Authors: Steve Wheeler
Flint was the first to go inside, checking that everything had been done according to the plan, then, with the aid of
Basalt’s
micro-spy drones, gave the entire shuttle an exhaustive in-depth check. Finally, hours later, when everything had been made safe, he shut down the computer and invited the rest of the crew in. In carefully labelled containers, they found all the missing equipment, including hundreds of personal items, together with Jan’s handmade weapons and Veg’s jewellery.
The first thing that Marko took back was the manufacturing units for Topaz. Once he had checked and attached them, they immediately went to work to make the repairs to the anxiously waiting Nail. Detouring to his cabin to pick up the Tux suit, and then through the galley, where he had a quick drink of some of the last fresh fruit juice, he walked back to talk with
Blackjack,
allowing himself to speed up before climbing into the command seat.
‘So, Marko, what have you to tell me?’
Marko told
Blackjack
everything that had happened concerning the octopoid touching him, and showed the recorded images of the incident that he had kept in his head. He explained that it had itched horribly when they had all been infected with the Infant virus, and spoke about when he had touched Stephine and what it had felt like — then, and in the weeks following.
When he finished the tale he heard a sigh from
Blackjack
and then, after what seemed like minutes, a reply came. ‘Oh, now that is something rather new. I wonder who that individual octopoid was and if he escaped the planet before the attacks? I don’t suppose it makes a great deal of difference, but several starships had left the octopoid bases the day before. Looking at the recorded conversation that took place, it would seem that the two individuals concerned belonged to a dissenting faction that believed the attack was a woeful waste of resources, and that you humans were a species worth communicating with on a positive level. One day I am sure that I shall identify those individuals.’
Marko’s mind was racing as
Blackjack
continued. ‘I just wonder why you, Marko, were given the marker of one who is to receive favour. Certainly I, and others, know you and hold you in very high esteem, but on that day at that time? A most interesting and, with all due respect, a quite vexing question. I shall discuss it with Stephine on her return. You should have told her at the very least. Oh, well, in some respects it is for the best. I understand from being with Veg for such a long time that trust is not a natural condition in older members of your race.’
After some seconds of thought Marko asked, ‘So what is this marker?’
‘A very complex enzyme, which identifies you as an entity of great worth and who is to be cared for at any cost by octopoids. It is the reason that when Stephine gave you sufficient octopoid biological tech material to be able to communicate with me, you took so very much more than you should have been capable of taking. Still, it has aided you and certainly this crew of whom I am now a member.’
Marko sighed. ‘So, can it be taken from me?’
Blackjack
replied. ‘No, Marko, not now. In the first few days after the contact, maybe, but no longer. However, you are still very mortal, my friend, and should you lose your current body, you will also lose the marker, with all its additional benefits, and before you ask, no, no sort of transfusion would make any difference. It has to be given by an octopoid of high rank in a fresh dose to a new body. So, Marko, you are now even rarer than before. I shall watch with great interest your achievements in the years to come. I note that Patrick is looking for you. You know where to find me if you have further questions.’
Feeling as if he had been chastised and then dismissed, Marko nodded at the main screens, climbed from his chair and stalked towards the hatchway as
Blackjack
added, ‘Marko, I am not angry with you; I am surprised that you should have been chosen by the octopoid. Perhaps it was chance, but I note that lightning seems to strike around you and I wonder what you, in fact, are.’
Marko stopped and spun around, looking back at the control couches. ‘Really! You think I chose to become this, you think I chose to have people I care for deeply die in my arms while you intellectuals play your games with us. I wish that you were corporeal,
Blackjack,
I really do, so I could see the look in your eyes. You prick! You absolutely introverted prick — and now you wonder what I am! Not once today have I heard you say how sorry you are that Jan is gone.’
Blackjack
answered instantly. ‘What is the point of sympathy for one who will return, Marko? It is simply a hollow gesture, is it not? And, yes, I am envious of you, Marko, it’s true. I am envious of you all, because all I can do is go places and perform tasks ... it is an existence with respect and fondness, but no love.’
The anger and wrath drained away from Marko and he suddenly felt a great sympathy for the sentient. ‘I am sorry,
Blackjack,
I am really sorry. I understand something more about you now. Perhaps the best thing for you is to allow yourself to slow down so that the rest of the crew can, at the very least, communicate with you. Is that possible?’
Blackjack
sounded sad and alone. ‘I shall talk with Patrick. It is something I have considered as I believe that Stephine wishes to remain here for some time to come. Perhaps there is something that can be done. The one thing that is making me yearn for more of living is Fritz and his music. It has infected me, and I am more of a functioning sentient because of it. I shall work on Tux until your return and, yes, I do miss Jan.’
Marko replied. ‘I understand,
Blackjack.
My thanks.’ He patted the side of the hatchway, smiled wanly at the consoles and left the ship. ‘Patrick, are you looking for me?’
Patrick answered immediately. ‘Yes, the major requests that you start examining the damage to the main engines if possible, please.’
Marko nodded. ‘Sure. So what is everyone else doing?’
The AI gave a quick rundown. ‘The major is collating damage lists, Harry is carrying out a full internal inspection aided by me and the available drones, Fritz is working on the crew comms systems as the Games Board disabled them all, Minh Pham is writing up the damage to the fighters, and Lilly, Jasmine and Julie are working in the gardens. Nail is recovering, Flint is helping Topaz to rebuild himself and Glint is on the way to meet with you.’
Marko slowed his march down the spiral staircase to allow Glint to catch up, which the ACE was doing by running as fast as he could on the outer wall of the stairway and leaping over the deck hatchways.
‘You should speed up one day, Marko, and try that. A very fast way down the stairs.’
Marko grinned. ‘Yeah, but what happens when you meet someone coming through a hatchway?’
The ACE shrugged, dismissing the risk. ‘Has not happened yet. I’ll just jump over them, I suppose. So what are we to do in the engine room?’
‘Make it airtight, then see what the damage is. Prioritise repair lists, and start work. What’s that you are carrying strapped to your back?’
Glint beamed. ‘My new hazardous environments suit. Veg designed one for me as well.’
Marko smiled and nodded as they arrived at the final hatchway on the stairs. The airlock showed vacuum on the other side.
‘Well, Glint, get the suit on. You are now about to operate in a bad area.’
Marko brought up his prototype suit’s protocols in his head as the suit rolled gloves down over his hands and the headpiece formed, sealing him inside. Looking across, he saw that Glint’s suit had deployed, covering him completely with a sleek shape made of transparent material. They stepped into the airlock and cycled through. Emerging into the engine room, Marko could see one major set of holes in the hull, with corresponding damage to machinery from projectiles.
‘OK, Glint, first priority is to make this place airtight. You know the drill.’
Stepping over to the racks of different-sized plates, he gathered up an armful and walked to the walls, placing plates as determined by the hole sizes. As a plate came in contact with the wall, and was activated, it formed a semi-rigid gel over the hole, including any jagged edges. In seconds, it adhered and went ceramic-hard. They steadily moved over the area, moving machinery out of the way as necessary, until they decided that they had found all the breaches.
Marko sped himself up.
‘Blackjack,
please contact our transport and ask if there is vacuum around this area of the ship, as there is vacuum in here. Also advise it that we use a harmless fluorescent mist in the air to locate holes.’
‘Our transport says no, but will organise for you in minutes. Stand by ... you should have vacuum now. It is familiar with our leak-finding spray.’
Marko nodded. ‘Open the air valves, Glint, and attempt repressurisation.’
Seconds later the interior was filled with a fluorescent green mist, which was sucked into the smaller difficult-to-find holes that they had missed, making them easy to see and seal.
They finished some hours later. ‘OK. Patrick. Think that we have them all. Can you change out the atmosphere, please?
Blackjack,
can you advise our host that drones will be exiting the ship to place permanent seals over the exterior now that we have identified all leaks in this space?’
‘Done, Marko.’
‘Thanks. Patrick, you have control of the drones. Glint, let’s start identifying damaged machinery.’
They steadily worked their way around the machines, checking each in descending order of importance, stopping for drinks and a meal break, before Marko submitted the lists. Finally, they exited the ship through the exterior airlock to check the antimatter thrust bells and reaction motors, together with the main, shallow, inverted bowl-shaped thrust plate that the rockets were mounted on. Everything was badly damaged, except for the main base thrust bowl, showing only dents, but nothing critical, which was a relief: if there had been serious damage they would have required a major facility to fix it.
‘What a bloody mess!’ Marko commented when they had finished the inspection. ‘This lot is going to keep us busy for a good long time. Boss, we have the lists completed.’
A moment later the major replied, ‘Good work. Get a decent sleep and get on with it in the morning.’
Marko and Glint made their way back through the airlocks. When Marko looked across at the walls of the entity that was transporting them, he recognised the shapes and colours as the same as he had seen in the ship where they had found
Blackjack.
Marko sent all the lists to Patrick, who authorised the auto-mills and fabrication machines to start making the replacement parts.
He slipped gratefully into his bed. Glint, not needing sleep, first checked in on Nail to see how he was progressing and was delighted to learn that he would be with them the next night, complete with a new set of true hands — which he could swap for his paws any time he wished. Glint then enlisted Flint to help start stripping the damaged fuel pumps. As they worked, their banter and discussions sped up, into the realm of
Blackjack’s
speed. While the humans slept, the topics ranged far and wide, as they always did between the created. Most of all, they missed Ernst and his input.
Privately, Glint had decided that
Blackjack
was a little odd, but the more they engaged with her the more interesting she became. He felt quite proud of her development, thinking that as a sentient she was coming along nicely.
~ * ~
Over the course of the next few weeks the ship was slowly restored to a fully working unit. A new rocket engine bell was made by altering the fuel feeds on one of the diamond bells which they had made years before. The damaged one, deemed beyond repair, together with hundreds of other unserviceable pieces of equipment, was placed into the nanote baths to be torn down to molecular level and the metals and materials separated and stored. The Skuas were stripped and one fully functional craft was placed back on the launch platforms beside Harry’s two-seater, which had not been used in the fight. The cannibalised Skua was moved by hoists above the hangar into the main workshops so that over time it could also be repaired. It was the same with the three Hangers. Lilly’s engines needed full replacement, so it was stripped to rebuild
Sledgehammer
and Jasmine’s Hanger. The remains also moved up into engineering.
At the weekly conference, after the reports had been placed and discussed, Fritz was the one who finally addressed the big question. ‘We are almost good to go, but what the hell do we actually do? If we front up anywhere, we will be instant targets for everyone to have a crack at. So, where ...?’
The major replied slowly. ‘Yeah, been thinking about that. Couple of things that don’t add up ... like this pick-up for Veg and Stephine. Marko, you told us that the date is still a couple of weeks away and yet this transport around us, according to Patrick’s stellar neutrino readings, has been storming around in a great big loop. I think that we are on ice as it were.’ He paused and looked around at his friends before continuing. ‘Not a bad thing, actually, in that we are away while all the shit about the fight settles down and we get to repair ourselves. And Marko’s info is that Sirius and her faction recorded and broadcast everything anyway. Which begs a little question ... is the recording still going on?’
Harry added, ‘Fritz, you are very good, but technology advances all the time, so sorry, son, but I would not be surprised if machines have been built and seeded among us by Sirius which would circumvent your security. Bet you any money you like we are still being recorded; in fact. I bet you the GB are still making mountains of money from us. I shudder to think what you did with that garrotte of yours, Marko, but I tell you what: it would have made excellent AV material! Just a thought.’