“I don’t know.”
“And I don’t know what we should do.”
“The rest of you are not affected like that. I’ve spent enough time with you all to know.”
“We saw plenty of action, but not as much as he has, and each person is different. The whole reason we have that black armor he designed was to protect us. He could have had just one set made for himself, but didn’t.”
Silence set in between them as they paused to think about their discussion. Genius felt it was time to change the subject. He wasn’t a fan of getting too deep in discussion about Benjamin or himself.
“Put a crew together for Adeen,” Genius said eventually. “Maybe get Aisling to give up some people. Then some of the pirates’ families could do it. The rest of us need to be with him. We are his team. He’ll want to take the fleet and go hunting, I suspect. Leave the two big ships to follow at a slower pace.”
“I was thinking of having them orbit Dratma 6 near Allond. That would give them some allies to reach out to if needed while we’re away.”
He nodded his assent. “Better yet.”
“I’m going to com Aisling and tell her we are going over. I also have to tell her about the com we sent her under Benjamin’s name. We made it look like he invited her,” Binda confessed.
“Good luck with that.”
“He apparently gave her one of his patented if you don’t like it you can leave speeches. I think we shouldn’t let his craziness take the blame for that one. She sounded a little confused when she told me about it.”
“Should have all the ships dock with us at some point and have a get together. I think it would go a long way. We could offload our take from the World Eater then as well.”
“Sounds good. I’ll give the order. I’m concerned about Adeen, so we’ll do it now.”
****
Your Highness, are you well? I detect a ship has arrived.
The voice startled me awake. I remembered the black sand crawling all over me. You are nanites, yes? Why don’t you tell me if I’m well? This was very different from the microscopic fixer-uppers and language nans flowing through my blood.
We are. But our purpose is different than the others that inhabit you. We have examined you, and you are quite healthy. The others have kept you well and even made improvements to your muscular and skeletal makeup.
The others as in the nanites Tazleaha had me injected with? And why did you call me Your Highness? I am not. Are you telepathic, because that’s fucked. I have too many voices in my head already.
We will answer your questions. But first you must understand you are the king. The others tell us you were chosen by the Queen of Cjittan to receive them.
Things have changed. That didn’t quite work out.
We do not understand your meaning. We know you are king and we were created to serve the king of Cjittan. Your personal dilemma does not change that. We saw the differences in your makeup, but it was assumed a further step in the evolution of the species.
Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not Cjittan. That is part of the problem the queen was faced with at first. Then she gave up. Do you wish to return to your box? I can put you back to sleep until it is your time to awaken again.
It is our time; we shall serve you. A queen is not required for our purpose to be fulfilled. We serve the king. We are not telepathic, no more than the language nans are. We are implanted between your brain and the organs needed for speech as well as in your ears. We do not require many; we work with the others already in existence. We communicate in many ways. Those we left within the console communicate via waves while those inside and outside of you communicate directly through touch.
I should be a raving lunatic right now but my times with E’Aria and Imelda have prepared me to have this discussion. I need you to return my vision and motor functions to me so I can get up and walk. How long have I been out?
Who is this E’Aria and Imelda you speak of?
Imelda the former Queen of Spiders for the empire. She befriended me when I showed her and her children a kindness, then later I freed her from captivity. E’Aria is the Regent of Trillond.
Only a king or queen of Cjittan could command the respect of one such as Imelda. You make a case against your earlier words.
Believe what you want. I do have one question. As your king, are you bound to do as I ask?
Yes, but we are programmed with overriding protocols that we are bound to obey even above your commands.
Let’s see how this works out.
I stood, a bit wobbly at first, then walked back to the console where I had left my armor and weapons. My armor lay across a table. I walked to it and placed a hand on the chest plate.
The Reaper train stops here. Everyone disembarks. You are looking at your new home.
We do not understand.
Get off me and get on that. I order you as your king.
The black tide rolled smoothly from my body onto my armor. I watched it spread, covering it as completely as it had covered my body.
If you require us, just speak with your voice or as you have with your mind. A small portion of our being will always be with you and the rest will come when you call. There is much you need to learn about our abilities. The weapons I sense nearby are no longer needed; neither is this armor you have confined us to.
I like my weapons and my armor, thank you. I will be keeping them both. You can’t replace my railguns. Besides I just got the big one as a gift. Not giving it up.
But we are more efficient than the edged weapons.
I like what I like. Don’t piss me off or we are going to get off to a very bad start. I’m going to look at the dog thing again. I never had one as a boy. Have some information for me about it once you see what I’m looking at. I’m sure you’re attached to my eyes, optical nerve or something. You didn’t answer me about how long I was unconscious.
Yes, Your Highness. We are currently processing the way you measure time as well as every race in the language matrix. We will report when our calculations have concluded.
Are you programmed to be dishonest?
Silence.
You little bastards are lying to me. You infiltrated my com so you know the damn time. I can feel you between the band and my skin.
Fourteen of your earth hours and the fifteen of the minutes have past. We are currently infiltrating the armor and breaking down its composition. We will improve it in every way. This will make you happy, Highness, and satisfy our protocol for your safety.
You remind me of someone, sleeping with me then lying to me. You should not have touched or adjusted my armor. You were to just inhabit, not break it down and rebuild it.
We do not lie. We are doing exactly as explained even if your earth time was the first calculated and the answer available.
Can you access the console for this lab next?
Yes, the task is a simple one.
So, the ship approaching, what make is it?
We are unsure.
You’re already in the console, aren’t you?
Yes, while you slept we accessed it so we could better protect you. Our presence is light. With your permission, we will do a thorough inspection and gather all the information the ship contains.
Do it. So, you sure you don’t know its origin?
We require information. The time between our creation and the awakening is many millennia.
Even I know that’s a hell of an upgrade. The ship is most likely Allond in origin. It is what I am expecting. It is my ship given to me by the Emperor of Allond. I have arrived at the tank with the creature I am calling a dog although it is not. You have knowledge of this ship even with many millennia that have past?
Enough to control it and its functions.
You have scientific knowledge of this laboratory and all its functions?
We will have more shortly. The histories are saved. We will know all, if that is your wish.
Yes, I would like you to know everything.
Open the rear doors to the cargo and shuttle bays for our people.
Your Highness, what if it is not our people?
Then they will be sorry.
****
The Claymore approached the Generations ship using its thrusters. Genius had requested a slow pass to get images of the damaged comm array. He stood on the bridge next to Lorelei’s seat at the helm. Binda was in the captain’s chair waiting on the Warhammer to answer her.
“Do you think Aisling will bring her crew and join us for the celebration?” Lorelei asked Binda.
“That may depend on a different conversation I need to have with her.”
“You really going to tell her? I don’t see the need.”
“You could be right; we could lose a valuable asset and friend. But in my position I need to be transparent with all of the Privateers. I cannot pick and choose. I knew when we sent it if she did show up I would have to tell her.”
“And if she hadn’t come then you didn’t care.”
“If she hadn’t, it would have been just a nice thought for her to hold on to. You were here; you could have voiced your concerns.”
“Admiral, I have no concerns. You do,” Lorelei said.
“I think this celebration will be good for everyone,” Genius said. “Maybe you should reconsider, Admiral, until it’s over.”
The screen filled with a smiling face and flowing locks of red hair. “Admiral, did I miss my scheduled time to report in?” Aisling asked.
“No, Captain. We are planning a group get-together—celebration—on the Generations ship once you have the World Eater in hand.”
“It’s essentially done. When Jared and his team took Engineering, we already had the bridge. We just threatened to close off and shut down life support level by level if they didn’t comply.”
“Very good, Aisling! How is the loading coming, as well as cooperation by Privateers?”
“No complaints. Marines in mech suits with chain guns, need I say more? Privateers, Cjittan, Khalnalax all believe in living to see tomorrow.”
“I don’t think we can trust the Khalnalax, but if the Cjittan conscripts want to join us, they can. Shut every non-essential system down and lock the others up. We can rotate your people out in shifts so everyone gets to participate.”
“Is he going to be there?” Aisling asked, not showing the same warmth.
“You mean Benjamin?”
“Who else? Not Genius, I like him. When he isn’t being influenced by Benjamin.”
“He is on the Generations ship. Whether he joins us or not I cannot say. You’re not the kind to shy away, Aisling. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not going to shy away, but I am going to be armed.”
“Just remember why we are doing it. We’ve all come together, forming this band of profiteers from worlds, all different, but now all together. It’s a better life I wish for us.”
“Genius, are you and all the others—Ronnie, Snake, Adeen—going to be there?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I like it, Binda, profiteers.”
“Genius? Did you leave those huge doors open when you left?” Lorelei asked. She was looking at a smaller screen down on her console.
“No, we didn’t leave any doors open. Maybe Adeen or Benjamin opened them. We are in com range. Let’s call her and find out.”
“So you left him and Adeen alone on a ship with no chaperone,” Aisling said.
“Chaperone is not the right word; security is what we left her without. We are in com range, Admiral. See if she answers.”
Everyone was suddenly watching Binda as she tapped her wrist com. “Adeen . . .”
“Go ahead, Admiral.”
“We are docking in the cargo hold.”
“How are you doing that?”
“The doors are open.”
“Son of a bitch. How did that happen. Where is Genius?”
“Right here, Adeen. I didn’t do it.”
“I am arming myself and making my way back there. I would suggest sending a team in hot until we can figure out what’s going on.”
“Adeen, where is Benjamin?”
“Don’t know. Haven’t seen him since he came aboard.”
“Keep your com open to the Claymore. We will see you shortly.”
“You want to try Benjamin now, see if he answers?” Lorelei asked.
“He always answers. Unless he is in a coma, or almost dead,” Genius replied.
“Benjamin?” Binda said into her com.
“Go ahead.”
“Are you ok?”
“Yes.”
“Did you open the cargo doors?”
“Yes.”
“Ok. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Binda.”
Binda tapped her com to disconnect. “Tell me that isn’t weird,” Aisling said.
****
“Tazleaha, Tazleaha wake up,” Zora pleaded.
“Hold her still, Zora, while I bandage her head. And quit smacking her face,” Dela’maah admonished.
“Sorry, our shuttle is damaged and under water. We are trapped and our queen is wounded. I cannot be as calm about this as you. You don’t care about Tazleaha, Dela’maah.”
“That’s not true. We have had our differences and I am usually the loser by default, but I wouldn’t want to see you or her hurt.”
“Both of you stop it,” Tazleaha moaned. “How bad is our situation?”
“We are under water, but not too far. We didn’t drift downward for very long after we hit the surface,” Zora said.
“Is the shuttle operable? Have you tried to get us out?”
“No, we have tried to wake you, tended your wound and waited. I thought if any Khalnalax ground patrol came to investigate we were safest staying right here.”
“You are probably right, Zora, but now I would feel safer if we were somewhere else,” Tazleaha said.
“I second that,” Dela’maah added. “Will this shuttle operate in an ocean?”
“Yes, if it’s able to operate at all. Benjamin submerged this very shuttle on his home world not long before he buried it into the side of an inhabited structure.”
“Of course he did,” Dela’maah said, followed by a laugh.
Zora went to work at the controls. “We have one drive and no controls. No monitors, either, so I can’t see where we’re going. Basically, we will travel in the direction we are pointed in and go until we are stopped or I stop us.”
“I’m willing to risk another injury to be on dry land,” Tazleaha admitted.
“No! This time you will take my seat and I will take the risks,” Dela’maah said. She held her hand out to Tazleaha, who took it and allowed herself to be helped up. They switched places and Dela’maah secured Tazleaha in the seat, then sat down and held on.
“Zora, is there anything you can do to control it?”
“No. We will fly by feel.”
“Great. I feel more pain in our future,” Dela’maah said.
“We face upward, which is a piece of luck. I am going to accelerate and I believe we will feel when we clear the surface. Then we need to manipulate our trajectory by lowering power at a high altitude and letting the shuttle adjust itself via gravity. I will work fast so we don’t end up face down in the same area.”
“We’re gonna die.”
“Enough, Dela’maah. If Zora says that is our lot, then we do what we have to,” Tazleaha said.
“It is my hope our nose drops and you will see us leveling out. Then I will apply power again and Dela’maah will open the top hatch and view for us. If we are on a course to land, then once Dela’maah signals we are over it I will cut the power and we will land. Hard. Again.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Tazleaha said.
“I hate that plan,” Dela’maah wailed. Maybe she had a point because Zora pushed the power up and Dela’maah’s head bounced off the bulkhead. “Really, Zora? Just because I hate your plan, you didn’t have to do that.”
The shuttle pushed with everything it had. What it also had was a hold full of water. Zora was right, though; they could feel the change when it broke the surface. “Dela’maah, get ready to open the door behind you and climb up the ladder,” Zora ordered. “There is a helmet under the seat. Get it to protect your face and eyes.”
Dela’maah put the helmet on and pulled the latch, releasing the ladder. It was a one-handed operation as her body faced down into the hold. Water stood about a foot below her but was receding, draining out the hole in the hull. The power to the hatch was working and she was almost immediately knocked off her feet by the air forced inside through the hole. All she needed was a look. She hoped with all her heart that land was close and they could make it there. She looked up into the warm Idaline sky. She felt the shuttle power down and it started dropping, turning slowly toward a lush green jungle. Fortune must have been smiling on them because land was no more than thirty breaths at a good speed.
She skipped the steps and dropped down to the floor that now had knee-deep water. It flowed into the small command center. “Zora, power for thirty breaths. Keep our nose as level as you can and we will be over a jungle.”
“Thank you, Commander,” Zora said with a wink. She pushed the power up and they counted. At fifteen, Zora knew it would be close. The nose was dropping downward. She increased the power. This shuttle was no air ship with wings; it would glide like a stone. The angle was what mattered; even if they hit the water again, they would be close enough to make it to shore. It might even be preferable; the landing would be a little softer. They hit with tooth-shattering impact and bounced, then came down and slid. The trees being mowed over slowed the shuttle to a stop.
Zora looked around, first at Tazleaha then at Dela’maah, who lay on the floor moaning. No blood leaked from her, so it had to be the beating her body took as she bounced off the floor numerous times. Zora shut the power off and exhaled in a long, slow breath.
“Zora, help Dela’maah up. Let’s take what we can and get moving.”
“Where will we go?” Zora asked.
The Chronicles of Benjamin Jaminson: Empires At War (Book 5 Part Two) Page 7