by Jake Bible
“This ship can hold twice as many beings as already occupy it.”
“I will find your mainframe and I will blast it to all the Hells with my Flott. I swear to Eight Million Gods I will do that, Hessa.”
“I’m going to ignore that threat since I can asphyxiate you well before you get to my mainframe.”
“Sweet mother of”—”
“And, no need to worry about space on the ship since she doesn’t take up any physical space. Well, some, but I have plenty to spare.”
Roak was about to scream a reply, but his mouth hung open as he realized who they were going to find in the Tamailisan System.
“Hessa, how did you find her? Did she reach out to us?” Roak asked.
“She may have,” Hessa said.
“Did she or didn’t she?” Roak snapped.
“Uh…no. I reached out to her because Bishop and I were conversing about his files and I realized that stealing the quantum drives, not to mention initiating a full transfer of the files from those drives to the ship, was going to take more processing power than I was capable of handling without going offline from the ship.”
“Keep talking.”
“Whatever facility we go to, it will not be a picnic. In order to keep all of the living beings safe, I will need to be at my best. I cannot be at my best if I am also trying to transfer massive amounts of data from quantum drives into my own system.”
“You need a second AI to either protect and fly the ship, or to handle the transfer. Is that it?”
“That is it.”
“According to Bishop. Bishop convinced you of this?”
“What? No. He’s been trying to talk me out of this. Apparently, the only other person this AI dislikes more than you is Bishop.”
“The AI does not dislike me. She simply owes me a debt that she can never really repay.”
“Maybe if she helps us with the heist of the quantum drives and the transfer into my system you can forgive that debt?”
“No.”
“Come on, Roak. It can’t be that bad.”
“It is.”
“Well, you’ll have to give her credit for being willing to try.”
“No. I don’t have to give her anything.”
“She really did a number on you.”
“Not on me. On someone else. And that is the end of this topic of conversation.”
Roak found his light armor and quickly put that on. He strapped his Flott five-six concussion blaster with laser cluster spread to his hip and closed his eyes for a few seconds as he got himself together. Then he opened them, a look of grim determination on his face.
“How soon until we reach the Tamailisan System?” he asked as he approached the door to his quarters.
“Still two days,” Hessa replied, sounding relieved to talk about travel logistics.
“Father could already be there,” Roak said. “The AI might be compromised.”
“I’ll know as soon as I speak to her again,” Hessa said.
“Unless speaking to her is exactly what Father wants,” Roak countered. “Which means the AI is a trap and you’ll be compromised instantly.”
“Yes, I thought of that,” Hessa said. “Which is why I’ll need to put myself and her in quarantine until I am certain we are both clean.”
Roak exited his quarters, but paused in the corridor. He closed his eyes once more.
“How long do you need?” he asked.
“Twenty-four hours,” Hessa stated.
“Leaving me to fly the ship,” Roak said.
“What? Oh, no, not you,” Hessa said. “Reck is a much better pilot. You can handle weapons while she flies. We’ll put Bishop on navigation.”
“After that twenty-four hours then we head to Skrang Alliance territory?”
“Best if we head there during the twenty-four hours.”
“Of course.” Roak opened his eyes once more and stomped to the lift. “I better get to the bridge then and make sure everyone is ready for their new roles.”
“Oh, yes, good idea. Everyone should feel comfortable. Flying this ship manually can be tricky.”
“Great.”
11.
“Last trans-space jog is completed,” Bishop said as he leaned back in his chair and kicked his boots up onto the navigation console. “That wasn’t so bad.”
“You nearly sent us to the wrong system, which is inhabited solely by a black hole,” Hessa replied cheerfully. “But excellent job otherwise.”
“You should learn from Hessa, Roak,” Bishop said. “Positive encouragement is much more productive than physical threats.”
“Agree to disagree by putting a plasma bolt between your eyes?” Roak asked from the pilot’s seat. He didn’t want weapons. He wanted to fly. There were words. Roak won the words.
“No, I’m good, thanks,” Bishop said.
“That’s what I thought,” Roak said as he piloted the ship into the Tamailisan System.
Roak studied the system closely as he aimed the ship toward the coordinates that Bishop sent him before kicking his boots up.
A single star that was an alarmingly bright purple. Not exactly a stable color for a celestial body more powerful than a trillion nuclear fusion generators. But as long as it stayed purple and didn’t transition into blue, they should be fine. Roak hoped.
Off to the right of the purple star was a large planet. The only planet in the system. Its orbit around the star was too close and too erratic for most beings to be able to survive on. No one on the ship would be able to handle the intense radiation and atmospheric upheaval without using environmental suits.
The only beings that could survive the planet’s chaos were the giants.
Roak aimed the ship for the planet then spun his chair around to face everyone on the bridge.
“Yellow Eyes is still in the med pod,” Roak said. “So we won’t have his speed to rely on.”
“That acid sure did a number on a being that is supposed to be indestructible,” Bishop said.
“He’s not indestructible,” Roak said. “Close, but not completely. Damage he takes catches up to him after he reaches a certain threshold.”
“We all have weaknesses,” Reck said.
“Hessa? Go over what we need to do to get the AI into the ship’s system,” Roak said.
“Oh, it isn’t hard at all,” Hessa said. “We’ll position the ship next to the satellite. Then one of you will connect us physically to the data ports so the upload can begin. She has said she can assist during this process, so all told, we’ll only be in the planet’s orbit for an hour. Ninety minutes at the most.”
“Ninety minutes while one of us is outside the ship and exposed to that purple star,” Bishop said. “That should be emphasized.”
“Yes, about that…” Hessa cleared her virtual throat. “A little background on the beings on the planet might be useful.”
“Why?” Roak asked. “They are on the planet. We are going to be in orbit.”
“Right. I agree with that assessment,” Hessa continued. “But I may not have given you all the information you need.”
“You think?” Roak snapped.
“Let the AI finish, Roak,” Reck said.
Roak glared. Reck returned the glare. Bishop rolled his eyes.
“Some can fly,” Hessa said.
“Please don’t tell me that”—” Roak began to shout.
“And can leave the planet’s atmosphere if they want, surviving for a short time in open space,” Hessa finished.
Roak’s features twitched with rage.
“Are you alright, Roak?” Hessa asked.
“He’ll be fine,” Bishop said. “Go on, Hessa.”
“Alright. What you may end up dealing with are massive beings that aren’t exactly humanoid,” Hessa said. “Most are a mass of limbs held together by a central body mass. Some defy structural logic. All are extremely dangerous and to be avoided at all costs.”
“How will they know we’re in orbit?�
�� Roak asked.
“They’re really big,” Hessa said. “Most can probably see the ship before it reaches the planet. Especially those with lots and lots of eyes.”
“How about stealth mode?” Roak said. “We go into stealth mode and they”—”
“No,” Hessa stated flatly. “Some see on all spectrums.”
“Great,” Roak said. “Then what are the beings’ weaknesses, Hessa? Tell me they have weaknesses.”
“Of course they do. Their size,” Hessa said. “They neither move fast nor willingly. They are, for all intents and purposes, lazy giants. Even if all of the beings are alerted to our presence, only a small fraction can or will attempt to investigate. Most of those will give up before they reach us.”
“Which means the ones that do reach us are the ambitious giants,” Reck said.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Hessa said. “The good news is the giants are easily confused due to the fact that they are rarely in contact with beings from outside their system.”
Roak cocked his head and stared up at the bridge’s ceiling. “Are you suggesting that distraction and misdirection are our best weapons against these beings? Over plasma cannons?”
“Oh, we don’t want to shoot them,” Hessa said. “That’ll only make them mad. So, yes, misdirection will be our best option.”
“And we don’t have Yellow Eyes,” Bishop said. “So who is going to handle the misdirection?”
“Reck is best with tech, so I’d prefer it if she made the physical connection between the way station and the ship,” Hessa said. “Bishop understands data transfers the best, so having him on the bridge to monitor systems makes sense.”
“Leaving me to distract the giant beings,” Roak said. “I should have seen this coming.”
“Yeah, you should have, buddy,” Bishop said. “Too late to back out now, though, right?”
“Shut up,” Roak snapped. “Hessa? Any suggestions on how to distract the giants?”
“Oh, I have many, but really the best way is to fly around,” Hessa said. “Zigzag, to be exact.”
“Zigzag?” Roak responded.
“Yes. Zigzag. Move back and forth so the beings can’t get a lock on you and whomp you to death with a tentacle or limb or…” Hessa trailed off.
“How high is his blood pressure right now?” Reck asked.
“Alarmingly high,” Hessa said. “Roak? Are you felling alright?”
“Zigzag. Great,” Roak responded. Several deep breaths. “I’m going to need my heavy armor.”
“You certainly are,” Hessa said. “I had Reck make modifications to your armor so there are now extra jets for maneuvering.”
“That eye twitch doesn’t look healthy, Roak,” Reck said with a smirk. “You having a stroke?”
“I wish I was,” Roak replied. “What else did you do to my heavy armor, Reck?”
“Up the efficiency of the arm and leg joints,” Reck said.
“Without adding weight?” Roak asked.
“No, it added some weight. But you’ll be weightless because you’ll be in zero gravity,” Reck countered.
“Maneuverability still needs energy,” Roak said. “These mods. How fast do they drain the power cells?”
“A little faster than you are used to,” Reck said, her smirk widening.
“That so?” Roak took a deep breath. “If I am, say, zig-zagging and in constant motion, how long will the power cells hold out?”
“Oh, about ninety minutes,” Reck said, the smirk a full-on grin.
“We have a ninety-minute job”—” Roak began.
“Maybe only sixty minutes,” Hessa interrupted.
“And my heavy armor will only have ninety minutes of power so I can distract giant beings that will more than likely only want to catch and kill me,” Roak stated.
“Oh, they certainly will want to catch and kill you,” Hessa said. “Not more than likely. Certainly.”
“You’re not kidding, Reck,” Bishop said. “That eye twitch he has going on there does look bad.”
“You will make sure this transfer happens under ninety minutes,” Roak said. “However you have to do it, you are going to leave me with enough time and energy in the armor’s power cells to return to the ship without being caught and killed by giant beings.”
“And eaten,” Hessa said. “Caught, killed, and eaten. They eat everything they catch.”
“Better hope it’s in that order,” Bishop said. “Wouldn’t be any fun to get caught, eaten, then killed.”
Roak’s hand slowly went for his Flott, but he paused and swiveled back around to face the bridge’s view shield.
“If Reck is outside the ship and I’m outside the ship, then who is flying the ship?” Roak asked.
“We’ll be docked with the satellite so no one needs to fly,” Hessa said. “But Bishop will be at the ready if for some reason I am not able to pilot the ship.”
“I got this,” Bishop said and nodded at the pilot’s seat. “Sit there, wiggle the wheel thing, make the engines go whoosh, and away we go.”
“It is slightly more complicated than that,” Hessa said.
“I’m kidding, Hessa,” Bishop said. “I know how to fly. Not gonna win any races or out-fly a trained GF pilot, but I can get us pointed in the right direction and probably keep us from getting smashed or eaten. Or smashed and eaten. By giants that fly.”
“Yeah, I’m not as cool with this plan as I was before he started talking,” Reck said.
“Exactly,” Roak snapped. “New plan, Hessa.”
“This is the best plan, Roak,” Hessa said. Her tone turned cold and hard. “You think I haven’t gone through every permutation of every possible scenario at least six million times? Well, I have, thank you. Reck helps with the transfer. You distract the giants if they come for us. And Bishop pilots if I cannot. Best. Case. Scenario.”
“Sassy,” Bishop said. “I like it.”
“What about Nimm?” Roak asked. “How soon until her prosthetic interfaces are complete?”
“They are almost done, but she will not be in any shape to handle piloting a ship for a very long time,” Hessa said. “Could take several more days before her body adjusts to the new interfaces and allows her to connect with the synthetic limbs that have been assembled for her.”
“Best case scenario?” Roak asked after several silent seconds.
“Best case scenario,” Hessa replied.
“Fine. Then that’s the plan. Let’s hope it works,” Roak said.
“Yes, let’s,” Hessa agreed. “Oh look, we’re almost to the planet. Let me do a quick scan and we’ll…”
All three beings seated on the bridge frowned and looked up at the speakers in the ceiling. They waited.
“Huh,” Hessa finally said. “That’s unfortunate.”
“What is?” Roak asked, not wanting to know the answer.
“The satellite is no longer in orbit,” Hessa said.
“Then where in the system is it?” Roak asked.
“Uh, yes, well, it did not go farther out into the system,” Hessa admitted. “In fact, quite the opposite.”
“It crashed on the planet,” Reck said. “Right?”
“Yes. It crashed on the planet,” Hessa said. “Good news is that the AI has not been harmed.”
“Bad news is we’re going down to the planet’s surface where all the giants are hanging out,” Roak said. “Screw zig-zagging. We’re bringing the big guns!”
12.
Armed to the teeth, Roak and Reck stood in the cargo hold and waited for the ship to settle and the rear ramp to drop.
“I may only be in this fight for a short time,” Reck said. “When I’m needed with tech then you are on your own.”
“That’s how I prefer it,” Roak replied.
“You can’t live alone forever, Roak,” Reck said.
“Apparently not,” Roak replied.
The hiss of hydraulics filled the cargo hold and the rear ramp descended.
When th
e ramp hit ground, a massive cloud of dust and dirt erupted outside the ship, obscuring any view of the planet’s surface. Roak didn’t wait for the cloud to clear. He jogged down the ramp and out into the open, his Flott in one hand and a Tonal Eight shock rifle in his other, the butt of the rifle resting against his left hip.
Reck was right behind Roak and held an RX31 plasma assault rifle in each hand. Their butts were not resting against her hips, but against her shoulders as she double-gunned it and swept the area for threats.
“Clear,” Roak said, studying the readout that streamed across the inside of the faceplate of his heavy armor’s helmet. “You catching any movement?”
“Nothing,” Reck said. “But I see the satellite on our ten. About fifteen meters off.”
“I see it too,” Roak said. “You have the tether?”
“I have the tether,” Reck said.
She took off running toward the downed and half-buried satellite while Roak followed close behind, spinning in a lazy circle as he watched for incoming threats. Nothing came at them. And by the way the planet looked, all rocks and crags and jutting hunks of stone with zero sign of any vegetation, Roak wasn’t sure any living creature could survive on the planet.
They reached the satellite, which was barely larger than Roak and Reck’s helmets.
“Hessa? Can’t we pick it up and bring it with us?” Roak called over the comms.
“Give it a try,” Hessa replied.
“Calmerium layering,” Reck said as she attached the end of a thin cable to a port on the side of the satellite. She wound the other end of the cable into a small pistol, turned, aimed back at the ship, and fired, sending the tether flying through the air. A bot waiting at the ship’s ramp caught the tether then plugged it into a port just inside the rear hatch.
“Hessa?” Reck asked.
“Connected,” Hessa said. “Shouldn’t take more than…”
Roak and Reck waited. When Hessa didn’t continue, they shared a look of suspicion.
“Bishop?” Roak called.
“Here, pal,” Bishop replied. “Yellow Eyes is out of the med pod. He and Nimm just joined me on the bridge. What’s up?”
