Avarice
Book four in the Regan's Reach Series
Copyright 2015 Mark G Brewer
Published by Mark G Brewer
License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Amazon and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional or used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons living or dead is purely coincidence and entirely unintended by the author.
Cover Image source NASA and STScl
Contents
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
Other books by Mark G Brewer
Connect with Mark G Brewer
Acknowledgements
Once again I'd like to thank those dear friends and family who have encouraged me with my writing and continually prompt me to keep going. To get any book finished, in fact any story or article, one must write; there is no other way. The pressures of life, those that come upon us unbidden and those we bring upon ourselves often conspire to distract us from completing any passion or task. At such times those who hold up the vision for us and unfailingly urge us on are worth their weight in gold. Thank you.
Prologue
The pair sat well apart on the couch, clearly avoiding each other's eyes and Dianne Sergeant wondered, not for the first time, how she had fallen into this unusual role, a journalist now counselor to the otherworldly. As usual the room seemed dimmer than she liked, adding to the feeling of being trapped by their presence and she nervously stole a glance toward the windows where the cause of the gloom resided, the black shape of the Pod pressed up close and hiding the glorious cityscape of Manhattan.
Oh to be outside . . .
Returning her attention to the avatar couple she mused on their appearance. That Ham as an AI could choose to appear in avatar form was amazing but no longer a surprise to her. However, that Regan could also appear in this form both chilled and amazed her. She allowed herself one final thought before resuming her questions; it came to her unbidden as the couple shifted nervously . . . this just gets weirder and weirder!
In an attempt to break the icy atmosphere Dianne leaned forward to engage Regan in particular and smiled warmly. "Before we go on, Regan - how . . ." and she gestured to Regan's avatar with an amazed circular waving of her hands, ". . . how do you do this?"
The avatar, a perfect rendition of a younger Regan, looked down at herself and then back up with a broad smile, "Oh it's just one of the tricks we're able to play Dianne, nothing special, it's a projection from the Pod - but it is very good don't you think?"
"Oh absolutely." Dianne agreed, "It's almost as if you were really here."
Ham and Regan exchanged knowing looks; she was, after all, 'really there' however not even that comment brought a smile as it usually would.
Dianne decided to press on. "Ham, you requested this session, perhaps it might be best if you kicked things off, I know you're not just here to chat, what was on your mind?"
Regan spun to glare at him, "Yes Ham, what were you thinking?" She looked back at Dianne in frustration. "He told me we were going to meet a friend."
"Well, in a manner of speaking we are," Ham said defensively, "Dianne is a friend - and would you have come if I'd even mentioned counseling?"
"Not on your nelly!" She replied angrily, and sat back crossing her arms with a clear show of defiance.
Dianne watched the exchange and felt the familiar nervous flutter that was becoming all too frequent with Ham's visits. Counseling - dear God - how did I get into this?
"Ham . . . you were going to say something?"
With a frustrated glance at Regan he turned back to the frail journalist, older now yes, but still an attractive woman with the looks as well as the gravitas for her role.
"Yes, thank you so much Dianne, and I apologize for Regan's . . ."
"Don't you apologize for me! I'm allowed to be frustrated; you did get me here under false pretenses after all."
He seemed to collapse and turned back to her with concern, "Yes Regan, because I knew you wouldn't come any other way; I need this and I think you do too."
Regan didn't reply and he hesitated, just staring at her for a moment as if daring her to differ before turning again to the journalist/reluctant counselor.
"I'm anxious Dianne, all the time, not overly so but it's there and it robs me of some of myself. I feel I'm weaker for it and I want to sort it out." He turned slowly back to Regan, "And she's the problem, she's gone all 'mistress of the galaxy' on me, she's everywhere, all the time and if I can't trust her, I can't look after her . . . and I can't bear it." He seemed to shrink with the revelation.
"Oh please!" Regan shifted her form to regard him more directly, frustration radiating from her face and then she returned eye contact to Dianne. "He manipulated things to install me as his queen of the universe and now that I'm there he wants me to settle down and have calculators with him, play happy families . . ." She again turned to the beautiful man and took his hand with a suddenly tender attitude. "Ham, you know I'm busy, and mostly we're together all the time."
He ignored her and chose instead to speak to directly to Dianne. "You remember we talked once about trust, and I said that I trust Regan completely - well, that's the problem you see."
Regan interrupted before he could explain."Ham, why are you bringing this up? We've dealt with that, okay? Yes, we both know I took off on my own and perhaps it was selfish but you keep bringing it up with me and won't let it go. It's not fair, after all you went off too with the saucer - and you've been gone for years now roaming around somewhere in the galaxy. I'm not complaining about that."
Dianne seemed to wobble under the onslaught of the to and fro discussion but gathered herself quickly and consulted her notes; they were just a few scattered words but they were enough.
"Ham, just before when you were explaining how you felt, you mentioned that you can't look after her - what did you mean by that?"
"That's it!" He exclaimed. "Regan takes herself everywhere now, all the time, and any one of her could choose to go somewhere else and not tell me, and . . . and I can't trust her . . . not to split off copies you see, and then go somewhere without me, and I won't be there to look after her, and now I'm running around checking and double checking to make sure nothing's happening and I'm trying to second guess whether she's foolishly done something dangerous," he turned to Regan, "and you don't seem to care a damn!"
"Because I know I'm all right Ham, if I need you I'll call, you know that."
"No I don't know that! How can I be sure? And what if you can't call eh, eh, what about that?" He turned back to Dianne. "I feel like a circus performer spinning plates on sticks and the more sticks there are, the more running around there is to make sure all the plates keep spinning so that nothing falls to the ground and I have this worry that there are plates I don't even know about with no one looking after the spinning . . . and . . . and Regan keeps making more plates!!!" He yelled it in despair.
"No - I - don't Ham; you know about all of the plates," Regan rolled her eyes at the analogy. "There's only the 'me' here, and occasionally a 'me' in Gliese, and in Orion, that's it; most of the time now I don't split off copies at all!"
He turned to her slowly, unmoved and still clearly distraught. "Don't you see, I just don't know anymore, I worry that there's another you out there . . ." His voice trailed off in his distress.
Dianne cocked her head, "Ham, I know this is a silly question, but I assume you're familiar with the term, co-dependent?"
"Of course," he replied but his head still seemed to droop. Regan's eyes shifted from the sad image back to Dianne.
The older woman hesitated and then continued. "Well, it occurs to me that, perhaps not surprisingly given your unusual . . . upbringing, many of things you describe to me, about how you feel, the things you do for Regan, err, has it ever occurred to you that they sound very much like the outworking of co-dependency?"
Ham still looked sullen and didn't respond but the comment did seem to capture Regan's interest. "In what way?" She asked.
"Well, in dysfunctional families often the family members don't acknowledge problems that exist because it's easier not to and as a result they don't talk about them or confront them. The result is that those in the family - or a partner perhaps," she paused, scanning the couple pointedly and raising her eyebrows, "well, they tend to repress their emotions and can disregard their own needs. Often the co-dependent will focus all their attentions and energy on the person they perceive as sick or needy and typically they place the other person's health and wellbeing before their own. The problem is when they do that they can easily lose contact with their own needs and desires, even the sense of who they are."
"Are you saying Ham and I are dysfunctional?" Regan cut across the explanation.
"No, no, but let me ask you this, are there perhaps problems the two of you haven't talked about and should have, things that perhaps you should have confronted and discussed, maybe long ago?"
Regan and Ham both turned at the same time to face each other squarely, apparently sharing some common thought and she slowly reached out a hand to take his, squeezing it affectionately. Dianne watched the interaction with interest, knowing she had hit on something and then she continued.
"Perhaps Regan, there are things Ham has wanted you to discuss but you've held him out. It would be understandable - a classic reaction to the strong, perhaps unwanted attentions of a co-dependent is sometimes passive aggression, perhaps even stubborn rebellion. Not that I'm saying you are like that, Regan, however maybe you could - let's say, give a bit more, talk about these things and open up. And Ham, you're so concerned about making sure everything is all right - maybe the odd plate falling to the ground isn't the end of the world? Let a few fall if they will and increase your error rate, would that be so bad? You learn things from mistakes too you know; it's all scientific information."
. . . But she could tell they were hardly listening now; something had occurred to them and their minds were somewhere else. And then suddenly they both stood together as if by an unspoken prompt or mutual agreement; she often wondered how this happened.
Ham turned gratefully to her. "Dianne, once again thank you so much for your time, you have been a great help. In fact I feel quite . . . 'up'." He paused to make sure the code word was recognized before continuing his goodbye, "Until next time, take care." and he smiled.
As the two avatars began to dissolve before her she could swear she heard the faintest words from Regan,
"I'm so sorry, my love."
. . . And from Ham
"Oh don't worry; it's really all my faul . . ."
And they were gone.
* * * * *
Chapter One
[Regan - Ham? We have incoming.]
Hilary's urgent subbed message snapped them to attention and they exchanged concerned looks at the intrusion on their private time. As Orbital AI, Hilary's presence was always constant and everywhere as she monitored, managed and occasionally intervened in the personal affairs on station. Nevertheless she was always discreet and only interrupted or intervened when absolutely appropriate or necessary. She had their attention now.
[Could you clarify what you mean by incoming please Hilary?]
[Oh for goodness sake Regan.] Ham dismissed her question. [Just use the system yourself will you, I'm already monitoring the whole situation on line.]
[Ham,] she glared at him, [yes, I could access the information but conversation is a big part of the relationship process, we've talked about this.]
She looked across at the beautiful android, slouched now on the park bench, the glance confirming what she already knew - he wasn't listening - already off somewhere roaming and reviewing the data trail. She looked around at the crowd enjoying the game; football in space and she laughed at the thought, breaking again into the smile she had worn almost continually since kick off. To think they had their own Hillary football league now on station and a representative team in the Australian second division; it was wonderful. She looked around to see if anyone was watching and noted with relief all eyes seemed to be on the field.
[Please pop us through to control Hilary, this really isn't the place for cyber surfing.]
[The displacement is coming through for you now . . . sooo, Leah and Marin?]
[What are your thoughts?]
[It is an unusual event . . . they should be there.]
[Then call them Hil, and thank you.]
A bubble seemed to materialize from nothing, enclosing them and obscuring their forms before snatching them away with a pop. The crowd roared at a goal to the USA research team and no one seemed to notice or care as the pair disappeared from the bench - why would they? On Hillary Station - with a population of two hundred and fifty three thousand, four hundred and thirty seven . . . no, eight . . . nine . . . seven . . . three . . . seven; ever growing and ever changing, the citizens had plenty to keep their attention occupied without thinking about management.
Hilary's ability to displace objects anywhere within the Orbital meant she could move them wherever they chose but in this case the question was a no brainer; of course it would be the new station control as all serious business was discussed there. They materialized a moment later positioned in their control seats and facing the huge screen. Regan glanced sideways to see that Ham, despite the displacement, was still focused on data so she left him to it and instead headed for the galley knowing this may be her only chance of coffee for a while. Perhaps anticipating Regan's intentions Hilary displaced Marin and Leah directly to her and they materialized arm in arm, perfectly placed for the greeting. Regan laughed at the exactness of the placement.
[Hilary you are getting outstanding at this, you never fail to amaze me.]
All three embraced before turning to the coffee. "So what's up babe?" Leah asked.
"I'm not sure, Hilary announced something incoming, a vessel I guess and since then Ham's been non compos mentis; we'll find out soon enough and Hilary didn't sound worried." She resumed filling her mug.
"So where's Ham?" Marin asked and Regan nodded toward control. With a deft snatch he stole her coffee and wandered through, leaving them to talk.
Regan squeezed Leah's arm affectionately, "So, it was Ruben's first day at school, how did Moriah handle it?"
"He's beautiful, and Moriah is so grateful Jared's looking after him well. The other kids are in awe that he has a senior friend." She laughed with delight. "They're going to be even more surprised when they find out how smart that boy is - he's like his father, another genius."
"No sign of the proud father?"
"No, and Moriah is worried as usual. Aaron went through the portal a week ago now and while she knows they're supposed to be scouting around, weren't we expecting word sooner than this?"
"Aaron never sees a reason to hurry babe, you know that, and this is the seventh time they've been though, I'm sure we'll hear soon enough, and . . . what ab
out that other thing?" Regan raised her eyebrows questioningly.
"You mean with Moriah? I'm not sure Regan, she does seem fine but Mary was right; there is something going on in there." Leah tapped her head with one finger. "She certainly sees Aaron as the star of her universe which is fine, but she does go on and on about him, it's like she's trying to sell him to me - as if she feels she needs to."
[Girls - it's meeting time.] Hilary's subbed intrusion interrupted their thoughts.
[Coming Hil.]
They walked through to the Hillary Station control, this one almost a replica of the STEIN Traveller's room but larger to allow for the occasional groups that joined them. The configuration differed slightly with six command chairs for the team plus Bob in case the dandy AI was visiting from Orion. Grouped in an arc to both take in the wide screen and allow them to talk freely, this was becoming the meeting place of first choice, the new norm. Taking their central chairs Leah immediately rested back and closed her eyes, joining in a subbed private conversation with Marin and Hilary. Meanwhile Regan continued to steal nervous glances across at Ham, still surfing for information and looking troubled, a demeanour that made her wary - not alarmed - but troubled. She too closed her eyes and tried accessing the same data only to find she was blocked with something preventing her access. Curious, Regan turned to the gracious woman sitting on her left next to Leah.
"Hilary, you must know - what's going on?"
Hilary avoided her gaze, "Honestly, I don't know Regan and neither does Ham . . . but he has some information; give him a minute. There's a delay of course in receiving the signals and whatever or whoever has entered our system is sending code. He's trying to assess the threat - if there is one."
Regan's Reach 4: Avarice Page 1
