by Greg Chase
“None of the Moons’ Tobes will be harmed. It’s not like an Earth Tobe will take over the body of a Moons Tobe out there. Sara’s not some Voodoo witch turning Moons Tobes into zombies so Earth Tobes can possess them. Think of it more like a Moons of Jupiter Tobe sponsoring one from Earth. Sara made individual connections to Rendition. Then Joshua matched up the being Sara connected to with a Tobe from Earth. It’ll make for a much faster transfer, but it’s only one Moons Tobe sponsoring one Earth Tobe.”
Jess felt pretty sure she didn’t want to know how Sara had made those connections. “How many has she rounded up?”
“Only a couple thousand. They’ll be our first emissaries. Sara was also able to establish a link with Praxidike’s main computer. That helped Joshua establish a time signature Earth’s Tobes could relate to. It’s not a perfect match, but it did set up our final option.”
Jess’s memory of the hell moon still gave her nightmares. “Tell me.”
“Rendition was able to build a link—computer network to computer mainframe—to Praxidike. We can move a lot of Tobes quickly, but they’ll be landing in what Sara called hell, complete with demons.”
It was a lot of information for Jess to process. She’d been used but by the daughters she loved more than any other people in the solar system. “What do you need me to do?”
Some conversations Jess didn’t trust to network communications. The trip back to Hidalgo carried the risk of alienating the other outposts she’d worked so hard to win over, but Ramon was the only pirate leader who might listen favorably to her request.
The dimly lit bar hadn’t changed much, but then, she hadn’t left all that long ago. It just felt like a long time. At least Ramon had the decency to hear her out, but she could tell she’d asked more of the pirate leader than was reasonable.
“So you’re going to have all these Tobies clog up the network bridge that we built and use for our business for god knows how long. Then they’re going to be staying on every pirate outpost available while they wait their turn to come to Hidalgo. We’re supposed to somehow feed them into this modified nuclear thingy so they can move down to the Moons of Jupiter. And you think no one’s going to take issue with all that?”
“I know it’s a lot—”
“It’s not a lot,” Ramon cut in. “It’s insane. Do you remember how many pirates hate Tobies? They’d pull their plugs as soon as look at them. Even if we could somehow get the disgruntled pirates to leave their home bases, which would take a hell of a lot of smuggling contracts, all it’d take is one guy with a grudge to settle, and we’d be looking at inter-outpost war. Then what happens when all these new Tobes show up on the various moons? Do you not remember the edict from the Board of Shadows?”
In all the confusion regarding how to save Earth’s Tobe population, Jess had neglected to consider what would happen next. The corporate boards had cut off the Moons of Jupiter from Earth specifically to prevent such direct contact between Earth’s Tobes—completely autonomous beings who worked for the good of mankind of their own free will—and the Moons’ Tobes, who up until recently were little more than slaves to their corporate overlords. An all too likely outcome of what Sara and Emily were proposing would be a techno-human war. And she was sitting with the only nonaligned, well-armed armada in the solar system.
“There’s a war coming, Ramon. The pirates can benefit from the conflict or get swept away. This is your shot at having a seat at the table when it comes to legitimate commerce.”
The pirate leader loosened the kozane from around his chest. “You’ve done a lot out here. Every pirate owes you a debt of gratitude if not an actual financial debt. But I can’t take this to the pirate council. We rely on the Moons for our livelihood. This is revolution. Even if you win, the Tobes don’t have a lot of use for pirates, and they don’t have a lot we want to steal. So where would that leave us and our way of life?”
Jess had studied enough human history to know revolutions were never pretty. No one could say what the outcomes would be. For her and her daughters to save Earth’s people and Tobes, they were going to need the pirates. “If this does work, there will be more spaceships, people, and products from Earth than you can imagine. And I’m not talking about just currently produced Rendition items. Imagine the wealth and history of Earth that will be contained in those escaping ships.”
Ramon leaned in conspiratorially. “You’re talking about a mass emigration from the people of Earth to the Moons of Jupiter?”
“I am, and more. If we can get our Tobes out here, Rendition itself will move to the Moons of Jupiter. Sara’s already purchased a couple of moons that might work well for the relocation.” As she talked, Ramon wet his lips then covered the reaction with his well-armored hand. Jess wasn’t even sure how much she’d retained of what Emily had said about Rendition. Saving every person and Tobe on Earth, or at least as many as possible, made what to do with the family business a distant afterthought. Apparently, her daughters had more foresight than she thought. “Imagine the richest, most powerful people on Earth moving out here. The Tobe population may not have much use of your services, but if we can rid this area of the Moons’ influence, you might find a whole new clientele.”
“Well, if you’re any indication of what those rich people might find enticing, we’re in for more than just increased business.”
Even on Earth, Jess had found it difficult to see herself as the top of the socioeconomic pyramid, but clearly, despite her years of rough living, that other persona was never far from the pirate’s imagination. “The Moons corporations don’t like Earth, and vice versa, but each group is going to have things the other wants and needs. As with the network bridge, you could be the lubrication that makes this new reality possible.”
Jess had Ramon’s support—that was a big foot in the door to the pirate council. She’d also helped many of the pirate leaders in attendance. Still, meeting with the group churned her stomach so badly she couldn’t eat. She tightened her kozane. Its battle scars rivaled those of even the most bloodthirsty pirates. Those blast marks were the only badges of honor the council would recognize.
Instead of the well-moderated discussion she had hoped for, the gathering of outpost leaders more accurately resembled a childish food fight without the food. The conversations weren’t hostile, but with the elevated volume and number of people talking all at once, it was impossible to follow. She turned to yell into Ramon’s ear. “How does anything get accomplished here?”
“It doesn’t. But this is the group you’ll need to corral.”
She ran her fingers along the butt of her blaster. One good burst might shut them up enough for her to get a word or two in, or it could set off a cross fire of responses. “Any suggestions?”
Ramon stood up and threw a wad of cash in the air. “This round is on me.”
The gathering erupted in a unified cheer—the first thing they could all agree on. More importantly, the noise died down for a moment. Ramon yanked at her shoulder. “Here’s your chance. Make the most of it.”
As Jess stood, she pulled out her weapons and laid them on the table. She put her hands on the guns as she leaned toward the crowd of pirate leaders. “Over the last year, I’ve helped all of you. Today, I’m calling in that debt. I need your steady hands and your well-armed ships. It’s time we stopped fighting each other and took our rightful place controlling commerce among the Moons.” She gave them a moment to digest her words. They needed a common enemy to rally against, and she had one custom-tailored to their greed. “The Moons of Jupiter have had a stranglehold on business. You all know that. Instead of our individual forays, which only result in single prizes of often dubious value, I propose a partnership among us all. We’ll leave the corporations to their home moons, but transfer of their goods will fall under our domain. Instead of capturing ships, we’ll be running them. Those of you smuggling contraband from outside the Jovian system will no longer have to run the gauntlet of weaponized asteroids. And those of
you who wish only for battle will find plenty to contend with as the Moons will always be seeking ways around our control.”
A rotund captain, whose chair squealed in complaint with his every movement, hammered on the table with a fist as large as a cut of meat. “And how do you propose accomplishing this takedown? We can shoot at all the vessels we want, but that doesn’t put us in charge.”
“No, but replacing their ships’ Tobe copilots would. I have a group of Earth-based Tobes eager to migrate out here. As we’re attacking the convoys, thereby keeping their human crews busy, my Tobes can sneak onto the transport ships. From there, it’s a simple matter of upgrading the ship’s software, so to speak.”
The crowd grew quiet. A grizzled old man, in leathers gray with age, leaned against a post at the back of the room. “I’m no fan of the Tobes, never have been, but I’d like to know what happens to the ones who you’re proposing to replace. I don’t want a bunch of ghosts trying to board the first ship they find—especially if that ship’s mine. And I’d like to know how you intend to get your Tobes out here. I’m not sure I want to open those floodgates. A little trickle can too easily become a deluge.”
She had to admire his ability to see beyond the benefits she’d waved in front of the pirates like a red flag before a wild bull. “I won’t lie to you. The group that will come to take over running the transport ships will just be the beginning. But the others won’t pose a threat to you or your way of doing business. They simply need the transfer bridge I helped you all build. I could demand its use from you, but that’s not what I’d prefer. This can be beneficial to all of us. As for the Moons’ Tobes who will be displaced, there aren’t any. We’ve harassed the Moons enough with our pirate Tobes that most transports are already operating without a Tobe on board in fear we might persuade it to join our cause.”
“The Moons do have their ways of keeping their ships Tobe-free,” Ramon said. “Have you given any thought to how you’re going to get your Earth Tobes on board?”
Jess knew better than to divulge all of her secrets. “We have some technology coming from Earth that should take care of that problem.”
The well-fed pirate opened his massive hand. “And we won’t have to take on any Tobes we don’t want to—they’ll all just keep moving along?”
“Exactly. All I need is your transfer bridge to get them out here then your connections to the Moons so they can relocate. In exchange, and with your firepower, we can become the only viable means of moving product from moon to moon.”
A spindly captain with scars on his face that extended down to his armor looked up from his beer. “You want us to go legit? We didn’t come out here to work regular jobs like all the other shmucks. Where’s the adventure?”
A round of murmurs confirmed he wasn’t the only one thinking that way.
“I wouldn’t insult you by saying you should become captains of cargo ships and make routine runs between the moons. The Tobes will do the day-to-day work, but they’ll be under your supervision. Of course, the transport of goods would come at a cost to the Moons corporations, which would go directly to the pirate outposts. How that money is distributed would be up to you. There will always be corporations that need to be kept in line. With you having control of commerce, they’ll no longer have a free hand to do as they please. Those of you still consumed with bloodlust after this is all over will find you’ve got a lot more power, and weapons, to combat the real enemies out here. You all live on your reputations. If this works, you’ll be the envy of the solar system.”
Ramon leaned against a pillar behind Jess. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t see one chance in a hundred of this working. We’d be taking on every gunship the Moons can throw at us. Most of us probably won’t make it out alive. It should be the single biggest battle in the history of space travel.”
The old captain at the back of the room lifted his glass. “I’ll drink to that.”
A murmur of agreement swept the room.
Jess turned to the barkeep. “This round’s on me.”
13
Sara lay on the plush bed in her apartment on Taygete, considering the parallels between being a goddess and a prostitute. Freeing the reluctant Tobes on Praxidike, only to have to face the eager congregation on Taygete, had left her exhausted. But it wasn’t just a physical tiredness. Sex itself had lost its attraction. She still enjoyed seeing the release of a being unaccustomed to expressions of emotion, but the act itself had little more meaning than a hug between strangers.
Both Praxidike and Taygete were now firmly in her control even if the corporations that ran the moons didn’t realize it. And after some struggle, the two competing religions were united with her as their goddess. It didn’t matter that they defined the term very differently, so long as they all listened to her. Keeping Rhea and Arry separated had been a constant dance of competing interests. Mostly, though, they were kept busy with their own congregations. The last thing Sara wanted was to take on another job like she’d had running Rendition. Best to leave the religious work to the heads of her church.
Shit, I need to talk to Emily. It’s been too long. Sara knew all too often the underlying goal of the plan had gotten lost in the day-to-day details, but constantly hearing of Earth’s dire need didn’t help move things along any faster.
She climbed the stairs at the back of the building. The physical exercise, meant for no one’s benefit but her own, helped clear her mind. Each time she ascended to a height where she could access another reality, the ritual reminded her of climbing to heaven—though, as Emily’s reports grew more desperate, it wasn’t a heaven destined to last much longer.
Sara stripped out of her clothes to once again play the human antenna searching for a signal. The variable signal strength from the moons to Earth still worried her. Earth’s Tobes would have to zap along that tenuous thread that bonded the two networks. There isn’t time to worry about that now. The familiar yellow lines crossed in front of her eyes.
The tumbled office that appeared before her had Sara scanning the room for the source of the mayhem. It looked as though a wall view screen had collapsed during an Atlantic hurricane, letting all the fury loose on the confined space, but as she inspected the walls, everything appeared to be intact. “Emi, are you in here?”
Emily’s head popped up from behind a pile of transport containers. “Ra! It’s about time you checked in.”
A lump formed in Sara’s throat. By the look of things, she had even less time than she’d thought. “Tell me you’re just redecorating.”
Emily stood and slapped the dust off the back of her dress. “Just temporarily relocating up to Persephone. Between the village on Leviathan, the Tobes down here, and Rendition’s leadership, I’ve been getting a lot of pressure to move someplace safe. Sophie will still be ready in time for our plan. I just want to make sure everything is in order, then I’ll move to Leviathan.”
Sara didn’t need much imagination to speculate on the conditions on Earth. Once word got out about the moon’s situation—and even in the best of times, tightly held information had a way of leaking to the masses—social order would start breaking down. Poor, sweet Emily would be the last remaining member to represent the family and all its wealth and power. At least she had the good sense to leave before the end times. “I’ve done what I can out here. Do you have an idea on timing?”
Emily wiped the hair out of her eyes with her dust-smudged hand. “Joshua won’t leave until I’m safely in space. Ellie says she’s coming with me, but even with upgrading Lev’s systems, Leviathan can’t support a third-generation Tobe. So Ellie will have to go into hibernation until we get to the Moons or set up a new network. Ed’s insistent on leading Mom’s Tobe-pirate invasion force. Honestly, Ra, it’s all just chaos right now.”
It’d been a little over a year since Sara had talked to Jess. That’d have to be next on her agenda. They had to coordinate forces. “How’s Mom doing?”
“She says she has a force ready
to do battle with the Moons. I’m not so sure. From everything Joshua’s shown me, it looks like Mom’s taking a small band of mercenaries up against a well-armed multicorporation military. She’s had a couple of successes, and I’m afraid that’s given her more confidence than is justified by the numbers.”
Great. “She’s been known to surprise us before.” Sara only hoped she wouldn’t have to rein in a mother hell-bent on another adventure.
“I should be moving early tomorrow. Check in with Joshua. He’s set himself up with Rhea as the first Earth Tobe to migrate out to the Moons. He needs to go soon, Ra. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get everyone off this planet.”
Emily let out a sigh of relief when the light on her monitor flicked off as she and Sara cut contact. She’d spent sleepless nights worrying about her sister, who was all alone among the corporations that had managed to kill their father. If a god could be so easily destroyed, what chance did his daughter have? The last thing Sara needed was to hear how bad things had deteriorated on Earth. Emily’s fear for her sister quickly turned inward as she began her end of the plan.
Sitting across from her among the stacks of computer screens, Joshua had allowed the stress to infect his bodily appearance. The tall, thin, good-looking teenager Emily had met a few years ago now had gray, receding hair and a hint of a stomach paunch. “I’ve rounded up the first expedition. I’ll lead the group headed to Taygete. Lillian will match up with Arry for the Praxidike contingent. I’m just recruiting Rendition’s Tobes for this direct transfer. If it goes wrong, I don’t want to be responsible for others who didn’t understand the risks. If it goes right, we’ll be waiting for you and the rest of Rendition. There’s also your sister to consider. Those of us on Earth remember how difficult it was to prevent a religion from forming around your father. Sara has embraced that role, but I didn’t want to send even more fanatics to her cause. Those of us who’ve spent our lives working for Rendition know her better and will hopefully keep her grounded in that remembered reality.”