“Oh yeah, and I suggest, sir, you keep any ‘it’s a male-dominated-world’ inference out of your tone when you meet with her. She’s a Marine and not one who’s accepted gender-based limitations. Although she looks human, she’s actually from Tarkin—a planet situated close to where the admiral is now. She was quite famous there—some sort of sports figure from what I’ve heard.”
Chapter 5
En route to see Gunny Orion, and near the far end of the ship, Jason was pinged—a soft, almost melodic sound indicated there was an incoming message from Lieutenant Perkins. Only the message was via his recently acquired nano-implants. Jason’s brow furrowed. Why hadn’t he been informed on how these damn implants work? Then, answering his own question, he realized he already knew the answer. It was another skill given him via his strenuous HyperLearning treatment.
“Go for Captain,” he said aloud.
“Captain, sorry to disturb you, but we have a situation. Um, well…”
“What is it, Lieutenant? It can’t be that bad. Tell me.” Jason was feeling more at ease in his new role as commander. But somehow he needed the ship’s crew to act like a competent military contingent, not old granny's knitting circle.
“It’s your daughter, sir. Can you port over to Deck 3, designation E25? She seems to have—well, there’s an emergency situation. Can you come right away, sir?”
“Absolutely. Is she OK? What’s going on, Perkins? Has she been injured again?” Jason was already running toward the closest DeckPort. He knew exactly where Deck 3, E25 was located; not from the HyperLearning ordeal as much as from Mollie’s virtual game. That was the ship’s designation for the Zoo—which he still wasn’t clear on.
* * *
Jason sped out of the DeckPort at a full run, nearly toppling over another crewmember in the hallway. He felt guilty he hadn’t spent enough time with Mollie as it was. She’d already had a near fatal, actually totally fatal, mishap. What kind of danger was she in? Jason’s mind raced. Perhaps he’d have to talk to someone in Security about getting a side arm. Apparently things were more dangerous here than he’d realized. He sprinted down two more corridors and made a sharp right toward the entrance of the Zoo.
The door dematerialized—Jason rushed in and quickly surveyed his surroundings. The room was huge; in fact, it didn’t make sense. The area seemed bigger, more expansive than the ship itself. Jason’s first impression was that it was some kind of optical illusion. But that didn’t translate to what he was seeing. There were numerous large enclosures—each one a separate natural environment. Some were desolate and rocky with high-up cliff protrusions that jutted out at near horizontal angles. Others were lush, forest-like areas, and another that was totally aquatic, with light green steam billowing into the air—the water seemingly suspended—nothing there, no glass, nothing to contain its liquid contents. As phenomenal as these observations were, they paled in comparison to what Jason was now seeing.
Each enclosure held one or more large animals—if animal was even the right terminology. Strange species, alien species, as they moved about here and there within their confined spaces. Suddenly, a man-sized worm organism jumped from the aquatic liquid into the air—then, at the apex of its jump, it seemed to hover and then spun its body 180 degrees—revealing two eyes, a nose and a mouth. A mouth that was smiling. As quickly as it appeared, it was back below the surface. Jason’s heart nearly leapt from his chest as a loud trumpet-like sound blared right behind him. Startled, he lost his balance and fell on his backside. Ready to run if necessary, he spun around on his butt and saw a full-grown, 11-foot tall Indian elephant.
“Hi Dad!” Mollie yelled down from her perch near the animal’s massive head. “This is Raja. Raja, this is Dad.” Mollie gave Raja a loving pat and giggled. Then Jason noticed Dira, a wide smile across her face, standing to the right of the elephant’s thick front legs. Lieutenant Perkins, also smiling, was leaning against the bulkhead by the Zoo entrance.
“What the hell! You scared the living daylights out of me. Whose idea was this, anyway?” Jason blurted out, having a hard time keeping the smile off his own face.
“It was Dira’s,” Mollie said, with unabashed laughter. She said you’re too serious all the time and it would be good for you.”
“Did she now?” Jason retorted, seeing Dira with a hand over her mouth laughing uncontrollably. Jason looked up at his daughter—beaming and obviously proud of herself. He spun around on his heels and took in his incredible surroundings. Strange sounds and smells filled the air. Nearby, what looked to be a saber-toothed tiger emerged from a cave—its expression seemed bored by all the commotion.
“How on earth is all this possible?” Jason inquired, looking over at the lieutenant.
Lieutenant Perkins walked over and extended a hand to help him off the ground, which Jason accepted. “More phase-shift technology. Very little of this compartment is actually onboard the ship itself. The combined Zoo enclosures are many square miles in circumference. Like DeckPorts, when you enter the various habitats, you’re actually moving across to a separate, albeit connected, piggybacked reality of the multiverse. That’s according to Ricket anyway. I don’t pretend to understand it all. Here, watch this.” Perkins walked to a nearby control panel, looked back at Jason and then pressed a key. The thirty or so habitat enclosures all rotated around like a large carousel until they were replaced by a new, completely different set of environments and animals. “There are multiple different sets—cool, huh?” Perkins said, resetting the enclosures to the original configuration. Just then, an older man with a long gray beard and dirty green overalls walked up. He carried an old wooden stepladder over his shoulder and was now positioning it near the front of the elephant.
“Time for Raja’s dinner, little one,” the man said, gesturing for Mollie to come down. Dira climbed halfway up the ladder to assist Mollie, who now seemed a little more nervous of the height. Mollie slid down on her belly and Dira caught her and led her down to the floor. Mollie gave Dira a hug and then one to Jason. Dira crossed her arms under her breasts and looked over to Jason. “Mollie would like to ask you a question, but I think she’s afraid to ask.”
Embarrassed, Mollie blushed, and for once was tongue-tied.
”Well, what is it, kiddo. What do you want to ask me?” Jason queried, crouching down to Mollie’s height.
Mollie smiled and then quickly glanced at Dira and the older man. “I want a job, Dad. I want to work in the Zoo, helping Jack take care of the animals.” She gestured to the man with the step ladder.
Jason sobered a bit. “I don’t know Mollie—the animals here are dangerous. That’s a saber-toothed tiger standing fifty feet from us, for God’s sake!”
“The animals do not cross over into the ship itself. Raja here is an exception. She’s a good old girl and needs human contact.” Jack scratched his beard and shrugged. “Even I don’t cross over into the habitats—we have droids do the heavy lifting in that regard. Pen maintenance, feeding, medical support, it’s all automated.”
“That’s all fine and good, but I can’t help thinking of that movie Jurassic Park—yes, all good intentions but what about when the chaos theory raises its ugly head?” Jason saw Mollie’s face fall, then tears welled-up in her eyes. It had been wonderful seeing Mollie so happy sitting up there on the elephant—a nice diversion from the stress over her mother’s abduction.
“How about I give it some more thought?” Jason said, with a smile. “Dira, Jack and I, and uh…maybe Ricket, will meet tomorrow and go over all the details; what you would and wouldn’t be doing at the Zoo. How’s that sound?” Jason looked over at Dira and Jack who nodded their heads in unison. Mollie, tears turning into a wide smile, squealed with delight and hugged her father. Leaving Jack to his duties, they walked out of the Zoo.
Jason wondered why he hadn’t already known about this area of the ship. Had his HyperLearning session been incomplete? He realized there was a growing list of things pertaining to The Lilly that he needed
to ask Ricket about. He also needed to talk to the Gunny and whoever was in charge of ship security—there was nothing in his memory about that. Mollie and Dira disappeared into a nearby DeckPort. Jason turned to Perkins.
“Who maintains ship security, Lieutenant?”
“I guess I do, for the interim,” the lieutenant replied. “One of those positions we weren’t able to fill prior to leaving the Altar system.”
“Let’s talk about that later. I have some ideas.”
* * *
Jason found the Gunnery section of the ship, but it was secured and didn’t allow access. Jason used his NanoCom to locate Orion and discovered she was on her way back from the gymnasium. Jason heard her coming before he actually saw her. Twenty yards down the corridor she was running and dressed similarly to what athletes on earth wore—some kind of form-fitting Lycra outfit, white athletic shoes, and a matching headband. She was humanoid as far as Jason could tell, with a complex and somewhat confusing mixture of both feminine and masculine characteristics.
“Sorry, boss…didn’t know you’d be stopping by today,” Orion said, slowing and coming to a stop in front of Jason. Up close he noticed her dark skin was actually an intricate pattern of geometric tattooed symbols. She pulled a small towel from around her neck, emphasizing her protruding large biceps, which any male body builder would surely envy.
“I’m just making my rounds, getting to know everyone as best I can,” Jason said, following her into the Gunnery. He figured she had unlocked the entrance through her own NanoCom—and then was aware he could have done the same thing himself. “I’d like to spend some time with you discussing the ship’s armaments and defenses.” Jason noticed several racks of weapons including an assortment of energy-type side arms and rifles. Like the garment replicator in his suite, there was a similar device here, yet on a much larger scale. Orion gestured toward the device.
“We’ll need to get you a combat suit fabricated. The AI has already taken your body measurements, so I’ll put that into the works.”
As Orion settled in behind a desk, similar to his own but smaller, she quickly logged into her computer system. Not unlike the lieutenant’s tablet, everything here was virtual. A light blue and glowing outline of a large display console hovered above the surface of her desk. She tapped at it and it spun several degrees on its axis allowing them both to better see the display. She typed several keystrokes onto a virtual keyboard and a 3D representation of The Lilly appeared. Jason thought it looked similar to Mollie’s game.
“OK. Here we have a representation of the ship, yes?”
Jason nodded, and waited for her to continue.
“Not sure how aware you are on our progression at bringing various dormant systems online. When the ship was first discovered, some fifteen years ago, her AI was basically wiped clean; pretty much everything still worked, but anything specific to her previous or original crew had been stripped out. Probably why there are still significant holes in what we know and don’t know concerning the ship’s operation. Ricket has had to painstakingly recode much of her access parameters. I think Ricket and The Lilly Artificial Intelligence have a love-hate relationship, but that’s just me. The last three weeks have been remarkable in regards to what we’ve—mostly Ricket— have uncovered. Not only the discovery of sub-Deck 4B and that phase synthesizer contraption, but some kind of JIT utilization for ordinances.”
“JIT?” Jason repeated.
“Yeah, like companies or manufacturers, they have a Just In Time process where they only build what they need and avoid having to stockpile massive quantities. As you’ll see in a moment, this vessel has a full complement of energy weapons, including four powerful plasma cannons. The problem’s with our non-energy weaponry. I couldn’t find any ammunition stores on the ship. A gun without bullets is pretty much useless, yes?”
“Seems to me the phase synthesizer would have to churn out ordnances at incredible speed. Missiles and such are complex multi-faceted devices,” Jason said. “How close is Ricket to bringing this online?”
“Hmm, well, let’s find out,” Orion said, biting her lip. “Lilly, connect an audible com request to Ricket, please.”
“Hold one moment while I see if he can join your conversation,” Lilly AI replied, in a definitive, matter of fact tone. Orion rolled her eyes, much the same as Mollie would do. Jason smiled, but it was yet another example of his crew in serious need of less personality and more discipline.
“Go for Ricket,” the mechanical voice replied.
“I’m here with the captain in Gunnery, Ricket. He has a few questions for you.”
“Good afternoon, Captain, how may I assist you?”
“Orion’s the second person who’s informed me about the phase synthesizer device. What can you tell me about it? What’s your progress in getting it to work? Is that even the right terminology?”
“Apparently it was never not working. An amazing device. Virtually every system on the ship is tied into the phase synthesizer. What I hadn’t discovered until recently, is that it utilizes hundreds of micro-ports, which are similar to DeckPorts. Why Lilly wouldn’t automatically inform me of their connection, I’m not quite sure—but I suppose she has her reasons.”
Jason realized that Ricket, like others on the ship, had a cautiously respectful relationship with the AI. Almost as if the AI had loyalties elsewhere.
“Have you been able to configure the phase synthesizer for weapon ordnances?”
“Have not tried, Captain, but now that I have coded the missing interface, I see all ship systems have come online.” Ricket sounded more excited than Jason had previously heard. Seemingly, getting the phase synthesizer to work must have been quite an accomplishment—the missing puzzle piece that would allow The Lilly, fifteen years later, to become fully operational again.
“Thank you, Ricket, Orion out.”
“Lilly, please run through your weaponry. Both offense and defense capabilities for the captain.”
“Of course, and good afternoon, Captain Reynolds.” Jason recognized the voice as the one he’d heard on the bridge.
“Good afternoon to you as well, Lilly,” Jason said. He’d never had to consider the social and operational dynamics of a virtual crewmember. The virtual 3-dimensional representation of the ship came alive on the display. Lilly’s voice, distinctly feminine, slightly authoritarian, perhaps even bossy, proceeded to describe her defensive as well as offensive systems. Jason watched as the various hidden weaponry, highlighted in shades of red, could be deployed from virtually every section of the ship. Then, when each of the two massive rail-gun assemblies snapped down, one forward and one aft, Jason noticed Orion’s concentration had become even more intense.
“This parts all new, Captain,” Orion said, excitedly. “Whatever Ricket did with his coding efforts, the ship is now capable of so much more. Look how the rail gun systems can now access needed munitions automatically through their individual phase-shift feeder ports.”
Jason moved closer toward the display to see exactly what Orion was pointing at.
The AI continued on—talking about a wide array of missile systems, some of which were standard aim-and-fire dumb missiles; others had complex tracking algorithms, and some were packaged with nuclear and fusion warheads. It seemed to Jason they had a virtual cornucopia of missile and tracking capability that could be custom-configured on the fly. Only time would tell how Lilly’s diverse arsenal would impact their ability to come up against the Craing. The AI completed her presentation on the ship’s various shielding technologies, also configurable on the fly. Jason was mentally and physically exhausted. It seemed the ship was nearly ready for what he had in mind. He thanked Orion for her time and headed back to the bridge.
Chapter 6
Jason arrived on the bridge at the same time as Lieutenant Perkins. He suspected it wasn’t an accident, which was fine. Jason sat in the command chair for the first time. No one else was on the bridge.
“Any word from the
admiral?” Jason queried.
“We try every hour on the hour according to a pre-arranged contingency such as this. But there’s nothing: no signal, no FTL transmission indicators—” Perkins shook his head, looking sadder than Jason felt himself.
“You’re close to my father,” Jason remarked, not sure if it was a question or statement.
“He’s an amazing man, Captain. He’s been more than my captain over the years—more like a—” Perkins stopped.
“He’s been like a father to you,” Jason said, completing his sentence. “It’s alright, Lieutenant, it seems I may have viewed my father poorly. I’ve always thought the worst of him, when in actuality, it seems he’s sacrificed much more than I could imagine.”
The lieutenant simply nodded his head and smiled. Jason needed to change the subject. He’d need Lieutenant Perkin’s help, especially over the next twenty-four hours. “Do we have the capability to connect outside, via cellphone signal from The Lilly?”
“Sure, what did you have in mind?” Lieutenant Perkins asked, curiously.
“Lieutenant, the crewmembers on this vessel are unprepared for what is about to ensue.”
“And what is that, sir? Our standing orders are to make haste to the Altar System. To be honest, we should have headed out several days ago.”
“When we reunite with the admiral, back at the Altar System, my intent is to show up there holding a big stick. From now on, we’re going to be the schoolyard bully. To do that, we’re going to have to orchestrate differently from the admiral’s way of doing things. Are you OK with that?”
Perkins seemed to mull this over a while before answering. “I’m with you, sir. Just tell me—tell all of us what you want us to do—we’re all more than ready to get the hell back into the fight.”
Jason smiled, and mentally ran through everything he’d thought about over the past few days. He pulled out his iPhone and scrolled through his many contacts. “There’s close to one hundred men and women listed here. Many of them are single and have limited family ties. I’d like to recruit them into the Alliance. Starting with this one here, Billy Hernandez.” Jason held up his cell phone to the lieutenant.
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