by Marc Stevens
I was more worried about Justice being discovered than I was about the implications of him snooping. I had reasoned he would at some point gain access to the tech but never realized it was his intention all along. I would have to cut Sael some slack if Tria is right about her knowing what Justice was doing. The old witch was playing both sides masterfully. She now had plausible deniability and could claim ignorance if we were ever exposed.
“Justice, is Tria’s theory correct?”
“Yes.”
“When were you going to get around to telling me about it?”
“I would have made all available information known at the crew briefing.”
I shook my head thinking the evil robot didn’t want me thinking about what he was up to and wanted me concentrating on my interactions with Tria.
Tria took me by the hand and we went to the conference room across the hall. Coonts and Xul were already seated and Klutch came rushing through the door.”
I looked on at him with mild humor. “I trust you slept well, Troop Master?”
He gave me his usual toothy grin and shrugged his wide shoulders. “I should have gone to the galley instead.”
I would make sure to skip that adventure and take a meal well after he was finished. I had Justice brief the crew on his mischief. Everyone was excited about the possibility of gaining a transporter. Coonts went as far as telling us he suspected what Justice and the Operative were doing all along. Rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I waved at him to sit down. I was telling the crew about lending the Coram shuttle to the Zaens and was momentarily interrupted by Justice dropping us from hyperspace. I started to continue, but all went quiet and then everything around me glowed a brilliant white.
When we returned to normal space-time I became aware of Tria holding my hand. She must have done it just as we transitioned. The gentle nature of Oolaran transitions always brought a smile to my crew’s faces, and I was no exception. It was unfortunate that the next order of business rained scat on my elation.
“We have failed to find Eiger and correct the mistake I made by letting him slip through my fingers. I want your opinions on what we should do next. Once we deliver the Zaens to Tam Lin, we have multiple objectives to consider.”
After much discussion, the crew was unanimous in their decision to move on and let Eiger continue running from us. I was the sole dissenter. It was hard for me to determine if it was the alien imprinting driving me to kill the pirate or my failure to protect all of the innocent beings he would terrorize while he continued living. My crew finally convinced me the Throgg would make a mistake one day and we would be there to correct it, permanently! Coonts came up with a plan that could partially appease the beast in me. His suggestion was to investigate the latest transponder thread because it was a short jump from the dust nebula. If Eiger was fool enough to visit that location, we could be there in a matter of minutes. Klutch, on the other hand, wanted to make the trip across the galaxy to see if we could identify the origins of the derelict ship. My interest on that subject was waning because I felt we had more pressing matters. My vote was for Coonts’ plan of action.
Justice had some very interesting updates for us, the first being the Operative’s new command. “Commander, the Chaalt A.I. is now in full control of the Operative’s flagship. The new enhanced intelligence is more refined than previous generation A.I.s. In some cases, they have mirrored Oolaran designs but have hobbled its processing capabilities. The Chaalt have placed an inordinate amount of restrictions on its processors and have limited any chance for it to become truly self-aware. The design has promise, but its current configuration will never reveal its full potential. I believe they fear true sentience and freedom of choice.”
Coonts asked the thousand-credit question that was on all our minds. “Is the Chaalt A.I. aware of your presence?”
“Yes.”
That brought the chatter level up a notch or two. I held my hands up for silence. “Justice, does the Operative know for sure you inhabit her ship?”
“She has a strong suspicion and has called out to me in the privacy of her cabin.”
“WHAT!? I hope you didn’t answer!”
“No, I did not, because she referred to me as a defective machine.”
I slapped my hand to my forehead. OH SHIT, SHE KNOWS!
“What did she say when she called out to you?”
“And I quote, ‘Alright, you defective machine, tell the Earth primate to turn the IST back on, or I am going to shove it in one of the two orifices that he produces scat from.”
The conference room was momentarily quiet as a tomb, then we all burst out in a raucous laughter that almost brought a tear to my eye. There was no hiding the fact that Sael Nalen was the master of manipulation. The old witch knew exactly where, what, when and how things were going to happen because she had somehow set them in motion.
I waved everyone to silence. “We can play at Sael’s game. Just because she thinks she knows does not mean that we should admit to it. For now, we will not let her know she is correct in her assumptions. Is everyone in agreement?”
I got nods of approval from everyone. “Justice, turn the IST and BS units back on.”
“Power has been restored, Commander.”
I had not yet composed myself and the message I was going to send to Sael when my IST gave me a secure beep. “It is about time you got my message, you primate. I was beginning to think the defective machine was not as bright as I gave it credit for.”
“Sael, I am not sure what kind of scat you are throwing at me, but if you think you can call and make jokes after backstabbing us again, you can forget about ever seeing the derelict ship. We will keep our discoveries for our own research projects. You and your council can continue using your previous methods to find artifacts.”
The silence was deafening and I had to bite my tongue to keep from snickering. Tria gave me an elbow and a stern look. She must have thought I was laying it on a little harder than was necessary.
The Operative’s next words confirmed I had thrown a proper size spanner into the works. The doubt in her voice was not well hidden. “Nathan, I was not trying to make light of removing my ship from your base. My superiors were afraid Justice would somehow infect our A.I. and compromise our systems. To be perfectly clear on the subject, I assumed the same conclusion. My orders came directly from the highest offices of power. I was to remove the Fury from your base before the A.I. was installed and brought online. It was the council’s intention to prevent any possibility of our security being compromised.”
“So, you are telling me this has nothing to do with keeping us from getting transporter technology?”
“I cannot in all honesty say that either. It would be foolish to assume it has not crossed the council’s minds you might hold our ship for additional tech.”
“I was going to call and update you on our mission to apprehend Eiger. You saved me the trouble. Eiger was not present in the sector but we did manage to safely recover our allies unharmed. We left surveillance drones in the area and stealth missiles set to autonomously attack any Warbringer class star ships that enter the dust nebula. We will now continue our discussion on whether we will include you on our investigation of the derelict ship. I will call you when we have made our decision.”
“Nathan, don’t you think we have been down this same road enough times? I have been more than generous with supplying you with advanced tech. You have received equipment that many of our closest allies have been denied. Please consider what I have already offered you before you decide to go your own way. I know it may not mean much to you, but my superiors have authorized me to pay you and your followers one hundred billion credits for services rendered.”
“I think I already mentioned we have more credits than we could spend in a lifetime. I will call you when we come to a consensus. Oh, and by the way, I love the name you gave your new ship.”
I ended the transmission before she could comment further. Tria frowned
at the verbal thrashing I gave Sael.
“I realize you wish to keep Justice’s capabilities a secret from the military council, but you should not be so hard on Sael for being intelligent enough to know otherwise.”
Of course, Tria was right, but I knew if we conceded the information to Sael she would, at some point in the future, beat me over the head with it. At the very least, she would use it as leverage to gain something from us that we did not wish to give away. I needed to change the subject and get back to some of the real reasons we called this meeting.
“Justice, you said you had additional updates for us. Would you please continue?”
“While many of our scientists and engineers worked on the Chaalt project, I enlisted the help of Graf, Jaran and Felix to help me unlock the operating processes of the Dagger spacecraft. Together we have devised a modular cockpit system that will fit each of the crew’s physical dimensions and will be interchangeable with the existing configuration. We removed Sentinel race four’s seating arrangements and have nearly completed the necessary adaptors to connect our pilot modules. I have already begun simulations and believe we will move to actual flight testing in the very near future.”
“If I recall correctly, you were bragging to Sael that the Chaalt scientists were wrong about their operational theories. I would like to hear about your findings.”
“I was going to demonstrate the Dagger’s capabilities during flight testing, but since you have asked, I will admit that I have made startling discoveries. The small compact star drive on the Dagger is capable of sub-light maneuvering and meant mostly for docking procedures. The ship’s true mode of propulsion is the phase jump drive.”
Justice, had all of our attention now. Klutch held up a hand, but Coonts was the first to get his questions in.
“Are you insinuating the spacecraft makes continuous jumps in and out of hyperspace while maneuvering!?”
“Yes, Engineer Coonts, your description is an accurate assessment. When the drive is operating at its lowest attenuation, the ship is phasing in and out of normal space-time at more than a hundred times a minute. The vessel is capable of transitional velocities in normal space-time. Only an A.I. is capable of maneuvering the spacecraft while the phase drive is engaged.”
Coonts looked shocked. I could only sit and look stupid because I didn’t have a clue. I ventured a question anyway. “So, if I understand correctly, you are saying that was its low speed, so what is its highest speeds?”
“By modulating the phase to one or two transitions a minute, or indefinitely, you would effectively be traveling in interdimensional space and traversing light years in seconds. Once flight testing begins, we will be able to benchmark the velocities against the Legacy’s recorded transitions.”
Klutch looked like he was going to ask a question, but Tria weighed in. “Alright, we have established it is fast, and we already know about the missile launchers and beam turrets. What do you know about the primary weapon?”
“It is a scaled-down version of the Oolaran anomaly weapon. It projects micro-collapsing anomalies that are capable of inflicting massive damage. It will require testing to determine its true potential.”
The room had a hint of something unpleasant wafting in the air. Seeing the frown on Klutch’s face it wasn’t hard to determine where the odor was coming from. “Klutch if you have something to say, please do it now!”
The wide meathead stood up and leaned his knuckles on the table. “How can a ship that small have powerful enough shields to protect it from incoming fire?”
“The Daggers do not have shields, Troop Master.”
That statement had all our mouths hanging open. Klutch snapped his shut, then pointed a finger at me. “You are not stuffing me into one of those deathtraps unless it has shields.”
“Troop Master, shields are not necessary. The warp bubble surrounding the ship when it is phase jumping, protects it from incoming fire. Any weapon that is accurate enough to actually hit the spacecraft, harmlessly passes into interdimensional space. The ship can effectively fire its weapons into normal space-time but incoming fire transitions. What I find interesting is that the Daggers are capable of phase jumping while stationary.”
Holy crap! We have technology so sophisticated it’s like magic!
“What are the odds Tria’s people have gained access to the Daggers we gave them?”
“Less than two percent unless they have recently recovered a Guardian transponder and an artificial intelligence with Guardian architecture. It takes a combination of both just to gain access to the spacecraft. There are multiple safeguards to prevent access to any A.I. not of Guardian design. It would be advisable to warn the Operative about the anti-intrusion self-destruct devices built around the processing module”
I turned to Tria with a questioning look. She didn’t seem alarmed. “My people have studied Dagger fragments for many years. I am sure they have determined that the safeguards may have been involved in the destruction of some of the artifacts.”
That was good enough for me. “Justice, alert the Zaens we have arrived at our destination and tell them to be ready to board the shuttle.”
“Affirmative, Commander, I have already prepped the shuttle for departure.”
I stood up and adjourned the meeting. “I want to continue our discussion on our next mission over dinner at Haras.”
That got me smiles from everyone. “Justice, could you please contact Tam Lin and let her know we are in the area?”
40
I was pleasantly surprised to receive an invitation to dinner for my crew and me in Tam Lin’s personal dining room. We were directed to land in a private hangar normally reserved for the Sig, and we came to find out it was in honor of us freeing the single largest number of slaves since Tam Lin started smuggling them to freedom. We had bested the Sig by a couple of hundred.
We said our goodbyes to Broza and Hylet and let them know we would be returning soon with their new mode of transportation. They were led away and Pasta escorted us to large, ornately decorated dining hall. A long table that could have seated fifty had a large, throne-like chair at the end. Three smaller chairs were on one side and two on the other. Pasta seated Tria and I and then the rest of the crew.
Tam Lin made her entrance and greeted each of my crewmates and then came around to Tria and I. “It is easy to see why you are attracted to the Chaalt. They are such a beautiful race of people. It is a rarity to find someone so attractive and lethal in the same package. I can only wish for such luck.”
I wasn’t sure how to comment on her statement so I just smiled and nodded. Tria placed one of her hands on my knee and squeezed. I felt a slight vibration in the room that wasn’t present earlier. Tria’s hand went a little farther north and she squeezed harder. I jumped and grabbed her hand then felt a little wobbly. Tria smiled at me. I caught Tam Lin giving me a raised eyebrow but her face quickly turned neutral when Tria looked at her. Tria was making sure no one had any doubt who her chosen one was.
Tam Lin finally chuckled and clapped her hands loudly together. A side door opened and carts loaded with food were wheeled out and served to us. It would have been an amazing meal if it were not for Klutch chowing down on Dorta sea snakes. At one point we all sat and stared while the Troop Master laid waste to his heaping plate. My crew and I were growing immune to such displays, but it took Tam Lin more than a few minutes of wide-eyed staring to finally pick at her plate.
The table was cleared and drinks customary to the various races were brought out. Tam Lin addressed us. “You and your crew are becoming quite popular among the Sig. Some of your exploits are becoming so blown out of proportion they are becoming mythical. I must admit: for such a small band of warriors, you have managed to kick some very large asses. When word of your deeds started spreading among the cesspools full of pirate and slaver scum, there was a lot of talk about collecting the crazy big bounties placed on your heads. Now there is only a few that even consider the subject noteworthy co
nversation, and it is only in whispers.”
While it was nice to know we were scaring the hell out of the appropriate people, I really didn’t have anything to say about it and tried to change the subject. Tam Lin wasn’t ready to.
“The word going around is a certain outpost full of scum has disappeared. You know anything about it?”
I didn’t come here to brag about how many I sent to my maker for judgement. I almost let her know it was the Operative but let it slide. “I am sure it happens all the time.”
“What about the Scrun hit teams that were sent out to whack you?”
I just shrugged my shoulders. “They are welcome to try.”
Tam Lin had a disappointed look on her face that turned into a big smile but she was not looking at me. I followed her gaze and saw that big ox Klutch drawing a finger across the stump that passed for his neck. If I thought my foot would reach that far, I would have kicked him regardless of what the place smelled like afterwards. I instead drummed my fingers on the table and rolled my eyes at the high domed ceiling. I again went for a change in subjects.
“I know it is a very tricky and delicate matter to change permanent personal IDs, and I will pay you well for taking care of my Zaen friends. They are going to be hanging around until I can supply them with a new ship to transport goods. I will supply them with one as soon as possible, but it might take a week or so.”
That seemed to do the trick and Tam Lin held up her hand and paused me before I could continue. “We have a large assortment of freighters and other ships for sale. What do you need?”
I hadn’t thought of asking that question. “We were going to lend them an assault shuttle until we could find a small armed freighter. I wanted something easy for them to handle and with enough armament to keep them from falling prey to pirates.”
She pushed a spot on the table next to her and a small holographic keyboard popped up. She poked at few buttons and a screen appeared on the wall showing several types of spacecraft. She changed ship types several times, finally arriving at what she was after.
