by Scott Baron
“Maybe I can get you some help,” Daisy posited.
“What are you up to, Daze?”
I think we should take a little trip and find Craaxit’s old buddy. The one who got the San Francisco facility to finally help us. If anyone could source someone able to help Chu, I think he’d be the one.
“You really think you can find him? It’s gonna be pretty chaotic down there.”
Maybe, but Craaxit said he was older than the others, and my guess is after helping his people win their freedom, he’ll be easier to find than most.
“What do you propose, Daisy?” Commander Mrazich asked.
“I’m going down to the surface to find our contact who convinced the San Francisco Chithiid to join us. He was good friends with Craaxit, and one of the keys to our success.”
“You think that you’ll be able to locate him?”
“We shall see,” she replied. “I’ll let you know what I find when I get back. Hopefully the news will be positive.”
She gave Vince a quick kiss goodbye and headed for the door.
“See you guys tonight.”
The intimidating shape of Freya’s stealth ship sent many Chithiid scattering when she silently appeared out of nowhere, swooping in low over the Los Angeles barracks that had formerly housed her deceased friend.
“No weapons trained on us, Daisy,” she informed over her internal speakers. “I mean, there are plenty around, but nothing aimed at us.”
“Not yet, at least,” Daisy said warily. “I’d have expected at least a few of them to aim at us, though, you know? This is kinda weird.”
They flew a low circle over the buildings.
“What do you think, Freya?”
“It looks like there was a pretty big fight here. See those blast marks? And the outlines piled up under those tarps look like a mix of Ra’az and Chithiid.”
“Probably the masters and their loyal followers.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. What do you want me to do, Daisy?”
Daisy scanned the area below. The buildings were rather tightly situated, but an open courtyard area was close enough to provide a safe landing site.
“Put it down over there, Freya. Just to the left of that building.”
“Okee dokie,” she replied.
The ship was eerily quiet as it lowered to the ground, the pulsing anti-grav systems providing an invisible cushion onto which it settled.
“Keep your scans running. You see anything out of the ordinary, you let me know, okay?”
“Will do.”
“And monitor my comms. I’ll keep them open so you can hear what’s going on.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can set them to transmit passively even when they’re turned off.”
“Say what, now?”
“Yeah, it’s something I learned to do when I reviewed Mal’s logs of your escape from the Váli.”
“Ha! Like mother, like daughter!” Sarah laughed.
Sincerest form of flattery, right? Daisy agreed.
“You going to be okay over here? Not too bored? You have those new games you can run on a subroutine if you need.”
“I know, Daisy, but I’ve got other stuff I’m working on to keep busy.”
“All right, kiddo. I’ll be back before you miss me.”
Daisy keyed open the exterior airlock door and stepped out into the warm air, unarmed but for the sword strapped to her back.
“You smell that?” Sarah asked.
There was a faint smell of burned fuel in the air. And a fainter one somewhat reminiscent of barbecue.
“It’s not barbecue, Daze.”
Oh, believe me, I know, she replied. Okay, let’s find this guy.
Daisy stood tall and walked slowly, but confidently, toward the cluster of barracks. Chithiid were emerging all around her, looking at her with curiosity, but nothing that could be called aggression.
The growing crowd suddenly parted to make way for an older Chithiid as he walked leisurely toward Daisy and her ship.
“Think that’s him?”
I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I think it’s a pretty good bet.
The Chithiid stopped directly in front of her and smiled warmly. His escort were likewise warm and relaxed.
“You must be Maarl,” Daisy said.
The gathered Chithiid chattered in amazement at the human speaking their language.
“Of course I am, Daisy,” he replied with a curious look on his face. “It is good to see you under these victorious circumstances. You know, many Ra’az have foolishly fled the planet in fear, and with only conventional drive systems on their ships, that is as good as a death sentence for them.” His smile widened. “Our plan was a success, even greater than I had imagined.”
“Yes, our combined forces disrupted the Ra’az’s communications with their fleet as well as their homeworld. Both of our people are safe, for the time being.”
“Indeed. I am only saddened that Craaxit was unable to share in the spoils of his efforts.”
“He was a brave man. We could not have done it without him. His sacrifice turned the tide.”
“Oh, I know,” Maarl replied. “My people in San Francisco have told all what he did for his people. It was the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of our race. When word of his courage spread, Ra’az strongholds across the planet fell to the sheer number of our Chithiid uprising. Victory from the inside, out,” he said.
“Like what happened in San Francisco.”
“My people did what was necessary,” he replied.
“That is partly why I have come to you, Maarl. We have scientists studying the Ra’az mechanical drawings and notes for their warp drive systems but are unable to translate all of them. Could you reach out to your men from that facility and see if they might be able to help with that?”
“Of course,” he replied warmly. “You know you have my full trust, Daisy. We shall help your people decipher these notes and plans. Then, when we possess this warp technology, we will be ready to install it in the ships we have commandeered and jump to intercept the Ra’az fleet.”
Daisy was taken aback by his confidence as much as his audacious plan.
“A jump to the fleet would be risky, you know,” she said.
“Yet the perfect way to end them,” he replied with a knowing smile.
“What’s with this guy, Daze?”
I don’t know, Sis. Something’s odd.
“He’s way too confident. Too comfortable. You think he’s off his rocker?”
Doesn’t seem to be, Daisy mused. He just seems really, really confident.
“Catching the fleet would be like catching a wild animal by the tail. Once you grab it, you dare not let go.”
“Which is why they will not see it coming. The invaders never expect to be invaded. And my people have already begun preparations for the infiltration.”
He reached over and pulled up the sleeve of a young Chithiid. The newly placed loyalist brand on his shoulder was already beginning to heal.
“They will never see me coming!” he exclaimed, showing off his shoulder with pride.
“False brands,” Daisy realized.
“Only loyalists travel aboard the key ships within the Ra’az fleet.”
What he was saying dawned on both sisters at once.
“Oh, shit. They’re going to Trojan Horse those guys with their own ships!” Sarah gasped in amazement. “That’s fucking brilliant!”
I think you’re right. Holy hell, that really is genius.
“First things first, of course. I shall contact my San Francisco comrades and arrange for the most knowledgeable of them to make himself available. Would you like to have your scientist come down to meet with him, or would you prefer he join him on your moon base?”
Daisy pondered a moment. Would Chu rather spend time on the surface of the planet, or have an alien in his workspace in Dark Side Base? It would have to be his call, she decided.
“I will pose that
question to him directly and let you know shortly, Maarl. Thank you for your assistance. I believe we will have many more interesting discussions in coming days.”
The older Chithiid smiled.
“And I shall very much look forward to them, Daisy,” he replied, then shook her hand, as Craaxit had told him was human tradition, then walked back toward the comfortable shade of the barracks.
Well. That certainly went differently than I expected, Daisy mused.
“I know, right? These guys are ahead of the curve, Daze. Infiltrating the Ra’az fleet? Great idea.”
And if they can take over that fleet and cripple key ships, there’s a very real possibility of eliminating the risk of a Ra’az return to Earth. They could save our planet from future attacks while we head the other way to save theirs.
“If Chu can get that warp tech deciphered.”
Yeah. And that’s a big if.
The Chithiid she passed on her way back to Freya gave her nods of respect as she passed, which she returned in kind.
A small crowd had gathered around Freya and were eyeing her with something akin to awe. It made sense––she was undoubtedly the most advanced ship any of them had ever seen. That she spoke Chithiid fluently only added to her mystique.
“Oh yeah, totally!” Daisy heard her saying to a group of curious aliens. “It all happened so fast. The Ra’az were, like, zoom! And I was all, whoosh! And we chased each other around and around before I finally blasted them out of the sky.”
“You successfully destroyed a Ra’az warp ship! That is truly impressive! If only we had craft of your skills on our world, we would never have been subjugated by the Ra’az.”
“Well, I’m the only one like me,” Freya said, her voice slightly softening as she voiced her reality.
“Couldn’t they make more?”
“I don’t know. I mean, this ship used pretty much all of the materials they’d manufactured, and I’m not really a conventional AI.”
“In what regards?” a Chithiid asked.
“I don’t exactly fall into the parameters we’re usually supposed to.”
The aliens digested her words a moment, questions whirring in their brains.
“I mean no offense, Miss Freya, but does that mean you are a defective unit?” he asked.
“She is not defective,” Daisy growled. “Freya is the most advanced AI in the most advanced ship ever created. She’s just different, is all. And in all the best ways.”
“Grrrr! Don’t piss off Mama Bear!”
Put a sock in it, Daisy replied with amusement.
“Please, do not take umbrage, Daisy. I only wished to understand her nature.”
Daisy’s demeanor softened slightly.
“No offense taken. I just get protective of my girl, is all.”
She keyed open the doors and set foot inside.
“Okay, Freya. Say goodbye to all your new friends.”
“Bye, everyone! See you soon!”
The door silently slid shut, and Freya lifted effortlessly into the sky moments later.
“So, where’d you learn such fluent Chithiid, kiddo?” Daisy asked. “The others seem to be having a bit of a time of it, still.”
“Yeah, I was listening in.”
“Of course you were.”
“Well, they’re all getting it. Just a bit slower than me, is all.”
“You and your inhibitor-free brain, eh?”
“That’s pretty much it. All that extra processing power makes stuff kinda easy most of the time. The secondary data center doesn’t hurt, either.”
“Where is it? I don’t remember seeing a secondary one in here.”
“Head left and climb down the ladder to the next level. I’ll guide you from there.”
Daisy followed her ship’s guidance and began strolling down the pristine corridors, inspecting yet another amazing facet of the new ship. Her new ship.
“Captain Daisy,” she said with a smile. “I think I could get used to that.”
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Don’t worry, Sis. There’s already plenty up in there with you running amok.”
“Har-har.”
“I thought it was hilarious,” she chuckled, then took a left turn, enjoying her exploration as Freya lazily glided toward the void of space.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Floating out in space between Earth and the moon, Daisy continued exploring the amazing stealth ship. She’d done so many times since Freya had saved her skin several days prior, but the vessel still amazed her. Freya had taken what was already really cool and made it into something amazing.
It was far smaller than the Váli, but still had ample quarters, a galley, some lab spaces, and several other interchangeable pods, including a full AI development module and massive backup arrays.
Better still, with Freya’s magnetic disassembly and retrieval design, she found she could more or less separate the entire ship into pieces, reconfigure it, and pull it back together in a couple of minutes if need be.
“I could probably do it faster, Daisy!” Freya said.
“That’s fast enough for now, Freya. We’ve got plenty of time to test your limitations, and I have a feeling those benchmarks will fall pretty quickly anyway, once you really get up to speed.”
Daisy walked back to the command pod at the front of the sleek ship and slid into the comfortable pilot’s seat.
“Daisy!”
“Yes, Freya?”
“I forgot to tell you. I finished doing my tests and just went ahead and installed the orb into my drive array while you were meeting with those alien guys. It’s crazy powerful, but I’ve been playing around with it, and I think I may have finally gotten it dialed in. Do you want to give it a try?” she asked with childlike glee.
“Okay, Freya,” Daisy replied, strapping in. “Why not? Let’s see how fast you can go.”
“Really?”
“Sure. Give it all you’ve got. Just be sure to hit the brakes before we run into Mars or something.”
“Neato!” Freya exclaimed as her systems hummed as they powered to maximum. “But it’s not really about fast.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it’s more to do with the curvature of spacetime as it folds upon itself into an Einstein-Rosen bridge.”
“Where did you learn all that?”
“I told you, I was bored,” Freya said with a giggle. “This is going to be so much fun. I haven’t tried the warp orb at full power yet, but check this out.”
“Wait, what did you call it?”
“Warp orb,” Freya replied.
A second later a powerful warp bubble formed around the ship.
“Oh, shit,” Daisy gasped as she realized what the orb truly was.
The ship’s scanners flashed a warning as an unknown, sleek vessel flashed into view. They hadn’t even sensed its approach, yet there it was.
“Freya, what’s tha––”
“Daisy Swarthmore,” a young man’s voice called over open comms. “I’m looking for Daisy Swarthmore. Do you copy? I have an urgent message.”
“Yes, I copy. This is Daisy Swarthmore. Who is this?”
The hum in her ship had rapidly increased, and the force behind it felt almost tangible as Freya’s power reached its peak.
“Freya! Shut it down!”
“I’m trying, but I don’t know how!” the young AI said, alarm clear in her voice.
“Kill the power feeds from the orb.”
“It won’t shut off!”
“Keep trying!”
Daisy slapped her harness release and lunged from her seat to the relay console across the command pod, quickly disconnecting what she could manually.
The warp bubble surrounding the ship shimmered, then changed color, the expected light blue crackling across the vessel suddenly replaced with a warm, golden hue.
“What are you doing, Daisy?” Freya asked, panicked.
“Killing power to the dr
ive system!”
“Wait! That’s not the way to––”
With a massive jolt, Freya’s maxed-out drive systems suddenly engaged, and the ship vanished from sight, a slight, crackling gold ring the only evidence of the ship’s departure.
“Daisy Swarthmore, I have an urgent message for you,” the mystery man repeated.
Radio silence hung heavy in the vacuum of space.
“Um... hello?” he queried into the void.
There was no reply.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The void of space was dark and silent, just as it was now, and just as it had been forever.
With a gold-tinged crackle, Freya popped back into the visible spectrum a fraction of a second after her contact with the mysterious vessel was so abruptly cut off. Her scanners kicked into action, reading her surroundings, finding herself comfortably drifting between Earth and the Moon.
Something, however, was different.
“This isn’t right,” Freya said, more than a little confused as she scanned the familiar blue orb beneath them. “This isn’t right at all.”
The scores of exploding ships visible in the distance, crashing into the atmosphere, as well as each other, were immense. It was clear at a glance that the once-hopeful fleet was now in the final stages of its demise. Soon, their cold remains would make up the bulk of a massive debris field orbiting the planet.
Daisy observed the carnage in shock and realized she recognized several of the ships. Not from being aboard them, at least not in the conventional sense. Rather, she had salvaged pieces from their floating wreckage on more than one occasion.
“Is that...” Sarah was at a rare loss for words.
It is, Daisy replied. The second planetary assault fleet.
“But that was over––”
I know.
Freya’s scanners worked overtime as she mapped the destruction happening right in front of her.
“Daisy, where are we?” she asked, a hint of fear in her voice.
“Where isn’t the right question,” Daisy replied with a quiet gasp. “I think when would be a better one.”
But Wait, There’s More!