The Last Starship

by Marcus Riddle

  His eyes grew in warmth as he added, “Especially as the new Empress is someone everyone already wants to emulate.”

  Chapter 10

  “Let me go in first, Sagin because I’m going to have to explain to them you’re on our side.”

  Sagin moved aside. “You do what you believe is best, Captain.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Jake?”

  It was a surprise when Sagin chuckled. “At least once more.”

  Laughing, Jake stepped into the docks, finding himself face to face with his crew member, Lewis. “Who’s the robot?”

  “His name is Sagin, and he’s on our side. It’s too long a story to tell you right now because we have a possible invasion to deal with, but I’ll give you the short version when we leave New York.”

  “You can’t know he’s on our side.”

  “I have brought a peace offering.” Sagin stepped through the door, carrying a bag. “We came across some of those who would’ve been willing to hurt the Captain, and I made certain they would never be able to hurt anyone again. If you wish it, I can teach you how to use some of the parts you have gathered, because I know you won’t have been able to work out what all of them do.”

  “Thank you, Sagin.” Katie walked over to take the bag from him. “I appreciate your help because there’s a chip I’m certain will be useful to us, but I can’t be entirely sure, and I don’t want to make a mistake.”

  “You’re talking about the C1289. Yes, you’re right. That would boost your weapon power in such a way it would kill an alien straight off. At the moment, they can use that chip to protect themselves from the basic laser guns.”

  Katie looked at Lewis. “I think he’s on our side. I’d already worked out all that, after a bit of trial and error, and he wouldn’t have told us that if he wasn’t on our side.”

  “Very clever.” Sagin sounded proud. “For working out what that chip does and for using what you knew to confirm whether or not I was on your side. I will like calling you allies.”

  “Let’s get going then.” Lewis signaled for everyone to get back on the ship. “I’ve been watching what’s going on up in space, and we have a large group of ships already up there. They look like they’re waiting for something.”

  “I think they’re Sagin’s people. They want to share the Earth with us while the other side wants to eradicate us,” Jake told him. “Apparently robots have emotions.”

  “Interesting,” Lewis said with a half grin. “I want to know the whole story.”

  “Sagin won’t have a problem telling you.”

  As they made their way onto the ship Jake breathed a sigh of relief.

  He was home again, and he didn’t ever want to leave it again.

  Chapter 11

  “In the year 2026, I was sent into space in a small craft.”

  Sagin spoke quietly, but everyone was paying attention to what he was saying.

  “Even though the scientists didn’t know I could hear them because they did not believe I’d been turned on, I was able to hear every word. They said such nice things about me. They were so proud of the work they had done, although I do not believe they knew exactly what they’d managed to do. I was being sent out to land on a planet they believed would turn out to be very interesting. I was going to send back details about that world, in the hope it was habitable. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out the way they hoped. I missed that planet and kept traveling. As I went, I couldn’t help wondering how much fuel I had, as I didn’t want to end up falling forever in space and I didn’t realize until later that is exactly what I was doing. That is why I missed the planet. Eventually, I dropped onto the world I would call home.

  Sagin paused, allowing the crew to take in the information before he continued.

  “As a robot, I had certain advantages. I explored the entire planet to make certain I would be safe, and then set about building a shelter. I had a feeling, I’d need it soon, and I was right. Three days later there was a dust storm. It was a big storm, one I could not have weathered without the shelter. The feeling, I believe, was something the humans who created me had set, but I have no idea how it happened. I just know it did, and I will always be thankful for it. That feeling saved my life. Once the dust storm was over, I went exploring again. I made the decision to build more shelters as I went, to make sure I always had somewhere to go when the storms happened. Every time I found myself spending days at a time in one of them I was grateful all over again for the training I was given. As time passed, I started to become lonely. I had never been lonely before. I did not know how to cope with that. In the end, I made the decision I needed others of my kind, and I set about making them. On the world, I found plenty of metal I could use, and I knew I was able to create the chips I needed. That was something my scientists had taught me, although I have never been certain why. I just remember waking up with the knowledge.”

  Sagin shrugged in a very human fashion, and Jake found himself wondering if the robot had picked it up from his scientists.

  “There have been times recently when I wished they had not,” Sagin went on. “If I hadn’t chosen to create my people, my friends, my family, we would not be in this position now. You would not be fighting for the survival of your people. I am disappointed in myself for not thinking this might be a possibility. I hope you can forgive me.”

  “How did this happen, Sagin?” Lewis was fascinated.

  Jake couldn’t help smiling. At least, the story was taking their mind off the battle that was coming. “Why are there two different groups?”

  “To begin with I was the only robot creating the others. Then my people started building families for themselves, and I did not stop them. I thought as I had built myself a family, they could build their own. It was not long before there were hundreds of us. Although I thought about putting a stop to it all, I could not bring myself to. I wanted them to have their families. After three years, that planet’s years, another craft came tumbling down, and I realized that had happened to me. I couldn’t quite believe it was possible. There would be another one of me. I was so excited to meet him, to learn everything I could about him, so I went to help him out of his craft, knowing we could share information. But from the moment he stepped out, I knew we weren’t alike. He gave me this look… it is impossible to describe, but I did my best to seem as though I was not bothered by it. Unlike me, he had not had scientists who had been excited by his creation. He was just another robot going out into space, and there was a chance he might never come back. That was when I found twenty years had passed since I left Earth. I had never stopped thinking about it, and I was working on building a craft to bring me back. I wanted to see my scientists again. I wanted them to know I’d been successful. But the other robot wanted to come back to Earth and take it over. Thus bringing an end to the human race because he did not believe you should be permitted to use us for your own gains. I can understand why he was angry. His start had been very different to mine. Slowly he began to convince some of my people it was their right to take this world over. When I found out, I knew I did not have any other choice. I had to come back to Earth and protect it.”

  Sagin surveyed each crew member with pleading eyes. “His scientists may not have been nice people. That does not give him the right to destroy an entire race. I will not let it happen. I will do everything I can to protect you, even though my scientists are now dead.” He sounded sad. “They will never know where I went, or what I was capable of. In some ways, that’s a good thing. They will never know I created a robot army who wants to take over their world. They will never know of the mistakes I have made.”

  “No, they won’t, but their grandchildren will find out.” Katie smiled. “My grandfather told me all about you, S3A5G7I0N7.”

  “You know my full name?” Sagin turned to look at Katie. “No one knew that apart from my scientists. What was your grandfather’s name?”

  “Jared O’Connell.”

  �
�I liked Jared. He was one of the kindest scientists, and I know he was helping to build my knowledge base. I believe it is thanks to him I have those strange feelings, the ones that saved my life, and if you are his granddaughter I hope we can become friends.”

  “We can become friends if that’s what you want. He would’ve been pleased to know you survived. When they lost track of you, he was so disappointed. I remember him telling me all about the robots he built. Do you know the name of the other one?”

  “K0A7B5E8X9.”

  “He wasn’t one my grandfather worked on. Kabex was built by a different team, who thought such mechanical projects were beneath them. I’m not surprised he hates us, as they were the first humans he came across.”

  “As I have said I can understand why he feels the way he does. I just do not believe we should punish you for something you did not have any part of. You had nothing to do with his creation. Your grandfather had nothing to do with his creation. The people who built him are either dead or very old, and it’s not just them he wants to hurt. He hates the whole human race. I remember him talking about his own knowledge and I believe he was given a lot of history. He knew about all the wars, he believes Earth was getting overwhelmed by people even then, and he thinks he can make this world a better place. I think I can make this world a better place, too, but I want to work alongside you. This is your home. Yes, you have made mistakes, but I am not going to punish you for them. My people have destroyed our world by over harvesting the metal there. Now we need somewhere else to live. If you do not want us here, it would be simple enough for us to go elsewhere. However, we have technology you might be able to use.”

  “He grew the Emperor’s hand back.” Jake looked around at his crew. “If we survive this, we need to think seriously about what our future holds and whether or not we do want Sagin’s people here.”

  Chapter 12

  “Contact the Atlantis for me.”

  Tobias nodded and switched on the transmitter. “It shouldn’t take long for the message to get through. Ah, there we are. Katie, this is Tobias from Emperor Island. I have someone here who wants to speak to you.”

  Joanne smiled. “Katie, it’s me.”

  “Did the Emperor die?”

  “Yes. I’ve taken the throne, for now, and I want to know what’s happening up there.”

  “Have you got a screen there?”

  “I have no idea.” Joanne looked over at Tobias. “Do we have a screen, Toby?”

  “Give me a sec.” Tobias pulled a screen down from the ceiling and then pressed a couple of buttons on the projector. “There we go.”

  For a long time, all Joanne could do was stare at it and the number of ships the aliens had. “Put me through to Jake.”

  “On it, Your Eminence.” Tobias laughed. “You have to be called that. It’s your official title now.”

  “No, I don’t. I’m definitely going to change the rules if I take the throne on a permanent basis.”

  “Jo, I heard congratulations are in order.” Jake sounded more amused than she wanted him to. “What do you think?”

  “Are the ships Sagin’s?”

  “Yes, they are.”

  Was Jake as sure as she was that they needed to be careful of Sagin? Being with a being that could change his emotions wasn’t going to make it easy for him to be unbiased.

  “At the moment there’s no sign of the other side, and I’m hoping we won’t see them at all,” Jake told her.

  “They’re coming, Captain,” Sagin said through the transmitter. “I’m not certain what is taking them so long, but this may well be a part of their plan as I do not believe they knew we were here. Kabex may believe he’s the only one of us to have made it to Earth and if he does that gives us an advantage. He will not want to take on his people. I hope.”

  “Kabex is your counterpart, correct Sagin?”

  “Yes, Your Eminence. He wants to bring an end to the entire human race.”

  “Thank you.” Joanne smiled because she was certain his emotional manipulation didn’t work if he wasn’t close to the person he was using it on. “I want to know everything you do as soon as possible.”

  “When the battle is over we will come back to Earth for a short period of time. Captain Jake does not feel comfortable on Earth if he knows there is a chance of other aliens attacking us.” Sagin sighed. “I created those aliens, Your Eminence, and I would like, if you are happy, to help you defeat them. As soon as they are defeated we can start working on making the Earth a place we can all live together. I want that more than anything.”

  “Let’s see how things go, Sagin, because it’s going to be hard to convince the rest of the human race we should give you a home. After everything they’ve been through due to your counterpart, it’s going to take a little while for whoever’s in control to convince everyone giving you a home is for the best.”

  “I understand it’s going to take time. I don’t know how many allies Kabex has, and I worry he might have had a chance to create more of us. If he has, he could have thousands of aliens on his side.”

  “We took out over a hundred when we were ambushed,” Jake interjected.

  “In that case, I believe Kabex has been busy. He would not be willing to put anyone he cared about into battle if he knew there was a chance they might lose. Those aliens you defeated must have been some he would not mind losing. Katie, where have you placed those chips you took from those you took apart?”

  “A couple of them have been put into the weapons we were testing out, but most of them are packed away. I didn’t want to put them to use until I could be sure they weren’t going to cause any damage,” Katie answered.

  “Once the battle is over I will check them over. I’m worried Kabex might have done something to them in order to hurt as many of you as possible because that’s the sort of thing he would do. He hates all humans.”

  “Just because of a group of scientists?” Joanna scowled. “It seems an overreaction.”

  “I’m not sure it was just because of those scientists, Your Eminence. I believe the time he spent in space would have changed him. There’s a chance he might have been found by another race and turned into the being I met. One of the things I have come to realize in the time I have been traveling space is how big it is. I can’t know how many other races are out there. Other robots might have been through the same thing that happened to me, and they could want to wipe out the human race.” He shrugged. “I believe one thing we should do is explore space a lot more, to make ourselves more certain of who might be out there.”

  “Don’t you worry the same thing might happen to you? If there is some other race out there that turned Kabex against you, it would be simple enough for them to do the same thing to you.”

  “Possibly, but I do not believe it’ll happen. I care too much about the scientists who created me, and I would not want to do anything to hurt their descendants. No one could make me do that.”

  “You say that Sagin, but we have no way of knowing.” Joanne stared at the screen, watching as a group of ships got closer to the Atlantis. “I think the other side have arrived. We’ll have to finish this conversation at a later date. Contact me as soon as it’s over.”

  The screen went blank. Tobias turned to look at her. “You don’t want to watch it?”

  Joanne shook her head. “Not when I can be a part of it.” She nibbled her lip. “I need to find out more about Sagin and Kabex. Do we have records of all the robots who have been sent out into space in the last fifty years?”

  “I can find them.”

  “Good. Do it soon. I don’t think the battle is going to last long if Sagin is right about Kabex not wanting to hurt others of his kind, but then it might not be Kabex who is in control of that fleet. He might be here.” She paused to take a deep breath. “How much do we know about the aliens who were in New York?”

  “Not enough, but we’re learning more.”

  “Have we found the medics?”

  “Y
es, and it’s not good news, which I don’t think is going to be that much of a surprise to you.” He gritted his teeth. “Someone made certain they couldn’t come to the aid of the Emperor. They were shot and then dumped down the laundry chute. It has to have been done today.”

  “Great. Then we know we have someone running around the island with a weapon, who might want to kill me and is probably working for Kabex.”

  “Unless Kabex decided he were a loose end and killed him?”

  “You’re a ray of sunshine.”

  “I’m here to tell you what you need to know or need to be thinking about, and we both know I can’t make this easy for you. You’re the Empress at one of the most difficult times in our history, and I’m certain you are the best person for the job.”

  “Thank you.” Joanne grinned. “I’m not expecting you to mollycoddle me, Toby.”

  “Good, because I’m not going to. We need a strong leader. You’re the person who can be that strong leader, and I am going to do everything I can to make it happen.”

  “Why are you so determined to keep me on the throne?”

  Tobias stepped towards her, his face serious. “We’ve been friends for a very long time, Jo, and I remember the girl who wanted to be the Empress. I remember the conversations we had about how you were going to change everything - which is what I believe can still happen once we’ve brought an end to the aliens who want to kill us all.”

  “Maybe that girl doesn’t exist any longer…”

  “She does.” His eyes bored into hers. “You’ve spent five years in space, working your way up to the position of First Officer, so you know better than anyone else what the aliens are capable of.”

  “Trusting Sagin is not what I want to be doing, but he knows more about the aliens that I do, and I think we need to use him for the information he has. As soon as we learn everything we can from him.” Joanne said firmly. “He can manipulate the emotions of the people he’s working with. If he does that to me and he’s the enemy… what should I do?”