Blake's 7 - 04 - Afterlife

by Tony Attwood

  pilot for the Administration at a suitable rank and suitable pay Tarrant had chosen the obvious route. He was now recognised as one of the best Administration pilots.

  Having completed his story Tarrant relaxed in the recovery couch and listened to Vila's tale in silence. At the end he stretched himself carefully, and feeling no more pain stood up. As Vila led the way to the central control chamber Tarrant summed up the situation.

  'Neither of us know what happened on Gauda Prime after Avon shot Blake, and if Avon is telling the truth, he doesn't know either because he was in prison. Added to that you still haven't discovered why Avon shot Blake in the first place. You haven't learned much in your time with Avon '

  Vila was defensive. 'I didn't want to push him too hard. You saw how he was. He could have pointed a gun at me - and fired it. I was biding my time. '

  'But he certainly knew what he was doing coming here. And he obviously knew what was going on when he refused to work for the Ghammarans. And now on top of everything else he wants to pull off his famous million credit fraud. '

  Suddenly Vila realised the implication of telling Tarrant everything. 'You wouldn't split on him would you? I mean you wouldn't report what he's up to to the Administration? We were together a long tune Tarrant, you and I. You can keep quiet can't you? I saved you out there... '

  'Yes you did Vila, and I'm grateful, ' replied Tarrant. 'But I wouldn't shop you anyway. The Administration is simply my employer, and when this little emergency is over they may not even want to be that. '

  'But who is going to win?' asked Vila. 'The Ghammarans have got everyone guessing. No one can fly except us. '

  'So why don't we fly?' asked Tarrant.

  'Because I'm waiting for Avon. Without him we've no credit. Besides, he's the only one who really understands the computer system here, and I'm not sure even he could get it going with everything being bypassed into KAT. '

  'But I am a pilot, you forget that Vila. '

  'No, Tarrant. I just don't see where we could go. Themoney is the important part of the plan. Without the credit we'll just be on the run yet again. I'll sit here and wait for Avon. You can stay too if you like. '

  Tarrant looked at Vila and then around the control room, as if making up his mind. 'Well I can't fly my ship and I don't want to spend much time outside, so I might as well keep you company Vila, ' he said finally. 'At least for the time being. 'Avon handed the complate over without a word.

  'Will it work?' asked Korell innocently.

  'Oh yes it will work. The problem is, what will come back in return. '

  Korell looked at Avon curiously. For once the smile passed from her face, but she held back from any further questioning, preferring to get on with the task of installing the new device. As she turned to the door Avon called her back.

  'You'll also need this, ' he said, holding out a plastic card. She took it without recognition.

  'What is it?'

  'The program for the complate. ' Korell's frown turned to irritation. Avon allowed a brief smile across his face in suitable ironic contrast. He had, he hoped, annoyed her sufficiently for her to forget, at least for the moment, what he might do when left alone in the defence control room. Korell's job was now to duplicate the plate along with its programme so that it would work on not only this but also the five identical computer defence rooms situated in the other major domes on Earth. In theory all six defence computers should act in the same way, but in practice there were always small differences in the speed of operation and the route taken through the complex programming. The operators would ignore such small deviations. A few small additions of Avon's own should also go unnoticed.

  Avon finished his final amendment as Korell walked back into the room. He turned to face her.

  'What will it do?' she demanded.

  'Rework the calculations without tarriel ceil interfacing. It will take longer but it still works. '

  'Have you known about that possibility long?'

  'Since I first found Orac. Ensor never made his basic research findings available - just the finished result. So I took the finished work and progressed backwards, and finally found an alternative system possible using Dorian Data. '

  'But is it just as effective?' For once Korell looked unsure.

  'Dorian Data has very little practical use since the tarriel cell is quicker, cheaper and more accurate. And now that I have completed my half of the bargain it is your turn to complete yours. '

  'Your freedom to return to Terminal?' As she spoke Korell looked away from Avon and up to the monitor camera tucked away in the roof of the room. 'You shall have it Avon, but before we allow Revenge out of Earth space we need to be satisfied that your com plate works and that your ship can pass through solar space safely. In fact - 'and here her old radiance and smile returned - 'both will happen at once. If the Dorian Data works then the battle with the Ghammarans will be over. The Federation and Servalan forces will be unready for a resumption of fighting and we shall mop up resistance very quickly. The duplications of the plate and programmes will be completed by now. Shall we stay here and watch them work?'

  Avon sat passively and watched as the plates were inserted and the program run. At once the tell-tale sound that had dominated the machines since the Ghammarans' attack disappeared. As they watched the Administration ships responded to orders and reopened fire, attacking in sequence the ships of Ghammar and Servalan, although die rebel Federation forces of Yarddyn were left alone. Lights on the screen flared, blinked and went out as ships were destroyed. As the moments passed the ships of Servalan's fleet and those of the Federation reorganised themselves and recovered from the effect of the Ghammaran interference, resuming the attack although so out of position and so seriously depleted they made little of their opportunity. Only the Ghammaran fleet failed to respond as projected. Instead of cutting and running, having found their prime weapon overcome, they started moving at growing speeds towards Earth.

  Koreli turned to Avon. 'Your doing?' she asked. There was no malice in her voice, no anger. It was as if she had expected a trick.

  'Something like that, ' Avon told her. 'And it can be undone. Just as tarriel cell technology can be inverted to produce beams which inhibit everything from weaponry systems to the simplest programming, so can Dorian Data. And the inversion can be used to draw people towards you. The defences are drawing them in. ' Avon paused as he saw Koreli move to switch the defence shield off. 'Do that and you open the way to tarriel interference once more. I will remove the inversion once I am safely on board Revenge and on my way back to Terminal. You, Koreli, will come with me to ensure my good conduct. '

  Showing no surprise, Koreli agreed. Senior officials were informed and passes issued. Under armed guard Koreli and Avon were escorted back to the ship.

  'Defence Killer 7 to pilot. '

  Tarrant picked up his communicator in surprise. It was about five inches long and less than half an inch wide; holding it registered his presence and allowed his communication back to the ship. In the hands of anyone else it would have refused to work. 'Pilot to Defence Killer 7. Meritt, have you got control back?'

  'Yes sir and the battle has been resumed. We're wiping Servalan off the face of the Galaxy. The Rebel Federation forces are fleeing, but the Ghammarans are advancing on Earth. We are ordered in sir. Can you return to the ship?'

  'Yes... No. ' Tarrant removed his hand from the contact and spoke to Vila. 'Are those creatures out there all the time?'

  'They've probably mutated into something else by now, ' Vila told him solemnly. 'You'll be safer here. I should stay if I were you. '

  'Not a chance, ' Tarrant told him. 'This whole affair smells of being one of Avon's tricks. Avon goes to Ghammar and the Ghammarans attack with a disabling weapon. Avon goes to Earth and the weapon is turned off so that we mop up the opposition. The Ghammarans then move in on Earth. '

  'You mean Avon did a deal with the Ghammarans after all?'

  'Wake up Vila, ' said Ta
rrant tersely. 'He never told you what was going on in the past and he hasn't started yet. He uses you, just like he used all of us on Liberator and Scorpio. '

  'So what's he doing on Earth?'

  'For all I know he's probably convinced the Administration that their best interests are served in doing a deal with him. He plays the cards all ways, Vila, and all ways lead to the best deal for Avon. ' Tarrant put his hand back on his communicator. 'This is the pilot. I'm in an underground city about half a mile from die ship. I'm going to start working my way to the surface now. There are creatures on the surface from which I'll need protection. I'll contact you again when I reach the exit port. Get lights and weaponry aimed at the area 120 degrees from the ship. '

  Tarrant's signal was formally acknowledged. He turned to Vila. 'You could come too. '

  'What - out there with those creatures? You must be joking Tarrant. And what do I get at the end of it? Another prison sentence on Earth? Anyway, why come and be bullied by you rather than Avon? It makes no difference, Tarrant. You or Avon, it doesn't matter. ' He looked desperately sad. 'I'll stay here. '

  'It's your choice, ' said-Tarrant. He pulled on his coat, walked to the door and then paused. 'And thanks for saving my life. '

  Vila looked away. His face was a strange mixture of emotions. 'Think nothing of it, ' he said as he touched thecontrols to bring into focus the exit that Tarrant would soon be using on the surface.

  Vila stayed at his position staring at the screen as the newly evolved snow-covered mammoths appeared lumbering towards Tarrant. They were over twenty feet tall and fifty feet long including the large bone structures that started above the eyes, pointed forward and ended in massive horns which they used as snow ploughs. They were too slow to worry Tarrant directly although they did cause him to divert from a direct path to his ship. Vila continued to watch as a pack of pure white tigers, almost invisible against the snow, attacked and Tarrant fell for the first, and then second time. But by then his eyes had long since stopped relaying to his brain what was on the screen.

  13

  'Still calculating, Avon?'

  Avon had heard Korell enter the freight bay where he was still working on the equipment he had gathered from the Ghammarans. He stayed with his work and said nothing.

  'Don't you ever give up?' Korell's smile and calmness were still there but since she had rescued him on Earth her voice had changed subtly, giving a barely discernible extra edge to everything she said. Avon, who had listened to her so much over the past months, heard it and recognised it. 'What is it you are looking for Avon?' She paused. There was no reply. 'Fame isn't enough for you is it? Everyone in the Galaxy knows of Kerr Avon. You could fly into any one of a million planets and have vidcrews chasing you for interviews along with Federation troops chasing you for arrest. But that's not it, is it Avon? Something else drives you. And it's not the credits. ' Korell walked round the hold inspecting the work Avon had been involved in. 'Everyone knows you failed in the big theft, but if anything that enhanced your reputation. And now you've got double the amount and your pride can be satisfied. ' He looked up at her. 'Avon I am not such a total fool as not to know what you were doing while I was out of the control room. A little sub-routine out of the battle computers and into Finance-7, I imagine. Anytime someone suspects a fault in the logic of Finance-7 the last place they will look is in the programming of Defence Corriputer-3. ' Avon retained his silence.

  'But that was only a diversion wasn't it Avon? You never cared about the money. You had no dreams of what to do with it did you? What does Kerr Avon do with credit? He is already the anti-hero of a whole Galaxy. He could command any sum just to lend his name to a revolutionattempt at any place in the Milky Way. Or to solve some irritating little computer problem even on an Inner World. Avon could drive forever on Terminal up and down the Galaxy, just as he could on Liberator after Blake disappeared. ' She paused. There was as near silence as is ever possible on a fusion-powered spaceship. 'What is it Avon? What do you want?'

  Koreli gave a strong heavy emphasis to the last sentence. These were the questions she should have been asking on Gauda Prime. Avon looked up. 'Peace and quiet, ' he said. 'Get out. '

  Koreli would not go. 'So it is something else that drives you on Kerr Avon? I wonder what that could be. Is it MIND?'

  Avon looked up sharply. Koreli was behind him, unable to look into his eyes which she wanted to do. But the reaction gave her enough insight.

  'Yes, it's MIND, ' Koreli continued. 'You are haunted by the thought that somewhere out there is something or someone who knows a lot more about computers than you do. Oh I know your great philosophy about everyone else being a fool. No one matters but number one. But that breaks down when someone or something else starts pushing you around.

  'Ensor was your equal but in a different field, he designed a new system. So did Muller. Your great talent, what made Avon the famous unbeatable Kerr Avon was the ability to take a system and rebuild it for a new purpose. Ensor and Muller started from scratch working in splendid isolation in wonderful little laboratories where assistants came and fetched and carried. You worked in the field, doing everything yourself. You take other people's systems and turn them upside down. '

  At last Avon had to speak. 'It's good to know who I am at last. Now if you have nothing better to do why don't you pilot this ship back to Terminal?'

  'Because my interest is in you Avon. It always has been in you. Don't you realise that when you die everything that

  you have worked to achieve will be lost? You have developed a whole technology of machine manipulation Avon. You are that technology. No one else can do it. Unless someone learns it from you it will be lost to mankind when you die. '

  'Poor mankind, ' said Avon. 'I feel sorry. ' His voice was thick with sarcasm.

  'But now you're off on a new track following MIND. Was it MIND that told you to kill Blake?'

  'If you are so interested in finding out about MIND, ' said Avon, 'navigate us back to Terminal without being hit by one of those ships, ' and with a touch of a contact the screen above them revealed one hundred square spacials liberally peppered with ships of all kinds. Some were in a bad way, some had been abandoned totally, some were still fighting, and some were clearly making their way towards Revenge.

  'Why didn't you tell me before?' said Koreli as she led the way at full speed back to the bridge.

  'You seemed to be engrossed, ' replied Avon, following her and taking up his position.

  With all the skill available to her Koreli took Revenge through a series of manoeuvres which avoided those ships heading in their direction, and around most of the action. As they completed the twists and turns and approached Terminal from above its pointed north pole, she returned to the previous conversation.

  'What is MIND Avon?'

  'It stands for Machine Induced Neural Directives. A machine that talks directly to the brain. It is a clever notion. '

  'But no more than that?'

  'It is much more than a machine. Machines, even sophisticated machines like Orac, are still machines and are dependent upon either pure logic or the emotions induced by the maker. MIND is free from such restrictions. '

  'You mean it genuinely creatively thinks. '

  'And it is free to transmit thoughts to organic beings. '

  'Such as Kerr Avon. ''From time to time. '

  'So it really is important. '

  'That's for you to decide. I make my own decisions. '

  Korell stood in front of Avon, and asked the one question that was left. 'Do you know where MIND is?'

  Avon stood to face her. He put his right hand behind her neck, pulled her to him and kissed her hard on the hps. But before the situation could develop, the battle alarms started to ring across the flight deck. A surprise move by a small group of Administration craft had brought them to within close proximity of Revenge and Korell was forced to send the ship in a wide arc to avoid too close an investigation.

  'Friends of yours?'
asked Avon sarcastically as the ships opened fire.

  Korell refrained from replying, taking the ship into an erratic elipse around Terminal. As they orbited the planet from above the elipse got larger to account for the shape of the planet. The replotting of the course was undertaken totally by Korell without computer aid. The Administration ships flying by computer found themselves following more logical paths which took them away from, rather than towards Revenge. Eventually they lost interest in the unmarked freighter and pulled away to find more promising foes to fire at.

  Korell landed the ship within twenty yards of the entry port. As they landed she called Vila who thankfully was neither drunk nor asleep and managed to operate the hatch controls successfully. Momentarily Avon left the bridge and ran back to the hold. He came back with just one item, a small flat container about one foot long and less than a quarter of an inch thick. As Korell joined him at the main airlock they, did a quick scan for animals, saw none and ran to the open entry bay as fast as their space suits would allow.

  Avon had no time for discussion as they re-entered the control room on Terminal. Within seconds he was conducting a full sweep of the sky above their position. Immediately he pointed with the forefinger of his right hand at the central screen. There in the middle of the welter of drifting

  ships was a space vehicle totally unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was flaming red in colour with two black lines diagonally crossing it. But it wasn't so much the colour of the object that attracted attention as the design - it was a sphere, rotating slowly about its own axis. Only Vila had ever seen it before - as he told the others several times in the next thirty seconds. It was the machine he had seen on Gauda Prime after he had first entered Revenge. As the crew of Terminal watched, it twisted and turned carefully through the ships and debris, seemingly moving from one to another at random but always keeping Terminal at the same distance. Suddenly without warning one of the ships the sphere was investigating broke out of position, trying to effect rapid escape. As it did the sphere opened fire, damaging the fleeing vessel almost at once. With nowhere else to turn the vessel began to tumble towards Terminal.