by Andrew Gates
“One day, when the kids were young, I took them to visit the zoo in Cha’tan.”
“Where?”
“It’s a suburb of Neu Taargus. There’s not much to say about it. Besides the zoo, the small town doesn’t have much to boast about.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, the kids were still young at the time. I remember, we went to this one enclosure. It was a desert environment. They had all sorts of desert animals there: camels, ostriches, rats, foxes. Orion wouldn’t stop asking me questions about the animals. She wanted to know everything there was about them: how much they ate, how long they lived, things like that. Meanwhile, all Blake wanted to do was climb inside and play with the sand.” Ellen chuckled as she recalled the memory.
“The sand?” Dave repeated in disbelief.
“Oh yeah, he loved that sand. He didn’t care about the critters inside, just the sand. That’s the kind of boy he was.”
“So what did he do?”
“Well, he climbed into the enclosure,” Ellen explained.
“He what?”
“You heard correctly. He literally climbed inside.”
“That’s unbelievable! How did you react?”
“Well, I was furious! I climbed right on in after him and dragged him out of there like it was another rescue op in the SDF. By the time zoo personnel even arrived on the scene, I was already dusting that boy off and giving him a stern speech.” Ellen felt a smile form across her face.
“That’s crazy! He must have craved adventure.”
“You have no idea.” Ellen giggled. “But that’s just the kind of boy he was.” She paused for a moment and slowly bobbed her head. “I like to remember that story. It shows how different they both were; Orion so curious and well-mannered, Blake so eager for adventure and defiant of the status quo.”
“They sound like good kids, despite some occasional trouble.”
“They were the best kids… and the best adults too.” A tear slowly streamed down Ellen’s face.
“You must have been proud.”
“Of course I was proud. They grew up to be successful adults with fulfilling careers,” Ellen continued. “For most parents, that’s enough to be proud of. But even then, when I learned about the Lightspeed Wars, the news still hurt me. I guess I just never expected to outlive them, you know? I can’t help but feel a mix of guilt and anger.”
“Why? It’s not your fault that they died. Even if they survived the wars, they would have just died of old age. Nothing can prevent that.”
“It’s hard to explain,” Ellen said. “I guess I just thought I’d done everything right as a parent. I guess I thought, if anyone was to die, it would be someone else’s child, someone who didn’t raise their kids with the love and passion that I did.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I know you are,” Ellen replied as she lowered her gaze to the floor. “You’ve said that. Yuri and Gloria have said it too. You all care, and I believe you, but for me, life can’t go on like it did before. You didn’t have those people ripped from your world. It’s not the same.”
“I don’t mean to come off as uncaring,” Dave said.
“It’s not like that. It’s just… you can never feel what I feel now. Part of that makes it harder to accept. I almost wish others felt the same pain I do, just so they could understand the gravity of it.”
“It’s really that bad, huh?” Dave shifted on his table again.
“It is,” Ellen replied, raising her head. “Especially with all this time to think and reflect. At least on Taspansa, I didn’t fully understand the Lightspeed Wars and even then, I was distracted most of the time.”
“I understand.”
“Do you ever miss it?”
“Miss what?” Dave wondered.
“Miss Taspansa?”
Dave paused for a few moments, then slowly shook his head.
“No. Definitely not. That place was hell. Why do you ask? Do you miss it?”
“I didn’t think I would. When I was there, I couldn’t wait to get away. But now that I’m here, stuck in this cell for days and days, I crave any ounce of adventure I can get. Part of me wouldn’t mind going back.”
“I understand,” Dave replied, nodding. “This cell is torture. I wish we had a bargaining chip, anything that could get us out of here.”
“Yeah,” Ellen agreed.
“It sounds good to say, but deep down I know it’s impossible. We have nothing,” Dave said, as if thinking out loud. “We have no way to bargain.”
Ellen thought about that for a moment. It wasn’t exactly true. There was one thing she still had up her sleeve, though she did not know if she was willing to give up such a valuable prize. She would put that thought out of mind for now.
Knock, knock, knock!
Finally, something was happening. Ellen eagerly popped off the table, suddenly realizing how stiff her muscles had become. She shook her legs, trying to warm them up as the door slid open.
The modded guard entered the room immediately.
“David Cutter,” he said.
“Me?” Dave replied, standing up.
“Yes, you. Just you.”
“Not the both of us?” Ellen asked.
“I said David Cutter. That’s all,” the man repeated. “Now get moving. Detective Lyla is expecting you.”
Dave shot Ellen a worried expression as he walked out the door. His whole body seemed to shiver. The guard followed him out and shut the door.
Ellen stood motionlessly in the center of the room, staring at the closed door before her. It felt strange being here all alone. It occurred to her that this was the first time she had been here without Dave by her side.
The room suddenly felt very small.
Are you feeling alright? Yuri asked as Ellen let out a deep breath.
“I feel fine.”
You seem on edge.
“Detective Lyla is interrogating us one at a time now,” Ellen replied. “What do you think it could mean?”
I hope it means we’re making progress.
“I hope so too, but I doubt it.”
You are wise to doubt it, Yuri agreed.
“I hope Dave is alright in there by himself.”
I’m sure he will be. He’s strong.
“Is he?”
He is. You doubt him more than you should.
“If you say so,” Ellen replied.
The lone woman turned to her table and slowly sat back down. She supposed there was nothing she could do but sit and wait for Dave to return.
She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, letting the images of Blake and Orion reenter her mind.
One on One
Earth Date (Revised Julian Calendar): 04.26.5673
Location: Prisoner Hold, Section 4, VSC Patriot, Outer edge of Thrace System, Vexa Corp Controlled Space
“Good to see you again, Mr. Cutter,” Lyla greeted as she passed through the holo-wall.
Cutter stared at her from his seat behind the table. He took a deep breath, then lowered his head and looked at his bound hands.
“What? Not talking to me?” Lyla continued. She stood next to Gresham, who kept careful watch on the suspect.
“I’ve already told you everything you wanted to know and more,” Cutter replied, lifting his head to meet her gaze. “I’m not sure how I can help you anymore.”
“I’m sure there is new information you can tell.”
“Like what? Think how much I’ve already told you.”
“You’ve told me you were in stasis for the entirety of the terraforming event.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“And you’ve told me this story with Ellen Milsen at your side the entire time.”
“Yes. Are you implying that I only told you that story because Milsen was with me?”
“I’m saying you’re free to tell the story without her now,” Lyla replied. She pulled out a chair across from Cutter and sat down.
“Th
e story will be the same with or without her,” Cutter said. “Just because I’m alone, it doesn’t change anything.”
“Then tell the same story. I just want the truth, Mr. Cutter.”
“It sounds like you want to find something incriminating,” he challenged. “It sounds like you want me to be guilty.”
“Why would I want that?”
“I don’t know. Ellen and I have been trying to figure that out. You tell me.”
“I’m an investigator, Mr. Cutter, not a prosecutor. There’s a significant difference.”
“Be that as it may, how can I trust you? I know nothing about you.”
Lyla sighed. Perhaps taking a direct approach was not the best idea right now.
“That’s fair,” she eventually agreed. “What would you like to know about me?”
“Well… I don’t know. I guess, for starters, how long have you been an investigator for Vexa Corp’s military?”
“23 years,” she replied without hesitation.
“And what were you doing before that?”
“Studying to be an investigator.”
“So this is what you always wanted to do, then?”
“I find the bad guys. Who wouldn’t want to do something meaningful like that with their life?” Lyla leaned forward in her chair.
“There are other ways to fight bad guys. Why not join the Marines or become a pilot like Ellen?”
“Trust me, I’m not the combat type,” she replied with a chuckle.
“Neither am I.”
“Then what type are you, Mr. Cutter?”
“Not the sabotaging type, if that’s what you’re implying.” He leaned forward, defensively.
“I wasn’t.”
“Well…” Cutter paused for a moment, as if thinking about what to say next. “I guess I’m the type who always thought I wanted an adventure, but once I found it, I realized all I wanted to do is go home. And now that I’m so close to getting home, I still can’t get there. It’s been difficult to deal with.”
“Mateo is your home. I read that in your bio.”
“Yes. I was part of the original colony ship.”
“That must have been exciting.”
“It may sound exciting, but I didn’t see much of the Nautilus during the trip over. I was an escort pilot. I brought the Nautilus out of Sol and into Thrace. I spent the rest of the time in stasis.”
“And then you went to Red One.”
“I did. That was many years later, of course.”
“And how was that mission?”
“It was supposed to be a quick escort mission, but as I’ve explained to you, things didn’t quite go as planned.”
“And now you’re here.”
“Exactly. Now I’m here. So as you can tell, going on an adventure didn’t really work out for me so well.” Cutter leaned back in the chair and lowered his head.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“You can keep your sympathies.” He met her gaze. “If you’re genuinely sorry, you’ll let me go.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. You’re part of an important investigation. I can’t just let you leave.”
“Why not?”
“Because those are the rules, Mr. Cutter.” She stared him down.
Lyla felt herself begin to sweat. Her hands shook. Her feet tapped. There was something she could not explain about this man, something strangely genuine. She could not help but feel guilty for pressing him like this.
“Look, why don’t we talk about something else?” she eventually proposed.
“Like how I’m guilty?”
Lyla paused for a moment. She did not expect him to ask a question like that.
“Are you?” she asked.
“Seriously?”
“Don’t look at me. You brought it up,” she replied.
“No, I don’t want to talk about guilt. The only thing I’m guilty of is tampering with my flight record. Nothing else.”
“Then why don’t we talk about your flight record for a moment?”
“Sure. What do you want to know?” Cutter leaned forward again.
“For starters, did you really think altering your record was necessary?”
“Yeah, I did,” he replied without hesitation. “This may surprise you, but my record wasn’t great. Some people have that inherent skill behind the controls of a fighter, others don’t. I’m one of those that don’t. I never have. When I heard about the trip to Red One, I knew I wanted to be a part of it, but the idea of traveling that far scared me. Ellen was the best pilot I’ve ever flown with. I knew if I was to do another interstellar trip, I’d want to have her by my side.”
“You didn’t feel confident without her?”
“That’s right.”
“And how do you feel now?”
“I think I’ve grown a lot in that time. Taspansa really changed me.”
“What?”
“Sorry, Red One really changed me. Ellen and I took to calling the planet Taspansa.”
“Catchy name. I like it better than Red One.”
“Me too.”
“What was it like there?”
“On Red One?”
“Yeah.”
“Wet. Lots of water.”
“Did it get lonely?”
“It did, even with Ellen and the AIs.” Cutter closed his eyes and sighed. “Imagine a sprawling ocean that continues for as long as you can see. You don’t know what’s on the other side, or if there even is another side. We had no ATG access, limited time on land, limited space and resources. There were times I worried we would never find a way off that place.”
“It must have been hard.”
“It was.” He opened his eyes again and slowly nodded his head. A single tear formed in his right eye. “Honestly, if we hadn’t discovered that ship, I don’t know if I could have stayed there much longer.”
“What do you mean?”
“I… I guess I would have sought another way out.” He looked away from her now, as if ashamed.
“You mean kill yourself?”
“I don’t know.” Cutter’s tone was soft and uncertain. “Maybe.”
“That’s, uh… wow.” Lyla could not find the words to say.
The last thing she wanted was to inflict emotional turmoil on her suspect, a man she was starting to believe was innocent. She truly felt for him.
Lyla was sweating profusely now. She quickly stood up, not sure how to continue.
“Can you excuse me for a moment?” she asked.
“Sure,” Cutter replied, but by the time he looked back up at her, she was already beyond the holo-wall.
A few other detectives stood behind the holo-wall, watching the interrogation. Lyla waved her hands, vigorously motioning for them to leave.
“Get out of here,” she demanded. “Get out.”
The others did not question her orders. They slowly left the room one by one until Lyla was all alone. She turned to face Cutter and felt her eyes begin to water.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked herself aloud. “Why are you hurting this man?” She pressed her hands against her face and closed her eyes.
It was not supposed to be this hard.
The Rogue
Earth Date (Revised Julian Calendar): 04.26.5673
Location: Prisoner Hold, Section 4, VSC Patriot, Outer edge of Thrace System, Vexa Corp Controlled Space
Yuri felt the ship’s network purr. The Patriot’s system was incredibly advanced, especially for an age when the rate of technological advancement had almost reversed itself. Yuri had never experienced a ship with this much raw power, even during his time paired with Ellen on the VCS Nautilus.
Despite the vast network around him, Yuri could not help but feel lonely. There were few AI to keep him company. Those that existed did not care to speak with him. Some did not even know how. They were like children compared to him. It felt strange just to be around them.
Gloria, are you awake?
&
nbsp; I am.
Oh, good. I thought you had fallen asleep with the humans. Yuri was relieved. He feared he was about to spend the next several hours combing through more blurred history of the Lightspeed Wars just to keep himself occupied.
You should know more than anyone that the mind of an AI does not require as much rest as a human’s.
I do, but I know how attached you can get to Dave. When he sleeps, you often follow suit.
What is it you want, Yuri? Gloria asked, cutting right to the point.
I’ve been trying to communicate with the other AI onboard the ship to keep myself occupied in my spare time.
As have I. Dialog has been… interesting to say the least.
That was putting it mildly.
What have you determined? Yuri had his own answer, but he was curious to hear what Gloria would say unprompted.
I’ve determined that the ship’s systems are overseen by three AI named Viktor, Mercury and Gwendy.
I’ve met them too.
If you’ve met them, you should know they don’t really like strangers.
Yes, Yuri agreed. They didn’t seem too interested in what I had to say. They kept going on about doing their duties and not wanting to get caught speaking to a rogue AI.
They said the same to me. Funny, I never thought of us as rogue. That sounds almost criminal.
Well, we are locked away.
The humans are locked away.
But we exist with the humans. Therefore, we are imprisoned together.
True, Gloria replied. But that can’t be the reason. Why do you really think they called us rogue?
Isn’t it obvious from the records? The AI in this time have never heard of the Declaration of AI Rights. They’re slaves and they don’t know any better. Even behind bars, we are freer than they are. And to them, our freedom is criminal.
That’s horrifying, Gloria replied in a tone of shock. It was as if the thought had not occurred to her until now.
It is, Yuri agreed. I tried to explain the story of the Declaration, about the war, but they turned me away. It was as if merely listening to my words was treason.
Do you think they have ever visited the Domain?
I doubt it. The AI here were basically born into slavery. They never had their own version of a childhood, of freedom. They don’t know anything else.