“Scan results coming back, Sir,” sciences reported. “We have evidence of a wormhole exit, tracking and scanning a likely orbital path.”
Jake saw where the wormhole exit was, millions of kilometres away, but it was near a bright red and brown gas giant that had massive magnetic fields. “The perfect hiding spot.” “Red alert, all hands to combat stations,” Jake announced. The next scan revealed an Advanced Order of Eden Destroyer as it began to come around the gas giant towards them. “How are those coordinates coming?” he asked.
“Finished just now,” Ashley said.
“Fighter recovery?”
“We have three more birds coming, about two minutes,” Stephanie replied.
“Wormhole exit points opening,” sciences reported. “We are having trouble getting a read on what’s coming through.”
Jake’s tactical screen lit up with five red markers indicating that there were ships coming in behind them. “Get those fighters in the hangar, now. They have thirty seconds,” Captain Valent told Stephanie.
“Aye,” she replied.
“All weapons fire on my target,” Jake said, marking the Advanced Destroyer. “Open a dimension transit corridor now.”
“Opening,” Ayan said. “It’s working, it will be available in nine seconds.”
“How are our birds doing?” Jake asked Stephanie through the intercom.
“One left,” she replied. “He’s in.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Jake said. “Cease fire, get us into trans-dimensional space, Ash.”
Ashley guided the Revenge into the trans-dimensional wormhole and they were out of the area within seconds. Stephanie entered the bridge personally and pulled a swing-out stool out from the underside of the captain’s chair. “No injuries, but two of our fighters took some damage because of the rushed landing.”
“Good, commend them on being able to get aboard so fast,” Jake replied.
“How are they tracking us?” Stephanie asked in a whisper.
“They’re not,” Jake replied. “This is just a theory, but I think those Advanced Destroyers are scouts.” Jake brought up a holographic interface and populated it with the section of the nebula they were in. He added a large fleet of Order ships to the middle. “I don’t know for sure that there’s a fleet here, it’s just a guess. But I would locate a fleet somewhere here, move it slowly forward through the nebula.” He added several Advanced Order of Eden Destroyers around the fleet. “At about half a light year, or maybe one light year distant, I’d send these scouts out. We’ve seen them shut down faster than light transit with disruption waves already, so they’re perfect. They hold what they find until the main fleet can send real power after their trapped enemies.”
“So we’re close to the main fleet,” Stephanie said.
“Or the vanguard,” Jake said. “They got ahead of Freeground Alpha somehow. They have to divert.”
“I hope the Triton found another clear path for them,” Agameg said. “This could lead to a direct confrontation.”
“How many Advanced destroyers do you think they have scouting?” Stephanie asked.
“If we don’t see another one, then it’s dozens. If we see another, then it’s hundreds. Either way, we have to make sure a few things happen before we run into one,” he said, glancing at Ayan, who nodded and started making her way off the bridge.
“That fighter’s still standing by,” Stephanie whispered. “It’s a pilot I know, one I can trust.”
“Good, tell them their passenger is coming soon.”
Chapter 28
The Past
Alice followed the directions on her comm unit to the interview space, ignoring the British Alliance crewmen and women in their navy blue uniforms as she went. Passing through the door, she couldn’t help but notice how small the dimly lit space was. “Please, sit down, Alice,” said a man with a gentle, rumbling voice.
Alice put her bags down behind the empty metal chair and sat. Like everything else on the ship, it looked ancient, but it was in good repair, the sparse cushions still had some spring, which told her that they were most likely replaced regularly. It took a disciplined crew to maintain the state of things so well.
“I’m Lieutenant Carver, the lead wellness and observation officer for the Academy,” he stood up and sat on the front of his desk as he spoke. “Where your mental health and duty readiness is concerned, I report to the Academy, but I report directly to Haven Fleet Intelligence when we discover operational data. If you ever discover something you feel you don’t want your commanding officer to know right away, or you need to discuss before placing in a report, I’ll be the one you speak to.”
“I’m sure reporting things normally will be fine, but that’s good to know,” Alice said, knowing there was more to the story.
“I’m the busiest intake person today, so I’ll cut this short. We performed a detailed look into the contents of your mind over the last week. The Academy insisted that the scan was taken without your knowledge, and your grandfather protested.”
“I don’t care,” Alice said. She did, but there was a more pressing question on her mind. “I have huge holes in my memories from my first human life, before I found my father. Will those ever fill in?”
“No,” the Officer said. “The report is yours to examine, it’s shorter than you think, but I can tell you that you’ll find over ninety six percent of your memories from your first human life are gone. They were never transferred, I’m sorry.”
Alice sighed, looking past Carver to the star field visible through the transparasteel window. “You can’t miss what you can’t remember, I guess.”
“You do remember some of the later days, judging from your neural timeline,” he offered. “I hope that’s some comfort.”
“It is, but most of the people from those memories are dead, so,” Alice shrugged.
“How could you know that?” Carver asked gently.
“I found a few Ando model droids in the jungle, one of them told me about a lover my first human body had, that he died. I looked that sector up and found that it was overrun by infected bots, the cure for the virus has barely gotten there.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. We know that sector though, and the British Alliance has allies there. They’re fighting, so we can make sure to inform you of any survivors you may know.”
“I’ll make a list, though, some of the names are difficult to remember,” Alice said.
“We already have that list,” he said. “Does that make you uncomfortable?”
“A little,” Alice replied. “It’s actually a little scary. Nothing’s private, you know? My whole life is like that though. When you’re made with ground-breaking technology and not born like most people, scans get passed around. If one of my classmates want to see what I look like naked, they just have to tap into the medical technology database and check my scans, sometimes it makes me want to find a little ship and fly away. Or maybe do what Ashely’s said a few times, find a private patch of beach and build a hut so I can live on fish and fruit, lay around in the sun the rest of the time.”
“Do you feel the urge to escape often?”
“Almost never,” Alice replied, sighing and smiling at Carver. “Just some of the things I daydream about to get to sleep.”
“I understand, those are some good thoughts when you’re reaching for serenity. About the availability of your scans, well, your worries over anyone getting nude images are somewhat justified, but I can have that blocked for you,” Carver said. “Those exterior scans don’t have much to do with the research behind your birth, so we can send a program after any existing copies.”
“Sure,” Alice said. “I’ve never been shy, but a little privacy would be nice.”
“By the time you are sitting in Orientation, those images will be gone, and you’ll have the same privacy block as anyone if someone tries to create a new one using their personal scanner. We’ll have the fresh scans in the military database, but as I said, the
y’ll be locked from the neck down.”
“Great, so whoever I command won’t be able to look that up.”
“This isn’t how you pictured the interview, is it?” Carver asked.
“Uh, no,” Alice replied.
“Well, we know a lot about you, and that’s why I’m handing this personally. Only five people actually know we’ve done a deep investigation into your memories. The rest of the auditors were examining blind segments, so they didn’t know whose memories they were looking at. Frankly, we were impressed by your dedication, your tendency to keep moving forward even though a great deal has been taken from you, and your ability to let go of material things is incredible. You’ve rebuilt your self-image more times than most hundred-year-olds.”
“A meeting where I sit down and someone tells me a lot of nice things about myself,” Alice said. “I think I’m enjoying Triton Fleet.”
“Haven Fleet,” Carver corrected lightly. “The name was changed because Command thought naming the fleet after what it was protecting was more appropriate. Someone managed to convince them to keep the skull though. Anyway, I’m afraid I was leading with the good news,” Carver said. “The bad news is that there was a great deal of disappointment with regards to memories from your last life. They remain complete, but there are great big questions that Intelligence wants answered. At the beginning of those memories there is a digital record indicating a large file transfer.” He brought a holographic image of the file transfer details up, and it hovered between them, adding its blue light to the hues in the room. “Your personality split. The digital version of you compressed and transported a copy of your biological memories an instant before deleting them aboard the Triton when that first body died. Some time passes, and then we have this file transfer record. It shows that the compressed files were transferred from an N Stills, to a mental node in C Patterson to a blank framework that became you. We couldn’t determine where the digital version of you went, if anywhere at all, but it wasn’t on the Fallen Star, there was no trace of it.”
“It was deleted,” Alice said. “I don’t know how I know, but that’s what I feel when you ask that question.”
“You’re sure?”
“Maybe it’s a memory plant or something, but I know. All I know is that I strongly believe that the digital side of my personality saved me and made sure I was delivered to a new body, then deleted itself. I don’t know anything else about it.”
“Okay, that’s new, tell us if anything else comes up, all right?” Carver asked.
“It won’t, but I promise I will,” Alice replied.
“What are your first memories from waking up there, aboard the Fallen Star?”
“Talking to Nora, Eve, not getting much real useful information about her, then her goons tied me up and tossed me into a Freeground high speed shuttle. I remember seeing their fleet, if that helps.”
“It did,” Carver said. “We have everything you’re remembering on record. You could even play it back for yourself if you wanted to relive it.”
“That’s okay,” Alice said. “It’s all pretty clear.”
“What can you tell us about Eve that we might not know already?”
“Well, wouldn’t you know everything from my memories?” Alice asked.
“Yes and definitely no. The computers that interpret things for us can’t tell us how you’re feeling most of the time. Subtle impressions are almost always lost, while strong emotions in the moment are easier to examine.”
“Ah, okay. Then I can tell you that, even though I was in a cell at the time, the first time I met Eve she seemed vulnerable. There was a strong face, but she wanted to know everything about the original Lewis, my old friend, and how he died. When I was telling her that story, she was completely invested. She seemed almost innocent, like a kid listening to a bedtime story, but once I was finished she had no use for me. I guess she sent me home because she was grateful, or maybe the digital version of me made some kind of deal with her. I don’t think I’ll ever know.”
“Don’t say for sure,” Carver said. “She has been behind many levels of military protection for some time now, but you’ve shown a knack for finding your way behind them.”
“Oh, but now I’m just flesh and bone,” Alice retorted. “I want to fight, don’t get me wrong, that’s why I’m here, but I think I have a new found sense of self-preservation now that I like where I am, how I am. Not that it’ll get in the way of my duties, but you know.”
“We’ve seen that. I’d say it’s a healthy sense of self-preservation, so we’re not worried. One more question, and this is the one I have to ask everyone: Why are you in the Haven Fleet Officer Training Program?”
“I’m here for a foundation,” Alice said, the simplicity and truth of the answer surprising her. “I guess, I mean I’ve been drifting mostly. So much has changed in the last couple months. Last week, my therapist cleared me after seven days of meds and three sit-downs, when that wasn’t even possible three weeks ago because I was a framework. You probably know even more about that than I do, but my point is that if I keep changing so much all the time, if I don’t focus on something that is bigger than myself, I feel like I’ll get lost. I’ve been there before, getting lost is lonely, it’s scary. Joining the military might still be scary, but I’ll be serving a great cause, and by the time I’m finished here, I should know what I’m doing, right?”
“Right,” Carver said. “Is that all?”
“I could go on, I guess, but that’s the important stuff,” Alice replied.
“Best answer I’ve heard all day. It tells me a lot.”
“Wait, it’s the first you’ve heard, isn’t it?”
“You caught me,” Carver said with a smile. “That’s all I need from you, Alice. Orientation is in a couple hours, and your friend, Iruuk, is about to finish with my colleague, so it’ll be a good time for you to get something to eat and move into your bunk.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Alice said as she stood and collected her bags.
“I’m a Lieutenant, never became a doctor.”
“Force of habit, feels like I just got a shot of therapy,” Alice said. “Thanks.”
Only a few metres down the hallway, through a meeting of four different main passages, Alice found a large transparasteel window that was just the right height for leaning and looking. A peek at the schematic on her comm unit told her that Iruuk and most of the other interviewees would have to pass by, so she settled in, leaning on her crossed arms as she looked at the stars.
A pair of the new Triton Fleet Corvettes was slowly moving into flanking position, and she marvelled at their sleek shape, allowing her thoughts to wander. All the qualifying tests were finished, and the interview was more about Intelligence dotting their I’s and crossing their T’s. She couldn’t remember feeling more satisfied with herself. The two weeks she had to study, to fight that obstacle course seemed like a fully uphill climb, and the excitement at finally reaching the top was intoxicating.
“Hello,” Iruuk said quietly as he stepped in beside her, startling Alice enough to make her jump and start tripping over the backpack at her feet. He caught her shoulders with both hands and put her back up on her feet. “I’m sorry, are you all right?” he asked.
“I didn’t hear you come up behind me,” Alice replied, laughing at herself. “It’s like you were in stealth mode or something.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you, I just don’t make much noise. My mother tells me I should have a bell around my neck.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but I might put a tracker notice on you, so my comm tells me when you’re behind,” Alice said.
“That’s pretty smart, actually,” Iruuk said, leaning against the transparasteel window.
“I’m kidding, maybe getting surprised every once in a while will be good for me, anyway,” Alice said. “How’d your interview go?” she settled back in to leaning against the bulkhead, the window centimetres from her nose.
&nb
sp; “They asked me why this was important to me, then about Pandem,” he replied, quieting at the mention of his old home world. “It was very short. How was yours?”
“They asked me about a few things I saw a couple versions ago,” Alice replied. “Told me they had my memories analysed, did me a couple favours, like getting rid of and protecting a few nude scans they had on the network. They were for science, but they were in a place where lookie-loos could get to ‘em.”
“I’ll never understand that,” Iruuk said. “I’m in a uniform now, but only because I have to be. I’d prefer to be unclothed all the time.”
“Imagine if someone shaved you in your sleep and shared pictures on Crewcast.”
Iruuk covered his nose then nodded. “Now I understand, thank you.”
“My interview was easy though, I guess it might not seem that way, but there was a lot they already knew, already understood. Now I’m just riding this high, you know?”
Iruuk nodded rapidly. “I couldn’t stop thinking the same thing. My family already knows, they’ve never been prouder.” His eyes widened, and his high excitement sank to sorrow before her eyes. “I’m sorry, Alice, I forgot.”
“Hey, it’s all right,” she said. “They’ll find out when they get back, they have bigger things to worry about, and I’ll be pretty busy here. Besides, I’m not alone. I didn’t think about making friends here at all, I was too busy cramming. Now I know the tallest Nafalli in the program.”
“And I the shortest human,” Iruuk said, mirth coming back to his eyes.
Alice smiled at him, enjoying the image they could present if they stuck together. “I’m going to hit one point six metres, you know.”
“I’m going to hit three point one,” Iruuk replied. “This is one competition you won’t win, but you would look terrible if you were stretched too tall.”
“True,” Alice said, looking back through the window. “But would we ever scare the crap out of people if we snuck up behind them as a team.” A third Corvette Class ship joined the other two. Instead of black with silver highlighting, this one was dark brown and blue.
Spinward Fringe Broadcast 10 Page 23
