Warpath

by Randolph Lalonde

  Jake nodded and exhaled. Listening to the Doctor was becoming more frustrating by the minute. He looked at Alice, who had a neutral expression. Jake took a step, or at least that’s what he commanded his left leg to do. He got more awkward lifting and flopping instead.

  “Okay, wait,” Doctor Messana said, shaking her head again.

  Alice looked almost as irritated as Jake felt, only she had her back to the Doctor.

  “You’re concentrating on the small motions required to take one step. Walking is a reflex combining balance and about two hundred muscles working together, you can’t control every single one consciously. What I’d like you to do is forget about one step, and just try to walk to the other end of the bars. Just take a deep breath, relax and as soon as you finish exhaling, let go of the bars and walk to the other end. Alice, give him extra room.”

  Jake nodded to Alice, signalling that it was all right, and she took several steps back as he inhaled. He made several unwelcome realizations while he slowly exhaled: his hands were sweaty, his heart was pounding fast, and that the other end of the parallel bars seemed very far away.

  He finished exhaling and let go of the bars, refusing to look down at his legs. The realization that he was standing, feeling steadier than he’d felt since waking up gave him a surge of confidence. He started to take his first step, then the whole training room went sideways, he smashed his ribs on the right parallel bar, the padding didn’t seem to spare him any harm, then he finished falling between them, his impact on the mats knocking the wind out of him.

  “This is easier than you’re making it, Jake.”

  “Stop telling me how fucking easy this is!” Jake roared as soon as he caught a breath. “Does this look easy to you?”

  “Fine! Do it the long way, learn to walk all over again!” Doctor Messana said before storming out of the room.

  Alice was at his side, helping him back up. He was about to ask for a break, but glanced the other end of the parallel bars, less than three metres away. Even if he had to drag his feet, he’d make it. “I went too far,” Jake muttered.

  “She had it coming,” Alice replied. “She couldn’t have expected all that programming to work perfectly. I get my control freakiness from you, so I know what this is. You can’t just trust a brand new pair of legs, and back, and bum to work together to keep you upright unless you’ve had something to do with it.”

  Jake smiled at her and nodded. “Yeah, I know. I just wish I was better at picking my battles. These bars are kicking my ass.”

  “We’ll take it slower,” Alice said. “One step at a time, first we just get those feet under you properly, then you move them forward without putting much weight on while you keep upright on the bars with your arms. Baby steps though.”

  Jake carefully concentrated on moving his thigh so his foot landed on the mat just in front of him, then put a little weight on it. The weight felt good, his leg was strong enough, but his footing was shaky. He shuffled forward a little with his right hand on the bars. “Where’d you learn about teaching someone to walk?” he asked as he started working on the other leg.

  “Ayan, Oz, Minh-Chu and I all took a physical training course. Doctor Messana wasn’t thrilled, but we did it anyway, it was Commander Anderson’s idea. He said he went through the course before Ayan was reborn. He had to be prepared if all those memories he recreated in her head wouldn’t attach to her physical body properly.”

  “Thank you,” Jake said.

  They didn’t speak as Jake ponderously took baby steps all the way to the other end of the parallel bars. He was almost completely dependant on the bars, keeping most of his weight off his feet, but his legs were doing some of the motions, if clumsily, and it felt like progress.

  “Now, we turn around,” Alice said, moving to the opening in the bars behind him.

  Jake decided to try the Doctor’s advice one last time. He closed his eyes and simply desired to turn around one hundred and eighty degrees, willing his legs to do the work. He got one foot into position, and fell to the mats between the bars so suddenly that Alice couldn’t catch him. The mats saved him from numerous bruises. He looked up from the floor at his daughter, who stared at him in utter shock. “time for a break?” she squeaked.

  He couldn’t help but laugh. “I guess we do this the hard way,” he said as she sat down beside him.

  Chapter 5

  The Codis System

  The deep pore cleaning was always refreshing. A pretty, ultra slender attendant bot in a short red and green kimono handed Governor Tate a large towel as he exited the treatment booth.

  “There is nothing like steam and a nano scrub to make you feel fresh and new,” he said to her.

  “Yes Sir, will there be anything else, Sir?” she asked.

  “No, you just get in there and work your magic. The jets have to be cleaned as often as possible.”

  “Yes Sir, thank you sir,” the bot replied. He would be almost convinced that she was human, except for her perfect obedience, that was something he’d had some difficulty inspiring with human servants in the past.

  He towelled off as he walked into his living room, not thinking for a moment that he was being watched.

  “Now that’s something I’ll never un-see,” said a voice from the large recliner in the main area of his large, lavishly furnished home above the clouds. “You should look into the new fitness meds, I hear they have versions that won’t trigger an allergic reaction or extreme flatulence for cases like yours, where you’re a little over the ten percent body fat margin.”

  “Who let you in here?” Governor Tate asked, embarrassed, outraged and alarmed. He ran for the door of his study, where a rack of rare weapons awaited, only to have it close swiftly before he could grab one.

  “I’m in your computer system, Governor,” the stranger said. “No running, no hiding, and no sicking your poor, mistreated attendant bot on me. I’m amazed that you’ve had her for four months and still haven’t named her. I think I’ll call her Nancy, she looks a bit like a Nancy to me.”

  Governor Tate wrapped the towel around his waist, leaving his round belly hanging over. “I don’t know who you are, but you’re in more trouble than you could ever imagine. I’m the master of eleven inhabited worlds, and a fleet like you-“

  “Nancy!” the stranger cried, snapping his fingers. “Get the Governor here something to wear, his uniform should do.” He leaned forward and regarded Governor Tate with an impish grin. “You know who I am, just give your grey matter a minute to work through all those faces in all those reports. I’m somewhere near the top of the pile, I guarantee it.”

  The man’s manner was infuriating. He was completely dismissive of the Governor’s position and somehow in control of everything around him, so it seemed. There had to be a crack in the man’s armour, or a piece of information that could help Tate out of his predicament, then this unwelcome guest would pay for his insolence. “I don’t recall seeing you anywhere,” he told the stranger. The man had hair down to his shoulders, a square visage, and eerily penetrating blue eyes. Details of his face shifted under the skin, then the lips expanded at the corners, and the nose flattened, shortened and Governor Tate recognized his visitor. “You are wanted for questioning in multiple sectors,” he said, calming down. It was Wheeler, a man with a fleeting relationship to the Order of Eden at best. “Not to mention, you’re still technically the property of Regent Galactic.”

  “So, your war torn toy is here,” he replied, sitting back in the chair as he watched the helper bot deliver a dark green uniform to the Governor. “You Regent Galactic people get a real twist in your knickers when your technology grows a mind of its own. You know how to make us look good though, I’ll admit.”

  “I’ll never trust this one again,” the Governor said as he pulled his trousers on. “It took five months for the fabrication centre to get her just right, but now that you’ve been in her head….”

  “Then I’ll take her. I’m sure you can have somet
hing else made,” Wheeler replied. “Maybe something with a more human shape. The ultra slim models never really look human, do they?”

  “What makes you think you’ll walk out of here with anything? Even your freedom is a long shot at this point. I don’t care that you’re a murderer, or that you may have had something to do with the leadership changes at the top.” Governor Tate told him. He only needed to know who his visitor was so he could read the situation and find his footing. Wheeler was a destructive force, even when he failed in his mission there was some kind of wreckage left in his wake. Even still, the only reason why Wheeler would beg an audience with the highest power in the Codis solar System was because he wanted something, and there were a number of things Tate could think of that Wheeler could deliver.

  “I’m going to make you the leader of the Order of Eden,” Wheeler said. “You’re one of the only Governors who have passed on the framework program, and have been smart enough to stay away from the current leadership.”

  “Powerful people who get too close to Eve or that Beast tend to end up in their place with no hope of advancement or dead, with very little in their epitaph,” Governor Tate said. His bot brought him a mug of nutmeg cocoa as he sat down in a firm armchair across from Wheeler. The drink was an all natural treat, the ingredients cost thousands of credits when they were available.

  “Very good, Nancy, now could you record everything that is said here?” Wheeler asked. “I really do plan on taking you with me, and we’ll make more than point zero zero seven percent use of that wonderful brain of yours.”

  A sip of his drink revealed a perfect texture, flavour and temperature, something he’d been trying to have his bot, Nancy, to master since she’d entered his home. “I don’t know if I want control of the Order. They’ve fallen in line behind Eve, and the military feeds on the image of the Beast. They’re zealots, near crazed.”

  “Then the Regent Galactic Forces, corporate control,” Wheeler said, “That’s even easier. You’re right, the Order is so crazed now, it’s like a bag of flaming cats. That is, except for the segments of the Order you already control. I hear recruitment is down thirty five percent thanks to Valent’s game of Chinese Whispers.”

  “It’ll come back up. People want the community and opportunity Order membership brings, and if I can do that without demanding the fervour that Eve does, then they’ll see the rational choice.”

  “That’s not going to be possible. Eve is coming here,” Wheeler replied. “Just something I heard on the Order of Eden Command Network. She’s going to gather your Order members into the fold.”

  “What? She travels with so large a group, getting her onto this side of the Ironhead Nebula would be a massive undertaking, I would have heard something,” Governor Tate said.

  “No, not if she had a double spreading her message elsewhere. She wants to surprise this sector, appear as though by some miracle,” Wheeler said. “It’ll work for some, and the rest of the Order followers here will see that, by taking her lead they can elevate themselves faster than they could if they just stayed here, fighting in your ranks. You’re about to have a workforce shortfall on three of your planets, probably four. All the biggest ones, really.”

  “And you’re going to tell me that you have the solution, that you can put me in a higher position than the Mother of the Order?”

  “No, I’m going to put you up as her equal. I’ve seen across this digital landscape, the plains that remember our footsteps like they are pressed into stone. The Beast hates the zealotry and sacrifice that Eve demands as much or more than you do. He could use an ally in Regent Galactic too, especially on this side of the Iron Head Nebula, where the majority of their resources and fabrication assets are. If you drop all your suppositions about him, and forget his public persona, which is a farce, if you ask me, you’ll find that he’ll become an easy ally. I can get you in front of him through his own secure network, and I know you’ll be able to take it from there if you respect him.”

  “That’s all, just respect him,” Governor Tate said, deeply interested. The Beast commanded forty two battle groups at last count, half a billion souls engaged in military service, and his forces grew every time they conquered a new outpost or world. Even his manufacturing capabilities were growing, especially over the previous two months. “There has to be more to it.”

  “There is, I knew the man, even before he changed. I’ll walk you through it step by step, I’ll even vouch for you. Once upon a time I had a hand in getting him into his position. But first, you need to agree to give me a carrier group. I’ll fight your war my way, and I’ll bloody all the enemies you have on this side of the Nebula. You think this is power? This solar system? It’s a great money generator, and, yes, you could build something impressive here, but you haven’t seen real power until the local systems start paying you tribute, until an entire sector feels they need to consult with your people before they do so much as take a deep breath. If you want to be remembered, to have the kind of power that generates a legend that can outlast Earthen Pharaohs, then let me help you, and give me what I need to draw blood from your enemies.”

  “A carrier group, that’s-“

  “A pittance,” Wheeler said as he accepted an amber drink from Nancy. “Regent Galactic is waiting for a great leader, and you could be it. You just need the right backing.”

  “The Beast.”

  “Exactly,” Wheeler replied. “And I need a carrier group. I need one of those carrier groups you have in orbit to get a few things done. All I want is Tamber, in the Rega Gain System. The rest is yours, along with the credit.”

  “One moon you intend to capture yourself?”

  “Yes, get the carrier group ready this week, and I’ll get you on the fast track to becoming the greatest leader this galaxy has ever seen. You have the mind for it, you have the fortitude, and now you’ll have an in-road thanks to me.”

  “They’ll need two weeks to prepare, in the meantime I expect to see significant process, I need to see this is working before you go on some warpath.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “Now, how do we get started?” Governor Tate asked, truly excited for the first time in years.

  “Well, for a start, you’ll never call the leader of the Order Military the Beast again. Call him Overlord Clark Patterson. He was human once, and he had a good soul.”

  Chapter 6

  The Solar Forge’s Only Patient

  Jake sat on a balancing seat that would sway left or right if he didn’t actively hold himself in place. Jake had almost mastered it, and could stay up straight without much concentration. His room was unrecognizable thanks to the holographic display that surrounded him. He was in a rest period, true, but that didn’t mean he had to rest his mind. He had been out of commission for weeks, and there was a lot to catch up on.

  His recovery was going well, according to Alice and Oz, but it wasn’t fast enough for Jake. Even with a parade of visitors throughout the day, life-like simulated experiences, and an endless stream of reports, he still felt like he had been placed in a corner away from the rest of the universe. He appreciated the fact that the Warlord was on patrol, training the new crew under Stephanie, Frost, Agameg, Finn and Minh-Chu. They were doing what he’d wish they would while he was off his feet, nothing serious and nothing overly dangerous. He still felt like he should be with them, like he was missing too much.

  The Triton hadn’t operated under his command for months, but he felt like there was too great a distance between it and him as well. Oz had that well in hand, Jake knew, but what he actually knew about the day to day operations of Triton Fleet could fit in a ten minute narrated report. An evolutionary kind of change was radiating from the Triton, and he felt like he was missing it. The captured Order of Eden Destroyer had become part of Triton Fleet after undergoing a refit inside the Solar Forge that lasted a little over two weeks. With the resdesign that Ayan’s new engineering team along with Agameg, Frost and Finn put together, it would hav
e taken six months in a normal shipyard. The Solar Forge was a wonder, and while Jake was recovering it was attending to ships that came from across the sector to join Triton Fleet and Haven Shore Defence. Lorander was truly allowing Triton Fleet do whatever they liked with their gift, to Jake’s surprise. The Destroyer was even improved significantly during the refit. New exterior armour plates that could absorb incredible amounts of energy and emit nearly as much were added, along with advanced stealth systems. The lower cargo doors had been rebuilt so the main hold was a large hangar. The list went on with other minor improvements, some of which took two attempts to install properly, but one glaring oversight nagged at Jake: they hadn’t found a captain worthy of the destroyer yet.

  He returned his attention to the work the Solar Forge was doing. It had taken the repair systems only a day and a half to repair all the damage aboard the Warlord, inside and out. The skitters aboard learned from the much smaller reacher droids that the station used to do fine internal repairs as well. Reports of the Warlord’s skitters efficiency rising were encouraging. The strides the Triton Fleet’s technology was making was more than impressive, it indicated to Jake that there was a will in Lorander Corporation to see them become a major force against the Order of Eden.

  Even if they used it as a tool to track the number of ships Triton Fleet had, the benefits still far outweighed that kind of drawback. Oz even had his people checking every ship for control or tracking devices that may have been planted by the mobile shipyard, but they found absolutely nothing. Watching what was going through the ship refurbishing and building facility was one of the more interesting things Jake had to do, and even though he could rarely feel the vibrations or hear the sound of machinery that was right under his feet, he felt like he was close to one of the main devices for change in the Rega Gain system.