Star Thief

by T. Jackson King

  “I agree. Thank you.” I turned toward the circular entry outlined on the wall of the geodesic dome. “Will you open that entryway into the dome?”

  “I can. I will not. You can ask for entry by speaking to the small mind that controls dome access.”

  With a final glance upward at the Primary’s tower of black tubes, I walked toward the dome entryway, following a wide path of black stone tiles. Claw led the way, followed by Laserta. My other crew followed me. We stopped a meter back from the entry.

  “Entryway, will you open and allow us to enter your dome?” I said, knowing that my English would be converted by Akantha into the Harl words spoken by Stars.

  “I will,” said a voice that sounded metallic. The entryway spiraled open, just like the one in Stars’ tower. “You six bioforms may enter.”

  I stepped forward as Claw jumped inside, her hands holding plasma pistols that she moved in arcs to cover the wide black stone hallway which led inward from the entryway. White-yellow light shone down from the black tiles of the ceiling. No entry outlines showed on the side walls of the hallway.

  Akantha, do you have any idea why Stars wanted to test us?

  No idea. So far two Harl AIs have interacted with you. One was tech generous. The other defended you. Those are positive actions.

  True. But why?

  Leaving my mind link with Akantha I followed Claw and Laserta down the hallway. It led to a wide entry circle that was now closed.

  “Entryway!” barked Laserta. “Open this entry!”

  “Opening,” tinkled the small mind AI that controlled access to the dome.

  The entry spiraled open, creating a ten meter wide hole. Beyond lay a large open space lit by white-yellow light.

  Starships filled the space.

  Leastwise I assumed the ten objects I saw supported by leg struts were starships. Each object consisted of a wide triangle with a globe filling its middle and a globe at its stern. Circular outlines showed midways down the hull of each starship, between the globes. Nothing else was present in the space, which was covered by the black stone geodesic dome. Looking up I saw the light emanated from grooves between each dome segment. Looking down I realized how quiet it was inside the dome. There was no wind. No sounds of insects or birds similar to what we had heard in the park area. Certainly no clouds. And no mechbots moved about on the black stone floor on which stood the ten starships.

  “Harl star vessels!” barked Laserta, sounding excited, maybe even happy.

  “These are Harl Domain-class star vessels,” tinkled the small AI mind, its voice seeming to come from a space in front of us.

  Briefly I wondered at that. Then I realized that Harl tech did not need to attach microphones or sound membranes to a wall or ceiling. Sounds could be projected to particular spots just like coherent light could be aimed at a specific spot. It was a tech I had encountered at the starports of three high-tech civilizations I had visited for taking onboard new employers.

  Laserta turned toward the nearest Domain-class starship. “I wish to enter that vessel. Entryway, provide a ramp for me!”

  “I cannot. However, you may approach the vessel and ask its onboard artificial mind for entry. If the mind is awake, it may respond to you.”

  I followed after my employer, wondering what she planned to do now that we had found not one, but ten Harl starships.

  Laserta moved quickly toward the triangular nose of the nearest Harl star vessel. Stopping below the nose, which was five meters above her, she slapped the leg strut that supported the nose.

  “Intelligence! I wish to enter your vessel. Respond!”

  Tiny purple lights began to sparkle on the leg strut. Above, similar lights sparkled along the front hull of the star vessel. More tiny lights ran toward the middle, then the rear of the elevated vessel. In a few seconds the entire vessel was covered in sparkling purple lights that seemed embedded in the black metal which formed the strut legs and body of the star vessel. Briefly the sight reminded her of the thousands of new-born stars that glowed from within a nebula that lay close to her home world. Then she realized they must be Li-Fi lights that used LEDs to communicate data faster than the ancient Wi-Fi tech used in early space vessels. She put aside those memories and focused on gaining access to a vessel that would earn her the leadership of a small empire in return for sharing its tech. Punctuated sounds came from the vessel. Her Translator tab converted them to proper Mogelian barks.

  “Bioform, what species are you? You are not Harl. Nor do you belong to any servant species.”

  More talking. Briefly she wanted to use the mind-confusion globe attached to her waist. That worked on organic life. Whether it worked on artificial minds was yet to be discovered. For the moment she would not use it. Her life had taught her to always hold back a few secrets when out among non-Mogelians, especially insolent males like the Human Vitades.

  “I belong to the Mogelian species, of the world Nastura. Our star is a white star lying in this arm of the galaxy,” she barked quickly. “I am an explorer. My associates and I came to this world seeking technology that could . . . benefit my people and other galactic cultures.” Lying smoothly was a talent every Mogelian female learned early on. “I wish to board you. Provide me with an entryway.”

  Grumbling sounds mixed with hums came from the vessel above her. “I detect other self-aware bioforms. None of them belong to Harl servant species. And my sensors detect a change in star alignments above this world. How long . . . thank you, Primary Home Guardian. Strange that no Harl are present on this world. Stranger still that 403,000 annual cycles have passed since last I was awake.” The AI’s voice paused. “I see you and the other bioforms arrived in a Tessene vessel. I have the history of your scavenging efforts from the mind of the Tessene intelligence. You were told you are not Harl and therefore cannot pilot this vessel. Why do you wish entry?”

  She worked hard at being patient with this insolent AI. First there had been the Guardian AI who acted male superior. Now this AI blocked her entry to what she had spent a small fortune to acquire. The rumors that Harl star vessels were on this planet were true, which made her decision to terminate her data source very correct. She did not like competition. Bioforms either worked for her or avoided her presence. Those who did neither she terminated. Usually. The Vitades biped at least worked for her. And his crew beings made possible the effective working of his transport vessel. But she could not terminate this vessel’s AI. It was needed to operate the vessel.

  “I wish entry to understand Harl technology. Operating a star vessel by way of mind touch is rare among current star species. I hope you can educate me. If you allow me entry, perhaps you will move this vessel to the plaza where the Tessene vessel is now parked.”

  A dull hum sounded. To her right a ramp descended from the midbody of the star vessel. “You and your associate bioforms may enter. I will move my vessel to the plaza since Home Guardian has requested my presence there.”

  She turned and headed for the ramp, feeling brief satisfaction. Surely there were manual controls somewhere inside the Harl vessel. It made no sense to leave all piloting functions dependent upon mind touch. What if all the Harl crew were killed? Or fell sick and were in comas? She would search for the manual controls. She had tonight, while Vitades and his crew beings ate and rested. She had tomorrow and more time after that. While she yearned to possess more Harl tech and mechbots, having access to a Harl star vessel was a valuable equal to the record of galactic Gates. She looked forward to exerting control over it and its AI, just as she had exerted control over Vitades and his vessel.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Draken felt the wash of neutrinos and gravitons from the rear globe of the Harl vessel the moment he stepped past the hull entry. It felt so like the particle wash of his home star! That told him this vessel was powered by something other than a fusion reactor. And that power source felt similar to the seven star-like power sources which were controlled by the seven Primaries who occupied tall t
owers in this city. Briefly he wondered why the Primaries had not modified their towers so they could travel into space. The energy source controlled by each Primary was powerful enough to lift a hundred such towers. There must be another reason why no Primary had left this world.

  “Intelligence! Where is your control center?” barked Laserta.

  “My designator is Purple Glow. I reside in the central globe of this vessel,” came the honking words of the vessel’s AI. Those words seemed to emanate from a space in front of Laserta, who stood at the front of his crew friends and the captain. The walls of the round chamber they stood in were covered in tiny light sparkles, just like those which covered the outer hull. “Follow the purple lights. They will take the six of you to me.”

  Draken held back, allowing Sharp Claw and the captain to take the lead as they walked after Laserta. They were followed by Meander and Flow. He moved after them as they entered a walkway hall that was five meters high and eight meters wide. White-yellow light glowed from the top of the walkway. While they passed circle entries on both sides of the hallway, all were closed and none opened for them. Briefly he wished for access to a cleansing station to remove the sour taste of the carnivore he had bitten. Then he recalled the patience he had learned as a youth encircled by his mother and fellow siblings. There was more to life than just absorbing radiated energies. He enjoyed his work as Engineer of the Tessene vessel. It held remarkable functions that were not standard on the vessels of other star-traveling species. Surely this Harl vessel would be equally informative.

  Sharp Claw moved ahead of the Mogelian female, holding her magrail rifle in her right hand and a plasma pistol in her left. The attack by the Dogon carnivores was fresh in her mind. While she tended to trust vessel AIs since they were aware of all that transpired aboard their vessel, she had been raised to always be ready to fight and thereby to live. And the solid projectiles accelerated by the magrail rifle would likely not damage the sparkling walls of the Harl vessel. Hopefully they would damage any hostile mechbot or organic infestation. She kept one eye on the line of purple sparkle lights that glowed along the center of the hallway floor and the other eye and her ears focused to both sides and above. Just because Notem and Tessene vessels had entries on the left and right sides of hallways did not mean entries could not open in the ceiling or floor of a hallway. Or access tube. After all, avians such as Pilot were used to flying on worlds with lesser gravity than prevailed in the captain’s vessel, or inside this vessel.

  “The gravity is heavy in here and on this world,” chirped Pilot from the rear of Claw. “I wish portable gravbands existed to allow individual gravity selection.”

  She understood the avian’s wish. Likely Meander the arthropod also felt the same, coming from a low gravity world. So far star traveling species only had access to gravplates and vessel-wide gravity generators like those found in other Harl ruins. The power to generate artificial gravity required a vessel’s fusion reactor. And those were far too large to be carried by a single lifeform.

  “They do not exist,” said the captain in his flowing language that had surprised her when first she had met him, four cycles ago. “Perhaps this vessel knows of a way to fabricate such. Purple Glow, do you have access to portable gravity generators small enough to be carried by one of us?”

  “You Humans do not possess such?” came the AI’s response in proper hiss tones. “Ah, your Tessene intelligence advises me such devices do not exist among current species. Truly the technology of gravitation and gravity control has fallen since the Harl were active. Yes, there are gravity bands present on this vessel. My Harl used them when visiting worlds with gravity higher than that on the Harl home world.”

  “More tech!” barked Laserta, clearly excited by this news.

  “A relief for my sore legs,” chittered Meander. “Joyful news this is.”

  Excitement filled Claw. Briefly she took her attention away from listening and watching her surroundings. A mistake.

  Clanking sounded from ahead. I lifted both plasma pistols, my shock at hearing the Harl AI say it possessed individual gravbands joining with my worry over the AI’s cooperative behavior. Life had taught me to distrust that which happened too easily. The hallway curved to the right five meters ahead. The purple lights on the floor also curved to the right. The clanking got louder. Ahead Sharp Claw slowly raised her magrail rifle. Laserta aimed her laser pistol ahead.

  “Bioforms, I present—”

  A mechbot appeared. Its upper arms were aimed at us. Claw fired her magrail rifle. Its steel-cased depleted uranium bullets hit the midbody of the mechbot. A large hole appeared in the bot’s body. Laserta’s green laser beam enlarged the hole. Energy flares and sparks shown inside the bot. Its movement on tractor treads stopped. Only then did I notice its side arms held loops of green bands.

  To the left a circle entry spiraled open. A similar mechbot appeared. It clanked toward the dead bot.

  “It seems you bioforms do not want the gravbands carried by my dead mechanism,” said the Harl AI in a tone of irritation. “The bands will be returned to storage.”

  “No!” I yelled, stepping past Claw and Laserta. “Purple Glow, I apologize for the violent reaction of my associates. We bioforms are not used to AI generosity. Will you please gift us with the gravbands?”

  A long low hum sounded. Then stopped. “I recall now how confused were some of the servant species who assisted the Harl. They did not have the mind clarity of the Harl. Your confusion is understood. My other device will deliver the bands to you.”

  I holstered my pistols and gestured to Claw and Laserta to do the same. Claw holstered her pistol and slung her magrifle from her shoulder. Laserta gave me a scowl, then hung her laser pistol from her waist belt. Behind me came the sounds of Flow and Meander putting away their plasma pistols. Draken did not carry a weapon. He was a living weapon, as he’d shown during the carnivore attack. An action I had yet to thank him for. Along with thanking my other crew beings. Without their quick action I and Laserta would have been overwhelmed. While I wore an enviro-suit resistant to animal bites my employer wore only her green shorts, her tool belt and her open-toed sandals. She could have been badly wounded, perhaps killed if all of us had not fought together. It was a lesson I intended to discuss with Laserta, once we returned to the plaza.

  “Purple Glow, thank you,” I said, taking one of the bands the trash can size mechbot handed to me. Then I grabbed six more, one for Lotan and five for future trade. The bot moved behind me to give bands to my crew friends. I held my band and spun it through my hands. I saw no control surface like those on the antique Fitbit devices worn by my grandparents to keep track of their hiking distances. And there was no sign of a hinge or separation point like those on the accel straps that were present on every seat within the Akantha. “Purple Glow, how does one open the gravband? And how does one adjust the gravity setting?”

  “Bioforms are so primitive!” it hummed loudly. “Observe the part of the band that is wider than other parts of the band. Press on its inner surface. The band will separate. Once attached to a bioform, place the two ends next to each other. They will reattach.” A red beam shown down from the hallway ceiling. It touched the wide spot of the band I held. “Gravity control is exerted by touching the outer surface of the wide band spot. A single touch tells the band to adopt the gravity within which a bioform currently exists. Additional touches decrease the gravity exerted on the bioform. Touching the wide spot once returns the band setting to a bioform’s preferred setting. Is this understood?”

  “Yes!” barked Laserta, moving to put her band around her waist and above her tool belt. She touched it once.

  Ahead Claw was doing the same. I copied her actions. “Purple Glow, thank you for this gift. Uh, where does the power to operate the band come from?”

  “Where else? Broadcast power energizes the band,” the AI rumbled. “I have transmitted to your Tessene intelligence the adjustment in her fusion reactor that will cause it
to emit power on a bandwidth that will energize these bands.”

  I nodded, then gestured to Claw and Laserta. “Let’s head for the Control Chamber.”

  They stepped to one side of the dead mechbot. Which the other bot was now dragging into the entry hole that had appeared in the side wall of the hallway. I followed them. Surprise and worry filled me. I now possessed a tech that was worth millions of galactic credits. Each of my crew beings possessed similar belts with equal value. And Laserta had gained one more Harl tech device she could sell for copying by reverse engineering analysis. This Harl world was becoming a source of wealth beyond anything I had ever imagined. Surely there would be a price for all these gifts. I hoped I could survive paying that price.

  Laserta allowed the Weapons reptile to move ahead of her, then followed it as the floor’s purple lights took them around the hallway curve. Ahead twenty bodylengths the hallway was blocked by a curving wall that bulged out toward her. In it was the circle outline of an entryway. Dismissing the sounds of Vitades and his crew beings as they followed her, she quickened her pace. She stopped a bodylength short of the entry.

  “Purple Glow, provide us with access!”

  “As you wish. On the other side is this vessel’s central globe. It is the equal of the Control Chamber on your Tessene vessel.”

  The circle spiraled open. Bright white-yellow light shown from inside. She stepped forward, moving past the weaponed reptile. She deserved to be the first to see the controls of a Harl star vessel!

  There was little to be seen.

  She stood just inside the entry and looked around. It seemed she stood on a short platform just inside a giant round ball. To her left, part of the wall held a curving vidscreen that depicted the dome interior and other Harl vessels. Ahead was a black wall. To her right was black metal. While every part of the black interior wall sparkled with tiny lights, she saw no control pedestals, benches, seats or readout screens. Where was everything?