Against A Rock

by Kalin Ringkvist

  Oh, Lord, what have I done?

  These cannons were her babies, and she had done this to them… on purpose.

  “We have a traitor in our midst,” announced Allihence, both verbally through the speakers along every corridor in the ship, and mentally through the connections of the officers in the command systems. “We’re at a safespot and I have given our location to no one. There’s no other explanation. I want everyone on this ship searching for the saboteur, and you will bring them to me alive…”

  And Floreina cringed from her captain’s anger, and felt vengeance emanating from the deepest portions of the ship’s consciousness… ghoulish images of skin stripping and methodic dismemberment…

  The commander took this moment to remove her connection, just after recording the access codes.

  “What are you doing disconnected from the system, Commander?” Lieutenant Ethanial blurted.

  “Worry about your self, Lieutenant,” Floreina retorted. “I’m having connection issues.”

  Mahran, it’s time, she communicated simultaneously through the direct secure radio signal linked to her slave hidden in the bulkheads behind Allihence’s capsule control center. She passed over the codes.

  Copy that, Mahran replied. Entering code… access granted… initializing booster… are you out of the system and ready, Master?

  Ready, she replied.

  “Ma’am,” said Ethanial, “We have a strange sensation in the system… huh?… does our captain have access to boosters?” He paused. “It looks like Captain Allihence is implanting an emergency Exile Booster…” He looked up and shouted, “Wait! Something’s wrong… the captain isn’t responding. Commander! Get back in here; we need you.”

  Ethanial screamed, putting his hand to his head, and simultaneously Floreina heard exclamations from the other crewmen. Ethanial shook violently for a moment, then slumped forward to rest his head in his hands. He groaned, lightly at first but growing into a scream of fury. “There’s an overload!” he shouted. “Total system scramble; the whole ship needs a reboot.”

  Floreina connected herself again and slowly opened the connection to see a clean, pure system, yet lonely, empty and cold… for the first time, just her and the computer, alone together.

  Then there was Mahran, his mind darting playfully and abruptly, jerking out a quick hello, then jumping back to his mental hole to work on his logistical tasks of locking and opening the proper hatchways throughout the ship.

  “You get a connection, Commander?” Ethanial asked, removing himself from his own port.

  “No,” she lied. “I’m getting nothing.” She pounded a fist into the chair, gritted her teeth and paused to pretend to think. “I’m going to run to the communications center,” she announced.

  “Commander?” Lieutenant Ethanial replied. “Your place is in command of the turret.”

  “There’s nothing we can do now that we’re jammed against two blackbirds and a dozen EC-300’s,” Floreina reminded him. “All we can do is hope to get our communications up and send for help.”

  “I agree,” replied the lieutenant, “but the communications department will handle that. Your place is here, where your experience suits best.”

  And Floreina stared back, unused to an argument from a subordinate. The rest of the command crew now gazed at the two senior officers, those with mental ports either unhooked from their terminals, or frustratingly trying to make a connection.

  “Adran, take over for me,” she ordered.

  “Ma’am,” Adran replied. “I’m forced to agree with Ethanial. The communications center is not really your place… even if we’re incapacitated we still need you here in case anything happens.”

  “I understand,” Floreina said. “But I may have information for the communication specialists, and if we have a traitor onboard, I can’t trust the normal information flow.”

  As she turned to hand over her command seat, her combat application warned of Ethanial’s hand moving from the other side of the row of command interfaces. But before she could turn to raise her own weapon, she found herself staring into the Lieutenant’s sidearm.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said as she watched Ethanial click the switch to power up the weapon’s capacitor.

  “I must insist,” he said, moving carefully around the bank of terminals and up the steps to the main command seat. “I’ve been given orders to keep an eye on you by Captain Allihence herself, and right now I am far too suspicious to allow you to leave.”

  “Do you understand what you’re doing?” Floreina asked.

  “I’m sorry, Ma’am. I pray I’m wrong and you’re innocent, but…” he stared her square in the eyes from behind the weapon, stopping a couple feet short.

  “You’re going to pull a weapon on your commander over such a suspicion and prevent her from getting information to our communications officers that may be vital in restoring our defenses?” She frowned at him, crossing her arms and taking a cautious step forward. “Do you really understand what you’re doing right now?”

  “I’m forced to relieve you of duty, Commander,” Ethanial demanded. “Adran is aware that we have been asked to keep an eye on you, and I feel the captain would agree that relieving you is a prudent precaution. Like I said, Commander, I pray that I’m wrong about this, and hope that you can forgive me.”

  She took another step forward, the implant algorithms pointing out the aspects of Ethanial’s face and composure that betrayed his lack of confidence. “Oh, no…” She shook her head slowly. “You’ve made your decision; don’t think you can play both sides…”

  Her arm went limp and tingly for a moment as she transferred its neural control to her implant, allowing the computer to choose the precise moment to make her move. The nanites powered up and began stretching and preparing the muscles. She stepped forward again, but only minutely, and nodded her head at an imaginary helper standing several paces behind her opponent.

  Ethanial remained cold, continuing his stare. “Marian, Darnoth, please escort the Commander to the nearest slave holding.”

  Floreina shook her head. “I don’t think so.” She took another tiny step forward, forcing Ethanial to back himself against the computer terminal next to the steps. Her combat routines fired a rapid warning, letting her know that Marion and Darnoth, two of the turret power managers, were getting up and appearing as though they intended to follow Ethanial’s orders.

  “I’m not the only one who’s aware of the captain’s suspicions,” Ethanial reminded them. “You all know I’m acting in a reasonable fashion…”

  Floreina motioned again with her head, toward the empty wall behind Ethanial, and allowed a tiny grin to escape.

  And Ethanial bought it, glancing over his shoulder, to be sure there was no one waiting to pounce on him from the rear.

  Her left hand fired upward and snatched the weapon before she was fully aware of the movement. Her other hand dropped to her thigh and snapped the release of her own sidearm. She popped the weapon into her hand to bring it up and point it into the face of the Lieutenant.

  She grinned, flipping his gun to hold it facing the floor, simultaneously flipping the switch to power up her own weapon in her right hand. She scanned the room with her rear camera and her peripheral vision as she stared into the eyes of the subordinate at the end of her pistol. Marian and Darnoth stopped their approach and stood, eyes wide and frozen.

  The targeting menus flipped through Floreina’s mind and she selected an option to automatically watch for any movement of Lieutenant Ethanial, allowing the system full control of her trigger finger.

  And she warned him, “I’ve set my personal targeting system—“

  But similar to Floreina, Ethanial didn’t like wasting time. His hand moved, and made it half way to the weapon before she felt herself squeezing the trigger tight against the handle.

  The Lieutenant’s head burst into a ray of light, expanding into a burnt and bloody mess. The crew stood in motionless shoc
k, their eyes remaining fixed on Floreina. The Lieutenant’s body slumped to the floor and rolled down the steps.

  “You have the command,” Floreina said, motioning toward Adran.

  Her heart pounded as she looked out on the small command crew, sitting motionless, staring in silence. The emotional suppressants attempted to manipulate the situation, but seemed useless against the torrent of sudden and unexpected emotions: guilt, shame and fear, mixed with a strange sense of self-fulfilling power and triumph. The emotional processors simply didn’t understand the human equation or hadn’t acclimated to her brain enough to deal with the situation.

  A lurching came from her stomach and she held it down, nanites in her throat uncomfortably suppressing a gag reflex. She backed up, scanning the crew, making sure they knew she was watching them. Her targeting systems jumped every couple hundred milliseconds from one face to another, analyzing features, updating character maps, readying itself to jump back to any individual and focus fire.

  Master, what are you doing? Mahran communicated. This is not how it was supposed to happen!

  I’m aware of that, she replied. I need your help, now! Is anyone currently in the hallway outside.

  An agonizing pause, lasting less than a second. No, Ma’am. The hallway’s clear.

  Status on the communications in this room?

  I’ve shut down all communications from the command centers. I’m shutting down all inter-ship communications. But Master… I don’t know if anyone was able to get a communication out from the turret center. Someone may have been able to contact security.

  Floreina ground her teeth. Her targeting and combat system centered on someone to the left, in her peripheral vision, a Lieutenant named Daril, drawing her eyes and the weapon in her left hand in his direction. She watched his hand move back away from his weapon, but still kept a focused watch on the rest of the crew, her automated systems continually scanning for even the most subtle of movements.

  She backed slowly from the room. Am I still clear down the hall? She asked.

  Affirmative, Mahran replied. All hatches now sealed on this level. Nobody can currently move around without explosives.

  “I’m going to the communications center to inform them of my information about the traitor,” she told the command crew. “I believe Ethanial was working with them.” But even as she spoke, her facial analyzers returned negative results. They weren’t buying it. But she continued on. “Your orders are to sit tight and wait for communications to come back online. I’m going to assist in that, and I assure you that you will only make things worse by starting a witch hunt.”

  Floreina cautiously closed the hatch. Seal the door, she ordered.

  Right, Mahran replied. Got it. Sealed.

  She turned to run down the corridor. Do I have a clear path to the access crawlway?

  Mahran paused another second. No, he replied. There appear to be guards out… people are scattering throughout the ship… it appears that anyone who’s not trying to restore communications is trying to work on breaking down doors.

  Okay, we don’t have much time.

  Dear Lord… Please, Master… How are we gonna do this when everyone in the turret center knows you’re behind it?

  They still don’t know what we’re doing, Floreina replied. If we’re lucky, you can keep them locked in and keep the communications down. Can you find out for me if anyone else on the ship is aware of the suspicion on me?

  Floreina moved swiftly to the end of the corridor, weapons still in her hands.

  I can’t tell, Master—I’m sorry—this is all so new to me… you didn’t give me time to prepare for the systems… He communicated in quick, frantic bursts. I’m trying to talk to you now and do all these different things at the same time—locking down hatchways and intercoms and watching for guards and everything… and I’ve never been this deep in the systems before and I’ve only had this implant in my head for a few months and I’m barely even used to it—

  Okay! Floreina stopped him. Just do what you need to do. Calm down and don’t let yourself get stressed… but remember, I need you here, Buddy. Can you tell me if anyone is on the other side of this hatch?

  No, he replied after a couple hundred milliseconds. You’re clear. He released the main lock and Floreina entered her security code into the keypad to release the secondary lockout. She pulled herself through the door and stopped on the other side, closing it behind her.

  She looked down another hallway, nearly identical to the last one and slowly fell backwards against the hatch. The hallway began twisting and pulsing, and Floreina became suddenly dizzy. She braced herself against the door, and let her mind go blank. For a moment, the visions subsided and froze into a motionless and empty scene.

  What have I done?

  These were her fellow Amarrians. These were not the Minmatar abolitionists from whom she feared a hateful death, but from her own people… those who prayed to her God.

  And suddenly Viotro’s gentle pleading made sense… her joy of life and connection with God had felt like such a rock that she never imagined it could end with a couple mistakes in her plans… but here she was, her emotions backing her against a wall, her perspectives crumbling, and justifications fading into a haze.

  What have I done… she asked …to my own people?

  Your doctors have their operating procedures ready to go, Mahran informed her.

  They were right on schedule.

  You need to get up here.

  Floreina put her head in her hands for a long moment and watched her pounding heart, and felt the heat emanating from her flesh.

  Master? coaxed Mahran. Please respond… I need you…

  And she shut her eyes, and gave an emergency prayer, shutting down her senses for five seconds, losing herself for such a short period of time, and finding the Lord, just a layer under the surface of everything. He was there, as he had always been, and always would be… guiding, creating, and constantly loving.

  He pulled her together in an instant, composing her emotions and clarifying her goals and potential. You may or may not survive, He reminded her. But that doesn’t change the fact that you have an obligation to me and to yourself… to capture every moment of your precious life.

  Floreina stood and reconnected her senses, taking a deep breath. She readied herself to focus on the next task.

  Mahran was communicating frantically: What are you doing, Master? We need you here to complete the mission! We don’t have much time before word gets out!

  What’s the status of my route to the crawlway? Floreina brought up the Abaddon’s map. It overlapped her normal vision, but somehow obstructed nothing.

  Not good, Mahran replied. You’ll need to walk through groups of officers and slaves… I think we can route you around so that none of them see you opening hatchways… but if Ethanial had suspicions others may too.

  She focused on her route from the command center near the outer armor plating and down through several decks, through crew quarters and finally into the hidden slave decks to move forward a third of the length of the ship to the slave overseer offices and on through secure networking centers. The path led on to a small crawlway that provided emergency access through the long, tight corridor to the control center behind Allihence’s pod.

  Floreina took a deep breath and started moving, opening and passing another nearly identical hatchway, making certain to seal it behind her. She placed her weapon back in the holster on her right thigh, and stowed the other in one of the deep pockets in the pants of her uniform. Forcing a poker face, she straightened, pulled her chin up, and walked rapidly.

  She followed the map as she walked, questioning Mahran about personnel densities in various areas, tracing the routes.

  Okay, she said to both herself and Mahran, We can still do this. If no one else suspects me, they’ll let me walk right through… you’ve got cameras on every crew member on this ship… we should be able to navigate here…

  I hope so, replied
Mahran. Please hurry.

  She moved as rapidly as possible, riding a lift down several levels, and marched through the mostly vacant cafeteria and kitchen. The cooks looked up only momentarily from their efforts to stow their supplies.

  She moved to another lift down through crew quarters, passing only the occasional officer or slave, most having been dispatched to more important sections of the ship. Her mind seemed to go blank again as she rode the lift down to the slave quarters, and she froze, staring simultaneously at the lift door and the map. The lift opened and she snapped out of her trance and marched through the rows of bunks. Those who were still there seemed surprised to see an officer coming through these sections during such a time, but this was an extreme circumstance, so it seemed reasonable to assume that anything was possible… at least Floreina hoped.

  Can I get a status report on the turret command center? she asked.

  A pause. It’s not looking good up there, Mahran told her. They’re preparing to blow the hatch. They’re doing the explosion calculations manually on a visual interface. I’ve heard them talking, Master… they’re all convinced you have something to do with the sabotage… they don’t know much more than that, but they don’t seem to have much doubt that you’re guilty.

  Floreina shuddered, but continued moving at the same pace.

  And Master Floreina… I need to tell you… He paused. There are other communication systems onboard… there’s deeper security comms that you never warned me about… I’m most concerned about the direct connection that many of Allihence’s personal security have; it’s kept secret even from the highest ranking officers… and I can’t see any way to block it; it’s separate from the central systems… I think I can pose as their security application to manipulate things, but I can’t shut it down…

  But she was now entering the slave management offices, where several officers sat at their desks, searching for readings on visual interfaces.