The Colony Ship Conestoga : The Complete Series: All Eight Books

by John Thornton

  Cammarry shut the double doors after Eris and the automacube entered. “This is where we have set up our teleportation hub. That system….” Cammarry pointed to each of the sending and receiving pads and explained where they were connected and how one could travel from this location to places in Beta or Alpha.

  “Do you have a connection to Habitat Gamma?” Eris asked.

  Jerome replied, “No. We have been unable to locate accurately the other six habitats. We have some ideas, and Sandie is coordinating our efforts, but we have only visited Beta and Alpha.” Jerome then explained about how they needed to be physically in a location to set up a receiving pad. He discussed how the Reproduction and Fabrication facility in Alpha was being used to build the necessary materials and equipment. He hesitated a bit, but then said. “Eris, honesty is the best policy to build our relationship upon. In Alpha there is a civil war. They have slave traders who were reviving people from suspended animation and making them slaves. The slave holders are afflicted with an addiction to some substance called lek. When we were there we tried to free the slaves, but our efforts resulted in just open warfare between the newly freed slaves and the slave holders. Our latest reconnaissance shows the fighting continues.”

  “Slavery?” Eris asked in surprise. She shook her head. “Nothing should shock me after what I have seen and heard so far, but slavery? What a waste of human resources. Suspended animation occupants are the best and brightest in their fields. All of us were handpicked to optimize colonization for when we reached Tlalocan. Now there is slavery in Alpha, and I was told every human in Gamma is dead. That includes about 18,000 people from suspended animation.”

  Jerome looked away in sorrow. Cammarry walked over and put a tentative hand on Eris arm. “How did they die? What is the story? How did you find out?”

  “I made contact with SB Dan Cooper of Gamma. That habitat is in good physical and operational condition, according to the reports, but every human committed suicide. Every one!” Eris wept. “Why would people revive the suspended animation occupants only to have them all commit suicide? I figure there were maybe 5,000 habitat dwellers, and 18,000 some revived occupants. Then they all did a mass suicide? Why?”

  “That is horrific!” Jerome said. “This planet, Zalia, is a tough place. Beta habitat is plagued by gravity sink holes, and anarchy.”

  “Jerome, stay focused on Eris. Those may have been people she knew!” Cammarry glared at him. “Eris? Did that SB, Dan Cooper was it? Did it give any reasons?”

  “I shut down the link after getting that report. I was too tired. Besides, does it matter now? Maybe it was slavery there as well. Slavery? Drug addictions? Insurrection? Even crew members being drunk and disorderly? Random acts of chaos are hard to comprehend. My choice is to follow order, but on the Conestoga, disorder and chaos have reigned.” Eris wiped a tear from her eyes. She then snorted a bit, and pulled out a small cloth and blew her nose. “I knew some of the people in those other suspended animation repositories, but not well. Mostly I trained with the people in mine. They too are all gone now. Let the dead bury the dead.” Eris made a hand motion, closed her eyes, and said a prayer.

  “Eris? How can we help you?” Cammarry asked.

  “Did you make contact with other habitats?” Jerome demanded. “We need to know what the Crocks are doing and how to stop them.”

  Eris opened wide her golden eyes, and looked at Jerome. “What are the Crocks? That is a phrase which is unfamiliar to me. Was that the name of the insurgents?”

  Jerome looked to Cammarry, and she had a warning glint in her eyes. He then looked back to Eris. His compassion was there, but his earnest need to address the issues was pressing. Glancing back at Cammarry, he said to Eris, “How much do you know about the planet?”

  “I was briefed on the latest findings about Tlalocan before launch, but I do not think we are orbiting Tlalocan in the star system known as Westerhuis 13. I was unable to identify where in space we are located, and none of the constellations in the sky are identifiable.” Eris straightened her shoulders. “So do you know where we actually are? After all, you claim to have come here from Earth. Where is the Conestoga now?”

  “That is difficult to explain,” Cammarry began. “The planet is called Zalia, named by some of the Conestoga people from records we found. It has a toxic atmosphere, with a high gravity, and odd ecosystems.”

  “And we are not sure where in the universe it is exactly ourselves. It is a long way from Earth and has a red sun,” Jerome added. “Sandie, will you show Eris a concise overview of our flight here, including the Cosmic Crinkle incident?”

  “Cosmic Crinkle?” Eris almost giggled. “That sounds like a tasty treat one of the bakers would make from pastries.”

  The AI Sandie replied and gave a concise overview of the encounter in space with the phenomenon they called the Cosmic Crinkle. Sandie included the best guess they had on their position in the galaxy. Sandie also shared with Eris all the details she had about the surface conditions of Zalia.

  “Teleportation, faster-than-light travel, and some unknown…thing… in space which catapulted the entire Conestoga hundreds of light years away in an instant? Then the Conestoga jettisoned the habitats into a noxious world?” Eris walked around shaking her head. “It fits the facts, but this is so much to take in.” She tapped the back of the blue automacube, EA-270 and spoke, “SB Pinaka? Do you concur with these statements?”

  The voice of the synthetic brain came from the automacube. “The information is consistent with the observed facts. There are too many unknowns to make a definitive statement, and I am still collating the data which is coming to me through interaction with Sandie.”

  “Eris,” Jerome began, “I know you have been through a huge amount in only a short time, but I am concerned about Beta. You asked about the Crocks, and they are an alien race who have invaded Beta. They are causing gravity manipulation changes, and I fear the entire habitat is threatened.”

  “Jerome, they are indigenous to this world,” Cammarry reminded him. “And we have no proof they are causing the gravity sink holes.”

  “We saw that vehicle, and it was…”

  “I must interrupt!” Sandie suddenly interjected. “I have new views from S-1DT. Please turn your attention to the display.”

  “More about the Crock vehicle?” Jerome asked.

  “No, this is from the other automacube we dispatched, S-1DT, not T-1DT,” Sandie said. “Apologies if my designations were too similar.”

  The wall again lit up, this time showing the roadway which led from the town of Quady. The perspective was from the red automacube’s camera on its manipulation arm. There was the sea to one side, and the forested area to the other. In the distance, several people were running along the roadway. They were screaming incoherently as they raced toward the automacube.

  “That is Beta?” Eris asked. “Those habitat dwellers are terrified. What is happening?”

  Sandie answered, “They just came into view moments ago. I am observing the situation and conjecturing a response.”

  Bang! Bang!

  Both people dropped as they were struck from behind. They were still about a hundred meters down the road, and their features were not clear, but as they struck the roadway, they moved only a small amount and then lay still. The picture changed as the automacube surged forward at its maximum speed.

  “Murdered. Shot down!” Jerome snarled. “They were shot down!”

  The automacube reached the location where the two people lay. Both were roughly twelve years of age, and both had been shot from behind by a powerful weapon. Blood was pooling around the bodies.

  Just around a bend in the road, another figure was observed. Kneeling there was a figure. That person was using a tree’s branch as a platform for a long rifle. “The Ferryman says all you chosen siblings must die!” The voice was that of a youthful male, and echoed down the roadway. “No one stops the Ferryman!”

  “Sandie, capture that man!” Jerome
ordered.

  “Affirmative,” Sandie replied.

  The automacube raced onward toward figure who stood up.

  Bang!

  A shot ricocheted off the front of the red automacube.

  “Capture him as soon as possible!” Jerome yelled. “He will have some answers for us at last!”

  Bang!

  Another slug struck the automacube, but did no more than cosmetic damage.

  The figure slung the rifle over his shoulder, and pulled up a wheeled device from the grasses where it had been hidden. He set it upright, and pushed it onto the roadway. Throwing his leg over the seat, rifle slung across his back, the gunman took off on a blue and yellow motorcycle. There was no engine noise.

  “Sandie, do not let that man escape!” Jerome shouted.

  Eris chimed in, “That is a habbie cruiser. Runs off deferred energy from the solar mimicry. Its maximum speed is slightly less than a security automacube. Unless you altered the parameters of your S-1DT, it should be able to overtake that rider.”

  “Can you subvert the power and shut it down?” Cammarry asked. “Interfere with its absorption of energy?”

  Eris answered, “No. It has six lufi amalgam batteries. It can run in complete darkness for over twenty hours if it started fully charged. But you can disrupt the motorcycle with an electromagnetic pulse. Security automacubes have that option.”

  “Engaging electromagnetic pulse,” Sandie stated.

  The motorcycle continued onward with no visible sign of change.

  “It is not difficult to shield the batteries,” Eris commented. “Pretty basic engineering skill, but criminal. Illegal everywhere on the Conestoga.”

  “He just murdered those people, I doubt he has qualms about modifying equipment,” Jerome said with a sneer.

  “Could S-1DT just shoot him before he gets away?” Cammarry asked.

  Sandie replied, “The automacube does have both lethal and less-than-lethal weapons. The less-than-lethal systems are not in range. I conjecture that the lethal projectiles, even if aimed at the motorcycle itself, will likely result in the death of that person by either being struck by the weapon of the resulting crash. Do you wish me to engage with lethal force or continue the pursuit?”

  “We need to capture him and interrogate him,” Jerome said.

  “Ideally,” Cammarry retorted. “However, he should not be allowed to escape no matter what. He just killed those children.”

  Jerome remembered Cammarry and the elderly woman on the road. It was not a pleasant memory at all. He insisted, “Sandie, use all available means to capture that man uninjured.”

  The man on the motorcycle sped away, but the six wheeled automacube was slowly gaining ground. The roadway was solid enough to allow for rapid escalation of the speed. However, the roadway did have damage; cracks, potholes, and other areas where the surface had crumbled.

  “I will attempt a capture,” Sandie answered.

  “Just arrest that man,” Eris interjected. “The security automacubes can take a prisoner into custody easily. Summon the habitat police and have them set a barricade at the other end of the roadway.”

  “There are no habitat police in Beta,” Jerome spit out the words. “Anarchy and ruthless violence, but no police. No functional authorities.”

  Eris pulled at her lip and just watched. She felt that obviously the situation was worse in Beta than she imagined. She could not really fathom the need for police, as the Conestoga she remembered was well organized, civil, and had people who respected the rule of law and order. Eris did not recall a single criminal act during the building, stocking, and launch of the Conestoga. Sure some petty conflicts, but no crimes. However, she had just witnessed two murders, and knew her recollection and vision of the ship was different than the current reality. Yet, a Conestoga habitat completely without security or police forces? Anarchy? That too was unthinkable. Nevertheless, all she had seen so far confirmed what Jerome had said.

  The motorcycle rider veered around several potholes in the roadway as the automacube drew near to it. Each time, that caused a bit of space where the motorcycle drew ahead. It was not as fast, but the way the driver was using it, he was not giving up.

  “The automacube is now within range of the stun device,” Sandie stated. “I conjecture a significant chance for injury to the rider should this be deployed. Injuries will not be from the weapon, but from the fall and crash off the motorcycle. Shall I deploy the stun device?”

  “Yes!” Cammarry stated. “He must be stopped.”

  “No! We need him uninjured and captured. We must find out who the Ferryman is and how to track him down.”

  Eris started to add something, but hesitated.

  Sandie broke the deadlock. “I agree with Jerome. The risk of injury is too great at this time. Pursuit continuing.”

  The motorcycle, followed closely by the automacube, was rapidly approaching the point in the habitat where the side wall and the end wall met to make a corner, and the road curved around that. The side wall was dead ahead, the end wall was still to the side just past the forested area, the sea to the other side, but the seacoast ended as the sea also had a corner there. Between the roadway and the sea in that area was a small and densely overgrown thicket of bushes and brambles. The sky tube’s light was odd in that corner of the habitat, as it the two huge walls rising up caused unusual reflections. A small hilly area rose up in the very corner of the habitat, and a small stream proceeded down from those hills to pass under a low bridge on the roadway, and spill into the sea at the center of the bramble thicket. That hilly corner of the habitat, with its stream and bramble thicket was about a square kilometer wide with the roadway and stream crossing through the center.

  The motorcycle rider looked back over his shoulder, then swerved away from the roadway and toward a small dirt path which led into the woods toward that hilly area. The path was just before the low bridge and looked like an animal trail more than a passage for vehicles.

  “Off the pathway, the automacube will perform even better than the motorcycle,” Eris commented. “He will have to slow down lest he crash, but the automacube is made for that kind of travel.”

  Just as the motorcycle and rider were about to leave the roadway and enter the dirt path, he tipped the motorcycle down until it was nearly lying flat against the roadway. He skidded to an abrupt stop, then spun the motorcycle around and around right at the edge of the pathway.

  “Firing stun device,” Sandie stated.

  Dust, dirt, and smoke rose up around motorcyclist. In the midst of that, he adjusted his course. The automacube used its six drive wheels to come to a halt.

  “Stun device failed. One wire impacted the target, the second imbedded into the rear wheel of the motorcycle, preventing implementation of stun. Clearing launcher for next attempt. I am still tracking him via infrared sensors,” Sandie stated. “He is trying to evade us, but I can still perceive him and his motorcycle. Attempting zeroing in on target.”

  Across the display screen a red image of the man and motorcycle were superimposed over the smoky dust. He whirled the motorcycle around and took off up the roadway, zipping across the low bridge and speeding ahead now paralleling the long side of the habitat. The automacube followed.

  They bust out of the dust cloud, which had reminded both Jerome and Cammarry about Dome 17 which distracted them. The motorcycle had only gained a small lead, and the automacube was making that up.

  The roadway shimmered in the strange reflected light. The automacube raced in pursuit and was nearly upon the motorcycle and rider when they broke past the brambles to their side and the seacoast was again visible. The forest on the opposite side of the roadway was just as dense as before, but now less hilly than it had been in the corner.

  “How will we ever stop him?” Cammarry asked. “If you are not willing to use any kind of force to knock him down?”

  “I am conjecturing the best method of stopping, but not killing, this individual,” Sandie st
ated. “It is not an easy conjecture.”

  “He has to stop somewhere. We can follow him all…. oh no!” Jerome cried out. “Look ahead there! The grasses on the roadside! They are all flattened down.”

  “Give him a warning!” Cammarry screamed as she too saw that there was a gravity sink hole directly on the roadway in front of where the rider was heading.

  “Maximum decibel audio initiated,” Sandie replied. The automacube slowed down to avoid the gravity sink hole.

  “DANGER AHEAD. STOP THE VEHICLE NOW! DANGER AHEAD. STOP IMMEDIATELY. YOUR LIFE IS IN DANGER!” Sandie’s voice boomed out of the speakers on the automacube. They echoed off the trees on the side of the roadway, and reverberated across the waters of the sea.

  The motorcycle rider looked back over his shoulder. He made some kind of dismissive and rude gesture with his one hand. Then he grinned as he saw he was pulling away from the stopping automacube. He turned back to look at the roadway just as the motorcycle entered the gravity sink hole.