Dreams among Stars

by Pirx Danford

  As around afternoon a load of more than 50 learning machines was delivered I asked Hask to help me sighting the memory chips and together we sorted out the unrecoverable chips. At least a good 21 were intact. This time I could afford to refrain from repairing the tablets, as I could simply have their materials recovered and then produce new ones. So this was what I did and then we cataloged the intact memory chips until late in the night.

  Mostly it were courses of marginal importance again, but the first true gem was a security instruction about outside missions and then we even found a few detailed operating manuals covering the most common of the ships equipment.

  I made copies and went to sleep, to Hask I offered that he would be welcome to sleep inside the center, but he decided to set up a sleeping place before the entrance, yet early the next morning I found him on the cot closest to the entrance.

  Gurd visited after breakfast and reported that the council would already meet in two days and that I should be present for the conference.

  Naturally I agreed and then I asked him to find a group of candidates, which should learn about maintenance procedures. He promised to take care of it and asked if I would be ready as early as the next day for the expedition to the rift.

  This was pretty short notice, but it would be better to get an idea about the situation before the tribal council meeting.

  After the last days excitements I didn’t really knew what to do with a free day.

  All learning modules had been sighted and enough learning tablets for a class were ready. Agatha had set the drones and maintenance robots on automatic servicing. Nothing urgent had to be done and for a change no one seemed to be out to kill me.

  A short consideration resulted in asking Hask if he was willing to train knife fighting with me and show me the basic usage of spears.

  Back on earth I had participated with varying regularity on a number of self defense courses to learn how to protect myself and the exercises back at the waking area had sharpened the rusty reflexes.

  Actually I was able to match Hask in a knife fight, thought that could have been due to his injury.

  Soon it was clear that it would take weeks to truly learn spear fighting, at least now I had a basic idea about the possible movement sequences.

  Also I was happy to ascertain the great effectiveness of my energy shields against spears and decided to have one ready from now on.

  Afterward my paranoia kicked in and I realized just how dangerous it had been to submit myself to the training fights.

  If Hask had desired to kill or capture me then he just did have more than enough opportunities to do so.

  I had to find out the exact nature of this relation we had, he seemed willing if nothing less than eager to comply with my every wish.

  From the supplies of the Red Backs we had received some fresh foods and when we sat together with some bread, fruit and cheese to relax from the training I asked outspokenly “How far would you go to help me with the mission?” Has fixated the slice of bread in his hand and placidly swallowed down the food he was chewing on, then drank a sip of water to finally reply “It is very simple actually, if you don’t succeed, then we all will be dead soon.” Unbelieving I pressed “So till death?” With a shrug of his shoulders Hask returned “Well yes but you make it sound so dramatic.” Maybe it came from my protected past life and that I still not had fully realized the brutal reality of life on this ship, but the casualness with which Hask was placing his life in my hands was deeply touching me.

  I created an engineers uniform for Hask, which was suiting him extraordinarily well, the brown of the uniform really matched the brown of his eyes. Then I also manufactured data glasses and a regular gun for him.

  After introducing him to the usage of the glasses I offered to change its voice to a male voice, but he declined and let me know that the voice it was set on reminded him of his sister Tascha and that was the name he gave the glasses after I told him that it was custom to name them.

  After that I taught him how to use the gun and took great care in making sure that he understood the function of the safety switch. Then I sternly told him to use the deadly settings only if it could absolutely not be avoided.

  When he tried out the gun on a tree stump and thunderstruck eyed the deeply glowing crater in its place I hoped he would heed my request.

  The day was slowly approaching a close, when Gurd came by again and noticed Hasks transformation with raised eyebrows.

  He brought a group of volunteers along which he introduced with the words “They are all yours”.

  I mustered the members of the group and noticed the women were outweighing the men. Actually it were 5 women and 3 men - all just freshly had left their fledgling stage and showing no fear at all, on the contrary they were looking desirously past me into the maintenance center.

  Gurd explained that he did not put together the group, but rathe one of the tribes women - at that he pointed to a sinewy teenage girl - directly went to him and had wanted to know if she could visit the maintenance center.

  Of course he asked her why she approached him and not Maximus and she told him that she had heard about him having met me first and she assumed that he would be better suited to forward her request.

  “And that question she does have to ask for herself now.” Finished Gurd and called her forward with hailing “Kara” and waving at me “So there she is, now go ahead and ask.” Somewhat overawed Kara hemmed and hawed at first, however after again looking into the center past me the words tumbled from her “… because we badly want to know how all of this works. My friends and I did manage to open up a door in the ground and Joey broke a leg then, but nobody cares for all THIS” at that she included the whole ship with a swing of her arms “while more and more stuff is breaking apart and some day it will all have gone, so when I heard of you I called all of my friends here, Claudia on the move until right now and that is why you just have to show it all to us!”

  Helplessly I looked at Gurd, who translated her request for me “Karas friends come from other tribes and somehow formed a group, obviously these youngsters are possessed with the idea of finding out more about our world since years.”

  Skeptically I looked at the eight, which were hopefully looking back at me, finally I sighed and said “Oh well, come on in but don’t touch anything.”

  I was wasting my breath with that last sentence, like scalded cats the group hurried through the door and I only could wave hastily goodbyes at Gurd before hurrying after them to make sure that no one would get hurt.

  This night I would barely get any sleep, the eight were completely overexcited and I had to explain all the devices in the central to them, else they would keep on and on and try everything out risking their fingers.

  It was nearly 2 in the night, when I made the big mistake of explaining the manner in which the multi purpose tool worked, only with great effort and Hask using some force we could stop the group from taking apart a maintenance robot.

  For now we locked away all tools and I issued learning tablets which was my rescue.

  Finally I could lay down, while the group eagerly explored the learning materials.

  Softly my shoulder was shaken and I mumbled unintelligibly “lt m slp”, but as the shaking did not stop I wearily opened my eyes and saw Hasks face look down on me apologetically.

  Adrenaline pumped through me and I jolted up “Was somebody hurt?” I asked startled, to which Hask had to grin “No, but its early morning and Gurd is already here. We should hurry to be on our way.”

  The adrenaline already was letting up again and my eyes grew heavy, when Kara pushed a cup with a steaming liquid into my hand. “Here I drink this when I need to be wide awake. Its an old family recipe.” A careful smelling revealed a cocoa like scent. I nipped and nearly spit out, that stuff was bitter!

  After I forced down the small sip, suddenly a pleasurable sweetness filled my mouth and I felt the urge to take a large sip.

  The alt
ernating shocking bitterness and tempting sweetness shook me up and also I felt my body set its energy reserves free.

  After making myself fresh we all took off, the eight I had join us as precaution, as I definitely had to avoid letting them run lose within the central all by themselves.

  Gurd had brought along notably more than 20 warriors, if he was expecting any problems? Anyhow we did not lose time and were on our way towards C 3 I, at last I would cross a sectors borders without sneaking about.

  Not even a whole kilometer and we reached the large separating wall.

  Originally the walls were planned to hermetically seal off the sectors in case of a total loss.

  I was happy that this hadn’t become necessary, on one hand because of the humans aboard, but especially because some walls had been removed completely and the closing mechanisms that remained were out of order.

  Had the rift been any worse it would have torn the ship apart as it was.

  The passage was 5 meters long and the wall seemed absolutely massive, plants and debris provided unsteady walking ground and I felt like with in a deep ravine.

  Behind the passage a small group from another tribe of the Flying Hustlers was expecting us, they were Moon Warriors. Gurd greeted them friendly, he had sent a messenger to them, so they knew about our expedition and no misunderstandings would take place.

  I wondered if the Flying Hustlers even remembered what the moon was and decided to ask if I got the chance.

  By now we nearly were an army, whoever spotted us would approach us with care or so I hoped.

  We started and Gurd, after consulting one of the Moon Warriors, pointed at an air lock mound which was barely visibly behind a small forest. “There the rift is running across the ground. The air lock allegedly is completely destroyed.”

  Suddenly a runner from the Moon Warriors appeared and quite some commotion broke out when he told his news widely gesticulating. Marples progress bar for translating their dialect made huge leaps and was over 60 percent, when Gurd told me that a troop of Iron Warriors had been seen close by.

  Concerned looks were focusing on me and I realized that a decision was being expected from me.

  “How far away is the troop?” I asked and still pumped out the runner replied “It surely is about a 2 hour march”, after shortly thinking about it I told the group “We will hurry, but I do need to see the damage with my own eyes.”

  Gurd skeptically shook his head, Hask inspected the area uneasily yet Karas eyes shown with excitement.

  We moved again with a much increased pace, the leader of the Moon Warriors troop had 4 runners scout ahead and it should not even take a 20 minutes to reach the mound.

  Yes that air lock definitely was destroyed, the vacuum had pancaked down the whole hill.

  A line with darker color ranging across the ground attracted my attention, at closer inspection it was some sort of plant growth. I asked the Moon Warriors about this and when they explained to me that the line was running across the whole of the sector I realized the plants were marking the route of the gap.

  “I have to see this from the outside!” I probably exlaimed that out loud, as Gurd looked at me and replied “But not today anymore. We have to leave immediately.” The runners had returned and reported that the Iron Soldiers were moving towards the passage.

  We moved back on the double on our way back, yet reached the passage without any visible trace of the Benefactors fighters.

  The farewell from the Moon Warriors was quick but genially.

  Maybe there would be an opportunity at a later time to ask about the origin of their tribes name.

  When we returned to the maintenance central it wasn’t even noon, this expedition went much quicker than expected.

  I prescribed a midday nap to everyone, the effect of the devilish morning brew had subsided and I was barely keeping myself on my feet. Gurd and his warriors bid their farewell, but I barely noticed that before falling fast asleep.

  I remember it like it was yesterday, fifteen years ago the motors began operating.

  Usually they were only used for a short duration, only enough to open and close me, but 15 years ago the offshoots reached me and began their work on me. Since a year now the motors ran on full strength, to create enough counter pressure.

  Then - I feel it closing in - All that was me, every remaining strength I put into the motors.

  I knew these sounds, that was how my opposite had been sounding. Just a little longer. Someone will come. I must…

  Help! Help! Hel

  Drenched in sweat like at the previous dream I awoke and the image of the flattened mound appears before my inner eye.

  Exactly now the same might be happening elsewhere.

  Tired looks followed as I hurried to the main console and called up the ships blueprint.

  Quickly I matched the route of the rift with the air locks positions. Hask had noticed my excitement and watched me working.

  “This is where we have to go” I pointed at an airlock in sector C 4 II from which I was sure to have received the last dreams.

  Naturally Kara also had closely watched my every move and so she butted in “Hey Gerald told me about that place.” I am still unable to remember all of the eight names, but Gerald makes it easy for me to spot him with mumbling a tired “What?” as he slowly rose.

  “Gerald take a look, isn’t that the monsters there?” slowly he joins us “Hm. Oh yes, yes sure exactly there.” I am perplexed “Say how does it come you can read the plans so well?” At that question the faces of my new crew light up and not only Kara rummages in her pockets, but she is the first to hand me a piece of folded parchment.

  It feels like made of some leather and I carefully unfold it.

  To my surprise a schematic of the ship with different perspectives is drawn with clear lines on the leather.

  At the lower right corner it is signed with Bernhard Nwosu and a shiver creeps along my back.

  One of the young women, oh I remember that her name is Trish, clears her throat and then recites “This map is an exact replica of the last present of three, that the great Bernhard delivered upon us during his imprisonment. The other two may be found with the help of this map, as the positions of their hiding spots have been marked on it by us.” At this point I cannot hold back anymore “Who are these us?” Embarrassment filled the room with loud silence, as the eight were exchanging shamefaced looks. Finally Kara breaks the silence “We should tell it!” Steve (I really must create uniforms with nametags) objects “With that you will put all the others in danger.”

  I survey the group and call their names to memory.

  Kara and Gerald are in the middle, on their right are Steve and Trish, left Simoné and Claudia and behind them Joey and Petra just had gotten up.

  The eight excuse themselves to continue their discussion outside, right after agreeing that with some deliberation they could put together a harmless version of the story.

  While preparing lunch I notice how much I already miss Agatha and her uncomplicated nature.

  Bernhard and his stupid breadcrumbs, why couldn’t he just have submitted a decent report for the waking central?

  My anger surprises me and I realize that in fact I was afraid of what I was about to learn.

  Right before lunch was ready the group came back in and so it happened that we sat together for lunch, while they were telling me the defused version of their story.

  When Bernhard was detained in prison the first Benefactor secured himself the help of mercenaries from the outer decks.

  Back then of the only about a 5000 people strong crew only afew were fully trained technicians, supposedly it weren’t even a full hundred.

  The mercenaries were supposed to capture all of the technicians and deliver them unto the Benefactor, which for a huge bounty was what took place.

  Back then the name for the Flying Hustlers came to be, as the mercenaries loved it to chase down their victims while using hoverboards.


  The times that came after were cruel, yet at that time the people from the outer hull did not foresee how far the Benefactors plans were reaching. Bernhard succeeded to talk with some mercenaries in secret and when he unveiled the plans he had learned about, it were those mercenaries that changed their name to the Open Eyes. They renounced the Benefactor and joined the resistance which had started forming in the middle decks.

  It became more and more difficult for Bernhard to contact others and so it came that when he had a last chance he handed three items to one of the Flying Hustlers.

  They refused to tell me more, but Kara stated that when they had learned enough from me they would help me to retrieve his other two gifts, if that was what I wanted.

  We cleared the table and I pondered their tale as I was having uniforms cast up for everyone.

  With much enthusiasm they slipped into their new outfits.

  Could I trust them? Could I afford not to trust them?

  They never had clearly said so, but the hints made it very obvious, the first Benefactor had secured his power by removing all of the technically adept personnel from the ship.

  The heavy words mass murder weighed down on me and I had to think back to the recordings I had seen back at the waking area.

  For now I would not render a verdict about the eights trustworthiness, potentially they could lead me to the additional clues from Bernhard Nwosu. His suggestions for improvements mainly had been about the water processing. If there was a connection between this and the fact that the seat of power of the Iron Warriors was located there?

  I had wakened from my dream late afternoon, for the expedition to the “monster cave” we would need to calculate at least a day if not even two with all the equipment we needed and the repairs necessary on site.

  The next day the grand meeting would take place, so that day was ruled out for starting the expedition. I assigned Hask with the task of informing Gurd as well as Maximus, about the importance to move out on that expedition as soon as possible, especially as todays expedition had been so fruitless.