by Z D Dean
“Horrible, angry noise,” Samix said, clearly not impressed. She tossed the earbud back to Zade. Chuckling to himself, Zade wrapped up the iPod and pocketed it, anticipating going back to his quarters so he could listen to it. To end the tour Samix, asked Zade which weapon was his favorite.
Well I am a fan of the M4, but with rail guns available, seems I’d be a little outclassed. Plus, I was pretty lucky to be carrying a .45 Colt 1911, instead of the issued Beretta M9. Thanks, douche major who thought he was special forces, Zade thought as he picked up the sidearm.
Samix took it from him and headed to the disassembler. After placing the weapon inside the machine, the door closed and the machine whirred to life. Samix led Zade to the workstation where a perfect model and set of design specs came on the screen.
“Is it damaged at all?” Samix questioned.
“Yeah. This is supposed to be smooth, like the other side,” Zade replied, pointing to the large gash in the slide. Samix used the cursor to circle the damage, spin the gun, identify the mirrored surface, and clicked match. All of the damage was corrected, and Zade was looking at a beautiful new gun. With one final adjustment, demanded by Zade, Samix hit the produce button, and the small fabrication machine behind them began its work. After five minutes of work, Zade was holding his new ivory handled 1911. Not quite Patton’s revolver, but it would do just fine. Unable to wipe the shit eating grin off Zade’s face, Samix headed to her quarters to investigate Zade’s kill order claim, informing him to meet Jorloss as she stepped out of Zade’s lab.
∆∆∆
Leaving Zade to ogle the new weapon that they had created, Samix headed to the command deck to investigate the kill order that Zade was talking about. After sifting through hundreds of pages of code and protocol, Samix finally found what she was looking for. A tiny piece of code hidden amongst the basic operating protocol for the nanites instructed them to terminate their host if he started exhibiting behavior that would jeopardize the survival of the crew. Unsure how to process the information, as Zade was the first sentient being allowed on the ship other than the crew, Samix began deleting the code. The codes presence didn’t surprise Samix; every bit of programming was intended to protect the crew and ship, and destroying an internal threat was simply part of that programming. What did surprise Samix was that the judgement to determine what was and was not threatening was left to the ship’s AI, Mur, and not her as the captain.
After completely deleting the line of code, Samix began to scroll through the rest of the protocol to make sure she didn’t accidently alter anything else. Just before the chunk of code that contained the kill order scrolled out of view, Samix could see the kill order code repopulate. After a second attempt to remove the code Samix, now aggravated, changed her authorization to the administrative level and again tried to remove the code. After three failed attempts as admin, Samix relegated herself to getting the AI’s help.
Communicating directly through her interface, Samix explained what she was trying to do to the AI. The cold robotic voice betrayed no emotions, but there was something about Mur’s behavior that rattled Samix. Mur was arguing against the removal of the code, which he explained as a completely precautionary measure. Samix explained how Zade had risked his own life to protect both herself and Jorloss while the ship was completing repairs, and how he was not a threat to the ship or the crew. After having the conversation to rationalize her judgement, a conversation that no captain should have to have with a ship AI, the termination code was removed.
∆∆∆
After securing the new weapon in one of the drawers at the workstation, Zade exited the lab. Heading towards the nose of the ship, he first stuck his head in the biology lab to see if Jorloss was doing any work. With no sign of life in the lab, Zade headed up the stairs to the medical bay, the only other area on the ship where Jorloss worked. Stepping inside the medical bay, Zade could see Jorloss peering into a microscope, clearly fascinated by what he was looking at.
“Samix said you had something for me now that I’m part of the crew,” Zade said interrupting and startling Jorloss.
Motioning for Zade to climb onto one of the exam tables, Jorloss said, “the nanites in your bloodstream now are one of the earliest versions created. In Unity space, they are given to every citizen as part of a free inoculation program. The nanites that this crew uses are the 17th version of the technology, and only given to exploration crews.”
After having Zade take off his blouse and shirt, Jorloss hooked him up to a filter machine that would remove the old nanites from his blood and replace them with the new variant, all while explaining, in minute detail, what the nanites were and how they worked. The new variant nanites were microscopic cylindrical robots that could transfer material and data to any part of Zade’s body. The backside of the nanite consisted of four flagella that, while powered, would act as small tails to steer the nanite around Zade’s body. As the nanite ran low on power it would anchor its nose to the blood vessel wall, and use the flow of blood to spin the flagella and recharge its energy source. Unlike Zade’s current nanites, the new versions could be programmed internally by the host, who simply had to think about what he wanted the nanites to do. This feature was mandated for exploration crews to allow them to expeditiously adjust their own physiology to best accommodate the many different situations they would face.
Zade learned that the nanites were programmed to maintain the host’s optimal health, and in many species, they were able to prolong the life of the host almost indefinitely. Zade would have to be fully sedated and hooked up to an IV for the initial work done by the nanites, work that was standard for any exploration vessel crewman. The IV was required because of the significance of the changes. Zade would not be able to intake enough material, to supply the changes. The modification would consist of two stages. The first stage was a preparatory stage where the nanites would manipulate Zade’s physiology to match that of a perfectly healthy human. While orbiting, Jorloss had collected all data pertaining to the biology, physiology, and genetic disposition of mankind, all of which was stored in the medical bay. This information was then compiled to create a profile for the species that would be the metric to determine if the nanites would have to change anything. Any of Zade’s old injuries or persistent imperfections would be corrected before the nanites moved into stage two. As Jorloss finished explaining stage one, Zade began to think of the chronic injuries that had plagued him since college. He had broken his collar bone playing football for the Army team, and to this day it bothered him. A consistent pain shot down his left arm every time he tried to reach behind him. Zade had also partially tore his ACL on his second deployment and had been putting off surgery until he could complete his last deployment. Zade’s eyesight was also less than perfect, not bad enough to need glasses but not good enough to allow him admittance into the aviation branch, which had been his ultimate reason for joining the Army. Nodding for Jorloss to continue, Zade laid back and began to ponder the prospect of a life without chronic pain from past sports injuries.
Jorloss explained that after the nanites prepared and perfected Zade’s body, they would begin developing the cerebral interface that would connect Zade to all Unity data networks. Pulling down the neck of his uniform to expose a black spiral tattoo, Jorloss explained that the nanites would use a metallic material to create a data transfer antenna just under the skin which would connect him to the network. Since Zade already had tattoos, the nanites would replace the black ink under Zade’s skin with the new metallic material. In Unity space, Zade would always have access to network data. On this mission Zade would have access to ship data as long as the ship was in the same solar system as him. After the antenna was complete, the nanites would move to Zade’s brain and begin creating the interface. Each interface was different, because no two brains were identical, but there was a basic pattern to the work. The interface had three main components: data transfer, optical augmentation, and audio processing. The data transfer was th
e most complicated. Any data that Zade pulled off the network would be routed into the appropriate portion of his memory, allowing him to recall it at any point. The inverse of this allowed Zade to recall data for transfer to the network. The interface would find the data in Zade’s memories convert it into network format and transmit it.
The optical augmentation was the most awe inspiring for Zade. The cerebral interface could take any video feed and route it to the optical center of Zade’s brain via his optic nerves. To him, it would appear as a slightly transparent overlay in his field of vision. Like the data transfer portion of the interface, what Zade was seeing could be uploaded to the network in real time if he chose to do so. The possibilities of this technology made Zade’s head spin. On security details he could use it to monitor what the SSILF were seeing. He could mount sensors on his weapons, so a targeting reticle would appear in his field of vision based on where the weapon was pointed, greatly reducing target acquisition time. The possibilities were endless.
The final portion, audio processing, Zade realized was what he had seen when Jorloss would stare off into middle space, looking like he was having a conversation with someone. The audio processing portion transmitted data along the nerves that connected the eardrum to the audio center of the brain. To the user, it would seem like the sound was coming from a set of headphones. On this ship it was mainly used to listen to reports and communicate with the other crewmembers. By simply thinking about who he wanted to communicate with and thinking about what he wanted to say, Zade could send his message, in real time, right to the mind of the recipient, and vice versa.
To close his explanation of the nanites, Jorloss covered some of the personal touches he had programmed in. At first interaction, Zade thought Jorloss to be a biologist, with a limited understanding of technology. This couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Based on some of Jorloss’s personal touches, Zade quickly realized that Jorloss was not only extremely tech savvy but extremely paranoid about “big brother” watching over him. The first modification that Jorloss had made was a bit of programming that made the remote monitoring of any individual by tracking their nanites optional. With any other variant of nanites, while in Unity controlled space, the Unity could remotely monitor an individual because the nanites would send out location data. The Unity claimed the data was used to apprehend criminals and help stranded citizens, but Jorloss wasn’t buying it. He removed the code that caused the nanites to send out tracking data. Secondly, Jorloss knew eventually everyone would move out of the exploration command, and as their nanites were used to repair damage, new conventional versions would replace them. This would reduce functionality and the host’s capabilities. To prevent this, Jorloss coded in the ability for the version 17 nanites to reprogram any lesser nanites, making them exact replicas of themselves. His latest change replaced the current data encryption. It was difficult but not impossible to break. With his new encryption, based on the DNA and genetic markers of each host, it was unique and impossible to crack. Now fully comfortable with what was about to happen, Zade gave Jorloss the go ahead.
“After this is done, we need to sit down and discuss any elective modification that you will need to make,” Jorloss said as the sedative began to kick in.
Zade drifted to sleep thinking about all of the things he could do to his body to make him the perfect warrior. The process took three days, in which time Samix had moved the ship into interstellar space and begun scanning for any bodies of interest.
Chapter 6
Waking up in the cold, sterile medical bay gave Zade a deep sense of déjà vu. Propping himself up on his elbows to look around the bay, Zade saw that he was alone. As he laid back down, Zade wondered if Jorloss would be angry if he took the different tubes out and went to the galley for some sloop. Then Zade remembered that he didn’t have to wonder. He could just talk to Jorloss from here. Excited to try out his new hardware Zade pictured Jorloss.
I’M AWAKE. WHY WASN’T THERE A CUTE NURSE HERE TO GREET ME? Zade thought, with the picture of Jorloss clearly fixed in his mind.
I’m down in the biology lab. Let me clean up down here and I’ll be there. You should really work on relaxing when you use the communication. The harder you focus on your transmission the stronger it comes across. You yelled so loudly that I dropped a beaker, retorted Jorloss, his voice popping into Zade’s head.
Fueled by the communication success, Zade began to explore his other abilities. As he sat and waited for Jorloss, Zade focused on making a connection with the ship’s sensor array and navigation readouts. After a few minutes and as many failures, an image of the starscape surrounding the ship appeared in Zade’s left eye, while a navigational map with a pulsing red dot, indicating the ships location, appeared in his right. The view outside the ship, although different, was no less beautiful than the one he saw when he first set foot on the command deck. The ship was currently sitting in the inner edge of a blue and green gas cloud. The brilliant spectacle resembled a spiral pattern where vivid greens intertwined with cold blues. Wondering where such a beautiful sight was located, Zade shifted his attention to the navigational map. The ship was currently located just outside of the Oort clouds of six different stars. Based on the progress indicator at the bottom of the map, 20 percent of the space within the sensor range had been scanned and three bodies of interest had been found. Looking at the map more closely, Zade could barely make out three tiny, red, crosshair emblems in the surrounding space.
Content with what he had seen, Zade pulled up the feeds of the internal cameras. Samix was on the command deck, Axis was in his lab, and Jorloss, having finished cleaning up the broken glass, had just exited his lab and was headed for the medical bay. Zade watched him walk through the ship, changing the camera feeds in his field of vision as Jorloss moved out of the frame he was currently watching. For some reason, he had elected to use the rear set of stairs, and as he was nearing the galley Zade shot him a message:
Could you grab me a mug of sloop? I’m parched.
Watching Jorloss on the feed, Zade saw the slightest change in his stride, indicating that he received the message. After making a pit stop at the galley to grab two mugs of sloop, Jorloss entered the medical bay. The men exchanged pleasantries as Jorloss set the mugs down and unhooked Zade from the machinery. After helping him to a seated position and handing him one of the steaming mugs, Jorloss pulled a chair over and sat facing the bed. It amazed Zade that, even with the new communication abilities, he still felt the need to vocalize his thoughts. As he sipped on the delicious brew, Zade explained what he had been doing as he waited for Jorloss. Surprised at Zade’s aptitude, Jorloss explained that successful communication took most crewmembers days to master, and successfully tapping into sensor feeds took weeks.
After explaining that the ship would maintain its current position for at least another 72 hours, Jorloss broached the subject of elective modifications. Usually Jorloss would be hunched over a display of the human body, with every bit of data pertaining to human physiology flanking the rendering of the human body. Jorloss elected to view the data via Zade’s new interface in order to familiarize him with the sensation. After explaining what Zade had to do to pull up the image, Jorloss began listing the ideas he had come up with—ideas he felt would improve Zade’s ability to defend the ship and its crew. Some were mild, like improved lung capacity and cardiovascular efficiency to improve Zade’s endurance, while others were extreme, like the idea for inverted knee joints like a SSILF, to improve Zade’s speed and agility. After finishing his list, Jorloss explained that they were only suggestions, and he required Zade’s input before making any final decisions.
“Changing anything without your input for enhancements,” Jorloss stated, “would be like trying to make one of those demonic hyenas better without taking into consideration that it is a hunter. You have to know what purpose it has and what its intentions are first.”
Zade chose to go through with many of the changes that wouldn’t cha
nge his appearance drastically. There was a level of pride that came with being the first of his kind interacting with the Unity. Changing his appearance, and thus others perception of what mankind was, seemed to cheapen that meeting. After two more mugs of sloop, consumed while thinking about and talking through improvements with Jorloss, Zade finally had his list. First and foremost, as the security officer, he wouldn’t be afforded the luxury of sleeping through any changes like the scientists could. He was required to stay awake and prepare for the mission, so he wanted some kind of pain block that would allow him to function as his body changed. After the pain block, Zade realized that any lack of physical ability could be compensated for with technology, so he suggested an increase in muscle density to allow him the ability to carry the things he needed to complete the mission.
After three deployments, Zade knew that the human body was not meant for the rigors of constant fighting and would eventually breakdown, no matter how well it was taken care of. Therefore, Zade had two more requests. First, he wanted his skeleton reinforced with some kind of tough material, to prevent debilitating skeletal injuries during combat. This idea stemmed from memories of combat where his men had broken bones from nearby explosions or from jumping down off of a vehicle. No matter how small the break, it always put them out of commission. The second augmentation he wanted was the inclusion of some kind of damage resistant material in his skin to prevent injuries like the ones he sustained during the repair stop.
