Randolph Lalonde - Spinward Fringe Broadcast 08 - Renegades

by Randolph Lalonde

  “I’m not gonna grow up,” Alice said. “Ever.”

  “Not unless we can find a way to communicate with the framework system without disturbing its normal function,” Doctor Messana said. “Or there could be a subconscious trigger it’s waiting for. So far, the system has rolled you back roughly every two months.”

  Alice only had to imagine what being a teenager for the rest of her life would be like for a moment before she knew, for a fact, that it was the worst thing she could imagine. “I’m staying on the ship for this mission because I’m a kid, I’ll always be a kid.”

  “No,” Doctor Messana replied. “Absolutely not. I am holding you back because I don’t know what will happen during your next regeneration, but your framework system is indicating that a completely new reconstruction pattern is ready to go. We can see the file, and that it’s very different from the last one, but we can’t interpret it, see what you’ll become if the worst happens. I thought it was critical that you know before you go on any dangerous missions.”

  “So, I know about this now, can I join the boarding teams?” Alice asked.

  “I need to know that you understand the implications of this. If your heart stops beating, or you are critically injured, the framework system may take the opportunity to remake you into a person you don’t even recognize.”

  “But I’ll still be the same person up here,” Alice said, pointing to her head.

  “No, not completely. Do you remember much of your last human life?”

  Alice thought a moment and, as much as she wanted to tell the doctor everything was fine, that she could recall her life on the Clever Dream with her old friends, it wasn’t true. “Most of it is really foggy, or missing, or I remember telling people about those times more than I actually remember being there,” she conceded.

  “Right, and I can see from passive brain scans that you are actually suppressing a lot of those memories, and the suppression is driven selectively by a non-biological system.”

  “Framework is doing it.”

  “Yes. That’s just a start though. If you regenerate with a new combination of DNA, your genetic predispositions will be changed as well. You could become someone with a severe temper, or be a more passive person and have no control over your natural tendencies. For all we know, the last thing you’ll want is to be a soldier if you change into this person that the Framework has preloaded for you.”

  “What about my dad? He came back looking different, but he didn’t seem to change,” Alice asked.

  “Funny thing about that. Can I disclose this, Captain?” Doctor Messana asked.

  “Go ahead, but don’t share this outside of this room, all right, Alice?”

  “Okay, what happens in med-bay stays in med-bay,” Alice agreed.

  “Your father may look similar, but his DNA profile shifted quite a bit. It borrowed from the unknown female contributor to your DNA and made sure that he remained your biological father. A little tinkering by the framework system made sure he’d recognize himself in the mirror because he had a long history of being that person, looking that way, but the reason for your father looking roughly the same is just an assumption on my part. Your father’s new genetic profile indicates that he’s predisposed to addiction and depression. These are markers from the body you had the last time you were human, and they’re markers you share with him right now. There are positive predispositions as well, including a tendency towards high emotional response and exceptional memory retention. I’ll make sure you have the whole profile today, but I need you to take time to think about your career choice before you go on any other missions, especially since the combination of genetic predispositions add up to a high likelihood that you and your father will eventually struggle with post traumatic stress.”

  “What? Can’t you give us some kind of memory control treatment for that? People haven’t had that problem for ages,” Alice replied. There were so many new things to consider, she had trouble keeping up.

  “Yes, there are plenty of treatments, but in you and your father’s cases specifically, no pharmaceutical methods will be effective. The active ingredients in drinks like Michnickel or Cosuberi are blocked by the framework system. Direct memory manipulation and drug treatments are also ineffective because frameworks protect against them. You and your father are uniquely vulnerable to the lasting effects of your experiences, and I need you to keep that in mind. You only have to look at your father’s sleep schedule to see that he’s having problems processing violent memories and stressful experiences now.”

  “So, somehow we both wanted these problems in our subconscious before the framework system remade us?” Alice asked.

  “The genetic predispositions you and your father have that can lead to post traumatic stress are beneficial in near ideal situations. Emotional sensitivity and high performing situational memory are both highly desirable traits on their own, and they can benefit almost all parts of a non-soldier’s life. Individually, they’re highly beneficial to a soldier as well, but if they are combined along with a few other genetic and environmental factors, violent experiences and certain types of stress will always lead to post traumatic stress. I’m sorry, these are things we know for a fact, and, thanks to the framework system, I can’t treat you using quick methods. If you remain a soldier, you’ll have to develop coping mechanisms, preferably with the help of a therapist.”

  “I just want you to hold back until we figure out the triggers for the framework system,” Jake said. “When we do, we’ll be able to use the same treatments as everyone else.”

  “You have nightmares?” Alice said. She couldn’t stop thinking about something the doctor just said, that some of the markers that they both had were from her previous body, the one that died aboard the Triton.

  “He vividly relives traumatic experiences in his sleep,” Doctor Messana said. “He’s developed coping mechanisms to deal with it over the years, but there’s reason for concern. There are already warning signs for paranoia and hyper-vigilance.”

  “I don’t want you to start down the road I’m on without knowing the facts,” Jake told her. “I’ll support any decision you make, as long as you’ve thought it through.”

  “What, being a soldier? A ranger?” Alice stared at her father for a moment. She could see he was sympathetic, but there would be no way around a waiting period before she could get on with her life, and chances were she’d be a teenager forever, or years at least. “I can’t imagine doing anything else, Dad.”

  “Just think about it,” he replied. “Give it some time.”

  “Okay, I will.” She slid off the examination table. “That’s everything, right?”

  “There are other minor details, but that’s all the important information, yes,” Doctor Messana said. “I’ll send all the details and research to your comm, you should review the whole file.”

  “Okay, I have duty,” she said, leaving her father and the doctor behind. The whole world had changed in less than half an hour, and she didn’t know what to do or think; her mind felt numb.

  CHAPTER 41

  Alice’s Battle

  For the first time ever, Alice had a station on the bridge of the Warlord. There was a minor shuffling of departments and personnel in the hours before the attack on the edge of the Iron Head Nebula as Jacob Valent and Stephanie Vega refined the plans for their boarding operations. There would be five teams conducting incursions on the enemy ships, and that meant the counter-incursion team that remained aboard the Warlord would be formed late. Some crewmembers would be traded from one team to another, to balance the experts they were taking with them and that left them in an interesting position.

  Anyone with experience had to go on a boarding team. Everyone who was assigned to protect the Warlord in the event that it was boarded or there was a security problem had training for those contingencies, but they weren’t the most experienced group. Before the shuffle, Alice was third in command of the counter-incursion team. After the changes
, she was the commander. First Officer Stephanie Vega officially bumped her rank up to sergeant and gave her the roster. There were twenty-eight people under her command, all watchmen and watchwomen with the right training for their assignment. Half of them had other duties, like loading munitions or damage control, but that was to be expected.

  Alice watched at her station, a seat to the left of the bridge command chair with three small holographic projectors and a narrow wall of screen space, as her fourteen dedicated counter-insurgence officers patrolled key points of the ship, and the rest of them worked at their regular stations in other areas.

  “That’s the last of the crew quarters, Sarge,” reported Nesh, one of the older members of her counter-insurgence security team. “They’re all checked and locked down.”

  “Good, just a precaution,” Alice replied. “Don’t want to give anyone on the wrong side more room for cover.”

  “Yeah, makes sense, good thinking.”

  “Thank you,” Alice replied. Nesh Samo was an experienced soldier who worked security for over a decade in Valero, a super-city on Precious, one of the major core worlds. Nesh was much more experienced and qualified by far, but she was new to the crew. She fell in step and listened to orders faster than most under Alice’s new command, which spoke volumes about the woman’s professionalism.

  “How is it going?” Jake asked quietly as he stopped to stand behind her.

  “Good, I’m having all non-essential compartments closed and secured. No one will be able to get in until this is over.”

  “Good thinking,” Jake said. “Are we okay?”

  “With the medical thing? Yeah,” Alice said, as convincingly as she could manage. She’d put much of it out of her immediate thoughts, a task made easier thanks to her new assignment. “It’s not your fault I’m made the way I am, it’s just a lot to take in.”

  “I’ll take you no matter what shape you’re in,” Jake said quietly. “You’ll always be my daughter.”

  “Thanks,” Alice smiled back. It was a small bridge, and she knew at least a third of the bridge was overhearing their whispered conversation, including Frost, who was sitting in the command seat, making a point of not looking at the father and daughter duo to his left. “Am I missing any tricks from what you can see?” she asked, nodding at her station.

  Jake looked at the displays for a moment. “I’d tie in with Kadri and have her run a signal detection program.”

  “Yup, already taken care of. I’m tracking it on my comm unit already,” Alice replied.

  “Good,” Jake said. “Then the only thing I’d do is priority seal the galley so only the medical staff can open it, and lock all the non-essential storage compartments down. Should keep your people moving around the ship for another ten or twenty minutes and leave boarders fewer places to hide.”

  “Why didn’t I think about that?” Alice said.

  “Because you got this assignment three hours ago,” Jake replied. “All right, I’m going to check in with Frost and then I’m going to get strapped to Minh-Chu’s fighter.”

  “Good luck,” Alice said.

  “Thanks,” Jake replied. “You too.” He turned to Frost and didn’t have to say anything to prompt a report from the lead tactical officer.

  “We’ve got all your expensive surprises loaded up and ready, Captain,” Frost said. “Cloak is holding, and we’re patrolling around the arrival point here. No sign of any other ships in the area and the Warlord is ready for the biggest smash and grab I’ve ever seen.”

  “Finn?” Jake asked.

  “Our ship is invisible even with all our weapon and fighter launch bays wide open,” Finn replied from the engineering station. “We’re currently using point-four percent of our available power and my people have nothing to do except help Ashley fine-tune our manoeuvring systems.”

  “Something wrong with our calibration, Ash?” Jake asked.

  Ashley half turned in her seat at the helm and smiled. “Nope, we’re just looking at it while we have an extra minute. Keeps us from getting all tense while we wait. Everyone’s board is green, Captain, you go have fun.”

  “Is a captain still as much of a captain when the crew can take care of themselves?” Jake muttered under his breath.

  “You’re the man with the plan, Captain,” Frost replied. “Don’t think we’d try to bite off half of what you plan to chew today, even if we had twice the dog. Good hunting, Sir.”

  “Thanks, good hunting, Warlord,” Jake replied before leaving the bridge.

  Alice checked on her team and highlighted the storage areas that didn’t contain parts for the ship or equipment they’d need for the upcoming battle, and ordered her staff to seal them off. With her orders sent and security well in hand, she took a moment to look to the main tactical display in front of the command seat. They had been patrolling for hours since the Warlord emerged from the wormhole, and aside from a few smaller ships passing through the area, a medium cargo hauler that had since moved on, and a buoy, the space they were in was clear. The destroyer, two corvettes, and the large cargo hauler they were waiting for would be emerging from their wormholes in a few minutes.

  “Plot an evasive stealth course and execute when ready,” Frost ordered. Ashley set her course and took manual control of the Warlord, guiding it into a manoeuvring pattern that would be difficult to track if anyone caught a momentary indication of where the ship was.

  “Launch probes, one from each facing,” Frost ordered. “We’re watching for signal echo and any unnatural light paths. Set their timers to aggressively scan after thirty seconds then shut down.”

  “Still expecting other cloaked ships out there?” Kadri asked.

  “Aye,” Frost replied. “This is a good spot for a waypoint going into the nebula, but there has to be a reason for these ships to feel safe while they’re plotting their path through.”

  “Probes away,” Finn replied.

  Everyone waited as the eight centimetre long probe drones zigged and zagged away in all directions. Ashley piloted the Warlord so the ship came about and thrust off on a course that was not exactly inverse to their previous heading. It would be difficult for a tactical officer on an enemy ship to guess where they were, but the probes did reveal their general location, and Alice felt less uneasy as they put more distance between them and the small projectiles they launched.

  The probes activated, filling the tactical screen with a red bloom of energy that radiated in all directions away from their location. It only lasted a minute, but the eight probes were able to fill the area with aggressive multi-spectrum noise that would reveal everything in the area, even cloaked ships if their was a chink in their concealing technology.

  “If our cloaking systems have any problems, we’ll be just as visible as anyone else,” Finn said to no one in particular as he looked at his combined damage control and tactical systems. David Penton stood along side him, dedicating his attention only to engineering.

  “My goodness, I didn’t think about that,” Frost muttered in return. “S’pose I’ll have to tell the captain we’ll be found out and we should pack it all in, go find a nice out of the way planet and start a colony. That’s if you don’t think our cloak can hide us in the middle of this noise.”

  “No echoes or shadows coming back on the Warlord,” Kadri reported from the communications and scanning station. “Good work, Lieutenant Finn.”

  “Thank you,” Finn replied.

  “You’ll have your first drink on me when we find a moment and a corner to celebrate in,” Kadri added with a wink.

  “That’s a promise I’d take,” Frost said as he checked the scan data.

  “Like I’d make you the same offer,” Kadri scoffed exaggeratedly. “I don’t date men my age.”

  Alice glanced at Finn in time to catch him blushing, and she barely stifled a giggle. Her focus returned to her station, where icons representing her team moved through the corridors, lighting up secured compartments and storage areas that were fre
shly checked.

  “I got unregistered firearms here, locker twenty ninety-nine. The manifest management screen says this locker isn’t assigned to anyone,” Ensign Andy Timmermen reported. “No known DNA or other indications of ownership either, but forensic scans say these weapons were assembled forty three minute ago.”

  The scan results appeared in front of Alice, a ripper pistol and a motorized fragmentation grenade. Alice cross referenced the parts list from the weapons with the manufacturing logs and grimaced. Those weapons were made of objects that were used ship wide for construction and repairs, even the pistol grip was just a door handle that had been bent and curved to its new purpose. “Okay, I’m reporting this. Assume we have a suspect aboard.”

  “That’s overreacting, isn’t it?” asked Officer Erin Shin, one of her team members and a very recent addition to the crew. “Maybe someone just hasn’t settled in and wanted a personal weapon to feel more secure.”

  Alice didn’t want to deal with people contradicting her. She’d been given her command and her every instinct told her to assert her authority when she was sure she was in the right. “Is it yours?”

  “What? No,” Erin replied.

  “Then let me handle the evidence while you follow orders please,” Alice replied.

  “Yes, Ma’am,”

  “Andy, take those weapons to the nearest dangerous materials lockup. Meet up with Engleman and Richt down the hall so you have cover while you make the deposit and close it up.”

  “Yes, Ma’am, headed to the nearest DML with cover,” replied Ensign Andy Timmermen.

  Alice turned to Frost and he nodded at her. “Well done, I heard your side and checked the summary. I’d take two people off damage control and post them near the recycling processors, where you found that piece o’ work.”

  “Good idea, thank you,” Alice said, adding those orders onto the map. The staffing was light near the fore of the ship and she shook her head. “We’re running thin. Not enough people for coverage. I need to activate more dual purposed staff.”