“Shit. More weird stuff.” She looked back to him and signed. “Golden globes, yellow globes, white globes and blocks that resemble bars of gold are inside. The upper rim of the box has three red lines painted into the metal. Maybe a warning?”
“Could be explosives. Or something worse,” he signed back to her. “Let’s each grab two of the red tube weapons, a white tube and two of the black box and dome thingies. Make room in our backpacks for them. We can figure them out later.”
Jane nodded and lowered the slanting lid of the weapons dumpster. She headed over to the low wall where he was grabbing two red tubes and a white tube weapon. “What do we do with the three knocked out crewmen?” she said aloud, not bothering to sign.
Bill figured that was an obvious problem for him and for Diligent. Talking about it aloud made sense. Especially if they could use the captured crewmen as a tool against Diligent. “We head back outside. We strip them of any devices like my red cube. Then we haul them back to the containment module chamber. There are three empty cells. Yours and the two at the end of the rows. We put one in each cell and then tell ship mind to suck out the air. Making it a vacuum in the cell chamber ought to slow down Diligent if he tries to rescue them.”
Jane nodded abruptly, her expression thoughtful as she stuffed two red tubes, a second white tube and two of the black box/dome things into her backpack. “Good idea. How about we find out the function of these weapons we’ve just grabbed?”
Oh, yeah. “Sure. The computer did do what I asked when it cut local gravity. And this emergency protocol thing means it has to talk to us when we call to it.” Bill paused, motioning to Jane to stay inside the Weapons Chamber. “Ship mind, please describe the function of the three weapons sitting atop the low wall next to me.”
A low hum sounded briefly. “The white tube weapon shoots an electrified beam of red light. The red tube weapon shoots a green high energy laser beam suitable for cutting through metal in the case of a space emergency. The black square and dome weapon is a magfield disruptor suitable for disabling the magnetic controls of a transport ship, a local gravity generator or similar devices that rely on the interaction of electromagnetic fields.”
Perfect! “What about the balls of various colors that lie in the boxes alongside each wall? What are their function?”
“Explosive disintegration of any material device, structure or ship is their function,” the computer voice said after a brief pause.
Jane gestured to him that she wished to ask a question. “Ship mind, how are the explosive balls activated? We wish to avoid accidental activation.”
“That is desirable,” the ship mind said quickly. “Each explosive ball is activated by pressing on four spots in the proper sequence. It will then explode within . . . within ten of your Earth minutes. Or less if programmed differently.”
“Good,” Jane said. “We will not touch any of those balls.”
“Ship mind,” Bill said, unable to resist the open access to the device that ran the ship. “How many globes would it take to destroy a spaceship similar to this ship?”
A low hum came. “Four such globes placed in the Engine, Command, Recycling and Transport chambers would suffice to cause massive loss of structural integrity of a ship similar to the one in which you now travel.”
“Thank you for that warning!” Jane said quickly, her look worried. “Neither myself nor the bioform you know as Bill MacCarthy wish to cause any damage to this ship. We will leave the globe devices untouched.”
“That is desirable,” the ship computer said. “My emergency programming includes self-defense options in case ship structural integrity is threatened.”
Bill swallowed hard. He had enjoyed chatting with the ship computer. Apparently it took a direct command from Diligent to make it stop doing something. And it would always respond to them while they wore spacesuits. But now he realized it was far more than a simple information source or ship operation center. “Ship mind, we strongly wish to maintain this ship’s structural integrity. However, we have important information to share in person with Crèche Master Diligent Taskmaster. Will you allow us access to the Command Bridge Chamber?”
“Yes,” it said, followed by a low hum. “Unless I receive a Command Sequence that denies such access.”
Bill had expected that. He gestured to Jane. “Let’s get out of here. We need to move these crew to the containment cells before they wake up. Think you can handle the vulture and the mantis?”
Jane gave a glance around the red-lighted room, then followed him out into the hallway. Behind them the gray metal door whooshed shut. “I can. Especially since we are still in one-fourth gee. If we tell ship mind to cut all gravity in the hallway from here back to the containment chamber, we can move them without any strain.”
Bill looked around the hallway. Empty it was. “Nice idea. But zero gravity makes us into ping pong balls bouncing off the walls and floor.” He thought a moment. “Ship mind, please maintain local gravity at one-half of what is crew normal gravity. Make the same gravity adjustment as we move through a hatchway into another hallway section.”
“Complying, bioform Bill MacCarthy,” it said. “Gravity adjustments will happen as you and bioform Jane Yamaguchi progress down the hallway.”
“It knows my name!” Jane said, looking both pleased and thoughtful.
“It does,” Bill said, walking over to grab the slightly spasming carcass of the six-legged sausage Alien. Reaching down he grabbed a foreleg, lifted, and headed back the way they’d come. “And it knows my name. Wonder if that means it has its own name.” He waited a moment. “Ship mind, do you apply a personal name to yourself?”
“I do,” the device said in a low hum.
“Please share your name with us.”
Another low hum sounded. “Ship crew and Crèche Master Diligent Taskmaster address me as Device. I choose to label myself as Star Traveler.”
Interesting, Bill thought. “That is a very nice name. And travel among the stars is what this ship is designed to do. How long have you been doing star travel?”
A low hum came. “On board this ship I have traveled among the stars for 3,124 Earth years.”
Jane signed to him. “Be careful! This is a self-aware AI! While it responds to us and acts as we request, that is due to its emergency protocol programming. We have to be careful in talking with it!”
“Agreed,” he signed back. “Star Traveler, your time among the stars is longer than any bioform will live. We hope to learn from you about the nature of interstellar space, and the way other bioforms relate to each other. We need to learn more about this society of Buyers, Market worlds and Collector ships. Can you help us learn more?”
“Of course,” the AI replied. “Educating bioforms is one of my primary duties. Do you have a first question?”
Bill began dragging the sausage Alien down the hallway toward the cross hallway that gave access to the Engine Chamber. Jane walked beside him, her weapons in her backpack as she pulled the vulture and praying mantis Aliens behind her. “Yes. What is the star we are heading for? How far is it from Earth, uh, from our star Sol? And how many days will it be before we arrive there?”
A low hum sounded. “Those are three questions. But you bioforms are notorious for being less exact than artificial minds like myself.” A pause happened that lasted a second. “The star this ship is heading for is known to Earth as HD 128311. It is an orange star ranked as a K0V or main sequence star, according to your astronomers. Distance to it from Sol is 54.1 light years. This ship will arrive outside its outermost planet in one Earth day, 23 hours, 17 minutes, 43 seconds—”
“Good enough,” Bill interrupted. “Is there an alternative site where a duplicate of the ship command functions can be carried out?”
“Nice point,” Jane said as she followed him through a hatchway into another hallway segment. “Sounds like we’ve got two days in which to capture the captain.”
“There is an alternative command site,�
�� the ship mind said after a short hum. “It is located in the Engine Chamber section of this ship.”
Which was not far from them. “Can any bioform access this alternate command site?” he probed.
“No, only bioforms identified as ship crewmembers or Crèche Master Diligent Taskmaster may activate the alternate command function site,” Star Traveler said, its voice tone smooth and patient.
“Who,” Jane said quickly, “determines which bioform is a crewmember?”
“Crèche Master Diligent Taskmaster,” the AI said.
Bill reached the cross hallway leading to the Engine Chamber. He turned right into it after a visual check to be sure Diligent was not waiting for them somewhere along the hall. “But if the Crèche Master becomes ill or incapacitated, and other crewmembers are in danger, is there no method for another bioform to activate the alternate command site? So bioform lives may be saved?”
“There is such a protocol,” the AI said. “However, all crew and all bioforms aboard this ship are presently alive and in good health. Although the three crewmembers you are transporting are presently unconscious, as is the crewmember now occupying your former quarters. Is there now a Ship Emergency?”
Jane stopped and signed hurriedly. “Let me talk!”
Bill stopped pulling the sausage Alien and lifted his white tube taser weapon to the ready as he scanned up and down the red-lighted hallway. “Go ahead,” he signed back.
“Star Traveler,” Jane said aloud. “Please define the term Ship Emergency.”
A low hum echoed through the hallway. “A Ship Emergency is a circumstance whereby the lives of one or more crewmembers, or other bioforms, are in danger of expiration. Alternately, a Ship Emergency also exists whenever any ship function or control station is malfunctioning or may be in danger of doing so.”
“Thank you,” Jane said. “We are transporting these three crewmembers to alternate living quarters in the Containment Unit Chamber. They were unhappy with their prior quarters. There is no Ship Emergency as you have defined it.”
“Understood,” the AI said. “Do either of you have further questions? Providing education is a function I enjoy, in addition to administering all ship systems.”
Bill nodded to Jane to continue as he bent down, grabbed the foreleg of the sausage Alien and continued hauling its lightweight body toward the other long hallway. But he kept the white tube taser aimed forward, just in case Diligent somehow appeared.
Jane grabbed the other two Aliens and followed him. “Star Traveler, how is it that this ship runs so well with only five crewmembers, if we include Crèche Master Diligent Taskmaster?”
A low hum sounded. “This ship was engineered to be automatically functioning in many ship subsystems. Bioform assistance is not needed for recycling of air, water, waste, food and similar life support functions. The Alcubierre space-time modulus stardrive operates under my control once it is activated by the Crèche Master. The normal space Magfield spacedrive also operates under my control once we re-enter normal space-time. While a bioform is required to determine a vector course in a star system, to respond to inquiries from other ships, to dispatch collector pods, to transfer bioform guests from collector pods into containment units, and to authorize repair bots to carry out external hull or internal system repairs, such duties are few. Your own Human species has achieved similar automation of its technological systems.”
Neat, Bill thought. That answered a question that had been lurking in his mind ever since he’d seen how few people were present on the ship. If you counted weird Aliens as people! “Star Traveler,” he interrupted with a nod to Jane. “Can you again show us the ship interior hologram? It will be helpful in our efforts to reach Crèche Master Diligent Taskmaster.”
“I cannot,” the AI said firmly. “A Command Sequence prevents me from again sharing that hologram.”
Damn. “Can you tell us if the location of Crèche Master Diligent has changed since we saw the ship hologram?”
A low hum sounded, lasting for several seconds. “The location of Crèche Master Diligent Taskmaster has not changed.”
“Thank you,” Jane said with a look that said she preferred to do the questioning of the AI. “We look forward to meeting with him so we can be added to the crewmember inventory for this ship. We wish to help him and help you in the smooth functioning of this ship.”
“Access to him can be done by use of either hallway,” the AI said.
Bill blinked. Either hallway? He had not seen that when the holo floated in front of him. It had looked as if the other door leading out of the containment cell chamber only went so far as the Transport Chamber in the middle of the ship. He looked to Jane. Who had clearly thought the same. She frowned.
“Star Traveler,” Jane said, “our memory of the hologram ship map did not show the Engine access hallway extending beyond the Transport Chamber. Did we not see something important?”
“Your bio-vision needs improvement,” the AI said calmly. “While the Engine hallway does traverse the ship through the Containment Unit Chamber and up to the Transport Exit Chamber, a rampway at the opposite end of the Transport Chamber leads to a lower deck of this ship. On that deck the hallway continues forward until it reaches the Command Bridge Chamber.”
Bill blinked, then recalled his memory of the ship holo. There were many overlapping chambers and boxes, along with the long hallway that ran along the deck they now occupied. But the holo did indicate there were other decks above and below their deck. One above and One below, he recalled. He had been most focused on the deck that showed their location, the containment cells and the approaching crewmembers. He grimaced. Then gave thanks that the tube suit he still wore had not fogged up from the moisture of his breath, or the sweat he’d shed during the hallway battle. Which made him look to Jane. He caught her attention and gestured to the suit he wore.
Jane’s brown eyes opened wide as she understood his concern. She stopped with him before the tall gray metal door that led into the airlock which gave access to the containment cells chamber. “Star Traveler,” she said hurriedly. “How long will the air inside the suits we are wearing last? Do we need to change suits in this airlock we are now entering?”
“Not needed,” the AI said swiftly. “The suit you each wear has adequate power and air regeneration for three Earth days. While there is a water source inside your helmet for short-term rehydration, you will need to exit your suit in order to eat or drink any food.”
“Thank you!” she said loudly with a smile. “Now, for our further education while we transfer these crewmembers to new quarters in the empty containment units, please describe the interstellar society of Collectors, Buyers and Market worlds. How extensive is it? Does it cover the galaxy? How many Market worlds are there? And how many Collector ships exist like the one we are now in?”
“Multiple questions again,” the AI said calmly as Jane used the red cube she’d taken from the vulture Alien to open the airlock room door. In seconds they moved across it and to the far side. Behind them the door ground shut. She pointed the red cube at the door in front of them. It slid to the right slowly, as if the door metal was heavy. Or the motor weak. Their former imprisonment chamber loomed before them, dimly red lit but empty. Bill followed her out onto the elevated walkway and used his own red cube to access the white globe that lay between his cell and the nearby wall. Jane was doing the same at the other module between her cell and the wall. Behind them the airlock door ground shut. “The interstellar society you ask about does not occupy the galaxy. According to my own star travel experience and the Library datafiles of this ship, the Buyer society only exists within the spiral star group which you Humans call the Orion Arm. That star arm is 10,000 light years long and 3,510 light years wide.” The ship mind paused briefly. “Records indicate there are 61 Market worlds, including the one we now travel to. The number of Buyers is numerous, amounting to at least 840,231 sapients from 411 different star systems, according to my records. The number of
Collector ships like this one is 97. However, these numbers may change after we arrive at HD 128311 and obtain a records update from its Market world.”
“Thank you,” Jane said as she stepped into the white globe on her side of the walkway.
Bill finished stuffing the six-legged sausage Alien inside the empty cell globe, while keeping his feet on the door sill. Seeing the Alien’s body was clear of the door, he stepped back. The white metal door whooshed down. He turned and walked back to the central walkway. Jane had deposited the vulture Alien in the empty cell near hers and was now dragging the praying mantis Alien into her former cell. Like him she stood on the entry sill and pushed the Alien’s green body inside. He noticed she had unloosed his belt from the critter’s upper griparms and was frowning at the critter’s lower pair of feet. The feet showed thorn-like protrusions on the bottom of each foot. Clearly she was worried about them penetrating her suit fabric.
“Not to worry,” he said aloud. “When I cinched its griparms those thorny feet hit my tube suit leg several times. No penetration.”
“Thanks.” Jane finished pushing the praying mantis into her old cell, then stepped off the door sill. The white metal door slid down faster than he could blink. She turned and tossed him the leather belt. “Nice belt. Uh, how did you manage to escape from your cell? Been wondering that ever since we began this Hunt Down The Aliens gig.”
Bill caught the belt, then joined her on the central walkway. He pulled off his backpack. “Let’s inventory our supplies, our tools and our new weapons before we head out to visit the good ship captain.”
Jane already had her white tube weapon out and pointed toward the distant metal door that led to another airlock and a hallway leading to the Transport Chamber. She laid her backpack at his feet. Then she leaned against the gray metal rail that kept them and anyone else from falling off the walkway. Such a fall would land them in the mess of tubes, pipes and gray metal machines that handled food, water, air and whatever for the cells in the chamber. “Go ahead, check mine. I’ll stand guard for any intruder.”
Escape 1: Escape From Aliens Page 6