Exiles

by Richard Alonzo

  Chapter 6 Themis

  The crew saluted as he stepped onto the bridge. “At ease.” he barked. He’d never been that comfortable with military protocols or seen himself as part of the chain of command. Prior to the revolt he’d been a one man band, now thanks to his synchronisation with Gaia he was never truly alone. In fact, when he communed with Gaia and stepped into the dataverse, he was the most connected human in the galaxy. That had took, perhaps was still taking, some getting used to.

  He turned to the dispenser just inside the bridge on the left had side of the door and keyed in a coded request. A few moments later several headsets, like the ones the bridge crew were wearing, materialised. He'd barely picked them up when the door slid open and Bryson, Carol, David, Bryn, Anna and Lucy stepped on to the bridge. He tossed them each a headset.

  “Where’s Jay, in the brig?” he cast a searching glance at Lucy. She shook her head

  “I think he went to the hanger deck to do something to his fighter.” interjected Bryn to try an counteract any tension between them.

  Ford tossed the spare headset to Lucy. “Do me a favour then, take him this when we’re finished here.”

  She opened her mouth as if to say something then thinking better of it nodded and clipped it onto her belt.

  They turned over the headsets and examining them curiously. A slender matt black headband, designed to run around the users forehead. It terminated in single earpiece that fitted snugly over the left ear. An almost invisible, curved, translucent mic boom, running down from it round the side of their face. A micro-holoprojector sat above the right eye, which they assumed was able to transpose data into the visual field

  “Wearable tech, It’s a bit retro for such an advanced ship, isn’t it?” said David slipping it on and adjusting it. “At least our combat suits have their tech integrated into them.”

  “Don’t be fooled by its looks it’s a neural interface that provides a direct link with the ships AI.” said Ford. “Pretty much everything on this ship can be keyed to and customised for the individual user, once they’re registered with the AI’s neural database.”

  “So the ship learns and remembers our preferences?” said Lucy.

  “Exactly and if you don’t like the headsets you can always have a neural implant. It’s a simple procedure and easily reversed, but most people prefer the headsets.” he gestured to the crew at their stations around the bridge. “It's considered polite to let people know when you’re connected.”

  The most striking think about the bridge configuration was the absence of seats. Everyone was standing at their stations. Which radiated out around them in a semi-circle at the centre of which stood the captain’s dais. A single column growing up out of the floor and flowing organically into three consoles spreading out from the top of it. The pilots and communications stations were directly ahead of it, sensors and weapons stations radiating out towards the right, science and engineering stations the left. Each station had a similar look and feel to the captain’s plinth, with multiple consoles mounted on a column that seemed to grow up out of the floor and flow into them. The consoles themselves flowed seamlessly out from the supporting columns, curving round their edges onto flat black screens, that responded to touch and could be configured any number of ways.

  “So I guess the interfaces are configurable to user preferences.” said Carol prodding one of the inky black glass surfaces of the captain’s console and watching burst into life. “Mind you I can’t say I’m overly impressed with the seating arrangements.”

  Ford smiled. “That’s not customisation, this is.” he rolled his eyes briefly as if joining with Gaia and the floor behind the consoles shimmered and flexed losing its molecular cohesion as it rose upwards and formed itself into an extremely comfortable padded black leather chair. The column that held the consoles shrinking and splitting apart to manoeuvre them into the perfect operating positions for whoever sat there. Laughing Ford dropped himself into the chair.

  “What kind of ship is this?” asked Anna, speaking for all of them.

  “It’s a Titian class Symbiont. A living, thinking, feeling, ship, a perfect synthesis of organic and inorganic materials with a genetically engineered AI at its core. Its nerve fibers run thought out the entire ship, enabling it to control and manipulate it, in ways similar to what you’ve just seen. Even without the AI the ship has a basic level of conscious, but neither can truly function without the other.”

  “Dare I ask where the genetic material for the AI and the ship originates from? Bearing in mind the ethical protocols I’m bound by as a doctor.” Anna asked.

  “From a cryogenic facility inside the moon. This AI along with several others has been in stasis for millennia. The facility also has the capacity to clone new ones from an extensive gene bank, which is where the organic material comes from that helps form the ship itself.”

  Bryson tapped the wall next to the door with his knuckles. “So this is an organic alloy then, what happens if you blow a hole in it?”

  “It grows back in time, depending on how extensive the damage is and, subject to sufficient energy being available. I wouldn't recommend trying it however, the ship is programmed to defend itself from hostile actions.” said a deep, rich voice behind them that exuded calm and confidence.

  Startled they turned around to see a projection of the ships AI standing behind them. A young man with short curly black hair, vivid blue eyes and a finely chiselled jaw. A simple white tunic secure with a black belt covered his muscular, warrior like, frame.

  “I also forgot to mention, that like Gaia, the ships AI has the ability to project itself. Say hello to Alastor.”

  “Well at least he’s a bit more modest than when we first met Gaia.” said Carol.

  “Mores' the pity.” added Lucy twirling her headset round in her hands before adding. “Does this allow you inside my head?”

  Alastor shook his head. “The level of integration is determined by the user, but privacy protocols prohibit me from sharing your private, innermost thoughts. You can use it to communicate with other crew members, control ships functions, improve response times and work more effectively together as a crew.”

  “A sort of hive mind mentality then?” asked Anna.

  “Not in the way you perceive it, everyone retains their individual identity, but over time I and the ships systems will learn and adapt to the needs, skills and talents of the crew. I believe the closest human terminology is the wisdom of crowds. A blending of mine and the crew’s tactical knowledge into one integrated whole that becomes greater than the sum of its parts.”

  “A crowd sourced crew, now that is different.” mused David.

  “I believe we should continue this conversation some other time.” added Alastor. “I am detecting an assault ship with a boarding crew and fighter escort leaving the planet and heading directly towards our position.”

  “Thank you Alastor, that will be all for now, patch me through for a ship wide broadcast.”

  Alastor executed Ford command before dissipating his avatar into a cloud of atoms that diffused away into nothingness.

  Carol cast a knowing glace at Lucy. “If only some of the men I’ve known could do that, my life would have been a lot simpler.”

  Lucy blushed and slipped away.

  Ford stood up and addressed the crew. “Attention all crew members this is Guardian Ford. As you're no doubt aware, a short time ago the Federation elected to hand me over to stand trial before a Talmari tribunal. After careful consideration I have decided not to comply with that decision. I’m taking the Themis and we’re going after Jasper. We’re going to bring him to justice.”

  There were loud cheers throughout the ship from the crew, many of whom had suffered or lost loved ones at his hands.

  Ford continued. “This is strictly a volunteer mission. I know how much most of you have already suffered. The sacrifices you’ve made to liberate Anobar and that the freedom you’ve fought so hard for is not something yo
u should lightly throw away, for any cause, no matter now noble. I also know that many of you still have loved ones on Anobar, so if anyone wants to leave now’s the time. You have five minutes to take the maintenance shuttles on the main hanger deck and leave, because once we jump to hyperspace there’s no coming back. Officially we will be listed as exiles, outcasts, wanted criminals, but rest assured, no matter what happens, we will up-hold the principles on which the Federation of Free Planets, our federation, was founded. Ford out.”

  He killed the ship wide broadcast and turned to the crewman manning the con. “Full head, manoeuvre into us into clear space and fire up the wormhole generator. As soon as the shuttles are safely away we jump to hyperspace.”

  “Aye, aye, sir, what’s our heading?”

  “The Nova-7 Free Trade Hub, plot a direct route, but keep us clear of the buffer zone.”

  Bryson placed his hand on Ford’s shoulder and looked him squarely in the eye. “Are you sure about that? It’ll take us dangerously close to Anterian space and by all accounts those flesh eating animals have been getting peckish lately.”

  Ford placed his arm on Bryson’s and lowered it from his shoulder. “Well perhaps we’ll get the opportunity to convert them to vegetarianism then.”