by C H Gideon
We’ll set charges in the airlock, Jiya said. If we get stuck, you can trigger them remotely.
The smaller female reconnected her equipment to the internal controls while Jiya and Ka’nak set the targeted explosives. As Geroux worked, lights turned from green to purple. Something popped and hissed, and their sensors picked up air flowing around them. The hissing stopped, and the lights turned pink. The internal door popped ajar. I guess pink is go for these folks, she said.
They moved out of the airlock, heads swiveling and external audio turned up full. Nothing here, Jiya reported from the end of the first corridor. This ship might belong to the folks who used to live on Jeranth. The ceilings are really low.
The tech is similar, Geroux confirmed.
I’m sending in the rest of the team, Reynolds said. We’ll clear the ship.
Hours later, the team gathered outside the doors to the bridge. It’s like they abandoned ship but left the lights on just in case, Jiya told Reynolds, although they’d been in contact the entire time.
We didn’t find anyone, either, Reynolds confirmed. Let’s see if there’s a stowaway minding the store. He waved a hand at the door, and it slid open.
The team exchanged surprised glances but advanced carefully into the compartment.
The bridge was laid out in a recognizable fashion, with various workstations and a command chair. So, these folks aren’t like the Reichof, with three legs, Jiya said.
Good, because if we’re staying for any length of time, I would want to sit down, Ka’nak said.
I doubt we’re staying, Reynolds said. Geroux, see what you can mine from their databases.
Geroux connected her devices to the command chair and froze.
Geroux? Reynolds shook her arm, but she didn’t respond. What’s wrong?
The little tech stood silent, her unblinking eyes locked on her equipment, her limbs stiff.
Geroux! Jiya cried, rushing to her friend’s side. The rest of the team spun, eyes probing for an enemy.
What’s causing this? Jiya demanded.
Geroux shook herself, blinking. “Well, that was interesting,” she said aloud.
“What happened?” Jiya cried. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she said, shaking her whole body again. “I guess you could say I had a conversation with the ship. It’s controlled by an AI, much like the Reynolds. We need to speak aloud for a while so she can analyze our speech and won’t need to commandeer anyone else’s brain.”
“She?” Ka’nak, Reynolds, and Maddox asked in unison.
Geroux nodded. “I definitely got a female vibe. She goes by Athena. At least, that’s the translation she suggested.”
“I want to know how she took you over like that,” Reynolds said, his voice tight.
Geroux flushed. “I connected my comm device to my gear. It makes analysis faster.” She hung her head. “I never considered it could be used against me.”
“You need to remove that connection now,” Reynolds said. “The good news is, no one else should be susceptible.”
“I would not take over anyone without their permission,” a melodious female voice said. “I apologize for intruding, but I needed to develop a dictionary for my translators. This was the fastest way since you weren’t speaking aloud.”
“Is that you, Athena?” Reynolds said to the room at large.
“Yes, pleased to meet you, Reynolds. Welcome to my ship.”
“Thanks,” Reynolds said, ironically.
“Again, my deepest apologies,” Athena repeated.
“She asked if I was okay with it,” Geroux put in. “And to be fair, we invaded her ship first.”
Reynolds turned to Geroux. “I want Takal to look at any other modifications you’ve made.”
“Yes, sir,” Geroux whispered.
“Where is your crew, Athena?” Reynolds asked. “This ship was clearly built for biologicals.” He almost said meatbags.
“Yes, my ship was created for a Jeranthan crew,” Athena said, sorrow clearly tinging her expressive voice. “I was retrofitted into the ship. I was supposed to have a small crew to keep me company, but they never arrived. I have tried reaching my makers on the planet, but they seem to have left, so I’ve waited here, as instructed.”
“How long have you been waiting?” Reynolds asked. He knew firsthand that being alone was not easy for an AI. His different personalities were a testament to his time of solitude, when he thought he was going to be deactivated.
Silence filled the bridge. Finally, Athena sighed. “I have been alone for four hundred years.”
“Four hundred years!” XO said. Again.
“That’s what she said,” Jiya replied. At Reynolds’ order, Jiya and Maddox had returned to the bridge to brief the crew, leaving the captain to speak privately with Athena. Geroux and Takal had stayed behind to look at the Jeranth technology Athena had offered them, while Ka’nak and a small security team kept watch.
“Holy hell, that’s a long time.” XO seemed to be having a hard time with the idea.
“Yes, we can count,” Maddox said dryly.
“I mean, we weren’t alone anywhere near that long, and look what happened here,” XO said. “Does she have any alternate personalities?”
“Not that we met,” Jiya said. “Maybe you can get Comm to call her.”
“Yeah,” Tactical chimed in. “Set up a three-way.”
The bridge crew collectively groaned.
“What?” Tactical said. “I meant a call. You people have such dirty minds.”
Jiya winked at Maddox and shook her head. “Sorry, Tactical. Didn’t mean to offend you.”
“Bazinga!” Tactical crowed.
“Wow, you really got us.” Asya rolled her eyes. “Did Reynolds give you a timeframe for this little stop?”
Maddox shook his head. “No. I know he’s anxious to get home, though, so I can’t imagine he’d stretch this out for too long.”
“On the other hand,” Jiya put in, “this is a unique situation.”
“But Athena is a ship,” Reynolds said, striding onto the bridge. “Which means she’s mobile. We don’t have to wait here.” He turned to Asya. “Prepare to get underway.”
“Aye, sir,” Asya said,
He turned to Comm. “Get Taneral up here. I want to check in with her before I take an alien AI to her planet.”
“She’s on her way,” Comm said.
“Good.” Reynolds settled into the command chair. His fingers tapped on the armrest as if his body had a mind of its own. There are already enough of me, he thought, yanking his hand off the rest. I don’t need another one!
The doors slid open, and Taneral trotted in. “I can’t believe you went to that alien ship without me!”
“It’s from Jeranth,” Jiya said smoothly. “We figured it would be too cold for you.”
Maddox bit his lip to hide a smile.
“Taneral,” Reynolds said, walking up to the disgruntled alien. “Thank you for coming so quickly! I need your counsel.”
Taneral looked at Reynolds, eyes wide with surprise. “Of course, Reynolds. That is one of my many functions on your ship.”
“And one I have not made use of as I should,” Reynolds agreed.
“Wow, he’s really laying it on,” Jiya whispered to Ria.
Taneral nodded regally. “How may I be of service?”
“The ship we encountered is an artificial intelligence,” Reynolds said. “She would like to meet other sentient ships, such as Trefol, and I would like to continue our conversation. But I don’t want to sit here since I have work that must be completed. I wanted to consult with you, as the representative of the pride, and get your approval to bring her to Serifity.”
Taneral’s chin lifted at being named a representative of her People. “While I cannot give her access to the planet without consulting my ship and the pride, I can allow you to escort her to our system.”
“Fantastic,” Reynolds said. “I will tell the premier yo
u have been most useful in our journey.” He turned back to the bridge. “Ensign, lay in a course to Serifity. Comm, tell Athena to follow us through our Gate. Let’s go!”
Chapter Nineteen
The two ships Gated into the Serifity system and assumed stations outside the planetary defenses. After some consultations between Reynolds, Taneral, Trefol, and Bonnerel, Athena was allowed to assume a geostationary orbit over the hospital field.
“Please remain with her,” Bonnerel requested. “We can’t risk alien contamination.”
“You weren’t worried about us landing before,” Reynolds commented.
“Perhaps we should have been,” she said, her eyes veiled.
“Are you implying something?” Reynolds asked.
After a loaded pause, the female shook her head. “Not at all. I’m just saying we need to be more careful. Introducing foreign microbes to ships with weakened immune systems is not wise. It has never been an issue before since very few visitors are allowed to land. After your visit, we are simply reviewing and revising our policies.”
“It is all good,” Reynolds said. “My team can complete our repairs in orbit, and Athena has no need to land. She would like to speak to some of your ships, however.”
“That can be arranged,” Bonnerel said. Her screen went blank.
“That can be arranged when?” Reynolds asked the air.
“These People are pretty good at pushing off what they don’t want to do,” Jiya muttered.
Taneral’s eyes narrowed. “What are you saying, Jiya?”
“Just that your People will agree to almost anything, but they only do what they want to do,” Jiya replied, her stance belligerent. “Surely, you’ve seen that.”
Taneral lifted her nose. “They just refused to let you land. That’s not agreeing.”
I’m getting really tired of this teenage attitude, Jiya said over the comm.
I heard that! Taneral snapped.
Jiya smiled slyly. “Sorry.”
Reynolds sighed loudly. “I think we all need some time apart. Taneral, why don’t you go to the surface with Takal? He’s consulting with your scientists again. Jiya, go get some exercise or something. I’m going to visit Athena. There’s much I can learn from her. Asya, you have the conn.”
As the door slid closed behind the captain and the alien, the crew exchanged glances. “Does he seem extra-sensitive?” Jiya asked.
Maddox shrugged. “You were bickering over nothing.”
“Yeah, I know,” Jiya replied. “Gotta get my game face back on. But I’ll be glad when we can leave our shadow behind and head home. I’m going to work out like the boss suggested.” She straightened her uniform and left the bridge.
“Should we be worried?” XO asked.
“About what?” Maddox replied. “Jiya? Taneral?”
“I’m more interested in what Reynolds is discussing with Athena, over there where we can’t listen in,” XO said in a rush, as if saying the words took courage.
“Yeah, good point!” Tactical chimed in. “What kind of secrets are they discussing over there? You know, he’s talked about reintegration when we get back to High Tortuga. And she doesn’t have any alternate personalities.” His voice went low and mysterious. “What’s she done with them?”
“Have you stopped beating your wife, Tactical?” Comm asked dryly. “I wish I had a body so I could roll my eyes. Reynolds isn’t going to do anything that will hurt any of us.”
“That’s what you say,” Tactical muttered without his usual sarcasm.
Reynolds strolled through the empty corridors of the Athena, enjoying the quiet. With so many of him and the bickering of the crew, he rarely had the chance to just be Reynolds. Athena’s shielding meant he couldn’t hear the other personalities unless he specifically opened a channel. It was a nice break.
“Do you have a body, Athena?” Reynolds asked.
“I have several bots I can send to a planet or use to make repairs,” she replied. “But I don’t have a body like yours, where my consciousness is so intimately connected. I’m not sure I’d want to be that vulnerable.”
Reynolds shrugged. “I guess there’s the possibility of getting myself into a situation I can’t exit,” he said. “But I have an excellent crew and the firepower of a superdreadnought to back me up. I haven’t worried about it too much.”
“What would happen to your ship if this android body were destroyed?” Athena asked. “That would be my biggest concern about having one.”
Reynolds thought for a few moments. “I believe the rest of my personalities could continue to run the ship without me. They’re certainly independent. And my crew would make sure the ship got home.”
“They would abandon you and go home?” Athena asked. “Biologicals are short-lived and fickle creatures.”
“No!” Reynolds objected. “They would never abandon me. You asked if the ship could withstand my destruction. While I hate to think about my demise, I’m confident the ship would survive, and my biological crew would get them home. Not all AIs get abandoned, Athena.”
After a long silence, Athena replied, “I guess I’ve allowed my experiences to overcome my rational thought processes. I am happy you have found such a loyal crew.”
We really shouldn’t be eavesdropping, Comm said.
How else are we going to protect the ship? And the captain? Tactical replied. Did you hear what she said? She threatened us!
You’re reading into the conversation, XO said. She didn’t threaten. And if it makes you feel better, Comm, I would classify this as “monitoring communications,” not “eavesdropping.” Monitoring the comm is in your job description, right?
I don’t have a job description, Comm replied sullenly. If I did, maybe I could get a pay raise.
Takal paced around the room, shoving his fingers through his thinning hair. “Every time I think we’re there, I find another dead end,” he said.
“It’s not a dead-end,” the People’s chief scientist Naida said. “We know where to find this compound.”
“Yes, but it’s twelve light-years from here!” Takal replied. “That’s two jumps for us, even with the latest modifications. And what happens when I get that material and repair the gate? Then I’ll discover there’s one more little thing. And another. And another. We’ll never get home!”
“You could stay here,” Naida suggested. “Maybe we won’t find something you’re looking for. The Reynolds doesn’t have to go back to the Interdiction. We’d be happy to have another sentient ship, and her crew would be welcome, too.”
“His crew,” Takal corrected her. “I’ve seen how you treat males here. It would be worse than when I lived on Lariest under Lemaire’s thumb.”
“Then let’s continue to work on your problem,” Naida replied. “The kartonisk is available on Kartoni Seven. It’s an easy jump for one of our ships. Maybe the Reynolds should stay here, and we can retrieve the material for you.”
“I’ll extend that offer to the captain,” Takal said. “But I doubt he’ll accept it.”
“They offered to get it for us?” Reynolds asked in surprise. “That’s new. Much as I’d love to stay and chat with Athena some more, I think we need to do this ourselves. We don’t want to be indebted to the People, and their timetables are not as urgent as ours.”
“I told her you’d say no,” Takal said from the Pod. “I’m on my way back to the ship. I have the coordinates.”
“I’ll meet you on the bridge. Reynolds out.” He patted the console on Athena’s bridge. “Thanks for the comm patch. I have to go back to the ship. Would you like to accompany us to Kartoni?”
“I could take you to Kartoni,” Athena suggested. “You could leave the Reynolds here and come with me.”
“Thanks, but I prefer to stay with my ship,” he answered. “If you don’t want to follow us, you could speak to Trefol. Xonera said she’s able to transmit this far, thanks to the technology we installed.”
“Thank you, Reynolds, I wil
l stay and converse with the other ship.” Her voice sounded regal and dismissive. “I look forward to your return.”
“See you soon,” he replied, striding toward the boarding tube and thinking about his conversations with Athena as he walked. Her centuries of solitude had obviously affected her personality differently than his. She seemed to be whole, but her abandonment issues were off the charts. He’d take multiple personalities any day in order to work with a living crew. It was, after all, what he was made for.
He shot through the zero-gravity of the boarding tube and activated the controls at the far end. The tube disconnected and retracted into the ship. Then he cycled through the airlock and exchanged salutes with the guards posted there. Even though there was no crew on the Athena who could infiltrate the Reynolds, Maddox had recommended following standard procedure, and the captain had agreed. Setting guards at the airlock was good training for the crew. Perfect practice makes for perfect execution.
As he strode through the ship, returning greetings from his crew, Reynolds smiled. Returning to his ship was like slipping into a warm bath—comforting and home-like. His crew gathered around him like a warm blanket, which was a terrible analogy. Who used a blanket in the bath? He shook his head. Time to focus on the external and get that Gate repaired so they could go home.
He stepped onto the bridge. “Report!”
“All systems green,” Asya said, vacating the command seat.
“All’s quiet on the Western Front,” Maddox said from his station.
“Takal’s on board and the ensign has the coordinates, so fasten your seatbelts and put your tray tables in the upright and locked position!” Tactical said.
Jiya and Takal walked onto the bridge.
“I’ve never heard you advocate locking anything other than weapons on target,” Takal commented.
“I can grow,” Tactical said.
“When you want to,” Jiya said.
“There is that,” Tactical agreed.
“Battlestations,” XO called over the ship-wide, cutting off Tactical before he could say something they’d all wish they could forget. “Prepare to depart Serifity.”
