“I think so. It’s like they are screaming for my attention but not in any language I know. Oh god!” The small man began to convulse again. “They’re tearing me apart!” Franklin began to scream but his throat choked off the cry. Omar looked to Pulan.
“What’s happening?”
“We have no idea, Omar. This technology is far beyond anything in the Fleet. We theorized that Franklin could control them if they successfully interfaced with his mind. Beyond that we cannot guess.”
“Can you do anything for him?”
“Without knowing more about what is happening anything we might do could prove more detrimental than nothing at all. It is up to him now.”
Omar felt the next few minutes stretch into infinity, waiting for the man to either recover or die. His relief when Franklin regained consciousness was immense. In a series of short gasps, he asked to speak with Bella. Omar left the room as she entered, giving the lovers some much needed privacy.
Franklin would save the Fleet, at the cost of his own life. Omar spent hours that day and many more later wondering if it had been a good trade, even knowing that doing nothing would have certainly led to all their deaths. His doubts were not shared by Franklin though as he was in good spirits when Omar visited him a few hours later.
“Captain, it is good to see you. I’d get up but…” He gestured with limbs curled and frozen in what appeared to be some terrible agony.
“How are you?”
“Dying, of course. That is immaterial at the moment. I decided to spend my last hours doing something productive, rather than sitting here feeling sorry for myself. I’ve examined the data concerning the stellar collapse in Unity. I don’t think it was an accident.”
“You think they blew up their star on purpose? What possible reason would anyone have for doing such a thing?”
“Hard to conceive of, I know. The thing is, if the proofs they supplied us with concerning what it would take to cause stellar failure are correct, it would take an almost impossible set of failures to set off the collapse. Our arrival was not enough to trigger even a small collapse of local spacetime by far. I was able to determine that several interstellar craft were sent out at specific times and in specific directions soon after our arrival. If even one of those had not been launched or had been sent in a different direction, there would have been no cataclysm. Whoever sent those ships knew what they were doing.”
“Are you positive?” Omar felt some relief that the Fleet was not responsible for the deaths of everyone in Unity system but chilled to the core by the thought that it had been intentional.
“No. I’m trying to calculate the possibilities but even with my new abilities and the use of the Finger’s mainframe I don’t think I’ll have time before the end. I was able to save most of the data the nanocytes had stored from Price’s mind though. I should be able to create a database someone else could use to figure out what happened for certain.”
“Who else could possibly calculate this if you can’t?”
“The next person you give these nanocytes to, of course.” Franklin went on to tell him that he had been able to discern that the nanocytes could be safely implanted in a youth as long as they had not advanced into puberty. Omar found the idea abhorrent but Franklin insisted.
“Captain, something or someone set off a chain reaction that killed billions. If what I’ve read in the Fleet histories is accurate no less than a dozen populated systems have suffered the same fate. Whoever did this has killed more humans than a million Fleets. They must be stopped. The answer is somewhere in these calculations. I don’t have the time left to get them. It’s up to you. Promise me you’ll try.” Omar lowered his head and nodded slowly.
Franklin’s death left a hole in what Pulan would call the consensus of their little ship. Omar had not noticed before but the man had become an intrinsic part of life on the Moving Finger. Bella became quieter, spending more of her time alone rather than making friends on the Sikorsky as she had done previously. Zane withdrew further into his martial studies, seemingly unable to cope with the loss of his last remaining connection to the life he had left behind. Even the inscrutable Pulan seemed ill at ease, his atomo were listless and Omar thought their coloration looked sickly.
The appearance of Sasha Fion-Wae was like a breath of fresh air in the ship. Her world may not have welcomed the Fleet but Omar was surprised at how the girl’s incessant curiosity invigorated the crew and raised morale. Zane seemed intent on convincing the girl to join their crew on a permanent basis and Omar was inclined to agree. It seemed that there was no better cure for the stench of death than the flower of youth. The girl’s enthusiasm for life brought up all their spirits. Even Bella, who had been against recruiting someone so young, could not help but like the young woman.
Omar had hoped to give Sasha time to adjust to life with the Fleet before beginning the nanocytes injections. He had also hoped to give her time to reconsider her decision, even if it meant leaving her behind on some new world. In truth he had almost changed his own mind, unwilling to risk the girl’s life simply to answer the questions he had. When a healthy diet forced his hand though, he did as Franklin had asked. Omar read the Rubiayat long into the night, looking for a guiding hand to help him reconcile his conflicting emotions on the matter. The old poet had no answers for his namesake this time, however. Even the arms of Veronika held no solace as she had expressed many times the dangerous nature of what he was attempting.
The first sign he saw of Sasha’s growing power was sluggishness in the ship’s processors. He tracked the data drain to a number of background processes whose code he could not identify. Omar’s understanding of computer code was pretty minimal but he recognized the nanocytes when he saw them. He was a little bothered that Sasha had not come to him with the news before accessing the mainframe.
His aggravation evaporated in the face of her jubilation over her new abilities. Omar tried to recall when he had been so enthusiastic. The girl would have jumped for joy if there had been a gravitational field to jump against. As it was she spun in awkward cartwheels, her hair flying around her cherubic face.
Omar began to assign her homework, both to probe the extent of her abilities as well as prepare her for the calculations Franklin had prepared for her. At first he only gave her tasks he might another child but she demanded more. He obliged and began compiling lists of classic books and entire categories of math and the sciences. After a few weeks, she came to him with dark circles under her eyes.
“What’s the matter, Sasha?” Any change to her health could indicate the nanocytes rejecting her body or the reverse. Pulan had been checking her system on a daily basis and had reported nothing amiss until now.
“I’ve hit my limit. I need time to think.” Omar thought he noticed a bit of a slur in her speech as though she were having difficulty getting the words out.
“I don’t understand. I thought your ability to process data was greatly increased.”
“It is. The math stuff is super easy. I just assign the right programs to do the calculations and let them run. I just have to understand the concepts to know how to assign them properly. My problem is all the historical stuff and the fiction. I have to really pay attention or it all just turns into a blur and I have to go back and read them again. It’s exhausting.”
“Interesting.” He replied. “So your human mind is needed to interpret human events and thoughts. You can’t just assign the machines to do it for you.”
“Sort of.” Sasha looked exasperated, like she was trying to explain vision to a blind man. “As long as I’m watching I can use my other mind to read the material much faster. I can get through a thousand page book in a few minutes. It wears me down though, as much as if I had read it in real time. Afterward I need to rest or I’ll lose track of the details.”
“Have you asked Pulan about this?”
“Yeah, he said my brain needed time to transfer short term memories to long term storage. I tried using the main
frame’s memory to store the information. It works but only if I’m actively accessing it. I don’t retain it and when I do access it its like seeing it again for the first time.”
“Ok, I’ll change your training schedule. So the math part is fine?”
“Easy peasy. I can do that stuff all day with just a nudge here or there. Don’t get me wrong, I love the poetry and the classical writings, especially the Arthurian legends. Listen:
“I found him in the shining of the stars,
I marked him in the flowering of his fields,
But in his ways with men I find him not,
I waged his wars and now I pass and die.”
Omar felt a deep pain as she recited the words to him. It seemed as though she had pierced him to the core. He wondered if her choice was deliberate, that she was accusing him of something. He could see nothing in her eyes besides youthful energy and innocence. He shook his apprehensions off and continued as though the words had not struck him so severely.
“That’s quite good, Sasha.” He said, keeping his voice steady. “As far as the work is concerned, I’m as much in the dark here as you are. It’s important that you come to me with problems before they affect your health. It’s also good to know that comprehension will take longer than pure calculation. When you go into the field that is essential to know where your limits are. That way we can use your unique skills to best effect.”
“In the field!” Sasha exclaimed. “Does that mean I’ll be running a mission soon? Will I get a gun like Zane’s?”
“I think it’ll be best if you leave the violence to the rest of the team for now. You’ll be needed in other ways and I’ll to know that you will listen to the rest of the crew. They have more experience, more comprehension, of what can happen out there. You’ll need them if you want to stay alive.”
“Roger that.” Sasha saluted him with a grin. “I know I’m still just a rookie, no matter how smart I get.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Don’t forget it. I don’t know how powerful your abilities will get. Maybe I should assign someone to stand behind you and say ‘Remember, thou art mortal.’ every now and then.” Sasha tilted her head in confusion for a moment then smiled.
“Roman Empire.” She said. “Emperors from that time had so much power they needed to be reminded that they were not gods. Are you saying I’ll become like a god, boss?”
“Did you know that already or…”
“Quick search of the Sikorsky’s databanks for the phrase. Don’t worry, I used regular channels. It’s funny though, like I don’t know everything but all of the facts are only a thought away.”
“Amazing. Now run along. I’ll send you a new schedule later. Until then, take a nap or something. Young ladies shouldn’t have dark circles under their eyes.”
“Will do, Captain.” Omar smiled at that. None of the rest of the crew had ever called him captain, only Franklin. Maybe a bit of him had survived in the nanocytes after all. Omar warmed to the thought as Sasha left.
Omar carefully considered Sasha’s first mission. She was still developing her abilities but the potential rewards of success greatly outweighed the drawbacks. With Zane’s help, Sasha managed to shut down an entire system without a shot being fired, something no other ship in the Fleet could have managed. Omar found himself at the center of a heated debate among the captains in the weeks afterward. Once only the annoying captain of a small ship, Omar had managed to take down an advanced civilization’s entire defensive grid with only a young girl and a cloned soldier.
Some of the Fleet captains called for him to be given special treatment due to the sheer power of his new weapon. Others, notably Captain Conrad of the Damascus, warned of the danger of leaving such an asset in the hands of Omar and his tiny ship.
Captain Kharzin managed to convince the majority of the captains not to look a gift horse in the mouth. The Fleet swarmed with activity as ships sought to take advantage of the advanced system’s vulnerability. Many advanced technologies, none approaching Sasha’s nanocytes but potent nonetheless, were there for the taking. Much of the Fleet began to undergo retrofits and upgrades to their systems. Omar was planning much the same until he received a coded message from Captain Nasi of the Westinghouse to come to see him in person.
Chapter 19
Omar made the long trip through the Sikorsky and the temporary corridors which connected the big ships to each other. He was very aware of the stares he received along the way, not all of them friendly. His reputation had grown into something almost legendary, the captain who could dominate entire systems alone. It was with relief that he reached the command center of the industrial. Eliot greeted him with a smile and a firm handshake. He led Omar into his private office
“Omar, come in. It’s good to see you.” Nasi said. The room was in that part of the station witch remained under force, roughly a third of a gee. Omar slid easily into the room, his feet brushing the floor lightly. “Drink?”
“No, thank you Captain.”
“Please, call me Eliot. I’d say we are equals now but frankly you’ve made more waves than I ever have. You’ve become a force to be reckoned with.”
“Whatever you say, Eliot. Anything I am, I owe to you.”
“Well, I didn’t call you here so we could pat each other on the back.” Eliot shut the door and activated some kind of device near it. “Jammer. I don’t think my office is bugged but you can never be sure. Listen Omar, there’s dark rumors going around. The Westinghouse has always been the center of Fleet gossip. People from all over the Fleet come here to unwind and they say things they shouldn’t. I’ve got reports that the Captain of the Damascus wants that girl of yours. He thinks an asset like that can’t be left in such a vulnerable ship as yours.”
“Conrad? Well Sasha’s a free agent. He can ask, but I don’t think she’ll go.”
“He’s not going to ask. Word is he’s going to send some people to the Sikorsky to claim her in the name of Fleet security.”
“Kidnap her? How does he expect to control her afterward? He must recall that one man with her power nearly crippled the entire Fleet.”
“I don’t believe he’s thinking that far ahead. He’s always been like a bull in a china shop, acting without restraint. He doesn’t like the way the Fleet is being run nowadays and he’s got a number of the other captains under his sway. You know I’ll back you and so will Captain Kharzin, though how you managed to soften that old battleaxe I’ll never know. However, we can’t risk the entire Fleet collapsing in on itself over one girl, no matter how powerful her abilities may be.”
“I understand. The Westinghouse isn’t built to fight a ship like the Damascus.”
“Neither is the Sikorsky. Its short range fighters and drones are great for running interference but it can’t take many hits from the Damascus’s big guns and you know it.”
“So what should I do, just hand her over to him?”
“Gods no! He’s already half mad with power. I should know, I worked under him for nearly a decade. You’ve just got to get her somewhere safe until we can solve this problem politically. Your ship is too small and too vulnerable right now.”
“All right. I’ll ask Captain Kharzin to help. I’m sure Sasha can be hidden on the Sikorsky, if anywhere.”
“You trust her that much?”
“Completely.” Even as he said it he wondered if it was true. Omar thanked Eliot for the warning and started the long trek back to the Moving Finger. He found himself feeling much more uncomfortable than he had on arrival, his eyes darting toward any rapid movement. In the end he decided that if someone was watching him then he shouldn’t wait to act. He contacted Veronika through his internal network and told her to get Sasha somewhere safe, notifying Bella to allow the action. It was likely his transmission was intercepted but if he didn’t know where she was then the eavesdropper couldn’t either. By the time he reached the Moving Finger she was gone as was Zane. Only Pulan and Bella remained on the ship.
“Where’s Zane?” He asked.
“He wouldn’t leave her side. I figured it would be best if one of us remained with her anyway. You may trust Captain Kharzin but her crewmen can be bought. Zane can’t.”
“Good thinking.”
“What are we going to do, Omar? We can’t keep her locked up for the rest of her life.”
“No one is saying that. The situation is evolving. We simply need to keep ahead of it until things settle down. That means keeping Sasha safe and hidden away.”
The next few days were tense as Omar tried everything he could to get the Fleet captains to back him. Though Omar had a lot of support, the old guard was backing Conrad. Omar was nearing his breaking point when he got the call from Veronika over an open channel.
“Captain Kaharzin, always a pleasure.”
“I’m sure. Captain Hadi, we have a situation. Please come see me asap.” The line cut out before Omar could reply. The communication came with a set of coordinates on the Sikorsky. Omar and Bella headed there and found themselves surrounded by Sikorsky security forces. The soldiers parted to let them through. Omar found Veronika floating outside of a compartment, her expression unreadable.
“What the hell is going on?” He asked.
“What’s going on is that your little girl has lost her frigging mind.”
“Explain.”
“Conrad sent a squad to collect her. They managed to incapacitate my forces and gained access to this room, where we’ve been keeping her and your man Zane.”
“Is she all right?”
“Oh, she’s fine.” Veronika drawled he last word with venom. “Your clone shot two before they got in the door but ended up hit himself. The rest, well, see for yourself.” Veronika pulled up a video feed on the nearest wallscreen. It showed the interior of the room where Sasha sat in a corner of the room. Zane floated near her with his rifle hanging by his side. There was blood pooled at his side but he looked alive. The other side of the room had over a dozen corpses floating in it. Half had the look of soldiers even though they wore civilian clothing. The rest wore the uniforms of the Sikorsky security. Other than wounds on two of the ‘civilians’, Omar couldn’t see any cause of death in the rest.
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