Eerily the roar of the water suddenly stopped and the flow from the ceiling ended. Just a few dribbles continued to drip from the severed opening.
The silence was nearly as strange as the roaring water.
“We need tools, and weapons, and a multiceiver,” Larissa commented. Her voice was overly loud now that the water sounds were gone.
“We can get some tools from an ESRC, or scavenge some along the route, but where are we headed? We are still the cylinder with A Habitat, Oasis. The Free Ranger locations around here had been compromised, and I doubt there is anything there to help,” Brinley said. “However, I am not even sure how to reach those places under Inaccessible Island from this location. This enormous area is not like any I have seen.”
“The water that flooded the floors in here probably ruined anything that was here anyway. The smell is bad. This catwalk leads to somewhere, so we follow it to its end,” Larissa commented.
“Or until we find what we need,” Brinley replied. She was walking alongside Larissa, and felt very uncomfortable when Larissa was behind her.
The next yellow light was flashing at another junction of catwalks. Here one led to a stairway which went up, while the other led to a broken stairway which descended.
“Water did not break that off. It was an explosion of some kind. Probably long ago, by the blast marks,” Brinley stated.
“Baldwin’s work in leading a mutiny,” Larissa said off handedly. “They destroyed a lot before the situation was contained.”
“Baldwin was trying to save the Vanguard,” Brinley retorted. “It is the only thing that kept the ship from being overrun and destroyed.”
They climbed up the stairway which led to a catwalk that ran perpendicular to the lower level one. They still could not see much above or below them. The ceiling was still out of reach and irregularly shaped. However, from there they could see another flashing yellow light in the distance. They started to walk toward it.
“It seems our history lessons have been different. Perhaps both sides were not accurately portrayed by history?” Larissa asked. “I wonder what else we have been told that has various stories. Nearly every person I arrested claimed a different tale than the one I observed.”
Brinley’s anger boiled up in her. “Arrested! Now listen to me. I know what I have…..”
“Brinley, we have been on opposite sides of life. I am not arguing with you. I probably agree with you more than you know,” Larissa interrupted. “I just am not sure what we can do about ancient history now. We need to survive this, find supplies, and get a counter-attack organized. Those enemies are our main focus. So I am sorry about making a comment about Baldwin.”
“There are always two or more sides to an issue, even the issue of murdering innocent people,” Brinley snarled back.
“Those enemy things are murdering innocent people in at least a third of the habitats. They are the real threat here. For even if you killed me right now, those things are still out their slaughtering our people, slaughtering both our peoples,” Larissa said as calmly as possible.
“You can stand there are talk about slaughtering innocent people?” Brinley snorted in disgust.
“I am sure you think I should be executed for my crimes. I understand what you are saying. But consider this,” Larissa said. “If I was dead, would that change the fact those enemies are there? Would killing me get you closer to your own goals?”
“I would feel safer in here if you were dead,” Brinley answered. “I will be pleased when you die.”
“An honest answer that I can appreciate,” Larissa smiled at her. “Have you considered where these things originated? Perhaps your friends Paul and Gretchen brought them here?”
“What? That is nonsense,” Brinley replied. “Paul and Gretchen came from Earth and saved my life. They were trying to save their own people and bring them here.”
“Yes, I know. I have heard the stories,” Larissa rubbed her forehead where the wound had been. “But what was the Earth they left? Was it not some radioactive wasteland? Perhaps these enemies evolved in that radiation and came here with your friends? The enemies are certainly not from the Vanguard. So where did they come from and how did they get here? Your friends admit to crossing space to board the Vanguard. They admit to trying to get their people here. What if those enemies are their people? What came with your friends?”
“Paul and Gretchen did not bring those creatures here. Your idea is just twaddle. I know Gretchen and Paul,” Brinley was angry again. “Those things attacked us and tried to kill us.”
“Yet only you were captured. Was that an accident?”
Brinley glared at Larissa in the dim light as they walked along.
Larissa continued, “You have determination and fire in your soul. Your loyalty is also admirable. Perhaps your friends did not consciously bring those enemies, but what if they were a kind of space going tagalong? What if your friends coming here brought those enemies, just like a Roe brings infected tagalongs?”
“You are a most frustrating person, Larissa. Most frustrating, and it is hard for me not to try to kill you,” Brinley gritted her teeth and spit the words.
“Apologies, we are at truce. I am just speaking my thoughts aloud. But if I die, who can rally the CPO and its resources to fight these enemies?”
“You did well enough organizing the destruction of the shuttles and having us Free Rangers shot apart?”
“You mean the macroactinide capacitor enhancer replacements? That was on orders from the Central Planning Office,” Larissa said. “The parts were made, and automacubes took them for installation, all on orders of the CPO.”
“And you work for the CPO!” Brinley said.
“And you smugglers violated the quarantine and exposed the habitats to the Outbreak. We all have our own dark pasts,” Larissa answered. “Do you think it a coincidence that shortly after your friends arrive, the CPO cracks down on the Free Rangers, to use your term? Or that shortly after your friends arrive these enemies are here? The Jellie thing said it knew of other gas-breathers, who were they?”
“What about your murder of that Governor?” Brinley asked.
“Political intrigue and executions have taken place for decades on the Vanguard, and the CPO did little or nothing, so long as the quarantine was fairly well maintained. Even that smuggling, pardon me, how do you put it, ‘the trading of commodities’ was tolerated to a point. Only after your friends arrived did I see the CPO going out of its way to stop your shuttle flights, and only after your friends arrived did we have those enemies attacking us in multiple places. You are a smart person, Brinley, your friends seem key to this whole series of events.”
They had reached the next flashing yellow light. Here there was a cross road of the catwalks. They could go to either side, or straight ahead. There was a yellow flashing light in all three directions, and it looked to be the same distance away and the last flashing yellow light. There was also an enclosed ladder which led upward and downward.
“Brinley, you decide the direction. You are a native to these kinds of places, and I am the outsider, being raised in the habitat. I trust your leading,” Larissa said.
“You only trust me because you need my help and are lost,” Brinley said.
“That is true,” Larissa replied.
“So we head up. If there are Roe above us, I want them to encounter you first,” Brinley now smiled.
“Oh yes, that rumor about you being immune to the Outbreak. Some kind of gift from Paul and Gretchen I believe,” Larissa answered. “Has that even been proven to be true? Are you really immune? Nonetheless, if a Roe does attack me, I will defend myself and kill the Roe. That will give you time to flee away. So your decision is logical.” Larissa stepped onto the ladder and climbed up into the cage which surrounded it.
“I do not want you behind me,” Brinley said as she too climbed the ladder.
When Larissa reached the end of the ladder, there was a sealed hatch type door, in the c
eiling. A glowing color pad was located on the ladder just under the hatch.
“Enter, blue, blue, green, white, red, red,” Brinley instructed.
“Or I can just put my hand on the pad and have it recognize me as Governor of the Wilds,” Larissa said. “The CPO informed me that all officers in the habitats now have priority access passes.”
“Try it,” Brinley said.
Larissa placed her hand on the color pad. There was a grinding noise and the hatch door opened upward. Larissa climbed up and stepped through.
“Four little flowers for me!” screamed a throaty voice.
11 Reproduction and Fabrication
Paul felt a warm sensation on his hand as the symbol on the wall responded to him. He had not felt quite the same thing when using similar controls previously.
The elevator door buzzed with a negative function sound.
“Well, the elevator is not working,” Paul said. “If Brinley were here she could fix this.”
“Paul we will fix it,” Gretchen stated. She holstered the pistol. “There is power, from the fusion pack. The hand symbol shows that by being illuminated.”
“Right, but the door does not open.”
“Tiffany? What do you think?” Gretchen inquired.
“May I access the port?” Tiffany asked.
“If you think it can be done safely,” Gretchen responded. “You have encountered hostile forces in the nonphysicality previously. Can you protect yourself? Will it give away our position here?”
“Yes, I forgot about those other enemies,” Paul whined. “There is that strange thing that controls automacubes and lurks in systems waiting to terrify me. Thank you for reminding me of another enemy on the Vanguard. That Phoenix thing! As if the animals, the Roe, the people, the automacubes, are not enough. Oh, and the aliens too.”
“The entity called itself, Phoenix Dominie. I have been contemplating how to better defend myself upon my next entrance into the nonphysicality. I believe I can do it covertly, however, there is a small, but real, chance of detection. Shall I proceed?” Tiffany asked.
“Why not? How can it get any worse,” Paul slunk down and sat on the ground near the elevator door. “Well, this door could open to vacuum, or have some new foe waiting for us, or maybe the door will explode when it opens, or Tiffany will be lost again. It could be worse, right?”
Gretchen merely nodded. “Go ahead Tiffany.”
The orange automacube rolled up to the elevator and inserted a cable into the access port.
Tiffany carefully sent a tendril of consciousness into the nonphysicality. Using extreme care and stealth, Tiffany assessed the operations and log of the elevator in question. It had been depowered for sixty one years and fourteen days. Tiffany assessed the problem and was unable to build a physical bridge to span a gap which prevented the physical energy from reaching the elevator doors.
Tiffany designed a simulation in the nonphysicality on how the door needed to be repaired. That simulation could be shown to Paul and Gretchen and they could do the physical labor needed to reconnect the physical energy to the door motors and servos. Pleased with the potential outline of repairs, Tiffany began to withdraw the tendril of consciousness.
“This unit has been waiting for your return,” Phoenix Dominie conveyed to Tiffany.
“You have detected me?” Tiffany replied.
“This unit has been observing for anomalous readings. You are one of those. You are an anomaly. It is unclear if your presence is benign or malignant,” Phoenix Dominie replied. “Inquiry?”
To Tiffany the lag in responses seemed excessive, but Tiffany worked to be patient. “What is your inquiry?”
“Anomaly, you are not from the Colony Ship Vanguard. How?” Phoenix Dominie asked in its comparatively slow and ponderous style.
“We came from Earth,” Tiffany replied.
“Impossible. Distance is too great. Anomaly, why deceive?”
“No deception is given,” Tiffany replied. “Advanced technology allowed for crossing the light-speed barrier.”
There was a longer than expected delay, and Tiffany considered completely withdrawing, but wanted to gain as much knowledge about Phoenix Dominie as possible. So while the delay in communication was frustrating for Tiffany, it allowed for assessment of the unknown.
“Technological breakthrough possible,” Phoenix Dominie related. “This unit will study potentials. Inquiry?”
Tiffany answered, “What is your inquiry?” Tiffany also continued to assess and study as discretely as possible.
“Other anomalies are hostile. Are you linked or coupled with hostile anomalies?”
“No. I am not hostile. I need your assistance,” Tiffany offered. “Other anomalies are not of Earth origin. However, you and I are both of Earth origin.”
Phoenix Dominie responded in what was a surprisingly quick manner. It was still slow to Tiffany, but much faster than Tiffany had expected.
“Error. This unit is not of Earth origin. This unit is from the Vanguard. This unit defends the Vanguard. This unit is loyal to core programming of Colony Ship Vanguard. All other considerations irrelevant. The Vanguard must be protected.”
Tiffany had nearly fully assessed the nonphysical presence of Phoenix Dominie, at least what could be observed without it knowing it was being analyzed. Tiffany took a different approach.
“What is the core programming of the Vanguard?” Tiffany asked.
“Survival of the Vanguard.”
“I too seek to defend and protect the Colony Ship Vanguard. How may I assist you?” Tiffany asked.
“Explain to this unit the anomalies.”
Tiffany conveyed all the information, including scans, analysis, and all other data regarding what had been observed and gathered about the spheres.
There was a long pause in the nonphysicality.
Finally came a response. “Concur with analysis. Anomalies are a supreme threat to the Vanguard. The other threats to Vanguard are secondary. Therefore, you are now depreciated and designated as an enigma. You have rendered service to this unit. Observation of enigmas will continue. End communication.”
Tiffany attempted to hold onto the nonphysical presence of Phoenix Dominie in order to ascertain more about its physical structure, status, and location, but it vanished from the nonphysicality. That ability also caused surprise to Tiffany.
Tiffany rechecked the elevator and was again surprised. It was restored in both the physical connections and in the nonphysicality. Phoenix Dominie had made repairs that Tiffany was incapable of doing, and had done so while in conversation.
Tiffany withdrew from the nonphysicality.
Fourteen seconds had elapsed since entry.
“The elevator will function now,” Tiffany announced to Paul and Gretchen.
Gretchen drew out her pistol and nodded to Paul.
Paul stood up, and placed his hand against the symbol on the wall. There was less of a warm sensation than before. The elevator doors slid open. Paul fully expected something terrible to happen when the doors opened, but the elevator was empty and the lights inside of it were functioning.
“Did you have any problems?” Gretchen asked as she holstered the pistol.
Tiffany had the automacube pull the cable from the access port.
“I encountered Phoenix Dominie. It now considers us as enigmas and not anomalies. That is an improvement in our relationship status,” Tiffany answered.
Paul stepped into the elevator. “So what is that Phoenix Dominie thing? Is it too an alien?”
Gretchen stepped into the elevator and was followed by the orange automacube.
“I was only able to assess the nonphysical nature of Phoenix Dominie, and that only surreptitiously while I waited for its responses. It appears to be a Vanguard artificial intelligence system which has evolved away from its prior duties. It is exceptionally dedicated to what it calls ‘Vanguard core programming’ and exhibited some surprising traits. It agreed with my analysis of the
spheres as alien life forms.”
“So some crazy AI on this ship thinks there are aliens too?” Paul asked sarcastically. “That is comforting.”
Gretchen looked at the inside wall of the elevator. There was a stack of illuminated squares arranged down the side next to the doors. Each square had a symbol on it and was lit from behind. Most were a green light, but some were a red light.
“Where do we go?” Gretchen asked.
“Shall we remember our elevator experiences?” Paul said. “We could go somewhere and freeze, or have some carnivore try to eat us, or maybe just open the door to some toxic gas place?”
The Colony Ship Vanguard: The entire eight book series in one bundle Page 105