But Boomer had considered Ziron’s claim that Kevin both needed and craved the quest they were undertaking. And even though they had risked their lives on multiple occasions, Boomer could tell these adventures had given Kevin a purpose and the spark he had been looking for out of life for such a long time. Until he was abducted, that is.
Boomer knew he had hurt Ziron’s feelings earlier and couldn’t blame him for giving him the cold shoulder. When it became clear that Ziron wouldn’t answer, Boomer continued.
“Look, man, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said.”
“We both know you did, and that’s okay. I can’t blame you either. We have not only endangered the both of you, but perhaps your entire world. Just know I’ll do what I can to prevent you, Kevin, and your world from suffering the consequences of the good deeds you both have performed.”
“I know you will, thank you.”
“How are the kittens? Have you named them yet?”
“Shouldn’t that responsibility be yours?”
“It’s tradition for the caretaker to assign them names.”
“What’s wrong with number one, two, and three?”
“That’s hardly original. Would you have liked it if Kevin had called you number one?”
Boomer remembered the many Next Generation episodes they watched together and suppressed a giggle.
“He might very well have, but for different reasons.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“You weren’t meant to, that’s between Kevin and me. But, okay, I’ll try and find more appropriate names for them. Look, I’m sorry for making fun of you and. . .well, for blaming you for something that, in the end, wasn’t really your fault.”
Ziron’s cushion hovered down to Boomer’s level.
“That’s big of you to admit, and it helps to hear you say it, thanks. The guilt of the situation has been eating at me and distracting me from my work. You have to understand that I don’t want anything bad to happen to Kevin. He’s my friend too.”
Boomer barked once. “I do, I’m just so damn angry, you know?”
“I know, I am too. And perhaps it wasn’t fair of me to ask you for help in retrieving Kalliopy’s sister. I feel conflicted between following orders and doing what I know in my heart I should be doing.”
“And what would that be?”
“Getting Kevin, of course. Knowing him, he would do everything in his power to help, even if Kalliopy betrayed him.”
“I think so too.”
“Still, nothing would stop Xonax from using the sister as a bargaining chip again. We’d be right back where we started.”
“Perhaps, but at least we’d know about it, and we could prepare for contingencies. Speaking of which, where are you with the smart armor?”
“I’ve cannibalized as many systems as I feel comfortable doing on this ship. It still needs to be able to defend itself from attack.”
“You also have the remaining destroyers from the ancient fleet.”
“I know, but the tech is too old for me to adapt it to the Osiris. They’ll provide cover though, should we need some.”
“Oh, you’ll need cover. There’s no way the Kregan will stand still forever.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
“So what’s your ETA on the smart armor?”
“I’ll have it for you later today. It won’t be as advanced as the last one you used, but it will give you an edge, nonetheless.”
“Anything would at this point. Beagles aren’t exactly considered formidable warriors.”
Ziron smiled. “I was trying to spare your feelings. Armor or not, you have more courage than I have seen in many bipeds, I want you to know that.”
Boomer smiled back. “I certainly appreciate it, thanks, Zee. Keep me posted.”
“Will do.”
* * *
It was the most horrific of sensations, to feel one’s body, muscles, and limbs move on their own with no control over them; Kevin had never felt so terrified.
What the fuck do you mean you’re the master of this body? This is my body!
Not anymore. I’m in control now. I’d appreciate it if you stayed quiet. I do not engage with lower life forms.
I’m not a lower life form, and if you think I am, then get the fuck out and return my body back to me.
I’m afraid I can’t do that. This is my purpose, it’s part of my programming.
You’re an AI.
Correct. I’m Orion eight-three-nine-six.
You’ve said that already, I don’t particularly give a rat’s ass about your designation or serial number.
You can call me eight-three-nine-six.
Yeah, cause that makes it so much simpler. And you can kiss my ass.
Anatomically impossible. I reside in a tiny implant near your neo-cortex, which makes your request impossible.
They didn’t program you with a sense of humor, did they?
Humor is a subjective thing and has been programmed by my creator. It is not, however, a core system or one of my primary functions. I serve my master, all other functions are futile.
Swell, I’m trapped with a toaster in my head.
I do not know what a toaster is.
Never mind that. What about that master of yours, who would that be?
At this current time: Captain Altanor.
Of course, it is.
Kevin had the feeling that that’s where his body was going next, back onto the pirate ship. The moment he was inside, the cargo door lifted and the engines rumbled to life. His body kept walking toward the living area of the ship.
Can I get back control of my body now, please?
I am not responsible or authorized for deciding the times you are allowed control. Altanor is.
Are you always on?
I do require to be shutdown and recharged from time to time.
Define time to time.
Twenty minutes every twenty hours of operation.
That was not good news. It would only give him a limited window to try and get the thing out of his head. Not that he knew how he would do that. Not to mention drilling a hole in his head on his own was something he was eager to experience. Things looked bad; very bad, in fact.
Soon they arrived in front of the pirate captain.
“I’m Orion eight-three-nine-six, you can call me 8-3-9-6,” said Kevin.
It was his voice, but he wasn’t doing the talking. The whole thing felt like a lucid nightmare. Kevin knew he wasn’t that lucky. This was all too real.
Altanor said, “I assume you have total control?”
“Affirmative.”
“Alright, it’s time to see what you can do.”
Altanor activated his communication device. “We’re all on board, get us to the coordinates I provided earlier, maximum hyperspace.”
A voice answered. “Coordinates set. Leaving atmosphere now and entering hyperspace.”
I want to talk to him, said Kevin.
“Captain,” said 8-3-9-6, “this body’s owner would like a word with you.”
Captain Altanor walked right up to Kevin’s face. Uncomfortably close, in fact.
“Now you want to talk?” said Altanor with an evil grin. “The thing is, I have what I want, and therefore, I don’t need you anymore. I hope you enjoy being a prisoner in your own body, forever.”
7
“Mira,” said Boomer, “I’m starving.”
“So?” she said with an amused tone.
Boomer had no doubt she was being playful with him regarding his remark about her lack of understanding sarcasm. Boomer actually enjoyed interacting with Mira, it was quite endearing.
“Ok, ok…you learn fast, I’ll grant you that. Now can I get some food, please?”
“Affirmative. I’m beaming food to your bowl,” said Mira.
And just like magic, food appeared. Except, before Boomer could have a go at it, all three Sphynx kittens, previously engaged in jumping on the beagle’s back and pulling
on his whiskers for the umpteenth time, darted to the food.
Oh, hell no!
Boomer growled when about half of his bowl had been ravaged, and the kittens froze and stared at him, wondering what they should do next.
“That’s my food! Just keep sucking on energy from the ship, I thought you liked that shit.”
“If I may,” said Mira.
“Go ahead.”
“While the kittens will survive as long as their bodies can siphon minute energy particles and convert them for their bodies to function, it doesn’t mean they aren’t hungry. Their physiologies have adapted for survival in a process that took centuries, but they have a digestive system, and like you, they enjoy eating.”
“Then give them their own food.”
“Be that as it may, you’re going to have to train them to know the difference.”
Boomer sighed. “Swell.”
“Naming them could help this interaction.”
Boomer used his paw to point at each of them. “Sonic, Zelda, and you’ll be Mario.”
Since Boomer had stopped growling, the one kitten Boomer had named Zelda slowly approached the bowl while still looking at Boomer.
Boomer shook his head from side to side. “Nope, don’t you dare, I’ll get you your own food.”
But Zelda kept approaching the bowl, using slow-motion stealth, never losing sight of Boomer’s gaze. Soon, she was slowly lapping Boomer’s food.
Zee’s voice resounded from the speakers. “Boomer, can you come to the bridge, we have a contact.”
Ah, screw it. I’ll eat later when they go back to sleep.
Boomer left the room, and Sonic and Mario joined Zelda and devoured the food in record time like a pack of starving lions.
* * *
“Now the hard part begins,” said Lacuna aloud even though she was alone in the cockpit.
She could hear Darmak snoring through the two closed access doors. The area around his bed trembled from the noise, which was something her brain still had problems reconciling. She had scanned him earlier, making sure he wasn’t bleeding internally, but the medical scanner had found nothing wrong with him. Hopefully, he would wake up on his own soon.
She would like to have his assistance when reconnecting with Kevin, but it looked like she would have to do that part on her own, which elevated her anxiety somewhat.
With any luck, they won’t shoot me out of the sky the first chance they get.
The rental ship had shields and some weapons, though she had had to redirect a good portion of the power from the weapons to engage the hyperspace engine. But that didn’t really matter. The ship stood no chance in combat against the Osiris, let alone the ancient destroyers that were accompanying it. If push came to shove, it would be wiser for her to reactivate the hyperspace engines and run rather than to try and fight against such odds.
Time was up, and she was about to exit hyperspace outside of the firing range of the Arcadian ships. Better not make herself an easy target. She was willing to risk calling them, not wanting to get shot before she made contact.
No matter how many times she had rehearsed an apology speech for Kevin, her mind was now drawing a blank, so she would have to wing it. Perhaps it was better this way, maybe for once it would sound authentic.
She turned her holo-screen on and opened a channel before swallowing hard.
“This is Lacuna, please respond.”
The holo-screen filled with an image of Ziron, he did not look kindly on her.
“Weren’t you supposed to be on your way back to Omicronia? How did you manage to escape?”
“Hello to you too,” she tried staying as amicable as she could. “Could I please speak to Kevin?”
Boomer’s head kept appearing and disappearing out of the frame, apparently the holo-camera on the Osiris was too high for him to be able to see or be seen.
“Just shoot the bitch!” she heard Boomer say.
“Quiet!” Ziron told him. He turned back toward Lacuna and said, “Kevin isn’t here.”
That was not what she had anticipated. Both the dog and Sphynx hated her guts, and she doubted she could convince any of them about her change of heart regarding a possible future collaboration. If she was being one hundred percent truthful with herself, and the roles were reversed, she wouldn’t trust herself either.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Do you mind telling me where he is?”
“Why aren’t you shooting her?” complained Boomer whose head and floppy ears kept appearing on and off the screen.
“Please, don’t,” she pleaded. “I’m truly sorry for my behavior, and I want to make amends.”
“Yeah, right!” barked Boomer.
Ziron looked down and frowned in frustration. “Boomer! What the heck are you doing?”
The holo-screen image flickered a couple of times.
“I’m pressing all the buttons on your stupid console until I find the one that will shoot weapons!” Boomer’s voice could be heard off-camera.
“Well, stop it!” complained Ziron. “That’s not how this works, you’re going to knock us offline and then we’ll be sitting ducks.”
“I won’t fire on you, I give you my word.”
Boomer briefly appeared on the screen and as his ears went out of frame, he said, “Tell that to someone who cares! Come on, Zee, just shoot her, eh? Do it for me, pal.”
“Enough, stop it,” said Ziron.
Lacuna kept silent and let the two of them argue over what to do for another minute or two until they realized that she was looking at them. Once Ziron resumed visual contact with her, she broke her silence.
“Look, I don’t expect you to trust me, so I’m going to send you some valuable information.”
“Let me tell you where you can put it!” said Boomer the next time he was in the frame.
Lacuna could tell that he was getting tired of jumping up and down. But she had to admit the dog was cute, and she suppressed a smile every time his ears shot up then down as gravity brought him back to the floor.
“Transmitting now,” she said.
“I’ll get back to you,” said Ziron. “Please don’t move your ship or we’ll consider it an act of aggression and engage you.”
“Understood.”
The holo-communication ended and Lacuna sighed. She wondered where Kevin was; he usually didn’t go anywhere without his dog, so the fact that he wasn’t present was not a good sign.
Am I actually worried for this human? Huh…that’s something I didn’t think could happen.
* * *
When the pirates arrived at their destination, Kevin was horrified at how they were using his body. He had been beamed onto a Tranaxian ship and was being used as a weapon.
He had to bear witness as 8-3-9-6 took out most of the crew on the bridge of the ship. The worst part was the AI was using everything that Kevin had learned in tech sorcery, and he was using it with greater proficiency too.
I can’t believe this; they’re making me look like a cruel pirate. Stop this!
I cannot disobey a direct order from my master, said 8-3-9-6.
You don’t have to kill these people, they haven’t done us any wrong. At least try and just incapacitate them.
I’ve been told to use deadly force, so that’s what I’m doing.
You’re murdering innocents! Kevin argued.
This parameter does not compute. Please, stay quiet.
Up yours!
Your repeated attempts at distracting me will force me to take you offline.
What the hell are you talking about? This is my body! You can’t shut me down.
I can silence your thoughts. Entering quiet mode now.
I’ll keep talking anyway!
There was no answer.
8-3-9-6?
Still nothing.
Kevin had been muted. No matter how much he tried interacting with the AI possessing his body, 8-3-9-6 would not engage. As uninteresting as he had been, at least it was a presence. No
w, Kevin truly felt alone in the whole universe, like looking at a movie of a life that no longer was his own.
Five minutes later, the bridge had been secured and the pirates beamed into the ship.
“Well done, Kevin,” said Altanor.
Kevin tried answering and was surprised to hear his own voice.
“I can’t believe you had me do this!”
“I told you before, whether or not you want to help us doesn’t matter.”
“We’ll see about that,” Kevin muttered under his breath.
I need to regain control of my body and dispose of these fools fast, before they kill more people.
One of the pirates took his blaster off of his belt and pointed it at one of the stunned Tranaxians.
“What are you doing?” protested Kevin.
The pirate paused and looked at his boss, who nodded. A second later the Tranaxian crewman had a hole in his forehead.
Kevin wanted to protest, but he couldn’t speak. He tried reaching for his throat, but his hands wouldn’t move.
The pirate leader smiled. “Like I said, doesn’t matter what you want.”
And just like that Kevin was again locked out of his own body.
Altanor and the rest of the pirates left the bridge and went to other parts of the ship. From time to time, Kevin heard blaster fire, and it didn’t require much imagination on his part to know what the pirates were up to.
So that’s it, you’re silencing me again?
It’s better this way.
Says you.
You’ll learn to adapt to your new conditions over time. I’m sure.
Conditions? Is that what you think I’m going through? And, no, I’ll never learn to adapt to this shit. I would never have killed those crewmen in cold blood. You’re a monster!
Technically, you haven’t, I have, said 8-3-9-6. As for me being a monster, if it helps your conscience, that’s fine by me. I don’t feel emotions, so you can call me whatever you’d like.
Across the Galactic Pond - Box Set: The Complete FAR BEYOND Space Opera Series Page 26