Dangerous Evolution

by Vann, Gregg

  “Yes, Captain.” The distant reply was followed by the sound of footsteps running down the hall.

  We looked at each other nervously as three red-banded, Sentient soldiers slowly and cautiously entered the room—shifting their bracers from target to target looking for resistance.

  “Are you alright, Captain?” one of them asked.

  “Do I look alright?” Thov said sharply. “Collect their weapons and keep an eye on my prisoners.” The captain turned to Del, “Better make it good, Ambassador.”

  The soldiers pushed us all together, and I leaned back against the wall giving Val a hopeful look. We listened intently as Del explained everything to the captain, beginning with why it stole the stealth ship and went to seek Val’s help. I was surprised to learn that Woz had been one of Del’s closest friends, and it was clear that its betrayal and death still haunted the ambassador. Del also detailed the True Way’s activities on Seveq—the story ending with the events in the Na’ardeen’s laboratory. But when it revealed that Rroske was real power behind the Pure Way, Thov held up a hand to stop.

  “Impossible. Doctor Rroske was appointed by the Science Council to cure this virus. Why would it develop something that could kill us all…Rroske included? It makes no sense.”

  Thov pointed at Val and Doctor Sa first, then gestured at Stinson and myself with a sweeping motion. “It seems much more likely that the humans saw us as a threat, and had their top geneticist develop a way to get rid of us.”

  We were losing Thov; I could feel it. “Captain, let me show you what I saw. You can see Rroske’s confession for yourself.”

  “Something you’ve fabricated I’m sure…why should I trust you?” It was clear the captain was skeptical, but after some hesitation, it resignedly said, “Show me.”

  “Doctor Sa…Val, I need to rig up some type of interface that can tie into an optical data-stream. I can trigger the playback in my own visual cortex, but I need something that can display what I’m seeing in real time.”

  “You can review visual records of prior events?” Val asked.

  “It’s a long story for later. But you need to know that there’s an explosive failsafe attached to the device. If it detonates…well, let’s try to keep that from happening. Can you do it?”

  Both doctors’ eyes widened in disbelief, “I…think we can,” Sa answered haltingly. “Captain Thov, please have a medical scanner brought here; I believe I can fashion something together that will work. Doctor Evans, I’ll need you to check the interface to make sure it won’t…damage him.”

  She nodded, looking at my face in amazement. “An explosive?”

  “Yes. I’m afraid so,” I replied.

  Thov waved a hand at one of the soldiers and it ran out of the room. No one said anything more until the Sentient returned with the device, looking at the captain for permission before handing it over to Sa.

  “This will do nicely,” Sa said, and it pulled the back off the piece of equipment, removing some of the internal modules. Sa and Val spoke in hushed tones, and a few times she shook her head so violently that I began to think that this whole thing might be a very bad idea.

  Sa rearranged a few modules, thought for a moment, then shuffled them again before replacing the back cover. “We are ready,” it declared.

  Captain Thov and Del stood side by side at the console, positioning themselves to get a better view of the screen where my vision-memories would be displayed. Lenic and his soldiers became noticeably more alert—the flurry of activity heightening their concerns about a hidden plot for attack or escape.

  “Have a seat on the bench and relax, Commander,” Sa said. Sitting I could do, but relaxing might be a different matter. I tried to make myself comfortable and pretend that our lives didn’t hinge on what the next few minutes brought.

  Doctor Sa, with Val closely at its side, turned on the scanner and held it up to my face.

  “Which eye?” it asked.

  “The right one.”

  “My right or your right ,” Sa asked.

  “Mine,” I replied, recognizing the absurdity of the situation.

  A yellow glow filled my vision and I started the playback.

  I saw it all again: Rroske’s admission to being the leader of the Pure Way; confessing responsibility for developing the virus; experimenting on the silicon child and bragging about leaving it perched over the black hole…the truth about everything. When the playback reached the point where Val and I were injected with the human virus, I saw Thov turn to look at me.

  I stopped the replay when Mendoza killed Rroske, and Sa lowered the scanner and backed away.

  “It’s all true,” I heard Thov say. “Rroske…you cursed psychopath.”

  Thov slammed its fist into the console so hard that even the soldiers flinched. Then the Sentient turned to Del, “I’m sorry, Ambassador. I never imagined it could be true.”

  Del ignored the apology. “We have the cure, Captain. We need to broadcast it to The Consensus immediately so our factories can begin fabrication.” Sa stepped forward to hand Thov the disk.

  “Lenic! Broadcast this to The Consensus at once. Send it out to each Sentient system individually as well.”

  “Captain?”

  “Do it. And take these soldiers with you.” Thov looked around the room then out into the hall, “And get maintenance and engineering down here to put my ship back together.”

  Lenzic nodded and left, the two soldiers trailing behind it.

  “Captain Thov,” Val said excitedly. “I have a fully equipped laboratory, custom built for this type of work. If you can get me there, and with Doctor Sa’s help, I can quickly manufacture a substantial amount of the cure. We could save millions of lives.”

  “I would be grateful, Doctor Evans,” Thov said tiredly, “but two fleets stand between us and your laboratory, and I doubt either will listen to reason at this point. You saw how hard it was for me to accept the truth, and I assure you, I am one of the more equable fleet officers. I might, emphasis on might, be able to talk my fleet into standing down, but there is nothing I can do about the humans.”

  My head was killing me, and I couldn’t stop rubbing my right eye—trying to clear the cloudy vision left over from the playback. Even still, I hopped off the bench and said confidently, “Leave that to me. I have some influence in that regard. Hopefully, it’ll be enough.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Thov said. “I am going to the Central Hub to contact some of my fellow captains. Maybe we can quash this situation before it spirals even further out of control.”

  I stepped aside to let Thov through the opening and it looked down at me, “Apologies huma…Commander. I thank you for your efforts to help my people.”

  I nodded and the Sentient left the room. We all traded weary grins, but before we could figure out our next move, a new Sentient came in the room. I was happy to see that it wasn’t another soldier.

  “My name is Gos,” it said, stepping over the mounds of twisted metal and shattered plastic scattered across the entrance. It took a quick look around at the damage before continuing. “The captain suggested you relocate to other quarters, where I’ve arranged to have food delivered. It also directed me to tend to any other needs you might have. After you’ve eaten, you’re invited to join Captain Thov in the Central Hub.”

  “I’d like to check on my crewman in the laboratory first,” I said.

  “I’ll go too,” Val offered. “We should look in on the child as well.”

  “I’ll escort you both there,” Gos replied. “We can drop Doctor Sa and the ambassador off along the way. Gos motioned for us to follow it, then paused, adding, “The captain has given you free reign of the ship, with certain limits of course, but it might be safer not to wander off on your own.”

  “Of course,” I smiled.

  “And don’t worry,” Gos continued, “We’ve already cleaned up Dr. Rroske.”

  “Uh…good,” I replied awkwardly.

  Gos guided us to a nearby
meeting room with a large, rectangular table sitting in the center of it. The shiny onyx surface held four recessed vidscreens, two each on either side. All of the screens displayed different views, depicting populated areas or system readouts from throughout the ship. Doctor Sa, Del, and Stinson, fell easily into the thickly padded chairs placed around the perimeter.

  Gos remained standing, waiting.

  True to its word, the Sentient had provided a variety of food, haphazardly dispersed around the table. Sa and the ambassador seemed delighted by the selection, but Val, Stinson and I were less enthused. Not only were the colors and textures wrong, but the smell…

  “Ambassador Del,” I said, doing my best to ignore the food the Sentient was eating, “If it becomes necessary to… encourage the Sentient fleet by mentioning the Mass Nullifier—won’t they simply focus all of their fire on the Na’ardeen—vaporize it before we can get close enough to make good on that threat?”

  Del put down what appeared to be a yellow fruit tube, covered with hair. “I’ve been considering that problem myself, commander.”

  I could see small vibrations within the discarded food, and it began to slowly inch its way across the surface of the table. Its hairs were sweating out a pus-green fluid that pooled in a sticky puddle underneath it—smearing side to side as it moved.

  I swallowed hard and looked away.

  Del waved a hand over the viewer in front of it, and an intricate directory spread across the screen. The Sentient deftly moved its fingers, shifting from simple gestures that took a single finger, to elaborate patterns requiring both hands. It fluidly moved through a host of successive screens before finally saying, “I thought so.”

  “Something that can help us?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Del said, and it sat up straight placing its hands flat on the table. “If Thov is right, and I think it is, my people are enraged beyond reason. They have seen too many friends…too many family members die. They want justice, Commander, and I don’t think they’ll listen to the captain, and certainly not to me. ”

  “The Sentients will die out if we don’t stop this war Del. If your people win this battle, they will move across human space, exacting their revenge until they all succumb to the virus. How does that help your people?”

  “It doesn’t,” Del conceded. “Those ships should be headed back to our own planets, acting as couriers—taking the cure from system to system until everyone has been treated.”

  “If they don’t believe us…won’t listen to reason, they will be headed in the opposite direction— taking lives instead of saving them. The cure will end today with this battle.”

  Del waved his hand over the panel again. “Captain Thov, this is Ambassador Del. I would like to speak with you in private about an important matter—as soon possible.”

  “Meet me in the Central Hub in five minutes.”

  “Agreed,” It said, then cut the channel.

  Del stared at the panel for a moment, “If you can stop your fleet, Commander, I’ve found a way to stop ours. But I want your promise that you will help Miss Evans and Doctor Sa accelerate the manufacture and distribution of the cure—to use whatever resources you have to save my people.”

  “You have it,” I said without hesitation.

  Del exhaled slowly, and then took a deep breath, refilling its lungs. “With Captain Thov’s permission, I can deploy the Mass Nullifier right in the middle of the Sentient formation. I can position it to destroy the Sentient fleet.”

  I looked down at the panel in front of the Sentient, instantly recognizing the ship on the screen. It was a live view of a stealth ship, just like the one Del had stolen, sitting in a hangar somewhere on this massive vessel.

  “We can deploy it,” I said tersely. “Humans have an interest in this as well; I wouldn’t ask you to do it alone.”

  I also knew that I had to be there to make sure the plan was carried out.

  Del started to speak, but I held up my hand to stop it. “I know it could end up being a one way trip, but I also know what’s at stake—for your race and mine. For what it’s worth, this is a distant Plan B…a last resort even.”

  Stinson had a pained expression of understanding on his face, while Doctor Sa just looked around confused. Val tugged on my sleeve to get my attention. “You can’t possibly be serious.”

  “I am. And you know how important this is.” I put my hand on her shoulder and lightly squeezed. “Believe me, I have no death wish, and will do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t come to that.”

  I flashed a smile that was meant to be reassuring, but I knew it was as hollow as I felt. Her expression told me that she saw right through it. But she also knew that I was right. She’d said it herself; her facilities could pump out millions of doses of the cure while the Sentients were still ramping up production. Millions of lives could be saved.

  The Sentient fleet had to be stopped.

  I changed the subject to avoid any further objections. “We should go to the lab; it won’t be long before we arrive where the fleets are massing for battle.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Stinson asked.

  “No, Jeff. We’ll be fine.” I patted my newly returned TAC pistol to allay his fears. Surprisingly, the Sentients let me keep the weapon, and it now rested snugly in the leg holster of the Kamo suit.

  Val and I grabbed a couple of the same horrid biscuits we’d eaten in Rroske’s laboratory and followed Gos out the door. The Sentient wasn’t particularly chatty, and as we strode through corridor after corridor heading back to the lab, Val and I joined it in a comfortable silence.

  The captain ran a tight ship; as we made our way through the vessel, not one Sentient gave us so much as a sideways look. I was certain that one of them walking through a human ship would be stared at constantly—orders or no orders.

  I braced myself before we entered the lab, remembering how we’d left it—Rroske’s body splayed out in a pool of blood. But my apprehension was unnecessary. Just as Gos had indicated, the lab had been thoroughly cleaned; it was as if nothing had even happened.

  Val and I went straight to the storage locker; I looked down into the stasis pod while she checked the readings on the side panel. Mendoza was motionless, but I could see her chest faintly rise and fall. The motions were infrequent, but perceptible, confirming that she wasn’t completely stabilized. In true stasis, there is no movement.

  Val gave me a worried look. “She’s can’t hold out much longer, Ben.”

  “I know…”

  We went back into the lab and found Gos staring into the baby’s crèche. “What an odd creature. What is it?”

  “It’s a child,” Val said defensively. “A Sentient child.”

  “Sorry to disagree, Doctor Evans, but that is no Sentient.”

  I could see the anger brewing in Val’s eyes and intervened. “Gos, would you mind giving us a moment alone?” It looked at me oddly before realizing Val was furious, but it was clear the Sentient had no idea why.

  “Of course.”

  We approached the crèche together and looked inside; the child was sleeping peacefully. “They don’t even see it as a life-form,” Val said. “At best, it’s a curiosity to be studied, at worst, something to be eradicated.” She checked the readouts, then looked back inside the crèche again.

  “This child has no place with them,” she said forcefully. There was something almost maternal in her eyes.

  “Are you saying it has a place with you?” I asked.

  “Why not? My home is well equipped to meet its needs. And I’m sure Breth would approve; she loves kids.”

  “And you?” I prodded, “Do you like children as well?”

  She paused for a moment before answering, the embarrassment softening the anger on her face. “I…I do. I really do. When Lesa was a child, I loved to hold her. The smell, the soft skin… Not having a child has always been one of my biggest regrets.” Her admission was obviously painful, stirring up the lost hop
es and missed opportunities of the past. “Um…what about you, Commander? Do you like children?”

  “Actually, I…”

  The deck shook violently—throwing all three of us to the ground. Then alarms began to wail and the lights went out, plunging the room into complete darkness. The emergency lighting systems fought to restart, fracturing the blackness with brilliant flashes of amber.

  I jumped up and grabbed Val’s arm, helping her stand. “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “I’m fine. What happened?”

  Gos staggered over to us, rubbing the side of its head. “Come with me,” the Sentient said urgently, “We are under attack!”

  Chapter Ten

  Gos guided us through the maze of corridors leading to the Central hub; we passed soldiers and support personnel as we ran, all rushing to their stations. The ship shuddered as we stepped into the large, circular control room, and I heard Captain Thov yelling out orders—mostly for evasive maneuvers and defensive fire. Four Sector ships surrounded the Na’ardeen—menacingly displayed on a large screen in front of the captain. By sheer size alone, I could tell that one of them was a Havoc class dreadnought.

  Superior technology or not, the Na’ardeen was in trouble.

  Thov saw us enter the hub from its raised pedestal in the middle of the room. “I believe you said you could keep your people from attacking us, Commander, well here is your chance. The humans have been jamming all of our communications and I haven’t been able to contact any other Sentient ships. I’m not even sure the transmissions with the cure made it through.”

  I nodded and walked toward the command podium, “Open up a communications channel at frequency…” The ship shook as it was struck again, and I grabbed the pedestal to brace myself.

  Thov spoke before I could continue. “We know your frequencies, Commander.”

  “Very well,” I said, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice, “Emergency channel 228.”

  “What?” Thov looked down at its control panel. “That’s a civilian frequency—designated infrastructure maintenance.”