Salvation (Technopia Book 4)

by Greg Chase

  Lillian shuddered as she backed away from the cave entrance. “Is there any way to move them out of the cave?”

  “Where would you propose we send them?” Arry asked. “We don’t want them as part of our population. Not that we have any say in anything they do.”

  Some idea kept playing around the outskirts of Sara’s mind. Even the Tobes were afraid of the tech-no-sanities. They were a weapon, one she hadn’t considered before. “Can they be sent through the network?”

  Even Arry quivered at the idea. “The central cores won’t take them. Once one of us is this far gone, it’s not possible to recondition us back to usefulness.”

  “I didn’t mean to a network core. Could we send them to one of the other moons? They’d make a powerful attack force.”

  “You can’t control them,” Arry said. “It’d be like setting a wildfire with no way of putting it out.”

  Sara filed the information away as a last resort. From Arry’s reluctance to give a straight answer, she had to believe it was possible, but it wasn’t an answer to the problem at hand. “So if we can’t move the tech-no-sanities, can we move the computer?”

  “Those mindless Tobes are like iron particles following a magnet,” Arry said. “Moving the magnet isn’t going to help.”

  Perhaps not, but again it gave Sara another piece of information about her tech-no-sanity army. They could be led with the right enticement. “So we can’t move them. The computer can’t be moved. And any network bridge won’t work because it’d be a connection to the Moons’ network and therefore wouldn’t work for a Tobe based on Earth’s network—even for just the little jump from one side of the cave to the opening. All we could do is send Earth Tobes into that small prison cell surrounded by a force of demon guards.”

  Iam could get them out, though God wasn’t exactly at Sara’s beck and call. The familiar arrogance reared up in her mind. If he can do it… “I can do it. With the film that surrounds me—I can do it. All the Tobes who come through this computer will have to latch onto me, and I’ll just walk past the tech-no-sanities.”

  Over time, Arry’s sneer had lost a lot of its derision. “That thing that surrounds you isn’t even a full computer.”

  But Sara had another trick Arry didn’t know about. Lillian clearly did. “Arnold told me what you did on Earth. I hope you’re not considering another possession.”

  The term was oddly fitting, though who would be possessing whom was a good question. “You know what’s inside me: the connection Earth’s Tobes created in me. You know how it works, Lillian.”

  “I also know you were never the same after pulling so many of us into you.”

  Arry wasn’t one to let a conversation go on around her without being let in on the secret. But instead of asking, she reached over to grasp Lillian’s shoulder. The information transfer took only a moment. Sara expected a vehement rebuke. She didn’t get one. “It could work. You wouldn’t have to hold onto them for long. Between what they did to you on Earth and that film that’s mostly based on our Moons’ network, having them process through you should condition Earth’s Tobes to our network’s time signature. Would you be able to see your way across the room with so many attached to you?”

  It was a reasonable question. When she’d pulled Earth’s Tobes into her, it had been to use their power to destroy the church’s wall of protection. She hadn’t needed to contend with seeing and walking, just destruction. “I can do it with your support to guide me through.”

  Sara sat in the back of the shuttle, still dazed from all the Earth Tobes who’d passed through her. Ten thousand four hundred seventy-eight sounded like a lot. And it was, when she considered the fact that every single one of them had inhabited her soul. Relative to the Tobe population on Earth, however, it was still just a fraction of those in danger. She just couldn’t handle any more. The voices in her head wouldn’t shut up, and her eyes lied to her about which images were truly in front of her and which were Tobe memories. In no way did Praxidike’s fiery plains resemble a Kansas wheat field, and yet, that was the image she’d been left with as the shuttle had taken her off the barren rock she considered home.

  The fact that time was running out worked in her favor. Even if she could have remained to ferry more Tobes across the pit of hell, she had to coordinate her efforts with Jess. The Moons’ boards weren’t stupid. Thousands of unknown Tobes showing up on the networks wouldn’t go unnoticed by people determined to prevent the intermingling of the two branches of their evolution, no matter the cost to the rest of the solar system. To wait much longer would lose them one of their biggest advantages: the element of surprise.

  Joshua sat down next to her against the ship’s bulkhead. “If you keep pulling us into you like that, you’re going to risk your sanity. I’ve been in that head of yours. I know its limitations.”

  He had a way of making it sound as if she had a choice.

  “There are still millions, if not billions, of your kind I won’t be able to save. How do I deal with numbers like that? Wouldn’t you sacrifice your sanity for nearly twenty thousand others?”

  His shrug only increased her frustration at him. “It depends. Can you do more in the upcoming battle clearheaded, or is your life force best spent as a taxi driver, conveying Tobes from one hell to the next?”

  She clenched her fists. Joshua had a unique way of getting under her skin, like a sibling who knew all her darkest insecurities. “Then tell me, oh technological brother of mine—what should I be doing?”

  “Look at your strengths. You’ve got two fast-attack weapons: those of us who are from Rendition and those who’ve been brought through hell. Neither of your legions are very large, but we can manifest anywhere, even behind enemy lines. That’s not true for the Moons’ Tobes. Those of us from Rendition understand the inner workings of a large corporation. Once inside, we could cripple their ability to conduct business. I doubt they have a human backup for most of their inner workings.”

  His words helped her think, and that process made her feel more like her old self. “The others from Earth could help spread the word on what’s possible. With the speed at which you all share information, it shouldn’t take long to convince all of the Moons’ Tobes to join our cause.”

  “Maybe. You’ve been out here long enough to know, however, they don’t all reason the same way. Even on Earth, there are different factions. Once we start trying to convert others, we’ll be out in the open—no more sneak attacks.”

  Oversimplifying answers was a clear sign her mind wasn’t functioning as it should. “Then how is that army best utilized?”

  “They’re your bargaining chip with your mother. The Tobes from Earth that she’s bringing in over the bridge will be disoriented while they’re on the pirate bases. Getting them to Jupiter’s moons will be a slow process. That nuclear time accelerator can only handle a couple dozen at a time. As it’s a technology developed by the Moons, those Tobes will stand out on the network like glowing lights in a night sky. They won’t have the benefit of your touch to lovingly convert them to this new reality. That second wave you carried through hell could act as your missionaries to show them the way, so to speak.”

  For all of the technology the Tobes kept loading her down with, Sara never could see things clearly from their point of view. “Will those of you who snuck out here be able to hide the ones who experience the time distortion?”

  “I don’t know. I just want you to see things from Jess’s perspective. She’s been a pirate out here long enough to be looking for the angles even with her daughter. It’s not all about trying to secure the best deal. She has her own legion, one made up of humans, whom she also needs to secure. I know you look up to her, but she’s not infallible.”

  15

  For a moon that Jess would have just as soon never set foot on, the barren wasteland featured as a landing spot far too frequently. The fact that no Tobe based on any of the Moons’ networks would venture out there voluntarily had its advantages. E
ven Spike got jittery at the prospect. At least we don’t have to land on Sam’s plateau. It was little consolation, but the moon was large enough she could avoid his burial mound.

  Hopping down from Rampike, she figured the valley she stepped into must be where the Moons had attempted terraforming. Plants no higher than her boot heels struggled to maintain their spread leaves above the layer of dust that got redeposited with every windstorm. She admired their tenacity, but then, all life on Jupiter’s moons required an iron will to survive.

  The gleaming shuttle sent a ray of reflected light into her eye, distracting her from the persistent plants. Life with the pirates had taught her to see pretty, shiny spaceships as either easy prey or dangerously confident adversaries. Sara would be neither of those—or possibly both. Jess squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to force the idea from her mind. There were plans to coordinate and corporations to combat. She didn’t need to go viewing her closest allies with suspicion, especially not her daughter.

  The ship landed far enough from Rampike that no dust bothered the small green plant residents that had more rights to this moon than Jess. As a small figure jumped down from the gleaming ship, she began walking across the dusty plain that separated the two cliff walls. As much as she trusted her pirate cohorts, for everyone’s sake it’d be best to keep the conversation private, and not just from those present. The question, though, was whether Sara could refrain from using her constant access to every network known to mankind.

  The woman who approached Jess had only a passing resemblance to the daughter she remembered. So much kept changing. Jess could envision the young girl on Chariklo all the way through to the confident woman who’d landed on this same moon not so long ago. And yet Sara wasn’t the same person. Jess could see that in how she walked, dressed, and carried her head up high. “It’s good to see you, Mother.”

  Even the hug felt more polite than passionate. But then, this wasn’t the meeting of family members but of two powers hoping to coordinate their efforts. “Looks like Jupiter’s moons suit you.”

  The slightly girlish smile retained hints of the daughter Jess remembered. “It’s been interesting, to say the least. I realize my methods might have differed from your expectations, but I have unified the religious factions.”

  And placed yourself as their goddess. But getting into an argument wasn’t likely to further their goals. “And what of Joshua and the others?”

  “They made it safely to Taygete and Praxidike. My followers haven’t found any indication they’ve been noticed by the Moons’ corporations. From what I see, they look more like shadows cast from the Moons’ Tobes who provided the links. Even if one were to leave the two host planets, they shouldn’t be immediately noticeable, but that element of surprise won’t last long.”

  So many plans were reaching their apex. Any misstep could ruin everything. “What’s your plan?”

  “First, I’d like to hear where you’re at with the pirates and the solar-array bridge.”

  Jess knew it wasn’t mistrust, but Sara had shown her cards. Time for me to do the same. “We have a secure connection to Earth, but it’s still not as strong as I’d like. The real problem, though, is getting everyone through the nuclear time accelerator. Ed’s leading the first contingent. We should have a strike force ready by the time the pirates are fully armed. I’m going to take out the Moons’ ability to transport goods around Jupiter and hand that power over to the pirates.”

  Jess thought the look in Sara’s eyes was a little judgmental, considering what she’d been up to. “You’re just going to turn the keys to the vault over to the bank robbers? What will that get us?”

  “The transports are currently run without Tobe control.” Jess had to smile to herself at how well, no matter how unintentional, that had worked out. “As the pirates capture the vessels, an Earth Tobe from Ed’s contingent will take over the operation. It’s not like I’m handing over the ships to the pirates, though they will be in charge and receive payment for allowing commerce to continue.”

  “I still don’t see what this gains us.”

  Until her time with the pirates, Jess wouldn’t have seen the vital connection either. “The Moons currently do as they please with no oversight. Each corporation provides a vital component to the overall economy that connects the Moons. Transferring goods is the one choke point we can take without disrupting business.”

  “But you’re turning over a lot of power to people who only know how to steal. What happens when Emily shows up with her fleet of ships escaping Earth? The pirates need to be reined in, not given more strength to do as they please.”

  From an Earth perspective, Jess could see Sara’s point. But they weren’t on Earth. “I won’t go into the socioeconomic conditions out here. You can find that easily enough from your followers.” It took all of Jess’s willpower not to emphasize the last word. “The bottom line is there’s too much wealth and power in too few hands. That’s not going to get better with Earth’s refugees. I’ve talked with Ed. A lot of those spaceships headed this way are more filled with things than people.”

  “Emily did her best. It’s not her fault certain individuals decided possessions were worth more than saving people’s lives.”

  Jess knew the twins would always come to each other’s defense. It was a good sign that Sara hadn’t lost all of her humanity to her Tobe connection. “I know. It’s human nature. But the foundation won’t be out here helping the needy and controlling the accumulation of wealth by the few.”

  Sara nodded slowly. “So your band of merry men will steal from the rich and give to the poor? That’s your plan? Because I don’t really see the pirates as being that altruistic.”

  “I have no delusions that they are, and initially, there are only so many people that will be able to afford their bounty. Pirates are a strange breed. I’ve yet to find one who wanted to accumulate great wealth. Most of them are more interested in drinking, carousing, and living for today or planning the next adventure. The money they take in will be spent, not hoarded. And with them at the helm of intermoon transport, there’s little the corporations will produce that the pirates will want to steal. Only those Moons that try to profit unduly from others—be they workers or consumers—will find the pirates acting as their adversaries to ensure an equitable distribution of goods and wealth. It may take time, but money will find its way back among the creative and skilled entrepreneurs.”

  Sara stared out into space. “Economic revolution. You haven’t changed.”

  “Different societies require different methods. If the changes can’t be made peacefully, then wealth will have to be redistributed by force. I’m just trying to see that it happens with a minimum of bloodshed. Now, what’s your plan for these technological religious zealots you’ve created?”

  Sara turned back to Jess. “To take control of the corporations you hate so much. But I don’t have the Tobe power to subvert them all.”

  “How do you propose doing that? I’ve never known Tobes to fight others of their kind.”

  “I’m still working on that, but relocation seems the most logical answer.”

  Jess knew that could only mean one of two moons, and she doubted Sara had any intention of contaminating Taygete with unwilling Tobes. “So you’re going to cast them into hell?”

  “Call it reconditioning. I have a second group of Earth Tobes who’ve been cleansed by the fires of Praxidike. Together with the Reverend Mother Arry, the corporate Tobes can be shown the error of their ways. They are, after all, logic-based entities.”

  The extreme nature of Sara’s plan should have struck fear in Jess, but too much had happened for that emotion to take hold for long. “There’s sure to be some retaliation from the corporate boards.” Not to mention the dreaded Board of Shadows. But for the moment, Jess wanted to keep that battle to herself.

  “I’ve given that some thought. You realize your pirates are outgunned, right? And between us, that’s the only military force we’ve got.�
��

  Sara wasn’t the first to mention the disparity, but most pirates saw it as a challenge rather than a hindrance. “No question, we’re relying on the element of surprise for both the Tobe and weapons components of the plan. But I’ve been harassing the corporate militia enough to know their weaknesses. I’m more worried about Emily and the fleet of human refugees she’s got with her. We need to move before the Moons get word of their true destination. If this all goes wrong, she’ll be leading them to slaughter.”

  The image of her mother and sister on Leviathan’s bridge view screen didn’t give Emily much hope. The women looked hardened. Sara, in her black robe with little underneath, all too accurately portrayed the dominatrix-goddess persona Emily had feared her sister would embrace. But at least it was an image she’d expected. Her mother, in her battle-scarred pirate armor, looked like the evil counterpart to all Emily remembered. As if the transformation of the women Emily loved wasn’t bad enough, the barren plain behind them made her wonder if all the stories about the wealth of the Moons of Jupiter had been lies. The dry, dusty, lifeless wasteland hardly looked like the kind of place Earth’s refugees would choose as their new home. But it was too late to do much about that.

  “Hey, sis, thought we’d better check in on your grand adventure.” Emily did her best not to react. Sara had never called her “sis” in her entire life.

  She didn’t need the warning, though. Anything said about pirates over the patched-together network was bound to be overheard. The whole conversation would have to be in code. “Looks like you two are having quite the adventure. Wish I was there to join you.”

  Sara blinked her bloodshot eyes fully open, but the lids appeared too heavy to remain clear of her pupils. “Being the head of Rendition is no small task. I know from experience. How’s the relocation going?”