Wandering Soul

by Steven Anderson

  I closed my eyes. “The plan isn’t even there anymore. I know it was worthless, but it died completely with the Tarakana that shoved it into me. All I can do is pray for them.”

  Winona held my hand the rest of the way to the lab.

  Sam gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek when we arrived, and then one to Winona. She smiled at him, took my hand, and passed it to him. She walked away from me to where Hannah was seated typing rapidly at a terminal. Winn still had her fingers up to her cheek, touching where Sam had kissed her.

  “Do you have a brother?” I asked him. “Or maybe a friend that’s as wonderfully freakish as you are?”

  He glanced back at her. “For Winona?” He smiled at me, looking amused. “I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it. I’m freakish?”

  “Yeah. You are. Wonderfully.”

  “Thanks, I think.” He was watching Winn talking to Hannah. “Your mom’s brilliant, by the way. She’s been manipulating Vista’s sensors to produce the same sort of gaps that might be hiding the images of the Tarakana. Vista even admits to having blood samples being analyzed now, she just doesn’t know where they are. It must be amazing having a mom like that.”

  He had that look in his eyes, the same as Cuza and Captain Kelang. I needed to spend some time with her when we got home, learning how to do whatever it was she did to them.

  Winona was busy showing Hannah everything that was happening in the Union.

  I stood behind them and said softly, “We need to run.”

  Hannah was scrolling through the pages and I could glimpse the pictures; plumes of smoke rising over ruined cities, men and women holding onto each other trying to provide comfort, children crying, angry people yelling, bodies lying still in the streets. Lots of strong, dark emotions for Tarakana to feed upon.

  “It might be too late for that.” She zoomed in on a story for me to read.

  ‘Trapped Between Worlds’, the headline read. ‘The Reunification Commission ship Sierra Vista, en route from Bodens Gate to Ratatoskr, became stranded last week when two of the three Deep Space Holes between those worlds were found to be missing. It is unknown when relief can be sent. Without use of the Deep Space Hole network, the crew’s transit time could be in excess of seventy years, according to a Union spokesperson.’

  I stepped back and looked at Sam. “Seventy years trapped on a ship with Mr. de Sande.”

  “Huh,” he snorted. “MD, maybe you should try to focus on something other than the trivial, but horrifying.”

  “Like why, or even how someone could destroy one of the DSHs?”

  “Not destroyed; missing.”

  “Ms. Weldon,” Winona asked, “can a DSH be used as a weapon?”

  Hannah looked troubled, like she didn’t want to consider the question. “I don’t know. They’re created on-site and I don’t remember hearing about any of them having been moved afterwards. It’s no accident that they’re kept so far away from the worlds they connect. I think the only way to use them as a weapon would be if you wanted to destroy an entire planet.”

  I could feel the terror flowing into her, like cold water running down my back.

  “Winona, have you seen anything about unrest on Earth?” she asked, trying hard to keep the panic out of her voice.

  “No. Almost everywhere else, but the communication lag is considerable.”

  “I need to find Ted. Vista, where’s Ted?”

  “Mr. Holloman is on the bridge,” Vista answered. “And in the mess hall, and in the infirmary.”

  She closed her eyes. “Always too damn clever for my own good.”

  CHAPTER 14

  LEAVING SOON FOR HOME

  “He’s not actually on board,” Winona had her pad out and I could see Dad’s face looking back at her. “He’s on Wandering Star with Captain Kelang.”

  “What’s he doing there? Tell him to stay put and that we’re on the way. Vista? How do we get to Wandering Star, and you damn well better give me a straight answer.”

  “Of course, Ms. Weldon. Wandering Star’s remains are docked next to me. I’ve been helping the team recover what we can of her systems and of her memories of almost fifty years of service to the Reunification Commission.”

  We started walking fast, following the blue orb that Vista was using to guide us. Hannah stopped for a moment and placed her hand on the wall. “I’m sorry, Vista. She was a good ship and she served me faithfully. I’m sorry this happened to her.”

  “That’s kind of you to say so. I’m learning a lot from what she experienced.”

  Hannah patted the composite wall plate a couple of times and we walked on at almost a run.

  When I was little, whenever Hannah would catch me being rude to our household AI, she would sit with me on the floor teaching me to have respect for non-human life, and even respect for things that we owned. Being raised that way has caused me to anthropomorphize almost everything. I even apologize to my toys if I drop them. It’s a little weird, but I think I’m a better person because of it. So I patted the wall in the same place she had when I passed, and said a silent prayer that Vista would never find out what I had done to her sister.

  We found Dad in what had been the bridge. All of the equipment was smashed. The framework that managed the matrix for the big display screens was shattered against the wall along with the remains of desks and other equipment. Part of the wall was missing and I could see more debris scattered in the passageway. It made me want to cry.

  Dad was with the Captain and Sandy Williams. It had only been a week since I had last seen her on board Mara Vista, but it seemed like a lifetime ago. I wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug even before I said hello.

  She patted my head and kissed me. “You’ve had quite the time of it, haven’t you honey? Your dad was telling me some of it.”

  “How’s Tobias? Is he here with you too?”

  “Down talking to the engines. I think we’ll both be here a while yet. The investigation will take another month at least and there’s been some troubles on Meeker. The new government there is restricting immigration from the Union and I’m not sure we’ll be able to move there any time soon.”

  “Why would they do that?”

  “Something about wanting to maintain their ‘planetary identity’, whatever that means.”

  “That’s stupid. Their identity is a bunch of people that moved there from somewhere else.”

  “Yes, it’s stupid, but there’s not much we can do about it. There was a group that wanted to close Meeker off a couple of years ago, but no one was much interested. But now, with other planets blocking Union ships, they were able to convince enough people to be stupid along with them. Everywhere people go, there’s always some that want to tell everyone else how to live and are willing to use force to make it happen.” She smiled at me. “You don’t follow any of this that happens off Earth, do you?”

  “Not as much as I should. It always seems so far away. My Grandpa sends me stuff about Dulcinea sometimes, and I went to school there so I knew about the OP and Palma Federated States always wanting to fight, but not all this. It scares me.”

  “You’re leaving for home tomorrow?”

  “That’s the plan,” Dad answered. “But now with what’s happened to Sierra Vista I’m not sure I want to risk it.”

  “So, you’ve already heard about the missing DSH and have been here discussing it?” Hannah asked him.

  Dad answered carefully, feeling the same irritation from her that I was. “Yes, I was just about to come find you so we could decide what we need to do.”

  “Good answer. Any ideas on how a DSH could be moved like that?”

  Sandy’s forehead wrinkled. “Well, that’s just it. It can’t be. We build them in place and once they’re activated they’re anchored by their own gravity.”

  “Destroyed, then?”

 
; “If someone’s figured out how to do that, I’d like to hear about it.”

  Dad got kind of a goofy smile on his face. “If you want to stop people from using the DSH network, and they can’t be destroyed or moved, they must be–”

  “–hidden,” Winn finished for him. There was awe in her voice.

  “Yes.”

  Sandy was shaking her head. “You can’t hide that big of a gravity well. The ships sense it and guide on them.”

  Winona looked at me and silently mouthed, “Tarakana.”

  Hannah quickly changed the subject. “Tonight will be our last on Bahia Vista. Why don’t you and Tobias join us for dinner? I know Mala Dusa would enjoy having someone to talk starship engineering with.”

  “Yes, I would.” I smiled sweetly at Sandy, trying to look as if a pleasant technical discussion over a plate of Janjetina was upper-most in my thoughts.

  “Sure. I know Tobias would enjoy seeing you again.”

  “Ted, we need to go.”

  “OK. My new hammer should be ready about now anyway, if you don’t mind stopping by the shop on the way back. They said it would only take about an hour for the sintering.” He picked up a backpack that looked remarkably like the tan fabric and leather bag he always carried, just cleaner.

  Hannah grabbed his arm. “That’s fine. Captain, Sandy, we’ll see you for dinner then.”

  “What’s the hurry?” Dad asked once we were off the ship.

  “You didn’t see that shimmer in the corner of the debris field? He was there, listening. If the Tarakana have found a way to hide the Deep Space Holes, I want time to think about what we’re going to do about it before they know we know. Let’s get your damn hammer and then find someplace quite to talk.”

  We stopped by one of the scruffier shops along the space dock’s main corridor. There was a glowing sign in the window displaying a short loop from what looked disturbingly like a real, fatal knife fight. Above it, the shop’s name flashed in lurid red; Strong Blade, Limited. The shelves were full of edged weapons, and not the kind that you just hang on the wall.

  Hannah browsed while we waited with Dad at the counter for his new rock hammer to cool.

  “How much for this one?”

  The proprietor looked up at Hannah from her display pad, smiling indulgently. “That one may be a bit heavy for you. Are you looking for something for defense or more of a decoration?”

  Hannah accepted the challenge. “Neither.” She lifted the sword from the rack and held it in her right hand, her left fist planted on her hip, and smiled arrogantly. “I need a good arming sword for offensive work. The balance on this one is a bit off for me, but it might do if the price is right.” She moved her wrist and the sword’s tip moved gracefully through a series of cuts.

  The woman at the counter swallowed hard. “You didn’t by chance live in the Warrens once long ago?”

  Hannah came close to her and took her hand, squinting at a small tattoo of an eagle next to her thumb. “You’re Baderca clan. No, I’ve never been to the Warrens. A dangerous place, so I’m told. How much?”

  The woman closed her eyes and I could see her lips moving as she prayed or maybe said an incantation to ward off evil. She kissed her thumb at the end. “You may have the sword. Your enemies are my enemies.”

  Hannah bowed her head. “Evil must be fought wherever it is found.”

  The woman nodded, satisfied that the right words had been spoken. “Perhaps my lady will need a scabbard?”

  “Yes, and a good belt and frog.”

  Hannah didn’t bother to haggle on the price of those items and the woman seemed content when we left. Hannah insisted on wearing the sword at her side on the way back to the ship, making Dad look uncomfortable. Winona had serious love in her eyes.

  Sam whispered to me, “One more step closer.”

  I looked back at him with raised eyebrows.

  “To being out on the street with you, trying to kill your enemies.”

  I put my arm around his waist and smiled as gently as I could. There was nothing for me to say.

  We were almost a hundred meters from the shop before Dad said quietly. “You do recall that we’re leaving tomorrow night, right?”

  “If the Tarakana will allow it.”

  “You need to be more careful. That woman remembered you. I saw it in her eyes.”

  “She should. If you were to look at her back, you would find the scars where her ex-husband burned his name into her flesh.”

  Sam’s hand found its way around my waist, maybe because he loves me, maybe because he needed something to hang on to.

  “So,” Hannah said brightly, turning towards us, “is everyone ready for lunch?”

  Dad talked about Wandering Star while we ate. I’d seen him do this before, trying to cover over what Hannah was doing by talking about something else, something normal. I think it’s the way he copes with being in love with one of the most dangerous women in the Union. He seemed more desperate about it this time.

  “How are they providing environmental control?” Winona asked him. “I assume even the auxiliary engines are inoperative.”

  “Everything is being powered by the space dock. Her engines are useless even for salvage. They’ll be scrapped along with most of the rest of her once they’ve recovered what data they can.”

  Sam and Winona seemed just as fascinated as he was with what twenty-six g of acceleration had done to the crew spaces. He was showing them pictures of unrecognizable objects that had penetrated walls and punched through deck plates. I slowly lost my appetite.

  The Orso Ipato was due to dock at 1500. We wouldn’t be getting on board until late the next afternoon in preparation for a 2230 departure. Underneath Dad’s cheerful banter I had the impression of a door closing, and his fear that it would click shut before we could pass through. I was pushing what was left of my pasta salad around with my fork, not listening to him anymore.

  “Duse, look at this picture of what’s left of your old cabin.”

  “No.”

  “You don’t want to see it?”

  “No, I don’t want to see it.” I pushed back from the table. “I need to go for a walk.”

  Sam stood and I think he was going to go with me until Hannah stopped him.

  “If you’re done, Sam, we can get back to work finding those blood samples.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied obediently.

  “And, Ted, I could use your help too. We have things to talk about.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Dad answered, sounding just like Sam.

  I looked at her, not smiling.

  “Enjoy your walk, Mala Dusa. I don’t need you or Winona just yet.”

  I turned and walked out of the mess hall without a word, Winona following close behind me.

  “Vista, are your trail sims loaded yet?” I asked.

  “Yes, they are, Ms. Holloman. What would you like to see?”

  “Dulcinean Heritage Trail, please. Can you set gravity to Dulcinea local?”

  “Of course.”

  We were standing in a subalpine meadow and I was light again, fifteen kilos gone in an instant. It made me laugh.

  Winn smiled at me. “That sounds better. What was wrong with you back there?”

  “Nothing’s wrong with me. The Union is falling to pieces, Tarakana are doing God knows what, and in twenty-four hours we’re leaving for Earth. I don’t know when, or if, I’ll ever see Sam again. I just wanted to walk with him, but Hannah speaks and he obeys. And Dad. He always obeys, even when she’s crazy. He always tries to cover for her.”

  “Ah. Princess Mala Dusa is jealous of her mother.”

  “Am not.” I looked at her and her eyes were studying me. “If we leave, I may never see him again. If we stay, Hannah’s going to get him killed.”

  “The Tarakana wo
n’t let that happen.”

  “That’s comforting.”

  “And I thought you wanted to go back and fight.”

  “I do.”

  “But without Sam.”

  “Yes.” I sighed. “No. I can’t have both?”

  We stopped where there was a view down a steep cliff to a small creek winding across the valley floor. The illusion was nearly perfect. I could feel air blowing across my face and there were birds above us, riding the thermals. “And Sandy; she’s stuck here now. She and Tobias are supposed to be on Meeker, being happy and in love with each other.”

  I sat down on the trail, the feel of cold deck plates under me despite it looking like dirt. “What’s wrong with people? I can understand the desire to own things, like land or stuff that you make. Property rights are the foundation of human rights. But those people on Meeker are acting like the land owns them and they have to protect it from everyone that isn’t already living there.”

  Winona stared at me until I put my hand up to my mouth. “Oh. I’m sorry, Winn. Your ancestors had their land stolen from them, didn’t they? Stolen by my ancestors. We destroyed your entire way of life.”

  “You can’t choose your ancestors.” She sat and took my hand. “Duse, do you see those two big sticks on the sand bar in the middle of the creek? How do you suppose they came to be there?”

  “Well…”

  “I mean if they were real.”

  “OK. They were washed there by some storm and then left next to each other when the water level fell.”

  “Where are your people from, Mala Dusa?”

  I played along. “Mom was from Dulcinea. Before that her family was from Australia and England and before that maybe the Netherlands and Scandinavia. Before that no one knows. Dad’s family has been in the southern Rockies for like five hundred years, but somewhere in Europe before that.”

  She nodded. “My people were mound builders along the Mississippi for a thousand years. They lost that land and way of life long before your people came to North America. Then we were in the Dakotas for a couple hundred years, and that land and way of life were taken from us too. My folks lived on the west coast until Dad took a new job and we moved down the street from you. That’s you and me down there on the sand bar, Duse. Some unknown storm brought us together and there we sit. The only thing that’s certain in our lives is that another storm will come someday. Moving around is what people do. It defines us as a species.”