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

by John Thornton

  “Yes, a woman inside a phony monster,” Khin said. “I saved the children, help them.” He passed out.

  “Uncle Khin!” Dmitar yelled and rushed to catch Khin as he slumped down.

  “Move and you die!” Vesna said as she saw Mariamne begin to roll over. “I mean it. I will put a bullet in your ugly head right now!” Vesna did not know exactly why she failed to shoot. She was shocked to learn the monster was a person, and not a crazed animal, but that was not all. The presence of the children halted her quest for vengeance, as she did not want them to witness more horrors. Her eyes never left Mariamne as she peered down the barrel of the revolver.

  Mariamne looked away, and settled back down. Dmitar helped Khin to lay out. “He is bleeding too much!”

  Without looking away from the human monster, Vesna issued an order. “Claire, get in this pouch on my thigh and grab a blue colored packet.”

  Claire got off Mariamne and reached into the pouch. Vesna had to lift up her arm a bit to allow Claire to reach in, and while that caused pain, her eyes and the revolver never moved from aiming at Mariamne. When Claire pulled the trauma gel pack out, Vesna stated, “Rip it open and put it in Khin’s mouth. Make him swallow it.”

  Claire did as she was instructed.

  Sandie’s voice came through from the com-link. “The medical automacube is only fifteen minutes away. Captain Eris has been notified of this place. The children’s parents are aware of the rescue.”

  “Captain Eris?” Mariamne asked with a mocking tone. “No legitimate authority outside of this room. We are the real masters of the Conestoga.”

  “Children, please go into the hall and wait for the white cubie,” Vesna stated. Her lips were drawn tight, and her pupils were dark and intense.

  “But Uncle Khin?” Dmitar asked. “He is barely breathing.”

  Claire moved over and hugged the bloody body of Khin. “He saved us.”

  “See, you can do nothing. Weakling flight crew scum. Your kind is who got us into this whole mess, and….” Mariamne snarled in contempt.

  “Shut up.” Vesna’s words were low and steady.

  Mariamne, eyes filled with contempt, opened her mouth again, but then met Vesna’s gaze.

  “I will kill you in front of these children, if you say one more thing,” Vesna stated in a low and cold voice. “No more warnings.”

  Mariamne diverted her eyes away, and shut her lips tightly.

  A few anxious minutes later, a white automacube rolled into Repository 997. It immediately began treating Khin’s many injuries, by carefully stripping off his blood-caked clothing, placing tubes, lines, medications, and treatments into him.

  “I am Doctor 264, and this patient has an excellent prognosis for full recovery,” the white machine stated after assessment was made and the injuries were stabilized. “He will be sleeping for a prolonged period now. I have prepared him for transportation to the medical recovery unit, and summoned a transport automacube and an addition medical automacube to assist us here.”

  “That is not like the place called the SCU, or the… the Special Care Unit, right?” Vesna asked. Her eyes were locked on Mariamne, even though memories were flooding her mind, and her emotions were jumping about like frogs in one of Beta’s streams.

  “Accessing recordings,” Doctor 264 replied. “Actually, the SB Cotard is overseeing all medical care on the Conestoga now. The lessons learned from the unfortunate series of events at the Special Care Unit have been adopted into the new and revised standards of care. This patient will receive outstanding care.”

  “He better,” Vesna replied.

  “My initial visual assessment shows that your arm and wrist are fractured in multiple places,” Doctor 264 stated. “May I render treatment to you while we await the additional automacubes?”

  “Not now. Help these children. Take care of them first,” Vesna insisted.

  “They were given overview assessments upon my arrival and had no emergent physical issues. They will be transported to be reunited with their families, and then given appropriate post-trauma support and assistance. I can do nothing more for them, at this time, and in this place. May I treat the injuries to the suspected criminal now?” Doctor 264 asked.

  “No.” Vesna kept her revolver trained on Mariamne, and said, “How much longer until that red cubie gets here?” In her mind, she was also asking herself, ‘And what do I do with these others? Are they all monsters too?’ Referring to the people in suspended animation. She did not verbalize those thoughts.

  The red automacube rolled into the repository just a moment later. It was very beaten up, with dents, scratches, and all kinds of stains all over it. One drive wheel was missing, but it was moving adequately. It had a black SA-44 stenciled on its side, some of which had been smudged out by what looked like flames or high heat of some kind.

  “I will take charge of this prisoner,” SA-44 stated in a very mechanical and scratchy voice. “She will be placed into custody under order of Captain Eris, according to the Conestoga’s Articles of Confederation.”

  “No!” Mariamne yelled.

  Vesna was so very tempted to shoot her, but, because the children were still there, she did not.

  A set of wires erupted from the front of the red automacube, SA-44, and precisely landed on Mariamne’s exposed skin. She jerked once as the shock settled into her. “Resisting arrest will not be tolerated.”

  Vesna let out a huge sigh, and motioned to the medical automacube. “Fix her up.”

  Doctor 264 and SA-44 then precisely and efficiently stripped the monster costume, exoskeleton, power backpack, and all the strange outfit off of Mariamne. The monster suit was bizarre. There were small tanks, which held an anesthetic gas, connected to the palms on each glove. The claws on the gloves and shoes were removed. Those tanks were drained, and the suit dismembered. Everything was logged in meticulous detail for the records. When that was completed, the medical automacube had Mariamne reclining in a safe place, hands and feet restrained. The security automacube had completely disassembled the monster suit and had its component parts stacked into a transport carton which was labeled ‘Evidence.’

  A yellow transport automacube rolled into the repository as well as a second medical automacube.

  “Now, you can help me,” Vesna said. She holstered her revolver and sat down.

  “I am Doctor 894, my compeer, Doctor 264 will be accompanying the patient Khin and the children as they travel to their destinations. I have been informed of what has transpired here and will now assist in treating your fractures,” the new white automacube said.

  “Very well, it is rather a good time to get this arm fixed,” Vesna replied. She then let the white automacube do its job. Tapping the com-link Vesna asked, “Sandie, did you record all of this? The children are safe, the troubles are over.”

  Sandie the AI replied, “Yes, I have made recordings. You are to be commended for your fine work. I am pleased to hear that Khin will recover from his wounds. He too is to be commended. However, the troubles for the Conestoga are far from over.”

  10 and they will follow you into the deepest valleys

  The engineering automacube rolled past the teleportation sending and receiving pads and toward what had once been Exterior Repair Station 14-NS. Another blue automacube was working inside the faster-than-light scout ship which was welded, via a permalloy umbilicus, to the hull.

  Jerome stood near the supply room which had served as a bedroom. It was the first place he had thought of as home on the Conestoga. He still remembered the rats and goats which he had seen shortly after his arrival. He shook his head a bit recalling how amazing it had been to see living animals. He leaned against the wall, and tried to flex his arms in some callisthenic movements, but that did little good to relieve the anxiety and melancholy he was feeling.

  Some sparks flashed as the interior console of the FTL scout was opened with surgical precision by the first of the engineering automacubes.

  “Jerome?”
Monika’s voice came through his com-link. “How are you?”

  “Sad,” he replied. “I know life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. I know I should not resist every change, for that only creates sorrow. Reality will always be reality, and this needs to be done. But, Monika, I am sad that I am doing this alone.”

  “Jerome, I would be with you, except for the fact someone needed to keep watch on the defensive systems.” He heard one of his sons, Kalur, cooing a bit in the background. Jerome recognized Monika was probably holding him.

  “I know, and I will be back. I just had hoped Cammarry would come and see this. She always liked to know the full story, and this is the end of a big story here. I should let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they go, but I have regrets.”

  “We all have regrets, but I do not regret knowing you, Jerome.” Monika’s voice was soothing.

  “Nor I with you. I will keep watch here until the Atomic Level Processor is reinstalled,” Jerome said and let out a sigh. “I will acknowledge my regrets. Doctor Chambers told me never to smother my sorrow, but instead to tend and cherish it until it has taught me what lesson I need to learn. He said, ‘To regret deeply is to live afresh.’”

  “And I will be here for you. Take the time you need,” Monika stated.

  “Jerome, I am sorry to interrupt,” Sandie’s voice came through the com-link. “Pardon me Monika for the intrusion, but I have finally established contact with Cammarry. May I connect her in?”

  “Yes, please.” Jerome’s words were laced with trepidation.

  A projection came from his com-link and a three-dimensional image of Cammarry appeared in the goat room. She was wearing woven clothing, of a light green color. Her medium complexion was tanned more than Jerome remembered. She brushed a strand of her silky, dark-brown hair back over an ear. Sternness was set into her oval face, with its narrow brown eyes which gazed at him with a mix of emotions. Not the least of which was anger.

  “What do you want Jerome? This yellow automacube came rolling up to our home in some mad rush with demands I speak to you,” Cammarry said.

  “Did Sandie inform you what was happening?” Jerome asked, somewhat taken aback by the brusque comments.

  “I have not activated the com-link. I will not activate it. I put it inside a permalloy chest so no one can spy on me. The only message I got was from this automacube telling me you had something urgent. I will not go on some adventure, so do not even ask. I do not care how short you are on pilots. Count me out.”

  “The FTL scout is being disassembled by the Goat Room. Sandie’s ALP is being placed into an automacube. I thought you may want to see the scout before it is ditched,” Jerome said. “It brought you and me here, and I am watching them take it apart now. If you took the transport you could be here quickly, or even use the teleporter if that is closer.”

  “Jerome, that part of my life is over. I barely survived it. We did not survive it. You and I went separate ways. Our stories have a common beginning, but will have different endings. I can see that this is somehow emotional for you, and I do respect that. But Alizon and I have our farm, and this is paradise for me.” Cammarry spread her arms wide with the palms up. There was a small smile on her face. “Better than Dome 17, and far better than anything else I have ever seen on the Conestoga.”

  “I am happy for you,” Jerome said, and tears ran down his face. “I truly am. I just wanted you to have the chance to see this, if you wanted to see it. I think…” Jerome stopped himself from mentioning the Jellies and the danger they were all in. The peaceful look on Cammarry’s face was too precious for him to disturb. “…I think I was just being overly sentimental. I am sorry to have bothered you. If we ever get a ricochet ball court made, may I invite you to a match?”

  Cammarry’s face softened, a bit. “Maybe someday we will be able to look back and talk about Dome 17, and all that has happened. Right now, I am not ready. Alizon lets me be me, and I need nothing more than that. I assume you are in a crisis, and there are dangers on this last flight, but I do not really care. Honestly, we all will die one day. I have found paradise, no matter how long it lasts. Hey, but sure, with that wife of yours and her building skills, she probably will make you a ricochet court for the children. I wish you the best.” She reached over and touched the camera.

  The three-dimensional display winked off.

  Apart from the disassembly sounds from the two automacubes, the place Jerome and Cammarry had made as a home was silent. So too were the tears which dripped steadily off Jerome’s face. They dropped onto the permalloy decking, but no one heard.

  On the other end of the needle ship, Captain Eris was busy on the bridge.

  “Captain Eris?” Sandie asked.

  “Yes, what is it?” She leaned forward in the command chair on the bridge and reviewed some of the display screens which were showing their progress on weapons building and the slow but steady advancement they were making toward the Cosmic Crinkle. Eris fervently hoped reaching there would mean a safe escape.

  “Khin and Vesna have recovered the children who were missing. Khin is injured and being transported to Alpha’s hospital in Aston,” Sandie the AI reported. “The children are safe and alive, although traumatized. Vesna was also injured, but not as seriously. She is leading them back, with a security automacube as escort. A human prisoner is in custody.”

  “Well, I am glad they are not dead,” Eris stated as she prayed and gave thanks. “The children will need help. Direct them to Alpha and the facilities in either of the two towns, whichever they can reach most quickly. A human prisoner?”

  “Yes, a late-middle aged, female who was using a strange and mechanically powered costume as a weapon. The costume was in the form of a vicious beast. She apparently has been involved in multiple abductions and murders of children,” Sandie replied.

  “So, Khin did truly find a monster. Relay a message to Clark’s family and tell them the monster has been dealt with,” Eris ordered. “I want to learn all about that, but first to the ship’s condition. How are we?”

  “Repairs are underway, and the weapons are being built. Additionally, I have been able to analyze the internal mechanisms of the Shah of Persia Energy Concentrator, due to Khin and Vesna passing through a section of it,” Sandie stated.

  “What? That is forbidden by all safety regulations. Is that how Khin was injured? They went inside the concentrator? Really? Unsuited? And they survived? Is that where the children were taken? Radiation? Flash burns? What? How did they do it? That is supposed to be completely sealed! Was it? Is that related to that prisoner who abducted the children? Or is there more to this? Did some Jellies get aboard?” Her questions came out very rapid fire, and her voice was higher than normal.

  “Khin and Vesna have no apparent injuries from being inside there, which surprised me as well. Khin was injured in fighting the human in the monster suit. That person, Mariamne by name, was in a modified exoskeleton, which was made to look like a legendary beast. Checking the history logs, the costume most resembled a mythological werewolf.”

  “So, a psychopathic individual was killing children,” Eris said. “We are blessed to have gotten them back, but through that concentrator? How did that occur?”

  “Indeed, it is surprising. Khin knew a method of traversing the Shah of Persia Energy Concentrator, which allowed them to safely cross the section. Khin’s resourcefulness again was demonstrated. The perpetrator had apparently crossed it as well. During their transit inside it, I was limited in my communication abilities, but I did record and assess what is happening inside there. I am unsure how we would have assessed that in any other manner. It was quite fortuitous. I have dispatched some engineering automacubes to make repairs.”

  “I would say it was divine intervention. I would have thought that the kidnapper would be dead, but you said she is a prisoner?” Eris asked, and confidently thought between Khin and Vesna, if the villain had not died in the fighting, they would have executed the
human monster. “I assume that murderer escaped into the concentrator and avoided Khin and Vesna? Is that it?”

  “Actually, no. Khin incapacitated the perpetrator, and Vesna held her until the security automacube arrived. The rescue took place in Repository 997, which at the time was totally isolated and sequestered off from the nonphysicality,” Sandie replied. “The abductor was…”

  “A repository? Were any of the cocoons still working?” Eris’ mind raced back to her own revival from suspended animation. She shuddered, recalling what she had seen and endured. A spark of hope did arise amid those sickening memories. She asked herself silently, ‘Perhaps some qualified crew members are still alive? People I might have known?’ But then she quickly added in her mind, ‘Alas, there would not be time to do a proper revival before we escape the Jellies.’ She cut off the thought which trailed on that like an exhaust from a thruster, ‘Unless the Jellies win.’