‘Yes, my prince,’ Commander Watson said, then turned to the Cube drive officer. ‘Authorization for Cube transit, emergency evac.’
‘Commander,’ the officer responded after a moment. ‘ST bubble is unstable.’
‘What?’
‘I keep trying, but something is stopping us forming a symmetrical ST bubble. Without that the Cube drive won’t work properly, the tidal forces would tear the ship apart.’
‘We can’t leave?’ Bara asked.
‘It would seem so,’ Commander Watson replied.
Wynn stared at the operations map, feeling the desperation in him growing. He was dragging his people into war again. His mind drifted back to the physics lessons his father insisted he study. He had never been much good at it, the concepts always seemed too large and abstract for him to truly understand. ‘Why the hell can’t we use our Cube drive?’
‘Scan for a Casimir field,’ Bara ordered.
Watson glanced at her. ‘We generate a Casimir field, it’s part of the Cube drive system.’
‘I know that, damn it! Please, just scan the region.’
Watson obeyed, rushing to one of the officer’s stations to relay Bara’s request. After a brief delay, the results were transferred to the holograph.
‘How did you know?’ Watson asked as she returned to the operations map.
‘Not sure, just a hunch.’
The holograph showed the perimeter of the shipyard. A sphere of small orbital satellites marked it edge, each one equipped with tracking devices and weapons.
‘Those things are emitting a Casimir field,’ Bara said grimly.
‘And that’s what’s disrupting our Cube drive?’ Wynn replied.
‘Yes.’
Commander Watson cursed. ‘They’ve made it impossible for any ship to leave.’
‘Turn the ship towards the edge of the field,’ Wynn said. ‘We have to get clear.’
REGRETS
Valine smiled, watching the tactical display from the Carter & Grey shipyard’s Control Tower. The Ark Royal Caerleon was just a blinking circle of light with a stream of data next to it. It told her everything she needed to know about the vessel; its length, its mass, its trajectory and acceleration. But she really wished she could see inside, to the prince’s face. Did he know yet? she wondered. Did he realized that he had walked into a trap? She hoped so.
A swarm of the shipyard’s sentry drones approached the arkship, filling the holograph with a wall of blinking lights. And between them and the shipyard’s station, was the Draig fleet. Nine arkships, waiting for her orders. She could destroy the Caerleon in an instant. All it would take was a single word from her, one spiteful order and the House of Kenric would be on its knees. But that was the way of Orcades Draig. No, she would take the House of Kenric apart and remake it as part of the Draig Empire.
‘The Caerleon is turning,’ a shipyard control officer said.
They had realized. They knew their Cube drive was useless as long as they were inside the shipyard’s perimeter.
‘The prince will not surrender,’ Reader Mallory said. She stood on the opposite side of the Control Tower, close to the windows that overlooked the shipyards and their skeleton vessels.
‘He will not risk his people. Even he will see that that the odds are stacked against him.’ Valine said.
‘He has proven himself resourceful in the past, especially when under pressure.’
Valine walked towards Mallory. ‘You almost sound like you want him to escape.’
‘Not at all,’ Mallory replied, keeping her eyes on the windows. ‘The Church does not get involved.’
Valine laughed. ‘Of course not. But you spent some time with the prince. You know the House of Kenric well.’
‘I wasn’t there long enough,’ Mallory said, her voice sounding wistful.
‘Regrets, Reader?’
Mallory paused, thinking. ‘Life is regret.’
‘Pathetic,’ Valine said. ‘Regret is a weakness. It is the result of missed opportunities, nothing more. Are you unhappy here?’
‘Forgive me, I am tired,’ Mallory said quickly, finally facing the Valtais. ‘I am content to be here as your Reader. After all, it is the will of the Infinite Gods.’
Valine stared at her, making sure her gaze intimidated, then she returned to the tactical display. All Readers were fools, she thought. She put Mallory out of her mind and refocused on the sea of light, analyzing the situation. The drones were closing on the retreating arkship. They could take out their engines, immobilize the vessel in preparation for her boarding parties. But she didn’t want to leave anything to chance.
‘Contact the Draig arkships,’ Valine said to the control officer. ‘Tell them to advance.’
TIME
‘Those drones are closing,’ Bara said, watching the holograph display.
‘It’s worse than that,’ Commander Watson noted with an intake of breath. ‘We’re detecting a fleet of arkships appearing on the edge of our sensor range.’
‘The Draig fleet,’ Wynn said, resting his hands on the operations map. ‘How long till we clear the field?’
‘At this speed?’ Watson checked her pad. ‘Fifteen . . . eighteen minutes, depending on the range of those transmitters.’
‘And how long before the drones are here?’
‘Twelve minutes. Tactical suggests they’ll use grav-snare harpoons to hold us until the fleet arrives. But those drones are armed as well, so we could be in for a firefight.’
‘What if we took out those transmitter satellites?’ Bara suggested, pointing to the holograph. ‘Computer, run a simulation. Remove the nine satellites directly ahead. What does that do to the shape and density of the Casimir field?’
The computer responded, and the holograph adjusted to show a delve in the spherical field. ‘Simulation outcome: At current speed, Ark Royal Caerleon will clear the Casimir field in approximately fourteen minutes.’
‘There!’ Bara said excitedly. ‘We can clear a path to normal space.’
‘While those drones are attacking us,’ Watson replied.
‘But only for two minutes,’ Wynn said. ‘We can hold them off for that long.’
‘And the Draig fleet?’
‘They’re travelling through the field as well, they can’t get to us in time.’
‘They can still fire on us,’ the Commander replied.
‘Sol!’ Bara shouted, her frustration getting the better of her. ‘The longer we talk about this, the closer they get.’
Wynn nodded. ‘Launch all fighters. Target the Casimir field generator satellites. And contact Faron Dulac and the Evanine. Get them to meet us outside of the field; a show of strength to keep the Draig fleet at bay. Once we clear the field we’ll all get out of here.’
‘About time,’ Bara said, already walking towards the elevators.
‘Where the hell are you going?’ Wynn asked, chasing her.
‘To take out those satellites.’
‘We have trained fighters for that.’
‘Wynn, we’ve had this argument. I can’t stand here and do nothing.’
‘It’s too dangerous.’
She stepped away from him. ‘You have to let me go.’
He watched her, saying nothing.
The elevator doors opened, and Bara stepped inside. ‘I’ll be back soon, I promise.’
Bara smiled as the doors closed, cutting the flight deck – and Wynn – off from her view.
THE APOLOGY
‘You ready to have some fun, Lex?’
‘I’m not sure I understand the question. Please rephrase it.’
Bara sighed, unable to ignore her disappointment. The Lexica personality was just a pale impression of its former self. She regretted having had to delete it, but, at the time, it had been the only way out of a sticky situation. She’d tried to recover it, but this was all that was left. Now, as the little ship cleared the hanger bay threshold, Bara wished she had her old friend for company.
; ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Bara replied, throttling the control yoke.
‘To answer your question, I’m uncertain if I am ready, or not, to have some fun. Perhaps if I knew the context of the fun you mention . . .’
‘It was a rhetorical question. Just something to say . . . forget it.’ Angrily, she twisted the ship into a tight turn, aiming for the closest of the transmitter satellites.
‘Please,’ Lexica said, ‘I do have limits.’
Bara laughed. That almost sounded like the weary sarcasm of her Lexica. The old Lexica. Perhaps he wasn’t gone completely after all.
‘Warning, weapons lock.’ Lexica said as the satellite’s automated guns turned towards the ship.
‘I see it,’ Bara said, adjusting her course, training her guns on the target. ‘You know, you never call me Bara. You used to.’
‘Would you like that?’
‘Yeah.’ She fired the weapons, letting the computer systems keep the target locked as she dropped the ship into an evasive arc.
‘Very well. Transmitter satellite is destroyed, Bara.’
‘Thank you, Lex,’ Bara laughed, finding her next target.
‘Bara?’
‘Yes?’
‘There are three drone fighters advancing on our position, Bara.’
‘Okay, let me know when they’re in weapons range.’
‘Yes, Bara.’
Out of the windows, she saw the next satellite approaching. The target was small, no more than three meters in height. Its guns fired, striking the nose of Lexica.
‘Gilgore grid at seventy nine percent, Bara.’
She pressed the trigger and the bridge lit up with the glare from the exploding satellite. ‘You don’t have to call me Bara all the time, Lex.’
‘Would you prefer another name?’
‘No, Bara’s fine, but not all the time, okay?’
The computer paused, and she wondered what it was thinking.
‘I understand,’ it said at last.
She checked the holograph map; the drone fighters were closing fast. Bara increased speed, turning to find the next target. Around her, the ship’s superstructure creaked and groaned under the strain.
‘You are exceeding the design tolerances of this ship. Would you like me to take control?’
‘No, thank you, Lex. Neither of us need that right now.’
The satellite station rose into view, its guns already firing. They knew she was coming now.
‘Drones are in weapons range, Bara.’
She fired on the satellite, turning to keep it in her sights until it exploded. Part of the broken hull slammed into the windows, making her jump.
‘I am damaged,’ Lexica said. ‘Would you like me to take control?’
‘No!’
As the three drones opened fire, Bara hit the retro thrusters, killing her acceleration, pulling her out of her seat. The harness dug into her chest as the gravity on her body became painfully strong. The ship rattled at the drones whipped overhead, their guns adjusting to keep Lexica in their sights. Now it was Bara’s turn to attack, and two of the drone fighters disappeared in a cascade of fire.
The gravity eased, and the pain subsided. Just one more drone to pick off now.
‘Thirteen drones on an attack vector. Recommend we surrender.’
‘Sol!’ Bara cursed. ‘Keep your recommendations to yourself.’
The com channel sparked into life. ‘Bara, are you okay?’ It was Wynn on the flight deck of the Caerleon.
‘How many satellites down?’ Bara asked, forcing the ship into a rapid acceleration.
‘Seven so far, but we have other fighters out there. You’ve done your bit. Get back here now!’
‘Just one more,’ she said, killing the com channel before Wynn could protest further. ‘Lex, launch countermeasures!’
‘Countermeasures launched, Bara. Drones are in attack range.’
She checked the holograph: they were coming up to the next satellite. She locked onto it, ready to fire, when Lexica shook with a volley of rapid fire.
‘I’m sorry, Bara. We have taken damage to the engines. I would strongly recommend that I assume control of–’
‘You’re not assuming anything!’
The satellite swung into range again, and she fired her weapons as the ship jolted, spinning out of control. Bara wrestled with the yoke, dragging it out of a violent spin, as another impact pushed the ship in a new direction. She strained against the building pressure, feeling like she might pass out. ‘Lexica!’
‘The engine core is punctured. I cannot contain the implosion. Recommend you give me control.’
She stared at the holograph display. All of the readouts were red. The ship was on fire, a cascade implosion tearing it apart from the inside. She had seconds to decide.
‘You win, Lex,’ Bara said as she released her harness. The shifting gravity flung her to the floor, then against the wall. She made a grab for the hatch, pulling herself through it. ‘You have control.’ She stole a last look at the bridge, then pulled herself towards the lower deck and the escape pod. Around her the walls of the ship screamed, a deafening noise of twisting metal. A hull breach was only seconds away.
‘Life support failing. Gilgore grid destabilizing. Implosion cascade is unstoppable. Ship integrity is compromised. Destruction imminent. Abandon ship. I am sorry, Bara.’
As she opened the hatch to the escape pod, Bara managed a regretful smile. The apology was a glimmer of her lost friend. She fell into the pod and pulled the door shut behind her, muffling the noise of the dying vessel. Her hands reached up to the large handle that deployed the escape pod. Her fingers curled around it, and she braced against the imminent rapid acceleration of ejection.
‘Goodbye, Lexica,’ Bara said as she pulled the handle towards her.
She held her breath, waiting, but nothing happened.
ALONE
‘Bara?’ Wynn screamed into the com. The holograph showed the flashing light of her ship with a swarm of drone fighters on her tail. The little light flickered, then faded away.
He turned to look at Commander Watson. ‘Lexica . . . What? What just happened?’
‘Contact lost.’
‘Destroyed?’
Watson didn’t look at him. She picked up the com unit. ‘Hawk Twelve, this is the Commander.’
‘Hawk Twelve responding.’
‘I need eyes on Lexica. Patch me your feed.’
There was a tense moment of delay, then the view from the fighter’s cockpit blinked into life on the holograph. Wynn stared into the shaky image, watching as the tiny craft banked, dodging fire from a drone.
‘Coming up on Lexica’s co-ordinates,’ the fighter pilot said.
The view showed a grey haze, wisps of gas, then debris began to appear. The fighter closed in until the wreckage was clear to see. Wynn felt his legs buckle. He recognized parts of the bridge, broken and torn apart, adrift with small pieces of the ship. He pictured their honeymoon inside its cramped quarters, and tears came to his eyes.
‘We lost her,’ the fighter said as a drone fired on him. The fighter retaliated, turning away from the destroyed Lexica.
‘Life signs?’ Watson demanded.
‘Got nothing on my . . .’ The com broke off as the fighter was chased by another drone. The image swung about violently, then it erupted in white light. As the imaged faded back to normal, the voice returned. ‘Sorry, Commander. I’ve ran a scan . . . no life signs.’
Wynn closed his eyes, a cold sweat crowning his brow. He felt a rush of emotions as the memories of his life with Bara exploded in his mind. He saw her hand, alive in the debris of the Obsidian. He took it, pulling her out of the junk. He looked on her for the first time, covered in white dust and blood, still beautiful. They walked together on her home arkship, under the light of the Circadia, feeling grass under his feet. He recalled their wedding. She hated the grandeur of the ceremony, all those eyes on her as they said their vows, but afterwards, when they were
alone, he saw the joy on her face. She loved him, and he loved her.
Now, all of that was gone.
Bara was dead, and Wynn was completely alone.
PERSPECTIVE
Gofal had been dreaming. It had never happened to him before, and he was still coming to terms with the experience. As his systems came back online he ran a series of tests to make sure he was fully functioning. Yes, everything was as it should be. He had been offline for . . . he didn’t know. His internal chronometer was off. He searched for a signal, something that would tell him where and when he was, but he found nothing.
Of course, he already knew exactly where he was. He knew how long had passed since his ambush on the Caerleon, he knew of his transportation off the arkship, of his delivery to this room. He knew it all. Everything except the dream. That was something new and unexpected.
He had been in a wasteland, a landscape of cracked soil, the air filled with the dust of dry earth. This was a place new to him. He had never been here before, in fact, he was certain it was a place that did not exist. How could that be? How could he recall images of a fictitious place? And the memory was vague and unclear. All of his memories were precise and perfect, except for this. In fact, as time went by, the memory of the dream seemed to collapse, leaving behind just fragments of sound and images. He reviewed everything he could retrieve about the nature of dreams, finding the entire experience troubling and fascinating.
Bots did not dream.
Gofal put the disturbing thoughts to one side, aware that someone was outside of the room he was sitting in. The door opened, and two individuals entered. The woman approached him, taking a chair on the opposite side of the table.
‘Scribe Ermengarde Barrahaus,’ Gofal said.
The Scribe smiled tightly. Behind her, one of her Readers stood by the door, a tense expression on his face.
‘Lord Chamberlain Gofal,’ the Scribe said. ‘Are you well?’
‘I was attacked, my systems shut down with an electrical overload, I was kidnapped, taken off the Caerleon and brought here to Icarus against my will. I’m very well, all things considered. What did you hope to gain by such a desperate act?’
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