Etheric Adventures Boxed Set: Books 1-3

by S. R. Russell

  “Noises?” Anne asked. “Oh… She said she thought that not having hands is why others consider her less than a person.”

  Gre ’Zon clashed his mandibles in agitation. “She said all that?” he asked, looking at Gabrielle as if the older human would give her a different answer.

  Gabrielle smiled at Anne’s disgusted look. “The Empire’s latest implants translate the canines’ sounds into that person’s default language.”

  Gre ’Zon looked at Jinx. “And you can understand me?”

  Jinx chuffed again, and Anne translated. “Yes. I have an implant that translates every language in the Empire’s database. I still have issues with some English words, so I don’t always understand what people are saying.”

  They watched as Gabrielle led the Yollin VIP away. Jinx asked Anne, “How would I talk with people who don’t have Empire implants?”

  Anne knelt and put an arm over her friend’s shoulders as she tried to come up with an option. “If I remember correctly, Bethany Anne captured the Yollins back in Earth’s space. To communicate, Yollins wore a harness with a speaker that translated and broadcast to the humans. Why don’t we see if we can get something like that made for you?”

  “That sounds like a workable option,” Jinx agreed, “but the designer had better make it pretty!”

  Anne put down some fresh water for Jinx before she headed for her shower. As she let the hot water wash over her and soothe her remaining aches, her mind wandered over the events of the last few months.

  She had gone from living at home with her parents to living with her best friend and companion, Jinx. She’d been failing in school, and now she was acing her classes. She’d been suffering from an undiagnosed cancer, and now she was super-healthy and Kurtherian-modified. She’d be called a vampire if she were still on Earth. Anne tilted her face into the spray and used her fingers to comb her dark red hair behind her ears.

  Anne almost felt like dancing as the water splashed over her. Bethany Anne had hired her as an Etheric researcher, but to date she had not come up with any ideas that justified Bethany Anne’s confidence in her. She wasn’t sure how to solve the problem of transferring energy from Jinx’ armor, but at least she finally had an idea to explore. With a smile, Anne grabbed her bath sponge, soaped it, and started to scrub the residue of her workout from her body.

  Jinx drank the bowl of water almost dry and eyed her dog food, then sighed and laid down while she waited for Anne to get out of the shower. Their sparring match had left her hungry. However, she had learned through uncomfortable experience that eating after drinking a lot while she was hot made her sick. The first time it happened neither she nor Anne had made the connection, but the second time it happened Anne had remembered that this was twice after a workout. As unhappy as she was about it, they tried it once more just to make certain. Sure enough, five minutes after eating Jinx had heaved it all back up.

  Yuck!

  The next time Anne made Jinx wait until she had stopped panting. Her stomach didn’t revolt after eating, so that became their default routine. Jinx could drink as much as she wanted, but she had to wait until she was no longer panting before she ate. Jinx had asked Anne how dogs on Earth would have handled the situation.

  “Remember, dogs on Earth are not as smart as you guys, and are owned by humans. I imagine the human would just keep the food away from their dog until they felt it was safe for them to have it.”

  Jinx ignored the furniture and stretched out on the polished rock floor to leach some of the heat from her body as she waited for Anne. Being kicked across the training room had really pissed her off. She hadn’t been hurt, but she had no longer been able to protect Anne’s back, and that had left her person fighting everyone by herself. She considered contacting ADAM to ask Matrix to come visit to discuss the issue, but she had a feeling that Anne would want them to try to solve this on their own. This was the sort of thing Bethany Anne had hired her for, after all. Jinx heard the water shut off and figured she’d have about ten more minutes on the rock floor before Anne made her appearance. With a sigh of contentment, Jinx closed her eyes.

  Anne dressed in a sleep tee and added a housecoat. Jinx didn’t care if she walked around the apartment naked, but there were things Anne just didn’t feel right about. Parading around in just her nightclothes was one of them.

  She hoped that Jinx would cool down soon. She was hungry, but felt it was inconsiderate to eat when Jinx was overheated. Anne padded into the common area to find Jinx lying on the rock floor. The fact that Jinx’ tongue wasn’t hanging out was a good sign.

  Do you want to eat now or talk first? Anne asked.

  Let’s start the conversation now. It’s not like we’ll be talking with our mouths full if we continue during dinner, Jinx teased in reply.

  True enough, so where do you want to start?

  Well, the armor works fine, but when something big hits me I’m still at the mercy of all that energy. Even if I had crushable impact-activated armor, I’d still have to be able to remain in place for that to work. Jinx practically whined in frustration.

  I see only two ways to solve this. One is to put you in some sort of canine power-assisted battle armor, so you have the …

  Jinx did whine this time, cutting off the rest of Anne’s comment.

  Hey, I didn’t say you’d be happy with the solution. I’m trying to go through our options and talk things out with you.

  Jinx stood and walked over to lay her head on Anne’s leg. Sorry. Let’s get something to eat now, and I’ll shut up and listen.

  Anne scratched Jinx behind the ears, smiling at the rumble of pleasure that always brought from her friend. “Grab some of your kibble, but don’t overeat. I put two steaks in the fridge this morning to thaw, so you have steak for supper-supper.”

  Supper-supper?

  Ya, as opposed to snack-supper. Your kibble, in this instance, Anne replied as she got to her feet and headed for the kitchen.

  I wish I could blow a raspberry like you humans do, Jinx said as she followed Anne, draping her tongue purposely out of the side of her mouth.

  Anne smiled when she saw Jinx’ funny expression.

  Okay, back to the conversation. Armor would be heavy enough to absorb the blows without launching you across a room, or we need to find a solution to bleed off the energy some way.

  That’s basically what Matrix said when I was talking to him, Jinx admitted as she munched on some kibble.

  Did he give you any suggestions? Anne asked. She put on a pan to heat and seasoned her steak. Jinx liked her steak rare with just salt, so the cracked pepper and garlic powder only went on one of the steaks.

  None, Jinx grumbled.

  “We can’t make the energy just disappear,” Anne commented aloud as she placed her steak carefully in the hot pan. She liked her meat medium rare, so she put hers in several seconds before she added Jinx’ and took Jinx’ piece out several seconds before her own. “I imagine your conversation with your brother told you the same thing?”

  We didn’t go into specifics. I don’t have his appreciation or understanding of mathematics, Jinx confessed.

  “Well, if I remember my physics, you can change energy’s form, but you can’t just get rid of it.” Anne shook her head slowly as she pondered the problem.

  Could we send it to the Etheric place? Jinx gave up on her kibble and laid by the kitchen doorway. Anne would make her wait a few moments for her steak so it would be cool enough to eat without burning her mouth, so she relaxed.

  Let me think. Anne was quiet as she flipped the steaks. After ninety seconds she took Jinx’ out of the pan, followed by her own thirty seconds later. She added a potato-like vegetable, and her dinner was complete. Jinx’ meat got cut into four pieces to make it less messy to eat, and both girls settled in for their suppers.

  Even though Jinx had learned to eat slowly, her teeth were much better designed to chew meat than a human’s were. Jinx finished her steak in half the time it took Anne to ea
t her meal. Once they were both done and the dishes had been cleaned up, they moved into the public area and flopped down on the couch.

  “Your idea is good. I’m just not quite sure how to accomplish it,” Anne said. She spoke aloud for the noise, as opposed to any need.

  “I remember people on Earth claiming that certain gems or crystals, and even precious metals, could channel energy. I guess the best place to start would be to get a bunch of samples and see if they react to Etheric energy. If any respond, we’ll know they have some sort of connection. Then we’ll see if we can get them to transfer energy from this side into the Etheric. To someone who doesn’t know what’s happening it might look impossible, but we’d just be moving the energy to a different realm.”

  You could try using that energy to power your Etheric-based combat abilities, Jinx suggested.

  “It would be a good idea, but only if we could somehow store it. That way I could tap into it when I need it. I don’t need to have fireballs appear, just because someone kicked you, especially if I’m already using some sort of weapon.”

  Oh, good point. Jinx’ ears drooped a little.

  “No, it’s a clever idea,” Anne reassured her friend. “Step one, see if we can channel energy to the Etheric. Step two, find a way to convert kinetic energy into a form that will transfer. Step three would be to see if we can find a way to store that energy so I can tap into it for combat.” She smiled at Jinx. “See, we have a plan. Now we just need to see if we can make it work.”

  Jinx let out a long sigh. I bet this is going to be boring.

  “It might be,” Anne admitted, “but the good thing about it is that we have something to work on. That’s what the Empress hired me to do. Even if it is long and boring, at least I’ll be able to report on what we are attempting. I’ve hated it, being hired as a researcher and not being able to think up anything to research. At least now we’ve got a valid project!” She punched the air with excitement.

  Are we starting tonight? After that workout and steak, I’m ready for bed. Jinx yawned, emphasizing her point.

  “Yes and no,” Anne told her cryptically, then held up a finger to forestall Jinx’ response. “Meredith, please contact ADAM for me. I’d like to talk to him for a few moments at most.”

  Meredith’s voice came from the room’s speakers. “Message sent, Anne.”

  She smiled at Meredith’s response. “Thanks, Meredith.”

  Anne knew some people weren’t very polite to Meredith. They were part of a “why waste courtesy on a computer?” crowd. But despite knowing that Meredith was the station’s EI, Anne took a slightly different view. Anytime she had talked to Meredith the EI sounded just like a person, so Anne thought of her as an EP—Electronic Person—and treated Meredith the same way she’d treat any other adult.

  “You’re welcome, Anne. Have a good evening.”

  Before Anne could say, “Thanks, you too,” ADAM contacted her.

  >> Meredith said you wanted to speak with me?<<

  Yes, ADAM, thanks, Anne answered. Knowing the room had a microphone, along with its speakers, Anne asked, “Can we do this over the speakers so Jinx can hear too?”

  “Certainly. I apologize for not thinking of that myself.” ADAM’s voice now came from the room’s speakers.

  Jinx looked at the ceiling and barked her agreement.

  “You spent several years on Earth, didn’t you?” Anne asked.

  “Affirmative. I spent several years with Bethany Anne on Earth. Why do you ask?”

  “I was hoping that among all the information you acquired from Earth, you might have certain references. I’m wondering about materials that are supposed to be able to channel energy. Even unsubstantiated reports might help us. I’d like a list of articles on materials or compounds that I can test. I need to find something that actually works.” Anne tried to be as specific as possible so that she would get the broadest return from ADAM.

  “What are you attempting?”

  “Jinx can’t stand up against more foot-pounds of energy than she weighs. She’s tired of getting thrown out of a fight temporarily because of it. We want to see if there is some way to convert that force into energy. I want to discover if we can channel that force into the Etheric as energy, which hopefully would reduce the physical impact on her. I just don’t have a clue where to begin. Testing any materials either proven or rumored to channel energy is the best place I could think of to start, and I expect you have a much more comprehensive database than I do.”

  “You are probably correct. A complete search of everything I have will take seventy-three minutes, eleven seconds,” Adam informed her.

  “Wow, cool! You must have all kinds of information to go through if it’s going to take that long. Thank you so much!” Anne was practically bouncing with excitement.

  Careful, please, Jinx warned. I enjoyed my steak, but not enough to have it revisit.

  Oops, sorry! Anne settled down and stroked the top of Jinx’ head, which was tucked against Anne’s leg. “ADAM, would you please send your results to my tablet? I think Jinx and I are heading to bed.”

  “Certainly, Anne. Have you considered that if you are going to be doing a lot of research you might find having your own EI beneficial?”

  Anne’s eyes practically bugged out of her head at the thought of having an EI, then she sobered considerably. “I don’t know. It wouldn’t be like Achronyx, would it?” As an example of the difference between an AI and an EI, Anne could detect a chuckle in ADAM’s reply.

  “No, I doubt very much if your EI would be like Tabitha’s. You need to remember that Tabitha was a top-notch hacker before she joined Bethany Anne’s group. In her reality, computers are things she controls. I don’t think that attitude sat well with Achronyx in their early days together, something that undoubtedly helped mold his acerbic personality.”

  Anne smiled and nodded at ADAM’s comment, since she had been the target of Ranger Two’s biting wit. Anne giggled to herself, wondering if Tabitha were responsible for her Achronyx’ personality quirks. “Who do I ask about the possibility?”

  “Consider the request logged. I’ll talk with Bethany Anne about your need for your own computer support.”

  “Cool! Thank you so much, ADAM. If the Empress approves, would you share your information files with it?” Anne asked. She wanted the largest possible database, considering all the strange and probably esoteric research she hoped to do.

  “There is a slightly weird and somewhat disgusting human saying about teaching your elders to suck eggs. Rest assured that any EI I provide will be equipped with an appropriate database,” ADAM assured her.

  Anne’s eyes went wide once again as the implications of ADAM’s statement sank in. “Oh, wow, sorry! I didn’t know you’d be providing the EI.”

  “Humans have another saying. ‘If you want something done right…’”

  Anne completed the saying silently in her head: “do it yourself.”

  “Do it yourself,” ADAM finished.

  “Thank you, ADAM, for your help tonight, and for the chance of an EI to work with.” Just then the yawn she had been holding back overcame her.

  “You’re welcome, Anne, and goodnight to you. The results you requested will be on your tablet when you wake.” ADAM cut their connection.

  “Wow, ADAM giving us our own EI should help a lot," Anne commented to Jinx. “Let’s head to bed. We can check ADAM’s results in the morning.”

  Anne stretched as she stood, and with Jinx at her side, she made her way to the bedroom.

  Chapter Two

  >> Bethany Anne?<<

  Bethany Anne, Queen Bitch and Empress of the Etheric Empire, suppressed a sigh at the interruption of her bedtime routine. Yes, ADAM?

  >> It seems that your Etheric Researcher has her first project. She wants to develop a system that takes energy from our world and transfers it to the Etheric. <<

  Is that even possible? And why?

  >> She’s trying to take kinetic imp
act energy and transfer it to the Etheric to reduce the energy transfer to a lighter person’s armor. <<

  Bethany Anne had been braiding her hair for sleep, but ADAM’s information caused her to freeze as she considered the implications. Fuck, could she apply the same technology to our ships?

  >> Unknown. However, if she gets something to work on a small scale it might be possible to get it to work as part of a larger application.<<

  Keep me up to date. Bethany Anne resumed braiding her hair, then stopped again when another thought came to mind. Why are you bringing this to my attention now?

  >> Anne has asked me to research some information for her, and I can only provide that sort of assistance when we are in the same space as the Meredith Reynolds. << ADAM went quiet. He had a bet with TOM on how long it would take Bethany Anne to connect the dots. One point seven-four seconds later…

  She needs her own EI.

  >> That is consistent with my analysis of the situation. And thank you.<<

  For what?

  >>I bet TOM that it would take you less than two seconds to come to that conclusion.<<

  What were the stakes?

  >>TOM will be funding Anne’s new EI.<<

  You make it sound like she needs something special.

  >>Considering her first project, my heuristic analysis indicates a seventy-eight-point-three-nine-percent chance that she will eventually need an AI as an assistant. I want to give her something that can either grow that much or be upgraded as needed to continue to meet her demands.<<

  Wow. Bethany Anne took a moment to finish her braid and tied it off with a strand of leather that used to be Michael’s. She had to bite her lip to keep the tears at bay. Whenever she used or saw something that reminded her of her missing friend and lover, she wanted to cry. All right, I will trust you to take care of the situation. Is there anything else going on that I need to know about?