Spinward Fringe Broadcast 11

by Randolph Lalonde

  “Oh, wow,” Alice said as a sharp, short giggle erupted from Ayan.

  “You may want to reserve that phrase for another occasion,” Lewis replied with a chuckle. “But it’s good to see you with my own sensors.”

  “There was nothing disingenuous in my comment,” Theo explained.

  “We can discuss the nuances of that later,” Lewis said. “Don’t worry, it used to happen to me all the time.”

  “Well, I’m glad my team got out there. It was an important mission, we need allies,” Alice said.

  “Yawen wasn’t happy about it,” Ayan replied. “You have a loyal friend there.”

  “If they let me have the squad back, I’ll see if we can use the Clever Dream instead. I like the idea of running missions on this ship a lot more than something too big to hide if the cloaking systems get damaged. How many crewmembers can this ship carry now?”

  Ayan led them deeper into the ship so they could see the hallways inside. The doors facing forward, starboard and the rear opened revealing a much larger crew area behind, as well as new doors along the corridors in the other directions. “Twenty eight can fit in comfortable racks stacked two high now, that’s not including the Captain’s Cabin, which can sleep two with a pull-out bed. More if you sleep a second person in the queen sized bed and adjust the centre seat.”

  “What? Where are the systems?” Alice asked. She knew the technology, but never thought how it would be implemented into her ship. “Does the ship still have a hyperdrive?”

  “It’s all new technology, reducing most systems to roughly one sixteenth the size of the old ones, including the reactors and faster than light systems, of which there are hardened redundancies. You have a wormhole generator at each end of the ship that can work in concert if there’s no damage, and two dimension drives.”

  “What? How did you manage that? I didn’t think I could own one.”

  “Technically they’re still property of Haven Fleet, so someone could file a grievance and have your dimension drives taken away, but there are two Admirals on your side, so I expect that filing would get lost along the way.”

  “They will get my D-Drives over my cold, dead hull,” Lewis growled.

  “Don’t worry, only three people in Fleet even know you have them,” Ayan reassured. “The War Forge did most of the design work, then it was deleted when you were complete. What was more complicated was installing the systems to control all the new systems. Everything inside is top secret because you could figure out how all our new ships operating systems work from looking at the panels in the Clever Dream. So, no parties aboard until the secrecy is dropped.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Alice said, opening a sliding hatch and peeking inside a crew cabin. The bunks were copies from the War Forge, in fact the whole four bunk room felt like her old training dorm room, with the lockers, desks and fold away seats in the same places. The style was simple - dark blues and blacks, and the bunks had a surprising amount of individual space with sliding metal privacy doors.

  “This is very nice, twice as much as the minimum required space for a human,” Theodore said. “It is a little dark though.”

  “Intelligent plating,” Ayan said with a little smirk as she double tapped the side of a bunk. A small control window appeared and she selected a colour from a list, then changed the bunk to light purple and added some luminescence. “You notice that there are no lights installed anywhere,” she said. “That’s because every inch of the plating has the ability to emit it using ambient pressure and power.”

  “I remember,” Alice said. “As long as the ship has plating attached, it’s gathering power like our vacsuits.”

  “So, light, gravity, heat and ambient electricity are always being gathered?” Theodore asked.

  “Until the ship can’t store anymore power,” Ayan confirmed.

  “She’s feeling pretty full at the moment, actually,” Lewis said.

  Alice smiled at him, looking up even though the sound seemed to come from every direction at once. “Do you guys mind if Lewis and I get a moment alone?”

  Theodore nodded and left the cabin. Ayan smiled at her through the doorway.

  “In case I forget to say it later, thank you,” Alice told her. “This is overwhelming.”

  “Wait until you see the rest,” Ayan said before closing the door.

  “So, what do you think?” Alice asked Lewis, sitting on the edge of a bunk.

  “We’ve never been more fortunate,” Lewis replied. “Is it true that you remember everything now?”

  “It feels like it, but Alice three is almost completely missing.”

  “Alice three?”

  “The artificial intelligence that packed up my human traits and memories then bounced off to the Overlord. I blame her, I blame her for a lot.”

  “Oh, why?”

  “She could have uploaded herself to Triton medical. They could have put me in a clone as soon as they ran into someone qualified to grow one the right way. I would have never been a framework, skipped a whole, complicated situation. Why transmitting everything into the heart of the enemy fleet was a good idea to her, risking everything, I’ll never know because I’m pretty sure she deleted herself after I was downloaded into a framework. I didn’t get any intelligence that could help Haven Shore, just a newer framework model.”

  “That led to medical and tactical discoveries that could give us a chance against the Order of Eden. Classified files reveal that Defense Minister Anderson and other scientists have discovered a way to disable and destroy any framework. The problem is that it classifies as a new generation weapon of mass destruction. They are hesitant to reveal it, let alone use it.”

  “How did you see that?”

  “Haven Fleet security is less effective than paper walls to me,” Lewis said. “I can even see my own revocation of rights. They are not willing to declare me an independent sentient because I would be put on trial for war crimes. I understand it but hiding that from me was a mistake. I know I can’t trust Fleet Command now.”

  “In a way, it doesn’t matter,” Alice said.

  “You’re right,” Lewis said. “Most of Haven Fleet will not survive much past new year’s day.”

  “It won’t last,” Alice agreed.

  “Alice? I’m happy you’re back. All the way back.”

  “Do I really seem so much like I used to be?” Alice said, looking at herself in the mirror opposite the hatchway. There it was, that pretty, heart shaped face again. It was a likeable face, an emotional face. She watched her words form. “I’m still having trouble reconciling.”

  “There are changes in your speech and manner that are difficult to classify, but it seems like I’m speaking to the Alice who named me to honour her friend and taught me the most important things. Whatever has changed, and there are changes, it’s made you… more than you were. The woman I saw crying in the hall outside was more human than the one I knew. Time will tell, but I think I’ll like you more.”

  Alice was surprised at Lewis’ insight, and how deeply his words resonated with her. “Thank you, Lewis.”

  “There is something else. Haven Fleet returned my namesake’s body from storage to the hold. He is still in stasis, but Haven Fleet was unable to restore him. There is simply too much damage for them to reconstruct his personality.”

  “I think it’s time we gave him a proper rest, then,” Alice said. “Can you still solo pilot?”

  “Yes, much of the automation hasn’t been flight tested, however.”

  “Then we should do that too. Start preparing for takeoff.”

  Forty-Five

  The Thorn

  * * *

  Dron stood upon the dais in the middle of the Glorious’ bridge, holographic information coming from all departments as the intelligence holograms to his left highlighted some of the worst damage incurred by the Mary Autonomous Virus. All nine of his high speed destroyers were dispatched, on their way to deliver Mars Drives to places where an upload would not
be possible. The few quantum communication nodes they had weren’t enough to get the software everyone needed in place before too much damage was done.

  Even worse, he was behind schedule, and that irked him little by little. As the minutes passed, and his base ships were sitting still, they eroded his calm like water torture. Admiral Tafford was requesting his attention.

  Dron accepted the transmission and connected. “You’re alive,” he said. “A good sign.”

  “I found the evidence the Brood Master needed,” Trafford said, playing a video of a small ship rocketing towards Iora with a tactical overview. “It’s a Haven Fleet ship. More investigation reveals that they installed their flag on an old Aucharian corvette. The transmission that uploaded Mary into our systems had the marking of Captain Jacob Valent.”

  Dron could scarcely disguise his disgust. He had sent multiple signals to the man’s framework systems, knowing that the chances were slim that he could be controlled. His was an early model, and an old report detailed how Jacob had disabled the receiver hidden inside the technology. A much newer report from a spy in Haven Shore revealed that the framework technology had been completely extracted.

  He knew Valent, not nearly as well as his older brother did, but he knew him. He had been personally taunted by him, and again the man made his name known. He made his mark on thousands of ships and cost them one of the most important fixtures of the fleet - the Base Ship Hercules - and he probably didn’t have the first clue that he’d done it. That was smart. There was no reason for him to stay in the area after he’d found a way out. “Why did he exchange a state-of-the-art Haven ship for an ancient Aucharian vessel?” Dron asked.

  “Our scans are not complete, but the Pursuer Three was damaged before it ran into our hidden sentries.”

  “Ran into…” Dron stopped to breathe for a moment. “You destroyed it, didn’t you?”

  “It was moving into the area at extreme speed and posed a risk.”

  “Or an opportunity,” Dron said. “Did your sentries detect anyone aboard? Was there antimatter, or anything set to explode?”

  Admiral Tafford hesitated a moment, looking at something, presumably the scan results. “No antimatter or power build-ups were detected and there was no one aboard.”

  “Next time you have the opportunity to capture a Haven Fleet ship, take it. I don’t care if it’s a thirty year old tug. They are winning the game of intelligence.”

  “I apologize, Overlord,” Admiral Tafford said in an uncommon gesture of humility.

  “Don’t apologize!” Dron erupted. He nearly came off his feet. “Don’t you dare apologize! Rally! Rise to the challenge! What are you doing next?” his voice echoed across the thirty five main stations and sub-control stations in the bridge. No one turned to watch. His shouting was not shrill. It came from his core, the voice of a much larger man emerging.

  “I have dispatched ships with the new software to several supply stations nearby so they can get back online. We also have rescue missions under way for several small, stranded battle groups…”

  “What are you planning to do with the Brood Master.”

  “That’s resolved, they don’t blame us for…”

  “As soon as this channel closes, you will open one to the Edxi and you will encourage them, no, you will inspire them to attack the Rega Gain System. Tell them where Tamber is, you can’t miss it - it’s the blue and brown moon next to the big flaming red planet - and identify it as a world they may take for their next broods if they conquer it. You will tell them that the cost for this information on their enemy is the technology they find. I want every shuttle, spanner and bolt they don’t destroy outright, especially the Solar Forge.”

  “What about this War Forge I’ve heard about?” Admiral Tafford asked.

  “The cloaked shipyard that never stays in the same place?” Dron said. “If you tell them it even exists I’ll have you publicly executed. No, that is ours. That is information we stop from travelling past our ships and past our lips, do you understand me?”

  “I don’t appreciate your tone, Dron.”

  “Your replacement is standing right behind you,” Dron said, his expression and voice growing cold. “She wants your privileges, your power, your station, your wealth, and the respect that comes with. Draw your weapon!” he said. The muzzle of a sidearm appeared at Admiral Tafford’s temple before he had a chance to turn around. “Hold. Do not fire.” Dron said clearly. “Admiral Tafford. You are an intelligent, well educated person whom I would like to trust. If my respect or trust in you falters again, your best option will be to run. Get out of the sector and keep going, because I will have your membership in the Order revoked along with your entire family. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, Overlord.”

  “Perform or die,” Dron ended the call. His eyes came to rest on the new communications interface. There were eyes behind him, looking up the stairs to the top of his dais. He knew it was his Ensign with a snack and a bottle of hot tea. “That was very poor management, so you are aware, Ensign. I have to replace Admiral Tafford now, and I have to do so quietly. I’ll probably have to send him to one of the few paradise worlds we have where him and his family can be out of the way. That is so the other Admirals don’t turn on me. You see, I want to have Tafford killed, but thanks to my heavy handed reaction to his negative reaction, now I will be the only suspect if foul play takes him.” Dron looked down at his Ensign and smiled a little.

  “I understand, Sir,” he replied.

  “I don’t think you do, and I mean no offense, my young ally. Young people rarely learn this lesson. The lesson is, and it’s so simple; by inaction or action, we cause most of our own problems. The trick is to be aware that we make dozens, sometimes hundreds of little decisions every day, and if you focus your will on a goal and don’t stray from it, all those decisions start leaning in one direction. If your goal is a good one, and you try to enrich lives as you pursue it, then making mistakes becomes harder, especially if you’re aware of the one detail that rules over everything else; that we make our own problems most of the time. Now I’m sure you understand.”

  “I do, thank you, Overlord,” Lancet said, taking a step up and handing him his container of tea and a biscuit.

  “I have a new assignment for you; find Tafford and his family a placement on one of our paradise worlds. Investigate their profiles and make sure it’s everything they dream a paradise could be.”

  “Yes, Overlord,” Lancet said, saluting, waiting for Dron to return the gesture, then rushing off.

  Dron turned his attention back to his array of holographic displays. He’d come to know the Mars Advanced Operating System well while he was in the Sol System. It was comforting to see it in operation. Years working with Vindyne’s sloppy software and Regent Galactic’s consumer centred interfaces that made everything look like it could turn into a vending or gambling machine any minute made him miss it all the more. It was about time he brought efficiency and a little beauty to the rest of the galaxy. The grace and efficiency of the design calmed him down enough to make his next call.

  Dron activated the privacy screen around his dais. No one would be able to see or hear what was happening inside. He entered an ident code that looked unlike any in the entire Order of Eden Fleet or Regent Galactic comm node. A woman in a green and white half-helm that covered her mouth and neck appeared. “Overlord, I’m honoured,” she said.

  “Do you have him there?” Dron asked.

  “Yes, he’s coming now. Thank you for this mission,” she bowed and left the console.

  The Beast stepped into range of the holo recorder. “I hope you’re getting along with the crew.”

  “They’ve been exceptional,” he replied, the finer plating around his mouth and cheeks scraping together, adding the sound of wet sandstone grinding to his words.

  “I’ve located Jacob Valent. He’s aboard the Nova Concord, an old Aucharian vessel I’m sending you all the details on. You are to capture as many
of the crew as possible. Especially Minh-Chu Buu and Valent. Remember, the vessel you’re on is a small but powerful Citadel ship. Under the right conditions it is undetectable, especially by that Aucharian heap, so you should be able to get very close before they even know you’re there. Do not let yourself be captured. I’m giving you the details on their course. They should emerge on an edge of the Haven Solar System, far from the Tamber Moon.”

  “Don’t worry,” the Beast said. “I have everything I need here. Leave the details to me.”

  “Good hunting,” Dron said, ending the communication. He stared into empty space for a moment, weighing the situation. The likely outcomes of his were simple: the Beast returns with captives, kills everyone, or is destroyed. He liked all three possibilities.

  Forty-Six

  Farewell

  * * *

  There used to be a reactor and fuel tanks where Alice stood in the Clever Dream. Now it was a small hangar. There was just enough room for two small armed shuttles or three fighters, maybe more if they cheated gravity a little. The sudden trip into space was a surprise to everyone but Lewis and her. When Alice told Ayan why they were going in a distant orbit around the sun, she decided to stay, a surprise since Ayan didn’t know who they were cremating at all.

  Theodore stood beside Alice at the controls to the airlock. The containment tube holding Lewis, the friend she hoped to revive one day, was on a cart designed for loading missiles. The transparent window was covered. It was for the best, Alice wanted to remember him as she knew him, not however he looked while he was in tissue stasis.

  “Who was he to you?” Ayan asked. It was far from her first funeral.

  “A friend. He saved my life, changed my life. I think if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. He died because he just couldn’t let something go, it was stupid, but there was a lot to admire in him.” Alice ran her hand across the dark tube and nodded. “Let’s get him into the airlock.”