Pirate Throne

by Carysa Locke

  "Yes, thank you. Can you also highlight which places in this section hold the most information about Talented Queens?"

  "Of course."

  On the shelves themselves, little colored flags appeared marking various stasis cubes and blocks.

  “These sections hold relevant data related to Talented queens."

  Mercy sighed. This was going to take time. She eyed the dozen or so locations on this aisle alone.

  “We should split up, right? Everyone take an aisle, and a shelf. Let's be as respectful as possible. The people who created this place built it to last. Copy anything you think we can use, and put the rest back exactly as you found it."

  No one was going to argue with that after the display upstairs.

  "Doc is going to have an absolute fit over missing this," Cannon said suddenly. "Just think of all of the secrets in here that could help with his research."

  Doc was not only trying to build a classification system for the Talented, but he and Sanah were also hard at work to try and fix the population issue, starting with the women made barren by the virus.

  "If we have time, we'll see what we can find for him." But Mercy wasn't very hopeful. Right now, she just hoped they'd be able to find what they needed out of all of this.

  She started for the nearest flag. Both the databank and the printed material beneath it were marked.

  "Vera, is the printed stuff the same as what's on the data crystal?"

  "There will be variation. Some material was only available in paper form. Some data was also only available on data crystal."

  "Great," she muttered. She remembered vividly Lilith telling her how these scientists had preferred hard copy. There was a lot to go through. "How do we read the data crystals?"

  There was a momentary silence. Then, "Your datapad should be able to access them. I can also create data ports for you if necessary.”

  Perfect. That would make copying information easier, at least the digital data. Wait. “Vera, does copying information constitute stealing it?”

  “All information may be copied or duplicated. Originals may not be removed without the seal of the Head Archivist.”

  She blew out a long breath, and reaching up, touched the first stasis device. It shimmered and disappeared, and she was immediately overcome with a strange anxiety that she'd just allowed the information it housed to become vulnerable.

  She shook the feeling off. Something about this place felt almost like a shrine. As though it shouldn't be disturbed, even though doing so was the only way to access the vast repository of knowledge the Vault was designed to be.

  The data crystals were organized in neat rows. Carefully, she removed the entire box and set it on a nearby bench. Next to her, Cannon did the same with a cube of printed material. Farther down the row, Reaper was already digging through a box of crystals. The others had disappeared into nearby stacks of shelves.

  Mercy sat down and pulled out the first crystal.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The first box Mercy went through contained detailed descriptions of various Talents and their impact on the physical world. Not just in application, but also on the person wielding the Talent. Brain scans and data, measuring everything from which parts of the mind were most active when using specific abilities, to the psychological effects observed with long term use, to the differences in that feedback when a connection had been formed with a Queen. There were stacks and stacks of data measuring range, magnitude, and strength. It was dry stuff, and she started feeling sleepy less than halfway through.

  It was discouraging, to say the least. There had to be hundreds of shelves of data to go through.

  “What I wouldn’t give for some coffee," she said, after a brutal couple of hours struggling to keep her eyes open as she slogged through it. They’d decided to copy everything they could fit on their datapads to take back with them. Taking things physically from the Vault seemed like a tricky proposition. Vera had clearly said nothing was to be destroyed or removed. They had no idea what measures might be in place to deal with violations, but chances were high they wouldn’t be fun, given the signs of higher technology they’d already encountered.

  "Ah, one moment." Cannon reached down and lifted her pack up from where she had left it on the floor. She watched, mystified, as he began to rummage through it.

  “Uh, Cannon. You know that’s my pack, right?”

  “Yes.” He grinned at her. “I anticipated the need for possible emergency supplies and acted accordingly.”

  "You’re kidding me." Mercy sat up straight, watching him with interest.

  He pulled out a temperature controlled thermos with a flourish.

  "How did you get that in there?”

  “Trade secret.” He winked. “I put one of these in mine, yours, and Feria's, since we're the coffee drinkers here. Sadly, yours is the only survivor.”

  That's right. He and Feria had lost their packs. Mercy watched as he unscrewed the top and bottom, removing two sections that both expanded into small cups, and poured them each a small serving. Steam and a wonderfully earthy, nutty, coffee fragrance rose from the cup he held out to her.

  "I can't believe it." She shook her head, curling her hands around it reverently. She took a sip. It was still hot, perfect as though he'd only just brewed it. Notes of hazelnut, butterscotch, and…cinnamon? “Mmm, this is a new blend," she commented.

  "It is. Ardon has a new crop this year and I wanted to try it. Does well as a medium roast, has some cinnamon flavor notes."

  "I caught that. I like it." She took another drink, savoring it. Maybe she would survive the next several hours, after all.

  Too bad they only had one thermos between them.

  She turned back to the box in front of her. "I think this one's done." She carefully placed her cup on the table. A little well formed around it on the table surface, holding it securely. Nice.

  “This place is really advanced, considering how old it is.”

  “Mmm.” Cannon continued perusing a crystal, scrolling through the data on a holoscreen. “Considering that a lot of the technology we still use originated on this planet, that’s not too surprising.”

  Hefting her box, Mercy took it back to the shelf and slid it in place, re-securing the stasis field before moving on to the next cube. They didn’t know exactly what they were looking for, so they couldn’t afford to skip over anything. It was possible any small glimmer of useful information could be the key they needed to the Alpha Queen and how she controlled people.

  Reading it all wasn’t going to be possible. They needed to skim, copy what might be most useful, and move on to the next, or they could spend years down here. They didn’t have years. Not now. Not here. Back home, Doc, Sanah, and the rest of the scientific minds could dissect what they’d found.

  Mercy waited until she was back to the table and pulling out the first data crystal before she broached the silence again.

  "You and Feria seem closer." She winced. Did that come out sounding as accusing to him as it did to herself?

  Feeling Cannon's attention, she kept her head bent over her datapad. This box looked like first-hand accounts of various early battles involving the Talented in the Ascension Wars. Not immediately useful, but probably full of helpful information. She started copying the crystals to her datapad. She’d used six percent of the available storage space.

  Yep, just focus on the task at hand to avoid any pesky emotions the empath might pick up. She could feel his gaze still on her, but she remained stubbornly attentive to her task until he turned back to his own.

  "She's certainly fitting in better," Cannon said after what definitely felt like too long a silence. "I would never have thought it, but she's actually quite a decent ally. Pulls her own weight, good in a fight, throws herself between me and enemy vibroblades…”

  Mercy glanced over at him, but Cannon didn’t look up. He shook his head slightly. "If you'd told me a month ago that a Veritas rep was going to nearly sacrifice h
er own life for mine, I would have laughed in your face."

  "Yeah, well. She has some surprising depths," Mercy said. Part of her really wanted to hold on to her dislike of Feria. But she did find herself softening, just a little. The woman had a pretty good sense of humor, and it was true she’d been nothing but helpful on this mission.

  Plus, she clearly had decent taste in both drinks and men.

  Mercy sipped her coffee, cursing herself for even bringing Feria up. Why had she done that? It didn't matter; it had no bearing on her own life. Cannon was a good friend, and he deserved some happiness. He was very discreet with any relationships he’d held of an intimate nature, because she’d never seen him with anyone, man or woman. Not like that. And as King, he could have had anyone he desired.

  It was something she’d never really questioned. She should have. Cannon was always alone, and it seemed an odd choice for an empath.

  She finished with one data crystal and moved on to the next.

  "Hey, listen to this." The woman in question came around the corner, a holoscreen projected in front of her. Feria pointed with a finger, and started reading.

  “‘If the massacre on Rylus III taught us anything, it was that first, the Talented units were the most effective, terrifying force on the battlefield, capable of reaping destruction on a massive scale. And second, they needed something to balance that destructive nature. A steadying force. The team discussed several options, from implanting control chips that would allow us to override brain function, effectively a kill switch, to the less aggressive, but no less invasive plan to implant directives straight into their subconscious. They would not be able to overcome these without significant pain, and perhaps even physical damage to the brain. Both options were considered, if not a direct violation of the ethics oath we must all adhere to, then certainly skirting the line. Also, on the whole, wasteful, as it is likely that the most powerful units would simply overpower a subconscious directive, or succumb to lethal measures first.

  “‘Instead, the team opted to take a different approach. It was decided that a dependency should be genetically coded into them, but rather than a drug or anything else so inelegant, an actual person would fulfill the role of necessary dependence. There is some correlation to a hive mind. Credit for the initial premise goes to Dr. Annabel Shapiro, who likened the relationship to the societal nature of bees. Rather than depending on a Queen for offspring, however, the Talented would depend on her for a kind of emotional resonance making them more susceptible to her moods and wishes, and allowing a Queen to calm the more volatile among them. There has been some debate about the wisdom of programming the prospective Queens with certain abilities, including but not limited to emotional and mental influence, and even full mental control. Early tests have resulted in several unforeseen side effects which could prove highly dangerous. For more details, please refer to Dr. Shapiro’s notes on Project Failsafe, and Dr. Armstrong’s recommendations for candidates.’”

  Feria looked up. "Doesn't that sound like the direction we're looking for?"

  "It does," Mercy said, her curiosity piqued.

  “Excellent.” Feria waved the holoscreen away. “I’ll go search for Project Failsafe.” She started to turn away, but swung back so fast Mercy jerked away in reflex. “Holy mother, is that coffee?”

  “Uh…”

  “I would kill for a cup.”

  “Here.” Cannon held his out, and Feria took it like it was a precious gift, cupping it in both hands and inhaling the scent.

  She took a drink and practically moaned. Mercy wanted to be irritated and roll her eyes, but she understood the reaction.

  “This is fantastic. Thank you for sharing.”

  “I won’t tell you I had two more containers hidden in the packs we lost,” Cannon muttered.

  Feria gasped. “That’s tragic.” She stared down into the little cup. “This is all we have?”

  “There’s a bit more in the thermos, but as I just gave you my cup, I’ll be drinking that.”

  A thoughtful look came over Feria. “Maybe we can retrieve the others.”

  “If we finish up here and get back to the ship, we can have as much as we want,” Mercy said. She returned to scanning through her pile of data crystals.

  “True.” Feria cast a look at the towering shelves around them. “Finishing might take a discouraging amount of time, however.” She lifted the cup in salute to Cannon. “Thanks for this. I’d better get back to it.”

  As the other woman walked away, Mercy sighed. “She’s not wrong. Even just scanning everything that might be relevant is going to take too long.” She looked up. “Vera.”

  The AI shimmered into existence beside them. “How may I be of assistance?”

  “Can you tell us if there is information stored here specifically regarding the very first Talented Queen?”

  “Information related to this topic can be found at these coordinates.” A map of the archives appeared again, concentrated on the section they were currently combing through. Four areas lit up.

  “Well, that does narrow it down. Vera, can you show these to the others?” Mercy pointed to the nearest one, highlighted in the aisle she and Cannon were working. “We’ll take this one.”

  “Of course.” The AI disappeared.

  Mercy hauled data crystals back to the section she’d been working in. They had to use telekinesis to gather the correct data. Each shelf had a mechanism for moving rows up and down for access, but using Talent was just as easy and took less time.

  “Have you thought about what we might find?” Cannon asked as they sorted through data crystals.

  “What do you mean?” Mercy’s brow furrowed. “The whole point is to find out everything we can relating to the Alpha Queen and the Talented of that era. She’s made it clear that we are woefully ill informed, and ultimately, if we want to find a weak spot we can exploit in her.”

  “I’m talking about how it might relate to you.”

  Mercy straightened from the table and stared at him.

  Cannon rubbed a hand over his jaw. “You’re a Queen, Mercy. I can count the names of every single Talented Queen we know existed on my fingers, and it wouldn’t take all of them. There is every chance that in some way, our enemy is related to you.”

  She turned back to the task before them. “So? I spent most of my life believing that my family wanted to kill me. If it turns out she and I are related by blood, however distantly, it won’t be anything new.”

  “Maybe not. I just think it’s something to be aware of.”

  An uneasy silence descended between them. To Mercy, it felt weighted with unspoken things. She thought about family, and blood, and how Cannon had been able to open the door to this place.

  Guilt weighed on her.

  She should have shared the truth with him as soon as Lilith told her. She hadn’t, and there were good reasons for that, mostly involving how everything had been busy going to hell at the time. But still. The longer she waited, the worse it got.

  She took a deep breath. “So. There’s something I should probably tell you.”

  Cannon, being Cannon, cocked an eyebrow and waited.

  “It’s about family lines, ironically. Um.” She fiddled with the crystal in her hand.

  “Whatever it is, just say it, Mercy. The longer you struggle, the worse your anxiety gets.”

  “Right.” She winced. “You know how we have the same eyes, and the same skin tone, and people say we have Lilith’s temper?”

  A grin twitched at the corners of his mouth. “I’m aware.”

  “It’s just, Lilith told me something during our training sessions, and I think you should know, um, we’re not actually related. You’re not Lilith’s grandson by blood. None of her supposed grandchildren are actually hers, except me.”

  “Is that all?” He shook his head. “I’ve known that for years.”

  “You…knew?”

  He flashed his trademark grin. “Empath, remember? Thoughts can lie
. Emotions don’t. I’ve known since I was a child. To her credit, Lilith really did view my mother as her daughter. She even had her genetically altered so she — and the other ‘siblings’ — would have the same color of eyes. Other features were already superficially similar. But however much she acted like Nemain, Athena, Macha, and Pallas were the same, they weren’t. She felt different when she was around Pallas.”

  Emotion flooded Mercy. Relief. Longing. Curiosity. She and Cannon had never talked about this before, but he’d been a small boy when her mother was still living with the pirates, when she’d been pregnant and had Mercy. She longed to know what Pallas had been like back then. Her own memories were foggy with time and age.

  Fortunately, she didn’t have to speak for Cannon to know that. He settled into his chair and gestured for her to sit as well. She did, leaning forward like a child eager for a story.

  Cannon smiled sadly. “I wish I could say I was talking about love, but I’m not. Lilith, in her way, loved all of her children. But with Pallas, there was an element of fear as well.”

  “Fear?”

  “Yes. Even before you were born, Lilith’s emotions were complicated. Love, fear, anger. Always the mix of those three whenever she and Pallas were together. From both of them, actually.”

  Mercy stared at her hands. If Lilith was actually talking to her, she might ask why her grandmother had feared her mother. But then again, maybe she was glad for that separation right now. Besides, she had some suspicion as to its source. Pallas was Lilith’s true daughter. That meant that any female children she had could be born as queens.

  That reality had terrified Lilith.

  Sadness swamped Mercy. As much as she loved the family she’d found by rejoining the pirates, she would never look back on her life and not wish things had been different. If only her mother hadn’t had to take her and run. If only they could have had a normal life together. If only Pallas was still alive.

  Cannon reached out and took her hand in his. “I do remember one thing very clearly. Your mother loved you unconditionally. There was nothing complicated in what she felt for you.”