by J. K. Mabrey
"Not a chance," Zavik said. He cupped Dani's hands in his and said, "I'm sorry for being resistant. Getting to know some of the colonist's and see their struggles has helped."
"I love you."
"I love you too," he said and kissed her soft lips.
"Wonderful," Brax said, "they're happy again." He sat down across from Charra. “But I'm still eating here."
"What about you, Charra," Zavik said.
"I'll stay too," he said with reluctance in his voice. “I’m not sure who has the better food. Them or us?”
“We’ll let you know about the meat,” Dani said.
"You two will behave? I don't need to get a babysitter, do I?" Zavik asked.
"Very funny, civvie," Brax said.
Chapter 8
They entered the mess hall on the right side of the Command Center. General Walters sat at a long plastic table in the center. He was surrounded by a number of other officers. The other tables, about a dozen or so, were filled. A few soldiers were just sitting down, but most were deep into their meal, heads down and eyes fixed.
They walked over to the General's table. About half way there he saw them and waved them over. Two officers stood up, gave disapproving looks to Zavik and moved to another table.
They slammed their trays down. A fork crashed to the ground. Clankity-Clang! The soldier cursed, just loud enough for the General to hear.
"You watch yourself, Johnson," the General said. "Don't want to be running the perimeter tomorrow, do ya?"
"No, sir!" came the quick response.
"Please sit," he said. "I'll have someone bring you a tray."
"Appreciate that," Zavik said and they sat in the vacated openings.
The General motioned to his right and said, "This is my Lieutenant General, Raul." To his left, he nodded his head and said, "Colonel Heathrow, and next to you is, Colonel Thompson."
"Pleasure to meet you all," Zavik said. He was only slightly intimidated by the career officers. It had been a long time since he was surrounded by so many high-ranking officials. Not since his court martial he thought. They simply nodded and continued to chip away at their dinner. Two trays were dropped in front of Zavik and Dani. A round piece of meat, gray and soft, was in the middle. Flaked white potatoes on the side, and a scooping of bright yellow corn on the other. He thought about what Mrs. Talegra said about the meat and how they have to treat it and pump it full of chemicals. It made him a little queasier than he liked. He was convinced Brax and Charra made the smart decision to stay on the Rinada and eat there. Dani waited for him to try it before she would even touch it. He cut a chunk of meat off, the knife slipping through with ease. He gave it a small sniff as it reached his lips. Smelled ok, a nice coating of pepper helped that. It tasted like beef, from what he could tell, but he was no beef connoisseur. They certainly didn't get a lot of fresh beef out in the Outer Spiral. Nothing like what Earth had. Once in a while, they’d get some local area’s equivalent of beef, some fleshy animal that given enough natural and artificial flavors could be made to taste like beef. While this tasted like beef, it certainly didn't feel like beef. It was more grainy and rough on the tongue. The meat didn't shred and fall apart quite the same. Still, not bad he thought and took another bite. Dani cautiously followed suit, making no indications whether she liked it or not.
"Not so bad, right," Colonel Thompson said as he finished off his meal.
"No, not at all," Zavik said. Not a complete lie, but he knew he'd get tired of that cut of meat very quickly.
"How was your day?" General Walters asked.
"It was..." Zavik searched for the words while finishing his mouthful, "very helpful." He immediately wished he'd found something else to say.
"Helpful?" Lieutenant General Raul whipped. "How so?"
"It was just helpful to get a better understanding of the colony. Meeting some of the citizens and getting a better understanding of what they need."
"What the colony needs is what you're contracted to get, Mr. Khan," Raul said. "Nothing more, nothing less. I don't see how listening to the complaints of a few colonists will change that."
"It doesn't," Zavik said, "but it does help provide motivation."
"Motivation!" Colonel Heathrow said. "You hear that? His payment's not enough motivation for the smuggler. He needs more."
"No, I don't need more," he tried to say but the three had broken out into laughter.
"What, is he a smuggler with morals?" Raul asked sarcastically in a low tone to Heathrow.
Zavik heard him but held his tongue against his deep desire to lash out.
"What Zavik is saying is that it's helpful to put real faces to the job we're doing," Dani said. "It gives these people lives. They're not just numbers like they are to others."
Her dig clearly resonated. "Now you listen here, missy," Raul said, his voice rising, "they're not just numbers to us. We live here and go through the same hardships they do."
"All right! Enough!" General Walters said and they quieted down immediately. "Raul is in charge of supplies for the colony. It was on him to develop your list and ensure that what we get from Earth will be sufficient and what we don't get can be supplemented by your dealings."
"You don't have to worry, Lieutenant Colonel," Zavik said. "When we take a contract, we deliver. It's our reputation on the line."
"And it's our lives on the line," he said. "Forgive me, but I think this should have been a military operation from the beginning, not a private contractor, especially one who was discharged from the military. If it wasn't for your friend-"
"Admiral Snyder," General Walters said. "You would do well to not speak ill of him."
"Yes, sir, well, if not for your...connections, you would not have even been an option."
"Either way," Zavik said, "here we are. I've got the contract, I'm who you'll be working with. You don't have to like it, but you do have to get over it." Raul sat there, picking at the remnants of his dinner, eyes fixated on Zavik.
"He's right," General Walters said, "you have to get over it. Zavik is our guy, and I must say my confidence in him is growing."
Zavik thought that should make him feel better, but it didn't. It meant that the General's confidence in him was low to begin with. Why was he always so scrutinized? Was he that big of a screw-up? Wasn't it just five years ago he was one of the most celebrated humans? What happened to all that good will? He wasted it, he thought. Five years was a long time. What had he done in the last two, anyway? Nothing but lose money and almost get himself killed trying to take out Red Moon remnants that no one but him seemed to care about. They were right to be skeptical, he thought, but he'd show them. He was going to fulfill this contract and earn their respect. Then he'd be back on top, and this time, he wouldn't muck it up. No, not this time, he promised.
"Besides," the General continued, "we'll be sending one of our robots, don't forget about that."
"Oh, yes," Zavik said, "I wouldn't want to forget that now would I?" Zavik finished off his dinner, leaving a little chunk of meat still on the plate. He looked at Dani and motioned his eyes to go. He'd had just about enough of the career military for one day. Perhaps Brax was right about them.
She continued to pick at her plate, ignoring his pleads. She asked the General, "Was it your choice to come to Garos?" Zavik's eyes rolled back slightly, barely noticeable.
"Well, actually it was," he said. "One doesn't usually get to pick their assignments."
"I think all of us here can attest to that," Zavik added. The others nodded approvingly, but not enthusiastically.
"For this, though," the General continued, "the superiors did ask if there were any volunteers. I told them I was willing to take the job."
"Did you get to bring your family?" she asked. The other officers sitting at the table immediately winced in pain and their faces cringed. She felt a flush come over her face. What had she just asked?
The General was quiet for a moment and said, "My wife and son were killed in an a
ccident about three years ago." His voice was heavy but weak. "It was two years, three hundred twelve days ago, actually."
"I'm so sorry," Dani said, her voice mimicking the weakness of his.
He feigned a smile and said, "It was rough, I can admit that. They were all I had. My parents are dead, and I was an only child. I don't have any family. Except for my men, who I'm damn proud of." A slight smile rose on all of their faces. Zavik remembered that camaraderie, the feeling that you and your squad were family. You were family. As much as anyone could be. "Garos was an opportunity for a new start, the one I'd been looking for for two years. This planet gets to be a beacon of hope for humanity. A hope I need as much as the next guy. My son was my world, and my wife was my life. Now, Garos fills that void."
The table was silent for a moment. "You'll excuse me," the General said. He stood up and left the table. The other officers were silent. Their eyes were averted from Dani or Zavik.
"Perhaps we should go," he said and stood up taking his tray in his hand. There was no protest from the officers. He turned to leave, Dani following behind, her face sullen and flat. He heard the General's voice from behind him.
"Mr. Khan!" he shouted. "Going so soon?"
He turned around and began to say, "Ahh..." but was frozen by what he saw. Standing next to the General was a bipedal robot. It stood just under six feet tall and mirrored the General's movements back to the table.
"This is Rudy," the General said.
"Uh, hi," Zavik said dryly. He walked back over to the table.
"Pleasure to meet you, sir," the robot said in a mechanical voice that creaked after every word. "You can call me Rudy."
"I'm Zavik and this is Dani."
"Very good," the robot responded. "What do you require me to do?"
Zavik looked at the General who just shrugged. "Nothing, right now, I think," Zavik said.
"Very well. If you need anything, it would be my pleasure to help."
"Very polite," Dani said.
"That's how they're programmed," General Walters said.
"Don't encourage her, please," Zavik said.
"Raul will load the full list of supplies we need onto Rudy. I've got a few places I think might be good starting places for you, but these aren't the only places. I won't feel bad if you get the stuff from someone else. Hell, some of my contacts might not even be around anymore."
"We appreciate the help," Zavik said. "I think I will retire for the night, though. I want to get an early start in the morning."
"I understand my men can be a little abrasive," the general said. Zavik didn’t argue. "You’ll have to forgive them that. Building a colony’s a stressful job.
“I understand. No hard feelings or anything.”
“Good, then I'll see you off in the morning."
"Yeah, ok."
He turned to leave and the General said, "Oh, and remember, Mr. Khan, these people are relying on you, almost as much as they rely on me. Try and care about them just half as much as I do. I think they deserve that."
"Right," Zavik said nodding his head. He wasn't sure if he meant it. He wanted to, but then he told himself it was just a job. No different from the hundreds of other jobs he's had. What, just because it was Earth's colony he should treat it differently? No, he would do his job well because that is what he did. It didn't matter who the clients were or who it benefited. If he was delivering fertilizer to Bacarian Perizian farmers he'd still put the same amount of effort in. Wouldn't he? He thought about it briefly. Yes, of course, he would. He was a professional, and he had a job to do. No sense going and making it personal. That's what led to trouble. That was his mistake last time. He made Red Moon personal. It still was. An image of Mrs. Talegra and her boys suddenly popped into his mind. He just shook his head and said, "Right." Of course, this was different. It always was with humans.
Zavik awoke early the next morning. He went to the cockpit and looked out of the viewer. The sun was just beginning to crest over the horizon, a soft glow of orange blanketed the camp. Dani was still asleep in their room. She didn't talk to him much when they got back from dinner. She cleaned a bit, to make the ship look presentable to their new guests, and then went straight to bed. Brax and Charra took note of her mood and only casually engaged her in conversation. They were halfway through a game of werlik and nearly finished with a bottle of whiskey. Brax ended up losing twenty-five credits to Charra.
He let her sleep and went about putting the finishing touches on cleaning up. After about twenty minutes a knock on the loading ramp startled him. He lowered the ramp and General Walters walked in. Rudy followed after.
"Sorry to disturb you so early, Mr. Khan," General Walters said.
"Oh, no, I was just finishing cleaning up."
"Rudy has some basic supplies for you."
"Where shall I place them?" the robot asked.
"Uh, just put them over there on that table." He pointed to the counter top that lined the corner of the mini-kitchen, but Rudy placed the supplies on the dining table. Close enough, and impressive enough. Rudy seemed to recognize words well and respond quickly. Not bad at all, he thought.
"What are the supplies for? "Zavik asked.
"Your crew," the General said.
"I didn't want to send you off without a full stock of food and fuel.
"That's great," Zavik said, "but can you afford to give up any of this."
"We'll be fine," the General said, "it's surplus. Everything looks set to me, I’ll leave you to it. Good luck, Zavik," he said shaking his hand firmly. His mouth opened as if he was going to say something else, but he closed it and just nodded.
Zavik closed the loading ramp behind him and Dani emerged from the room. "I see our new guest has arrived," she said. "Good morning, Rudy."
"Hello, Dani, it is a pleasure to see you again," Rudy said.
"How are you doing, Rudy?" she asked.
"My systems are functioning at near optimum performance. I am eager to see if space travel on your ship has any influence on that. Many ill-configured ships have shown tendencies to disrupt robot systems while traveling through space, especially during lightdrive travel or portal travel. A lack of electromagnetic shielding, I believe is to blame.”
Zavik took exception to the ill-configured statement and said, "I think you'll find the Rinada to be configured well."
"I will let you know."
"Great, you do that." Zavik went and sat in the cockpit of the Rinada, looking out at the developing colony. "Rudy!" he called down the short corridor.
Rudy walked in, his telltale clanking announcing his presence before his inhuman voice did. The sound cut through the air on the Rinada and echoed through its steel hull. He was so close that Zavik cringed. "Is there anything I might do?" Rudy asked.
"Can you download what the General installed in your memory to the Rinada's computers?" Zavik asked.
"Of course, sir." The robot stood there motionless.
"Then go do it," Zavik said anxiously.
"Right away," Rudy said and exited the cockpit. Zavik followed, just to make sure it followed directions. Dani sat at an old wooden table that extended from the side of the ship going through the supplies Rudy brought. Charra had come out from his room and was helping her. She glanced at Rudy and her eyes drifted to Zavik.
"What is this thing?" Charra asked.
Brax's door opened and he asked, "Is that a robot on the ship or am I still a little drunk?"
"This is Rudy, a Mckellen Corporation robot that's going to help us," Zavik said.
"So you actually let it on the ship?" Brax asked.
"We'll see how useful it is," Zavik said.
"Where's it staying?" Brax asked.
"It's staying in your room," Charra said.
"Ha, I think not, my furry friend. I've been here longer, that's enough rank to get out of sharing a room with that."
"It's not going to stay in any room," Dani said. "It doesn't need to. It just powers up for a few hours ov
ernight. It doesn't sleep."
Charra walked over to Rudy and waved his hand in front of his eyes.
"Hello," Rudy said, "What is your name?"
"Uh, Charra."
"Processing. Charra, can I help you?"
Charra stepped back and said, "No, I'm good."
"Then why were you waving at me?"
"I wasn't, I just wanted to see what you could see."
"I can see everything," the robot said eerily.
"Ok then, good," Charra said.
"How long is this thing going to be with us?" Brax asked.
"And I thought I was paranoid of them," Zavik said with a small laugh.
"He'll be here until we're done with the job," Dani said.
"As if we needed another reason to hurry up," Brax said.
"My memory banks indicated that Rovun and Chokmnd were hostile creatures," Rudy said. "It appears I can now confirm those attributes."
"I think we were just insulted by a robot," Charra said.
"Astute observation," Brax said. "I'm going back to sleep. Maybe when I wake up it'll be gone."
Charra sat back down at the table and they watched Rudy as he began to download information to the computer.
"You trust that thing?" Charra asked quietly.
"Not really," Zavik said, "that's why Dani's monitoring its activities. If it tries to access anything it shouldn't or download something we don't like we'll know."
"You really think the General would do something like that?" Charra asked.
"I hope not, but I like to be prepared. Humans can surprise you sometimes."
"Not just humans," Charra said. "Trust me."
"Where are we headed to first?" Dani asked.
"Let's see what the General has in mind," Zavik said. "Hey, robot, uh...I mean Rudy, where does the General think is our best chance to secure food resources?"
Rudy walked over to the table and said, "My records indicate the system of Urdanis as an acceptable place to start."
"Urdanis, huh?" Zavik asked. "It's a little further into the central systems than I thought the General was looking for, but I can understand why he put that at the top of the list."