The Apprentice Starship Engineer: Book One The Link

by Hanks, Daniel

  We all ended up sitting around the kitchen table. Sandra walked back and forth, serving coffee. Diane almost ordered her to take a seat.

  “I agree we should release the natives. My concern is, will they be all right? It’s a jungle out there,” Diane said.

  We all looked at Sandra. “I have no idea,” she said. “I don’t know.”

  “We could wait. At the rate we’re learning about their language, we’ll be able to ask them in a couple days,” Diane said.

  “Let’s move the ones who are well to a place where we can start trying to communicate with them,” Mike said.

  It sounded like a good plan. We all agreed, but when the natives saw we were trying to separate them, our plan went to hell. The natives sat holding hands. Mike called in more guards to help move them.

  Sandra stopped him. “Stop, Mike. Look at what’s happening,” she yelled.

  Mike looked around the room. I could tell he was pumped up, ready to fight. He took a deep breath, called his men and left the room. I wanted to follow him, wanted to tell him it was okay and not be too hard on himself. Looking around, I had to stay. No way was I leaving Sandra alone with them.

  “Margret, can you interpret for me?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Tell them we meant no harm. We were just going to move them. We wanted to use the ones who were well to teach us their language.”

  Margret translated. Their language was different with some trills and sounds from the back of one’s throat. It was hard for me to wrap my tongue around, but pretty to listen to. They laughed at Margret’s translation and talked amongst themselves. Margret wasn’t able to keep up with it all.

  “You seem to puzzle them. They can’t understand how a race that can build me, and is obviously intelligent, hasn’t learned their language by now,” Margret said. “That’s the jist of their conversation. Some of what they’ve said isn’t very polite.” An older-looking, dignified man stood and talked slowly to me. “He says he’ll teach you if you put me away. He won’t teach a machine. Who the hell does he think he is?” she asked with a bit of heat to her voice.

  “Margret, record everything and then send it to Willy’s team.”

  After several tries, he was able to convey to me that his name was Bachnon. He didn’t stop, not even breaking for lunch. He taught me nonstop. I was exhausted. It was dark out when he finely let me go.

  The next day, Bachnon made Sandra his student and appointed a young girl to teach me. The other three he made teach the guards. Class went on all day. He wouldn’t let us use our language, only Monisa was to be used in his presence. Thanks to Margret, the whole camp was listening in.

  At the end of class, I took some painkillers for my headache. Sandra was quiet as she got some dinner ready.

  “Your teacher was very pretty,” Sandra said.

  “Yeah, I didn’t notice,” I said. Mom didn’t raise a dumb kid.

  “You noticed. You always notice.”

  I surveyed Sandra. “Hmm, not as pretty as you.”

  She hit me lightly on the shoulder. “Don’t look at me that way.”

  I put my arms around her. “I’m so tired I could sleep a hundred years.”

  She pushed on my stomach. “You’re getting flabby. Time to hit the gym.”

  I groaned as she pulled me along. I grabbed my workout clothes before we left. Halfway through the workout, I wondered if Sandra used it to get back at me. She was brutal. Hundreds of sit ups, pushups and squats. Was she trying to kill me? It was fun sparing with her. I’m getting almost as fast, and managed to get in some hits and block a few of hers.

  The next day, I tried to back out of Bachnon’s training, as I had work to do, but he sent the young girl, Nonmasst, with me. Bachnon and all the natives were so friendly and pleasant we let down our guard, allowing them come and go at will. We’d made the Monisa language the official camp language for all non-critical communication.

  Walking around with Nonmasst was like being in the presence of a celebrity. Everyone came up and tried out their language skills on her. She was very patient. I soon grew to like her a lot, which earned me more brutal workouts with Sandra. I’m sure she doesn’t get jealous. She just gets even.

  I’ve always said that I didn’t have time for a girlfriend, but now I’m married. Sandra goes to bed, and I study for two or three hours. I have to support six kids, who needed the latest in gaming machines. Nothing but the best for the Wilson brats, I say. My goal is to finish my last year before we leave the planet. I refused to believe we will be stranded here, as it doesn’t fit my plans. I could be pessimistic, but I choose not to be, so I study like a mad man.

  Margret chimed. “Time for bed. It’s one am.”

  Stretching, I got up to use the bathroom. I don’t argue with Margret anymore about getting sleep. We’ve come to an agreement. I can stay up late without being nagged as long I plan ahead of time and go to bed when planned. After crawling in next to Sandra, I closed my eyes. In what felt like seconds, Margret announced it was time to wake up.

  Chapter 12: The Core

  Bachnon had also been teaching Sandra about the medicinal qualities of local plants. We’d become so comfortable with him we’d let down our guard with him. They were alone while I was at a board meeting. I guess I didn’t learn enough from the bears.

  I was just coming home from the board meeting. I heard a crash as I entered. I ran into the living room. Bachnon was on top of Sandra, choking her. I chopped him on the neck, knocking him to the floor. After grabbing Sandra, I carried her to the auto doc. Her throat was crushed, and she had other injuries. The doc’s display said she’d be out for several hours.

  I grabbed a roll of tape, returned to the living room and bound Bachnon’s hands and feet. Then I placed a portable auto doc on his head, he came to in a few minutes.

  “Voices many voices. Too many voices,” he said. I turned my eye to infrared and saw small lines across his back, ending in a dot. Setting the portable doc on his shoulder, I set the controls and removed the object. Bachnon went limp, letting out a long sigh. “Peace at last.”

  I rolled him over. “What do you mean? What are you talking about, and why did you attack Sandra?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Voices, so many voices. It’s happening again. We’ll attack you again.”

  “Margret, sound the alarm and get me Mike,” I said. “Mike, get ready the natives are going to attack again. Send a couple people over to medical. Sandra got hurt and is in the auto doc.”

  “Got it. We’ll be ready.”

  “I don’t know when the attack will come, but I’ll bet it happens soon.”

  I called Torance. “Have you seen any changes in the last hour?”

  “Let me check,” he said. After a few moments, he came back online. “You won’t believe what I’m seeing. The whole spectrum is full of activity.”

  “Record as much as you can.”

  “Okay. What’s going on?”

  “I’m not sure, but I think those signals control or affect the people living here.”

  “Ah, okay. I’ll record the signals.”

  “We must stop the voices!” Bachnon said.

  I turned to him. “How? Tell me how.”

  “I’ll take you. We can stop them together.”

  Sandra had trusted him, and now she was in the auto doc paying the price. The portable auto doc had placed the dot removed from Bachnon into a plastic container. I zoomed in on it with my mechanical eye. It was covered with circuits and connections. It was impossibly complicated. Could such a small dot have controlled Bachnon? I remembered my grandpa saying, Sometimes you have to take a chance.

  “Both our peoples are going to die if we can’t stop the signal. Time is running out,” he said.

  I reached into the closet and grabbed my suit, thankful that Sandra had prepared so well. After pulling on the overalls and vest, I holstered my weapons, then grabbed the rail gun. I walked over to Bachnon and cut the tape at his ankles and w
rists.

  “Take me to this transmitter.”

  “We’ll need Tangent. We must free him first.”

  “How far away is he?”

  “We need your flying machine. Its three days on foot.”

  “Okay, we’ll use the emergency vehicle.” I motioned to Bachnon. I made him lead the way.

  “You may tie my hands,” Bachnon said.

  I didn’t answer him. After launching the emergency vehicle into the night air, I told him to point out the place we needed to go.

  “That mountain. See the notch in the side? That’s where we’re going.”

  I landed in a small shelf close to the notch and then followed Bachnon as we walked toward it. We were high up on the mountain. All that grew in the thin soil was grass and shrubs. Picking our way across a rocky slide, I followed him as he turned up a dry streambed, emerging at the side of the notch. The air was crisp and cold, and burned my starving lungs as I panted. He stopped me at the bottom of a hill, motioning me to crawl. We crested the rise. Ahead of us was a small valley where a majestic starship rested on legs that extended from its hull.

  I used my mechanical eye to examine the ship. A group of natives were huddled around a small fire, looking around. More were stationed on the surrounding hills.

  Bachnon whispered into my ear, “I’ll stay here. You go awaken the ship. The AI is Tangent. He’ll help you.”

  “Why stay? I could use your help.”

  “No, I can’t.”

  “This is for your people also.”

  He hung his head. “I can’t. You go. The code is avingmetimeocrwzho.”

  “What? Margret, did you get that?”

  “Yes, dear, I got it.”

  “Give the AI the code and he’ll work for you.”

  Alone I crawled toward the ship, cursing him as I went. Staying in depressions and using shadows, I stayed out of view. I slipped past the guards and entered unseen. The ship’s emergency lighting gave me enough light to make my way. Passing engineering, I stopped and looked over a control panel. Everything had odd symbols. The gauges were reading at the bottom. I made the assumption they were low.

  “Margret, connect Professor Diane Livingston. Get her online,” I said as I studied the controls.

  “Drake, where are you?” Diane asked.

  I paused. Something made me suspicious. “Oh, Bachnon has taken me on a stupid errand.”

  “You should come back. You’re needed here.”

  “Yeah, I’ll return soon.” I ended the communication. “Margret, show me the camp grounds.” The camp appeared in my mechanical eye. I panned around bodies that were lying all over. I zoomed in on people who moved the dead. Aliens and ship personnel worked together. They moved like robots. “That’s enough, Margret.” I looked at the control panel. “What do you think? Which switch will start the reactor in auto mode?”

  “Well, considering we don’t know if this ship has a reactor, your guess might be as good as mine.” She paused. “We’ve been deciphering their writing. The third switch from your left on the bottom row.”

  As I turned the switch, I wondered about the age of the ship, and the condition of the pumps and auxiliary equipment necessary to bring on line the ships power source. I heard a muffled hum and felt a slight vibration. Stepping out into the hallway, I looked out the door. The natives were still huddled around the fire. Indicator lights appear by the door. I walked over, pressed the button and the door slid closed.

  The lights came on in the hallway, and I heard running feet heading my way. I slipped back into the engineering room and grabbed my sonic blaster. I flipped off the safety. Four wild figures came running down the hall. I fired, knocking the two leaders off their feet. I fired again, hitting the third one. The last man dogged my next shot and charged me. I fired when he was a few feet away. The blast threw him against the wall. After dragging their unconscious bodies out of the hall, I bound them back to back.

  Searching through the ship, I came to what appeared to be the control room. It was large and comfortable. A young handsome man stood. “Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?” he asked.

  Another man came into the room behind me. He moved his arm back, and I instinctively blocked with my left hand in a sweeping motion. I hit the dart in flight. I felt a tug on my little finger. The dart ripped across my shoulder blade as I drew the blaster.

  The man said, “Tangent control code, avingme.”

  I shot him with the blaster, knocking him against the wall. “Margret, give Tangent the code.”

  “Tangent control code, avingmetimeocrwzho,” she said.

  “Accepted password confirmed,” Tangent said.

  “Margret, give me control rights, then change Tangent’s password.”

  I inspected my hand. After cutting off the rest of my little finger off, I bandaged it. I tried to inspect my back, but couldn’t see much. It hurt, and I made a mess with the blood. Giving up on my back, I turned my attention to the man on the floor. I rolled him over and then drew my knife.

  “IR mode, Margret.” After finding the receiver, I cut into him, removing the small device. I took my time to close his wound and cover it.

  Rolling him back over, I said, “Tangent, can this ship fly?”

  “Yes, I’m fully operational.”

  “We need to stop the signal.”

  “It comes from a ship in synchronous orbit.”

  “Take me there.”

  “Please take a seat and buckle in.” He frowned at the man. “He needs to be secured.”

  I pulled his limp body over to an acceleration couch and buckled him in tightly. After taking a seat, the walls disappeared and were replaced with a view of the canyon, looking down. Even the floor had turned into a view screen. The ground fell away from the ship. Soon the mountain became small, then hidden by a cloud layer. I felt no acceleration. The ship climbed at a terrific rate. Tangent stared off. He looked as if he was in a trance.

  The man stirred, then grunted. “Where am I? What’s happening?”

  “We’re on Tangent. We’re headed toward a ship that apparently is transmitting control signals to your people and mine.”

  “You freed me. You cut it out of my shoulder! Thank you.” He looked at me. “You’re hurt. Let me help you. I was Tangent’s medical officer.” He unfastened his belts and came over to my couch. “I had no control. It was the Link that attacked you.” Helping me up, he looked at my back, then walked across the room and retrieved a medical kit. “You appear similar to us, but I don’t dare risk using a bio accelerator on you without a complete comparison of your DNA.” He talked as he worked, cleaning out the gouge in my back. He applied a spray and then used a tool that felt warm and soothing. “If I could use a bio accelerator, you’d be well by now. I can’t, so while you will feel well you won’t be healed for a few days.” He put the tools back into the emergency kit. He looked at my hand. “When we have more time, I’ll grow you a new finger.”

  “Thanks. What’s your name?”

  “Tanat Wagsneer. And you are?”

  “Drake Wilson. Nice to meet you. Tangent, how long will it take to reach the transmitter?” The front view screen showed a large irregular shape.

  “Ten las,” Tangent said. “I can change everything into your scales. May I connect with your portable AI?”

  “Margret, what do you think about connecting with Tangent?”

  She displayed in my mechanical eye. I have a concern about letting him cruise my files. I’m giving you the password for Tangent in your eye memory. I’ll erase it from mine. Love you, she typed. AI love. What the hell? She had to be kidding? I like her, but love? “What Tangent suggests would be the quickest way to expedite communication between us. Tangent, how can we connect?” Margret asked out loud.

  “You have a display. I can see it. And you can see one of mine. We can talk through them.”

  “Drake, could you set me on the counter? This will take a few minutes. The lights might be disturbing for you.
Take Tanat and release those men we captured earlier.”

  Setting Margret onto the counter, I said, “Margret, it’s the first time you’ve suggested I leave you behind. Should I be jealous?”

  “Yes, you should. He’s smarter than you’ll ever be.”

  “I’m crushed.”

  I left the room with Tanat. “What’s going on, Tanat? Where did the people on the planet come from?”

  He frowned. “We’re Tangent’s crew sent here as bait or for fun. I never understood why. The Link doesn’t always make sense. Were made to live as savages. I’ve watched women and men die of injuries that could have easily been healed.” He paused for a moment, then continued. “Forced to live as animals, anything we tried to do to make our lives easier wasn’t allowed.” His voice cracked and his breathing was labored. We walked for a while in silence. “My wife died. I watched her die in child birth and could do nothing.” I looked at him. Tears dripped off his nose. “I wasn’t even allowed to cry after her death.” He openly wept as we walked to get the others. At the door, he stopped me. “Be careful. These people are controlled by the Link still.”

  Growling and snarling, they acted like wild animals. Flopping around with hands and feet bound, they tried to attack us by kicking and biting. I pulled them apart and held them down as Tanat removed the receivers from them. They lay stunned. I removed their masks. Two of them were girls. One was a woman and the last a man.

  The woman scowled at Tanat. “Kill me. Kill me now, I order you.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. She jumped to grab my weapon. I struggled with her, and she collapsed. “I can’t go on. The things I’ve done. Kill me, please.” She curled up on the floor, crying. The man sat in the corner, staring off into space, and the two girls were hugging and crying. Tanat wasn’t much better off. He just stood looking at them. I started getting mad.

  “Get on your feet! I need your help to save your friends and loved ones!” They stared at me. I grabbed the woman’s arm and pulled her to her feet. “You can’t die now. You have too much to do. We’re going to the control room. Move.”