by CJ Williams
“Yes, Highness, as hard as possible. Hang on to something.”
“Kids!” Carrie shouted. “Lay down flat! Hurry!”
Instead, the children bounded into the cockpit and climbed into Carrie’s lap. She wrapped her arms around them and hoped Sadie hadn’t misplaced a decimal point on her deceleration calculations. The hangar door opening, like the one at Moonbase One, lay at the base of a crater wall. It was a bright rectangular light on a black and white moonscape.
“This moon is far larger than your own,” Sadie said. “The gravity is about earth normal, at point nine three gees. I mention it because it does not have gravity control throughout the facility as does Moonbase One.”
Carrie filed away the trivia; she was more interested in the speed with which Sadie was approaching. Just when Carrie thought there was no way they could stop in time, the hangar opening flashed by and Sadie came to a halt.
“Defensive shields are up,” Bonbu89 said stoically. “The base is secure.”
“Shut off all communications with outside forces,” Carrie said.
“Done,” the AI replied.
“Sadie, please tell me they have a replicator here.”
“You may want to see for yourself,” Sadie replied, opening the cargo door.
Carrie put the kids down and stepped out of the shuttle. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “What is this place?”
The hangar was so big it seemed to stretch into infinity. The back wall was lost in the distance. Lining both sidewalls were replicator stations, one after another. At present, all were empty.
People, however, were a different story. Dozens of surprised uniformed men were gawking at her sudden arrival.
“Bonbu89,” Carrie said. “Inform all base personnel that the royal princess is here and that her instructions are to be followed without hesitation.”
Done
“Have the senior officer come brief me on the base’s current status.”
Acknowledged
A man stepped forward. He didn’t look like a senior officer, more like an old-timer. He approached her, and when he was still fifteen feet away, kneeled.
“Your Royal Highness,” the man said respectfully. “How may I serve you?”
Who is this man, Bonbu89? Carrie asked. How do I address him?
This is Senior Chief Technician Makor Gwan. In normal conversation, he can be addressed respectfully as Chief.
Carrie approached the soldier. “Please stand up, Chief. Who is the senior officer here?”
“Highness, that would be Major Halvni. He is on the way from the other side of the base.”
“Are these machines functional?” Carrie asked, gesturing toward the replicators.
“They are, Highness.”
Carrie looked through the hangar. It was a mixture of sloppiness and military precision. Equipment lay strewn everywhere but the men were methodically picking things up and moving the gear back into stored positions. The scene bespoke a sudden turn of events.
“What have you been making here, Chief?”
“A new kind of spacecraft, Highness.”
“And where are they?”
“They just left, Highness. Not more than a few moments before you arrived.”
“What do you mean new kind of spacecraft?” It couldn’t be the Ambrosia-class warships; the replicator stations weren’t big enough.
The Chief shrugged. “We received the design spec from a spy they caught somewhere else. I don’t know other than that.”
Sadie, they may have the design set that you left me. It was a manual version of your newer model. It was very capable. Can you confirm that?
Carrie held her breath waiting for the answer.
I have it, Sadie responded. The main specification block is in the replicator two stations down.
“Chief, do you know where all the new spacecraft went?”
“No, Highness, but the king himself led the wing. They were in a terrible hurry to join with the main fleet. I didn’t see him, but I heard he was very angry. Something about avenging his home world.”
“Bonbu89,” Carrie said aloud. “Can you confirm how many of those fighters departed?”
Three hundred and seventy
King Kkoli had created an entire fleet of Carrie’s personal yacht. Three hundred and seventy Bookers. If everything wasn’t so serious she would have smiled. That meant the king was going to cross the entire galaxy with Carrie’s whiney step-brother because only she was authorized to change the settings. They deserved each other.
She turned to the Chief. “Were there any other of this model produced?”
“Yes, Highness. Once we solved the riddle to make them active, the design was taken to the king’s main shipyards. I don’t know where that is, but it is in another system.”
“How many can they make there?”
“I have no idea, Highness,” the Chief replied. “By now, I’m sure there are thousands. The king was excited when he saw the performance of these craft.”
This is bad news, Carrie thought. If those yachts joined up with the warships that had launched from Bonbu, they would make a formidable force. Combined with what she had seen in the admiral’s mind, it was bigger than anything Alliance forces could handle.
“Sadie,” Carrie said. “Please examine the specification. When we left Earth, you told me that your newest version included an upgrade on the engines that made you significantly faster. We’ll need that upgrade, plus the rest, if we’re going to get to Earth ahead of the Kkoli’s forces. Can you do that?”
Sadie was immediately against Carrie’s concept. Are you seriously considering taking on the entire Second Family fleet with just you and me? Don’t you think maybe that’s asking a little much?
Carrie’s temper flared. After withholding her anger for weeks, she made no effort to hold back. “Do not question me, Sadie!” she barked angrily. “That is exactly what we are going to do. There is no maybe about it! Now, answer me. I don’t have time to waste!”
“I beg your pardon, Highness,” Sadie responded verbally, her voice appropriately conciliatory after the vehement reprimand. “I have the specification you mentioned. Yes, I can incorporate the upgrades into a new version of myself. Also, I see another change in the specification of my original. It appears there is a main-power-cutout feature. Without the presence of an object…it appears to be a child’s toy…the spacecraft will not function. Does that make sense?”
The Chief’s eyes widened knowingly and Carrie faced him. “Yes, Sadie, I’m afraid it does. That is a safety precaution so no one could steal my manually operated ship.” She spoke to the Chief. “From your reaction I’d guess someone figured that out.”
“Yes, Highness. It was young Chojjon. We were given a box that contained the spec set. It also had a bunch of tattered stuffing. I thought it was just rubbish, but when the prototype didn’t work, he sewed it together and that did the trick. We scanned it and made one for each ship.”
“Sadie, see if you can find the specification for Teeny Jim in the local database.”
“Teeny Jim?”
“The stuffed teddy bear the chief just referred to!”
“I have it,” Sadie replied quickly. “But the item would not be required for your new yacht. I can take that modification out of the loop.”
“Okay. But just file it for the time being. Now, I want you to create the new model. And I mean, right now. Can you do that?”
“Yes, Highness. But did you just want one copy? If we are returning to Earth, why not take advantage of these replicators and make as many as we can?”
“Great idea, but how long will it take? We need to get moving.”
“I understand, Highness. These are powerful industrial grade machines. Simultaneous replication is perfectly feasible. One new yacht can be available within two hours. An additional three hundred and seventy can be done all at the same time. I will give them the same AI as standard Milky Way Alliance fighters.”
“All rig
ht,” Carrie said. “Start the process.”
The replicator next to Carrie began to shimmer, followed a moment later by the entire row of machines coming to life. A loud humming noise filled the interior of the moon.
A very young officer was hurrying in her direction. He was out of breath by the time he arrived, but his anger was unmistakable. “Major, report your status,” Carrie ordered sternly, giving the man a chance to orient himself to the current situation.
Bonbu89, does he know who I am?
Yes, Highness. But he believes you to be the enemy.
“Status?” Major Halvni screeched. His anger was boiling over. He turned his back on Carrie and bellowed at the men behind the chief. “You there, men. Arrest this traitor.” He reached for his holster.
Carrie sighed mentally. These Second Family officers aren’t too bright, she thought. “Darwin principle,” she said to herself.
The major spun and faced her. “What did you say?” he demanded angrily.
“I said stupid people don’t survive,” Carrie replied in an even voice. She had allowed the inquisitor to question her status. She would not repeat the mistake with this self-important idiot. With a mental thrust honed to a rapier point, she drove into his mind, to the very center of his consciousness and extinguished the life she found. The major dropped like a stone. His death came so quickly, even his expression didn’t change.
Carrie turned back to the Chief. “I guess that leaves you in charge.” She peeked into his thoughts to see how he would take the news. He was nervous but understood what had just happened. He had witnessed such summary executions before when in the vicinity of King Kkoli. Any doubts he had about Carrie being in charge had vanished.
The chief fell to one knee, again. “How may I serve Your Royal Highness?”
That was a safe way to approach Royals from his perspective. It was a good practice, but Carrie hated that it placed her in the same category as King Kkoli.
Unfortunately, it was a fair comparison. After all, she had once again wiped out hundreds of millions of innocent people and then carried out several non-judicial executions because it was convenient for her personal schedule.
Don’t think that way, she told herself.
“Listen to me, Chief. The Bakkui are planning to betray your king and because of that, the main planet in this system has been destroyed.” She thought about her words; they left a lot unsaid, but were true to a certain extent. “I believe your king has departed this system to seek vengeance and it may be a long time before he returns, if ever. I am giving Bonbu89 the design for a passenger transport shuttle. Use it to evacuate the base. I suggest that each of you return to your home planet and build a new life.” Carrie sent a quick command to Sadie to provide such a design.
“I understand, Highness,” the chief said. “But what about you? How may we serve you?”
“I’ll be fine, Chief. My duty is to follow your king into battle.”
The Chief’s eyes shone with admiration and gratitude.
I’m such a piece of trash, Carrie thought. It was true; she fully intended to catch up to the king, but if he came one foot inside her own solar system, she was going to blow him away. Her lies and half-truths to the chief were despicable, but it saved time and kept him and the survivors of the king’s military base from wasting their lives.
“Go on now, Chief,” Carrie said. “Put your evacuation schedule together quickly. I’m not sure what the destruction of the inner planet will do to the rest of this system, but it may cause problems for this moon. You shouldn’t delay.”
“Yes, Highness!” the Chief said and backed up several steps before turning to his men and barking out orders.
That left one other detail. What to do with the kids. Should she leave them here with their own people or take them with her? If she left them behind, they would be orphans during a panicked evacuation, not much more than flotsam.
If she kept them, she would be taking them into battle, most likely with a hopeless outcome. It’s not really a question, she thought. The kids were staying with her.
*.*.*.*
Carrie pushed the gravity lift with a three-megaton thermonuclear bomb across the hangar floor. The simple task was reminiscent of her early days on Moonbase One; her first job was moving furniture from the main replicator into new apartments.
The cargo door slid open and she pushed the weapon inside Sadie’s cargo bay.
“You sure about this?” Carrie asked even though she knew the answer.
“It’s the best solution,” Sadie replied. “It gives you cover for departure and it negates any possibility of Kkoli’s military getting their hands on me.”
“I always hate it when one of your duplicates gets destroyed. I feel like I’m losing a friend.”
“Well, you certainly know better than that. But if it helps you feel better, I will send the new me one last backup with a fond goodbye just before detonation.”
“No,” Carrie said. “That would be too creepy. Just do whatever you normally would and don’t tell me about it.”
“Very well. Five minutes to go.”
Inside the replicator, the new Sadie was still shimmering but was no longer a ghostly outline. The spacecraft looked solid and powerful.
“One last thing before I say goodbye to this version of you, Sadie. Please make two of those teddy bears in your internal replicator.”
“Highness, I promise they are not required for proper function of the new spacecraft.”
“I know,” Carrie said. “The original was a memento of the people on J99. You don’t know about them.”
“I’m not sure what you are referring to, Highness.”
“Don’t worry about it for now. I just thought they would make a good present for my new kids. They’re going to need something for the trip back.”
“I have a wide assortment of children’s toys in my database, Highness. I can assure you they will not want for entertainment.”
“Thanks. I’ll take you up on that. But sometimes you just need a stuffed animal at the end of the day.”
“I have noticed that,” Sadie admitted. “I sometimes wonder what it is like to cuddle an inanimate object, but humans do it all the time. The bears are ready.”
Carrie retrieved the pair of Teeny Jims from Sadie’s replicator and gave one each to her kids. The toys made no impact on their vacant stares, which had not changed during the last two hours. Carrie wondered when, if ever, that would change. She realized she still didn’t know their names.
“Time to go, Highness,” Sadie said as the shimmering in the replicator bay went out. “All memories synchronized with the new version. Transferring AI kernel to Sadie.”
Carrie herded the children into the new yacht. It was just as luxurious as when she’d boarded it so many months ago when she left her father’s farm on Earth.
“Welcome aboard, Highness,” Sadie said as she closed the main door. “Please take your seat. I am coordinating departure with my extended self. Confirm destination.”
“First, get us out of this system without anyone following,” Carrie replied. “After that, take us directly to Earth as quickly as possible. During our departure, I want to leave a message for Commander Blackburn just in case he shows up. Make sure that none of the local forces can hear or locate the message drone we leave behind. And I just remembered. Before landing at Jontu Four, I sent two reconnaissance drones to this system. See if you can retrieve their data.”
“Acknowledged. What message do you wish to leave for Commander Blackburn?” Sadie asked.
“That he needs to head to Earth. Kkoli is in league with the Bakkui and is, as of now, out for revenge. I doubt he’ll head straight there in the Booker fleet. The Bookers only have blasters, not the big cannons. If he wants to do to Earth what I did to his planet here, he’ll need those warships. The good news is since his older Ambrosia models don’t have the enhanced engines it means you and I can get there at least a couple of weeks ahead of him. That wi
ll give us a little time to prepare.”
Carrie put the kids on the couch with their new bears. “Sadie, would you put on Sesame Street or something?”
The main viewscreen in the living area came to life with children singing Welcome to Sesame Street. Carrie’s newly adopted youngsters stared at the screen with curious expressions.
“All commands accepted and programmed, Highness. You will have to deploy the message drone yourself. I recommend we launch a primary and backup.”
“Let’s go then.”
Sadie lifted off the hangar floor and hovered toward the main hangar opening. In front, the basic shuttle version of her was in the lead. Carrie looked out the side of the canopy and saw an unending line of replicated yachts right behind Sadie.
Sadie gave a brief countdown. “Three, two, one!”
The older shuttle shot forward, out of the hangar into space, turning quickly to head out of the local solar system. Almost immediately it was enveloped by hostile fire from the surviving warcraft of Kkoli’s in-system forces.
“My duplicate is reporting that local forces are in pursuit,” Sadie said calmly. “Stand by; we are allowing sufficient distance so the detonation will not harm this planetoid. Three, two—”
On the count of one the entire volume of space outside the hangar lit up and Sadie shot forward, veering immediately in system, toward the sun. One minute later, she pulled up, perpendicular to the ecliptic, effectively vanishing from prying eyes.
“I believe you would call that a clean getaway, Highness,” she said. “I see no signs of pursuit at this time.”
“Good job, Sadie. Prepare the message drones for launch and we’ll head home. When we get close to the boundary between Bakkui space and the Milky Way Alliance territory, we’ll launch a few more message drones targeted for the cell nodes of our communication system. Our path should take us through that volume of space.”
Chapter 13 – Moonbase One
Carrie hoisted her adopted son, Eolin, onto her lap. Ttal, his older sister, climbed into the copilot’s seat.
“See?” Carrie cooed to Eolin, pointing at the beautiful planet. “Isn’t Jupiter pretty with all those rings?”