The Colony Ship Conestoga : The Complete Series: All Eight Books

by John Thornton

  “Come on Jerome,” Cammarry said as she stood by watching. “Unless he is going to play piano or something, we should keep moving.”

  “What happened to your leg?” Jerome asked Abner, ignoring Cammarry.

  “I know my place, sir. I am thankful to work here around City Hall. I have no complaints,” Abner did not meet Jerome’s eyes.

  “Are you a criminal? Even so, such barbaric treatment is horrendous.” Jerome slung off his backpack. “I can cut that off, and use my medical kit to heal your foot. No one should live like this.”

  As Jerome began to dig in his backpack, the old man, Abner, reached over and touched him. “Are you tormenting me? Let me live out my days without your drug induced games, or just kill me now. I am too old to care anymore. Go chew on your lek and leave me be.”

  Jerome held his callous covered hands. “I am not trying to kill you or torment you. I want to heal your leg. Why are you like this?”

  Abner squinted at Jerome and actually looked at him for the first time. “Can it be? Not planet-born? Your clothing. No smell of lek chewing. A different habitat, or the needle ship? A free re-animate?” Abner’s voice grew in excitement. “You are not from Alpha are you?” He looked around, surprised by the level of his own voice. “You are free?” he whispered in a barely audible voice.

  “Of course I am free. We are not from here, now let me help you,” Jerome said, and pulled the molecular torch from his backpack.

  “Put that away.” Abner said softly but urgently. He nervously looked over to the end of the building. There, next to the wall was a red automacube somewhat hidden in the shadows. “Sir I am happy here.” He said loudly, but then whispered. “It is too late for me. I am Earth-born, I was a hydrological engineer and biochemist before I was re-animated. Flee from here before they realize what you are. Those lek inflamed people are evil. Go now!”

  A door opened in the back of the building. As it swung, Jerome saw it was labeled, ‘Police’. A woman in a green uniform walked out of the building, and stood next to the red automacube. She was dark skinned, with neatly combed hair. She yawned a big yawn. She was not overly attentive, and looked bored. She waved her hand over the back of the automacube. It rolled onward, following her.

  “Patrolman Bernice is coming,” Abner said and turned back to the bushes and his trimming. Looking down at the ground he then overly loudly said, “Yes, sir. The Slave Training Center is a few blocks over, sir. Enjoy your time in Wolf City. I hope I have been of service to you.”

  Cammarry had watched the interchange between Jerome and Abner, but was impatient. She stepped a few paces back as the patrolman and the red automacube were advancing toward them.

  Jerome slid his backpack on and walked toward Cammarry, keeping a wary eye on the patrolman.

  “You two!” the patrolman called out. “Is that slave giving you trouble?”

  “Not at all,” Jerome replied as confidently as he could. “We were admiring the fountain, and all….”

  Cammarry interrupted, “We are from Aston, and are visiting.”

  “Aston, huh?” the patrolman said with a dismissive nod. She then drew out a stick of the brown lek and took a bite off the end. As she chewed she commented. “That explains the clothing. You may want to leave your silly costumes behind next time you visit. This ship made planet fall long ago, no reason to play spaceman anymore. The legends are for silly children and old fools. Why come all this way?”

  “The slaves,” Jerome said noncommittally.

  “There is that, I suppose,” the patrolman said. “Not too many people make the trek here. I cannot think of a reason to go to Aston, unless I ran out of lek.”

  Jerome was eyeing the red machine, and remembered Khin warning, ‘Cubie red, makes you dead’ but this one seemed under the complete control of the patrolman.

  “Cammarry, the mission must be completed,” Shadow urged. “Do not let this authority get in your way. Or is Jubal right about you?”

  Cammarry began to reach for her holstered weapon, when Jerome grabbed her up and kissed her passionately. She resisted at first, but then returned his kiss. They kissed for a long while, Jerome holding her hand away from the holster, but making it look like a caress.

  “You two are certainly strange. I suppose this place might be romantic when seen the first time. Carry on.” She took another bite of the lek, and rolled her eyes. She waved at the automacube, and its six wheels rolled efficiently along next to her as she walked away. “Aston people visiting us. What a waste of energy walking all that way.”

  Patrolman Bernice rounded the corner and the machine followed her.

  Jerome and Cammarry separated. Jerome looked back to where Abner had been, but he had picked up the block of permalloy and quietly wandered away while no one was watching.

  “Cammarry were you going to attack that patrolman?” Jerome asked.

  “Come on, we have a mission to complete,” Cammarry said, ignoring the question. “Thanks for the sweet kiss.”

  “From the deepest desires often come the deadliest hate,” Jerome relayed. “Please talk to me about what is happening. We are in this together, and I know it is hard. Everything is so new, frightening, different, strange, and wonderful.”

  Cammarry kissed him again briefly.

  The sidewalk led right to another bridge that was a copy of the one they had used on their initial entry into the habitat. At this bridge there was a statue of some kind of beast. It was somewhat like the dog that had barked at them, but was bigger and more fierce looking. The statue was made from some material of a shiny brownish bronze color. It stood about a meter high, and was impressive. There was an inscription, ‘Ville Loup’ and ‘Miasto Wilk’ and ‘Lupus Oppidum’ at the base of the statue. Jerome stopped to examine the statue, but Cammarry marched by.

  “I wonder why they have this statue of a beast? Is it the wolf of Wolf City?” Jerome asked. “The languages are not standard, and are from way before the Great Event. I have read some of these old languages, and….”

  “Jerome is trying to slow you down and stop you from completing the mission,” Shadow whispered. “Why else is he taking so much time, and interfering so much.”

  “Just shut up!” Cammarry snapped at Shadow.

  Jerome thought she was referring to him, and so he hustled along and caught up to her. “Sorry. I did not mean to do something wrong.”

  “It is not you,” Cammarry said.

  “I know the stress is bad.”

  The river flowed under the bridge, and was just as beautiful here as it had been when they first encountered it. Here white birds were floating on the surface of the river. They had long arching necks, and yellow faces.

  “No one ever crossed over the same river twice, for it is not the same water in the river and the person is not the same as before,” Jerome said, but Cammarry ignored him.

  She was thinking about all that Shadow had said, and trying to get an understanding of her own anger. She wanted to complete the mission, and save the people from Dome 17, but she also was stricken by what she had done to the man Stanley and what she was thinking about doing to the patrolman. She shook her head, and focused on recalling what she had learned about the location of the Reproduction and Fabrication place which was her goal. When she got the com-links repaired, and could speak again to Sandie, things would be better. She hoped.

  Walking toward the huge wall of permalloy which was the side of the biosphere made them both feel overcome with the size of it. While in Wolf City their attention was diverted by the buildings, and the trees, and the people, but here they were walking across the bridge directly at the wall. The wall stretched all the way up to where the sky tube ended. It was a vast way up.

  There was a door set into the permalloy, and next to it was a nine section color control pad. A warning sign was also there which read, ‘Do not let animals out of the habitat.’

  As he had done before, Jerome pressed the amber colored section three times in a row.

/>   There was a snapping sound, followed by a siren blast which then quit. A small, human sized upright rectangle appeared in the tall and wide double doors, in the center of the right hand door. “Please stand back from the door to allow for ventilation and prevention of insect life from exiting habitat.”

  “SB Sherman?” Jerome asked as he backed up a few paces. Cammarry followed his example.

  “Yes, that is I,” the mechanical voice replied. “You do not have identification tracking devices.”

  A blast of air shot out from some hidden nozzles and washed over them both. As it blew Jerome asked, “May we leave here now? We would appreciate your help.”

  “We have to leave. The elevators are beyond here,” Cammarry said with some agitation.

  “Certainly you may exit the habitat. Please walk into the air stream. I have granted you a second special dispensation. This deficiency will be reported to security. As I reminded you previously, the infirmary in Wolf City can supply you with proper identification tracking. Please report there at your earliest convenience. You are leaving the habitat via Bridge Zero,” SB Sherman said.

  They walked into the briskly blowing air, and the door slid to the side as they got close. It closed right behind them, and the airflow shut down. There was nice diffuse lighting revealing a long foyer area. Hallways led off to the sides, and directly ahead was a bank of elevators. Seven blue hand symbols were illuminated, one next to each of the outlined elevator doors.

  “SB Sherman?” Jerome asked. “Why is there slavery in that habitat?”

  “We are not here to discuss their social customs,” Cammarry argued. “We need to go to Reproduction and Fabrication.”

  SB Sherman replied, “How are you defining slavery? And yes, Reproduction and Fabrication is on the upper most public level, near solar mimicry.”

  Jerome replied, “Human slavery. Not a metaphor or an illustration or synonym for drudgery. Slavery, coerced bondage, one person dominated and controlled by another. Complete ownership and control of a slave by a master. We saw people in that habitat who were in bondage and owned by other people. How can you stand for that?”

  SB Sherman replied, “I have no knowledge of such a practice happening. There have been a large number of people entering this habitat without proper identification devices or markers. That has been happening for the last sixty-one years. I have reported these incidents to security each time, just as I did with you two.”

  “So what did security say?” Jerome asked.

  “Come on Jerome!” Cammarry walked over to the nearest elevator. “No time for meaningless debate.”

  “Security has not responded to my inquiries,” SB Sherman replied.

  “What about SB Joseph Crater? What does that artificial intelligence system say about the slavery here?” Jerome asked.

  Cammarry rolled her eyes. “Carter the Kidnapper probably helps supply the slaves. Forget this, we need to get going.” Standing next to the elevators, she was tapping her foot with her arms crossed in front of her.

  “Your term artificial intelligence is inaccurate. The proper nomenclature is synthetic brain. SB Joseph Crater is a supervisor for the shuttle systems. I have had no reason to contact that synthetic brain.”

  Cammarry shrugged and spun about. She pressed her hand against the blue symbol to open the elevator doors. Jerome rushed to join her, but he called back as he did, “I command you to contact SB Joseph Crater and ask about slavery. Talk to the other SBs.”

  The doors slid open and the interior of the elevator was revealed. It was clean and well lit.

  “Persons without proper identification devices cannot issue commands. I will, however, take your suggestion under advisement,” SB Sherman answered.

  Cammarry pressed the top most button on the control panel inside the elevator. Each of the symbols in that column were all lit from behind until she pressed that top button. That one then faded out and the doors to the elevator slid shut. There was a slight lurch, and the elevator lifted them away.

  15 reproduction and fabrication

  “Cammarry, that slavery in the habitat is horrific,” Jerome said as the elevator ascended. “We need to do something about that.”

  “We need to keep focused on our mission. Did you forget the people in Dome 17?”

  “No. But we are here now, and I just think we should make it better here. All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for normal people to be silent.”

  Cammarry turned and stared at Jerome. “Our mission will fail if we get distracted. After the Dome 17 people come through the orifice, we will have the resources and personnel to accomplish other objectives.”

  “I suppose you are correct,” Jerome admitted. He bit his lower lip and said nothing more.

  The elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open with a very faint whoosh. They stepped out into a narthex chamber which had windows on both sides, and a pressure door across from them. There was warm yellow light pouring in all the windows.

  Jerome rushed over and looking out the window and exclaimed, “We are high over the habitat. At least a couple kilometers directly above the ground of the biosphere. I can see the buildings in that town and the river which loops around the whole end of this habitat. Maybe it flows all around the perimeter of the whole space.”

  “Are there any communication systems out that window?” Cammarry asked. She shook her head, rolled her eyes, and walked ahead toward the door. “If I remember correctly, the Reproduction and Fabrication place is nearby, some solar place was there as well.”

  The nine different colors of the control pad next to the door were shining brightly. She reached out to tap them as she said, “You used amber three times?”

  “Yes, but that artificial….I mean, synthetic brain gave us access.”

  “I still have the molecular torch if I need to cut our way inside.” Cammarry tapped the amber colored section three times.

  “Access granted,” a mechanical voice came from the door.

  “Strange that we could stumble on the proper sequence of colors,” Jerome said. “Statistically speaking that is a near impossibility.”

  The door slid open. Cammarry walked in. “Maybe it was never locked, and will activate to any touch. It matters little so long as we can get the com-links running.”

  Jerome followed. “That is possible, but unlikely in my opinion.”

  The door shut behind them. Jerome turned around and pushed the amber color on the control pad three times. There was a negative function sound. “Cammarry, the door will not open from this side. It is locked now.”

  “Good thing we are not heading that way, right Jerome?” Cammarry walked on.

  On the permalloy wall ahead of them there was an inscription over a bulkhead door. ‘Solar Mimicry and Habitat Alpha Reactor’. Next to that was an arrow which pointed to the right and a sign saying, ‘Primary Reproduction and Fabrication.’

  Cammarry smiled and patted her com-link which was over her ear. “Now we get these fixed, then we connect back to the dome.”

  “Cammarry, that door will not open for us to exit, why did it open for us to enter?” Jerome asked. “The mechanical voice was different. Which system let us in?”

  Cammarry ignored him as she approached the bulkhead door at the far side of the room. That door was marked ‘Primary Reproduction and Fabrication.’ There was no color control pad next to it. As she approached, the door automatically slid open. Beyond was a room filled with multiple items of machinery.

  “Welcome to Reproduction and Fabrication,” said the same mechanical voice they had heard at the door. “I am SB Bodowa. How may I be of service to you?”

  “Did you let us in?” Jerome asked.

  “Yes. You do not have proper identification tracking, however, I can make a special dispensation for today so you can utilize this facility. Welcome. Recently I have not gotten many direct visits from humans.”

  Jerome and Cammarry stood in stunned silence for a moment as they looked at t
he impressive machinery before them. The voice of the synthetic brain came from within the large apparatus at the center of the room. There were a multitude of conveyor belts and rollers in a complex system with various levels reaching all the way to the ceiling. It was humming quietly as some items moved along one beltway. Those things moved toward the center, but they were few compared to the amount of space on the belts. One of them was shunted off on a side conveyor and disappeared into a small slot on the wall. Additionally, there were other chutes connecting from the walls and ceiling with openings onto assorted places on the conveyor belts.

  At the center of the apparatus was the most complicated aspect of the machine complex. It had an abundance of mechanical components all working together. There were a series of arches over of the conveyors. These arches had lights generating at a multitude of different wavelengths, parabolic disks, and nozzles pointing at the conveyor. Then there was a large horizontal area, very polished and reflecting an almost mirrored silver sheen where things would slide off the end of the main conveyors.