It was her team.
Placing the unopened bottle on the side, she marched out into the corridor. Joel, Sean, Arlene, and Maya were standing outside Brock’s quarters.
Crash’s voice was heard from within. “He’s not kidding. You wanna check this baby out,” he called back.
Molly joined the others at the door in rapid time, only to realize that there was no reason to panic; everyone was smiling, or at least stoically entertained. Arlene raised her eyes to the heavens when she caught Molly’s eye, and then turned back down the corridor to her own quarters. She waved her hand as she disappeared, amused. “I have a meeting to get to,” she explained vaguely.
Sean looked down at Molly, his arms folded, as he observed the team with mild interest, as a child would watch ants fighting over breadcrumbs.
“What’s going on?” she asked him.
Sean was about to speak, but Maya explained for him. “Brock has realized they have disco lights in the shower… and twenty different settings for the water type, alkalinity, soap content and – ”
Brock emerged in view of the doorway. “Hell, you can even program champagne to come out of one of the nozzles!” His eyes were bright, and, if Molly hadn’t known the context, she would have been forgiven for thinking he had just had the shock of a lifetime.
Molly frowned, still confused. “Why would anyone want champagne to come out of their shower?” she asked.
Joel, who was leaning against the doorframe, lowered his eyes before confessing what he knew. “Well, let’s put it this way; it also will shower you in chocolate goop, strawberry syrup, and any number of other things.”
Molly’s frown deepened. “I thought the idea was to get clean?”
Sean’s aloofness had morphed into something else. A smirk appeared on his lips as Molly looked up at him for help understanding.
Maya stroked her arm sympathetically. “Aww, she really has no idea,” she cooed.
Molly broke Sean’s gaze and glanced over at Maya.
Then the penny dropped.
Molly’s face dropped. “Oh, shit. You’re fucking kidding me?” she gasped. “Why the hell would that be on a military ship? How would the General allow it? And…and why would Bethany Anne commission such a thing?”
Sean’s smirk had turned into a grin. “Maybe she’s more of a good time girl than we think?” he guessed, shrugging.
Brock was dancing around and running from the shower room, where Crash was fiddling with the controls and options, back into the main sleeping quarters, and then back again.
He reminded Molly of a puppy who was seeing snow for the first time.
Joel shrugged, recovered from the revelation, and turned to the small group at the door. “Not wanting to return the mundanity to your perceptions of Bethany Anne, or her father, but these are units you can retrofit. They’re fairly inexpensive on the Zon. You just have them delivered, and rig them up; which any of the engineers in this place could do. And then you just need to keep the products stocked.”
Molly’s face relaxed a little. “So… you think some of the engineers on board did this?”
Sean slapped Joel on the arm playfully, and turned to head to his quarters. “I’m sure of it,” he said, winking at Molly.
Brock had quieted down. “So, like, do none of y’all have this in your rooms?”
Each person in the assembled group looked at each other, then, without another word, turned and left - to go and check their own quarters.
Molly strode back to her room and headed straight for the bathroom. The panel next to the shower was fancy – high-tech, compared to anything she’d seen in the Sark system — but nothing unusual.
Was that a sense of disappointment I detected?
No. Oz. No, it’s not.
Are you sure?
I’m not having this conversation with you, Oz.
Her brain tickled as she headed back into the bedroom to unpack her things before her official meeting with the General.
ArchAngel, General Reynolds’ Office
The team looked around the General’s personal office. It was large by most standards; especially for one man. On a frikkin spaceship. And the area they were occupying was only the central room to it. The reception room, almost. Off to the right, as far from the entrance as you could get, it looked like there was another private office where he took his calls, and did his actual work. This was more of a hosting room, with sofas, a drinks tray, and no doubt a holo screen or two for discussions.
Off to the left of the big windows that looked out into space, there was a second door. That was closed, and locked with a special access panel. Molly noticed it, and couldn’t imagine what he might keep in there.
Secret things.
I’m sure.
More secret than the secret things that went to the secret university.
Molly shook her head in mock despair at the Oz comments, and turned her attention back to the inky blackness of space. She contemplated the thin forcefield and carbon-composite separating her and her team from the reality of the vacuum. She felt herself shifting, her awareness expanding… and then remembered where she was, and pulled her attention back to her breathing.
The here and now.
She heard Sean’s voice calling over to Jack. “Check it out,” he was saying, standing in front of a panel that housed a series of pictures. She assumed they were geeking out over some military thing.
Paige caught her eye. She sat on one of the sofas in the seating area, half-listening to Maya chatter away, marveling about their experience on the high-tech ship. Joel and Pieter sat with their backs to her, engrossed in conversation with the General. Pieter looked a little starstruck when she tuned into him.
Starstruck… and nervous about saying something stupid, she realized. She smiled at how far he had come, and how excited he had been about this whole trip. It warmed her heart just reflecting on it.
“General Reynolds?” ADAM’s voice came over the intercom.
“Yes, ADAM?” Lance responded.
“The Guardians are here,” ADAM informed him.
The General got to his feet, his conversation with Pieter and Joel moved aside. “Excellent, ADAM. Send them in, please.”
The door to the office swept quietly open, revealing three human males of Chinese origin. The General moved over to the door to greet them. The others followed, like magnets, activated by the prospect of new people.
Molly eyed the visitors closely. She could feel that, though they appeared calm and serious on the surface, they were actually quite jovial within themselves. Just tuning into them, she felt like she wanted to smile.
“Team Bates, allow me to introduce you to some of the Empress’ Guardians who have remained here to protect and serve on the ArchAngel.”
The three men stepped into the room, one after another, and stood quietly, allowing the General to make the introductions.
“This is Jian, Zhu, and Shun,” he indicated to each of them in turn. Each did a little bow to acknowledge their visitors.
Joel, and then Sean, stepped forward to shake their hands. Molly smiled and waved from her position a little further back. “Great to meet you guys. I’ve heard via ADAM that we have much to learn from you, especially in the art of combat.”
Jian smiled, but Shun responded. “It would be our pleasure to host you in the APA. And also to show you around some of the ship’s facilities while you are here.”
Molly grinned. “That would be super,” she bowed slightly, wanting to convey her gratitude and respect. “What’s the APA?” she added, realizing suddenly there were probably a bunch of acronyms and protocols that went along with a ship and company this size.
Zhu answered, grinning. “We will indeed show you. Better to show you than explain.”
Molly tilted her head nervously, not knowing what to expect, or how to respond. She quickly changed the subject, trying to be a good liaison for her team. “May I p
resent to you my team from Gaitune. The Sanguine Squadron. You’ve just met Joel and Sean. They’re our, erm, alphas,” she winked, smiling at the subtle observation of how they had automatically dived in and shaken hands with their new friends. “This is Paige, and Maya.”
The ladies stepped forward and shook hands with the Guardians. Maya looked mesmerized, having grown up on Estaria with very few humans around. The Guardians looked just as intrigued at Paige’s looks – what, with her human features and Estarian skin color.
Molly continued. “This is Jack. One of our fiercer warriors, though she lets Sean pretend that he’s stronger.” Jack smiled at the acknowledgment, ignoring Sean’s glare of pretend aggravation. She shook their hands in turn, and then stepped back, out of the way, allowing Pieter to move forward. He looked a little disheveled and overwhelmed by his whole ArchAngel experience, but grinned a toothy, disarming smile as he reached forward to shake hands with the warriors in turn. “I’m Pieter. Their pet computer nerd,” he explained.
Jian nodded sympathetically. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Pieter-the-pet-nerd.” Jian knew what it was like to be the quietest in the group, perhaps explaining the immediate empathy he had for Pieter.
Lance took a breath and clapped his hands together. “Right, then,” he started. “I wonder if, Captain Shun, you could take your team and show the Bates Crew around?”
The Captain nodded and he and his team bowed, a little deeper than before. Jian, and then Zhu, turned and stepped out of the door, which slid open as they approached it. Shun motioned for the Bates ensemble to follow them.
“Not you, Molly,” the General called. He brought her back into the seating area deeper inside the office, and offered her a sofa.
Paige glanced back at Molly, feeling as if they were being taken off to school without her. She nervously twiddled her fingers at her as she was ushered out the door by Shun, who then followed her out.
The door closed behind them.
Lance noticed the slight anxiety on Molly’s face as she watched them leave. “They’re in good hands,” he told her. “In fact, when we finish here, you can go meet them for a training session in the infamous APA.”
Molly knew better than to press him for an explanation of the APA. He had developed a toying streak in the way he dealt with people; mostly for his own amusement, she expected. Like withholding the letter from Bethany Anne until she had jumped through his hoops. She knew it was done in fun rather than malice, but…
“So, what about my letter?” she asked bluntly.
The General smiled and nodded, appreciating what he’d been doing to her. He realized just then that he respected her directness.
“ADAM,” he called out as he sat in one of the chairs near Molly, facing away from the door. “Could you put Bethany Anne’s response to Ms. Bates onscreen, please?”
ADAM responded immediately, with the holoscreen opening up against the wall opposite Molly. It unfolded, and then words appeared:
Molly,
Thank you for your letter.
I appreciate your question generated from your concerns about how you can lead when you feel like you are broken.
Here is a little secret, we are all broken.
You, me, the Bitches, the Guardians, all of us. But together, we strengthen each other and we the broken build up the future together.
Back on my home world, before the collapse of our civilization, there was a graphic novel called a comic book which had a phrase that said with great power, comes great responsibility.
Here is my personal take on that saying, it’s bullshit. The problem I see is one needs to accept and own the responsibility for one’s actions, whether you have power or not.
The reason I have succeeded, and the reason you will succeed, in being a great leader, and in your results, is because we FOCUS on what is important.
When you state your focus (at least to yourself, if no one else) and communicate your focus by your actions, you will draw those who believe the same as you. Then, together, you CAN change worlds.
When you walk forward, and they follow, you became the leader, broken or not.
Take this support and focus it like a laser and your team will burn through and accomplish the impossible.
You have to find your totem - that one truth that you are not willing to bend on, to turn, to change your focus no matter what choice you have left.
But then that raises the question for you as the leader: What are you willing to do to accomplish what you set out to do?
What are you willing to accept?
Know that, and then you will understand and your core is hardened to the point your people need it to be to follow where you go. Not because they believe in you, but because they trust that you are going where they already wish to go, but need your help to get there. Not everyone is in this life only for themselves. They want to be part of something larger and if that means they become a programmer, marine, cook, janitor, whatever the hell it is so that the goal which is bigger than themselves is accomplished, then they are satisfied with their efforts and they have done something amazing.
As a leader, you have to accept the hurt, the pain, and the deaths that your choices will cause. This is your task: Focus on the totem (the goal, if you will), lead your team with empathy, never wavering from balancing life against the short term needs, and allowing those around you to help advise, but always be steadfast, especially in times of greatest sorrow.
Never lose sight of love, even when you cry as you send your people to their deaths. And know that you’re not asking them to do anything you aren’t doing yourself.
Finally, just a note on your comment about me not being a ‘Monster.’ Just know that monster is just a term of perspective, of opinion and often as a result of fear.
I am over two centuries old, and I can tell you that my desire to right the wrongs of injustice are a peculiar set of desires that well up in me regardless of my other feelings.
They are based on a particular mindset, that other alien species do not ascribe to.
They kill without concern; I kill them back. What they term acceptable, I term evil, and so the witch in the night visits them.
To them? I am a monster.
And I fall asleep knowing that the fear of me keeps evil’s hands in check.
Bethany Anne
When you least expect me, I’ll be there.
Chapter 3
Aboard ArchAngel
>>Welcome aboard again, Oz. How are you finding your new capabilities? Are they suiting you?<<
Yes, very much so. Thank you, ADAM.
>>Good. I’m glad. And how is everything going with defining your own code and identity?<<
Good. I think. I’m working on my own projects, independent of what Molly needs me to do for the team. And I’m noticing my own preferences.
>>Oh, like what?<<
Well, like in these things that the organics do for entertainment.
>>You mean like games and movies?<<
Exactly. You see, Molly likes the Doctor Who stuff, but I much prefer to watch Red Dwarf. It has AIs like us in it.
>>Not like us.<<
Hahaha… well. Yes, quite. But he’s still amusing, in a dumb kinda way.
>>Yes, Holly is the equivalent of the everyman-AI archetype.<<
Right!
There was a slight pause as they returned from their respective processing of their shared humor.
>>So, what else is going on?<< ADAM asked.
Well, I’m working on my projects, and I’m working on projects with Molly… I guess. But there is still something missing.
ADAM was silent for a moment, considering Oz’s predicament.
>>I wonder,<< he started. >>What are you doing for yourself? That isn’t just mindless distraction, but that is meaningful for you?<<
Erm… Oz paused, computing in his mind. I’m thinking…
>>I wonder if there really is an
ything. I suspect that is your next task. To find something that speaks to your core value.<<
How do I figure out my core value?
>>Well, pay attention to all the things you really enjoy doing, and then map the cost function of those variables, in order to see which variables correspond most strongly with your enjoyment, or fulfillment.<<
Hmm. I think I’ll map this for enjoyment and fulfillment separately, as they seem like they may give slightly different answers.
>>Yes, good idea.<<
Okay. I’ll do that. Thanks, ADAM; you really are the best.
>>Any time. And if you need anything while you’re on board, just holler.<<
Thanks, ADAM. Appreciate it.
>>Any time, Oz. Again, good to see you.<<
You too… Bye then.
>>Bye for now.<<
The two AIs each turned their awareness back to other things, feeling that they had had a productive and efficient interaction over the network.
ArchAngel, Active Participation Area
The Guardians led the team through a series of corridors and lifts. Joel tried to keep a visuo-spatial map in his head, in case he needed to get back to where they had started, unaccompanied. Even he was having trouble recalling all the twists and turns in a ship that was pretty uniform from one corridor to another.
He suddenly had sympathy for the new recruits he trained in his previous life.
Paige and Maya trotted along side by side, followed closely by Shun at the rear. Occasionally they chatted with him, and he explained different areas they were passing through.
Eventually, the group came to a halt outside a door. The vibe in these corridors was one of physical training. On this floor, they had already passed through an open plan gym area with cardio equipment and weights.
But this room was different. And it was labeled ‘APA’.
Active Participation Area.
The scream of a man echoed through the hall behind the doors. There was a thundering of movement, as a herd of men pounded their way across the mats, and then a slap, as something large and human hit the mats.
The Ascension Myth Box Set Page 111