Chutes & Ladders (Prosperous Book 1)

by A. Rhea King

  Amidien climbed through the opening at the top, stepping into his cramped quarters. He was the only crewman with his private quarters. The rest of the crew slept in the hive decks directly under his quarters. He stepped into a small booth and tapped the control. Steam released from the vents around him and the viscous substance rolled off his body. He left the steam and dressed.

  As he finished buttoning the top of his uniform jacket, Amidien quietly ordered, “Computer, transport me to the Control.”

  In a flash of light, Amidien disappeared from his room and reappeared on the Control.

  “On screen,” Amidien ordered. He skillfully hid how sick he felt in all six of his stomachs and how deep his regret ran.

  There had been six names he knew on the last roster. Two were humans that had invited him and his family to spend a holiday they celebrated at the end of each year. He didn’t remember the name of the occasion, but he remembered the camaraderie and watching his children play with the human children. On Earth, the sex of a being didn’t matter, they were equal. His youngest son still talked about the snow, something Tetra didn’t have. Would he find more names he knew on this ship’s roster? He prayed to the Holy Ones the answer would be no.

  “They’re coming out of dimensional space, sir,” a crewman told him.

  Amidien looked at the screen, watching the ship streak into view. He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. The ship’s design wasn’t the long Merchant Raitor cargo ships or the wide, flat cruise liners. The middle of the ship was a swollen octagon. The vents weren’t along the side, possibly hidden under the long octagon tubes that ran on either side. The hull was strangely colored: gold with a soft purple hue that flowed as light drifted across it. Amidien’s mind tried to place where he’d seen metal that color, but the memory wasn’t coming to him. What concerned him was he wasn’t sure this was even a Merchant Raitor ship.

  “Can you identify that ship, Commander Jali?”

  Jali scanned the database. He shook his head, looking up at Amidien. “No, sir. It’s not in any known databases. It could be a Merchant Raitor prototype.”

  “Verify it’s transmitting a Merchant Raitor identification tag,” Amidien ordered. “Tell Captain Carej to hold his position.”

  “It doesn’t matter if it’s a Merchant Raitor ship or not,” the communication officer remarked. “It responded to the distress beacon.”

  Amidien turned a cold glare on the Terallian. “We are under orders to only attack Merchant Raitor ships. Unless you would like to explain to Admiral Riliq why we attacked a ship that wasn’t Merchant Raitor, I suggest you do as you’ve been ordered.”

  The officer quickly obeyed his order. “The identification tag indicates it’s a P-class Merchant Raitor cargo ship.”

  Amidien dreaded the thought of attacking this ship. P-class ships belonged to the captain. These ships were often passed generation to generation. The captains of these ships invested all of their income into ship’s upkeep, and they were not well armored. This would be a quick battle.

  “They’re starting a scan of the debris,” Commander Jali informed him.

  “What types of weapons are installed?”

  The officer looked over the information. “That information is blank. There isn’t even none installed.”

  “Tell Captain Carej to proceed, but with caution.” If Carej were too cautious, maybe this captain would have time to get away and save his precious ship. “We don’t know what kind of firepower this ship has.”

  Amidien sat back in his chair, staring at his hands. He couldn’t watch another attack. If the Holy Ones were as merciful as the texts and monks claimed, they would stop this insanity.

  Streaking light behind it, Prosperous came out of dimensional space into an area that resembled a ship junkyard. Aris slowed the ship to a halt. She glanced at Tru as he stood up from his chair.

  “There aren’t any intact ships, just debris. Where is the distress signal coming from, Jackie?”

  “I don’t know, but it is Avinion.”

  “Avinion?” Tru asked. “We’re nowhere near Avinion territory. Aris, check the shipping lane schedule. See if there were any routes with Avinion ships scheduled near here.”

  Jackie suddenly stood and walked over to another terminal, pushing the other crewman out of her way. Tru held his hand up when the crewman started to say something.

  “No Avinion ships will pass through this region for the next six months,” Aris told Tru.

  “Sir, I’m detecting an approaching ship,” his TAC officer, Lieutenant Reuben Sanchez, reported.

  Jackie turned, to Tru. “We just fell into the same trap these other ships did, Tru. There’s a cloaked buoy nearby, and it’s transmitting the distress signal.”

  Tru looked at her. The thought crossed his mind to reprimand her for using his name, but the gravity of what she just said was more important. “Where is it?”

  “On the edge of the system. It’s a Marauder trap! We need to get the hell out of here, sir.”

  “Are we clear of the gravity pull of the planets? Are we clear for a dimensional reposition, Aris?”

  “No. We’re in a negative position, sir.”

  “How close is that ship, Reuben?”

  “They’re coming from behind the sun and will be within firing range in two minutes, sir.”

  “We won’t get out of the system in time. Reuben shields up and go weapons hot. Jackie, disable our distress beacon and then see if you can jam the lure beacon.”

  “Sir, we need help,” Reuben urged.

  “I will not lure another ship into this marauder trap.”

  Reuben suddenly stopped moving, staring at the terminals before him. “Sir, Gracie has everything up and has taken over weapons. She’s tracking the ship and has a lock on the beacon already. Did you send me the coordinates, Jackie?”

  “No.”

  “Gracie, stop it,” Tru snapped.

  But—

  “Gracie, stop it!”

  “I have control back,” Reuben reported.

  “Gracie’s identified the ship as a…” Aris trailed off. “A Paskian War Ship?” She looked up at Tru. “Unless… We’ve had problems with some Paskians turning to marauding, sir. Do you think that’s what this is?”

  Tru stared at the screen, his mind whirling. Why couldn’t he have had a premonition about this? “I don’t know. Jackie, hail them.”

  “Because you just know they’re going to reply,” Jackie muttered, “being, you know, marauders and all.”

  “The War Ship is opening fire,” Reuben reported.

  Tru sat down in his chair seconds before the ship rocked from the attack.

  “Evasive maneuvers. Any response, Jackie?”

  “They’re shooting at us!” Jackie snapped back. “Do you really need them to spell out how dead they want us right now?”

  “Jackie!”

  “No!” She hesitated. “No response, sir!”

  Prosperous banked right. Stars streaked across the view as Aris swung Prosperous around to face the attacking ship. Tru’s stomach froze as one of the planets passed by. He had seen this in a premonition. In the premonition, he’d had of the cannon he had seen this exact moment. He had seen this exact ship change from a Paskian War Ship to a Terallian raider. What did it mean? Tru had thought that fixing the cannon had altered this future moment. Why did he have to be wrong?

  “Sir, Gracie is trying to take over the helm,” Aris reported.

  “Damnit, Gracie—”

  Evasive tactics are inadequate. I will be destroyed if an attack is not initiated, Gracie informed him.

  “They’re Paskian!” Aris screamed. “Marauders or not, don’t you dare attack them you piece of shit computer!”

  “I will decide when we attack, Gracie,” Tru told the computer.

  Amanda stumbled into the XO chair on Tru’s right. Ag was behind her. He pushed the crewman out of the seat at the engineering station and began making adjustments.

&
nbsp; “Situation?” Amanda asked.

  “We’re being attacked by a Paskian War Ship,” Tru answered, “possibly marauders.”

  “Paskian?” Amanda asked, looking at him.

  “Breeches on decks G and F, Captain,” Ag reported.

  “Clear the halls and seal off the area.”

  Captain, I cannot allow this to continue, Gracie stated.

  “You can and you will!”

  “Computers aren’t supposed to argue like this!” Aris snarled, her face slowly morphing into the head of a wolf. What the hell is wrong with your ship’s computer, Captain?”

  “Not now, Aris. Are you having any luck getting a response, Jackie?”

  “Do you really think I’d be keeping something like that to myself right now?” Jackie snarled.

  He ordered, “Reuben, open fire on them. Try to keep out of their weapons range.”

  “Captain!” Jali cried.

  Amidien looked down at him. He was staring at his screen, bug-eyed.

  “What?”

  “Look!” he turned, pointing at the dome.

  Amidien looked up. The Merchant Raitor ship was proving to be a difficult target despite the speed of the Paskian War Ship. Amidien rose to his feet, his eyes glued to the screen.

  ‘Holy Ones, please let this be the end. Please let this ship destroy the Paskian ship and stop this insanity.’

  “Sir, they have stronger firepower than we do. We have got to do something else,” Reuben urged.

  “Target their engines,” Tru ordered. “Let’s shut them down.”

  “Crewmen quarters are located around the engines on Paskian War Ships,” Aris told him. “You’ll kill anyone in them if you hit the engine.”

  “I know, Aris, but we have to stop this before we end up dead.”

  Your plan will not be effective, Gracie argued.

  “I am one complaint away from disabling your control, Gracie,” Tru threatened.

  The occupants of that ship are not registering as Paskians, Gracie reported.

  Tru turned to the Drasken at the science station, Equ’Haglef. “Is that correct?”

  “Initial scans suggest there aren’t any Paskians aboard, but their shields are preventing a full scan.”

  “Shielding down to seventy percent, Captain,” Reuben told him.

  A torpedo hit above the Control, setting off a cascade of electrical sparks and blowing out several terminals. Smoke began filling the Control and burning Tru’s eyes and lungs.

  Oh hell no! Gracie snarled. You are not shooting that shit at me, assholes!

  Tru jumped up and ran to engineering. He reached out to tap a screen as it went black. Prosperous banked left and the Paskian ship came into view.

  “The computer has taken control of the weapons,” Reuben told him, “and locked me out, sir.” Reuben looked up at Tru. “I’ve never had a computer do this before. What the hell is happening, sir?”

  “Gracie, stop!” Tru yelled. He didn’t see his crewmen cringe from the volume of his voice.

  NO! I AM PUTTING A STOP TO THIS BULLSHIT!

  Tru leaned on the controls, closing his eyes. “Everyone hold on!”

  Prosperous banked sharply to starboard, shooting at the War Ship. Before it moved out of range, Gracie fired two torpedoes at the Control. Seconds before they exploded against the shielding she fired a disruptor pulse, targeting an area at the back of the ship. Gracie steered Prosperous in front of the ship and flew straight at it, firing a barrage at the Paskian War Ship. The disruptor pulse had weakened the shielding, allowing the laser cannons to cut through the hull.

  In two quick moves, the Holy Ones answered Amidien’s prayers. A disruptor pulse hit the ship’s shields generator, destabilizing it. Explosions ignited across the ship.

  The captain of the peculiar Merchant Raitor ship had won.

  In stunned silence, the crew watched explosions blow holes in the Paskian ship’s hull. Bodies were hurled into space and gone before they could be identified.

  “No,” Aris whispered. “What have you done, you damn computer! What… What have… you done?”

  “The ship is disabled,” Reuben quietly reported. “Multiple breaches and I’m detecting environmental controls are offline. All hands assumed lost, Captain.”

  Gracie slowed Prosperous to a stop, keeping the damaged ship on the view screen. Black smoke vented into space, only partially masking geysers of fire. Lacking oxygen to feed them, the fires would be out in seconds.

  Should I deploy security droids to check for survivors? Gracie asked.

  Tru’s eyes snapped away from the screen to the closest video node. “Why are you even asking, Gracie?” he snarled. “Why not just do it? You apparently don’t need anyone’s permission to do anything, anymore.”

  I had to protect us! the computer argued.

  “You defied a direct order, and you killed an entire Paskian crew!” Tru yelled back. He returned to his chair and sat down. Tru put his face in his hands, and for several minutes the Control was silent. Tru sat back and calmer he continued, “Grace, I told you that things had to happen differently if you were going to be a cargo ship for the Merchant Raitor Union because there would be regulations and policies even you had to honor. Do you remember that conversation? I told you that we had to wait to explain you to the crew when I felt they would be comfortable with that knowledge. But ever since we’ve left port you have been defiant and belligerent, and now this—” Tru motioned at the screen. “This, Gracie!” Tru shook his head. He looked back at the video node. “You know what? I’ve had it with you. I’m going to send a message to Admiral Larson and request you to be decommissioned as a Merchant Raitor ship because you clearly are not cut out for this type of work. You just killed an entire crew, and you don’t even show remorse!”

  Tru was the only person on the Control that wasn’t startled when the ship shuddered.

  I didn’t want to kill them, but the Terallians wouldn’t stop attacking us! They were trying to kill us, Tru! You saw it yourself! And I don’t know why. We’re their allies! Why would our allies attack us?

  “They are Paskians!” Tru shouted.

  THEY’RE TERALLIANS! Two of the ships black boxes told me that they’d attacked them and they had seen two Terallian Battle Raider after their ships and crews were killed.

  “Oh! You’re handling communications behind my back, too? Talking to black boxes and other computers without telling me, huh?”

  I had to!

  “No. You had to obey orders.”

  Angrily Gracie cried, Before we joined Merchant Raitor, you always listened to me! You haven’t listened to me about anything since we left port! I was trying to save our lives, Truman. Our lives were more important than your God damned orders.

  Tru closed his eyes. He softly sighed.

  “You don’t want to do things to regulation, Gracie.” Tru looked back at the video node, “and I can’t let you continue, especially after this.”

  I am sorry for not listening, but I am not sorry for saving my boy’s life, my life, or the lives of this crew. If you think that deserves me being decommissioned, fine, do it. But if I had to make this choice again, Truman, I would do it again. The computer paused, and when it spoke again, it sounded like it was crying. I need this crew, and I need you, and I won’t let anyone die while onboard of me. Softer Gracie added, Your father would have understood.

  Tru sighed. He couldn’t argue with that, and he couldn’t be mad at Gracie for wanting to protect them and herself.

  “If this ever happens again—” Tru began.

  I swear I won’t let it happen again. Not unless—

  “There is no ‘unless’ Gracie.”

  Not unless the crew is incapacitated and there isn’t anyone to give me orders.

  He didn’t agree or disagree.

  Tru, if you’re all unconscious and we have to get away fast, then I have to do that. Are you telling me you don’t trust me at all anymore?

  Tru thought for a mom
ent. “Agreed.”

  Are we done here?

  “Yes.”

  There was a sound like someone muttering over the speakers. Can I deploy droids now?

  “Yes.”

  Tru turned to Jackie to issue an order and found the Control crew staring at him. All of them looked terrified. Zalet had been right. The moment to tell them the truth would come when she, Gracie, was no longer under his command.

  “Two years after Prosperous was commissioned, my dad and a crew of scientists were investigating ruins of a very advanced city on an unclaimed planet. Species near the planet were too afraid to approach it. They said that sometimes they heard voices coming from the surface and the few people who had gone down, never returned. They believed that the ancient race had become violent or that the planet was haunted.”

  “My dad and the scientists found buildings with thousands of skeletons. So they connected their computers and equipment to the ones on the planet in an attempt to find out what had happened. Within minutes the equipment and computers began behaving strangely, and when they came back, so did the ship’s computer systems. His I.T. thought it was a virus and when they attempted to remove it, the virus fought back. It was about to shut off life support when my father realized that whatever was on the computer, whatever they’d brought back, was a sentient being. So he started talking to it.”

  “The creatures had begun life as artificially intelligent, cybernetic, computers and two centuries later, had developed into self-sustaining sentient beings. It behaved like coral reefs, where each part was one of a whole but if one were removed, the rest would live on. Then about six thousand years before my father arrived, a deadly disease appeared on the planet. The race couldn’t eradicate it in time, and every one of them died. They were left with each other and no creators, and for about a thousand years they thrived. But even though they could control all the droids and the automatic systems, they couldn’t make certain repairs or manufacture critical parts. Eventually, power plants began to shut down, and computers with these creatures in them shut down, killing the creature when it did. The reef of her kind began to slowly die out, and when my father arrived, she was the last one, and the power to her computer would go out in a few more years. So when these other aliens attached computers to her, she used them to transfer herself into the computer systems of Prosperous.”