Deimos Station (Broken Stars Book 2)

by I. O. Adler

  “She Who Waits, I need you here.”

  The One began yelling louder from down the hall. It sounded like a roomful of grown men with megaphones all throwing a tantrum. Or her father when he couldn’t find the remote. At least the ship had doors that could be closed if the noise persisted.

  Carmen was surprised when She Who Waits glided her way.

  “So you can hear me now,” Carmen said. “Will the One survive without your presence?”

  “When I established I could communicate for longer periods with designate the One, it began to dictate its life cycle saga.”

  “That hurt you before. How are you able to do it now?”

  The translator floated into the new control room and stopped before the bench. “You once used the word chorus to describe the One’s speech. It gave me the idea that it was communicating through many streams of thought and speaking in multiple strings with its vocal utterances. I had but to listen and translate with as many nodes as it spoke. It is still draining, but endurable, much like translating for the entire council.”

  “So you can now remember a conversation we had back on the Framework. And your other memories, the ones you partitioned?”

  “I am slowly restoring them.”

  The One wailed for a moment before growing silent.

  “How long has the One been going at it with this life saga?”

  “Since he recovered me from my shuttle.”

  Carmen wanted to gesture for her to sit but stopped herself. “Take a break. We need to talk. The One says this ship belongs to both of us. You serve the Framework. I have responsibilities which require me to go back to my world. I don’t know how they’re going to react when I go down there. And Ovo stays with us. It’s the least we can do for him.”

  “And what of designate Jenna Vincent?” She Who Waits asked.

  “Jenna can’t be kept from her children. I don’t know what that means in her condition.”

  “If I may suggest we continue to try to contact the Cordice for an update. That will help inform your decision. I have already sent word to any on the Framework who might be listening, warning them of the shadows and letting them know how we destroyed the one infiltrating the harvester.”

  Carmen searched the Dragoman for a sense of what she might be feeling. “You don’t have to suggest. You’re She Who Waits, party of one, the sole representative of your race. From what I’ve learned, you have as much to say as the One or any other survivor species of the Framework. And this ship is both of ours.”

  “And you wish to return to Earth.”

  Carmen nodded. “I do. I understand if you want to get back to the Framework right away. Landing on my planet has its own risks. After what the Melded did, there’s going to be some itchy trigger fingers.”

  “A return to the Framework will likewise be dangerous until the threat of the shadows is mitigated,” She Who Waits said. “If it is your desire to go to your world, then we go.”

  “Can we send a message?”

  She Who Waits advanced to a wall screen. Without touching it, she navigated through several options. “I suggest you consider your language carefully. I imagine the wording will require precision after the events of our previous arrival.”

  If She Who Waits had intended a joke, Carmen couldn’t laugh. People had died during the Melded’s attack on the hospital. Where to start? Who to call? “Sorry you got nuked but that wasn’t us” wouldn’t cut it. And would they believe anything she could tell them after her last attempt at phoning home?

  “Ovo, we have the files of the One’s ships?”

  “Yes. They are all here. They will require an AI subroutine to process, or many keen minds who understand shipbuilding and antimatter harvesting. We’ll need them and the manufacturing potential on the Framework to make the repairs to the primary reactor.”

  “Is it possible to share them?”

  He looked up from his screen. “With who?”

  “With everyone. Earth. The Framework. If this is cutting-edge technology that has a chance at helping us survive what’s coming, then no one gets left out. We get it out there. And then I’ll have a place to start when I talk to my world.”

  Some twenty minutes passed, and they received a reply. The Framework had received the plans and the preceding messages about the shadows. Apparently, measures were being taken to find and destroy them.

  “I have one more message to the Framework council.”

  “I am ready to transmit,” She Who Waits said.

  Carmen let out a sharp exhale. “I want to send it in the name of Earth. But before I do, I need your and Ovo’s opinion.”

  When she told them, both the Dragoman and the Melded thought it was a good idea. Ovo’s throat pulsed and he snorted, which She Who Waits translated.

  “He’s laughing.”

  “Then send the message. Once we hear back, then we can land.”

  She walked back and forth during the transmission time, then found the table had good acoustics and beat out a drum rhythm until her fingers hurt. Then she sat back and watched her sister and wished she could console her.

  She Who Waits interrupted Carmen’s rumination. “Designate Framework council responded. A preliminary vote agrees with your suggestion. They anticipate numerous questions. They will follow up with more information and their final decision soon.”

  Carmen was up and pacing again. This time it felt longer, or her endurance was flagging. So close to going home. But this last step might be huge, for her, for the Framework, for Earth. When She Who Waits delivered the final verdict, Carmen whooped.

  Time to go home.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Carmen cautiously took another nibble of the printed food pack.

  The stuff in the wrapper was pinkish brown and had the flavor of something savory and salty with a creamy consistency. It reminded her of a meat-flavored yogurt push-up. She tried not to think about what it was made of, but Ovo promised her the food printer used a plant-based medium for its output.

  A cup of coffee-colored liquid steamed next to her. She hadn’t dared try it yet. Supposedly the ship printers created it with human biology in mind and it had vitamins, minerals, and sugar, but one culinary adventure at a time, please.

  Her sister stood where she had been for their entire flight. She answered yes or no to questions, and otherwise spoke not at all.

  Their descent down to Earth felt so smooth Carmen stayed out of the chair. Ovo stood at the console. It appeared he had little to do now that their course was locked in, but he focused on the displays as if a lapse in attention might be catastrophic.

  She Who Waits had returned to the One after Carmen’s messages had been sent. His many voices continued to drone. Apparently his life saga wasn’t finished, and if anything he sounded louder than before.

  “Ovo, show me where we are,” Carmen said.

  A wall screen lit up. The One’s ship descended through dark clouds. The edges of their view were lit with the sun rising over the arc of the earth.

  Carmen stared at the sight and drank it in.

  “How do I talk to the boys?” Jenna asked.

  She was standing right next to her. Carmen almost dropped her food pack. A robot that large shouldn’t move so silently.

  “How, Car? I can’t hug them. I can’t touch them. What if I accidentally hurt them? Will they even recognize me?”

  “We’re going to figure this out together.”

  “I should have died. I don’t want to be like this.”

  “Like what? Alive? Don’t talk like that. Never talk like that. You wouldn’t hurt Zach or Landon. And they need their mother.”

  Just like we needed ours.

  “What do I say to them?”

  “You tell those boys the truth. You tell them everything. I’m going to be by your side. You’re going to be fine. We’re going to be fine.”

  They stood together in silence for a while. Then they watched the screen.

  Carmen put down
the unfinished food pack. Stopped herself from gnawing on her thumbnail. Jenna needed to see that she wasn’t scared, but Carmen’s insides began doing somersaults.

  What kind of reception would they receive? Guns and more helicopters, probably. Maybe even a nuke. Turnabout was fair play, wasn’t it? The unknown voice she had spoken to had once again directed them to Area 51. They would comply.

  The ship slowed to a gentle descent above the white desert. Monster-sized hangars lined a long runway. Several parked planes were covered with tarpaulins, and a cordon of vehicles stood at either end of the strip. Dust blew in the wind, making it hard to see, but a group of people were waiting for them.

  No rifles, at least none visible.

  Ovo kept glancing her way as the ship slowed and descended to the tarmac. She Who Waits appeared in the hallway as if waiting for Carmen to join her. The One had fallen silent.

  “Is he…did he die?” Carmen asked.

  “Designate the One sleeps. I do not know his medical status.”

  “Maybe he’s tougher than he thinks. Will he ask for his spaceship back?”

  “That would be an inquiry for another time. Your kind is waiting for us outside.”

  “Yeah. Jen, are you coming?”

  Jenna ducked out into the hallway and followed them to the airlock. Carmen had taken her space suit off. She could smell herself and realized her trustworthy red hoodie needed another spin in the laundry. If the ship had a store of clothing or a way to make more, she hadn’t found it.

  As they entered the airlock, Ovo joined them at the last moment.

  “This boat isn’t going to lock us out once we step outside?” Carmen asked.

  Ovo’s fur flattened. “It shouldn’t. I will double-check.”

  “It’s fine, Ovo. I’m just joking.”

  The airlock did its thing. The dry wind braced them as they stepped outside. A few steps down the short ramp, and Carmen once again had her feet on the ground. Her ground. Her knees felt wobbly, and now she understood why people would kiss the dirt after returning home after a long trip.

  She wiped loose strands of hair away from her eyes. The reception group wasn’t coming closer. What were they waiting for?

  Two of their number approached and then the rest followed. No weapons in sight. No helicopters either. And this time nobody wore a hazard suit. Here they were, sharing air with extraterrestrials, a robot, and a human whose mother might have betrayed their entire planet.

  “Carmen Vincent,” the woman in front said. She sounded familiar. “I’m Doctor Greta Leavitt, USAMRIID. We met down in the hospital. Regrettably, those circumstances were different. Welcome back to Earth.”

  Carmen felt uncertain what to do, so she offered a hand. The doctor shook it. The stiff breeze played havoc with the doctor’s hair.

  “Thank you for your message,” Dr. Leavitt said. “The creature which attacked us in the hospital?”

  “Is dead. I have a lot to tell you.”

  “I’m sure you do. I welcome all of you on behalf of our planet and the United States government. Please join me and we can step inside out of this weather.”

  Agent Barrett stood behind her, dressed in a new charcoal suit, white shirt, and floral pattern tie. His eyes looked sunken and baggy, and his skin was pale, almost bluish. “Carmen.”

  “Agent Barrett. Are you okay?”

  “I’ll live. Where’s your mother?”

  “Out there somewhere. She’s gone, along with the Melded, and they took the harvester. But you remember my sister and She Who Waits, and that’s Ovo. We didn’t attack you earlier.”

  “We understand,” Dr. Leavitt said. “No one is going to hurt any of you. We received your first transmission. We’re going to need help to decipher it. It crashed a lot of the tech folks’ computers already. I understand you also sent it to other nations around the world.”

  “We did.”

  “I’m sure that’s for the best. I doubt most will have the resources to scratch the surface of these designs. I understand there are several extraterrestrial species who have built a habitat near Mars. You have the means to talk to them?”

  As the wind picked up, Carmen had to focus on the doctor’s lips to understand what she was saying. “I do. And the people living on the Framework want to talk to us. There’s been mistakes made, accidents, and miscommunications. That has to stop now. We have an enemy in common, so Earth is going to have to learn to listen, not just our country but all of them. Communication is a two-way street. But that’s going to get easier soon.”

  “Oh? And why is that?”

  “Because the Framework is coming here.”

  Epilogue

  Dear Jenna,

  I hope you receive this transmission.

  I’m sending it to you rather than your baby sister. Carmen is a strong young woman and has proven herself to be quite capable, but I’m afraid the powers that be on Earth and in our government might not forward the message to her, and as you know, Carmen has made new friends, some of whom I don’t trust.

  I’m so proud of both of you.

  I won’t be able to explain my decisions in a brief message. Your sister knows, but doesn’t understand. Just realize that I love and miss both of my girls.

  I imagine you’re confused right now and perhaps scared. But there is no reason to be frightened.

  The Cordice have made a world where we can have a future. Have you met my avatar within their simulation? It’s part of me. We will be together soon if we aren’t already. My avatar won’t be able to answer questions about what’s happened recently, but I’m your mother and the avatar remembers everything until the disaster.

  We can bring the boys to you. Both Zach and Landon will need to come soon, and for that you will have to play a role. Just as I have my body in which I must take the war to the enemy, you have yours, which now controls the spindlebot that was on board the harvester.

  Part of you which is reading this is alive inside the simulation. The harvester did that. If you bring the spindlebot which you control to the Cordice, you can be made whole.

  Once you get acclimated (and it will take time, but inside the sim, you have all the time you could ever want), you will realize that you will need to have a conversation with yourself. The part of you that controls the bot can do things that you can’t from within the sim. But what kind of mother will it be? Your boys belong by your side. They deserve a long life, and I fear for what will happen if you wait too long to bring them to you.

  I’ve encoded what you’ll need in this message so you can communicate with your robot. The Cordice engineer will help you.

  But realize that Carmen will not.

  This will seem crazy at first, because it necessitates you convince yourself to take your sons into space and to the Cordice home ship. The Cordice can introduce them to the simulation world. It means their lives.

  Have them visit. Let yourself be made whole. Then make your decision.

  I realize that everything I’m telling you is overwhelming. None of us asked for this. Humanity deserves its chance at life, and if we wait, we die. The simulation is our ark. You know the Noah story. Time was of the essence and anyone who wanted to live had to be on board.

  The rain hasn’t started yet, Jen, but the clouds are forming.

  Preliminary remote sensor reports show something big is heading our way. It might be months off, perhaps a year. But it’s coming. We see it beyond the cloud of comets and dust at the edge of our solar system. By the time Earth astronomers spot it, it will be too late.

  Carmen questioned whether I was still me—still human. Perhaps you have the same questions. I’m that and much more. The Melded had to repair me. We don’t stop being who we are because we get braces, replace a hip, or receive a transplant.

  The Melded do what they need to in order to change themselves so they can live to fight the next day. You have not only a new body in a virtual reality but one of carbon and steel. Embrace it.

  Flesh and
blood won’t inherit the stars.

  The enemy would have us lie down and wait for the end.

  Know that I love you, my grandchildren, and Carmen.

  Take a moment to grieve for what happened to you. But you have a chance with your new life that few before ever had. Save your boys. Bring them to the simulation. Give them the opportunity to survive.

  For we may be the only humans who escape the fate which is coming for our world.

  Love,

  Mom

  If you enjoyed Deimos Station, please consider leaving a rating or review.

  The Watcher’s Reliquary, Book Three of the Broken Stars series by I.O. Adler, is coming soon!

  When Earth intercepts a distress call from an inbound alien vessel, all eyes turn to Carmen Vincent and her companions to spearhead the rescue.

  Hours into her mission, Carmen discovers within the message a hidden fragmented code not meant for her eyes. Someone close to her knows the secret about the signal and is working to keep her or anyone else from deciphering it.

  What began as a simple recovery turns into a fight for survival against a new threat to humanity, and only Carmen and her crew stand in its way.

  Follow I.O. Alder on Amazon.

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