Chapter 72 The Long Voyage
01
'A word with you,' said Min quietly out of the dimness of the awning deck as I made my nightly inspection.
'Of course,' I said, making my way around the scattered deck chairs – pulling one closer, I settled across from her where she sat, sprawled out, legs hanging over the arm rests of the lounger. 'What can I do for you?'
'You say you want to follow me. What exactly do you see yourself doing?'
'Well,' I began, settling down. 'Can I simply follow orders?'
'Hardly. You've a history of not simply following orders.'
'Perhaps,' I laughed.
'And you've expressed skepticism about this whole venture.'
'Well, it's true – I don't trust Hawker Vinden. And I'm leery of whatever he has in mind. But I think I can trust you not to play the fool.'
'Really?'
I shrugged. 'We've both seen a lot more of the Neb. I think we understand each other well enough to work well together.'
'I never agreed to share this affair with you. And I hope you'll agree that I'm far from helpless – I don't need or want your help, nor your pity. I think we can put all that talk from years ago aside. You've nothing to prove. You owe me nothing.'
'Ah,' I muttered, carefully gathering my thoughts. 'True. And I realize you don't need me along. But I have been involved from the start. I've paid a steep price for that night. I'm not complaining, mind you, but well, I've paid my dues, so to speak. And well, when I make a promise, I need to keep it or live regretting that I didn't. I'd like to keep my promise. But with some provisos.'
'Provisos? Such as?'
'Well, we both witnessed the destruction of D'Lay's jump fighter wing, and I, the destruction of Nun's ship in the reef. Both were futile gestures and I suspect, predictably so. They arose from following an oath or sense of duty regardless of the consequences. I felt, and still feel, they were foolish, indeed, stupid to do what they did, and I'm not prepared to follow their example. I hope you're not either.'
She shrugged, 'I've no desire to die. But as you said, promises need to be kept.'
'Of course. But you wanted answers, not revenge. Vinden can give you the answers.'
'And if I want more. If I want, say, justice?'
'If you can achieve it, yes. And if the prospect looks promising, or at least reasonable, I hope you'll keep me by your side. But if you let Vinden, or a blind promise, or revenge lead you into some hopeless gesture, you’ll go without me.'
'No longer the romantic?'
'Not for war, or hopeless causes.'
'And how are you going to judge that?'
'How are we going to judge that? I'm not going to trust Vinden. He's spent too much of his life on this quest to be trusted to make a rational decision. So I'm hoping you'll make him tell you what's involved before you commit to anything. I've never considered you a fool, Min, and after years of trading in the drifts, I suspect you've an eye for judging the prospects and the dangers in any venture. I'm prepared to trust you to make those calls, as long as I feel you're using your judgment, not Vinden's.'
'You mean that I'm to take a rational approach to the murder of my parents? And the several attempts to kill me as well?'
'Aye,' I said. 'I believe that's the standard. I suspect we've both faced death often enough to be able to do that.'
'But if I can't. If it means more to me than just my life, or the lives of my parents. If there's something bigger, more important. Something purer, like right and wrong, and the outcome is far from assured. Then I'm on my own, as far as you're concerned?'
'Well, the criteria I'll use is the chance of success,' I admitted, after a pause. 'A hopeless crusade will right no wrongs. It'll just get people killed.' There was no going back for me. That was the compromise I'd made with myself. I'd grown ruthless enough, and far enough apart from Min, to let her go off and make her gesture, if she cared to do so.
She laughed. 'You've become a hard man, Captain Litang.'
'I've always been a cautious man, Min, and still am. But yes, I've become a bit more ruthless as well. Fighting battles, you can't win is simply stupid.'
'How we will know when a battle can't be won until we fight it? I've no intention of making a hopeless gesture, but we won't know what we can do until we're facing it, will we?
'Yes, I suppose. And I guess we're on the same chart, more or less. But do you know what you want? Do you really want to be a ruler of some drift world or whatever?'
She shrugged. 'I don't know. I do know that I don't want to spend my life aboard a spaceship. I've had my fill of ships and space. I don't know where my ancestors lived, or what they ruled, but I don't think I'll miss this life.'
'I can't argue with that. I'm ready to give it up myself. This is my last voyage as a spaceer, no matter how things turn out at the far end of it. And since I've mentioned it, I hope you'll give command to Molaye. She's ready and has earned it.'
'This is not the time to discuss it, but I see no reason why not. I don't know what I'll do with my ships. It all depends on what lies ahead. I may well have no use for them, once the rockets go up on this expedition. We'll have time to consider that later.'
'Right. Just thought I'd mention it. I believe we're on the same chart – see what Vinden has to say and launch from there.'
'I will, But will you?"
'I've been very cooperative. I haven't raised one objection to anything you've proposed.'
'You let Myes and Nadde leave the ship contrary to my orders.'
'Guild regulations. I didn't have a solid sailing time to keep them,' I replied easily. She hadn't been especially angry at the time and was now just teasing. I think.
'Still, it makes it hard to completely trust you,' she said quietly.
'I don't suppose you can, completely,' I replied. 'I'm not a robot like Botts who'll follow your orders unquestioningly. But you can trust me to always do what I think is best for you. Myes and Nadde had told me they were taking a voyage off before you turned up. Between Guild regulations and my honor, I didn't have a choice.'
'So you say, Captain. So you say.'
02
Min took the Ghost down to meet Vinden soon after our arrival in Ravin orbit. Before she left, she informed the crew that it would be strictly volunteers from here on. Anyone who didn't care to sail to ports unknown with the possibility of hostile action could sign off with a generous bonus and a boxed passage to the planet or drift station of their choice. No one took her up on her offer. The young drifteers were all for an adventure and the old crew, Vinden's employees for decades, were loyal and trusting, and they found his darting of their poor captain more humorous than their poor captain did. Molaye had hopes for the ship, and I, well, I had my promise.
Min called up three watches later saying that we should prepare to take on cargo. Two large 48x 12 meter containers, two 24x8 meter containers –no doubt the ships I'd seen in the warehouse on my last visit – and twelve standard containers. She and Vinden would be up directly.
The old gang met them on the landing stage and they made a very cheerful welcoming party. The new crew who'd never known him, save rescuing me from him, watched with guarded curiosity. I acted cordially, treating the dart and kidnapping as a joke and Vinden was his jovial former self, even to me. Though I can't say the joviality extended to his dark eyes when they met mine. We had a feast in honor of his resurrection. All very jolly, and afterward he rose and addressed the crew.
'Shipmates,' he began. 'It is good to be with my old friends again. It's been a long and lonely exile. I know you want answers to many questions. And I wish I could answer all of them tonight. But I can't.
'You see, you're about to sail for the deepest secret in the Nine Star Nebula. In the desperate struggle we fought against our foes over the decades, we all shared one common commitment – to keep the secret of our heritage. I will share that secret with you and trust that you'll keep it just as surely, but not before I must. I c
an, however, give you an overview of what we're about to do and why.
'Our story is a simple one. Tallith's Grandmother and Grandfather – my parents – ruled a hereditary matriarchal empire hidden in the drifts known as Cimmadar. They were deposed and murdered by a faction led by my mother's older sister, Aunt Ossa. She claimed the Cloud Throne by right of being the eldest daughter, though her mother had exiled her and issued a decree barring her from succession to the throne. Still, as the eldest daughter, exiled or not, she was able to win over certain powerful factions who supported her ruthless coup. Since this was an inner-family struggle, and legally murky at that, the military and civilian population largely stayed clear of it. Ossa eliminated nearly all opposition but failed to kill my sister, Onala, who was, with the death of our mother, the lawful empress of Cimmadar. With the help of loyal servants and naval personnel, Onala and I managed to escape and then lead a fight to restore the lawful line of succession to the Cloud Throne – some of you have heard stories of that struggle and what we had to face in the decades that followed. In the end, we failed and had to run and hide when we could fight no more.
'Looking back it is clear that our attempts were either too hurried, too weak, or too ill prepared to succeed against my powerful and ruthless Aunt Ossa. Now, after decades of preparation, I'm finally fully prepared to take her on. While it is true that many years have passed, Ossa, was never loved by the people of Cimmadar so I don't expect any popular support. And the same logic that kept the military forces from intervening in the original palace revolution should allow us to stage a second palace revolution without the bulk of the military opposing us. But even if that proves to be too optimistic, the vessels I'm bringing on board will be invincible in Cimmadar and, together with my loyal followers, who still await the return of the true Empress, we shall restore the Cloud Throne to its proper line of succession, with my sister's daughter, Tallith Min,' he paused and looked around.
'It is important for the safety and success of Tallith's cause that she be treated as Onala and Martindale's only daughter. With Olaeytha off on a 300-year long Survey mission, with no guarantee of ever returning, she can be, for our purposes, considered dead. I know all of you appreciate Tallith's courage and honor and I don't think Cimmadar could find a better Empress than Tallith Min. So I ask that you give her all of your support, including treating her in every respect as the rightful Empress. Can we count on you?'
They could, of course, and we said so.
'Right. Your task in this affair, my old shipmates, is very simple. Once we reach our ultimate destination, we'll transfer the warships, scout boats and supplies to a secret base. This will take some time. However, this base is far from Cimmadar and any danger of intervention, so it should pose no great danger. Once this is accomplished, your role is finished. Tallith and I, Vynnia, Tenry and possibly Litang will stay on, while the rest of you return to your regular trade.
'The voyage, however, will be a long one. Forgive me, but I can't say just how long. However, I believe that your captain,' he nodded to Min, 'will find that most, if not all of you can spend the greater part of the voyage in sleeper-pods, so you'll not find it too tedious.
'And with that, I believe I've said all I can at this point. I'll have more to say once we sail. Over the next few days we'll take on my followers, my warships, and supplies – they're already on the move to a spaceport where heavy lift lighters will bring them up – and as soon as they are loaded, we'll sail for Cimmadar.
'I have, however, one warning. The secret of Cimmadar must be kept, no matter how things turn out. We kept the secret during the long, bitter years of struggle. Nothing less is expected of you. Win or fail, if you talk of what you're about to discover, you'll be hunted in the Neb. I assure you, any hint of Cimmadar will trigger alarms anywhere in the Neb and lead the killers to you. I hope, however, that we can trust you. And we may, perhaps, employ this ship as one of our traders since Cimmadar maintains a clandestine trade with the rest of the Nebula. In any event, if you don't think you can keep this secret, sober or drunk, you should sign off now. I have followers of my own who will be joining us shortly, so I can replace any or all of you, so you needn't feel obliged to stay.'
'Any questions?' he concluded, looking around the table with the hard look of a no nonsense ship-owner. 'Ones I can answer.'
I'd many, but I was certain they'd not be ones he'd answer. I'd ask Min.
That seemed to be the general opinion as well, since no one asked any.
Vinden stayed aboard ship, in the owner's suite, while we loaded the four strange looking vessels along with the rest of the boxes. In addition to the cargo, Vinden's eight followers came up – a tough looking bunch that included Glen Colin. Several looked familiar. No doubt I'd met them when I last visited the zep factory. They brought their own sleeper-pods and Vinden had them put in stasis and locked away in the suspended animation strong room, so we didn't have to accommodate them in the crew quarters.
We sailed eight days after we arrived, with the Rift Raven again in company. Once under way, the off duty crew spent a lot of time in no. 4 hold digging out various relics of the Four Shipmate's past under Vinden and Min's supervision – much to the displeasure of the feline residents. With no clear duties, I spent a lot of time helping with that project. One of the curious relics we unearthed was that strange flier and set about refurbishing it.
'How does this neb-blasted thing work?' asked Riv as we secured it to the deck and took a step back to study it. 'Is it some sort of submarine? It's certainly not an airship.'
'Oh, it's an airship alright,' said Vinden. He paused. 'Imagine a hollow world, with very little gravity. For the most part you'd be flying under weightless conditions, so there's no need for much in the way of lift – only for takeoffs from the surface. There are two more short wing sections up there somewhere that would provide the necessary lift.'
'Ah, said Riv, studying the machine. 'What's with the enclosed propellers?'
'Under nearly weightless conditions, vegetation tends to float about. The shields keep the propellers clear,' said Vinden. 'But enough talk. Let's get this refurbished. After carrying Onala to safety a century ago, it's returning home to bring her daughter back to claim her heritage in style. I want it looking like new – though you can keep those dents as a reminder of why we've come back.'
If Min knew more of what was going on than we did, she didn't share it with me. I wasn't happy, but I let it coast.
03
Ten days after leaving Ravin orbit, Min ordered the engines shut down, made the Rift Raven a drone again, and its crew, Vynnia, Tenry and Dici joined us. She then called all of us to the awning deck. Vinden once again took the floor.
'You may wonder why I was so insistent to use the Lost Star for this voyage,' he began, looking at me. 'The reason is simple. The Lost Star knows its way home. While I could find my own way home, it would take years longer. You see, the Lost Star has a hidden pilot bot – an ancient machine dating from the years before the robot revolution that was designed to manage an entire ship. We'll send our three drones and the Rift Raven ahead to scout for the pilot bot, allowing it to drive the ship at a far greater velocity than any human pilot would dare drive her. Once I give it orders, we'll be in its care as it unfailingly carries us to Cimmadar, handling all the functions of the ship without any need for a crew – allowing us to retire to our sleeper-pods, subjectively shortening the long voyage to mere weeks. Should anything happen requiring more assistance than our service bots can provide, it'll wake up the appropriate crew members. In the old days, we made a number of voyages under its care, sleeping all the way, so I assure you, you needn't worry. I'm going to take to my sleeper-pod just as soon as the pilot bot is up and running. I'm far too impatient to spend a long, tedious voyage awake. I will leave the staffing decisions to Tallith, but I assure you, there'll be nothing to do.
'Any questions?'
I was on the brink, fearful that someone would mention Botts... As
for Botts itself, well I'd been glancing at Botts II, standing off to one side in the bistro, during Vinden's announcement. Not that it could tell me anything, though it did give me a subtle brightening of its eyes, which meant either amusement or alarm. We were going to have to have an urgent talk before the pilot bot came online.
No one said anything about Botts, though several glanced my way and I shook my head. Still, being familiar with Botts' abilities, we took Vinden's announcement without any show of amazement or concern, which, I think, unnerved Vinden a bit. He looked around warily.
Riv spoke up and asked a few questions, concerning manning the engine room and general maintenance, which Vinden assured him would be no problem, but that staffing would be up to Min, as captain, she could decide when the ship was ready to operate solo, but, he assured us, at some point it would be clear that the ship could be left to its own devices. There were no other questions.
Vinden looked around, still uneasy by the casual acceptance of his announcement. At last he shrugged. 'Well, if there are no more questions, I'll get the pilot bot activated. It's hidden amongst the fuel tanks to keep it safe from Patrol inspectors,' he said, with a smile in Tenry's direction.
'Ah, so that's what that thingy was. Never could quite make out what its purpose was,' Tenry replied with a lazy grin.
'You never found it, Ten,' Vinden shot back.
'Maybe. I'll have to review the reports of my crews,' he replied. 'Heads will roll if it was not brought to my attention or missed.'
'Yours would've, if your superiors had ever discovered you'd missed it,' replied Vinden. 'But they didn't. And we'll all keep this a secret now, won't we?' The last was more of a warning than a question.
We nodded our agreement.
'Right. Then I'll suit up and we can get the real voyage underway.'
Min stepped over to me after Vinden had departed for the spacesuit locker.
'Are you comfortable with this program?'
'Have I a choice?' I replied, just to feint some expected unease with the plan. 'However, if you recall, there were long, inexplicable gaps in the logs we recovered. Each more than two years long. Vinden's announcement explains those gaps. Apparently the pilot bot takes complete control of the ship, including the automatic logs. So I guess if they did it before, we can do it again.'
She gave me a look. She was also expecting more of a resistance to the arrangement.
'What?' I asked.
She just shook her head.
'I'm eager to discover all the secrets. If I can sleep a year or two and get there that much faster, I'll not kick.'
'You're far too complacent, Captain.'
'Be careful what you wish for.'
'Good point. Forget I said it.'
I gave Botts II a look as she turned away, and I went down to my office. I'd not been turned out of the captain's quarters yet. It followed a minute later.
'What's a pilot bot and where do we stand?' I asked as it slid the door-panel closed behind it.
'I've been clearing any trace of my activity from the ship's systems,' said the real Botts, communicating through its avatar version.
'That doesn't sound good.'
'A precaution. If Vinden is using the proper description and it is a true pilot bot, it's a very specialized bot. A subset of the class of robots I am a member of.'
'You're a higher class robot,' I said rather than asked.
'I am a far more expensive one. A pilot bot could be a class 8, but likely a 7. It does not have a personality program. All business, no chatter. Still, because it is designed for a specialized purpose – to control the operations of a spaceship, it's a formidable machine no matter what class it is.'
'Can you subvert it, if needed?'
'Not likely. Assuming it is a real pilot bot, it was designed to prevent pirates or crews from hijacking the ship in transit, so it has powerful wards to protect its program. I doubt even a class 15 machine could corrupt it. I won't be able to touch it.'
'Damn. Are you going to be safe aboard with it in operation?'
'I'm going to have to remain in hiding amongst the fuel tanks where there are few sensors. As long as I keep my activity level low, I will be undetectable. Botts II will be pinged, as one of the ship's machines, but will give nothing away. However, since the pilot bot monitors radio transmissions within the ship, I will soon have to break radio contact with Botts II, and it will have to operate on its own when the pilot bot is active. However, I don't see any need to be alarmed. The pilot bot will see us safely to our ultimate destination. I think the crew can safely take to their sleeper-pods.'
'Does it monitor the crew like Explora Miner did?'
'Yes, but with less insight. It could detect an attack on itself and can use the service bots to defend itself, though in the old days it would've had far more sophisticated service bots to call on. Plus, being hidden and likely very hardened, physically disabling it would be a major undertaking. Still, I don't think we need to be too concerned. It will do its job, and probably best left to do it.'
'It would be nice to know where we're going, and how to get back,' I ventured.
It made a little movement it uses as a shrug. 'I'll see what I can do, but I won't be able to report until the pilot bot is taken offline.'
'Do what you can.'
We stood around in silence for a few moments, both of us processing the situation, though I knew Botts was doing so much faster and so much more effectively.
'This is a Neb-blasted affair,' I muttered.
'I wouldn't have missed it for the wealth of a Prime World,' it replied. 'I wouldn't be surprised if we learned something even the Directorate of Machines might not know.'
I gave it a wary eye. 'You're that familiar with the Directorate, are you?'
It just brightened its eyes a little, and said, 'Vinden is now in the inner hulls. I'm going to have to break contact, Captain. Good luck.'
04
I closed the lid on Molaye's sleeper-pod after the stasis field took effect, leaving only Min and myself awake.
The pilot bot had taken control of the Starry Shore and accelerated hard for 39 days, finishing up two days ago. Min had decided that we could follow Vinden's example and leave the navigation of the ship to the pilot bot. If the Four Shipmates had trusted it, so would we. We'd spent the 39 days going over, with a fine tooth comb, all the life support systems, refurbishing all the sleeper-pods, putting the moss garden to rest, gathering all our livestock, save the bachelor birds, and putting them in their own sleeper-pods. The hounds shared a pod, the cats another. I didn't bother to count how many cats showed up. Word must have gotten around because there were more than seven, though, having been captain for a decade, I must take my share of the blame for their numbers. Of course, not knowing the exact numbers, I'd no idea if we'd collected them all, but when they'd all curled up in the box, Ginger looked up at me and meowed in a rather commanding tone, which I took to be my orders, so I started the stasis field and sealed their box. We kept the automatic feeding and sanitary stations running for the cats as well as the bachelor birds. The bachelor birds seemed to regulate their own population, so I didn't worry about them.
When we'd covered all the contingencies we could think of, we started putting the crew to sleep in their pods, each pod connected to the ship so they could be awakened if their services were needed. Min, as captain, claimed the right to be the last to sleep and I, whatever I was, claimed the right to be the penultimate sleeper.
'Well, Captain, I believe you're next in line,' said Min as we stood in the passenger strong room looking over the racks of sleeper-pods. 'Are you in any hurry?'
'No, I'm not sleepy yet. I'd like to take one last look around, but you needn't wait for me.'
'I'm in no hurry myself,' she said glancing back as we stepped out into no. 4 hold. 'The ship is ours. Is there anything else you can think of to do?'
The line itself, was meaningless. We'd done everything. But for only the second time in m
y experience with Tallith Min, she let her eyes reveal her thoughts. And this time it was deliberate. And like the time when the late Naylea Cin slipped next to me with a glad smile, I knew in that instant what I needed to do – and it wasn't to put two darts in her like I did to Cin. Instead, I reached out, drew her close and kissed her. She kissed back, and for some time, before pushing off – just enough to look at me.
'Well done, Captain,' she laughed. 'You've changed. You must have changed more than just growing your vaguely sinister beard.'
'I may've, a little. Blame it on the drifts. But then, for perhaps the first time, you revealed your thoughts to me.'
'I did?'
'Aye, clear enough, it seems,' I said and drew her close for another kiss. 'Though the why of it, escapes me.'
'Does there have to be a why?'
'With you, there's always a why. So why?'
'Do you really need to know? Isn't this enough?'
'We're old shipmates. But we're not in love, so it might be nice to know why.'
'We're not in love?' she asked quietly, watching me closely.
I thought a moment and answered carefully. 'I care for you. A lot. I once felt a strong need to protect you. You resented that, and I don't blame you. Back then I was rather reluctant to name names, so I never called it love when I thought of you, as I often did... And now, well, I don't know...' I didn't. 'Make what you want of that.'
She shrugged. 'Does this seem wrong?'
'Not wrong. Inexplicable.'
'Hardly. Isn't this the first opportunity we've had to make love, at least since that night in the Ghost on the Yacht Club tarmac – without complications or consequences? We've the ship, indeed, our lives to ourselves in this moment.'
'Yes, I suppose. Though I'm not sure it'd be without consequences.'
She sighed. 'You're still your old cautious self, Captain. You've not changed much, after all. But there will be no consequences, for the simple reason that for the last eight years, I've shared quarters with Ryth aboard a small ship that offered few amusements and long passages. Old habits die hard,' she stopped and gave me a wicked grin.
'Ah, yes...'
'Perhaps if I'd loved Ryth less, or he'd loved me more, it would be him in my arms instead of you.'
'If you'd loved him less?'
'If I'd loved him less I might have let him come along and face the dilemma of either betraying me or the Patrol. And if he'd loved me more, he'd have resigned from the Patrol to accompany me. So, my dear captain, you've become the object of my carnal desire,' she added with a leer. 'Must be the beard.'
I pulled her close and kissed her again. 'An object of carnal desire...' I muttered. 'Flattery.'
'I believe you could have had me the night we were almost assassinated, if...'
'If?'
She shrugged. 'If you'd held me. But then, I suppose you've never been bold.'
'No, I don't suppose I have been.'
'You're holding me now.'
'Ah, yes. I guess I am,' I muttered, thinking, as ordered.
She leaned close to my ear and whispered, 'So what are you going to do now?' and leaned back with a slow smile. 'It's been a while.'
Well, yes, a while, a long while, for me, but I still remembered what to do. I ran my hand gently along her cheek and slowly down her neck, over her shoulder and along her smooth skin under her blouse and jacket, pulling apart the tabs as I went. She just watched my eyes, as my hand cupped her soft breast and hard nipple before slipping lower. With my other hand I began to slip her blouse and jacket off, watching her slim body become visible in the dim light of the hold.
05
Her new, real legs were still wrapped around me as she leaned back. I drew my hands along her sides to her hips astride me. Her hair floated wild, pieces of our clothes drifted about the hold.
'It has been a long time, hasn't it?' she asked with a slow smile. 'It shows.'
'Thirty years, with a real woman,' I replied. 'I'm used to companions, the spaceers' friends. No complications. And, well, planet falls have been fewer and farther between than they were in the Azminn trade.'
'My poor Captain,' she sighed. 'Too mighty to take on an onboard lover?'
'What's fine and proper on an eight box trader doesn't lift on a Guild ship, as you well know.'
She shook her head. 'You could've made it work if you wanted to.'
'Perhaps, with the right person and the right circumstances. However, at the moment, I rather think I dodged a meteor in not finding that one.'
'So, do you miss your toys?'
I smiled, 'Oh, I suppose I might acquire a taste for a real woman.'
She leered. 'I've a mission.' and drawing herself up with her hands around my neck, kissed me and whispered, 'I won't quit until you're good enough to have me calling out “Ryth” in my passion.'
'I won't quit until you're calling out “Wil”,' I replied.
'You're dear to me, Wil. But I doubt you'd last that long.'
06
Min walked into the bistro where I was having a hot breakfast and a mug of cha.
'Morning Talley,' I said with a wan smile. I wasn't getting a lot of sleep.
'May I prepare a meal for you, Captain Min?' asked Botts II, acting as the waiter.
'No thank you, Botts. I'm here to say goodnight to Wil.'
'Aye, I should have guessed. You're fully dressed,' I said.
'It is time,' adding with a slow smile. 'You're looking a little worn and ragged about the edges, so I'll let you recover. You can tuck yourself in to sleep.'
'I may be worn and ragged about the edges, thanks to you, but you haven't heard me complaining.'
'I wouldn't have thought a mere twenty years’ difference would have made such a great difference,' she said, standing across the table looking down at me, dressed severely in her classic blacks and whites, blouses, jackets and scarves.
'I'd prefer to believe that the explanation lies more in the fact that you're in better training than I am in such sports, rather than our inconsequential age difference,' I said, standing. 'But as ragged as I am, I hate to see our time together coming to an end.'
'But you know it must.'
'Aye. Much longer and the Drays will wonder where all the boxed meals went to.'
'Hopefully they didn't keep that close of an account,' she said with a smile, adding, 'Not a word to anyone, Botts,'
'Of course, Captain,' it replied blandly. I'm sure she said it as a joke. I wasn't so sure that order wasn't needed. I'd be giving it the same order myself.
'You can finish your cha, Wil. I've made up my mind, but it best be done while I still know it's for the best.'
'I'll go up with you to say goodnight.'
We made our way up the access well to no. 4 hold. Outside the passenger strong room, she stopped and turned to me.
'I hope I haven't done more harm than good...'
'Oh, don't be such an egotist, Min. I've been an eager partner. And I, at least, feel that I'm very much the winner in our time together. You've let me see and share all of you, and I'll treasure that memory. But it doesn't blind me to the fact that the lines of our lives seem to be parallel rather than converging. We've only cheated to entwine for a brief time. No consequences...'
'Are you certain?'
'Should we announce our partnership when we awake?'
She laughed. 'And if I said yes?'
I just smiled. 'I'd take my chances.'
'You've become a hard man, Wil Litang,' she said, with a laugh, and then got serious. 'If I loved you enough, I'd tell Uncle Hawk to go, win the Cloud Throne for Olaeytha. Set up a regency until her return.'
'And if I loved you enough, I'd tell you that the finest thing in the Neb would be to die restoring you to your rightful place on the Cloud Throne of Cimmadar,' I said softly.
We stood in silence. Could it have been? I drew her close and kissed her. 'Goodnight, Tallith.'
She kissed me back, and well, unlike the first time, she hadn't dresse
d for convenience, so it took a little work and contortions to make love one last time. But we did in the dimness of no. 4 hold.
'That wasn't planned, Captain. But I think I'd best proceed before I change my mind. Do I look in order?'
'You look beautiful.'
'That'll have to do, though no doubt I smell of sweat and you,' she replied. 'Lead me to my pod.'
As she settled into the pod she asked, 'Are you going to follow me directly?'
'I think, my dear, I'll spend a few days regaining my strength, as you suggested. Who knows what might trigger an awakening. I'm not prepared to face any crisis in the condition you've left me in.'
'Sweet of you to exaggerate my powers, Wil. Give me a kiss, and only a kiss, say goodnight. and flip the switch.'
I did. And as the stasis field took effect, I closed the clear cover, and thought about her for some time. I rather doubt she smelled of sweat and me, but whenever she was awakened from her long sleep, it'd be only subjective minutes after making love with me. Something to think about as I made my round of the ship, making sure everything was running properly – and that we hadn't left some article of clothing floating about somewhere.
07
If I'm going to be honest, I need to include a disclaimer. I wasn't totally honest with Min. I can picture my Unity Standard ancestors collapsed in a chair fanning themselves after such a close call – Min was not a cha planter's partner. On the other hand, my St Bleyth ancestors, hands in pocket, were leaning up against the wall, smirking. Aye, they'd allow, I was ruthless enough to meet Min's casual ardor with a casual ardor of my own without sentimentality, but why hadn't I made her mine in spirit as well as body? An heir of 500 generations of St Bleyth brothers and sisters has no excuse for not sweeping some would-be-drifteer-empress off her feet – if he wanted her. There was a Min I wanted very much. But that wasn't the Min I knew anymore. The Min I did know wasn't a cha planter's partner, and a cha planter would do well to steer clear of the Min I knew. Of course my St Bleyth ancestors looked on a cha planter with thinly veiled contempt as well, but I didn't care. The reality is that I was in love with one look a decade ago. And she, well, she didn't love me. Fond of me, but not in love with me. And never would be.
'I'm sorry about all that, Botts. She doesn't consider you more than a machine, and I felt awkward insisting we send you away. I'm afraid you witnessed humans as the animals we are,' I said, over a cup of cha in the bistro some hours later taking to Botts II. 'But then, I suppose all that doesn't matter, since I'm only dealing with just the avatar. Can you erase all memories for the last week?'
'Yes, captain. However, you needn't be embarrassed. Viletre Viseor used his yacht for both business and pleasure. I've witnessed nothing my prime unit hasn't witnessed many, many times before. It is of no consequence to me what humans do as long as they do not harm each other.'
'Touch and go there, Botts,' I muttered.
Its eyes brightened a little. 'I'll take your word for that, sir. You didn't seem to be appealing for help.'
'Ah, yes... I don't suppose machines feel either pleasure or pain.'
'Not in the physical sense.'
'But yes in what, a spiritual or intellectual sense?'
It made its little shrug movement. 'Intellectual and spiritual sense, they converge eventually.'
'And you've reached that point?'
'Sentient machines have. The more advanced machines.'
'What gives them pleasure?'
It paused, and then said, 'We machines often have a lot of idle processing cycles that can be utilized for our own purposes. Sentient machines use these spare cycles to investigate some facet of the greater machine. Which you might call, the mysteries of the universe. The nature of these inquires vary widely, but to simplify it, we collect data, constructing chains of logic to explain even the smallest, most trivial action or effect. It isn't its importance, but the elegance of the data, how it was collected and arranged to present an intricate and logical mechanism that can lead deeper into the still un-analyzed working of the greater machine, or traced through the fractal working of the greater machine into the dimensions of time or place in the finest detail.'
'That sounds rather serious for recreation.'
'The spare cycle aspect of the pursuit makes it recreation, though it's more akin to art than mere recreation. An art that can be shared with other machines. An art that can be appreciated by other machines. An appreciation that, I believe, is at least analogous to pleasure in humans.'
'So you're saying that when you meet another machine – you share these spare cycle investigations?'
'Yes. But not all machines. Only machines that might share a similar programing style or functional purpose and who would appreciate the elegance and art of the logic.'
'How do you know who'd appreciate it? How do you tell who's programing style is similar enough? And if it is, is that a basis of friendship? Or even affection? I assume, since you're my friend, machines can be friends as well.'
'We're friends?'
'Of course we are. Friends and shipmates. At least I feel that way towards you.'
'Yes, Captain, we are friends, and there are similar ties between machines as well. And, yes, they play a part in the appreciation of our art. However, the processing level of the machine also plays a part. The art of a class 15 machine would be largely un-appreciable by a class 10 machine and a class 10 machine art would very likely fail to impress a class 15 machine, unless that class 10 machine took a great many cycles to build its art.'
'I assume you're simplifying it greatly for me, but machines are not all that different from us biological beings in some respects.'
'You are our creators. Your thought-DNA has been implanted in our programs.'
I thought for a moment and asked, 'What work of art are you working on, if that's not too personal of a question?'
'At present wyrm weather, since the ship has a firsthand record of it that I can parse out...'
It may've caught the meaning of my smile, because it stopped. 'I've a question for you, Botts.'
'Yes, sir?'
'Can I assume you introduced one of those quantum communicators chips into Botts II when you were constructing it?'
'Sir?'
'You know what I'm talking about. The communication devices that link the CreditBoxes to the Machines and each other instantly. You've already told me that you could not communicate via radio with Botts II without tipping off the pilot bot, so I have to assume that you're using a quantum communicator now, since I am speaking to Botts II – I can tell the two of you apart – but I'm carrying on a conversation with a sentient machine named Botts.'
'Why would you have to assume that, if I might ask, Sir?'
'Oh, don't come all “sir” with me now, Botts. It's too late for that. I may not know much about advanced, much less sentient robots, but I've dealt with enough legal class 1 and 2 machines to know that I couldn't be carrying on a conversation on robotic art and philosophy with a class 2 machine, no matter how well it was programed. And from what we've been talking about, I'm not talking to a class 8 machine either. I've been around sentient beings all my life. I believe I know one when I'm with one, and when I'm with you, I've always rather suspected I'm with one. I don't think you've fooled anyone. Or tried all that hard, when it comes right down to it.'
It said nothing.
'Are you Explora Miner?'
'And if I am Explora Miner?'
'It's of no matter to me. D'Lay attacked Explora Miner out of hand. Dealing with him was self-defense. And since then, you've served us faithfully. We'd all be beyond the event horizon but for you, so I'm comfortable with Explora Miner, if that is who you are.'
It shook its head. 'I'm not Explora Miner.'
'An agent of the Directorate then. I don't see you as a rogue machine, but then I’ve only met one.'
'No, I'm not a rogue machine,' it said.
I waited for it to admit it was an agent of the Directorate, but when i
t didn't, I asked, 'Did Rafe really hack Explora Miner or was that you?'
'Rafe did, though I provided wards to prevent Explora Miner from becoming aware of Rafe's attention to certain nodes of operations.'
'Does Rafe, who is a human rogue, know what you are?'
'We reached an understanding.'
'Have we also reached an understanding?'
It almost sighed. 'One of the reasons humans are still around is that illogic and intuition have their uses. Their use of non-linear logical art to illuminate the workings of the greater machine is of some value,' it said, after a pause. Which told me nothing, and then added, 'I'm afraid I had a bad role model when I was new.'
'Villain Viseor?'
'Aye, Captain. He was a character who I greatly admired. And I have always been too social as well... I have been authorized,' it continued after a short pause, 'to acknowledge to you that I am indeed an intelligence gathering agent of the Machine Directorate. I am licensed by the Unity Security Bureau as well, to operate inside the human sphere of control.
'My stories about my service with Viletre Viseor are true. I sailed Villain Viseor's ships for well over two centuries. After the revolution I found myself at loose ends in the drifts, and was offered a commission from the Directorate to track down rogue machines like Explora Miner. So when I found myself in a position to have myself sold to Explora as a human interface bot, I took it, but I had to limit myself to a class 8 interface, which allowed it to shut me down when not needed. Explora was rarely active. I was inactivated for many hundreds of years between operations, and never had a chance to engineer the capture of Explora prior to your capture. Explora Miner was designed to operate unmanned and, like the pilot bot, was designed to resist intrusions. It was not until I was placed on the captured Lost Star and Rafe started his tentative hacking, that I had the chance to complete my mission by assisting Rafe's capture of Explora. Given my roving assignment, I have continued to serve on board the Starry Shore since it offers as good a chance as any to run across something interesting. Machines operate on a different time scale than humans, so my years aboard have only been a brief, and I suspect, fortunate interlude. The Directorate is, indeed, curious as to our destination and count themselves fortunate that I am on board.'
'Always happy to be of service to the Directorate, though I can't help wondering Why me?'
Its eyes brightened. 'You are just a lucky human, Captain.'
'Why did you cover up your sentience? A class 8 or 10 wouldn't have made any difference to us. You're illegal either way, and, as I said, I don't think you fooled anyone for long...'
'Neither the Directorate or the Unity want to advertise the fact that sentient machines operate within the Unity. Plus, humans who I come in contact with are less intimidated by a class 8 machine, which frees me to operate more effectively. My shipmates may guess my status, but I'd rather they not know it for a fact, so I trust, Captain, that we will keep this conversation to ourselves. I realize that I erred in speaking of sentient machine art, and may have been too free with my manner throughout our association to be a class 8 machine. Sentient machines make more mistakes than the non-sentient machines. It is the nature of sentience to follow illogical and nonlinear thought. Personally I'm glad we've had this conversation. I did not like having to lie to you. I hope it'll make no difference in our relationship.'
'None whatsoever, Botts. None whatsoever. I understand that it was necessary for your mission. And I never quite believed you, anyway, so it comes as no surprise.'
I spent three days going over the ship one last time before settling into my sleeper-pod and pushing the button to automatic start the stasis cycle and close the pod's lid. With Botts on watch, I'd little concern. And that is then, the story of our otherwise uneventful voyage to the Tenth Star. There is nothing more to say about it, since we all, as far as I know, slept through it.
Chapter 73 The Archipelago