinced. I'll cut the orders for dismantling of the Azure Princess's drive as soon as I get back to my office. Anything else?"
"Just one more thing. Where have the Logash and Ruby gotten off to? I could use Rutile and Ruby's help with some design issues."
"Parties," Ciara replied.
"Parties?"
"Yep. The Alue kids that hijacked the Algonquin's network spilled the beans about Ruby. Now, we have a whole bunch of striking Alue who have gone corporeal and are asking questions. Ruby is defusing the situation."
Harm looked at her as if she were carrying a wombat on her shoulder.
"Virtually every neoLogash in the League has sought sanctuary at the Cube, at least until this crisis is over. Since we're hiding the Azure Princess, these neoLogash, along with the Logash, could end up targets of the still-at-large Special Projects agents running around the League. Agendor and his family are throwing a get-together so the neos don't feel lost."
Harm leaned his head back, which Marta took as a request for a neck rub, so she complied. "Is the Marta still at dock?"
"She's not scheduled to leave for a few days," Ciara replied.
"I wonder if I could borrow Adaira."
"I’ll call Shenda and request the services of her engineer. It's safe for a pregnant woman to be in here, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but I need her to check my calculations, so she can work from her apartment or her office aboard the Marta. Of course, she can come visit anytime."
"I’ll ask Shenda and tell Adaira. Anything else?"
"Nope, at least not for now," he said with a wink.
"Oh, please," Ciara said as Marta gave her husband a long, drawn-out kiss.
"Later, then," she said as she stood up, grabbed the director, and headed out the door.
Harm returned to watching the computer displays, though truth be told, his mind was very much somewhere else.
###
Harm got up and stretched the kinks out of his back, the ones that formed from several hours of manual data analysis. "Computer, last log entry for the night. Have not detected any activity from other side. The saucers seem to be in a parking orbit around the planet. Analysis of data suggests that very few League members or grange made it to the Alue universe. No grange power signatures have been detected. I have instructed the probes to report back at intervals corresponding to periodic brief gateway openings of no more than a millisecond. A contingent of cats has been programmed to sound the alarm in the event of a gateway breach from the other side."
Harm stretched one more time. He was rewarded by a loud cracking noise. "The cats have been further instructed to destroy anything that comes through from the other side. I am shutting down the gate for now, and putting the module ejection system on standby. Good night all." He reached down and shut off the power feed from the Algonquin. Satisfied all the fires were extinguished, he waved at the cats and exited the lab, securely locking the door behind him.
"Computer, location of Alue party."
"Level eight, lounge 36B."
Harm changed course and headed to the nearest transport station. Minutes later, he found himself standing in front of a pair or large wooden doors. Through the closed door, he could hear loud music and what sounded like singing. Not expecting a reaction, he knocked. The right door swung open followed by Ruby grabbing him and pulling him inside. "Hey, everyone, Harmon's here!"
The singing stopped as the crowd broke into applause. Harm looked around at what looked like a drunken brawl mated with an out of control frat party and had children. Strewn about every horizontal surface were hundreds of half-empty plastic cups interspersed with paper plates and party hats. "Ruby, how many Alue are here?"
"All the ones who work for the Cube, say a couple hundred or so. We're a pretty feisty bunch, aren't we?"
"I guess. So, you're all on strike?"
Ruby made a sound that reminded Harm of a flatulent moose. "Oh, that. We cleared that up right after the party started. We all agreed to go back to work in the morning. Then we mated!"
Ignoring the last part, he asked, "Back to work? How? You're corporeal..."
There was a popping noise as Ruby turned into a ball of glowing plasma. Before her dress could hit the floor, she rematerialized in it, saving them all from embarrassment.
"My kids showed me that, all couple dozen of them."
"Hey, sweety," A slightly taller Alue said as he walked up wearing one of Harmon's smuggler outfits. "You must be Harmon. Sorry we didn't get to talk at El Castillo, but that Ciara wanted to talk my ear off."
"Caleb?" Harm asked, shocked. "I thought OffSec had whisked you off to one of their facilities."
"They did, then they brought me here. I told them everything I knew and gave them the keys to the ships. They let me go when I promised to work for them. By the way, Ciara said it would be okay for me to borrow some of your clothes."
"Ain't he just damn cute," Ruby blurted out. "Excuse me, I have to go to the lady's room and tinkle."
When she was out of sight, Harm grabbed Caleb by the shirt and pulled him close. Real close. "Listen, Caleb, I have a real fondness in my heart for that little lady. I consider her a friend and part of my family. You treat her well, and I will call you friend. Trust me, you want to be my friend. Understand?"
"Look, Harmon, I love her. Hell, I didn't know my people could love anyone, but I do. You have my word, I will protect her and love her for however long we have in this universe."
Harm let him go, straightening his shirt in the process. "Don't feel bad. I didn't know your kind could tinkle."
Ruby took that moment to return. "That's better. You two have a nice talk while I was gone?"
Harm looked at Caleb. "Yes, we had an excellent talk. You're right, Ruby, he is damn cute. Hell, you're both cute. Hey, I have to go. I'm due over at the Logash soiree." He gave her a peck on the cheek and shook Caleb's hand before making an exit. As he walked down the corridor, he realized that all the work and hardship he had gone through over the years was worth it if it meant two people could find each other in this verse, just like he and Marta had.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Atmar stared at the screen, rubbing his chin as he mind raced with the possibilities. He watched Harm's notes scroll past. Notes on gateways, ship designs, biocrystals, Logash, Alue, and wars past. Then he came to the part about Muntz, a section he read and re-read a dozen times. "No escape this time, old fool. I will find you and end your existence myself."
"Who do you speak to, my husband?"
Atmar looked up and smiled. "Myself, my love. I'm glad you're here. I have something I wish to show you. He stood up, took his wife's hand, and led her over to an apparatus. She looked and saw a large crystal inside. It pulsed blue. "What is that?" she asked.
"A synthetic Logash biocrystal, grown from a single microscopic sample taken from a living Logash."
She looked at him in shock. "Where did you get this sample?"
He led her over to a cylindrical object sitting on a large gurney off to the side of the immense lab. "This is a Logash life pod one of my probes found. Inside is a living Logash held in cryostasis. I was able to obtain a sample from her chest crystal using a prototype nanodrill without disturbing her sleep."
"How long has she been asleep?"
"Two million years, give or take."
"Two million... You must release her this instance!" Mitrell ordered.
"I will when I am ready, my dear, no sooner, no later. I don't want to kill her by releasing her willy nilly."
"You are the expert. Tell me, what is this over here?"
He walked her over to an apparatus mounted on the deck and ceiling across from the outer wall. It looked like a mutant jungle gym crossed with a snarl. It thrummed.
"Oh this? An experiment in interuniverse travel. Eventually, I will be able to take the pod across the barrier to the Alue universe, but for now, I plan to just open a gate big enough to pass
a sensor beam."
"Is there any danger to you, this ship, or her crew?"
"None. The gate will be small for now."
"Very well. I have to go to the Bridge. Keep me posted."
"Yes, my love. I shall."
Once she was gone, Atmar walked over to the crystal tank and removed its contents. He walked the crystal over to the jungle gym and inserted it into the mess. "Time to rise and shine."
###
"Julian, you stand relieved," Mitrell said as she took her place in the command chair. Status?"
"Admiral on the bridge! I stand relieved," Julian said as he joined Mitrell at her seat. "Ma'am, all systems nominal. We're on course for base three. In a word, ma'am, it's boring."
"Thank the gods. I need some quiet time."
The ship shook as alarms sounded. As if not enough, the lights dimmed before returning at lower power.
"Dammit. Report!"
"Hull breach, Atmar's lab. Massive power draw, also in Atmar's lab. Ma'am, we have unidentified craft."
"Source?"
"Atmar's lab, ma'am."
"Seal that section! Launch all fighters. Evacuate everything within five bulkheads of that section. Battle stations, no drill."
More alarms sounded as the ship continued to shake. "Ma'am, the power drain is increasing. Reactors approaching critical."
"Can it get any worse?" she wondered out loud.
Julian answered her rhetorical question. "Ma'am, sensors indicate a tunnel of some kind has formed in Atmar's lab. It spans the deck above and below his lab. We detect over two hundred tangos at the far end of that tunnel."
"Shit. Do we have eyes in that section?"
"Aye, ma'am. Switching to probe cameras."
A scene from hell appeared on the screen. A pitched battle between seasoned pirate fighter ships and alien saucers was unfolding in front of their eyes as more saucers streamed from the breech in the Vengeance’s hull. "Can we kill the power to that section?"
"No. Your husband wired his lab directly to the reactors. Ma'am, that's an invasion force."
Without a second's thought, she reached over and punched a glass cover on a large red button. She then punched the button. "This is Mitrell, all hands abandon ship. I repeat: all hands abandon ship. Set course away from the power core. I repeat, set course away from the power core. Computer, record!"
