by M. D. Cooper
With fifty centimeter lenses, Orkney’s lasers could lance across a hundred-thousand kilometers and still deal lethal damage. Even at their distant position, the AST dreadnaughts were within this vessel’s firing range. Modern ships rarely fired at such distances—rapid movement made long-range targeting nearly impossible.
Sera imagined having a fleet of such vessels at her command and found a new appreciation for Tanis’s tactical mind. With a target as big as the Intrepid to defend, she had apparently pulled out all the stops.
The Andromeda silently slipped past the Orkney, and its accompanying tug and asteroid. Ahead, the bulk of the Intrepid began to fill the forward view. The rear of the vessel sported two massive fusion burners, and a pair of smaller antimatter engines.
Small was a relative term, since the Andromeda’s seven-hundred and twenty-meter hull could both fit inside and turn around within even the smaller engine’s exhaust ports.
“Imagine being at the helm of that thing,” Cheeky whispered from Sera’s side. “I can almost…” she shivered with delight and Sera rolled her eyes.
“Easy now. And here you accuse Nance and I of having fetishes.”
“Oh, I have my weird bits,” Cheeky said with a smile. “I just don’t pretend not to. Galaxy would be a better place if people were real.”
They passed beneath the engines and under the two spinning cylinders, each containing an entire world’s worth of animals, flora, and fauna. From the stories Tanis had told, the general even had a nice cabin beside a lake in one.
Surrounding the ship was a latticework of support struts, though it was not readily apparent that was their primary purpose. They looked far more like a protective web; with mobile beams and chaff cannons mounted along their lengths, they certainly fit the bill.
“I bet they didn’t leave Sol with all those,” Sera said.
“Probably not, but I bet a few were there for shooting down rocks and stuff,” Cheeky commented.
They passed the cylinders and came underneath the forward section of the ship where the doors of a massive bay loomed wide. The space inside was cavernous and empty, with all its normal occupants outside the ship on patrol.
The Andromeda turned and slowly backed into the bay. Once within the hull of the Intrepid, Sera felt the slight tug of gravity and by the time the ship settled into its cradle, over half a g pulled firmly at everyone.
Tanis gestured for the crew to leave the lounge as Sabrina squealed with delight over the Link.
Sera could tell Sabrina was a bit nervous.
They reached a cross-corridor and Tanis stopped the group.
“Sera, if you’d like to come with me, we have a meeting on the bridge deck,” Tanis said.
Sera nodded. “I’d like Flaherty to come with me.”
Tanis nodded and addressed Jessica. “Can you see to getting Sabrina’s crew settled and have someone give them a tour?”
“No problem. At the least I’ll show them where the bars are.”
“You guys aren’t taking your current situation too seriously,” Thompson observed.
Jessica shrugged. “We’ve been in worse. Besides, Tanis is back, she’ll know what to do.” She placed a hand on Tanis’s shoulder, which earned her a worried smile from the general.
“Just don’t get too messed up—or entangled,” Tanis directed a look at Jessica and Cheeky. “We may need to move fast.”
With that she turned, walking briskly down a corridor to a small maglev train floating next to a platform. They entered the car, and once they took their seats, it whisked out of the station. The group had barely settled in when the train passed out of the Andromeda and into a clear tube, which ran across the upper reaches of the bay.
“Nice view,” Sera said, looking down at the retreating form of the Andromeda and the kilometers of empty bay.
“It’s not a bad place to work,” Tanis replied. “I have to admit, it’s going to be nice to stretch my legs for a bit. It’s been a while since I’ve spent that much time on a ship as small as Sabrina.”
“Feeling a bit cooped up, were you?” Joe asked.
“A bit,” Tanis replied with a smile. “Sabrina’s not that small, and I’ve certainly spent longer on ships…I just missed our cabin and your garden-fresh veggies.”
Joe laughed. “It’s probably fallen into decay; it’s been years since anyone has been there.”
Tanis shrugged. “We’ve fixed it up before, we can do it again.”
Sera tuned out of their conversation and watched as the train car passed into a shaft in the bay wall, and then her breath caught as it shot out into empty space. After a moment’s panic, she realized they were riding one of the thin arcs which surrounded the ship. They rose up, over the forward section of the colony vessel and then down toward the ship’s nose.
The train passed back through the hull and down a long shaft before easing to a stop. The platform they stepped onto was broad and bustling with people passing through, or waiting for cars to take them to their destinations.
Tanis weaved through the throng, and as she did, people began to stop and stare. A few pointed, and whispers of “Tanis” began to fill the air.
Sera could see the general’s face begin to redden and before long she stopped and turned to the crowd.
“Yes folks, I’m back.”
Cheers erupted around them and some called out her name, while others shouted questions about their current situation.
Tanis held up her hands and the throng quieted.
“Don’t worry, I have a plan. Everything is going to be OK.”
The words were simple, and although Sera hadn’t noticed it being particularly grim, the mood on the platform immediately lifted.
Tanis gave a final wave, and then led her party to the bridge deck’s central corridor.
DECISIONS
STELLAR DATE: 10.27.8927 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: ISS Intrepid, Orbiting Fierra
REGION: Bollam’s World System, Bollam’s World Federation
They made their way down the long corridor, weaving through more crowds; individuals calling out to the general, and Tanis waving or replying in turn. Presently the crowds thinned and they came to the end of the passage, which opened into a large atrium, the centerpiece of which was a woman, standing amidst a sea of holographic displays.
Sera watched in awe as the woman’s hands danced across the displays, emitters on her fingertips manipulating untold systems in the time it took for Sera to realize what the woman was doing.
As they approached, what she initially perceived to be a console in front of the woman also turned out to be a holographic display. In fact, the woman appeared to be the only real thing in the atrium. Sera altered her vision to see through the holographic interfaces and was surprised at what her sight revealed.
What had appeared at first to be the woman’s hair was cleverly disguised super conductor strands, which must be functioning as antennas. The bandwidth a system like that provided would be immense. Her face was smooth and composed, despite the rapid blinking of her eyelids, beneath which lay entirely black eyes. Sera marveled at her pure white skin, which her enhanced vision showed not to be skin at all, but rather a smooth, flexible polymer.
Other than her glossy coating, the woman wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing. She was perched on a very narrow stool, or pedestal—or rather, her body merged directly into the seat. She suspected this woman spent a lot of time in her current position.
The woman’s head tilted and she smiled at them. An audible voice came from all around
them, and over their Links.
“Welcome home Tanis, and welcome to your guests.” The woman’s mouth mimed the words, but no sound came from it.
“It’s good to see you, Priscilla.” Tanis smiled as she walked forward and stepped through the holo to embrace the woman, who stopped manipulating the interfaces around her and returned the embrace with an expression that was both warm, yet chillingly lifeless on her white face and deep black eyes.
Tanis turned, still standing in the midst of the holo display—though that didn’t stop them from flashing and dancing quicker than an eye could follow. “This is Priscilla. For most purposes, she is the Intrepid.”
“I’m very glad to meet you.” Sera stepped forward and extended her hand. “I’m Sera and this is Flaherty.” The silent man actually had an expression of wonder on his face as he shook Priscilla’s hand in turn. “I have to admit, I’m confused. How are you the Intrepid?”
Priscilla gave an understanding smile. “I am the Intrepid in the way that your mind controls your brain, or maybe the other way around. The Intrepid’s neural net is too vast and complex to be able to communicate effectively with humans—at least not so many of you—so I am the intermediary, its avatar, in a fashion, yet at the same time, I am the Intrepid.”
“But you are human.” Flaherty said. “I can see it; you are not a machine.”
Priscilla maintained her beatific smile. “Of course I am human, would an AI be able to think for another AI and make those thoughts into something a human could understand? The Intrepid has a human for its mind, though its brain is AI.”
“She downplays the Intrepid’s brain. It is far more than just AI.” Tanis said with a wink. Priscilla inclined her head and a wry look crossed her face, quickly replaced by her implacable gaze. “She and Amanda take turns as the human interface to the Intrepid. Without them the ship and the humans on it would have a bit of a communication gap.”
“How long do these turns last?” Sera asked, wondering how long this avatar spent attached to her pedestal.
“We each actively interface with the Intrepid for ninety days at a time. On our downtime we take up more…regular duties on the ship.”
“That is amazing,” Flaherty said in a distracted voice.
Priscilla smiled at him, then nodded toward the hall to their left. “You should go. The captain and other leaders are waiting.”
Tanis gestured for the group to follow her and led them through a short corridor and into a conference room beyond.
The room was not large, but well appointed, the center dominated by an oblong table, around which were seated nine people. Sera immediately recognized Captain Andrews at its head and her pulse rose in reaction. It had been so long since she had allowed herself to see a man as attractive; she almost didn’t know how to deal with the change in her emotional state.
Sera tore her attention from the Intrepid’s captain to the others around the table. On his right, were two men who were not wearing the ship’s uniform, but what appeared to be civilian garb. The man closest to the captain sat ramrod straight, his hair was dark and slicked back. He seemed to see everything in the room at once, and took careful note of all he viewed.
The man next to him was alert as well, but also appeared to be lost in thought at the same time. On his right was a woman who had several plas sheets spread about her and looked up from them with the expression of one who was believed that more important work was being interrupted. The man and two women to the left of the Captain were decidedly military. They wore uniforms similar to Joseph’s and had the bearing of officers high in the chain of command.
Upon their entry, the Captain rose. “Welcome aboard the Intrepid, Captain Sera, Flaherty; and welcome back Tanis.” He was just as imposing in life as Sera anticipated. His voice boomed, filling the room easily.
Tanis exchanged hugs and handshakes with the colony mission’s leadership while Sera, Flaherty and Joe took their seats at the table. Once the room had settled, the captain introduced those around the table for Sera’s benefit.
The slick looking man on his right was Terrance Enfield, one of the financiers of the Intrepid and its journey to 58 Eridani. Beside him was Earnest Redding, apparently the architect behind the ship. The distracted looking woman to his right was Abby Redding, Earnest’s wife and the Chief Engineer of the Intrepid. The three in military dress were Admiral Sanderson, Colonel Ouri, and Commandant Brandt.
The captain’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Again, I must thank you for bringing Tanis back to us. We are quite interested in where she has been for the past few months.”
“Would you believe pirates?” Tanis asked with a smile.
“Pirates?” Terrance asked. “Like…ahar?”
Tanis nodded. “As Sera can attest, things are a lot different than they were when we left. With the advent of FTL, space has become a much wilder place. In fact the two fleets maintaining positions above the north and south pole of the world we’re orbiting are comprised of pirates.”
Several voices spoke at once, peppering Tanis with questions.
“Why don’t we hold our questions until the end,” Andrews said, his even tones bringing quiet. “I, for one would like to hear this story uninterrupted.”
Tanis took a deep breath and related her tale; how her pod was picked up by pirates, how she was tortured, and then shipped off to meet with a man named Padre before waking to find herself on Sera’s ship. She told of their battle to save Sera and their journey across over a hundred light-years to arrive at Bollam’s World and the Intrepid.
Terrance whistled. “That’s some adventure you had, Tanis.”
“You’re telling me,” Tanis replied. “I could do with a break from adventure.”
Sera observed the Intrepid’s leadership as they asked their questions and sought clarity on the state of the galaxy in which they found themselves.
She could tell they had been through a lot together. Though she could see some subtle tensions in the group, by and large they were tightly knit—having been through over a century of adversity together.
When there was a moment’s pause, the captain spoke.
“This adds some color to what we’ve learned from Bollam’s ambassador—and Joe and Jessica’s visit to one of their stations—though they have certainly kept some details from us. We’ve not been granted unfettered access to the system’s nets. It’s pretty plain to see that they’re hiding something from us.”
Sera laughed. “You have that right. They don’t want you to learn that you hold all the cards.”
“We do?” Sanderson asked, no small amount of sarcasm in his voice. “I imagine all those hostile fleets out there beg to differ.”
“Would you defeat all of them if it came to an all-out battle?” Sera asked without pausing for an answer. “Perhaps not, perhaps you would. Either way, no one wants to risk your ship to that sort of conflict. Even without your most precious cargo, this ship is invaluable beyond measure.”
Looks around the table turned suspicious, and Tanis raised her hands defensively.
“The secret’s out. Our little stunt with the pico at Victoria made its way into the history books. Not everyone believes its real, but apparently enough do. Sera, why don’t you give them the highlights since we left Kapteyn’s?”
�
�Of course,” Sera said with a nod. “Only a hundred years or so after you left Earth a man in the Procyon system discovered how to cheaply generate gravitons. I understand that you were privy to some of this information during your time at Kapteyn’s Star and that you’ve built your own rudimentary graviton emitters.”
“We have,” Earnest nodded. “Though, from what I have observed, the tech has advanced considerably.”
“It has,” Sera agreed. “Consider that nearly the entirety of your ship could have artificial gravity supplied by a handful of devices no larger than this room.”
Sharp intakes of breath resounded through the room and everyone looked at one another with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
Sera continued. “Once artificial gravity was something that anyone could afford, gravity based experiments advanced technology by leaps and bounds. For instance, inertial dampeners now exist, which can protect ships from forces as significant as a ninety degree thrust change at over half the speed of light.”
Eyes grew even wider at that statement; Earnest and Abby Redding began writing furiously on several of the plas sheets.
“Shields on ships can now be used to hold atmosphere in the event of a hull puncture—though I suspect your ES shielding can do the same,” Sera paused, as the captain nodded slowly, before continuing. “Most ships aren’t even airtight anymore, though I personally consider it to be prudent. But all of that was just the icing on the cake. All the work with gravitons unlocked the true nature of dark matter; mainly that scientists finally found it. It projects itself into relative space through gravity, but the bulk of its mass lays in a sub-layer of space-time commonly called the dark layer—it’s basically the long-dismissed universal rest frame of reference.”
“I knew it!” Earnest shouted. “Pay up dear.”
Abby scowled and her eyes fluttered as Sera imagined a quick Link transaction took place between the couple.
Sera eyed them curiously for a moment before shrugging and continuing.
“Since the gravity systems on a ship could interact with that special layer of space, it became possible to move objects in and out of it. Two things were immediately discovered about the dark layer. The first was that velocity relative to normal space increased by anywhere from 300 to 800 times. The second was that Newtonian laws of reaction do not apply there. The vector you enter the DL in is the vector you stay on until you exit.