“It’s very nice,” said Saskia through gritted teeth, taking in the rich golds and reds of the floor and furnishings of the other living area. “And how are you, Captain ?”
Joanne gave a little smile.
“Just call me Joanne,” she said. “We’re all fine. We’re taking the Stranger to his destination, then we’re going to follow a lead he sold us. Isn’t that right, Michel?”
Michel was sitting on a red-and-gold sofa, tapping at a console and looking more relaxed than he had seemed in weeks.
“That’s right,” he said. He gave a sudden gulp of laughter. “Hey, I’ve just realized. We’ve got all your colors! You’ve got all of our black and white. The Stranger has a sense of humor.”
“Obviously,” said Maurice tightly.
“Hello, Craig!” called Edward, walking up to the viewing field with the teapot in his hand.
“Careful, Edward,” said Craig warningly. “Don’t spill that tea!”
“Are you coming back?” asked Edward.
Craig looked guilty. “I don’t think we can at the moment. But I’m sure we’ll meet up again sometime.”
“Oh.” Edward felt a heavy weight settle in his stomach. He looked at the floor through blurry eyes.
“What do you mean, you don’t think you can?” Maurice called out. He was fiddling with his console, checking local space. “You’ve certainly wasted no time in putting some distance between our two ships. Are you abandoning us?”
Joanne came forward again, that faintly smug smile still playing on her lips, even as she tried to look sympathetic.
“It’s not like that, Maurice. Check the FE contract. We’re not one crew anymore, we’re two. Check the manifest net. You haven’t done too badly out of the deal. You got most of the cargo; take a look in the holds.”
“Fuck the cargo,” Saskia called out. “You’re running out on us.”
“I don’t think it works that way,” said Joanne. “Look, I’m sorry. We’ve got a contract to take the Stranger to where he wants to go. After that there’s nothing to stop us meeting again, is there?”
There was silence inside the lounges of both ships. Edward twisted his fingers around one another, uncertain of what to say. It was Craig who spoke up first.
“Saskia,” he called, “look after Edward. You too, Maurice.”
“We will,” replied Maurice dismissively.
Craig gazed at him coldly. “You’d better.”
“Hey, Maurice!” Armstrong was calling from his usual place at the table, still rubbing up his panga. Maurice merely gave him a wave of the hand. The scene on board the other ship suddenly shrank and the Stranger took its place.
“Now,” it said, “I’m sorry to butt in like this, but you will have plenty of time to talk later on. I just wanted to straighten a few things out.”
“Like what?” said Saskia.
“Like making sure that I really deliver on the last part of our deal. I don’t want the FE software dropping out on me. It may be nearly obsolete, but I still use it occasionally.”
“Yeah,” said Maurice, brightening up suddenly. “You mentioned other exchange mechanisms before…”
“I will sell you information about those, if you are still interested,” said the Stranger. “But first let’s sort out your systems. Maurice, I’m pleased to see you operating the ship. You should have been doing that from the start. If you hadn’t spent all your time sucking up to Armstrong…”
“I wasn’t sucking up. He was just a good friend.”
“Whatever. I have fulfilled my obligation to you. Saskia, I see that you are acting directly. That is good, you have taken my advice. Here is the last part: you should not be commander of the ship.”
Saskia’s eyes narrowed. “Then who?” she asked. “Miss Rose?”
The Stranger laughed. “I have already spoken to Miss Rose. Her role is her own business.”
Saskia frowned. “Well, who else?” Her jaw dropped. “Not Edward!”
“That’s my advice, take it or leave it. So, I have fulfilled all my obligations. Now I should say good-bye.”
Him? Commander of the Eva Rye ? Edward was too scared by what the Stranger had just said to think about Saskia’s reaction. She was nearly choking with anger.
“Say good-bye! Is that it? You have ripped the ship in two and left me with…”
… with this crew of failures, thought Edward. He didn’t care. She was right. Him, a commander?
Still, Saskia managed to stop herself saying the words just in time. She breathed deeply and shook her head. “What should we do next?”
“Go on trading, of course,” said the Stranger. “That’s what it means to adopt FE software, isn’t it?”
An icy stillness took hold of Saskia. Edward tiptoed back to the kitchen area and safety.
“Fine,” said Saskia at last. “Okay, fine.” She forced a smile to her lips. “Well, thank you, Stranger, for doing business with us. I look forward to meeting you again.”
“Hold on,” said the Stranger. “I might be able to put some business your way. Would you be interested, Edward?”
“Would I be interested?” said Edward, licking his lips. The teapot felt hot and heavy in his hands. In the viewing field, the Stranger had twisted four glassy lenses in his direction.
“I think I should make the decisions here, don’t you, Edward?” Saskia’s voice was cold and thin. She had stood up now to stare at the Stranger.
“Do you want her to?” asked the Stranger gently. Edward nodded with relief.
“Okay, Saskia,” said the Stranger. “Are you interested?”
“What about me?” said Maurice.
“You can advise,” snapped Saskia. “Go on, Stranger.”
The Stranger didn’t answer straight away. When he did, there was a note of amusement in its voice.
“Well, I don’t know if you will already be too late, so for that reason I will offer this information to you free of charge. About four weeks ago, before your timely rescue, and while I believed I was still floating towards my doom, I picked up a signal requesting a trade. Someone wants to be transported to Earth.”
“To Earth?” said Saskia and Maurice, at the same time.
“Why would anyone want to go there?” said Maurice. “It’s swamped with Dark Plants. If they don’t wipe your mind, they tie you up in BVBs and strangle you. They say the Watcher is losing its grip completely.”
Edward realized he was holding his breath. What did he know about Dark Plants? Only that you mustn’t look at them; it made them grow faster. Only that they spread BVBs: unbreakable nooses that irresistibly tightened around anything within range. Only that everyone was frightened of them. They originated from the edge of the galaxy, that’s what they said. The Watcher had found them out there and tried to run away from them, but somehow they had followed it home, and now they had begun to grow on Earth. Why on earth would anyone want to go to Earth?
“I don’t know why this person wants to go to Earth,” said the Stranger. “All I know is a request was made for trade. Perhaps you could follow it up? If there is significant risk involved, that will naturally weigh in your favor with the FE software.”
“Hold on,” said Saskia suspiciously. “If you picked up their signal, why didn’t you ask them to save you?”
“That is my own business,” said the Stranger. “Would you like me to send you the location of the signal?”
Saskia said nothing. She looked at Maurice. “What do you think?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Stranger, is it safe, do you think?”
The Stranger gave a loud laugh. “You ask the most expensive question of all! You couldn’t afford to pay me for that answer, even if I could give it!” He gave a sigh. “But I think it is a fair job. You would do well to at least investigate it.”
Saskia and Maurice held each other’s gaze. In the kitchen, Edward found his voice.
“I think we should go,” he said. “I think we should trust the Stranger.�
��
Saskia turned to him, but for once, her face wasn’t angry. She just looked tired.
“You think we should trust him. Very well. Maurice, what do you think?”
Maurice shrugged. “What else are we going to do?” he asked.
Saskia looked down at the soft black carpet on the floor.
“Okay, Stranger. You did a nice job on the ship, if nothing else, and I’m sorry for not trusting you. Yes, please, we’d like to have a look at the job.”
“I’ve just sent the details to Maurice,” said the Stranger. “Well, until we meet again!”
“Good-bye,” said Saskia in an empty voice.
The viewing field shrank to nothing.
“Hello, Eva Rye . This is the Free Enterprise. Glad to hear from you.”
Saskia looked at the ship that now floated in the viewing field. It didn’t look right.
“Is that an alien ship?” asked Edward.
“There are no such things as aliens,” said Maurice, “you must know that. Those are only stories.”
“What about the Stranger?”
“The Stranger was a robot. He was built in that shape in order to do his job properly.”
“Built by aliens,” said Edward stubbornly.
Maurice was irritable. He was missing Armstrong, Edward guessed. He had changed out of his padded combat jacket and into a grey T-shirt and long grey pants. He gave Edward a long stare.
“I told you, there are no aliens. Besides, look at those markings on the side. They’re written in English.”
“Be quiet, you two,” said Saskia. “I need to speak to them.”
It was a very odd-looking ship, though. Edward didn’t quite have the capacity to articulate what he was feeling, which was this: at least the Stranger looked as if it had some Earth connection, bearing, as it did, a passing resemblance to a starfish. Its shape touched human norms at some point in the evolutionary process. This ship had no discernible form whatsoever; it was something less than a collection of shapes. Edward had absolutely nothing to refer to, to hang a pattern on it. There were bundles of wires and cables snaking through the structure, but the ship could not even be described as looking like a plate of spaghetti. Nor did it look like a junk heap. It was utterly alien, beyond human experience. Except for the fact that it had DIANA written on it in various places, in huge yellow letters. Saskia had been staring at the floor, collecting her thoughts. She was dressed in a neat black suit with a white blouse and matching white button earrings. Her hair was shiny and neatly brushed and, Edward noted, pinned up on top of her head in a bun. She looked every bit the part of the voice of the Eva Rye .
“Hello, Free Enterprise . My name is Saskia. I understand that you wish to trade.”
“I do. How do you wish to proceed?”
“Are you FE enabled?” Saskia shot a sidelong glance at Maurice sitting on the sofa, fingers poised over his console.
“I certainly am,” said the Free Enterprise . “Let’s not waste each other’s time. Would you be willing to take a passenger to Earth?”
“I don’t know,” said Saskia. “Is that all that is required?”
“Yes. Simply drop this person off as close as is safely possible to their destination, and then the contract is complete.”
“Mmm. Why would anybody want to go to Earth?”
“I could add that information into the price, but why not just ask her when she boards your ship? I’m sure she would be happy to tell you.”
“So the passenger is a she?”
Edward opened the fridge door and smiled when he saw that the apple juice container was full. Ever since the Eva Rye had separated, the container never seemed to run out. He poured three glasses. One each for himself, Maurice, and Saskia.
Maurice whispered something to Saskia.
“That’s a good point,” she murmured. “ Free Enterprise, what if we cannot actually reach Earth? I heard that the Watcher is refusing to allow anyone past Jupiter’s orbit.”
“As I said, as close as is safely possible. I will trust the FE software to adjudicate.” There was a little chuckle. “I see that you are unfamiliar with the implications of FE. I take it you are relatively new at this game? Such lack of trust is typical.”
Saskia rolled her eyes. “It’s a cold universe out there, Free Enterprise .”
Edward pushed a cold glass of apple juice into her hand.
“Why, thank you, Edward,” she said.
He hesitated, not wanting to interrupt.
“Yes, Edward?” she said.
“Saskia, why can’t we see who you are speaking to? They can see us, can’t they?”
“Because…” Saskia frowned. “Actually, that’s a good point. Why can’t we see you?”
There was another chuckle.
“You can see me. I’m the ship. I am the Free Enterprise. ”
“You mean you’re an AI?” said Maurice, and Saskia glared at him, angry at being interrupted. He didn’t seem to notice. His character seemed to have changed with his new outfit. He looked so much more relaxed in his greys.
The Free Enterprise sounded amused as it replied, “Yes, I am an AI.”
“But I thought AIs couldn’t function where FE is being used?” Maurice sounded puzzled.
“No, that’s not true,” said the Free Enterprise, “although a lot of people make that mistake, particularly in the early days of adoption. I’m not trying to be rude, but I think it’s fair to say that you obviously haven’t grasped the full implications of what you’ve signed up to. Now, are we going to do a deal?”
Maurice gave a shrug.
Edward was nodding his head vigorously.
“Hold on,” said Saskia. “You haven’t told us what you are offering us yet.”
“I can’t,” said the Free Enterprise. “If I were to tell you, and you were to refuse the trade, you would have gained valuable information from me for nothing. You must be prepared to trust FE. Now, are we going to trade?”
Edward didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. They must have intended upon doing the deal, else why waste fuel flying out here to make contact? Certainly, Earth was dangerous, but they didn’t have to go that close, did they?
Saskia appeared to reach a decision.
“Okay,” she said, “we’ll put it to the vote. Maurice?”
“You’re the boss.” Maurice shrugged. He gave a thin smile. “I’m happy to go with you.”
“Fine. Edward?”
Edward nodded his head vigorously.
“Yes. I’d like to go to Earth. Are you going to ask Miss Rose?”
Miss Rose wasn’t there. She still spent most of the time shut up in her room, rearranging her things, only making occasional trips out to eat her meals and steal small items from around the ship.
“I would if she were here,” said Saskia briskly. “Okay then,” she raised her glass of apple juice, as if in a toast, “we trade. Are you ready to interface?”
“Yes,” replied Maurice and the Free Enterprise simultaneously.
“Then let’s go.”
“Uploading circumstances,” said Maurice. “What the hell?” He gazed at his console, mouth hanging open.
“What’s the matter?” asked Saskia, squinting to see what was scrolling across his screen.
“That’s never happened before,” said Maurice. “I’m going to run a check.”
“What?” asked Saskia. “Speak to me! What’s never happened before?”
“The trade—it’s completed already. I don’t understand it! Free Enterprise, are you getting the same?”
“I must admit, it does seem very unusual.” The other ship sounded genuinely puzzled. “Still, occasionally circumstances are such that two trading partners find themselves almost perfectly matched.” There was a fluttering noise. “Even so, I have never heard of an Exchange taking place quite so quickly.”
Saskia was visibly fretting. Edward took the glass of apple juice from her hand and placed it on the low coffee table near
by.
“I’ve run the check,” said Maurice. “It’s a Fair Exchange.”
“I concur,” said the Free Enterprise. “Very well, I am dispatching your passenger now. She should arrive with you in four minutes.”
A shuttle detached itself from the image of the spaceship that floated in the middle of the living area.
“It will have to go into the large hold,” said Maurice, gazing at a dimension reading. “There should be plenty of room, even with the venumbs in there. I’ll open the hatch now.”
“You may keep the shuttle,” said the Free Enterprise . “It is part of the Exchange. As to the rest, my price includes disclosure of the information that I have just downloaded to your ship. I will give you a quick summary as your passenger approaches. Have you heard of DIANA?”
Maurice shook his head.
“I have,” said Saskia. “They were one of the old commercial organizations. They controlled quite a bit of human-occupied space until the Watcher and the Environment Agency took over the running of human affairs.”
“A fair summary,” said the Free Enterprise . The pod in the viewing field was growing larger. The Eva Rye slid into view, looking like a Harlequin’s teardrop, its opening hangar door masquerading as one of the dark checks, not immediately apparent. The Free Enterprise continued.
“Yes, a fair summary. However, it is not true to speak of DIANA in the past tense. I myself still work for DIANA, as do many others.”
“How can that be?” asked Saskia. “The Watcher made it its business to infiltrate all those large organizations—and then to destroy them. The age of large-scale capitalism is past.”
“Some of us managed to escape the Watcher’s gaze. The first Warp Ships were built by the commercial organizations before the Watcher had completely infiltrated them. No one was surprised when some of those experimental ships failed to return home. Some of them, no doubt, malfunctioned. Others, such as my own manufacturers, chose to stay hidden in space.”
Comprehension dawned on Maurice’s face.
“That explains your unusual appearance,” he said. “The first Warp Ships were robots, they had no direct connection with human beings. Your development was completely independent of human needs or intervention.”
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