“I’m still not making the connection here, Joyce. So far, nothing you’ve told me gets us to you being a wanted criminal.”
“Ken, I want you to understand me. I don’t want to simply make a confession. Please! It’s very important to me that you understand who I was and why I did the things that got me in trouble.”
“I’m waiting.”
Ken did not seem interested in her motivations; he simply wanted to know what he was dealing with. This was not enough for Fiona. Or was it Joyce? The fugitive doctor felt like she did not even know who she was anymore. She desperately needed him to understand her. Perhaps if he understands, he’ll forgive me for all of the trouble I’ve caused and maybe … maybe we can … She was grasping at straws, but she had to try.
“The tipping point was when I found out that it was my methods that enabled NessCorp to create an entire industry around blanks.”
“Blanks? Like for prop guns?” He looked dubious, until she explained.
“Not firearms; rudimentary human bodies that could be imprinted with specific features later. It’s part of the process I developed, but I never intended it for mass production! They produced them and kept them in stasis until needed. NessCorp began shipping them to other firms; selling them as a commodity. People, Ken. People being sold as a commodity.”
“Holy …” his voice trailed off as comprehension came to him.
Good, she thought. He understands. “Yes, the ramifications of such technology is abominable,” she agreed, hammering the point home. “In addition to selling the technology to the military, other industries evolved. The growing of sex slaves, cheap labor and even blank bodies for people with a taste for human flesh!”
He merely nodded at her comment about the military, but his eyes widened at the mention of slave production and cannibalism.
“How can they get away with …?”
“Think about it, Ken! They’re not legal humans!” Her words came out hard and abrupt. “The costs are much less than building androids and the profits are … unfathomable! When I was approached by the Genetic Liberation Front, a group classified as domestic terrorists, I jumped at the opportunity!” Her voice was thick with righteous indignation. “I used my position to facilitate the G.L.F.’s liberating blank embryos. I had the imprinting technology; I invented it, originally for families to have children, not for this … abomination. The children could grow into healthy babies and be adopted. I helped the G.L.F. in their mission and we did a lot of good.” She was still proud of what she had done with the G.L.F. early on. Then, the doctor deflated. “But, eventually, I was discovered and went on the run. I cleared out my lab and took some of the embryos when I left. We hacked into NessCorp’s systems, found the other firms involved and hacked into their systems. We erased the formula and made a mess of their systems. Using various covers, I was able to get into other such labs as a doctor and do a lot of damage. I eventually became involved in sabotaging pharmaceutical companies that were benefitting from the misuse of what I had created.”
“So that’s why they’re after you; they need your formula,” Kendrick noted.
“Yes, Captain. Unfortunately, sabotaging the facilities of pharmaceutical companies and genetics firms is not legal and brings with it a nice long prison sentence. We sabotaged many such facilities and liberated what they called, ‘genetic material’ from them, but our undoing was the military. One of our hackers was able to penetrate the military’s systems and do the same to them. Unfortunately, they were able to track him down. The last job for the G.L.F. involved the liberation of blank embryos from a genetics firm on Luna.”
Kendrick seemed to notice that she was getting thirsty after so much talking and poured her a glass of water. She took it gratefully, drinking half of it very quickly.
“So, wait,” Ken asked while she drank, “you mean to say that you’re not a medical doctor?”
“Of course I am.” She set her drink down. “I went to med school and did my residency before going into genetics. I did volunteer work at an inner-city clinic and was the de facto doctor for my G.L.F. cell.”
Ken nodded apparently satisfied with the answer.
“Anyway, after the job was done, I was to go to the O.S.P. meet my contact. Unbeknownst to me, my contact had been compromised; the military had counter attacked and hacked into our people’s systems, and they knew who we were. With my contact taken out, I was unable to make the drop or get off the station. The G.L.F. wiped everything and the people all went to ground and assumed new identities, but I did not know any of this, or that my assumed identity had already been pierced. My resources went dry and my faction found a way to tip me off as to what had happened. If I could get off of the station, they could arrange another drop location.” The doctor took another gulp of water.
“But Ness is a multinational corporation, as are those involved with this industry. Without my formula, they can’t just start it up again, and I am the only one who has it. The Alliance got involved and closed in on me at the pub and only the fact that the bounty hunters showed up and started a fight allowed my escape from the pub.” Fiona paused and smiled, then added. “Meeting a gentleman captain was the only reason that I was able to escape the station—and for that, I am forever in your debt.” She smiled demurely at him. With her story told, her fate was now in his hands.
Kendrick was reeling from the doctor’s confession. He remained silent as he pondered the implications of having her aboard. No longer was he an unwitting accomplice now that he knew. By law, Kendrick should send communications to the proper authorities on Mars and turn her in upon arrival. Due to the interplanetary nature of the mega corps, she would be wanted by both the United States and the Alliance.
On the other hand, he hated the mega corps with a white-hot passion, hated the Alliance and strongly disliked many of the policies of the United States government. He owed them nothing, and slavery and cannibalism were too much. Though he did not approve of her dishonesty in boarding his ship, he had a hard time faulting the doctor for her actions. He collected his thoughts, and then rendered his decision.
“I’m going to pretend that I have no knowledge of this. As far as I’m concerned, you’re still Doctor Fiona Kinsale, a penniless doctor who agreed to work off the price of her ticket by taking an indefinite post as ship’s doctor and I picked you up before I got to the O.S.P. Nobody on this ship except Selene and me knows this, an’ Selene ain’t fully operational. Besides, I’m a space trucker. I’m supposed to pick up beautiful women in different places where I go. You wanna stick with me and be Selene’s doctor, then I’m good with that … so long as you leave the life of ‘Joyce Keane’ behind. Completely. I’ll pay you a salary an’ I’ll never say your old name. They come after us, I’ll have to find some way to cover for you. That fair?”
Fiona answered by jumping from her chair and throwing her arms around him, kissing him gently. She held him tightly, clearly amazed at his magnanimous response.
“Thank you!” She blushed and backed away. She gave a small wave and a smile. She mouthed the words, ‘thank you’ again, then blew him a kiss as the doors closed.
Kendrick smiled and settled back into his chair. His gut told him that he had made the right decision. He did not even want to know about stolen biotech, though at some point, he knew that it would need to be addressed and dealt with. Aside from hating mega corps on principle, Kendrick found her actions understandable, given the circumstances. In fact, Kendrick had to admit that he admired her for taking such a stand, though at the same time, his decision to harbor her could come back to haunt him later. Regardless, Kendrick had given his word and so he would stand by it.
“Maybe I shoulda just taken her up on the sex,” he said aloud.
Of course, the matter of stolen biotech was still open and he mentally kicked himself for not pressing her on it; the implications of what she had shared had caused him to forget about it until after she had gone. Now that he knew why she was running, he somewhat un
derstood why the doctor had been so reticent to disclose her circumstances to him; she had no idea at the time if he may have been connected to the people who were after her. With the Alliance sabotage and Lorgen’s attack, Fiona knew that he was not an enemy.
The question of what they would do once they were moving again remained. He intended to get to Mars, but what then? Would Fiona depart at that point? Kendrick was sure that because of his connection to Fiona, the Alliance and the U.S. government would still seek him, especially given that Lorgen had probably painted him as an accomplice. If she stayed with him, what then? The captain could be on the run indefinitely. Then the com chimed, mercifully taking him away from the mental rabbit trails he was starting to go down.
“Captain Royce,” came Mister Nozaki’s voice, “We’re picking up a distress call. We need you on the bridge.”
“On my way,” he replied. He knew he had to answer a distress call if it was within his ability to do so; that was part of being a captain, even though he was concerned that it could be a trap.
The Alliance Interceptor Orion had just put out on her first mission under Captain Rubino Santiago. This was a new command for the veteran captain and the Orion was a brand new ship, one of the fastest afloat. The only ship he knew of that could outrun her was the Selene. He looked out over the clean bridge, its surfaces still shining, her floors still polished. The Orion was the first interceptor with full holographic interface technology. Santiago preferred conventional control panels, but he had very quickly come to appreciate the holographic displays and interfaces. He was taking a deep drink from his thermos when the coms officer received an urgent message from the Alliance’s Agency of Interplanetary Intelligence. The Agency was referred to colloquially as A-2, a play on the Roman numeral look of the initials; A.I.I., and Santiago had become one of the A-2’s go to captains.
“Patch it through, Simmons.”
“Sending it to your private terminal, Sir,” replied the com officer.
He read the message; it seemed that a U.S. Cutter had destroyed the Alliance Verona, going so far as to shoot the escape pods. Only one survivor was recovered: an A-2 agent. The Orion was to change course immediately and under full speed, retrieve her from Luna, where Santiago would receive further instructions.
“Ms. Breckenridge, plot a course to Luna, full steam ahead.”
“Sir?” Breckenridge turned around and looked at him with puzzlement, but he nodded.
“New orders, Ms. Breckenridge. Top priority.”
“Yes, Sir,” she said, plotting the course and bringing the Orion’s engines up to full power.
The Orion surged forward; only her size and motion dampers kept the crew from being pinned to their seats or shaken from their feet. Santiago was impressed. Only one other ship he had ever been aboard was faster, and that was the Selene. He had taken her as a passenger roughly two years ago and had dreamed of one day captaining a vessel with such power. With the Orion, his dream had come true. Her engines were as large as Selene’s, though the greater bulk of the six-hundred-foot interceptor made her less speedy than the much smaller star liner. As he recalled his experience aboard the Selene, he wondered how her captain was doing in the much-publicized race against the Fujin. He suspected that it was no contest and expected to make a tidy sum on his wager.
“On course for Luna, Sir,” announced Ms. Breckenridge. “E.T.A., three hours.”
“Thank you, Ms. Breckenridge,” he said. Then, he turned to his X.O., a tall, platinum-haired woman and said, “Ms. Jansen, I need to confirm some things with A-2. The bridge is yours.”
Amanda Keyes was right back at Luna, but not in Tranquility Base. She was at the Lunar Coast Guard base and Xing had ordered her to remain there and to make contact with no one. Amanda was bummed; now that she was back on Luna, she could have spent a night or two with Terri. A surprise visit would really get Terri wrapped around her finger, which was where Amanda preferred Terri to be. The lonely tower controller’s help had been instrumental in bringing the Selene to a halt. Unfortunately, the surprise attack by that stealth ship had prevented Keyes from taking advantage of it.
Keyes thought that she would be stuck here for days, so she was surprised when a seaman entered and saluted her.
“Your ride’s here, ma’am.”
“Already?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. “Come with me, please.”
Amanda followed the seaman to the dock, where indeed her ride was waiting for her. Or at least she hoped so. The Alliance Interceptor Orion had arrived to pick her up and a beautiful platinum-haired woman stood waiting to receive her.
“I assume you’re the agent who survived the destruction of the Verona?”
“Yes; Lieutenant Amanda Keyes.”
“Commander Helga Jansen.” Jansen was a good ten centimeters taller than Amanda, who was not short by any means. She estimated that Helga was about one-hundred and eighty centimeters in height. “Come with me; we’ve set up a secure cabin for you. Agency communications will be routed directly to your terminal. Also, Captain Santiago has a lot to discuss with you.” The two women stepped into the airlock, the doors closing and the pressure equalizing. “Welcome aboard the Orion, Lieutenant,” Helga said with a smile.
Amanda decided that fortune was with her as she gazed admiringly at the tall commander. When the doors opened and they entered the new interceptor, Keyes knew that she was correct: fortune truly was smiling on her this day. Helga fetched a yeoman to show Amanda to her cabin.
“Enjoy your stay, Lieutenant Keyes. I’m looking forward to working with you.”
“Likewise, Commander.” Keyes hoped that work was not the only thing on Helga’s agenda. After nearly being blown up with the Verona, then nearly dying in her escape pod, Amanda really wanted some leisure time, preferably with Commander Helga. Amanda preferred blondes and Helga’s height was a nice bonus.
The yeoman kindly escorted Amanda to her cabin, which was small, but well-appointed for a military vessel. After settling in, Keyes contacted Xing to update him on her status. She only hoped that the Selene was still out there for her to catch.
Kendrick entered the bridge, his curiosity now piqued. “An S.O.S.?” he asked aloud. Though it could be a trap, he opted to proceed on the premise that it was genuine. “Try to get a fix on her, Mister Yoshida.” May as well act more captain-ish, thought Kendrick.
“Hai,” came Yoshida’s crisp response. “We’ve already done that, Sir. While I still haven’t been able to fix the nav. computer, I was able to determine our location relative to the signal, which is here.”
Kendrick watched as Yoshida brought up the holo-map based on sensor data of their current location and highlighted the signal’s position with a blue dot.
“The S.O.S. is weak; we had to increase the power to the sensor array, but we pinpointed it; three hundred miles from our current location, right here.” Yoshida highlighted the Selene’s relative position with a silver dot.
“An escape pod maybe?” Kendrick looked at Nozaki, but Nozaki shook his head.
“That’s what I thought, but there’s no transponder signal.”
“Mister Yoshida,” said Kendrick, sounding more professional the more he practiced, “Plot a course to the signal source and take us there.”
“But, Sir,” protested Yoshida, “That will add over a week to our trip! You know the planets move, and ...”
Kendrick cut him off. “Maritime law requires that a ship receiving a distress signal respond if it’s within their power to do so. And even if it didn’t, I don’t leave people in space to die—ever. Secondly, our nemesis probably expects me to be lighting it up all the way to Mars. One of the benefits of being an independent space trucker is a degree of freedom … and unpredictability.”
“Are you questioning an order, Yoshida?” Nozaki barked loudly.
“No, Sir,” replied Yoshida, promptly changing course as Kendrick had ordered.
Kendrick rolled his eyes. All things considered,
he could simply have taken the controls and done it himself virtually, but that would have been rude. These men and women had been very helpful when he was injured; no need to diminish their efforts. Helpful as the Fujin crew was, they had been on the bridge more than they had been off, and probably needed a break.
“You’ve been great, but I’d better do some flyin’ before people start thinkin’ I’m slackin’ off. Go ahead and take a break. I’ve got it for the next few hours.”
Mister Nozaki nodded, looking thankful for the break. “Hai, Sir,” he said, saluting as he floated off. One by one, the Fujin crew made their way from the bridge.
It was a tight space; two forward facing seats and two side-facing seats with a fifth seat in the center for the captain. When flying by himself, Kendrick rarely used the captain’s chair, he preferred the helm. He was considering removing the chair, but if he should ever have a full crew, he would need it and so, it stayed. Sitting by himself was lonely without Selene’s usual banter. With her personality back to its core basics, she no longer initiated conversation with him. He knew that she was not‘alive’ per se, but having the AI to chat with really made the long trips more enjoyable.
“Don’t worry, Baby, I’ll find a way to get you back.”
9
Heather was eating a snack when one of the Fujin crew came floating into engineering. She was certain that Kendrick did not want anyone unauthorized down here and sure that guests aboard the Fujin had not been allowed to simply roam the ship freely. Heather suddenly found herself wishing that Kendrick had hired a security team back on Luna in addition to herself. Without a security force, the Fujin crew could literally take the ship if they wanted to. They heavily outnumbered Royce, Fiona and herself, and Royce was the only one of the three of them who could fight anyway and he was injured.
The Silver Liner: Takes Flight! Page 11
