The Lost Gunboat Captain (The Jolo Vargas Space Opera Series Book 1)

by J. D. Oppenheim

  "Koba, where is Hurley?"

  Koba extracted himself from the logic bay holding a small board. "Gotcha," he said, with a smile on his face. "Don't you want to know what I'm doing?"

  "Okay. What are you doing?" said Jolo.

  "I'm gonna make the Jessica obey all of your commands."

  "Great, so I won't have to call down and have Hurley manually engage the jump drives."

  "I think Hurley is on level IV."

  Jolo found Hurley working on the right thruster mounts.

  "Gotta reinforce everything from the inside. It should be stronger than before, and maybe a tad heavy. Probably just outside of fed specs." He laughed.

  "Hurley, back in the day, before the wars, did you see the trivold trees in Vellos"

  "I been to Vellos. Ain’t much left of it now, though. Also been to New Raceli. Tho’ I ain’t never seen no tri-hole or whatever you talking about."

  "You know, the strange trees with the three large leaves. Have you seen it?"

  "Ahhh, yeah I seen ‘em. Why didn't you say that in the first place?"

  "How about a diamond-shaped green pool somewhere in Vellos or Raceli?"

  Jolo was excited because it was the first time anyone had ever confirmed a part of his dream. He looked at the old man expectantly, waiting for the final confirmation, but the old man looked off to the side and massaged his temple with the spanner he was holding and finally just shook his head. "Nope. Ain't never seen nothing like that."

  Jolo was deflated. But right then a voice behind him said, "You are talking about the Emerald pool on the moon called Montag in Vellos space."

  Jolo turned around. It was his father.

  "How do you know that?"

  "Because I've been there. For a while there was trade between the Vellos and some of the Federation core planets. Around the time I met your mother. Before we went to Pleny to try our hand at farming."

  "Are you sure?"

  "I've never seen anything else like it. The Vellos said the pool had healing properties, but who knows. I'm not sure the BG left anything behind. They tore apart the Vellos and their synthetic life form production plants."

  "I've got to get there. I've got to leave now." The pull that drew Jolo to Jaylen was stronger than ever now. He was going to get her if it was the last thing he did.

  Just then Koba called on the comm. "Captain, can you come to the bridge? I think you can give the Jessica commands now."

  At that moment, Jolo really wasn't interested in testing out the computer system. But he knew he needed to have full access to the ship if he was going to get Jaylen. Up to this point, engaging the jump drives meant someone had to run down to engineering, and even raising the shields had to be done from the console on the bridge, instead of just a simple voice command.

  So he and his father went to the bridge and met Koba and Katy.

  "Computer, close the door to the bridge," said Jolo. The door to the bridge slid shut. Koba smiled.

  "Computer pull up the star map." And the 3D star map appeared.

  "Computer raise shields."

  But the shields did not go up.

  "Computer, this is Captain Vargas. Raise the shields."

  "Captain Jolo Vargas is deceased." Came the reply from ship’s computer.

  Koba scratched his head. "Well, obviously it's only accepting a subset of the total commands which require less permissions. I also gave bridge officers some authority as well. Katy you try."

  "Raise the shields," Katy said. And instantly there was an electric hum and the air got tingly around them as the forward shields kicked in and the field surrounded the ship.

  And then Koba said, "Lower shields." And just like that the hum was gone.

  "Well, that's a pisser," said Hurley.

  "It sure is strange," said Koba. "It's almost like the ship thinks you're dead."

  "Brilliant deduction," said Katy.

  "Let's do a test," said Koba. "Computer, how many deceased humans are aboard this ship?"

  "There are no deceased humans aboard this ship."

  Koba shrugged.

  "How many humans are aboard this ship?" said Koba.

  "Four."

  "Well, there's five of us here," said Marco. But everyone was looking at Jolo. He sat in the captain’s chair not knowing quite what to make of it.

  But then Koba asked the question that everyone was afraid to ask. "Computer, how many synthetic life forms are aboard the ship?"

  Jolo jumped up and grabbed a fist full of Koba’s shirt and pulled him close. "If you’re still pissed ‘cause I shot you then get over it. If you’d a raised the shields we’d all be on a work planet right now. All those kids from Qualus, too." He let go and Koba stepped back, straightened his shirt out and adjusted his glasses.

  And then the computer replied: "One."

  Jolo dropped the gun. How could this be? He thought. Katy came and put her arm around him.

  But then Jolo's father spoke up. "Jolo is no synth." And then he got on the comm. "George, are you on the ship again? I told you not to board the ship. If you are here come on up to the bridge."

  A moment later a man walked in that no one had yet seen. His skin was nearly opaque and he had piercing blue eyes. His movements were graceful but when he stopped it was as if he was made of stone and then all at once movement started again. "This here’s George," said Marco. "He’s a big help around here and a true friend. And he happens to be a synthetic."

  Katy stepped back suspiciously.

  George stepped into the middle of the circle of people, clearly enjoying the attention.

  "My name is George. I am a synthetic life form, as Mr. Marco pointed out. Though you may not have noticed. You may think I am human, but alas, I am not." And he smiled at everyone and did a small bow. "Oh, and one more thing. I love to eat human brains." Then he smiled real big and looked right at Katy and leaned in her way.

  Katy screamed and stepped back behind Jolo.

  The synthetic life form named George looked confused. He stared at the people, assessing their reaction. And then he turned to Marco. "Mr. Marco, was that not humorous?"

  "Yeah, it was funny," said Marco. "Just gotta wait until the crowd warms up to you."

  "Thank you for the critique, Mr. Marco," said George. “I’ll add that new variable into the mix.”

  Jolo took a deep breath. There was still the issue of him being dead and all hanging out there. "I'm no synth," said Jolo, eyeing Koba angrily.

  "But you are not human, either," said Koba.

  And then Marco spoke up. "Jolo, I don’t care what a scan says. You are my son. I know it’s you. All of the things that you did before, all of the things that you can't remember, are still inside of you. And you’re still doing it. The people you saved on Qualus. That's exactly what Jolo would have done. And it's because you are Jolo."

  And then George spoke up. "Captain Vargas, may I scan you? My scanners are far superior to the Federation junk."

  Marco looked at Jolo and nodded.

  "Okay," said Jolo.

  George stood in front of Jolo and waved his hands in front of his face, then in front of his body down to his feet. And then he stood up, still as a statue with his head slightly tilted for a full minute.

  "Well?" said Marco, finally.

  "He’s mostly biological, with some synthetic parts, and more," said George. "Though he is not completely the man you knew as Jolo, your son."

  "That doesn't make sense. Who am I?" yelled Jolo.

  "You are you," said George.

  "Why does the ship say that I am dead?" said Jolo.

  "Because Jolo Vargas is dead," said George. And then he tilted his head again. "Yet some of him remains, in you."

  "So I'm some of Jolo? It doesn't make sense."

  "How much?" said Marco.

  "52.87% matches the DNA structure of Jolo Vargas. The rest is purely biological, yet not quite human. And there's something else." At this point Jolo started to back away from the rest of the g
roup. He felt the need to run, to escape. It was too much. And then George continued, "he has a chip in his brain. The work is fantastic. I've never scanned anything quite like it." And George looked at Jolo with admiration.

  Jolo started running. He ran straight to the edge of the bay and Katy screamed. But Jolo stopped and looked down. He felt the wind on his face and he saw a bird gliding down above the stream at the bottom of the ravine.

  Then he turned and ran back into the house.

  ……

  Marco and Katy came to see Jolo in the atrium a few hours later. Katy picked a few red tomatoes, handed one to Jolo. It was red and smooth and beautiful.

  “So did the Fed know?” asked Jolo.

  “Maybe, maybe not,” said Marco. “They knew you weren’t a full-on synth, that’s for sure. But were willing to send you away because they were afraid.”

  “Oh what?” said Katy.

  “Of stirring up the military. Of making people realize that the BG aren’t our friends. Jolo Vargas is a liability to the Federation that wants peace with the BG devils. If the people knew you were alive there might be trouble. There are enough of us who don’t like what the President has done—this alliance with the BG, this false peace that we now have might be broken.”

  “That’s what Barthelme said,” said Jolo. “There was more going on than everyone suspected.”

  “He’s right,” said Marco. “You don’t need to look further than Duval. Why has alacyte production ramped up? They got transports working 24/7. What do you do with alacyte?”

  “You build ships,” said Katy.

  “And weapons,” said Marco. “And the Fed is happy to let them with no questions asked.”

  “I am not Jolo. Just tell them,” said Jolo. “Tell them to go away. Jolo is dead and I’m just some… I don’t know what I am.”

  “I don’t care what you believe, but I know you are my son. You are Jolo. And if some scan says otherwise, I don’t care. The words out of your mouth are Jolo. The things you do are Jolo. And it doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not, the Federation and the BG want you dead.”

  Just then Koba ran in. “I fixed it! The Jessica will accept commands from you now, Jolo.” Koba bowed deeply. “I’m sorry about before.”

  “Thanks,” said Jolo. “We’ll test it in the morning.”

  But the next morning Marco showed up in the repair bay and the Jessica was gone and with it Jolo.

  Jamis

  Bakanhe Grana Homeworlds

  Warumon 5, Humanoid Synthesis and Production Facility

  The two wet, soft Vellosians were of no use in any kind of fight. And the BG warlords, whose every step—alacyte tri-foot on steel grate: a metallic, unnatural sound that made Jamis’ head ache—viewed them with indifference and contempt. The guards “accidentally” prodded the two green creatures every chance they could. And then, especially the rank and file warriors, would make wheezing snorts that passed as laughter.

  Jamis could see Merthon’s hate for the shiny alacyte-encased worms boiling over, and Jamis feared he would do something rash. More rash than recombining the remains of a Federation war hero and sending the result off into Fed space in an antique escape pod.

  It had been a fool’s errand and the only good to come of it was to soothe the mind of his deluded, genius friend—to give him some shred of hope to cling to. But the sad truth was that they were going to die right here, and soon. The last of the Vellosians, the greatest creators the universe had known, would die at the hands of the worms.

  But Jamis would not let the fate of the universe rest in the metal grip of the BG if he could help it. Merthon, the creator extraordinaire, was not the only frog on this wretched rock with a plan. And while Merthon’s plan was brilliant and extravagant and hung by a thread, Jamis’s plan was colder, simpler, and involved one tiny omission which would destroy the thing they’d been working on for the last two years. He was going to kill the Emperor’s children and deny him the chance to beat the Federation and ruin the universe. And for that sweet morsel of recompense he would gladly trade his life.

  Warumon 5, where Merthon and Jamis were being held, was once called Montag, by the Vellosians. The smaller Vellosian moon was considered insignificant by most, but for one small fact: it held one of the largest Vellosian synthetic life form production facilities in the known galaxy. When the BG attacked the Vellos, their goal was extermination. And they nearly succeeded. There remained a few pockets of Vellosian life, but their rich traditions and heritage and their lush green home world of Vellos was destroyed.

  And the synthetic life forms that they created, used by Federation planets mainly for menial labor tasks were destroyed by their owners per a new Federation law enacted after the synthetic life forms had begun to revolt. A revolt the Vellosians say never happened.

  Montag was conspicuous because it was kept nearly intact. To the Vellos, Montag was just a small moon in Velosi space but didn't attract much attention. They called it the dirty rock because it was devoid of the lush green landscape and water the Vellosians needed for survival. But the BG prized it because its one redeeming quality, the synthetic humanoid production facility.

  There was one small green jewel on the dirty rock, and that was the Emerald pool which is the only thing that was keeping the two Vellosians currently living on Montag alive.

  Every morning Merthon and Jamis were allowed to soak in the emerald waters. It wasn't just time to relax. The waters held properties they needed for survival. Their skin absorbed the nutrients from the water much like a human would drink or a BG worm gained sustenance from the soil.

  And even though the BG had allowed Merthon and Jamis to make special tanks to sleep in at night, they had convinced the BG overlords that full immersion in the pool was necessary for survival, which was a lie. But it was useful for something else entirely: communication. In the Emerald pool the Velosians could send thoughts to each other. They only had five minutes, but it was useful to trade secrets.

  One morning in the pool, Jamis was particularly upbeat. Merthon had grown gradually despondent with each passing day, as the glorious hero he had put all of his skill into, the one with special gifts that no synth had ever been blessed with, had not come.

  "Do not ask about him," said Merthon to Jamis under the water in the Emerald pool, the BG warriors standing above them totally oblivious to their thought waves.

  "I have begun something,” said Jamis. "Something that may get me killed. But I believe that's a foregone conclusion anyway."

  "What have you gone and done, you fool," said Merthon. Relieved to be talking about anything other than a hero that had failed to arrive. His hope that he would had now dwindled to nothing. "You didn't try and throw hydroxy tabs into the mix again did you? That nearly got us both executed. Very hasty on your part, I might add."

  "Yes, that was a bold move, and stupid. But this time it's not what is added, it's what I've begun to leave out."

  "You can't leave anything out, you old fool. Even the BG are smart enough to monitor the water content."

  "Of course. I'm not a fool. The thing that is left out must be left out gradually and with great care. Their water analyzers tend to read a little high on one particular nutrient that I have been slowly reducing."

  "Well, are you gonna tell me?"

  “Yes, but you’ll also need to know how to—” and then his words were cut off as a metal arm had reached into the water snatching them both up.

  The Vellosians stared at each other, held in the metal clutches of a BG warrior, the only sound was the drip, drip of water onto the surface of the pool.

  “The Emperor has commanded that you two shall no longer be in contact,” the warrior said.

  There was no time to argue. Merthon looked at Jamis, the water still covering both of them. “Tell me!” he thought.

  But it was too late, his thoughts were cut off once more.

  And Merthon and Jamis never spoke to each other again, each of them toiling away in sep
arate sections of the synthetic life form production facility on the moon formerly known as Montag.

  Alacyte

  Duval

  Bakahne Grana Alacyte Production Facility #1

  Jolo stared at the big screen on the bridge into the darkness. It felt good to be on the ship again. There were too many things in his head: Jaylen, the BG and Federation wanting to kill him, and the fact that he didn't quite know who, or exactly what, he was. It all swirled in his mind and clouded his thinking. A few hours earlier he found out where Jaylen was. And that still pulled hard in his heart, but for the moment there was something more pressing to attend to: the burning anger inside of him.

  He plotted a course for the other side of the planet. Koba had fixed the voice command issue so finally he had full charge of the Jessica. That was all he needed. If the bastards wanted him dead for being a synth, which he clearly wasn't, then he was going to give them all a much better reason to kill him. It's one thing to kill a man for being a synth when he is not. It's quite another to kill a pirate who has rained down destruction and fire upon you.

  Standing on the deck of the Jessica, her fuel cells full, shields and armament ready at his command, the mountain chain to the east drifting away as the light of day from the star they called La Taiyo sending a pink glow on the horizon, Jolo was at peace. He was not much for backstabbing politicians and manipulation. All he needed was direction, a target, something to destroy. At his core he knew that he was a fighter, and that’s what he did best. He felt it in his bones--the 52% at least that were his, the other 48 along for the ride. And the closest target he had was the jewel of the black worms. He was going to destroy the alacyte production facility, or die trying.

  An hour into his journey to the other side of the planet the light of morning grew stronger and the orange sand stretched out forever. The nav console said 3.8 hours to destination. That would give him plenty of time to pull up the alacyte facility layout on his computer and sketch out a plan of attack. He turned to sit down in the captain’s chair, and there, leaning against the logic array that Koba had worked on earlier was the synth, George. His arms were folded and he had a half smile on his face. He stood so still that Jolo might have missed him were it not for his blue eyes and his blonde hair. He had a very slight plastic quality about him which made him blend well standing next to the logic array. Though when he moved he was very much human-like.