“They will eventually,” answered Ariel. “The hyperspace interference buoys were only meant as a short term protection from the Simulins. At some point, they will find a way through the nebula.”
Kevin looked over at Jeremy. “That’s why you had Grayseth destroy those two fleet bases and have sent out the patrols. You want to know when the Simulins are coming.
Jeremy let out a deep sigh. “Andram and Shilum believe the Simulins could find a way around the interference at any time. That’s one reason why we’ve continued to build more particle beam satellites and Type Two battlestations. Don’t forget, we also have Kazak and the Dominator.”
“For now,” pointed out Kelsey. “What will Zafron say when he awakens. Will he still allow the Dominator to act as part of our fleet?”
Jeremy didn’t answer. It was a question he was unsure of. Kazak had promised that if they succeeded in awakening Zafron, he would be willing to share some of the technology on the ship including weapons technology. The AI had also promised to place himself under Jeremy’s command. However, all that might change when Zafron woke up. All Jeremy could do was wait.
Chapter Thirteen
Two days passed and Jeremy was summoned to the Alton science vessel. He was ushered into a room with several viewscreens where ZED and Andram were waiting. All the screens were focused on Zafron. Zafron was lying in a comfortable hospital bed with a peaceful look on his face. There were a number of Alton medical devices monitoring his every breath and the work of the nanites.
“We are about to wake him up,” ZED informed Jeremy. “The nanites have rid his body of all the life extension nanites and he is well on his way to a full recovery. In anther week he will be as healthy as he was before he came down with the pathogen.”
“Where’s Kazak? I expected him to be here.”
“Kazak is on board the Dominator,” ZED answered. “We’re sending a live video and audio feed to the ship, and he will be able to hear and see everything we will.”
Jeremy found it strange Kazak had remained on the Dominator. He had an uneasy feeling that he was missing something.
“I’m sure Kazak will want to speak to Zafron as soon as possible,” Andram said in his normally calm voice. Andram pointed to the viewscreens. “I believe they’re ready.”
Jeremy watched as two Altons came inside the room. One placed a small device near Zafron. “What’s that?”
“It’s a universal translator,” ZED replied. “It’s similar to what the Altons use but this one came from the Dominator.”
Jeremy was familiar with the translators. The Altons had long since provided the Federation with similar devices. They were so common that most fleet personnel forgot about them. They were attached to the identification tags all fleet personnel wore.
An Alton doctor came in and walked over to Zafron’s bed. He reached out and adjusted the medical device, which was being used to keep Zafron unconscious. The doctor stepped back and the other two Altons stepped forward, making sure they didn’t look threatening.
Several minutes passed and suddenly Zafron opened his eyes. Very slowly he looked around the room, taking in the medical devices and the Altons standing there.
“Who are you?” he managed to say. His voice was very weak and he could barely be heard.
The doctor stepped forward and placed a cup to Zafron’s lips. “Drink this. It’s just water.”
Zafron took a couple of small sips and then spoke again. “Who are you and where am I?”
“My name is Bardol Amorth. I am an Alton and a psychologist. My associate is Tamor Larn and she is also a psychologist. You are currently on one of our science ships where you have been treated for the life extension pathogen you were suffering from.”
“You have a cure?” asked Zafron, his eyes opening wide in disbelief.
“Yes, we have a cure,” Bardol answered. “However, I will leave that up to the doctors and Kazak to explain.
“Kazak,” Zafron said, with a frown appearing on his face. “Is the Dominator close by?”
“Yes,” Bardol replied. “It is nearby, fully repaired, and under Kazak’s command.”
A look of concern spread across Zafron’s face. “How long?”
Tamor stepped over closer to the bed. “It’s been a very long time. We found the Dominator adrift in an asteroid field. Kazak allowed us to bring the ship here and attempt to revive you once we felt confident it could be done safely.”
“Do you have military ships close by?”
Bardol and Tamor looked at one another not sure how to answer. Then taking a deep breath, Bardol nodded his head. “Yes, quite a few.”
“Keep your weapons focused on the Dominator. If as much time has passed as I suspect, Kazak will be in the final stages of his programming. In those stages he could be very dangerous.”
“We have a working arrangement with Kazak at the moment,” Bardol said. “He has allowed a mixed crew of Humans and Altons to board the ship.”
“You have been fortunate then,” Zafron said as he raised his hand and gazed at it. He laid his hand back down and addressed Bardol. “I am surprised Kazak allowed anyone to board the Dominator. It’s counter to his programming. He must have been desperate.”
“There have been some problems with Kazak,” Tamor admitted in a calm voice. “However, our leaders and others have managed to work them out.”
Zafron looked from Bardol to Tamor as he thought over their words. “You must have AIs here then. Without them you could never have learned to control Kazak or talked him into cooperating with you. You should know that I was against his construction from the very beginning. We did not need a military AI like Kazak on the Dominator. Our own crew was sufficient.”
“We have a few AIs,” Tamor said carefully.
“What of these Humans you mentioned? Who are they?”
“Fleet Admiral Jeremy Strong is Human and our leader,” Bardol explained. “He is the one who has been dealing with Kazak. As a matter of fact, Fleet Admiral Strong’s wife is the temporary commanding officer of the Dominator in conjunction with Kazak.”
“Unbelievable,” said Zafron, shaking his head. “I would never have expected Kazak to give up or share control of the Dominator.”
“Admiral Strong can be pretty convincing,” Tamor said with a smile.
The Alton doctor walked over and checked a couple of readings on one of the medical devices. “I think that’s all for now. Second Officer Zafron needs his rest. You can continue this conversation tomorrow.”
Zafron seemed as if he was going to object and then changed his mind. “Will you have Kazak and this Admiral Strong come tomorrow? I have many questions and I also need to know more about this cure. I assume the others who are in the stasis chambers are still viable.”
“Yes,” Tamor replied. “They are still in stasis. It will be your decision as to what happens next. We have the ability to revive all of them if that is what you wish.”
Zafron nodded. “Once I have spoken to Kazak and your medical doctors, I will make that decision.”
The Alton doctor adjusted one of the medical devices and Zafron quickly fell back to sleep.
-
That went well,” said Jeremy, looking over at Andram and ZED.
“Don’t be fooled,” Andram replied with a thoughtful look on his face. “Zafron learned a lot in those few minutes he was awake. He knows the Dominator is nearby as well as Kazak. He knows there are a large number of military ships close by as well. He knows we have put a crew on board the ship. He also knows we have a cure and the rest of his people are still safe in the stasis chambers. I believe Zafron is a very shrewd individual.”
Jeremy was taken aback by Andram’s analysis of what had transpired in the hospital room. Thinking about it, he realized Andram was correct. They had learned very little, while Zafron had learned a lot. They would have to be more astute in future conversations with the Originator until they learned what his future plans were. The Dominator was his ship and s
ince he was the highest surviving ranking officer, he was now its commander.
“Andram is correct,” ZED said. “I analyzed Zafron’s speech patterns and he was definitely seeking knowledge.”
Jeremy’s brow creased in a frown. “Ariel, Katie, and Mikow downloaded the Dominator’s crew roster. I think I’m going to look further into who Zafron really is before I speak with him.”
Andram nodded his agreement. “Remember that the Originators are a very old race, much older than my own. What our goals may be may not resemble what they find as important.”
Jeremy turned toward ZED. “Will there be any problems in reviving the rest of the Originators on the Dominator?”
“No,” answered ZED. “We will need to make some slight alterations in future nanites, but it will be nothing major. We can begin the next awakenings at any time.”
“We’ll see,” Jeremy said. “I want to have a long talk with Zafron before we awaken any others. Right now, that’s the biggest card we have. We have the cure, they don’t.”
-
Later Jeremy was back on board the Avenger. It was the safest place he knew of to hold this conversation. Ariel, Kelsey, Katie, and Mikow were all in the briefing room.
Jeremy motioned for the others to sit as he took his place at the head of the table. Ariel remained standing as she normally did.
“What did the three of you find out about Zafron from the crew files you took from the Dominator?”
Jeremy wanted as much information as possible to better understand who he was dealing with. There was a lot riding on how Zafron responded to his present situation. He was an Originator, a member of the race that may have seeded many of the surrounding galaxies with life, or been heavily involved in encouraging its development. How do you talk and treat someone who may have worked on something like that?
Katie took a deep breath and began. “Jeremy, one thing you need to realize is the Originators live very long lives. When the Dominator left on its mission, Zafron was already over six hundred years old.”
“Six hundred,” repeated Jeremy as he thought about living that long. With the life extension drugs the Altons had furnished Humanity, it was now possible to live to slightly over two hundred.
“That’s when the mission began,” Mikow said, her eyes focusing on Jeremy. “Do you have any idea how long the Dominator roamed the galaxy seeking a cure?”
“No,” Jeremy answered. The question had never come up. “I thought maybe a few decades at the most.”
“Try two thousand years,” Mikow said, leaning forward. “Zafron was the ship’s second officer during that entire time.”
Jeremy’s pulse quickened, and his face turned pale. “How long is the lifespan of an Originator?” Jeremy was rapidly beginning to see how difficult it might be to talk to Zafron. How could someone who had lived that long understand the concerns of Jeremy and the people of Gaia?
“They had been using the organic life extension nanites for nearly a thousand years before the pathogen appeared,” Ariel said in her youthful voice. “However, before that they had other life extension methods. During Zafron’s time, there were many Originators in the Dyson Spheres that were nearly eight thousand years old. They had hoped the organic nanites would extend that to eighty thousand.”
Jeremy slowly shook his head. “I just can’t imagine living that long. Imagine all the knowledge one could amass in such a lifetime.”
“It has its dangers,” Mikow said. “It’s been a big topic in Alton society. Our own lifespans are now averaging nearly six hundred years. Emotions seem to be less prominent as you age. What’s important when you’re young may mean very little when you get older. It’s one of the reasons we stay so involved in exploration. There is also the danger of the race atrophying. That’s what happened to the Alton civilization back in the days when Astral was the center of our empire. It’s why the AIs were created to begin with. Even now we see signs of that occurring on our current worlds. It’s one reason why we do not allow any AIs to serve us. Even so most of our people have lost their aggressiveness. It’s only the interest in exploration and new discoveries that has countered the decline of our people.”
“Zafron is over twenty-six hundred years old,” pointed out Ariel. “We can’t know what a person with the life experience he possesses is capable of. He could easily manipulate us and we probably wouldn’t know it.”
“He also had a wife and two children on the Dominator,” Mikow said. She was looking at the handheld computer pad she always carried with her. His wife succumbed to the pathogen shortly after they left the Dyson Sphere. His son lived for nearly eight hundred years before he died. However, there is something strange in Zafron’s crew folder. It seems that when his daughter turned twenty, she was put in one of the stasis chambers. There’s no explanation as to why that was done. It also coincides with the time his wife died. His daughter was put into stasis just two weeks later.”
“Do the Originators feel the same about family as we do?”
“Unknown,” Ariel answered. “I’ve run some studies and during their early years Originator children are very similar to Human or Alton children. As they age the mental and physical attachments seem to grow less and for the most part they go their separate ways.”
-
For the next two hours the five of them continued to discuss Zafron and his duties on the Dominator. When they were finished, Jeremy thought he understood more about the Dominator’s second officer. He just hoped it was enough.
-
On the Distant Horizon, Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes was in her quarters. In four more days the ship would reach Gaia and she could report to Fleet Admiral Strong what had occurred since the ship vanished from the black matter Dyson Sphere. Some of the things she had to tell him were nearly beyond belief. Fortunately she had the rebuilt Distant Horizon and the Originator AIs on board to support her. She had gone to speak to Camlin, but the Originator AI had refused to answer any questions.
“Nervous,” a voice said out of thin air and then Clarissa appeared.
Kathryn allowed herself to smile. Clarissa was now allowed unrestricted access to any part of the ship including the admirals’ quarters. “How many holograms are you currently using?”
“Only this one,” replied Clarissa, folding her arms across her chest. “It’s boring in the Command Center while we’re in hyperspace.”
Kathryn had been sitting down. She stood up and walked over to a picture on the wall of her father that had been taken years ago. She was also in the picture but she couldn’t have been more than fourteen at the time. She was wearing a long dress and from the background, she knew it had been taken at a state dinner somewhere. Her father used to drag her around with him whenever he attended one. At the time it was his belief that he was teaching her what it took to be a good diplomat. Later she had spurned that career and joined the fleet instead. She knew it had been a big disappoint for him. For several years after that they had seldom spoken, though as the years passed they had finally mended their relationship.
“What happens now, Clarissa?” asked Kathryn. “We have all of this advanced Originator technology on the ship. If we return to the Communication and Transport Hub, they may take it away from us. The same if we approach any of the Dyson Spheres.”
“I suspect Leeda and Sible would have no problem with us keeping the technology,” Clarissa replied. “I know Sible loves flying this ship and Leeda is excited about the Originators on the Dominator. I believe Sible would like to become a permanent crewmember if you would allow it.”
“She is an excellent navigator and helm officer,” admitted Kathryn. “I may make the offer to her after we reach Gaia and work some things out. We still have to deal with Kazak and the Dominator.”
“I don’t believe that will be a significant problem,” Clarissa said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Not if you allow me to speak to Kazak first. He gave me the access code for the intergalactic vortex that sent us to the Originator’s
Communication and Transport Hub. He must know there’s a chance we survived and could possibly return.”
Kathryn thought over what Clarissa had just said. She knew that before they left on the black matter Dyson Sphere mission that Kazak and Clarissa were getting along very well and he had started to confide in her. If there was a chance that Kazak and the Dominator could be dealt with peacefully, she was going to take it.
“I’ll allow you to speak with Kazak,” Kathryn said. “But if things go south, I’m prepared to use our weapons against the Dominator.”
“I understand,” Clarissa replied. “I think he will listen to reason.”
“We also have to decide what to do with Camlin and the other Originator AIs we’re holding in the detention area.”
“They need to be returned to the Communications and Transport Hub,” answered Clarissa. “Though I’m not sure what the best method to do that is going to be.”
“Then there’s the question as to what to do about Captain Brenda Wilde and the Marines under her command. We promised to return and bring more Marines so the Originator AIs could retake all the vortex Control Centers on the Dyson Spheres.”
“That does pose another problem,” Clarissa admitted. “Perhaps Fleet Admiral Strong will know what to do.”
Kathryn walked over and sat down at her desk. For the last several days she had been writing a report to submit to the Fleet Admiral. Looking over at Clarissa, Kathryn continued. “I guess a lot of this will depend on what happens when the Originators on the Dominator are given the cure.”
Clarissa nodded. “It could change everything. Camlin and the others will see that Leeda and Sible were right.”
“Yes, there’s that,” responded Kathryn. An inquisitive look covered her face. “Clarissa, how long would it take the Distant Horizon to reach Ceres if we decided to go there?”
Clarissa gazed at Kathryn with curiosity. “Fourteen days. The intergalactic drive is slower than what we used to get here with. The acceleration ring increased our speed by nearly a factor of five.”
Kathryn leaned back in her chair with a wishful look on her face. “Fourteen days and we could be back home.” Then she sat back up and gazed sharply at Clarissa. “Wouldn’t the spatial disturbance at the black hole in the galaxy’s center affect our exit vortex?”
The Lost Fleet: Search for the Originators: A Slaver Wars Novel Page 21