NanoSymbionts

by Joseph Philbrook

  “How far do we have to go to reach the next power signal?” Jake's nano-pod asked.

  That was when she felt a slight increase in the available power, which seamed to coincide with an increase in lift from the wing systems. This caused Mary to begin to worry about her mental state. At which point, Jake's nano-pod continued.

  “I've encased your wing's leading edges with a low velocity lift enhancement,” Jake's nano-pod said. “And I'm back feeding the power circuits connected to the deicer systems with every scrap of solar power hitting the wing surface. But I need to know if that will be enough for you to reach the next power signal?”

  Meanwhile in the passenger cabin, one of the flight technicians was trying to calm down the frantic passengers and get them to return to their seats. When one of the passengers suddenly struck her a brutal blow. As he proceeded to claim responsibility for the blast that had robbed them of power.

  “Har!” he said as the side of her head hit the hatch cover behind her so hard that her skull split open, spattering blood and gore all over his bib-front overpants. Then he pressed the intercom talk switch.

  “We pulled the plug on your obscene energy systems,” he announced. “You have no choice but to bring this craft down where we tell you to. Or there won't be anybody to save any of us from the sharks.”

  As he said this, he heard a loud tearing sound behind him. He turned his head to see that one of those accursed outworlders had tried to stand up, without first unstrapping his safety harness. Then he realized the fact that the outworlder had actually succeeded in standing up. The ripping sound he had heard had been the sound of Jake's harness being shredded as his nanite reinforced body tore through it. That was however the very last thought that ever went through his brain. Before he suffered the same fate as the flight technician. When Jake's fist passed clean through the top half of his scull.

  “Alien Scum!” the woman who had accompanied the dead man screeched.

  She pulled a high energy sonic disruptor from her handbag and began to point it at Jake. Even as she pressed the activation button however, Jess's unopened pocket spool of local tender struck the weapon, cracking the emitter array.

  Unable to flow though the emitter, the power feedback surged through her body. The charred remains of her arm broke off the rest of her corpse, as it fell to the floor.

  “Anyone else want to follow their example?” Jake challenged the other passengers. Then he passed the bad news about the flight attendant on to Mary.

  “Poor girl never had a chance,” Jake's nano-pod said. “But he sure didn't expect my reaction. He will never make such a mistake again.”

  It was a good thing Mary could fly the plane by touch. Because her eyes were full of tears as she forced herself to remain in control.

  “I've reassessed our glidepath,” she said. “It looks like we will reach the coastal power signal. While we're still about a hundred feet above the waves.”

  Sam looked at the melted remains of Jess's pocket spool.

  “That weird,” he said. “That doesn't look like there was any metal in that wire.”

  “That's a good observation Sam,” Jess replied. “You see the wire's made out of a recyclable data storage medium. The value of a spool is recorded when it's activated. Each piece retains the serial identification of the roll it came from, until it's eventually melted down to become part of a new spool” Jess glanced at the semiliquid remains of his personal expense spool. “Or perhaps just to ruin a carpet.”

  About this time one of the other passengers wandered over to the smoldering ruin of the woman's body.

  “Such a waste!” said the man, who was wearing a service uniform.

  He shook his head and then knelt to offer a prayer of lamentation over the tragic remains. Suddenly the man was holding the power pack from the woman's weapon in one hand, as he jammed something else from his pocket into it. Sam realized what the man was doing too late to stop him.

  He only had enough time to toss a device, that Sandra had supplied him with, at the man. The device detected the blast as it began to erupt from the ruined power pack and deployed it's short term containment force field around it. When the containment field collapsed, all that was left of the man were a few hot ashes. There was also a large hole in the floor but fortunately there was a cargo hold below the passenger deck. So the hole didn't affect the aircraft's flight characteristics.

  ***

  The ‘Military Operations Commander’ did not look happy as he listened to one account of the incident after another. Commander Wilfred Burlson's private office at Capital city was a small austere room. With little in the way of furnishings, aside from a desk and a few unpadded chairs. Eventually he sent for Jake, Jess and Sam.

  “This is all highly irregular,” the commander said once they were seated. “I'm not quite sure whether I should give you medals. Or have you all summarily shot.” He paused for dramatic effect before continuing. “Lucky for you, the pilot speaks highly of you.” He flipped open a box on his desk. From which he took a pocket spool. “The financial record system verified that your spool was still full.” He tossed a new spool to Jess. “So we are able to issue you a full replacement spool. I've even decided to wave the usual processing fee. You are all free to go.”

  “Thank you sir!” said Jake with a slight nod of his head.

  Then he proceeded to lead his team outside. When they left the building they found Mary waiting for them at the curb. She looked relieved to see them.

  “I'm officially on leave now boys,” Mary said. “I can show you the sights of this town if you like.”

  “To tell you the truth Mary,” Jake replied. “I think I'd rather not. I think we should start making our way northwards now. Are you still planning on showing us the way?” Mary's expression brightened considerably.

  “Yes I was hoping you still wanted me to,” she said.

  Jake gave her an affectionate and somewhat playful hug.

  “Of course we do Mary,” he said. “But I think we do need to figure out which way to go. If you don't mind, I think I've had my fill of air travel for today. But I'm not sure if we should take a riverboat upstream or perhaps ride a train. What would you recommend Mary?”

  “Well for starters,” she replied, “I think we should keep our options open on some of this. And while it's possible to take a riverboat all the way to Prime Miller's estate. The train is faster and the lower Midway river just isn't very interesting. So I'd recommend we take the train to Laketown. Then perhaps we should take a boat from there.”

  “Yeah that sounds just about right to me,” Jake agreed with the idea. “I walked past a train schedule posted back at the airport. If it was up to date, then the next train leaves in just under two hours. I'm also thinking that ‘that’,” Jake pointed at an entrance to a small park entrance gate located on the other side of the street. “Is the same park I saw from the observation deck as we approached the airport. You know, the long skinny one that sits between the city center and the train station. Seems to me that I saw a nice foot path cutting across from what must be this gateway. To one like it near the train station. I'm thinking it would make a pleasant walk and shouldn't take more than an hour or so. Shall we?”

  Mary looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

  “What? Do you mean leave from here without stopping at the hotel to pick up our luggage?” she asked.

  “Exactly,” Jake confirmed. “I'm thinking that we could probably arrange for the luggage to be forwarded to David Miller's estate. It might even get there sooner than we do. Surely there's nothing in the luggage we can't just as easily replace along the way?” As he said this he tossed his pocket spool up with a twirl, easily catching it and putting the spool away with exaggerated flourish. Then with a lustful look up then down Mary's body Jake added, “Certainly not anything that you'll find much use for on the private car I'll be getting for us.”

  As he said this he turned and stepped back in between Jess and Sam. Then plac
ing his arms on their shoulders, he conspired with them in a voice just loud enough for Mary to hear.

  “Now tell me boys,” he inquired. “Do you think there any chance at all, that she is going to actually need anything she's got in her luggage? I'm talking about while she's on the train with us?”

  Mary blushed.

  “All right now that I think about it,” she quickly interjected. “I probably won't actually need a change in ‘clothes’ until we reach Laketown. But if we're going to get to the station with enough time for them to add a private car to the train, we better get started.”

  Then she led the way across the street and on into the park.

  “I could be wrong,” Jess said a few minutes later. “But I think this is the first time we've been totally off camera since we got off the plane.”

  “Well I'm not detecting any surveillance here either Jess,” Sam agreed. “But I wouldn't be too sure of it.”

  “No, me neither,” Jake interrupted. “But Jess's networking nanites are even better at spotting such things than those nice toys Sandra gave you Sam. Besides, mine are top notch and I don't sense anything either.”

  “Which reminds me,” Jess said. “Sam, back on the airplane when you tossed a containment pack at that service man just before he exploded that power pack. How did you know? I'm still not sure what he jammed into it to turn it into a bomb but somehow you saw it coming?”

  “Well actually I didn't even know the power pack ‘could’ explode like that,” Sam admitted. “But I saw in his eyes, that he was about to embrace death and that he wanted to take us with him. So I figured I better toss a lid on whatever he was doing.”

  Mary shook her head.

  “Well I don't think I'll ever understand how you figured that out in time Sam,” Mary said. “But I'm sure glad you did. That blast could have torn the aircraft in half.”

  “I knew I wanted you on my core team Sam,” Jake joked. “I just used to think it was for your ability to make good soup out of anything.”

  The train had barely left the station when Mary felt six hands unfastening her clothing.

  “Don't worry Mary we'll be gentle,” Sam's voice reassured her.

  “Of course...” Jake pretended to dispute. “Ensuring a really gentle hard night's work takes team work.”

  “I think you should know, Jake has a really good team,” Jess whispered in her ear.

  Eventually, they mutually decided it was time to think about eating some food. Mary slowly drew a line with her finger from just above Jake's groin, up an indirect path to his chin.

  “I knew I'd want my luggage,” she lamented. “I'd like to eat in the dining car. But I really dislike wearing my uniform while on leave.”

  “So tell me,” Jake replied as he moved just enough to foil Mary's playful attempt to tap the end of his nose. “If you did have your trunk. What would you wear?”

  Mary looked deeply into his eyes for a few seconds.

  “You mean, so you can buy me some?” she asked. “The only thing they're going to have on the train will look a lot like a service uniform. What I would have worn was a simple country dress.”

  What?” Jake shot back. “Do you mean like those dresses with the built in bib's like we saw on the plane?”

  “Well sort of,” She replied. “Only with brighter colors and made from better cloth.”

  “I don't see this as a problem,” Jake explained. “Sam really is an excellent tailor. I'm betting that I've got all the tools he needs, to turn a curtain and perhaps a pillow case or two, into something like what you describe.”

  “Keep your tools boss,” Sam interrupted. “I carry my own.”

  Sam then pulled a small device out of a sleeve pocket. As he fiddled with it, one of the privacy curtains was enveloped in a cloud of faintly flickering lights. As she watched, the very fabric of the curtain appeared to unravel. It's threads seamed to weave themselves back into some other kind of fabric. Before her eyes, Mary watched a country dress slowly emerge.

  It was similar to some of the finest dresses in her trunk. Yet it appeared to be better made, from finer fabrics. Mary couldn't wait to try it on. When she did she decided that it fit like it had been custom made for her. Which of course it had. There was only one thing missing.

  “This is great Sam,” she said. “I don't suppose you could include a matching pair of panties?”

  “That might be a problem,” Jake interjected with a grin. “You see, Sam doesn't usually make clothes that aren't intended to be seen.”

  “Course, with a name like McNeil,” Jess said with a wink. “I might just get Sam to whip up a traditional Scottish dress kilt and show you how it's supposed to be worn.”

  “Not if you want to stay employed Jess,” Jake interrupted. “While I think we could stand on the fact that such a kilt is traditionally only worn by the men, it really wouldn't be fair to Sam. You are the one who got him to promise not to wear one of his skirts.”

  “Wait a minute!” Mary said with a giggle. “Do you mean to tell me that your family's traditional men's dress uniform includes a skirt of some kind?”

  “It's actually an old military tradition,” Jess asserted. “Some say it's based on the idea, that it made it difficult to catch a Scottish soldier with his pants down. If he can simply squat to answer a call of nature.”

  The dining car wasn't crowded. There were only 7 men and 9 woman there. All sixteen of them were wearing traditional bib-front style clothing. Mostly of the same utility design they had seen on the plane. Though two of the women and one of the men were wearing dress versions of the traditional garments. One of the fancy dressed woman was sitting by herself.

  “Outworlder trash,” she muttered the moment she saw them.” Then she pointedly stared through Mary as if she wasn't there.

  They sat down at an empty table. Mary took great care to insure that the skirt segment of her dress didn't ride up as she sat down. The majority of the other passengers were politely pretending not to stare at them. The atmosphere in the dining car was tensely quiet. There wasn't much conversation. After a few minutes the other lady in fancy dress, a pretty blond with shoulder length hair, spoke loudly to her companion, the well dressed man.

  “I'm sorry father,” she said. “But I think we're all just being rude!” With that the young lady stood up and walked over to their table. “Hello, I'd like to apologize for the way we've been treating you. The fact that ‘some’ of us may dislike anyone from the Outworlds or with certain not so traditional lifestyles, is no reason for the rest of us to be so rude.

  My name is Sue...” She curtsied and continued. “My father and I have one of the larger tables.” As she talked, Sam noticed that her eyes were a delightful shade of green. “If you'd like a bit of civilized conversation, your all welcome to sit with us.”

  “Why thank you Sue,” Mary responded. “My name is Mary. My friends are Jake, Jess and Sam. I thank you for your offer. But I wouldn't want to put you out...”

  “Nonsense!” Sue said. “It's no trouble at all. Please do come on over.”

  “I too, thank you for your kind offer,” Jake decided for them. “If you are quite sure it's no trouble, I think we shall take you up on it.”

  With that said, the four of them got up and followed Sue to her table, where they were soon seated. The well dressed gentleman was an old bald man with a kindly manor and eyes as black as coal.

  “This is my father, Donald Elderberry,” Sue introduced him. “Dad the ladies name is Mary and the gentlemen here are Jake, Jess and Sam.”

  “Well now,” said the old man. “Your certainly welcome to my table. We've already had an appetizer and were getting ready to order a main course. I was trying to convince my daughter that we should go with the roast duck. But she said we couldn't possibly eat the whole thing... Do you perchance like duck?”

  At this point the other well dressed woman was making a few rude noises as she stomped out of the dining car.

  “Harrumph! What is that sme
ll anyway?, she complained. “Whew! I'm leaving to get some air!”

  About half of the plainly dressed country folk followed her out. When they had all left the room, the sound of conversation began to quietly fill the room. Before long they were all enjoying themselves.

  “Getting back to that roast duck,” the old man was saying.

  when the attendant interrupted him to bring Jake another spiced rum beverage and to slide another stein of beer over to Jess. Sam picked up the bottle of sparkling wine, which he was sharing with Donald and his daughter.

  “Well now, I'm rather fond of duck soup,” Sam commented, as he topped off his glass. “But roast duck can be good. Especially when it's served with the right side dishes. Tell me Donald, would it go better with rice or potatoes?”

  The older man smiled as he replied.

  “The rice, so of course that's not on the menu,” he explained. “But they do a good job with the potatoes and gravy. I'm not really sure which green vegetables they have in the pot today. What I can tell you is they will prepare them well.”

  “One thing is for sure, we are going to eat something,” Jess spoke up. “I'll tell you what If you'll order a family style dinner for all of us, I'll get Jake here to spring for it.”

  There was a slight edge in the Old man's voice when he replied.

  “You are my guest,” he protested. “I wouldn't have offered the duck if I didn't intend to pay for it.”

  “Very well,” Jess said as he realized his mistake. “So long as it's our treat next time.” The old man's face brightened as he realized Jess hadn't meant the insult.

  “Agreed!” he said cheerfully. “I'm not sure when that will be. But yes next time I will allow you the honor.”

  Chapter 22 Long Distance Transport

  Questor's shuttle was waiting when the guild's most reliable long range tradeship, ‘Resonance’ arrived at the rendezvous point. The outer appearance of the huge ship was decidedly old style. In spite of being equipped with state of the art gravitational optimizers, it's passenger decks consisted of a series of ring shaped sections that used centrifugal force to simulate gravity.