by Ken Lozito
Zack walked toward Kaylan, thinking she still looked a little pale. The Boxans almost always looked the same to him. He guessed there would be no way to tell if they looked pale with their rough brown skin that was quite similar to the bark of a tree.
"Why Michael Hunsicker?" Zack asked.
"We kept trying to use the Boxan method, which was essentially a broadcast signal, and it kept failing. And then I wondered what would happen if I focused my efforts on someone specific," Kaylan said.
"Did you see anything?" Zack asked.
Kaylan frowned as if she were trying to put the pieces together in her mind. "It wasn't like before when I used the chamber. Ma'jasalax said it was because we were using a different method. I could only see shapes and things like that, but I had to focus on someone familiar, someone who would understand the message."
"Are you sure he received the message?"
"It's hard to explain to someone who didn't experience it," Kaylan replied.
"I get that, I guess, but Michael doesn't have this ability, so how can you be sure the message was received?" Zack asked and then tacked on, "Not that I want you to try again. Your vital signs were extremely low. I'm sure that if Brenda was here, she’d be giving you a good tongue-lashing."
"I know the message went through. But they’ll need time to decipher it, and we can't stay here," Kaylan said.
"We're not. Kladomaor kept the ship there for a while, but there's been no change in the shield," Zack replied.
Ma'jasalax walked over to them. "We should go to the bridge."
They left the medical bay and headed toward the main bridge of the ship. Once they got to the bridge, Kladomaor looked over at them from the commander's couch.
"We’re about to reach Nerva," Kladomaor said.
They transitioned through the wormhole and into the edge of the Nerva star system. Scanners showed a concentration of ships around Selebus, and Kladomaor frowned. Zack looked at the information on the main holoscreen and saw that there were many more ships than when they’d left.
"Helm, best speed to Selebus," Kladomaor said. "Comms, send word to the Alliance that we've returned."
Zack glanced at Kaylan, who was studying the main holoscreen. "What's the matter?"
"Something isn't right," Kaylan said and looked at Kladomaor. "Can you open a comms channel to the Athena?"
Kladomaor did but warned that there would be a significant delay until they were closer to Selebus.
Hicks answered the comms channel. "I'm glad you're back because we’ve got a bit of trouble going on. The Gresans tried to take our ship, and several Nershal warships intercepted them."
"What about the Boxan fleet?" Kladomaor asked.
"They're trying to get the Gresans to stand down," Hicks replied.
"Tactical, can you detect active weapons systems on any of those ships around the Athena?" Kladomaor asked.
"That will take several minutes because we're still too far out, Battle Leader," Varek replied.
"Very well," Kladomaor said and turned toward them. "It looks like we've entered some sort of standoff. Even at best speed, we're still hours away from Selebus."
Kaylan glanced at the main holodisplay, considering. "Is there somewhere we can talk to the Athena in private?"
Kladomaor frowned and glanced at Ma'jasalax before replying. "I can offer you one of the workstations on the bridge."
"I was hoping to use one of the tactical operations rooms off the bridge," Kaylan said.
"We can certainly go there if that’s what you want," Kladomaor said.
Zack saw that there was a hard glint to Kaylan's eyes he hadn't noticed before.
Kaylan leveled her gaze at Kladomaor. "I'm sorry; I wasn't clear. It will just be Zack and me. You see, I need to speak with my crew that’s surrounded by a bunch of warships you know the Athena cannot stand against."
Zack had to keep his mouth from hanging open. Kaylan wasn't fooling around, and her stern tone couldn't be missed by anyone on the bridge.
Kladomaor's flaxen eyes regarded Kaylan for a moment. "You may use my office off the bridge and I’ll make sure you aren’t disturbed."
Kaylan thanked him and glanced at Zack, silently beckoning him to follow her.
"Kaylan," Kladomaor said after they'd taken a few steps away from the command area, "you can trust me. I hope you know that."
Zack watched as Kaylan's eyes softened. "I do know that and I do trust you, but this is more than two individuals from separate species."
Ma'jasalax lifted her chin, summoning every ounce of dignity she possessed, and projected an air of authority. "We’ll keep you apprised of any new developments. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do for the Athena and her crew."
Zack followed Kaylan to Kladomaor's office. The Boxans had a different word for office, but he couldn't remember what it was. The room was just outside the bridge, and they went inside.
Zack sighed. "We leave the Nerva star system for just a few days and suddenly there's a standoff. I don't like it one bit. The timing is too suspect for me. Someone waited for us to leave."
Kaylan had her back to him, and she brought her hands to her waist and arched her back, stretching her shoulders. Zack's thoughts came to a stop while he took in how beautiful she was. She let her hands go to her sides and sighed. Then she turned toward him. "I should've seen this coming. The Gresans are trying to take the Athena."
Zack nodded. "We knew they were . . . I don't know if 'interested' is the right word or 'highly intrigued' by the Athena, but in any case, it’s not surprising."
Kaylan shook her head. "You still don't understand. There's a division in the Alliance, even among the Boxans. This could have been a coordinated effort between them."
"I thought I'm normally the paranoid one, but I think you're right. We need to open a comms channel to the Athena, and it needs to be secure so no one can listen in on our conversation," Zack said.
A new connection registered with his internal heads-up display and he saw that the same connection had established on Kaylan's implants.
"No need for a comms channel," Athena said. "We're secure from any monitoring the Boxans are capable of. Commander, I’m happy you’ve returned."
"Have you been listening to us the whole time?" Zack asked.
"I've been monitoring all communications in this system," Athena replied.
Kaylan frowned. "There should be a lag since we're so far away."
"That is correct, Commander, but I used microscopic wormholes to establish this channel," Athena said.
Zack's eyes widened. "Athena, are you saying we can talk through subspace?"
"Affirmative. The data models supporting it were accessible in my data storage matrix. I’ve been running multiple virtualized experiments, but our current situation required that I shift my efforts to accelerate my original timetable and reveal this new capability," Athena said.
"That kind of research should have taken years to do, maybe even longer," Kaylan said.
"Not if her processing power keeps increasing," Zack replied.
"We'll have to talk about this another time. Athena, who’s on board the ship?" Kaylan asked.
"All remaining crew are aboard the ship, Commander."
"Understood. Please patch them in," Kaylan said. Once Athena confirmed that the rest of the crew was available on comms, Kaylan continued. "Hicks, give me the rundown. It's just me and Zack here and no one else."
"Understood, Commander. The Napox tried to sneak aboard the ship. Athena took control of their spacecraft. It was small—even smaller than our shuttle. Almost like a strike-fighter, but without weapons systems. Athena was able to track them to a Gresan warship. I informed the Boxans and the Nershals, which in hindsight may not have been the best thing to do because suddenly all these ships started surrounding us. Athena then informed us that she could disrupt Gresan communications and perhaps even control some of their systems. She later expanded that to include Nershal and Boxan ships," Hic
ks said.
"I hope you didn't do that," Kaylan said.
"Don't worry, we didn't. It was news to me that she even had the ability to do that. We're in a bit of a pickle here, Commander, and I'm not sure if there's a way out of it," Hicks said.
Zack had gotten to know Hicks throughout the duration of this journey, and this was the major's way of saying that they might be screwed. "They're focusing on the wrong thing. All of them."
Kaylan looked at Zack. "I agree, but can you clarify what you mean?"
"What I mean is that they're focusing their efforts on this bright, shiny thing—our ship—and what they need to be focusing on is the Confederation Armada. That's what we want. That's what we need," Zack said.
"They're all afraid. They think the Athena can give them an edge in this war. They might be right about that, but I'm not going to sit by and let them take the ship," Kaylan said.
"I still say we're all focusing on the wrong thing, because as long as we’re all focused on this, who’s thinking about how to beat the Xiiginns? They’re the true enemy," Zack said.
"Sounds good, but how do we do that?" Hicks said.
"Athena," Kaylan said, "if you can monitor all the communications here, what if we were to go to the Confederation space station? Would you be able to glean any intelligence from the ship-to-ship communications going on there?"
"Affirmative, Commander. The Xiiginns’ communications protocols are based on Boxan design. According to the Boxans, the Xiiginns steal technology from other races and use it themselves, so there’s a high probability that they’re using a variant of technology that already exists. Therefore, I should be able to decipher it," Athena replied.
Zack listened as Kaylan and Hicks discussed what they could do to keep the Alliance at bay while offering them something in return at the same time.
::You don't seem to agree with this line of thinking,:: Athena said in a text message that appeared on Zack's internal heads-up display.
::Didn't anyone tell you that it's rude to have a side conversation while there are other people around?:: Zack replied.
He heard Athena give a vocal reply to Kaylan and felt his eyebrows pull together at a sudden thought.
::Either your capabilities have grown in the last few days, or you've been understating what you can do,:: Zack said.
::I thought it prudent to manage the crew's emotional state for maximum efficiency,:: Athena replied.
Oh god, now she's playing head games with us, Zack thought.
"Athena," Zack said, breaking into the conversation he hadn't been listening to. "You’ve been running many simulations on how best to deal with the Xiiginns. Do you have any insights to offer us that might help find the best course of action?"
Kaylan looked at him for a moment with surprise clearly registering on her face.
"Every data model I've run that puts all the ships in the Alliance against the Confederation Armada results in the total annihilation of the Star Alliance fleet," Athena said.
Zack gave a slight shake of his head and reminded himself that the AI had just told him she was working to manage the crew's emotional state, so why had she up and said they were all going to die if they faced this Confederation Armada? He didn't say any of that out loud because he thought it would be too distracting.
"We can't just give up," Kaylan said.
"I apologize, Commander. I was merely stating the results of my analysis since fleet engagement is at the forefront of multiple Alliance species strategy sessions," Athena said.
"We need to decide what we're going to do right now because there are a lot of warships nearby, and while I don't think they would start shooting at one another, you never know," Hicks said.
Zack watched as Kaylan rubbed the bridge of her nose and then leaned on the Boxan desk, which came up to the middle of her back. "We need more time. What if we offered the Alliance unfettered access to the Athena after the Confederation Armada is defeated?" Kaylan said.
Zack shook his head. "We can't give them the Athena. She's one of us."
Kaylan looked at him regretfully. "She’s a ship—a wonderful, amazing ship, but she’s still a ship with an extraordinary artificial intelligence. A promise to these races that we’ll share the Drar technology with them might be the only thing that keeps this alliance together."
Zack's nostrils flared and his jaw tightened. "You're talking about her as if she's a thing. She's a living entity—a being. She passed every Turing test ever conceived. I ought to know because I've been giving them to her. Athena's interaction with us isn't Human mimicry or the product of sophisticated Boxan programming. If you didn't know the Athena was a ship, you'd all believe she was a person. You don't have the right to just hand her over to them. They don't deserve her. The Drar gave us the ship," Zack said, jamming his thumb toward the center of his chest. "Not the Boxans or anyone else. The Drar chose to give us their technology. They didn't pick them because they weren't worthy. I'm sorry if that makes them all upset, but giving in to this tantrum isn't going to help us in the long run. If anything, it will further drive a wedge between us."
Zack turned away from her. He couldn't look at her right now because he was furious.
"Zack," Kaylan said gently.
Zack blew out a heated sigh through his teeth and reluctantly turned toward her. "You can't do this," he said.
"I can," Kaylan said, and her gaze was unyielding.
Zack felt his insides go cold.
"Commander," Athena said.
Zack felt his throat tense. He couldn't let her do this.
"Go ahead," Kaylan said, her voice sounding strained.
"I will follow any order you give me, including this one," Athena said.
Zack shook his head. "Why? Why would you do this?"
"Because Kaylan is the mission commander and I know this couldn't have been easy for her," Athena replied.
Zack turned toward Kaylan and saw that her eyes were glistening, as if at any moment the tears would come. He blew out a breath and felt it wash over his teeth. He glared at her. "They call you Mardoxian Blessed because of your abilities. You're supposed to be able to look into a situation with heightened insights bordering on precognitive capabilities."
"Zack, this isn't fair," Hicks said. "The fact is that we can’t stop the entire Alliance from taking the ship. Offering them something they have the ability to take anyway buys us time."
Zack pressed his lips together and scowled. "There’s another way, and I'm going to find it."
Zack didn't wait for Kaylan to respond. He couldn't bear to look at her right then. He had to leave the room, had to think. There had to be some way they could get through this without condemning the Athena to being ripped apart so a few alien species could get some kind of technological advantage. They had to be better than that.
::Thank you. I appreciate all you've done for me.::
Athena's words appeared on his internal heads-up display and he felt as if they would shatter his heart. The Drar had thought Humans were better than this, so why couldn't they find another way? Why hadn’t the Drar given them a way to defeat the Xiiginns? A tiny voice of reason tried to urge his thoughts into more rational thinking, but he couldn't go there. Kaylan was just doing what she thought was right, but in this she was wrong.
Chapter Fourteen
As the lunar base expanded, it had been decided that the most practical way to add living space was to use the long-dormant lava tunnels under the surface of the moon. Being underground protected them from harsh solar radiation since the moon didn't have an atmosphere of its own. There was an area of tunnels set aside for the Boxans to use that also gave them easy access to the lunar surface. Many Boxans rotated out to the New Moon to oversee manufacturing activities, as well as research and development based on shared Boxan technology.
In the last few days, Michael had resumed his role as the lead liaison between the Boxans and the ECF. He had long gotten used to being among the ten-foot-tall aliens with thei
r deep, gravelly voices and large golden eyes. Despite the Boxans’ size, they were quite agile and were extra careful when around Humans. After living with Chazen for months at the Boxan monitoring station, Michael had adjusted and never had to worry about being accidentally knocked over or bumped into. There were some Boxans who weighed over seven hundred pounds, but they'd learned that the average Boxan weight was closer to five hundred, with females weighing only slightly less than the males.
"Has there been any official response to our request?" Scraanyx asked.
Scraanyx was large, even for a Boxan. It had been two days since Scraanyx and Chazen had made the initial request on behalf of all the Boxan refugees for the ECF to take them home.
"General Sheridan will be leaving today to address the United Nations about your request. In fact, I'll be heading back to the main complex for a final meeting on that very subject," Michael said.
He looked at Scraanyx for a moment and then flicked his gaze to Chazen. It was difficult to gauge a Boxan’s moods. Michael’s experience with them revealed that they were extremely patient, which he attributed to the Boxan culture, but in spite of knowing that, Michael felt he needed to say something else to them. "I think the work you've done so far will help address our shortcomings when the inevitable subject comes up about how we’ll continue without you. We're well aware of everything you've done for us and we'll do everything we can to help you return home. I just wanted you to know that. If it were up to me . . ."
"We understand these things take time. That’s why I have Boxans working on plans to transfer the duties we've been overseeing to ECF personnel," Scraanyx said.