The Silver Liner: Takes Flight!

by Daniel Sullivan

  Tracht was quite pleased with himself as he ended the transmission. He had just located the stolen embryos, the formula and learned that Keane may well be dead. Even better, if the list provided by O’Hare proved genuine, they would have far more than Keane ever could have given them. Of course, if Keane ever turned up alive, she could simply be killed if need be. Royce, on the other hand; he was another matter. He was proving to be much more than a match for Lorgen. Tracht needed to decide whether or not to invite him in, or order his capture and/or termination. Should Keane be alive, he thought, she may prove useful in persuading Royce.

  15

  Kendrick carried Selena to the Med-Bay, very gently laying her down on one of the tables. He laid her face down so that he could inspect her injuries. She continued to spasm as the slugs in her back discharged electrical pulses. Her facial expressions looked … pained. Selena was a gynoid, an avatar of the ship. Can she truly feel pain as humans do? Regardless, he had to comfort her.

  “It’s all right, Lena,” he said to her, kissing her cheek, using the diminutive of her name again.

  She smiled faintly and started to speak, when another spasm shook her and caused her to stiffen. Kendrick hoped that he and Fiona would be up to the task of repairing the synthetic woman. Fiona … she was the cause of all this. Kendrick could not understand why the doctor had disobeyed him. Fiona never mentioned church; if she had, he probably would have facilitated it, offering to go with her, or to send Mun with her.

  No, there was more to the doctor’s little excursion than just church, of that he was certain. As angry as he was at Fiona, Kendrick could not help but feel relief that she was safe. He heard the priest saying a prayer, and looked up to see the tall cleric standing over Doctor Kinsale, who lay on the next table. Great, Kendrick thought. Another tagalong, though at least this one ain’t intentional. I hope.

  “I’m Captain Royce,” Kendrick said, his focus back on Selena as he unzipped the back gynoid’s now damaged flight suit so that he could look at the damage. He was no doctor, but Selena was not human. “So, what’s your relationship to Doctor Kinsale?”

  “Only that of priest and penitent,” replied the priest with a low, pleasant voice.

  Kendrick noted that his Irish brogue differed from Casey’s; the priest was from a different part of Ireland, though Kendrick’s knowledge of Irish regional accents was not thorough enough for him to hazard a guess as to where.

  “I’m Father Ronan O’Carmody,” the priest continued. “She came to Mass this morning and asked me to hear her confession afterward. We had just finished when the bounty hunter entered and tried to apprehend her. He stunned her and while I tried to protect her, the dark-haired woman came in and disarmed him, allowing us to escape. Apparently, he had another gun because he shot her in the back.”

  “Yeah, I can see that.” Kendrick found the three entrance wounds in Selena’s back and was able to locate the bullets lodged in her spine. If she were a human being, she would probably be dead, he thought, but she’s not human. Kendrick carefully pried the bullets out. As soon as the last one was removed, her violent spasms ceased. A low, but intense moan escaped her.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I am experiencing what humans call pain,” Selena explained. “I am in less pain…” she stiffened momentarily, then continued, “…now that the bullets are removed. Until the damage is repaired …” she stiffened again. “I will … continue to experience spasms due to the nature and location of the damage.”

  “How do you … um … heal, Selena?”

  “My circulatory system carries a fluid called Nani-flow.” She labored, her speech strained. “If you bandage the wound like a human’s, the nanotech carried by the fluid will seal the punctures. However, I have some permanent damage to one of my vertebra. I should be able to function aboard the ship as your copilot, but the vertebrae will need to be replaced.”

  “The nano-bots in the fluid won’t fix it?” he asked.

  “No,” she said. “They are specifically designed to heal cuts and abrasions so that I can continue to blend in with humans. Structural damage requires hard repairs.”

  “Can you walk?” Kendrick asked. “Can you feel your legs?”

  “Walk? No. Feel? Yes.”

  “Then, there’s hope, right?” His voice and expression were anxious. He held her hand firmly, causing her to smile faintly.

  “Kendrick, I am not human. Sensation is unrelated to movement as it is with humans. The systems are interdependent but not interconnected.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “They are interdependent because if I move my legs without any feedback or sensation, then I will have no balance and will not be able to effectively regulate my movements. They are not interconnected in that the signal my legs receive is not received through my equivalent of human nerves.” Experiencing another spasm, Selena stiffened, her face wearing an expression of pain. “Signals from my nerve equivalents tell me how strong or how delicate a step I can take, how long or how short a step I can take, or whether or not I need to stop suddenly. Then I can regulate power accordingly. This all takes place in nanoseconds, of course.”

  Kendrick nodded. He held her hand tightly, then leaned down and kissed her.

  She smiled faintly again.

  “Don’t you worry, Lena,” he said, “we’ll get you fixed. I promise.”

  “Lena … I like that,” she said softly. Selena continued to smile faintly as he dressed her wounds as best as he could.

  Hearing a low, feminine groan, Kendrick glanced over at Fiona, who was stirring. “So—are you awake now?”

  Fiona heard Kendrick’s voice, shaking her head as she sat up. Fiona had been shot with a Taser, a very powerful one. The doctor had not expected the bounty hunter to shoot her after she surrendered. Fiona’s memory got very vague at that point. Mostly just pain; pain, and Father Ronan O’Carmody carrying her back to the ship. The ship! Fiona looked around and realized that Father Ronan was in the Med-Bay. If they were moving, and she distinctly remembered feeling the ship surge forward, then he was aboard. Kendrick will not be happy, she thought. That meant a rapid escape without time for Father Ronan to leave after bringing her aboard. The doctor realized that she was a mess after being shocked and needed a change of clothes.

  “Yes Sir. I … I’m awake,” Fiona groaned.

  “So, what’s your deal?” Kendrick’s tone was less than friendly. “I specifically told you to stay on board. ‘Do not leave this ship.’ I couldn’t have been plainer. You agreed. Then at six in the morning, you’re gone, an’ now, we’ve got an extra passenger to feed, not to mention Selena being crippled in the process of saving you from some bounty hunter!”

  “Crippled?” Fiona shook herself to be more alert. “How? She’s a robot.”

  “Synthetic person, actually,” replied Kendrick defensively. “And she was shot in the spine with three large caliber rounds designed to electrocute if they lodged in the body. That clear it up?”

  Fiona nodded, now feeling guilty. “Yes Sir,” she whispered.

  “Now, go clean up, change your clothes and get that pretty little bottom of yours back in here,” he said. “I removed the bullets, but her skin needs to be patched up like an organic human’s. Time for you to earn your place on this ship. Get to it.”

  Fiona nodded and quickly left to change, eager to get out from his wrathful glare.

  “Now for you, Father,” said Kendrick. “You just hitched a ride on my ship. Fiona stowed away and tried to hide aboard. You got wrangled into it by accident, so I’ll do you the courtesy of thanking you for helping to bring our doctor back and offering you a choice of details on board this ship, either for good or until we drop you off.”

  The stolid priest weighed the possibilities.

  “And just where would you be dropping me off?” he asked. “I can’t go back to Earth and I can’t afford passage back to Atlas.”

  “Uh huh,” said Kendrick. “Why can’t you go back
to Earth?”

  “Because …” The priest paused, as if he were looking for the right words.

  Kendrick stood up, ready to fight if the priest gave him any run around. Ronan O’Carmody was a tall man, a good six centimeters taller than Kendrick and while not a bulky man, the priest was quite solid. His close-cropped hair was graying at the temples and his trim beard was shot through with gray. The priest was a very distinguished-looking man. Though he did not look like a fighter, O’Carmody did not seem the least bit concerned about the captain’s rising ire. Ronan instead looked as though he were composing a detailed response in his head. His low voice coupled with his Irish accent was very disarming, but Kendrick was not in a social mood.

  “Don’t hold out on me,” Kendrick hissed. “The good doctor did and we ended up getting shot at on Tranquility Base, our computers sabotaged, and shot at and chased during my big match with the Fujin, which ended up getting blown up. Now you damn well better tell me everything.”

  “But of course,” replied Father O’Carmody with a smile and a nod. Kendrick sat back down. “I just wanted to compose my response so as to be thorough.

  “Let’s hear it, then.”

  “I was not always Father Ronan O’Carmody. Before taking Holy Orders, I was Brian McCathan, an enforcer for a mob boss. The prosecution had zeroed in on me, so I was forced to testify. During the trial, I testified regarding a number of hits that I knew of, some of which, I had carried out personally. They gave me a nice plea deal. I got five years instead of life, with parole eligibility after two years, in exchange for testifying against my now former employer. I took the deal, which meant that I was a marked man once I was out.”

  “That explains why you don’t want to go back to Earth,” said Kendrick.

  “Aye,” said Father O’Carmody, “Gemini Van Horn was my boss. Given how badly he wants me dead, I was a bit surprised that the bounty hunter was not there for me.”

  “Gemini Van Horn?” Kendrick was surprised. “You honked off that guy? Damn! Ballsy. Stupid, but ballsy.”

  “I took Holy Orders because I realized that I needed to help people and I felt a calling from God. I changed my name and eventually was ordained. When the church realized that Van Horn’s organization was still after me, they offered me Saint Joseph’s on Atlas Station. Apparently, Van Horn crossed Xander Cain, so his people avoid the place like the plague. Their operation is mostly Earth-based anyway, so Atlas was safe from Van Horn’s syndicate.” The priest laughed humorlessly and shook his head. “Of course, now I’ve been found by that bounty hunter, so I can’t go back there either. Mars is problematic too. Van Horn already has a presence there and if his men catch me, I either kill them all or go back to Earth to be killed. I’m a man of peace now, so I’d prefer not to kill them.”

  “So, you’re a thug who turned to the church to get out of trouble,” observed Kendrick. “Why should I trust you?”

  “Not entirely true,” countered Father Ronan, “I was a criminal, yes, but I turned to the church because I felt a calling to do so. I spent most all of my money on helping others and on keeping up Saint Joseph’s. I am not the man I was.”

  Selena interjected. “He did step in … to save Doctor … Kinsale, and at great personal risk to himself. Were it not for my intervention, the hunter … would likely have killed him. The interior of the church was not lavish and neither … is his mode of dress. Available files on the church and on Father … Ronan indicate that he is nothing more than what he says that he is. Thanks to my former application, I have detailed files on Atlas Station and its denizens. His story does … not conflict with the information available.”

  Selena’s continued spasms broke up her words, but Kendrick was attuned to what she was saying. He sat down with Selena again and pondered her words and the circumstances that they now faced. Father Ronan was with them until Mars. At least. The priest would be a drain on supplies, so he needed to contribute if he expected Kendrick to refrain from depositing him on Mars. Fiona, on the other hand, had just about used up his good will. Kendrick liked Fiona personally—more than liked her in fact, but her direct disobedience at a critical moment, really irked him.

  “All right Father, I’m no Catholic, but I’m predisposed to a man of the cloth, so I’m willing to give you a chance. But unless you want to be dropped off on Mars, and there are some colonies that are not under the Alliance or U.S., then you need to make yourself useful for something other than just spiritual guidance an’ sayin’ prayers.”

  “That is a generous offer, Sir.” Ronan conceded. “Quite gracious of you, and I agree; I should contribute. I will happily do what I can, but I have no skills relevant to the operation of a starship.”

  “You open to learning?”

  “Of course. What did you have in mind?”

  “I don’t know yet, but I was a musician by trade before I learned to fly. After that, I ain’t much more than a pilot, but I ran this ship by myself. I learned to be a mechanic, janitor, computer programmer and maintenance man. You seem intelligent and you didn’t sneak on trying to get something for nothing. You also saved a crewmember of mine, so I’m willing to give you a chance.”

  “That’s fair of you, Captain.”

  “Yeah, I’d say so.”

  Fiona had taken a brief shower and changed into clean clothing, cursing herself for being so foolish. When she had heard that there was a morning Mass, the doctor thought that it would be a perfect opportunity to make the drop. Moreover, she could go to Mass. What harm could come of it? Sure, they were wanted, but Alliance forces could just as easily prevent the Selene from departing, board the ship and taken her. As it turned out, quite a bit of harm had come of it, and now, Fiona had angered Kendrick, caused injury to Selena, and had just been carried to the Med-Bay in soiled clothing—after being tased. She was mortified over that.

  “Time to face the music,” Fiona said aloud to nobody in particular as she entered the Med-Bay to look at Selena.

  Kendrick and Father O’Carmody seemed to be getting along, which was a good sign. Selena lay on her stomach on the examination table, her hands folded beneath her chin. The gynoid gave Fiona a small wave and a faint smile. Selena looked … pained. Can an android even feel pain? As she pondered the question, Selena was suddenly shaken by a spasm. Even though Selena did not contort and cry as a human would, it was clear that she was in distress. Thankfully, Kendrick was all business with no hint of anger, though he did not look particularly happy.

  “Glad you’re back, Doc. Please get her taken care of.”

  “Ken, will this repair her spinal injury?”

  “No,” he replied. “At some point, we’ll have to go back in. I ain’t no AI tech or robotics expert, and Selena is way beyond being just either of those. I don’t know how we’re gonna deal with that.”

  “If I may,” interjected Selena, “I may have a solution, though it is a risky … proposition.”

  “I’m listening,” Kendrick said as Fiona began suturing Selena’s wounds. “Our options are severely limited at this point.”

  “Some time ago,” Selena explained, “the Ness Corporation set out to colonize a planet other than Mars. They chose … Venus for its mass and gravity, concluding that dealing with the atmosphere would be less costly and less difficult than … gravity generation, which was in its infancy at the time and had yet to be viable. They purportedly failed, but I have information to the contrary. They established a successful … research and industrial center on the continent of Ishtar Terra. Because of the inhospitable environment, they relied heavily on robotics. They built a production facility and a completely automated mining facility.”

  “How do you know all of this?” Fiona noticed that Selena’s speech was interrupted by spasms from her injury.

  “It was … in the files I extracted from the Enigma. According to the files … I was built there,” she replied.

  They all looked at her with astonishment.

  “A gynoid of my … sophistication,
designed for assassination, is something that no government wants to be caught producing. The Alliance has strict laws against the development of a unit like me. With the Ness … Corporation’s expertise in robotics, they found that the best way for their colony to survive was to exploit that expertise in order to turn a profit. They exist beyond … the regulatory jurisdiction of any government and the atmosphere of Venus does not support life, so they have virtually no environmental concerns. Also … the complex houses the cloning facility that provides the military with the cloned soldiers Lorgen has at his command.”

  “Cloned … soldiers?” Father O’Carmody’s eyebrows went up as he spoke.

  “Cloned and programmable,” said Kendrick. “Good idea, Selena, but that will take a good amount of time. Thankfully, Venus is approaching its point of shortest distance between itself and Mars. If we go to Mars first, take care of business, and then head for Venus, we should be able to make decent time. Venus rotates faster than Mars, so it will be essentially closing the distance at the same time we are.”

  “So how much time is ‘a good amount’ going to be?” asked Fiona.

  “Hard to say,” replied Kendrick. “We’re still on our way to Mars. We sidetracked to come here, so we should be at Mars in roughly three months. Venus from Mars? Depending upon when we leave, at least three months, but likely closer to six.”

  “Oh, Selena,” said Fiona, “I am so sorry.”

  “Thank you,” replied Selena. “I am …” another spasm interrupted her, but instead of continuing the sentence, she simply said, “The captain will take care of me.”

  The entire operation was unravelling and Xing’s one outside the box move had backfired, leaving them right where they started.

  “You blundering fool!” Xing was shouting at the vid screen. “I cannot believe your incompetence!”

  “Ah, Xing,” replied Velos, “I see you still blame everyone else for your shortcomings. And though they are many, I am calling about a very specific omission of yours.”