by Guerin Zand
“What? That’s impossible. I killed that asshole a long time ago. When I left him, there wasn’t so much as a smile left on his face.”
“Clones, Dad. They cloned him from what we can tell. It’s the only thing that makes sense. According to the agent, Heesa is very much alive. We know the Trogans and Alacians have an alliance of sorts, so it seems like the most probable explanation. We know that when a true-born Alacian is injured, the synthetics try to secure the body for such purposes.”
“Yes.” I agreed. “But I thought they needed them alive to transfer the consciousness to the clone.”
“Apparently not, Dad. We think they prefer them alive so they can make a final mapping of their memories. Then they use that mapping to imprint on the clone’s brain. If they’re dead, or have been dead too long, they use the last mapping they have recorded. Typically they’d make one of these backups prior to any mission in case something were to happen.”
“So, that would make these clones different beings from the originals, right?”
Kelly and Maria deferred that question to Senri. “From my understanding of Alacian tech, that would be true, but that is only the case if it was too late to transfer the consciousness of the original. While from a metaphysical standpoint there might be a distinction, I don’t think it really matters, do you? For all intents and purposes, they’re still the same person with all the same memories and behavior.”
Perhaps Senri was right, but I sure didn’t want anyone doing that to me. I guess I needed to fill out a living will with a “Do Not Clone” provision. “Fine, Heesa is alive, but how is he getting humans to work for him?”
“Well, Dad, that’s sort of the more bad news part.” I glanced over at my daughter who apparently thought they had properly prepared me for the really bad news. “We contacted a few friends about that. Froshjen seems to think that the Trogans have been abducting humans for centuries, even before you met the Collective.”
“Can someone tell me why this is the first I’ve ever heard about this?” No one seemed to have an answer. I pulled up the viewer and placed a call.
“Guerin, how have you been? Is the family doing well?” It was Bart I had contacted, and he was obviously taking a jab at my current marital status.
“Their fine, Bart. I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“The Trogan agents you and Gladys removed from Earth during our Chinese problems. Is there something you might have forgotten to tell me about them?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“Did they happen to be humans?”
“Oh, now that you mention it, yes they were.”
“You didn’t think that little piece of information might have been useful, Bart?”
“Why would that matter?”
“Well, Bart, according to the scuttlebutt out here, it seems that the Trogans have been abducting humans and turning them into agents to use against us. That’s sort of a big deal, Bart.”
“Oh. I guess you’re right. We just never looked into that. Are you sure?”
“Not totally, but it does start to add up. It might explain how the Alacians got involved in the affairs on Ganymede.”
“That seems logical, Guerin. What’s going on? Have you run into some of these human agents?”
“Not me, but the crew did just recently. They were working with a couple of Alacian synthetics.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“You think, Bart?”
“Do you need some help with this problem, Guerin?”
“Don’t know right now, Bart. I’ll get back to you if I do. Say hi to your daughters for me. I’ll be visiting them soon.”
“Always with the jokes, Guerin. You take care.”
After I disconnected from Bart I immediately called up Roger and Steve. “Hey, Guerin. Did you have a good birthday?” Roger was with Katie and both of them started laughing as well as Steve.
“So, I suppose you were all in on that?” They didn’t even bother to stop their chuckling to respond. “You all might want to stop laughing. We’ve got a problem.”
Chapter 4
Another Fine Mess
After I got done explaining the situation with the Trogan agents to Roger, Katie, and Steve, they started looking into how we might be able to find any of these human agents that the Trogans might have slipped into the Terran system. This was a serious threat and we all knew it. Steve was going to work with the other two. They were going to have to find a way to make sure none had slipped into the ranks of our Ranger teams. Steve was currently patrolling the Trogan border, so I asked him to also look out for the cargo ship that never made it to Gleauratz. I suspected they were on to us and were going to try and get any slaves they were currently holding into the empire.
Meanwhile, it was time for me to chew out the mutineers. “Well, other than opening up this can of worms and almost getting Prima and my daughters killed, do any of you have any idea what you did wrong?”
“The mutiny?” Kelly asked.
“I could deal with a few mutineers, Kelly, if that was all there was to it. Could you three be any dumber than you just demonstrated?”
“What did we do that was so wrong, Dad? We followed all of your protocols.”
“Maria, following protocols is all well and good, when following protocols is called for. Yes, it did save you, Gamma, and Prima from the attack on Gleauratz, but you totally fucked up everything else.”
“How so, Dad?”
“You did exactly what Julie would have wanted us to do, and exactly what I would have never done. Why in God’s name would you land on Klantzu?” None of them had a response. “Of course they were on to us. We seized their ship and sent it, along with the crew and slaves, to an ASTN system to deal with them. The only thing they didn’t know was it was us, at least not until you idiots landed on Klantzu and said, ‘Here we are. We’re the ones who seized your slave vessel.’” They continued to remain silent as what I was saying slowly sunk in. “Kelly, I would have expected a little more from you. Why wouldn’t you have suggested to your Captain that you should go into the system directly using the portal drive and then remain hidden in orbit while assessing the situation on the planet before taking any action?”
“I should have, sir.” Kelly nodded.
“Had you done that, you probably would have gotten there soon enough to catch that cargo ship you lost before it left, and you could have tracked it. Instead, it’s out there somewhere and we’ll be lucky if we can stop them from getting through to Trogan space. Instead, you revealed yourselves to them and then fell right into the trap they set up for you on Gleauratz. Now you’ve exposed us all, and I have no doubt the rest of the Ranger teams out in the unaligned worlds will become targets. How could all three of you just ignore everything I’ve been trying to do these last few years and pull such a stupid stunt? Let me tell you, as the king of stupid, you guys really outdid me.”
“But we also uncovered that the Trogans are using human agents, Dad. Before this, we had no idea that was happening.”
“And if you’d have gotten killed on Gleauratz we still wouldn’t know. Do you think the risk of losing all of you, and possibly this ship, would be worth that information?”
“No, but it’s something at least.”
“Maybe. I mean, it’s possible with that information we might avoid an even bigger catastrophe in the future, but that’s still to be seen. Is there anything else you need to report before I confine you all to your quarters for the duration of my unnaturally long life?”
“Yes. The Bayru and Maricindi have been sending out signals trying to reach you. We picked them up on our sensor net in the Taes system.”
“Did they say what they wanted, Senri?”
“They’re requesting we return to Taes to meet with them.”
“About what, Senri?”
“They didn’t say.”
“Well, signal them back. Tell them we have more important things to
deal with and don’t have time to drop by for a chat. Make it clear to them that if we have to come out there for any reason, I won’t be in a friendly mood. They both know the rules, so they better follow them. Perhaps in a year or so we’ll drop in on them if we have the time.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Senri started to leave and I stopped her. “And Senri, get in touch with Froshjen. Tell him to expect us in a few days. We’ll contact him before we leave.” Senri nodded as she left the room. Kelly also got up, as did Maria. “Not you, Maria. I’m not done with you yet.”
Kelly looked at me. “Am I excused, Captain?”
“Yes. I’m disappointed in you, Kelly. I was considering assigning you your own ship, but I need to rethink that now.”
“We have more ships coming online, sir?”
“Didn’t you hear about the ship the girls are building here?”
“Yea, but—”
“Well, if we can build one, we can build more. From what I just heard we're going to need them, and crews.”
Kelly nodded as she left the office. That left me with only Maria. Of course, she immediately went on the defensive. “What now, Dad? Embarrassing all of us like that wasn’t enough for you?”
“What is the problem, Maria? Why do you always have to side with Julie against me? You know she’s just using you?”
“She’s not using me, Dad.”
“Of course she is. She’s using all of us. You can’t see that?”
“Why do you always see some nefarious reason behind everything Julie does. How was she using me?”
“She got you to do what I refused to do. She got you to expose us.”
“Why would she want that?”
“She wants us, me, to take a more active role out in the unaligned worlds. Julie wants them all to know that the Collective, through us, is no longer going to sit back and let things continue on the way they have been. The Collective is going to start enforcing their rules and they’re backing us to do it.”
“I don’t understand why you think that’s such a bad thing, Dad.”
“I don’t, I just think we’re not ready to handle that. Especially in light of the current Trogan situation, I don’t think we have the resources to handle our own problems. You just don't get what I’m trying to do, Maria. What I’ve been trying to do since I first met the Collective.”
“And what is that, Dad?”
“Slow things down. Julie is pushing to get humans involved so we can help them with whatever their ‘BIG’ plan is. Humans simply aren’t ready, Maria. Why, all of a sudden, do I have full access to an abandoned Bree research facility with the means to build my own starships? The information I found here on this planet is way beyond anything we should have access to, and I’ve only scratched the surface. She gets you to go out and make a mess of things. Now I have no choice but to step up our involvement in the unaligned worlds.”
“I don’t understand, Dad. You’ve been the one leading the effort to advance humans since day one. You brought their technology to Earth and helped us jump centuries ahead. How are you slowing anything down?”
“You don’t see it, do you?”
“No.”
“What would have happened on Earth if I had just dumped all the knowledge I had from the Collective at one time instead of forming NFT and leaking out that information slowly? Even doing that, it almost got out of hand. What happened on Ganymede is just another example of what happens when our advances in technology outpace our development as a race. The Terran system needs time to mature before they become more involved with the other worlds out here. Right now, I could give them access to portal technology. Do you think they're ready for that? Do you think I should do that?”
“No, but then, why is Julie doing this? She must realize the same thing that you do. Why would she be making it possible, even pushing it, if I’m to believe you?”
“I’ve given up trying to figure Julie out. I’m sure it’s just another one of her tests or something like that. She creates these situations to see if I’ll fuck up. She’s just waiting for me to make that one big mistake, so she can say to everyone else, ‘I told you so.’”
“Maybe she’s just waiting for you to finally not make a mistake, Dad. Did you ever consider that what she’s really doing is training you?”
“I’m not a dog, Maria.”
“Well, there are probably a few women in the galaxy who might want to argue that point, but that’s not what I meant. Doesn’t the military train their special forces by putting them in situations where they don’t think they can succeed in order to prove to them just what they are actually capable of? It’s no secret you’re a bit of a slacker, Dad. If Julie wasn’t pushing you, what would you do? Sit back and get fat eating cheeseburgers?”
“Hey! Leave the cheeseburgers out of this. Besides, that’s not all I do.”
“You’re right. I forgot to throw in shagging space babes and drinking heavily.” Maria added a little smirk to twist the knife she just stuck in my back.
“See, you’re just taking Julie’s side again, aren’t you?”
“I’m not taking sides, Dad. I’m trying to help you. You’re the one that can’t see that.”
“How are you helping me? Look at the mess you just created.”
“I was trying to show you I could handle things on my own, so you would let me help you. I’ll admit, I may have missed a few details, but still, I just wanted you to see that you don’t have to do everything on your own. You never ask me my opinion on anything, and when I offer it, you just dismiss it. You rely more on the other members of the Rangers than you do on your own daughter. How do you think that makes me feel?”
“But I do rely on you, Maria. You may think the things I ask you to do aren’t important, but they are to me. At the same time though, you’re my daughter and the most important thing to me is keeping you safe. You just heard Senri, we are getting requests to return to Taes. The Guides have also contacted Scirla and asked for us to return as well. Before I found out about all of this, I was thinking about sending you and Scirla to handle it when the new ship is done. I’m not sure about that now.”
“Why would you send me and Scirla?” Maria asked, as she grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge in the office for the two of us.
I grabbed the beer she offered me, opened it, and took a drink. “Julie sent her daughter to help with the Earth project, right?” Maria nodded. “So, I thought I’d give you something to do that is important while still relatively safe. You and Scirla are friends and she needs guidance. You, her, and four of the fembots for crew should be able to handle the situation. It also keeps you out of this bullshit between Julie and me.”
“So, I get the new starship? Can I decorate it any way I like?” There was this big stupid smile on Maria’s face now.
“No. You can’t paint it pink.” I took another swig of my beer. “I’ll have none of that.”
“Oh, Dad. You can’t tell me that a pink starship with a crew of fembots doesn't sound like fun. Besides, I’m not the one who dressed the fembots up like a bunch of Barbie dolls.” Maria waggled her eyebrows at me as she took a drink of her beer. I wonder where she got that facial expression from?
“I did not dress them up like Barbie dolls. We were just working on their personalities.” I finished my beer with one long last drink. “Now leave, before you really start to annoy me.”
Maria turned towards the door as she finished her beer. She tossed the empty back over her shoulder and into the recycler. The door opened. “Whatever, Dad.”
I decided to go and try and fix things with Prima. I hadn’t tried to upset her earlier, but with women, you don’t really have to try. She was in her quarters. Both of my wives had their own separate rooms. The three of us all sharing the Captain’s wasn’t very practical, at least not from my standpoint. Living with two wives was not the same as how we men fantasize the situation, trust me. Anyways, I made my way to Prima’s room, knocked politely, and w
aited for her to open the door. Prima opened the door and was standing on the other side.
“Do you mind if I come in?” I asked meekly.
“Fine,” Prima responded with a touch of attitude.
Ok, it was time to start sucking up. I entered the room as the door closed behind me. “Are you mad at me, Prima?”
“No!” Ok, this was one of those no’s that really meant yes.
“I’m sorry babe,” I said as I batted my eyes. I’d seen John Belushi do this in a movie once and I thought I’d give it a try.
“You’re going to have to do better than that, Guerin.” Prima started to move in closer.
I swallowed hard. “You want me to take you shopping?”
Prima continued to close the distance between the two of us and she reached out and put her hand on my chest. “Do I need to show you how a man should apologize to his wife properly?”
Ok, at this point things started to go a little fuzzy. Somehow my clothes mysteriously fell from my body into a lump on the floor as Prima began to work her superpowers on me. Then Prima stepped back to look over her handiwork. I was standing there naked as a jaybird, speechless, and at full attention.
Prima grinned an evil little grin. She was really a bad, bad, bad girl, and I liked that about her. “Well, it looks like you’re ready to apologize properly now. Shall we get to it?” Then Prima unzipped her onesie. The next thing I knew she was standing there in front of me in all her glory. I’ll say this one thing about the onesies, they sure were easy to get out of.
The rest, as they say, was a blur. I don’t really understand the whole sex thing. It’s like you become a different person while it’s happening. It’s like a high of some sort, but not like one from any of the multitude of drugs I’d ever done. No matter how messed up I got on various intoxicants, I still always had a modicum of self-control. Not during sex though. It was like the little guy took over and I was just there to do his bidding. Whenever it was done, I always felt a bit used and more than a little helpless. For the few women out there reading my story, this is why a guy usually gets up and leaves at this point. It’s kind of embarrassing to let someone else see what a pathetic little creature you really are. I think it’s for exactly this very same reason that women want to cuddle at this point, just to make that moment of superiority last a little bit longer.