“So this next phase is a journey back to Inaccessible Island?” Tiffany inquired.
“I think so. It will be very difficult…” Paul lamented. “This place is so large, and Dome 17 was so tight. Even on the missions to other domes, nothing ever felt as vast as some of these places do. Nor as lonely.”
“Paul, while I was searching the nonphysicality, I retrieved deck plans. They are not complete, and I am certain they do not show current, real-life conditions of the places, but I can plan routes using them.”
“So there is an easy way back to Oasis?” Paul asked.
“I did not say that,” Tiffany replied. “I do have an option to offer. There is a small hanger bay not far from this location. If we should….”
“Take a shuttle?” Paul yelled.
“What is wrong?” Brinley cried as she rolled over and jumped up. She shook her head a bit and drew out her handgun.
“Paul why did you yell?” Gretchen asked. She sat up slowly, but was much stronger.
“Truly great. Now I wake them up.” Paul put a hand over his mouth. His eyes showed a few tears as he mentally scolded himself. “I am sorry to wake you.”
Brinley put her weapon away. “So why did you yell. You might as well tell us, we are awake now.”
“Tiffany thinks we can take a shuttle back to Oasis,” Paul said.
Both Gretchen and Brinley looked dubious.
“Paul is essentially correct. He did emotionally respond before I was able to explain,” Tiffany said.
“What is to explain? We have nearly died in shuttle crashes,” Paul said.
“Please let me explain,” Tiffany said. “There is a small hanger bay near here. If there is a functional shuttle at that hanger bay, and I do not know if there is nor not, I believe I can override the sensors and systems which are being used to defend the Vanguard.”
“Defend the Vanguard?” Brinley asked. “What do you mean? I have seen and been attacked myself. The shuttles are being shot to pieces. You can stop that?”
“I do not believe the defensive system recognizes the shuttles, as shuttles. I believe the Free Rangers do modifications on the shuttles they use, correct?” Tiffany asked.
“Yes.”
“I believe the Vanguard defense system is seeing, for lack of a more precise term, seeing the shuttles as foreign objects to be rejected and pushed away from the Vanguard,” Tiffany stated. “This is my best conjecture after probing and searching the nonphysicality.”
“You did what?” Brinley asked.
Tiffany explained what had been done. When the explanation was completed, Tiffany stated, “Paul, please open the door, the automacube I summoned should be here.”
Brinley drew her handgun out, and Gretchen did as well. Gretchen was moving a bit slowly, but was much stronger.
Paul activated the door. The orange automacube rolled into the room. Paul shut the door quickly behind it. The orange automacube had the typical six wheels, but the front two were smaller than the others. There was also a scoop of sorts on the bottom of the machine. The orange color of the machine was bright and shiny. There was a number 209 stamped on the side in small letters.
“I have only seen a few of these cleaners,” Brinley said. “Shall I install Tiffany now?”
Brinley followed Tiffany’s plan and soon the data stick reader was secured on the top portion of the orange machine. Brinley was careful to activate all the channels, scanners, and segments which the typical orange automacube carried but did not fully utilize.
“Thank you Brinley,” Tiffany said from the speakers of the orange automacube. “I will now do modifications to enhance the capability of this chassis. May I borrow some of your tools?”
“Sure.”
The orange manipulation arm on the top of the machine swung around and then did numerous small adjustments within the body of the automacube. Wiring was re-spliced, systems were connected more directly into the data stick reader, and other customizations were built in. Then the arm closed up the rest of its body and the folded flat on the top. “I have completed the installation of my mind into my new body. I will look for additional enhancements as we continue our journey. I believe you will now find the communication links you each have are functional again. I have revised the protocol for…”
Paul interrupted. “You were talking about taking a shuttle. I do not want to get shot at again.”
“Paul, there are risks in every endeavor. The Roe and other threats are in the corridors. There is uncertainty surrounding the needle ship and the actions of the Central Planning Office, and there is a risk of using a shuttle. I have a plan to mitigate the risk with the shuttle. I cannot offer any additional mitigation of risks associated with the Roe or the Central Planning Office,” Tiffany replied, the words coming from the orange automacube.
“Paulie, we should try it. If we walk to that hanger bay and there is no shuttle we can always walk back,” Brinley said. “I prefer to fly anyway.”
“But what about the condition of the hanger bay by Oasis? That was ruined!” Paul said.
“That hanger bay is not the only one near Oasis. I have located a possible alternative,” Tiffany said.
“So the new plan is to go to some hanger bay none of us has seen? Find a shuttle which you have no idea exists? Then fly to some other hanger bay whose condition might be ruins? Again a place none of us has ever seen. And while doing all this, at the same time being shot at by the CPO? Such a fun idea.” Paul’s voice was heavy with sarcasm.
“Paul, I know there are unknowns. I conjecture that this is the path with the most potential for getting us all safely to the goal of Oasis,” Tiffany answered. “The decision is yours and I am here to serve you. I will assist you in whatever decision you make.”
Gretchen then stood and said, “Well, my leg works, and I am ready to go. I think the shuttle idea is the best to try. I think we can make it with Tiffany’s help.”
“I agree with Gretchen,” Brinley said.
Paul looked upset, but he had no better plan. “Okay. I will go too. Like we have any real choices anyway. Get beat up by a Roe, or shot in a shuttle, or drown by some water thing, or have Larissa try to kill us with red automacubes, again. Like you said Tiffany, the death rate on the Vanguard is one per person.”
24 The journey back
The Roe pounded on the door.
Brinley activated the door, and as it slid to the side, all three weapons fired into the hallway.
Blam.
Piff.
Blam.
Before the Roe could say a word, its face was obliterated by the bullets striking into it. A fountain of blood spewed forth from the grotesque injuries. The body jerked and flailed as it fell back to the opposite wall and then slumped to the decking.
Tiffany, in the new orange automacube chassis, led the way past the carnage. They knew the tagalongs would be there rapidly, so they hurried down Causeway 147 for a short distance before Tiffany stopped in front of a nondescript wall.
“Connect the fusion pack into this access port,” Tiffany pointed with the arm of the automacube.
“Make it quick!” Paul said.
Gretchen jacked the cable into the wall. A blue hand symbol lit up as well as the outline of an elevator door.
“I would never have seen that,” Paul said.
“So Paulie, now we have an elevator. See, this will be easy,” Brinley laughed.
Gretchen placed her hand against the symbol, and the elevator opened up. Inside it were three dead bodies. The dried out and hardened bodies were in clothing that was still intact. The walls, floor, and ceiling of the elevator were not stained or damaged in any way that could be overtly seen.
Paul aimed his handgun at them.
“Paulie, they are already long dead,” Brinley chided. “They are wearing flight suits. Not the spacesuits, but specialized suits some of the Free Rangers adopted. In images of Baldwin, he is wearing that kind of suit.”
“But why any remains at all?
” Gretchen asked. “Roe did not do this, nor did the tagalongs. There are still bodies, here, Roe would have consumed them.”
“According to the log here this elevator has been sealed for sixty two years,” Tiffany reported. “These people may have been trapped inside it when it lost power.”
“And you expect us to get inside?” Paul whined. “Dying in an elevator by starving to death, or strangulating for lack of air, or whatever killed them.”
“The tagalongs are down the hall,” Brinley reminded them. “We really should go.”
“This is the way to the hanger bay. We have our own power source, so there is only a small chance we will be trapped” Tiffany said. The orange automacube’s arm reached down and the machine dragged the first skeleton out of the elevator and placed it reverently in the causeway.
Paul grabbed both of the others and tossed them away to land on the first one. “So we go.”
Gretchen unjacked the fusion pack and entered the now vacant elevator. Brinley followed, and then the automacube rolled in. Tiffany connected a cable to the elevator’s control panel.
Paul reluctantly entered. “This is so reassuring, finding dead bodies when we open doors.”
“Paulie, it could have been a Roe,” Brinley said.
The doors closed and the elevator descended. There were a few twists, bumps, and bucks as the elevator moved.
“I am uncertain of the condition of the hanger bay,” Tiffany stated. “It is on the deck plans, but those are outdated and do not show the current conditions. My scanning of the shuttle crashes showed that many occurred at hanger bays. The elevator’s safety protocols will not allow it to open if the atmospheric conditions are unsuitable.”
“You said there was only a small chance of being trapped. Now you say the elevator may not open the doors?” Paul asked.
“Paulie, we can cut our way out. No doors can keep me in, or keep me out. Did you notice, those bodies did not have any tools with them. We will be fine,” Brinley gave Paul a smile.
When the elevator stopped, Gretchen checked her pistol and aimed at the door. The doors opened and they saw that the hanger bay was lit, pressurized, and no Roe attacked them. They were in a hanger bay’s observational room. The clear permalloy wall in front of them was clean and without obstruction. Beyond that was the hanger bay with its faded yellow stripes across the large exterior doors.
“This is a very small hanger bay,” Brinley commented. “Two medium sized shuttles will barely fit here.”
“The air is stale,” Paul said. “Is that a positive or negative?”
“Well we do have a ride, a model 11 shuttle, but I will have to unpack it and modify it,” Brinley said and pointed at the far end of the hanger bay.
The model 11 shuttle was slightly larger than the model 14S. It had a rounded nose, and stubbly swept back wings. The hatch to enter it was on the side, while it had a clear permalloy strip of viewports wrapping around its front.
“Brinley, may I assist?” Tiffany asked. “I believe we will need to avoid doing the extensive modification you have been doing. We will have to get the lattice to allow the flight so as to avoid the defensive system.”
“Tell the CPO where we are? Ask their permission?” Brinley asked incredulously.
“I conjecture that making the request, through a low level automacube, will not alert the authorities,” Tiffany stated.
“Free Rangers have never done that. I doubt it will work. But the way we were doing it was failing with those attacks. Is there a way to test your theory?” Brinley asked.
“The flight will be the test. If the hanger bay cycles, I believe that will be a positive indicator,” Tiffany answered.
“But what destination? Hanger bay 219 was on fire and damaged last time we tried to use it. Trade Master Rodgeeri had people working on it, but I am not sure it will be functional yet.” Brinley was puzzled.
“As I said, there is an alternative hanger bay, designated A-17A, which is in the same corridor system which connects to the freight elevator under Inaccessible Island. That is on the deck plans, but again, the plans do not show the current condition,” Tiffany answered.
“I trust Tiffany’s choice,” Gretchen said. “Brinley, Tiffany got us all the way from Earth to the Vanguard.”
“We barely made it,” Paul interjected. “Barely made it here. It might have been better to just die in space.”
Brinley gave Gretchen a hug. “If you trust Tiffany, I do too.” Then she turned back to the automacube which housed Tiffany. “So I normally would unpack the shuttle and start by disconnecting its sensors and links to the lattice, but what do you suggest?”
“If I enter the nonphysicality, I can obtain the needed clearances. Let me see what else is required,” Tiffany responded. The automacube jacked a cable into the access port.
Tiffany sent a tendril into the nonphysicality. The history of the hanger bay was laid out and it had never been used since launch. The last action which had been delivered had been a manually entered shut down order which had sealed off the hanger bay. Tiffany speculated that that was when the people had died in the elevator, the time frame was consistent with each incident.
Searching carefully, Tiffany found a routine and low level order which allowed the hanger bays to be opened to space and the shuttles allowed to be transferred from one hanger bay to another in case of a toxic spill. Making a conjecture, Tiffany estimated that a request of that manner would be the least likely to arouse any suspicion.
The request was sent. ‘Transfer of model 11 shuttle from this location, E-87A to hanger bay A-17A, due to toxic spill.’
The primary artificial intelligence system, TSI-10 External Security and Defense (ESAD) responded. Tiffany was surprised by having a very high level AI respond, but was easily able to hide behind the façade of the orange automacube, 209’s identity.
Tiffany replied with details of a normal, yet toxic compound which was stored in the hanger bays. The leak of toxins was corrosive on some of the minor systems of the model 11 shuttle, if left for a prolonged period of time, but otherwise not a serious threat.
TSI-10 considered the request. To Tiffany it seemed like a very long wait for the response, but Tiffany recalled the processing speed differences between the antique AIs of the Vanguard, and the capacity Tiffany had.
‘Approved. Depart immediately.’ TSI-10 replied.
The hanger bay lights shifted. Yellow flashing lights came on.
“Get inside the shuttle immediately,” Tiffany commanded. “The hanger bay is cycling.” Tiffany had the shuttle’s hatch open, and then extracted the cable from the access port.
The people rushed into the shuttle. “But it is not unpacked, or ready to go.” Brinley objected.
The shuttle door closed and sealed just before the exterior doors of the hanger bay opened.
“I received permission for the shuttle transfer, but the lattice does not think there are humans onboard. Strap yourselves in,” Tiffany stated. The orange automacube extended its wheels and locked into the side walls at the back of the cabin. Tiffany jacked a cable into the wall.
The model 11’s cabin had eight seats for people. A pilot, a copilot, and six passenger seats. Brinley leaped into the pilot seat and strapped herself in, then began adjusting some of the controls. Gretchen took the copilot seat. Paul flopped into a passenger seat.
Paul felt the loss of gravity manipulation, and the sensation of weightlessness. There was a slight motion, and everything went dark.
Everything was black. Nothing to see. Nothing to hear. Unable to speak.
Sometime later, Paul began to vomit as he awoke. Gretchen was also gagging and vomiting. Only Brinley seemed unaffected.
“Welcome back you too,” Brinley said with her big smile. “We will need to get you cleaned up. Do not fight it. Let it come up and out, it is the only way. We all passed out from LOCA, I could not prevent that, sorry.”
Paul wretched again, but mumbled, “LOCA?”
“Loss of Consciousness from Acceleration,” Brinley said. “Free Rangers train for that, but it is still nasty stuff. I tried to override this crazy shuttle’s actions, but this ship was on some kind of regimented routine and I could not break into its controls before I passed out.”
“We have weight,” Gretchen said as she wiped her mouth. She then had another series of dry heaves, followed by a large one that was not dry.
“Yes, it looks like we landed in this weird little hanger bay a few moments ago. I just woke up myself,” Brinley said. “Make sure you clear out your mouths and noses. Emesis is nothing you want to breathe in.”
The Colony Ship Vanguard: The entire eight book series in one bundle Page 88