“Kwin, can you hear me?” Celestial sounded frantic.
“Go ahead.”
“I am in the topside turret. The stern of this ship is taking a beating. I do not think it will take much more.”
“Just shoot back at them, Celestial!”
“I am trying,” the alien cried out. “For some reason the rear gun will not fire.”
Then it dawned on him. “Oh no, the power cell for the rear gun is dead.”
“From the look of things I would have to say the one for the rear shield is dead also?”
“You would be correct with that assumption.” The human cringed from his own statement. Thank you, Brother Budget.
Celestial climbed down from the turret. Off she sprinted for the engine room. Very little time had elapsed before she found the compartment. As the door slid open she went in.
Locating the power grid was the easy part. Figuring out which power slot correlated with the individual functions of the ship was another. Nothing was marked or organized.
“I am surprised this ship was not salvaged years ago?” She forgot her headset was still on.
“What was that?” Kwin was not for sure what she had said.
“Oh, it was nothing.”
Eying the power cells, she found one with the initials R.S. on it. “Hope this is it?” Calmly, she continued her search for another cell identical to the one for the rear shield. Seconds later she discovered it. She tugged at it, causing it to slide from its couplers.
Another jolt rocked the freighter which tossed her forward. After regaining her balance, she slid the cell meant for the forward shield into the slot for the rear shield in hopes to reactivate it. The red light above it disappeared, being replaced by yellow. She waited, anticipating a green light. The emerald never materialized.
“Rear shield is now at half power.” she reported through the com.
“It is too late,” Annie cried. “We have a breach in my hull near the cargo bay. There is a door stuck in there. If it were closed we would contain that section. If not, we will not be able to jump.”
Crap! Kwin’s thoughts were racing around faster than the speed of sound. “Annie. Get it together! I need those numbers!”
“I am trying. I am under a lot of stress at the moment,” Annie replied.
Kwin was baffled by her last statement. A monitor next to Kwin lit up. It was Celestial. She was suited up for the cold of space.
“I will take care of it. The damaged area is just around the corner from me. I believe Annie is correct. Shut the door, seal the breach.”
Kwin was scared. “No!” Crate straps, boxes and tools could be seen flying by her on his monitor. He knew this was serious due to the rate of speed the materials were sucked from out of the ship.
Annie panned a camera to follow the alien as she made her way to the critical location. As Celestial neared the damaged area, she slipped and was nearly sucked out into the dark of space. After grabbing a hold of a hoist chain, she righted herself and continued.
“Here are the coordinates you requested Kwin.”
The pilot shifted his focus away from the monitor. He did not want to take his eyes off of it, even though he knew Annie would alert him if something happened to the alien.
Celestial was there now. There was nothing for her to anchor the suit to. She was hanging on for dear life. The sight before her was the most intense view anyone could perceive. It was breath taking; Frightening and fearful, yet unearthly and amazing.
Jagged outcrops of mangled metal formed an outline in the hull of the Stallion. Beyond the teeth of steel was dark matter. Close in, she could see the blue tint of the rear shield. Further out was the planet Morella. The white oceans that contrasted with the black soil of the continents could be seen on its surface. Rays of mind-jarring light raced toward the face of the planet from the white dwarf sun that was located off the bow of the ship. Any of the cargo bay’s contents made from metal reflected like little stars as they cleared the breech. The spectacles would vanish as quickly as they had appeared, being destroyed as they exited the perimeter of the shield.
While Celestial’s attention was upon the eye-popping, panoramic event a twenty-pound tie down careened off her helmet. Simultaneously, several high-pitched tones whistled in her ears. She almost blacked out.
“Make the jump…now!” Celestial reached out with her free hand to activate the switch to close the door. This was quite a stretch. As she strung out, the ship was pounded once more by laser canon. The floor beneath her shook violently, causing her feet to be uprooted. The vacuum of space had her in its grasp. Uncontrollably, she found herself being sucked out. Fortunately, she managed to activate the switch needed to close the door as she passed by, which in turn sealed the breach.
Annie alerted the pilot. “Doorway in cargo hold sealed.”
Kwin hit the hyper-drive switch. He turned to view the monitor. “Where did she go?” Fearing the worse, he kicked at the back of the pilot seat.
“I am searching now.” Annie had already switched to an outside camera located toward the rear starboard side of her body. The damage she incurred appalled her but she continued on.
“I found her.”
Everything from that point on happened so quickly. In just a blink of an eye, disaster struck. Celestial found herself jerked out of the bay. The door had closed. Luckily, a cargo strap was halfway out the door as it slid shut, creating a lifeline for her. She grabbed the webbing and secured it around her arm several times. Now the breech was sealed. Debris was prevented from exiting the craft and hitting her. With plenty of oxygen to wait for a rescue, she attempted to relax. Her body was suspended, motionless. A tear formed in the corner of her pale, blue eye.
At the exact moment the A.I. informed Kwin of where she found the alien, Celestial spoke through her helmet link.
“Kwin, help me!”
Everything happened in seconds. Kwin might as well have had a blade ran through his heart. He was helpless. There was literally nothing he could do now to save her. The hyper-drive initiated. His stomach came up to his throat.
Annie cried out. “Kwin, strap yourself in!”
Kwin could not move. All of his attention was upon the monitor. The craft made the jump. Celestial was ripped from the ship. Gone!
The force of the jump jerked the pilot off balance and flung him against the cabin wall. Before his body made impact, he violently screamed one word.
“No!”
Then the hot vomit from his bowels spewed forth, choking off his speech. The Stallion and its remaining passengers vanished from the three patrol ship’s radar.
17
Several times consciousness attempted to gain control, only to vanish again. Nonetheless, a cognizant state seemed to grow in intensity and became more perpetual between the waves of shock induced sleep.
As Kwin began to wake for the fourth time, there was a realization his mind was not up to speed. This in itself was progress. At least he remembered who he was.
The problem at hand was he was not for sure about his surroundings. All he could see when he opened his eyes was a bright light. Then spotty flashes of memory struggled to put structure to the loss of time he was experiencing. Did he hear voices? Was it one voice? Did he not hear someone calling out to him?
Mother? No, she had been gone now for a lifetime. Or has she? Am I really just a child who has awakened from a dream about becoming a man? Am I still dreaming? No.
This is good. What had been fragmented was now beginning to put itself back together, piece by piece.
Where am I? Why am I on a floor? Trauma? Yes, I've been traumatized. How?
Kwin wanted his eyes opened. This time he felt a bit apprehensive. Once again, he slowly did so. There was an underlying fear his vision might not clear up. This enabled him to judge the severity of the injury he had suffered and the progress to becoming fully functional again. The bright light was gone now. It was replaced by an image duplicated eight times over, like the r
eflections from a dance hall globe spinning on a floor. The scene spun round and round. This motion made him nauseated. He forced his eyes shut.
Yes! I am on the Stallion. But why am I on the floor?
Gradually, his body returned to a preconcussion state. A throbbing thumped out a rhythm in his head as the artificial gravity inside the craft influenced his wakening limbs. The pain was almost more than he could bear.
Once more I will open my eyes. If things are not right I shall close them one final time and hope to die. What? That is stupid talk, he convinced himself. Open them.
The double vision was gone. What few lights were still functional in the compartment were dull enough to keep his headache from being worse than what it was. Visibility was limited due to the smoke from systems that had shorted out.
“Kwin?”
There was the voice again. Definitely not my mother. Aunt Delores? No. Who else do I know? Annie?
“Annie.” He called out loud.
“Hi, Kwin,” She replied in a soft tone.
“Oh, my god, what happened?”
“Right before the failed attempt to jump, there were three Morellion ships destroying my beautiful physique.”
“Well, dear. From the looks of it, one would have to believe the extent of damage is more than skin deep.”
“I know, Kwin.” A note of sorrow was detected in her voice. “It pains me so.”
“Thank you. Hearing you once again has helped recall my memory.”
“You are welcome.”
More and more began to surface to the forefront of his mind. He had not been alone. There were others to account for.
“Annie?”
“Yes, Love.”
“Is my brother alright?”
“Yes. So is the man he brought with him.”
Oh yeah. Full recollection occurred within his mind. He remembered now. Father?
Placing both hands to the floor next to his right side, he pushed until both knees could be pulled up to support his body from off the cold metal floor. After a short pause, he recovered the strength to continue and up righted his frame. After he had been on his feet for a spell, the pain in his head subsided.
“Did you get a glimpse of the other human?”
“Yes.”
“Was the other man my father?”
“I cannot confirm that.”
Kwin received her answer in a context differing from what she had implied. “Why not?”
“Kwin, I would never intentionally hide something from you. The fact is none of my cameras had a good angle on them as they entered the ship.
After we started taking damage, I placed my focus on the hull.”
“So, are you saying you don’t know?”
“Correct.”
The young man began to do a visual of all the control boards and panels. The ship’s A.I. pleaded of him.
“Kwin, please do not be angry with me.”
“Do you know or don’t you?” His tone was of one whose trust had been badly bruised.
“My programming allows me to learn and develop. One of the first things I decided upon was where I stood when it came to truth and integrity.”
“Did you learn this from my father?”
“No,” she replied indirectly.
Now Kwin was slightly confused. Many years ago, father told him he had the A.I. developed specifically for him.
“Then who?”
“Your mother.”
What the h…? There is no way, he fumed. Mother had passed many years before purchasing the A.I. Right?
Feelings of emotion he had never felt before began to rise inside as he attempted to put the Stallion operational.
“You have forgotten your mandate!” Kwin shouted at her.
“I have no mandate. I observe. I learn. I choose to be what I want to be.” For a few seconds she fell silent. The short ticks of time seemed infinite to the one she had addressed. “I choose not to lie!”
Kwin was surprised she raised her voice at him. He was not aware she had it in her personality. Not that he was aware of anyway.
Emotion is emotion. That is what Annie had exhibited. Like when she filled the cabin with the red hue. The blush was a part of the software? Right? Surely she is not insinuating she learned from contact with my mother?
“Annie?”
“Yes?” Now her tone was soft and nurturing.
“Are you trying to tell me you learned from my mother?” Kwin figured this was a long stretch.
“Kwin, I am your mother.”
“What?!” He choked on his own saliva.
“Before I passed away from my fleshly form, your father had me taken to Luminescence. There they had my memory and personality swiped and put into this software. So do you not see, Kwin? A portion of me is now designed. The larger portion is alive.”
Kwin was not capable of stopping the flood of emotions that had overcome him. Warmth filled his soul. Tears swelled up within his eyes. He struggled to believe her.
“I wish I could comfort you in a physical presence.”Annie whispered.
No longer could he contain himself. All the years of bottled up anguish burst forth. There were no restraints keeping him from finally venting his fears. A sound of hurt and loss bellowed forth from down deep within his bowels. Minutes passed as he unloaded a lifetime of pain.
Annie was patient. She chose to be so. This was the first time for her to actually be a mother in years. All the times she tried with Kwal ended with no success because he viewed her as part of the ship’s functions. Once again, she was learning.
“I wish I could touch you, son.”
Kwin rubbed at his eyes. The smoke was actually bothering them more than the swelling associated with crying.
“I love you mom.” He realized Annie for whom she really was.
Ann Jorke.
The two fell silent. Neither knew what to say next. Annie went about analyzing the ship’s systems. She made a discovery.
“Kwin?”
“Yes?”
“I have some bad news.” Once again, she conveyed this with emotion. The melancholy tone triggered a sense of urgency inside the young man. He really did not want to ask what the issue was but knew he needed to know.
“Give it to me straight.”
“I always do,” she replied. Kwin gave an affirmative nod.
“The reactor core is leaking. From what I can gather, through all of my damaged circuits and relays, it is severe. Its instability is at a dangerous level.”
“Is it fixable?” Kwin did not understand why he had asked such a question. Even if it could be fixed, he would not have the slightest clue on how to do it.
“No, Kwin. I am sorry.”
“How about the escape pod?”
“The escape pod has suffered structural damage also. I would question its integrity.”
The next question he needed to ask was the one he really dreaded. “How long do we have before core failure?”
“Ten, maybe fifteen minutes.”
“So all hope is lost?”
“No, Kwin. I am sure there are some mathematical odds that would argue with your inquiry.” Now she sounded like a machine. “Divine intervention?”
“Shoot fire, I don’t believe in that nonsense.”
“I do.”
“That’s nice. I have never had a reason to.” Kwin seated himself in the pilot chair. Never before in his life had he put any deep thought into death or an afterlife. Now, in this time of crisis, he could not think on anything else.
“So this is it?”
Annie chose not to reply. Rationally, she knew not how for this topic. Her spirit had gone on, yet a copy of her mind was still on this side of the great divide. On the other hand, she could systematically. However, she knew it would bring no comfort to the human she cherished. Chalk up another new experience for mother.
Suddenly, there came a sound from the main console. Kwin did not have to see where it had originated from. He recogniz
ed it from all the time flying this freighter. It was the radar. He shouted with joy.
“Annie. We have an incoming ship.”
“This is good news, Kwin.”
Kwin pressed the button to send out a distress beacon. Unfortunately, there was not enough energy supply left in that quadrant of circuits. A red light flashed, signifying the failure.
“No!”
“There would be enough power to complete the circuit if you were to power me down.”
“Okay.” He realized he had spoken without thinking. “Wait a minute. If I do, there is a big chance your hardware could fail with all this damage.” He shook his head back and forth. “No way am I chancing that.”
“It is alright son,” she answered. “If that is the way it is supposed to be, then so be it. Maybe then I will complete my journey.”
With so many cluttered thoughts, an idea actually found way to the forefront of his mind.
“I am going to do it.” Of course, he was referring to his brilliant idea.
Annie was under the impression this could be it for herself. The A.I. watched through the cockpit camera as the human she was learning how to love began to tinker with her hard drive. She was curious about what he was up to.
“Okay, Annie. I am going to power you down now.”
“I will miss you, son.”
Kwin looked straight into the lens of her cockpit camera. “I will miss you too.” He did not think to explain to her this goodbye was not permanent. Nor did he tell her how he was attempting to download all her learned applications and feelings directly into the software program. He would try to rewrite the codes and combine the two processes together into one on the hard drive. He was not about to leave without her. What could be more heart breaking than to allow his mother to finally vanish after gleaming a small glimpse of her? If he were to make it out of this alive, he wanted to have more time with Annie. There was still room to learn.
“Beep…beep…beep.” That sound meant radar detected an approaching ship.
Kwin was almost finished with his challenge. He dared not look up now. Just a few more seconds. There it was. He had completed the rewrite of the code.
Matakeo: Echoes of the Future Page 12
