He glanced over the sections of the map again and then said to the lift, ‘Port drive room.’
Zoren almost jumped from his skin when the door of the lift opened. A loud high-pitch scream, which emanated from inside the drive room, was almost unbearable. He had to place his hands over his ears to shield them. In doing that he nearly dropped the holographic notepad and had to grip more firmly to stop it from falling, before he could walk out of the lift. His mouth opened in astonishment as he stood in-between a pair of gigantic event horizon drives, which were dark-grey cylinders, at least thirty metres in diameter and ran the length of the ship.
They’re massive!
All over the surface of the right-hand event horizon drive large metallic valves were opening and closing against its casing, following the rhythm of a beating heart. Some micnorit nuronic construction drones were moving around on the surface adjusting some of the valves.
So the drive that’s not operating must be the weapon Kalrea mentioned. I wonder what type of weapon it could be to be housed in something as large as that.
He moved back into the Pojin lift and, because of the noise, shouted, ‘Reactor room… Er… three!’
As soon as the lift door had closed, he lowered his hands from his ears, which were still ringing from the noise of the drive. A few seconds later, the lift door opened into one of the reactor rooms.
Is it quiet, or is it that I can’t hear anything anymore? he thought.
Zoren ventured into the room, which was large, rectangular and with a very high ceiling. At its centre was a donut-shaped reactor over thirty metres in diameter and, adjacent to it, a tall cylindrical column. He had to walk on a grate floor, which was five metres above the actual floor. Five large ducts, over two metres in diameter, led away from the top of the reactor casing into the ceiling and there were similar ducts at the base of the reactor disappearing down into the floor.
Surely, this one can’t be operating.
He approached the vast reactor and touched its smooth warm surface.
There’s no noise, no vibrations, nothing, he thought, so he returned to the lift. Let’s try another reactor room. How about the one near the front of the ship, he thought and then instructed the lift to go there.
When the door opened, there was a subtle hum coming from within the room.
This sounds more promising, he thought.
Zoren wandered out and was met by the strong smell of ozone. The ducts, leading away from the reactor casing were resonating and even at a distance, he could feel heat radiating from them.
This one’s working all right. So the other must be a spare system, if the ship only requires one to power the drives.
Zoren continued to explore the ship for another hour, until his tiredness started to get the better of him and returned to his room to try to rest for a while.
Chapter Twelve
On the bridge of the Aurora, Kalrea was standing by the open seatra, in which there was an old man lying in suspended animation. His face and hands were deeply cracked and drawn, and his hair silver and wiry. He was wearing a black uniform like Kalrea’s, except his sleeves were yellow instead of green. His name was Lex and he had been the first and only Qinant pilot of the Aurora before Zoren.
The telementor, which Zoren now wore, and the seatra on the bridge were created so the Qinant pilot could communicate telepathically with Kalrea. For Zoren this would have resulted in brain damage, but not for Lex. Through the years of travelling and interacting through telepathy, Lex and Kalrea had become very close, and he was the first person who got to know Kalrea as a being rather than an artificial intelligence.
Inevitably with time, Lex became old and frail, while Kalrea did not have a body to worry about and was practically invulnerable; however, she was not immortal because her life was linked to the Aurora, so should the ship be destroyed then she would cease to exist.
Kalrea got more and more concerned about Lex aging and knew that at some point he would have died. So when Lex suffered a fatal heart attack, she managed to place him inside the seatra in suspended animation to prevent him from dyeing, and hoped that this would give her time to find a way of saving him, but even after one thousand, four hundred and seventy-six years there was still no answer.
Over time, Kalrea had a greater desire to interact with people. The issue was she did not have a body and the only way to communicate was using the technology onboard the Aurora. This meant she could talk to people using the ship’s consoles and address system, but in doing so, she was always treated like an artificial intelligence there to provide answers and transport its passengers around. This frustrated her and she knew the only way people would ever treat her any differently was if she could interact with them as an equal, and for that she needed a body, so created a few life-like drones.
Kalrea used one of them to venture out from the Aurora, but then she realised that to be treated as an equal, it was not enough to just have a body, she needed to also have more polished interpersonal skills. She had no experience on how to interact with people outside of the Aurora and tried to copy them, but, like a child on her first day at school, found that some people made fun of her and others cheated on her. After a number of failed friendships and then an angry outburst, which resulted in the deaths of over fifty Kopirs, who had decided to eat her, she decided to place the drone back into storage, until she could observe how people behaved and mixed together. By chance, the Polnozoo gave her the ideal opportunity to watch people with so many different races visiting it every day, but that all changed the day it was attacked and Zoren’s people were taken. After saving Zoren she once again needed a body to help him, except this time she now had the skills to be amongst people and was going to be herself.
Gazing down at Lex, Kalrea thought, Zoren reminds me of you.
Due to Lex’s age, he was unable to communicate telepathically with Kalrea, but that did not stop her from trying, even though he could not reply.
Lex, you look so peaceful there. If only I could leave this ship for good and grow old like you, then perhaps I would understand what you’re going through now. I would know what it’s like to have a body that’s one hundred and forty-eight years old and at the point of dying. I miss you so much and wish I could talk to you now, but your heart is failing and the seatra is the only thing keeping you alive.
It’s a pity I couldn’t make a telepathic connection with Zoren. I would have loved to have had the same feeling of togetherness that I had with you before you became too old. I think you’d be proud of me. I’m doing what you always said I should do. Be myself, but also make sure I help others. I chose to help Zoren to find his wife and the other Agonians, but I fear I might fail and he may never be happy. He seems to be growing up very quickly from what I observed of him on the Polnozoo.
Kalrea paused for a moment and touched Lex’s hand with hers. His body was weak and frail, such a contrast to her new body.
I’ve used one of my drones again, but this time it feels different. I no longer need to copy people; instead, I know how to be myself, but in doing that I’ve used powers which seem to frighten them. Maybe I shouldn’t have used the defence shield to kill those Frinduls. Zoren now fears me and just when I felt he was starting to trust me.
We’re now exactly four hours from Onliv. I hope I’m not too late, Lex. I will find the Agonians, whatever it takes, and if anyone gets in my way, then I will kill them. The Agonians are a peaceful people and don’t deserve the way they’ve been treated.
Kalrea checked on the Agonians onboard the Aurora.
Gulco is trying the steam shower, although he seems to be having a bit of difficulty keeping upright with only one arm to steady himself. Diean and Vinuar are sleeping. Zoren is in the cargo bay. What’s he doing in there?
Kalrea watched Zoren from the bridge. He was running his hand over the surface of one of the Qinant shuttles.
I wonder how the Glonvi are doing. I must have a look at them in their enclosure. Oh... there
are four of you now. You’ve had two flecs! I wasn’t paying much attention to you.
Kalrea observed the mother, who was positioning herself over the top of her two siblings.
Two boys! I think you two still have a bit of work to do if your species wants to survive.
She returned to watching Zoren, who had now entered the shuttle.
Lex, Zoren’s wiping his eyes. He looks sad. I’d better go and see if he’s all right.
Kalrea closed the seatra, before entering the Pojin lift.
Cargo bay.
She hurried over to the shuttle and peeked inside. Zoren was sitting in the pilot’s seat. As she got onboard, he turned to see who it was.
He’s been crying.
‘How are you coping with things?’ Kalrea asked him.
‘Not too well, I’m afraid. I’ve been thinking of Sabri again and all the good times we had together. I can’t imagine what she’s going through now.’
‘She’ll have support from the others that are with her. Your people have always been close. Did you manage to get some rest?’
‘Not really. I dozed off for a while, but couldn’t really sleep.’
How can I cheer him up? He needs to occupy his mind with something else.
She noticed that Zoren was running his fingers over the control console in front of him.
‘You liked the shuttle simulator onboard the space station, didn’t you?’ Kalrea said.
‘What… Er... Yes, why?’
‘Because I’m interested in why you spent so must time in it, that’s all.’
‘I wanted to imagine what it would be like to fly a ship, even if I never could.’
‘Oh. I see.’
Enabling safety protocols. Drive start.
The shuttle’s engine started.
Zoren turned to Kalrea. ‘What’s happening?’
‘Do you want to fly this shuttle?’
‘You’re not serious? In here!’
He looks frightened.
‘Why not?’
‘But there’s no room in here. I mean… I could hit something.’
He wants to try. I can see it in his eyes.
‘Ok then, never mind.’
Drive off. Now he looks disappointed. He definitely wanted to try.
‘Look, I’ll make sure you don’t hit anything,’ Kalrea said reassuringly. ‘There’s nothing to worry about, all right?’
Zoren nodded. ‘I’ll try to be careful.’
I’ll still keep the safety on, thank you! Drive start.
Kalrea sat down alongside him.
The control console illuminated and many symbols were displayed.
He looks unsure. I’ll soon fix that.
The console layout changed and plain text, written in Zoren’s language Galcolian, was now displayed below each symbol.
That should help a bit.
Zoren was now reading the text. ‘So this is used to start and stop the drive. This one opens and closes the door.’
‘You’d better close the door. I wouldn’t want to fall out,’ Kalrea said cheekily.
Zoren pressed the symbol and peeked back over his shoulder to watch the door close.
His hearts are pounding. He’s must really be excited.
On the left-hand side of the control console was a round circle with left, right, up and down displayed alongside it. Zoren instinctively placed his right hand over it, which meant his arm was unnaturally reaching across his body.
He’s not using his left hand.
Displayed on the right-hand side of the control console was a cross with the text, forward, back, and rotation left and right.
‘Are… Qinants are left-handed, so the controls are configured the wrong ways around,’ Kalrea said. ‘There!’
The control console went blank for a moment, and then the circle appeared on the right-hand side and the cross on the left.
‘Thank you, that looks a lot easier for me to use.’
‘Ok, are you ready for your first lesson?’
‘I think so.’
‘Good. I only want you to use the right-hand controls for now. Place your finger in the centre of the circle and then move it gently towards up.’
Zoren placed his finger in the centre of the circle.
He’s too nervous, almost shaking. This could be a bit violent.
She gripped the base of the seat firmly with her hands.
Zoren pushed his finger shakily away from himself. The shuttle lifted very sudden and rapidly into the air, while jerking from side-to-side in synchronisation with his shaking hand.
He was almost thrown from his seat and was unable to keep his finger on the control console. The shuttle stopped a metre from the ceiling.
‘Oops!’ Kalrea said, as Zoren glanced at her, with an expression of sorry written all over his face. ‘Try to relax. You can’t do any damage. See we’re now... well, you could say we’re at the ceiling.’
Zoren gazed out the front window down at the other ships below.
Kalrea released her grip on the seat and gently took hold of his hand. She directed his finger back onto the console.
His skin is softer than I expected.
She placed his finger in the circle and gentle moved it towards him.
And his hands are larger than mine.
The shuttle descended slowly, until it was half way between the floor and ceiling.
‘Now relax,’ she said, moving her hand away.
Zoren took a deep breath and then very gingerly moved his finger away from himself once more. The shuttle moved slowly upwards.
‘Good,’ Kalrea said.
Look at the concentration on his face. He must be focusing all his attention just to fly.
‘Now try to move the shuttle left or right.’
Zoren moved the shuttle graceful to the left and then the right.
I wonder if he knows his tongue’s partly out when he’s concentrating so much. Very odd, but it seems to help him. He looks pleased.
‘Now use your left hand, on the cross, to move the shuttle forward… slowly!’
The shuttle moved quickly forward, heading directly towards one of the large ships. It lifted automatically to avoid hitting it.
She glanced at Zoren expecting him to release the controls, but instead he used them to reposition the shuttle.
He’s learning fast.
‘What does rotation left and right do? I seem to have all the controls I need.’
He used to always play tricks on his friends onboard the space station, so I wonder if I should play one on him. No, he’ll get upset.
Kalrea watched him for a moment as he flew the shuttle slowly around the cargo bay.
Why not? Internal shuttle gravity: Off.
‘Try them. That’s the only way you’ll find out what rotation left and right do.’
Kalrea gripped her seat with her hands once more as he moved his finger to the rotation left control.
The shuttle rotated on its axis, flipping upside down.
Zoren fell from his seat, landing onto the ceiling of the shuttle.
Kalrea looked down at him. ‘There! Now you know what it does,’ she laughed.
‘Very funny!’
Internal shuttle gravity: On.
Zoren fell upwards onto the floor of the shuttle.
Kalrea had a wide grin on her face, as she released her gip on the seat.
‘Have you finished?’ Zoren said, getting back into the seat. He quickly leaned forward and pressed a symbol on the control console, turning off the shuttle’s gravity again.
Kalrea was no longer holding onto the seat, so fell onto the ceiling, while he held himself with one hand on the edge of the seat and the other on the console.
‘That hurt!’ Kalrea said abruptly. She stared at Zoren, who was not laughing; instead, he looked worried by what he had just done to her.
Kalrea smiled and then laughed, before saying, ‘I should have known you were going to do that.’
He looke
d relieved and then laughed at her.
He appears happier now. I just hope I can get to Trafth before his wife is sacrificed.
Zoren slowly righted the shuttle, allowing Kalrea to get to her feet. He then activated the shuttle’s internal gravity.
Kalrea said, ‘Ow! I can feel my back. I’m going to have a few of those things you call bruises in the morning. I think you can manage on your own now.’
‘What? You’re going to leave me here, to fly by myself?’
‘Why not?’
‘I’m not sure I can do it on my own.’
‘Of course you can.’
He looks very uncertain.
‘Look, I’ll be watching you, ok.’
Zoren nodded back.
‘Would you like to land then, to let me off.’
‘Oh yes, of course.’
Zoren carefully landed the shuttle.
Kalrea got out and went over to the Pojin lift. She glanced back at the shuttle, which had lifted away from the floor and was slowly moving around the room.
He’s fine, but he needs to know when he makes a mistake. Shuttle safety protocols: Off.
As she was entering the lift, she heard the sound of scraping metal in the distance. Kalrea connected into the internal communication systems within the shuttle’s cockpit to listen in on Zoren, who was talking to himself.
‘I thought she said I couldn’t hit anything.’
She laughed and then replied over the shuttle speaker,
‘Don’t worry! It’s only the wall. I’ll fix it later.’
Chapter Thirteen
Later that day, Zoren made his way to the accommodation area to see how Gulco and the others were. He was feeling a bit apprehensive given the way Kalrea had reacted towards Gulco and was wondering if he was about to receive a verbal onslaught from him. He knocked on the door of the room.
‘Come in!’ Gulco’s voice sounded from the other side of the door.
When he entered, Gulco and Vinuar were seated, while Diean was pacing around the room.
With his head slightly bowed, Zoren waited for Gulco to vent his disapproval of him, but instead he seemed calm, and asked him,
‘Do you know where we’re going, Zoren?’
Aurora Saga 2 Immortality for Life Page 11
