by M. D. Cooper
“How will I become a mech, then?” Amy asked.
“If you cut your organic arms off, the medics here will just grow you new flesh and blood ones.” Cary paused to let the statement sink in. “It’s trivial for us to do that. You have to prove to me that you can fight, and that you could fight better as a mech. Only when I’m satisfied that you’d be an asset to the Marauders will I lobby for you to be a mech.”
Cary shuddered at the thought.
“When do we start?” Amy asked.
“Well…no time like the present,” Cary said as she rose. “Let’s go for a run and see what you’ve got.”
Amy grinned up at her. “OK, but I’m like bottled lightning. Prepare to lose.”
Cary snorted a laugh. “That’s the spirit.”
EASING IN
STELLAR DATE: 09.22.8949 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Tangel’s Lakehouse, Ol’ Sam, ISS I2
REGION: Pyra, Albany System, Thebes, Septhian Alliance
“Welcome back, Sera,” Tangel said, gesturing to the chair across from her, the sitting room’s fireplace crackling softly before them.
Sera, wearing a simple light grey shipsuit, eyed Tangel warily for a moment before sitting. “It’s been a while,” she said while shifting to get comfortable.
“Over twenty years, by your reckoning,” Tangel agreed with a nod. “A strange bit of cognitive dissonance for me. Up until you left Ascella with Andrea and Serge, my memories of you and the other Seras are the same, but following that, they diverge.”
The woman sitting across from Tangel clenched her jaw and gave a sharp nod. “It’s so much fun being constantly reminded that I’m a clone—or whatever I am.”
Tangel shrugged. “You were made at the whim of your mother. That is not so different from how things happen naturally.”
Sera sat back in her seat, folding her arms across her chest. “Except, for most people, their mother didn’t also make their father.”
“Good point,” Tangel allowed. “That’s certainly less common, but not really material to your situation.”
A coarse laugh tore free from Sera’s throat, and her voice rose an octave. “Not material? Has becoming some sort of super-being addled your brain?”
Tangel raised her eyebrows. “Hard to say—not sure I could tell if it had. Though if you think about it, ‘addled’ would present as either illogical and self-harming, or just unusual. Who is to say what a ‘usual’ mode of thought should be for me? Are there other ascended beings who are merges of human and AI to compare to?”
“Could be,” Sera replied, her tone still combative.
“Well,” Tangel chuckled as she spoke. “I’ll be sure to ask them when we meet.”
“Are you going to answer the question? Why is it not material?”
A smile graced Tangel’s lips. “One thing is for certain, you are still the same woman—though you rarely turned that sharp tongue on me before. And that’s why it’s all immaterial. Airtha made all three of you Seras for a purpose: she wanted to create a legacy and a new ruler for humanity. Because of that, you three share similar traits suited to someone who would be a ruler. You’re—”
“Puppets?” Sera interjected.
“I was going to say, ‘driven’,” Tangel replied with a smirk. “Plus smart, decisive, determined. You’re also all a bit egotistical.”
“Takes one to know one.”
Tangel shrugged. “Touché. But I didn’t invite you here to engage in a verbal sparring match. I invited you here because I believe that you’ve not had a chance to pick sides in this conflict. I want to offer that to you now.”
Sera’s eyebrows rose. “Before I left the LMC, I was given a data packet with a lot of intel. What you know of Airtha, the core AIs, the wars across the Inner Stars. With all that information, this isn’t much of a choice—you’ll not set me free if I don’t join up with you.”
Tangel crossed her legs and leant back in her chair. “I give you my word. If you do not choose to stay with us, I will return you to your mother.”
“Right,” Sera grunted. “Again, with all that intel? Or will you perform some sort mind-wipe?”
“I didn’t give you anything Airtha doesn’t already know. If I had, the offer would have been stasis until the end of the war.”
Tangel could see the wheels turning behind Sera’s eyes. There was most certainly information in the data packet that this Sera had not known. The knowledge that Airtha knew so much more than she’d shared with her daughters would be a revelation in and of itself.
“It’s a tricky thing,” Tangel continued. “At the end of the day, I want the same things Airtha does: for the core AIs to stop dictating the future of humans and other non-ascended AIs. It’s our motives that differ. I’m doing it because I believe in the two races, while Airtha is doing it as a form of vengeance. She wants to unite humanity under her banner and wield it like a weapon against the Core. I want to find common ground so that we can forge a future where we stop nearly wiping ourselves out. Then I’ll lead a unified force of humans and AIs to the Core.”
“Do you think that waging war across the Inner Stars is how you’ll unify humanity?” Sera derided.
“This war has been orchestrated,” Tanis replied simply. “Spurred on by the Caretaker, Airtha, and Kirkland’s obstinance. They set up myopic empires in the Inner Stars, and then encouraged them to force non-inclusive viewpoints on others, all under the threat of war. Once established, the puppeteers set those empires against one another. Any who are willing to join the Scipio Alliance do not need to engage in war—though help is appreciated. However, many signees have had to make substantial changes in their society regarding how they treat AIs.”
“And those who don’t join your alliance and stand against you?”
“I’ll do my best to render them harmless with as little bloodshed as possible. I believe that once we defeat Nietzschea, the Trisilieds, and the Hegemony, most others will see that war against us is not a viable option.”
“And Orion?” Sera asked. “As you said, Kirkland is not known for understanding, nor for a willingness to change his views. He’s begun to eradicate AIs across his empire.”
“Which will make him that much easier to defeat. I have the strengths of two species whereas he has only one.”
“You still won’t change his mind,” Sera retorted. “Strengths or no, you won’t be able to sway him, and if you win, you’ll have to contend with the ideology he’s infused in Orion space.”
“It’s possible that his viewpoint isn’t as pervasive as some would believe. You don’t know what happened to Sabrina, do you?”
Sera’s eyes grew wide, and for the first time, her defensive posture slackened. “I managed to learn that they jumped out from the Grey Wolf Star over ten years ago…but no one knows where they went.”
“The Perseus Arm of the galaxy,” Tangel replied simply. “They got back a year ago, and from what they saw, Kirkland’s hold on Orion space isn’t as absolute as he’d like us to believe.”
“Are—are they all OK?” Sera asked hesitantly.
“They are,” Tangel nodded. “They had some tough times, but they all got back. Cargo is operating a cattle ranch down on Carthage in New Canaan, if you can believe it. Everyone else has been working to stop an AI uprising in the Inner Stars. They’ll all be back here before long, though. You’ll be able to meet with them no matter what you decide.”
Sera’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you being so nice to me? I’ve been working against yo
u.”
“Imagine, if you will,” Tangel began with an expansive wave of her arm. “That you are the only version of yourself. That another Sera did not come to New Canaan with your father—”
“My clone of a father,” Sera interjected.
Tangel inclined her head. “Yes…or maybe he’s a different type of copy, like you are. Either way, imagine you are the only Sera. To me, you’re the woman who saved me from ending up at the mercy of the Mark back in Silstrand. You fought by my side at the Battle of Bollam’s World, and you ended your exile to help my people get to New Canaan. I owe you everything.”
“You owe her everything.”
“Do you recall doing all those things?” Tangel asked. “Opening the cryopod and finding me in it? Getting captured by Rebecca, breaking free and securing the stolen CriEn module? What about flying to Bollam’s World and helping us protect the Intrepid before showing us the way to Ascella? Do you remember trying to kill me while under your sister’s influence?”
Sera nodded silently, and her eyes fell to the floor before she responded, “I do.”
Tangel leant forward, elbows on her knees. “Then you are Sera. You’re one of my dearest friends, and I’m treating you accordingly.”
Sera’s head lifted, and her gaze met Tangel’s. “And if I do take you up on your offer? What then?”
“Then you join with your sisters and stop your mother. A unified Transcend is something we must achieve to end this war and begin the real fight with the Core.”
Sera’s lips drew into a thin line, and she turned her head toward the fire, blowing out a long breath.
SISTERS
STELLAR DATE: 09.23.8949 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: A1 Dock, ISS I2
REGION: Pyra, Albany System, Thebes, Septhian Alliance
“So how does it feel to be captain?” Sera asked as she strode up Sabrina’s ramp to where Cheeky stood waiting.
The slender—and completely naked—woman cocked her hips and held out her arms, beckoning for an embrace. “How should I know? It’s only been a few hours since Jessica turned her over to me.”
A happy sigh slipped past Sera’s lips as she embraced Cheeky and gazed into the cargo bay behind her. “That I did, Sabs. How have you been?”
“I hear y—hey! Cheeky, enough with that!”
Cheeky chuckled as she lifted her hands from Sera’s ass. “Just curious if you’re the real Sera.”
“And you think you’ll be able to tell by my ass?”
Sabrina’s newly minted captain took a step back, a hand on her chest and a shocked expression on her face. “Seriously…it’s like you’ve forgotten who I am or something.”
Sera stared at her long-time friend, trying to figure out if she was being serious or not, and then laughed, shaking her head. “Stars, Cheeky. Kill you, extract your mind from an AI’s memory banks, put you in a new body, make you captain…none of that’s changed you a bit. You’re still the same ol’ Cheeky I met in that dingy bar so long ago.”
The naked woman laughed and grabbed her own rear. “Best thing about getting new skin is that these cheeks never sat on those disturbingly sticky barstools.”
“Rarely am I an advocate for clothing, but in that case, it was more than warranted,” Sera agreed.
The pair walked side-by-side into the ship’s main cargo bay, where Nance and Misha waited. Sera didn’t hesitate to embrace Nance, who wore a hazsuit with the hood pulled back.
“Back in your old routine?” Sera asked.
Nance glanced down at herself. “Oh, no…I legitimately needed it. Was working on the environmental system. Finaeus messed with it so much, I’m still trying to get it back the way I like.”
“Nance…” Sera began, an eyebrow raised. “Finaeus is arguably one of the smartest people in the galaxy.”
The bioengineer shrugged. “Sure, whatever. I still know Sabs better. Besides, I’m pretty sure half the things he did down there, he did just to mess with me.”
With a soft laugh and a shake of her head, Sera turned to Misha. “Nice to meet you again, Misha. How’s the galley holding up?”
“Tip-top,” the cook replied. I have a fresh pot of coffee on, a bowl of fruit, and some of your favorite snacks waiting for your meeting.”
“How do you know my favorites?” Sera asked, to which Misha snorted.
“President Tomlinson, there’s still a listing of items in the galley’s inventory system labeled ‘Captain Sera’s Faves’.”
“Oh.” She chuckled. “And I’m not president of the Transcend anymore. Well, not really.”
Sera nodded. “Once my sisters and I have a chat. If they agree to join us, they’ll hop back with me and Tani—Tangel.”
Cheeky pursed her lips. “It’s weird hearing that name.”
“It’s weird saying it,” Sera replied. “But half the time you were talking to Tanis in the past, Angela was in the conversation, anyway. Now it’s just like talking to them both at once all the time.”
“I wonder what it would be like…” Cheeky mused.
Nance rolled her eyes. “You’ll have to ask Joe.”
“You think that ruins my little mental visual,” Cheeky said to Nance with a grin. “But it doesn’t, it just makes it better.”
“Will you guys greet the others when they arrive?” Sera asked. “I think it will make them feel better.”
“Think so?” Nance asked. “Won’t that be awkward?”
Sera shook her head. “No. I know they’ll like it, they’re still me—stars, that’s a weird thing to say. Anyway, they just got led astray a little bit. Trust me, we’ve all missed you.”
* * * * *
Five minutes later, Sera took a seat in the galley—though not in her old chair. It didn’t feel right to take it and lord her originality over her sisters.
Instead, she took the seat Flaherty used to sit in, to the right of the head.
He had opted not to meet the other Seras yet, worried they may use his inability to lie against him. At least, that’s what he’d said. Sera wasn’t so sure.
The AI that shared space in Sera’s head didn’t respond for a few seconds, and then laughed softly.
Sera snorted, imagining herself in some awkward yoga pose when her sisters entered.
The tell-tale sound of someone climbing the ladder to the crew deck reached her ears, bringing with it a flood of memories from decades past.
“You still feel like home, Sabrina,” Sera whispered.
“I was talking to the ship.”
“I know.”
Sera resisted the urge to roll her eyes, knowing that one of her sisters would be entering the room at any moment. She straightened in her seat. Ready for anything.
Then she appeared in the galley’s entrance, staring into the room. “They painted the place.”
Sera glanced around the galley, surprised that she hadn’t realized the walls were a subtle shade of lavender.
Sera snorted, while her sister only shook her head.
“Stars, it feels so good to have your voice in my head, Sabrina,” the other Sera said—still not havin
g met Sera’s eyes.
The other Sera’s gaze fell on their old place at the head of the table before she shook her head and sat at the foot. “Doesn’t feel right.”
“I know,” Sera agreed. “I guess that’s Cheeky’s place now.”
“Stars,” the other Sera muttered. “Can you believe that little waif we found in that gross bar is the captain now?”
Sera wondered if her sister was being derisive, when she continued.
“She deserves it. That girl has been through hell and back, from what I’ve been told. Perseus Arm.”
“She has,” Sera agreed. “Hard to believe that with all the crazy stuff we’ve been through in the past twenty years, you’ve been through more, Sabrina.”
“Neither have I,” the third Sera said from the galley’s doorway. “Looks like Mom didn’t give me the fun stuff.”
Sera watched her first sister turn and give the second one a narrow-eyed look.
She understood what they were thinking. Both had known for some time that there was one other Sera out there, but the story they’d both been told was that they were the original, and the Sera ruling from Khardine was the imposter.
Now they were faced with the incontrovertible truth that it was their mother, Airtha, who was manufacturing doppelgangers, not the people of New Canaan.
No one spoke as the newcomer made her way to the middle seat on the right side of the table, and pulled out the chair.
The silence continued for a whole minute before the Sera who had been captured in the Valkris asked the one captured at LMC, “so, how far back do you remember?”
“To being a little girl.” LMC Sera’s tone was acidic. “You?”