The Defiant Page 4

  Instead, they lit up like Christmas trees, and Lishi said, “Thank you, Miss Volka. I am honored to have such well wishes. I hope we can resume our conversation about Luddeccea on my return.”

  6T9’s own circuits lit so fiercely it took him by surprise.

  Volka ducked her head and bowed slightly. “Until we meet again, then.”

  “Bye, Volka!” said the ‘bots, waving pincers, soldering irons, and jackhammer appendages. “Goodbye, Carl Sagan, Android General 1, and James.”

  James was silent. Jack exclaimed, “James, you’d be more attractive if you smiled once in a while!” and all the other AI buzzed with laughter.

  James rolled his eyes, and to Volka, Carl, and 6T9, he said, “Come on, let’s move.”

  6T9 followed James to the point in the wall where the largest of the aft compartments was. Carl’s whiskers tickled 6T9’s cheek, and an iris opening appeared. James stepped through without a backward glance. Volka stepped through with a last wave at the ‘bots. 6T9 looked back, and all of the ‘bots gave him a salute. Over the ether, they said, “It’s an honor serving under you, General.”

  Playing along with their teasing, 6T9 gave them his best “dom” glare and a salute. The last thing he saw before stepping into the chamber was the ‘bots lighting up like Christmas trees again.

  The iris closed behind him, and he connected with the external drones that clung to Sundancer’s armor. They pulled back the armor from Sundancer’s keel beneath the bridge. The walls contracted, but this cabin was sadly too large to crush Volka, James, and 6T9 together. A moment later, in the holo hovering above Bracelet, the capsule, loaded with the AI and their drones, shot into the void. The capsule’s course adjusted, and it navigated down to the helical building’s top balcony.

  And then 6T9’s vision went black, and a familiar voice rumbled in his mind and through Bracelet. “Well done, James, Carl, Volka, and General.”

  “Time Gate 1, sir!” Volka exclaimed.

  Carl Sagan hissed.

  “You said it, Carl,” James grumbled. “What do you want, 1?”

  “Heya, Daddy 1. What’s up?” 6T9 said, determined not to be awed or angry.

  Time Gate 1 chuckled, and then his voice rumbled. “I have created a shared server for all data from the World Sphere. Here is the code you need to access it.”

  Numbers and symbols flew before 6T9’s eyes. Subroutines in his local hardware activated and committed it to memory. In 6T9’s visual apparatus, the bleak interior of a dark building lit by harsh LED spotlights appeared—real-time visual data from the exploration team. The lights illuminated what looked like a barren warehouse. Gray walls and gray floors with the orange light of the magma sphere the only color.

  “It’s very exciting,” Time Gate 1 said.

  “It’s depressing,” said 6T9. In the battle of System 33, the humans that had become infected by the Dark had told 6T9 and Volka that sex was disgusting. Some of the cadavers floating outside the window were child-like but did not look like clones of the larger individuals. The aliens that had lived here probably had some sort of sexual reproduction, and 6T9’s circuits dimmed with the knowledge he’d never be able to experience it with them.

  “This is a monumental achievement,” Time Gate 1 said. “You’ll be able to connect whenever you like to the team. Volka, you can too whenever you have an ethernet connection, just ask Bracelet.”

  “Thank you, sir,” said Volka.

  “I’m giving you your servers back now, James and 6T9,” Time Gate 1 said. A moment later 6T9’s visual apparatus was working again.

  James grumbled, “I hate it when he does that...Let’s get out of here. The away team is established.”

  “No need to tell me twice,” said Carl, stretching on 6T9’s shoulder. The tiny creature shivered. “I don’t like it here.”

  The holo above Bracelet shifted as Sundancer navigated toward the ragged opening in the World Sphere. The ship inched through the alien graveyard, avoiding the bodies. It was dangerous, Lishi had told 6T9 at the start of this mission, to ascribe android reactions to humans—their closest relatives by design—much less to sentient spaceships or extinct alien species. But 6T9 found himself thinking the ship’s delicate maneuvers around the bodies had to be respect for the dead. It seemed a dance too restrained to be mere fear of contamination. He touched the ashes of Eliza, his deceased lover, in the inside pocket of his coat, remembering how gently he’d folded her hands across her chest after her death, even knowing logically she wouldn’t care or notice.

  A sigh from Volka pulled 6T9 from his circuit-darkening thoughts.

  “I liked the robots,” Volka said, and his circuits lit pleasantly as she continued. “They were…friendly. I hate to leave them here.” Her shoulders fell. “But this is more important than Luddeccean toothpaste…I’m the worst person to talk to about my home planet. I’m a weere and a woman; on my home-world, I was no one.”

  Had Lishi’s very ‘bot-like focus on the tiniest minutiae made Volka think that was all she had to recount? 6T9 would make Lishi ask her some bigger questions about weere-human relations. His Q-comm sparked, and his circuitry dimmed once more. The question of weere-human relations might make her think of Captain Alaric Darmadi, her ostensibly former lover. Maybe discussions of hygiene supplies were safer for her emotional well-being?

  Before 6T9’s Q-comm could set to processing that possibility, Carl shivered violently and said, “I feel it.”

  6T9’s Q-comm fired with 99.99% certainty of what “it” Carl referred to. His synth muscles drew on his power reserves, and sparks ran along his spine, preparing his body to protect Carl and Volka.

  Volka’s eyes went wide, and she confirmed what 6T9’s Q-comm had already inferred.

  “The Dark. It’s here.”

  Sundancer must have felt the presence of the Dark—she was a more powerful telepath than Volka, or even Carl Sagan. But the ship did not hurry to leave the graveyard. For long minutes they slowly slipped toward open space. All the while a chill gripped Volka, and a dread worse than she’d felt flying through the floating alien cemetery. For a moment that seemed to last a lifetime, her mind was filled with memories from the battle in System 33 again—the animals the Dark had infected that had mindlessly thrown themselves to their deaths, and the humans it had seized control of and enslaved. Swallowing, she remembered the infected researcher from Time Gate 33 speaking for the Dark, promising to bring them “peace” and wondering why “they” always resisted. She held back the bile that threatened to rise. The Dark always made her want to throw up.

  “Ugh. You and me too, Volka,” Carl muttered.

  Putting a hand to her mouth, Volka watched the scene unfolding outside in Bracelet’s holo. At last, they exited the World Sphere. She expected confrontation—drones like they’d seen in one dead system—or comets filled with Dark-bearing ice. But she saw only the derelict ships. And then, flying among them, she saw what looked like a shooting star.

  James said, “Excellent, we finally have visuals.”

  “We have very different ideas of excellent, James,” Carl grumbled.

  “We need to know more about our enemy,” James replied, frowning at the holo.

  “Magnify, Bracelet,” Sixty ordered, his tone in what Volka often thought of as his Android General 1 voice.

  A heartbeat later, the “shooting star” became the size of Volka’s head in Bracelet’s projection. She blinked. “It is a drone.” A bright thruster was propelling a dark, pockmarked metal sphere. Traveling roughly parallel to Sundancer, every now and then it disappeared behind a piece of space debris. Her ears pricked. “I don’t think it sees us.” It was a feeling, not a knowing, but Carl squeaked. “No, it hasn’t.”

  Lifting a paw as though reaching out to touch the drone, the werfle declared, “It’s mechanical more than biological. I can’t read the thoughts...or operating programs...of machines. But there is darkness in it…” His whiskers twitched. “There is water within the drone, and the wate
r holds the Dark…and it isn’t aware we are here.”

  “Well, that’s very interesting,” said Sixty, Android General 1 voice gone. “I’ve seen enough. Let’s go.”

  James’s blue irises practically glowed in the holo light. “If it hasn’t seen us, it is an opportunity for investigation.”

  He sounded very much the robot he was, and Volka shuddered. Putting a hand on Volka’s shoulder—had he noticed the shudder?—Sixty growled. “Our drones with the away team will investigate. That was the plan and—”

  “Uh, oh,” said Carl.

  In the holo, the shooting star veered toward Sundancer.

  Volka had another feeling. “We’ve been seen.”

  Sixty asked her, “Does Sundancer know?”

  Before he’d even finished the question, more drones appeared from the wreckage and streaked toward them.

  James’s brow furrowed. “Last time we were near the World Sphere, we didn’t encounter drones.”

  “There could be a thousand reasons for that,” Sixty countered. “Maybe we triggered something when we dropped off the away team. Sundancer was asleep for a million years. Maybe the organisms inside the drones were asleep, and we woke them up. They’d had to have been sleeping—there isn’t much to do out here in the middle of nowhere—their choices were probably to hibernate or be bored to death. Although, for creatures that don’t sexually reproduce and probably live off heat or sunlight, being bored is probably not a problem—”

  Normally, Volka found Sixty’s “data dumps” vaguely amusing, but at the moment…She put her hand on top of the one he had on her shoulder. “Sixty, they’re gaining on us.” In the holo, the drones were streaking closer. Her heart rate was oddly calm…though her mind whirled. If they were caught out here, it was a death sentence for Sundancer and her. For James, Sixty, and Carl, it would be an inconvenience.

  “Rusty bolts,” Sixty muttered. “James, we have to leave.”

  “Yes, now,” Carl affirmed. “If Sundancer transports us at faster-than-light speeds, she can escape.”

  “That means leaving the armor behind,” James replied. “We should at least let the drones collide with the ship to see if it works.”

  Volka froze. She’d wanted the armor on for just in case—not to deliberately test it. Sixty asked the obvious question. “What if it doesn’t work?”

  “We call the Luddecceans,” James answered. “We have an understanding of cooperation. Our intelligence says that the Merkabah is currently patrolling System 33. It will be here in seconds if we send a distress call via Q-comm.”

  Volka’s ears perked, and then curled. The Merkabah was the ship of Captain Alaric Darmadi of the Luddeccean Guard, Volka’s former lover. It was the only other faster-than-light ship in the galaxy…and it would be here if they called for help. Alaric supported the Luddeccean-Galactic Republic alliance. He would rescue them…for the alliance.

  “That was your plan if we ran into trouble out here and our armor failed?” Carl snapped.

  James met Carl’s eyes. “Yes.” His shoulders fell. “Carl, I’m not saying I like the plan, or that it is without risk, but we need to know if the armor is effective.”

  “Did you discuss this plan with the Luddecceans?” Carl demanded. Still on Sixty’s shoulder, rising to his back four paw pairs, he glared at James, whiskers twitching.

  Drones filled with water or ice that presumably could infect Sundancer as they had in System 33 streaked toward them. Sixty stepped toward James. “Maybe we shouldn’t argue about this right now—”

  Sidestepping Sixty, focus on Carl, James replied, “No, we didn’t tell them we were coming here. Republic Intelligence didn’t want to tip them off to the existence of the World Sphere unless it was absolutely necessary.”

  Volka’s mouth dropped open in shock. She felt her pulse beating in her neck, that revelation more frightening than the Dark. That was how cooperation was working between Luddecceans and the Galactic Republic? Her nails bit into her palm. How could they possibly prevail if they weren’t united? Carl began squeaking what sounded suspiciously like swear-words. He shook six tiny fists at James.

  They had only minutes before impact; they had to decide now whether to stay and test the armor or abandon it and leave.

  James frowned at the werfle. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

  “He’s calling you an idiot,” Sixty said.

  “Among other things.” Carl sniffed.

  James’s teeth ground. “It wasn’t my decision.”

  Volka’s eyes dropped to the holo and went wide. Although she had felt no change in momentum, Sundancer had changed direction and was now on a collision course with the largest of the derelict ships. In the holo, it looked like one of the blimps that flew above Luddeccea, but portions of its side were pitted and bent as though squeezed by a giant hand. In other places, the metal that made the surface had been ripped away, revealing struts beneath.

  “This is our best chance to test the armor,” James said. “Right now the Luddecceans can spare the Merkabah. That might not…” His jaw got hard. “That won’t be the case in the future.”

  Carl chittered angrily. “Darmadi isn’t going to come to our rescue!”

  James growled. “Even I have more faith in the Luddecceans than that.”

  Volka’s ears went back. She had more faith than that, too, but the risk involved …

  “Volka, tell Sundancer to leave the armor behind,” Sixty said urgently.

  Sundancer should be the one to choose. Volka closed her eyes and tried to focus. It was hard with Carl and James continuing to snipe at one another. She pictured System 1…and felt like she was pressing up against an emotional wall obstructing her own intentions, wants, and plans. She pictured the asteroid…and felt the same wall.

  Shaking her head, she met Sixty’s gaze—the blue light of the holo etched the planes of his face in sharp relief. “I can’t reach her,” she said. “I don’t really understand why…” Had Sundancer already been infected? Or was this her choice?

  Carl hissed. “You should be communicating with the Luddecceans. We have a common enemy now!”

  James sighed. “Which is why Captain Darmadi will be here if we run into trouble. I don’t control the Republic Intelligence Council, Carl.”

  Carl chittered. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you, you…” A barrage of squeaks followed.

  In the holo, the hulking form of the alien spaceship loomed before Sundancer. It had looked smallish compared to the World Sphere but now, as they got closer, Volka whispered, “It’s as large as Copernicus City.”

  “Larger,” Sixty replied, breath tickling her ear.

  And they were about to crash into it.

  Volka edged closer to Sixty.

  Carl gave a long hiss. “There was an accident! Captain Darmadi’s ship is out of commission.”

  Volka’s heart skipped a beat. Alaric?

  James blinked at the werfle and then at the holo. “What is this ship doing?”

  “Ten point eight seconds to impact,” whispered Sixty.

  Volka glanced at Carl and felt a surge of hopelessness.

  The werfle rubbed his nose. “Sorry, Hatchlings, we’re on our own.”

  4

  Unexpected Arrivals

  Planet Luddeccea

  The car dropped Alexis off at Alaric’s uncle’s house. Since Alaric had been given command of the Merkabah, they’d decided to stay in New Prime. It was far from the Eastern Province where Alexis’s family lived. She frowned. Where they had lived, before her father had been demoted and relocated to that desolate moon. Alexis and the boys were still living with Alaric’s uncle while they waited for their house in New Prime—very close to His Excellency the Archbishop’s home—to be completed.

  Patting Markus’s back, she looked up at the house fondly. She would be sad to leave it. Her parents had told her that she must live here when Alaric was arrested so that his shame wouldn’t damage her father and siblings’ reputati
ons. She hadn’t thought anything could save her father’s reputation; but, for her siblings, she’d obeyed. She’d been exiled here, but she liked the house with its thick stucco walls, rambling rooms, deep awnings, and beautiful gardens. And she liked Alaric’s uncle very much—his soft voice, gentle conversation, books of art history, and beautiful paintings. If only he didn’t prefer men…

  She reprimanded herself as she walked up the steps to the front entrance. She should never even think about that. To think about it might lead her to speak about it. If she spoke about it, the poor man could be hauled in before a tribunal. Everyone knew, of course. No one had suggested even once that her honor might be violated living alone with the man. As long as no one said anything aloud, nothing had to be done.

  The door was opened before she reached it by Merta, the new weere maid. Alexis didn’t scowl at her. With three children, she did need help. Merta was married, and weere were faithful. But she was also not unattractive. Even if she was older than Alexis, she had no distinguishing weere characteristics beyond eyes that were light blue but too…wolfish…and hair that was prematurely silver.

  “Good afternoon, Missus Darmadi,” Merta said politely.

  “Good afternoon,” Alexis replied, her voice chilly to her own ears. Her mother said the servants and especially weere were best kept at arm’s length. Alexis swallowed. Hadn’t she vowed at one time never to become her mother? Still, she couldn’t look at Merta. She’d heard Volka, Alaric’s weere, had silver hair. Would he think of her every time he looked at Merta?

  Markus stirred and fussed, and she kissed his tiny capped head. Even through the fabric he still smelled new and good.