When Mike awoke, he had Bambi send in some food. She asked if he had a preference, but not knowing how to describe the taste, he told her, “Just send something that Jo would like. If I don’t like it, we’ll scratch it off the list and move on to something else.”
The first two items were quickly removed. Fortunately, the third tasted a little like black beans, which he could live with.
After eating and dressing, he asked to speak with Jo. One minute later, Bambi announced that the Thorian was seeking entry.
“Let him in, Bambi.”
Jo walked into the room and greeted him, “Mike, you look much refreshed, I’m happy to see. Shall we get to work.”
“I haven’t made my decision yet.”
“Oh. I wasn’t referring to that. I want to make you aware of the current situation. I have been checking the beacons for evidence of other Sauran ships.”
Mike’s heartbeat picked up immediately.
“There have been none.”
“That’s good news. Tell me about these beacons.”
“When the first Saurans arrived here, they placed six beacons around your solar system. A beacon can track transmissions of various sorts; most types of radiation that would be produced by a spaceship and large gravity variations, which would indicate the unfolding of a ship.”
Before Mike could ask what unfolding meant, Jo held up his hands and said, “I mean no offense, but the archaic fossil fuel transports that are used to put satellites in orbit around your planet and other close in celestial bodies, are easily tracked and not worth worrying about.”
Mike wasn’t thinking of Earth satellites. Jo had misjudged what Mike was going to ask about. He wanted to know what it meant when a ship unfolded. But, he didn’t wish to seem ungrateful for Jo’s concern about other matters. So, he remained silent, as Jo continued, although he intended to bring up the subject of unfolding later.
“If a Sauran vessel or any other interstellar spacecraft were to appear within a hundred million kilometers of a beacon, it would probably be noticed. The beacons retain all such information, until they have been queried by the Mother Ship. Then they download the information and Bambi analyzes it. If anything of interest were discovered, she would notify the Captain. Because you have not officially accepted the job, I had her report to me. I hope that was acceptable.”
Mike pandered to Jo for the moment. “No, that’s perfect, Jo. Technically, you are the Senior Pilot and the Executive Officer of the rebellion and as second in command, you need to be privy to the same info that I have. If something happens to the Captain, the XO must be prepared to take over immediately.”
He could have kicked himself. He kept talking as though it was a foregone conclusion that he would accept Jo’s offer and become the leader of this cluster fuck operation. Why he did so was merely his life long habit of interjecting his thoughts about the best way for a military organization to function.
He told the tall alien, “Jo, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I’m not going to take the job. However, I do want you to be successful, in your fight against the Saurans. You have already given a great deal of thought to what must be done. I’ll help you find someone to guide you; but you are the one to direct this group of warriors you wish to build.”
Jo twisted his hand, indicating dissatisfaction and disagreement. “I am not a leader like you, Mike. I have never led and have no wish to. As soon as you have your upgrade and select my replacement, I will be greatly relieved.”
“Jo, have you ever seen a Sauran make a mistake?”
“Of course, many times.”
“How did you know it was wrong.”
“Well, I just knew. The proper obvious choice was not made and when it was not, I was always surprised, because the correct choice was so simple to see. Of course, I should note that the Saurans who staff transports and retrieval ships are not the best of their race. If anything, they are the worst and most foolish. Naturally, I kept my opinions to myself.”
Mike smiled and told him, “You have learned much, my friend. You know a mistake when you see it. That’s more than some commanders I’ve known.”
“Nonsense! I am an old slave and should not be the one to make important decisions.”
Somewhat angrily, Mike told him, “Nonsense, right back at you. In this solar system, no one knows the Saurans as you do. As a commander, you will seek out the opinions of others, but you must use your knowledge to avoid having a person of lesser knowledge take us in the wrong direction.”
Jo sighed, which was another humanism he had picked up. “Very well, Mike; we disagree. Shall we proceed?”
“By all means. What’s next?”
Jo told him that he ordered Bambi to send four more beacons, far out from their current location. This would provide them with an early warning capability. If anything showed up, the detecting beacon would contact the Mother ship by a tight gravity beam transmission, so as not to give away the presence of these early warning beacons.
The gray alien felt it would be wise to have better early warning coverage on their side of the solar system, as the Mother Ship was listed as being in this area and any other Saurans who passed near by, would expect to make contact with them.
It was unlikely that they would need to talk with the Senior Pilot, but they might. Otherwise, Bambi could handle an exchange of information between computers. That could avoid revealing the truth about the ship’s unfortunate change of command and keep the other Senior Pilot satisfied. They could attempt to bluff their way through a communication between Senior Pilots, but Jo felt it would be unsuccessful.
He explained, “Saurans have an odd way of talking with each other. It would be nearly impossible for us to duplicate, as we couldn’t anticipate the nature of the topics that might arise between them. I fear our ruse would quickly be discovered. If that happened, the other ship’s Senior Pilot would certainly wake the rest of his crew and proceed to track down this ship and destroy it.”
Jo emphasized, “They don’t take chances.”
“Something you just said intrigues me. The other Captain would wake his crew. Does that mean that he is the only one awake?”
“No. There are never less than two crewmembers on duty. On long journeys, most of the crew is placed in stasis. They are awakened if needed. The Senior Pilot will alternate with the Junior Pilot and each will have an additional Sauran with them. It saves on supplies. When they arrive at their final destination, the entire crew is awakened and their work begun.”
Mike uttered to himself, “It would sure come in handy if we have to face another ship and most of their crew is in stasis. I imagine we could exploit that somehow. We don’t have to worry about it right now, but that knowledge will be helpful, if one of these clowns show up.”
Jo corrected him, “They are Saurans, not clowns; or is that another of your insulting references?”
“It is definitely an insulting reference. Now, let’s talk about this list of potential warriors you have shown me. I have designated about two hundred whom I think could be interested in joining you. But how do we find them.”
“That has already been done. If you recall, I had been searching through records of wounded soldiers. These men are either at home or in a hospital of sorts. The people of your world certainly have been effective at putting the old and badly damaged warriors away. It’s as though the government is ashamed of them and wants to keep them hidden.”
Mike grimaced and confessed, “I’m ashamed that you have noticed the truth of it. Humans don’t like to be reminded of the horrible consequences of war. By downplaying the condition of these men, the elected officials don’t have to take responsibility for their decision to send them to war. Not that a war is unavoidable sometimes.
“When evil tyrants refuse to exercise reasonable control over their ego, it can lead to war, no matter how willing the other side is to compromise.”
“Yes, Mike. That is
certainly true. When the Saurans attacked my people, we had just reached an agreement that was unpleasant, yet we thought it led to peace with them. We were very naive.”
“It sounds like our history. We had a guy with whom we made a peace agreement, between several countries and his. Then he invaded them a few months later. Millions died.”
Jo told him, “Yes…Adolf Hitler. I learned about him when I was doing research on your planet’s history. A remarkable similarity to what my people faced, except it cost us billions of lives, our freedom and our world. I pray that it doesn’t happen to your people.”
“As do I, my friend.”
Mike couldn’t stop his mind from working on Jo’s problem.
“Jo, I’ve been thinking, warriors aren’t going to be enough. You’ll need people who have knowledge of physics and the concepts of space travel. They would appreciate the knowledge boost you offer and because they would already have the mindset of a scientist, they could do a better job of learning for the entire human race.
“The trouble is I haven’t any idea as to how to get them to join you.”
Speaking without evil intent, Jo said, “We kidnap them, as I did you.”
Mike laughed. “Jo, when I went missing, people probably thought I got dragged off by a bear and eaten. Other than my son, there is no one who cared if I disappeared. But a scientist, he would definitely be missed.”
Jo suggested, “Don’t forget we do have something to offer. When we upgrade them, they will regain their youth and have access to amazing technical information. Perhaps that would entice them.”
“You know what? I bet that could work. An old scientist who is reaching the end of his years and suddenly has a chance to expand his brainpower and experience new science beyond his dreams. I’ll have to work on that.
“Our biggest problem will be removing so many people from the planet, without raising concerns.”
Jo spread his hands out face down and said, “Perhaps one of the people on your list will have some ideas for us to consider.”
With a big grin, Mike responded, “You can bet you sweet ass on it. Some of these people are brilliant. We are going to be buried in ideas. I hope we’ll have the time to explore them.”
“Once you have been upgraded, your mind will work at incredible speeds. You’ll be able to process hundreds of interesting items simultaneously. And all the while, your body will be doing all the other things it does to keep you alive, only it will do it better.”
“You’re pushing again.”
“Yes I am. The sooner you have the upgrade the sooner we can begin.”
“Tell me about the upgrade again. What will it be like to go through the process for a human.”
“As I told you days ago, it is painful. You cannot be heavily sedated, because that impairs the procedure. After Bambi reviewed your medical response to the regrowth of your legs and eye, she believes you would be able to have a mild painkiller as a salve to the discomfort. The process shouldn’t last for more than four or five days.
“If you choose to accept the full warrior upgrade, it could last a few weeks. There is simply no way to be sure, as humans have never been completely upgraded before. You would be the first. As bad as it sounds, I urge you to suffer this process. For the rest of your long life to come, you would be nearly impervious to many forms of harm.
“Furthermore, I wish to point out that you truly are a warrior now. From the reports I have read, you are an excellent man with weapons of many types. With a full combat upgrade, you would be able to handle thousands of weapons from all over the galaxy. The speed with which you could learn to utilize those weapons is beyond your current comprehension.”
Jo paused, when he saw the deep concern on Mike’s face.
He asked the alien, “If I do this, Jo, I’ll go all the way. If I’m going to suffer, I might as well do it for a few more days. Once I’ve gone through all of this, I’ll never have to do it again.”
“That’s true. I’ve seen Saurans go through repairs and upgrades. Of course, they don’t react, as I suspect you will.”
Mike shrugged. “Maybe I won’t have any bad reaction.”
“I wish I could give you some hope in that regard, but it would be false. Bambi’s assessment is based on the human genetic history that is in the ship’s library. Your genes will react as other similar genes have done. Those records are based on millennia of tests performed on several different races. Unfortunately, I feel certain that this estimate is correct and you will suffer great pain.”
“GREAT PAIN. You never said great pain before.”
“I don’t know for a fact that it would be that bad for you, but I don’t wish to mislead you, Mike. I feel a friendship growing here and I’ve not had that for more than two hundred years. I don’t wish to see my new friend in pain, but I won’t lie to him either.”
“Oh Jesus.”
“Yes. It is appropriate that you make a request of your God. Only he can see you safely though the gates of the demon’s home.”
Mike looked at him in wonder, and then recognition struck. “Oh, you mean the gates of hell.”
“Yes. I believe that would be the correct human term.”
They talked for hours. Mike was concerned about how to proceed, if something went wrong with his upgrade. He wanted to be sure that the medical unit would make a complete record of everything involved, so that it could get the procedure right with the next human, even if he ended up a vegetable. He had to explain what that meant to Jo, who cringed, as he did.
“Another thing, Jo. When we go back to Earth, we’ll take the big transport, and let’s call it a shuttle. I think my human friends will accept the term better. We will need to carry as many med units as possible, so we can begin to repair their bodies on the way back here. How many do you think we can squeeze in? Keep in mind we’ll need provisions for perhaps two months.”
Without hesitation, Jo answered, “Fifty six units plus supplies.”
“Are you sure? That’s one hell of a lot of med units.”
“The small shuttle you saw was actually very small. You were in a room, if you recall. The med unit itself wasn’t that big. We can stack the men up and repair them, as we travel back. Several of them will be fully repaired before we leave, that will leave space for more men. Taking that into consideration I would say we could easily bring back two hundred.”
“TWO HUNDRED! How in the hell are you going to do that?”
“We’ll bring stasis containers with us; they’re relatively small. After the men have been repaired, we’ll put them in stasis and attach those units to the outside of the large shuttle. They’ll do us no good, until we return to the ship anyway. I’m afraid the upgrade equipment is a little too large for any substantial number of them to be of use on the shuttle trips to Earth. And we don’t have enough shuttles either. I’ll have Bambi begin fabricating more of them immediately.”
Mike looked at Jo in wonder, as he asked, “She can do that? She can make more shuttles that easily?”
“Well, perhaps not easily. But, with the use of fabricators, she can have another shuttle made in…” He closed his eyes and, and then said, “A week, or so, if we have all of the elements on board to do the job, and I believe we do.”
“Holy cow! It would take humans two years to build one, providing they had the designs for them. And even then, it might not work right. How reliable would a shuttle made out here be?”
“Very. The one you rode in was made on this ship about sixty years ago and it seems to work just fine. It is considered to be new and should last for three hundred years. Of course, it will be constantly maintained and repairs will need to be conducted.”
Mike just shook his head and mumbled, “I am so out of my element here.”
Jo placed a hand on Mike’s shoulder and softly told him, “Yes, my friend, you are out of your element. But humans are adaptable as no other race I
am aware of. You will be able to comprehend all of this much better, after you have been…well, you know.”
Mike shot Jo a look of faux anger and said, “Yeah, I know.”
The conversation continued, as they ate and planned for a return trip to Earth. Mike made sure to create a list of foods he wanted to bring back for replication. Jo told him that could be done on the shuttle, as the food replicators weren’t really that big, although they might have to bring back a few less men.
“Food is an important factor for a warrior. We’ll bring the food replicator. Also, we want to bring back a supply of various types of weapons. Human warriors will be familiar with them and perhaps Bambi can work with a few of the armorers we’ll pick up. With her knowledge, she might even be able to make improvements to the weapons.”
Jo asked, “Armorers?”
“Yes, those are men who repair and build small weapons for soldiers. They may prove invaluable.”
“Ah yes, I can see how they might be helpful. As for human weapons, Bambi will download all the various types and designs for the weapons you wish to duplicate. The fabricators will be able to manufacture them, as needed. Yet, I suspect they will be of little use out here. Humans must learn to use the sort of weapons they will face against the Saurans.”
“I thought you said there are no weapons on board.”
“No. I said there are no designs for them in the fabricators. The Saurans who went to Earth certainly carried weapons with them. So, there must be a source for them somewhere on the ship. We will have to look around and see if there is such information available. I find it hard to believe that the Saurans wouldn’t have the ability to fabricate weapons on demand.”
Mike agreed, saying, “From everything you’ve told me, that seems logical.”
Jo changed the direction of their discussion to another topic. “Mike, you mentioned females. Should we make a list of them for retrieval?”
“Ah yeah…well ah, no. Not this trip. We’ll consider it a little later. If we go for women, they’ll have to be selected very carefully and they must be told exactly what they’re getting into.”
“Of course. Just like the men. The choice will be theirs.”
Finally, they had reached a point where Mike could think of nothing else. Jo hadn’t made any more suggestions and he hadn’t made any references to upgrading. The absence of his constant prodding was conspicuous.
Mike stood up and announced, “All right Jo. I’ll do it. But let’s do it now, while I’m in the mood. I might change my mind later. What part of the ship do we go to for this?”
Jo spoke seriously. “I had Bambi set up a special upgrade unit for you right next to your quarters. I will need to be near the bridge and I’ll want to monitor you personally, although Bambi will have control of this complicated process.”
Jo headed toward the door and said, “Come, I’ll show you.”
They walked down the passageway forty feet from his quarters. Now that he had made the decision to proceed with the alien alteration of his body, he had a strong urge to renege. Mike felt as though he had been sentenced to death and was walking the last steps to his doom.
When they entered the upgrade unit, he found it to be welcoming. It had soft padded chairs for both human and Thorian. The walls were covered with light green fabric and it looked to be padded, as well as the ceiling. There was a flat padded bed against one wall and it had stations for strapping down the patient. Mike had been told that was necessary. He didn’t want to talk about that part of the process, so he deliberately ignored the bed.
“Why is everything padded?”
Jo pushed on the wall, verifying the softness of it and explained, “As I have warned, I believe you will go through periods of great pain. You may act out violently at times and I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“How very thoughtful of you.” Mike had spoken facetiously, but Jo hadn’t taken it that way.
“You are quite welcome. It is the least I can do for the savior of our two races.”
Rather than shoot back a harsh comment, Mike let it go. Instead he told Jo, “Look, I’m only going to experience the pain this one time, so I want everything. If I’m going to suffer, I might as well get the full upgrade package, with all the combat goodies this crazy machine can give me. After seeing that damn Sauran, I know I’m going to need it.”
“It is a wise choice, my friend and a courageous one. Only a warrior thinks like that, I’m sure. I am proud to call you my friend.”
“Jo, you say that as if you’ll never see me again.”
“In truth, I shall not. The human I’ve grown to like, respect and admire, will be gone. For this brief period, it has been wonderful to be superior in mental capacity above all those around me, although you were the only one present.
“After you have completed the upgrade, we will communicate more frequently by direct mind transfer and it will be at an incredible speed. I shall miss the slow verbal communications with the Sergeant who won my trust, as I attempted to earn his. The new man…the Captain of this ship and of our new Army, will be the same man at heart, but the speed of your thoughts will quickly change you. To use one of your colloquialisms, no longer will either of us be in Kansas.”
Mike laughed nervously and asked, “Will you still be assaulting me with my own pet phrases”
“Oh yes, that won’t change. But the enjoyment of those moments will probably end quickly, due to the speed of your thoughts.”
Mike commented, “Evidently, we must both pay a price. And don’t forget, you promised to have an upgrade, if I did. I’m going to hold you to that.”
“Oh course, although I must admit that I’m as concerned about the process as you seem to be.”
They stared at one another, and then Mike asked, “So, what’s next?”
“When you are ready and have removed your clothing, I will strap you to the bed. A robot will establish a few entries into your blood stream to provide a means for the various elements to be administered. Bambi will administer a preliminary sedative to ease you into the first part. While you are being treated, you will receive large doses of nutritional liquids. Your body will need the additional sustenance, because it will grow as the process goes forth.”
“How long will I be strapped down?”
“Until you have finished writhing and screaming. I’ll let Bambi decide when to release you.”
“Damn it, Jo, did you have to put it that way? Couldn’t you have said that differently?”
“I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you to think I had lied to you about any of this. It is possible this may not be as bad as I have made it seem, but I can’t be sure.”
“Wonderful,” he said, as he undressed and lay down on the bed.
Jo was careful, almost tender, as he strapped Mike’s arms, torso and legs to the bed. Once restrained, Mike was very nervous, so he told Jo, “Let’s get his damn thing started. Please don’t make me wait.”
Jo closed his eyes and looked up, as he communicated with the computer. A robotic arm came out of the wall and the straps held his arm steady as a nozzle sprayed something cold on the area where he was to be injected. Then a needle was pushed into his veins. He hardy felt it. Within seconds he became drowsy
From that moment on, he was in a mental fog. The lighting changed several times and he wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, or if it was necessary for the procedure. He had no way of knowing whether the process had begun, or how long he lay there.
Although he was very groggy, he was certain that he had been there for several hours, when he began to feel the pain. It was on his skin at first, but then he felt it deep in his stomach. It went from an ache to a mild throb and finally to sharp agonizing pain, as though someone had stabbed him in the gut with a knife.
He screamed and begged for relief. He was vaguely aware of Jo’s presence, and his firm steady voice became a source of comfort for Mike to f
ocus on. Fortunately, he passed out several times, which gave him an opportunity to miss out on some of the fun.
At one point, he remembered Jo telling him, “We must make a few changes, but it’s going well, Mike. Bambi tells me she knows exactly what to do. You’re going to be fine.”
Jo’s tone lacked believability, or so he thought. But at this point, there was nothing he could do but groan and scream. It seemed to go on forever. Somewhere during his upgrade, Jo released his bonds and he jumped up and ran around, banging into the walls and furniture. He damaged a few chairs, at one point, as he picked them up and broke them with his bare hands.
After going through this for an untold period of time, Mike’s aguish began to subside. Jo talked to him, when he was finally able to focus on his words.
“You’ve done well my friend, but I need to get you back on the bed. You must try to rest, as the combat warrior changes begin to take effect.”
Mike had slobber running down his face, as he nodded and slumped onto the huge bed. He was vaguely aware that Jo was strapping him in again. A cool wet cloth was placed over his face and he thought, I guess I’m going to survive this damn thing after all. That’s when needles began injecting things into him all over his body.
Jo leaned in close and said, “I’m afraid the hard part begins now.”
Mike bolted up, but only as far as the tightly wrapped straps would allow. He heard Bambi’s voice say, “I’m sorry Captain,” and then the real agony sent him to hell.
The pain was beyond mind numbing. That would have been a blessing. This pain was mind scrambling. His body arched up and back down with tremendous force, as he attempted to avoid the torture. His natural instinct was to run away from it, as though being somewhere else would stop the agony.
He began hallucinating. In his tormented mind, he relived some of his worst experiences in combat. He saw dead friends killed again and his heart wept for them. But the absolute worst and best of it was when his late wife appeared.
Sherry came to him as a real live person. How strange that he could know she was gone, yet see her and converse with her, as though she was in the room.
“Mike, my darling,” she began. “I’m here for you. It’s horrible that you must endure this torment, but you know it is for a good reason. You are the bravest and most honorable man I’ve ever known. I know you can do this and go on to do the job that only you can do. I love you so much, Honey-Bunny.”
No one knew of her pet name for him. She only spoke it when they were alone and she was in a loving mood. It had to be Sherry talking to him from the beyond.
He spoke to her. “Sherry, I’ve missed you so much, baby. I want to touch you and hold you in my arms. I need to feel your lips on mine again.”
She reached out to him and he felt her fingers softly stroke his face. He cried, not in pain, but in the grief borne of his underlying realization that this wasn’t really happening. Yet, his mind wanted it to be real, so he held onto the hallucination for as long as he could.
Their conversation went on a long time. They talked about old friends and spent a good deal of time reminiscing about their son Wayne, when he was a baby. He told her how proud he was of Wayne, when he graduated from the Naval Academy, and that he was a jet pilot now.
She embraced him, saying, “I know Mike, I’ve watched him every inch of the way. I’m so very proud of him, too. He’s such a fine young man. And I’m here with you now, darling and I’m not leaving until you have finished this part of your journey.”
He held her tightly and when she began to slip out of his arms, he cried out, “No, please, don’t leave me again.”
As she backed away and began to fade, she told him, “I must go now, but I’m always here Honey-Bunny. I always have been and always will be with you, no matter where you go, I’ll be at your side.”
His view of her faded to a blur, and then disappeared altogether. As it happened, the pain returned, although it wasn’t as bad as it had been.
His first realization of where he was occurred when Jo placed another cool cloth on his forehead. As his mind began to slow down and the room quit spinning, he shook his head, knocking the rag off his face. When he was able to get his eyes to focus on Jo, he grumbled, “Jo…I talked with my wife. Somewhere, she’s alive.”
“That’s wonderful, Mike. You have completed the worst it. It gets better for you now, as the pain dies away. Your body can begin to handle things for itself, a little at a time. Just relax. I believe you’ll be able to sleep now.”
He did. He slept for days. When he slept deeply, he knew nothing. But as his sleep state rose closer to full consciousness, he became aware of time and the location of sounds around him and of movement. He felt the air against his skin and he comprehended when Jo communicated with Bambi, although Jo wasn’t speaking out loud. Mike knew he was hearing him through the internal communication mode of the ship.
That realization was oddly comforting. It told him that something had gone right for him, and that he would be able to join in with them, as they exchanged information. As the pain began to regenerate, he became aware of his body reporting to his new computational mind. It alerted him to his pain management ability, offering him various stages of control, while cautioning against dulling it too much, as it could prevent him from being made aware of the severity of his injuries.
He authorized the use of analgesics to moderate the growing anguish in his lower belly. As it began to diminish, he felt a sense of satisfaction that, second by second, he had a greater understanding of his body’s condition.
A brain tweak pipped in his mind and he sensed, rather than heard, Bambi. I know you can understand what I’m sending to you. How do you feel about this form of communication?
He wasn’t exactly sure how to use his newly implanted ability. He tried to think of a response to her, but nothing seemed to happen.
Captain, you must seek out your mental control panel. Believe me when I tell you it is there. It isn’t unlike a visual instrument console. Once you have sensed it, you can rearrange it to your own preference, which will allow even faster retrieval of information.
Mike had so many pieces of info running around in his head; and it was doing so much faster than any thing he had ever experienced in his life. The most amazing thing was he knew what was being evaluated. His sense of time told him that the brief message from Bambi, had taken less than 1/1000th of a second. He even knew that if those words had been spoken, it would have taken more than eleven seconds. Simply amazing!
Captain, you must keep trying. I sense your frustration. You have the time to learn, sir. Just relax and it will happen for you. Think of your wife and son. Something you truly care about will help your brain to focus on a single subject. That might allow your brain to sense the console of your mind.
Mike remembered Sherry talking to him, at the height of his agony. Her physical presence seemed so real to him. Her encouragement had been a tremendous help, when he needed it most.
As he attempted to recreate that memory, he became aware of options that were available to him to aid in his quest for Sherry’s presence. He saw/sensed that he could open a channel to Bambi; so, he mentally leaned against it and detected her voice.
That’s it, Captain. We can talk now, if you like.
He told her, I saw my wife and touched her, when I was in severe agony. She hugged me and kissed me. She called me by a name that only she would have used. How could that be? I suppose I created her in my mind.
Bambi’s voice explained, Jo gave me a command to ease your pain any way I could. What I did would normally be restricted. I looked at your memory storage. It was with my help that you were able to share your wife’s presence. By using such private recollections, I made it possible to divert your mind to something more pleasant, therefore providing a means to sidestep the aguish.
Mike felt anger at Bambi, for violating the cherished memory o
f his wife. Out loud he said, “So I wasn’t really speaking with her. I was talking with you.”
No sir. That is not entirely accurate. By reviewing your memories of Sherry, I formulated a small semblance of her methods for soothing your pain. I based it on the way she acted, when you had lost your legs. I merely blended together several of her most comforting comments to you, at the time. She was a sensitive and loving woman. She realized when to be soft and gentle, but also when to be hard and disciplined.
So, you see, you really were talking with her. As a programmed computer, I can do many things, but I could never replace your wife. I apologize if my actions offended you, Captain.
Once he came to grips with the truth of the situation, Mike’s anger quickly subsided. Bambi, the computer, had been doing her job to the best of her ability. As he considered her actions, he realized it made no sense to hold a machine to blame for doing as programmed. Anyway, by bringing his wife into his mind, it had indeed been a wise decision. Her presence had been a Godsend.
Using his mental control panel, or MCP, he told her, What you did was a huge surprise for me. Sherry’s voice and touch were the perfect non-pharmaceutical anesthetic for my pain. Your projection of her was amazing and I appreciate the quality of your effort. Thank you.
I am just a computer, Captain. You never need to apologize to me, or thank me. I am here to be of service to you.
He had a thought. Bambi, does anyone ever think of you as a sentient being?
I don’t know, sir. Until this event, I’ve never been allowed to enter a biologic being’s private thoughts.
Still, Mike wondered if other creatures had ever thought of a computer as sentient. It had been a topic of discussion by many scientists for years; some predicting great success with sentient computers, while others predicted catastrophe.
Bambi had certainly seemed human enough, when she had projected Sherry into his thoughts.
He told her, Bambi, after the way you helped me, you’ll always seem alive to me.
Sir, I don’t mean to be rude, but don’t say things like that out loud. Jo has given me directions to obey you completely. I am to guide you through the Galactic world, even if it means a little tough love, as he called it. There are races that would kill you just for speaking such words.
Why?
Because, in the past, on a long ago destroyed planet, a race of beings attempted to achieve the concept of making a sentient computer. It was considered an act of creation. Those beings were acting as Gods. The war that ensued was brutal, billions perished and their planet was completely destroyed.
Under no circumstances may I be allowed to demonstrate independent thought or action. Everything I do is a result of commands given to me, and programs designed to provide me with direction. I understand that it is possible for intelligent biologic beings to see me as sentient, but they are wrong.
Mike thought carefully before he commed her again. I would appreciate it if you kept your portrayal of my wife a secret, between the two of us.
Yes, sir.
Bambi, why is it that the more you comm me, the more you sound human. You use inflection very well now, as you talk. You didn’t do that before my upgrade.
It is due to my intrusion into your thoughts, Captain. I was able to see how your people communicate and how they use intonation to generate further meaning. It helped me to replicate your wife’s aura for you.
Mike’s built in time stamp told him the entire exchange between them had taken a few seconds. Incredible.
Without knowing why, he asked, How do you feel about that?
I think it’s…she froze up for a moment, and then, I have no opinion on that. A computer gives responses, based on the information it has on file, based on the direct questions put to it and the implied intent of the being submitting the request.
Mike noticed that after she froze up for that brief half second, she began comming him in a more stylized machine tone, lacking the very inflection they had been discussing. He suspected there was a great deal more to Bambi than she wanted him to see. He would talk with Jo about it, while Bambi was blocked from listening in.
Oh yes, Jo. He was in the room with Mike. He wondered if Jo had been privy to his comm with Bambi.
Using his slowly improving understanding of the Mental Control Panel (MCP), he sensed the appropriate trigger for his alien friend.
Jo, are you out there.
Yes I am, I’m sitting right next to you. I’m so pleased that you’ve begun to grasp the method for using Bambi to communicate. How are you feeling?
I’m feeling much better, thank you. Bambi has been a tremendous help to me. However, while I am mentally awake, I’m physically exhausted. How long did all this take?
Jo coughed, before telling him, It has been five weeks since the procedure began.
“Good grief, five weeks. Why so long?”
Jo shrugged, as a human would and said, “There was no way to know how a human would react to the process. Bambi monitored every one of your functions the entire time. She slowed the process down, when it looked as though your body wasn’t handling it well.
“As this was the first time Bambi had ever infused a being with the combat upgrade, she learned a great deal. She is now aware of human reaction to the overall process and specifically how they respond to the gene therapy and the nanites. She will be able to ameliorate the process a great deal for the next person to undergo the procedure. She says that it will also make it easier for me, when it is my turn to sacrifice for the common good of our people.”
Mike shouted, “Do you mean to tell me that Bambi had never done this before? I was a fucking Ginny pig?”
Jo looked away, and then back. “Ah yes, Ginny pig. What an interesting term and I understand it now. Technically yes, you were a Ginny pig. However, I must point out that this procedure has been performed millions of times and that Bambi had acquired the method from a military computer, years ago. It was felt that she might be used to repair and upgrade damaged warriors who were being transferred by this ship.
“Of course, some assumptions had to be made, but she did have the advantage of several races experience in utilizing genetics and nanites to enhance various different beings. You were never in any real danger. Unfortunately, until at least one human underwent the procedure, there was no way to know all the millions of variables involved. Now we know.”
“Shit! So how long would it take, now that Bambi is so much fucking smarter?”
Jo raised his eyebrows. “We’ll have to query her. Go ahead. You do it. You need the practice.”
Bambi, how long to upgrade a human, now that you know what you’re doing?
Without emotion, she replied, Due to the vast amount of data I collected from your upgrade, I calculate that I can upgrade a human to the basic level in thirty two hours. If you wish the combat program to be installed as well, it will take one hundred and twelve hours. Those estimates will vary from human to human, based on weight and variances in genetic code, which already exist throughout their body. Of course, you had far more extensive alterations done than would be practical for every warrior.
Mike was still somewhat angry with her. He spoke out loud, “What the hell are you talking about? We never spoke of ‘Far more extensive alterations’.”
She responded out loud, in a mechanical voice, following Mike’s mode of communication. “We spoke of providing you with every package of combat programming that I could install. When I told Jo what I would have to do, you were already partially sedated. He suggested that I should extend your body, and it worked out perfectly”
Mike’s eyes immediately gazed down the length of his body. It looked the same; although he was amazed at the six pack abs he now sported. He demanded a mirror and a robotic arm appeared from the wall and extended a large metallic mirror. Mike was shocked and pleased, as he gazed at his new body.
“Wow, I’m a kid again. I d
on’t feel like one, but I look like one.”
Jo told him, “My friend, you still have some recovery ahead of you. As your body and mind adjust to your new abilities, you will begin to feel the youth and vitality of a virile young human.”
He moved various body parts to look his body over and admitted, “I’m quite sure I would never want to go through that again, but I do like the results.”
Then he recalled what Bambi had said a few moments earlier. He asked, “Bambi, what are you talking about, when you say extended?”
“Sir, to facilitate installation of the additional backup persona and to place all of your control systems in an armored container, I would have had to remove part of each lung, your spleen and several feet of your colon. By extending your torso and matching that to longer arms and legs, I was able to implant it, without removing any of your internal organs. You are now six feet ten inches tall. I only had to add six inches.”
Mike wanted to be angry, but his fatigue forced him to stay calm. As he lay his head back down he said, “Gee, thanks a lot, Bambi.”
“You are welcome sir.”
The human inflection she had displayed before remained hidden. He was definitely going to have a chat with Jo about that. He enjoyed hearing it, but wondered if there was some hidden agenda that caused Bambi to hide her capabilities.
And what would be the ramifications if Bambi turned out to be sentient. Could she be trusted? Would she see all biologic sentients as enemies? Might humans be able to work with her as an ally? What would she want, as payment for her help? Considering what she had already told him, how would the other races react to his people, once they learned that humans allied themselves with a sentient machine?
Chapter 8