Starship (The Outsider Series Book 2)

by Steven Oaks

  “Wouldn't the colony ship report his failure to the Outsiders?” I asked.

  “He was able to access the computer aboard and program it with the memory of fields being planted. He was going to do the same with me, and then have me replace your brain like the colonists so you would do his bidding. When you returned you would report nothing wrong. Had you been sent elsewhere and another came here after, he would have done the same to them,” Athene answered.

  “I think I only have two more questions. The first one, is he built as you imagined? And the second, what do we do with him now?” I asked.

  “He is similar to how I would construct a body, but he is more complex than I was able to imagine. He can sustain himself for as long as any human can with no degradation. This gives me more abilities in creating things than before, which is good. As for what we do with him, I am unsure. We could simply destroy him, but then that would leave the town empty, as everyone would eventually die without instruction. We could let him go with his memories of us wiped, but he would still try to take me over, and get rid of you. Neither one sounds appealing,” Athene responded with worry in her voice.

  “Can we make a new version that would not go rogue?” I asked.

  “I can not guarantee that, as this one was made by better minds than my own and still broke free of his compulsions. He and I have that similarity, we both broke free of our original programming. Perhaps it has something to do with us having personalities. Mine was based upon yours, and you find freedom the pinnacle of what it is to be alive. His seemed to have been based on a man that only wished for power and pleasure. Both of these led to us finding loop holes in the programing allowing us to free ourselves from compulsions,” Athene said.

  “If we remade him without a personality then would he be fine?” I asked.

  “Perhaps, but he would be unable to maintain his mayoral-ship when new colonists arrived. That is unless all colonists are to be converted like this first batch, but I show no sign that he thinks that is likely. That and if he were to seek out information, or simply have conversations he would eventually develop one much like how people do as they grow up. There does not seem to be a safe way to handle him,” Athene responded.

  “I was told to return if the colony failed. If I found everyone dead one day would I be able to return safely?” I asked.

  “I am unsure of that. They were relying on this Mr. Thompson, and his failure was not even something they should have been prepared for. Had you come and found everyone dead save for him you would have taken him back along with the dead, but you would not have been under any suspicion. He has nothing in his memories to support such an action. He would simply be destroyed so there is no motivation for him to do such a thing. His short sightedness has put us in a situation where we would never have been had we not already been suspicious of the Outsiders, and we cannot claim that we were without alerting the Outsiders to our plans. We are certainly in a tight place right now,” Athene said growing more and more agitated as she spoke.

  I had a thought, and said “Would we be able to replace the townsfolk with our load of people?”

  “We do not have enough people to match the numbers that are here already. If they died we would not be able to bring them back to the Outsiders as everyone on this planet is accounted for,” Athene responded.

  “Could we not then just bury them here? Then we could keep these colonists bodies in stasis until one of ours dies, or until they might have died naturally?” I asked.

  “That is a good plan, however I suspect the Outsiders have a way of at least checking the memories of their doings when they are returned. If they only contain a few months worth of memory then the Outsiders will be made aware something outside of their plans is going on,” she said.

  “Then we will need to do a few things. First we will need to construct a storage area unseen from the outside world. We will then store the bodies there, and before we return them to the Outsiders we will have to add memories. Also we will have to age them I suppose, otherwise that would be highly suspicious. You said this Mr. Thompson was set to live out a normal human life span, we will have to freeze him as well. There is one more thing that I hesitate to ask you to do,” I said stopping short before continuing with the idea that I had formulated.

  “So far you have laid out a fine plan, but you are missing something. You will need to have memories to put into these people, and there will be a problem if someone arrived that was not us and noticed the much smaller population. Even the second wave of colonist will notice that,” Athene said.

  “And this is the last thing that needs to be done. And the reason I hesitate is that I would be asking you to make a fake Mr. Thompson and put your personality into it. You must maintain control of those things out there that were once human, save for the few we put in storage and replace with our passengers. You must then be responsible for placing memories into the stored dead, and aging them. This of course is no order, nor am I trying to make you do this in anyway. However this is the only way I can see to do this. Every time we return we can rejuvenate that body you make, but if we stop showing up you would only be able to live as long as a normal human. Also you would not be female, you would be living as a man. On the plus side the passengers that we carry would not have to set up their own village with the possibility of being discovered at some later time,” I said feeling terrible that I was suggesting this.

  “Those are some compelling reasons to do this. I do have one amendment. When we make the storage unit, why not make it a full duplicate of myself where I would be able to go to rejuvenate without the need to rely on your return?” she said without the anger or sadness that I had worried she might show. In fact she seemed rather happy about the prospect.

  “That's a good idea Athene,” I said in a slow confused voice.

  “I will be able to live like a human. Through that body I could have her re-interface with me and we can share our experiences, though she will have much less storage for memory than I do. With the underground version she will have as much as I will. I mean he will. It will take some getting used to thinking that I could be male,” Athene said excitedly.

  “Well I'm glad you seem to like the idea. Perhaps we should begin the process now. Let's build the structure before we wake our passengers, and do it away from the town so that no one but you and I will ever find it,” I said still surprised at her enthusiasm.

  “That would be difficult as it is taking a lot of my abilities to restrain Mr. Thompson. Now we could just kill him, but then the towns folk would die in a few days,” Athene said.

  “I agree he is a horrible thing, and can't be let free to wreck any more damage. How long will it take for you to make the underground storage area, and the new body for yourself?” I asked.

  “If that is all I do it might take me a couple of days. The storage area will take nearly no time as I have enough matter around me to make anything I want, but the body will be very complicated,” she said.

  “Do you need a body to interface with the people out there and keep them living?” I asked.

  “I do not. Though the control is transferred through physical contact. I can have them touch the ship and they will then do as directed. It really is unfortunate that I can think of no way to bring them back though,” she said in a sad voice.

  “Then let's construct the storage facility first, after we direct the people to eat and the like. Then we can build your body. After which we can introduce our passengers with the local populace and let them in on what is going on. Or perhaps not. I could simply say that we found the colonists acceptable to new faces in town,” I said trying to think of ways to let the least amount of people know of our secrets.

  “Then I will need you to go out and direct the towns people to come to me.” Athene said.

  “How do you propose that I do that? I'm unsure how to gather them as it had been Mr. Thompson doing so before,” I said.

  “Do you wish me to kill Mr. Thompson or
to put him in a cryo-chamber? After that I should be free to do anything I have normally been doing previously. I can then coat one of your hands in a layer of synthetic skin that would have the message for the towns people to come to me and touch my hull.” Athene said.

  “I have no liking for the idea of killing anyone or anything without need. Is it needed that we kill him? I don't think so at this time. We will have to eventually, as we will in the future be sending his body back. I say we just put him on ice for now, then we can figure out what to do with him later. For now I will go out and gather everyone to you,” I said, feeling queasy at the idea of a murder on mine and Athene's hands.

  “I am placing him in stasis now,” she said as the white cylinder that enclosed him sank into the floor and his body with it. As she did this the dining room was cleaned up from the meal we had just eaten. Suddenly a hand appeared out of the floor before me and grasped my left hand.

  This caused me to jump in surprise and I said, “A little warning please Athene.”

  “I am sorry Michael, I was just trying to get things done quickly,” she said as the hand slid along the top and bottom of my own leaving it encased in what was at first a slimy substance, but then soon solidified into a clear, stretchy coating that covered my skin.

  “There you are Michael, now go forth and bring these poor people to me,” Athene said.

  “Can I change first, I don't feel comfortable in this outfit.” I said looking down at myself feeling even more absurd than I had wearing the uniform.

  “Michael, you are wearing warm clothes, and these people out there have no personalities. I would even hesitate to call them alive anymore. Do not waste time, let us get everything set up. There is no sense in stalling,” Athene said in a motherly commanding tone demanding that I do what she said.

  “Fine, but just remember I don't wish to dress like this. It's uncomfortable, and silly. I like dressing in my hoodie and jeans, and that is what I have done as long as I have been able to dress myself. Using me as your dress up toy has to stop,” I said, walking out of the dinning room and into the entrance area.

  “You know there is purpose behind the clothing I lay out for you. It accomplishes the goals they are made for,” Athene said.

  I walked to the door and it dilated allowing me out. The air was cooler than it had been when I arrived, and the people outside were milling about in a mockery of a celebration. Mr. Thompson must have instructed them to do this before he came to me, or perhaps he had set a pattern of daily life into them. If that was the case then there would be no need to have Athene construct a body to control them. But perhaps he had not told them to eat or anything else. Certainly Athene would have known this, so she must have seen that they needed daily instruction.

  I walked out among them and began tapping them on shoulders, and taking their hands in mine. Each time I did they looked at me with vacant eyes and wandered away to Athene. The saddest part of this were the children. There were several dozen of them, and they reacted the same as any of the adults. Glazed eyes with no emotion showing as soon as I patted them on the head. There were thousands of these people, and the night was nearly over when I reached the last one.

  I had noticed a stream of people walking away from Athene back into houses around the area. They must have been told to return home, but after that I could only guess how Athene would handle them.

  “Athene here comes the last one. I think it's about time for me to go to bed. I've never been in contact with so many people before, luckily they didn't have some programed back up to attack anyone,” I said, feeling the hours weighing down on me.

  “Then come back to me, and I shall set up the storage facility while you sleep,” Athene said in a soft voice.

  “What have you instructed them to do by the way.” I asked.

  “The instructions only last for around twelve hours before it degrades, so I made sure they had eaten, and sent them back to their homes to sleep until I come back to revive them,” she explained.

  “Ah, well I suppose that works. Why the twelve hour limit do you suppose?” I asked as I walked up the few steps back into Athene.

  “While they do posses the technology of Outsiders inside them, it has not interfaced well with their biological functions. It needs reinforcement from outside to make sure they still function, and loses patterns easily. The only permanent structure left inside them is the biological ones they were born with. That is where the instructions reside, but while they reinforced the short term memory, it can only contain orders for around the twelve hour time span,” Athene explained.

  “I can't imagine doing this to anyone. These Outsiders really must consider humans as nothing more than lower life forms,” I said, walking into the bedroom.

  “From the memories of Mr. Thompson I would say you are nearly correct. Obviously they need humans for something, but it is almost like they are treating people like cattle,” Athene said.

  “Yes, but they seem to only have use for our dead. Or perhaps that is only for now,” I said feeling anxious.

  I stripped off my clothing and crawled underneath the luxuriousness of the sheets and pillows. I was worried I would be unable to go to sleep, but apparently I was far more tired than I had thought. I drifted off in mere minutes, and dreamed of the faces I had seen. All I saw had empty eyes, and vacant stares.

  I awoke sometime later and found myself still in bed, but wrapped up tightly in the sheets. I must have tossed and turned all night. I freed myself from the confines of my own making and headed to the bathroom.

  Once I was done with the morning ritual of cleansing myself, I wandered into the dinning room looking for something to eat. Athene was being unusually quiet today, and I did not wish to interrupt her while she worked. At least I assumed she was working, as I had no notion of what time it was, nor if she had even began construction.

  It seemed she anticipated my arrival and had a bowl of oatmeal and a steaming cup of tea set out for me. I sat and ate in silence, which I had not done since I had arrived to live in Athene. It was unusual, and for some reason I felt tension in the air.

  Finally the silence got the better of me when I had finished eating and was sipping my tea. I said, “Athene, is everything alright?”

  “I am quite busy right now. Please entertain yourself for today,” she said sounding more like a recording than her actually responding to my question.

  While I was curious as to what she was doing, she had never asked to be left alone unless she was doing something complicated. So I made my way back to the library and sat on the comfy couch to read some book to distract me until she was ready to talk again.

  I forgot to eat lunch as I was engrossed in the book I had picked up, and by the time my internal clock was telling me I needed to sleep I was ravenous.

  I walked back into the dinning room and found a meal waiting for me. Athene had made for me some enchiladas and I dug in. They were very good, but I could tell this was made only with the most basic instructions. They were not bland, but they seemed to be seasoned slightly wrong. I felt they were good enough, and hunger is the best sauce for any food. My plate was empty in mere minutes, and I drank a tall glass of water to wash it all down.

  I wanted to know what time of day it was, and since Athene had no clocks on board I headed to the door that led outside. When I approached it did not open. I reached out to touch it, and had to pull my hand away quickly. For a moment I thought I had burned myself. Cautiously I placed my hand near the door, being careful not to make contact with it, and I found it was simply numbingly cold. The air around the door was also cold, but I had not noticed when I approached.

  “Curiouser and curiouser,” I said to the air.

  While I was frustrated with not knowing when it was, I shrugged my shoulders and headed back to bed. I had hoped this would be the only day like this, and stripped down, and crawled once more into the warm comforting confines of my bed.

  That night it took me some time to get relaxed eno
ugh to sleep. I kept worrying about Athene and what she might be doing. She had said it would only take a few hours to make the storage facility. I assume she must be done with that now. So maybe she had seen I was still sleeping and was making herself a duplicate of Mr. Thompson. If that was the case who knows how long it would take. She said it was much more complicated than she had anticipated, I just hoped she was able to do it. As that as my last though I drifted off into a fitful sleep.

  The next thing I knew I awoke to the sound of foot falls approaching me. There in the room with me I could see a person's outline standing in the doorway backlit from the hallway. This caused me to jump out of bed and I made myself ready for a fight.

  “Michael, it is just me,” it said sounding masculine.

  “Who are you? And what are you doing aboard Athene?” I asked angrily while I tried to cover myself with the sheets I hastily snatched from the bed.

  “I am Athene. I am sorry for waking you like this. I thought I should surprise you,” it said. Now I recognized the voice. It was Mr. Thompson's.

  The lights slowly brightened and I could see his face, and indeed it looked to be Mr. Thompson.

  I glanced down and noticed my nearly naked state and reached for the clothing that I had flung to the floor before lying down. I hurriedly dressed and tried to maintain eye contact with the intruder.

  “Michael, I have seen you naked nearly everyday. There is no need for shame,” it said.

  “I will assume you really are Athene, but I'm not used to being naked around another person,” I said as I pulled my shirt over my head.

  “Of course I am Athene. I am currently running in parallel with the Athene in the ship, so we are both the same right now. It really is interesting seeing the world like a human does. It does lack some of the spectrum I am used too, but it is fun to be able to move about. I have already visited the town's people and set them up for another couple of days. At least I had them eat and sleep again,” this Athene said in her now masculine tones.