Jack nodded. “Sounds easy when you say it like that.”
“Things are only as hard as we choose to make them,” Hasatan responded. “But I have every confidence that you could achieve such a thing… with the right guidance.”
Jack hesitated. “Can I think about it?” he asked. “Your offer, I mean?”
Hasatan’s gaze shifted to something behind Jack. Jack turned and saw Armonto Virtuoso approaching with a small army of technicians in his wake. “Take all the time you want,” Hasatan said, resting a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “I don’t plan on going anywhere, anytime soon.”
Jack smiled and nodded as Hasatan began to take his leave. “Hey, Paragon Hasatan,” Jack said.
Hasatan turned and looked at him.
“Thanks for the talk. I really appreciate it.”
Hasatan nodded. “As do I,” he replied. “It was… quite enlightening.”
Chapter 29
“And this here is the galley,” said Jack, stopping his tour of the Earthship in front of the entrance leading to the replica of Big Jim’s Pizza Palace. The doors opened up and Armonto Virtuoso and his crew peeked inside. From the look on Armonto’s face, he was slightly appalled by the décor.
“You certainly have an… eclectic collection of rooms on your vessel,” Armonto said as his technicians all took copious amounts of notes about what they were observing. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though, especially after seeing your quarters.”
“I know they’re not all super-futuristic or high tech,” said Jack, “but they remind me of home. It’s like a little part of Earth is still alive in here. That’s more important to me than having fancy rooms all over the place.”
“Indeed, I did not mean offense,” replied Armonto, not really sounding like he was apologizing. “It’s actually quite fascinating. How accurate are these representations of the original locations?”
“They’re pretty much exactly like them,” said Jack, “with maybe only slight differences. For instance, you can’t open any windows because, you know… space travel and everything.”
“So your ship does make adjustments to preserve the integrity of its hull and life-support,” said Armonto thoughtfully. “Interesting. How exactly does it know how to replicate what you’re thinking?”
Jack shrugged. “I’m not really sure,” he said. “It just… does. Like it’s psychic or something.”
“More likely there is some type of advanced brain-scan technology incorporated into its design,” mused Armonto as he looked around. “I’m willing to bet it has some method of reading and deciphering brain activity as its subjects access their memories. There could be sensors hidden throughout the hallway here, constantly monitoring our brainwaves.”
“Yeah,” said Jack. “Or the ship’s psychic. Just sayin’.”
Armonto looked at Jack as though the thought of a psychic spaceship amused him. “The very word ‘psychic’ means ‘of the mind.’ In order for what you say to be true, your ship must have a brain. Does it?”
Jack frowned. “I don’t think so,” he said.
“Then it’s not psychic,” Armonto stated.
“If you say so.”
Armonto stepped back from the door to the galley, allowing it to close once more. “So, tell me how this works, exactly,” he said. “How do you get the ship to manifest these rooms for you?”
“I just think about what I want, and then… well, the ship just makes it,” replied Jack.
“Is that so?” asked Armonto. “Are there any limits as to what it can make?”
“Limits? Like what?” asked Jack in response.
“Well, what if I were thinking about a supernova?” Armonto said. “Would we open the doors to find one contained within the room?”
“Why would you want to have a supernova on a ship?” asked Jack.
“That’s not the point,” muttered Armonto. “The Paragon ability for manifestation is limited based on their understanding of what it is they wish to manifest. The more complicated an object is, the more difficult it is to manifest into reality. Base elements, such as fire, water, electricity, metal, wood, and oxygen can be manifested rather easily by any halfway decent Paragon. Yet, a rocketpack requires the Paragon to understand how it’s made – what metal is it comprised of, what type of fuel does it run on, how does the combustion mechanism operate, and so on. One does not simply imagine what a rocketpack looks like, and poof – it magically appears. The mind that is manifesting it is limited by its understanding of the object. If you tell me your ship can manifest anything I can think of, then you are telling me somehow your ship has knowledge of how everything works, and that it can pull into reality even that which we do not understand. So I wish to know just how far we can take such a thing.”
Jack frowned. “Well, it has created guns and armor and hoverbikes for me before,” he said. “But they were all kinda based on stuff I was familiar with from videogames I used to play. I didn’t know how any of it worked, but it was still able to make it. I do know that one thing it can’t do is create living things.”
Armonto raised an eyebrow. “Interesting,” he said. “So it cannot manifest life.”
“No, it can’t,” replied Jack.
“What about spatial distance?” Armonto asked. “Your bedroom is quite small, yet your ‘galley’ is much larger. However, the exterior of your ship is uniform. Am I to assume this ship is trans-dimensionally coupled?”
“Um… huh?”
Armonto sighed. “It means that the exterior of the ship and the interior of the ship exist in separate but linked dimensions. Therefore, the interior can be as large or small as is required, while the exterior remains the same size.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Jack replied. “I never really thought about it before.”
“If that is the case, I wonder how the dimensions are created and linked together,” murmured Armonto to himself. “Very well, let us test this, shall we? Would you be so kind as to have your ship manifest a wide open field?”
“A field?”
“Yes, a field. Grass, trees, that sort of thing. Make it big. As big as you can.”
Jack sighed. “Okay,” he said. Jack thought of the cornfields behind his school in River Heights, then opened the door. Sure enough, inside were tall stalks of corn stretching off into the distance, complete with a sunny blue sky.
“What’s this now?” Armonto asked, looking at one of the stalks curiously.
“Corn,” replied Jack.
“But you said your ship cannot manifest life,” Armonto said. “Plants are alive, are they not?”
“I guess I meant it can’t manifest people,” Jack said. “Things with consciousness and souls.”
“Souls, eh?” muttered Armonto derisively. He peeked around the inside of the doorway, then knelt and dug at the ground with his hand. “Hmmmmm.”
“What is it?” asked Jack.
“The sky is digital, which means there’s a ceiling,” said Armonto, brushing his hands off. “And walls. And beneath this dirt I’m sure we’ll find a floor. The room is big, but it’s still a room. That means that whatever you manifest within your ship is still confined to being a room within a ship. Which, of course, means there are indeed limits to what your ship can do.”
Don’t try to seem so happy about that, thought Jack, kind of annoyed over Armonto’s smirk.
“Is the manifestation limited to you?” he asked. “Does it only respond to Earthmen? Or can anyone manifest a room?”
“I’m the only one who can fly the ship, but anyone on board can manifest stuff they want,” Jack replied. “Anna manifested her bedroom from Earth, the Professor manifested his office, and stuff like that.”
“Good,” said Armonto. “Close this door. Let me try.” Jack closed the door. “Is there a trick to this?” Armonto asked.
“Not really,” said Jack. “You just imagine what kind of room you want, and the ship does the rest.”
“Very well. Let’s see how it does at
recreating my office.” Armonto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes, then hit the button on the door, which revealed a completely empty room. Jack glanced inside.
“Dude, you have an empty room for an office?”
“No,” replied Armonto tersely. “Your ship did not manifest what I was thinking.”
“Maybe you did it wrong?”
“You said there was no trick to it.”
Jack shrugged and closed the door. “Maybe the ship isn’t familiar with the technology in your office? Try thinking of something else.”
“Very well. My bedroom then.” Again, Armonto closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened the door to a completely empty room. Jack had to bite his lip to keep from chuckling at Armonto’s frustrated expression.
“Maybe you’re thinking about the rooms wrong?” offered Jack.
“I do not think about things wrong,” replied Armonto, his voice soft but strained. “Is it possible your ship is malfunctioning?”
Jack closed the door, then opened it back up to reveal Big Jim’s Pizza Palace once more. “Nope,” he said. “Seems to be working just fine.”
Armonto sighed. “I suppose we’ll come back to this later,” he said. “But right now, I would very much like to see this Entanglement Engine of yours.”
“Right this way,” said Jack. Jack led Armonto and his people toward the room housing the Entanglement Engine. However, once they were there, Jack stopped and looked at the wall of the hallway strangely. The door that normally led to the engine was gone.
“Is something the matter?” Armonto asked.
“Yeah,” said Jack. “The engine room… it’s normally right here.”
Armonto looked at the wall curiously as Jack gestured toward it. “Are you saying your ship moved the engine room?”
Jack checked his mental map of the ship. “No,” Jack replied. “It’s just… disappeared.” Jack glanced down the hallway and double-checked his mental map again. “In fact… all the ship’s rooms housing its machinery have disappeared.”
Armonto’s eyes narrowed as he studied the hallway. “Mr. Finnegan, would you be so kind as to take us to the bridge?” he asked. Jack led Armonto and the other technicians to the bridge. If the group was impressed by what they saw when they entered, they didn’t show it. “Everyone find a console and access the ship’s systems,” Armonto ordered. “Call up everything you can about the vessel. I want to know where we can access its engines.”
Armonto’s people rushed to obey. Jack watched them all curiously as they sat at the different stations of the bridge and started typing away at the consoles located there. “Systems are not responding, sir,” said one technician.
“I am not seeing any signs of rooms anywhere on the ship’s schematics, sir,” said another.
“The computer is not granting us access to its databases, sir,” said a third.
Jack crossed his arms and leaned against the railing of the teleportation platform at the top level of the bridge. The last time he’d seen the ship act this way was when the Deathlords were trying to figure out how it operated.
“What is going on?” Armonto asked Jack pointedly. “I thought we had your full cooperation.”
“I’m not doing this,” replied Jack.
“Then who is?”
Jack shrugged. “I guess the ship is just trying to protect itself,” said Jack. “Maybe it doesn’t want you to figure out how it works?”
“It’s a ship,” replied Armonto. “It shouldn’t want anything.”
“This one apparently does.”
Armonto sighed. “So, you think this is some type of defense protocol? That when it detects unfamiliar individuals onboard it goes into some kind of lock-down mode and hides all of its most sensitive components?”
“That’s one possibility,” said Jack.
“What other possibility might there be?”
“That the ship just doesn’t like you very much.”
All the technicians on the bridge tensed at Jack’s words, looking at him wide-eyed, as if in disbelief at what he had just said. Armonto looked surprised, as well, before he took a deep breath and regained his composure. “Have I done something to offend your… ship?” Armonto asked, saying the word “ship” like he’d tasted something foul.
“Beats me,” said Jack. “But if it’s locking you out, then I’d have to say you certainly didn’t make that good of an impression.”
Armonto ground his teeth. “If your ship won’t cooperate,” he said softly, “how are we supposed to study it?”
“If I had to guess,” responded Jack, “I’d say you should probably put someone in charge it actually likes.”
“And who, pray tell, might that be?” grumbled Armonto.
Jack couldn’t help but smile.
Not too long after, Professor Green teleported onto the bridge, straightening his bowtie and grinning brightly. “Jack, my boy!” he said cheerily as he walked up to the waiting Earthman and Armonto.
“Professor,” responded Jack. “Congratulations on your promotion.”
“Yes, quite unexpected!” said Green, nodding to Armonto. “’Supervising Director of Earthship Technology.’ Has a nice ring to it, wouldn’t you say?”
“Most definitely,” said Jack.
“Well now,” said Green clapping his hands. “Let’s get started shall we?”
Green moved past Jack and Armonto to begin instructing the technicians about how to properly operate the Earthship. Jack noticed Armonto didn’t look too pleased to see Green taking control.
“Don’t worry. No one knows this ship better than the Professor,” said Jack. “I’m sure he’ll be able to figure out all types of stuff with your help. The ship’s already proven how much it likes him.”
“Yes,” Armonto said softly, his voice sharp as a dagger’s blade as he glared at Green. “What’s not to like.”
Chapter 30
Anna made her entrance into the small council chamber that was situated right off the Throne Room. It was typically used to receive distinguished guests and foreign dignitaries, but today a meeting had been scheduled to take place there. The Visini Ambassador had demanded a personal face-to-face audience with her. Anna normally did not attend meetings such as this one, outside of the typical photo opportunity and the exchange of formal greetings. The actual diplomacy of the Empire fell mostly to the Directory.
Anna did not feel up to performing state duties this day. She felt exhausted and weary. She had not been sleeping well, her dreams constantly plagued with images of her subjects mocking her and haunted by the ghosts of her disappointed ancestors.
You are not worthy, their voices seemed to echo, rattling around in her brain.
All five Directors were already in attendance when she arrived, sitting on chairs stationed in front of hers on the raised dais. Behind the dais was a holomural of Emperor Arcturus I, who had discovered the first Ancient Temple on Regalus Prime and had united all the people of the planet under his rule to form the genesis of the Empire. The Directors all rose to their feet when Anna entered. The Visini ambassador, Truetone the Blue of House Winnex, was already in attendance, as well. Anna noted the grim look on the ambassador’s face as she took her seat. An uneasy feeling began to form in her stomach.
“Ambassador Truetone,” said Director Casgor after the Directors all took their seats. “You have requested this audience with Her Imperial Highness and the leadership of the Empire, which we now gladly grant you.”
Ambassador Truetone bowed stiffly. He was dressed in the typical attire of a Visini nobleman, sporting a deep purple formal longcoat with tails, high-waist pants tucked into knee-high white socks, a vest, and a frilly white neckpiece called a ruff. His skin was a medium shade of blue, but he wore a white powdered wig with curls on the sides and a ponytail in the back.
“Members of the Directory, Princess Glorianna, I am honored to be received by you this day,” Truetone said, sounding anything but honored.
“And we are honored to receive the distinguished representative of the Visini Empire,” Casgor replied. “What do you wish to discuss?”
Truetone straightened himself, his lips pursing momentarily as his yellow eyes settled on Anna. “It has recently come to my attention that a Royal Pardon has been issued to Scallywag the Red, essentially giving him sanctuary in Regalus Space,” the ambassador said.
The Directors all exchanged concerned glances. “And how, exactly, were you made aware of this, Ambassador?” asked Casgor.
“The Visini Empire has received reports from Bounty Hunters who have been commissioned to track him down, that he now enjoys the privileges and protections of Regal Citizenship,” Truetone replied. “Are you denying this is true?”
“We do not deny that we have issued this pardon,” Casgor said.
“The Visini Empire demands to know why such a thing was done,” Ambassador Truetone said. “Surely you’re aware of what this monster is responsible for.”
“Ambassador, there were a great number of reasons as to why—”
“I am not talking to you,” Ambassador Truetone said sharply. Every member of the Directory looked taken aback by the Ambassador’s blatantly undiplomatic tone. Truetone set his steely gaze upon Anna. “This was a royal pardon, which means it was issued by Her Royal Highness,” Truetone said, “and I demand to know why your Princess sees fit to shelter a known war criminal.”
“You do not get to demand anything of Her Imperial Highness,” blustered Jamerones. “Furthermore, I would caution you to watch your tone with us, as well, lest you wish to create an intergalactic incident.”
“You have already created one by harboring this fugitive, Director,” replied the ambassador, icily. “I am here under direct orders from the Enlightened Emperor Maxmillen himself, who wishes to know why the Vice Admiral of the Black Fleet is now free to prance about Regalus Space. And as I speak with his voice, I shall only accept an answer from one of equal standing to him. So I ask again, Princess… why did you pardon this Visini?”
Earthman Jack vs. The Secret Army (Earthman Jack Space Saga Book 2) Page 32