by M. D. Cooper
“Set me down there,” Amanda pointed at panel near the bottom right corner of the node’s processing array.
Ben lowered her to the deck, and Amanda grabbed a thicker ‘hair’ at the base of her skull and pulled. It stretched out and she plugged it into a data port on the processing array.
The world around her disappeared as the hard-Link to the node connected. The internals of the node were a mess. Entire regions were filled with ruined code and non-functional arrays—the remains of a battle fought between Myriad and Ylonda that had damaged software and hardware alike.
Amanda was casting about for a protocol and route that would lead her to Ylonda when a connection hit her.
Amanda reeled as Myriad began to push herself across the connection and into her mind. Like their mental fight in the maintenance bay, her adversary was just too strong. She pushed across the Link and began to fill Amanda’s mind, stripping her down and pushing her aside.
It felt like it took years, but Amanda knew only milliseconds had passed. As she examined her surroundings, she could tell that Ylonda was within her and safe, though she could no longer tell where she ended and the AI began.
she replied.
“We’re—I’m safe,” Amanda/Ylonda said aloud. “Get to the pods!”
Ben scooped her up once more and the pair of Marines raced out of the node chamber, down a short set of corridors, to a bank of pods. Three remained, and they crammed into one, Macy slamming a fist into the ‘go button’ the instant the door sealed behind them.
Amanda/Ylonda was still trying to understand what she had become when the pod rocked violently as an explosion’s deafening roar echoed inside the small compartment.
MYRIAD
STELLAR DATE: 03.28.8948 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: ISS I2
REGION: Near Roma, New Canaan System
Tanis wondered what an existential crisis for a being like Bob would entail. Luckily, he was not prone to irrational decisions, or she would have cause to worry.
Bob paused, and this time Tanis suspected that it was not because he was giving her time to process information.
This was new information to Tanis, and she could tell that Angela was surprised, as well.
Angela asked first.
Tanis wondered what that would be like. A multi-nodal AI was essentially a hive-mind of itself. Bob had raised his number of nodes considerably through the years and now possessed forty-two, all placed throughout the ship in a pattern that meant something to him, but not to anyone else—except perhaps Earnest, though he never offered up any explanations.
For Bob, it was the only existence he had ever known. But to split a human mind like that, but have it act in concert with itself, was hard to imagine. It rarely even worked with AI. Bob was the only one she knew of who operated at such a large scale.
Tanis felt her temper fail and anger rise. She trusted Bob, and could accept that he made mistakes from time to time, but this continuing nonsense about some great destiny—which seemed to be the next step in his belief that she possessed some sort of innate luck—was becoming too much.
Tanis paused. Bob’s words were a prelude to a very final statement, one that neither of them—she hoped—wanted to speak or hear.
Before she could respond, Bob spoke again.
Bob proposed.
Tanis massaged her temples. A lot of people were not going to be happy when they learned how Bob acted without any oversight. He had saved them enough times that everyone would give him a pass, but to let it happen again…if it backfired, it would not go well.
Humans and AIs had perished in both the ISF and TSF fleets when Myriad took them over. Some may place the blame on Bob’s doorstep—noting that it could have been avoided if he had revealed his knowledge—though Tanis suspected that such concerns would be lost in the aftermath of what was to come.
replied simply.
Tanis let Bob’s words sink in, aware that Angela was also considering them. A full merge of a human and AI was a violation of the Phobos accords. It was a stricture put in place to stop the subversion of either party in the merger—something that was not entirely applicable in what had occurred with Amanda and Ylonda.
Though they were not completely gone, it was still very much like Ylonda and Amanda both had died. And now Jim and Corsia had to deal with that loss, while celebrating what was, in some respects, their new child.
Tanis felt Bob retreat from her mind and let out a long sigh.
“No rest for the weary,” Tanis muttered as she rose.
MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
STELLAR DATE: 03.28.8948 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: ISS I2
REGION: Near Roma, New Canaan System
Sera felt despair flood her mind, a feeling she had held in check, but now, after rekindled hope had lifted her spirits, she fell prey to it.
the Helen-memory replied.
Sera nodded to herself,
Sera didn’t know what to say, but she felt the presence leaving her mind; the program was erasing itself.
There was no response.
“Sera,” Tanis’s voice brought her back to the physical world. “What do you think about that, Sera?”
REUNION
STELLAR DATE: 03.28.8948 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: ISS I2
REGION: Near Roma, New Canaan System
Tanis and Sera waited side-by-side in the I2’s main bay as Sabrina settled into its cradle. The ship appeared to have been through a lot in the past eighteen years. Burn marks and carbon scoring were everywhere on its hull, and there was evidence of more than one patchwork repair.
Tanis glanced at Sera, already back on her feet, though an eternal brace held her spine rigid while the newly grown and meshed nerves settled into place. “Feels like just yesterday that we stood here and watched them leave.”
Sera met her eyes, the new President of the Transcend looked much the same as she had that day back near Virginis, but worn and weary—not at all unexpected after what they had both been through.
“I wish it were that day again,” Sera sighed. “There’s so much I would have done differently since then—like going back to Airtha. Didn’t turn out that well.”
Tanis took her hand. “Sera, what we are caught in was set in motion long ago. You and I were oblivious to it, but we could not have avoided what is now before us no matter how hard we tried.”
Sera chuckled and then groaned softly. “Stop being all wise and poetic. Laughing at you hurts too much. Too bad I can’t just grow a new spine like you can grow a new arm.”
Tanis held up her temporary flowmetal arm. “It’s handy—no pun intended—but I prefer a biological arm. I just like the feel of it more. Besides, you just regrew part of your spine, it’s just going to take some time before your nerves sort out what they should be doing.”
Their conversation was cut short by Sabrina’s ramp extending and the docking bay doors opening.
The first person Tanis laid eyes on was Jessica, and, though she knew her long-time friend was alive and well, she felt a wave of relief from finally laying eyes on her.
Beside Jessica stood a massive man—one who would have made even Usef feel small. He stood close to Jessica, and Tanis saw him glance down at her with the sort of eyes one has only for their lover. To his right stood Nance, and Tanis noticed that Thompson was not beside her—or anywhere for that matter. On Jessica’s other side stood Cargo, as well as two men she didn’t recognize.
There was also the notable absence of Cheeky.
Sera caught Tanis’s eye with a worried expression as they walked forward to greet the crew.
Jessica and Cargo walked down the ramp first, followed by the rest of the crew in a slow procession.
Sera opened her mouth to speak, but her voice faltered as she looked over the faces before her.
“Welcome home,” Tanis filled in the silence and offered a warm, very heartfelt, smile. “I know that we’re all glad to see one another. However, we have suffered losses this day, and I can see that you may have, as well. This is going to be a difficult reunion, but one that is a still truly happy.”
“Ah, Tanis,” Jessica said with a smile as she stepped forward and embraced her. “I’ve missed your blunt, matter-of-factness.”
Tanis returned the hug. “I have extra doses of it saved up for you.”
Cargo and Nance ran forward to greet Sera, and Tanis noticed the three men she did not know ha
ng back. Jessica caught her glance and extended an arm to include the newcomers. “Tanis and Sera, allow me to introduce you to Trevor, Misha, and the goal of our little expedition, Finaeus.”
Sera had already opened her arms to Finaeus, and, as she embraced him, she asked, “Where are Thompson and Cheeky—and Piya?”
Jessica’s face fell, and Cargo spoke up. “Thompson left us in Ikoden, after we found Finaeus—” His statement was interrupted by a snort from Nance, and he gave her an understanding look before continuing. “Cheeky and Piya had to, well they…”
Cargo’s voice had grown thick and he paused, glancing to Jessica, who raised her eyebrows, a look of sorrow clouding her features before she spoke.
“Cheeky and Piya had to hold the gate open, and keep it aligned…she…sacrificed herself so that we could get back—she’d be glad to know it was worth it. We got back in the nick of time.”
Tanis felt as though her heart really had been torn out…both of them. Cheeky had been such a free, loving spirit, always full of hope and enthusiasm. She was the glue that held Sabrina together.
She looked to Sera and saw her friend’s eyes fill with tears, and she placed a hand on her shoulder as Sera spent a few seconds trying to calm herself before speaking.
“A gate? Where were you? I don’t understand,” Sera finally managed to say. “How did it take so long to get here? Ikoden is only three, maybe four years away. You were there nine years ago…why…?”
Finaeus drew a deep breath and placed his hands on Sera’s shoulders. “My dear Seraphina, you would never believe what has happened to us. This crew, your fair Sabrina, we have just arrived from the Perseus arm of the galaxy.”
Sera took a step back and locked eyes with Finaeus. “What do you mean, Perseus? That’s on the far side of Orion-controlled space!”
Tanis saw a strange look in Sera’s eyes, almost as though she knew where Sabrina had been and was not surprised—or not surprised about the location, more about something else.