by Terry Mixon
Overseer Halbreth walked over to her and scowled deeply. “You have created a safety concern by toying with things you had no business touching. I don’t care who your sponsor is. You’re expelled from this site and will not be allowed to return.”
4
Talbot stepped into the compartment they were using to hold the man from the Singularity. It was a comfortable single occupancy cabin that had been stripped of anything that might serve as a weapon.
Two marines stood guard in the corridor and two more stood just inside the compartment. The outer pair were armed with stunners. The inner pair had their muscles.
The man with the tattoos, who was already standing, turned to face Talbot without saying anything. His expression seemed a bit superior. It reminded Talbot of how Commander Raul Castile had looked down his nose at the people from the New Terran Empire. Only more so.
Talbot stopped just inside the compartment and examined the man closely, allowing the silence to draw out. He wanted to see if the other man was the nervous type.
Under the tattoos that formed some kind of predatory bird, his features were average. Bland even. A nose neither large nor small, a mouth on the wide side with thin lips, and eyes of pale blue.
His eyes were his best features by far, in Talbot’s opinion. Alive and intelligent, they studied him. The man still didn’t speak.
The man’s body seemed on the thin side under his loose garments. His arms—what Talbot could see of them—seemed somewhat scrawny. Not a warrior, most likely.
When it became clear that the prisoner wasn’t going to initiate the conversation, Talbot smiled a little more widely. “A man with patience, I see. I’m Lieutenant Colonel Russell Talbot, Imperial Marines. Who are you?”
The other man’s lips curled up just a little. “I’m your prisoner, though I expect that situation to change in the near future. The arrogance of Terrans is legendary among my people, but you picked a fight with the wrong people this time.”
The man’s Standard was excellent. It sounded like his native language, though what they’d learned led Talbot to suspect it wasn’t.
“When you say your people, you mean the Singularity?” Talbot asked.
That caused the man’s eyebrows to rise. “That isn’t a name I expected you to know. Your Lords seem determined to eradicate all mention of the People from your records.”
Talbot hadn’t been aware they called themselves that. “We’re full of surprises. What are the People doing with the Clans?”
The man’s smile widened further. “You’re shockingly well informed, Lieutenant Colonel. You may call me Theo.”
“Shouldn’t there be a number with that?”
This time the man’s smile seemed genuine. “You astound me again, Lieutenant Colonel Talbot. I’m the only Theo here, but if you simply must know, I am Theo 309. Might this one inquire why you attacked the Clan warships? From what I saw, and to my stark amazement, they weren’t the aggressors.”
“We’ll get to that,” Talbot said. “First, allow me to compliment you on your Standard. It’s excellent. And useful since I don’t speak the tongue.”
“You even know what we call our own language? I’m seriously impressed. No outsiders have spoken the tongue since the great sundering of the Terran Empire and the enslavement of the people living there. Your people.”
“Since this is ancient history for you, how did your people fare when the AIs rebelled against the Terran Empire? Did the fighting spill across your border?”
The man who called himself Theo sat down on the edge of the couch and crossed his legs with an easy grace. “For someone who’s surprisingly knowledgeable about my people, I’m amazed you don’t already know the answer to your own question. Why is that?”
“Being educated about a historical entity doesn’t mean knowing what’s going on with them in modern times,” Talbot said. “I’ve read documents and reports talking about the Singularity but, as you said, my people and yours have not interacted directly in quite some time.
“Unless of course you count the Clans as my people, which is only tangentially true. We sprang from the same source, but they seem to have developed their own personality.”
Theo laughed at that last comment. “That’s something of an understatement. A rather vast one. The ships that formed the Clans left the Terran Empire during the great sundering. Since then, they have developed some very peculiar societal quirks, I agree.
“One of those being that they are extremely xenophobic. They barely trust one another, much less anyone outside their circle of ‘family.’ By destroying one of their stations and several of their ships, you’ve assured that they won’t rest until they’ve found a way to strike back at you.”
That was very much what Talbot was afraid of. Castille had certainly done his level best to spoil any chance of a decent relationship between the New Terran Empire and the Clans.
“You’re an outsider,” Talbot pointed out. “If they’re so xenophobic, how is it that you were aboard one of their ships? You certainly don’t appear to have been a prisoner.”
The man smiled. “Oh, I wasn’t. I act as an envoy between my people and the Clans. We reached an accommodation quite some time ago, you see. It suits my people to grow the forces that may one day retake the Terran Empire.
“I’m not quite certain how thorough your knowledge of the People is. We have our own societal quirks, too. Ones that caused us to leave the Terran Empire many thousands of years ago. We don’t believe in implanting devices into our bodies and we don’t allow machines to control our lives. Perfection takes a different turn than the perversion your people created to enslave yourselves.
“It’s an endless source of irony to me that the war caused by your sins have meant that the Clans are no longer able to follow that horrific process. One bright light in the sea of darkness that is the rest of their society.
“So, it serves my people’s interests to strengthen the Clans into a force capable of once again ruling the Terran Empire. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that we’ve made ourselves indispensable for when that day comes. Which, because of you, will likely be sooner than either of us thinks possible.”
That certainly sounded ominous.
“Considering the shape these people were in when they escaped the Terran Empire and AIs, they certainly wouldn’t have been in shape to fight without a lot of help,” Talbot said. “What benefit does it serve the Singularity to build them up so much? Surely they become a threat at that point.
“After all, you’ve probably done your part to make certain the Clans are xenophobic. Let’s just say that the people from the Singularity have a reputation for being somewhat manipulative.”
The man’s smile deepened. “Oh, you are perceptive. I deny what you’ve said, of course, but appreciate the compliment. Your insight seems as keen as your imagination. My congratulations.
“Now, as a neutral survivor from the battle, I’m afraid I must request that you release me. My people took no part in this combat and have not raised arms against yours. While I doubt very seriously that your people will respect my diplomatic immunity with the Clans, if you wish to avoid making the situation worse, you’ll let me go.”
Talbot made an expression of doubt. “Didn’t you just sit here and tell me that you were helping the Clans build a force capable of overthrowing the Terran Empire? That seems fairly hostile to me.
“No, I think we’ll be holding on to you for now. If you decide to be cooperative, I’m certain that additional amenities can be provided to enhance your comfort. On the other hand, if you prove problematic, we have a nice cell in the brig waiting for you. Far less comfortable than this cabin.”
Talbot stepped toward the hatch. “I suggest you consider very carefully how we’re going to work together going forward, Theo 309. We’ll speak again.”
He stepped out into the corridor before the man could respond and allowed the hatch to close behind him.
Well, that hadn’t gone as ba
dly as he’d feared, but the man certainly wasn’t a pushover. Getting real information from him was going to be difficult. Perhaps impossible. Time would tell.
Until then, there were a few other threads he could pull on.
Veronica watched the interview with interest. The strange man was very smooth. It seemed as if nothing Colonel Talbot said had fazed him. There was a lot going on under the surface and she doubted the man was going to give any information to his captors willingly.
The hatch behind her slid open and Talbot stepped inside. “That didn’t go nearly as well as I’d hoped. He’s really good at this. Commander Giguere, what did you think?”
“I can’t add anything to what you just said,” she said with a shrug. “I’ve seen smooth characters like that before. Mostly diplomats and used grav car salesmen. The kind of people that could lie to your face with a bland expression of mild interest. You’re not going to get him to talk.”
Talbot grunted. “I certainly hope you’re wrong, but that pretty much matches my expectations, too. We’ve got time to deal with him, I suppose. It isn’t as if we’re going to see Clan warships rushing through the flip point at any moment.”
Veronica raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps I’m a bit biased, but what makes you think that you’re so much better than them? Why can’t they figure it out too?”
“Because they don’t have Carl Owlet,” Talbot said smugly. “The man is a freaking genius. Plus, they don’t even know what a multiflip point is. Their understanding is basically what we knew back when we first discovered one.
“We were certain that whatever it was, it was a one-way trip. Nothing we could do managed to get a ship back through the flip point. No amount of toying around with power levels and so forth made any difference whatsoever.
“It took a ton of research to figure out what we were really looking at and then Carl had to come up with a theory covering how we might exploit what he thought was there. Then he had to develop the hardware. That’s not going to happen overnight.”
Veronica shifted herself in her chair and shook her head. “That’s being arrogant. They aren’t going to find any of your ships back in that other system. They know there’s enough force floating around somewhere to destroy two of their ships. Not to mention the fact that they almost certainly obtained some kind of scanner readings of the Dresden orbital before it rammed their station.
“By now, they have to realize that a significant force came through the Icebox flip point. When they don’t find it, they’ll know it had to have gone back through. Once someone knows something is possible, it’s only a matter of time before they figure out how to do it.”
Talbot grimaced. “I certainly hope you’re wrong, but we’ve never managed to get out of any problem the easy way. It isn’t as if we have a lot of choices at the moment. Audacious is trapped in this system. If they come for us, we’re not going to be able to run.”
“That’s… unfortunate. From what that man said, the Clans don’t seem like the forgiving types. Do you have any plans for repairing this ship? Is it even possible to repair it outside of drydock?”
“That question is above my pay grade. We’ve got people down on the planet right now looking to see if the flip drive on the crashed battlecruiser is salvageable.”
Veronica felt one of her eyebrows rise. “Crashed battlecruiser? I don’t think I’ve heard this particular story.”
“That’s more because you were in the medical center rather than because nobody was going to tell you,” Angela Ellis said, speaking up for the first time in a while. “There’s a lot that we haven’t told you, some because they haven’t come up, and others because… well, you are the enemy.”
Veronica slumped a little bit in her chair. “That’s not particularly true anymore. I get that the AIs actually conquered humanity and the history I learned as a child was a lie.
“The problem is that I have no way to convince you of that. I want to help you. Really, I do. I’ve given up. Everything you’ve told us has been right. Still, you’ll never trust me. You’ll never trust any of us.”
She could hear the bitterness in her voice. It annoyed her. One more thing she couldn’t do anything about.
Talbot smiled. “Actually, that might not be true. I got a little piece of information last night that changes that particular set of circumstances.”
He turned to Ellis. “Remember the freighter we captured at Dresden? Turns out it had a little secret cargo in a locked compartment. A brand new AI.”
His words sent shivers down Veronica’s spine. “I hardly see how that’s good news. Those things are monsters.”
“Not if you utilize clean code from the very beginning,” he said with a grin. “In this case, they didn’t send any operating software with it all. Just the hardware.
“Thankfully, we have a clean set of code in our database. The commodore was busy, so I ordered the AI brought over to Persephone. She has less room, but is mobile. If trouble comes knocking, we’ll want the AI leaving with us. It’s too valuable to let someone take with the carrier.
“Once we have it put together, we can boot it from clean code and it will be able to determine if you’re telling the truth or not.”
“How could it possibly do that?”
“That’s going to take a little faith,” he said seriously. “You have to allow it access to your implants to monitor your brain while you tell us how you’ve seen the light. It will be able to determine if you’re being truthful.”
“You want me to allow one of the Lords access to my brain?”
“It’s not as if it’s able to change anything in your memory. As they say, it’s read-only access. Of course, you have to trust that I’m telling you the truth. That, I’m afraid, is the price of admittance. If you want us to trust you, you’re going to have to trust us first.”
None of that made Veronica happy, but she nodded slowly. “When are we going to be able to do it?”
The marine officer shrugged. “Maybe today, maybe tomorrow. I haven’t been keeping a close eye on the progress. We’ll have you on hand when we bring it online. I want you to see the difference between a free AI and one of your System Lords first hand.”
“I’d say that I can’t wait, but that would be a lie. Should I just go back to the medical center?”
He shook his head. “No. I’m going to stick my neck out a little and give you a chance to see what we’re doing. Angela and I are about to have a little chat with Commander Renner. Would you like to come along?”
Violet Renner had been the incoming security officer about to replace Raul Castille on the Dresden orbital when Princess Kelsey had stolen it.
“I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you. She’s going to be even less cooperative than Theo 309.”
“Let’s go find out,” Talbot suggested. “It’s not as if you have anything more pressing on your plate.”
5
Kelsey followed Jacob and Arturo into a room just off to the side of the main entrance. It looked as if it were normally used for small, private meetings.
The exterior wall used wood and stone as its primary building materials while the interior divisions were made solely of wood. The furniture was made of roughly hewn wood with padded seats covered in coarse leather.
Two columns formed from whole tree trunks supported the ceiling above. Someone had taken the time to carve images of a battlecruiser onto its surface. The art was relatively crude and in places inaccurate, but the general shape was unmistakable.
Once Arturo had closed the stout door, he turned to Kelsey and Jacob, planting his hands on his hips. “Jacob, who is this young woman and why is she armed? And how is it possible for her to subdue a warrior like Isidro?”
Rather than answering, Jacob walked over to a small bar set into the wall, picked up a pitcher of what sounded like ice water from the rough plank, and poured himself a mug. “Does anyone else want water? This might take a while.”
“I’ll take one,” Kelsey said.
>
Then she turned to fully face Arturo. “We were going to have this discussion with the king of Raden first, but I suppose I don’t have a choice in telling you. The problem is that I’d prefer to do this as few times as possible.”
The warrior considered her for a moment. “While I want to know the complete story, at this particular moment I’ll settle for why you’re armed and what the nature of your arms are. If you can convince me that you should retain those arms, I will let you speak to the tribunal while retaining them.
“This is something of a first for me. I’ve never heard of an armed woman. Well, nothing more than a knife used for self-defense anyway. Yet you carry swords, and those do not look like wooden hilts to my experienced eye. They’re not even wrapped in leather. Explain this portion of the mystery to me.”
“I’d do it if I were you,” Jacob said as he handed a mug to her. “Arturo is much more reasonable than Isidro. Your story will be more than sufficient to make him an ally. And against slime like Isidro, one needs as many allies as possible. You can rest assured that idiot is going to speak against you at the tribunal.”
Kelsey considered Arturo for a few seconds and then shrugged. This moment had been coming since she’d arrived. She’d reviewed the questioning of the prisoners they’d found on Icebox while they were there. The Clans took women from among the prisoners to other locations.
From what Jacob said, the Clans put women into secondary roles; homemakers and raising children. The men were responsible for protecting them.
She wasn’t certain how willingly the women of the Clans submitted to this, but didn’t know enough to say they were treated as second-class citizens. Yet.
If she found that was true, she and Jacob would be having an unpleasant conversation. Kelsey wasn’t the type to stand by and allow slavery, no matter how prettily it was dressed up.
“You want to know why I’m armed and what my sword hilt is made of?” she asked. “Easily solved.”
