by Andrew Beery
“Nesters?”
“Aye. Slavers. How can ya not be know’n bout dim?”
AG had continued his conversation with the captives for no more than five minutes. He would have his Intel team follow up later with a more rigorist interrogation. Even so, he learned quite a bit. It seemed the Yorktown had entered a system where two groups of humans fought against one another. One group represented free men and women… stranded by the universal hyperfield disruption that had fragmented much of the GCP many decades ago.
The other group were captive and enslaved fighters battling on behalf of a raced called the Nesters. These four individuals were a part of that last group… although AG had the feeling the relationship was a reluctant one. That, in and of itself, might be the most valuable information of the day.
The good news was the Yorktown had been able to beat back the attacking forces. The ship was damaged and bruised from her recent battles but she still packed quite a punch. Captain Kirkland was a skilled commander and his time as an engineer meant he knew just how far he could push some of the systems.
AG shook his head to clear his thoughts. Now was not the time to be gathering wool as his mother used to say.
An engineering team had just arrived. When the hyperfield ring-gate had shut down a closed metal hatch was exposed. The hatch led into the alien’s boarding pod. As expected the hatch was sealed. Thais’ team had brought cutting tools that should make short work of the locking mechanism.
As they began their work AG formed up his assault team. JJ insisted on taking point. Ever since the Gunny had finally gotten to experience the “Big D”, JJ had become even more of a daredevil than he had been before. There were weeks when the Gunny had managed to get himself killed five out of seven days. His claim that it was easier than shaving every day was a weak excuse at best. What was true was that JJ and the marines who pushed themselves up to their limits and beyond were extending and honing their abilities to a degree never experienced by prior generations of marines.
As the technicians finished their work and got out of the way, JJ and his men moved forward.
“Any last orders before we have at it sir?”
“Negative JJ. Try to keep some of them alive for questioning… Never had much luck getting answers out of them once they’re dead.”
“Roger that… you want’em delivered kicking and screaming… will do!”
With that the big Marine kicked in the hatch. It flew into the interior of the breaching pod. If anybody had been foolish enough to be standing behind it they would be nursing quite a headache for days to come.
As it turned out… the pod was empty. The crew had apparently been part of the boarding party and were either already captives, dead or they had been sucked out into the vacuum of space… which amounted to pretty much the same thing.
AG walked through the small craft. He felt like he was walking back in time. The control systems in the pod were definitely human in origin and by the lack of wear… they were of recent manufacture. That said, most of the systems were very old technology.
The computer system was an array of 128-bit silicon central processing units. The craft’s AI was a crude emulation and not a true AI.
The thrusters were old-style VASMIR drives and simple compressed gas was used for course corrections. The only tech that was not immediately recognizable was the ring-gate itself.
AG toggled his commlink. “Captain Kirkland, this is Commander Stone.”
A moment later he heard a response. “Go ahead AG… what ya got?”
“Sir, the breaching pod is empty. The computer system is new but seems to utilize antiquated technology. There is a good chance our techno-forensics team will be able to recover whatever data is on the system.”
“Ben headed that team up. I’m going to have to assign a replacement,” Ken replied with a touch or remorse in his voice.
“Captain Kirkland, Commander Stone. I have been monitoring your conversation,” the Yorktown’s AI interjected. “I may have an alternative to suggest.”
***
Cat rolled over and peered over the edge of the wall she was hiding behind. She had watched battle between the spider mechs and a poorly armed group of humans for the better part of ten minutes before she decided to intervene on the side of the humans.
Part of her decision was based on intelligence relayed to her by AG on the Yorktown. The marine commander had confirmed her suspicion that the humans were fighting to avoid enslavement.
The fact that men, women and even children were battling the mechs with weapons that were only marginally effective against the machines… and then only if several fighters targeted the same mech.
The mechs themselves were larger versions of the machines that had invaded the Yorktown. These seemed to be piloted by captives. The pilot of one of the downed machines had crawled out of his battered spider and moved about ten feet away. Cat had though he was about to surrender to the advancing forces when suddenly the harness he was wearing exploded.
The result was both gruesome and instantaneous. Whoever was commanding the mechanized group clearly was working hard to discourage defection. Cat sent a copy of the video feed to the Yorktown. She had no idea if the harnesses worn by their captives had the same explosive potential but there was no point in taking chances.
The remaining spider mechs had encircled now drastically reduced number of free humans. Cat looked at the situation and decided the best way for her to help the underdogs would be to open a path for a strategic retreat. That meant taking out the two mechs that were blocking the rear.
Cat had torn loose a steel beam from the shattered door frame. It wasn’t much of a weapon but, with her Heshe enhanced strength, she could throw it several hundred yards. The impact would do two things. First it would get the mech’s attention. Second, it would deliver a collection of deconstruction nanites that would quickly immobilize the robotic armor.
She quickly broke the metal bar in half. For any normal human, the task would have seemed impossible. For Cat, it was like breaking a small twig. She deposited a few her nanites on each of the bar fragments and grabbed the smaller of the two pieces in her right hand. This piece she intended to launch in an arc above the mech she was targeting.
She leaned back and put all her strength into the toss. She didn’t know what type of defense mechanisms the mechs had in place but she imagined that speed and diversionary tactics would be her best allies.
The first piece flew high along an inhumanly precise arc that would bring it down on the head of the spider mech. Before the piece of metal had traveled more than a few meters Cat was on the move. It was critical that the mechs fighting the rag-tag humans not identify her precise position. She was pretty sure she could take them on one at a time but if they ganged up on her, she would likely be joining the Infinity Brigade in a visit through the bio-generation chambers… only for her, because of her special status with the Heshe, that would mean a trip to the WhimPy platform that served as the base for Marine City.
She reached a secure spot and used her imbedded sensor array to scan the mechs in the surrounding area. All of them were watching the rapidly descending steel bar. It looked like they were trying to determine if the slow-moving projectile represent some type of threat.
It was time for the second part of her attack. Grabbing the second, heaver piece, she threw it directly at her intended victim like a spear. The spider mech never saw what hit it. The nanite infused metal bar crumpled against its armor but in the process, it allowed the tiny nano-machines to transfer to the alien armor.
Moments later Cat’s internal AI, which was a part of her Heshe encounter unit, had access to the mech’s control systems. The first thing she did was order her AI to shut down the human pilot’s access to the mech’s controls. Next, she instructed her AI to walk the co-opted spider mech over to its nearest companion.
Chapter 7: The Measure of a Man…
Fingers… a hand… an arm… two arms…
Slowly Ben awoke and yet he knew immediately that something was not quite right. That portion of his brain that contained the emulated Robert Kimbridge engrams that formed the human half of his hybrid mind seemed intact. On the other hand, the D’lralu portion of his brain that had once been First of the First so many years ago was there… but somehow different. It was like putting on a new pair of shoes that were the right size but somehow felt different from what one was used to.
“Welcome back old friend”
The voice… it was that of Ken Kirkland, Captain of the GCP Yorktown.
“Something is not quite right… I’m not sure what… I thought I died?”
Ken laughed. “My friend, between you, Cat and AG’s Infinity Brigade… I’m having to redefine what death means.”
“So I did die? How is it that I am here? The bio-generation chambers were not designed for my particular physiology.”
Captain Kirkland looked up at the ceiling of the Yorktown’s medical bay. “Yorky, are you and WhimPy tracking our conversation.”
“Yes, Captain Kirkland,” the two sentient AIs responded in unison.
“Commander First,” WhimPy continued, “You are no doubt experiencing some degree of confusion. That is to be expected. Your biological components were irreparably destroyed. Fortunately, per Admiral Kimbridge’s standing orders, a high-fidelity copy of your engrams is stored on a redundant archive within my systems. This is the same archive that stores the Admiral’s engrams.”
“So, I am…”
“You are a high-functioning synthetic being with the memories, proclivities and cognitive capabilities of your former hybrid self.”
“So, I’m not real,” Ben continued. It was more of a statement then a question.
“You are as real as Yorky and I are. Your body is essentially a replica of your previous incarnation. Your mental processes are arguably different… However, you are self-aware. Your thinking patterns will evolve along lines very similar to your previous organic existence. You are a new life-form, modeled after a previous entity. Your current existence is every bit as valid as the original Ben First.”
“Commander First, if I may be so bold,” Yorky interrupted. “I have known you for a good many years. Of one thing, I am sure. The measure of a man is not the color of his blood or even if he has blood. It is the state and character of his heart. Greater love for another can not be demonstrated beyond the giving of one’s own life in an effort to save another. The Heshe saw this in Catherine Kimbridge… and the crew of the Yorktown saw it today in you. The universe needs people of such character.”
Ken smiled and put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It’s actually refreshing Ben. I’ve had this same conversation with AG and many of the Marines in the Infinity Brigade. Your self-awareness is its own validation.”
“I think therefore I am…” Ben mumbled.
“And right now, I need Cat’s executive officer up and functioning. The Admiral is still missing and we have been unable to determine her exact location,” Ken continued.
***
Cat looked over the top of the camp fire. Sam and Sarah Wise were sipping what passed for coffee on Nebi Prime. Cat still had no idea where in the universe she was. The cloud cover had been a constant companion all day and evening.
The campfire was just outside the opening of a cave that housed some twenty fighters in this resistance cell. There were dozens if not hundreds of other cells in the surrounding hills. They were armed with an odd mix of high technology and crude hand-manufactured weapons.
Nebi Prime was the home world of a race known as the Nesters. The Nesters were experts at stealing and incorporating alien technology within their own society. They also were slavers. Many, if not most, of their slaves were lower-caste Nesters. In the last several decades, however, they had begun to add a small but growing pool of humans to that group. Cat didn’t know it at the time but this caste system would prove critical to dealing with the Nesters.
The Nester physiology was unusual by human standards. They looked like large land-dwelling crabs with fur. The fur actually consisted of hollow fibers that played host to colonies of photosynthetic microbes. The microbes provided a number of needed nutrients and so the Nesters had evolved over time to thrive best during daylight.
They slept at night but unlike humans, they were physically unable to remain conscious after dark. The strongest willed of them could stay awake for up to fourteen hours at a time but that was rare. For the resistance, many of whom where escaped slaves, it meant the resistance could move about freely during the night. Sadly, it did not mean the resistance could operate with impunity against the indigenous overlords.
The Nesters employed other races as well as technology to protect themselves during their dormant cycle. Many of the current human slaves were captured resistance fighters who were now sentenced to serve as slaves. Obedience harnesses called ambuls insured instructions were followed. The devices had crude AIs and could deliver a painful shock or trigger an explosive charge. The Prime Caste, which occupied the upper-most level of the Nester society, were brutal in their defense of their privileged position. The ambuls played a big part in that brutality.
Once the humans had been discovered, the Nesters made their subjugation a priority. None of the other subjugated races could be allowed to think that there was any other position for the Prime Caste then on top of the pecking order. Freedom was a dangerous concept that could not and would not be tolerated.
In short, Nebi Prime was not the jewel the stranded colonists had thought it was. They were the crew and passengers of a failed colony ship mission. The FSS Longhorn had been lost during the Great Disruption. Cat suspected the ship had actually been in a Hyperfield conduit when the disruption occurred.
Their ship had fallen out of hyperspace suddenly and they had been stranded when they had been unable to establish a new hyperfield conduit. For the colonists, that had been twenty-four years ago. They had been lucky to find a world within range of their sub-light engines that could sustain human life. According to Sam, the year was 2198. Cat had the dubious honor of letting them know the current date was actually 2488.
That had put quite a damper on their discussion as the two oldest Longhorn refugees digested what she was telling them.
The fire crackled and a spark floated up on a stream of hot air. Cat watched it as the miniscule ember quickly burned out.
“Ya say’n there lassie that yar from the future?”
Cat smiled wanly.
“It’s more complicated than that… but, from my perspective, you’re from the past.”
Sam cocked his head. “You’ll forgive me but ya bear a striking resemblance to a physicist named Doctor Catherine Kimbridge. Are ya related perhaps?”
Cat smiled. “That’s complicated,” she answered. “The short answer is I am Dr. Kimbridge. I’m a bit of an accidental time traveler just like you.”
“You’re joshing us,” Sarah Wise said in astonishment.
“Bless me heart and hope ta die… dar ar still miracles,” Sam added. “Ya’d no reason ta ‘member me but we met once. I was a wee lad out’a Scotland and ya came thro ar town like the queen herself. Twas round about 2121. Ya just came back from the dead… ya did. Yer da reason I got my PhD in Hyperfield Mechanics.”
“You’ll forgive me,” Cat said, “but you have a most peculiar accent. I can hear the Scottish but there is something else…”
Sarah laughed. “That would be his Texas parents. They were cattle farmers and moved to Scotland when global warming made cattle farming too expensive in Texas.”
“I’m afraid one tends to get lazy with their vernacular when living in isolation. I got my doctorate in the American Midwest and my fellow graduate students would accuse me of switching accents like most people change shirts,” Sam added in a perfect middle-America dialect.”
Cat was impressed by the change. “And your doctorate was from…?”
Sam smiled back. “When one studies
Hyperfield Mechanics, there is only one school. Notre Dame of course.”
“That must have been interesting, having Scottish roots but going to the home of the Fighting Irish,” Cat chuckled.
“It helped that I was a highly recruited field goal kicker,” Sam added modestly.
“Highly recruited my arse,” Sarah snorted. “He was offered a position with the Green Bay Packers straight out of Advanced Highers. He declined to become a Golden Domer with the Fight’n Irish.”
Cat was about to say something more when the log in front of their campfire cracked… sending a stream of hot sparks floating upward. Her eyes followed them for a moment. Suddenly she noticed the cloud cover had parted and a beautiful star pattern was now visible.
She reached out with her quantum link to the Yorktown’s ever-vigilant AI.
“Yorky, can you get a fix on my position with this star pattern?”
***
“She’s what!” Ken Kirkland barked at his ship’s AI. “How in the hell is that even possible? 278 light years?”
Ken Kirkland was in his ready room with Commanders AG Stone, Ben First and Andrew Martinescu. Chief Engineer, Commander Thais Figarero was attending the meeting holographically as she was still supervising ship-wide repairs.
“Captain,” the Yorktown’s AI responded patiently. “As I have explained, the fact that we cannot jump more than a few light years at a time, does not mean the technology to jump several hundred, even within the current dead-zone… does not exist. In point of fact, the Admiral’s current position would appear to be irrefutable proof that it does. The star maps recover from the Nester breaching pod confirms her position.”
“So how can a society that is still using discrete multi-core CPU technology manage to develop a hyperfield drive technology that leaves us in the dust?”
The newly resurrected Ben First chose that moment to interject a comment.
“We know from an analysis of the Nester technology that they utilize hybrid systems likely harvested from a number of conquered subject races… including humanity. The hyperfield technology we’ve seen to date seems to be derived from a stagnant offshoot of a human research effort… namely the ring-gates.”