by S. E. Smith
“You…”
Her smile was wry. “It was an excellent hiding place. And I would not have left it without…” She lifted her arms and the metal of the nanites emerged, covering her from top to toe. Only her eyes were visible now.
“Your eyes,” he managed. Their color was also a giveaway.
The nanites emerged, turning them red. The nanites could not hide the blue and silver perfection of her form, but other species had well-formed bodies. He nodded, but his throat remained dry and tight. He felt like a troll standing before her. And why did that matter? he asked himself. Then he remembered his plan and the part he’d hoped he—she—would play in that plan.
“You can’t go back—”
“I have to,” she said. Her gaze held his for a long moment as the nanites retracted back into her skin. Turning, she gestured down the passage. “The captain is waiting for us.”
Rap was not sure what was harder to see. Ale as a human or covered in blue and silver.
You do not need to decide now. But you should follow her.
Now heat flooded his face as he forced his legs to move.
Someone needs to break out in expression, sweetie.
It wasn’t going to be Ale. She’d lived her whole life—human and robotic—hiding how she felt.
You could break the silence, then.
She licked dry lips and opened them so that words could emerge. “So, it is decided.” It was not a question. That had been answered earlier with another. Did they wish to live their lives waiting for the Q’uy to strike or end the threat and secure their freedom? Even now they knew V’urwak would be preparing for another assault on them, and on this galaxy. He would have received data bursts from the ships he’d sent the last time, and that data would only heighten his lust for them and the technology here in the Garradian Galaxy.
This wasn’t just about their continued freedom—though all the crew of the Najer wished to retain their freedom—but about the danger they’d brought with them. The humans here had given them aid and sanctuary. They had fought with them during the last attack and had assisted greatly in defeating that attack.
It must be acknowledged. They lived because of those who inhabited this outpost. This debt must be paid. It was their turn to risk everything. And she….
“I don’t like it,” CabeX said.
Of course not. It would be the first time he did not lead them into a fight.
“Rap and I are the only ones who can do this,” Ale said, though it had been said before. They were the only ones with the cybernetic enhancements that could hide and protect their human bodies. And those enhancements would also be the bait to trap V’ruwak—that and the fact they’d be flying back with the two ships he’d sent to attack them. He would desire to know what happened and why those ships had not returned before now.
The thought of facing V’ruwak made her newly human blood chill in the veins. But she felt something else stirring in her memory. Something about her mother…a longing to know….
“The Earth Expedition leaders won’t be happy about this,” CabeX said, not as if this concerned him, but rather as an observation.
“They can’t act without a committee,” Rap observed. He kept his gaze turned away from Ale. He hadn’t looked at her since his first protest about her part in this sortie. Her heart hurt. If he didn’t care, at least she could be with him until…
She frowned. Until what? The restless stirring increasing, and she almost flinched back from the dark and cold she sensed down there….
Snake slithered next to Rap as they entered the outpost’s ship bay and headed to where the captured robot ships were. The Exarch and the Khanri looked much like the Najer on the outside, but Rap was not deceived by exteriors. How could he be when he and his crewmates had perpetrated the deception they were robots who had become sentient? When their very human consciousnesses had hidden inside the robotic units for so long? Rap was not—or had not—been given to deep reflection once he’d left his human form behind. He’d been a scientist, a researcher in the same lab where most of the crew had been trapped, enslaved by V’ruwak. Together they’d been forced to work on the technology that had resulted in the robots forms that they used to escape from V’ruwak—the robots that V’ruwak used to compel others to do his will. It was CabeX, with Rap’s help, who arranged for them all to escape. The risk factor had been high but they had been motivated by the desire to not just be free, but to live free.
If he’d just wanted his freedom from everything that was intolerable, he could have killed himself. In truth, he’d wanted freedom for something better. And he wanted to quit hiding from his past. He wanted to live so he could resume his real studies, not those forced upon him. He wanted to live—well, he wanted to live.
Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it.
Rap did not acknowledge this interjection because he was not sure what Nelson thought he denied. He inhaled deeply into his new lungs. He lived. He was free—mostly. They were still hunted by V’ruwak. And now V’ruwak knew they and the Najer were somewhere in the Garradian Galaxy. It was a lot of space to search, but as long as he hunted for them, they would never be completely free. Their new human bodies gave them an edge, made them harder to find. But that assumed no one would sell this information to V’ruwak, that betrayal was a thing of the past, too.
Rap was not the only crew member who did not believe in this fantasy.
They all wished to be truly and completely free of this threat. Rap had no illusions that other threats might appear, but V’ruwak—made all else pale in comparison.
Rachel had told him he needed a lodestar to survive the transfer of his consciousness from unit to human body. Eliminating the threat that was V’ruwak had been the goal he’d clung to whenever it felt as if madness would overtake him. He had held onto that, focusing on how to do it. He’d always known the path to defeating V’ruwak was through V’ruwak’s legion of robotic units, but they’d never been able to get close enough to do it. Now, with his cybernetic enhancements and Rap’s knowledge gained from creating and then living inside a robot, they finally had a chance.
A slim chance the captain had said, with warning in his eyes. It was true that V’ruwak knew their greatest strength was also their greatest weakness. Had not every attack against them included a virus designed to take control of their systems? Rap believed he’d accounted for that, but it did require them to be present and at high risk of compromise themselves during the delivery of their virus.
He glanced down at Snake, who slithered next to him into the hangar, for once silent.
“Do you have a name?” Rap asked, surprised he’d managed a whole question. Perhaps he could get used to a female snake.
She says you couldn’t pronounce it. If she discovers a name she likes that you can pronounce, she will let you know.
Hopefully, not in the middle of the mission, Rap thought, humor tugging at the edges of his mouth. But as they drew closer to the ships, guilt and relief warred for prominence in his mind. Not unlike what he felt about Ale. He was glad both would be with him on this first—and possibly last—mission since he became a human again. Rap had no illusions about the dangers they faced or the odds against them. The presence of Snake and yes, Nelson, improved their chances of a successful mission, though neither Snake nor AIs improved the odds that he or Ale would survive. They had altered the ship’s programming so that it would return Snake and the AIs if something happened.
Snake is very brave.
She was, Rap acknowledged. She would be visible, unlike the AIs who could move through systems almost undetected. What wouldn’t be visible were the plates of circuitry on her skin that carried part of the complex virus they’d created with the assistance of Savlf, the captain’s friend who had been rescued from the same spider pirate who had imprisoned Snake.
She can move quickly and go through openings humans and robots cannot. She is well suited to the task.
And she was sentient
enough to want some redress from the Q’uy, who had sold her to the spider pirate.
Payback is a bitch.
Rap half frowned. That did not sound like Nelson.
Forgive me. I was quoting Jett, Ale’s AI. She is somewhat…informal. Payback can create complications.
Oh. For Rap, this mission was not about revenge but restoring the balance of power to a system that had rewarded the venal and selfish for far too long. He had no desire to kill anyone, even V’ruwak, though if anyone deserved to die it was he. Rap would fight, and yes, kill if forced into it, but he had no desire to deal death to anyone. Once started, it was too hard to stop.
Only CabeX waited by the Khanri and Exarch, the two captured Q’uy ships. Ale was incoming. She’d been delayed by an unexpected encounter with Rachel. Hopefully, that would not delay their plan, since this action was…
Off book.
Rap paused to get a more accurate definition. It was true the Earth Expedition had not been…
Read in. Given veto power—
The Earth Expedition leaders did not understand the threat level, even after the near disaster of the recent action. It was fortunate Ale had not been required—or expected—to say much to the doctor before now. All that Rachel and the others knew was that they were doing a shake-down trip on the two ships, after cleaning the programming code. Neither he nor Ale had found the time to polish their deception skills but perhaps the trip would aid them in acquiring this distasteful, but necessary skill—which they would need for the mission.
He also hoped to overcome his difficulty in speaking to females—specifically Ale and Snake, but also others. Rap paused in his thoughts so that Nelson could weigh in. The resounding silence was an indication of the AI’s lack of confidence in Rap’s mastery of speaking to females. Rap could not completely articulate—even to himself—why he felt he needed to learn to talk to…
Ale?
Females.
You don’t want to be alone. You wish to be with someone who matters. Someone like Ale.
It was true that this felt key to being free to live. Ale would understand that. Well, he’d assumed he—she—would understand.
You can form a support group.
Rap sensed that Nelson felt they would need a support group and more to sort out their issues. He sighed and turned his attention to the two ships—something he felt confident he could sort.
Ale felt very…
Deer in the headlights.
What?
Trust me, it’s an apt analogy, even if you don’t get it.
Okay.
Smile or Rachel will suspect something.
Ale tipped up the edges of her mouth. It did not feel like a smile.
“How does it feel?” Rachel gestured vaguely around with her hands.
“The temperature is the same here as it was—”
She means, how does it feel to be out and about?
“But it is…pleasant…to be around…others,” Ale added.
Rachel grinned. “It is probably going to be hard to be human for a while. I wouldn’t stress too much about it.”
Yeah, that ship sailed.
“Are you worried about the shake-down flight?” Rachel asked, sending Ale’s heart into overdrive.
“Worried?”
“Well, TalusH said he has finecombed for traps and stuff. He thinks he found the program that automatically returns the ships to their home base.”
Rachel did not sound, or look, unduly concerned. Her tone was more that of matter-of-fact scientist.
Yeah, I really don’t think she suspects anything. If you can keep your cool for a few more minutes.
“Programming was—ever—our worry,” Ale said, nodding her head as she’d seen other humans doing during communication exchanges.
Rachel’s face broke into a wide smile. “Well, that shouldn’t be a problem anymore, or at least not much of one.”
They did still have some programming in their cybernetics, but Jett, a sentient AI, was a powerful protection.
You are welcome.
But even as Ale felt her insides relax, she felt that dark, cold stirring within….
Both ships were the latest in the Q’uy fleet—a testament to how desperately V’ruwak wanted them and the Najer back. Thanks to these ships and the robots they’d also captured, they’d acquired insight into the improvements the Q’uy had made since their escape. If they’d dared, they would have added some of the Garradian upgrades to the ships, but they were flying into the heart of the Q’uy empire, and this would be a worse betrayal of their human friends.
Rap wished….
That this was your bonding trip instead of a flight into deadly danger?
Heat suffused his body. There was no question of that.
Naturally I cannot betray a confidence, though there are others who have no problem with that, but I would not despair if I were you. Well, I wouldn’t if we weren’t beginning a journey that is not likely to end well. So perhaps despair is your best option. Humans have been known to accomplish extraordinary things when all hope is lost.
Not grateful for this further lack of confidence, Rap joined CabeX, his gaze scanning the ships as memories of past missions stirred in the morass that was called the brain. He had hoped for some of his memories to make the journey with him into this new body and was not exactly pleasantly surprised that the unpleasant ones had also come along. They were not well arranged and were sometimes difficult to access, but he also knew he needed to remember as much as possible, so he could do what must be done.
Neither he nor CabeX spoke right away. Speech wasn’t just challenging with females for him. All speech was difficult, he conceded. Their years without the need for talking had left them relearning this necessary skill. Rap had watched and eavesdropped on the humans on this outpost, hoping to discover clues to how they talked to each other so easily. It seemed that so much of their communication was…unnecessary.
Small talk can build a bridge between humans. They seek common ground and a beginning of understanding.
This did not provide much enlightenment.
Ask your captain how Savlf is doing.
That was a very personal question.
All questions are personal.
Oh. Rap glanced back. Ale had not arrived yet. It felt optimal to make this attempt without an audience. Or any more of an audience. He cleared his throat. “How is Savlf?”
“She was well enough to refine the virus you carry with you,” CabeX said.
Rap nodded, mimicking what he’d seen other humans do during their talking events. “That is well.”
Rap felt a strange urge to shift his feet, to move even in a small way. This bridge was not very big.
“She is most expert with code,” Rap said. She had almost taken down CabeX with a virus when he was still a robot, and she had been the slave of the spider pirate. She had been grievously injured by her time in the spider captain’s web but she appeared to be recovering.
“Yes,” CabeX said.
It is going to be a long trip.
The bay doors of the hangar slid back and Ale entered wearing basic-black, human-crew clothing. It clung to her curves and turned her hair into a flame that lit something inside him. She moved with a brisk grace, which put a tighter band around his vocal cords.
It was indeed going to be a long trip.
Chapter 2
Executing The Plan
“The entrance strategy is actually more important than the exit strategy.” Edward Lampert
“If you didn’t have an entrance strategy, you wouldn’t need an exit.” Nelson
Though newer technology on these ships had made their trip much swifter than they could have accomplished with the Najer, it had been a long trip. If not for Snake’s hissing, and Jett’s translations of the hissing, and it would have otherwise been a mostly silent trip. Ale missed the stream of data that used to occupy her circuits during long trips.
She’d have welcomed a skirmi
sh or two to break up the monotony, though she was aware she should not wish for this. Their last action had lacked monotony and been laden with too much action. It seemed one had either too much or too little and never just the right amount.
True dat, Goldilocks.
Ale blinked, but could not think of a response, so she glanced at Rap. At the moment, he stared straight ahead, and other times he shifted to study readings that hadn’t changed much for the duration of their trip. He hadn’t been totally stationary. Neither of them could do that anymore. Both had to deal with the needs of their now human bodies. Before Rap left the bridge to meet one of these needs, he would turn to her, and after a short struggle, say, “I’ll be back.”
On his return, he managed, “I’m back,” though not always.
Both the Exarch and the Khanri had held crews of the Q’uy’s latest, deadliest robots. Like the ships, the robots had required reprogramming so they’d believe they were “returning” from the action where they’d actually been captured. CabeX and Savlf had also placed a portion of the virus in each robot. Once the robots were placed in debrief mode, it would begin to make its way into the systems, seeking to rejoin the other portions of the virus. It was Rap’s belief, and his hope, that breaking up the virus would give it a better chance of evading anti-virus programming.
A restraining program had been installed to keep the captured robots from attempting to take back control of the ships. CabeX and Savlf, with the help of the outpost’s AI, had also scrubbed both ships’ systems of traps, though they had left the recall programming in place. But they’d set it so that it appeared the ships’ journey had originated from the same place they’d been captured and not this outpost.
Hopefully, before anyone got too curious about the gap of time between them going offline and coming back online, the virus would be causing chaos.
Curiosity, Rachel had told them, was a powerful force. It drove humans to try, to seek, to learn, to understand. It even drove them into danger, this desire to find out what they didn’t know. It was the trap they hoped to close on the Q’uy—on V’ruwak.
