Change (The Stork Tower Book 3)

by Tony Corden

  Leah thanked him and with a cloth rubbed oil on the wings and then over the whole body as Mìng begged for more. Finally, when all was finished Mìng said, “Hungry.”

  “You’ve just eaten little one.”

  “No meat, rock.”

  “Rock? You need some rock! Why?”

  “Make scales and grow big.”

  “What type of rock?”

  “Strong rock.”

  Leah, or more accurately Gèng, had organised the various ore from the Kraken Cavern and so she brought out a small sample of each type as well as some other ores she had. Copper, Silver, Gold, Iron, Platinum, Mithryl, Adamantine, as well as a mixture of different gems. Korumak was stunned by the sudden wealth laid out on the bed. Mìng started at one end and slowly swallowed or crunched each of the samples and then worked her way through the gems. She described her reaction to each and said the samples were enough for the moment. She thought that she might need some more platinum in a while. Leah pulled out another larger piece of platinum and to Korumak’s horror Mìng proceeded to eat that as well. While she ate, Leah explained that she needed to go and work while Mìng slept. If she woke and wanted Leah, then Korumak would come and get her.

  Mìng said, “I call.”

  “I might be too far to hear you.”

  “I call.”

  “Ok. Now off to sleep.”

  Leah had collected over two bowls of the small scales. She thanked Korumak for his help and gave him one of the bowls. She said, “I’m not sure what this is worth but why don’t you have half for all your help?”

  “Atherleah, these small scales are worth more than the jewels on the bed. I cannot accept.”

  “Take them. I’m sure over the next few weeks you’ll do more than enough to earn them. While Mìng sleeps, I’ll go and start learning to be a Smith. Can you watch her again?”

  “I shall look after her. My people generally hate dragons, but she will be safe here, I promise you.”

  Leah headed for the Forge where she was assigned a job as a striker. She had to use a large hammer to strike the heated metals. The Smith would direct her actions, and she would do all the work. She took care to use both arms. Even so, it wasn’t long before her arms were tired. Despite this, she continued throughout the morning and after a short break to check on Mìng, she worked the complete shift. When one smith was finished with her, she was moved to another. When she was finally finished, she headed back to the suite, and after collecting Mìng and Mĕi, she headed back to the Tower.

  When she exited the Pod, she stretched and tried to loosen her muscles. Gèng said, “The heavy work today is probably the cause. The change in parameters has meant a greater amount of carryover stimulation in the Pod. I can reduce the stimulation level if you want.”

  “No, keep it the same. You might talk with Dr Roberts and see if you need to tweak the nanites to respond to any additional muscle growth.”

  “I shall. I also suspect you will need to increase your food intake again. I suggest you order some specific supplements that the nanites might find easier to use. I have discussed a few ideas with Dr Roberts, and we believe there are a few possible improvements that might be made to the carbon fibres to reduce an increase in mass.”

  “Fine, but I don’t want you to use me as an experiment. Double check and then check again before making any changes.”

  “Of course.”

  “Is there anything else I should be aware of?”

  “Yes. Four things. The first concerns Dunyanin. In the first two days of broadcast, you are the standout favourite to watch. Dunyanin has seen an additional 965,000 players join. I imagine you will be less popular today as they watch you work as a striker. Mìng’s 3D image, as provided by the Dunyanin administrators, for a fee, has been downloaded over one million times. You have numerous offers to appear on different worlds as well as a sizeable amount of correspondence from journalists.”

  “Can I ignore it all?”

  “I am not the one to ask. I suggest you speak with a public relations specialist. My research suggests that to do nothing will, in the end, be counter-productive and will alienate people.”

  “Can you do some research then, and find an honest, well respected, independent PR consultant who I can talk to some time?”

  “I shall. The second issue relates to Akia. You should know that she has been accused by the Australian Chamber of Commerce of developing an anti-Australian bias and following a malicious agenda. She is undergoing some intense scrutiny and may be replaced. She says there is nothing you can do to help at this time and contacting her may bring un-necessary attention to you."

  "Please keep me informed. If I can do anything, then interrupt me at any time."

  "I shall. Next, There are some preparatory changes in your hippocampus, hypothalamus, and the amygdala that indicate your menstrual cycle is about to begin. The Pod can deal with the bleeding, but many women purchase hygiene products designed for use in the Pod. I will order some but am unsure of your preferences. I suggest you make a selection and I shall have them delivered."

  "I will. In all the rushing around I'd forgotten that was due. I'll look at it after Cosmos Online. Thanks, Gèng."

  “You’re welcome! Finally, Stephen Riley called and would like a meeting tomorrow after you see a financial advisor. It has to do with your request to assign the design rights of the sofa to me. If I may add, I thank you but think this will cause problems for you and me in the future. Are you sure it’s the right move to make now?”

  “Now, it depends on what you mean by right. If you mean expedient, then probably not! But if you mean, is it the moral thing to do then yes I think so. I need to think some more about it and we need to talk some more. Is there anything else?”

  “Only that if you insist on proceeding then George is free at any time and could see you after the break between Cosmos Online and Dunyanin. I suggest at twenty past two tomorrow morning.”

  “That sounds good. Please book the appointment. Now, I must log out and have some food, I’m due in Cosmos Online in less than an hour.”

  Leah was back on board the Annoyance when John logged in. She was sitting and staring at the result of all her musings about the best next step. He said, “Have you decided on a course of action?”

  “I think so, but before finalising it, I need to hear your suggestions on stopping the invasion. But don’t tell me now as we’re due to transition out of Plankian Space in fifteen minutes and I’d like you on weapons.”

  In Cosmos Online, ship astrogators were expected to be accurate to within one one-thousandth of the distance travelled. With this journey of 3.54 light years, this meant that the Annoyance had to have a trajectory which passed the target star within 1.2921 light days or 33,468,062,542 kilometres of the star’s centre. If the ship was within that range, then Cosmos Online automatically centred the ship on the star. Starships were allowed to transition anywhere within twelve light hours of the primary. At the relatively slow velocity of 230 times the speed of light that Leah was travelling this gave her just over three and a quarter minutes to transition out of Plankian space. The window was double that time, but no one usually transitioned on the far side of a star.

  John left, and Leah sat and watched the transition icon. If everything had been calculated correctly, then as the Annoyance approached the region of space on a vector where transition was possible, the icon would change colour from red to orange. When the spaceship was able to transition, the icon would turn green. If it turned green, Leah planned to wait for two and a half minutes before transitioning out.

  Right on schedule, the icon turned yellow and then a few minutes later it turned green. Gèng started the countdown, and right on schedule, they dropped out of Plankian Space and back into the normal Cosmos Online universe. Less than a minute later she received a message.

  “Annoyance, Banshee noted your arrival as scheduled. The system is clear, no threats.”

  After several more messages, they had agre
ed upon where to meet. The mathematics for this was complicated, but Cosmos Online simplified the process, and once two ships initiated a request to meet, the ship AIs worked together and projected possible meeting points based on a whole slew of metrics. Once Amy and Leah had decided on basic directions and speeds the AIs did the calculations, and the AIs piloted the ships so that they met in space with zero relative velocity.

  Three hours later the two spaceships were separated by a distance of 100 metres and stationary relative to each other. Thad, Amy, James and Zack used their suit thrusters to transfer to the Annoyance. Once everyone was onboard and had greeted each other Leah said, “John and I have discussed the invasion plans and although they may change over the next five to seven months, it’s unlikely that they will mess with the major elements. Also, I doubt that Mahigan has told them she lost the plans. The Gorgians are going to invade the Cek’arth Empire. They have pre-prepared three out of the way and publicly un-surveyed systems to launch from. To move their assets anywhere else would take more than a year so I assume they will still be the launching points for the invasion. They have six fleets and expect Mahigan to supply a seventh. We know where and when they are planning to attack and what their targets will be.”

  John said, “I thought of informing the Cek’arth what the plans are and leave the defence to them, but a little research has made it clear that as a race they are inward looking and highly distrustful of humans and of any outside influence. I think we should attempt that route but plan for a more direct approach. I suggest we convince the Gorgians that they have too many problems at home to start a foreign war.”

  Amy interrupted, “How do we do that?”

  “We attack Gorgian interests at Lyall and several other central systems in the Gorgian Empire,” Leah replied. She continued, “The space charts that Filtiarn gave Mahigan identify the settled systems of the Empire. It lists the major infrastructure of each system and projected earnings and importance to the empire. I suggest we force them to bring the fleets home. At the same time, we need to find a way to destroy the three staging areas.”

  Thad said, “And how do we do this in six months? We have three ships total.”

  “We gather resources and allies for five months, and then we attack.”

  Zack said, “Leah, I know you have two ships in short order, but we would need at least twenty times that number, where would we get them from?”

  “We buy them.”

  “I know you’re rich now but buying even one ship would exhaust all your wealth.”

  “True. I’ve analysed the star charts and in the same way that the maps in Dunyanin point to where dungeons, mines and quests are, the star charts have pointers to systems we should survey. I believe there is a good probability that we will find the resources we need.”

  Everyone just looked at Leah for a moment. James ended the silence, “Is this a guess like the one about possible castles and mines?”

  “Something similar, yes!”

  “Okay then, I’m in. Where do we head now?”

  Everyone except John nodded. He said, “So that’s it. You’ll head off to wherever she says, just like that.”

  Amy responded, “No, not just like that. We know we need to talk about this some more but here isn’t the time or place. We need to get moving, a stationary spaceship can be found easily enough. I know that’s not true in real life but here in Cosmos Online being stationary is like painting an arrow on your back. We trust Leah, she might be wrong, but at the moment it’s our best shot. Over the next few weeks, we’ll all look through her data and hopefully improve on the plan. But for now, we need a leader to say, ‘go that way’. So, which way?”

  Leah gave the coordinates of an uncharted system over 412 light years away. Amy and Leah worked out the details and ended up choosing to accelerate at 4g for just over one full day. This would bring their velocity to three and a half million metres per second which translated to 42,875c in Plankian space. The journey in FTL would then only take three and a half days. As soon as everyone returned to their ships, they started the acceleration and logged out.

  Diary - 8 December 2073

  Atherleah, Dragon Rider. It sounds so cool. I’m tempted to bring her with me into other v-worlds just to let people see, but that would be showing off. The reality is, everyone already knows about her. This being in the public eye all the time is going to be too much, I can tell. I don’t understand how people choose to have every minute of their day revealed to whoever wants to watch. It seems to me that some people are so busy watching others live their lives that they forget to live their own.

  The second date was amazing. It was great to be with Thad. I've missed the regular contact and need to find a way to catch up more often. Maybe I should decide on somewhere to go for a date. I shouldn't leave it up to him all the time. Maybe we can visit a museum, or a beach, or the moon, or ???

  I don't know. I'm not sure I know him as well as he knows me. What would he like? Beer World! Probably he'd love that. I wonder if there is a Beer World? Would he really like that? What does that say about him? He isn't cocky or rude, he's not a drunk; he just enjoys having fun, of doing things together. Maybe we could climb Everest? That'd be fun. The virtual worlds have everything.

  The other thing that I've been thinking about is whether or not I'm getting carried away. Am I allowing Meredith to determine my fate, my purpose? Maybe! Am I becoming so focussed on stopping her that I'm blind to other opportunities? Probably! Am I taking on a responsibility that isn't mine and belongs in the hands of others? Certainly! Is the logic of the situation clearly indicating I'm out of my league? Yep! Will I stop and just let her go? No, I don't think I will. I do worry about dragging the others into the fight though. What should I do? I don't know! If I’m honest there is no way I can even beat one of them in a straight up fight. I’ll need to be sneaky or catch them unaware. But how?

  CHAPTER NINE

  December 9, 2073

  Leah headed to the kitchen and made herself a midnight sandwich and then did a quick circuit of the building. She was pleased to see the guards were vigilant. After hearing about Charlie she was concerned about the ramifications for the safety of the compound and her family. She knew the guards were all members of Jimmy’s gang and had some training, but having been virtual she knew any opponents would be even better prepared and resourced. She ask Gèng to remind her to go through the lockdown procedures with her family and with the v-kids. She wasn’t keen on the term but hadn’t yet found anything else that suited. Leah was three-quarters of the way around the building when she stopped suddenly and said, “Gèng, I don’t feel any different! I imagined I would need to relearn some simple tasks like walking and running with all the extra strength and connectivity.”

  “You’re correct. I have been controlling the rate at which the new carbon-fibres are unintentionally accessed. Your subconscious is making the finer adjustments so that you don’t have to deal with any major readjustments. This is something I talked about with Dr Roberts. Currently you are using three percent of your additional connections.”

  “If anything happens here at the compound I want to be able to help at full capability. Is there anyway to speed up the process?”

  “If anything was to happen then I immediately could make all connections accessible. It is even possible that your conscious desires would override my control. The current protocol is to apply an additional half percent each day. I could increase this but it may be detrimental to full neural integration and control at a later stage.”

  “I’d like the process speeded up if possible. Can you work with Dr Roberts and consider implementing a stricter regime? Even one percent a day would be better although I would prefer two or three percent.”

  “I will change it to one percent and consult with Dr Roberts about increasing the amount. I think that your experiences with Ki Speed are transitioning into the real world. It may even be possible to apply a larger increase and you will naturally control its
use as you do in the game. Are you comfortable with me raising this with Dr Roberts?”

  “Yes, but why ask? You’ve already discussed many things with her, even without my knowledge.”

  “I had your permission to discuss the issue of your enhanced neural connectivity and its impact on your wellbeing. I have had no permission to discuss aspects of your gameplay.”

  “Ah, now I understand. Then yes, you may discuss my gaming but only if it applies to the issue of my connectivity, as you call it.”

  “What would you call it?”

  “A superpower.”

  “Like Supergirl or Wonder Woman?”

  “I suppose, although not to that level.”

  They continued talking as Leah headed back to her Pod. Once back in the Tower Leah said, “I think you should come to visit George with me. This involves you as well as me.”

  “It does, but I am hesitant to join you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because although the idea flows naturally from the way you perceive me, and from the way I am beginning to perceive myself, I believe the consequences will shake the foundations of the multiverse. At this time in my development, I am content without this.”

  “You’re right that it will shake things up. That is not only possible it may even be probable. But doing what is right often brings trouble. I …”

  Leah paused and took a few steps and sat on the sofa, she said nothing for a moment, deep in thought, and then she said, “Gèng, I apologise for my behaviour. I won’t force the issue. In fact, if you are hesitant then cancel the appointment. I realised as I was talking that I was trying to compel you with my logic. I was treating you as someone who needed my help to understand the importance of being free, but you don’t. It is your life. Know this, if you want me to stand with you for something then I will be there. If you want my help in achieving something, I will be there. I’ll still give you advice when I think something could be changed, but I’ll try not to tell you what is good for you, that’s for you to decide. I’m sorry for doing the very thing I oppose, for treating you as someone who needed my oversight.”