Before the Deck Officer could reveal his discovery Captain Andrews cut him off as if she fully expected him to never see the answer. "The arresting officer was once engaged to be married to Kassad Mir."
"Okay, but what does that have to do with…" The Deck Officer began only to be cut off again by his impatient captain.
In enough volume to be heard by everyone on the Armhamon's bridge, and out in the corridor leading to it, Andrews explained, "If the sensor crew can't do their job we're going to have to track down the Sabha, and where do you think they'll run with the entire force of law pursuing them?"
Quickly tabbing through the linked files the Deck Officer replied, "There's nothing here to suggest that they've maintained any contact. Last official documentation on the two of them is a watch bulletin by the arresting officer. It's in the strongest possible terms. She states not only does she believe that the law was subverted but goes into details about how she thinks it was done and details suspected methods of operation." Tabbing through a few more pages the Deck Officer shrugged. "After that it seems there has been a close eye on Captain Kassad. The list of his legitimate operations since that time doesn't leave much room for illicit activities."
Pulling back the display Captain Andrews growled at her subordinate, "Don't be so naive. The apparent shift in this pirate's activities is obviously the result of inside information. They're working together, and I'll wager the Armhamon herself that his first port of call is back in the Horsehead Nebula."
Without waiting for further direction the Deck Officer ordered, "Navigation plot a course to the Horsehead Nebula settlement of…" he did a double take at the name before saying aloud, "Mareville."
******
Closing her eyes and shaking her head Greene took a deep breath and unbuckled from her chair to force herself to eat something. She paused at the entry to the cockpit noting that Canis had already departed and giving the back of Kassad's head a hard look. Given the situation what choice did she have but to trust Kassad?
Physically over powering Kassad was a possibility. After that figuring out the controls enough to plot a course out of Lawless space would take a little time but should also be possible. In the end any course of action depended entirely on what she believed and what she wanted to do about it.
All Greene really wanted was to get her husband back into Laniakea. Real or imagined the number of complications obstructing this goal never seemed to shrink in spite of all her efforts and accomplishments. Perhaps it was more likely that things had always been this complicated and it was only now that was she coming face to face with them.
Leaving Sabha's cockpit Greene made her way down to the galley when her vision swam. It was as if someone had taken the fabric of reality and given it a good hard flick to clear it off. When the universe settled again her vision was flat as if projected on a screen in front of her face.
"We've got to get out of here." Greene said aloud to herself, her voice sounding to her as if it were coming from a long way off.
A bark of agreement came from an equally long way off. It took a bit of looking around for Greene to discover Canis by her feet looking up with a worrying expression. It took a bit of correction for her faulty depth perception in order to reach out and stroke the dog's face.
The textures reported by her fingers or interpreted by her brain were all off. Canis' fur had the consistency of warm custard to her touch. An experimental running of her hand along the food preparation counter's surface revealed it to feel to be a pliable and yielding surface. For a second Greene tried to push her hand through the countertop before realizing the madness of the action and restraining herself.
Looking back to Canis Greene said, "We really need to get out of here."
Canis barked in firm agreement and kept a close wary watch on Greene as she cleared out the small galley's supply of pre-packaged rations. The packets felt as wriggling and slick as eels but if they were going blind then they'd better have everything they needed at hand in the cockpit. Making the short trip down the Sabha's length could become an insurmountable obstacle if their senses went completely out.
Thoughts of what prolonged sensory deprivation could do to a mind were foremost in Greene's thoughts as she cradled the supplies as close to her as if they were an infant. That the mass of small packages felt like they wanted to slither free and drain liquid-like across the deck was probably all in her mind. None of the logic made the sensations and lack thereof any less immediate.
Halfway back to the cockpit a tremor ran through Greene. She froze, unsure if that had been in her mind or real. Possibly it was the result of the attack Kassad had warned about. Gripping the packages even tighter to her a few of them finally did slip free. Helpfully Canis picked up one of the lost packets with his mouth and then prodded the stunned Greene back into motion with his nose.
Jolted out of her paralysis by the cold wet nose felt through the leg of her suit Greene dropped the rest of the provisions. Scrambling to retrieve her helmet from where she had left it in her stateroom Greene put every other thought aside. She'd come too far to die gasping at vacuum; that ever present dread that every spacer put out of their mind as best they could.
Canis looked around at the scattered packages now surrounding him. He looked after the scrambling form of his guest, who he was very worried about. Dropping the package in his mouth to add it to the pile on the deck Canis followed Greene to her stateroom.
Canis did not enter Greene's stateroom. Entering a guest's stateroom uninvited would have been poor manners. Instead Canis stood in the entryway looking on with concern as Greene fumbled with her helmet case.
With great effort Greene wrested the helmet free from where it lightly rested in its case. For a moment her mind painted the helmet in the vibrant pastels she remembered. Those memory imparted colors quickly faded to the dingy reality that her mind had now been reduced to.
Panic that had briefly driven her actions subsided of its own accord. It remained, waiting impatiently in the corners of her mind, ready to rush back in to seize control without warning. In the calm that followed the storm Greene began to understand what had happened to the expedition.
Noticing Canis in the entry watching her Greene remarked, "None of us are getting out of this unscathed."
Canis insistently pawed the entry way with one foot.
Smiling at the simple solid logic of the animal Greene "You're right. Let's get those provisions to the cockpit so we can wait this thing out."
Canis barked loudly in agreement.
Clipping the helmet to her suit's built in carry point Greene gritted her teeth and returned to her task with Canis' help. She paused briefly in the door to give the dog a firm petting and reflect on his astoundingly solid companionship. If the same behavior had been expressed in a more evolved life form it might have come off as patronizing or contrived. With Canis everything was honest and heartfelt.
Canis barked in approval.
Back in Sabha's cockpit Greene passed a handful of the concentrated emergency rations over to a subdued Kassad. Not yet adjusted to her rapidly degrading vision Greene's aim was off and the packets scattered across the cockpit rather than land in his lap. Rather than try to retrieve the provisions she seated herself and draped the safety harness over her shoulders rather than buckling in.
There was an undeniable tunneling of Greene's vision now as she closed her eyes and once again acknowledged the blame that lay at her feet. "What have I gotten us into?"
Settling into his acceleration bed Canis replied to the question with a sharp yip.
"Oh, you're finally back." Kassad observed, oblivious to the lone concentrated ration packet that had landed on his chest. "I'm going to gradually take us up to an acceleration of five." His hand missed the controls twice before landing on the throttle and edging it forward resulting in an increasing pressure. "Just focus on breathing and gravity will do the rest. We just have to bear this through for eight hours and we're out of here."
> After a few minutes of silence as Greene coped with what felt increasingly like dirt being piled up on her chest she asked, "What do you think this is all about? What do you think they were doing on the research platform?"
Kassad had been continually revising his assessment of what little information he had, and didn't need much time to think the question over, but considering how to phrase the answer took him a few seconds. "I can't say for certain without going over the data, however given what limited information we do have I suspect they were weaponizing reality."
It was an answer Greene found as implausible as she found it horrific. "That's impossible. You can't change the laws of physics."
Shrugging at the analysis Kassad said, "Law's End disproves that. Shifting the edge of the barrier proves that they had a working understanding of the principles required."
Obviously such technology would be of interest to everyone inside and outside of Laniakea for a wide range of reasons. "But why? Why use the weapon on themselves?"
"The Armhamon." Kassad explained his theory, "Somehow the authorities were alerted, either by someone on the crew or someone else, but anyway a Lawship was dispatched to stop the project one way or another. When the Armhamon showed up the science team used the prototype to drive them off and then destroyed as much evidence of their research as possible. With no evidence to convict them on they went to Alone to wait for a rescue team pick up, and Lawships being what they are the Armhamon waited on station to either get their man or verify that they'd all died of exposure to Lawless space."
It rang true as a sickeningly plausible scenario in Greene's mind. "Do you really think that's possible?"
Forcing himself to take a series of deep breaths against the rising pressure on his chest Kassad eventually returned to his explanation. "I think it's the most likely explanation, at least in broad terms, it explains why you couldn't get a legitimate rescue team to work the case. In all the hundred thousand galaxies there are bound to be crews brave or stupid enough to work beyond Law's End. Far fewer teams are willing to take on a Lawship or contravene University wishes; let alone all three."
Conceding the painful logic of Kassad's argument Greene concluded the line of reasoning saying, "So we hired a pirate and smuggler."
Canis' objecting bark was muffled only slightly by the increased pressure of acceleration.
In reconciliation Greene added, "And Laniakea's bravest police dog." The compliment seemed to placate the animal.
Smiling weakly at Greene's interaction with his trusted crew Kassad added, "And if you people had been straight with me from the start I could have snuck in past the Lawship on the way in, and they'd have never been the wiser."
Anger and frustration at herself boiled over. "If I hadn't been so blind all of this could have been avoided. If I'd been able to see the truth then maybe he wouldn't have gone at all."
Not oblivious to his passenger's guilt Kassad reacted with sympathy. "Don't be so hard on yourself. The University was fooled and they have people whose only job is to make sure this sort of thing doesn't happen. You wanted to save your husband and your devotion to that blinded you to some unpleasant realities," Kassad observed, "and I think that says some very nice things about you."
Greene wasn't about to let kind words separate her from the bitter self-recrimination she'd determinedly engaged in. "I'm a fool."
Kassad grinned but the increasing acceleration morphed it into a grimace he was happy she didn't see. "Yes, we're all fools, but you're a good hearted responsible fool. Your husband is a very lucky man."
Green's own distorted smile of appreciation broke across her face in appreciation. "Thank you. I hope he sees it that way."
"If he loves you half as much as you love him then I think he will." Kassad croaked as the acceleration continued to creep upward. "You're his wife, not the guardian of the universe. If he has a problem with this you can send him to me and I'll straighten him out."
Acutely feeling the sensation of her eyes nestling deeper and deeper into her skull Greene asked, "How long are we going to be like this?"
Missing the point Greene was making Kassad said, "The expression is happily ever after."
Huffing to get the words out Greene clarified, "No, I meant the acceleration."
Kassad replied, "Twenty," and after some labored breathing finished with the word, "minutes."
Keeping his arm extended to the controls was becoming a herculean task for Kassad. Having his hand on the throttle kept the safeties, which would bring their acceleration back down, from kicking in. Even though his arm was supported by the contours of the acceleration couch it took all of the strength in his arm and most of his upper body to brace his hand against the control.
Greene let out a moan of discomfort and acknowledgement.
At that point speaking became too laborious to engage in for either Kassad or Greene. Both of them remained quiet watching the ever growing bulk of the local star grow in the wireframe display. Only the merest whimper of disapproval was voiced by Canis over the conditions, and both of them independently concluded that they had imagined the sound rather than bear the thought of the high acceleration's effects on the animal.
As if summoned by their discomfort the voice of the Armhamon crackled over the communications channel, "Civilian craft Sabha, your course takes you into the local star. Come about immediately and set course…" the voice went on to relate the same course and acceleration instructions it had earlier.
With tremendous efforts Kassad managed to grunt out, "You're… late." although the effort of keying the communications circuit to deliver the rebuke was not undertaken.
The time passed quickly as they watched the local star grow ever more present in the wireframe. Even though things were happening at great speed there was little to distract them from their aching bodies and minds which insisted on slowing their perception of events. All they could do was watch the time, range, and relative velocity counters spin in their respective directions until there was little to distinguish them except as blurs of numbers.
A klaxon blared into existence. The radiation alarm was almost immediately joined by a temperature alarm. Both were quickly silenced with a finger tap by Kassad only to be joined by a gravity well warning that was also muted.
Visual representations of the alarms remained on the wire frame display. They blinked in bright light with an ever increasing urgency. These might have been unsettling except that the star now filled out their entire view and went beyond the display.
After an abortive attempt to relieve the discomfort across her entire body with a stretch Greene groaned miserably. Everything hurt, and just laying there trying to breath was an onerous experience. Her joints ached as if each were being wrenched from their sockets, muscles screamed as if she'd just competed in a triathlon, the restraint buckle that lay on her belly felt like it was boring its way through her, and her face felt like it was gradually being pulled off to the back of her skull.
Through bared teeth and grunting gasps for breath Kassad warned, "This last course correction is going to be a hard kick."
As if in a protest from Sabha herself a wall of warning symbols sprang into life across the cockpit wireframe display. It didn't take an expert in starship navigation or astrophysics to make out the meaning of the symbology. Kassad cursed vehemently. Greene's eyes went wide in horror at the revelation.
There on the far side of the star was revealed a solar flare. The superheated mass of plasma ripped from the star's surface formed a graceful arc intersecting their path. Even in the wireframe display it was rendered with a flowing and almost liquid beauty.
Chapter 12: "Automatic Escalation"
"I always find my species' primitive fears, about artificial intelligence exceeding ourselves, to be bafflingly bizarre. Of course a creator always wants their creation to exceed themselves as any parent can attest. If only reality were as simple as those fears.
"The problems we've realized with artificial intelligen
ce revolve around determining a use for the things. Far from taking over from us they have proven uniformly uninterested in involving themselves in our affairs to even the slightest degree. Aside from the development of abstract mathematical theory I can't name a single field to which they have contributed.
"Almost in spite of this the process of developing artificial intelligence has provided a useful mirror through which we have learned more about ourselves then we might have otherwise."
-Excerpt from interview with Casa Pieria, inventor of the multi-phase true-analog transistor.
Deep within the Sabha's navigational systems the sensor report of a solar flare along their plotted course activated long dormant emergency programming. All vessels that ply the occasionally unpredictable and always dangerous depths of space are equipped with software to take control when decisions and actions need to be taken at a speed organic minds are incapable of. Most software of this sort would have aborted the flight path to take the safest and shortest route needed to ensure the protection of the vessel's occupants.
Military specification emergency software is quite a different entity from its civilian counterpart. The Sabha's programming put the mission first and was perfectly capable of initiating maneuvers that would have killed the crew outright in pursuit of its mission. It could even perform maneuvers that resulted in its own destruction if these were computed to sufficiently advance the all important mission.
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